1
When a guy in a revenge drama meets a family from a comedy
This was an entertaining ride that I enjoyed all the way through. I do think it's quite crucial to understanding the story that the watcher realize there's a revenge drama happening along side the comedy. The male lead's goals don't change, and neither does his tragic back story. The first act of the drama is all about the comedy that the family is in intruding on the male lead's very serious drama and slowly drawing him into a more light-hearted existence. In the second act, the revenge drama starts to assert itself again, and things get a little more dangerous for the family while everyone tries to solve the conspiracy and help the ML get his revenge (I mean, more justice than "revenge"... like, this isn't The Glory or anything!).
Thinking about it that way, the tonal shifts didn't feel jarring for me. I felt like the revenge plot stuff was satisfyingly complex and the resolution believable. The comedy aspects lightened that story line, while the drama aspects put some extra angst in the comedy storyline, but I found the blend satisfying. I enjoy both revenge dramas and comedies, and I think that the blend here was good at taking the strengths from both genres and using them to lessen the excesses of the other. Revenge dramas often get bogged down in angst and darkness, but the show had comedic scenes throughout. Comedy plots can be underdeveloped and they can tend towards silliness and repetativeness, but the drama elements kept things moving and changing. The comedic characters had more depth and more emotional range than a lot of comedic characters do (although the father and brother are a little more one-note than everyone else) and there are some really enjoyable side characters and stories.
The ending.... well. As another review pointed out, time travel stories in China are a bit tricky because of regulations and I think most of my complaints about the ending can be chalked up to that. I agree with others that it was more "bittersweet" than "happy" but the final note was more sweet than bitter. Overall, I found it really enjoyable and fun.
Thinking about it that way, the tonal shifts didn't feel jarring for me. I felt like the revenge plot stuff was satisfyingly complex and the resolution believable. The comedy aspects lightened that story line, while the drama aspects put some extra angst in the comedy storyline, but I found the blend satisfying. I enjoy both revenge dramas and comedies, and I think that the blend here was good at taking the strengths from both genres and using them to lessen the excesses of the other. Revenge dramas often get bogged down in angst and darkness, but the show had comedic scenes throughout. Comedy plots can be underdeveloped and they can tend towards silliness and repetativeness, but the drama elements kept things moving and changing. The comedic characters had more depth and more emotional range than a lot of comedic characters do (although the father and brother are a little more one-note than everyone else) and there are some really enjoyable side characters and stories.
The ending.... well. As another review pointed out, time travel stories in China are a bit tricky because of regulations and I think most of my complaints about the ending can be chalked up to that. I agree with others that it was more "bittersweet" than "happy" but the final note was more sweet than bitter. Overall, I found it really enjoyable and fun.
Was this review helpful to you?
