3
10
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1
1. Sato Takeru in a Hakama
2. Samurai
Oops... I thought I would list more things... I didn't even read the summary, so I can't say I went for the plot either.
Apparently, this one's based on a novel and an actual historical event. The film doesn't solely center on Sato Takeru's character. It tells the story of the people of Annaka (today a town in Japan). Its lord is concerned about how his samurai are doing during this time of peace while foreigners (through trading) slowly start to approach that so far closed Japan to outsiders. He sees a thread in them and doesn't want his men to slack off. Therefore he starts a marathon to keep them on track.
At first it sounds somewhat unusual. But it was a really pleasant watch for me. There are no fancy sword fights or overwhelming poetic dialogues or scenes. It simply shows how unstable peace was back then (spies laid low everywhere), how one single letter can change for the better or worse and how people who were only aiming for their own goals before, start to fight unitedly to protect their territory.
I felt really comfortable while watching. The atmosphere wasn't too heavy, though there was still some seriousness to it. The film doesn't go into too much detail and yet you grasp all the subtle circumstances everyone is in.
It starts on a calm note but it never drags. It has a steady rhythm to tell the story, very well paced, in my opinion. You don't always need action-loaded elements to enjoy something like that. Sometimes you just need a well thought through strategy that puts every piece together in the final stage. Combined with some beautiful cinematography, you get a real nice dish served.
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As I watched the movie, I realized once again that only Japan can create that kind of varying atmosphere. It started as some depressing slice-of-life genre, transformed into some fun Sc-fy action, jumped into the Death Note universe and came back for some superhero clash.
Two people of different age and circumstances stumble upon the opportunity to actually try out a "What would you do if you had god-like power"-situation while turning their innermost body parts into a superhuman robot. Due to their varied life experiences, their paths divide into completely different directions. Even though there's an explanation for the cause, they don't reveal the purpose of it all, and instead focus on the main characters development. You know pretty early on that there will be a hero and an anti-hero.
They use stereotype ruthless public bashing to corner the characters even further. Since there's no bloodthirsty psycho, there's no exaggerating use of gore either. But there is a very high death toll that makes you swallow nonetheless because of its simplicity. Like snapping fingers it happens without creating tension, no extensive explanation and delay. Just like that, it hits you in the guts (and that might not be to everyone's liking, just so you know).
CGI was totally okay in my eyes and the constant change between background music and silence I liked as well.
I don't think it's a movie for some real deep thinking. There is that question "What if...", but it's just that. The rest is either to people's liking or not. I for myself enjoyed the movie. And Sato Takeru can definitely pull off a high school kid.
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Chapeau to a character-driven story
Many people enjoyed this one the same way I did, and I'm glad it did. Sometimes a hype can mislead you, but sometimes it can also display its actual value.While trying to pick a hopefully good drama from that never ending list, this wouldn't have been my next choice if it wasn't for a recommendation of a dear friend. Someone who I'd consider one of the most critical watchers here on MDL. Even though my rating is highly likely more generous than hers, we do feel the same about a bunch of dramas when we actually hit a jackpot. Flower of Evil falls into that category.
Someone once told me that if you start to dream in a language you're currently learning, then you really begin to understand it.
In a way this drama is a language on its own, and it wants to tell a very sensitive and shocking story. A story, that made me dream about. I wasn't able to let go of the characters even after going to bed. The tension already tied me down after switching off the television. And I can't remember the details about the dream but I do remember the strange feeling after waking up the next day. My feelings were caught up in all these circumstances, and the more I got to know, the more invested I became.
The drama has so many strong treats, that I can't decide which one I should mention first. The main leads? The supporting cast? The acting? The writing?
Starting the drama, the first thing you notice is one of the most adorable married couples you've ever seen in the dramaworld, only completed with one the most precious little daughters out there. At first sight they look perfect. Too perfect actually. And as the plot summary already reveals, there's something you can't see right away. Something that starts to tear down those perfectly built walls from within. Being experienced with alot of crime tropes, I knew there was something fishy about that dark past, they wanted to sell me. Seriously, how far would a drama go with making the main lead the bad guy? That question constantly followed me while my suspicions changed all the time.
The script was fabulous in overthrowing my theories over and over again, only to make me realize that I was wrong from the very beginning. There were plot twists I'd never dreamt of. However in the later episodes I became quite suspicious of alot of scenes. But the precise draft of the plot kept my confidence high that everything would play out comprehensible.
No doubt, Lee Joon Gi pulled a big one here. I don't want to exaggerate but his performance was brilliant. The characters' writing was so detailed that I as a viewer was able to understand his whole nature even before he himself knew his true colors. Moon Chae Won was the perfect counterpart to disclose all the given layers, designed by a well balanced push and pull of both of them. I rooted for her character as well as I did for her husband. At some point though she kinda disappointed me, but... I guess that's what you call human nature. So, despite that one situation, I was glad that Do Hyun Soo (LJG) didn't let me down during that time. If he did, I would have questioned the whole concept of his character.
The villain was a league of its own. I don't want to give away too much, so let me just say, what an astonishing display of 'antisocial disorder' this was. My inner profiler screamed 'what a warped mind to study!'.
The side actors supported the story big time, thanks to a neatless writing and a well selected cast. Hyun Soo's sister Hae Soo, Reporter Kim and Hyun Soo's step parents got enough background story to become tangible pieces who you could relate with (whether you liked them in the end or not).
The members of the police force weren't given that much background, but each member made a perceptible contribution to push the plot forward. Usually I don't give much credit to police officers in dramas, because they keep messing up in unbelievable ways. These guys however, I can make an exception with a clear conscience. Their actions were always reasonable and well thought-out. Even though you don't know much about them, you could feel the teamwork and trust that was built over the years. I could accept their decisions, for better or worse. The few character treats they were given were used well enough to make them not look like brainless drama puppets.
Somewhere in the middle I realized that this was not the first drama with Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won working together. 'Criminal Minds' were another one, a drama I was highly disappointed with because it felt cold and lacked empathy. While that one proved once more that if a script sucks, the best actors can't save it either, Flower of Evil confirmed that great writing can pitch its actors to another level.
Thank you, Flower of Evil, for giving me such a delicious watch and such a remarkable and catchy OST (my next earworm indeed).
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Watching the trailer, I knew I would definitely start this when I get the chance. Excitement, suspense and the hope of some good mystery (whether it might be supernatural or not) led me to the impression that I wouldn't waste my time with this one. Maybe you're going to watch the trailer now, maybe you already did and just decided to start the drama. Well, sometimes producers tend to put the most exciting moments into those two minute clips to attract a lot of people. Unfortunately that often results in viewers being disappointed because all the already known suspense is getting served in the first one or two episodes. There's a big chance your interest has been piqued by then but the further you watch the more sober you get about the plot and you just know that you won't develop the same gripping emotions you had in the beginning.
Does that make "Search" not worth the watch? Don't worry, it still does. But don't let your imagination and excitement run free, don't expect too much or set the bar too high.
The story itself is still very interesting and most times they did a great job telling it. You can guess one or two things and connect some dots along the road as more details come to light, intentionally or not. I don't think it's a bad idea to show pieces of the puzzle here and there (I definitely wouldn't call it predictable) because I for myself like to guess things and I'm happy when I'm right about it. And I really enjoyed the net that was woven. Even though the drama left me with one or two unanswered questions (I'm still really curious about those - i.e. the explanation for the "cause" was pretty vague), most things were explained in the end.
The cast did an adequate job, some more than others and in the end the acting was good enough for the story. I thought that Jang Dong Yoon (ML) would be my light of the day, but it was actually Moon Jung Hee and Yeon Woo Jin. Oh, and of course the dogs, Leo and Mac! They were trained so well. Makes me wonder whether they really used military ones.
Aside from a pointless romance that already ended before it had even started, the main problem for a plot like this was that they revealed too much physics of the main "thing" too early, which took out all the "mystery". Therefore the main force was pulled down right away and never rose again. That makes you start to concentrate on the side dishes and you discover small details that bother the flow if you put too much thought into it. For example, I'm no expert regarding military behavior, but how can they chat about private things in the middle of an operation. In the dark. With an unknown target. Like yeah, no. But don't worry, those situations are quite rare. And maybe it's just me who noticed those things which happened only once or twice.
Would I recommend this? Yes, I would. Despite its flaws it's still a good watch. And for people who don't nitpick about every tiny crack, it can be quite a show. I did feel entertained by it. My expectations were just too high right from the start.
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I was very fascinated about that special father/son relationship. It was complicated, and subtle gestures, words and looks created a really good feel for those both as well as for me.
I also liked that there were so many grey-ish characters, some of them explained more detailed, others less. Being in the medical field myself I can relate to the daily struggles and difficult decisions the doctors have to make - and it's stressing you out a lot. Of course, for us it looks like "Omg, he's such a bad person." but well... it's never easy to make life changing decisions, right?
I also mentioned before that I'm in love with the constellation of the cast, right? This drama has so many of my favorites actors and actresses in it, that it was pure pleasure to watch them - even if the script was trash. Though that is definitely not the case here. The plot, the writing, the dialogues and the execution were great. Except for the last episodes. I wouldn't have minded two more. I think that it would have been better for the story flow because the finale feels a bit flat and rushed now. Also, for the development of the relationship between Lee Young Oh and Gye Jin Sung, especially how she is slowly changing him. Both of them together got less screentime because of the cut since the drama also had to solve the criminal part.
But nevertheless, Park So Dam and Jang Hyuk were... well, they completed each other? I mean, they were able to pull off the differences in character and how they completed each other (even though I feel that Park So Dam's character fell a bit short on that part). They had really good chemistry, even though I also enjoyed Jang Hyuk's and Park Se Young interactions in the beginning (yeah, part of it was Money Flower-induced... :p).
Those Power Rangers below (excluding Jang Hyuk, ofc)... and the rest of the medical stuff were a nice addition, and even though they were either not the nicest people or just too undefined in the beginning, they grew on me. Though Dong Ha was my favorite from the first minute :p~ And he and Jang Hyuk... I need another drama with them together!
The medical part is very... tumor-heavy, one could say. It makes it look like there are just no other diseases out there. I always told myself that there are a lot more patients with minor illnesses, but just not shown for the viewer. And for the sake of the viewer they picked the more dangerous and rarer ones. I can't blame them. First of all, it was very interesting to get to know about some of them. And secondly, not every "tumor" means "cancer". "Tumor" just means "lumb/swelling" where the structure of the cells is either slightly or gravely different from the usual ones. I learned that in school recently, but I'm sure that the majority of people who don't work in the medical field and don't research those things on their own, don't know about it. There's a difference in cells and benign tumors (the good ones) can be removed if the location is not too dangerous and it won't re-appear. Benign tumors also won't "spread" because their cell walls are definite. There's a lot more to the subject, so I will stop here since it's quite the dry material. I just wanted to point that out because I know a lot of people freak out when they hear "tumor".
If you listen to "Dirt" by Park Bernard, the songs makes you all warm and melancholic and sad with a spark of hope. Not every OST of a drama is worth mentioning, but this one needs to be. It's captivating and so different from your usual songs, and stays with you even after the song has already finished for some time.
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So, where to start…
If you look at the basic story alone, it’s actually a quite interesting case. I was really curious about all the new revelations and how things were connected. But the writers messed up the whole concept of “keeping suspense”. There was none. And if this wasn’t enough already, it felt like they were going backwards with the thrill and make it even more boring.
First of all, there was the constant power struggle between the bad side characters. It was chaotic and obscure to a point where it reached the level of a sleeping pill. It made you unable to get interested in all the schemes they were weaving whenever it was needed. And what made it even more tiring was the acting in those cases. It had such a monotone tune without even one attempt to accelerate the intensity or change certain expressions in the characters to make them more dimensional. I would have been happy about some independent single cases to loosen that grey, depressing atmosphere of the drama and get the drama back to life.
Secondly, the main characters. Even though I liked that bit romance they had added to the story, I was not satisfied with the rest of their behavior. Choi Jin Hyuk did a good job with his acting, but I was not always fond of his character. I liked him during his private time when he was not working at some case. Those times he was enjoyable to watch. But whenever he was doing some prosecutor stuff, he got on my nerves because he was always picking a fight with his supervisor, was disobedient and got in trouble all the time.
Baek Jin Hee… I liked her so much in Missing 9, but here she’s rather a disappointment. Her acting was boring and could have been way more expressive. She looked like a wet puppy most times. At the same time her eyes seemed uninterested in the surroundings and the dialogues and it felt like there was a child doing some grown-up stuff (nooo, not what you guys think). Her character seemed out of place. She was timid and without any confidence. There was always someone who cut her short and she obediently let it happen. At times she was like a child and very stubborn when it came to her own case. Her approach to solve that one was in no way clever and the most ridiculous thing was that she and her team displayed the whole progress on a board in their office room for everyone to see.
Choi Min Soo… He was great. I liked his acting a lot and his character was seriously interesting. He made mistakes in the past and tried to hide them, it was never sure on what side he was on, but deep down you knew that he had some good will roots. Sometimes though, he was a bit exaggerating and acting too extreme. He was on the verge of the abusing his power towards his subordinates (most of all whenever he was angry with the female lead he invaded her personal space to a point where it should be called “harassing”). That was the only thing I hated about him.
I also like the veteran supporting actors, i.e. Kim Na Woon who played the mother of the female lead. Or Son Chang Min who was equally entertaining as Choi Min Soo. Also, Choi Woo Shik was a funny character as well. He was not without flaws and it was fun to see him trying to escape the “going up against my superiors”-road every time.
Also, the father of the female lead. I didn’t like the actor in “King of Baking”, but here he was very impressive, even though his screen-time was very short.
On the other hand I was not happy with the clothing of the females in this. Call me prude, but it was totally inappropriate for them to wear extremely short skirts and do the “I’m too sexy for this job”-dance.
Overall a drama with a good start and an interesting idea. But failed pacing without suspense, bad placed revealing of secrets and a consistently grayish atmosphere made the drama a tiring journey.
But most of all: Why the hell are people allowed to prosecute cases they are involved in themselves?! And then the ending… What was that?
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First of all the drama went way too long. Even for people who'd marathon this, they would still forget the first half or feel like it's been ages since they watched the first couple of eps.
The biggest weakness is this really, REALLY flexible storyline. Depending on what was needed, it happened. Regardless of its realistic possibility or moral value, or topping one stupidity after another.
The more ridiculous it became, the more fun I had with the side characters. Their weird behavior was entertaining at times and drew in the focus while the leads lost a lot of importance.
The "best" part was how this drama turned into a makjang. And that actually made me stick with it, even though it was still way over the top. But in exchange some of the hidden side stories were really interesting. I was even willing to give this a 5.5, but then the finale happened and destroyed more of what I thought wasn't possible anymore. People who should be clever, quick-witted or whatever, became the opposite, got stupid and blindly followed a messed up script. Not to mention the result of Kim Jong Sam's falsely judged imprisonment.
I wouldn't recommend this, not in a million years.
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If there's one thing the drama has in common with Italy, it's the fact that it ripes like a good wine. The start was okay but never knocked me off my socks, and therefore paused it for awhile. After some time I continued, and suddenly I was carried away by it. It's one of the few dramas that actually get better with the second half.
It's an old trope, trying to fight against a big corrupt company, revealing all the evil deeds, discover more corruption and so on. It's pretty exhausting, I don't even know why I always watch that stuff. It's no different with this one, yet I felt pretty entertained at the end. And that's because of this unique cast and very well written characters - not just one or two but a huge bunch of those. And because of the balance between good and evil. It was mostly 70/30 for the good ones, but the villains' counterattacks had deeper impacts, if only for a short while. I also loved those posing entries whenever Vincenzo's group was about to attack. I never felt more satisfied then watching their stunts being successful.
Managing such a large group of supportive characters is probably not that easy, but the drama still pulled it off somehow. And that without a detailed background story for everyone. There was always enough information of each of them to draw enough of a 3D image while the respective actors and actresses did the rest in bringing them to life. The result is a fantastic and highly entertaining side cast that carries a big part of the story. And I'm just talking about the residents Vincenzo gets aquainted with.
The villains in this experience slow but impressive character changes throughout the story - they either become darker or have a change of heart. Except for one. I don't mind that though because he was who he was, there was never a hint that he would change, and that was more than enough for me.
I don't think that everyone needs some kind of development whatsoever. If the character is written well enough, I only care whether he or she acts in-character, because that alone can be fun as hell if done right. For example the female lead. She does have some huge development jump in the early episodes after a certain incident, but after that she gets her stand and never budges. I must praise the actress here, because damn, she got the most natural performance I've seen in a long time. It was pure enjoyment watching her very being, her charisma was electrifying.
SJK aka Vincenzo... Well, well. I liked his performance, no question. He did a decent job and I enjoyed his scenes alot, and there are even one or two scenes which he played out quite impressively. But in the end I never felt a real Mafioso vibe around him. No matter how many seemingly cold-blooded, yet passionate scenes they put him into. I don't even blame the accent. I know it wasn't the best. Espescially since he played someone who grew up in Italy, it wasn't convincing. I don't speak the language but I'm quite familiar with it, so I hear the difference. But I never blame foreign accents in kdramas. I'm already pleased when I see that they try. I just think that his ~Italian aura lacked alot. It was missing density and didn't feel as intimidating as it should have.
Nevertheless, one of the few dramas, I enjoyed alot because the WHOLE cast was outstanding (excluding the few foreigners who appear one of two times).
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Well, first of all the combination of zombies and Joseon dynasty was definitely worth while. Haven't seen that kind of drama before and also don't know of anything like this. They integrated your usual sageuk theme quite well into the zombie genre.
You can see that they had a high budget on this and it paid off. Of course, there's also the "Netflix"-touch (or let's call it the Western touch) to it. Scenes/editing/cinematography feel different. I mean, really good sageuks have this certain serious aura. This one as well, but it's still different. And yet, it maintains its historical Korean core: the conflict between politicians and the Royal family.
Do you know what's really satisfying in this drama? Whenever you get annoyed by corrupt characters in a sageuk, you'd almost pull out all of your hair, you want to punish them yourself and it takes an eternity until they get what they really deserve. But here you don't get bothered at all because you just know that there's a higher/stronger instance that doesn't care for Joseon politics and that defines a new order. Its pure existance threatens the whole system whether it's noblemen or peasants. And no one can escape.
The cast in this is simply amazing. I wouldn't expect less either. Here are stellar actors and actresses assembled, each of them doing a fantastic job. Maybe it's the editing but it feels like a whole new level... or a different level. It's hard to describe.
The only character I couldn't become comfortable with was the queen. I don't really think that the actress was the right choice for this. She was the weakest part of them all even though the character itself is actually quite important. She never warmed up to me. That's my only complaint about this.
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Binged this one in three days and haven't regretted a single minute of it. Can't deny that I will always fall for the "enemies to lovers" trope.
The introduction of every important character in the first episode was very strong and I might have been a bit too impressed with it, expecting the rest of the drama to be flawless. That was not the case. But those were just visual edting issues (weird fast scene switches, plastic petals) and had nothing to do with the story itself. On the other hand the drama also presented expressive camera settings and cinematography with vigorous intentions. And damn, well selected, beautiful, detailed costumes! I loooved the winter edition.
The plot, the twists and the overall mystery were through and through enjoyable - of course, it had its ups and downs with the suspense but the calmer moments were compensated with sweet interactions between the leads.
The cast was phenomenal. Ding YuXi, the ML, exceeded my expectations with his performance of a cold-hearted, cunning military officer, never showing his true intentions, reducing his facial expressions to a minimum, yet still able to tell the viewer what's going on. Every move, every gesture and powerful stand demonstrated grace and dignity. A big part played his deep voice, too. There were alot of different facets. From authoritarian to collected, steady and soft. Most times calm, seldomly loud, but even then it was composed, never jarring.
Ancy Deng, the FL, played a really good counterpart, never letting her other half down, never inferior to Ding YuXi either. Displaying a strong woman in pursuing her passion of solving criminal cases and fight injustice. She was fun, never being shy with examining corpses or dashing forward into the next case.
The chemistry between the leads was endearing and on point. And thank god no out of place comediac inserts. They remained in their roles, stayed serious, focused and still managed to show affection, romance, intimacy and light-hearted moments.
But not only the two main leads did a great job, but every other supportive crew member as well. The FL's family, the queen dowager, the princess, the prince, the ministers and all the others. Together they created a convincing atmopshere of palace matters and intrigues. I especially liked that even these supportive characters had more than just one side to them.
The drama will surely stay with me for a while. And even though I almost never cried during my watch, I felt with and for the characters.
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Way better than expected
First of all, the poster of this drama is totally misleading in my eyes (it was one reason why I hadn't started this already earlier). The Tale of Nokdu is not as happy as you might think.I admit that I was pretty much turned off after watching the first episode. A lot of scenes felt a bit overdone, they tried too hard in building up tension, the comedy was not to my liking either and they didn't succeed in stirring my curiosity at all. I wondered why the drama had such a high rating. Jang Dong Joon's well done cross dressing and an MDL's friend's advise to be a bit more patient made me continue. Well, I'm glad I did.
The first half of the drama was kinda spinning in circles and the story didn't move forward. But the comedy got alot better, while the story gained ground and became steadier, so they didn't have to try so hard anymore in convincing me. And then after the first half it felt like a tornado went through and turned everything upside down. Everything suddenly became 100 per cent more serious. By that time I already developed a certain attachment for one or two people other than Nokdu.
As the story went further I got seriously invested in the side characters and their circumstances. Whether it was the king, who was intimidated by his own status while being overwhelmed by the fear of losing it, or the Muwoldan group, who had an honorable reason to fight but got tangled up by the higher-ups power struggle. Or Cha Yoel Moo with his unrequited love, always helpful, always patient and almost becoming a fool for playing the second fiddle at some point. There's more to him than one might expect though.
I started to care for all of them, whether they were good or bad. The story managed to show more than one side and therefore made their decisions somewhat more reasonable. Sides shifted, re-groupings took place and made me utterly eager and anxious at the same time, for I couldn't foresee the next steps.
I think Nokdu was the most pitiable person among them all. His sole existence put everyone around him in uncomfortable positions. He had no say in who he was, yet people started to assume things and used him for their own selfish desires. But he never gave up, he never let himself get down. I was extremely satisfied with how well he managed to pull through all those obstacles and always stood true to himself.
Nokdu's sword fighting skills were a pleasure to the eye, it was beautiful and deadly at the same time. He was exceedingly well trained. He never sought the battles out himself, so I was glad that he could defend himself like that. Confrontations like that were unavoidable on his path. But he never looked invincible either. When he was hurt, he wasn't able to fight that well three days later. When a group outnumbered him, he was bound to get hurt badly.
Though the romance was nothing special to me, it still managed to stir my emotions at the end. Dong Ju is the girl who wanted to take revenge and who's rock solid decision got shaken up by Nokdu. Well, I've seen more captivating ill-fated couples than this one, but I was not bothered either. I was fine with it because they didn't add baseless tearjerkers. And they had some really nice moments as well.
Nokdu's brother was the weakest piece in my opinion. They tried to explain his motivation but it never touched me enough to actually care for him.
Certain details of the finale were... unexpected but I still liked it. If I had one regret though, it would be a certain realization of the king and with that maybe a different outcome. I had anticipated it so much, that I felt a somewhat unpleasant letdown regarding that. But maybe that's just my selfishness.
So, if you feel the same as me before about starting this, I advise you to try it out. It's better than what it might look like ;)
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Plus, acting was entertaining and praiseworthy as well. Esp. Do Kyung Soo who won over my heart with his performance. Kinda reminded me of Kim Soo Hyun and his portrayal of the Crown Prince/King in The Moon Embracing the Sun. But not as an imitation, he created his very own Crown Prince here. Without him the story would have been a lot less impressive and not as resonating. His character was the mainstray. (This might give me an idea for an article... )
That ending almost ruined the 9 that I intended to give since a while ago... Why? Because first of all they overdid the very thing I praised throughtout the whole drama: The comedy. And there were some characters left untouched as if they had been saints all along. Secondly, I just can't stand the excuse of an "ill-fated past" that keeps the protagonists apart. Like, are you writers serious? I wouldn't mind if it had been explained well. But here it felt like a lame and shallow try to prolong the inevitable, and was so NOT needed. So, 30 min of the drama were definitely a breach of style. Those few points made that heaviness they had built up during the whole story almost crumble.
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No brain needed, watch for the cast and you'll enjoy!
Yeah, I admit my shallow, reason. Only watched this because I went through Hou MingHao's movie list.And yes, the only reason for many others as well is probably purely the cast and maybe getting some action. Jackie Chan, John Cena, GoT's 2nd Greyjoy bad boy. And Hou MingHao. Even though he's got a really small supporting role with only 2 sentences and a nice close-up.
The film is a pretty simple mainstream action movie, no brain needed, fighting scenes ala Jackie Chan and some comediac inserts that are usually part of your action movies these days. The story is so simple, that I actually forgot to listen to the dialogues some times.
What I have to compliment though is the cinematography. Really beautiful desert and explosion shots.
The end was quite sudden and I didn't get how they actually stopped the evil master plan...
Conclusion: If you know what you signed up for, you can't get disappointed and might actually enjoy the movie. I somewhat did, lol.
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In short: Way too long
I liked the concept and the vibe of the drama, a mix of ancient chinese folklore and archeological treasure hunting while solving cases, set in the early 20th century. But there was also a weird Rubik's cube, that appeared every now and then and felt out of space regarding that time periode. Even after completing the drama and knowing what the deal was with it, I think they could have solved that part differently. It disturbed the atmosphere alot, imo.The acting of most of the cast was good and yes, Hou MingHao was great in his role. Not so much the 2nd ML though. Maybe others might see it differently but I never felt enough compassion in his acting. It seemed stiff or somehow blocked. I think good acting is when you don't see that it's acting. But unfortunately the actor never passed that stage.
What I liked were those low budget backdrops/sceneries. Many outside places looked like indoor stages which felt a bit like school theatre. So, I didn't mind those cheap accessories and props, it kinda fitted the mood. There's a minimum of CGI editing, too, which was actually quite good. And they were doing a really good job with camera installs and makeup to create short-term suspense.
What was up with that ending? I mean, I'm not mad at that kind of plot twist even though it felt a bit weird at first. But the last episode ended so upruptly that it left me with quite an unsatisfying feeling.
The overall conclusion is that the story took an eternity to get to the end. At a certain point it failed to raise enough suspense to keep the urge to watch further. The cases weren't too long but they were always only simmering instead of bubbling, a constant steady low-profile flow with no destination. In the end MingHao was the sole reason I finished this drama.
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While the beginning successfully built up atmosphere and suspense, the later tribulations felt a bit rushed and therefore took out some spice. I couldn't fully enjoy the romance the way I wanted to. I'm not a fan of cushy pink clouds or those childish romance gestures/attitudes between the main couple. Playful yes, but not childish. The overall romance wasn't as intense as I had hoped for, at least for me. A huge part caused the FLs acting, that felt quite limited many times. Facial expressions failed to deliver enough emotions.
My favored atmosphere as well as suspense became better again during the end of the last tribulation and when the arc in the demon realm started. And wow, the demon arc was great, but a bit too short. I would have liked to watch that part a bit longer - and with more amnesia.
I found the whole cast very pleasant and the hidden villain was well played. Special applause to the cast who always played the parents. They were great and their appearances were always a delight.
I still don't get why they changed the actress of the SFL though. Whether it was planned from the beginning or had to be done later on for whatever reason, they wrote the change into the script, so it would make sense, but it was not necessary at all, imo. I liked the first version better.
Visuals were great, makeup and costumes beautiful, as well as colorful cinematography/CGI. Yet they actually put some mannequins in armor in the background during one of the last episodes, as well as a few not so well made CGI "power moves". That was a small letdown.
I overall still enjoyed this drama and the cast alot. It was fun, seeing the actors and actresses in different roles over and over again. The few complaints I have about this drama are mostly completely subjective and don't mean others would feel the same. Those were just not my thing.
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