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Beautiful Forbidden Love
Love Between Fairy and Devil is a xianxia drama, which narrates the story of forbidden love between a devil and a fairy. The drama has everything a xianxia drama has: forbidden love, reincarnation, a cold male lead falling in love with the warm and bubbly female lead making it his only weakness, female lead with hidden identity and more. But what makes this drama stands out from other xianxia drama is that it has a VERY BEAUTIFUL visual sequence, graphics, and cinematography. Love Between Fairy and Devil successfully brought the 仙（fairy） element into their drama, and I think the drama has raised the standard high for the next xianxia drama.The narrative of Love Between Fairy and Devil is straightforward, about a fairy unaccidentally saving the demon lord and they gradually fell in love. The screenwriter managed to write a very cohesive and compelling story, also with a coherent storyline making it easy for the audience to understand. The drama also manages to seamlessly combine comedy, romance, also angst in the latter part. Every character in the drama also has their own background story with their own personal motive, each character is there not only for the sake of getting the male and female lead together nor just to make the drama plot more lively, but each character is there making their own decision which gradually leads and builds up to the whole drama plot.
What makes Love Between Fairy and Devil distinctive from other xianxia is definitely its art department and how well they articulate it. The drama manages to articulate the vision of the fantasy world and everything that comes with it. It is beautifully and enchantingly portrayed that you would actually believe the presence of such world, where there are pink skies with whales, a pavilion full of flowers, a castle on top of a hill, and more. It has been a while since there is such beautiful and mesmerizing graphics in a drama. You can see that the drama spends most of its budget on its art department, starting from costumes, CGI, graphics, more (IQIYI also offers the drama in 4k quality!).
Firstly, the drama costumes are very beautiful, the costume department puts a lot of thought and effort into their costume. Everyone's outfit is fitting to their character and demeanour. DongFang QingCang’s outfit is mostly black but also with a hint of gold, showing his sovereignty as the moon supreme. Xiao Lan Hua’s outfit is in bright pastel colours fitting with her character and personality as a fairy with a bright and bubbly personality. Other than the main characters, the side characters also have very pretty costumes, such as Chang Heng’s war costume. Moreover, the drama also has very beautiful headpieces, especially for the male characters, which are rarely seen in other historical dramas.
Secondly, the graphics and CGI of each realm, location, and power special effects are rendered so smooth that it resulted in an ethereal and mind-blowing result. Such as DongFang QingCang’s hell flame, when he summoned the dragon, the arbiter hall, and more. The drama is meticulous in every aspect from its colour palette, visual art, CGI, and lighting, everything is well thought. I especially love the scene where Rong Hao and Chang Heng entered the painting, they really ook like they're in a painting, they look 2d, which beautifully reflects the beauty of China's culture.
Thirdly, I also love how the drama sets a certain persona and design for each tribe and realm meticulously. For instance, in the fairy realm, the gods use bright and light outfits and headpieces with overexposure to the lighting. The fairy realm has a very heavy element of the Chinese culture, meanwhile, the demon/ moon realm has a hint of medieval elements in its location, outfits and more. The drama team also paid attention to those small actors/extras like the guards, their outfit is not sloppy, it is fitting to the overall persona they set. Such as the moon palace guards has dark and big outfit which looks intricate!
Yu Shuxin plays Xiao Lan Hua (the orchid fairy), but she’s also Xi Yun, the goddess. I think she did a really good job in acting as Xiao Lan Hua, a character like Xiao Lan Hua can be easy to hate since she might come out as being too fake or too flamboyant, but Esther Yu manages to pull off the character effortlessly. She is able to radiate different energy in different situations but still remembers the essence of her character, a warm and bubbly fairy. Some may dislike her character because she is a damsel in distress, often waiting for others to save her, but it’s understandable since she is only a “lowly fairy” with limited power. Other than acting as Xiao Lan Hua, Yu Shuxin also acted as DongFang QingCang and the goddess, and she's able to pull off the three characters flawlessly. She is versatile, she is able to change her demeanour and articulation according to each character. Yu Shuxin also used her own voice here, I personally love her voice, I find her voice very fitting to the character. I am definitely looking forward to her future work!
Wang Hedi showed tremendous improvement since Miss The Dragon. His acting is much more natural here, he is able to show real expressions and blend into the character. Despite being the moon supreme with no emotions, he’s still able to show slight emotions and show how his icy heart sea slowly melts. I think he did a great job portraying the emotionless moon supreme, DongFang QingCang, through his body and eye language, he is especially good when he is being majestic and when he is attacking others. As he is also slowly transitioning into someone with emotions, he gradually makes more micro-expressions and gestures to show how he’s gradually starting to fall in love, have empathy and more. His crying scenes are also very infectious, you would empathize with him and feel what he's feeling as well because that is how good his crying scenes are.
Moreover, Love Between Fairy and Devil also has a very beautiful soundtrack and background music. The soundtracks are very ethereal and fitting to the drama, it is stunningly beautiful that it will make you think of all the magic, beautiful places and situations in drama. The drama also has notable music scoring, the music scoring used in the drama intensifies each and every scene.
Another special mention to the whole production team of Love Between Fairy and Devil. The actors, production team, and marketing team, all have done a very outstanding job, they are passionate, putting in all their heart into it, thus producing such a best drama! The production team doesn't hesitate to spend money to where it should be spent, such as the special effect, outfits, music scoring and more. The production team also spend a lot of effort and thought on the drama's posters and artwork. The drama soundtrack artwork is STUNNING, unlike other dramas where they just used background or a picture of the couple with some borders and stick the title on it, Love Between Fairy and Devil has some really meticulous and well-thought album artwork. The soundtrack's artwork is paintings of their character with very beautiful scenery, if you haven’t seen it, I am highly suggesting you take a look at it because it will definitely render you breathless.
One thing that I find a pity is that the ending is too rushed, I would love to see more of DongFang QingCang and Xiao Lanhua's happy life :"))
Overall, do give this drama a try! Love Between Fairy and Devil is definitely a top-tier xianxia drama, there isn't any dull moment in it, and the drama will definitely make you hooked and render you breathless.
P.s. do check out their behind the scenes video!
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Eun-ho (SYJ) and Dong-jin’s (KWS) views in narration on their life and love are inspiring and can be lessons for most people. Their views can be useful for any person-any age, those who are in love, those who were in love and especially those who yet to be in love!
Acting/cast:
Almost everyone was A+ in acting including guest roles!
Gong Hyung-Jin is brilliant and funny as an unconfident gynecologist and played an important role as best friend of main lead.
Son Ye-Jin: I don’t need to talk about her. She’s proven actress. She is flawless throughout whole show but her best performance was in the last two episodes.
Lee Ha-Na: I’m very very impressed by this actress! This was her first role in her career still she managed to perform it brilliantly. She was very natural, great expressions and dialogue delivery. Sometimes she was suppressed by the presence of Son Ye-Jin but still she outclassed SYJ in many scenes! She definitely deserved her New Star award.
Kam Woo Sung: Poor guy, every other actor in this drama got acknowledgement for their acting by getting either best actress; top excellence, New Star or supporting actor-actress awards but this poor man missed it! I think his acting was best in the whole cast! Clever dialogue delivery! BEST!
Music:
Music was mesmerizing. I couldn't find OST album yet so I don't know specific track names to point out but I loved the music!
Pros:
-Very realistic
-Romantic!
-No angst and typical Asian show riddles
-Excellent combination of all emotions
-Perfect casting & acting!
-Strong and likable characters
-No idols
-0% nonsense
-No annoying characters
-Stable pace
Cons:
None, still I couldn't find anything negative except this was highly addictive. It felt like a 16 hour long movie!
Who should watch this?
As I said it’s mature so it'll definitely suit mature audience but I think it’s more advisable to recommend it to younger audience (I'm also in this group!) to give slight idea about love! So in short everyone! Highly recommended for everyone!
If someone wants to watch a Korean show and wants to watch only one then I'd recommend Alone in Love. I'd easily sideline my previous joint #1 Salaryman and Evasive Inquiry Agency!
Who should avoid this?
-Those who want adrenaline rush in everything.
-Those who want to live in fantasy.
-Those who want to watch mushy, kiddo’s, ‘Love @ 1st sight’, “I love you…I love you too!”/”I can't live without you…” kind of romance.
-Those who want to watch kissing scenes should totally avoid this. There aren't any actual kissing scenes.
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I really liked most of the characters. Female leads were really awesome and that doesn't happen too often in dramas. I really love Ja Eun - she is one of my most favorite heroines now, Soo Young was also adorable - hard on the outside, but very soft and warm inside.
Only characters that I didn't like too much was Soo Young's parents, maybe most of their scenes were there for humor but I've found them a bit annoying.
And I really love, love, love Ja Eun and Tae Hee story! If you like romance, I suggest watching this just for them.
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Good not great
It's a good movie to pass the time and you certainly won't be bored watching it but the ending leaves more to be desired. It doesn't quite feel complete. There were certain aspects that I thought would be explored but weren't. It only explores the relationship between a mother, Kill Bok Soon and her daughter.The action sequences were enjoyable but it's not the best female action sequences I've seen. It's good. There's plenty of action in fact. Just nothing mindblowing.
The movie has some comedy and lots of blood.
One thing to note is there is a sex scene. Nothing is shown.
There were a few characters and appearances that I really enjoyed.
Esom as Cha Min Hee, the company CEO's annoying sister. I last saw her in Taxi Driver and loved the contrast in the characters. I was quite amused.
Lee Jae Wook as the young CEO. It's a short role but put a bright smile on my face. This is the first other project I'm seeing of his after Alchemy Of Souls.
EXTRA SCENE
Just after the credits first start, there is a small extra scene so don't forget to catch that.
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Exceptional queer movie with realistic approach
Hi, I am late to the party, but I should write a review, because this is one of the exceptionell queer movies of 2024. If you do expect a BL you will be disappointed, it's a queer movie and the romance of a BL is not the focus of this movie.It's a story of gay man who struggles with the society he lives in and a girl who also had go through some hardships. They both meet at university and the grow closer together, overcome hardships together and accept each other for what they are. Both discover who they are and what they want.
Cinematography, direction, acting are also exceptionell.
This is one of the best queer movies ever made which does not focus on the gay aspect per se. It's part of the story but the main part is the development of a deep friendship between a gay man and a straight woman. Regardless if you are straight, bi, gay or inbetween or nothing of that, regardless which gender identity you have, it's a powerful story and a wonderful movie and you should watch it!
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Everlasting Love
I started this drama with no expectation because it was a recommendation from YouTube and I decided to give it a try. Here I am being grateful that I found this gem, a drama with pure and innocent love everyone needs^^STORY: The drama started with Xia Lin Xi a very bright and intelligent high school girl who was given the task to make sure all her classmates were on class,and that was when she met Jiang Zheng Han. Xia Lin Xi managed to make him come back to school and somehow Zheng Han became her tutor just to earn money but he ended falling for her. Later,something happened and Jiang Zheng Han had to leave with telling her about it and Xia Lin Xi thought he broke their promise and was heart broken.
A year passed by and both Jiang Zheng Han and Xia Lin Xi reunited in university and they both became a couple after so many pleas and confession from Jiang Zheng Han and that led to their Forever Love.
ACTING/CAST: Most important reason why I loved and enjoyed this drama was because of the characters acting,it was amazing they displayed and pulled off an amazing acting. Zhang Huai Wu( principal's son) acting was just great,whenever he was on screen I would laugh so much simply because he is so funny just like his father lol.
Jiang Zheng Han and Xia Lin Xi chemistry was great,their scenes were just so sweet and all the time Xia Lin Xi stood beside Zheng Han when he was a nobody despite her mother telling her to break up with him made my heart flutter. They're just the cutest^^
Chen Yu Chuan bragging about being the second best always was just so cute too lol.
The OST used is so beautiful,calming,relaxing and goes well with the scenes.
Overall I would say,this drama is definitely a must watch for those who love college dramas and those who don't too hehe
It's a light drama,just give it a try
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Going Against the Current: A Love Story Beyond Romance
“When I became engaged to my wife, her name was Shen Jialan. When I married her, her name was Xu Lanxiang. The red thread has always bound me to the same person.” Those are Jin Qi’s last words to Lanxiang, and honestly, I think they explain their relationship better than any romantic confession could. He loved her intensely and almost completely. He went against his family, society and even his own interests for her. I would not necessarily call him the perfect lover, but I can confidently say he was the best husband for her. Yet throughout the drama, I kept asking myself: what exactly did Lanxiang feel for him?For a long time, I genuinely wondered whether she loved him at all. Jin Qi’s eyes were always full of love when he looked at her, while Lanxiang’s feelings were much harder to read. She was a good daughter, mother, wife and daughter-in-law. She cared about him and his family, protected them and stood beside them, but so much of what she did seemed to come from responsibility, principles and righteousness rather than romance. At one point, I thought perhaps they were simply life partners and companions who understood each other, rather than soulmates in the conventional romantic sense.
By the end, I changed my mind. Lanxiang did love him. But her love was never going to look like Jin Qi’s because romance was never the centre of her existence. Jin Qi could love one woman as if she were his entire world. Lanxiang could not live that way because life had already taught her that love was only one part of existence. Her family was destroyed, her engagement broken, she was forced into slavery, betrayed, humiliated and eventually forced into another marriage by imperial authority. Her mother’s last word to her was simply “live.” After surviving all that, how could romance possibly become the most important thing in her life?
She wanted freedom before she wanted romance. She wanted her parents to live peacefully. She wanted to protect the people she considered family. She wanted to write her own stories. She wanted to survive without becoming another person controlled by power. And perhaps most importantly, she refused to let revenge consume the rest of her life. She had every reason to hate the Lin family. She had a blood feud with them, yet she did not spend her life trying to destroy them. That alone makes her different from the countless revenge-driven protagonists we see in historical dramas. She suffered injustice without becoming obsessed with reproducing that injustice onto someone else.
That is also why I stopped blaming her for not loving Jin Qi in the same way he loved her. Love is not a transaction. Someone loving you ten times more intensely does not create a debt that you have to repay. They loved each other, became husband and wife, raised children and shared an entire life. For me, that is enough. Their relationship becomes more meaningful precisely because they are not the usual “two people who live only for each other” couple.
Their marriage also begins with a serious problem: Jin Qi forced it. He genuinely believed he was protecting her by giving her security through an imperial edict, but his good intention does not erase what he did. From Lanxiang’s perspective, he was still another powerful man making a life-changing decision on her behalf. That is why her emotional distance makes sense. It takes years before she can separate the man he becomes from the man who once took away her choice.
This becomes one of the most interesting contradictions between them. Jin Qi’s rebellion against the world is often about protecting Lanxiang, while Lanxiang’s rebellion is about refusing to be controlled by anyone, including Jin Qi. He thinks love gives him a reason to act. She thinks love should never become a reason to control another person. Their is different. Even when Jin Qi eventually understands this, he can never completely experience the world the way she does because he has never lived through the same loss of identity and freedom.
That is why the scene in which he finally discovers who Lanxiang really is works so well for me. He does not expose her or use her identity against her. Instead, he burns the evidence and essentially tells her that from now on she is simply Lanxiang, his wife, regardless of where she came from. There is no grand romantic speech necessary. They just look at each other. That quietness means more to me than a dramatic confession would have. It is almost as if, after everything, he finally understands that loving her means allowing her to exist as the person she chose to become.
And then there is the red thread. Jin Qi literally ties himself to Lanxiang and wishes that in another life he could still marry her. It is incredibly romantic, but what makes the scene painful is that Lanxiang’s life continues after his ends. He dies before fifty, while she lives on for many more years, losing almost everyone around her one by one. She does not die because her husband died. She continues living. She continues writing. She continues raising the next generation. Eventually she finishes the story of the Shen family and dies peacefully at old age. That ending is very Lanxiang. Jin Qi’s love may have been the great romance of his life, but Lanxiang’s life was much larger than her romance.
This is why “Against the Current” fits them so well. Jin Qi goes against the current loudly. He was expected to become a scholar but chose the sword, married the woman he loved despite the circumstances, resigned from an important position when he no longer believed in the court, and repeatedly put himself between his family and danger. He even trains his daughter in swordsmanship rather than deciding that being a girl should limit her.
Lanxiang goes against the current much more quietly. She does not want wealth or political power. She simply wants to live freely, and in her circumstances even that is a radical desire. She survives through intelligence, observation and patience. She writes under another name, finds ways around rules rather than simply smashing them, helps women escape terrible marriages and repeatedly chooses solutions that minimise bloodshed. Her rebellion is not always loud, but it is constant.
I especially loved the way her intelligence is connected to writing. Lanxiang cannot physically change the entire society around her, but she can write stories. The woman who once had to survive by hiding her identity eventually becomes someone who records the experiences of women living under that society. At first she writes about herself and the Shen family. Later her perspective expands. She begins recording the lives of women more broadly. That makes her writing almost an alternative form of resistance. History may be written by those in power, but Lanxiang preserves the experiences of people who otherwise might disappear from history.
The drama also understands that “freedom” does not mean the same thing to every woman. That is one of the strongest aspects of its female ensemble for me. Some women want financial independence, women who want love, women who want status, women who want to escape an abusive marriage, women who want children, women who want careers and women who simply want a peaceful family. Lanxiang does not represent every possible version of womanhood. She is simply one version. That is important because sometimes dramas become so obsessed with creating one “perfect independent woman” that every other woman is reduced to a lesson designed to make the heroine look better.
Du Cuique, Zhao Xingtang, Lü Jier, the Lin sisters and others all have their own desires and reasons for trying to escape their circumstances. Their choices are not always admirable, but that does not mean their desires are meaningless. Du Cuique’s ambition, for example, comes partly from wanting to escape the position assigned to her. Zhao Xingtang’s obsession with money is also understandable when you realise how little control she has over her marriage, family and reproductive life. Even when these women make terrible choices, their desperation is often recognisable.
That is why I found the drama most interesting when it allowed different women to pursue freedom in different ways. It becomes weaker whenever it seems to say, “This is the correct way for a woman to live.” Lanxiang’s philosophy is powerful precisely because she arrived at it through her own experiences. It does not need to become a universal instruction manual.
What I cannot deny how much the drama gave me outside the central romance. It genuinely feels like a whole-life story. We see a girl become a young woman, then a wife, mother and eventually grandmother. We see people enter her life, change her, leave her and eventually die. The drama does not treat time as something that exists only between major plot events. It makes time visible.
One of my favourite examples is the woman selling chrysanthemum greens. First she is a young girl selling vegetables. Years later she is selling the same greens with her newborn. Years later she is still selling them, now with a girl and a boy running beside her. Nothing dramatic has to happen in those moments. The vegetables remain the same while the people change. That is such a simple way of showing that life keeps moving even when the characters themselves are caught up in huge personal struggles.
That idea affected me more than I expected. Watching Lanxiang see women from her own generation slowly disappear into old age made me think about my own life. I am in my early twenties, my mother is in her fifties, and my grandmother is in her eighties. Watching this drama made me realise that the woman I see as “my mother” was once a young girl too. My grandmother was once young, active and carefree. One day I will also look back at this period of my life from somewhere much further away. I find that kind of reflection difficult, and this drama made me confront it.
That is why the later parts hit me much harder than I expected. The deaths are not only there to create tragedy. They create a sense of time passing. People who were once central characters become memories. Families change. Children become adults. People who were once enemies end up helping one another’s families. A woman who began as a carefree girl becomes a mother. A former servant becomes a respected wife. A divorced woman builds a different life. Someone who once betrayed another person eventually helps that person’s family. Life is messy like that.
The drama repeatedly shows that everyone is trapped by something. Lanxiang is trapped by her identity and history. Jin Qi is trapped by family responsibility and political power. Other women are trapped by marriage, money, social status or reproductive expectations. Even people who appear powerful are negotiating with someone above them. That makes the world feel more believable than a simple good-versus-evil story.
I also appreciated that Lanxiang often chooses strategic resistance rather than simply relying on Jin Qi’s authority. The divorce storyline is a good example. Instead of having the powerful male lead crush everyone for her, she looks for a legal route within the existing system. The rules may be unfair, but understanding them gives her another kind of power. That fits her character much better than simply becoming someone who solves every problem through status.That philosophy is one of the reasons I think the drama's social commentary is stronger when it is embedded in the story than when it is spoken directly.
The production is another major strength. The costumes, sets, cinematography and historical atmosphere are beautiful, and I particularly liked the visual sense of time passing. The drama often feels like someone actually thought about how to frame a historical household rather than simply putting actors into expensive costumes.
Liu Xueyi absolutely surprised me as Jin Qi. He could easily have become frustrating because of the forced marriage and the intensity of his love, but Liu Xueyi gives him enough restraint that his internal conflict is visible even when he barely moves. His eyes do an absurd amount of work. I could see his love, jealousy, guilt, worry and helplessness without needing a speech.
I had a more complicated reaction to Tan Songyun’s Lanxiang. I understood her intellectually before I always felt her emotionally. The character deliberately hides a lot of her feelings, which suits Lanxiang, but in a romance where one person loves so intensely, I sometimes wanted clearer evidence of what was happening inside her. Her eventual realisation that she loved Jin Qi therefore felt meaningful, but it was also something I often had to infer.
Ironically, that emotional imbalance may also be part of why I became so attached to Jin Qi. Because his feelings were so visible, I kept waiting for Lanxiang to meet him somewhere emotionally. She did, eventually, but on her own terms and at her own pace. I don't think that makes their love unequal. It makes their lives different.
The supporting relationships were another major reason I stayed invested. The friendships among the maids, the siblings, the parents, the children, and even former rivals often felt more alive than many dramas make their secondary romances. I particularly liked the way women helped other women survive, whether through small acts of kindness, sharing information, protecting each other or simply making life slightly less miserable. The little household interactions often gave the drama warmth when the larger political story became heavy.
What ultimately makes this drama special to me is that it is not really a love story disguised as a historical drama. It is a life story in which love is one part of a much larger existence. It is about family, friendship, responsibility, survival, social position, injustice, ambition, motherhood, ageing and the choices people make when every available choice is imperfect. It allows its characters to live with consequences instead of resetting their lives after every arc.
Lanxiang is especially memorable because she does not spend her entire life trying to win. Sometimes she simply wants to survive. Sometimes she wants to protect someone. Sometimes she wants to walk away. Sometimes she accepts poverty over power. She can be stubborn, complicated and even selfish, but I think that is part of why I believe in her. She does not owe the world a perfectly inspirational version of womanhood.
So yes, this is probably my drama of the year. Not because every part is flawless. The heroine can be too capable, the themes are sometimes overexplained, some supporting characters are underdeveloped, and the later story becomes more exaggerated than I would have liked. But the ambition of telling an entire life instead of just one romance is something I rarely get from historical dramas.
I started watching it wanting to understand why it was called Against the Current. By the end, I realised the answer was not simply that Jin Qi and Lanxiang rebelled against society. They were both trying to decide what kind of people they would become inside a world that had already decided what they were supposed to be. Jin Qi fought the current loudly. Lanxiang moved against it quietly. Neither escaped completely, but they found their own way to live.
And maybe that is enough. They loved each other, even if they did not love in the same way. They became husband and wife, raised children, lost people, endured hardship and eventually reached the end of their lives. Jin Qi wanted the red thread to continue into another lifetime. Lanxiang simply continued living in this one. For me, that difference is not a flaw in their love story. It is the reason I will remember them.
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If he says "cute" one more time...
Maybe there are two ways to watch fluffy romance series. One is dressed in your onesie, wearing pink slippers, clipping your toenails with one eye on the screen to admire the soft pout of the FL, or the ML's big brown eyes, and there's nothing wrong with that.The other is actually paying attention to the story, because you like romance, but this story, I assure you, will reach the opposite effect, in more than one way.
First, there's this FL who rarely leaves her house because she works her head off.
Second, she only goes out because her boss orders her to do so with the command to find the necessary inspiration for her job.
Third, the only guy she meets is a hairdresser who falls instantly in love with her, just because WHAT exactly...because he can't resist a makeover? Or because he is a closet-masochist who likes her disinterest in him? She falls asleep when he does her hair, he's stood up by her...and all he can say is she's CUTE? I know this is the typical male compliment to a female in Japanese series, and he says it at least seven times each episode.
Added bonus seems to be she's a workaholic just like him, and still a virgin, and the very first time they actually did it, she reaches for her note book at her bed side to take notes on her new experience. Not to cherish a beautiful memory, but to store information for her new manga.
I'm so happy this is pure fiction, because in reality, the Japanese birth rate would dip to an all time low with unromantic people like that.
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Clichés? We don't know what that is
What makes this drama so special? For me personally, it was the lack of cliches. Our female lead can stand her ground, she isn't a damsel in distress who needs saving every time. She also knows what she wants. Our male lead, although younger he has proven just how mature he can be and how much he cares for her. As he said, "she can worry about beauty, I'll worry about her health". They are both willing to comprise.When an issue presented itself instead of breaking up they dealt with it. I've seen many dramas that when an issue arises the first thought is always to break up because they think that's what's best for the other person. Like Lin Yang said, "I won't hurt him and I won't hurt myself". This drama presented a realistic view of a relationship.
They are childhood friends, she has seen him since he was a baby. He fell in love with her when he was 15, and saw her go through many breakups yet he never gave up. He knew what he wanted and he charged forwards for it. He never hesitated in showing his love for her.
Love triangle? yes but it's so light that you barely feel it's there and it got resolved halfway through the drama.
Annoying second female lead? yes, but he always made it clear and drew a bright red line between them which left no room for misunderstandings. Our female lead also stood her ground. Although annoying li tian came around.
Supportive parents? Yes, it would be weird if they didn't support them considering they wanted their kids to marry even before they were conceived. Plus they treated each other's children as their own.
Supportive bestfriends? Yes, there is no backstabbing. They felt like that ride-or-die type of friend.
I would recommend this drama. It's light but it still manages to portray a good relationship between the leads.
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Entertaining & Good Chemistry Ongoing Review (Happy Ending Answer)
SLOW START:I am amazed that the drama follows the book's slow pace in the first 4 episodes. I was expecting less development of the CSS's family. The first 20+chapters of the book are boring so I thought they would just sum it up quickly, but they did drag it out a bit in slow motion. This will discourage some people who are used to quick-paced dramas. If you don't like wordplay or family (in this case females) bickering, then the first episodes will be painfully slow. However, the drama doesn't need to be abandoned because the later episodes will be better after the "main" characters come out. That being said, I have a feeling that the drama will be developed in a similar way.
It's a slow beginning, but they did try to make it entertaining. I think it's worth giving it a chance to develop the narrative (which although slow, is well-acted and filmed). The cinematography looks amazing so far.
If needed, you can skip the first 4 episodes: they are about a girl who was left behind as a baby because her family had to go to war. She was abused by her aunt and grandma. The story begins as her family returns home to find her grown up without education and fine manners.
The ML LBY came out in the first episode. He "met" CSS's hand. And the face-to-face meeting doesn't happen until episode 6.
PLOT EXPECTATION:
What this story is not about: politics & war (there is some, but it is about 1/4 of the story ... the other 3/4 is about women's and family drama). So it's always good to keep your expectation consistent with the perspective that this novel is about a girl, who is the main character; she has 3 suitors; her character matures as she makes her choices.
For those who expect a quick meeting of the main leads and a fast-paced romance, this isn't the drama. They don't "meet" right away. It's going to take time for her to like him. If you have seen The Story of Minglan, it's the similar vibe in terms of family drama. The focus will move from CSS's family drama to another family drama (the emperor's).
ACTING:
So far I really like the acting and funny moments (including the wordplay). It's a different type of drama. It feels like an artistic rendition rather than the typical C-dramas. If you like ZLS, this is a drama in which she shines because she can act in different stages of growth. LW's acting is not shabby either.
As you watch the drama, look out for the details in the words between the characters. The beauty of this novel/drama lies in the details and words and the interaction between people.
CHEMISTRY:
All the MLs have chemistry with ZLS. The looks (eyes) between them and her show how much they like her.
ENDING:
Happy Ending in the Novel. They didn't get married only talked about it in the epilogue. No actual ceremony. Let's hope the drama will script it in.
EPISODE REVIEW:
ep1:
The old lady who came to fetch CSS said, "If your parents love you, why did they leave you?" - This is the same question that CSS must have asked many times: it makes her feel unloved and orphaned.
When LBY heard the uncle say that CSS was without parents all her life, he must have already felt connected with her through their shared background: both grew up without parents.
ep 1-4
Not as good as could have been because of the excessive bickering. It sets up the storyline. Can skip over the high-pitched overdramatized bickering if you don't enjoy it.
Just finished ep6:
Amazing! They changed the novel. I love the change! It's more exciting/entertaining and makes more sense that she met all 3 on the same night! She still hasn't seen his face clearly, but he saw hers.
7-8
Episodes 7-8 didn't disappoint. Again, the script deviated from the novel, but it's all positive. VERY entertaining. I thought the cinematography and storyline had a Disneyesque quality: the filming of LBY with the black cape (a repetition from previous scenes) from low to the high angle from the back makes him look like a Disney character: intimidating, intriguing, and foreshadowing. The real voice of FL added to the fun and childish scenes. I feel she made it very believable and entertaining to watch.
TBH, I enjoy watching this drama more than reading the book. Although I laughed sometimes while reading, the drama brought out more of the comic element by providing not just the regular rom-com but also sophisticated irony, contrast, etc ... The director gave it a vibe of Disney's Cinderella and "Sense and Sensibility".
EPS 15-6
Again, I am impressed with the screen adaptation and the director of this drama.
An excellent screen adaptation of the novel to include more interactions among the male leads. I love that they are more central to the story and being shown at the same time so the audience can see how they treat her and how she reacts to their perspectives.
Jane Austen's vibe is obvious and consistent as the actors curtsy to each other and politely nod their heads. The director is able to get the actors to perform their roles perfectly. It's funny but not to the point of being ridiculous. The humor has a tasteful vibe. When the grandma's dramatic role is not being overplayed as in eps 1-4, she also has the vibe of JA's old dames.
I also love that ZLS can bring out the little girl vibe. Although she is young (but not that young), she brought out the innocence of a 14-year-old at times and makes you feel like yeh, I could believe in her silliness, idealism, and audacity. I think her real voice and acting make the role so believable even though she doesn't look 14 years old.
17-18
If I were reading Episodes 17-18, I would be fast-forwarding them to the next best parts. It's so painfully slow to wait for next week's episodes! I guess the story is not moving fast enough because it's still evolving around similar plot lines and conflicts: engagement, family fighting, LBY's unrequited love, CSS still needs to fight for herself without getting new skills.
It's like a video game level: she's not getting any extra skills or new conflicts to move on to the next level.
However, it's fun to see the dynamics of different families.
In these episodes, we can see that she's going to have a tough battle against the Lou family. Everyone can see it except CSS. Why? In her insecurity (worrying about not being able to find a suitable husband - Lou is the only one who asked her to be his wife), CSS thinks this is as good as it's going to get for her. She's a young teen. She's full of insecurities due to abandonment and lack of love. She doesn't know what love is. She is only concerned about having independence through being married to an easy-to-manipulate husband who will support her projects. But she doesn't realize that behind the husband is actually a formidable family.
These episodes are fun to watch to see the dynamics of Chinese families. The princes showed up in episode 18 in which you can see the contrast between the crown prince and the 3rd prince. It's foreshadowing who will rule at the end.
The next episodes will be more fun when she becomes engaged to LBY. It's a new plot line involving a new mentor (empress) and a matchmaker (emperor). It will be less frustrating to watch because CSS is getting new skills and love from her mentor. She has a stronger fiancé who supports her.
19-20
Breaking up is hard to do so CSS refuses to accept the verdict that she has to give her fiance, Yao, to the He daughter. Yao and CSS promised to stand against the world. Here we see that Yao actually has a backbone. His relationship with CSS has matured him and inspired a devotion that stands against the bullying of his family. It's a foreshadowing of a decent man and friend that he will become at the end of the story.
In this episode, we see that the relationship between mother and daughter is progressing ... also more disclosures about LBY's past.
One thing I noticed about this director is his use of repetition to emphasize the point: My favorite part about these 2 episodes is the last scene: LBY said, "No need to fear. I am here!" This is a repetition of what he said when he rescued her before. It just emphasizes his devotion to her.
21-22
Finally, the plot moves on! I felt too much time was spent on the first engagement. I would like to see more time spent on CSS and LBY's story. At least now, we are heading in the right direction!
She breaks her engagement with Yao. From here on, LBY will become the main man in her life. This marks the beginning of her exposure to life in the palace.
She overheard a conversation about overthrowing the crown prince. LBY saves her and starts to become involved in her life.
Overall, the plot is moving on. I wish they would not drag on with the grandma's scenes. At this point, I tend to get impatient and fast forward her scenes.
The emperor, on the other hand, is a lot more humorous. His involvement in LBY's love life is hilarious... the scene was fun to read too.
23-24
The script modified the story but it sounds reasonable. Here is where the LBY asks the Emperor to represent his parents and ask for CCS's hand in marriage. She took a chance and said yes. Why? She was touched by his sincere declaration that she is a special lady who is fit to be his wife. No other will do.
25-26
Excellent job in both scripting and directing. Really loved these two episodes, especially the humorous ending of 26! This was not in the book but the script again exceeded my expectation. I loved the way the director showed humor, not just through words but also through the filming angles and the closeup of movements!
In episode 25, CSS had to deal with the gossip and LBY helped her to silence the vicious girls. She realized then that she is solely dependent on him to give her power. And by relying on him, she loses her independence.
27
The hilarious episode shows LBY taking over Cheng's family in a military style.
28
Love doesn't conquer all ... Adjustments and compromises are required. I find this scenario to be very realistic. Romantic love is balanced with conflicts and character development. I like how smoothly the script transition the story to the Palace.
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It' the quality effect indeed. He has done some really good movies and The Man From Nowhere is a great example of his less-in-quantity-more-in-quality movies. I loved this movie. It was thrilling and touching all at once. A man going all the way to save a little girl because she's his friend. And the man cannot be stopped! He's a freaking one-man army, who won't stop until he wants to. What a great plot! I was on the edge of my seat throughout the movie and the ending made me cry. Well, almost since I don't cry that easily. The ending was a little different from what I expected but it was a good ending.
The rewatch value is the only thing that is not a ten for me. That's mostly because you know how the movie will progress and that steals a bit of the excitement. But the action scenes are simply WOW. The lead character is so strong and invincible, but he doesn't care about glory.
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This review may contain spoilers
Slow paced. Gloomy. Solid crime thriller, set in a perhaps somewhat peculiar milieu
“The Bequeathed” is a dark and gloomy crime thriller that is set on the fringes of madness, obsession and shamanistic practices, taking place in a remote backcountry, where ordinary people have for generations been burying their dead under green burial mounds. It's not a horror story, but rather a solid, yet slow paced crime thriller, set in a perhaps somewhat peculiar milieu.There are only 6 episodes. Nevertheless, with only a little for the short time, comparatively much is revealed about a wildly mixed bouquet of different characters. A hodgepodge of astonishingly vividly drawn figures cross paths, take their space quite naturally and leave their traces with the audience. Against the background of the ongoing investigation into a series of murders, they all get the chance to clear up what they have (emotionally) left behind ... and move on.
I would not have expected this. Therefore I was positively surprised.
Authentic performance. Amazingly complex with haunting cinematic implementation. Dense. Suspenseful.
Nonetheless consistently gloomy. (It does get a little brighter towards the end though...)
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This review may contain spoilers
Lost and White Christmas had a gay baby named The Stranded
I usually review underlying social commentary and filming/directing techniques so my reviews mention other shows and lots of excitement about camera placement and editing.Let's get it/
Season 1 of The Stranded aired worldwide in its entirety on Netflix on 15 Nov 2019 with 7 x 50 min episodes. It reminds you of Lost, White Christmas and Lord of the Flies all at once while still being fairly unique in this genre.
Lost is an American television show that aired 2004 - 2010 about survivors of a plane crash on a deserted island dealing with the Lord of the Flies narrative on top of everything getting weirder and weirder. Due to the time and place Lost as a series was coming from, the patriarchy in it makes the show almost unwatchable for me. So my first title for this was "Lost with less Patriarchy."
You can't help but be reminded of Lost when you watch The Stranded. You have an almost identical and equally pivotal scene of the main character waking up on the ground in the jungle at one point. You have the unwordly creepiness that can't be explained and the mysterious suspense wrapped around everything.
I'm not sure how much influence Netflix had over this series. The lack of product placement throughout was almost jarring to someone who has only seen Thai webseries before. The 24 frames per second vibe and scene changes dramatically split with relevant intriguing backstories were reminiscent of so many Western shows in this genre. Idk, it's so interesting to me, the points where Sukdapisit derailed from that. That's what I was looking for, broken tropes and throwbacks that have nothing to do with Western media.
During The Stranded I also found myself reminded of White Christmas, a short Korean series from 2011 about a group of students trapped at their elite school in the mountains in an avalanche over Christmas break.
There's nothing supernatural about White Christmas, it's purely psychological. The Stranded has a psychological vibe that runs deeper than the character relationships in Lost. The repeated filming of hot shirtless guys and lonely girls with fucked up pasts also were very White Christmas-like.
There's something that The Stranded, White Christmas & Lord of the Flies have that Lost could never. The way the characters react to being trapped on their own with no help changes whether you're writing adults or children into such roles. The internal war between despair, communism*, escapism and hope gets completely skewed and more so than when writing adult characters.
*communism in the desire to successfully work together. Quote from The Stranded; "We must cooperate. Work together and trust each other. That's how we survive."
A lot of these stories show how this kind of purely conceived idealism breaks down against the desperation to survive.
I can't leave out Krit & Jack in social commentary. I didn't want them to be token innocent queers in the background. Props to show how normal gays are to hets. So from a social standpoint, I'm grateful they were sexually active, depressing, and dangerously in love. They're not there to promote a harmless depiction of teenage boyfriends. They add to the whole way the situation of being stranded can carve out human ugliness on all sides.
In the West our need to strictly label genders and sexualities puts me in a difficult spot to describe what "girls" refers to in Thai media. But you will see it here. We're used to it more than the average American clicking on a foreign show on Netflix. The male characters who are there doing "girls" chores. I love that they're not trying to pass and that they don't even have to explain their existence. I love that they are just socially accepted from the beginning without it becoming a plot point. I love that you see the Thai thing where it's less about fighting to be trans than being trans and fighting for your personal gender's rights irrespective of their bodies' anatomies. But I still hate that these characters are minor and still mainly used to inject humor by their default flamboyance. I also wish there would be at least one transboy or nb person at some point in whatever I watch.
The setting from The Stranded creates the uniqueness and non-Western cultural framework that makes it special. The setting is more intense and beautiful than most things you will see in film. The ratio of camera time given to nature over characters is noticeably greater than many films set in remote locations. The intro's lens filter over the drone filming of the forests and beaches is so simple and so effective. You know you're looking at something that is ultimately skewed and that's thematically really important to remember from the beginning until the last scene.
The intro and the show itself have music that is arguably way cooler than what we usually see in foreign media. Passively, it's youthful and non-commercial. When it's used climatically it's a bit intense in a cliche way that I wish would just die in this genre.
Scene cuts come abruptly at times to weave together similar dramatic events been different characters. These types of situations make me so grateful to the writers for their timing of revelations and events.
The actors are all so so good. You never think they're faking anything and you become immersed in each of their fucked up lives. You want to see some of them rise up and some of them fall down where they belong but you're at the mercy of the story. To compliment both the writing and the actors, nothing feels forced out of character and so many points of interest are created between these characters in this story.
I really want to see everyone's theories on what's going on in the story. At first I thought ok, they're all dead and they don't know it. Now I don't know what to think but with what's happened, I just want Mark to come back so much<333
Thank u for reading x
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STORY: It is not your usual drama. It has quite different elements. I loved how the relationship is developed within and outside the families. I loved how they tackled the problems.They pretty much covered all the topics. Some include parenting, bullying, marriage, societal pressure. It is a delight to watch.
ACTING: Each and every actor portrayed their respective roles very well. It definitely has a stellar cast. Lee Joon and Lee Yoo Ri deserves a special mention. They're extremely wonderful. Lee Joon is a fantabulous actor that I can guarantee.
MUSIC: The music was good.
RE-WATCH VALUE: I'm definitely going to re-watch it not only for one time but for many times.
For me this is the most beautiful drama I've ever seen.
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This review may contain spoilers
Life is short, cherish the moment.
Unhampered swordsman, Huo Zhan Bai seeks treatment for his sworn brother's child. His sworn brother's child needs to be treated by the most skilled doctor to have a glimmer of hope of survival. So for his sworn brother's child to receive the treatment he needs, he set out on a journey to the Apothecary Valley. His journey leads him to encounter the most skilled doctor, also know as a Divine doctor, the master of the Apothecary Valley, Xue Zi Ye. Their encounter isn't exactly all that great, but as time flies, they grew closer, developed mutual understanding and trust. And eventually, love blossomed between a free-spirited swordsman and a divine doctor who's always refrained from involving herself in the struggles of the Martial Arts World. However, due to the heavy responsibilities on their shoulders, a love that could have lasted for a lifetime couldn't be expressed fully.I loved the premise of Snowy Night Timeless Love mainly because right from the first four episodes, I got to see the chemistry of Li Qin and Joseph Zeng. Plus, the stunning cinematography mustn't go unmentioned.
I've always known this one would have a sad ending cause the synopsis itself is a big spoiler, but I wasn't swayed from watching, I picked it up still. Why? Mainly because not all love lasts forever. And not all love gets a happy ending, or the forever after thing. There are love that you want to protect but couldn't. A love full of heartbreaks and sufferings. Not every love is all rosy. Love is accompanied with sadness, tears, heartbreaks, and separation. A love with regrets. There's that one person you wish to save but couldn't. That one person you'd sacrifice your life for in a heartbeat if sacrificing could bring the person back. That beloved you never want to get separated from. A beloved who bacame a memory. There's always that love. That beloved you can't help but miss as the day passes. That's the reality of life. Life is short. If there's one lesson I learnt from this drama, that'll be, "cherish the moment while it's last. More importantly, cherish the person you love while they're still around." Spend time with them, cuz you never know what will happen in the future. Don't leave regrets. Live your life spending time with the people you love. There's no eternity in this, life is but for a short while, so don't waste it. How long you live is not what matters, it's how well you live your life, spending time with your beloved, loved ones, and doing what you like that does. Regrets can be a very tormenting, so live your life without regrets.
The problem with Huo Zhan Bai is he puts others needs before his own happiness. He couldn't express his feelings, nor was he able to make too many happy memories with Xue Zi Ye. But then again, the time they spent together was fulfilling, they'll turn to memories to cherish forever. This is a sad romance that refects reality. I can't help but be reminded of "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi.
That said, Li Qin did her role as the cold Chief of the Apothecary Valley justice. The way she portrays emotions sometimes leaves me speechless. I've always known she's a great and versatile actress, still I can't help but be impressed by her acting skills everytime I watch her drama. Her acting moved me to tears in this one. Her facial expressions is spot on. She portrayed her role as the cold, aloof, yet kindhearted Xue Zi Ye wonderfully. Indeed, Li Qin doesn't disappoint.
And without excluding our selfless ML, Joseph Zeng. I enjoyed his performance in this one thoroughly. When he's pain, he acts it so well. I've seen him in a lot of dramas and have always been impressed by him. Snowy Night Timeless Love made me love him more. The way he acts when he's in pain left an impression on me. He also didn't disappoint me.
Not to mention the chemistry. There are no kisses like the other dramas I've watched, but the chemistry was there. The gazes, hugs, and their time together was enough to keep me going. If there's any complaints I have about this one, it's that Huo Zhan Bai never put his happiness first. It's looking for Mo's medicine today, and bringing justice to the Martial art world tomorrow. I didn't like this about him.
After much thought, I decided to give this a solid 9.5 for the lessons, the acting, and the chemistry of the leads.
Xue Zi Ye and Huo Zhan Bai's love will live on in my heart for a very, long, long time. I learnt a lot from their love. I can't help but love this drama because of how it reflects reality.💞
There are many controversies and mixed feelings on the ending, mainly because the ended was a sad one. And because Xue Zi Ye died in the end. But I loved it still, even though it's a sad ending, I learnt a lot. Snowy Night Timeless Love is beautifully written and executed. 💞 It's painful but I was still glad to see Xue Zi Ye die thinking of the one she loves.
Snowy Night Timeless Love is a drama that'll move you to tears. A drama about separation. A drama that moved me, even though it has its flaws. Don't miss it. However, make sure you have your tissues close by if you an empathetic person cuz this drama is emotional!
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