It’s true that the American version has better visuals because…duh, it was produced four years after Infernal Affairs but the original remains the best. Anyhow, I am not here to compare both versions; let’s talk about this movie.
Infernal Affairs is about the underground world, the triads and the moles. This is probably the best undercover story ever written; the developments created a race against time to reveal the moles within the gang and the police. This is a fast paced rollercoaster ride with many twists and turns that will keep you at the edge of your seat. The suspense element was flawless but the mystery built up was somehow lacking that’s why the storyline didn’t manage to get the perfect score.
Like any other action movie, this one contains violence and brutal killing sometimes but I wouldn’t categorize it as a violent movie. This is basically a thriller-crime mixed up with well-made suspense with the undercover theme as its center.
The acting was quite remarkable, with Tony Leung and Andy Lau as main leads you’re bound to expect something with quality and they surely didn’t disappoint. They were both great in portraying their role and delivering feelings; nothing less from two of the best actors in HKC productions. Other actors like Anthony Wong and Eric Tsang were also quite good and pretty convincing.
This movie’s characterization was the major strength point beside the clever writing of course. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I say that all characters will be able to to get your full intention whether they were the good guys or the villains. The writers succeeded in creating top-notch characters’ development that will make you relate with each and every one of them.
The music was fitting for a suspense thriller movie; I also liked the “Shi Shey” song that was played in the background, it was really calming.
Watch this if:
-You’re looking for good suspense thriller with unexpected twists and turns.
- You’re fond of undercover themed stories.
- You’re in the mood for good screenwriting and compelling storyline.
- You like Andy Lau, Tony Leung or both them. This shouldn’t be missed for both of their fans.
Do not expect:
-Happy ever after ending.
- Romance.
All in all, this movie is wonderfully made since it can draw you into the world of darkness and make you strongly attached to its characters and events. If you like the genres, I can guarantee that this movie will manage to move you one way or another.
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Never Give Up and Never Give In (In Sports and In Love)
There have been other good Noona romances in recent dramas, but Falling Into You tops the rewatch list for me.The theme centered around track and field athletes and their passions, dreams, and doubts. However, it was the love story that was candy for me. Those looking for good romance will not be disappointed by the great mix of sweet yet flirtatious, innocent yet sexy, complex yet enduring love between an aspiring coach and her idealistic student.
This show was already off to an awesome start when it featured two gorgeous actors as the main CP, who also had fantastic chemistry with each other. Nothing could get in the way of sparks between these two, especially when the romance began to heat up. I love that the actors were not shy about the kiss and intimate scenes, and I have to say they did remarkably well in this aspect.
Perhaps part of the credit should go to the director, Yi Zheng, who also directed "Love Between a Fairy and Devil", in which he was able to draw out excellent emoting from the leads.
Fun fact: Gina Jin is 8 years older than Wang An Yu, the same age gap as the main characters that they portrayed. Despite the age difference, they did an excellent job as a couple whose journey of love was so organic and wholesome. It was so enjoyable to watch our CP grow from the natural conflict of their budding relationship and going through the challenges of other people's prejudices to becoming a couple that inspired relationship goals. Once committed, they were unwavering in their support of each other and their faith in one another.
I was not surprised by Gina Jin's wonderful performance as Luo Na, the older woman who resisted at first but eventually fell for the charms of her persistent student. She is definitely a talent and simply stunning, even in plain athletic gear. She has played a similar role in "Why Women Love" and I hope she will not be typecasted.
Our perfectly handsome male lead was no doubt an eye candy. Perfect face, flawless skin, great physique. However, Wang An Yu wasn't all looks. This pretty face can cry! I am impressed with his emotional scenes, and there were many of them. After all, our adorable Duan Yu Cheng was still a 20-year-old boy on a path of self-discovery and smitten with Luo Na while trying to achieve his dream of being a top high jumper. I also liked Duan Yu Cheng's sportswear and casual outfits. This guy looks good in everything.
Some other characters fell flat or were unnecessary, but the cast did well overall. Watching the interactions between team members and coaches was fun; there were many hilarious and heartwarming moments. The show could have done away with some filler episodes and given us less of a rushed feeling toward the end. Still, it was a satisfying ending.
The OST was memorable, and I particularly liked the various songs played throughout the episodes. The two leads also sang a song each, and for posterity, I have listed all the songs I could track down at the end of this review.
All in all, Falling Into You was refreshing, entertaining, and binge-able. I could not recommend it more!
OST list:
* Love Blinds (Kéren)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dneyEcIm0Hg
https://open.spotify.com/track/7iwGlPC4KxQ96CjYFD2YvU?si=bb90e03c45be43b4
* The Biggest Part of Me (The Home of Happy and Dane Etteridge)
https://open.spotify.com/track/29CBEod7xU7sVqpb7XaK5d?si=bbff9b8140134d2d
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YStkj_2m2Ko
* Everybody On Your Feet (Amphibious Zoo Music)
https://open.spotify.com/track/00vS1coaTZjwiA4MKQbCnR?si=53314df83ca84768
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87LdNYETuGI
* Standing in the Moonlight (Soul Mechanic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad91jxkTuak
https://open.spotify.com/track/0GVYSKXYMn4NzQC6DMnXNs?si=a4e5938621624d52
Call it What you Want (Antisocialites)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zRCUXKCkJM
https://open.spotify.com/track/0u60YRwLtd4HnaxkB7hmg9?si=2b820d94f7c04beb
* Girls Like You (Corban Shane Calhoun & Gabriel Canadian & Joshua Joseph Wilcutts)
No link
Brighter Days (Hanna Lynn Miller)
https://open.spotify.com/track/7ecwUJoCpwrfeN9tb5Vxgj?si=4857cadc31a14015
Uncorrupted (Julia Church)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5t_9ydDJm8
https://open.spotify.com/track/7tOu3piRvStm3BCk5CH7Q2?si=960e749f8cd94f8b
* 阳光 海浪 我和你 (Sunshine, waves, me and you) - 刘宇宁 (Liu Yu Ning)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk1o2AnIO_k
* 阴天转晴 (Cloudy and sunny) - 王安宇 (Wang Anyu)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLLr3K7aQDA
https://open.spotify.com/track/6OPvc0ghjjsXwG1Dh4xYzA?si=4b1a8b99e2234e29
* 度过此刻 (Spend This Moment) - 夏日入侵企画 (Summer Invasion Project)
https://open.spotify.com/track/5DmlNe79sX7LUHJrPZ9gSj?si=02df7f3e1e404ada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnj8v43ktdA
* 怦然心动 (Heartbroken) - 汪睿 (Wang Rui)
https://open.spotify.com/track/6UosPIGzBTMm3psQapq6ps?si=f0f989ec59994978
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y4MlP4H8jU
* 要不要留下来 (Do you want to stay) - 金晨 (Jin Chen)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjAE5v2pyQM
https://open.spotify.com/track/4jilfKy9z2tYwUN4jV57Pn?si=df0fc232693a4526
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This film has a very 40's film noir feelng and it's nicely shot. The costumes and set design are pretty to look at as well. The story interested me because living in America, you don't often get a good history of World War II seen from other points of view during that time. There was a lot going on in the world at that time; in China, Spain and Russia not just the major players like England, France, Germany, Japan and so on.
The sex scenes are intense but they lent themselves to the relationship of the two involved. Through their passionate affair you watch the spy and the target fall victim to what happens when you become physically intimate with someone. Feelings inevitably get involved. There were some scenes frought with tension as you watch the woman get in over her head in the name of her cause.
I'm giving this a 10 for great acting, directing and script. This is a very well done film. There is a reason why it was nominatd for so many awards including Best Foreign Film by The Golden Globes and BAFTA.
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I have been led to think by past experiences that the more I watch Asian dramas, the more fastidious I become; it is therefore quite ironic that in this case my better knowledge came out as an incentive to appreciate the drama more, not less.
When I approached Proposal Daisakusen the first time, all my attention was captured by the love story between Kenzo and Rei. I was so anxious for him to do the right thing and say the right words that I overlooked all the rest. But guess what: as odd as it may sound, this drama is all about 'the rest'. Daisakusen in Japanese means 'big strategy', as in organizing a war campaign. View in this light, we could think of Kenzo's time travelling as it were a war where single episodes are the several battles fought. To maintain the analogy, if while watching you put all your energy in trying to win every single battle, you'll end up frustrated, but if you keep the target in mind, i.e. win the war, you may truly appreciate this 'big strategy'. Despite all premises to the contrary, this drama is not so much about Kenzo managing to change Rei's heart as it is a journey of a young man understanding what's truly important in life and establishing clear priorities. It also makes you reflect upon the true meaning of love, whether it were only about declaring it aloud or rather be there when the person you love needs you.
In this sense, I believe this drama to be a lot cleverer than your average romantic comedy. It touches issues like friendship, family, loyalty, generosity and honesty. It takes its time, lingering on what seem little details, but it turns out that changing a small detail can make a huge difference not only in your life, but on the direction the people around you will take as well. The thin thread underlying the whole show is an old friend: carpe diem. Seize the moment and the opportunity, you may not have a second chance. This is a very simple philosophy, but it is so dear to me I firmly believe it cannot be repeated or stressed enough. Don't procrastinate, don't give the people around you for granted, thinking you have all the time in the world to do the right thing, to convey your feeling or to listen to them when they need an ear.
I consider the special as integral part of the drama, so I indirectly include that one in this review. They called it special, but it could just as well be episode 12, so I suggest you watch the special too before rating the show.
The acting is fine. It could have been more intense, but I'm willing to forgive the occasional stone-face because the characters created by the whole cast are truly endearing and hard to forget. They are very natural as a group of friends and as such I ended up imagining them.
The music isn't the strong trait of the drama. It has a lovely instrumental piece and a very old-fashioned song repeated now and again. In the end, I have become quite deaf to both. A little variety wouldn’t have hurt...
I suppose there's no need for me to explain why the re-watch value is so high. If you are ready to put aside Kenzo's eternal hesitation and Rei's insecurity - which by the way are paramount traits of their personality, without which the drama wouldn't have been created - and you fix gaze and mind on the whole picture, you may end up loving it as much as I did on second watching. There's a constellation of little events, many related to the Japanese culture and rituals, that is delicious and heart-warming.
After 7 years, I'm now ready to recommend this drama to everyone.
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Frank's and Drake's acting can be amateurish, but is also refreshing - its just like watching real people in real life situation and are not overacting, besides, the two of them being cute together is enough for me to stick with the show. I also liked the fact that no one in the whole cast is annoying.
Id reccommend it if you are a BL and romance story fans. Just enjoy the show. Would i rewatch it - yes, ive become a FrankDrake shipper!
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How to Date a Single Mom with a Child
I didn’t start watching this drama when it began airing because I couldn’t get over the image I have of Liu Xueyi as Hao Chen in “Love and Redemption”. But one episode in, I was completely drawn in by the acting, the storyline and the humor. It's exhilarating and funny, at the same time, rather serious, dark and oxymoronic, with a hidden super villain, mysteries, conspiracies, murders and plenty of hot kisses. This drama beats many other dramas which are concurrently airing.Yu Qingluo (Wang Ziwei), a single mom with a 6-year old boy, Nan Nan (Zhang Zihan), is trying to find a father for her child. Time and time again her dates are being sabotaged by the little boy until she falls in love with Ye Xiudu (Liu Xueyi). Strangely Nan Nan also takes a liking to her lover, as if they have some sort of an invisible bond. Indeed Nan Nan has earlier made Ye Xiudu his disciple who has to pay with the price of unlimited supply of crispy fried chickens.
Yu Qingluo is a brilliant so-called “ghost” doctor (“guiyi”) as opposed to an “angel” doctor (“shenyi”) because she uses poisons to heal. She is strong, calm, unpretentious and fearless. She is always flanked by 4 very young, good looking and formidable leaders of prominent organizations/sects as protectors who vowed to protect her and her son with their lives because she has saved all of them under different circumstances. Though kind and vows to save lives, she also kills as a tit-for-tat. She pays back anyone who has come to harm her or her child. This quality really thrills the viewers (well, at least me).
Wang Ziwei is beautiful and mature, and her acting is top notched as a young single mother. She makes motherhood look excruciatingly fun with her super intelligent 6 years old son. And what an adorable bundle Nan Nan is. I am so impressed by the child actor Zhang Zihan’s acting. He brings to life the little Nan Nan’s character, adding a lot of joy to the drama, making the viewers love not just the little boy himself, but all the characters around him, in particular Ye Xiudu (Liu Xueyi). Nan Nan’s favorite food is crispy fried chickens and there is no lack of chicken dishes in almost all Nan Nan’s scenes, that would certainly make many viewers salivating (I feel hungry watching the crispy fried chickens, KFC is of no match). I adore the mother/child relationship here. Their dynamics are heart warming and really funny; ear twisting, face squeezing and pony tail pulling are norms. Throughout the drama until he finds out who his birth father is, Nan Nan has been sabotaging his mother's relationship with any men whom he finds overly intimate with his mother.
A fearsome general and a royalty, Ye Xiudu has unbeatable martial art skills. On the surface, he is serious and upstanding, but at the flip side, he is quirky: he has vasovagal syncope and faints with the sight of blood (imagine that for a general who kills in battles, also reminds me of husbands who faint at their wives' childbirths. That's why he has to blindfold himself when he fights because he cannot look at blood), and he is narcissistic and bombastic. All these traits make the Ye Xiudu character hilarious, laughable and very lovable too. Calling his romance with Yu Qingluo super funny is an understatement. There is a pattern for the OTP: they meet, fall in love, lose memory, meet again, fall in love again, lose memory again, multiple times. I have been prejudiced by associating Liu Xueyi as an antagonist. But here I come to really like him. His acting is superb, capturing all the quirkiness there is of his character. He is a wonderful actor.
There are many very lovable and funny side characters and the acting by the whole cast is authentic and fabulous. At the most tensed and dangerous moments, conflicts are resolved in the nick of time; the hero always appears at the very last and crucial moments.
My Verdict
This is an amazing drama with a hilarious storyline. It is action packed, fast paced but balanced by the romantic moments. With only 24 episodes, it wastes no time with fillers. Having said that, the pace slows down a lot towards the last 2 episodes. There is a lot of kissing scenes, intentional or accidental, in almost every episode. Everything is crazy and over exaggerated, including the romance. The whole drama is like a mash-up that mixes “Butterfly Lovers” to the giant flying mushroom, to the blind wuxia fighter of Gu Long's Hua Manlou, with tropes like multiple memory losses and multiple falling-off-cliff-and-survive scenes. Random uses of random music and jingles add on the light-heartedness. Imagine hearing a Christmas song in a Chinese historical drama (at the end of Episode 10, the tune “Tidings of Comfort and Joy” is played, cheekily, to create a cute mood). Animal sounds, such as a cockerel's crow or a goat’s bleat, are played to signify a blunder made. And modern vibes are inserted here and there brilliantly. It is as if the writers try to make the whole thing as preposterous and as outrageous as possible to poke the viewers for fun.
Despite the fun and non-seriousness, the writing is pretty tight and the editing is quite good, even the CGIs are rather well done. I’m particularly impressed by Yu Qingluo’s pet scorpion which is also her weapon. This doesn't seem like a run-of-the-mill production.
I give this drama a very high rating because it makes me laugh out loud so hard. We know it's a dumb story as it constantly reminds us that this is a crazy drama with a lot of silly stuff. A viewer puts it succinctly, "It's not the comedy nor the music, but the whole thing so lame that makes it laughable." I agree. So one mustn't take it seriously. The whole thing is like a cartoon, with comical music to egg it on. So folks, lighten up! We all need it.
A great watch for the family and to fight off the pandemic lockdown blues. A delightful show you don't want to miss!
BRAVO!
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Acting/Cast: If you want to know what is professional, solid, honest-to-goodness acting, watch this. The actors and actresses will make you feel as if you are watching history unfold before your screen. They will put all those idol actors to complete shame! Everything was to the dot - from settings, costumes, etiquette to speech...they all accurately depicted the correct era in Chinese history.
Music: If you are expecting great OSTs, you will be disappointed. But if you are expecting music that accurately reflects the music of the era in the 'Three Kingdoms', you will be delighted. During those days, ppl compose music to be sung as a poem with accompaniments from traditional Chinese musical instruments. The words sung are very meaningful. Even the OST at the start of each episode adequately summed the entire novel in eloquent words. This is a story about war, the end of a dynasty, ambitious men, heroism, political plots and personal struggles set in an era known as one of the bloodiest in Chinese history.
Rewatch value: I set the re-watch value as low because of the 95 episodes. However, most ppl I know who had watched this series would usually re-watch the parts they like; eg: Diaochan's plot to bring down Dong Zhuo through Lu Bu, the appearance of Zhuge Liang (Kongming), the battle of the Red Cliff, Liu Bei's marriage to Sun XiaoMei and the ensuing struggle to establish his own hegemony at the south, Zhuge Liang vs. Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang vs. Sima Yi etc. It also helps that wikipedia breaks down the series' episode based on the book chapters it covers - making selective re-watching easier.
Overall: A perfect series with perfect actors and actresses. A must watch for lovers of chinese history and literature. The only complain I have is the length but then again, it cannot be helped considering how this series follows the novel closely.
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This drama is in some ways your typical historical Chinese palace drama which as expected, revolves around rivalry between concubines and endless plots to take each other out of the picture. However, Yanxi Palace provides a less conformative story line with an independent and smart heroine who is loyal to those who genuinely help her and doesn't take BS from anyone (even the emperor). The plot twists within the drama were also unique and often unexpected, when watching I never knew what was going to happen next. It is these minor details that differ it from other palace dramas and make it worth a watch.
I'm sad this is over especially as who knows when I'll next find a drama that can match up to it but I wholeheartedly recommend this drama to anyone who doesn't mind seeing all the male characters with the half shaven head hairstyle (doesn't matter how many dramas I watch, still not a fan) and likes a sassy and smart heroine who stays true to herself.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama was like a badly written wattpad story
My only expectation when I started this drama was a good rom-com, the show started off promising and ended up being one of the worse plots I have ever seen not trying to exaggerate at all, the plots were all over the place and the writer jumped from one plot to another, from one genre to another to create a totall mess.I'm not a stranger to the main actor lee min ki and I always thought to myself how he always picked out good scripts
I have no idea why he picked this one, although I have never seen NANA's works I could tell she had good acting skills and the actors had the needed chemistry too but nothing could save this drama.
Then we have a second lead, he had little to no chemistry with nana and his character was the most useless you won't feel SLS in the slightest, one thing I enjoyed at some point was the story about their mothers, I actually have the last episode left to watch but I'm not even curious about the ending.
all in all I don't recommend this at all and this has to be one of the worst dramas I have ever watched.
UPDATE AFTER FINALE (spoilers on finale)
The ml disappears in the end (there's a plot about him being only able to live 49 days amidst a lot of other things) great a bad ending to a bad drama, i'm aware the leads dying isn't a bad ending but in this case, the whole drama was just really bad, if u dive really deep into the story and re-write 95 percent of this with the initial idea of the plot this drama could have been saved , if they wanted to show the ML'S development after only having 49 days to live even if they would make him die in the end there were a million better ways to do that but alas they failed miserably and to end this giving this a 4 is me being generous
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1Really cute and with a good message
On the face of it, the main character, Fukuhara, has terrible luck. One day, he realizes the popular Shinomiya is the opposite - he has fantastic luck, and Fukuhara decides to get close to him to take advantage of this, and accidentally becomes his boyfriend.This seems a fairly straightforward fake relationship to real relationship story, with the lucky/unlucky framework. But where the story takes on some complexity that is easy to miss, is that Fukuhara sees everything in black and white - good luck vs bad luck - but he never considers how good luck can be a curse too. Shinomiya never knows when people really like him or if they're trying to exploit him - he doesn't have to develop any skills, or work at anything, or can he get a sense of satisfaction for accomplishing anything, because everyhing goes his way. In fact, the first time they meet, it's Fukuhara that rescues Shinomiya from being swamped by adoring girls - and it's "bad" luck that brings Shinomiya into his life. It's very yin and yang - good luck and bad luck are also each other.
But the other message of the story is that luck is a matter of attitude. Have you ever noticed that when you're in a hurry, all the traffic lights are red? Why is that? It's because when you're not in a hurry, you don't really notice them. They're just part of driving. Likewise, if you have a negative outlook, you focus on unfortunate things that happen, and might miss all the positive things happening around you, or fail to take advantage of opportunities that come your way. The opposite is true for someone who has a positive outlook.
How unlucky is Fukuhara? Everyone likes him, and a beautiful man, inside and out (especially out) falls in love with him instantly, both for his looks and his quirky personality. A lot of the "bad" luck leads to positive results - it's just that he doesn't see it that way because he's focused on the negative. Even the final crisis - was it unlucky? It certainly appeared to be spectacularly unlucky - but nothing bad happened, and nothing bad could have happened, but it had a very positive outome. So wasn't it actually lucky?
Deep, right?
The writing avoids predictability and cliche - Shimomiya is a classic Prince Charming, but there are times when Fukuhara makes confessions that in a "standard" BL would result in a serious and romantic swoop by the seme, but here Shinomiya cracks up laughing - and it's perfect instead of cringey.
The acting is wonderful - both actors have great comic timing. Soto Ryosuke is adorable and hilarious, OTT, but in just the right way, and Sato Yusuke is just beautiful. Especially when he takes his shirt off. (I'm shallow. And I own it.)
What prevents this from reaching 9 or 10 territory for me is that it's really almost a bromance, and there's really no particular reason for this. A little too much of the run time is taken up by what feels like a repetitive cycle of Fukuhara resisting Shinomiya. In the discussion forum, people came up with many justifications - Fukuhara felt guilty, Fukuhara had low self-esteem and didn't feel worthy, etc. The problem is that we hear Fukuhara's entire inner monologue, and he "thinks" none of these - he just feels the needs to resist. This, and the lack of any physical resolution to their relationship - not even a hug - smells of institutional homophobia. The writing isn't explicitly so - Fukuhara never says "I can't be gay!", and Shinomya appears to be gay, as he states what his "type" is. Fukuhara doesn't think he can manage to fall asleep in the same bed as Shinomiya, suggesting he's sexually excited by the intimate proximity, etc. But, well, actions speak louder than words, and at the end they have a tickle fight, which is cute, but not really the most satisfying end to a romance.
Still, this is a pleasant watch, with some funny moments, more depth than it appears to have on the surface, sharp dialog, and plenty of eye candy, so I have no problem recommending this to everyone - it's hard to imagine anyone not liking it.
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Story: The story was cliche, but I live for cliches, especially mob-related so basically I adored it. Due to the length, certain very small scenes were a tad confusing if only because the cut into them seemed random, but they soon became clear. By the end of each chapter (which are usually ~15 min. segments), I had a very clear understanding of what was going on, so the confusion wasn’t long-lasting.
Acting/Cast: I’m not gonna lie, for a small studio film, I wasn’t expecting much re: the acting, but I was absolutely blown away. The actors are incredible and create such dynamic characters through facial expressions alone. They were an amazing cast that I would love to see in future dramas.
Music: So cute! The reoccurring song that played every time Gitae and Chisoo had a moment was sweet, gentle, and just downright adorable. It encapsulated that fuzzy feeling of butterflies in your stomach. The music for the action scenes were perfect for creating a high intensity environment, as well.
Rewatch Value: The only reason I am not immediately rewatching this movie is because I have to go to class in the morning. Needless to say, I will be watching this movie many more times in the future.
TL;DR: If you’re looking for a good LGBT movie with great acting, a fun plot, and a happy ending, then Long Time, No See is the choice for you. Please support this movie and the studio STRONGBERRY by buying the chapters ($12) so we can hopefully see more wonderful content like this in the future!
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This review may contain spoilers
Ruyi's Royal Love In The Palace's not about fighting in the harem, not about being on the top, having powers. It's about Ruyi's and Hong Li's love. From flames to dust, from a beautiful rose to that of a withered one. People might not get why wouldn't Ruyi fight and kill all of those who have done her wrong. It's not because she couldn't but she doesn't want to. She, from the start of the drama until the end, her heart and endurance are all because of her most beloved Hong Li (Emperor Qian Long).
Hong Li said that she's the one who changed after she cut off a strand of her hair. But no, Ruyi has never changed. Right from the beginning until her very last breath, she's still being that Ruyi who loves Hong Li wholeheartedly.
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First of all, this drama should not be called ‘Legend of Fuyao’ because didn’t focus enough on Fuyao. It should not be called ‘Legend of Wuji’ either because Wuji was willing the risk the safety of all the people in the 5 kingdoms for his love interest. Though his love and devotion to Fuyao was admirable and touching, this is not what a good ruler should be doing. So, no, Wuji does not deserve to be called a legend either.
I think a more appropriate title for this drama would be ‘The story of Fuyao, the woman who changed Wuji’s life’, because Fuyao turned Wuji’s life upside-down and brought his arrogance down a few notches the moment she entered his life. It is also a coming-of-age story of both Fuyao and Wuji as it shows how they change as a result of knowing each other and going through the trials in their lives.
The story takes us through 5 kingdoms (Taiyuan, Tianquan, Tiansha, Xuanji and Qiongcang) and has a lot going for it – court intrigue, action, adventures in strange lands, long lost identities and an epic love story. However, the focus, development and pacing of the script was inconsistent. . The drama’s title and first 8 episodes in Xuanyuan Mt. had us anticipating Fuyao embarking on a quest to find her true identity and remove her 5 seals. However, after she left Xuanyuan Mt, the focus changed all to Wuji and Fuyao became an accidental follower in his schemes instead of leading the story as the main character. Too many episodes were devoted to the court intrigue in Taiyuan which did not move Fuyao’s quest along one bit. The result of this was that everything else had to be squeezed into the remaining half of the drama and so there was no time for proper development of the stories in the remaining kingdoms. The story in Xuanji kingdom - where Fuyao’s childhood story and true identity were revealed - was especially short and rushed (only 6 episodes). Wasn’t this drama supposed to be about Fuyao? I would have loved to see more time devoted to Fuyao’s backstory (because it was just so tragic) and how it shaped her strong character.
ACTING
(1) Yang Mi as Fuyao
I liked Yang Mi since TMOPB, but after Fuyao, I have become a fan. Her performance was simply PHENOMENAL! I love actors who can emote with their eyes and Yang Mi did this superbly here. Her eyes are so gorgeous and expressive, I found myself drawn to them every time she appears on screen. She had a lot of epic scenes that had no dialog – the attempted rape scene, Yao City battle, rain scene, when she regained her memory, when she turned evil). She relied only on her eyes to convey Fuyao’s emotions and slayed every scene. Just a simple change in the expression in her eyes could convey so much, especially when she teared or cried – my heart just went out to Fuyao and I could really feel her pain. I particularly love her scenes with Uncle Zhou as the surrogate father-daughter bond was just so heart-warming and touching. And despite all the heart-break and hardships Fuyao endured, there was always strength and fire in her eyes.
I feel a lot of viewers do not give Yang Mi enough credit. I guess this is because majority of viewers are female and prefer to focus and swoon over the male lead. When a male lead cries, it is hailed as good acting whereas the female lead can cry buckets and no one takes notice. Is it because females are expected to cry, so that no one thinks much of it anymore? I vividly remember 3 scenes - just before Fuyao passed out after her fight with Zhangsun Ping Rong, right after she regained her memory and just before she stabbed herself. In each of these scenes, Yang Mi dropped a tear that totally broke my heart. It’s sad no viewers bother to mention her great acting in these, as well as many other scenes, whereas when the male lead drops a tear, viewers shout about it.
So, I do wish to give special mention to Yang Mi here because her exquisite and excellent performance was one of the main reasons I enjoyed this drama. At the end of the drama, I realise the character I remember most is Fuyao. Yang Mi made Fuyao come alive. She made me care for Fuyao and want to continue watching the drama to find out her fate. I only wish she had more screen time. She lights up the screen every time she appears and stole the show.
(2) Ethan Ruan as Wuji
This is the first time I have ever seen Ethan Ruan acting and so I did not know what to expect from him. His performance as Wuji was both a hit and miss for me. It was a hit because he looks handsome as Wuji, had great chemistry with Yang Mi and was good as the cheeky and flirty prince. But it was also a miss because some of his facial expressions, especially his smiles/smirks, come across as sleazy and goofy instead of suave or endearing. There were several OTP scenes where he suddenly gave a goofy smile that just totally spoiled the tender moment. And he tends to overact, such as crunching his face into an unrecognisable mess to express pain or angst. It made the last few episodes, when Wuji was crying over his parents’ betrayal and when he was chained to the ice on the mountain, very difficult to watch. I cringed more than I felt touched. I just wish he had used more of his eyes to emote (like the senior actors and Yang Mi) instead of such exaggerated acting, because some of his emotional scenes were good.
OTP’S LOVE STORY
Fuyao and Wuji’s love story has got to be one of the most well-written and best developed I have ever seen in a Chinese historical drama. Their epic love story is one of the things that really draws you in to this drama. It was wonderful seeing their relationship grow from the initial fighting and flirting to trust, support and finally self-sacrifice for each other. And Yang Mi and Ethan’s chemistry was simply sizzling! They looked so natural and comfortable around each other and their scenes together were a joy to watch.
MUSIC & CINEMATOGRAPHY
I absolutely love the OST and BGM. Every piece of music suited the mood of every scene so well. I daresay I prefer Fuyao’s OST/BGM to TMOPB’s. Cinematography, sets and costumes were also very good and gave the drama a grandeur more common to movies than a TV drama.
FIGHT SCENES
One of my favourite are the fight scenes. There are more fight scenes here than the average Chinese historical drama and you could tell a lot of effort was put into these as they were all very well-choreographed and visually stunning. Fuyao had the best fight scenes and Yang Mi just looked soooo freaking COOL fighting and flirting!
FINAL THOUGHTS
As someone who read the novel before watching the drama, I was very frustrated over how the drama scriptwriter had changed and butchered Fuyao’s character. Drama Fuyao was a victim of circumstances. In contrast, novel Fuyao was a dictator of events. All the schemes that Wuji planned in the drama were actually plotted by Fuyao. She single-handled plotted and helped put all 5 male leads on the thrones in their own kingdoms. So, I didn’t like the fact that the drama made Wuji more like the lead character and accredited all of novel Fuyao’s achievements to him.
When writing this review, I had to treat the drama as being NOT RELATED to the novel at all. Otherwise, it would not have been fair to all the cast and crew who put up such a fine production. Other than the inconsistent script, everything else about the drama was very good – from acting to music to cinematography and fight sequences. Putting my drama vs novel bias aside, this is still an entertaining drama with lots of action, adventure and intrigue to keep you engaged. If nothing else, Yang Mi’s and Ethan’s superb chemistry and love story will keep you invested and wanting more.
If you are debating whether to read the novel or watch the drama first, do yourself a favour and watch the drama first. You will enjoy the drama a lot more this way. Then go read the novel to understand what a truly awesome character Fuyao is and why she is a legend. The drama totally does not do any justice to Fuyao and the novel.
REWATCH VALUE
I will definitely rewatch this drama for my favourites scenes, action sequences and Yang Mi’s superb acting.
* ENDING SPOILER ALERT *
In case anyone is still confused about the ending, Fuyao and Wuji did not die. In the last scene, they are alive and well on a bridge (probably in Tianquan), not in heaven. The words spoken by Wuji in that scene (ie. follow her to the mortal realm etc. etc.) are actually lines from the novel that novel fans love. The scriptwriter probably put it in thinking that it would please novel fans but instead, it ended up confusing everyone about whether they lived or died.
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I wasn't too sure about the story in the beginning, and I'll admit that throughout this drama there were moments were I thought it would go south. However, after I finished it, I realized I couldn't have been more wrong. The writers pulled off the storyline wonderfully. Even when the plot seemed a bit too complicated to execute well, the writers did a great job at it!
Now, I just want to talk a little about the acting in this drama. Honestly, this is one of the most well acted dramas I've seen so far. Park Bo Young and Jo Jung Suk have AMAZING chemistry. I would find myself playing certain scenes over and over again, just because these two are so great together! The way their relationship grows from beginning to end is so sweet. I also want to say that these two share the most real and believable kisses I've ever seen in a drama. Seriously! Whenever they were on screen, I would always look forward to how they would interact with each other. Part of that is because this drama has really down to earth acting. You can tell that all the actors have fun with their roles (especially the kitchen crew), and they bring that excitement to the screen. Not only are the interactions between Na Bong and Chef very real and believable, but the interactions between all the other characters as well. I loved watching the kitchen crew going through their day, bickering and cracking jokes at one another. Their acting was so real that I would forget what they were saying was actually scripted. It was fun watching them, especially during the moments where you could tell they were about to break out of character and burst out laughing! I especially loved Sous Chef (Kang Ki Young). Some people might find him a little annoying, but honestly he made me laugh numerous times throughout the drama!
Im Joo Hwan is also amazing in this drama. His portrayal of Officer Choi was spot on, and I was really moved by his character towards the end. The same goes for Kim Seul Gi (Soon Ae). There were times where I was a little confused and annoyed about where her character was going plot wise, but toward the end I'd come to understand and appreciate what she did for the story.
This drama does have some minor flaws, like pacing issues in the last few episodes and sort of a rushed ending. Despite all that, this drama is still a perfect 10/10 for me. I don't normally do reviews, so the fact that I came here to write this immediately after I finished it is saying something. If you're looking for a great romance/comedy/mystery drama with amazing acting and lovable characters, then give Oh My Ghost a chance!
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