Likes:
1. CSW's perfect delivery of lines
2. Funny acts
3. OSTs (totally love Du Geun2x)
4. the potato
5. Dingdong kid
6. CSW's extremely HOOOOOOT body!
7. plot
8. ending message of CSW (my first time to watch a drama with an ending msg from one of the characters)
9. sneakers
10. their love for each other
Dislikes:
NONE!!!!!!!!!
SCORE: 10/10
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1Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.
New Life Begins is a fun and funny satire that mocks ancient Chinese feudal society. It is set in the fictional kingdom of Xinchuan, which presides over eight other provinces or chuans. Xinchuan is the poster child for every deplorable aspect of the feudal patriarchal society that prevailed over most of China's 5000 years of recorded history. Every three years as tribute, eligible young beauties from the provinces are sent for selection as wives or concubines of the Xinchuan princes. As these poor unsuspecting scions pore gleefully over bride portraits, little do they know that the very foundation of their kingdom and beliefs are about to be rocked to its chauvanist core.As fate would decree, subversive elements infiltrate that year's bride candidates. These elements are woefully untaught and unteachable in the Rules of Reverent Submission for Women. The kind of marriage envisioned by the Xinchaun royalty could not be further from their minds. The ringleader is Li Wei, a deceptively harmless foodie from Jichuan, an inconsequential province where men and women are equal and monogamous. She finds kindred souls in the scheming Hao Jia, the fierce Shangguan Jing and the savvy and ambitious Yuan Ying. Together, they prevail against the suffocating, often life threatening strictures of the Xinchuan inner palace to carve out an existence with some free will. Their brave and hilarious exploits resonate with the oppressed and fuels a fire across the inner palace and then, the capital. As it turns out, behind every great man in Xinchuan is a woman rolling her eyes. Despite the period setting, the ideals in this drama are very modern. It is a very fantastical utopian depiction of the kind of power women can unleash by simply working together instead of turning on one another.
This is not to say that all ten of the Xinchuan princes are bad fellows even though most of them make exceedingly bad husbands. With some, it is simply a matter of training while others need to be kicked to the furthest corners of the empire. The commercially savvy playboy Prince An who thinks he is the sun that the solar system revolves around when he is really the moon is the caricature that made me laugh hardest. That said, the entire ensemble cast delivers rib-tickling and lively comedic sketches that poke fun at the mundane. In a mostly lighthearted and positive but rather cursory manner, the drama evokes many women's themes. Hua Jia's arc is the darkest and most complex one and sounds a dire warning about disgruntled female employees. The sub-plots are short and even though the villains made my blood boil, they are not that smart or complex. That is because the true villain is the tyranny of the patriarchal feudal system and they are all victims of its shortcomings.
All of the sub-plots unfold around the evolution of the relationship between Li Wei and Yin Zheng, the unfavored sixth prince. Hilarity ensues when this woman who lives to eat finds herself shackled to a man who eats to live! With the help of MVP Butler Su, she attempts to tease out the inner fat dude just waiting to burst out of Yin Zheng. In fact, food is her secret weapon; she worms her way into practically everyone's hearts through their stomachs. Both Bai Jingting and Tian Xiwei have good comedic expression and they are fantastic at seamlessly turning funny moments into heart stopping passionate ones. While theirs is a fun, wholesome story, it is too much of a fairy tale. Neither of them have serious flaws and every cloud has a silver lining. In fact Li Wei's perpetual chirpiness grated on me at times. While Yuan Ying is a fabulous and formidable character and I get that one woman's treasure is another's trash, that entire situation is just too good to be true. I also didn't like how their relationship jumps from courtship to the comfortable rhythm of a long married couple, deferring the best romance part till the end. It breaks the natural momentum of a relationship and distracts audience attention from the other arcs. In truth, this drama is a lot more about sisterhood and women's themes than it is about romance. The production should be more confident that these well written, funny, and touching arcs can engage on their own without dragging out the romance to keep viewers invested.
This is one of the rare times that it is the second couple, Shangguan and Yin Qi that stole my heart. I have a weakness for flawed, colorful and unconventional characters like these. Yin Qi's plight is far worst than Yin Zheng's - he is just as unloved and he is no great talent to boot. In the bride lottery, he finds himself sacrificed to the fierce Shangguan, a princess from the powerful and matrilocal Danchuan. But he has a giant heart to go with his big goofy happy-go-lucky smile that makes the fiery Shangguan forgive him for always saying wrong things. Their clashes and banter made my shoulders quiver with laughter as they humorously navigate true challenges and hardships together. Even though they are not perfect and don't have everything, I somehow get the feeling they couldn't be happier.
Overall this is a gorgeous, lighthearted and highly enjoyable story about women's struggles and sisterhood with some romance thrown in. It lacks depth, is slow in places and is far from a masterpiece but the humour is very well done and has mass appeal. A highly recommended watch that I rate 8.5/10.0.
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To start off, I had no desire to watch this drama. I had heard great reviews raving about the chemistry and how great the story was, but I still regarded this drama with little more than a passing nod. I had never seen any previous works by the leads and clips I saw never seemed to catch my interest. In addition, despite it being a very popular story line, I do not typically enjoy contract relationships (don’t hate me!), business dramas, or incredibly mean and arrogant male leads. However, I was craving a romantic comedy and was running low on options, so I figured I would give it a try. And I am so glad that I did!!!
This drama was incredible. The chemistry and the acting by all the characters, even side characters, was fantastic. The story line was perfectly paced, great soundtrack accompaniment, interesting and dimensional subplots, a romance worth swooning over. I was hooked immediately and binged the entire season in 2 days. No episodes did I feel were just filler, everything was intriguing, and contributed to an all around great story and truly memorable story. I cannot recommend this drama enough. If you have doubts, as I did, give it a two episode try and I hope that you will find it just as entertaining as I did. Happy drama watching :)!
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have you ever watched a drama that makes you so happy that you want to become a better person? 'a poem a day' felt like home to me. it made me feel like i really belong somewhere.
story:
the story was nothing that... impressive? at least at first sight. there is no much drama, pressure, it doesn't make you nervous about what will happen next. but it gives you a warm feeling, it makes you happy. it was interesting for me, although i have no interest in physiotherapy.
the romance between je wook and bo young was one of the most beautiful romantic stories i've ever seen in kdramas. i know, i've read in many comments, a lot of people find it boring, too 'formal', but no, it was just real. they were one normal couple. they loved each others, they supported each other, there were hugs and kisses, so i didn't really understand why some people thought that their relationship was unnatural. it just felt real.
another thing i have to mention is the patients stories. i cried my eyes out, they just felt too real.
i really liked the poems. they were so beautiful and they perfectly matched with the story.
but i was slightly disappointed in the end, i think some things should have happend but this doesn't change the fact that the story is good.
characters:
woo bo young - oh, our beautiful female lead. she was just a good person, she was trying to do her job right and to help the patients to recover. she truly cared about them. the thing i liked the most in her it's that she wasn't trying to hide her sensitivity. bo young was a strong female lead in one word.
ye je wook - i haven't seen a person who likes giving advices as much as him lol. he seemed cold in the beginning but after that you can see what a warm person he actually is. he treated everyone with respect and he was always telling what he thinks, he was honest with himself and with the others.
shin min ho - you either like him or you don't. personally, i like him. yes, sometimes he acted childishly, he had no sense of responsibility but at the end, he made the right decision no matter how hard it was for him. yes, he was sometimes selfish, but aren't we all like that? when we fall in love we want the person to have eyes only for us, we don't want to let him/her go. so how can we blame minho for that?
the side characters were really funny and pleasent to watch. their had their own hardships but they always found a way to endure it. i like seeing their character development, escpecially han joo yong's. i like how his friendship with dae band developed in a really good way.
acting:
the cast was completely new for me, the only actor who i knew was seo hyun chul.
i have no much to say, the acting was perfect. there wasn't anyone whose acting seemed unnatural, they all did a great job.
music:
beautiful ost, i love all of the songs. they suited the drama really well and they made it even better.
overall:
11/10 if you ask me. i like dramas that are close to reality and 'a poem a day' was a masterpiece for me. totally recommended!
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CAUTION: WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Don't watch this show while you're eating, because you'll be laughing so much that chances of choking and dying are a lot.Don't watch this show if you don't want to fall in love with a team of characters that are badass, adorable, witty and will forge a bond with you to the point you'll never want to let go.
Don't watch this show if you like strong badass female characters that kick ass, dominate the screen when they come and have amazing hair to match their amazing intelligence.
Don't watch this if you want to die due to the shortness of breath the titular character Kim Hae Il will cause you by being one of the most iconic characters in K-drama history.
Don't watch it if you can't stand the brilliance that is Kim Nam Gil's acting that gave birth to the baddie of the baddies: a fiery priest who is more like a grim reaper/ death angel 'cause when he comes to you, honey it's judgement day.
Don't watch it if you're someone who gets jealous of the extreme chemistry between all the the characters, don't like bromances, sismances and hilarious antagonists 'cause this show has an abundance of that.
Don't watch it, if you don't want to be addicted to the perfect OST of this show even when it's finished.
Don't watch it if you want to be proved wrong when you said that K-Dramas are just not well- written anymore.
Only watch it, if you are strong enough to take the wholesome awesomeness this megabrilliant masterpiece of a show offers and still remain standing by the end.
You have been warned.
Take care.
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A Masterpiece of 2021
You are my hero is a well-written C-drama complemented with amazing casts. It is such a sweet and heart-warming drama. It was not boring at all. It has no unnecessary love triangles at all because it has 3 couples. I first started to watch this drama for Bai Jing Ting. I knew and become his fan in variety shows. I didn't really watch his dramas or movies before. I'm so impressed with his acting talents. He is like someone who is good at everything he does.For the main characters, Bai Jing Ting's character, Xing Ke Lei is the captain in special police team. I'm sure everyone will fall in love with Xing Ke Lei and also Bai Jing Ting in this drama. He is so dreamy, handsome and charismatic captain who is also shy when it comes to girls.
Sandra Ma's character, Mi Ka is a doctor who dreams to become a surgeon. She is mentally strong and independent woman with a kind soul.
I love how the writers know and plan all romantic and career elements in the first place because everything was on point. This drama shows two very different career perspectives which are special police and doctor. Each job has its own responsibility and hardships.
The casts are EXCEPTIONAL. The chemistry between Bai Jing Ting and Sandra Ma in this drama is so amazing. I knew they already appeared in some variety shows together before. So, their chemistry is off the charts.
Second couple and third couple are also given the same setting of the story, but the important ones had their time to rightfully shine and have their own stories and character developments. Casting Team did a great job in choosing the actors.
Directing, music and setting are also very good in this drama. OST are wonderful too. Even the ending was perfect.
I haven't gushed over C-drama in a while. You are my hero is definitely going to be one of my favorites. Honestly this drama gave me beautiful feels.
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The plot lines may hardly be original, but the complexity of the main characters gives the old stories a freshness and power they would otherwise lack. Song Il Guk does a fine job as the young prince destined to found an empire, but my favorite actors (and characters) were Hu Joon Ho as the grizzled veteran Haemosu and Jun Kwang Ryul as the tormented king Kumwa. Hu exudes presence every moment he’s onscreen, and Jun’s portrayal of the king’s increasingly conflicted and destructive loyalties is devastating. The show also uses its length to draw us so completely into its web of relationships that many of its most powerful scenes are not the giant battles but the quiet moments where a truth is revealed or a lie is told or a heart is broken.
Does everything work? No. The plot meanders in the final third, with wild goose chases down narrative lines that seem designed to kill time rather than actually deliver meaningful revelations. I could have lived without the saccharine pop ballad love songs on endless repeat and you could get rip-roaring drunk in no time if you took a shot whenever someone stages an ambush, falls off a cliff, discusses an evil plan around an ornate wooden table or survives getting shot by multiple arrows. However, if you’re looking for ridiculously immersive popular entertainment and don’t mind sleep deprivation, you’re in for a hell of a ride. Just be careful – this whole drama thing can get addictive . . . .
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want to see the actors in something else
Overall: ep 7 and 8 were better but it was too little too late. There were 8 episodes about 15 minutes each, aired on Viki and GagaOOLala (depending on your country)Content Warnings: harassment
What I Liked
- funny moments
- how the director Ha Yeon Woo was prepared/put some thought into his plan
- the fan service of Ha Yeon Woo's body
- production value (including the scenic shots)
Room For Improvement
- for a jerk protagonist and a sweetheart to work in a romance, the jerk needs to have a REALLY good reason why they are a jerk and the jerk phase can't last very long. Unfortunately the explanation in episode 7 just wasn't good enough for me and the jerk phase lasted way too long.
- didn't feel chemistry between the protagonists
- the writer was a huge jerk to his manager and it made me mad (wish the writer was nice to others but then only angry at the director when he showed up)
- needed a little bit more of an indicator when they switched from present to past and then back to present again, some choppy moments
- very slow paced,
- dead fish lip presses
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This review may contain spoilers
Confusing start but great conclusion
…. I actually liked it lol. Went into this thinking I was going to get dollar store Bad Buddy lol but honestly they are only minorly comparable.Destiny Seeker is technically about rival dorms, but frankly it seems like literally no one takes that seriously lol.
The first episode was confusing as hell. There’s this sudden time jump in the middle of the episode and three years have passed all of a sudden. I swear to god, it was so sudden, I thought it was an elaborate daydream.
It would have been better if they approached the first episode in a linear fashion. Personally, I also think they could have done a job establishing the rivalry between the dorms as well. They basically just show two seniors argue a little and that apparently makes a bitter rivalry.
Instead, I think they should have shown the viewers all the ways that the two dorms compete. Show a montage or something of the next three years, in which the leads are separated and forced to pit against each other even though they are actually kind of friends.
Songkhram said he had been pursuing Ai for three years and we didn’t see any of it. Instead of some of the filller padding they added to the show, it would have been better to at least briefly establish some of the missing gaps in the narrative.
Anyway, once you get passed that, it actually settles down into a pretty standard “rivals” to friends to lovers pipeline. And surprisingly high heat… which I was not expecting at all lol. Despite being high heat, there was actually proper, expressed consent and it wasn’t toxic at all. Shocking but it’s hard to come by.
This story really shines in its leads. They have great chemistry, a solid rapport and it is clear they must have run proper workshops to get them comfortable with one another.
The plot is basic but pretty sweet. I liked that they briefly went the “secret dating” route, but they were literally so obvious that their whole friend group knew already. Good twist on a common trope.
It’s a pretty easy watch, I would recommend toughing out the slightly confusing intro because overall it is a pretty cute story.
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Love by Chance Season 2: A Chance to Love
225 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
What were they even thinking?
I was reflecting whether I should write this review as many fans might find it insulting, but screw it!To summarise in two words: AWFUL SEASON. Now let me elaborate more.
Legit I do not understand how they decided to go on with this season. Numerous of people had to agree to the final approach for this season plot. I wanna know who in the world agreed to have 6 recap episodes for the first season in a 13 episodes series. Why? Are we, the fans, a joke to them? We did not watch the new season to remind us what happened in the first season. We can rewatch it if we want to remember what happened.
I do not understand how MAME agreed to this approach and the changes in the story. For example, in this season Pete already left from Bangkok and left Ae behind, but at the same time Tin and Can have not met each other. WHAT? I am trying to watch a bl series not to understand the end of Inception. I do realise that there were not able to work with Saint due to previous drama between them, but dude you can not defy the laws of time in the series. If you can not work with Saint, then we do not need scenes with Ae being shitty and drunk, in a series that focuses in TinCan. I feel that they just had Perth in the series for the fans!
Instead, of giving Perth that much of a screen time, they could focus more on KlaNo. LIKE DUDE IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO USE THIS COUPLE DO NOT MENTION IT FROM THE BEGINNING. I felt that this couple was used as an intermission and as a chance to change the mood from Ae's and TinCan's story. Moreover, the couple had approximately 20 minutes screen time in total, and for some reason No was getting softer for Kla in every episode. WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT THE LAWS OF TIME? YOU CANT DO WHATEVER YOU WANT WITH THEM. Tbh, I don't like how KlaNo's relationship began in the novel, but you have to show more of what Kla did to win No over. You can't show two scenes were Kla gives No snacks and expect us to believe that this shit is ok.
This leads to my next point. ENOUGH WITH THE PRODUCT PLACEMENTS! I know that you have to find sponsors to produce a series, but there were many scenes that only existed for product placement and had nothing to do with the plot. You could use them in a more discreet way rather than showing Kla giving No those snacks and him eating them. I do not know how the rest of the viewers feel about product placement, but when I see a product being placed in this straightforward way, I usually hate the product.
Now moving on with the acting. Was it bad? Yes! I really enjoyed Mean's acting in the first season, but thanks to the plot changes I felt that what I was watching was not Tin but someone else! You can not have an actor establish a role's character in the series and the next season make him change that. As for Plan, well he was cute in the first season but he was must softer in this season. I repeat: IF YOU WANTED TO USE THE SAME CHARACTERS YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE CHANGED THEIR BACKGROUND! Now as for Perth, I felt that in the first season he was amazing (taking into account his young age), but in this season he was acting bratty and as an asshole. I know that this is how Ae behaved in the novel, but at some point I grew tired of watching the same scene over and over again. So, for the last 4 episodes I always skipped Ae's scenes. You are sad about Pete leaving you. WE GET IT! NOW GET OVER IT AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE WORLD HAS SERIOUS PROBLEMS! However, I feel that Gun's acting has improved. In LBC he was awkward and had no flow what so ever, while in this season he was still awkward but at least not that much. As for Mark's acting, I thought that he was the best actor in LBC, but I can not compare with this season as HE APPEARED ONLY 4 MINUTES IN TOTAL!
To summarise, I feel that MAME and the producers created this season just to make us shut up! They had 2 years to prepare for this series but in the end we got something awful. Tbh, after finishing this season I hoped that we did not get this season at all. For some reason, I believe that MAME and the rest of the team, bet everything in TharnType and in order to please us for TinCan, they just wrote the script in two days with no revision and gave it to the cast a day before filming.
I think that the wisest thing to do is to always ask a fan's opinion prior the decision of a script approach and production. I know that they might worry for any plot leak if they share their ideas with fans; however, they could find someone to trust from the fanbase and let the fan help them with continuous feedback. I feel that if that was done then we wouldnt get 6 recap episodes and the plot would be more fast paced!
P.S. STOP INTRODUCING TOO MANY NEW CHARACTERS IN NEW SEASONS!
I DONT HAVE THE TIME TO INVEST IN THEM AND KNOW THEM BETTER. I WOULD PROBABLY END UP HATING THEM!
That's it! A chance to love was shitty. Change my mind!
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This review may contain spoilers
We don't need another hero.
This is a dark, intensely melodramatic classic wuxia about heroes. The Chinese title 说英雄谁是英雄 (Speaking of heroes, who is a hero?) asks the question who is a hero 英雄/yīngxióng? What is distinctive about this story is that there is no main protagonist. It is left to the audience to decide which character(s) are heroes. Although novelist Wen Ruian is not considered to be in the same league as Jin Yong or Gu Long, there is a cynical provocativeness that distinguishes this best work of his. The martial artists or 大侠/dàxià, featured in this are swordsman known for their legendary weapons. Despite 江湖/jiānghú lore about their great feats and relative prowess, 一山还有一山高, there is always a higher mountain so the outcome to any encounter between these fighters is not known until actually put to a test.Li Muge's brilliant camera work evocatively captures the essence of a wuxia from the wild vastness of the terrain, the spirit of adventure, the air of intrigue to finally, the profound sense of fatalism and impermanence. Yet despite the stunning aesthetics, the fast paced and bloody fight scenes are over choreographed and somewhat lacking. The action scenes mostly comprise of discontinuous slasher heavy shots that are stitched together to end in exaggerated fierce posing by the combatants. There seems to be a lot of slashing around without capturing the flinch inducing violence and intensely muscular swordsmanship seen in shows like Lu Yang's Brotherhood of Blades. The two final fight scenes are powerful and much more satisfyingly executed with the right mix of violence, emotion and intensity.
This drama's ensemble cast delivers nuanced and polished portrayals of memorable characters such as Chen Chuhe's charismatic Su Mengzhen and Meng Ziyi's heart rending Lei Chun. The diversity and eccentricity of jianghu's denizens from the flamboyant Fang Yingkan, the staunch and astute Yang Wuxie, the hilariously coquettish Zhao Xiaoyao , the fanatical Lei Mei , the wily Lei Sun and the enigmatic Di Feijing anchors this wuxia. Naturally the performances of the three young idol actors who represent the next generation of martial artists, suffers by comparison in such formidable company. While both Zeng Shunxi's Wang Xiaoshi and Liu Yuning's Bai Choufei struggle visibly in more complicated scenes, they deliver credible performances overall. Besides, Bai Choufei is a difficult role that would challenge many seasoned actors. As for Yang Chaoyue, her acting mantra must be "when in doubt, just pout" because besides crying, that is what she does best in every scene. Even though Wen Rou is a superfluous and archetypal character, she has many well written comedic moments with the advisor that disappointingly fall flat in execution. I won't lie, the idol actors failed to convince me of any of their relationships or make me care much for them. I find Su Mengzhen's bond with Yang Wuxie far more compelling than Wang Xiaoshi's with Bai Choufei.
The story opens with the young and decent Wang Xiaoshi's first foray into jianghu, tasked by his shifu to deliver a mysterious box to Su Mengzhen, the young master of the House of Golden Wind Drizzle (House Drizzle). Along the way he forms a fast friendship with the deadly and ambitious Bai Choufei and the well-born, pouty and marriage evading Wen Rou. Together, they head to the capital, seeking fame, fortune and adventure. Near the city, Wang Xiaoshi and Bai Choufei save Su Mengzhen from an ambush and the three become sworn brothers. Thus they find themselves allied with House Drizzle and pitted against their arch-rivals, the Six-Half Hall. The high-minded and valiant do-gooders are drawn to House Drizzle while the less scrupulous, commercial and profit minded converge at Six-Half Hall. There are formidable martial artists and yes, heroes at both sects; neither is completely good or bad they simply live by different ideologies.
All too soon, it becomes clear that Bai Choufei's unrestrained ambition and world view is incompatible with that of Su Mengzhen and House Drizzle. This man has a massive chip on his shoulder and his ambition tragically exceeds his ability. Thus his bottom line is flexible and he is willing to get what he wants by fair means or foul making him better suited towards Six-Half Hall. His desire for Lei Chun, a woman who only has eyes for Su Mengzhen, further fans the flames of his resentment. It is inevitable that Bai Choufei succumbs to his worst instincts to become the kind villain I love to hate; one that I can ultimately somewhat empathize with and understand. Sadly, this is where the screenwriter inexplicably decides to whitewash Bai Choufei and rob him of his free will. What follows is one of the worst character assassinations ever. Bai Choufei, a strong minded, unapologetically ambitious and arrogant character is reduced to a mentally unstable puppet of a corrupt government official. He becomes so unhinged, despicable and pathetic that he is little more than a rabid dog that has to be put down. What a waste. None of the other villains really step up; both Thirteen Doom and Fang Yingkan had potential but are too cursorily dealt with at the end and their motives and some of their actions not satisfactorily explained. That said, Thirteen Doom will always be a bit of a hero to me just for gagging Wen Rou.
The ending bloodbath between the sworn brothers is predictable and inevitable. At this point, Li Muge gives in to his love for melodrama and sprays dogs blood over everything with wild abandon. I was nonplussed at the tragicomic drawn out twitching after going splat death scene that eventually just made me laugh. I expected Su Mengzhen to play a more active role in the finale but his decision was already foreshadowed. He explains himself with his parting words 独立三边静 轻生一剑知 which Tencent simply translated as "The fearless brings peace for many but dies a death that's lonely." Those are incredibly fitting parting words for Su Mengzhen that those who love him can understand and must accept. It is actually a beautiful, famous ancient Tang poem with deep meaning that I will hide in a spoiler in the comment section of this review. The ending was good albeit overly melodramatic for my taste.
Which comes back to the conversation about heroes or 英雄/yīngxióng. When all is said and done, a hero does not have to fit the conventional wuxia hero in terms of righteousness or chivalry. It is enough that they are true to their own ideals and thus the hero of their own story. For me, Di Feijing is unambiguously the hero of this story. In his own way, he is no less chivalrous than Su Mengzhen and between them, they maintained a stable balance of power in the capital. He is the one character that is consistently true to his ideals and lives to protect those he loves. I find his chemistry with Lei Chun to be the most natural and moving in the drama. He is the only character who truly and only loved Lei Chun. Tragically Su Mengzhen is the only one that Lei Chun loved even though he did not love her quite as intensely or as selflessly as Di Feijing did. They are the three characters I cared the most about in this drama. I still don't forgive Li Muge for short changing me of Di Feijing's and to a lesser extent, Thirteen Doom's ending combat scenes. It is not enough for me to know that justice is served, I wanted to see it happen. As for Wang Xiaoshi, he is at best a work in progress. Even though he did his best to fix things, he also ineptly set in motion many of the events that led to among other things, Lei Sun's downfall which snowballed into this giant, tragic mess. If he is a hero, we don't need another hero. In any case, as Lei Chun discovered, heroes are not there when you most need them. Best be your own hero.
I have very mixed feelings about this drama. I think I am mostly disappointed because it could have been so much more had the scriptwriter and the director stuck with the novel and not succumbed to whitewashing and dogs blood melodrama. Thanks to the substance and depth of the original works however, it still a good watch if for nothing else, the stunning aesthetics. This feels like a 7.5/10 for me but I bumped it up to an 8.0 because Di Feijing (Yang Tong) is such an unforgettable character, he stole the show as far as I am concerned.
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This review may contain spoilers
An intense, powerful and emotional thriller.
„If you’d have all the money and power in the world, what would you want next? To live forever.”I didn’t expect much when I started this drama. Sure, I finished the first episode and thought „ugh, another 16 hour show about serial killers.” I was so glad I was wrong. Oh boy, It is MUCH deeper than that.
To be honest, it is extremely hard to express how dark and emotional this drama really is. As we arrive to the second half of the show we realize that our beloved ML is not only fighting against the antagonists, but also his own darkness.
The cinematography and music was on point. The combination of the dark atmosphere and the sometimes suspenseful, other times overly emotional music just came together perfectly, making a drama that feels like a punch in the gut – in the best way possible.
While some characters could have been a little bit more interesting, and some things did feel a tiiiny bit convenient and exaggerated, I have to say: everything connects BEAUTIFULLY. The writing is actually so good that even when you see a twist coming, you're still going to feel the things you’re supposed to.
That is a word I would use to describe this drama: FEELINGS. All kinds of feelings and maybe too much of them, because I swear to GOD it ripped my soul apart.
The plot is really well done and there are many twists throughout it, constantly keeping us on the edge of our seat and eager to see what happens next or just simply feeling hopeless.
The three main leads are phenomenal and the side characters are great. The old man was my favourite. The acting is incredible. Seol Hyun's acting was just too good. At times I could feel what her character was feeling. I wanted to cry with her.
I could go on for hours about how good the fight scenes were and how explosive the chemistry between the leads was, but I’m just going to tell you to watch it. It’s something everyone needs to experience. Go watch it.
So what is Awaken really like?
Addictive. Unforgettable. Emotional. Brilliant.
Also it's great to see more dramas get more than one season, but why not do the same with this one? There is so much potential here for a second season.
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First and foremost because I have total trust in the production team and actors (Jiang Xin, Liu Tao, Yang Zi, Jin Dong, Zu Feng and so on ...) and well when I read what it would be about I was filled with too much happiness, I mean there's Jiang Xin and she'll be a main character I was really overjoyed because of that and this time she could finally shine and show what great outstanding actress she is which I never doubted <3 furthermore I've always wanted to watch a drama about strong friendship between women from different background and age, to see how their relationship will evolve throughout the drama, in the end I can tell you that it exceeded my expectations, it was more than just friendship, it was sisterhood and a friendship filled with so much love, respect, funny and cute moments. And I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of Chinese Modern Dramas but now I can definitely say, this one is the best I've seen and among my fave dramas right now.
Of course what made this drama such a wonderful and unique journey is the friendship between all of them : Sheng Mei, An Di, Xiao Xiao, Ying Ying and Guan Guan, how they all get to know, accept, respect and love each other, it was simply beautiful and magical to see, everything feels so genuine, it's like they've known each other since a very long time and were able to confide in one another, joke and do lot of amusing activities together like true friends would do and yeah it did take a little bit of time for at least two of them to open up more and accept the others girls however in the end they were themselves when together, all 5 of them.
Friendship is definitely not what this drama is all about and I love this drama for many other reasons :
-The writing, I was so impressed and since the first second when I saw how the dialogues were so well thought- out, rich and intelligent, I love all those quotes Sheng Mei, An Di and some characters like Lao Tan ( Tan Zong Ming) said, very realistic, deep and sometimes pretty bitter.
-Different genres mixed so well in only one drama such as : friendship, drama, comedy (mostly scenes with Ying Ying and Xiao Xiao), romance, slice of life and also family. This is true that some situations were a bit too unreasonable but overall it was such a refreshing and realistic drama and as a big Slice of Life fan I couldn't resist and and love with all my heart all the characters and their stories, sometimes it felt also too real that I couldn't help but cry (from both sadness and happiness).
-Also love how the writer doesn't only focus on one or two characters but takes time to develop all of them and show their own stories, struggles and family problems. Just this is such a pity I still don't know much about Guan Guan and because of that I couldn't relate to her nor her story but it doesn't mean she's not likeable and that I didn't like her.
I really have too much love for this drama that will be hard to explain with words but anyway I'll try to convey my thoughts and affection for Ode to Joy without being too subjective. You know since the very first ep I already felt attached to Fan Sheng Mei, An Di and Ying Ying, I really love the way they were introduced to us, one is very mature and have such strong opinion about love and life situations, the second one is straightforward and can be very badass as well and the latter so cute and naive but also very foolish at times but I couldn't help but fall for her kindness, gentleness toward other girls. They do really have their own qualities and flaws and that's what make them humane and alive.
Of course I know If I start talking about all of them it will take me hours so I'll try to make it as short as possible and go straight to the point.
~If you don't want to know more about the character's personalities you can skip this part~
[Fan Sheng Mei : who's my absolute favorite of the show and the reason is because she's so mature, so elegant and classy, strong, independent who only relies on herself to live and survive in a big city like Shanghai, she's particularly pessimistic when it comes to love and relationship between human being but we can only go along with her as she's always stating the awiful truth.
An Di : Smart, quiet, elegant, mostly wears black and white clothes and for like 25 eps it always bugged me a little bit but that's her style :p, discreet about her life and once again for good reasons because it's hard for her opening up to others and trusting them.
Xiao Xiao, the real light of this drama, so eccentric, also sometimes very awkward with others and the words she uses to speak to people and which leads her to be misunderstood in my opinion, this can be both an asset and disadvantage. Anyway she's considerate, adorable and cool, and for that I like her a lot.
Ying Ying : cute, loving, caring, she also has an eccentric side but now in same way as Xiao Xiao, it's more in her behaviour and her cheerful personality.
Guan Guan : She's also a very understanding and compassionate person and always there for Fan Sheng Mei and Ying Ying, she's hardworking too and a bit too shy, has hard time expressing her feelings to others but once she's with her friends she can fully be herself.]
5 unique, interesting and colourful women :p
I'm really impressed to see that those 5 women who are so different can share so much and support each other during hard times, such endearing, caring and loving characters, for me it was impossible not to love and admire them though I have my personal favorites and I know all of you who watched this drama have your own favorite characters as well for personal reasons and that's what makes Ode to Joy so unforgettable. And yes my fave is definitely Sheng Mei and I love her .
I now need to say a few words about the OST which definitely became one of my all time favorites, I absolutely love all of the songs : I'll post my favorites below. But I won't say more cause I hope people who're gonna watch the drama will discover all of them by themselves and enjoy them the same way I did, and being surprised the way I was too otherwise it would not be fun for you.
My faves :
The ending song : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEmSGIaT4Rg&amp;list=PLlxGEDlRe5WNN-_2n7giCKga4V5YHa8-1 Love
Hui Gu Niang/Cinderella : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fGAWMfO7HQ , definitely my favorite and I love the lyrics, so beautiful and true.
Wo Yao Ni/I Want you : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL_QJkbrCKE&list=PL9ct9xr9-KGQtUXpZDeec-oi5WXSz9oNc&index=7 so punchy and addictive
Pei Ni Zuo Yu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9R4gKWn9W4&amp;amp;amp;list=RDsY6u6NbtTlE;index=2
It was overall a very great drama as I said above and I just can't wait for the next seasons to see my girls again *0*. Very very recommended as it will definitely bring you lot of smiles, laughter and food for thoughts as well. And I have to say it was really addictive, I still can't believe I completed this show :(.
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Acting/Cast: It is no secret that I enjoy watching Wallace act in historical dramas. Acting-wise, he's a veteran. Tang Yan is also another seasoned actress. Both Wallace and Tang Yan managed to pull off a believable chemistry. I mean.... who could resist Wallace's mysterious and sexy stare... you know, the kind that makes you wonder what he's thinking but feel as if he is devouring you whole! With that kind of look, it is not too hard to pull off a chemistry that can melt the hearts of females everywhere! The rest of the cast are all good as well. No complains in the acting department. The costumes are colourful and excellent (though I doubt ppl of that time actually wear such fashionable clothes)!
Music: The ending theme song is my favourite. It has a rather sad tone to it and the lyrics are meaningful. It's stuck in my head and I suspect it will be there for a while unti I find another new song to replace it. Some might find the light OST by Della Ding and Wallace Huo something they might like but me being me... I like the darker melodies over the light-hearted ones. It's all personal preference.
Rewatch value: There are 45 episodes and unless you have lots of time at hand, you might not be wanting to re-watch this anytime soon. That said... there are many scenes in this drama; mostly those involving the main couple, that you would like to forward to.
Overall: This is a worth-while entertainment. True to Tong Hua's (the author of the novel where this drama gets its storyline from) style of writing, the main story focuses on the romance between the two main characters. There are some palace conflict going on but that part of the story did not overwhelm the main love story between the leads. So, if you are a romantic at heart, you might want to check this historical romance out.
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Where do I even begin with the beautiful movie? I watched this movie in the cinemas without any idea what I was going to be watching, no trailer and no synopsis at all. But the movie captivated me from the beginning. On surface level, it seems like a light-hearted, slice of life type movie revolving around a loving father and his daughter, but little did I know it was so, so, so much more than that.
There’s so much to say about this movie, but I’ll start with entertainment factors. If you enjoy plotlines that are based of real-life stories, tackle the human experience, explore history and how they shaped the world today, all whilst mixed with comedy here and there, then this is for you. If you have no idea whether or not you like any of the just mentioned, then this movie essentially follows the experience of a normal human stuck in a political revolution. Now, some of you might hear politics and cringe instantly, but A Taxi Driver manages to convey the whole plotline and context effortlessly without delving deep into the political history at all, making it a foreigner friendly film if you don’t know much about Korean political history.
A Taxi Driver also really does an amazing job at capturing human emotion. There are parts of the movie that are just so raw, sometimes you hate the main character, sometimes you love him, but despite whatever his actions, we could still understand and sympathise. Of course some of the situations are probably dramatized for effect from the true story, but in terms of the overall context of protests and uprising, it definitely conveys the aspects involved in these parts of history.
I would definitely recommend a packet of tissues and some social justice warrior spirit to watch this. Overall I think it’s a very important film because it really sheds light on some issues that we take for granted today (e.g. a free media!). So if you’re not really into this type of entertainment, I would still suggest you watch this just to learn a little more about things like protests and democracy.
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