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The same old, same old...
When you think you get something like "To My Shore" - no, you don't. It started interesting but then degraded rapidly. We have the same 2D villain fathers and the brother Ken as in many other shows. While not as over the top like in "Wicked Game", it's still not satisfying at all. There is no sophistication in either the script or the villains. It's all very stereotypical. And of course the finale is quite ridicilous as it's typical with thai shows.At least the MLs got to play something different and in most parts they succeeded with the acting. Nobody can deny their chemistry. The NC scenes are the same old, so nothing new or interesting there. I guess that is the second time we got a GL side-couple, this time not stupid or silly as in "Love Sea". Also the action scenes were not as amateurish as in many other shows, so that got them on my good side 🤣. Production value was high. The timejumps made the story not easy to comprehend.
It's an "ok" show for me, it's watchable but of course can't come close to "To My Shore" which had a much more refined script and even more tensions between the MLs. As usual the viewer gets an happy end and the end scene may be a hint of a coming show in the same universe or a special. But beware that some scenes might be very disturbing (psychical abuse, selfharm) and mentally unstable people should not watch it.
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A Tender 9/10 Love Story, Purest, healthiest couple
Did I just spend hours watching two souls simply exist together, fixing a house, sharing quiet moments, and holding space for one another? It felt less like watching a drama and more like witnessing love breathe. Their slow journey from separate rooms into one bed was tender and unhurried, never forced, just two hearts quietly finding their way home.Jimmy and Sea brought to life one of the purest, healthiest couples I have ever seen in BL. No jealousy, no villains, no unnecessary drama, only a love so genuine it almost hurt to watch. And then came the moment that shattered me. In, played by Sea, finally opened up about the tragedy of losing his parents. His voice carried years of grief, every word heavy with loneliness. Thap, portrayed by Jimmy, didn’t try to erase the pain. Instead, he listened, stayed, and became the strength In could lean on. When he wiped away In’s tears and held him through his breaking, it wasn’t just comfort, it was love at its most raw and truest form.
But love can be cruel. To witness someone so broken and to love them so deeply, knowing you cannot undo their past nor promise them forever, is both beautiful and tragic. Watching In cry in Thap’s arms felt like watching love and grief intertwine into one. It was intimate, painful, and unforgettable.
The reason this is not a 10/10 series is simple. I love GMMTV but let’s be honest, they really cannot pull off fight scenes or accident scenes. How could Kan possibly escape from the hospital with two police officers right there? Even if we assume he somehow managed it, the next part made no sense. The car barely touched him, just a slight push, yet he ended up on the ground with his head bleeding. I really do enjoy this series, but that scene felt so fake. Even those staged accident scam videos on Facebook look more realistic.
My Magic Prophecy earns a 9/10 from me, not because it lacked heart, but because it dared to show love as something fragile and fleeting while stumbling in its action execution. Sometimes the most powerful romances are not the ones wrapped in grand gestures, but the ones that remind us how delicate happiness really is.
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+ Ji Sung: If there was one positive thing that I got out this experience, it was having the pleasure of experiencing the versatility of Ji Sung's acting ability. He was the needle in the haystack in a pile of mediocre talent. In my opinion, he was the only cast member that stood out and wasn't completely forgettable. However a badly written character is still a badly written character no matter how good the acting. The personality factor was messy and used as a background for a generic love-line therefore mostly just used a convenient plot filler. Like I said, you're looking for a well written drama about mental illness (+ child abuse) this isn't what you should be watching.
- Hwang Jung Eum: Hwang Jung Eum can act. Hwang Jung Eum just can't pick her roles well. Because if you're someone like me, you've probably seen her in Secret (2013) and the difference just may shock you. I was incredibly let down seeing her talent being wasted in this drama. You've got this great and talented actress and the best possible role that they can give her is one that makes it seem like she can't act at all;you've got a loud, exaggerated, cringe worthy woman who goes around speaking and acting like she's a child despite being fully grown. If you're not a fan of screaming and high pitched/fake voices, don't read any further because you're going to have suffer through that for an entire twenty episodes. Oh Ri Jin had a lot of potential to be an amazing and inspiring character for women but ended up getting lost in transition from bad writing.
- Park Seo Joon: I've never been a big fan of the 'faux' incest plot-line. I don't see why you'd want to ruin a perfectly good 'sibling' relationship but throwing in a romantic aspect of it and because of that I found Oh Ri On to be rather obnoxious. I found him manipulate as well and the show never even tries to address it. Nope. Instead he's portrayed as a sweet and caring brother and not the obsessive and manipulative creep that he actually is.
- Han Chae Yeon & Cha Ki Joon: In short, they were completely useless to the plot and the drama was a waste to both their talents. Their characters were written halfheartedly and kind of just ditched in the end, making you wonder what their purposes were in the first place. Oh, wait. If your crappy plot-line can't make it to twenty episodes, drag it on with unnecessary side characters because the main leads weren't annoying/badly handed enough!
Overall. if you're looking comedic relief and don't actually care about medical accuracy and the actual well-being of the main leads...watch it! You'll love it. But don't expect anything new or exciting. Don't get well thought out writing or consistent acting. Don't expect any realist portrayal about mental illness or abuse. This isn't that kind of drama.
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Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Inference
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Subarashii!
That's the feeling I got when I binged this little drama. At a single glance, there really is nothing overtly fabulous or amazing about it. But, it had a strange captivating magic that weirdly reminded me of Harry Potter. Or maybe it's because of the soundtrack and Fukamachi Naoya-kun.☆ The plot doesn't exist on the surface. Each episode consists of basic mysteries and legends that many of us might have heard in high schools. The two leading heroes and Reiko-senpai set out to mentally solve the troubles that arose and dispel the rumours. What did continue was Takatsuki-sensei's unsatiated search for an actual mystery.
☆ I really loved the leading character, but he might be one of the most boring male leads I've ever seen. But, there was something really realistic about the way he was portrayed. Fukamachi Naoya had accidentally stumbled across an event that was forbidden to be witnessed by the living when he was ten years old. What follows his later years is a punishment: to be a human lie detector. This causes him to isolate himself from literally everyone. By coincidence, he chooses to study Japanese Folklore, leading him directly into the arms of Takatsuki Akira, his young and vigilant professor. Taking an instant connection to him, his new sensei hires him as his assistant and they together unveil legends and solve mysteries. But, Naoya-san never really is able to let go of the negatives that his little "gift" brought along. I connected to him in several ways. There were moments I wished that he would become normal, then I'd wish that he was once again back to being a lie detector. I liked seeing his growth and loved his smile. The dude rarely smiled, but when he did, I would become happy too.
☆ J Doramas rarely disappoint in the acting department. This one doesn't either. (I'm surprised that both the lead actors are Jpop idols.) There were numerous interesting individuals that we got to meet and I looked forward to every new mystery or legend. Most of their performances were really convincing. When it came to Sewai University, there were only a few characters in the spotlight; thanks to his little gift, Naoya-san doesn't have a pack of friends following him. But, those whom he finds solace in are his Sensei and his perky assistant Reiko-chan and later, a lively Nambu-san. I loved their mystery solving though nothing about it was far from normal. EP6 and 7 in particular captured my heart.
The cottage core atmosphere of the drama helped quite a lot. It was calming and simultaneously thrilling to watch.
☆ The opening BGM was very Harry-Potteresque and the drama as a whole felt really magical. Though there was rarely any magic in it. The ending OST Gunjo Runaway by Hey!Say!Jump! grew on me eventually due to many reasons. It's a shame that Japanese songs do not have english lyrics coming along with them.
☆ Last, but not the least is Takatsuki Akira Sensei, the eponymous character of this show. Though we see the events through the eyes of Naoya-san, it is Sensei who is the scene stealer. I didn't know what to think about him. His actions left me ---and Naoya-san-- in a whirl of confusion and his over enthusiastic response to the woes of people made me suspect if he was possessed. Half of the time, I didn't know whether to trust him or pray that Naoya-san runs away from him. He was enigmatic, charismatic and eccentric all rolled into one and I was beyond curious to know about his intentions and plans. His friendship with Ken-Chan piqued my interest.
Not to mention his hyperthesemia, a condition that makes him remember each and everything he has ever come across.
☆And the Bromance! It was a delight seeing the closed off Naoya-san struggle with the very extraverted Sensei. Their interactions were one of my favorite parts of the show. What's more, their rapport was slowly built through trust, something that Naoya-san grappled with. Also, watching the friendship grow between him and Nambu-san was amusing.
☆ I appreciated how they dealt with the topic of the supernatural and the real world in a very neutral manner. It didn't cross the border, but neither did it completely deny its existence. I hope it stays the same way.
☆ The down side about it might be the format of the episodes. We don't focus much on the main characters, but learn some part about them through the experiences of others. This can come off as boring if we aren't interested in the mystery or just don't like episode after episode of a new mystery each. The cases/unsolved events themselves were nothing new; they involve folklore and urban legends that we might find similar to the stories we hear or had heard at school. (Dead ghost/haunted rooms, objects similar to ouja boards, etc.)
Also, if we don't find ourselves comfortable with the characters and their antics, then there is a high chance that the watching experience will be quite bitter.
Many thanks to the fansubbers who spent their time to make it available and understandable for us International viewers. This drama was completely satisfying. (I pleasantly surprised by the montage at the end of the final episode!) Definitely a binge-worthy gem.
I'm still uncertain about whether to watch the second season. As a saying goes, there are some mysteries that are better left unsolved.
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Isao komori is a college dropout who spends his days playing video games and watching porn. He is living a carefree life. Every day he go to this convenience store just to see Mari, she has this angel like feature that made Komori decide to make Mari his idol. He became obsessed and his sole pleasure in life is to stalk Mari. One morning Komori wake up in Mari's body. Another Komori inhabit his old body, but it is not Mari. Mari has disappeared. Komori struggles to maintain Mari's ordinary life and starts to investigate Mari's disappearance.
If you think this different take on body swap genre is what I mean when I said original, then you are wrong. The essence of the story remains though like trying to find where Mari went, and that's why this story is genius. A combination of mystery and character study, mystery is very gripping while the character study is what draws you in. If you are into psychology you would really love this drama, it conveys all the pains and struggle of every teenagers. Everybody could relate because in the first place identity crisis is classically adolescent.
Technical-wise the acting is surprisingly strong. These three young actors did their part well, but what I'm more surprised about is Ikeda's portrayal of Mari. She manages to give this character authenticity by giving the character intensity if needed but by not making the character looks exaggerated. Very complex character that I imagine most young actress would fail to portray. Both songs are catchy too, nice touch to give the drama fun vibe.
Overall a different take to a trope (body swap) that you would think it is so clever but then you would realize there is more clever twist than that and you won't see it coming at all. Twist after twist is basically in this drama, so I wouldn't be surprised if most will find it complicated and may end up confusing to them, even at the very end.
Check my Blog for other reviews & other JDramas stuffs. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
https://thatjapanesedramaguy.blogspot.com/
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An amazing journey!
I started to watch it without any expectations and even without reading synopsis... you can say just for time pass, but it turned out to be more than that, such a painful yet meaningful journey it was. There are still tears in my eyes... but I'm sure that it's going to be one of my favorites.Loved the acting Song Joong Ki did amazing work in it, his expressions, his eyes tells us what he feels what he want to talk, it tells that it's not necessary only words can express our emotions... so hats off for his acting. Park Bo Yeong also did great job portraying Sun Yi you can see and feel pain. The execution of story was perfect loved the fact they didn't gave us a fairytale ending because that doesn't happens in real life.
Ending was painful, sad but it was meaningful and perfect couldn't been more perfect than this. I had a great time, I hope you'll also, definitely recommend you if you are not looking for something sweet, cute love story because this isn't it. It's not typical love story but that doesn't mean that it has less meaning rather it's more meaningful that will make you understand many things.
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One of the more impressive historical dramas that has come from Korea in recent years. Masterfully made, with great actors and a much more serious tone than many of these new historical dramas that are a bit fluffier and lighter, and often feel a bit timid to go all the way with its political plot which often makes the story loses some momentum and make the tension of the story feel artificial and contrived. This drama, however, manages all of that extremely well. One can tell why it is one of the most popular historical dramas from Korea for a long time.The Red Sleeve feels serious, bold but still not too dry, so it was no fun to watch. It had a good pace to the story, and I liked the darker undertone that was always present within the narrative. Despite a more serious approach at the palace politics but still achieve a certain lightness in other aspects of the show, without those two things working too much against each other. There was a good balance between the characters arcs, the palace politics, the more romantic moments, the serious and the light.
did a really good job painting this picture of loneliness within the palace and show it as this dazzling but ghostly prison for all the female characters in the show; highborn or not. Especially as we went further into the story. The loneliness of the palace does affect all the character in some way or another and becomes a big theme within the story. It has a good emphasis on how the female characters play a special role within the narrative. To me the main character, Deok Im, never wanted to be anything but free within the limits of the society she is born in, and the story always comes back to that very point. She is always true to herself while putting other before her.
All her life she seems to try her best to be loyal to those who are good to her but closed off to people around her, but especially to the prince who has such great affection for her, to avoid feeling trapped by this life that she has. Because when you become his concubine, there is a certain world that is just closed to you. It’s not really until she’s cornered, and she sees no other way that she finally gives in to his affections. , even if she loved him, and becomes that concubine that she is destined to be. And I think it was the purpose of the story that Deok Im really had no choice but to be his wife in the end, although it was a little frustrating that he liked her more than she liked him.
The romance, as much as I liked it in the beginning, lost it’s my grip towards the end because I felt Yi San insisted too much that he owned Deok Im, and seemed a little too domineering to me. But at the same time, I feel like it was very much part of the realism that this show seemed to convey. This is not a romantic comedy or a teenage love story. The story, all the way through, is describing the harsh reality of the palace, which was something I really appreciated (and it managed that without being too gory or grim for the sake of realism like Game of Thrones for example).
It is a bit bold to present the love story of the drama in such a way and having the prince carry far more feelings for Deok Im than she seems to do for him, or it can be interpreted in that way at least, rather than showing a more of balance between their feelings. But the writing was done with such sincerity and great sensitivity, and the same can be said about the character, that I felt I understood the position of all of them, although I did not always agree with them.
But even though the themes and characters of The Red Sleeve were brilliant, I found the story start to go in small circles towards the end and drag unnecessarily in certain sections as the story goes on a bit about the same thing. But I cannot blame the scriptwriters of the drama too much for that, as the drama got an extension due to their popularity and it can be hard to add new things to fill over an hour of content with something new. And it didn’t hurt the story that much overall. The end result was still the same.
Deok Im as well as pretty much all the female characters in the drama have my whole heart. They were all so deep, varied in characters and thought and had their own stories to tell. And too me they were the focal point of this story. And the bitter-sweet ending works wonderfully well for the story that this drama was trying to tell. Anything else would have taken from the realism of the story.
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This is my first review so I'm kinda new at this.If you're not a fan of historical martial arts films, then don't watch this. The story reminded me of "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", two great Chinese movies starring Zhang Ziyi as well. Can't really tell much about it though, 'cause we don't want any spoilers, do we ... Just read the synopsis! + You'll get an idea of what else to expect by reading further :) (Story - 9)
I really liked the accuracy in lots of elements such as costumery, weapons (super awesome btw!), settings and that everybody speaks in their native language (Chinese and Korean). The Yuan-dynasty's soldiers are played by Mongolian actors, which makes it more believable. Zhang Ziyi's acting is great as always, although that might be my opinion 'cause I have a slight crush on her :3. Ahum, moving on, I really like how all these different cultures cross paths in this movie. It helps you visualize how these cultures looked like in the past. What really made this movie great for me were the hardcore battles in it (hint: man with spear)! (Acting/Cast - 9)
Not really much to tell about the music. It worked out well with the scenes, like the battles for example, and gave me a matching feeling. The music did what it had to do, and did good doing so. (Music - 8)
Just like the two great Chinese movies I mentioned above, this one's worth a rewatch. Though you might like to wait a while before doing so, 'cause it'll most likely stay fresh in your head for quite some time. Yet, totally worth it! (Rewatch - 8)
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Great until the last 6 episodes completely ruined it
This series was one I locked onto the moment I saw the leads. Revenge stories are one of my favorite genres in Chinese dramas, so there was no way I was going to miss this one. In the early to mid parts, the ratings on this site were looking solid, which made the wait for the ending almost unbearable. But once it got closer to the finale, the scores dropped sharply, leaving me wondering what on earth happened. After finishing it, I completely understood why the ratings tanked so hard.The series starts off interesting and the middle is intense. The male lead Yan Rui is a character who’s smart, capable, doesn’t care about anyone, larger-than-life, and intimidating—everyone fears him. The female lead Qing Yuan is intelligent and excellent at planning, but in the later parts she ends up having to wait for the male lead to save her far too often, even though she was strong in the beginning. Xu Kai in this role is the most interesting thing about the whole series and the main reason it still has some entertainment value. He clearly differentiates the dual personas and radiates presence every time he appears. Zhou Ye’s performance, for me, felt a bit ordinary. I like her eyes, but sometimes her acting comes across as a little stiff. The chemistry between the two of them is good—I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the moments when they were together and working as a team. The cinematography, costumes, and production are beautiful. But as many people have said, the last 6 episodes are really bad. The male lead who I said was what made the show fun almost completely disappears from the story. Everything becomes way too easy.
The thing I disliked the most is Qing Ru. How does she get a Happy ending with a personality that terrible? She never shows any remorse or learns any lesson by the end. Qing Rong at least gets a redemption arc and turns over a new leaf. Qing He is a good person who was suppressed the entire time yet still doesn’t end up with a life as good as hers. I genuinely don’t understand why Qing Ru, who used to bully others, ends up with the best life in the story.
Overall, it’s a series that’s fun from the beginning through the middle. The leads have good chemistry, the supporting cast is solid, and the visuals, costumes, and production are beautiful. But those last 6 episodes are so bad that it left me feeling like I might as well not have watched it at all.
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Started well with a cute love story but ended with rushed cliches.
Subjective Gut Rating: 7.25“Ikinari Kon” aka “Sudden Marriage” started off so well. Despite being a little predictable, it was light and easy for the first ¾ of the drama. The female lead, Mao, though shy, is not a pushover. I am so glad she would speak up and put people in their places (in a nice way). Male lead, Hajime, is a little pushy, clingy and stalkerish to start, but he grows on me. He’s a tall and good-looking guy but that hairstyle makes him look so old. I might be in the minority of not liking that height difference. However, the leads have good chemistry and I enjoy all the scenes they are in together.
Unfortunately, things went downhill in the last few episodes. I have coined this drama, ‘Marriage of Coincidences’. I am fine with one or two coincidences to make it seem like the leads are destined to be together. But, 3, 4, 5 times? That’s a little too intentional and fake. The drama also gets all tropey when ML’s father was introduced and the whole business plot was introduced. There’s no way Hajime disappears for a week with no contact when he’s been so in love and clingy. It doesn’t matter if your cell phone is stolen, broken, or evaporated, it’s not hard to still give your girl a call or a text. A rom-com about a sudden marriage goes to waste into a rom-com full of cliches.
I did enjoy most of the drama despite my rant. I just wish we got more cute scenes and lovely kisses. Maybe the drama should have ended a couple episodes sooner.
Completed: 4/13/2025 - Review #565
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A Hopefully Eye-Opening Review of the Movie
As the title entails, this was absolutely OOZING with sweetness. I am currently in my japanese romance youth phase again and I came upon this movie. This was SO MUCH fluff that it had me kicking my feet and smiling like an idiot in the middle of the night. It's a good romance movie if you just want your heart to flutter or if you're a sucker for fluff romance, you'll absolutely love this. HOWEVER...if I was about 13 years old right now, I would've said this was the best romance movie I've seen but I have half outgrown that and I wanted to review some things.First off, the story. Again, cute moments but I just wanted to commend the producers, the writers for having to expound the concept of unrequited love. In my 21 years, it's the first time I got to hear someone say, even if it is from a fictional movie, that unrequited love is "fun". At first I was thinking how utterly ridiculous that was, but then I realized the actual feeling of having a crush. It is fun. To love someone, to like someone, to have a crush on someone. The rush of feeling these emotions are quite thrilling. And also, these days, there's a thing called happy crush. Where you just find someone that makes your day, that inspires you, and for you to look forward to stuff because you get to see them everyday. It's so similar to that. This movie made me realize, it's not uncommon.
Next, the "unrequited love game". This isn't my first japanese drama/movie, I am a veteran to japanese dramas and movies already, and I am still baffled by the concepts that they often think about. Rental boyfriends/girlfriends, being someone's pet, or even "buying" a real human on the net (don't ask about that jdrama lol) This is just one of them, except this is kind of a little more tame? BUT Realistically, the "unrequited love game" WOULD NOT be ideal, you can already guess why *points the word "stalking" in bold letters* I was honestly so confused when they said that because, huh, what's the point? You want the girl to come after you, and look like a total loser and creepy stalker? And also, woah, is this what unrequited love girlies and guys do? However, I tried to be more open about it. As much as I found it weird, some of it is kinda true. When we like someone, when we have a crush on someone, we often do the stalking...that is, usually on the internet lol. Or we would come out of our way just to see them because they make our day, we love watching them from afar and knowing what they like and want to like what they like. It just shows how crazy love is because we end up doing crazy stuff.
And with that, I also want to say how interesting it is that they kind of broke the "pretend relationship" genre. Usually it's like this, girl has broken heart, meets the popular cold guy in school, and pretends dating guy who might want his fans to back off and girl wants to forget about her past love and then in the end they for real fall for each other. BUT THIS, this was a different approach, and I LIKED that. And it all made sense when the ending came, where it was revealed that Chigira had feelings for Maya from the start. It made me think how Chigira wanted to let Maya move on, but also he courted her without her even realizing it. He wanted Maya to come to him, he wanted Maya to like him, letting her realize that HE'S THERE. And the more I think about it, it's just so sweet T T
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The acting. I wouldn't change the cast if it were me, they were perfect. But Takahashi Kyohei's acting kind of does need work. I REALLY LIKE THE PARTS WHERE HE SMILES but the expressions in some scenes irked me--I am very meticulous when it comes to, ESPECIALLY when it comes to expressions and emotions in the eyes. There were some scenes where I was looking for worry, pondering, sad expressions on his face but usually his expressions were just blank. That one scene where he was thinking if he should text Maya or not, I did not see any expression on his face.
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All in all, I would personally watch it again if I want a good heart flutter or if I just want something light and fluffy. I would recommend it for those who are still hesitant to watch it because the story's good and kinda unique, also considering how I analyzed it. But would've loved to see this as a drama series though since it felt kind of rushed. But again, go ahead and watch it!
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I am notoriously hard to please when it comes to rating dramas, especially historical dramas, but this one is one of my favorites. I gave it a 9, which is high praise that only a few other dramas have gotten from me.
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At Its Core, It's a Video Game Movie
I'm prefacing this by saying that I'm as massive fan of the Dynasty Warriors franchise, so when this movie got announced I was both terrified and excited simultaneously to see it happen. I wasn't disappointed, but neither was I wholly impressed, but I did find myself actually enjoying the movie.The biggest thing you need to understand going into this is that this movie is, at the end of the day, a video game movie. If you're going in looking for a Three Kingdoms (2010)-Dynasty Warriors combo, this isn't it. The story is pretty straight-forward, the action is kinda insane, and so long as you take it for what it is - an adaptation of a franchise known for being a little whack - then you will enjoy this movie if for no other reason than it's nuts.
The characters are about what you'd expect from a Dynasty Warriors setting: Liu Bei and his brothers fight for righteousness and to restore the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao is coming in with ulterior motives and seeking to get rid of the crumbling Han Dynasty, and you have Dong Zhuo being the evil supervillain he is with Lu Bu on a leash. None of them are particularly deep, but considering that the video game franchise only just now made them more than archetypes (i.e. Cao Cao isn't a mustache twirling villain anymore and Liu Bei's personality is now more than "BENEVOLENCE!"), it was about what I expected going in. Wang Kai was amazing as Cao Cao and gave him an interesting bit of depth I wasn't expecting, and he was probably one of the best things about the movie. Tony Yang as Liu Bei was pretty bland overall, but that seemed more from the script and less from him. Louis Koo is about the only person I figured could have pulled off Lu Bu and he did great. I wasn't too hip on most of the cast when I saw the initial casting, but in terms of capturing what the characters were about in the source material, they did a decent job. Not good, not bad, just decent.
The story was... lackluster. Honestly, this is one of those movies where you really shouldn't be going into this for the story. There was one, and if you know anything about Romance of the Three Kingdoms, then this is hardly a spoiler: Dong Zhuo usurps the throne and our intrepid heroes form a coalition to stop him no matter the cost, but it was clearly an afterthought when placed beside the absolutely insane fight scenes that I expected out of this movie. It was pretty obvious that the movie was made around the battles between Lu Bu and... everyone. They attempted to explain how these people got their weird, whack powers and it felt dumb. If they had just owned it and had everyone's weapons shooting fire and lightning, it would have worked better than trying to explain it, honestly. It felt really cliched to have these weapons be "magical" and "given to people with great destinies" when literally everyone and their mother is slinging elemental powers around in the source material. Letting the viewer just use the suspension of disbelief would have been much more effective. The movie also ended in a weird place, which left me sitting back and going "Wait, we're ending here?" Nothing really gets resolved and that's really disappointing considering how they were building up the big battle with Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Liu Bei and his bros against Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu. They get to Luoyang, there's a time skip, and suddenly the credits are rolling. It's a weird stopping point, especially if we never see a sequel.
The effects were okay, not horrible and the stylized way they were done weirdly fit the movie, and the fight scenes were exactly what you'd expect in a movie that was blending the crazy elements of a video game with wuxia martial arts. The crazy part is that it works. The stuff in between the fights did leave me hoping that someone would start a fight again just to get it moving because they were hands-down the best part of the movie. They were insane. They were crazy. They were chaotic.
And I loved them.
When the movie embraces the "one dude killing thousands of people on his own" motif, it is so much fun that it's insane. When it grabs ahold of what made Dynasty Warriors cool, the movie is incredible. It's so much fun and I found myself going "This is insane, and I love it!" more than once during the fight scenes. When it tries to be a melodrama with a wuxia backdrop, it fails. Horribly.
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