Reviews

A very good sequel that does not disappoint!

When I saw "Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty II To the West" (SToTD S2) being aired in iQiyi many weeks ago, it caught my attention, so I decided to watch season 1 when season 2 was still airing. While I'm a bit late to season 1, on a positive note, I get to watch them back-to-back, and I don't have to wait months and years for the sequel.

Season 2 started where season 1 left off. Due to some events that happened in Chang'an, Lu Ling Feng was deployed to Yunding, a county located in the western frontiers of the Tang Dynasty. As he, Su Wu Ming and the rest of the gang travel westward, they encountered strange things, solved mysteries, met diverse people, and experienced adventures together.

SToTD S2 is a very good and engaging series, and it's now one of my favorites, along with season 1! I was looking forward to each episode and trying to solve the cases with our protagonists. The overarching story and individual cases are generally well-written and seamlessly executed. The pacing is just right and they're not boring. My favorites are:
• 2nd Case - The Death of the Coroner (仵作之死)
• 5th Case - Mystical/Tongtian Rhino (通天犀)
• 6th Case - Drunk in Yunding or Yunding Wine (name of the wine) (云鼎醉)
• 8th Case - The Provider (供养人)

The 4th case is the one I like the least, and where I have some lingering questions.

The cast, from main to supporting, did a great job portraying their characters. I like the continually growing dynamics, humor, and camaraderie of our power team - Lu Ling Feng, Su Wu Ming, Pei Xi Jun, Fei Ji Shi, Chu Ying Tao, and eventually, Xue Huan (who rejoined the team later).

Yang Xu Wen nailed the role of Lu Ling Feng, who has matured and grown a lot since season 1. He was able to show the different sides of LLF - serious, funny, well-educated, intelligent and observant, a great fighter, and a proud man (because of his background) who has learned to be humble. LLF is not showy with his affections, but he protects the people he cares for. His romance with Pei Xi Jun is not passionate and fiery, but sweet and more subdued.

Right now, I can't think of anyone else but Yang Zhi Gang who could portray Su Wu Ming so well. He has a sharp mind, often thinks one step ahead, is observant and a top-notch investigator. Sometimes, he would appear cowardly, but he's actually paving the way for an escape or baiting the suspects. I like how Yang Zhi Gang can pull off a comic scene with a straight face.

Now on to Pei Xi Jun, well portrayed by Gao Xi Wen. At the start of season 1, I find Pei Xi Jun's character a little off-putting, but she has grown much throughout season 1, contributing to many of the cases, and I have come to truly like her. One has to continue watching to understand and appreciate her character more. In season 2, she definitely holds her own ground. She's smart, charming, loyal, is a gifted painter, and made important contributions to the team as they solve the mysteries. Also, she and Lu Ling Feng have great chemistry and make a good pair.

Fei Ying Jun aka Fei Ji Shi (Chicken Fei) is another interesting character. Being the doctor in the team, his expertise is masked behind his shabby appearance. His rapport with the team, especially with Lu Ling Feng and Su Wu Ming, and love for chicken and wine are endearing trademarks of his character. The actor, Chen Chuang, delivers the quirks of Fei Ji Shi pretty convincingly.

Chu Ying Tao, played by Sun Xue Ning, complements Pei Xi Jun. PXJ, being the daughter of a once high-ranking official, is well-educated, refined and has a sheltered upbringing. CYT is straightforward, has good fighting skills and is well-versed in the world of jiang hu (江湖). These two have developed a sisterly bond. Lastly, I'm so glad that Anson Shi reprised his role as Xue Huan. He has grown taller but is still adorable, retaining some of his childlike demeanor.

The music is good and fitting for the drama, although I prefer the ending theme song of season 1 more. Production quality is commendable; the settings and costumes are beautiful. I also like the fight scenes; they're well-choreographed and skillfully executed.

I'm looking forward to season 3, which I hope would be shown next year, in 2025, or at the latest, in 2026. Aside from more interesting cases and the political maneuverings/gripping main story, I also hope they would further develop the 2 main couples' relationships, especially that of Lu Ling Feng and Pei Xi Jun.

Final verdict: SToTD S2 is an excellent sequel, and I highly recommend it. For those who haven't watched both seasons and thinking of diving into S2, I suggest watching S1 first before S2 to get more context, know how the characters got together, to understand their background, and gain a better appreciation of them in season 2.

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Love Story between a Mortal and an Immortal

This drama starts off very good – beautiful actors, beautiful costumes, interesting story line. After the first couple of episodes, it begins to go all over the place. Poor script writing, plenty of plot holes, editing flaws (they even photoshop an actor's face onto another), confusing acting from the female lead, among others.

I was initially put off by Fu Jiuyun (Zheng Yecheng) for his flamboyance, especially towards Qing Chuan (Zhao Lusi); his hands are all over her and she doesn’t seem to care. In fact, she gives the impression of liking such attention – being teased and pinched by Fu Jiuyun. As a Princess, Yanyan is dignified, determined and worshipped by all. In her disguise as Qing Chuan, a maid servant under Fu Jiuyun, waiting for her revenge, she has a total change in character. She loses her initial charisma which I feel is a poor script writing and also poor acting. Though I like Zhao Lusi as an actor and I like her other dramas, I don’t feel she fits into this Qing Chuan character very well. Zhao Lusi is cute and can be silly, but her acting is confusing as the Qing Chuan character who is supposed to be dignified, determined and strong. Zhao Lusi doesn’t have the charisma a princess normally exudes. On top of that, Zhao Lusi tends to take a long pause before she starts talking. It really feels weird for me that she’s not spontaneous in answering even the most trivial questions. The only consolation I find is she pairs very well with Zheng Yecheng visually.

Zheng Yecheng has a layback carefree spirit to him. With his outrageously gorgeous face with soft features, acting as a celestial being with no worldly concerns, Zheng Yecheng fits perfectly as the Fu Jiuyun character. I love the scenes of him gazing at Qing Chuan with those loving eyes. One can really feel his love for her, unreserved and unconditional. He has great chemistry with Zhao Lusi.

There is a lot of illogical dialogues and scenes, even the logic itself is weird. Despite the poor storytelling, I find the costumes to be intriguing with great details. I love Fu Jiuyun’s simple white gowns. I also love those sophisticated gowns worn by Yanyan especially the gown she dances in. The sound track that plays whenever Jiuyun longs for Qing Chuan or vice versa is beautiful and heart-wrenching.

There is also a couple of scenes I love the most. The first one is the scene of Yanyan dancing to the song composed by Fu Jiuyun. The scene is so beautiful and breathtaking. The second scene is the very last scene when Qing Chuan runs towards Fu Jiuyun under the peach blossom tree. That scene is celestial and can only be found in legend.

The final episode is a lazy ending. It seems that the whole thing is just a dream by Yanyan as a little girl, or is it her reincarnation, or is it a parallel dimension thing? It’s confusing. The weirdest thing is our female lead just goes poof and reappears with her love in a different dimension.

I would watch this drama for Zheng Yecheng if you’re a fan. For me, he’s the only thing that keeps me going in completing the whole series.

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If your looking for an awesome rom com but also would like it to have meaning then this is for you.
When I read the summary i found the plot interesting so i decided to immediately start watching it. There were so many scenes that made me laugh out loud, and I really enjoy dramas with lots of comedy.

What really made me absolutely fall in love with this was the heartfelt and meaningful moments that made cry buckets and think about my life.
The acting was good and I think the romance between the two reads felt real.
Overall this is something you should definitely watch

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Hilariously cute with a reasonably sound plot.

Uk those overdone wattpad fictions which have this bad mafia guy who tries to become good for that one girl. Well this was a much subtle and lighter version of that. The focus stays more on the ML's progressive changes in personality. It has a lot of comedic relief. And Kim Rae Won as always delivers whatever be the role. Jin Seon Kyu's character and bits, all witty and funny. And this very special cameo which I personally exclaimed at and enjoyed a lot. I will say that the skinship was a bit lacking but then that was only a subplot, plus the ending leaves you kinda giddy with some feel-good scenes. A very great one -time watch.

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Great Watch!

Vagabond contains a mass amount of tense, humorous, gripping, shocking and cleverly plotted and written moments to be truly called one of the greatest action dramas. The first episode is perhaps one of the greatest first episodes in the history of world drama television - tied with 'Stranger'. I wasn't familiar with the majority of the casting for this drama, however there were some phenomenal performances, making me want to research these cast members so I can purposely watch more dramas with these actors and actresses in them! I was a little disappointed in the ending of this drama, however I do believe there will be more than one season of Vagabond.

I think anyone has the chance to absolutely love this drama, I recommend everyone to give this a go when they can!

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Best ever romance story

A very subtle and charming love story. I really like the acting of the two main characters. There is no significant violence. A mother-in-law and grandmother who really love the female lead. The positive value of this drama is: that every human being has their own destiny. Past trauma and the divorce that happened to her parents made her reluctant to marry. But when she found her true love and the man treated her very well. Then the trauma slowly faded, and she was sure to have a very good married life, and protect and love him throughout his life. Wang gege and Wang Kaimu...hmmm they both did it very perfectly. Success to both of you.

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This show started off really well and the backstory/ set up was really promising. However, once it caught up to current times, the plot floundered. There was a real lack of story telling in this drama and I ended up pretty underwhelmed. The real saving grace of this show was the acting. Kim Rae Won and Park Shin Hye did a good job for the material they were given. There was some awkwardness in the beginning of the relationship, but then there was complete comfortableness and next to no drama. I wasn't a huge fan of Yoon Gyun Sang at first, but he grew on me through the run (but they definitely could have styled him better). Lee Sung Kyung was believable as a spoiled lonely rich girl. I enjoyed all the supporting characters save the doctor that played Seo Woo's father. He was so childish and immature that I found it hard to believe he was running a hospital. But the actor did a wonderful job of conveying the spirit of the character. He was immensely unlikable. There were lots of great cameos as well, and the most memorable was played by Nam Goong Min - his episodes were some of the better parts of the floundering middle. I wouldn't recommend this drama unless you are just a fan of the actors. There is not really a plot to it at all, and even as a hospital drama it was lacking. While it had a promising start, I only finished it because I was invested in seeing it to the end once I realized that the plot was never going to pick back up and that nothing was really happening to our main characters. All the action was happening around them instead.

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This drama is all about 2 key things 1)Love & learning how to love 2) growing up to become person you need to be, confidently. The subject was sensitive YET handled deftly by the GHJ & GY and cast who portray degrees of a relationships & shades of love. Lots of tears shed while watching with many of the sub-stories impacting youths, family, and schools and the yearning love of the GY...Funny, so many times we get caught viewing today though regrets glasses we cannot look ahead to see the things facing us cause we are wearing the wrong glasses. GREAT drama for all who love good story telling, electric chemistry, well placed sound-tracks or having GHJ - MSun withdrawal. Just get some tissues ready, you will cry...

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Try it, it's fun if you turn your brain off!

This is another one of my favorite types of shows, the best/worst short dramas to watch! And I can't believe it looks like I'm the only person watching this in the world? Spoilers ahead (though it won't matter to the story at all, trust me).

The Pros
The cast is very good looking. The hair, costumes, and accessories, for the most part, are excellent. The sets and scenes are beautiful, and if you watch a lot of cdramas you will see some familiar places. The wirework that the ML and FL performed was excellent, you can tell they must have done a lot of practicing to make the flights look so effortless. The music was really fun in some places, like the series couldn't decide if it was a light romcom or an exciting costume drama and the music showed that. The ML and FL are both really good actors and they could almost pull off this trainwreck of a show, but not quite!

The Cons
What the heck is up with the editing. The scenes go like this: they are in the middle of town in the daytime, no they are in the forest at night, wait, they are now in a dungeon? wait no they are in a bamboo forest in the daytime, no night time, where the heck are they now? No transition just flittering back and forth between times and locations. You could make a fun drinking game out of this. Every time there is a sudden confusing switch take a shot!

I never did really figure out what the story was. They were all looking for a chart and then somehow said fck it all we'll forget about that aspect of the story and it wasn't mentioned again. And the ML and FL were married (contract/temporary?) but how/why we'll never know. The FL and ML were both in disguise, one was an assassin and the other a marquis? Maybe? The fight scenes were so bad they were like a high school production. Keep that FL away from a sword please!

The villain was over the top cheesy and not in a good way. Even his wig was bad!

All in all I had fun watching this one. Try it, you might like it too. I have found that I really enjoy these short series, where you never know what you are going to get. The episodes are only 10 minutes long, less then that if you don't count the pre and post credits.

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Solid story, riveting throughout

I got to know about this series as I was looking at some of the Light On Series installments. Burning Ice has a sequel in Light On Series: The Long Night though Burning Ice isn't one of the Light On Series installments.

It's not often that we get a crime thriller with a solid story, excellent storytelling and nuanced characterization while also being thought-provoking. The gradual moral degeneration of Guo Yu, a lawyer who unwittingly gets embroiled in criminal activities is one of the best elements in this series. He can be naive, he can be devoted in love, he can be cowardly, he can be callous. Dai Xu brings the character to life, making Guo Yu both a person we can empathize with and a villain we condemn.

The suspense regarding the layers of truth beneath the serial killer dubbed Snowman is also maintained very well. We get to learn about the identity of Snowman early on, but even as we know more, the mystery deepens. Everything comes together very well eventually, and there isn't an implausible twist or unconvincing criminal motivation to mar the story.

In comparison to the sequel (a different story except for the character Yan Liang, the policeman), perhaps Burning Ice has a less exciting story. But it more than makes up for it with very compelling and interesting characters (who suit the story). My opinion is that The Long Night has an even more compelling plot, but most of the characters are not developed with the sort of nuance that we see in Burning Ice.

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An anthology like no other

Many times, I tend to say that some series are not for everyone and you should like specific elements to enjoy them. However, I don’t think I have truly meant that, until now.

This is a series that is difficult to describe in words or to be more precise, you can describe it well enough, but you will never truly prepare the viewer of what they will experience, because Isu is an experience in itself.

It is an anthology consisting of eight episodes about the stories of different women and their precious chairs. It is a dialogue-based series that relies heavily on visual storytelling and it is, as it should, visually stunning. The acting is phenomenal and it has elements that personally reminded me of a theatrical play.

You can find a bit of everything in this peculiar series, that, frankly, only the Japanese could make. There are some surreal stories that use symbolism, some melancholic tales, some interesting and though provoking stories and some that are a bit underwhelming to watch.

Like the opening of every episode says, if you imagine a world with chairs, it will become a story.

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An underrated gem - you're missing out if you aren't watching this

Upon a friend's recommendation I decided to pick up this drama called "Kotaru Lives Alone" just because I was bored of most dramas lately. The synopsis seemed nice but I started watching it without much expectation. But I was blown away with how good this drama was! It made me reminisce about my early drama watching days when I watched only Jdramas and nothing else. This drama seems fit for a late 2000s or early 2010s Jdrama quality.

PLOT + CHARACTERS:
Honestly, it is ridiculous. It would never be legal, much less- posssible for a 5 year old to live alone and much less having a law firm or random people looking for a random kid. Were it a real scenario, they boy would be taken away by social services and they would have done as deemed fit by them. This drama reaffirms every episodes that it is a fictional set up which was sort of funny.

It's about a 5 year old who rents an apartment and how he navigates his life all alone. Of course, the neighbour steps in and from there on they go on from barely tolerating each other to forming a deep parent-child relationship. Also we have some lovely side characters thrown in and what I loved about this drama was how it was about kindness and helping others in need. The main adult character is a tsundere but his growth was pretty believable. I love how he never condescends the child and instead tells him how even an adult can learn lessons from a child. Honestly- their relationship had me very emotionally invested. We also meet a female hostess who is being abused by her boyfriend. I loved the fact that for the first time in a Jdrama, they called the police rather than trying to solve the problem on their own.

ACTING:
The main child star steals the show. His dialogue delivery was on point and he must be a smart kid because it was no easy feat! I also loved all the side actors and their interactions with each other were very natural. By the end they did seem more like a family than random people who came together. Kudos to the cast and the director who made sure that the viewer is able to feel this side of the story rather than us brushing it off as some comedy.

OVERALL:
I can understand that this drama isn't a conventional genre and Jdramas are even less mainstream among international viewers. However, it is a drama not to be missed out on as it has a fresh plot, comedy and some great characters. Like all Jdramas, it also teaches us the importance of kindness and giving others new chances. I honestly wouldn't mind a Season 2 because there is still a lot of story left to be told. Kotaru-chan's innocence lives on and I truly want him to get his real happy ending.

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I've seen my fair share amount of lakorn and I'm proud to say that this lakorn, Bhuppae Sunniwat is the best lakorn I've ever watched so far. If I can stand being hungry and sleep deprive, I would definitely finish this lakorn in 2 days instead of 5 days lol. It was so awesome. The moment I woke up till the moment I'm trying to sleep, I was so excited to continue this lakorn.

All the cast are perfect especially Bella and Pope. They both slayed me with their performance as Karakade/Kadesurang and Date. Kadesurang as Karakade is no doubt the best lakorn heroine in my opinion, I just love her so much. She doesn't necessarily meddle in someone else's business, she's strong and she's so smart. As for Date, I love him too, he's so devoted to Karakade and I swooned too much when I saw him smiled. And as for their romance, I squealed too many times that my family thought there's a rat in house lol

As for the story, my only complaint is that I wish they show us more of their married life. I would love to watch more of their interaction as husband and wife. It's really fun that as we watch this lakorn we also get to learnt more about the history of Thailand. If only my country would also do something like this lakorn, then maybe I won't be as clueless as I was about my country's history.

If you're looking for an amazing, sweet and funny lakorn/drama, then I definitely recommend this to you!

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While I'm not surprised by MDL's negative reaction to this show, I can't help but wish there was at least some love shown to this series here. But, considering this is essentially an indie film stretched into more than six hours of drama, I can't complain much, given the tastes of MDL users.

The extended shots and continuous takes evoke strong vibes reminiscent of Edward Yang and Hou Hsiao-hsien, which might make some viewers find the material a bit monotonous. But if you're a fan of Edward Yang or Hou Hsiao-hsien's films, this is a treat. I would even go so far as to say this is the best thing I've seen from iQIYI and Chinese contemporary film/television in a long time.

The direction, production, and the actors' performances (there are some seriously impressive performances here) are genuinely excellent and ensure there's always something captivating happening within the frame.

The atmosphere and mood of the show stayed with me long after the credits rolled in the final episode. If nothing else, the final half-hour or so will linger in your memory long after the screen goes dark.

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"We're moving forward albeit slowly. We're standing side by side."

When I found out I was getting a Season 2 of Utsukushi Kare S2 I was over the moon. Seriously, I literally squeeled! I missed my boys so much and it was a joy watching these 4 extra episodes although I wish we had more. But, I digress.
I love how the writers kept this realistic in both story and characters. Both Kiyoi and Hira are still pretty much the same but have also changed quite a bit. Kiyoi is more confident in himself. He's also more content & secure in showing his feelings for Hira. He's even mastered a way to get Hira to listen to him when he wants him to love himself more. It's a cute method, pretty much old "nasty" Kiyoi but with good intensions. Hira, although his character development is not as obvious it is there. He can see that he needs to get better and that he's stuck in the same place. While before, he refused to even acknowledge those problems. Let's face it the type of self-worth and mental health issues he has are not going to go away overnight. He needs help, I wish it came in a professional way, but he gets the second-best way: in a mentor that's been there and can be the light he needs to get better. With Kiyoi's love being the guiding force, I have no doubt that with hard work and hopefully therapy his issues will be able to go away. And there is where the title of my review comes in.
To be honest, I'm glad the writers didn't give Hira a magical cure because that is just not realistic, it's gonna take time. Sure, I would have liked more happiness and intimacy but that's not who Hira and Kiyoi are. Their love is strong and getting stronger every day, no matter the issues. I can't wait to see what the next chapter brings for Hira and Kiyoi in Eternal.
Hagiwara and Yagi brought their a game especially in the big confrontation scene in ep 3. They are so good at what they do. And it was obvious how happy they were to be working together again. There was this sense of happiness in all their scenes together. Made this even more of a joy to watch. Chemistry? 10+
I'm giving this a 10 because I loved everything about it. Even when the story may have seemed repetitive, it was important to be told that way. I'm gonna be rewatching this and S1 over and over until I can watch the movie. Highly recommended of course.

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