The story was very light hearted and so adorable?? I only wish it was longer :(
For sure watch it, I can't recommend it enough.
The acting was really good, the story was immersive, the music fit nicely and it had a bit of comedy that wasn't overdone. I found myself laughing and smiling a lot throughout the 20 minutes, I'll most likely be watching it again in the future.
Overall I rated it a 9/10. If it was longer, it would most definitely be the first thing I've ever rated 10/10.
Was this review helpful to you?
Mature Fiction
If you don't know anything about the movie, you might be entertained. The first half of the movie, despite some nice music and eroticism, for me was quite boring, but in the second half, this mature drama movie turned into a suspenseful triller out of nowhere. I thought I will have to force myself to watch the entire movie but surprisingly it turned out to be a worthwhile watch. The main actors were a little static but solid. The main quality of the movie is the story with mature themes of complicated relationship and some unusual elements.Without revealing the story, I can mention a theme of reality. This movie is obviously a work of fiction, and it is difficult to accept it as realistic. Nevertheless, the movie makes us think what reality of our lives do we choose to live. There is a reality of our emotions and reality of our reason, the reality of our relationship and the work that we do to contribute to society, the reality of our beliefs, of our history, but there is also a hidden reality of our passions and imagination. Which reality do you choose to live?
Was this review helpful to you?
This one got to me!
This is a slow (in a good way), simple and beautiful story. I'll start with the bottom line - it's been quite a while since I've cried watching something, and I cried a couple of times during this movie. I was swept into the story and could feel the nervousness of the female lead, but she wasn't portrayed as a loser at all. The meeting of the leads was shown in a good way, and I was rooting for them from the start. Wu Nien Hsuan as Yi Bin and Zhou Yi Ram as Tong Zhi Liao were perfectly cast. I could feel sparks between the two from the beginning. I was torn, I wanted to find out what happened, but I also wanted it to go on and on. It was a lovely journey of discovery and spoke to lost chances and regrets. The story line of the old lady and her regrets mirrored the lead couple perfectly.Normally, I struggle with Chinese dramas, the episodic ones are normally too drawn out for me, and the movies often don't give me enough time to invest in the characters. add to that my problems with dubbing and overacting, you'll see my dilemma. This movie was, quite simply, a hidden gem. I happened upon it quite by accident. The script is good, and the acting is understated. There are no over-the-top characters, and they are all likeable in their own way. No love triangles, and there wasn't much time spent on any of the secondary characters, other than the old lady, so we really got to know the main couple.
I might watch it again, if only to get lost in the story once again. The ending is ambiguous, and I think that's for the viewer to decide what they want to happen. I choose to go the happily-ever-after route.
I can happily and unapologetically recommend this movie!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Messy but worth the watch
Pluto was a fun series to follow week by week, not just for the plot twists, but for the excitement of watching a creative team walk a dizzying tightrope. I haven’t read the novel by Chao Planoy, but her work tends to be controversial to say the least, and Pluto seems like an especially tricky work to adapt. It’s a more complex story than your average GL, too, mixing romance, mystery, and social commentary. And with two popular actors in the lead roles, Pluto promised to be one of the most ambitious Thai GL productions yet. Every week I found myself asking: Can they pull it off? Can Snap25 make this adaptation work?And hey, in the end, they almost did it! I don’t want to be too hard on them—by all accounts, they managed to improve on the novel quite a bit, and many of the flaws in the series are only glaring in hindsight. This is also probably the best-looking Thai GL; the cinematography and set design have an artsy flair that is often striking. The performances are excellent, not just from Namtan and Film but from the whole ensemble. Pluto can be a bumpy ride, but it’s always an entertaining and sometimes a beautiful one.
About those bumps, though. It’s tempting to blame any issues on the source material, but considering the liberties that were taken in adapting the book, I don’t think all of Pluto’s faults can be laid at the feet of Ms. Planoy. What I think Pluto might be lacking, more than anything, is a director. Technically the “Snap25 Team” is credited as director of the series, and they seem to have a very collaborative style, working closely with the actors to develop the story. That’s super cool, on one hand, and I like the egalitarian approach of crediting the whole crew. On the other hand, Pluto is a series that could really have benefited from a stronger unifying vision. Because baby the tone of this series is all OVER the place. Sometimes the drama is naturalistic and down-to-earth, and sometimes the soap opera dial is cranked up to 11. (Like in Episode 11, during the miscalculated sobfest, when May should react to being abandoned with cold fury, but instead acts like her only child was just brutally murdered in front of her eyes.) Sometimes the writing is subtle, and sometimes a character will turn to the camera and say, “That’s emotional abuse!” in a scene about emotional abuse. Sometimes there will be a musical number/dream sequence with like seven costume changes in the middle of an otherwise realistic episode. The whiplash is intense.
That lack of focus extends to the story, too. Pluto tries to be about a lot of things—disability, childhood trauma, forgiveness, atonement, justice, why you should never date a cop no matter how good she looks in that uniform—but can never really decide what matters most. As a result the themes and subplots all feel underdeveloped. Why is the Pang/Jan/Phim love triangle part of the story? Don’t get me wrong, I adore Kapook, Ciize, and Earn (especially Earn!), and honestly “lesbian polycule revolving around potted plants” sounds right up my alley, but the whole thing feels weightless. May’s lectures on disability rights and universal design are well-intentioned, but sound like the screenwriter is quoting from something they read on wikipedia, rather than like the genuine sentiments of a blind person. The script insists that blindness is not a limitation, but then awkwardly wants viewers to rejoice at the restoration of May’s sight, and even implies that her blindness was a punishment she had to endure. So many interesting contrasts and parallels between how May and Ai-oon were raised are ignored by the story, and of course the class difference between them is completely glossed over. And the Pluto metaphor!! Whatever Pluto was meant to represent in this series is beyond me.
I’m really just scratching the surface in terms of weird narrative choices: There’s the hilarious “May helps edit Ai-oon’s bad erotica” subplot which sadly gets dropped right away. There’s the dreaded redemption for May’s evil dad which comes out of nowhere. There are some confusing lines toward the end that suggest Phim may have originally had a larger role that got whittled down. And, off topic, but while I’m listing random complaints, why are all the visual effects so godawful? The opening credits are an actual travesty—whoever is responsible should never be allowed near Adobe Protools again—and the car crash scene looks like it was done by an unpaid intern.
Um, so Pluto is kind of a mess, in other words, but at least it’s a glorious one! Mostly. Everyone involved (except for the aforementioned vfx department) is amazingly talented and frankly deserves a better story, although they do their best with it. I would love to see what this cast and crew could do with a good director to guide them. And maybe with some source material untainted by the pen of Chao Planoy.
Was this review helpful to you?
sapphic slice of life
I often mourn the fact that lesbian series don't have the financial backing to make longer productions and that feeling just multiplied several folds after watching this drama.Tucked away in some unknown corner of South Korea is a small bar which openly welcomes lesbians; it's proprietress, a lesbian herself, welcomes all with the iteration “welcome to the lesbian bar.”
In these five short episodes averaging six minutes we get a look into four stories of love stories in different stages. The lives of closeted lesbians intersect in surprising ways.
Apart from this we learn how the conservative society of Seoul has affected these women who are simply searching for a way to protect their love. The lesbian bar becomes a cosy nook for them. And despite everything, these women find happiness.
While these are admittedly not cohesive stories, and they left me wanting for more more m o r e,,, but it's a nice way to spend half an hour, especially if your motto is like mine: seeing happy lesbians makes me happy!
And a plus for the butch representation, like thank you!
Was this review helpful to you?
How far will you go and how much will you risk.... for justice?
Is it a matter of satisfying ones curiosity or a quest for justice. A stubbornness not to let go or the conviction that justice should prevail..... What is it that will make someone fight tooth and nail to right a wrong for another man even at the risk of losing everything?The story starts with a man caught red handed with a body in a suitcase at a subway (the train station not the sandwich place) and made a bomb threat in an attempt to escape. Everyone saw it, he confessed to it... pretty open and shut. Or so it seemed. The case that had garnered the public’s attentions and was witnessed by many took a dramatic turn when the confessed criminal denied his crimes in an open court.
The drama revolves around a group of people trying to solve an unjust crime. Two sets:
1. These are the group of people tasked with solving the subway case. A detective known for solving hard-to-solve cases was brought on to investigate the crimes of the man who was caught with a body in a bag but withdrew his confession on his day of arraignment.
2. The second group are fighting to bring to light the wrongful death of a volunteer teacher.
Two sets of people, two different timelines. The drama centered about how these two groups intersect and how one group has to know more about the other in order to solve their own case.
I watch a lot of crime dramas. To say I have watched over a thousand episodes would not be an exaggeration. I have gotten to the point where I can pretty quickly see through the plot, that I now have little expectation of mysteries to surprise me. They rarely do. Instead whether I can see through the plot or not what I care more about now is how well the drama/show executed it. I dislike mediocrity in procedural dramas, and I tend to lose interest pretty quickly. This drama, however, kept me engaged to the very end. If you are someone who might see through the mystery fairly fast than stay for the execution. Each drama has its own unique way of telling a story and sometimes what matters more, what’s satisfying more, is not what the story is but how its told.
This drama was well written and well acted. The way this drama unfolded was by giving you bits and pieces and piquing your interest to finding out what comes next. Much like the torn pieces of photo you’ll come to see at the end of every episode, you can see the plot come together bit by bit by each passing episode until everything was nicely taped together at the end.
Although the overall drama is good, what caught my attention is Bai Yu’s performance. From the wide eyed brilliant and kind law graduate to the unwavering prosecutor to a broken man, Bai Yu’s performance has been excellent and moving. He gave an emotional performance and you can’t help but be moved by the character’s kindness, raise your hope with the characters conviction and determination, feel dejected and indignant at the character’s misfortunes. I could not help myself from shedding a few tears at his wretchedness.
At the end it may all seem unfair and unjust that the people who put everything on the line to bring the truth to light may end up sacrificing more than those who did the criming. But then again, isn’t it the same as reality? Justice doesn’t always mean fair.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Wei Yingluo is a class traitor. Change my mind.
Ok so there are already like 80 reviews for Story of Yanxi Palace so I'm going to concentrate on the power politics of the show. And my god, is it juicy.First, the class politics of Yanxi Palace was what snagged my interest in the first place (I'll get to the gender politics too, don't worry). Wei Yingluo hits the bottom of the Palace rung very quickly in the story. In most palace dramas, servants are either loyal, obedient and therefore good. Or they're ambitious and put their own survival before their master's and therefore bad. In this case, we follow Wei Yingluo as she rises the ranks but she is neither demonised nor condemned by the storyline in the process.
At one point, she is literally cleaning out chamber pots and dealing with faeces everyday. Yanxi Palace is not afraid to show the ugly and brutal lower end of Palace activities, when most other Palace dramas would only ever let it happen off-screen. But it's here, at her lowest, that Wei Yingluo befriends an equally disgraced eunuch, Yuan Chunwang. Eventually, the two decide to stick by one another and promise to never betray each other.
The first half of the series sees Yingluo forge powerful protectors, even as she lands herself in trouble, and portrays her positively as a maid on a mission for revenge. In most other palace dramas, a servant who defies authority in the way she does would only get a few lines of dialogue before they're taken off to be brutally punished or killed, normally off-screen.
However, Wei Yingluo is individualistic in her ambition. And despite promises made to her confidante, Yuan Chunwang, she makes a bid for power when she finds a strategic opportunity to do so. From this point on, the class politics of Yanxi Palace folds in on itself. Yingluo ends up conforming to the same class system that had sent her to scrub faeces off barrels. She fills in the shoes of a master and plays the part.
Meanwhile, Chunwang supports a failed overthrow of the emperor and loses. He pays the ultimate price and Wei Yingluo never does provide a convincing answer when he declares that she betrayed him first. Of course, Emperor Qianlong's power is never called into question. I think you're just meant to assume he's a good emperor.
And this is where the class politics and gender politics overlap. I like harem dramas because it's all about the power pull-and-push among women who struggle in the most difficult circumstances. Because, at the end of the day, none of them hold absolute power. In the palace, that belongs to the emperor. Before marrying, that absolute power would've presumably resided with their fathers and/or leader of their clans.
So the ending of Yanxi Palace was, for me, infuriating. Yingluo now declares – after admitting many times in the past to be really only in it for the hustle – to love the emperor. Not only is this very hard to believe canonically given the lack of chemistry between the two characters, but also undermines a lot of what Yanxi Palace had going for it.
As I said before, Emperor Qianlong's power isn't really ever critiqued (even with the coup). All the evil consorts, concubines and servants have been duly punished for their deeds, and yet the emperor, despite his sins, goes unscathed. It almost feels like Yingluo has lost because she admits to falling in love with the emperor. All that work she put in to defy the odds over dozens of episodes seems to unravel.
If anything, the only score any of the women get against Qianlong is when the Fuca Rongyin refuses to play the role of Empress by taking her own life. None of Yingluo's backhanded quips compare to this 'f–– you' moment from Fuca who, even if momentarily, pulls the rug from out under Qianlong's feet.
I will finish this off with just a quick point of reference to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace given it covers the same characters and time period. While Ruyi's Royal Love did poorly on its class positioning (my review on the series goes into that more), what it does do better than Yanxi was appropriately vilify the emperor. It is interesting to see how much Yanxi Palace's depiction of Fuca Rongyin and Ruyi's Royal Love's depiction of Ruyi had in common. Both dramas are tragedies if you read them a certain way.
Was this review helpful to you?
The over-all execution was really awesome, flawless, for me. The flow of the film from the black and white to the colored one was superb. I am not a big fan of bloody movies but I am glad I watched this. I am also very glad that they stuck to the manga as best as they can.
If there is one this I feel that is lacking, it is the musical scoring. I don't know if it was as intended but I felt like some scenes would have been more effective with a good background music.
Full review here: https://elijahmaliksmom.wordpress.com/2017/11/14/blade-of-the-immortal/
Was this review helpful to you?
disjointed with little payoff
Overall: there were too many that flitted in and out and the writing didn't make me care about any of them. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on SC Flourish Entertainment YouTube channel worldwide cut version https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRPu3eZdevD0uneOl67QZkO__MzzMLdeU&si=Uee0jqd9j2s36QMr and VIU Thailand uncut.Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, scary images, blood, past: deaths/murders, suicide, drugging, theft, manipulation
What I Liked
- visuals
- supernatural element
Room For Improvement
- the character/world building exposition dump
- was confused by a character introduced in part 2 and then another new character in part 3 of episode 1, characters flitted in and out
- love triangle
- did not feel chemistry
- comedy sound effects didn't make things funny
- character actions/reactions didn't make sense
- even at the end, a character didn't believe what another character experienced
Was this review helpful to you?
THE GOOD:
- Baek Chan Mi is a really refreshing & charismatic character. She's basically the violent, hardened, wild-card type that's usually a role occupied by men so it's great to see it changed up here. Choi Kang Hee kills it and is definitely the star of the show. Even better, she's allowed to be soft and cry without it ever compromising what a badass she is. Loved her from start to finish, she has about 4 of my 6.5 stars all to herself.
- The chemistry between the 3 leads which grows naturally and stays strong throughout the show.
- I think Lee Sang Yeob is my favourite (male) actor. I'm just going to say it. He's played such diverse characters in everything I've seen him in & he kills it every time. His character here is the perfect fit for Chan Mi and their chemistry is the cute, lived-in type that's so fun.
- Most of the comedy is done well and is basically all off the back of the idea that this really is just a normal office romcom drama with a spy twist. Every joke begins there and I don't mind it, made me laugh!
- The action sequences. To be clear, I will never *not* be a sucker for ladies kicking ass. I feel both attracted to them and empowered in myself so it's a win-win everytime.
THE OKAY:
- The overall plot is a little weak and only gets weaker as the show goes on, but it's not completely atrocious, everything follows the correct story beats, so I can live with it.
- Hwang Mi Soon is the housewife spy and I mostly really enjoyed her, she's clearly the most experienced member of the team and it shows. But sometimes jokes were made at her expense instead of with her (shitty husband that a spy like her would never put up with; gags about her weight) that I blame on the writers and brought down her character.
- Ye Eun but only at the start when she got to use her skills & her storyline seemed to show promise.
THE BAD:
- Ye Eun when her storyline & characterisation was dropped in favour of just an AWFUL romance plot I started off not giving a shit about and ended up hating. I can forgive her being a crybaby and bad at fieldwork - she's a rookie. But in exchange she's supposed to be this excellent hacker/tech whiz. Spoiler alert: she's not. The team's actual tech whiz is more competent than she is and her storyline ultimately serves no purpose except as props to Chan Mi & WORST OF ALL... Woo Won.
- Woo Won. Hello most pointless character. Exists solely to piss me off. No relation to the main plot. Starts off whiny and immature and stays that way til the end but somehow gets a happy ending anyway? BS. Jun and his beautiful face is the only saving grace here. Nothing else.
- I won't spoil but the finale leaves a lot to be desired. Plus, this show should've been 12 episodes. As with so many kdramas before it, it suffered from its company mandated run-time and began to really lag in the middle-end stretch.
Overall, if you want a female-focused drama with hijinks, a soft male lead and some ass-kicking, check it out! Just be warned that it really isn't that deep and if you want Ye Eun to get her moment or think she knows more about what's happening because they told us she was super smart and you're waiting for that to turn up in the actual show... (it's okay, i'm fine, unfilled potential who?) then give up bc it'll never happen. Not bad. Not great. Only the cuteness puts it a few steps up from ok.
Was this review helpful to you?
Its About Rose…
I watched this because I always like Crystal Liu YiFei’s acting, very natural and down to earth. Every role she takes, she is always able to represent her character well, furthermore this show has a few good MLs.The story…of Huang Yi Mei (a.k.a yellow rose).
This is based on a novel and although some small parts of the story is modified to better fit in drama expression but the storyline, characterization and ending is true to the original novel.
Thought also shared this:
Yellow roses symbolize friendship and joy. Often represent feelings that are associated with relatiinships such as warmth, delight, gladness, caring, and affection. These blooms were once used to communicate jealousy, during the Victorian era.
We followed the life of Huang YiMei Rose, our FL, a young vibrant, talented, but still naive, and yet knew very well how to use her valuable beauty assets to trap bees (men).
First infatuation on poor Rose, was by her internship boss (her brother’s friend) who is already engaged and planned to marry a long term girlfriend. He fell head over heels, one-sided love, thinking that Rose will reciprocate his love. He became a scumbag to loser, who broke off his marriage, lost his job and yet he pursued Rose. She openly rejected him, humiliated him and also gave a strong advice to his fiancé. Although many viewers felt he is dislikable because of his betrayal to his fiancé, but I felt he couldn’t help himself, as he is like a fly attracted to lights and willing to die for it. In the story his life destroyed and has to go back to his hometown to start over but he claims he could never forget Rose, a rather self delusional love.
Rose actual love line began with these three other guys that cross paths in Rose’s Journey of life.
Rose first love, Eric, self-centred, narcissistic, self-confident and successful. Their relationship was fiery, intense, passionate and impulsive but ended quickly as he will never prioritize love over his own goals. Through him, Rose was truly hurt but she learnt the important of self-respect and who she wants to be.
Then came along the convenient second guy, Fang Xie Wen. Most hated by viewers because of his character flaws and terrible mother, played by Lin Geng Xin, he did such a great job that many hate him. When he chased Rose, he was self sacrificing and persuasive, not even sure Rose love him but she was at this phase of her life looking for stability. So he proposed and she marries. But not realizing her husband
is the most narrow-minded man, holds a male chauvinistic view with strong insecurity and tends to put a fake front. When Rose marries, she was in a phase of looking for stability, I always doubted that she loves him wholeheartedly but she marries him, thinking it was the right thing to do. Subsequently, Rose became like ‘a frozen rose’, preserved or kept alive in a glass’ without natural sun and breath of live. Rose tried to be a good housewife and mother, that’s where she started to discover her husband’s flaws, his selfishness, insecurity kept her trapped. A struggle that many women fear to do, she made a courageous decision to divorce and fight for her daughter’s custody.
Finally, she met the third guy, played by the actor Wallace, in the show, he is her soulmate, most similar and aligned to Rose’s personality.
But it’s also the saddest part of the story and the peak as well as a turning point of her change and growth. I shall not provide too much spoiler but we all knew it ended because the guy has a terminal illness but their love is the most profound, intimate, an strong emotional connection which every women would long to have.
Although the story ended with possibility of a last younger guy that came into her life, we don’t know as Rose wouldn’t need love to live her life to the fullest.
Our Rose has learnt acceptance of life and letting go.
She develops her true potential in her career and becomes a successful person, living a carefree life and embracing the present moment.
There is also a side touching story of Rose’s brother and his love line which there were also quite a lot of exploration of theme of trauma, abusive parents etc but achieved their happy ending.
In Rose’s life, she has good friends, supportive business partners, parents, brothers who are always there for her despite her struggles.
Personally I feel that not every woman would envy what Rose has gone through but the different phases of Rose’s experience may resonate with some of us, hence this is partly a very realistic healing story. Every sadness there is hope, growth and self-discovery, we can only focus on what we can control and learnt to find the courage to let go of those we can’t. Many chicken soup type of themes, slice of life.
A good watch if you are in the mood for a melancholic journey to a positive message.
Was this review helpful to you?
Love, family, friendship, and politics in flames of war and uncertainty
"Love in Flames of War" (良辰好景知几何) is a Republican era romance and political drama that covers the period from 1917 to 1937. It follows the story of Lin Hang Jing and Xiao Bei Chen, their growth individually and as a couple, as well as that of their families and friends as they navigate their way during this uncertain and tumultuous period in China's history.STORY / PLOT 📚:
I finished this drama more than a month ago, and I'm glad I watched it, despite knowing about the melodrama and angst. This advance knowledge is good in a way because I had braced myself for the heavy scenes.
The drama builds up the romance, the political/military development and the different relationships quite well. It kept me invested and interested to know what's going to happen next. Admittedly, the romance and the main couple's chemistry are big factors for me to watch this drama, and they don't disappoint. There is also steady and strong character development. It's interesting to watch their change and growth as the story progresses. Xiao Bei Chen and his friends’ time in the military academy is portrayed well. I like how the drama connects the characters' stories to the political events of the time.
That said, some things could have been better. For one, they could have reduced the angst and misunderstandings between Xiao Bei Chen and Lin Hang Jing, and showed more of their sweet moments. I saw some of these sweet scenes that did not make it to the final cut!
ACTING / CAST 🎭:
Shawn Dou nailed the role of Xiao Bei Chen! I feel like the character is made for him. He was able to show it in his bearing, expressions, proud and humorous personality, and his emotional vulnerability when it comes to Lin Hang Jing. He did some things that he thought was in her best interest, but it caused more rift between them. As Aunt Qi said, sometimes when you love someone too much, you will make mistakes.
Chen Du Ling was able to bring out the naiveté, idealism, strong-willed and sometimes feisty personality of Lin Hang Jing. She is the right choice to portray her. I don't agree with some of her actions (e.g., what she did the night of their anniversary), but that's part of how her character was written. I think she did justice to Lin Hang Jing.
As for the romance, Shawn Dou and Chen Du Ling have great chemistry! They were able to show Xiao Bei Chen and Lin Hang Jing's passion for each other, the angst, their banter, and the push and pull in their relationships. Their initial interactions were not the most pleasant ones; but he fell for her first (fast and hard!), while she eventually developed romantic feelings for him as she got to know him better. Both characters made some choices that are not ideal or the best, but these pushed the story forward and enabled them to grow as persons and eventually strengthened their relationship.
Leon Lai captured the intelligence and humor of Mo Wei Yi, and Ran Xu showed the straightforward character of Xu Ji Zun. They grew up with Xiao Bei Chen and these 3 men are very good friends and are sworn brothers. Their bond is very strong, despite having gone through some challenging situations. I like their camaraderie and loyalty to each other, and how their friendship grew stronger through the years, in good times and in bad.
Zhao Ying Zi was convincing as Zheng Feng Qi, Xiao Bei Chen’s childhood friend who is obsessed with him. Zheng Feng Qi is scheming and pretentious, and quite an infuriating character. I was ecstatic when she was finally exposed for her wickedness and the truths came out. That woman needed to see a psychiatrist!
Another character that has shown a lot of growth is Xiao Bei Chen’s younger sister Xiao Shu Yi, played by Guan Xin. She started out as bratty and quite annoying, yet also funny at times and naïve. What’s good about her is that she dared to confront Lin Hang Jing in defense of Xiao Bei Chen and makes her realizes things. Although sometimes, she goes overboard because of her bias against Lin Hang Jing. As the story move along, her character matured into a wise young woman.
Hu Jun and Dong Xuan are excellent as Xiao Hai Shan and Aunt Qi, respectively. Xiao Hai Shan is a man of integrity, a military leader and the pillar of the family, while his wife, the amiable and wise Aunt Qi, is the mediator and go-to person, the one who holds their family together.
Yuan Hao is Mu Zi Zeng, Lin Hang Jing’s good friend whom she met in Beixin city. He is in love with Lin Hang Jing but she treats him as a very good friend only. His portrayal was average for me. It's not bad, but not great either.
OTHER THOUGHTS 🔮:
The production quality is good. I like the locations, settings, and the costumes and accessories, which are well paired and consistent. The songs are well chosen and fit the mood and theme of the drama.
FINAL VERDICT ⭐️: If you like Republican era stories with angst-filled and passionate romance, great chemistry between the leads, memorable friendships and family ties, and with traces of political intrigue, then do check out this drama. Despite some things that could have been better, it’s still an overall good watch for me.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I first saw this on a BL list, but this is not BL if anyone is wondering. There's a rather banal scene in which one of the characters pretend to be the other's boyfriend to save him from a girl's jealous boyfriend, and the boyfriend forces them to kiss to prove it. The "kiss" is obviously faked (by the actors, not the characters) and not very funny though I'm not even sure if the scene was meant to be funny.The story, if we can call it one, is about two friends who start a business. The scenes are rather pointless. It seems to be a comedy at some points, but most of it is not funny. One scene shows some potential to be a funny satire: the scene in which the two characters play the victims on social media after being maligned by a customer. However, the potential is not fulfilled.
Was this review helpful to you?
Amazing
I fell jn love with both actor after watching this drama.The acting, storyline and the music everything was perfect!!
Everyone in this drama had a good connection with each other, they didn't do extra (too much emotions or exagerated expressions).
Also, the storyline, was on point, since episode 1, i couldn't stop myself from watching, always having something that make you want to continue watching. Àlso, sometimes I got scared because of those "puppets" makeup loll.
I watched it twice very worth watching.
Was this review helpful to you?
Huh, so that’s what consistency in a period drama feels like...
Occasionally you’ll come across a series that’s so unique in terms of quality, yet for reasons it shouldn’t be the case. The Wind Blows From Longxi is a comparatively short drama that succeeds in everything it goes for, that most period dramas these days fail to.Now before i get into a overview for those that are interested in trying the series without spoilers , a forewarning. TWBFL isn’t for those that aren’t a fan of dramas not trying to grip their audience immediately with bright and vibrant colors, doll like characters, straightforward beginnings, or the trendy dynamic pacing that you regularly see in other series. You’re thrown into a gritty, detailed period setting that takes its time to draw in the viewers at a steady pace with its bold narration and realistic characters that are brung to life by both the great cast selection and airtight writing surrounding their background and motivations.
Wind Blows From Longxi doesn’t hold your hand with simplified explanations nor one layered characters. Which may leave some confused given the seemingly large cast you have to get accustomed to within a 24 episode span. Everyone has a purpose, many having 2-3 faces to achieve their true goals that are revealed over time. But fret not! One of the underrated strengths this series has is the very helpful, humorous, yet repetitive recaps at the end of each episode to assist viewers with staying aware of everything that’s going on that are both told and sometimes not easily shown to viewers that aren’t used to the hidden details and agendas. And ofc it’s optional, if you don’t need any clarification or refreshers you’re more than welcome to skip over them with no effects on your viewing experience.
You’re given a spy story that naturally becomes the focus in a relatively short span after being shown the cause of later occurrences in this drama. Keeping you on the edge of your seat with great fight choreographies, thrilling backed into a corner moments where your intelligence and quick thinking is your only friend, hidden agendas, betrayal, along with its fair share of sudden heart wrenching moments.
The gorgeous,dark, very still cinematography is one of the strongest aspects of this drama, buuut can also be one of it’s weak aspects depending on the viewer. Backgrounds rarely bares the light needed for some to see exactly what’s going on at times, which can become quite bothersome depending on the devices used to watch. An aspect i can for sure say is the weakest that this drama bears is the BGM. Not once, but several times over the course of these 24 episodes the BGM is blasting when it isn’t needed, as if they’re trying to distract you from what’s actually going on in front of you, which is weird...because that isn’t the case, yet it’s there, just to be there? Some times not even matching with the tone of the current scenes that are happening. When some scenes are way better off dead silent or subtle, the bgm rumbles. You become used to it over a few episodes, making you unaware of how often they’re constantly slinging tracks behind the scenes that can break your immersion. Luckily, this is the weakest aspect of this drama. Oh, and there’s Angelababy.. uh yeah.
The Wind Blows From Longxi is likely to be a hidden gem as time past from it not catering to what period drama audiences are now used to and favor , causing many to rather be uninterested in trying out or dropping. What i can say is that for those(like me) that still prefer a well written story with a much more serious tone at a realistic steady pace, The Wind Blows from Longxi is a beautifully handled drama that is most certainly a must try at the very least.
Was this review helpful to you?
Recent Discussions
-
OST songs and music for Rebirth (Princess Agents sequel)14 seconds ago -
FL searching for missing/presumed dead ML?6 minutes ago -
BL Drama Lovers Club12 minutes ago -
First C-Drama You Ever Watched?21 minutes ago -
Drama characterization of the main characters34 minutes ago
