This review may contain spoilers
Rowoon and Jo Bo Ah bring out the best in each other
I'll start out with what I didn't like:1. Hong Jo deserved better friends. There were plenty of strong female characters, but I am disappointed none of them were HJ's age.
2. Shin Yu's mom deserved a better partner. It bothered me that she didn't go through with the divorce. SY's dad being nice for 10 minutes doesn't make up for him calling her stupid. She was such a sweetheart and I think that makes it even worse.
3. There was way too much time spent on HJ'S senior coworkers relationship. Those are the only scenes I skipped during rewatch. It wasn't poorly written and they are decent characters, but I would have liked that time spent elsewhere.
4. They should have made it explicitly clear whether or not the spells worked. I feel like the director left it up to the audience and basically asked us...do YOU believe in magic lol
What I liked:
There is so much that I liked, that I'll have to be broad and brief or I could go on forever:
1. The flashback scenes paired perfectly with the modern day story. None of these scenes felt like filler and the tragedy of Aeng Cho and Mujin was heartbreaking. Sometimes Joseon flashbacks can feel like an extension of the modern day filming...idk if that makes any sense lol But the Joseon scenes had a magical quality and seemed to be from a completely different show. I loved that they were shot on location and that there was minimal green screen used. The snowy scenes were especially beautiful.
2. The chemistry between Rowoon and Jo Bo Ah really made their characters come alive. Do yourself a favor and watch the bts on YT. HJ and SY almost seem like an extension of Rowoon and Bo Ah. Literally everything about their scenes together made me smile. Even in the beginning when SY annoyed the sh-- out of HJ lol That's why this drama is a 10 for me. I want a rom-com that makes me smile.
3. Believe it or not I liked the "love triangle" between HJ/SY/Kwon Jae Kyung. I think it's because HJ and KJK played it off without any true toxicity. The scene where they are both racing to HJ's apartment is one of the funniest I've seen. Rowoon and Ha Joon played really well off each other. It's not obnoxious and you get the sense that these two men actually like and respect each other. It also helps that KJK isn't a sore loser.
4. An OST can make or break a series and the Destined with You OST was perfect. Delicate and gentle are two words I would use to describe it.
At its heart, DWY is pure romance with sub plots of supernatural and comedy. The point of the show is HJ and SY were destined to be with each other. The storytelling never wavered from this trajectory. The only way I see this plot falling flat is if they didn't end up with each other or if someone died. The spells, the curse, etc. were all minor plot devices made to push HJ and SY towards their destiny.
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Literally What
Where is this drama going I thought this was going to be like an overthrow your way to the top kind of drama but literally nothing could’ve told me what direction it would go in. From the attack to the random hacker friend l, who I still don’t even know where he came from, and now a unconscious murder mystery like just stop. everybody’s acting in this ranges from decent-great however the FL is an outlier. for example the scene in ep 4 where she’s getting on the elevator was just really bad. idk what’s going onWas this review helpful to you?
The movie also deals with fame and power and looks at the influences of drugs, sex and cosmetic procedures. The themes this movie deals with are highly controversial and I believe that is why many people don't enjoy this film. Before I get too far into the review, it is really important to note that there are a significant amount of sex scenes in this movie. Seriously do not watch it if you are not mature enough to appreciate their importance to the plot development.
The music is such a great indicator in Helter Skelter. If something bad is going to happen, you can tell by the music. There is only one piece of music I thought was inappropriately placed but I won't mention anything as it will spoil the movie.
I've watched it twice so far and the only reason it hasn't been more is because I have other commitments. I can honestly not fault any aspect of this movie. Maybe you might have a different opinion to me but you'll never know if you don't give it a chance.
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It's never good when I start talking back to the TV.
People have written long, well-informed reviews expressing their love for this series. Other than the fact that the male lead tends have five expressions that he runs through given whatever scene he's in, I was in total agreement with the other reviewers. Part One of this series makes for riveting viewing; cast, story, and visuals, from writing to execution, the first instalment of LLG is hands-down wonderful. Please don't throw things at me for what I'm going to say next. Part Two of Love Like the Galaxy really disappointed me. I kept muttering, what has happened here? Did they run out of time or money? Did they change writers? Did production or the director side suddenly flex their muscles? Granted, LLG contains a big, complicated consipiracy story and maybe they didn't have enough time to properly unravel all the plot twists within the time constraints.But seriously, those story edits were too roughly done. I was pulled hard out of the narrative midway through Part Two. At the beginning of that particular episode there was a time skip that felt like someone read the script, shook their head, and slashed through pages and pages of the story, while muttering, "they won't even notice this if we flash ahead and get one of the characters to spew a ton-load of exposition. " Well, I noticed. I flipped twice between the end of the prior episode, and the beginning of the time-skip episode to make sure I hadn't inadvertently missed an entire episode. What should have been a defining moment for an important character--a place where that character would have stepped up for their family, throwing on the hero-challenge-cape to reveal the truth--was flattened into a short paragraph of wtf exposition, given by a character who'd suddenly been rendered from fiery to helpless. There were a lot of those type of viewing moments in the episodes that followed. What made those jarring time skips really frustrating for me was the screen time given to things that didn't drive the plot, or develop the characters. How long does it take someone to die?
Watching the second half of LLG was a frustrating experience for me, probably because my expectations were set so high by the prior instalment. If it had just been plain bad, I could have moved on, but there were definitely episodes in Part Two which were heart-rending and well-nuanced which kept me hooked and hopeful that the end of the series was going to be as amazing as the beginning. Here's the thing: those wonderful scenes felt like they were written by the same pen that created the first instalment. Just perfect writing, illuminated by amazing acting, and gifted directing. But those jewel-like moments were overwhelmed by scene after scene penned by the B-team. For me, there was just a lot of bad writing, and bad directing choices in LLG2 which thoroughly flattened the excellence of a story that I had such high expectations for. So, for what its worth, that's my opinion. Okay, I'm going to leave now, before everyone starts throwing things at me.
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Too much too soon
This drama started out so promising. The ML dramatically entered the scene and acting amazing well in the role of the anti-hero. And then suddenly, he turned into a lover boy who follows the FL around and begs her to marry him.This just doesn't make sense.
I am waiting for more episodes to see if there is anything else to look forward to.
Acting from both ML & FL: very good, especially ML in the beginning.
Saw up to 24 today. And it's unbelievable! The young princess even fell in love with the older king! And the General fell in love with the older Prince just because he built a temple for her???? They kill off the main villain of the story: the older prince. And we still have 10 more episodes to go. WTH? At least it's consistent with the way this drama has been going: abrupt changes in personality/kungfu skills/etc ...
Anything goes .... I wouldn't be surprise if the writers make arbitrary decisions to turn this wild ride into a tragedy at the end.
I will finish it because there isn't anything else to watch until November 1.
I am going to have to go with my low rating because the plot is just sooooooo fake and cringy sometimes. It doesn't make sense either. Why change the ending of the book?
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KISS Me or KILL Me
Since the pilot trailer was released I thought finally GMMTV is gonna do something different, mature and something really dark. So my expectations were really different from what they served. I do have to agree with the fact it wasn't nothing like what I had expected but it was good in their usual way.First of all I have talk about the Director Jojo, whose idea's are different from the usual GMMTV directors. This guy likes to take risks, try to show something different. His overall works are good but his ending for the show's are kinda questionable because it will divide the audience in two parts. But yeah, I do wanna appreciate his works, they are enjoyable in their own way.
The Heart Killers is a enjoyable drama. Yes, it has many plot holes. A lot of the things doesn't make sense. There wasn't enough seriousness in the characters of Hitmen. It has many flaws but I liked the drama overall. It had comedy, emotions and love. Somehow the audience will be able to connect with the characters. And I guess that what mattered to me the most. It wasn't a entire stupid story afterall. It was kind of a drama you watch for once and you feel good. No, it wasn't a masterpiece neither a trash but a feel good drama with comforting character's. Well that's what I feel.
First and Khaotung both are great actors, they did an amazing job. But Joong and Dunk stole everyone's heart especially MINE. I have to confess this, I know Joong and Dunk since 2022 through their first drama Star and Sky: Star in my Mind. But I never liked them because of their acting. I was never interested in them either. Before watching this drama I had no expectations from them. I thought they are gonna do their usual thing. But they proved me wrong, they literally made me their fan. They just killed it. Their acting has improved a lot, yes they still need to do better. Like we can't compare their acting skills with FirstKhao yet or anytime soon but they were better this time. I was waiting every week just to see them and only them. They stole the show, so hat's off to JoongDunk aka FadelStyle.
There might be many reasons not to watch this drama but I'm gonna give only one reason to watch it. You guys have to watch it for Style and his crop tops!
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Hei-Bai Feng Xi, a match made in heaven!
Who Rules The World (WRTW) is a Wuxia drama with all those things a Wuxia should have. This drama follows Hei Feng Xi and Bai Feng Xi, two great martial artists who travel the world and ultimately join forces with those who wish to conquer the world in order to make it a better place.Who Rules The World is based on Qing Ling Yue's (倾泠月) novel of the same name, "Qie Shi Tian Xia" ((=且试天下). In 2007, this was one of the best-selling novels. This play contains numerous aspects, all of which are in such perfect proportion that none bear upon another, and none feels extraneous.
As I have said, this drama revolves around the Hei-Bai Feng Xi pair. Hei is the Chinese word for black, whereas Bai is the Chinese word for white. They may be identified by the colour of their clothes, which match their names.
Hei Feng Xi is the Foundain Abode's Head and one of the Four Gentries. Bai Feng Xi is a Tianshuang sect heroine who is characterized in the drama as "as beautiful as she is lethal." Both are unrivaled in skill and beauty. Bai Feng Xi is unrestrained and carefree, whereas Hei Feng Xi is exquisite and indifferent. Even though everyone believes they are rivals for greatness, they are actually quite good friends, and wherever Bai Feng Xi is, Hei Feng Xi will be there too. Although, they are described as opposite attracts, they feel quite similar, like inseperable sides of a single coin.
However, in reality, both Hei Feng Xi and Bai Feng Xi are the prince and princess of Yongzhou and Qingzhou, Feng Lanxi and Feng Xiyun, respectively. While Bai Feng Xi's family is aware of her dual identities, Hei Feng Xi had to feign illness and learn martial arts in secret. Bai Feng Xi studied martial arts because she was uninterested in politics and desired to live a carefree life. Feng Lanxi, initially, began practising martial arts to protect himself, but his goal evolved from saving the people to eventually ruling the world.
Feng Qiwu is the Chief of the Feng family and one of Yongzhou's Ministers. She assists Lanxi in managing his two identities and concealing the truth from Lanxi's father, the Lord of Yongzhou. She had a crush on Lanxi initially, but it faded as she realised Lanxi's love for Fengxi.
Huang Chao is Jizhou's heir. He is also a member of the Four Gentries. He is almost usually accompanied by Yu Wuyuan, the Finest of the Four Gentries. He also intends to rule the globe with the assistance of Yu Wuyuan.
Things I enjoyed:
I absolutely like how Hei Feng Xi and Bai Feng Xi are created equal and how they keep that throughout the show. It was believable and impressive. Also, many amazing elements in this drama left me speechless, such as the meanings of the characters' names. Lanxi, for example, literally means "breath of orchid." This is significant since the orchids in this state flowered around the time Lanxi was born. He even made Bai Fengxi an orchid garden. The novel's author, who was sadly not there for the drama's screenplay, deserves all credit for this.
Yang Yang and Zhao Lusi were excellent choices for the roles! They nailed it with their acting abilities and did not disappoint me in the least. This drama provided them with an excellent opportunity to demonstrate their versatility in portraying a wide variety of emotions, which they did admirably. Despite her background in rom-coms, Lusi was able to play the serious side of her role and successfully drew the audience to herself. Yang Yang in a historical drama was something I was hoping to witness. He was excellent at portraying both the elegant Hei Feng Xi and the mysterious Feng Lan Xi. One of his strongest strengths is his ability to blend emotions of his character and make them memorable.
Many recognisable faces appear in the supporting cast, including Xuan Lu, Leon Lai, and Lui Rui Lin. If you've seen at least one of their dramas, you'll know that they're the best supporting actors a Wuxia drama can offer!
To be honest, the characters of Yang Yang and Lusi appeared to me to be brother and sister at first. At one point, I even shipped Bai Fengxi with Qiwu, who had such a deep relationship with each other that he seemed to be a third wheel in a scene with them and Lanxi! But I was confident that these two outstanding actors could sort out their connection over time, and I was not wrong. Their chemistry is one of the greatest I've witnessed in C-drama land to date.
Of course, I enjoyed the romance here as well. This was one of the sweetest and most endearing love stories I've ever seen. I like how they are portrayed as partners rather than lovers, with whom you can talk about everything. I like how they support one another throughout the show. Of course, the relationship was typical, but there were no unneeded misunderstandings, immature outbursts, or jealousy. Their love was shown without altering their genuine personalities, which is exactly as it should be!
I was also pleased to see the FL and SFL form a friendship rather than a love rivalry. I'm relieved that they didn't add a love triangle. That may have taken the pleasure out of the presentation by emphasising the romantic aspect and making the proportion of the elements in this imbalanced. The cinematography and choreography were both fantastic. This show features some impressive battle sequences that will leave you awestruck. Despite being jerky at the beginning, the CGI and editing were mostly good.
Things I didn't quite like or enjoy:
I was a little bewildered at the start because I hadn't read the novel and didn't know about the Empryean Token or the six states of Dadong. They should have been explained briefly in the first episode. For me, the last 2-3 episodes felt hurried, and the fight with the main antagonist seemed to be cut short. Some sections in between the drama felt disjointed, making it difficult to follow the main arc.
The revelation scene that Bai Feng Xi was the Feng Xiyun princess was a letdown because it didn't produce the expected effects and explotions. Even Lanxi didn't appear startled! Although the main villain was decently portrayed, there should have been more time for him to develop so that we, the viewers, could better comprehend him.
That's all.
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It is definitely well-deserved in my opinion.Therefore, my review is not for the purpose of persuasion, but I would like to discuss, why I LOVE this drama.
Story: First of all, I love that the general premise of the story was the perspective of a public defender and not the elite prosecution side. Many may not want the court proceedings but it has a lot of heart that I felt it’s not the cases the writer wants us to understand, but something beyond it and she wants is to understand the other side of the coin, “the voice” not only victim but the accused. It felt more humane, conscientious and will make one think the other side of a person. What something viewed as a good thing cannot be necessarily feel the right thing. I gave the story a 10 not because it’s a perfect story, it has some issues on legal aspects, however, it does a brilliant way of grasping and playing my emotions on different levels while maintaining an excellent pace that every minute counts as every character’s story unfolds. For a while I saw myself giggling, then a moment after, I’m holding my breath because of the suspense and before I knew it, I found that I cried before the credits roll. I love how the writer made little things significant and how will it matter as the story progresses. I think the fantasy element of the drama was interesting enough, but what I love most here was the message the writer would like to deliver – the spirit of forgiveness as an attribute of the strong people, and revenge will only make one weak and pitiful. She delivered it well, it made me felt good, best, sad, and worst of the characters.
Taking side on the characters, again, the writer did a great job of putting not only the leads but almost everyone of equal importance that make the story more engaging and for the viewers to love most of them. I love all the characters here perhaps the right word was I became attached to them., even the villain, I feel bad for him in the end. Majority of the characters are flawed- which is realistic, the good thing is, they eventually develop and grow as mature person that made the story even better.
For the romance, woooahhh.. Let’s all squeal for I’m sold for the noona-dongsaeng pairing the moment I had seen the first episode. I don’t have any indifference on age-gap because the leads carried on their acting well, chemistry was very evident, it’s very easy to root for them as a couple. The ending, – one of the best out there.
Acting/Cast: Lee Bo Young was excellent, Lee Jong Suk too and Yoon Sang Hyun of course, this drama made me a fan of them. The couple looked so great and comfortable with each other on screen. As I said, I love all of the characters, not only they are written well, they are convincing too, how I wish every side characters I will see the next drama after this will be the as adorable as them. Oh well.
Music: Echo by Every Sing Day was very fitting on the ending credits, it’s may favorite soundtrack as well as Why Did You Just Came Now by Jung Yup. When it’s time for suspense there’s a good instrumental played that can increase the tension of the scene.
Rewatch Value: I rarely rewatch and the more that it a suspense-drama, the more I like it, everything was fresh and clear in my memory so far, therefore, not likely soon.
Overall: I loved this drama, it has a compelling story with an unusual fantasy element, great characters, excellent acting, will grip your heart like no other, has very good ending and most of all, it delivered an inspiring message for its viewers.
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Why they're atypical
I love how the drama shows us the good, its bad, how the good becomes bad and how the bad can be turned back into good.It poses and answers a poignant question- shd we follow our dreams or make our dreams a reality? There doesn't seem to be much difference between the two but the drama highlights that barely visible difference and gives us a convincing solution to it.
Entire credit goes to the team of the writer-director duo for spinning an exciting and exhilarating tale around a simple, wafer-thin concept. Any mistakes in handling- screenplay or narration- could have turned this into a weak, melodramatic bowl of cold, soggy noodles.
I love how everyone has more to offer than they seem to be giving. Through its multi-layered characters, well thought out script and gripping narration, the atypical family keeps the audience guessing and hooked without ever going down the lanes of melodrama or thriller. Powerpacked performances by the cast, especially Park So Yi as the wonderful Bok I Na, elevate the story to another level completely. They've totally owned their characters and immersed themselves in the drama.
Despite dealing with several modern themes like Bulimia, Insomnia, Addiction or Depression, and despite the shadow of Parasite looming over some portions of the narrative and the taking, the atypical family appears light hearted and soothing. This is thankfully a drama that focuses on healthy ways of getting healthy right from the beginning. Although, those maybe the issues being shown on the surface, there is also a bigger question being addressed- what do human beings strive for? What is their ultimate need?
The drama subtly provides the answer to it as a running underlying theme in all the episodes and through intelligently worded dialogues wherever necessary.
It's a beautiful interpretation of life that translates just as beautifully to the screen.
Find your interpretation. Find your dreams. Find your happiness.
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This review may contain spoilers
Spoiler free review! I was really excited for this drama, I waited so long for this to air and I wasn't expecting anything amazing but I was hoping It would have been at least decent but what did we get? well.. uh.. this
characters:
Eh, main characters were pretty basic. Eun Sang was extremely boring to watch I'm pretty sure she is number 1 on my most boring characters list but just wow such a boring character, basically no personality at all whatsoever so I was really annoyed when watching her.. supporting characters were actually a lot better than the main characters I began to only watch this for the supporting characters because they had a lot more personality and were actually interesting to watch! So if you're expecting really well developed main characters then don't bother, BUT I did really like watching Kim Tans mom Eun Sangs mom, they were hilarious.
story:
It was decent I guess nothing amazing It' basically rich guy poor girl with a lot of drama I can't really say anything more because It would be a spoiler
overall:
I was really disappointed in this I would not rewatch or recommend this to anyone looking for something interesting to watch It's basically boys over flowers 2.. expect boys over flowers was actually better and I didn't really like that much at all! the main characters were really badly developed and It was just basically a cliche show with really cliche main characters .. But amazing eye candy and nice filming locations I'm pretty sure this had a high budget.
notes:
This is my personal opinion on the show
this is my first review so It's not great
My English is really bad please mind that
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There's no.. -oomph- or manliness at all from Yo and frankly, I don't watch BL to see het.
Okay. Other than how I don't like the character dynamics/story-line - The script is nothing special and there are absolutely no lines that hooked me. I honestly can not remember a single line any one said whereas, I can't forget at least half a dozen lines in SOTUS) I'm going to give the actors some kudos because they're just going off the script and they did well with what they had, but the main characters were nothing special and therefore I can only shrug.
I can only say, don't waste your time watching this.
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An epic, over-hyped as bl and undermined as an idol drama
It is hard to describe and review The Untamed.- It is adapted from a danmei novel (mdzs), but it is not a bl drama per se.
- Its cast consists new young actors mostly in their 20s then, with no veteran actors, but it is not an idol drama.
- It is produced as a web series with a limited budget and web viewers in mind, but its popularity is at an unprecedented scale.
- It received rave critical reviews domestically and globally for its strong plot, well-developed characters, incorporation of Chinese cultural elements, but antis continue to bash the drama.
- Some people simply shun or dismiss this drama as only a bl idol drama with young candy eyed idol cast that simply can’t act.
- Some diehard novel fans find this drama a lousy adaptation because of the toned down bl and gore.
* Transcendence of danmei novel into a critical production *
While this drama is adapted from a danmei novel, the two male leads are portrayed as soulmates in the drama, and the "soul" of this drama is not on their relationship (more on the “soul” later). That said, the chemistry between the two male leads is top notch - strong brotherhood, with some queer subtle for the experienced bl enthusiasts. The toned down bl and gore is not just because of censorship but the difficulty of portraying some of those gore details in live action, compared to in the novel or anime. I would add that the censorship transcends the danmei novel into a critical production, that brought more people especially international viewers to read the novel and the writer’s other novels.
* Big story on ugliness of society *
Beyond the candy bl-idol outer layer, at its core (“soul”), this drama depicts the ugliness of society, the struggles to uphold justice and the growing up journey of the key characters. It delivers powerful messages and quotable lines on society norms, the oppression one faced in going against society, how people often surface judge, how hypocritical nobles manipulate society norms for selfish power hungry causes, good vs evil, weak vs strong.
* Well developed multi-dimensional characters *
As a drama with ensemble cast, The Untamed has many characters, each with his own distinct complex traits, story and purpose. While the evil deeds they did are unpardonable, the key antagonists didn’t do evil for evil sake. The mistreatments they experienced as kids shaped their values and they did show their compassionate sides to those who respect and care for them. While there is no female lead, there are two endearing female characters: the best martial sister (shijie) who may appear gentle, but can really go all out and fight back to protect her brother, and the no-nonsense, courageous and righteous Wen Qing who unconditionally care for her brother and help others within her means.
* Passionate, determined, youthful cast with empathy portrayal *
The actors were selected based on their fit for the characters and their performance did not disappoint. This bunch of passionate, determined youths put in their hearts and souls to bring to life the many iconic and complex characters and their heartbreaking stories. Unconstrained by professional technical acting methods which they lacked, and under the guidance of the directors, their empathy portrayals allow the viewers to resonate with their characters. Remember the Empathy technique used by Wei Ying to experience A-Qing’s and Nie Mingjue’s past encounters? The cast’s empathy portrayal of such complex multi-dimensional characters make this drama and its characters both iconic and endearing, so much so that there are still many memes on the characters circulating in social media.
* Music and Chinese cultural elements *
In this drama, music is not mere bgm. Besides intrinsic depiction of each character via the character songs (pay attention to the lyrics), music is also a powerful tool that can both kill (Chord Assassination) and heal (Song of Clarity, Unrestrained), and introduces Chinese musical instruments - guqin (7-stringed zither) and flute. Just recently, in Jan 2022, "Moscow Metro News” published an article about how The Untamed promotes Chinese "guqin" culture in Moscow. Besides music, there are also tons of Chinese cultural elements infused in the drama, from the invitation cards, maple, lotus, cranes to the Tiger Seal, masks etc.
* Other aesthetics *
The CGI is bad, but the actual location filming such as at the Cloud Recesses and Yunmeng Lake and the elaborate 3000+ custom-made costumes and accessories make up for those awful CGI.
* Rewarding rewatch(es) *
There are a lot of details in each scene, including background objects such as the maple tree, crane, moon etc, that convey deeper hidden messages and backstories of the plot and characters. See spoilers in comments. Each rewatch not only re-rips one apart but also rewards with new understanding of the details that went into the production.
* Overall verdict *
In short, there’s so much depth at its core, beneath its pleasing aesthetics (casts, costumes, sets, OSTs). Censorship transcends the mdzs novel into a critical drama on Chinese culture, martial arts, sorcery, mystery, adventure, clan rivalry, power manipulations, society norms, kinships, friendships, good vs evil, weak vs strong, music that heals and kills, laughters, tears, angsts. Thanks to censorship, the re-focus on the multi-dimensional characters, empathy portrayal, strong plot, quotable lines, music and Chinese cultural elements make The Untamed an epic drama, in a class of its own.
Put aside preconceptions of bl, novel adaptations, young inexperienced idol actors, and watch this sincere, compelling production with an open heart and mind, and be awesomely charmed by an epic masterpiece that unfolds, and that creeps and stays in your heart for a long time to come.
“At best, you’re the untamed hero; at worst, you offend people wherever you go.” - by the novel MDZS writer
P/S: This is a drama that touched me immensely, and the only drama to-date i rated a perfect 10, as it got me so invested, surfing for analysis videos/articles related to the drama, noting down the quotable lines and set me thinking a lot.
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Meeting, Falling in Love, Staying Together, Standing Side by Side, & Never Parting.
Enemies to lovers done the first time the right way. This has become my favorite drama of CZY (though not character as that's forever I believe reserved for LZ), I knew he could do a general but the ruthlessness of his character more out of necessity to survive in his surroundings as the first prince was very much brought home here. I'm proud of him; he exceeded any expectations I had. I knew LQ could handle herself in her role as I have seen her in them before and many of the supporting cast. So this series really for me was following the leads mantra of meeting, falling in love, staying together, standing side by side & never parting.Pros: CZY's character or FSG was my favorite and not because I follow him but I honestly wasn't sure he could pull off a ruthless general or the Killer God of Susha as it was his first try but now I can say he has--for me at least--joined the ranks of ZLH, WL, and LYN of men who could burn the world to the ground as a general but at the same time do so for the woman he loves. And his FL or FYX could be an equal partner for him because she was a general in the enemy country as well and her skills aren't to be trifled with. When they fought together later on, their tacit understanding was seamless, which was beautiful to see. Their chemistry was red hot even when they hated each other. He fell first but she wasn't too far behind and their sparks for each other really flew with that first kiss when she confessed first. FYX was the type of woman who didn't just wait around, she knew how she felt and knew he felt the same. He had some jealous and funny moments before the official confession that made everyone around them get it but not say anything. It was too funny. Even the audience was like "we know, dude!" LOL!
They started out as enemies from kingdoms constantly at war with each other but her losing her memories from being literally shot off a cliff and barely surviving plus being hunted by assassins. An ancient Doctors Without Borders type of place saved both of their lives as she had shot him with an arrow before all that happened to her. It took a lot of physical fighting especially lashing and biting for them to call a truce which thankfully happened early on. Anymore biting each other and I would have called this a vampire flick lol! She lost her memories after being betrayed by her then supposed lover (XJS or Nutsack as I called him because he played an equally obsessed with FL SML in another series) another prince of that kingdom who was in cahoots with some masked man from his kingdom who was for some reason allowed to give them orders. Funnily enough who the masked man turned out to be was spoiled by the show, when they released a poster of the characters one of which was holding the mask and otherwise easy to guess. But the dude couldn't fight himself to save his life and if he went against nutsack, would have gotten his ass demolished.
Betrayal was the name game here first for FYX with her amnesia that cleared pretty quickly and sworn brothers as one betrayed everything and her when he tried to kill her especially when the main reason for it arrived as a marriage alliance so it sped things up for her and a miracle doctor treating the emperor helped her with a very risky surgery. But another thing I liked was that all the negative stuff like amnesia or misunderstandings between our leads was cleared up pretty quickly. Even FSG's own amnesia after he was betrayed by his best friend MRY aka mask man and his father who professed his loyalty to the emperor yet killed innocent people brutally (still waiting for someone to avenge Eunach Ma or say something about it), was essentially ready to throw all of that away to keep his treasonous son alive; planned and nearly executed FSG; it was brutal and violent even burying him alive, his amnesia after they brought him to the Storm Alliance, saving, blindness, and amnesia maybe took 2.5 episodes. It was dealt with accordingly.
The amount of harm and betrayal FSG went through just the series let alone was staggering. This man never did anything to anyone and just wanted his kingdom and the people to prosper but the gunning for the throne and back games just made it nearly impossible. Just about everyone was corrupted included the emperor or his father. For the most, he was a good emperor but as a father, he knew what happened to his mother, was there, covered it it up, and kept the murderer around to hone FSG as a ruthless leader; when that came out, and how everyone who didn't submit should be killed even ordering FSG to kill FYX who read him to rights, was disgusting and I'm glad both told him essentially to go fuck himself. He was a horrible father to FSG and didn't deserve an amazing son like him. Towards the end even FYX asked how a kind man like him could exist in a world where he's faced so much betrayal even from people who were supposed to love and protect him. But I and many others believe he received all of his mother's genes, after all it was she who established the Storm Alliance.
At first I thought the Storm Alliance was nonsensical and should be placed in the cons but than I read what another viewer in the comments wrote and I had to agree, their time with the storm alliance was a time for FSG to obviously recover but also understand the real meaning of the word family. Also there was a decades old misunderstanding thinking his father ordered the raid on Storm Alliance so many of its members wanted revenge on FSG even when they didn't really know who the real culprit was (it was the PM and his private troops; but these folks already hated the emperor for what happened to FSG's mom so just blindly point and shoot; they were stupid but at least when they turned against each other for the strict rules, FSG and FYX brokered the peace and he promised to find out the truth, which he did). His was broken thanks to the murder of his mother by the PM and the cover up by his father just to make him ruthless enough to take the throne. No one in his family was actually "normal" save for his younger half brother who never wanted the throne either but who's mother and grandfather--the same PM--were trying to do everything in their power to him on including killing both the emperor and FSG to do. He also had a younger sister but that's a mess for another paragraph. It was FYX, his brother guards, the Q something battalion that got slaughtered while trying to keep the chasing goons away from the carriage carrying the barely clinging to life FSG after being dug up from his grave, and the entire Feng battalion, some who were killed for not supporting MRY the loser who couldn't fight but the rest of the battalion submitted though under pretense until their general returned. As FSG said himself, FYX was the most important to him along with his brothers in the Feng battalion because though not blood, they were his family. FSG spent most of the show trying to find out the truth behind his mother's death while at the same time warding off attacks of the PM, the Empress, and MRY's faction. So now having FYX and before they fell in love, he was also helping her uncover her memory and then she helped him with his.
There were so many really great nuances in this series the most recent was when FSG regained his and how that click happened. The director showed the imagery in his brain and his face from moment to moment and it was great. Same as when FYX remembered it was nutsack who shot her off the cliff in the first place. It was a pendant he wore when he first arrived for the marriage alliance and randomly met in the street, after a shooting match, she saw the pendant and remembered and signaled to FSG to help her even though they weren't together yet. They already had that seamless tacit understanding even back then.
I just wanted to say about the ending, though they more less closed out the majority of the characters well, I'm actually happy with the ending. FSG never wanted to become emperor regardless just like his brother who went into seclusion after finding out about all of his mother's crimes. He was Regent as he left his sister to govern but put her on probation for 3 years and in those 3 years if she did well, he'd crown her as empress otherwise he'd name a worthy successor. Plus he brokered a 10 year deal with FYX's country not to fight but let the common people settle down. No matter what, he was still in charge and his kingdom was the powerful one. But he and FYX went to live quietly somewhere as they showed them just relaxing on a mountain top, chatting and shooting arrows. He promised her the grandest wedding in 3 years while she said if he didn't behave, she would deal with a feather duster so that was a cute ending.
Plus, I love the fact that usually when kids are gunning for the throne, everyone is cut throat and this is the probably first drama I've seen where siblings genuinely love each other, even though the sister was a lost cause eventually after hearing the death of her father and brother, she thought he was dead, and then learning he was alive, understood how much he meant to her. As for younger brother he never did a bad thing to his older brother, no matter how much crap his mother and grandfather filled his head with. So this is the first drama where all the siblings genuinely love each other in that kingdom. Meanwhile, in lunatic kingdom, you have siblings trying to kill each other from a young age for the throne and other things. In ML's kingdom, the ones that were doing all the cut throat fighting to stick their kids on the throne, were the parents because they never asked the kids what they actually wanted and neither brother wanted the throne so it's quite unusual, but I'm glad to see that kind of sibling love for a change.
There were a plethora of villains in this story but PM, serial killer dad, and nutsack were the best. The first two as veteran actors they made their roles believable especially serial killer dad of MRY who was more believable with the mask and the computerized voice than without it. When it was revealed (though most of us already knew) it was him, it was more like ok no big I can be myself and I'm crazy so I'll join the lunatics. It was a good role for him as he's usually in protagonist roles so though not as top as the three he still did a good job, though his father's switch between loyalist to serial who gets pleasure out of the kill was Ted Bundy all over again. And Nutsack, he's an obsessed with FYX lunatic, who had a hard life (being poisoned not helping) that didn't excuse him from all of the evil he did including to the FL. But he expected to win her back like his delusion was the highest of the story up to the moment FSG and FYX killed him together. Never dawned on him that they were done the moment he shot her off the cliff. Also, emperor lunatic who would kill a person if the air wasn't up to his liking but fell in love with XY because she didn't behave like a dog but would talk back to him and be head strong made him all happy and it made me just want to go bathe. The actor himself did phenomenally well considering he too usually plays protagonists so his first lunatic morally grey antagonist was very convincing and he did a great job.
I love fight scenes and we had some pretty awesome ones especially when FSG was involved. The final fight scene between him and Nutsack was awesome. You could tell that Nutsack had great sword skills that actually matched FSG's though still on a lower grade but FSG won that battle alongside FYX because he also had more strength and he threw nut sack around the room and basically wipe the floor with him. I thought that was awesome and FL coming in at that last moment really helped a lot as well. I do really wish also there was a better moment with FSG and serial killer dad when he realized that the emperor never intended to kill him nor his son, but they assumed it and did all those horrible things to FSG and the assistant to the emperor who still wasn't avenged well I guess he was when FYX shot the arrow through serial killer dad, but no one mentioned him. Nobody even knew where his body went. Wish we got to see more of the fight scenes we saw BTS not just in flashbacks. Costumes were gorgeous and FSG's home as well as lunatic kingdom interiors were just beautiful. OSTs ok.
Cons: His sister and the entire lunatic kingdom was just no for me. Her growth in survival after the slap and giving herself to the emperor lunatic but she spent all the time breaking her brother's heart because she fell for nutsack at first sight yrs ago without knowing or caring who he really was and no matter how others tried talking her out of it, she just saw life through rose colored glasses, even threatening to kill herself to her brother to help nutsack escape. She lowered herself to such a place where she was willing to give him a one nightstand which was cheap and nasty. It wasn't until he slapped her for being the real bitch for falsely calling FYX a bitch and saying that she was in love with her brother but still toying with him; than & after a few more incidents where she found out about her father and brother being dead did she finally start to think about revenge and survival. Survival I understand but she was in enemy country thinking she was going to get revenge? Girl, sit down. Getting pregnant by the emperor and then when nutsack started his plan, he essentially stabbed her and no more baby or babies ever; honestly though I felt a bit sad for her, she reaped what she sowed. She did have blood on her hands even if just one person. I'm glad she spilled all of that to her brother. So though we saw her survival growth, I couldn't bring myself to bond with her character.
A plot hole that I found was they never explained how Nutsack and MRY met in the first place and why MRY was allowed to give nut sack and Weiran orders like he was their boss. MRY couldn't fight to save his life so if he went head to head with nut sack with a sword, he would've been dead in under 50 seconds. We also saw what happened to him when FSG fought and killed him just with his hands forget swords. So when exactly did they meet and how was never explained. We got great back stories on a lot of characters, but that important one somehow fell through the cracks. Also wish they would've shown whether MRY harmed that short minister that's an opportunist that though he helped the young brother emperor he also led MRY to the secret hideout of FSG. Though he swore he wouldn't tell, I guess he lived because he told MRY where FSG and company was, but I think younger bro should've realized that something was off and I hope he either retired him (off with his head) or took him from his position because the future would not be so bright with someone like him but then again with the sister governing, he probably doesn't have a very long time left as a minister of anything. She could smell a rat a mile away.
Plus, nutsack kingdom was edited weirdly to just randomly show up while we were getting the main story. Sometimes the timing was just off. And the one OST "Don't Cry" was played like the thing just wanted us to vomit it. At the end it played and was cut suddenly as danger BGM had to come. Did the sound editor not know that sometimes silence or just soft instrumental music was enough? Less is more in this case really! The fake woods were obvious but then I don't how much of a budget this had. Otherwise, I had no other issues.
Would I recommend it? 100%! It's an amazing series that I couldn't even write everything I wanted because of the 10K limit (do they seem to have lifted the limit cap); but this is what you want to see in an enemies to lovers series!
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Tiring and Frustating
I watched Happiness coz I believe both main characters, Park Hyun Shik and Han Hyo Joo..., I was wrong.The drama premise is about a zombie-like virus, firstly spread by pills then infected people distributed by bite and scratch, but it has its own uniqueness. People who got infected are still able to get back to their human form, as long as they don't smell blood. Kinda like Sweet Home, but the virus is curable in the end. Apocalypse's setting is not my favorite but I still can watch it.
What frustrated me the most is the characters. In Sweet Home, all residents work together to face the situation. The older brother and his ballerina sister, the priest, the firefighter, the gangster, etc... all characters are strong and have special contributions to the drama. Antagonist residents exist but it still makes sense. And they're still willing to join other residents when cooperation is needed.
While this one has nothing but a compilation of useless evil and trashy characters. The one that useful are only both main characters whom the other characters trying to get rid of throughout the drama...., as if all of those characters have no common sense to UNDERSTAND, how much they need these cops in this critical situation
To make it clear, these disturbing behaviors happen throughout the drama, literally from the start till the end. The word "useless" I use refers to their contribution to the story. And these weird characters keep doing their disturbing behaviors, as is they forget that they are in a very critical situation.
Start from a very trashy useless YouTuber wannabe boy who is very rebellious and disregards his mother. He has no job but to play games and live streaming. He humiliates his mother, even mean enough to steal all of their food stock and leave their parents after his mother got infected.
The apartment-representative wanna-be woman, who wanted to get rid of the main characters for no clear reason and I can't even mention which one of her acts is the most disturbing.
A doctor who killed his wife, for the whole drama trying so hard to kill Hyunsik, .... the reason is by killing him, none will come to catch him....??? As if Hyunshik is the only cop who will chase him for his crime. I can't find the logic in which killing the police in charge is the best way to get away with your crime.
The doctor's mistress who only cares to chase for the doctor's money.
The cleaner couple who is very money-oriented.
The cleaner employee, Andrew, who mysteriously wears goggles and masks but then happens to be a serial killer.
A money-oriented lawyer with his useless protagonist wife.
A writer, the other useless protagonist with her useless brother who keeps pestering his sister to give away her apartment because he lost him and he needs a place for him and his family to stay.
Hyunsik's partner who can easily betray him for no reason, and gets easily forgiven.
A girl who has to stay at home coz of her sickness... but never shows her symptoms. She has no contribution but stays at home and be Han Hyo Joo's playing mate.
Seriously, if you delete one of those characters, it will have no impact at all.
To make it, even more, weirder, for the whole drama all characters keep believing and follow the doctor and the representative's words, even though the cop couple has already proven that they are not only can handle the situation, they also can communicate with authorities outside, which make them know what they should do. Such as how long the quarantine will last, how the food will be delivered, etc...
But, these residents, instead of believing the cops, they sided with the antagonist duo and conspired to kill the cops, even using Andrew's service to get rid of all the cops... as if living with Andrew, a murderer is way better than the cops. I can't accept the logic.
This antagonist duo is even able to convince the whole residents to kill resident 1501 for his food stock... People can turn their survival animalistic if they are in extreme condition, but they're not even that starved yet!!
Until the last episode, those whole antagonists really did not pay enough for torturing me for 12 eps. The trashy YouTuber can come back to his parents with no consequences; the doctor and the representative are jailed, but unclear for how many years; the brother becomes a test subject for the vaccine; the cleaner, the lawyer, the mistress etc status also unclear
I kinda regret investing my time to watch this drama. All characters, besides the main character, are very frustrating and just contribute to my stress and anger level.
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ABSOLUTE *CHEFS KISS* DRAMA!!!
yeah, you got it. This drama is a gem which is qualified to be called a *chefs kiss* drama atleast for me :3. It is one of those few dramas which has a special place in my heart. ITS A LITERAL PERFECTION. This drama is absolutely NOT one of those typical full of sufferings, infinite cycle of being together and seperating, reincarnating 100 times and full of useless side couples, shit CGI and useless villains kind of xianxia. It contains the elements of xianxia but the way it is done,placed and potrayed so uniqly is what surprises me. I used to drop alot of xianxias after watching like 10-15(sometimes even 35 EPS because of the totally UN-NEEDED draggyass plots and stupid asf fl) most of times, but this drama got me hooked RIGHT FROM EP 1 TBH (we'r talking about p2 so like HEHEH( i dont mean P1 is bad though (''Dont be Stubborn" (¬‿¬) go watch it )back to the review.. This drama is a sequel to Immortal Samsara Part 1. Its ABSOLUTELY safe to say that this drama is THE BEST of 2022 in (angst :P)its genre.
The PLOT of the drama is very simple( ps very very little spoiler if you havent watched p1). Three teens(?lmfao)(2 spirit and one human to be specific) set on an adventure on finding out the 4th artifact for TangZhou(the mc) to take back his form as Lord Ying Yuan(god) and complete his mission of finding out the truth about the ''Celestial-Demon war''. Meanwhile, YanDan has regained her memories of Lord YY and herself in Heavenly Realm and starts becoming distant with TZ (although she still LOVES HIM T--T). However, TZ has no recollection of his past memories and has no interest in knowing so because it will only bring him pain ( he thinks YD loves ANOTHER PERSON when its HIM who she lovesಥ_ಥ). even so, TZ unknowing of the fact that Lord YY and him are the same person, keeps on following YanDan wherever she goes, silently protecting her whenever she is in danger (poor boy :( ) He even cosplays as Lord YY but..every effort was..all in vain.
Seeing TZ cry under the rain, (i wanted to hug him Every hardship, pain, struggles, sacrifices they made for eachother was worth it . YY upon returning and claiming his position of Soverign Lord, starts pursuing YD just like the way she pursued him b4 (man got rejected once but ITS ALL OKAY WE CAN GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY he thought aand BOOM THEY ARE BACK TOGEHTER (after some time but STILL THEYRE TOGETHER NOW SO IT DOESNT MATTER) asides from this, The Heavenly Emperor, has been acting strangely since Lord YYs arival in the heavenly realm and LuMing (YDs closest friend) has gone missing. LuMing, happened to drop few clues so They follow LuMing's given clues to discover the cause of these mysterious happenings. What happened to LuMing and What has caused the heavenly emperor to be this sus?. Lord YYs hidden identity as the Asura Clan's only descendant has been revealed to the whole heavenly clan. NOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN? WILL THE LOVEY DOVEY COUPLE GET THEIR DESERVED HAPPY ENDING? To find that out YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS. YOU MUST SEE THIS CUZ ISSA MUST WATCH DRAMA!!srsly how can you ignore the best xianxia of 2022
THE ACTING/CAST, OSTS/SONGS/MUSIC, CGI, SET DESIGNS, CHEMISTRY OF ML/FL, VFX, MAKEUP, COSTUME, DO I EVEN HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THAT? EVERYTHING IS TOP NOTCH HERE.
IN CONCLUSION: This drama is S tier drama ( S+ infact). It got me thinking HOW.COULD.SUCH.PURRFECT.DRAMA.EVEN.EXIST?
PROPS TO THE WHOLE CREW (CASTS) OF IMMORTAL SAMSARA. THE HONORS THEY'RE GETTING IS SO WELL DESERVED. THIS DRAMA IS A NEW GEM IN XIANXIA GENRE . I believe everyone who likes mystrey, god-demon story settings, awesome chemistry between leads, awesome SFL/SML, GREAT CGI, GREATT VILLIANS, adventures, DrEaMy lOvE(seriously), cute asf ml fl, fantasy, magics, xianxia & ANGST above all will LOVE this drama. So ''Don't be stubborn" (￢з￢)go watch it (friendly reminder to carry a bucket of tissues b4 watching the ep 59 :D also remember to watch ep 60 and 61 for happy ending ♡)
On a serious note, This drama left a deep impression on me. I may have been a lil biased here but its no lie that I learnt so much from this drama. The tears i cried, the happiness, pain, joy and a rollercoaster of emotions this drama brought in my life, the sleep deprivation this drama caused me, i will never forget that. It was worth sacrificing my sleep for this one though cuz its simply AMAZING, OUTSTANDING, MAGNIFICIENT, HEAVENLY, EXTRAORDINARY, MAJESTIC and ofcourse i'll say it again
"AN ABSOLUTE *CHEFS KISS* DRAMA"
PERIODT.
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