Reviews

I Can't Stop Thinking About This Drama

Time for my first review! And of course it has to be for this masterpiece.Fated Hearts is a fast-paced drama from the jump. Right away, we're introduced to the seemingly irreconcilable enmity between the generals of two warring states. The show literally starts with our FL shooting our ML with an arrow and it does not slow down after that.Which brings us to our leads, Fu Yixiao and Feng Suige. These two abduct, fistfight, whip and bite each other all within the first few episodes. This is a couple that embodies the enemies-to-lovers trope, but not in a toxic or unnatural way. The love that unfolds between them is tender and based on mutual understanding and respect.What this show does best:- badass FL. Yixiao is strong, compassionate and loyal. She's a force to be reckoned with, even when injured. Rather than always needing to be saved by her man, she and Suige protect each other- the depiction of Yixiao's memory loss. Honestly, this is one of the only usages of the amnesia trope that I didn't find annoying. It didn't hinder the plot or create unnecessary angst, and although Yixiao has amnesia, she never becomes weak or gullible as we so often see- no miscommunication trope. Yixiao and Suige don't do that annoying thing where they break each other's heart "for their own good" or have some stupid misunderstanding. They communicate and don't keep things from one another- a well-written SML. Lately, I've been really annoyed by the trend where the SML appears harmless at first but devolves into a crazy bastard constantly coming between the main couple and doing horrible things because of his so-called love. But here, Xia Jingshi's infatuation with Yixiao does not take up too much screen time or cause dumb conflicts between the leads. He has his own goals and desires completely separate from Yixiao, and is willing to sacrifice her to get what he wants. Don't get me wrong-- he's a vile person. But as a villain, he's well-written and although he has a traumatic backstory, Fated Hearts doesn't use that to excuse his actions like other series with obsessive SMLs do- Feng Xiyang's glow up. I'll admit it, I reached a point in the show where I was actively rooting for her downfall. Like I cheered as she suffered in Jinxiu. But once she comes to her senses in the second half of the show, Xiyang became a strong, compelling character who I began to really like- Xia Jingyan. As an emperor and as a man, he is horrible. But even though his actions were in some ways worse than Jingshi's, I still felt a lot of sympathy for him. Both Xias are huge red flags, but at least Jingyan can love. As toxic as it was, I really was rooting for him and Xiyang- the ratio of action to romance. There are plenty of fight scenes and plenty of sweet moments between our leads. This balance is perfect- Yixiao and Suige's relationship. How can I end this list without mentioning it? This couple complements each other incredibly well-- they truly do feel fatedAlthough Fated Hearts had some minor flaws, these were greatly outweighed by the countless things it did right. I will definitely be rewatching.

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Excellent episode!

I'm loving how the story is developing. Plus, love how Wei Yun is developing into the man he will be for the rest of the story. He's growing up so fast and showing that he can be like the rest of his brothers. He always had that sense of honor like the rest of his family it's just that he was young and now with all the tragedy he's faced he's becoming more like his father and Jun. As for the story between Chu Yu and Wei Jun, I like the slow pace of it. Now let's see if they really learn how to trust each other and work together. WY is already falling in love and the chemistry between Yuxi and Victoria is great. There's so much tension in their scenes. Can't wait to see how it all comes together as the story progresses.

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Four Stars

Not the best episode. While obviously important things happened in this episode, it really felt like it was dragging out. And it was frustrating to watch the writers make Dongfang Qingcang act so foolishly stupid all of a sudden. He's emotionally immature, but he's never been stupid and should have figured things out much faster. That whole stretch felt like plot-contrived-stupidity. Which seems to have been a trope used far too much already in this series. I did like the growth in the relationship between Danyin and Jie Li. Danyin continues to be one of the best characters in this drama. She's suffered sadness and unrequited love for so long but has remained strong and not selfishly obsessed.

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Seven dead, one who can see ghosts

Episode 1 of Godless Bless Your Heart sets the tone immediately with a dark, chilling atmosphere. Seven bodies found hanging in a tree inside an abandoned mall already gives the story a disturbing and occult feeling, and the mystery instantly pulls you in.Thup, despite being the one who can see ghosts, actually doesn’t feel eerie or mysterious; he's clingy, unstable, and cute in a way, making his interaction with singha CHAOTICC. Singha starts off suspicious of him, but you can already feel a subtle emotional attachment forming. I hope that as the series continues, Thup uses his abilities to contribute to the investigation, showing strength rather than acting like a helpless “damsel in distress,” and that we get a dynamic where both rely on each other equally. I also wanna add that I loved how detailed the ghosts looked!!

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Tracking bandits

Fu Gui is now lantern Wang and a favorite with the local children. He makes fish lanterns. He wants to find the water orb but the binding spell keeps him limited in travel. The bandits have taken advantage of a small village and has them jailed. Fu Gui gets himself captured to find the bandit lair. We get the backstory of the fox’s big brother. He tries to spare his brother by staying in puppy form. I am not clear on how his brother died, but now they are making second son be in human form. It seems the fox clan found the orb WeiYun dropped and counted it as their treasure. The bandits robbed them and they want the prince to get the orb back. The two who went with him sold him to the bandits. Fu Gui finds himself with lady leader. He manages to keep his honor but gets tossed in with the hard labor group. The small dog that trailed him turned out to be the second fox prince. He missed his older brother and Fu Gui reminded him of his brother with the vase of flowers and kind disposition. They both find themselves tossed with the bandits. The prince is still with the leader trying to hide.😂 Fu Gui finds a leopard whose meridians were sealed. He unblocks them and gives instructions how to free themselves. As a group they bow to him because they are grateful. 12581 captures the messenger QinTong sent to cave. He is not to tell her that the soldier is still alive. His bargain with the black fox is to block all escape routes from QingTong and keep her by his side. Can’t wait to see how she outmaneuvers him. This episode has both couples separated and dealing with individual problems.

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