Story: During the Ming dynasty, Hong Xi Dong is the leader of Emperor Zhu Yun Wen’s personal bodyguard detail. Then the 'Nine Turns Luminous Night Pearl' is missing and he's suspected to have stolen it. Two palace guards Peng Ze and Xu Xiao Tian chase him and they all somehow end up in the 21st century, where they meet a lookalike of Xi Dong.
Characters:
Hong Xiao Dong / Hong Xi Dong: Xi Dong is from the era of the Mings and Xiao Dong from the 21st century. It is unclear at the beginning whether they are the same person or reincarnations. Xiao Dong is a former police officer who became a private detective when his ideals about the police force were shattered. He has the ability to read minds and transforms into Xi Dong under specific circumstances, seemingly in the presence of Xian Ting (who he remembers as Xian Er once transformed). But is she the one responsible for the transformation?
Peng Ze and Xu Xiao Tian: Two palace guards from the Ming dynasty who end up in modern Taiwan. The initial episodes focus on how they adapt to the changes in the environment. Though they initially suspect Xiao Dong to be the thief, they are soon convinced (primarily by Mo Han, who undertakes the task of getting them used to the 21st century) that he is, in fact, the good guy. Then they join forces to find the pearl.
Zhang Xian Ting / Xian Er: Xian Ting is the "Go Go Go" poster girl of a news channel who is forced by her editor to wear weird costumes while reporting. She wants to be a principled reporter and report actual news. Seeing an opportunity to interview the palace guards, she contacts Xiao Dong. Though their relationship is strained in the beginning, she falls for him after learning about his past. Supposedly, she's the reincarnation of Xian Er, the wife of Xi Dong. Though Nikki shines in her role, she does look kinda shabby next to Jiro Wang sometimes.
Mo Han: One of the members of Xiao Dong's detective agency. Has idolized and loved Xiao Dong since he saved her from an assailant during her high school days. her image is that of a peppy girl, but inside she's caring and understanding. Once she realizes the love between Xiao Dong and Xian Er, she lets her feelings go and in turn, paves the way for a new love.
There are other characters providing the much needed comic relief. Overall, the casting and performance are adequate, if not exemplary at times.
Concluding Thoughts: The ending was not conclusive and indicates a second season. In fact, without a second season, the ending is downright ridiculous - simply too many open ends to be resolved.
Music: Both the opening (The Great Hero by Jiro Wang) and ending (Love Influenza by Kirsten Ren) are worth listening to a few times.
Rewatch: It is a complete drama with doses of romance, comedy and action. Can be watched again if time permits.
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Pros: Jiro. I loved Jiro in this! While he isn’t the best actor we got see a few different sides of him. There was cool fighting that wasn’t corny but very interesting and some fan service (yea for abs!) The supporting characters were really good and experienced some character development. The story lines were really good, and all of the romances were sweet and not annoying. AND the theme song is boss! :)
Cons: all of the female characters (except the nurse) were very annoying. Nikki’s pouting and voice got on my nerves. The wardrobe department was MIA; lots of repeat outfits, ugly stupid outfits and lots of sweat stains.
Overall: I really liked the drama, it was well done and it avoided almost all of the drama clichés I see in T or C dramas. The problem and the story resolution were all understandable and reasonable. It was fresh, interesting and pumped full of eye candy. I would have given this a 10 but the story ending was so "arrrgghhh! I need more" it got a 8.5. I hate loose ends, and hope this has a 2nd season. i need a second season!
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This review may contain spoilers
This was a type of drama where you had to just accept it for what it was and play along with it. It was super cheesy which added to the charm. Hong Xiao Dong's character was WILD and in a normal drama, I wouldn't have liked him, but in this drama, his one-liners were really funny and dorky and I couldn't stop laughing. It was honestly the perfect cure to a stressful week of work - it was something light and silly to watch. After saying that, I gave this drama a 3/5 simply because even though the plot was actually really interesting), the execution was so random. It just didn't flow. I was super invested in the first 18 episodes because the plot was Hong Xiao Dong and Zhang Xian Ting kicking some ass. Even though they are from two different worlds, they somehow always seem to get into trouble together and helping out the two brother guards. The first half episodes were them bickering but learning how to work together and figure out why all of a sudden, when these two guards came into their time that Hong Xiao Dong now has this weird superpower to read other people's minds and turns into a different person when triggered by a sound who is a master of martial arts. These two end up falling for one another, but won't tell the other until the all to classic "someone gets really hurt" scene and that's when they feel is the appropriate time to confess their feelings. It was really cheesy...and terrible, but I was invested. Then out of nowhere, after we get some kind of hope that they will be together, the next 5-7 episodes they aren't even in!! It turns into this completely different drama where all the minor characters become mains. I did like in the first 18 ep that it was about the blossoming romance between our two mains as well as the two brothers learning more about themselves as individuals and not just their emperor's mindless guards. I would say these two pairs got equal screentime. I got invested in their characters and knew that they would kickass and save the world at the end of this drama. Nope. Instead, after this huge event which lands one of the mains in the hospital, the drama shifts, and Mo Han ends of being the main character alongside a completely new character, professor Sun Yan Jun (a childhood friend and historian) who gets introduced randomly around ep 18 and we are expected to be completely invested in his character. Ke Shang comes back and helps Sun try to figure out who the Black Suit boss is and how they are connected to the Ming Dynasty after finding out the drug that the boss uses to control the back suited bodyguards is the same that was given to brother Tian in his time. Mo Han becomes the main character and her story is just her being heartbroken after seeing Hong Xiao Dong and Ting together all the time. While Sun and Ke Shang work together on figuring out the bad guy, they are fighting against each other for Mo Han's heart while trying to comfort her. I honestly didn't like any of the side characters, except for Ke Shang simply because Professor Sun was sus and Ke Shang (was homeboy Peter) was this simple cop who was in love with a down to earth girl. The ending threw me off too. I wanted the two mains to come back and kick some ass, but instead, only Ting came back while Hong Xiao Dong was working behind the scenes (and we never saw him) we assume, kicking ass? Don't get me wrong, Ting had some awesome one-liners, but both she and Dong Xiao Dong started off this drama being badasses - Ting this reporter that would sacrifice her life to know the truth, and Dong Xiao Dong, just being a badass solving crime and defending his woman. After they disappeared, they came back and Ting never went back to her job which was supposed to be her passion in life and Dong Xiao Dong never had a cool fighting scene again!! Like what is the point of having this alter ego who was a martial arts master and never fighting? Even at the final boss battle in ep 28...he was NOWHERE. Yeah, he was given the mission to save the mayor, but no one else could have done that?? He's the main character....why wasn't he at the final battle?? But one of my favorite things about this drama was when Hong Xiao Dong found out how he was connected to his alter ego and how Zhang Xian Ting was connected to it as well, and their love story that technically survived hundreds of years. I think if this was a better drama, they could have done so much more with this romance story, but for what this show was, it was pretty damn cute. Was this review helpful to you?
So first things first, for the first 20 episodes I HATED the reporter and Mo Han. I hated the reporter because she was incredibly selfish. I hated Mo Han because she was whingy, clingy, and most of all childish. I noticed these two were all of these things especially when they were doing scenes with Xiao Dong but as soon as they were interacting with other characters they seemed watchable. I loved Peng Ze and Xiao Dong's friendship.
Another thing that I disliked about this drama was whilst it may have just been the lighting but Chris's hair colour constantly changing every other scene and Xiao Dong constantly disappearing and reappearing as if Jiro was not available for the last 8 episodes and had to replace him as lead using the other characters.
I loved the OST especially the one at the beginning and the story itself even with all the holes it had.
I loved the ending (well minus the last 2 mins lol) but I will not be rewatching this. EVER! Once was a huge struggle.
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