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Production/Story:
The story is near perfect. It is engaging and the setting is great. However, one thing that I disliked was how the story resulted in Fa Man and Mao Zai dying. Personally, I am fine with characters dying if it adds value to the drama, for example, an exemplification of fate, the tragedies of life etc. In this drama, however, I felt that their deaths were rather unnecessary, and only the main couple ended up living "happily ever after".
Acting:
Being a fan of Nancy, this drama really showed me a different side to her acting. In her shows, I usually see her as someone who acts in rather serious roles, such as in "The Ultimate Addiction" and "Forensic Heroes 3". Thus, I was really surprised and entertained by her acting as Tiu Lan, her actions and emotions were rather exaggerated in a good way that made the show fun to watch, and I must say her acting bought me the most laughter, especially in the first part of the show when the mood was lighter. I was also impressed with the casting of Moon as Audrey and Philip as Mao Zai. Both of them really suited their roles and I feel that the usual impression they show rather suits their characters. Other than that, all the actors, including the three bad guys, Mao Zai's mother also acted really well and I feel that their costume and make-up enhanced their characters. When I was rewatching, however, I found that I did not enjoy Kuen Lo's character as much (I enjoyed Ruco's acting though), he felt overly naive and insistent on things, but I suppose it is to show his great sense of loyalty.
Music:
The opening theme song was meh and I skipped it throughout the whole drama. The ending song, on the other hand, was great and I listened to it on a continuous loop. In my opinion, it is a song which has great meaning and would be a nice song to listen, even for those who are not intending to watch the show (从未知道你最好). And did I mention, it is sung by Ruco and Nancy, please go and listen!
Rewatch Value:
To be honest, I wouldn't rewatch this show even though I really loved it. I tried rewatching a couple of episodes while looking for a new drama to watch. However, I felt that watching this again made the show a bit dry and I found myself skipping large parts. Hence, I would say that watching this drama once is the best way to enjoy it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Highly Recommended TVB Drama
This is one of the best TVB dramas out there. Although made and released in 2016, the camera quality is not that good, however the acting and fight scenes make up for it, so it's not much of a bother if you don't mind the old camera style. This is not the first time Ruco Chan and Nancy Wu had collabed in a drama as they were both in Forensic Heroes 3, but this is the first time they were leading a drama together, and it works so well because their chemistry in this drama is one of the best on screen relationships. Benjamin Yuen and Grace Wong's characters also have good chemistry, although the chemistry between Moon Lau and Philip Ng's character felt awkward at times, but it shouldn't ruin the experience as they do have funny moments. This drama has a mix of emotional, action-packed intense moments, as well as some funny ones as Jazz Boon always love to add in his dramas.However, the story does fall flat at times with some deaths being unnecessary. Spoiler alert, Grace Wong and Philip Ng dies in this drama, but it wasn't even for the story to progress as it was mostly done so for either shock value or showing that the main bad guy, who is Jimmy Au's character which was revealed as a plot twist that killed Benjamin Yuen's father, who Ruco Chan's father was accused of killing which resulted in him and his wife's death, is extremely powerful and can kill everyone easily, except for the main characters because of plot armor.
The OSTs are great as well, Ruco Chan's Siege has a very powerful feel to the song with electric guitars playing which gets you pumped up for each episode playing. The interlude love song, sung by Ruco Chan and Nancy Wu, is one of the best songs ever in TVB history and never gets repetitive even if it plays a lot in the drama. Background music felt dated but sets the mood well as this is a period martial arts drama.
This is a really good TVB drama for its time, and I highly recommend for you to check it out. Rewatch value is also really good, but only for the action scenes as it wouldn't be as interesting since you would already know the plot twists. So if you're rewatching it solely for the story, don't.
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