While Master Devil uses many familiar romcom tropes reminiscent of Itazura na Kiss and Hana Yori Dango (amongst others), the show stands out well in being a GOOD well-written romcom WITHOUT all the unnecessary angst, frustration over stupid/extreme characters or developments, and exaggerated/pointless drama.
The plot is well-balanced and well-written in being reasonable in its developments, while staying true to the classic tropes of romcoms. There is not only a good balance of romantic development between the leads, but also ample time given for the female lead Chu Xia to independently develop her own story arcs and interactions with other characters without the male lead.
The plot is written in a more realistic way for instance, such that it is NOT a girl-against-the-whole-world trope like the desperation felt in Hana Yori Dango. Similarly, the characters are also written quite distinctively and developed in a reasonable way. Contrary to the title, male lead Qi Lu really isn't an ass at all, even if he may be unfriendly. Many of the supporting characters are really nice, and even the antagonists themselves aren't completely irrational or hateful in their behaviour.
Admittedly still, there is still about ~10% of plot development that doesn't quite make a lot of sense and requires suspension of disbelief, e.g. the first episode lol. (But all will be well once you get over that bridge.) However, I feel like the amazingly funny/cute character interactions would completely make up for this~ (especially interactions with the male lead ;))
It was really a breeze completing this show, helped by its short 20-minute episode length and addictive previews. Forgiving the laughable CG (from the first ep) and not-that-great OST due to its lower web-cdrama budget, the young actors and plot still held the show up well and hit all the right notes for me in delivering almost everything I'd have wanted to see in a classic romcom, without the frustration.
That being said, it's EXTREMELY important to leave a disclaimer that these 23 episodes is NOT a completed story and will be directly continued in the upcoming Season 2 (which I'm still dying in anticipation for). Hence, with the HUGE POTENTIAL for romantic development being left in the air for Season 2 to pick up from, I have been left in a state of withdrawal, which also makes for the high rewatch value of the show, simply from being classic, light and cute.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
The acting with good and the story too .
Dislike:
The production wasn't good enough ..like what is wrong with them and the ?SOUNDTRACKS??
does they hate it or something ??? Soundtracks Job -For me at least- is to Make the scene shine, it is very supportive tool to help the audience now how they supposed to feel and it make the series alive ,helps you to involve with story to feel happy and sad .
Ps: just watch Boys over flowers and you will understand what I mean
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Pros:
-The Leads: I really enjoyed the two lead characters. I liked that they aren't consistently interacting and have their own little arcs. An Chu Xia is a strong and likable female lead.
-Short Episodes. With these kind of shows, the shorter episodes are much more suited rather than the longer 45-90 minute episodes that many Asian drama have.
Cons:
-Dubbing. I originally thought that the streams I watched were out of sync but after reading some comments, I realised the voices were dubbed over, although I'm not sure why. It does obviously mess with the scenes in relation to emotions, etc but you can get over it pretty quickly.
-Meng Xiao Nan. Her dubbed voice is really annoying and she isn't a very helpful character or friend. She just pouts and whines a lot.
Overall, the show is light-hearted and humorous and definitely worth a watch if you aren't looking for something too serious.
Was this review helpful to you?
The story can be compared to boys over flowers, with the poor girl joining an elite school and being bullied by its prince. And even though the idea of it sounds entertaining, the drama managed to be silly and boring. There were many events and tropes that were repeated, like when the leading lady kept being accused of something that she hasn't committed by her teachers, being punished harshly in order to ask for forgiveness, but she does not, leading to her fainting and being rushed to the nearest infirmary. And that happened three times in the drama! The ex's story was underdeveloped as well and it wasn't easy, thus, to understand the male lead's character.
Nevertheless, there were some fun moments in this drama, even though the couple didn't have much romantic chemistry. Maybe they get better in the second season though. Finally, although the performances from the leads were decent, some side characters were not as good.
So, overall, three out of ten.
Was this review helpful to you?
The two main characters were pretty likeable and had good chemistry, so the romance didn't flop. The plot was a bit of nothing, more go-with-the-flow than stick-to-the-script, but then again, it was still pretty entertaining.
Overall, I think it's great way to waste your time, because it really doesn't take much to finish an episode. Really, each is just like, 20 minutes anyway. There are definitely worse, less entertaining, things to watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
The episodes are short (25 mins) and fast paced and addictive. It's very entertaining and the script is interesting with unexpected twists. I am fluent in Chinese so I understand the opening song (it is very cute).... and all the other sound tracks. All the other songs used have lyrics that describe the emotions of the scenes.
I think the Producers/Director had intentionally styled it like Anime, acting wise and also with sound effects and cartoon effects. The cast acting is fantastic and the main leads are good looking.
Some parts appear strange and disconnected....I think it may be due to the editing.
This is still one of my recent favorites and a rare find.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
STEER CLEAR!
This show is HORRIBLE! . I'm so upset that I actually sat and watched both seasons. I can't get over how angry at myself that I am.I'm just letting you know, that you can't get your precious time back if you watch this garbage!
How do you have characters that are supposed to hate each other, but hold on to each other for no reason but jealousy, they never really express themselves... the fake kissing scenes could have totally been left out. The only good thing about this show is that there will not be another season.
Was this review helpful to you?
A HOT, TERRIBLE MESS, but a fun one ;)
Having finished this show, I'm honestly not sure...why I even started it? It must have been desperation, but this entire show is honestly just one, chaotic, hot, mess.But it's a fun, wacky hot mess, that you totally shouldn't take seriously.
And oh, im pretty sure the show took itself seriously, but I didn't. Why?
1. Those fight scenes had me cracking up each time because of how dumb the actors looked, how poorly coordinated it all was, and how tacky the entire performance panned out in general.
2. the plot is almost ripped straight from Itzura na Kiss, which is one of the OG rich boy poor girl kinda high school love stories, except the main guy is filthy stinking rich, and suddenly they're in high society. there are some creative spins, but all that we've seen before.
3. the acting was....definitely not the best ^^" Fair Xing certainly tried her best, and I think she did a pretty good job. She's only gotten better (based on her performance in PYHOMS), and she's def one of the only reasons I kept watching.
4. the entire production quality leaves to be desired.
Overall, this show is pretty bad, but it's bad in a way that's strangely addicting. I kept watching just to see how badly things would go, to see if the overbearing Han Qi Lu would swallow his pride and admit he has feelings for Chu Xia, and if they'd get that happily ever after.
Unfortunately, the show ended in the most fucking anti-climatic way possible, for some "season 2" bullshit but there was never an ending??? Idk chinese dramas seem to like to do season 2 stuns for a drama whose first season ended like it was the end of episode 1. No thematic change? You could have slapped the season 2 divider literally anywhere else, and it would make NO DIFFERENCE, because season 2 was just their way of saying:
Director/Investor: "ah so, we wanna make like, 2 seasons of this"
Writer: "what- the story is literally not built for that-"
Investor: "Did I stutter."
And we get this. Anyways, if u even made it this far, SAY YOU FOUND MY REVIEW HELPFUL U GREMLIN haha. Im losing my mind over this in case you can't tell im super pissed about that "to be continued in season 2" bullshit. Anyways, thnx for reading! ^^
Was this review helpful to you?
