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The cinematography was visually stunning. I just wish that there was more blood and violence in the show since this show could use them. Wish they pushed beyond the boundaries of PG-13. Which reminds me that there was that one fight scene where a group of thugs with knives attack Joseph Chang's character but despite having weapons, they kick. I was like WTF! Also, some thugs looked like they were trying to stab the air since they miss by a huge mile when they attack him with a knife. That whole scene was really ridiculous with each thug basically waiting for their turn one by one to get punched by our protagonist. Also, sometimes the show is edited in a way which makes you feel confused. Also, the finale episode left me feel unsatisfied. Like the villain couldn't shut up about his master plan and couldn't stop saying his villain monologue. I was expecting the protagonist to punch his lights out or hurt him in some manner considering how frustrating it was to sit through the villain's monologue but all we're left with is the protagonist crying dramatically on the villain's shoulders. Not to mention that that one scene where the villain makes one of the protagonist's buddies watch his unconscious girl get gangbanged by a bunch of people was something straight outta porn. LolI was even more confused by the end when he wakes up from a dream which begs the question of whether all of it was really a dream? Since his friends seem alive and well by the end of it. Nonetheless, it was a good show worth a watch despite its flaws.
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This drama is very very dark... this is the darkest drama I've ever watched by far...Why? because of the plot twist towards the end... I suspected the main villain since episode 2 but had some doubts... but the last 2 episode was an eye opener... Hands up to Hsu Greg Han... he played his character very well... I was actually watching for Joseph Chang not knowing Hsu Greg Han was in it as well. Story wise... well it was good... it gave us different point of views. Cinematography was really good... The casts were excellent.. all of them really fit the characters well... but I will not watch this again anytime soon.. its too dark and depressing for me at the end...
But to those who want to watch... well don't be discourage by the dark genre... try watching it...
*SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER*
(continue reading if you want to, but you have been warned)
Although I was not really satisfied with the ending (Why did Joseph Chang's character had to die) and why is the main villain fate was left unknown.. (would love to know whether he was arrested or killed himself).
I actually didn't see it coming (the relationship between the main villain and the so called "brother" of him). This was the major plot twist in the whole story... man.. he was so evil.... can't help thinking.. how a person can be so evil and manipulative... *sigh*
And the little extra at the end of the last eps... was surprise to find out that all along.. the one who helped Joseph Chang's character was actually his own father (tho it was revealed at the very end).
Tho I'm glad the younger brother (Fu Xing) survived the whole ordeal (with full memory intact of what happened all along) and the lil boy survived as well.
Hope this review helps... Enjoy watching this mini series... ^^
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not dark enough, but not exactly light
gonna be absolutely honest here, i would've never watched this if not for guanghan. i did not pay attention to most of the story because it was boring for me, even tho i like dark shows. but i think it was actually because this show wasn't dark enough for my taste, despite the concept? like there was not enough blood, not enough [proper] action scenes, not enough fighting. the 3(?) action scenes were very lacking and too coordinated that they didn't look like fight scenes. the female characters are accessories, which pisses me off always, and the male leads were dull and not really the type of characters i would care about. idk, in general i just couldn't bring myself to care enough about non-guanghan scenes.his role in the earlier eps was minimal so it was hard for me to pay attention, but as his character became more important i also became a bit interested in the story. I know this is a completely biased opinion, but I really think his role was the only interesting one. he portrayed it PERFECTLY, and did an absolutely amazing job as lin ji/zed/xiao qiu. his performance in the last ep honestly deserves an oscar and i'm being 100% serious.
other than that, the production is outstanding and i absolutely loved it, despite not being into the story at all. the cinematography, color editing, pacing and length of the scenes showed that the people behind the scenes really know how to do television, but the problem was that the story wasn't very catchy, which is also reflected on the fact that the storytelling and development of the story was really good, with this indie style characteristic of eastern asian autonomous productions (i know this is a netflix show, but you get me). tho the music wasn't very fitting to the concept of the show at all.
on another note, i think the main cast was really good and their acting is also worth mentioning, despite the characters being mostly a bit dull.
lastly, i really wouldn't have watched this if not for my newly-found love for guanghan, but even if the story was very weak i do not regret starting it because ep 8 alone is the only thing that actually mattered. i know many people think it was unnecessarily dark, but i personally don't even find it particularly dark, so i may have liked this one more out of the others because it had the closest dark theme to what i imagined. would not rewatch the show at all tho.
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Your simple life is a treasure ..
Great acting, story, music and characters!! And a great ending too!! .. there's no end better than that .. Why this is a great ending? Because everything is just a dream! His entry into the gang and his work with these evil heartless people is a dream.. the real thing is their simple life in 2006 and it is the life that he discovered how valuable it is to him after he woke up.. his girlfriend is next to him in the cinema and asks him not to work with these people and It is not appropriate for him to be evil .. and suggests they open a restaurant together and she manages the accounts.. his great friends (oh my god how I loved them) are alive and waiting for him for some motorcycle fun..the greatest end isn't it? Everything is just a dream, and the story of revenge that was in his dream had taught him the most important lesson in his life, which is that revenge will not harm him alone, but will harm the people around him and his loved ones, and he will lose in the end and nothing will benefit.
His life is will completely destroy for that thing called revenge.. Quan learned that revenge will not help, he will not resort to it.
.. and he received carelessly the information that this man who had killed his father and called him the enemy.
But he will not walk the path that it Lin Ji took .. he will enjoy his simple and beautiful life with his sweetheart and his friends that he cannot go a step further without them and his kind mother and will open a restaurant and certainly his loyal friends will be his partners as well.. Didn't I say that this is the greatest ending to the greatest series?
( The thing I didn't like was in the fifth episode there was no need for the shower scene for sure the show would have been better without that scene + the porn scene too in the last episode there was no need for it and I felt really disgusted ) ..
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