Su Yu (2020)

Genre bending wuxia rom-com that takes irreverent fun to the next level

A word of warning. If you are a wuxia aficionado then you probably should skip this show. The setting is familiar and the characters played roles that are instantly recognisable but almost everything in between have been flipped and turned around so that it became irreverent and very tongue-in-cheek.

The plot is classic wuxia. I would even go as far as saying it was old school. All based around sects, secret sutras and the attainment of the highest level of martial art form with special powers and lots of flying around. The basic plot was the typical blood feud that spanned years and wicked plots to secure the secret sutra. However, that storyline was largely used as the skeleton for the meat of the story which was the romance of the OTP.

Here I am going to on a tangent because it has been bugging me. From the first episode to about the 1/3 mark, the show gave me strong "What's wrong with Secretary Kim" vibes. I know the setting is completely different but if you look at the basic outline then you can see quite a bit of WWwSK's DNA in this show. The handsome and VERY narcissistic boss (ML), beautiful, long suffering and super efficient assistant (FL) who had been with him for years. Once the boss realised the FL was going to quit, he decided that the only way to keep her was to marry her. There was even a childhood trauma which the FL only vaguely remembers and a "brother" that saved her which could be either the ML or the 2ML. Curious, no?

Anyway, back to the review. The romance was the focus of the whole show and luckily, the writer kept a steady hand on the wheel and did not allow the show to go from rom-com to melodrama at the blink of an eye. Yes, there were death, injuries and destructions but the Love is strong with the OTP. Once you get past the standard wuxia storyline, the writer really got "creative" with the subplots and twists. It was Sillyville for much of the show. Everything from slapstick, funny dialogues to visual gags were thrown into the mix. Even the presentation was not spared. We had scenes shot like black and white silent movies and even a cartoon segment. You certainly have a feeling that there were some influence from webtoons.

Was the show funny? A fair bit of the time and there were even the odd hilarious moments. Some jokes did fall flat but that is to be expected. Most of the plots were telegraphed in advance so it is almost like having laugh tracks, you know something weird and crazy was going to happen soon. Credit goes to the writer and director for sticking to their guns. The humour didn't stop until the last scene.

It did get a bit draggy during the second half of the show as it was a long retelling of their courtship but from a different perspective.

A lot of the main support cast were there as comedic foils so their characters were deliberately one dimensional or exaggerated but they earned their pay. It was not an easy gig.

Yes, it is a silly show and you are not talking about fantastic acting, intricate plots or heartfelt emotions (most of the time) but in a sea of same-same dramas, it is a nice change of pace and it did have some cute and funny moments. I enjoyed it more than I expected and that surprised me. Rose-tinted glasses helped a lot. :)

The OST is weird. Not much Chinese music, almost themed like a Benny Hill show (look it up if you don't know that reference ;) ). Rewatch value is there if you want a break from heavy going dramas.

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funny rom com ? ....... ughh ...

PLEASE DON'T TAKE THIS DRAMA TO HEAVILY. TOO BE HONEST DIDN'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF DRAMA ILL BE GETTING INTO ... this is suppose to be a rom com set in the older days? TO BE QUIET HONEST I CAN'T STAND THIS DRAMA... like some parts are funny but the rest is just kinda stupid and naive no offense ( to people who actually like)

The male lead's acting /character is way too cringy to a point i cannot stand. He is so overly narcissistic and loves himself and thinks his maid ( the female lead) should love him too ). I seriously cant even take him seriously lol. btw he also has kung fu abilities/ martial arts which they drastically exaggerate .

The female lead however is really repulsed by him... doesnt like the fact hes so narcissistic. She has been his maid for ten years. Her backstory is that she tries to find her " elder bother" not actually related by blood but who she grew up with, but she loses her memory , so she's trying to find him.

I've watch 12 episodes, there is no plot development or romantic development. The master forces like two kisses between them, which is really weird. feels to pushy... I would think maybe he would finally realize that he needs to respect and listen to her? treat her like a person and not just like a slave/servant?

maybe this genre of ancient rom com isnt for me?

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The good, the bad and the ugly. Or the other way around?

This show is a good study. The story is reminiscent of "Secretary Kim": aloof arrogant, vain boss, capable employees treated below value.
The Kim show was funny, all actors had merits and demerits. Especially the ML is also appreciated with his qualities, not only with his shortcomings.
In SuYu, on the other hand, we have a ML who is just stupid and ignorant. Other players are also not very flexible. The heroine is only good and is 10 years only victim of the ML.

Is this SuYu show funny? In the viki "running comments", a commentator thanks the filmmakers for making the show funny. That's when the ML has just been caught.
He is humiliated as a prisoner, after taking an "obedience pill", until the rind cracks. He has to wear pink women's clothes, annoying gay references pop up throughout the show anyway. Then cleaning latrines, the FL "lady", carrying her around on his back, while his former servants look on with grins. All enjoy his humiliation. Occasionally, the Mary Sue-FL strolls around with the love rival in front of Mus's nose.

Whereas ML used to treat his folks and his FL as an arrogant, egotistical narcissist but was never nasty. The revenge on him consists of barely tolerable, sadistic, discriminatory and inhumane humiliations. LoL, RoFL.

Enough grumbling, dear folks, it's just my opinion. Ignore this criticism and be entertained. That goes reasonably well in parts with this, oh uh oink, film work, especially since, after Blitz-victory over the villain, a short happy ending beckons. And bye!

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Funny drama

First three episodes were bored it looked like it was made for kiddos. But after fourth episode drama got a hold of seriousness as well as romanticism then again something some funny scenes in particular drama . Lead actor's doing stupidity all the time as a prince he had some responsibility , I understand that he was hiding the truth from her because she gets hurt to know th truth . Till 11 th episode they just twisting the drama which created boredom and I can't tackle it mor . I don't have that much patience to wait to start their love story and reveal the truth and hence I decided to drop the drama..
But lead actor and his assistance who always in serious mode and one who vive him idea to pursue all were good .

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Great movie series

I’m currently on episode four and I really like it a lot! Fiction really pulls off the totally oblivious guy who doesn’t know the world does NOT revolve around him contrary to his beliefs :-D it’s a great watch so far, it feels like the romantic parts won’t be until later episodes but I really don’t know because like I said I’m on episode 4 and there is at least 16 more episodes after this one. But trust me it’s a great watch :-) Please watch this, you will like it!

I’m just writing this part because they say it has to be 500 characters. Hopefully this will work :-D

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Molto divertente

Ok gente, lo dicono tutti quindi sarà pure un parziale remake del coreano What’s wrong with Secretary Kim. E allora? Magari poi mi vado a vedere pure quello. Ora però parliamo di quest’opera.

E’ una commedia brillante, non priva di elementi drammatici. La trama è abbastanza fluente e brilla per l’assenza di lunghe storie dedicate ai personaggi secondari. Non abbiamo il tempo di rimpiangere la coppia principale, i due protagonisti sono quasi sempre in scena. Ed è’ chiarissimo fin da subito che c’è una, e una sola coppia possibile.

Se al secondo protagonista maschile è affidata una parte granitica e una mimica facciale poco espressiva, la protagonista femminile è molto gradevole come aspetto e recitazione, ma chi veramente regge l’intera opera sulle spalle è Fiction Guo. La sua interpretazione del signorino narcisista, vanesio e prepotente, così sicuro delle proprie abilità e del proprio aspetto da essere ridicolo e insopportabile oltre ogni dire, è veramente perfetta.

Il fatto è che, a prima vista, questo ragazzo non sembrerebbe adatto per la parte. Diavolo, ha un paio di orecchie a sventola che svergognerebbe Dumbo: come potrebbe essere così avvenente? Ma, ben presto, ci si rende conto che il suo viso è veramente piacevole e delicato e, soprattutto, si viene conquistati dai suoi manierismi. Alla fine, è proprio questo difetto a renderlo più attraente. In un mare di ragazzi perfezionati dalla chirurgia plastica, forse ha fatto bene a non aggiustare questo suo tratto distintivo.

Ad ogni modo, è una commedia che scorre in maniera interessante, senza trascinare troppo le vicende. Ci sono diversi momenti molto divertenti e, pur senza gridare al miracolo, la visione è tutto sommato molto piacevole. Non sono purtroppo assenti dei momenti in cui la trama viene fatta progredire aggiustando certe situazioni non si sa bene come. Non sono assenti coincidenze e deux ex machina, e troviamo gli onnipresenti cliché del tipo vecchi amici d’infanzia dimenticati, antiche stragi e vendette e così via, ma tutto sommato a mio parere il lavoro è abbondantemente promosso. Il fatto che si tratti di soli 24 episodi di durata inferiore al normale (circa 30 minuti di spettacolo) aiuta a mantenere scorrevole il tutto.

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