This review may contain spoilers
After all of this, I wasn't expecting the story to have a season 3. Season 2 was also put very well together just like season 1. The series does a really good job of recalling things that have happened in the past so it kind of forces you to watch season 1 to understand what's happening in this season. The show also does a great job of keeping the audience entertained. It has this feeling in the drama, where it lures you to keep watching. It makes you want to know what's going on and makes you continue to binge watch it.
The acting and cast is what caught me off guard. The most impressive part of season 2 was having more than half the og cast return. That is one pretty hard task to do. Not only is the og cast brought back but they've even introduced new characters which was awesome. The acting was also the same and really funny. The laughs between crown prince and second prince is super hilarious.
Can't wait for season 3, hoping the cast remains the same!
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The Saga Continues
First of all, the production and crew did a most satisfactory job of continuing the story which most of us waited with baited breaths - 5 long years! For most part, the sequel is very well done - 90% of the cast returned which is pretty amazing as this cast is like a dream team; the acting is superb except for one (guess which one) ; the plot lines are still witty, intriguing and captivating; and the side characters and their stories are still heart -wrenching or rib-tickling. Overall, I love it and would recommend it to those who want more than idol dramas filled with troupes, passable acting and beautiful people.First of all, the high quality of actors is evident. This show has actors with real acting chops. They may not be all aethestically attractive but boy, are they charismatic, even riveting. I could take my eyes off them as they were full of life. Yes, I'm talking about those playing the side characters! Secondly, the scriptwriter knows his craft, having to adapt the orginal works to make it palable for the modern audience and to ensure the flow of the story.
I still love my favourite characters. I wish I belonged to the Fun (Fan) family. I wish I am a nepo baby like Fan Xian with so many father figures. I wish I had 'friends' who would lay their lives for me. I wish I could change and impact the people around me for good. There were so many 'feel good' moments. Then there are also the heart-wrenching ones - I cried for the Jins, the Censor, the scholars, Shijia town and lots more. I cried with a tissue box in front of me.
Lastly, the impact - long after I finished watching, I kept thinking about it. Is my country like the Qing Kingdom? Are the common folks short-changed? Is there a double-standard for the rich (and powerful) and for the poor common people? Do we need a anti-hero like Fan Xian and his gang?
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Wow!
I've seen a lot of TV shows and few can get me excited. This series, however, really literally blew me away!It has everything - excellent direction, design, perfect script, editing, cinematography, sounds and music, a great and engaging story, suspense, joy, sadness, love, intrigue, humorous and light comedy elements and quite serious and enlightening passages to think about.
And all of this is, as the icing on the cake, combined with truly breathtaking and unforgettable performances by all the actors of the individual characters.
The second series has not lagged behind the first in anything - and that in itself is exceptional!
Am I as sentimental as Fan Xian?! I guess so - "I know it and I won't do it again". So the last thing I can add to this is - thanks and a standing ovation to everyone who made this series!
Hopefully they'll all stay together and actually film the announced third season!
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Mediocre, could have been better
Mediocre S2, where the script changes and direction, and comedy seemed forced all the way around, too many added unnecessary scenes and dialogues. Problem starts with the added cliffhanger in S1 (not in novel), which then took so many episodes in the start of S2 to get the story back on track. In the process the story timelines and some of the reveals throughout S2 got changed, too, not for the better. I also found some of the casting/character changes lacking (i.e. Ye Ling Er, Li Hong Cheng, He Zong Wei). I did like the addition of actor Ailei Yu as Deng Zi Yue. The original cast that were in both seasons did good, many excellent portrayals. Some of the S2 music was annoying, which was not the case in S1.There were many memorable moments in the novel, which I was looking forward to, that got changed or glossed over, i.e. Jiangnan Martial Assembly. In S1, the drama did an excellent depiction of the banquet night of the 100+ poems and ZRY delivered that scene perfectly.
IMO S2 does not live up to S1, and I expect that S3 will be much the same (we'll see). Thankfully the source material (the novel) is the basis for the drama, which is well written with an original storyline, so the screenwriter and production team can't mess it up too badly.
Just my personal opinion after watching S1 a couple years ago, reading the entire novel, rewatching S1 before S2, and just finished watching S2.
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The first drama that had me glued to the screen from start to finish!
1. Plot: One of the best, if not the best plot I’ve ever witnessed in all the C-dramas I’ve watched. It’s concise, with very little filler and no dragging episodes. Unlike many shows where you can guess how the plot will develop or how the series will end, this one keeps you on your toes. The schemes, the battle of wits, and the plot sequence are all pure chef’s kiss!2. Cinematography: While there are minor mistakes if you really focus on them, overall, the cinematography is top-notch! The action scenes, though not abundant, are exceptionally well-executed, and the camera work is smooth as silk.
3. Acting: The main lead’s eye expressions are stellar, perfectly conveying his unique emotions and making it hard for his enemies to predict his next move. He’s a brilliant tactician and absolutely perfect for the role—no one can tell me otherwise. The female lead, however, feels a bit sidelined, mostly serving as emotional support. But without giving anything away, I believe season 3 will give her character the development she deserves.
4. Script: This is what truly elevates the show. I won’t say much to avoid spoilers, but if you’re a script aficionado, you’ll find this series immensely satisfying.
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Joy of Life Season 2! The Cdrama legend HITS with another BANG!
Even with some cast changes, the transition from season 1 to season 2 was almost, and I emphasize on the word 'almost' perfect.It's been around 5 years and I was kinda expecting season 2 to be a little awkward cuz time does change things a lot but thankfully the vibe and the essence were still true to the season 1.
After a disappointing sequel for the Korean sensation Chronicles of Arthadal, I was more or less expecting a somewhat sub par sequel from Joy of Life. However I was wrong and it made me really happy to see this sequel being true to it's core.
Another excellent sequel, even with some characters not being able to make the show. A solid and hard to beat 9.5 from me.
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Best Cdrama
This is one of the best Cdrama made. While the others are so childish, lack substance and very bad acting skills. Joy of life is very good and mature, all actors are very good and I have to say the director deserve awards. Joy of life worth your time. Zhang rouyun is one of the best actor out there.Was this review helpful to you?
Kind of drama which promote all Chinese drama
After waiting for years i want to say worth it, Cast, Acting, Story, overall one of the most perfect Chinese drama. I can wait for more season without getting bored. I hope we get to watch more drama like joy of life with cast like Zhan Rou Yun. Thanks MyDramalist for allowing our prospective and emotion to be shared in your platforms.Was this review helpful to you?
Fab drama
The 1st season was brilliant loved it and the actors in this drama were all great ML was especially good .The twist and turns are fab great writing of this drama. When I watched season 2 I thought it was even better I love all the twists in this dram absolutely 10/10 ? although there are some comedy in this it all make the drama so good
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Wacky, suspenseful, humorous
Very often, sequel paled compared to the first season, but not for this drama. It carried on the momentum of Season 1. The drama was somewhat wacky, suspenseful and humorous .The bold and scheming Fan Xian more than matched his antagonists. Returning to the capital, he went on to expose the conspiracy he discovered in ShangJin, capital of the rival state. But the Qing emperor was not impressed and did not seem to pay much attention to the fact that his second son and his sister was amassing huge amount of money from the activities of the State Enterprise (Neiku). A huge conspiracy was awaiting Fan Xian on his arrival.
And yes, Xiao Zhan did not participate in season 2. I think his talent is best placed in drama where his acting skills could be better demonstrated like The Untamed. Yan BingYun was not that type of character for him. Even in Season 1, it was more of a special guest appearance.
Everyone loves a hero who is smart, bold, righteous and uphold justice and this was what this drama presented in Fan Xian. Also, there are great lessons to be learned - if everyone condones a shitty system and not intervenes, bad practices will continue. If you do not like a corrupt system, then do not participate in it. What I particularly like about this drama which set it apart from some other drama was that it was proactive. Instead of some up righteous capable hero who preferred to hide away, he took up his responsibilities and faced it head on and sought to improve the system.
As with the first season, the story was interesting. Suspense and mystery abound. Humour was funny. Cinematography, acting, costumes, backdrop were all great.
The story however were a couple of far-fetched illogical sub-plots. For example, Fan Xian pretended that he faked death because the envoy was ambushed by a Grand Master, in order to avoid punishment. Why would the envoy not already know that the someone had sent a dead squad and a death threat, and that Yan BingYun 'killed' Fan Xian. They were travelling together. Why not simply exposed the second prince? Afterall, Yan BingYun could be a witness and he was one who was stubborn and daring enough to do this for the country. And there was also the letters from the prince as evidence. The writer had a complicated mind and preferred to fabricate lies and cover-up. In this regard, the story in Season 1 was more coherent. Unless the intent was to illustrate how intelligent people could buy into bullshit.
The second was when Ruo Ruo was asked to operate on Fan Xian, when she had never done an operation. Furthermore, what was she supposed to operate on? It was said that poison had affected Fan Xian's organs. What organs? All organs? Sound like a lot to clean up with just one slice made by the emperor.
By this stage, I await future seasons where hopefully a lot of the questions would be answered. Aside from Fan Xian taking over the State Enterprise, I hope they would have a season on how his mother came to this age, where she was actually from and what happened before Fan Xian was born. We also knew from Season 1 that the rival state was actually masquerading an empress dowager - emperor conflict and was staging a fake alliance with Fan Xian - so it would be interesting to see how this unravel in future seasons.
It had been 5 years since Season 1. So, it would be good to rewatch that again if you don't have the best memory in the world as Season 2 made a lot of references to events in the previous season. And hopefully, we do not have to wait for another 5 years to watch Season 3. If this goes on, all the cast and audience would be old by the time the last Season comes along.
Finally, I say, if you had enjoyed Season 1, don't miss out on this Season 2. Enjoy...
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This review may contain spoilers
kind of boring - one of my most anticipated series was a a bummer
kind of boring - one of my most anticipated series was a a bummer ...This is like Under the microscope tv show ... Better than the feminine heroes based tv shows recently though
why my rating is lower?
1. This is the second season of one of the top tv shows - so there is no urgency to finish anything
2. Took over 4 years to get the second season but messed up on the storyline
3. Death of Main hero in first season tweak in second season is not great - I would have preferred a much better twist - kind of lame deal in this season
4. im tired of honest man going through politics ... esp with all the knowledge of today in ancient world and he still is not able to deliver it - kind of super ordinary hero
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This review may contain spoilers
EL MEJOR DRAMA CHINO DE LA HISTORIA
Puede que el título de esta reseña parezca exagerada, pero no lo es. Si aún no fuiste a ver la 1era temporada, te recomiendo que prepares un fin de semana, snacks, café, mascarillas y le des play a esta serie, IMPOSIBLE QUE TE ARREPIENTAS!Todo en esta historia es atrapante, desde el 1er capítulo vas a querer saber más y más, la historia es tan atrapante, los personajes son tan intrigantes, tan divertidos (hasta los villanos son divertidos), tan estratégicos. Te muestran sus facetas de Leales, filiales, empáticos, estrategas, sarcásticos, y NADA está sobreactuado, todo está en su punto.
Me impactó mucho el nivel de sentido de justicia que tiene nuestro protagonista, la lealtad y lo protector que es con todos. Hace mucho tiempo que un drama no me impactaba tanto, hace solo unos dias terminé de ver la 1era temporada y ya inicié con la segunda, no sé como voy a entretenerme mientras espero la 3era temporada (espero que Cheng Yi estrene dramas durante el año).
Este es un pequeño spoiler, pero es sólo para que vayan a ver el drama: La combinación entre la historia antigua y el moderno siglo XXI les hará explotar la cabeza, especialmente por la mamá de Fan Xian y por el Maestro Wuzhu, estos dos personajes les hará pensar una y otra vez. Para que vean, no solo los protagonistas son interesantes en este drama, cada uno de los personajes es intrigante.
Aun quedan algunos días para que esta 2da temporada termine, pero no aguanté las ganas de contar lo EXCELENTE QUE ES ESTE DRAMA.
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