More than Blue: The Series (2021)

If you were to know how it ends, will you live your life again?

I watched More Than Blue (the tw version) twice and with this drama series it is my 3rd time watching. Even if I knew how the story goes, I still shed tears like a leaking tap (prepare tissues!).

Initially, when I first saw this drama on Netflix, I thought it would be repetitive. Moreover, the movie played by jasper and ivy remains superior in my opinion. But I was hell wrong. I was captured in the 1st episode.

The drama was written so carefully and added new elements to the plot. It gave the characters more background information, and I would be able to understand the motivation/ reason behind each character action (which I wasn’t able to see in the movie). It is interesting to see how the story interlinked with the movie version, and how they connected/ made parallels to each and every character in the show.

I also loved how they used similar sets in the movies, and the way it was shot was very stunning as well. The editing between two timelines are very smooth, and easy to follow too!

I would like to praise on all the actors acting! Their eyes are filled with so much emotions. It was that good! ?? I just want to say I absolutely adore the side characters po han, ahn chi yi and her son. They stole the whole show!! I want to commend on po han and chi yi acting. It was phenomenal!! They had chemistry right at the beginning despite not being main leads. Especially her son ke le!! ?I can totally see his potential!! I just love this trio together!! The mother son due is so cute too!! I would rewatch this entire drama just to see them again ?

Not to mention, I love love love the soundtracks, it fits the storyline so well. It’s gonna be on repeat the next few days.

Although there were some things I didn’t like about the show or didn’t sit well with me.

*Spoiler alert*

I feel that k and cream look too young, maybe they retained their image when they were in highschool? But at the end, it got kinda better.

The dentist and photographer relationship. It’s too complicated for me to understand, and doesn’t really sit well with my morals.

K who stole a kiss when cream is sleeping (without her consent). And when he is on the verge of dying, kissed cream again even though she is married. I get that they love each other, but… it just doesn’t feel right. ??‍♀️

Thank you for reading until the very end of this messy unorganised review. I binged watch this drama in one sitting. A very well-paced, written and compelling story. There were so many lessons I learnt about relationships (be it from a parent or from a lover), death, goodbyes, love and sadness. I cried in all episodes, a drama you should not miss! It earns two thumbs up from me. :)

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Sometimes Love and Sadness are the Regrets we live with in life....

No Words I Truly share can paint the impact this show can have on one. I binged it this weekend and I am broken in so many ways. Yet I loved it every turn of the page each episode was a special gift . Heartwarming and Heartbreaking in the same Breathe. Simply a very rare and special gift. Magical in so many ways <3 for sure in my top 5 all time just to touch your heart in many countless ways. The Tears Flow but oh they are earned in so many ways. The Cast is amazing and inspiring in their creation of this Magical and Surreal series. Thank you <3 .................... I almost took my life a few years back. This is one of those moments where I am happy and inspired to still be here Glad to have witnessed this beautiful show..... love is such a powerful emotion. <3 #MoreThanBlue

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PAIN

This goes on my list of beautifully depressing shows/movies that literally will tear you apart. I binged it fully and although I haven't seen the original Korean or Taiwanese movie, I think I can say that a series was the very suitable for this story. I can't even imagine how they crushed all that love and heartache in under 3 hours. This 10 episode series puts you in the perfect balance and pacing to completely convey the feelings and story of each character. Acting for everyone was amazing, their expressions genuinely showed raw emotion and love. I tried to limit myself to very little tissues but by the last four episodes my sleeves were soaking wet.

Anyways be prepared for sadness and if you want more heartbreak after, I recommend the movie Us and Them by Rene Liu.

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Less would have been so much more…

The problem with trying to do too much is that you don’t do enough. There was not enough depth to really make this drama memorable. We were introduced to a number of relationships, all of which had promise, but none of which were fully explored. We were given the overall picture, but what totally draws you in and keeps you there long after the last episode, is not the obvious, but the small moments of unexpected revelation that can only happen when you spend time with characters.

With so much going on there was not enough time to explore big transitions, let alone small ones. Some of the developments required by the plot, which were complex emotional transitions, were skipped through on a wing and a prayer. Worse, motivations were explained in retrospect with large chunks of repetition and telling rather than showing. This is such bad writing and the fault lies in a weak structure.

I don’t think that increasing the number of episodes would necessarily have helped. All of the character interactions had large amounts of emotional baggage, and if they had all been fully explored, it would simply have become too much. There’s only so much emotional pay-off that you can squeeze from story or from a viewer. When this has to be divided across too many characters it can get very thin, with the result that the viewer feels less all round intensity and therefore empathy.

I was not convinced of why there was a need to tell this story in two time-streams with two sets of loosely connected characters. The periods of time that were spent in each time-stream were frequently too long, which broke your connection to the other story-line. I couldn’t find a strong enough reason to think that it merited this treatment, they just seemed to run in parallel rather than intersecting with each other. Neither did one story enhance our understanding of the other, both seemed to say the same thing.

For this to be a special drama, and I think that the themes and concept had the potential to be so, the first half desperately needed to be pruned of some of its intensity around non-core relationships and to focus more on the central ones. As for the second half, the structural faults in the plot needed to be resolved. Maybe it’s just that I like clean lines and deep thoughts, but KISS is an aphorism for a reason folks!

Having said all that there were things to like about it too. The sombre colour palette with great lighting designs that provided highlights and supportive context for the action. The colours were rich and intense, particularly in the night scenes and the definition had a beautiful clarity to it. Some of the cinematography (enhanced by CGI) was breathtakingly beautiful, particularly at the beach.

The standard of acting from all four of the main cast was good, particularly from K and Cream although I think that the director took the melo too far in places. The characters themselves were interesting and varied although I wasn’t convinced by the character of Li Na, or Phoebe Yuan’s performance - she was no Elizabeth Taylor…

I didn’t find the OST that inspiring to be honest, which was a pity as it was set in the music industry and an opportunity was missed. But maybe I’m not that qualified to judge as I’m not a great fan of Asian music in general, which often sounds too smooth, bland and overproduced for my taste.

Overall, my interest waned as the episodes progressed and more and more flaws were revealed.

What my rating means: 6+ Some aspects of it were OK but it had serious flaws. It will pass the time but you can find something better.

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Somewhere between suffering and healing

Planning to watch this is like signing up for 10 Eps of misery, sadness and depression willingly ?

This was a heavy watch. It constantly revolved around thoughts of death, sickness and sufferings. Each character was miserable in their own life, it was gut wrenching to watch at times.

I felt so many emotions like grief, pain, forgiveness, unrequited love, hopelessness and healing.

✅ I really like the acting of all the characters, especially Zhang Zhe Kai, I really felt that man was sick, the tiredness and pain in his eyes conveyed his suffering so well.

✅ I personally was invested in all the stories, the main and side. It shattered my heart to bits each time.

❌ The story LIKE it was sad but I didn't get the whole point of the MAIN storyline, the writer kept introducing surprising twists but when you step back and look at the big picture its pretty dumb and unnecessary. It's like writer is trying to throw all possible complications to make the story more miserable forcefully ?

This was a major drawback, which absolutely, made no sense to me at least;)

Anyways, the side stories were engaging as well, so I didn't mind, the music was sad (just like the drama)

By the end of the show, I had an extremely uneasy and anxious feeling and felt low for two whole days, no joke. The colour grading of the drama is very gloomy and on the darker side which makes it even more depressing.

So, overall if you wanna make yourself CRY, go watch it☺️

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A sad but beautiful love story

I came across this drama on Netflix and found that there is a movie version that Jasper Liu starred in. I couldn't find the movie version to watch. This is a love story, a sad love story, a sad but beautiful love story. A story how love can be so powerful and develop a very strong connection between the two people. I've never seen any of the cast in other dramas but I thought they played their characters really well and you can see very deep emotion and feel, sympathize with what the characters are going through. The music is good too (well, music is the theme - they're looking for the copyright owner of a song). I will definitely re-watch this sometime in the future. It's such a beautiful story..

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You're happy when your loved ones are happy

I've watched the Taiwanese movie version first, and I cried a lot. For me, it was better than the Korean even it was the original version.

I put this series on hold for awhile before binge watch for 2 days. I love the series more..

I love how the background stories develop in the series. It settles many loopholes in the movie.

I didn't cried maybe because I know what to expect in every scene but still touched my heart.

In the series, K & Cream's love is more sensible for me. I didn't feel they're selfish using others for making each others happy because all getting a good closure.

The only thing which this drama lacking is the music. It's not memorable.

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In The Next Life...

16/05/2023

I don't usually think sad stories are re-watchable because of the emotional toll they have, however, this one would be an exception.

I'd revisit this series because it has a beautiful story to it even though it is a real tear jerker.

This drama revolves around a love song that is written and submitted anonymously only the copyrights for it can't be located so a search begins which leads to the story of K and Cream.

A sad tragic love story, but a beautiful one!

When it comes to dying, each person copes differently, and sometimes the decisions made aren't always so straight forward nor do they make sense.

In this series we have K and Cream brought together through tragic circumstances connected to them both (teen years) and together they are very happy as a makeshift family.

Prior to then being a makeshift family K is diagnosed with Leukaemia and chooses to keep it from Cream because he has a debt he feel he owes her. A bit later on when he knows he has limited time left he still choses to keep it to himself because he doesn't want it to devastate her nor for her to feel abandoned when he dies. Instead he makes it his mission to make sure Cream is taken care of so that she isn't left to fend for herself when he is gone - his mission is to find her a partner to marry.

K sacrifices his love for her so that she will be happy even though for him it is difficult and painful setting everything in motion knowing what he can't have and wants more than anything which is to live and be with her until they grow old.

There is a bit of a twist to the story, so in order to find out what that twist is, you will need to watch it.

K does pass away so the twist has nothing to with a miracle cure, but it does have everything to do with both of them in one way or another.

I really liked it when Cream asked him to reserve his next life for her - it wasn't the only time she brought it up either.

Love doesn't always keep people together especially when a life threatening disease or health condition is involved, but love doesn't cease to exist either and can transcend over time and in different dimensions.

On a side note, there is another parallel story going on involving one of the music teams young son - a different kind of love story, but just as sad and touching.

The most memorable moments for me in this series was how K and Cream came to be family, what K's mother chose to do, the pre-marriage photo scene, the secret wedding and the couch scene in which the very last photo was taken of K and Cream together.

Sometimes when two people are so deeply in love death isn't enough to seperate them either.

I highly recommend watching this A+ grade drama!

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Sad but beautiful story

__*More than Blue: The Series (2021)*__ - 9/10 - Taiwanese drama [They speak Chinese, so technically a C-drama]

In a humorous comment about this drama, I once read that it was secretly funded by tissue paper companies. I completely agree with this sentiment, even though I managed to keep my own tear ducts from overflowing—though that might be due to the solid, reinforced concrete construction of my emotional barriers.

This drama has a beautiful outlook steeped in a melancholic, dark, depressing, and sad love vibe.

The series is short, and from the very first episode, you can tell it won't have a happy ending.

The entire drama is framed around a "detective seeking the truth" narrative. More precisely, it revolves around the discovery of a deceased person's diary, which the characters then read to uncover his life story.

A nice touch is how events described in the diary seem to echo in the present for the "detectives" as well, making the entire story feel more cohesive.

As for the plot, it is quite complex, with multiple storylines unfolding in both the past and the present. I'll just provide a basic overview:

__*Plot (Past)*__ - The male lead (ML) survives a car crash that claims several victims, including his father, who was driving and ended up in a coma. From that day forward, the ML leads a miserable life as the "son of a murderer." The female lead (FL) enters his life like a hurricane.

__*Plot (Present)*__ - A demo with a beautiful song, worth a lot of money, arrives at a music recording company. Unfortunately, after a bit of investigation, the main characters discover that the authors of the single are deceased, and nobody knows who owns the copyright. The main characters set out to investigate and find the rightful copyright owner. On their journey, they uncover the heartbreaking life stories of the song's authors.

__*Genre*__ - Sad, Romance

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Too good to decribe in words

I started watching this drama thinking that I might drop it halfway. However, let me just tell you that this is one of the best series I've watched in my entire life!! First of all, the cinematography is just simply beautiful, it's basically like watching art. Story, even if very tragic and might seem to be too much at first, is written really well and it doesn't seem like it's forced. Not gonna lie, I cried A LOT, to the point I had a headache. Even though, I wanted to continue watching next episodes because not falling in love with the characters is just impossible. Now, the main leads are simply phenomenal and the emotions that they portrayed on their faces are looking too good honestly. But the ML, Fandy, like I can't even express how great of an actor he is. Most of his scenes, especially the crying ones and the scenes when he's telling the story while being photographed deserve a few main awards. The chemistry between main couple is something I didn't and probably won't see often. I think they are my favorite couple and a love story that I will think a lot about. Honestly, all the characters were really well played and there isn't anyone that I had to skip when appeared on the screen.
I will finish by just saying that I will never regret watching this drama and even if I might not watch it again because I might not stand it emotionally to experience the heartbreak once more, I will recommend this masterpiece to everyone. It left me with this unusual feeling, and I know that the story will never leave my heart.

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Depression throughout the show

Just saw this randomly on my netflix feed and seemed interesting, so i watched it. And my god! I've never cried like back to back to back watching a drama before. I've watched a lot of sad dramas from China, Korea, and Japan, but i've never cried more than once, I think twice is the max, I would only cry in the climax and the ending if it's done well, but here I don't know how many time I've cried, I think cried like more than 10.

In the first episode, we were greeted with the 2 mains that we're gonna follow throughout the series and they wanna find the whereabouts of the other 2 mains of this show who created a song for them. Immediately they will hit you with the "Oh both of them are dead already" so the drama suddenly takes a dark turn faster than your grandma could stand up, and then the back story of the other 2 mains plays and hits you with another dark plot slapping you in the face. And that's when i knew "Ahhh I'm gonna be depressed throughout this show".

This drama never ceased to amaze me, cuz as you keep digging down to the stories behind these characters, it keeps getting darker and darker, like chill the fuck up, can we have just a least one good part of the backstory?? It's like you're staring in this abyss watching the backstory of these characters.

Though the other 2 mains of the story are dead, i was still really invested in their backstory. It started out dark and then turned into a revenge story, but ended up as a sad romance. And that's my problem with this show, which is that they made the story of the deceased 2 mains really REALLY good. It's soo perfect from A to Z that I wasn't really invested that much with the 2 Alive Mains. It's not that the 2 alive mains are boring or their story is badly written, It's just... i couldn't really relate to their story as I'm not at that age yet or I have yet to experience that part in life. So every time their part would come on, I would immediately press the 1.5 watch speed and be like "COME ON JUST GIVE ME K & CREAMS BACKSTORY!!!!". We also have a third couple that we are gonna follow throughout the show and their story is somewhat tied to the deceased mains, because they have a bigger role to play in that part, but again... wasn't really invested in anything aside from K & Cream's story.

I wonder why they didn't make this drama as K & Cream's story only?? by itself I think their story is 10/10. It would hold itself really well. Maybe the writer isn't confident that their story alone wouldn't sell well??? Though way they told the story was still unique to me and was done really well. It's like you have this Cat and Mouse chase, but the mouse is dead already and the cat is just blindly chasing.

And I'm not gonna spoil the most important twist as that would greatly ruin the immersion of the show, but yeah.. I don't think they should've called this 'More than Blue, they should've just titled this "Black: The Series" cuz the stories in the show is just different variation of the color black hahahaha I'm joking xD

minor critique - The actress of bonnie, i think her acting is very mid.

Highly HIGHLY recommend this show if you want something that would slowly chip away your heart and then glue it together again just to burn it into ashes in the end.

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