The perfect comedy to cure your drama hangover/withdrawal
What an unexpected delight! This show is loaded with laughs and parodies of common costume drama tropes. It's so silly yet funny that you will pay no attention to its less than stellar plot.This is the perfect change-up to cure your drama withdrawal as its silliness and hilarity is sure to break the trance. Best of all, there should be no concerns about whether the plot will suck, angst, unsatisfactory ending, and all that nonsense. Just laugh along for the ride and get off investment free if the funny stops.
Also kudos to the FL for not afraid to look ugly occasionally for the lols.
7.5 (+1.0 MDL inflation)
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This review may contain spoilers
Anthing can be achieved if one is persistent and determined.
Message from this drama is that being weak doesn't mean you are useless... Be resolute never give up and victory shall surely be yours.Xing chen, FL says if it doesn't work once, I will try 10 times, if it doesn't work 10 times I will try 100 times and so on.. Attagirl!!!?
If a person doesn't give up, then with multiple attempts even weak eggs can break a stone.
The story started on a light hearted note, first 12 episodes focused on the character development and their relationships..... These episodes were humouros and had many noteworthy hilarous dialouges.
Quoting a few humourous situation from these episodes
Episode 2 - how NOT to select a good matrilocal husband. ?....jiang buting, ML drew an egg in the second round of selection hoping to get disqualified, but it was interpreted as ' bold and powerful' so he was advanced to the final stage of selection. ( presumably the FL's family was advancing a cripple to allow Mu Binghe their favoured future son-in-law to win)
Episode 4: Xing chen, FL taking a job of a janitor because she is the head of her family and needs to provide for 'two useless men in her family' ?( useless men referring to her would be husband BuTing and her would be brother in law BuYing
Episode 11: xing chen, FL to Bu ting, ML......."since I can't hold your hand, we both can just hold the branch"... Bu ting keeps walking on holding the branch while xing chen gets kidnapped. ?
Some enlightening issues brought forth in the latter half of the series. (Which slightly changed the tone of the series)
1. Women Empowerment:
It was difficult for Xing Chen, FL to be accepted as the head of wuyue sect in a patriarchal ancient martial world... However she had strong backing from her father and other loving members of her sect also BuTing, ML always supported her to achieve her true potential... Every woman should be self sufficient and is capable of achieving great heights was the dominant theme of this series in my opinion... Apart from the FL, other FL characters were also shown to be aspiring, SFL Mu YaoGuang secretly wrote manuscript and published articles... Other minor female characters were also depicted as endeavoring to stand out in the community.
2. Greed for Power:
Doctor Song a brilliant scientist was corrupted due his ambition, he poisoned the person who loved him the most throughout BuTing's life as the doctor was consumed with greed for knowledge.. He played with peoples' lives and made them nothing more than his puppets to be sacrificed to realise his dream of being a superpower... I am glad he did get some absolution in the end and saved BuTing's life who trusted him whole heartedly.
3.Obsession and Weakness:
SML, Mu BingHe became obsessed with the idea of saving the FL, xing chen due to his failure to protect her in their childhood... However this plauged him to such an extent that his desire to protect her changed to stifling and caging her... He too got some redemption when he was at last able to protect her by sacrificing his life.
There are two OSTs that standout in this series for me, one is the song 'Is this the end' and other is 'kilig love' the ending credit song.. Both have good lyrics and catchy tune.
Ceasar Wu was amazing, playing the character of Jiang BuTing a physically weak man who defied the odds and fought back against his limitations.. BuTing was a character who was supportive, compassionate and retained a sense of humour.
Xu Lu was equally good at portraying Xing chen's character and managed to depict the changes in her character from being frivolous to a dependable sect head.
Overall, can be watched when your mind is preoccupied with other matters and you need some light entertainment with simple plot.
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Deserves More Love - A Real Surprise
I'm so glad I saw Egg and Stone through to the end. The first few episodes have some over-the-top and slapstick humor so I did not expect the show to include such well written and serious scenes for the romance and main plot as the show progressed. The over-the-top bits of humor definitely subside as the episodes go on, but still come through in welcome doses. I love how this show was able to blend elements of silliness into a solid story of a woman and her new found friends journeying through the martial arts world. I laughed out loud while watching, appreciated the WTF moments, and experienced a variety of emotions as I watched the characters evolve. I didn't expect to be so touched.I'm sad to see the ratings for this drama be rather low by MDL standards because I really enjoyed this show. I heard comedy and decided to give it a chance even though the title didn't sound too appealing to me. I had no investment in any of the leads, so I watched purely out of curiosity and for entertainment.
I think Xu Lu and Caesar Wu did an amazing job together. They were committed to their roles and the relationship between their characters was beautiful.
I originally was going to give this show a 9 or 9.5, but when I filled out the stars category and gave everything a 10... well... I'm going to give it a 10 because it deserves better, MDL!!! If you are on the fence about watching, please give it a fair chance.
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Hilarious, Good Acting and Great Chemistry - Shut down your brain to enjoy this Slapstick Comedy
In order to enjoy “Egg and Stone” or not to be disappointed, there are a few things you should know. Sometimes, It’s important to set your expectations and know what you are getting yourself into.1. This is a COMEDY first and foremost. Not just any comedy but stupid, crazy, over-the-top slapstick comedy.
2. Do not expect this to be a wuxia drama. The setting is in the pugilistic world/jiang wu, but wuxia elements are scarce and fight scenes are limited, and not very well-choreographed.
3. Romance is also a big focus, more so than mystery or investigation.
4. This is a low budget production - do not expect fancy costumes, sets or hair/make up.
5. You need to shut down your brain for some crazy fun.
If you are not OK with the above-mentioned points, then I will dissuade you from watching “Egg and Stone”. Unless you are a big fan of the actors, and are on a mission to watch every single one of their dramas.
Having said that, I lowered my expectations and waited for the right mood to watch this drama. I had a lot of fun watching it, and also laughed out loud at many moments. Of course, I rolled my eyes as well and wondered why established actors such as Xu Lu, Caesar Wu and Riley Wang signed up for such a project. Are they being blackmailed by their companies, or do they owe the director a big favor? Or maybe they just want something different and have some fun with friends?
I do applaud the actors for diving right into their roles and do not mind acting silly and ridiculous. I actually think the acting of the cast is a big strength of this drama. To be honest, there are quite a few sad and emotional scenes, and I was so touched that I actually shed a few tears. Less experienced actors might not be able to pull this off.
The drama follows the journey of female lead, Huo Xing Chen, and her dream of helping the weak in the pugilistic world. She doesn’t want to follow the traditional role of a woman, getting married and staying home. This is quite a feminist drama in a way. She was met with opposition from the men in her life at first, but she slowly persuaded them and also fell in love with someone who believed in her and supported her dream.
I enjoyed the romance between the leads quite a bit. Xu Lu and Caesar Wu have great chemistry and are so fun when they have scenes together. I like the development of their romance, not too fast and not too slow. Jiang Bu Ting has become one of my favorite male leads, especially in comedies. Not only is he good-looking, he’s smart, funny, and shy-cute. But most importantly, he’s the one who believes and persuades FL to follow her dreams. He supports her but doesn’t spoil her. He allows her to make mistakes and learn the hard way, but secretly protects her. There’s enough romance throughout the drama to keep me happy. I do wish they give me more than dead fish kisses. I’ve seen them in other dramas and they could both deliver! I blame the director.
Riley Wang really needs to pick other roles where he’s not the third wheel in a love triangle. I feel bad for him as an actor, and also the character. I was dreading the direction that his character is going, but was fine after knowing the whole backstory. The secondary romance is cute and adorable, but could have been better. Jiang Bu Ying is so dumb, cute and funny.
I think the weakness of this drama is the more serious plot. The mystery and investigation parts are not written very well, and this is mostly towards the second half of the drama. There are inconsistencies and plot holes, and a lot is told to the viewers and instead of shown. I actually got bored and was distracted.
Another weakness is the production quality. You can tell this is a low budget production. The same two songs are played all the time. The actors wear the same outfits in each scene. If you are a main character, you might have 2-4 outfits, otherwise, you wear the same thing every day. On the one hand, it’s a nice change to see actors not getting the smooth-faced, white filter treatment. You can clearly see the makeup not done perfectly or if anyone has unsmooth skin. On the other hand, in some close shots, I do wish the filter is on. Luckily, the actors dubbed their own voices. This makes the funny scenes even more fun. I think dubbing would mess with the comedic timing. However, I can’t stand the fake Cantonese-Mandarin accent of one supporting character. It bugs me quite a bit, since I speak Cantonese.
Overall, I had a lot of fun watching this drama. I can’t totally turn my brain off, thus, I can’t bring myself to give “Egg and Stone” higher than an 8.0. There are still things that bug me, but this is definitely a lot more fun than I thought. I am glad to re-discover Caesar Wu and I look forward to his future dramas. Xu Lu also surprises me and I can’t help but compare her to Li Qin in “Thousand Years for You” (Xu Lu is better). I will recommend this drama to you if you enjoy slapstick comedies and are looking for a stress-relief drama. Just shut down your brain and enjoy the craziness.
Completed: 1/14/2024 - Review #394
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Disregard the Low Rating. It's worth the watch.
I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. Was it perfect? No. There were numerous plot holes, a weak mystery plotline and there were pacing issues. But overall I think this drama delivered exactly what it intended to do.It made me laugh so much in the first half that I had to go back and rewatch some scenes before watching the last two episodes. Xu Lu and Ceaser Wu are great comedic actors and the chemistry between them was really good. For a comedy, I didn't expect so much romance. This drama most likely wouldn't have been so great if these two weren't the leads.
I enjoyed the second couple as well. The 2ML was a complete bimbo. But he was cute and the chemistry between him and the 2FL was adorable. I never got tired of their scenes. The ending credits with them at the end wearing the XO hoods was one of my favorites (you'll have to watch the drama to understand the symbolism behind the X & 0)
This show gets a 9/10 for me. I highly recommend anyone who likes a good laugh with a nice dose of romance to watch.
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This show has everything, love it!
I will admit that the first episode was so corny and cheesy that I almost turned it off. But by the second episode I was laughing so hard that my stomach hurt. A half dozen episodes in, they broke my heart (for the first time of many). I was completely hooked by then.Both of the two main couples were fantastic. Male and female leads had sparks together, and were both great characters on their own. Secondary couple was adorable and just fun to watch. (I will say the fake facial hair was disturbing, though.) Support characters were great and even the bad guys had their own stories that evoked a multitude of emotions. On a side note- there was so much eye candy that I might have developed a cavity.
The show cycled through corny and funny, dramatic, sweet, heartbreaking, suspenseful and much more. It was an absolute rollercoaster ride. You just have to get through that first episode, ha. I did particularly enjoy the female lead not being cold and prudish, as is often the case in these shows. They had some flashback scenes that were useful, but not overdone, which actually brought up things I had forgotten instead of being used to burn up the clock. I also liked that didn’t make us wait forever for the leads to FINALLY admit they like each other- I prefer watching the couple takes on life’s challenges together instead of being each other’s challenge. Both dance scenes were awesome.
All in all, I enjoyed this very much. It was well rounded, fun and very entertaining.
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A hidden gem!
I'm so glad I found this show!It was an absolute joy to watch, and had me laughing out loud in parts from the genius writing as it plays against genre tropes and it provided a real balm to my troubled soul. The pace was OK, though a little rushed at the end (like so many shows) but the fact that there was an actual real plot that carried the show along through the joyfully hilarious parts was a rare treat
The only possible downfall is that if you've not watched a lot of this kind of genre it'll probably confuse you in places as the acting/responses might not make sense, or seem out-of-place.
Overall though, I am SO pleased that I found this - to the point that I stopped watching all other shows to binge this :-)
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This review may contain spoilers
Cute and funny at first, but female lead's brain seems to be getting smaller and smaller.
Tbh i loved it when i started watching the first few eps, but after that the fl keeps getting dumber and dumber. sure, a cute naive dumb headstrong female lead and a smart ml is a good pair, but this fl isn't just dumb she's lobster brained. + her extra confidence just makes it even worse. I know she was spoiled so she turned out that way, I understand but srsly she makes makes my blood boil. "Don't go what if you alert the enemy?" her: "So, to everyone i'm just a burden?? HMPH!!" and she proceeds to walk out looking proud like she's some sort of master with the sword she can't even use and her lobster brain. If i were to answer, YES YOU ARE A STUPID BURDEN. YES. And, might I add? why is she carry a sword around when she can't even fight? for decoration?Was this review helpful to you?
It's a smashed egg on a rock--irretrievable!
Sorry I don't get why this is watchable. It's so ridiculously over the top trying to be comedic but to me it falls flat with lots of filler dialogue and drawn out scenes to fill the time--even speeding it up doesn't help. I love Caesar Wu and have liked Xu Lu's 2021 and prior works, but this is a disaster. Plus, if you are a Caesar fan, you may wonder that his eyes are far rounder-like he has had surgery and/or CGI applied....his many (now) wide-eyed looks seem to fit the comedy, but he was perfectly handsome with his prior looks I think.Was this review helpful to you?
