Art T
The story is simple with a small twist. I guessed it and I sighed sadly when it was confirmed but it was a sweet sadness that completed the tale and was quite satisfied as I watched it for a third time.
What could have made it better? Perhaps a little more about the childhood and about the relationship between the engaged couple.
How I rate
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5 = okay, but will never watch again
8 = good with rewatch value
>8 = good with rewatch value and must OWN!
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The story has a political drama with a whodunit theme. The main male protaganist was good as was his father but that did not make up for average acting by most of the other cast including the female protaganists. Pretty faces but not much range in their expressions. At least not in this drama.. The clowns of the drama was not funny, and by their third appearance, I was fast forwarding so I would not ARG and give up on the mystery bits. The main leads were forgettable.
The fight choreography was interesting enough but nothing exciting.
I would have save time just watching the first 4 episodes, then a couple in the middle and the last episode to get the gist of this drama without spending almost 34 hours watching this.
No rewatch value at all.
How I rate
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5 = okay, but will never watch again
8 = good with rewatch value
>8 = good with rewatch value and must OWN!
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The opening theme in the first episode of Season 1 was lovely and that set my expectations.
Which was not met.
The acting in this episode was unremarkable. After a quick research and I found that the actors were new to the field, it explained why the acting felt so fake. Because each episode was about 30 minutes long, I decided to give it another chance. After all, this spawned two more seasons. There must be redeeming about the show.
After I lowered my expectation, I found the show simple and pleasant enough to while away a long boring day with a lot of fast-forwarding. (I watched 12 episodes in 2.5 hours)
No regrets about finished the series, but it’s a NOT REWATCHABLE for me. I wonder if it’s worth my time fast-watching the other two seasons……
The Story:
The storyline is commonplace and typical of the time travel genre.
Moonchild (https://mydramalist.com/profile/Yin-Taiyo) summarized this well in their review : https://mydramalist.com/profile/Yin-Taiyo
Acting/Cast:
Mostly fresh young talents. Most had stiff acting; it felt like they were reading from memory rather than acting. The leads Yang An Qi and Sheng Ying Hao had some emotion in their performances, especially in couple scenes. The support actor Gao Han had a pleasant and clear voice.
Characters, both good and bad were 2-D. Simple to like and dislike.
Music:
Opening theme song was good, the rest was forgettable.
Rewatch Value:
None
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I want to own this series because it was a feel-good drama with comic relief, a low level of suspense despite the mystery and mob background of the storyline. The cast chemistry was excellent especially between Megan Lai and Baron Chen.
I deducted points because of the plot and cliches. Though these negatives had its own charm, I felt there was no enough substance to maintain the pace of the show. It might have been better to make the series a few episodes shorter. tightening the sub plots.
I would recommend this for its sweetness, and how they treat the subject of same gender love, for the chemistry between the leads and for the laughs. But do not expect anything substantial.
PS: I >might< still decide to own this series. =^_-=
How I rate
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5 = okay, but will never watch again
8 = good with rewatch value
>8 = good with rewatch value and must OWN!
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Though the acting was average, I liked how the female protaganist was portrayed by Nam Ji Hyun, cute and hopeful with a hint of nonchalant acceptance of how she had lived when she first came back to life. The male protaganist was stiff and unbelievable. Kim Yun Bae as his best friend gave a better performance.
If you are looking for a quick feel-good love story that does not have much rewatch value, this would be it.
How I rate
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5 = okay, but will never watch again
8 = good with rewatch value
>8 = good with rewatch value and must OWN!
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Another Lifetime of Fate: The Legend of Meng Li Jun
0 people found this review helpful
I enjoyed cussing the villains as much as I was rooting for Meng Li Jun as she fended off her enemies while trying to clear her beloved's name. Though I must admit I wanted the second main male lead to to win Meng Li Jun more than for Huang Fu Shao Hua. There was more energy and sparks between them especially after Meng Li Jun's secret was exposed..
The cast was quite well chosen. The acting was great, tugging at my emoitons as I rooted whom I should root for, waving my fists when things go bad for the leads. Liu Bing Bing was good in her gender bending role. Sun Xing and Chen Long were excellent. I hated their characters while at the same time empathizing with the why behind their actions.
The pace of the drama was slow at several points, there were 40 episodes afterall but well worth the time if you are looking for a good retelling of an old classic with believable acting and intrigue.
How I rate
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5 = okay, but will never watch again
8 = good with rewatch value
>8 = good with rewatch value and must OWN!
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The drama set in an interesting time slice of Chinese history, blended fact with fiction to create a believable story. However I was put off by the acting by some of the cast. The comic interplay was long winded and definitely not funny.
Zheng Shuang gave a mostly two-note performance as the bubblyheaded Lin Xiang Xiang - excitable and giddy. Jing Boran was a credible Gong Ming who changed from a stoic conservative scholar to a a man in love. Chen Sean acted well as Wang Mang portraying the complexity of a man who wanted to do good but somehow ended being bad. Yi Niki as Shao Fei Yan was okay, I had not fast forwarded any of her scenes. The rest of the acting was forgettable.
Fighting scenes were quick and added to the excitement of the drama.
I had watched watched Queen In Hyun's Man and wanted more of the same type of drama but I was disappointed with this.
If you had not watched Queen In Hyun's Man, this is worth a watch but not worth rewatching.
If you are looking for a Queen In Hyun, I will recommend a miss, it will frustrate as this will lose out as you will compare the two dramas.
How I rate
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5 = okay, but will never watch again
8 = good with rewatch value
>8 = good with rewatch value and must OWN!
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This review may contain spoilers
Unabashedly an excellent adaptation BASED on the manga. Watch On Its Own Merit.
4* - Good rewatchable, might buy own copy. [NOTE : I will update this review after the series finished airing.]This Chinese version is looking like a great adaptation -BASED on- manga. (Note emphasis) Nodamae Cantabile has been one of my favourite manga and I try to watch as many shows based on this story as I could. Of course, comparison cannot be avoided.
The screenplay followed the general manga story arcs with remodelled characters and modified origin stories (as of Ep 1-10). There was also directorial alterations such as the pared down madcap humour from the original manga, the omission of the fictional Puri Gorota anime, and the expansion of some of the side stories.
I found that the pace of the storytelling lagged because some of these alterations made to the script. More time was given to develop backstory which made this series a different experience. This adaptation had a smoother story flow and transition, for example : Chinese Stresemann's explanation of why he gave the male lead a chance to be deputy conductor for S Orchestra or the fuller story of the 'poverty-stricken' celloist in S Orchestra.
So far, I found this more enjoyable than the Korean version. It's different from the Japanese live action version with some of the changes made. HOWEVER, if was watched without preconception as an adapation on its own merit, it was quite enjoyable.
ACTING:
The male lead was definitely more palatable than the Japanese male lead especially how the female lead was treated; a different gentler take (based on first 10 episodes). I felt chemistry between the main leads. Though it might not be as natural due to the youth of the actors, however it was sweet and charming. The Chinese female lead appeared smarter , coming up with her own pops of wisdom that enlightened the male lead while retaining naivety and childishness.
The fellowship of the support cast was commendable, including the violinist Qin Fen , the Professors Zhang and Hu and especially the visiting conductor Fei She-er. I really enjoyed the Chinese version of Stresemann (Fei She-Er) . Not as eccentric but again, within the context of this version, I felt this character was a reliable and responsible version of Stresemann. I liked the Japanese version Stresemann but I often felt like smacking him because his treatment of the leads was so hapazardly, selfish even immature.
There was a small irritating point. When the characters played their instruments, their actions sometimes do not match the music but that's flaw noticeable in a lot of other chinese dramas.
This was definitely much better than the Korean adaptation though not quite comparably to the Japanese version. Acting of this series was mellow because of the suppressed comic elements.
MUSIC :
I was dissatisfied with the choice of music used in the show. This and the performances in the Japanese version decidedly outshone this Chinese version. I strongly believe the music has always been the soul of this story which would be why I would rated this lower than the Japanese version. However, this show would still be a 4* on my personal ranking scale.
I was not impressed by the OST as well.
REWATCH :
Definitely rewatchable with some skipping. Want to buy my own copy.
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