Azure-Dragon
Nirvana in Fire Episode 54
1 people found this review helpful
Overall I liked the intensity of this drama, but wanted to see more Action/Gongfu to balance the scenes with constant dialogue. I felt like I needed a break from holding my attention to the long conversations. So if it shifted focus a little more on martial arts scenes, it would have had more equilibrium. For me, Fei Liu stole the show. The series was very well done and held my interest to the end.
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Fighter of the Destiny Episode 56
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The story has a great concept. It's the screenplay that makes this an accomplished drama.
There is no real panoramic cinematography to speak of and it is really movie-set driven, but all in all the set designs are so beautiful and fantastic that it helps compensate.
It was hard to believe in Changsheng as a Shifu that is so young even though he possess genius ability, it really seemed out of place but worked well in the story regardless.
The incessant whining of the Beast Princess, Lou Lou throughout the series was irritating to say the least and it did not add any asset to the plot, but just made you cringe. I actually watched this drama twice and fast-forwarded the second time around to skip through her infantile behaviour because I did not want it imbeded in my consciousness and these scenes were best left forgotten.
The other supporting characters on the other hand, were amusing and complimented the main cast.
Kudos for the this drama series!
There is no real panoramic cinematography to speak of and it is really movie-set driven, but all in all the set designs are so beautiful and fantastic that it helps compensate.
It was hard to believe in Changsheng as a Shifu that is so young even though he possess genius ability, it really seemed out of place but worked well in the story regardless.
The incessant whining of the Beast Princess, Lou Lou throughout the series was irritating to say the least and it did not add any asset to the plot, but just made you cringe. I actually watched this drama twice and fast-forwarded the second time around to skip through her infantile behaviour because I did not want it imbeded in my consciousness and these scenes were best left forgotten.
The other supporting characters on the other hand, were amusing and complimented the main cast.
Kudos for the this drama series!
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Lost Love in Times Episode 56
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It Lost me between Episode 7 and Episode 14 before it started holding my interest again; and since the story is about Mages, we finally get to see some more fighting & magic in Episode 16 in the secret chamber under the Celestial Dance House, from then on it starts to pick up momentum for me until the final episode.
The intermittent songs with flashbacks were so cliché they should have been left out and saved for the more 'Campy' frivolous, romantic dramas.
In this last decade, viewer's have become more sophisticated even as Sound & CGI technology excels. It's time to change the style and advance to a more movie-like quality with the 'Wow' factor and ditch the old over-used plot tricks. (ie... mid-episode songs; having to give air underwater to pretend a kiss; corny 'flirt' music in the background while man and woman banter back and forth with meaningless stale words; and the 'catch and swoop' as an excuse for them to hug and get close). Seen it sooooo many times, isn't the audience getting bored yet? Aren't the writer's tired of scripting the same old thing?
On a positive note, the core basis of the story is compelling and the costumes and settings are appealing. I gave this a high rating for it's integral quality, any misgivings that I mentioned were just my opinion and should not have any negative impact to dissuade others from enjoying this series, because it does hold high entertainment value. Maybe we're just starting to expect more in this digital age and to execute the masterful presentation of a story, it needs to compliment the great special effects and discard the hokey banal components of yesterday.
The intermittent songs with flashbacks were so cliché they should have been left out and saved for the more 'Campy' frivolous, romantic dramas.
In this last decade, viewer's have become more sophisticated even as Sound & CGI technology excels. It's time to change the style and advance to a more movie-like quality with the 'Wow' factor and ditch the old over-used plot tricks. (ie... mid-episode songs; having to give air underwater to pretend a kiss; corny 'flirt' music in the background while man and woman banter back and forth with meaningless stale words; and the 'catch and swoop' as an excuse for them to hug and get close). Seen it sooooo many times, isn't the audience getting bored yet? Aren't the writer's tired of scripting the same old thing?
On a positive note, the core basis of the story is compelling and the costumes and settings are appealing. I gave this a high rating for it's integral quality, any misgivings that I mentioned were just my opinion and should not have any negative impact to dissuade others from enjoying this series, because it does hold high entertainment value. Maybe we're just starting to expect more in this digital age and to execute the masterful presentation of a story, it needs to compliment the great special effects and discard the hokey banal components of yesterday.
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Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy Episode 75
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This series has it all for me... Action, Magic and Intrigue with stunning scenery. The beginning did not 'hook' me in at first, but once the plot starts to develop intricacies it began to captivate me. The slow movement and stillness of the scenes provokes emotion and suspense coupled often with ethereal music that lends a timeless quality to understanding the character's motives and actions based on the causal events of the past. I find the series masterful and engaging.
Episode 40 & 41 - I love the alchemical use of the natural elements in the soundtrack, instead of background music episode 40 it uses Rain and episode 41 it uses Wind and of course there is the crackling of fire in the camp. So much majesty has been put into this drama, it is a work of Art, Frame by Frame.
Episode 47 - the soundtrack is amazing, the music itself takes you on a journey - it's an acoustical odyssey. Cherchez La Femme - it's interesting that they are using women each time as catalysts to ignite a reaction that triggers a turn of events or should it be Cherchez Le Sorcier? The cinematography throughout this drama is pure visual poetry, enchanting the viewer with the connection to nature; even in Episode 66 the background noise of crickets chirping adds a layer of subtlety.
Episode 71-74: There are a lot of fragmented flashbacks that seemed like a Bohemian Rhapsody: 'Is this the Real Life or is this just Fantasy, caught in a landslide, no escape from Reality. Open your eyes look up to the skies and See...' The costume, set designs and use of colour were also aesthetically pleasing. This should be the Flagship model that will hopefully lead the industry as an example for new dramas in the future. It's refreshing to view a mature series with such depth instead of the shallow young adult dramas with sappy dialogue and dysfunctional relationships that we have been over-saturated with for years. I will wait in anticipation for the next season to see what the artists conjure up next!
Episode 40 & 41 - I love the alchemical use of the natural elements in the soundtrack, instead of background music episode 40 it uses Rain and episode 41 it uses Wind and of course there is the crackling of fire in the camp. So much majesty has been put into this drama, it is a work of Art, Frame by Frame.
Episode 47 - the soundtrack is amazing, the music itself takes you on a journey - it's an acoustical odyssey. Cherchez La Femme - it's interesting that they are using women each time as catalysts to ignite a reaction that triggers a turn of events or should it be Cherchez Le Sorcier? The cinematography throughout this drama is pure visual poetry, enchanting the viewer with the connection to nature; even in Episode 66 the background noise of crickets chirping adds a layer of subtlety.
Episode 71-74: There are a lot of fragmented flashbacks that seemed like a Bohemian Rhapsody: 'Is this the Real Life or is this just Fantasy, caught in a landslide, no escape from Reality. Open your eyes look up to the skies and See...' The costume, set designs and use of colour were also aesthetically pleasing. This should be the Flagship model that will hopefully lead the industry as an example for new dramas in the future. It's refreshing to view a mature series with such depth instead of the shallow young adult dramas with sappy dialogue and dysfunctional relationships that we have been over-saturated with for years. I will wait in anticipation for the next season to see what the artists conjure up next!
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