Feeling conflicted. Did I enjoy this or not?

In summary, I didn't hate it but it didn't hit any sweet spots either. Visuals and music were good. I liked the idea of fantasy elements but it had unfulfilled potential. I liked the actors' individual performances but I wasn't left feeling all fluffy inside. It's a bit like, going to a buffet and eating random dishes, you leave with a full belly but it was a bit of a mish mash.

Ivy Chen was better as a mature but sloppy FL character, her quirkiness was awkward. I'm completely biased and kept watching for Wang ZiQi. His character's motivations was clear cut but the deviation from them, ie falling in love, felt less convincing. The chemistry between the leads was somewhat lacking.

The FL's conflicted feelings of choosing a familiar relationship of 2ML because it is a "safe" choice even though he's a complete asshat, is a real thing that happens IRL. However, I wonder whether this story line would be more palatable if 2ML was a more decent option. It would give more value to the OTP because a relationship with a passerby would be better than 2ML.

I liked most of the support characters but did we need to see all of Miao Miao's blind dates? The time would have been better having chats with old Hu. The antagonist was good at being politely sneaky but wasn't scary or threatening.

The fantasy elements regarding the Guardian descendants were promising but frustrating. ML and audience were being kicked from pillar to post. The prescribed guardian path, rules, consequences and possibilities needed to be clearer. There were mechanisms and occurrences that felt contrived. The characters were robbed of making their own choices. I'm underwhelmed by the last episode; hey, have a random new character that "fixes" everything. I don't want to pick apart at it too much or I really will start hating it.

Overall, I guess I'm simply a bit disappointed. The buffet looked yummy and I really wanted to like it more.

Read More

An appreciation for MDZS is almost a prerequisite.

8/10

IMO the drama doesn't stand up on its own. An appreciation for MDZS is almost a prerequisite.

Over the years, three separate attempts were made before giving up on this drama. Until I recently fell down the MXTX donghua rabbit hole and binge watched all three series of MDZS donghua in a matter of days. So I restarted and finished TU, finally.

I like the MDZS story. The live action is ok. I was moved in parts but it lacked humour. Actor performances varied, LZ only came to life later on. I have not read the novel yet but I know of the relationships that are omitted in both the donghua and the live action. I don't mind this, if you're looking for it, the subtle looks and smiles are there.

I suppose the biggest complaint of the drama is the pacing, I watched a lot of the show at 1.5x and it didn't feel sped up at all, I often went to increase the speed to find it was already at 1.5x (Netflix max). The first 20 episodes were verging on boring, when are they going to "get good"? 20 episodes of lashings and getting beaten down.

The next 13 episodes, a lot happens and was actually paced better than the donghua.

The drama becomes far more interesting when we're finally out of the ginormous 33 episode-long flash back and deal with the matter in hand.

The ending, the final showdown, was a big let down. Visually non threatening, in fact I was often just distracted by the red paint on WWX's neck or ZWJ looking like handsome squidward. The heartbreaking moments for ZWJ....meh, I felt nothing here. I felt more heartbreak for Xue Yang. And then finally 5mins of WWX walking in the mountains...huh? What?

Random observations. Wasn't it uncanny how much Jin Ling looked like Jin GuangYao? The opening credits was bland, I skipped every time.

Honestly, I'm just glad I've finally completed it. I doubt I'll ever rewatch, maybe fan made edits, the fandom is very talented.

Off to go appreciate more MDZS in its various forms (manhua, audio, novel).

Read More

Seriously ridiculous, love it

Surprisingly engaging. More comedy than romance. I had a great laugh binge-watching this. Even the supposedly serious parts are ridiculous. I was cackling through the final showdown and a rubber snake!

The pacing and editing is everywhere. It was hard to grasp who is who and what their missions were, or rather it was easy to miss. I could not tell who the missing persons poster was supposed to be until they found her!!! With so many secret identities/swaps they could have done much better reveals. I guess if you were watching live, there could be some mystery over who is ML and who is 2ML or at least they tried but it's kinda obvious.

The romance is not that deep or moving but the bickering, flirting and FL's lusting is humorous. She gets to take advantage of the MLs often. Resolution of love triangle was unconvincing (FL making her choice). SLS potential.

A fair bit of slapstick violence. I found myself thinking it was unnecessary or wondering sometimes if it was supposed to be funny.

Overall, funny antics and good looking leads.

Read More

Couldn't stop watching despite how bad it is.

Tropey, cliché, etc.
High cringe factor.
Great chemistry in lead couple.
Rubbish side characters.
Zero interest in secondary couple.
Unlikeable love rivals.
Fab mums (and one dad and grandma).

The show is mostly held together by the ML's acting. FL is a quick thinker and only annoying when acting "cute".

Wasn't even a feast of fashion either, considering the theme of the show. Horrible back lighting in many scenes.

Despite this, I still enjoyed the experience though because it stirred up a lot of conversation about why we like to watch these shows. Simple fluff.
I will probably rewatch with skipping if only just to count how many times they accidentally trip kiss.

Read More

A game of cliché bingo is just what the fluff Dr prescribed

Real life was kinda tough last month so watching this ridiculous fluff was the escape I needed.

Positives:
• The first portion of the series was a lot of fun with the mixed contemporary and historical settings.
• The support characters were just as interesting.
• Intrigue with the "dream" sequences.
• Pleasant SML, who was supportive, sweet and not *too* stalker-y.
• Good looking cast (I know this is highly subjective)

Negatives:
• Questionable medical practices and ethics.
• Over reaction from the family after revelation. Ok FL had a right to be pissed, but the family's reaction just felt over the top.
• Second couple had more chemistry than lead couple!
• The latter portion was not as fun as the first.

Read More

Not a romantic comedy

There are light moments but it's family drama with elements of slice of life. I would probably watch it again to see if there were any nuances I missed.

CHILD-PARENT RELATIONSHIPS
I was crying a lot in the first half witnessing the hurt parents inflicted on the children they supposedly love. The same can be said of grandparents affecting the parents.

I cried at the beauty of Li Ba's love for the children. What a gem. I am a mum and awfully sentimental, so I cry at these things.

CHARACTER GROWTH
Of the main characters, LJJ and Li Ba were the constants so their characters don't develop much. They are caring and (subjectively) loveable from the start.

LX is broken and continues to be subjected to abuse. He's still very broken by the end but this is eventually acknowledged by Ling Ba who makes effort to make amends for his lack of emotional support.

I liked HZQ's character growth the most. In the eyes of the neighbours, he is the most pitiful child. He gets the happy ending he longed for and settles things with his bio dad realistically. He takes on Li ba's caring role in the girls' house.

ROMANCE
I personally didn't ship the main couple, it felt designed to the tie the family together officially that I think defeats the overall message that you don't need to be official to be family.

The heavy dependency and controlling behaviour of LX doesn't sit well with me but I didn't find it incestuous. The numerous complaints about LJJ calling LX "Gē" is a bit annoying when it's been explained over and over that it's culturally acceptable to call the boy next door "Gē". Although there is a cultural romanticising of childhood sweethearts, which I don't care for.

I also don't care for love at first sight, but this is addressed nicely with the lawyer friend Zhang Bei.

The best couple gets married.

FRIENDSHIPS
The friendships were beautiful and provided the slice of 20-somethings life. They provide a different example of their parental issues and difficulties finding their own path. Some might feel the side characters were given too much screen time but I thought it was a good balance and more realistic/healthy romantic encounters. I was invested in them and their immediate troubles were resolved enough.

OVERALL COMMENTS
Good quality production and casting. It didn't drag too much for my taste, but I enjoy the slice of life elements eg. cooking scenes.

Comic sound effects were on point.

Flashbacks were mostly new material and used to progress the plot/reveal the characters reasoning rather than needless repeats of what we have already seen.

HOW IT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
There wasn't any convincing resolution between LX and his mum. They both need professional help. You don't just get over PTSD and suicidal tendencies in a month. I would have preferred it if they were on the road to recovery by the end. She didn't have to accept LJJ or leave, just accept she needed help. This could have been a opportunity to shine a positive light on seeking mental healthcare, a chance to break taboo, even the Traditional Chinese Dr suggested it but Ling Ba insisted there wasn't any need.

Song Wei Long's acting does not stand out in this but that could have been the direction given.

A FEW TINY OBSERVATIONS
The 9 years away seemed too long. You can't usually stay in the UK on a student visa and then work indefinitely. Without help from his bio dad, HZQ was probably working discreetly from the authorities. Singapore is not that far, LX might not have been able to travel but why did no one go to see him?

This might be a problem in translation, but the boy Dong Dong is suffering developmental regression due to early childhood trauma from He Mei's description, autism seems incorrect.

LX & HZQ could have had a different hairstyle to depict the different time lines, like LJJ and QYL.

Hope that wasn't too long winded. My first review! :)

Read More

At the end, when they recapped their journey over 7+ years, I was glad I paced this out, I felt nostalgic, even though in my reality it was only a matter of weeks.

This coming of age, opposites attract, character driven drama is not my usual binge-fluff. Good performances from the cast. A good variety of supporting characters, providing the story with richness. A bumpy journey with a hopeful ending. Oh and a Zhou Shen soundtrack I love!

I sympathise with FL, she suffers from a lot of noise; her parents, self doubt, lack of clarity and direction. Her life is privileged and secure but she is numb. The Lighter sets off a spark within her, she starts to believe her own ability and takes risks. Her growth is subtle but not without value. That spark is more than romance, it's challenging and gives her purpose.

She found security in ML's brilliance. He always has a plan. She's kept in the dark a lot, which is problematic, definitely, but his actions show he always had another plan.

ML is a brilliant AH that makes for an interesting watch. He does grow and mature enough to wrap up the story, but he still has a lifetime to continue growing. I liked that he doesn't say "Don't worry, I've got this" he says "You worry. I fix it." I didn't like the tickling ?? I don't find that endearing.

Someone commented they could do with therapy. Most people could benefit from therapy ?.

A shout out to "Ling Ba" (Go Ahead reference) for kind of adopting this troubled kid.

9/10 recommend

Read More

Watched for the cast, not for the play

As an adaptation of An Inspector Calls, it lacks the seriousness of their misdoings and critique of elite society where the concluding question for debate should probably be "who is responsible?"

But the question I was left with was "what on earth did I just watch? Was that deep fake Donnie Yen??"

It's been a while since I watched a goofy HK comedy, and this successfully made me laugh. I enjoyed the OTT performances of Louis Koo and Lam Ka Tung. The aesthetics and editing had a Wes Anderson vibe. All the cameos you would expect of a spring festival movie and play the game of spot Director Wong. I loved Teresa Mo's hair.

It wouldn't be out of place as part of a variety show or a school drama club performance, where nobody is taking it deadly seriously and probably neither should the audience. Get a social critique and literary fix from a different source. The message at the end be like "You've had your fun, now go study". Busted.

Read More

Came for Leo Yang (who isn't even on the poster), stayed for intriguing story and an interesting supporting characters.

I caught snippets in feeds/ytube so gave it a go and it exceeded my low expectations. Regarding the production, editing, laughable action scenes, I treated it as part of the comedy.

I see no writing credit, which supports my suspicions that there was a team at odds with each other because the writing was such a mixed bag. There was a reference in ep21 to the "writers of this story [being] too unprofessional" was that a dig at themselves?

POSITIVES

1. Decent plot and amount of intrigue.
2. Supporting characters each had something to offer. Strong family-like friendships.
3. Main couple was mostly cute
4. I liked the music
5. Light and humorous moments.
6. Spotlight on organ donation.
7. Pretty dresses!! (unlike Once we get married)


SPOILERS


POSITIVES continued
8. No unnecessary second couple.
9. Chill female character too busy to date.
10. Antagonist that isn't nice simply because they're not, although could've gone deeper.

COULD DO BETTER

1. The flow of the drama, well, it doesn't. Everything is a bit jarring and not in a stylistic way. Why does this scene follow the last, did they just film lots of stuff and mash them together? It starts off well, then a lull then it's like they remembered they had to hand in their homework and crammed everything in the last few episodes. I'm glad I didn't wait for this weekly.

2. There was an instant attraction between main couple but they just got together, like what, they were making a cake for unknown reasons. But they weren't official. But they were. But not. But broke up anyway. Blaaah.

3. All the action scenes. Comedic. The whole snowy mountain expedition was pointless. Let's blow stuff up.

4. The complete lack of attention to detail. Highly radioactive meteorite, let's wear thin PPE. Oh but it's ok, it stopped being radioactive now, you can run back in without PPE or any decontamination procedure. It's aaall good.

5. We love humans and organ donation is a great and noble thing to do. Yo. Let's kill animals and stigmatise mental health issues!!! >.<

Read More

I'm guessing the novel was better?

Let's get the positives in first. Genuinely supportive team mates, friends, family and even rivals. Cute flirting scenes. Mild humour. Gorgeous felines. Attractive looking cast.

Some attempts to tackle big subjects such as toxic fandoms and being female gamer in male dominated industry although everything felt a bit too easily resolved.

Ok, now my biggest gripes.

1) Too much assumed knowledge. I'm into games but unfamiliar with Onmyoji Arena. A quick explanation would have sufficed.

"Hey, here's a map, its features, this is the objective and some of the main characters"

They had a beautiful model of the map in the meeting room table, I don't recall them ever drawing attention to it. I couldn't enjoy the nuances of when they ban/chose the players at the beginning of each match, why was that choice shocking? I ended up looking stuff up but I don't think I should have to do that.

2) I wondered if I fell asleep in the first few episodes and missed the explanation, but the fact that my attention was not captured in the beginning shows I wasn't that into the characters personal lives either. I almost dropped the series but fortunately Lu Yue appeared and injected a bit of much needed life into the team.

3) The animated parts were visually beautiful but on occasion, especially group battles, they were wasted because of poor clarity or pacing. I can understand why some viewers skipped them.

Overall, my personal opinion is it was entertaining enough, I didn't hate it but it has unfulfilled potential. Maybe tried to do too much.

Read More