A charming and lightweight drama that is fun to watch.

Mr Bad is a fantasy cum contemporary romantic drama starring Chen Zhe Yuan (Our Secret) as Xiao Wudi and Shen Yue (Meteor Gardens) as Nan Xing as leads also Luo Ming Jie as Lu Zi Chen and Qu Jing Jing as Ye Qing, directed by Lee Ching Jung (Go Go Squid!).

Story:
It follows the story between Nan Xing an athlete and Xiao Wudi, a villain from the martial arts world who was summoned by Nan Xing under certain circumstances. Then there is also a beautiful sub-plot between Lu Zi Chen and Ye Qing. Both plots have their own built-up and sensible story.

Main Characters:

Xiao Wudi is an intelligent, capable and expert-level martial arts disciple. Chen Zhe Yuan did an amazing job portraying Xiao Wudi. The character itself is complicated as he is cunning, intelligent, selfish and also as the story progresses slowly changes his demeanour into everything opposite. Chen has excelled in both shoes and left a mark as Xiao Wudi. You cannot but cry when he cries and laugh when he laughs. The confusion he goes through at times were real and portrayed beautifully. The final episode was one of the best examples of how well Xiao Wudi was portrayed. The chemistry that he shares with Nan Xing is amazing.

Nan Xing is a physically strong athlete who is kind of tomboyish for her reasons. She is an avid fan of Lu Zi Chen’s work and considers him her idol. Shen Yue did a fair job in portraying the role, but sometimes you cannot ignore the lack of emotion or the misplaced emotions that are present throughout the drama. There is also this minute vagueness in the character when she initially develops feelings for Xiao Wudi, also her backstory of being an athlete seems unnecessary, the entire accident that caused the trauma is vague too. But the chemistry she shares with Xiao Wudi is great.

Lu Zi Chen, is a successful crime novel writer. He is also the owner of X-Culture a startup publishing company. He is confused and childish with many flaws and fears. Luo Ming Jie has done justice to the role with his soft voice and demeanour. The cluelessness that Zichen experiences at times were top-notch and funny (when intended).

Ye Qing is the CEO of X-Culture and Lu Zi Chen’s childhood friend. She understands him well and helps his dream of X-culture come true. She is independent and strong-willed. Qu has done a great job at portraying Miss ye.
Special mentions to An Ni Na (Dong Xuan) Nan Xing’s mother and Mao Xiao Jun and also several office staff who all did an amazing job.

Costume Design:
The costumes used were apt for each character and circumstance. You see how different Xiao Wudi’s sense of style indicates his class as a character. Nan Xing also experiences this when he helps her to dress up. You could see how each character has their own style.

Overall:
I can clearly state that Mr Bad is not a perfect product. Yet there are some aspects that you can give credit to for example beautiful chemistry between leads. If you are particular about watching only perfect content in every shot, you might get disappointed. But If you want a quick break from all those highly complicated, villainous and misunderstanding-filled dramas, you can surely give this a try and feel content with the result.

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“Isn’t this just for show? We are just seeing who is better at acting”

Story:
Renascence is a historical drama which tells the story of Yao Mo Xin the Empress, Ye Hong Yi the Emperor and Ye Jun Qing God of the war of Chu. Empress Yao Mo Xin is poisoned and due to circumstances, her soul is switched with her younger sister’s. It’s the finding of the killer of the empress and revenge following, the basis of the story.

Main Characters & Acting:
Yao Mo Xin/ Yao Mo Wan is kind, friendly and quick-witted. She amazes at everything and impresses everyone with her deeds. That was the exact reason why both the brothers, Emperor, Ye Hong Yi and God of War, Ye Jun Qin fell in love with her immediately. Li Mo Zhi did a great job of carrying the role. The instances when she was childish were as fun to watch as she became, a serious and scheming consort. The gracefulness of the Consort was carried out perfectly. The character development of Yao Mo wan/Xin is commendable. (The role of Empress was carried out by Cheng Yan Qiu, which I couldn’t help but hope to have been better).

Ye Jun Qing is a smart and loyal brother of the emperor. He values relationships and sentiment over power and that has made him lose to his brother repeatedly. He is one of the very few characters who are direct and truthful. Chen Zhe Yuan was a treat to the eyes. Jun Qing was a very different role compared to Chen’s previous roles and he portrayed it beautifully. He can be seen as emotional and authoritative the majority of the time and he played it sometimes through actions and at times through facial expressions. The attitude of Jun Qing in one-on-one with the emperor in Ep 25 was amazing. The emotional scenes were performed well and convincingly. Overall he did an amazing job as Ye Jun Qing.

Ye Hong Yi is a manipulative, insecure and cunning emperor. He is ready to be a villain and dirty his hands for power. His one and only love is Yao Mo Xin which becomes his possession. He is also a vary of his brother. Johnny Zhang did an exceptional role as Hong Yi. The various feelings of love, betrayal, jealousy, lust, greed, and cruelty, were all shown with remarkable skill. The character transition was also smooth.

Most of the characters were beautifully portrayed like other consorts, Consort Li and Consort Shu who were an integral part of the story. But some characters were mis-casted.

Editing:
This is exactly where the drama fails miserably. It was originally a 70-episode drama which was cut short to 36 episodes. You can see that in one instance you just knew the character and, in another instance, they are a very integral part of the plot without a proper backstory. There were many heart-wrenching scenes throughout the drama which failed to capture the desired outcome from the viewers due to poor character/story build-up. Some stories did not have proper endings while others had unanswered questions. But what exactly can be expected from a half-cut drama?


OST:
Renascence had some great background scores and a soundtrack. These helped greatly in absorbing the feelings portrayed on screen.

Costume:
The drama is rich in designer costumes that are apt for precise occasions.
Yao Mo Wan had a pastel pink theme but had a transition in colour once she attained the noble consort title. Even the war costumes she wore were beautiful. The wedding dress of Great Shu was beautifully different from that of Great Chus’s.
Jun Qing can also be seen in majorly Grey but also in Black, white and blue costumes with distinct features.
All the different countries had distinct themes and costumes whereas the Country of Southland had a different theme than that of Great Chu, which was great to see.

Overall:
Renascence is an enjoyable drama regardless of the plot holes, poor editing and disjointed scenes. It had some interesting plot twists, good fight scenes, and commendable CGI. If one could let go of the negative issues of the drama and see it for what it is, one can surely enjoy it to the very last episode.

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Go in with no expectations

I have been waiting for this drama forever. So, when IQIYI announced that it was to be released on 27th December 2022 I was euphoric. Special mention to all the trailers, they were just amazing.

It is the story of Xiao Duo a eunuch who works for the emperor and Bu Yin Luo the concubine whom the emperor loves. Their relationship is forbidden (Hence the name), so the problems they discover form the story.

Characters:

Xiao Duo played by Dylan Wang. I must say that I expected a lot after LBFaD but he was not up to the mark. Mostly he did a fair job, but he fails to show emotions through certain scenes. Especially some emotional scenes between Yukee and him. The lack of chemistry between him and Yukee was showing through. He looks amazing as always with the beautiful and intricate wardrobe, especially the Black ones. Dylan has few but some excellent fight scenes, which I absolutely love. Also, his general controlling, stern and clever attitude is noteworthy.

Bu Yin Luo played by Yukee Chen. Yukee Chen was not bad but one could not help but see a lot of recycled actions across different emotions. She is wide-eyed in several scenes which feels out of place. Most emotional scenes could not be related to. She not only lacks chemistry with Xiao Duo but also with Li Ping Ru and Tong Yun. There is a lack of build-up between her and Li Ping Ru, which makes the emotional scenes just so-so. At times one cannot help but question if she has any feelings for Xiao Duo or if she is okay with spending time holding hands with Fu Wang. She also has a good wardrobe.

Murong Gao Gong/Fu Wang played by Peter Ho. He does a good job of a know-nothing, want-nothing prince who by chance became an emperor. His love for Yin Luo is blind and selfish. The character build-up is fair.

So Far:
If you have time and want to binge-watch a costume drama or miss Dylan after LBFaD you can watch it. The drama is one-time watchable with some amazing shots and beautiful costumes. It lacks some character build-ups, story build-ups and lead pair chemistry. The first few episodes lack the charm but as you go on the story does become quite interesting. If you can bear with the problems do give it a try.

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