Doramaslover
This review may contain spoilers
Rare gem hard to come by!
My overall impression of this drama is pretty favorable allowing for the fact that this is set in the Republican era. This is because Mystic Nine was the only series that is branded upon my memory as a well-executed Chinese Republican drama before coming across Fall in Love. I am quite impressed at the writer's foresight and astute move in creating the personalities and identities of the characters here. Although it was beyond my understanding how this type of plot based on a part of China's history could pass the strict censorship, the unfolding of the rest of the plot shed light on the answer to my question.
I would like to take my hat off to Chen Xing Xu for his terrific and unfailing acting skills. His changing facial expressions and portrayal of the character are top-notch. I was fond of the second male lead here in Crush, and I still am but when he and CXX appeared on screen together, it was apparent that CXX was more attractive with his charms and wonderful acting skills. I truly admire his flexibility and versatility in playing his characters, and I would think that there is no Chinese actor to set beside him as a villainous male lead. As shrewd male leads are on my favorite characters list, I enjoyed watching how the male lead did not play by the rules to fulfill his goals. Nevertheless, he did not go beyond the bounds of morality and was always be careful about the people around him. He did not make impetuous decisions just to aggravate the audience which is an essential element in some Chinese dramas.
As I have given enough appreciation toward the male lead's character, I will discuss the female lead and the reasons for my support for her character. I could say she is the best female lead in a modern/Republican Chinese series that I have ever watched (and probably that they have ever produced). She is not those female leads who are old enough to get married but think like a child of the Stone Age (because most children today are clever enough as adults). She could make considerations in a logical way, knew how to deal with her enemies, and make a pact with the stranger who she thought she could trust to survive the ordeals of living in a dangerous place. Most importantly, her strongest charm was being humble and communicative despite her high social status and intelligence. As far as I know, modern Chinese dramas are apt to be extreme in building the female leads' attributes. They are either super dumb or super independent to the point of being over-arrogant.
The third feature of this series that I particularly love is the mature relationship of the main couple. They were mutually helpful and supportive even during the times when they could not be together. They were able to stand to face the problems and horrors of the atrocious situations calmly and strongly. Although their first meeting was not a smooth start, they did not relent on their trust in one another once they were able to understand each other completely.
There is no character that I hated here as all of the characters carried out the objectives that came with their nature. Xu Guang Yao and Gu Yue Shuang are my second favorite characters as I love the main couple's characters equally. They did not turn bad because of their obsession with the male lead and female lead just like the secondary roles in other Chinese series. They were true to themselves and remained loyal and sincere throughout the whole plot. Although their characters were just frosting on the cake, I really enjoyed watching them.
As to the story, the beginning episodes were thrilling and addicting but began to lost momentum after those episodes. However, it was still fairly engaging in the middle, but quite boring at the latter part. The romance of the main couple was also better in the beginning part. Regarding the ost songs, they were not remarkable. Sway in the Wind by Fang Ni Liu was the single song that I liked and craved to listen to after watching the drama, and it piqued me that they did not play that song in the scenes between Xuan Lin and Wan Qing. All in all, this is a worth-watching series that I did not regret spending my spare time on.
I would like to take my hat off to Chen Xing Xu for his terrific and unfailing acting skills. His changing facial expressions and portrayal of the character are top-notch. I was fond of the second male lead here in Crush, and I still am but when he and CXX appeared on screen together, it was apparent that CXX was more attractive with his charms and wonderful acting skills. I truly admire his flexibility and versatility in playing his characters, and I would think that there is no Chinese actor to set beside him as a villainous male lead. As shrewd male leads are on my favorite characters list, I enjoyed watching how the male lead did not play by the rules to fulfill his goals. Nevertheless, he did not go beyond the bounds of morality and was always be careful about the people around him. He did not make impetuous decisions just to aggravate the audience which is an essential element in some Chinese dramas.
As I have given enough appreciation toward the male lead's character, I will discuss the female lead and the reasons for my support for her character. I could say she is the best female lead in a modern/Republican Chinese series that I have ever watched (and probably that they have ever produced). She is not those female leads who are old enough to get married but think like a child of the Stone Age (because most children today are clever enough as adults). She could make considerations in a logical way, knew how to deal with her enemies, and make a pact with the stranger who she thought she could trust to survive the ordeals of living in a dangerous place. Most importantly, her strongest charm was being humble and communicative despite her high social status and intelligence. As far as I know, modern Chinese dramas are apt to be extreme in building the female leads' attributes. They are either super dumb or super independent to the point of being over-arrogant.
The third feature of this series that I particularly love is the mature relationship of the main couple. They were mutually helpful and supportive even during the times when they could not be together. They were able to stand to face the problems and horrors of the atrocious situations calmly and strongly. Although their first meeting was not a smooth start, they did not relent on their trust in one another once they were able to understand each other completely.
There is no character that I hated here as all of the characters carried out the objectives that came with their nature. Xu Guang Yao and Gu Yue Shuang are my second favorite characters as I love the main couple's characters equally. They did not turn bad because of their obsession with the male lead and female lead just like the secondary roles in other Chinese series. They were true to themselves and remained loyal and sincere throughout the whole plot. Although their characters were just frosting on the cake, I really enjoyed watching them.
As to the story, the beginning episodes were thrilling and addicting but began to lost momentum after those episodes. However, it was still fairly engaging in the middle, but quite boring at the latter part. The romance of the main couple was also better in the beginning part. Regarding the ost songs, they were not remarkable. Sway in the Wind by Fang Ni Liu was the single song that I liked and craved to listen to after watching the drama, and it piqued me that they did not play that song in the scenes between Xuan Lin and Wan Qing. All in all, this is a worth-watching series that I did not regret spending my spare time on.
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