An honest review (100% recommend to watch)

I was recommended this drama by a credible source on YouTube; I don't follow the actors but the plot fascinated me since there was a natural disaster in it and I'm personally a nerd in that area. Was actually watching something at the time but dropped it to watch this and was blown away. I have seen a lot of their dramas and I have to say this is my new number 1 favorite modern drama of all time. It almost had no cons for me which is beyond rare.

All three couples were great. I would have loved to see couple number two develop faster then episode 33 out of 40 but considering the SML was such a "blockhead" it was a bit understandable. The only other minus was the OST's are very forgettable but that's not a major thing for me. Usually, I wish for there to be less episodes because you're running into one annoying cliche or another, but this story had none of that; I actually wished it and the drama I dropped traded places in episode count as that one had 45. No love triangles, minimal jealousy, no toxicity, no stalkers, or other tropes ridiculously prevalent in most of these dramas.

Every episode you're laughing your head off and every conflict gets resolved very quickly. The FL is a powerful woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind. ML is a hero in his job and a bit of a dork in the story. But he doesn't waste anytime in pursuing his lady love once he figures out he's got feelings for her and he does it in a way that will win her heart. There are tiny misunderstandings that are resolved with proper communication in their relationship. Their conversations are very cute and everyone related has a strong bond which is also so awesome and refreshing to see.

Also love the third couple and how since ML and TFL are brother and sister, they really care about each other. There's none of that toxic family environment where family hates son's/daughter's choice in significant other and want to choose for him or her. Sister is 100% on board with FL even before she and bro start dating and has her back when they do. It is realistic life events and relationships; it is common for doctors to be in relationships with police officers because both share the same goals professionally, to save lives. This is literally the definition of a modern drama.

The screenwriter and directors did a fantastic job adapting this and creating a fun, loving, heart pounding series that I will absolutely rewatch and will go into my permanent collection of rewatching where really 3 dramas exist, two of which are costume. Thank you to the entire cast and crew for a phenomenal job! I will miss all of these characters very much and I truly hope that the actors can do something together again in the future. A+!

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17 Steps Ahead of King Schemey McSteamy

This series surprised the heck out of me because I never even intended on watching it. When it was postponed I never really thought twice. Then I saw ZLH in MJTY and was intrigued plus at the time I hadn't seen BL in anything nor any of the other leads though the supporting cast I was somewhat familiar with. I'm not a fan of palace politics but this series got me curious from all of the excitement it generated once the drop date was announced. I nearly gave it a perfect 10 if it wasn't for the very few cons, I couldn't get past. But it really was the 17 steps ahead of King Schemey McSteamy.

Pros: It should be very obvious who the favorite character is; ZLH's acting has improved leaps and bounds. This was his first morally gray protagonist and he absolutely nailed it. He was like a mad scientist in every way. I have no idea how XW's brain worked. It was like he was psychic and planned things as he foresaw them. The story originally started more on the FL's side and she too just knocked her role out of the park. It was her redemption/rebirth story plus reverse harem so our ML had to be the 3rd wheel for a while, something that with his absolutely insane jealousy streak was heart pounding and hysterical at the same time.

YL was Spider-Man; dude had supernatural abilities when fighting in that heavy ass armor that the actor even said was really hard to move in. What made this series really worth watching is that other then our cast which were all absolutely amazing; I can't say anyone screwed up their parts, was that the plot was always rolling along. You kept waiting for what's next. You never had to ffw or you'd miss something vital. Furthermore, the cast filmed during peak summer months and in extreme heat, they were constantly on the verge of heat stroke. I loved every member of the cast the ones mentioned above, ZZ, the princess, JXH, the hilarious and yet awesome guards of XW, fake DF, and everyone else, even the villains sans Lord Pinghead as I think he was used as more of a plot device to get the leads together. I'll speak more about him below.

The leads chemistry especially Ep. 36; people should know what I'm talking about. King McSteamy was born! I was actually surprised how much made it in. Usually after a passionate kiss, it's cut to spotlight and curtains or next scene. Here we saw more and it was great! And so glad that the kisses were real and XW was an absolute panther. I could probably write a whole review on just his love and lust plus jealousy alone. From what I wrote in the comments: That whole “JXN: I want you” bit? Woof! And then of course…Duke asswipe is all “I’m gonna rule the world.” Our boy goes “Hold my Qin. Back up dog, emperor and I got this on lock before I even left!” Who saw that coming?!?

XW, uncle, cousin reveal actually brought a tear to my eyes. It was a brief but beautiful moment. Plus XW's jealousy of his own son liking ZZ was too funny and a totally face-palm moment. JXN needs to nip that in the bud before the son starts picking up dad's negative traits lol. Daughter was too cute too. There were so many great moments in this drama; even the villains did what they had to do and for the most part were intelligent so it wasn't like some trope or cliche.

Costumes, sets, fights, OSTs, were great! I probably will come back to write something I missed or forgot lol. Just too much goodness.

Cons: Very little of these, but the .5 was knocked off for several reasons. Though I wish the modern day wasn't returned to, I understand it was done so because of censorship; I really would have preferred the 7 minute wedding to be in the last episode instead of an extra one plus do it before the scene with kids, instead of her dreaming of XW killing himself per lifetime number one. We're past that, no need to go back. Furthermore, Lord Pinghead's whole arc towards the end felt off to me because, he's supposed to be this murderous insane villain who killed children and destroyed a city but it looked more like just a ploy to get the leads officially together. He really wasn't much of anything. Just a paranoid killer. Duke asswipe had mountains more on him in terms of evil.

Wish they kept ZZ's rebirth arc because otherwise even to the almost end, it seemed he was still pining for her and it felt incomplete. He should have been given his own proper ending. Should have killed loser Xue son as per the novel too. Why was Duke asswipe allowed to stab XW with so many guards around him just because he was staring at JXN? The poor guy was already pin cushioned 6 ways to Sunday. YL and DQ should have finished the job before he even launched himself off the ground. Lastly and this felt the most unnecessary, was the death of FY. They could have killed ZYZ as is, he held her captive and tortured her. Why did she have to grab hold of him and he stab her? He could have just kicked her away and run; he would have been caught regardless and JXN should have delivered the death blow herself like "You think I can't kill you? Watch this, bitch!" FY's death was completely pointless. I don't understand this portion at all.

Would I recommend it? 100% would. It was a gem that I didn't expect to fall in love with but did. The pros way outweighed the cons. The plot was very well handled even the portions that deviated from the book. This is how dramas should be written and done with proper endings. Must watch y'all!

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Chinese Game of Thrones with a Great Brotherhood

I've been anticipating this one for a long time; now not saying I had high expectations especially since it sat on a shelf for nearly three years. Now that part one is over, I feel something is missing. Watched primarily for LYN and I knew a few other of the supporting casts though not the other leads. But the vibe of this was the Chinese GoT with a great Brotherhood.

Pros: I loved the brotherhood; them three together on screen or when they could know what the others were thinking when they were so far apart. The comedy in the beginning was nice. LYN played ruthless DiLin very well and yet had a soft spot only for his two sworn brothers, his precious wife and unborn child. The rest of the world be damned. Pretty proud of him as the role was done early on in his career. SYL was the sexy hero of the trio and the woman he fell for molded him to a T. Their sexy time was very well played and left my iPad smoking. ML was the goofball with the secret ninja powers not even his brothers apparently knew about. He comes off as a playboy but has a great strategic mindset; so he's their hidden weapon.

Part 1 revolved around the GoT like power struggle and rebellion of one of the older keepers of the country. As well as the invasion of North Clan who are barbaric in nature. The one in control however was the one who pitted people against each and was the real mastermind to keep power for himself. Even ML's Shifu who never planned on rebelling was made a pawn of just so the old fart could stay in power. The old fart chief who looked feeble and sickly was really hellbent to keep everything to himself; doesn't matter who he destroyed and how. He had DiLin kill one of his "most trusted" spy's entire family just so they wouldn't form an alliance later against him. The actor played a very conniving and scheming antagonist pretending to be a protagonist very well. But all of that scheming, has made him more enemies than I'm sure he's aware of. His main phrase was "I trust you the most." That's how you knew he didn't trust you at all. Thankfully two out of three brothers have figured out that he is not who he appears and are very wary of him.

The budget was definitely on the lower side with major edits done plus a title change but the GoT low lighting atmosphere and that kind of world setting was only missing a few dragons and looked really cool. OSTs, costumes, scenery otherwise were all on point. I really hope they release part two soon.

Cons: One word: Ning! Her character though as completely unimportant as it was took up so many episodes, we feared instead of it being about the brotherhood, it'll be about this royal poodle gorilla glue and her childish crush on ML. While I understand this story had to show her childish behavior but not for 15 episodes. Oftentimes, only one brother would make it into an episode and it grated on everyone. The 12 year old tantrums she would throw thinking the entire planet—especially the nails on chalkboard "Xiu gege" she would whine—revolved around her and her needs was mind boggling. Her country was at war where people died left and right but all she could think of was the pretty dresses she hasn't worn etc. She ran away from home just to whine to the ML about how he had to cater to her like she was on some vacation while the man was trying to keep people alive. It was disgusting and she had way too much screen time where for a while, the story hiccuped a lot. Instead of wasting time on her, they could have told more about the brothers upbringing and how they became sworn brothers in the first place. Would have been far more interesting. Or even on the story of North Clan and why they couldn't keep still in their own territory. Anything but her. I hope in part 2 she takes a very serious seat in the back row.

The fact that there was more talk than action other than the very beginning and ending, we can attribute to the low budget as I would have preferred more fighting scenes then just the aftermath with explanations. Or after DiLin massacred an entire battalion, he just stands there, covered in blood. Would have preferred to see that actually play out as opposed to what we saw, same with SYL's battles.

Would I recommend it? Despite the lord awful Ning and lots of talking, it's actually a pretty decent watch and does grab your attention. It is an OE as there's a part 2 that's apparently already been filmed and needs to be released; so hopefully soon. I say give it a go.

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Great Acting by the Entire Cast But Plot Took a Nosedive in the 2nd Half

I'd seen a retro tribute modern drama already with ZLY this year but this one had a totally different premise, so I wanted to see how she would handle a harder plot and though she and the rest of the cast did a wonderful job in their respective roles, the plot took a serious nosedive towards the second half and the end.

Pros: I can't say enough about the acting of this very professional cast. ZLY did a terrific job as XBX, a stubborn, enterprising, reflective, yet very flawed character and everyone else followed. At first, I wasn't a fan of GXY as she appeared like a spoiled rich girl going through a rebellion but it became clear after a handful of episodes that though she was spoiled and bratty, she had a big heart and really cared about TXQ. The "steel trio" of XBX, TXQ, and CYZ were a great bunch who sincerely loved one another even if that sometimes came across as tough love or protection in the form of lying which backfired more often then not. The intent behind it was real.

Other favorite characters were ZL, President Gao, Dr. Su, Su Computer Nerd, and manager Jia; all were wonderful supportive people to XBX and each other wherever they fit. When it came to the good guys, all of their parts were done accordingly. The scenery and OSTs were on point and appropriate.

Cons: While I understood this was a propaganda tribute drama and that it would have a lot of that included in it, what absolutely shocked me was the hamster wheel plot of the antagonists would completely overshadow even that. There were a total of 4 really bad guys, one coward, and one insignificant idiot that came and went. The plot essentially took a nosedive in the second half when the 3 main antagonists/business partners and XBX plus her ex routinely sent each other to jail. It was a literal revolving door of prison sentences. They'd set each other up, beg for someone else to take the fall, or manage to somehow twist themselves loose so many times that all of their illegal deeds combined would probably equal a 25 year minimum for each save XBX.

Everyone of them ended up with some sort of redemption arc in the last few episodes that they didn't deserve. Even though Mr. Wu did turn himself in, in the final 15 minutes of the last episode, the amount of illegalities he'd done throughout the years should have seen him in prison for more then just a year. I didn't like the antagonists at all in this series, though their acting was on point 100%, it was because every time one would get into trouble, he'd get himself out by setting someone else up, rinse, repeat x maybe 8! The storyline hindered them completely which was very sad because they could have really done something more believable in terms of how the law worked.

Speaking of the law, how is it that TXQ got 5 years in prison for kicking XBX's ex in the balls while the latter was choking her to death (murder attempt number 1) and the ex 10 years later only got 1 month after he ran her off the road and threw a metal pipe at her head causing a head injury (murder attempt number 2)? So saving another person from near death is illegal but actually trying to kill someone isn't. In that second case plus with the antagonists, was XBX Mother Theresa? She gave the ex a debit card that she'd deposit money in each month to help him and the kid he adopted. She felt like she owed him; for what? Trying to kill her? Same with Wu, Qiu, and even Dong, they'd set her up but there she goes trying to bail them out. That kind of backwards logic was confusing. Lastly on this topic, they essentially spent the last 4-6 episodes spouting various domestic and international laws that the average viewer wouldn't have a clue as to what was happening.

Another point of contention was with poor CYZ, once it was obvious he had terminal cancer and had little time to live, they kept dragging his death out. It was brutal to watch; they could have had the pier sunrise scene maybe 6 episodes earlier then they did. Made me wonder if they purposefully did it as filler but that's like the really wrong way of going about that. Because even to the last episode, they brought him in as happy and in flashbacks. That would have been way better then what was done with his character at that time.

The introduction of Russian speaking characters that couldn't speak the language fluently like Nina was ridiculous especially to someone whose native tongue it is. The entire Russian arc in the beginning, I fast forwarded because it was off historically among many other things. The last part that bugged me though it wasn't huge were the costumes especially XBX's wedding dress which was straight out of the 1980s instead of the year 2000. Some ppl said she didn't have enough money for a new one but that didn't jive either as by that time she and ZL lived in a huge house and her car was a Mercedes, she didn't drive herself but had a driver and assistant with her at nearly all times.

So though the acting was very well with a professional cast, the storyline/plot started out strong but then just unraveled. Hadn't it been for the great acting, I would have given it a much lower score.

Would I recommend it? Honestly, only if you like ZLY or anyone else in the cast. Otherwise, plot wise it's not strong at all with many factual and historical errors.

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Why? Just Why?

This has been on my anticipated list since it filmed back in 2021. I really wanted to see VG in a Republican Era vampire role because I knew he could hit it out of the park (which he did); at the time I didn't know the rest of mains or some of the supporting cast. But what started as an interesting drama and story devolved into yet another ridiculous push for a supporting character to outshine everyone except the lead. Why? Just seriously why?

Pros: VG as a vampire or SZH was truly awesome even though his character wasn't very smart at times and couldn't put two and two together. I loved everything about him as an immortal that did his absolute best to be human. It was a great role for him and I hope he does something like this again just maybe with a different director and script. I loved SZH relationship with SWL who turned out to be his younger brother. Those two really did deserve so much more screen time even SWL by himself or with other characters like ML, our child-like FL or Jing Xue (who I really wish sounded like an adult not a 12 year old when she spoke or whined/cried). The four of them made this drama worthwhile to watch. The real antagonist was the Mu lady at the end and she gave the right kind of villain vibe. I loved the vampires kicking butt parts very much but then again I'm usually happy with any sort of martial arts in a drama or the kicking of the butt.

I have to say unlike SZH who was being as human as possible, SWL was the opposite. He was born as a vampire and didn't know human emotions or what being human really meant and though it seemed ok with him at first, he started getting confused once his feelings couldn't be explained with vampire logic and that's why though he came across as unserious or goofy, his character really was quite complex. Mi Lan remained as child-like through out her entire portrayal whether she was blind or when she was turned and could see (being blind to start and than getting used to seeing, ON really nailed her role). It being republican era, made the sets and costumes just really beautiful as well as the OSTs.

Cons: Was it really nepotism that swung TML and supposed villain into basically second ML lead status but in the worst way possible? Second drama that has done that after TPR. The director was determined no matter how many people he harmed, killed, etc., to give him a redemption arc death but he made most of us want to vomit because, I'm sorry but this actor couldn't be taken seriously, was miscast, and/or was just no and given way too much screen time, side tracking the story seven ways to Sunday. He had mental health issues and many complexes I couldn't remember or explain. I just wanted him gone and had to ffw a lot of his scenes because they were so repetitive, it was boring to the point of headache inducing. His death redemption arc was in the form of a lava bomb when he pushed SZH out of the way and you had to yet again do a facepalm as his life with SZH flashed before him just before he went kaboom. And Mu lady's death was laughable because one moment they were just on an erupting volcano fighting, the next SZH gets another power and he throws her into a very convenient and somehow nearby lava flow which of course consumes her though just minutes ago, she was able to control the lava.

What happened to that ending? HE in the book supposedly but filled with plot holes, the death of SZH (or maybe he just disappeared for a few decades and reappeared later and walked over to her playing piano in a park with an umbrella as per some HE writing released by production) in a completely ridiculous manner that made no sense; so after all of that, I'd call it an OE that still made absolutely no sense. Furthermore, they had to do it in a phony Titanic themed method of both floating on a wooden board in the ocean and than without us seeing it as the camera panned out to the sun that hadn't bothered him until recent episodes, he supposedly disappeared as Mi Lan was calling his name.

Sorry y'all but I didn't feel any chemistry between SZH and Mi Lan and it had nothing to do with their age difference as actors or vampires for that matter. But just because Mi Lan acted so child-like that they appeared as a family of three with SZH being the big brother and protector of SWL (even though didi was way stronger) and ML.

Loopholes included; how did Mu lady survive? How did Mu Lady get all those people from Chi's office on her side and when? Why and when did Mi Lan put that necklace back on? Had she not had that pendant on her, Mu Lady would have been killed and SZH wouldn't have had to fake die? If there's traffic on the road, why use horses when one is a crow and two are vampires that fly as well? You're going after a boat and yet back to a horse you go for starters? Mi Lan may have been weak but she could have easily overpowered that shadow soldier before he pushed the self destruct button of the boat. Oh and episode 24 had zombies that came from some weird location when that was never even part of the story. Many others I can't wrap my mind around. Like make it make sense, please! I'm just glad I never set expectations on dramas before watching them because when they essentially self destruct, I don't have to deal with disappointment.

Why couldn't the remaining living characters get proper endings? They ended SWL and Jingxue in mid conversation with dead bodies all around and no ML but a voice over of what she was going to do in the future. Oh and her flower bloomed. One of the most "wait, that's it?" endings ever!

Would I recommend it? Only for VG, ON, and SDC (actor's acronyms). The beautiful era and sets and costumes plus OSTs, but the storyline fell apart in the teen episodes. So I can't say one or another, sorry.

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A Game of Tetris

Well, I got what I wanted; Jing was endgame and the demon went out like the MVP that he was. That said season 2 was all over the place and therefore this will be an analysis/review. I added A Nian to my favorite character list along with the two above. Due to the shoddy editing, I consider part 2 an essential game of Tetris. I'll start with the characters that stood out to me and how they changed (if at all since season one).

XY: Our red flag, anti-heroine definitely evolved from speaking to the mortal Tian'er in her way of thinking though it wasn't until episode 18 that the "abandonment" word was finally beaten out of her. Even when she spoke to the essence of her mother, she didn't get it until she realized it was her own mother. I did like how she allowed herself to understand that the whole thing with Jing was her fault too. That she stood by when she knew something was fishy with the whole child thing and did nothing; when she could have prevented a lot of misunderstandings and problems. Also glad the woman who swore she would never wait for anyone, not only posthumously married Jing but defied her obsessive brother when it came to him. But she got her happily ever after with the person right for her.

Jing: You are NOT the father. That was a phrase I had wanted to hear for a long time and it was satisfying; Maury Povich inside my head and everything. Jing evolved in his own manner; he wasn't a pushover anymore. He spoke his mind to her about his suspicions of the kid not being his and even later on, he didn't just stammer and disappear. He was gentle, kind, and not overbearing. He took credit for the good and not so good things he did without hesitation. And just like I thought and hoped, both the lifesaving pill and the demon brought him back to her. He fought hard to come back. He's her direct opposite and that's what she needed and wanted in a soulmate.

The demon: Lord almighty, I don't think I have ever met a larger masochist in any series, movie, show of any country. The lengths he went to save her; sacrificing 3 of his lives and erasing as much of her memory of him while he forever grieved, even in death. Only good thing was that he went out exactly as he wanted. Death was tragic but awesome. He really was the MVP. Had been anything less, it would have done irreparable damage to his character. As a novelist, I'm happy with it. But now because of that aquarium like pill inside that wooden doll, XY could take him with her on all of her adventures even if she didn't know it. I'm sure like others, I wish he or others told XY just how much he had actually done for her. Even at the very end, though she mourned his loss, she still misunderstood him. Also my favorite piece of music was his BGM in both seasons; just a female voice and I believe a guitar; simple and yet so deep. I also wish he sent Chubby to her and Jing as they traveled the world. They could take care of it and have a nice reminder of him. Poor Chubby didn't get an ending.

FL: Fleshed out more thankfully. He wasn't a bad guy at all, though morally grey like everyone else. I actually wish he didn't die, he was good to keep around but at least he did right by Jing and told CX the truth in the end. Though his death did bring some form of hope to his horrid sister Xingyue in changing her nasty ways (I actually thought "why does trash like his sister have to live but he can't?"). He was a good friend, general, cared about people and though a deity, he was probably one of the more human ones.

CX: He never got over his obsession of XY but at least we never saw him go batshit crazy. I never liked his character as a person though he was a good emperor. The fact that him "killing" Jing was actually an illusion created by his grandfather to get to the bottom of the truth was horribly done. It was like we knew why we had to hate him and then snap, it's not true? Like how's the audience supposed to feel for him afterwards? Then make that nightmare Xingyue be the real culprit but he's partially to blame because of the way he treated her too. So it's this never-ending whirlpool. Plus the forced "look he's evolved into someone sort of good" up through the end where the main couple don't even get the last scenes but are given to him and A Nian back in that village? It would have been better if it was XY and Jing wondering around the village reminiscing together. Still he had to unburden himself of his feelings in the last episode finally to her right before she got married; selfish much? Because it would've changed anything? Why are we supposed to feel sorry for him? I don't! I'm confused with this obsessed fool. Which again says something about the actor and character portrayal done very well.

A Nian: Literally my favorite female in the entire show and the absolutely most evolved character bar none. I was so proud of her. I hope if CX decides to have kids, it's only with her. She's the only real rightful queen and one that deserves to birth an heir.

I'd have to say that the editing made someone like me who has never read the novel stay in a perpetual state of confusion. Furthermore, each episode ended in some haphazard manner like in the middle of a conversation or fight. I had to constantly ask what was happening and why from friends who had read the novel or the leaked script. Part 2 in post production had to be done by a different team. Other than editing, what was up with FL's poison death veins, they were obviously not under his skin and looked like plaster or marker you could just peel or wash off. It was laughable in that agonizing scene. Same went for Jing's injuries in the water. This season looked a lot cheaper in other aspects too. I felt that the producers and editors smoked something very heavy.

Would I recommend it? Only if you watched season one and need to watch this to finish things off. The characters did evolve but some were forced on audience regarding that while others actually did so organically. Most actors did a good job.

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Soul Swap & Case Solving; Possible Season 2?

This series mystery solving and "face swap" intrigued me plus I wanted to see LXY in a different role as when I put this on my watchlist I had only seen him in TBOY and though he did well, I wanted to see him play someone other then a sarcastic, bald monk with insane powers. Since then I've seen him as an antagonist in Destined too. This was a very different soul swap & case solving with a cliffhanger ending to the storyline so a possible season 2?

Pros: I liked the cases themselves and that one case was connected to the next and so forth; slowly exposing the massive organization behind it. LXY or PY was impressive as he moved from various emotions of love, grief, revenge, foresight into just about everything, his swords skills were quite impressive, and his jealousy was hilarious. This show was able to make sadness and comedy pop. FL or YCW/SZ played by JJY held her own and I can say that her acting has improved from the first couple of times I've seen her; she was able to portray her character very convincingly. I actually thought the show had some fantasy elements too like the soul swap (I can't call it a face swap because the two actresses were different; both in body type and height. Even though they tried to pile JJY's hair on top of her head to make her appear taller, to a discerning eye, it didn't work), and the bugs spell incantation to make someone blind and how it reversed itself upon healing. This made the cases even more interesting as it wasn't just another coroner and investigator type thing. I liked SML whom I nicknamed Sparky, when he showed up because let's face it, the guy is hot and he played his character very well though I'm glad they got rid of the extra eyeliner he was introduced in (as the young master) as it was very distracting. Though I liked SFL as a friend of FL and a part of the foursome, I'll talk more about her below.

Other characters like the maid, A Ze, brother of the original SZ, Lady Qi, the princess, and even fat Liu were all great characters. The villains and spies even the supposed mastermind all did their roles well. The story of PY trying to bring down the organization that "killed" his wife on their wedding night when it was really the obsessed sister of his best friend that had kidnapped and soul swapped with her just before the wedding, pushed her off a cliff and than got handed her own karma due to the death warrant by the mastermind of YCW’s parents murder and many others in a huge conspiracy. SZ didn't deserve that kind of death and YCW was going to get to the bottom of it. So the husband and wife team that didn't trust each other at first, still started to work together. Second leads also helped in their own way. Though Sparky had a thing for YCW, that was a silly competition and never really felt like a love triangle. Also liked that they showed a few decent kissing scenes and even the second leads getting it on. Plus YCW told Sparky from nearly the get go that she only saw him as her best friend. Best part was the revelation of when PY figured out finally that FL was indeed YCW. It took a bit for them to get together but they did and it was super cute.

The costumes, sets, OSTs, all fit as they should. The story ended on a bit of a cliffhanger in the storyline as the real mastermind wasn't really unveiled leaving room open for a possible season 2 but what they were doing was totally revealed so the mastermind had lost that element so also could just have been set up as an intriguing finale.

Cons: While I loved Sparky’s character, his ending was just weird. It was like they needed to add more tragedy to this; really? And it had nothing to do with his acting but the writing was inconsistent with how we saw him for the rest of the show. One could argue that when he saw his dad essentially die twice, he lost it and decided to go infiltrate the big bad organization all by himself. It made no sense though; if he found information that was useful to his friends ie PY and YCW, he had no backup to bring it to them and everything was just very haphazard. Essentially he was going on a suicide mission with no real assurance that he would even succeed; he ignored his friends warnings repeatedly when they told him how dangerous it was. We saw his death coming very soon after his father's death because it was just that stupid. They essentially did him dirty by making a smart, decisive man just impulsive and dumb. Also the actor lied to fans when the foursome did that Sina building sweep to promote the series and they were asked if both sets would have a happy ending. The leads didn't say anything and he said the second leads would; in reality the very opposite happened (don't get me wrong, I'm happy the leads at least are together). Same was done by the cast of A Journey to Love, when in reality everyone died lol. I think fans should not trust actors from these types of series with this question anymore.

SFL was just strange. Her romance with Sparky was sort of lopsided. It felt forced and she couldn't even talk without pouting 95% of the time. She followed Sparky around like a puppy even before as someone said in the comments he had "runner-up feelings" for her. Yes, they got together but I can't say the chemistry was real to me. Even the maid and A Ze had more chemistry than these two. Can't even compare to the leads; those two had chemistry before her identity reveal even happened. I would have preferred them two to just be friends. We really didn't need a second or third romance. This story had so much going on already.

Suspension of disbelief had to be deployed several times; other than Sparky's whole suicide mission decision but the abuse case with the girl fighting her father in the alley while both male leads just watched? She knew information about that ripple organization but they didn't act and just watched her father essentially kill her or she herself by his sword. Like what even? You've got two highly skilled swordsman just standing there watching their only real lead die? Just beyond.

The ending was rushed with the "mastermind", death of the princess, Sparky and his thing but at least he gave them the evidence they needed even if it was just a clue off his dead body, dad and son reconciling. Like a lot happened in a very condensed amount of time and I wish it was fleshed out more. The pace of the rest of the show was great but the ending definitely took off like its pants were on fire.

Would I recommend it? Yes I would. This show has many layers and despite the minuses, it was a good watch. Actors for the most part did a great job and it's nice to see the alliances form the way they did.

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Great until the Last 2 hours of the Live

This season was exceptional because of the addition of the international dancers. Each episode made you laugh and cry. However, as expected by many, the very obvious scripting and rigging of the finale sent the weakest (though still talented) member of Team Boom to win. The scores for the battle section were ridiculous in range and they didn't focus at all on the stronger/better dancers. With so many highly talented international dancers with decades of experience; China still couldn't let one of them win. Because of this, though I watched the live the majority of it and woke up at 4:45am for it, I couldn't watch the last 2 hours. It just wasn't fair. And therefore, it doesn't get a solid 10 from me.

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An Absolute Slam Dunk of Sweet Victory!

All Xianxias should be like this! PA redemption and a perfect score across the board, which is incredibly rare for me. Obviously watched for both leads in this reunion that blew many dramas out of the water. This was an absolute slam dunk of sweet victory!

Pros: Literally everything! Though I never read the novel, those that did made it obvious that this series followed the novel by about 98% which is very rare. The novel had a solid storyline and this kept it exactly there with apparently lots more comedy. Comedy was good here. Even in the somewhat angsty scenes, it was ever present. Both leads (SL and XZ) delivered stellar performances and their connection started literally from episode one and the mortal realm. Their love transcended all three realms. All of the characters were very layered; though some needed evolution and growth where originally they were annoying. SL playing the powerless chicken while the human XZ takes care of her was just hysterical. Once she returned to the immortal realm, though she still had that prearranged marriage to that annoying FRJ (who up until the end when he finally grew up, I really wanted the maid to hit with her broom), XZ who I nicknamed Mr. Clingy as he clung to her like glue--when he still didn't understand that he was falling for her--and all of their interactions were gold.

There were 3 tragic characters in this story (all done extremely well by their respective actors); MF, and SL's parents. I know people hate on MF about his betrayal but he had no choice as we saw and he explained just before he took his own life. His identity didn't leave him the choice of not betraying her (by killing his own friends in the military but you could tell how much it affected him after the fact) and though at first he was brought up on hatred, it was because of her that he learned about love. But he refused to kill her or harm her and even when possessed fought against the demon FS to help her escape post her "death". If he had the choice, he would have betrayed the demons a long time ago. His own father didn't care about him; which as SL said, he was heartless. MF's only reason for existence according to the two demons was to be a spy and used as a body shell for both. Quite sad and unfair. Her mother was right about being shackled by your identity. Both parents fell in love despite dad being a demon and completely harmless but even they couldn't be saved from the demon emperor. Dad voluntarily had to become the fire seal to keep all the demons in that abyss and mom died shortly after childbirth. Even XZ was shackled by his identity until his death but freed by his long gone friends in rebirth. A fun fact; the actor that played FL or SL's dad, also played opposite ZLY in JOF as someone who was in love with her. And this was also their first collaboration since that show only they played father and daughter here. To have her father save her life through self sacrifice at the end was beyond touching; only time they got to meet each other face to face.

Other great characters were all of the generals, SMY, the maid, lady Jin, Luotian, QY, and eventually FRJ. Each played great roles in the overall story and the lives of our leads. The demon emperor had very few scenes in later episodes and he did ok as a villain; maybe if he played a bigger part in this story, he would have been considered as more but it was FS that offered main antagonist vibes during the entire show. Which being played by this actor who's known for comedic roles was quite a switch up though he was convincing.

Every inch of this show from costumes, CGI, OSTs (LYN's song and two of the BGM's were my absolute favorite), sets, were spot on. Nearly every episode had you rolling in laughter but it knew when to taper that off into seriousness or a bit of angst. I love this modern take on ancient costume drama; the one liners, innuendos, going against the grain, everything was well done and executed. You were invested in the leads and there were no misunderstandings, no annoying guerrilla glue third wheels that spoke in a prepubescent voice and pouted, no tropes, or unnecessary angst. Also no love triangles though SML or MF did love SL, she made it clear right away that no way and that was that. They still fought side by side until the betrayal and even then he was still willing to risk it all to save her. Only other couple were her parents short lived story and the best friend God who was going through trials on earth with the same two women every life cycle but even he was freed. It was so refreshing to see just one couple and the arc of their story as it revolves around times of peace, war, and so forth. Only two full rebirths no more and the ending was great though I wish they spent less time on Lady Jin and her love life and showing them two with her pregnancy and their friends and family in his mortal backyard as it was said in the book. But his proposal and her dropping the baby bombshell leaving him speechless and then chasing her around in the snow was still really awesome. Their love really was eternal.

Cons: I don't think I can call them cons here but more like slight inconsistencies. Like who was MF's mom? Did she even exist or was he born from fire like SL's dad? Or hatched from an egg? The demon emperor didn't have a body towards the end and because MF self sacrificed, his body couldn't be used for his father. But how did he ultimately disappear? Because after FL broke the seal and took off out of the abyss, we never saw him again. Was he in FL's body when he fought XZ and ultimately purified by XZ and SL? Wish that was shown better. And I didn't like the Heavenly Emperor; just as you think he got the point, he turns around and says or does something that makes you want to just send him into that abyss. Only in the second to last episode did he seem to be a bit wiser. Honestly that was it. No other cons.

Would I recommend it? 110% yes! Literally floored me from start to finish. I didn't skip a single thing. An absolute must watch if you want to laugh, giggle, cry a bit, and just enjoy yourself. One of the best dramas I've ever seen out of any country. Forever put into my watchlist.

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Dream A 40 Year Dream

Only watched this for Xiao Zhan as I'm not a fan of heavy propaganda dramas usually from any country. I also have seen both LQ and LRL in other dramas and knew they were good actors and could handle pretty much any role. When I do these reviews, it's always from not just an audience member standpoint, but also as a writer/author. So I am impartial to everyone and everything. I don't like the new title of the drama so to me it's always been "Where Dreams Began" and here XZ aka XCS dreamed a 40 year dream.

Pros: This series had a great flowing storyline where you didn't have any filler feeling episodes except for maybe the final 2. Favorite characters were tied with the leads; XCS and TXM or LQ. But at the same time they were also in the cons which I'll explain below. XCS was a man who unwaveringly followed his ideals even when more experienced in life people told him that his ideals would make him lose and regret those who felt inferior to him. After he overcame his physical disability post war, he was even stronger mentally. TXM was the epitome of quiet strength. She was his rock, his anchor even when they weren't yet together, before he realized any of it. Women like her are incredibly inspirational. Not only did she push him but herself.

Many people didn't like YGH and HHL due to their selfishness and cowardice but I did because they were the two morally gray ones in this story. Characters can't just be black or white, they need layers, to be able to evolve in whichever direction. We wouldn't necessarily want them in our lives but as characters on the screen, they were fascinating. The rest of the crew of QT, YQ, YF, DL, Amao, the other guy whose name I don't recall, plus certain parents, uncle Dong were all very awesome characters and all of the actors whether I found their characters necessary or should have left sooner, did a superb job. CHJ was actually the best antagonist out of the batch because you saw his corruption over time as opposed to Heizi, who though I liked as a greedy, money hungry character was too repetitive in his crimes and just came off as downright stupid.

Sets, costumes, OSTs, accents all of that was appropriate for whichever time period you were in.

Cons: Though they were trying to portray the 70s and onward over there as best as they could, much was unrealistic. Though I loved both XCS and TXM, as someone else mentioned in the comments, these characters don't exist in real life. They are too perfect in their ideology and no one on earth is flawless. They came off as their own versions of Gandhi and Mother Teresa. Trying to portray that in a slice of life type of story, essentially takes away from that slice of life. LSY was just there for too long and got away with too much. The actor did well but to have him constantly let go or wriggle out of the law while other people like QT who did legal work lost everything wasn't fair. It made the law look useless especially in such a high propaganda filled series. Those two just didn't jive. The constant nepotism became nauseating.

I will speak about the propaganda; I knew what I was going to watch but what--as someone who was also born in a socialist/communist country which no longer exists so I actually know what I'm talking about--kept throwing me off and having the scenes take a hit, was not that it was used but WHERE. In all of the military, government related and whatnot scenes, totally understandable. But when the characters are just having fun together shooting the breeze or being romantic with their significant others and the speechifying starts, it is eye roll worthy because literally no one did that ever in any country. When there are family gatherings or two neighbors meet up or something everyday, propaganda speeches do not happen. You'd sooner ask about a child's health or if they went to the movies, so that's where it was way too much.

The fact that there were multiple time jumps and we never knew where we were. It could be anywhere from a few months to a few years. One viewer had to research and write out a timeline in the comments. People shouldn't have to do that when watching a series; a small note on the screen would have sufficed. The SARS epidemic in the final two episodes was also unnecessary. They could've wrapped it all up nicely around the CNY episodes because otherwise it felt like this plot was just chucked in there last minute and was quite rushed.

Would I recommend it? If you are a fan of any of the actors and like a nice flowing storyline until that end. I think all of the actors did a superb job; very pleased with that.

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When Bollywood "I Dream of Jeannie" & Comedic Slenderman Have a Kid.

This was not a good movie. The screenplay most likely came from a middle or high school student and production just added special effects. Only reason I watched was for Yin and War. Literally looked and felt as if a Bollywood version of "I Dream of Jeannie" and a Comedic Slenderman had a kid.

Pros: War's acting was heads above everyone else. He was able to portray many different aspects as two separate characters; it was great to see him and the FL as they understood who the other was and in their last seconds together, you felt their love for each other on screen. You hoped that somehow someday, their reincarnated selves would be able to reunite and be together. Though Yin appeared as 3 different characters (friend in the ghost hunting crew that wore a getup like he was entering into a radioactive facility, the prince in a past life, and a random guy wanting his picture taken in the last 5 minutes of the film), his roles felt more like support then main and he also had less time on screen. The costumes from the past life were beautiful and colorful and some of the comedy hit the mark in a silly way.

Cons: Sloppy script, obviously low budget. It was supposed to be a comedic murder-mystery from ancient times with reincarnation and whatnot but it had a lot of extra and unnecessary characters as well as a plot that ran amok. You had no idea how the characters got where they got to, how they knew where to go. Where did the forest evil place come from? Where did the light source with which they remembered their past lives come from and what triggered it? There was no explanation, just buckle your seatbelt and enjoy the ride until the end; maybe you'll understand something and maybe you won't. But hey mystery solved and everyone has amnesia for a bit or partial. The forced comedy was too much, the fact that one of the characters ate a puppy in her past life was beyond gross and unnecessary and even that didn't make sense as the cabin she was floating in had no cooking equipment; one moment cute puppy on the floor, next moment chunks of seasoned and stir-fried meat in a bowl. Just what?!?

Would I recommend it? Honestly, if you have a way of watching for free, then only if you are a fan of Yin and/or War or the FL. Otherwise, please don't waste money on it. I'm looking forward to better projects for these kids, though I do understand you have to start somewhere.

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Strong Start that Petered Out in the Middle But Came Swinging for the Fences at the End

Wanted something cybercrime-CSI-ish and this seemed to fit the bill. Didn't know anyone in the cast save for actor who played ZY and Xu Lu a bit from previous series. Had a strong beginning that petered out in the middle only to come out swinging for the fences in the final 3 episodes. Definitely needs a season 2 with the same cast to properly finish the cliffhanger.

Pros: Probably the first drama ever that I will say had a really catchy opening theme that I didn't fast forward before I get into favorite character and other things. It made you actually anticipate what you were going to watch even when that failed to deliver. Favorite character was the ML or QH; man had the patience of a saint and his straight path towards justice and finding out who wronged his best friend and Godmother were beyond admirable. Next favorite character was Ms. Lin the lawyer; even though she didn't know until pretty much the end that her boyfriend was a class A douchebag, she never changed her morality or ethics towards her partners or friends.

Though I liked CM in the very beginning and once he got on board with QH, his whole arc with MT was very unnecessary. The two ladies who worked in QH's office were alright additions and out of the villains, the only ones that made any real sense were MPC and LB, though the latter needs season 2 to figure out. Had some semblance of comedy here and there and meaningful moments of care between the protagonists.

Cons: This plot took a nosedive in the middle and became very boring and confusing. The MT/CM arc (shoving a relationship into somewhere it didn't belong) just like the MT/General arc were unnecessary and very confusing. We assume it was the General who scammed Godmother in the beginning though there's no real confirmation or admission of that. ZY also an alright character; great in the beginning but then was dumbed down into an arrogant and dumb kid who spilled personal information to complete strangers online. None of it made any sense given the industry he worked in and the responsibility placed on his shoulders. He regrew his brains towards the end.

For seasoned hackers, they couldn't pick up on pretty obvious things and it just slowed the entire show down. When they "killed" the General off, he should have stayed dead. Bringing him back just to give the running of the bulls ending some semblance of action after a lackadaisical middle that was constantly seeing QH getting nailed by one villain after another by pretty much brain dead problems, was honestly laughable. Instead, in the last episode the General nearly beats QH and CM to death and then is just nonchalantly arrested. And still the LB plot was not exposed so the reasoning is that there will be a season 2? Writer and director must have gotten drunk together.

Would I recommend it? I'm not sure to be honest. TJC did a great job as QH, so much so that I want to see him in other, better things. So if you're a fan of his, maybe you'll like this too. The beginning and end were the strongest even with the open-ended cliffhanger finale, the middle could have been totally cut and you probably wouldn't have missed much. So decide for yourselves.

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Will the REAL Hero Please Stand Up!

This was the first real wuxia drama (not a romance) I have ever seen and I've always been very interested in what a traditional wuxia would be like. Because every drama is marketed as one but really isn't. Other than that, I was watching primarily for Liu Yu Ning and secondarily for Meng Zi Yi as they're two people that I follow. I also knew of Joseph Zeng from previous works. As I'm not a novel reader, I can only review from a viewer's prospective.

Pros: My favorite character was Su Meng Zhen, followed closely by DFJ because both were complex albeit totally different characters. One was righteous from the moment he appeared on screen to the last breath he took while the other was very morally grey but fiercely loyal to his loved ones and went out like a champ on his own terms. I loved the brotherhood when it was formed and all those at Sunset House that surrounded them. Just about every character was complex and evolved in their own way; some took longer then others.

The story was more dark though they definitely had their happy moments. The fight scenes that were shown were pretty good though I wish there were more of them. Another fantastic point that many dramas fail to do is gradually introduce characters so the audience can understand what their purpose is. More often then not, characters are thrown in and no one remembers their names or why they're there, but here it was a very nice and even keeled introduction of each.

LC played by MZY was done fantastically; she went from sheltered flower to losing just about everything and everyone she had ever known overnight. She had to grow up fast and figure out how to survive without losing every part of her soul. She never gave up on SMZ until the end and left with him in a sense. Their love was just that strong. XY was another terrific female character; the woman wore many faces but she had a strong iron will and loyalty. Plus a much more realistic connection/chemistry with the ML than the FL. Other favorite characters were SMZ's advisor Wu Xie and other members of Sunset House, WXS' Master, the guys from the North like Big Beard, official Liu, and Martial Uncle Zhang.

The lead of the drama was a younger version of SMZ but it took him a while to grow into his own. Still, WXS did end up being one of the heroes of the series as the writers wanted him to be. For me, personally though, though he was a hero he wasn't THE hero, that title would have to go to both SMZ and DFJ as together they made the perfect hero. But that's just my personal opinion.

Now, to the man for whom I was watching this series; BCF was a great character in the beginning. He never hid his ambitions nor his true intentions. The problem was that everyone around him chose to ignore them or thought they could change him. When he whiplashed into a complete maniacal nutcase (that I'll talk about below), LYN was still very convincing as one so I cannot stick him into the cons, though I do wish it was done totally differently.

I really loved the OSTs, they were incredibly powerful especially the hard rock one and the one sung by LYN and Joseph. Costumes, sets, all of that was very detailed and beautiful. The ending was a complete surprise from what I had expected and for once I actually didn't look at spoilers before watching. But even though it wasn't a blood bath or a copout like many different sides theorized, I actually do like the way it ended; I'm glad every evildoer got their comeuppance even though some took it upon themselves to finish the job. But the flashback to all characters come and gone as the group of travelers ride through mountains and waterways was a very nice touch to the end. And even the person coming to run Sunset House, made the right kind of sense.

Cons: Let's start by saying that hair department was smoking something heavy because most of the leads and some of the support ended up looking like animal control K9s; it was a hot mess and looked absolutely horrible. Truly wish they had just kept things typical costume drama simple and didn't need to over complicate things with some avant-garde Westminster applicant do. If they wanted to show that a character had matured or changed, a simple edition of an extra braid down the back or something like that would have sufficed. It just made the person look comical and it threw the entire look off.

Whatever the hair department was smoking rubbed off on the screenwriter because she turned a great potential villain into a nut job. Now while LYN did a great job playing the nut job, he could have just as well been given an actual villain to play. That's why I solely blame the screenwriter for this unmitigated debacle that took the majority of the score away from this drama. Furthermore, instead of gradually developing him, the switch was flipped and he just lost all of his humanity. There was no rhyme or reason for how or why it happened so quickly and this was done within the last 8-10 episodes; the excuse was flimsy and didn't hold much water. Afterwards, when he was on screen be it for his bizarre as hell wedding or killing innocent people out of spite while he would cackle maniacally (that evil cackle belongs only in witches in Halloween shops, not dramas), felt like a completely different series. How can an antagonist with so much potential be so epically screwed up?

If that wasn't bad enough, we had an FL that spent more than half of the series pouting, crying, whining like a self-entitled spoiled brat. Most of her scenes up until the time she and WXS got married I had to ffw. I questioned the necessity of even having her in the series because it was about a sworn brotherhood after all. Every other woman was there as needed and powerful and this character was almost like an afterthought. Even when she was helping save WXS' life, it was like if she just kept quiet, things were a zillion times better. If she wasn't in the scene or episode, she wasn't missed in the slightest. Even in the last episode when SMZ got his wish and died, everyone was crying and it was such a raw, powerful moment and yet as soon as she opened her mouth to pitifully cry, it made one cringe because it sounded like one of those windup old dolls. Why couldn't she just cry silently like XY was doing? WXS was howling with grief as was Wu Xie and they deserved to do so. By letting us hear that baby-cry in such an overwhelming moment was a real shame.

Slimy playboy dude was a real psychopathic villain; the trouble with him was that he spent too much time talking and bragging though his depravity was evident until his dying breath just like Hannibal Lecter and his brother. It was also obvious that he was the rapist from the moment it happened. I stick him in the cons because though he ended up being the most disgusting villain that everyone hated, he still didn't have enough proper screen time to showcase who he was. It was like he had multiple personality disorder but even he didn't understand it. Also really wish the battle between him and DFJ was shown. That was a real miss by production. I understand their whole thing was to make WXS be the "hero" to kill slimy playboy dude in order to get the paper, but the majority of the damage done to him was by DFJ and we, as the audience, deserved to see it. A lot of fight scenes were either copouts or just not shown. I'm going to guess that it's because production didn't have a large budget but they could have definitely figured out a way around that since this was a wuxia after all.

Would I recommend it? For novel readers, probably not because there's a heavy diversion and not a lot of cohesion between the two. But for people who like wuxias, have never seen one, like a story of brotherhood that goes wrong, I would. This was my most anticipated drama of the year and though it had a lot of pitfalls and massive shortcomings, I still enjoyed it very much and therefore have no regrets.

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The Long March of an Excellent Drama

The story itself intrigued me but I only knew and was watching for Dilraba and LHK. What I got out of it was so much more. I will begin with outlining the pros then the cons. This costume drama has been moved into my number 2 position and added two more actors to my following pile on Weibo.

Pros: The cast was absolutely superb. Our main leads were completely equal in everything they did. CG was a general in her own right and never played second fiddle to the ML. Everyone knows that Dilraba can and often plays strong characters so, I expected nothing less from her. Leo Wu, amazed me as it was the first time I'd seen him act in anything. For a 21 year old, to be able to play Ah Sun in such a regal and powerful way, was very impressive. Ah Sun was a man who knew his strengths and weaknesses and was able to let CG be the woman she was without belittling her. It's not often that in these costume dramas women FL can be as equal if not more powerful at times (take the rescue scene in episode 48) then the ML. Also showed how CG touched everyone's lives she met and the good ones followed her especially came to aid her in that episode (the assembly of the kitchen sink) when she needed it most.

Our second leads, though they had smaller scenes, did develop very slowly. Leyan's character was very annoying until mid way through when she finally had gone through all of her trials and tribulations; then she had a quiet grace and could formulate a plan or an idea without crying. And ice cube aka Hao Du I wanted hit with a frying Pan for a long time for trying to kill CG but after the slap heard around the world and great speech made by a now totally different Leyan, he started to melt (and his nickname got changed to ice melt). I only knew of Liu Yuning from the variety show "Our Song", so I knew he was a wonderful singer but now I found that he is a great actor as well. He was able to go from a cold-blooded puppet of his father to a hero and loving man to Leyan and a really great ally to CG.

Many of the side characters like the celibate one aka Shuyu who some people didn't think grew much, I felt he matured a lot himself though he was a sad character for not ending up with the woman he loved but maybe he won't be celibate forever and meets someone in Chang'an someday. LHK's Master made me laugh because it was the direct opposite character of the one he played in CQL and it was a great change for him. Every single character belonged in the show, for however long they were supposed to be. I do feel sad for Mimi's sacrifice because her character was truly a tragic one where though what she did was heroic, she would never get to be with the man she loved and her brother plus her friends. To have such a tragedy happen in the second to last episode, was very overwhelming, but I could see it was done to remind characters and audience of how precious life really is.

Khatun or bitch devil from hell, actress did a wonderful job playing the Wolf in sheep's clothing. Turned out that she was actually worse than the Khan himself having killed three out of four. To be able to play such an absolutely calculating, deranged character takes a lot and I command her for that.

The fact that nearly every stereotype and trope that you see in their dramas both costume and modern ones were disregarded was a pleasant surprise. Every misunderstanding was ironed out fairly quickly no matter how complicated and confusing between all leads and even the side characters. Things weren't just piled on and then hurriedly untangled in two episodes at the end but as things went along, things were solved. It was great to see.

I loved the OSTs as they fit each couple and the stories to perfection. Everyone got the song and power of their characters within all. The growth of all characters and their travels to get to their proper places both physically and literally was done well.

Cons: The horrible cartoons that were placed instead of every major battle and even for other shots was very obvious that production didn't have a lot of money. They lost so many nuances because of them and they should have used more CGI instead of that if it was such a problem. The blurry kiss and birds taking over was another negative. I don't know why it happened as some people here claim it's in his contract to not kiss until he's 21 and his parents run his studio while others say netizens were responsible for it; whatever the reason, it could have been done differently, though the forehead kisses, hugs, and all the love aka "like" shown through actions, did make up for it. Finally, the ending in my opinion wasn't satisfying in the least. More cartoons and our main leads in different places as a bird flies over them watching. Yes, I understand they are free and together but I personally felt that if they had them both on horses standing together on a hill overlooking the grasslands would have been more powerful. Like this power couple are looking over their world that they helped save, would have been the perfect ending to this series.

The pros way outweighed the cons. No series is 100% perfect. I will be rewatching my favorite episodes and scenes for a while and this drama is an absolutely recommend from me and many others here. I'm very glad I got a chance to watch this and meet some awesome people in the ever growing comment section. Congratulations to the cast and crew on a very successful airing! Bravo!

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Friendships Formed through Intertwined Meow-Steries

I will be completely honest when I say I dropped this drama mid-episode 2 because of the really cheesy childish antics. But something told me to return to it and listening to my instincts and asking some people who kept watching, I did just that. And I'm very glad I did because this is one of those very few cdramas that actually got better with each episode especially after 5 or 6. So I'm very glad I trusted my instincts to finish watching. It was friendships formed through intertwined meow-stries. See what I did there? ;)

Pros: At first it seemed each of the cases were separate but as you continued to watch, you understood they were all connected to the original case and story from three years back and LB losing his father to some unknown organization of mask wearing assassins and being turned into a cat. The story revolves around him and his group of subordinates (SB, WQ, CB, and Alibaba) in the CJR with an extra kid (CS) who becomes LB's little brother of sorts plus QQZ who used to be LB's childhood best friend but due to a misunderstanding those 3 years ago that is only really resolved in the second to last episode they appear on opposite sides. In reality QQZ infiltrated the organization that's trying to gain immortality through murder and to overthrow the Empress. Favorite character is hard because the main gang is great plus QQZ who I wish appeared in more episodes so they could have properly fleshed out his and LB's friendship. CS knew of LB being a cat first (not counting QQZ of course though he didn't know or ask for that to be done) and it didn't bother him and then towards the end when the others found out about it, they still stood by him calling him a "Cat Hero", which was so awesome.

The old fart society, though they were the main villains, you also had YZH who though started out just as helpless as anyone was fed to some demon cat but got the upper hand and became a demon cat himself, morphed into a sociopathic loony that killed people, turned LB into a cat, caused the domino effect that got LB's father murdered, and ultimately killed QQZ just for a stupid game in his own mind. Same went for CS's brother CJ aka Black Rakhasa who was the actual murderer of LB's father as he was hired by the old fart society because though he cared for his brother, after being bullied in Shendu, instead of helping others, he chose to be a predator. LZS got karma not once but twice; got killed once, brought back by the old fart society, used until he no longer was needed and killed by them for his blood. Whoopsie; now thats seriously cold karma.

This show had many layers that you had to peel back like an onion to understand. People did come back to life but none were immortal save for YZH and LB; though LB gave the only antidote to YZH as a deal for his testimony at the old fart society's trial. QQZ wanted the antidote for LB and he essentially died for it. I did tear up because the way LB keened over QQZ as they finally made amends officially--though LB had long suspected that QQZ didn't really turn bad--just before he passed was only seen when he lost his father. When finding out just how much evidence QQZ had found out on his own even before LB's father was killed and his father knew QQZ had successfully infiltrated but didn't tell LB. Maybe if he did, then their misunderstanding wouldn't have happened upon his murder; LB was very smart even back then and he would have left him alone.

But in the end it was CS who saved LB and the gang; the kid that started out illiterate and very naive, brought the city folk together to save his best friends through the haunting final words of the now gone QQZ copied hundreds of times and distributed to the people of the city.

Wow, I feel like I've fallen back into the story. Let's move on. The costumes (save maybe the Walmart wigs and beards of the foreigners from Alibaba's country), OSTs, scenery, fight scenes were really great, plus appropriate comedy was all very nice and fit everything.

Cons: I wish we got to see the Empress's face as that was a huge mystery the entire show. As well as who Du Zixu was; he was an important figure in the story as a lot of it started with him but we never saw who his character was. I wish that they ended SGQ's story better as she was moved properly out of the story but don't just poof her. Also wish that the story didn't begin as shakily as it did then maybe I wouldn't have dropped it in the first place.

Though I know it was also in the source material, I really don't feel like QQZ should have died especially after his line of "I have also outlived my usefulness." That's not true. He was very important to LB, the veterans he worked so hard to exonerate, and now the gang of CJR too. I don't feel sorry for YZH at all; even though LB did towards the end. In a way he chose his own path in life. He knew the antidote was on that dagger, he could have taken it at any point but like BR, it was a lot easier to be a predator pretending he was a god than choose to be good.

Would I recommend it? I absolutely would. Just get passed the first several episodes that are a bit cheesy and all over the place. But the rest is very good and worth watching; it's got a little bit of everything comedy, mystery, action, case solving, clues, but most importantly friendship.

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