Peridot83
For the genre, there is actually a fair amount of tension/obstacles in this show. There are misunderstandings, rivalries, lies about background/who you are, jealousies etc. Eventually, the multiple identities/huge amounts of misunderstandings gets a bit old. But what I did appreciate, is the characters spend A LOT of time together. Getting to know each other, slowly getting familiar with each other in the way that's really only possible when you are at university.
Bonus plot points for actually delving into the music industry a bit.
There is an interesting mix of acting styles. Chen QingQing dramatically overacts in order to differentiate between her two personalities - whereas Situ Feng has a more low key, naturalistic style. They are very endearing/cute together - but do not show a ton of range.
Added bonus is that the main actor actually is a good singer/entertainer (more so when doing boy with guitar bits, than dance numbers).
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes -3
(Very little in terms of themes. The attempt at a theme about beauty falls very flat (the end result being she is incredibly attractive, but he likes that no one can tell). The one about being true to who you are is a bit better theme but not by much.)
Character Growth -4
(Situ Feng because a more trusting, softer, more lighthearted personality over the course of the show. Chen QingQing due to the dual personalities doesn't change much at all besides switching between the two characters. )
Nuanced Women -4
(Chen QingQing essentially plays two stereotypes and doesn't so much blend the two as pick one. There are some female friendships but not very strong ones).
Cinematography/Production Values - 6
(Not a lot of money is needed for this show, but there were some areas that showed the lack of budget - esp. when attempting to show Situ Feng is 'cool' or Chen QingQing is 'wealthy').
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I liked this even though there are no obstacles. Xiao Nai always does the right thing: he's respectful, caring and protective. Bei Wei Wei simply is in awe of her good fortune.
The cast saves the show. The actor playing Xiao Nai really embodies a cold exterior that has a warmer playful side, and Bei Wei Wei is the right mix of silly and endearing. Their roles are fairly traditional gender roles, but there is a lot of appreciation of what they both bring to the table.
The music is mediocre. I wouldn't rewatch the whole thing, but may watch it for a moment or two now and then.
I grade by other criteria as well:
Complex Themes - 6
(Models what a healthy relationship looks like. I also liked the question of whether to separate virtual and real worlds - since you can harm someone in both, shouldn't you have integrity in both?)
Character Growth -3
(The two characters are static and do not 'grow' very much over the course of the show)
Nuanced Women -6
(Points for female friendships and featuring girls in tech, but overall they are stereotypes you've seen before).
Cinematography/Production Values - 6
(This is very low budget, which is fine for the real life scenes, but was a bit harder in the video game/CGI bits. Not only was the CGI poorly done, but the wigs, costumes etc. were also of poor quality)
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Respect for different talents leads to successful teams and successful relationships . . .
The strength of the plot and acting here really sets this one apart. Unlike a lot of dramas where things start falling apart at the 2/3s mark, this is consistent and strong all the way through - with the little mysteries building to a bigger and bigger problem.
To be clear this isn't a 'whodunit?' but what do you do about suspected corruption that is buried deep and in positions of power - perhaps even within your own family?
The acting is realistic, naturalistic and touching with very little overacting. Friendships are well sketched out, relationships quietly build over time.
The music is serviceable. Certain moments will stick with me, but I'm not sure if I will actually pick up and rewatch.
Complex Themes -7
(The themes here is about corruption, how seductive it can be, how no one can be 100% immune...and the real barriers to cleaning it up. There's also a smaller theme about respecting others strengths and weakness, and that brilliance in one area doesn't exempt you from pulling your weight in others. In the end, it's just presented as is - there is no complex or new takes or understandings you take away from the show.)
Character Growth -6
(The character growth is 80-90% on Xu Xus part - growing from a individualistic, slightly arrogant talent into a team player who values the different strengths each person brings, Ji Bai is presented perfect as is)
Nuanced Women -9
(Strong points for having multiple interesting many-shaded female characters. From the 'villians' to the heroes, there are many different women with their own motives and reasonings. Also pluses for showing positive and strong female friendship.)
Cinematography/Production Values - 9
(It's mainly shot in the real world, set use is minimal and well-done. Action scenes are well choreographed and they have the budget to shoot the Burma scenes properly.)
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If I was just grading the plot on the first 2/3s or so, I would give the story a 9.5
On the surface Simon Bo, brilliant, troubled psychological talent from a wealthy, well-connected family, has nothing in common with Jenny Jian, a sweet gifted university student. But it turns out that they have complimentary talents - Simon Bo can get into the head of perpetrators, while Jenny Jian has a talent for getting into the heads of victims and their families.
But as the plot takes off in the second half, Jenny Jian largely gets left behind and the case gets increasingly convoluted and absurd.
The acting is top notch, I never even felt like the main characters or secondary characters were 'acting.' The old friendship between Simon and Fu Ziyu, and Jenny and Li Xunrun are realistic, friendly and comfortable. The tension and relationship between Simon and Jenny is slow moving while becoming increasingly more familiar. For all the seriousness, there are lighthearted moments and joy between the two.
The music is competent and works to set the mood. It doesn't have to much rewatch potential - as a lot of the tensions come from the mystery elements.
Complex Themes -9
(Where is the line between understanding the enemy and becoming him? What is your responsibility to use your talents for the greater good and at what cost? The show leaves a lot of this open ended but does explore it in detail)
Character Growth -8
(Jenny grows a lot over the first 2/3s of the series, as she learns her own strength and grapples with evil/horrors that can exist in the world. Simon Bo doesn't grow as much but softens a bit and becomes a bit more humble as well - but unfortunately as the plot gets more chaotic their growth/development stalls out)
Nuanced Women -6
(Jenny is really nuanced but she is practically the only female character who isn't just there to move the plot forward (the other two female characters being a US gov't agent and Simon Bo's sister)
Cinematography/Production Values -7
(Lots of filming in the real world, and good camera work. Costumes/settings etc. are competent. Major negatives for not recognising their limitations and attempting to set part of the show in the United States whilst not finding competent actors).
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What exactly do the women of the inner palace do all day?
In many big epic historical dramas, the pettiness, boredom and despair hinted at by the inner palace is never truly explored. This explores the characters of various women in the inner palace, with beautiful design, costumes and cinematography, and a nuanced, take on many different types of romance to boot.
The true strength of the series is that it's all about the characters and their relationships - how they all struggle to keep some sense of self-worth whilst competing for the attention of a very impatient and somewhat distant emperor and the current harem favorite.
The weakness is the plot points can get repetitive (multiple poisonings, very important things mysteriously disappearing, at least two women do the evil cackling going mad thing), but I kept a high score because I never felt the need to skip - the dialogue, acting and character revelations made me want to watch every minute.
The acting is generally extremely good. The opening credits are the most beautiful, haunting TV credits I think I've seen in my life. There are many scenes that I like to revisit again, but due to the repetitiveness of the plot points, I don't know if I'd ever watch the series again from start to finish.
I will note that this series does feature many petty/cruel/torturous acts.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 9
(The series does not jump from random plot element to plot element, but actually builds on concepts regarding patriarchy, revenge/justice, trying to live above the fight vs. engaging with it, and different types of romantic love and love between friends)
Character Growth - 7
(Characters do not undergo huge changes but they do exhibit full ranges of emotions - it's not just angry, serious all the time, but there are lots of moments of sillyness, joy and tearful gratitude as well.)
Nuanced Women -10
(Women everywhere! Esp. liked the characterisations of the main character - Wei Yingluo, the empress Fuca Rongyin, and Mingyu. Even the straightforward characters, would show surprising strengths or weaknesses).
Cinematography/Production Values - 10
(Just incredibly gorgeous and beautiful. Lovely colour combinations and interiors - whilst not too many exterior sweeping shots - the ones that did happen were very well done.)
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Almost 4 years later, this drama is still the gold standard and has aged extremely well. Each plot piece fits perfectly, heroes and villains all have interesting, nuanced stories. The music adds great atmosphere, though I wish it was a bit more varied (they heavily rely on some 2 excellent songs/musical theme) . Scenes from the show linger in your memory far after the show is over, and I did rewatch certain scenes - though not the whole show.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 10
(The series does not jump from random plot element to plot element, but actually builds on concepts regarding narcissism, good leadership, sacrifices for the greater good, etc.)
Character Growth - 10
(Characters are not just playing the same 5 facial expressions. They face tragedies and setbacks, and they actually change as a result; even the 'evil' or 'bad' characters have moments of weakness and sympathy.)
Nuanced Women - 6
(The female characters are nuanced, but in the end they have much less screen time than the men. Also, felt like their storylines were somewhat cut or dropped by the end).
Cinematography/Production Values - 7
(Did not distract from the drama, but also did not add to it. Seemed mostly filmed on 3 or 4 standard sets, costumes/design were competent but not particularly interesting, action scenes were a bit poorly choreographed and limited).
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The initial premise is great: what if someone with modern sensibilities, good coping mechanisms, kind, generous and humorous were placed into a traditional wuxia storyline? For the first 10 episodes, you get subversions after subversions of the drama formula, 'misunderstandings' are cleared up, people who are bad turn good and good turn bad etc.
As the novelty wore off, I just didn't care that much about the fates of the characters - I didn't care who won the succession fight, or if the main romance prevailed. There was just so many minor characters and one oversized lead, that it was hard for me to get invested.
This is despite excellent, distinctive acting. This has a huge cast, yet I could keep track of most all the characters and their varying plotlines and was fond of many of them.
I loved the opening credits song, and enjoyed a lot of the music. I wouldn't rewatch - again just wasn't very invested in any particular scene.
I grade on other criteria as well:
Complex Themes - 8
The main theme is having mature coping mechanisms, humor, kindness and generosity will keep you on the right path despite all the wrong around you.
Character Growth - 4
Too many characters to have meaningful character growth, and the main lead is presented as close to perfect as is - just a bit overconfident.
Complex Women Characters/Plotlines - 7
The women are incredibly intriguing with distinct plot lines and characters, but the main lead and his problems and feelings take up so much center stage, there just isn't real space to develop the female characters other then as plot devices to help the male lead.
Production/Cinematography - 10
Really, truly beautiful with lots of interesting scenes shot in different ways, varied sets, lavish costumes. On par with the best aesthetics in C-dramas I've seen.
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At the start, there is the typical powerful war god and the naive, powerless sprite/goddess. Except, this powerful war god looks and acts far far older than the naive powerless sprite. He is cold, authoritarian and acts more like mentor than love interest, and the powerless sprite stumbles earnestly along without a clue. 30 episodes later - this dynamic has not altered.
What's worse, the secondary plot in the 'demon' 'dark power' kingdom (they wear black/red costumes) is truly boring and the lead actor for that plot has very little charisma (he just walks around doing bad things or being in shock) .
This is a shame because the actors are quite good. Indeed, the actress who plays Ling Xi- I loved in the Rise of Phoenixes.
The music is fine, - I would not rewatch.
*Note the production values are top notch with lovely costuming and design, but the show isn't particularly cinematic and they rely a lot on sound stages/fixed sets.
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This show has a whole set of unique, interesting characters. I appreciated featuring women who enjoy sports, were motivated and competitive. I liked how the male characters developed feelings first while the women were somewhat clueless. The acting is rather amateurish, but the actors were also very endearing and interesting to watch.
The main failure of the show is the lack of pacing and suspense. Everything is established 1/2 way through, and the audience is just waiting for the characters to figure it out.
Also minor points off for lack of budget for the combat scenes. BUT, there is enough screen time of practicing, fighting explaining strategy to 'buy-in' to the plot.
The beginning and end songs were catchy and well-done given the lack of budget/context. No reason to rewatch.
I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes - 7.5
Karma catches up with you. You have a responsibility when engaging in fighting to do so in an ethical and moral way. The older generation does not always know what's best.
Character Growth - 6
The characters fall in love with each other and learn to trust each other, so in that way there is 'growth.' But you could watch the first episode, and last episode and the characters would feel about the same.
Complex Women/Female Relationships - 7.5
I really did enjoy the focus on a different type of woman from the typical awkward, bubbly cute girl. There's strong female friendships as well. They are more stereotypes/caricatures than fully fleshed out characters but there's a good diversity to them. I wish their character growth was not centred around becoming more open to relationships with men.
Production/Cinematography - 4.5
This is filmed like something from before the 'golden age' of tv dramas. If I hadn't known, I would have thought it was shot in 2012. The 'wealthy' people do not dress wealthy or have the barest trappings of it. The fight scenes are very short and they didn't even invest in much slowing-down/speeding up effects that are in your basic social media video. The cinematography just records what is in front of the camera with some mix of wide and close-up shots.
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The first episodes are full of family drama, injustice to be corrected, a fearless heroine, and romantic tension. . . then the whole show stagnates and limps along. Why am I still watching this? I kept asking myself.
Hot/cold opposite attracts couples require great chemistry and the chemistry here is only so so . Oh Mi-joo while hot tempered, brash and spontaneous is tempered by the drive to be self-sufficient. Seo Dan-ah while arrogant and cold, also has a tendency to be oblivious and not understand human dynamics in a silly, charming way. The male characters in comparison do not stand out, Ki Seon-gyeom's open-eyed confusion gets old and Lee Yeong-hwa's sensitivity is played for laughs.
The wealthy parents are narcissistic and overbearing as is typical.
Music didn't register, I wouldn't rewatch. The speed and cliffhangers of the first five episodes was refreshing, as were some of the mild taboo elements - not at all as artistic and slow as I thought from the publicity. But as the show went on . . . it was hard not to notice that this was just a higher budget standard drama with the same age old plots.
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I really loved the idea of this couple and story. But, each episode was full of filler with minor characters, unnecessary exposition and plot lines. I skipped more and more sections.
Dilraba Dilmurat as Bai Feng Jiu is a true delight and she lights up the screen. She's endearing and shows a lot of character complexity and growth. Unfortunately, no one really matches her. Every time she is off screen, I keep waiting for her to re-appear.
Vengo Gao certainly is no match. Frozen into an archetype - he's almost a cardboard cut out and shows very little vibrancy. The interactions between the two main leads 24 episodes in are still incredibly stilted. This is especially true when General Ye Qing Ti steals all his scenes by having true charisma and great connection with Bai Feng Jiu.
Once I caught myself skipping/fast-forwarding through more than 50% of each episode I realized I am done. I was looking forward to this drama, but it's time to give up.
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The romance here is great. Forbidden love through lifetimes, epic protectiveness, jealousy and misunderstandings. The acting also rises above - to no surprise. I'm a big fan of 3 of the main actors Zhao Lu Si, I've followed since 'The Romance of Tiger and Rose', Wang An Yu starred in one of my favorite modern romances 'Falling Into You' and I thought Li Yun Ri stole the show in 'Love Like the Galaxy. '
Why then drop? The plot is a mess with too much screen time spent on petty villains and lots of wasted time with our main characters not sharing screen time. The CGI, production and costumes are all lacklustre.
As time went on, I started not just distractedly watching, but actively skipping to scenes with the three main actors mentioned above. Once I realised I was skipping 50% of each episode I decided it was time to stop.
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There's only one message to this show: young love has its benefits! It can motivate and mature and keep you safe and on track. Sure, this young love is wholesome, but it was also disappointingly standard: a driven, bit cold, good at everything male paired with an intelligent, lively, but in need of mentoring female.
On top of that, no progress has been made on the opening episode mystery. It really seemed the show was waiting until the last episodes to even address it. Sure, there is some underlying tension in how did we get from there to here? But, without any themes or conflicts or originality, the drive to finish this series waned. Time to drop.
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Eternal Love 2 is a very natural continuation of Eternal Love. Whilst this time it is the male actor who plays two parts, otherwise in terms personalities, acting, plots everything is in perfect consistency to what happened before. If you enjoyed Eternal Love, you'll enjoy this. If you disliked Eternal Love, why would you watch this?
Watching Eternal Love and Eternal Love 2 almost in a row, was a bit too much. By the end, the crazy silliness/endearing aspects of the series had worn a bit thin. I had hoped some 40-50 episodes in, that Qu Xiao Tan would become a more equal partner, but unfortunately Mo Lian Cheng is always the leader in this one (perhaps even more so than Eternal Love). Also, there was a side inner palace plot that I didn't like as much as in Eternal Love.
But still, it is absolutely worth the watch.
Other Criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 3
(Still none really . . .)
Character Growth -7
(As with Eternal Love, the split personality takes a fair bit of good acting and thinking. It's nice to see the ultra-serious, secretive old Mo Lian Cheng, next to the more mischievous and light-hearted new Mo Lian Cheng)
Nuanced Women -5
(The female friendships are tamped down in this one since there is no split personality on the female side, and this time Sun Yi Ning (the maid) has a romance plot of her own to take up screentime)
Cinematography/Production Values - 5
(Still not great, but an improvement from Eternal Love. They didn't try to do a mystic world on a low budget, more money was put into the costumes and interior design, and the modern scenes were done in the 'real world' without tons of green screen )
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All the elements are there: cross-dressing, evil ministers, comedic servants, hinted at love triangle, spunky woman heroine . . . and nothing else. At the 10th episode, we are where we were at the end of episode 2. We have literally no new major plot elements or character developments.
I am disappointed as Park Hyung-sik was excellent in Happiness and Strong Girl Bong Soon and stellar in Soundtrack#1, but here the restraint of the Joseon era seems to knock down his charisma a fair amount. He can't seem to do the 'beneath the calm water lies strong emotion' acting here, even though he's done it well in modern settings.
The drama is well produced - it's almost like they invested in the actors, production, etc. and then decided the plot and character development did not matter all too much. If you are a big fan of the genre, you may like this to pass the time, but I couldn't stick with it.
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