cryswash
USA
A Nice POV Horror Movie
Horror movies are definitely my favorite genre. I did appreciate the eerie elements in this with the POV camera. I also enjoyed how they tried to make a convincing story that was intriguing and enough to keep you invested in the story.Found footage, POV cameras, etc are a little dated for horror so I wish they could have shared it from a normal production perspective but seems like many horrors fail to make it scary enough going this route; otherwise, I still enjoyed it
Was this review helpful to you?
An okay show
Virtual gaming world stories are typically the same but this one did stand just a little because not all of the characters were aware of what was happening and others knew they were in a buggy game.The romance was definitely the best part between ML and FL and I liked how they incorporated the impression hearts to keep reminding us that this is a love game.
The overall story was average though. It played out many of the same CDrama plots seen in other dramas. Basic production, average OST. Didn’t like the ending very much. It was an okay watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
Great Mini Series
I quite enjoyed this one. Mini series can be a hit or miss. This one was a hit for me. The acting was decent all around, the story was interesting though similar to other plots but without all of the filler episodes you see in full length dramas. Not a high production, it only showed a few locations but why not save money where you can. The romance was done at the perfect pace and built enough between the characters that allowed you to care enough for their outcome.I’d recommend this drama
Was this review helpful to you?
Not that great
This story was poorly written. The main problem I had with the overall plot was it was really bias. The Jixi people along with the Crown Prince were good and could do no wrong in the FL’s eyes and the Shendong people were bad and Xing Shi didn’t have a right to fight for their country. His feelings were invalidated by her. Doesn’t make for a very good story.Otherwise, basic plot with nothing new to offer. The romance was more G Rated. This is definitely for the younger, teenage audience. Sound track was average. Costumes were okay but production value was definitely lower. The best acting from the main cast was probably the ML. I wouldn’t rewatch this.
More of a show to watch if you are bored with nothing else to watch but I really wouldn’t recommend it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Very Interesting Story
I quite enjoyed this movie and would be good as a series with even more details. At its core, it’s a romance and although subtile, it was very sweet and drew you in. The FL was just the sweetest thing and definitely made you root for her happiness. I would have loved more details and clarity on the grotesque and each families gift but only so much can be squeezed into a film. The acting was done well, the cinematography, along with the CGI was decent. I recommend this as a watch.Was this review helpful to you?
Good for romance
This was a typical romance drama with a predictable plot. There are many full length dramas with similar themes that are done better (e.g. Romance of Tiger and Rose, Different Princess, Romance on the Farm, etc) but this was an entertaining watch.The good
If you are looking for romance, this has it. Lots of kissing scenes and the main couple had good chemistry. Very heated, very electric. This drama played up the parody aspect which gave way to comedic relief. Lots of pretty people, if that’s what you are looking for.
The bad
Outside of the romance, it was a basic, recycled story and didn’t stand out or add anything new to the genre. The acting was mediocre, had bland characters and production was low budget with some editing mishaps.
I enjoy short length series as in between fillers to some of the larger productions and can sometimes find good stories with actors who have potential to make it big. This one has a lower rewatch value for me but was an okay one time watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
Resident Evil with a hint of The Walking Dead
This was a pretty good watch for me. It reminded me of the Resident Evil games and if the failed Resident Evil Netflix show was done right. It definitely has a slight hint of The Walking Dead with the story plot of you turn even when you die because it’s inside of them. I worry about Season 2 and that the story’s direction will change too drastically with the introduction of new characters and no real end in sight.The Good
The acting was very good amongst the entire cast. No one person had to carry the rest. I also enjoyed the production value since they seemed to put some effort into the blood, gore and CGI creatures. Also, there was a lot of action even though it’s being filmed in one location. At times, it felt like they were in different locations because of how large the apartment complex was. They were never truly safe and it was all about survival.
The Bad
Too many characters. A lot of dramas of this nature suffer this same problem with too many characters and not enough time to focus on each. I would have loved more of backstory on some of the characters but with so few episodes, there wasn’t time for that. Also, Song Kang was the number one lead here but it’s hard to tell at times because he sometimes gets little screen time. More focus was placed on the rest of the leads. Not sure how many seasons this will be but there wasn’t much movement in the plot in this first season. Would have liked to see more on the creatures, motivations, potential cures, testing, etc.
Was this review helpful to you?
Hauntingly Tragic
Let me start by saying that the production and visuals in this show were some the best that I’ve seen in CDramas. The beautiful colors, lighting and massive landscapes made the show more real and raw. The OST was also great. Love the song about the Fox as it had such a haunting meaning behind it since foxes are known as tricksters. It summed up this story very well.This drama takes the cake as one of the top tragic stories in CDrama that I’ve seen to date. I can appreciate the consistency with the story and the fact that it wasn’t turned into an enemies to lovers plot, which would have made no sense given the nature. The bulk of the story was well written along with the superb acting throughout but where it almost lost me was in the meat of the story.
I would say the story took a while to progress around the middle and had too much filler details within. This show could have been cut down to about 30-38 or so episodes and focus on less of the main ML’s revenge plan. They could have cut a lot of those details out and focused more on the story between ML and FL.
This story isn’t for everyone since a lot of people prefer happy endings but I’d recommend a watch if you don’t mind that.
Was this review helpful to you?
Story Doesn’t Flow Well
This movie had potential to be a great story as the setup of the plot was decent. The story quickly went downhill early on.Story
As my review title mentioned, it does not flow well. The story is sort of all over the place and is confusing at times. It was hard to gage what they wanted the story to focus on or what they wanted the main plot to be. There were also parts of the story that weren’t very logical and they seemed to force some of the disputes that were unnecessary.
Acting
Acting was over exaggerated at times and fell very flat. No one person stood out or did an amazing job. It was just okay.
I can see why this movie received lower ratings but thought I would give it a shot anyways. As I always suggest, watch and make your own judgement because some will like it and some won’t. This one wasn’t for me.
Was this review helpful to you?
Pretty Typical High School Drama
I’ve watched several High School dramas and can say that this one doesn’t stand out from the rest. The premise is setup the same as most of the others….The FL, who has poor grades, is in love with the ML who is one of top students, aloof , most desired and doesn’t know much about love. I wouldn’t really consider this a romance drama as this was only a small subset of the overall story. There were only bits and pieces of romance sprinkled in. In my opinion, it’s more of a coming of age story that deals with school, social pressure, family, friends, etc.The good
As expected, Ding Yuxi did a really good job as He Xinliang and stood out from the rest of the cast. I wouldn’t say everyone’s acting was great but some did a decent job. The overall show had a feel good story with a happy ending which is good to see in CDramas.
The bad
Everyone’s acting wasn’t great. 2nd FL who plays her sister was very stale and monotonous throughout. She had no real expressions. The same goes for the 2nd ML who was her original love interest. He also didn’t do well with expressions. There are more to name but will switch focus…too many misunderstandings throughout this drama and situations that seemed very exaggerated to me. The main conflict between the 3 girls seemed way too childish even for high schoolers and could have been resolved if they just all talked it out. Also, there was a sense of predictability in this drama and it’s probably because it’s a basic plot that is somewhat recycled. Next, the ending seemed rushed. Would have been nice to see more before the time jump on the final episode to answer some questions to things and situations that were mentioned. Lastly, the OST wasn’t much to write home about. Songs didn’t really stand out.
Was this review helpful to you?
A little disappointed in this drama but decent enough
I started this drama in 2022 not knowing anything about it or not knowing any of the cast as I was new to CDramas in 2022. I finally finished this drama in July of 2023 after having watched a lot of CDramas and several other shows by the 2 leads. Why did it take me so long to finish? I initially stopped watching this drama after about 6 or 7 episodes in the beginning because it wasn’t keeping my attention but decided to revisit it for the 2 leads.The Story:
Despite the odd English Title for the drama, I was originally intrigued by the plot and thought this would be a great Wuxia and hopefully without a lot of the CDrama tropes we see in romance Wuxias with the strange falls leading to random kisses and the predictable love triangles. It was nice to see that they didn’t focus so much on those aspects in this drama although we may have seen 1 or 2 instances of the long stares and the awkward contact between MLs and FLs. It’s still not a romance heavy drama and focused the main story on the self discovery journey of the 2 leads.
One downfall to this drama is there were a lot of throw away episodes that made this drama longer than it needed to be. It could have been cut down to 24 to 30 episodes max. There were some side plots that dragged out too long and could have been summed up in 1 or 2 episodes but dragged out over 5 to 6 at times. Also episodes 29-34 were filler episodes as they seem to try to play more on the unnecessary romantic stories they forced on the MLs, leading to drawn out boring conversations. I enjoy a good romance, just was done poorly in this one. I did not like the ending of the final episode, it just sort left things hanging.
The characters
This is a loaded topic because you have some good with some bad. I’ll start with the female characters… none were that interesting.
Tie Xinlan was sort of just there. She was in the way most of the time and didn’t add any real value to the overall plot. Not much character growth from her as she didn’t add much in the beginning either. Her acting was also subpar…not much in the way of facial expressions.
Su Ying… I don’t even know why they added her character at the end of the show. Though she was supposed to be the match of Jiang Xiaoyu, their “love” story was very forced and the 2 actors had 0 love chemistry. Their back and forth banter was okay but still unconvincing. I adore Liang Jie in The Eternal Love series as the connection she had with the ML in there is worth a watch.
For the male characters…
Jiang Xiaoyu carried this story as his character was fun and charismatic. So much character growth from him while still staying true to himself. Chen Zheyuan did an amazing acting job here. He embodied the character well with his troubles expressions and lightheartedness throughout the show.
Hua Wuque only showed slight character growth and Hu Yitian seems to take on a lot of emotionless character roles. I thought he could have done better than hat was betrayed because he didn’t portray many emotions here. I can compare his character to Wang Yibo’s character, Lan Zhan in the untamed but although dull and tough, he expressed so many emotions without having many spoken lines.
Production/OST
Overall production value was average. Some camera shots were grainy and blurry at times but had decent fight scenes and CGI. The OST did not stand out.
Was this review helpful to you?
A more mature high school experience!
Very nice story. I loved the progression of the characters along with the story. I also enjoyed the extra scenes at the end of each episode because it gave us additional things that were talked about that we did not see. It was refreshing to see how mature the high schoolers actually were and how little things can make relationships messy.I didn’t like the ML as he didn’t have any redeeming qualities that made me fully understand why the FL loves him so much but hey that’s life.
An easy watch with a great cast.
Was this review helpful to you?
Lost me
This story lost me. Started out pretty decent with the translation vs translation app battle but it went down hill fairly quickly.First off, this show being about top notch translations was odd. The quotes that were read at the beginning of each episode was very laughable. There were lots of grammar errors and it was poorly spoken English. I study Mandarin Chinese so I can understand that learning a language completely opposite your own is a challenge. I know my pronunciation isn’t perfect but I also don’t market myself to be the best either. Wish they could have found stronger speakers to make it more believable.
I left this show for a couple of weeks thinking I would eventually come back to it but that definitely did not happen.
Honestly, the characters in this show were forgettable and rather dull. The main conflict between the couples seemed like child’s play. It was also unnecessarily drawn out and came off very shallow. I’d like to think that most adult relationships have deeper rooted problems that keep them apart and don’t drag out over so many years but maybe that’s in my bubble. Their issue didn’t seem like it was enough for a 36 episode show. This show could’ve been wrapped up in 20 or less episodes.
Basic production value, forgettable OST, and mediocre acting. Make your own judgement and watch for yourself.
Was this review helpful to you?
Just no…
This show is for children. Episodes are only about 6 minutes long and after watching halfway, I had to call it quits. Everyone in here was acting like they were 8 year olds. So many unnecessary scenes that made no sense as to why grown 28+ year olds would be doing them. The comedy is just corny to the point of cringe. Cringe factor was turned up to 1000. Disappointing because the plot seemed interesting for a quick watch. If you like whiney women, grown adults who act like they are 5, people who do things that make no sense because of inexperience in relationships, then this is the show for you.Wouldn’t recommend.
Was this review helpful to you?
Underwhelming
I didn’t find this drama very interesting after watching 10 episodes. The story is very underwhelming, though some may enjoy it. This one is not for me and I can’t continue it.The Good
I watched it for the cast since they are all decent actors. This has a good line up that will definitely attract fans. The actors are also not dubbed which has been a positive to see in CDrama lately.
The Bad
It has a weak, predictable plot. This xuanhuan is definitely not a new idea. I quite enjoy xinxia’s and xuanhuan’s but there hasn’t been many good ones in recent years as most just recycle the same things and this one has done the same thing. Character arcs are cliche. They are bland and have no complexity to them. You have the peculiar girl with a bad reputation, the cold main guy who’s hiding his identity, the 2 friends, one who isn’t trustworthy and quick to betray and the other who just serves as comedic relief. The enemies are also cliche. I’m also finding this to be very boring per episode. Not much is happening in most of the episodes I’ve seen and I notice they are only filmed in 2 locations, FL’s house and market. It has an average production quality with bad sound quality. CGI isn’t that great either. Sometimes the lighting is overdone to play up romantic scenes. Also, the few times something did occur and when it seemed the story was progressing, it wasn’t that exciting due to its predictability and they seem to backtrack to nothing happening again. I also find the humor to be misplaced. There is so much dry and odd humor in here but doesn’t seem to balance well with serious moments. Wasn’t very funny either. Wasn’t feeling the constant background music in every scene. It became distracting especially when most of it didn’t fit the type of drama it is. Lastly, the acting didn’t stand out. Didn’t evoke any emotions good or bad as I watched. It was hard to connect with any of the characters.
Watch for yourself and make your own judgement. It’s watchable but not one I’d continue.
Was this review helpful to you?
