It's sort of a Lost Tomb Story. Sort of.

Another completely biased review from me to you.
I highly recommend watching this movie. It's in the vague vicinity of the Lost Tomb series. I mean, they have Zhang Qiling and Wu Xie and the 9 families and they go around robbing tombs, so yeah, it's loosely based I would say!
What is this demented magic? An origin story for Zhang Qiling?😯 Wait, what? Jing Bo Ran plays him? 😮And seriously, WTAH, Lu Han is Wu Xie?😯 And an origin story for Wu Xie too? 😮And their first meet?😲 🤯
Words can't describe how wonderfully awful this movie is! It is beautiful though, the look and feel is just amazing. The sets and props are really excellent!👏
Here's just some thoughts I jotted down while watching. I hope you watch and enjoy too.🍿🎬📽️
Vampire moths! 🤣
Wu Xie before he learned he shouldn't go around touching stuff!💣
Totally love all the cogs and gears and steampunkish look⚙️
Zhang Qiling sitting on top of a skyscraper drinking beer? ok....🍺
This gives us a very talky and angsty Zhang Quling 💖
The bromance is strong with this one.🥰
Wu Xie needs to learn how to turn off the camera's flash if he wants to sneak around dark tombs📸
Why do the bad guys always have the coolest toys?😉
Now that's a safety lock!🪤🔒
Balls of flame, pretty damn cool🔥
Yeah, these guys are tomb robbers, they don't care about preserving the history⚒️
Creepy wooden puppets!👺
LOL Wu Xie dancing through the sword statues and then teaching everyone else. One-two-three-one-two-three🕺
So, zombie tree/human hybrid monsters. ok. And Poison Ivy wanna be who just makes ugly faces and screams and dances like a Bollywood lady? 🤣
Why was one of them a blue smurf version of a monster?🤔
Wu Xie as pied piper🪈
Wait, Wu Xie convinces the bad guy to turn into a good guy by telling him to be good? omg this part🙄🤮
And the laugh the boys were doing at the end when Wu Xie rescued Zhang Quling 🫠
WTAF was that ending? I don't get it. You mean I sat here for over 2 hours and that's how you decided to end this?🥹
Still, it was worth it. A fun easy watch. Not too scary or gross and the effects weren't THAT bad

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Lovely little 7 minute drama/commercial?

Another completely biased review from me to you

I've been watching Gao Han Yu series/movies lately (cause he is just so damn fine) and saw this one on MDL. Since it's only 7 minutes long it doesn't take up a whole of of your time to watch. But it's amazing what a feel-good story it is for just that 7 minutes. The dynamics between father and sons is just so fun and the end just made me smile and put me in a great mood. 😄

There isn't much of a story line, no drama, just a few lines and a few scenes but damn if they don't make them interesting! I would love to see a feature length movie with these characters.

Of course, I don't know if it was a longish commercial for a drink product or just a cute little webisode but I liked it! 😀

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I wanted to love this

Another completely biased review from me to you

Jing Bo Ran as the ML is mesmerizing, and I could listen to him recite the phone directory and I would be enthralled. However, this series never really clicked for me.

The character Lan Jue was not a good guy, definitely on the darker shade of grey. 🩶I'm all for morally grey characters who are tormented because of something something in their past, but you know that the actions they are taking are all for the greater good. Here the character seemed to be doing bad things for expediency sake. His friend whose name escapes me but was the army dude(? ) had super good chemistry with him. Half the time I felt like saying guys, get a room already!💖 I did like their interactions.

The Zhang Ping character was, let's face it, just fucking irritating. In a real-world environment he never would have survived the first encounter with the empress. There is such a thing as a innocent, naive hero doing the right thing but this character was just dumb as dirt and would have deserved to be offed in the first episode. 🤣 His little noodle friend I guess was taking the place of what would ordinarily be the high-pitched voice toddler female in these shows whose purpose is to screech a lot and to fall down?

The empress was the typical evil queen. 👑What else can I say, nothing new here.

A long time friend of the grey guy, Shulin, showed up and it turns out that grey dude and him had quite a past together, including living together on an island in the middle of a lake, which was pretty cool. Seemed like they had a very special relationship happening, but grey dude hosed it up and they parted.

The ending sucked imho. Shulin, it turns out, was (maybe?) the empress's real son who was abandoned as an infant, so he planned to take down the empress. Which is what dumb noodle guy and grey dude wanted to do all along. But instead of working with Shulin to overthrow the evil empress they turned their backs on him and betrayed him, which in turn made him go batshit crazy 🦇and try to destroy the world. Cause, stuff.

Anyhow, it seems like more people liked this than not, so don't let me review stop you from watching it. You may enjoy it too.

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For Fans of the Lost Tomb Series and Liu Chang

Another completely biased review from me to you

I've become totally enamored with Liu Chang recently (his appearance in Link Click is yummy) so I've been going through his past series and watching. I had already watched Reunion: The Sound of Providence previously (his character is so fun and untrustworthy and deadly and he has a major crush on Zhang Qiling so I can relate) so I'm watching other lost tomb side stories now. I started with the Reunion side story Ping Yao Wang Shi. Oh boy, that was pretty bad. Next up this series, Echo of Moonfall. Surprisingly good. At least compared to the reunion side show. I really like Liu Chang's voice and he looks great with his long hair and costume in this, but I do admit I miss him pushing up his glasses all the time. I don't know why I like that so much but here we are.

A couple of thoughts
1. As much as I love Liu Chang, he should never try rapping again!
2. Liu Chang singing to a creepy wooden doll was not on my bucket list.
3. Pouring wine on a stab wound through a leather outer robe, then a snakeskin robe, then something that looks like sparkly metallic, and finally plain black cloth, so like 4 layers of clothing, seems pretty useless
4. WTAF was the whole jade meteorite flash and all of a sudden the previous inhabitants of the respective bodies appear with nifty new outfits on? Though I do like Liu Chang's Disney prince look.
5. Whoever did the paint-by-numbers job on the FL needs to go back to makeup school. Was it put on with a trowel? With that makeup she looks like she is ready to go hang out on a street corner somewhere. Ok, done being snarky.
6. Nice open ending, but hey we got to see a bit of a wedding scene at the end, sorta, in the credits.

I'm curious as to how Liu Chang has gotten all these Lost Tomb side stories. Most especially since they cross the different series/casts.

This is a short, 14 episode web series you can watch in under an hour and it's fun. Don't expect Reunion-level but still pretty interesting. I watched it on youtube with subs at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68RvGF_k-jE&list=PLwtrWaDwiqUdY4Ys6b5oAsSf5iQyduKP9&index=1

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So much fun!

Another biased review from me to you.

I hadn't heard of this movie before, but when I saw an article about a possible sequel I thought it looked interesting and I decided to check it out and damn, I am so glad I did! This movie has a bit of everything: sweet family dynamics, action, comedy, and super badass FL, a dorky yet badass ML, an adorable feisty daughter (sumo wrestler, lol), and a whole bunch of other characters that are just hysterical! I loved every character and didn't think there was a single misstep in the actors chosen. If they do a sequel I hope they find a way of bringing everyone back. Would it be their trip to Disneyland? 😉 Anyhow, if you want some laughs, some action, some sweet moments, watch this. I think you'll like it.

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Last of the Original Live Action Movies

Another completely biased review from me to you.

I am still wondering why they made this one and the New Generation one too, 10 years after the originals. And if they were going to make them, damn it make them better than this! This review is all very spoilery, I just did a stream of conscience while watching. Read at your own risk 😉

First 10+ minutes or so I thought maybe the streaming platform had screwed up and I was actually watching the Netflix version? I've seen worse beginnings to movies but wow, what was this? This story takes place 10 years after the original live action movies from 2006-2008.

Then nice, a picture of Light, and picture of L. Then a short clip of Light which makes absolutely no sense as far as the previous movies go. Isn't he dead already, pretty definitively? 😕 Then the Death Note Task Force is out to catch a new holder of the Death Note Book. They are disguising themselves (very badly) by wearing sunglasses and having scarves on so she won't see their names using the reaper's eyes. So lame! Does it get better? Nope.

So, Ryuzaki is a clone of L? He's rather boorish and irritating without any of the charms of L.

Beppo was a disappointing looking reaper. Arma makes up for it.

More 'video' of Light/Kira that disguised a virus to take down all computer systems. Too funny.

Misa! 😭

What a twist ending! Ok, made the ride halfway decent. However, sorry, but I was rooting for Shien here as the new Kira. Seriously, Suda Masaki was simply adorable. They did him wrong.

Anyhow, I suppose if you are going to do like I did and decide to watch all the Death Note live actions (except for the Netflix one, gods why did they do that?) they are ok to watch. Sadly the only one I would really recommend is the one that started it all, Death Note from 2006. Also, the series from 2015 is pretty darn good. I'll be watching that one next.

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Barely a Death Note series

Another completely biased review from me to you.

This takes places 10 years after the original 2006 Death Note movie. In the first episode, there is a short, blink and you'll miss it, clip of Tatsuya as Light. There is some guy who is a Death Note investigator. Not sure who he is supposed to be replacing, maybe Light's father?

In the second episode, another guy who is supposed to be L's replacement but doesn't come anywhere near as close to the insane brilliance of Kenichi. Maybe in the next show they will flesh him out a bit? Nice hair though.

And finally, the best episode, we get the gorgeous Suda Masaki ❤️‍🔥as the new Kira, Shien. The entire thing could have been his story and I would have been happy. The first 2 were like boring fillers if that makes sense?

However, this 3rd episode focused too much on a guy who murdered a little girl with his bare hands during a home robbery. For some misplaced reason they tried making him a sympathetic hero? I definitely don't understand that at all! The saving grace is he finally got Death Noted 😉

And they only showed a very brief glimpse of Ryuk in the last few seconds. So all in all, a bit of a disappointment. Would have rated it lower if it weren't for Suda Masaki.

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Kind of in the Death Note Family

To say this is a Death Note movie is stretching it a bit I think. Yes, L is in it and he is he candy-eating, bent back, terrible typing savant from Death Note and Death Note 2: The Last Name. Matsuyama Kenichi just really plays this character well.

The story itself is pretty darn interesting, but only if you're not looking for Death Note 3. The story has a different vibe to it then the others and isn't about Death Notes or death gods at all. It just has L in it with a bit of cameo from the previous movies.

All in all, a decent watch if you have some time to spare.

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Fun mini-drama

Another completely biased review from me to you.
Spoilers ahead.
This is another fun little series There's a bit more angsty feeling to it but still surprisingly light and fluffy.
The ML, Lin Ze Hui, is absolutely gorgeous. The 2 characters he plays in this series are so different from each other. And what makes it even more fun is he is only pretending to be 2 people, it's really just one guy putting on an act and pretending to be twin brothers. And damn, he does the 2 characters so well! There's the fun and flighty younger twin who loves to laugh and flirt. And then there's the dark and serious older twin who seems to want to kill the FL all the time. I'm really liking this ML and will be keeping an eye out for more of his shows definitely. He starred in Secrets of the Shadow Sect which is one of the sexiest little mini-dramas out there!
The FL was good too. I appreciate that she wasn't a toddler, she spoke like an adult female, and stayed pretty badassed through the entire series. That can't be taken for granted at all in these c-dramas! It seems like half of the so-called assassins end up losing most of their brain cells when they fall for the ML and become complete damsels in distress. Not this one though! She can fight. And I love the flexible sword, ala Zhou Zishu lol!
I do love the way the story ended. I know there were some comments that they hated the ending, but seriously, with that FL it was perfect! Exactly what you would predict a character like her to do.
So give it a try. It's short, fun, not too angsty, mostly fluffy.

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Fun light-hearted fluff

Another completely biased review from me to you.
Spoilers ahead.
This series was one of the better mini-dramas out there. The FL and ML were adorably fun together. The story was silly, wasn't complex, and it was just light and easy to watch. There were some 'dark' bits but they were more tongue-in-cheek dark, if you know what I mean.
The premise has been done before, the leads waking up in a historical setting with a comedic relief 'guide'.
The FL was a lot of fun, a tough badass who won't lose to anyone for any reason! Even her fighting wasn't too bad. I love how she takes over her own story. Her inner monologues were too funny. She is so funny with her knives and homicidal tendencies. And the character's 'acting' was so terrible it was funny. Her clown makeup was hilariously bad! And her 'dancing' omg, terrible! The dance and the makeup should win an award for best awful scene in a series. You will laugh! I loved her character and her style and costume designs.
The ML's character in the story was the typical bad guy prince. Or at least that was what you were supposed to think. The ML's hair, well, he seems to have that style for all of his short historical dramas. I guess I won't comment. But dang, he looks really good with his normal style. The ML's costumes were good too, nice and dark and flowy.
The downside, since I watched this on youtube, there were way too many times when all sound was gone. It wasn't too bad when there were subtitles but too many times there wasn't sound or subs so a lot of the story was lost.
The best, there's a nice happy ending. I enjoyed it.
Turn off the brain, watch and enjoy!

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The bromance is strong with this one

Another completely biased review from me to you.

I adored this series! It definitely doesn't take itself too seriously. The story has some ridiculous parts to it but is done so damn right! Both MLs are absolutely gorgeous, and their outfits are stunning. (Except for the hats, but oh well, historical accuracy and all that? I could do without that little bit of accuracy though) Seriously, whoever did their wardrobe, especially their three-piece suits, should win an award, just beautiful. I wonder if they get to take their suits home with them. And can we talk about dressing the one ML up in a frilly apron? Yep, strong bromance. And the other ML rocking an ascot? Yep, he does.

The sets, music, camera, lighting, everything in this series are really good. The music is wonderful and really adds to the story. As far as I can see, high production values for such a silly short series. Episodes are 10-11 minutes long. Opening is 1 minute 21 seconds. End credits are 2 minutes. So each episode is actually ~7 minutes long, give or take a few seconds lol. But surprisingly I don't mind watching the open/end credits. They are pretty darn good and show the strong bromance between these 2. And the end credits are different each time, showing a bit of a preview of the next episode so fun to watch. Plus check out the words of the ending song. Oh my, strong bromance.

Yes, this is a delicious, silly little series but so easy to watch. And perfect to get you out of a heavy drama and angsty things. A It's a light and fluffy republican era drama (who knew there was such a thing?) with 2 hot MLs shooting their way through the bad guys? Oh yes, sign me up for this one! Maybe I enjoyed this a bit too much! Would love to see more like this. And no annoying FL to mess up the bromance!

Here's the spoilery stuff.

There are so many bits to love:
The getaway with both of them on one bicycle with them bickering the entire way is so damn funny!
Defacing the family motto!
The blind date stand-in.
The way the one ML drinks liquor!
OMG, ML2 breaking the gun ML1's dad left him, then handing him his undercover Anti-traitor Corps badge LOL 'Crap! I got exposed.' So damn funny I almost hurt myself laughing!
Oh lord, 'No one is on opium guard duty tomorrow night' over and over and over. 'Do you think he heard us?
How f*cking cool the ML looks in his silver mask.
The ridiculous code names 'Starry Boy' lol.
'Fine, I'm mad now. Stay here for some introspection.' while wagging his finger at him.
ML1 and other anti-traitor corp dude wearing matching silk robes and pajamas and ML2 with different silk pajamas on sitting in the middle. Yep, other ML said it best, 'Idiot'
ML1 is trying to explain to ML2 that he isn't a traitor, and all the things that he's done to try and protect him, then it somehow morphs into a wife complaining about the husband's bad habits: 'You never wipe your shoes bottom when you come indoors, leaving the floor all muddy. You make a lot of noise when you eat and sleep. I can't fall asleep at all.' I am dying laughing here! The best part is you never know when these gems are going to come out, they just organically appear.
It's always nice when a gang attacks the good guys, but then all wait their turn to fight.
The slow, romantic music, while they are trying to find each other after being attacked, with lots of bromance flashbacks!
The look on ML2's face when he finally sees ML1. The look on ML1's face when he sees ML2. Oh my, this is a bit more than bromance.
If ML1 keeps knocking out ML2 all the time he's going to suffer permanent brain damage. And he's very slow to begin with!
The dynamite sticks duds pretty damn funny! Such a dramatic build-up.
The fight scene in the church, awesome!
The little smile on ML's face, priceless!
Snore/punch lol
Wonderful ending, including the gun fumble and door handle.

This light bit of froth is just a perfect binge watch. I highly recommend this. Enjoy!

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Hilariously Funny Thieves vs Cops

Another completely biased review from me to you.

How to describe the esthetics here? Kind of like a cross between Get Smart (ancient U.S. series), the old Batman TV series, Austin Powers, and every campy James Bond parody ever made, and all with the typical zany over-the-top Japanese insanity. So much damn fun to watch! And just silly as hell.

The entire extended family of thieves are so stupid funny. The brother is an absolute gem! The way he wears the disguise, or his own version of it, even though he stays behind in his batcave working the computers and the ladybug lol. The parents who are too busy flirting with each other (reminds me of Morticia and Gomez Addams, only with stealing)! The cute little Grandma who is a badass in her own right! And I love Akira and Hana's musical numbers. Yes, really, musical numbers!

The cop's family, down to the dog, are just as silly. And the Grandpa with the bad Elvis wig, wow.

If you need a break from heavy, angst-filled dramas this is a nice light palate cleanser. Turn off the brain, laugh, and enjoy!

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Silly Sexy Little Romp

Another completely biased review from me to you.

This short series seems to get a bit of hate, but I have to say I loved it. Even though the one ML is a walking talking redder than the Sorcerer's robe red flag, he's still sexy as hell. And the other ML is a cute but dim little chipmunk. The 2 of them together strangely have a ton of chemistry. Lots of nice skinship. The shower scene....

The story is not ground breaking. There are some bits in there that you wonder why they were added. Watch it and see what you think.

All in all I really enjoyed the hell out of this one too. Turn off your brain, stop criticizing so much, smile and enjoy!

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