1
6
mango sorbet
procrastinating~
punch of a twist, but not much else
"A Familiar Stranger" definitely had potential – an interesting, pretty unique premise and a creepy, almost sinister atmosphere set up in the trailer and the first episode. Maybe it's the length, maybe it's the focus on the romance, but this potential is not fully taken advantage of.
As an avid romance fan, I have to say that there was too much emphasis on the romance in this one. Especially since it was so short, it felt like all of the time was being occupied by the romance instead of the plot, which barely got fleshed out. Which kind of sucks, because the plot was the strongest thing going in this. I wanted to know more about the face swapping and the sorcery behind it, and expected the drama to go more into that weird creepy magician creature. Instead, I got extra useless domestic scenes that added nothing to the characters, the development of their relationship, or the plot. And when I, the ultra lover and promoter of plotless dramas and useless domestic scenes, say that, you know that it's serious.
The result of this is that instead of the creepy, sultry drama we were promised, we get a drama that can't decide whether it wants to be a light, slightly mindless romance or a gripping, eerie suspense.
One reason why I'm probably complaining about the focus on romance when I usually wouldn't is that the romance just wasn't good enough. If the chemistry was out of this world, then maybe I would rate this a 9/10 and ignore the plot completely. But the chemistry between the leads was only so-so, and also pretty boring. I could believe the characters liked each other, but it was still very flat and uninteresting, most likely because both characters were very uninteresting. It was kind of like watching two pieces of cardboard fall in love with each other. Like you get that they're in love, but at the same time you don't care because they're pieces of cardboard.
Biggest strength was the end. The plot twist blew me away, but maybe I'm just easily impressed. It definitely fooled me into thinking I liked the drama more than I really did, which is impressive.
Acting wasn't half bad. Wang Ze Xuan carried this drama all the way through with his maniac energy; he was simultaneously terrifying and thrilling. Both actresses were far more impressive playing Shen Qin, only because Shen Qin had a much more interesting and complex character. It was honestly very impressive seeing how the actresses could play the two different characters, and yet you could still spot similarities between each of their Shi Qi's and Shen Qin's.
I wouldn't recommend this drama, but I wouldn't recommend against it either. I don't feel like I wasted my time on it, but I'm not particularly happy I spent time watching this either. Basically, I'm very indifferent to this drama. I wish it capitalized more on its strengths, i.e. creepy magic.
As an avid romance fan, I have to say that there was too much emphasis on the romance in this one. Especially since it was so short, it felt like all of the time was being occupied by the romance instead of the plot, which barely got fleshed out. Which kind of sucks, because the plot was the strongest thing going in this. I wanted to know more about the face swapping and the sorcery behind it, and expected the drama to go more into that weird creepy magician creature. Instead, I got extra useless domestic scenes that added nothing to the characters, the development of their relationship, or the plot. And when I, the ultra lover and promoter of plotless dramas and useless domestic scenes, say that, you know that it's serious.
The result of this is that instead of the creepy, sultry drama we were promised, we get a drama that can't decide whether it wants to be a light, slightly mindless romance or a gripping, eerie suspense.
One reason why I'm probably complaining about the focus on romance when I usually wouldn't is that the romance just wasn't good enough. If the chemistry was out of this world, then maybe I would rate this a 9/10 and ignore the plot completely. But the chemistry between the leads was only so-so, and also pretty boring. I could believe the characters liked each other, but it was still very flat and uninteresting, most likely because both characters were very uninteresting. It was kind of like watching two pieces of cardboard fall in love with each other. Like you get that they're in love, but at the same time you don't care because they're pieces of cardboard.
Biggest strength was the end. The plot twist blew me away, but maybe I'm just easily impressed. It definitely fooled me into thinking I liked the drama more than I really did, which is impressive.
Acting wasn't half bad. Wang Ze Xuan carried this drama all the way through with his maniac energy; he was simultaneously terrifying and thrilling. Both actresses were far more impressive playing Shen Qin, only because Shen Qin had a much more interesting and complex character. It was honestly very impressive seeing how the actresses could play the two different characters, and yet you could still spot similarities between each of their Shi Qi's and Shen Qin's.
I wouldn't recommend this drama, but I wouldn't recommend against it either. I don't feel like I wasted my time on it, but I'm not particularly happy I spent time watching this either. Basically, I'm very indifferent to this drama. I wish it capitalized more on its strengths, i.e. creepy magic.
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