I Followed my Heart, Watched it and Enjoyed it

Not a masterpiece, but this drama had a good amount of love, comedy and sensibility to keep me watching til the end. The story follows Jiang Xingbai (Leo Lou) and Yan Nanxing (Song Yi) as they battle the evil forces behind the Zornia case while coming to an understanding of each other's secret.
Leo Lou's amazing act of portraying Jiang Xingbai is flawless. If I had to pick favorite characters in this show, Jiang Xingbai would be the only one. Not that the other characters are bad, but Xingbai is more memorable to me than the rest probably because both the writer and actor brings him to life. I appreciate that the writers point out Xingbai's thoughts in the first few episodes for the audience to understand how he determines people's identity not by their faces, but their posture, smell, hands, voice, ect. Takes less explaining as the story progresses and it makes sense. In comparison, Song Yi also did a wonderful job portraying the bright and bubbly Yan Nanxing. I have to say my biggest laugh of Nanxing's doppelgangers scene was the guy who appeared on their wedding night. Still can't stop giggling when I think about that scene XD. All the secondary characters overall were great. Enough for me to enjoy watching them interact with each other and understand their arcs but not take away from our leads.
If you're looking for a good drama to watch and not think too hard, this is the one to just sit and enjoy. You can probably miss a few snippets here and there and the story will still go on and make sense. I didn't feel time wasted after finishing it, but at the same time wished it was something different. Will I rewatch it again? Only if I'm a die hard Leo Lou fan who plans to rewatch all his drama, then this will on the list.

Read More

This Drama is a Glass Pearl

This drama is a glass pearl. It's almost the real thing, but not exactly. Pretty to watch and is unique in it's way, but not memorable enough. The story follows Danwu (Zhao Lusi) as she journeys through life from being a slave pearl diver to a respected and successful business women. Along her journey, Danwu meets Yan Zijing (Liu Yuning), an established merchant who mentors and paves her way into the business world.
The first few episode was great, but as the story progresses, it became a little stale. It was watchable, but not enough for me to go "oh, what's going to happen next?". Now, the story line did not grab me, but the characters as an individual did. A perfect example of great actors, but bad story writing and/or directing. Danwu is a lovely character. She is strong, willing to push through any obstacle and learns quickly to adapt to situations around her. It was not love at first sight with Yan Zijing, but he grows on me. Like most ML, he looks bad and cold on the outside but really he's a charmer after a few episodes. I especially like that he does not overshadow Danwu despite all the "power and riches" he already had. He didn't just hand them to her, she physically and mentally worked for her own. Zhang Jinran (Tang Xiaotian) was a character made to like in the very first episode to the end. He have justice, loves and care for the FL, and serves as a good love triangle. Cui Shijiu (Chole Xie) is an interesting character as a whole. I like her character set up, but her arc falls short because she never really learns from any of the tragic events that happens to her (except towards the end of the drama she finally "wakes up"). Unlike Danwu, she's hell-bent on vengeance. And unlike Yan Zijing, the writer made her vengeance scheming not so smart.
I would recommend this drama if you are a big Zhao Lusi and Liu Yuning fan. I enjoyed watching every scene between Danwu and Yan Zijing, especially the sweet romantic interactions between them. However, if you're looking for good storyline to awe you, this drama will leave you luke warm. You won't necessarily dislike it, but at the same time clicking on the next episode won't be as tempting. Will I rewatch it again? Only if I want fan service of Zhao Lusi and Liu Yuning in a drama, then maybe.

Read More

Surprisingly good to watch!

When I first read the summary I thought this was going to be the usual cliché revenge story, which is was, but there was an extra "humph" that I didn't expect and I ended up enjoying this drama more than I expected it to. If you're looking for a good wuxia fighting drama, this is gold rating and you definitely cannot skip any episode!! Because every episode have an action packed fighting scene. All the fighting scenes were wonderfully choreographed. It was so refreshing to see people using only fist and weapons. Yes! There's no flying beams, or thrown energy balls (xanxia's CGI of superpowers just don't make sense sometimes). Just good old fashion fist with your choice of weapon.
As for the acting, I absolutely love watching all the main characters on screen. Qin Junjie really brings life to the simple Hu Fei. No matter who or what Lin Shen plays, I just can't stop watching him. He really pour all the acting into his facial expressions when playing Miao Renfang. Our two female leads played their parts so well, I had no complaints. I liked that they are both written and acted as strong women who can stand alone and even better with our male lead. Actually, I liked all the side characters. Even baby Roulan was enjoyable to watch .^_^. I think my favorite side characters were the three officials who's not entirely bad, nor entirely good. They pick their side whenever the situation fits them and strangely enough it always helps Hu Fei out. We also cannot forget our "villains". Although they weren't written as well as our main characters, they were nicely acted out.
The storyline have a lot going on. I mean it basically followed Hu Fei before he was born all the way to his adulthood. So 40 episodes does not allow you to include every sweet little detail, but it was a pace that I can follow and accept. Romance has a light touch, excluding Hu Fei and Ziyi's story. But I feel it didn't impact the story as much. The story line was still able to progress regardless if you give attention to the romance. I actually kind of like that they don't get hung up on it. How Miao Renfang and Nan Lan fell in love was a 15 minute scene where he basically saves her from the bad guy and the story moved along. I like it simple like that. Each arch moved along smoothly and was not hung up for any longer than 2 or 3 episodes.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the songs. Since I'm done with the drama now, I have it on repeat just to get it out of my system .>_<.
Will I re-watch it? Definitely! How can I say no to those awesome fight scenes with Qin Junjie and Lin Shen!

Read More

Great story!...(just had to shut half of my brain off to continue)

After finishing the first 5 episodes of this drama I figured I'll have to shut half of my brain off to continue watching. I figured I'll have to ignore the heavy eyeliner and makeup on Leo Lou. Ignore that all the characters go to sleep pretty and wakes up pretty. I wanted to continue because the drama have a very strong concept. It tells of the main lead, Tantai Jin, who's fate is to be none other than the Demon God. Our main FL is Li Susu, whose main focus is to save to the world from the destruction of the Demon God. The concept of the story is refreshing and intriguing to watch. I really like the idea that the biggest and baddest villian the protagonist.
Leo Lou did such a fantastic job protraying his character, that made me pity, hate, and love Tantai Jin. Because he have so much screen time, his character was the most rounded of all, but no arguments with that decision because the story revolved mainly around his choices and his will to break free of his fate. Although it took me about 30-ish episodes to get use to his eyeliner (makeup artist was very invested in glamming everyone up), I was finally able to accept it. It was not horrible, just heavy.
Since the writers poured all their attention into building Tantai Jin, I feel they lacked in creating good supporting characters. All the supporting leads seemed very linear and have no growth in their characters, especially our second couple. Their loved was forced and seemed to have a lot of blurs in between. It would have been better if they would just start their relationship like our third couple (the general and fox). Despite their limited screen time, I seem to understand and feel their love and was sadden when they did not end up together. The second couple, I wouldn't care less. Despite that, all the actors and actresses as a whole did a beautiful job portraying their characters with the limited screen time they have.
Another thing I would applaud is the CGI, especially for the attention to the environment. It really added the fantasy into this xanxia drama. The Demon relam and the immortal relam awed me in addition to all the effects of the powers used within each episode.
Not sure if I will rewatch this show again, but I feel it was worth it for me to go all the way to the end to find out how Tantai Jin will change his fate.

Read More

It's a journey you must watch!

For the first time in a long while, I'm able to watch a drama without skipping any episode. I applaud the writer for her originality and most importantly, making the flow of the story very sensible and entertaining. In addition to that, the directors did a fantastic job for bringing the story to life. All the characters in the show are well rounded regardless if they are the main, sub main, or supporting characters. I would blab for too long if I talk about each character that stands out to me (because they all do!) in the show, so I will only briefly mention my top three favorites. Liu Yu Ning played his character, Ning Yuan Zhou, flawlessly. I already liked him in the Long Ballad, but now it's more like love. Liu Shi Shi's comeback to drama land as Ren Ruyi has been her best performance so far. I love the fact that the writer made the two main characters so similar and fitting for each other; Both are leaders, strong willed, smart, and loyal to their country and men til the end, yet when they stand apart they both shine differently. You will need to watch the show to appreciate the chemistry between Ning Yuan Zhou and Ren Ruyi because words cannot justify the feelings you get when watch the main leads tangle. Yang Ying is the third character that I came to love. She is the one that I see has grown the most in her character as she journeyed into the unknown and utilized the power of her royal blood not for her selfish desire but her country.
This drama overall started well and ended well, but not satisfactory (warning for those who wish for a happy ending). However, because of the merits the drama has built up (i.e. character development A+, story development A+, music A+), I came to accept the ending as is. My one and only complaint of this show is the last scene in the last episode. I feel it should be Yang Ying instead of Chue Yue because Yang Ying had a closer relationship with all the members of Luido Hall and Ruyi. She was practically part of the gang! Her presence in the last scene would generate a stronger sense of appreciation of seeing Ning Yuan Zhou, Ruyi, and the rest of gang galloping through the fields and tie it all up nicely. Would I watch it again? Of course! 40 hours of your life will be well spent if you binge this show (and it should be binged).

Read More

It's worth the watch!

This drama will take you through cycles of love, hate, anguish, sadness, and happiness when you're done with it. The story follows Wei Zhao (Allen Ren) as he tries to claim justice for his hometown, Yuelou. Along the way he meets Jiang Ci (Landi Li), a carefree girl who seems to always get entangled in his plans, and Pei Yan (Jeremy Tsui), a frenemy who rivals him. As schemes unfold and fate intertwines, Wei Zhao, Jiang Ci, and Pei Yan will discover friendship, love, and loss as they battle for righteousness.
The storyline was acceptable. However, I absolutely love the character build up, especially the two male leads. The characters were written very well with their own unique archs that makes me accept the actions they choose to do as the story progresses. In addition, they were both protrayed nicely by both actors. This is the first drama where I will not complain if the female lead ended up with whoever, because I like them both equally. In fact, they both used our poor female lead to an extent, hurt her to an extent, loved her deeply to an extent, and both did not end up her (but one did captured her heart). We also cannot forget our secondary characters, "villians" included. They are like icing on the cake that makes our main leads' story and character shine with sweetness.
Despite it's movie title, this drama's is not all about love (though I do enjoy the sweet interactions between Wei Zhao and Jiang Ci). You will get a touch of vengence, family fidelity, friendship, loyalty, and betrayal mashed up. Although we don't get a happy ending, we got justice at end. The drama leaves me with a sense of satisfaction that I came to accept after shedding a few tears. Will I rewatch it? Not likely. I'm not sure if I can go through that sad ending again.

Read More

Was going to wait for proper subtitles, but I just couldn't wait!

After finishing the first 5 episodes, I tell myself that I will wait for proper subtitles first, because I didn't want to ruin my experience of this drama, but I just couldn't hold back and ended up watching the whole drama. I was hooked to the story and the characters, that despite the choppy subtitles, the show was still awesome!.
The characters were nicely written. Both our main and 2nd main characters were strong, enduring, and virtuous. I really enjoy a drama with good, strong, and smart female leads and this one has it. The male lead was your typical prince, super good at fighting, smart and quick wited, but he won my heart easily, because he's handsome (of course!) and played the character perfectly. Our second male lead definitely sold me on his character, cute, goofy, but loyal. I usually skip second couple scenes, but this one I couldn't. I enjoyed the interactions between Zhou Yue and Gao Mo as much as Shen Yu and Qi Zhang.
If one day, proper subtitles come out for this drama, I would definitely rewatch it! Despite that, the storyline was pretty logical and solid to where I can enjoy and understand it with enough sense. It took me a while to get over the fact that A' Yu was forever going to be 'A fish' and Gao Mo will forever be 'Tall Ink'. At least I didn't have to bear with 'Occipital cloud' (General Han's subbed name) for too long, lol XD!

Read More

A mixed feeling of "ahh!" and "huh?" and "oh.."

This drama gave me a mixed feeling of "ahhh!" and "huh?" and "oh...". While going through the first few episodes, I felt this drama had potential... But as the drama rolled on, I actually took a break from it and came back because I wanted to know what happened to our second lead couple. The drama follows Yang Caiwei (played by Zhang He Hui Zi in the beginning 2 episodes and then Jujin Yi later as the main role), who became a coroner after the downfall of her family. Life was quiet, until Pan Yue ( Liu Xue Yi) popped back into her life to fulfill the engagement promise during their childhood years. Caiwei finally gave into her heart and said yes to Pan Yue, but fate had other plans in store for them. Zealous Shangguan Zhi decided to kidnap Yang Caiwei on the day of her wedding and swapped their faces to marry Pan Yue, but was murdered shortly after. This murder case will eventually pull our main leads together as they find more clues towards a bigger conspiracy.
The storyline was acceptable, but not enough to awe me. I didn't care much about the cases they were solving because it was there mainly to keep the storyline moving for the next clue.
Yang Caiwei's character was a bit confusing for me to accept after the third episode. I believe it would've flow much better if they just use the same actress from the beginning to the end for our female lead. It was a little hard for me to accept Jujin Yi as Yang Caiwei throughout the drama after the first actor because Zhang He Hui Zi was great as Yang Caiwei in the first two episodes and left an strong image of Yang Caiwei's character. When Jujin Yi jumped in to fill the role, she felt like a different Yang Caiwei.
One thing the writers did correctly was Pan Yue. He's character was consistent with the flow of the story and his feelings and actions made sense. One of the many reasons I kept watching was to see Pan Yue's battle with himself trying to understand why he's suddenly falling in love with a woman whom he loathe in the beginning. His arch made me realize that we fall in love with the soul and not the flesh.
Our second lead couple was cute to watch despite the limited screen time they have. One reason I came back to finish the drama. Their love was like a seed that sprouted but didn't end satisfactory.
Overall, this drama is "eh". Will I rewatch it? Nope, once is enough (Not unless they add a new side story of Bai Xiao Shang and Zhuo Lan Jiang .^_^.)

Read More

A Ballad Like no Other

I watched this drama 2 years ago and was a tad bit disappointed because I keep comparing it to the manhua and of course the manhua was much better. Due to the tweaks and changes that the show writers did, I was very prejudice against the show when watching it then. Now with a new perspective and after rewatching the drama without judgement, I found that the drama was very enjoyable. The story follow our main lead Li Changge (Dilraba), a head strong princess who's on a quest of revenge. Along the way she met Ashile Sun ( Leo Wu) and many others who showed her friendship, loyalty, and love.
The drama gave us a solid introduction, great characters, and story building. I appreciate that the show writers made our female characters strong in their own way. Changge is not your typical princess. She's strong willed, smart, and loyal. Opposite her is our typical princess, Leyan (Zhao Lusi). She's cute, soft spoken, and caring. At first I thought she would be a useless princess, but as the story progressed, she became one of my favorite "weak princess" character. And who have thought that our main villain was also a woman, Princess Yicheung. She's a mix of cunningness, switching between a weak forgotten princess and a tactful Khatun. Our male characters were also a delight to watch. The romance is there, but you won't be seeing any fan service of kisses from our leads. I particularly liked watching the interactions between our second couple in the drama, Liyuan and Hao Du (Liu Yuning).
My only complaint about this drama was the cartoon portion of it. It should have been left out or portrayed live. I was glad they didn't use it too much throughout the drama.
Overall, this drama is a great watch. Would I watch it again? Of course! (I already did and would not miss it for a third time.)

Read More