The Good:
- Their wigs are really nice. Hairlines look great and the hair looks real.
- The chemistry between our main couple is strong. Some skinship and cuteness abound fairly early on in the series and even in her innocence, those scenes give me tingles with how sensual they can be (and by watching Sifeng react to it). Their angst is also equally explosive, and I can feel their yearning, love, and hate viscerally.
- Cheng Yi. He smiles a lot more in this than he did in the last series I watched him in (Stand By Me) and is generally more expressive in his emotions, which I love. It's a shame his smile is so often guarded because he has a gorgeous smile that totally transforms his face. I also like that he gets to act a little off-kilter sometimes, like when he's embarrassed or unsure or transfixed by Xuan Ji's close proximity - it breaks away the otherwise cool-monotone exterior he tends to display and I really like seeing that.
-Motives are clear. I understand why the good guys do what they do, and why the bad guys do what they do. It's not muddled in misunderstandings and weak writing.
-Plot twists are really good. I found my excitement renewed a few times with each twist.
-The small bits of comedy are great. I love Teng Shi, the heavenly beast. His physical comedy cracks me up. Sometimes it's a little cringe, but I'll take the good with the bad, haha.
-Whump. Whump. Whump. It's yummy. I'll never get enough of Cheng Yi in physical or emotional pain.
- The chemistry between our FL and ML is great. They look genuinely in love, and their misunderstandings and grievances are warranted and painful to watch. I really enjoyed them as a couple.
- The villains are formidable, despicable, and easy to hate.
- WHAT BLESSED BL IS THIS?! Episode 55 + Hellllooo? Lmao. We stan for it.
The Not So Good:
- Have patience with the first quarter of the series. Misunderstands are pretty rife between our first and secondary characters.
- Have patience with Zhu Xuan Ji. Her ignorance without her six senses can be very frustrating.
- The Lover's Curse mask Sigeng has to wear is h i d e o u s and covers his face for way too long. I was itching to skip past the episodes where he wore it (dying to see his face again), but for the sake of not missing any story, I trudged through it. It takes a hot minute before you get to see his face again, but for the sake of not spoiling the plot, I won't tell you when, since its important to the storyline.
-The Lover's Curse mask is supposed to have certain consequences and it seemed like there were continuity issues with it in the storyline since there were instances that should have definitely called for it to react and it didn't.
- The CGI is Power Rangers lvl bad, but honestly, I'm used to it with the xianxia-fantasy series, and I was able to look past it for the sake of a good story and great casting.
- How many packets of fake blood do these poor souls have to put in their mouths and spit out? (I'm looking at you, SiFeng). It lost its effect after a while (and that's saying a lot for a professional Whumpee like me). I also had an issue with some of the close-up shots of the actor's and actresses' faces in regard to their makeup application. I could often see the double-lid eye tape under makeup, circle lenses, foundation lines, and lipstick (like when SiFeng was especially sick and wore that ghoulish pastey lipstick).
- Their wigs are really nice. Hairlines look great and the hair looks real.
- The chemistry between our main couple is strong. Some skinship and cuteness abound fairly early on in the series and even in her innocence, those scenes give me tingles with how sensual they can be (and by watching Sifeng react to it). Their angst is also equally explosive, and I can feel their yearning, love, and hate viscerally.
- Cheng Yi. He smiles a lot more in this than he did in the last series I watched him in (Stand By Me) and is generally more expressive in his emotions, which I love. It's a shame his smile is so often guarded because he has a gorgeous smile that totally transforms his face. I also like that he gets to act a little off-kilter sometimes, like when he's embarrassed or unsure or transfixed by Xuan Ji's close proximity - it breaks away the otherwise cool-monotone exterior he tends to display and I really like seeing that.
-Motives are clear. I understand why the good guys do what they do, and why the bad guys do what they do. It's not muddled in misunderstandings and weak writing.
-Plot twists are really good. I found my excitement renewed a few times with each twist.
-The small bits of comedy are great. I love Teng Shi, the heavenly beast. His physical comedy cracks me up. Sometimes it's a little cringe, but I'll take the good with the bad, haha.
-Whump. Whump. Whump. It's yummy. I'll never get enough of Cheng Yi in physical or emotional pain.
- The chemistry between our FL and ML is great. They look genuinely in love, and their misunderstandings and grievances are warranted and painful to watch. I really enjoyed them as a couple.
- The villains are formidable, despicable, and easy to hate.
- WHAT BLESSED BL IS THIS?! Episode 55 + Hellllooo? Lmao. We stan for it.
The Not So Good:
- Have patience with the first quarter of the series. Misunderstands are pretty rife between our first and secondary characters.
- Have patience with Zhu Xuan Ji. Her ignorance without her six senses can be very frustrating.
- The Lover's Curse mask Sigeng has to wear is h i d e o u s and covers his face for way too long. I was itching to skip past the episodes where he wore it (dying to see his face again), but for the sake of not missing any story, I trudged through it. It takes a hot minute before you get to see his face again, but for the sake of not spoiling the plot, I won't tell you when, since its important to the storyline.
-The Lover's Curse mask is supposed to have certain consequences and it seemed like there were continuity issues with it in the storyline since there were instances that should have definitely called for it to react and it didn't.
- The CGI is Power Rangers lvl bad, but honestly, I'm used to it with the xianxia-fantasy series, and I was able to look past it for the sake of a good story and great casting.
- How many packets of fake blood do these poor souls have to put in their mouths and spit out? (I'm looking at you, SiFeng). It lost its effect after a while (and that's saying a lot for a professional Whumpee like me). I also had an issue with some of the close-up shots of the actor's and actresses' faces in regard to their makeup application. I could often see the double-lid eye tape under makeup, circle lenses, foundation lines, and lipstick (like when SiFeng was especially sick and wore that ghoulish pastey lipstick).
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