Novoland: Pearl Eclipse (2021)

Heart rending

This drama was much awaited among Chinese dramas followers and did not disappoint. And I think it is under rated on mydramalist.com.

I rate this drama as 60% romance and 40% action. The pace was quite moderate but there were enough events to keep you interested. The battle scenes were intense and impressive, and the interactions of the lovers were heart rending. The cast is outstanding - everyone played their part so well.

Haishi grew up in a village which fished for luminous pearls formed by the tears of the merfolks. As a child, her father died fishing for these pearls and she blamed the emperor for his heavy taxation which resulted in the death of her father. When her village was raided by soldiers, she hurt an officer, ran away and was saved by Fang Jian Ming, a close friend of the emperor. He took her in as his disciple. She chose to dress up as a boy and eventually enrolled in the emperor's military. She fell in love with Fang and so did he in return.

Throughout the drama, it is heart rending. Fang would consistently pushed away Haishi's advances although he loved and cared for her with all his heart. The clueless Haishi could not understand what was going on. She suspected that her Shifu (tutor) was in love with her too and blamed him for putting politics above their love. On numerous occasions Fang sent her away and she was sure she was being abandoned. When Fang met a rival in love and he was obviously jealous in spite of efforts to hold it back - that was double heart rending. As the drama went on, the reason behind Fang's rejection of Haishi were slowly unraveled.

There were a lot of events which would keep you in suspense: coups, rebellion, people who were not what they appeared to be, wars with tribes at the border, internal feuding for the throne, Haishi's attempted assassination of the emperor, sabotage in the court targeted at Fang instigated by hidden political rivals, conspiracies and counter conspiracies, Haishi's participation in the competition for a position in the military amidst a conspiracy to hurt her, her appointment as consort to the emperor, which she resented, and so on. There were a lot of common themes similar to other period dramas involving imperial families but these were played out differently.

There were 3 couples and a total of 9 persons in love. Only 1 couple eventually led a happy life together. The other 1 couple could continue to see each other but had to keep a distance. 2 persons died, not getting the love they were seeking. And 1 couple died in each other's arms. I shall not reveal which, but this tells you that this drama has a rather dark setting.

I wish the director would stop the drama at the 46th episode. It could have ended as: they lived happily ever after, for all. But it went on for another 2 episodes which twisted it into a tragedy. There is something sadistic with either the writer or the drama production community.

All the three lead couples did very well. I enjoyed watching William Chan and Yang Mi as leads - there were great chemistry between them - their acting were very natural. William is one of those actors who looks good even when he puts on a cold stern face. He could switch from a look ladened with a mix of sadness and heavy responsibility to one of relief and quiet happiness - and you can see an obvious difference.

Leia Mais

Best costume drama this year!

Amazing drama from beginning to end!
The production value of this is top notch. From the sets, to the costumes to the fight scenes and music, everything is excellent!

The story kept my attention the entire time and the overall pacing was done quite well. My only issue was the ending seemed a little bit rushed and I wish we got to see more of the happy life of the main leads before the end. The love story between the main leads was full of angst and longing and the two had really good chemistry (not the super hot kind, but fitting for the master/disciple turned lovers type). They also looked really good together and seemed age appropriate as Yang Mi looked younger than William Chan, but not too much. Yang Mi's portrayal of all the different stages of Hai Shi's life were excellent. She is still believable and likeable acting as as teenager, which is something not alot of actresses can pull off. Her transition to scorned lover and finally regal Empress Dowager are all done so well. William Chan was also good as FJM. He seems one dimensional at first but you slowly get to see more range as the story progresses. His final emotional scene was so heartbreaking! The second leads and supporting characters all acted well. I didn't like Xu Kai Cheng from "a female student arrives at the Imperial college" but he is actually quite good as Emporer here! Chen Xiao Yun was also really good as Tilan. Her portrayal as an abused, scared Consort was amazing. She has a very pretty and expressive face!

I really enjoyed Haishi and Zhuoying's sibling relationship. You can see how Zhuoying looks out for and cares for Haishi. Also the friendship between Haishi and Tilan was really sweet although I wish we saw more of it. The bromance between Di Xu and FJM was really touching. These two actors have really good chemistry together.

My only complaints about this drama are that the ending seems a little bit rushed and that I wish they used a voice actor to dub for Yang Mi as I found her voice very high pitched and distracting sometimes. Also, I wish we saw more of Zhuoying's life after he went back to the Huku tribe. He was such a good character and kind of just disappeared. Lastly, I'm not sure why they use such a strong filter when Yang Mi appears onscreen. In the BTS, she looks amazing so I'm not sure why they feel the need to blur her skin much more than the other characters. It actually was a little distracting in some scenes. I saw in an interview she had eczema from wearing the armor in hot weather, so maybe that's the reason?

Otherwise, this is an excellent drama! In my opinion, better than The Long Ballad, which I also enjoyed very much!

Leia Mais

Grande saga Wuxia avec un cast magnifique

Grande saga Wuxia avec de grands acteurs (c'est magnifiquement interprété) et une histoire bien construite et prenante.

L'univers Fantaisy Novoland est complet : pouvoirs, esprits, immortels, notion de Baixi ("armure" de ton protégé), etc.
Les différents couples se rencontrent, se heurtent, s'apprivoisent, s'aiment,... de façon cohérente. La bromance est superbe (c'est vraiment le fil conducteur de ce drama) !
Les scènes d'action sont de qualité (vive les cascadeurs sur câbles) et les effets spéciaux sont bons (même si on sent le "fond vert" et les animés numériques par moments. Mais globalement, tout est bien fait.
Cerise sur le gâteau : une happy end réaliste et bien amenée...

Si vous aimez les séries épiques, avec de bons effets spéciaux, n'hésitez pas !

Leia Mais

Where do I begin?

This was one of the Chinese historical dramas that I waited for to air. So, I had high expectations.

THE ACTING
The script is well written. However, due to the directors direction, the female lead actress did not act as good as she could have. The actress did an excellent job in the Legend of Fu Yo and other historical and period dramas, but in this drama, she was lacking, tremendously. Firstly, her character acted immaturely for the first 20 episodes, even in the scenes when she was supposed to be brave.

ROMANCE
Secondly, I did not feel the romance between the female and male lead characters, meaning it wasn't captivating for a big budget drama like this. The romance between the female lead and male lead was stale...maybe dry is a better word for it. Sidenote: The actors and actress who played the king, the male lead (up until episode 20), and the consort acted their butt off (meaning they did an excellent job). Although the king was very cruel, his behavior for an ancient king character is one of the most realistic I've seen in Chinese historical dramas (check the article out on my page for details). I also did not like the romance between the adopted brother of the female lead, and the character from the fabric department. I was bored the whole time watching their love story unfold, and I skipped a lot of their scenes. Again, I think the director didn't do all of the characters justice. This drama should have had more a serious undertone, especially for these types of characters who were strong and skilled warriors. Instead of having the female lead actress and her adopted brother be shy and cutesy about romance, this was an opportunity to have these character develop from being aloof about romance due to childhood trauma, to becoming open to it, gradually (which is what the director did for the male lead).

WHAT I LIKED
I liked the fact that both the king and the male lead are healthy (not anorexic and or bone thin). There are a lot of male actors who act in Chinese historical dramas who are so thin and frail. So much so, you can see their rib cage when they take off their shirts in historical dramas. This trend in China should absolutely come to an end. Just because someone is skinny doesn't mean that they are healthy.

On the brighter side, the political storyline in this drama was great. It is the reason that I didn't give this drama a rating of less than 7.5. Additionally, the reason why I am not going to drop this drama at episode 20 is because I'm invested in the political plot. The actor who played the king by far, was the best actor in this drama. Seriously, pay attention to his mannerisms, his voice fluctuations, his facial expressions, and his body movements. It is not as easy as it appears to act, especially as a king during ancient times. I'm amazed by his acting skills. Kudos to the casting director for casting this actor.

I will edit this review at another time to fix all grammatical errors. I'm typing this review from my cellphone. I'll also let you know what I thought about the end!

FINAL UPDATE:
I decided to drop this drama. Episode 21( or 22?) was horrible and it didn't make any sense.

Leia Mais

Don’t miss this awesome drama!!

Watch every episodes without fast forwarding because you might missed the little details that define this drama. Such a fast past and exciting drama. The actors and actress is top notch and very professional. I think that if they were to cast younger main lead it might not be so good and quality acting. WC so fine in here and YM shine so far. I can’t wait for the rest because every scene is putting on edge. The cinematography is awesome and very pleasing visually. I waiting for YM badas@&& fighting scene in the battle field. She always delivered like Fuyao.

Leia Mais

Even Yang mi can't resque this drama

I wonder why many of reviewers praise this drama.
Partly it is a story of two conceited men ( Emperor and Fang Zhu ) who like each other too much. In their own opinion they are the most important people in the world - all others are pawns to be exploited and sacrificed.
In addition to that they both wallow in self-pity all the time. sarc- What a lovely bromance

When all ready ca. 20+ years old Fang Zhu meets ca. 10 years old girl ( Hai Shi ) and begins to raise her as a foster father. As her "Master" he teaches her HIS OWN RULES - such as for example that she must always obey and do as her Master wants. In practice, Hai Shi is thus being brainwashed throughout her childhood.

Second part of this story is a "romance" between Hai Shi and Fang Zhu. Watching this drama just makes me feel sorry for Hai Shi. I think it's not a romance but abuse of her.

So no matter how much I like her acting, watching this drama is too disgusting

Leia Mais

This drama knows how to break your heart

The story is great, I expected it to be more fantasy but it's more political than fantasy which isn't a problem. The story is great, the characters are great and their relationships are so amazing. Each couple is so good with their own differences, all the relationships develop so well. The only complaint I have is nearing the end, one character goes off somewhere and we don't see much of him, I would've loved it if we saw more of what was happening in the huku tribe with him. The ending is heart wrenching, the tears just kept coming, it's definitely worth the watch.

Leia Mais

Good storyline but missed the mark on casting

Overall the storyline was good, production & costume quality were good. My main issue with the series is the casting. While most actors did ok with their individual parts (except Xu Kai Cheng) the casting and chemistry were seriously lacking. They really missed the mark on the casting with this one. Especially w/ the ML and FL leads.

While ML and FL acting was decent - they didn't quite fit together. They really lacked chemistry and I didn't root for them. Jian Ming had a more youthful look but his character was supposed to be quite older than the Haishi. He was a grown adult when they met and she a child. But when she became an adult he still appeared younger than her. They should've casted an older actor for the ML or a younger actress for the FL.

ML (Willam Chan) as Fang Jian Ming - this is the first time I've seen this actor in a role. He was not able to exude the tough, stoic demeaner that the role entails (such as actors like Wallace Chung in Sword and Brocade or Lin Geng Xin in Princess Agents). But in the last few episodes where he was more carefree & and happy, and then the tragic ending he did really well portraying the exhaustion and utter sadness.

FL (Yang Mi) - she did fine as she typically does. But I couldn't help but feel like she played the exact same character/acting as she did in Legend of Fuyao. Took me a bit to get accustomed to her real voice.

2ML (Xu Kai Cheng) - the Emperor. I had zero empathy for him. He was supposed to portray a tormented, conflicted emperor with morals and compassion, but he just came across as an unhinged sadistic lunatic. He completely overacted. Scenes of his abuse towards Tilan were uncomfortable to watch.

2FL (Tilan) - Started off w/ some edge to her but fizzled out and became a limp doormat. She overplayed the sweet forgiving angelic aspect.

3ML (Zouying) - he did fine, I liked his loyal/playful bond w/ Haishi. But his portrayal of the evil twin brother was overacted and not believable.

3FL (Zheliu) - she did a good job. this is the first role I actually like this actress in. I couldn't stand her in all the other series I've seen in her.

Leia Mais

Good and entertaiining

This is the first series I've seen in the Novoland universe. I usually am not that interested in stories with too much fantasy elements like in the other series, mostly because CGI looks to unbelievable. But it was toned down very, when it came to the element of merfolk and it was simply used to drive the plot forward at certain points.

The acting was great for pretty much every character involved. I was surprised by the acting form the Emperor and, Ti Lin and Zhe Liu. The emperors eunuch was also great for comedic relief here and there.

The music which accompanied the series felt right throughout the series and was timed well.

They didn't go berserk with flashbacks, but they increased it a bit towards the end. Thankfully, it didn't feel too repetetive. I have in recent years become prone to fast forward in series, as soon as it makes me lose interest. But I didn't FF more than tops 15 minutes throughout the series, which says a lot.

The pacing of the story was for the most part good. They could've made a few parts less draggy, but all things considered it wasn't too much. The last 4 episodes, the plot felt a bit rushed. The last episode was great. Its one of the better made endings I've seen in a drama overall.

If you like a show which has a strong female lead in it, give this one a spin. While FL clearly has flaws, it wasn't emphasized too much, making it ridicilous. It felt grounded.

Leia Mais

You will start crying with the first episode but will laugh, too

Not exactly a spoiler, as I’m actually trying my hardest not to, but I think since this is enough of a spoiler to let you know that things might not end exactly how you expect, i marked it as a spoiler. To be honest, I’m writing the review not so that I can tell you about details of the plot or the acting or if I would personally watch it again—but I’m encouraging you from the depth of my being: if you make it to the last episode, do not stop watching until the words “the end” appear on the screen. Watch past the musical montage. I don’t know if it will make it better or worse—I don’t know if it made it better or worse for me even now. But you’ll need it.

Leia Mais

אהבה , שייכות, נאמנות- love , belong, loyal..

סדרה בין הטובות ביותר שראיתי. לדעתי ויליאם צ׳אן יאנג מי ושו קאי צ׳אנג נתנו את משחק חייהם.
הסדרה בנויה בהגיון דבר מוליך אל דבר, מערכת יחסים נבנית לאט ובהתמדה. הן של הקיסר והן של המאסטר . משחק מדהים, המאסטר מתעלה על הכל וכן הקיסר. קיסר שמתגלה כאוהב, כדורג למרות כל ההתחלה הקשה והפסאדואלימה שלו. הכל בנוי כמו בד ארוג להפליא שזור בחוטים משתלבים. 47 פרקים שלא מאפשרים רגע לנוח כשהפרק ה48 - פרק ההקרבה האהבה האמינות והעובדות. חלק לא סגור ומשאיר אותנו באפשרות לחלום על מה שנרצה. חלק לצערי סגור ומסוגר. אבל יש המשך לדור שהלך והמורשת תמיד תשאר.
שאפו ענק לבמאי, לתסריטאי, ולצוות שחקנים מדהים באיכותו.
צריך להתאושש מסדרה כל כך משמעותית.
תודה .
רותי.
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
Love, belonging, loyalty

One of the best series I've seen. In my opinion, William Chan Young Mee and Shu Kai Chang gave the performance of their lives.
The series is logically built from one thing to another, a relationship is built slowly and steadily. both the emperor's and the master's. Amazing game, the master surpasses all and so does the emperor. An emperor who turns out to be a lover, as a bird despite all his difficult and pseudo-imminent beginnings. Everything is constructed like a beautifully woven fabric interwoven with interlocking threads. 47 episodes that do not allow a moment to rest when the 48th episode - the episode of sacrifice, love, reliability and facts. Part is not closed and leaves us with the possibility to dream about what we want. Part is unfortunately closed. But there is a continuation of the generation that has passed and the legacy will always remain.
A huge aspiration for the director, the screenwriter, and an amazing cast of quality.
Need to recover from such a significant series.
Thanks .
Ruthie

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