Solid and heartwarming

Ahhh! I didn't think I would love this drama as much as I do. I'm writing this as the credits are rolling. This drama is soooo touching. I cried a lot in parts later on in the series. The central theme came together so well in the end and what a fantastic performance by the actors. The way this was filmed, the lighting and the acting made the drama feel so realistic and raw. The earlier scenes made it seem like this would be more about the suspense but the over-arching theme was a lot more about humanity and our need for love, attention and acknowledgement.

Joseph Cheng was fantastic as Fang Yi Ren who is a genius who has Asperger's syndrome. The way he expressed his inability to read and express emotions' like other people felt so convincing. Even more so when they started showing his way of expressing his own emotions despite the difficulties. There was one scene where I just started crying with them haha. That's the part that got me the most. It was so well captured and those moments felt very genuine. You have to watch it to experience it fully and appreciate the wholeness of his character. He was someone you just wanted to comfort and give a hug to and tell him it would all be okay.

I loved his dynamic with Tiffany Hsu. It was a bond that started with both sides in it for what they could gain but grew into a genuine, even touching, relationship.

Wow. Even the police force were quite something to watch. Jason Wang as the captain really owned his role. He was natural at it. Actually, all of them were, down to the very minor of roles. That's what made the drama more believable.

The mystery was well presented in a way that kept me interested in what was to happen. After a while though, you figure it out and the *suspense* dies down and I'd say if you are looking for a lot of suspense, you might end up disappointed. Especially with the way this drama was packaged. However, I would like to stress that this doesn't take away from the overall quality and enjoyment of the drama (in fact, I LOVE, love, love this drama). To put it in a more coherent picture, if you've watched Voice 1, which was FULL of suspense and a lot of times, quite gritting scenes, then this would be a tone down from that. I expected something different but I loved what I got just as much as the one I expected to get. The drama was slower in pace, in terms of how the mystery all came together. Personally, I ended up enjoying it and the slower pace let me take the details in nicely.

The investigations were done in a logical manner, no getting frustrated over why the police force were acting in a not-so-smart way (one more reason why I kept watching.)

The music at the end of each episode was so good and again, like the rest of the drama, wasn't the kind of music you'd expect to hear in this. But this music added so much to the overall impact.

The development that our main characters had in the end felt like a pretty neat way to wrap everything together.

Overall, this drama felt so much like a revelation. A look through the inner most aspect of a person, of how and why a lot of the same things that happen to us affect us so differently, make us respond so differently from each other.

I would actually love to see a 2nd season, but this time onto a more procedural, crime focused story. This feels like a prologue and a strong introduction to our characters.

One more thing: The script in this was amazing. Everything was spot on and the characters were able to really convey
what they wanted to say in such a distinct manner.

So yes. One more drama I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SPOILER: (Mild, if you would like to know about some of the character's dialogues. The ones that had so much impact.)

_____________________________________________________________________

"The meltdown, the pain, and the despair, they are all mine."
_____________________________________________________________________

"I thought that having a family and getting married would make me normal! I thought I could be normal!"
______________________________________________________________________

"Victims... They all seek empathy from assailants. I believe that death isn't the key. We're all afraid of deaths that can't be acknowledged. We all seek
understanding. Have you thought of lending them a hand? I want to lend you a hand. You are still alive. We still have a chance."

"I was never a part of your life. What is "we"?"

"You've always been here. I knew you... before you even knew yourself."

Leia Mais

Overall a distinct and a surprisingly good watch

I'm on a binge-watch spree and I've been loving C-dramas.
I saw the trailer for this months ago and decided I will not watch it largely because of the comments about Alan Yu's acting. He is one of my favourites, if not my most favourite character in Ten Miles of Peach Blossom along with Zheyan so I was the most surprised when I found out the amount of dislikes towards his acting.

However I noticed how many surprisingly positive comments about the story in general, and his acting, there were in here. And even more surprised and intrigued when instead of going down, the deluge of the positive comments were consistent until the end so I decided to give this a try.

Going into here, it definitely it took me a while to warm up to the characters. Although I liked the general story and character traits, some details took longer to get used to.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*SPOILERS BEGIN*

First off - there's the classic case in Chinese dramas of the female leads being exhaustively immature and annoying. There is a large difference between being naive and immature. The heroine is playful and outgoing in nature and her character was fun until she came down from the mountains. There, I found her actions really quite stupid and too impulsive for her own good. There were a lot of events that escalated a lot quicker than I could catch on or believe was necessary. A lot of the sequences regarding her actions and reactions were illogical.
Putting up a fight every chance she could get without thought was not attractive even more so when there really isn't a big reason for them. That really turned me off and made me think about dropping the drama.

Fortunately, there was a turning point for her character and the actress really delivered. In fact, she was extremely good on her more emotional scenes and it really pulls you in as a viewer.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Second, the fight scenes were Impressive. Probably up there with the best ones in that they were choreographed so beautifully and with perfect build up. My most favourite one that showcased this was definitely the fight in Mianyang. Again this time, the female lead delivered with her fight scenes and was convincing in her skills.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thirdly, Lin Fang was quietly attractive. At first, I found he lacked that powerful silent charisma this kind of character would usually have and it's one of the reasons I felt fine with the female lead and male lead being together in the beginning. He has however, must have been effective enough to find myself really being attached to his character later on. More than the plot, the main thing I will remember about this drama would be Lin Fang and Qing Hong, the female lead. I really loved the way he silently loved QingHong in his own way. The main scene that stood out for me was when he was helping her tie the knot on the jade heirloom QH wanted to give to Wen Yuan/Zisu as a betrothal gift. It was a subtle but the kind, gentle, loving and at the same time the look of surrender on his face was painful in its own way.

I had no problem with the female lead and second ML getting together (in fact, I was just wanting a storyline like this) but the problem would be the development of the romance between the actual leads. Although there was no doubt later on that she loved Lin Fang, the speed at which she admitted she liked him and forgot about the sml was not convincing. It was rather a lot more of a tell than show. Which was a shame because I feel like it was building up to be quite an angsty love story of does she/does she not love Lin Fang and of how would she show that convincingly enough to leave no one with any doubt. The direction there could have been a lot better and more satisfying.

The end of the feelings between QH and Zisu could have been more solid and clean cut rather than feeling that there were some lingering feelings, which at times felt stronger than QH's love for LF.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Which leads me on to the next one:

Lin Fang's poison. Again, what a shame and a waste of a good trope. Being poisoned in C-dramas is like amnesia in K-dramas. Cliche but if done well, there really is nothing bad to shout about.

As much as I liked Uncle, the poisoning could have been a good plot device to show more the depth of QingHong's feelings towards LF. I felt like they spent way too long in that place. The way the poisoning cure went felt a bit anti-climactic. It was always shown to be the big, dark cloud over LF's future, only for it to be magically solved away. Those scenes weren't less impressive but definitely not what you'd expect so it kinda fell flat.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Princess - the actress who played her has done a good job in still making her look lovable in the end. Did not like how her character was written throughout. She was such a selfish character and so out of touch with everything other than her own feelings that there was nothing to sympathise with her. Even the way Zisu fell in love with her wasn't believable. It sort of just happened when there was nothing lovable about her selfish ways. Definitely no development for her.
The rest of the characters and couples were adorable, especially Wen Rou and Xia Hou Ying. Xia Hou Ying just exudes a natural charisma which makes him so believable as a soldier. And they make such a good couple.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And ofcourse, the OSTs.
Again, one of my favourite collection of OSTs! Much like with the rest of the drama, I did not expect this to have such good osts. They weren't utilised as much as I would like but they certainly worked when they played in the background. I especially like "Melting" (my favourite!), "Guang Hanguang" and also "Moonlight" which was sang by the male lead.
It felt like the director was quite ambitious in what he wants to portray and you could really see that in certain scenes, especially at the final battle and again in Mianyang. There was a strong message and that was visible in the way they very symbolically placed the dead Wang Dun at the emperor's chair.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The actors' performance are really one of the strong points in this drama. The amount of illogical actions, plot holes and at times the classic unnecessary deaths were frustrating but these were all covered up nicely by their performance. Especially Zisu, probably the most tragic character in this story also got one of the complete development here. He was devoted and wilful to start with but certainly reacts first before thinking. Later on, he proved to be determined and matured. The final battle showed him in his best form.

My favourite scene of Lin Fang would be at the chess battle. That's one of the best and unpredictable scenes in this drama which was really impressive and made me keep watching. It certainly was also one of the reason I didn't drop this. The contrast between how he and QH reacts towards their child in the end is also one of the best examples of Lin Fang's nature. His quiet and calm disposition really is comforting and confident in a way only he has.
There was so much potential for this to be REALLY good and the actors delivered however, ultimately, the direction mellowed down a little and took it down a notch. It never really built up to the peak I could foresee in the beginning. Still good but less of the promising impression I had at first.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Like others have pointed out, I didn't expect this to have quite a sombre feel in much of the episodes. Which was fine but the obvious effort to make it a bit more light hearted later on came at the expense of the female lead's evolution. Really loved her at the battle of Mianyang right until they jumped off the cliff, only for her to be back as immature as the beginning episodes. I get it is to show her natural characteristic but some of the lines she had did not come across in a playful, light way as I think they were hoping. They felt a bit more immature more than anything. Although not exactly like the first half, it wasn't a turn around you'd expect.

I'm not going to talk about much of the villain because it was just fine, nothing that's not already been shown in other stories, both in execution and story.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
*END OF SPOILERS*
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Overall, this was a good drama I'm glad I gave a try watching. Above essay is more of a nitpicking just because I felt like it had the potential to be as surprisingly good as Love and Redemption in regards to the overall quality of the story.

Takeaway those nitpickings and this drama is a show to watch and one where you just go with the flow. Taking it for what it is and just enjoying the story. I have certainly been attached to the characters especially to Lin Fang by the end, unexpectedly.

Apparently it is the female lead's first historical which is impressive. I'll be looking forward for more historical dramas with her. Her and Alan Yu has also got a nice chemistry with each other, and it would be interesting to see them together in another historical drama with slightly different relationship dynamics.

Leia Mais

This leaves a deep impression after watching. They all got what they deserved in the ending and everyone is generally happier, but still it was so bittersweet.

I struggled to follow this story, I found the beginning too slow and I just wanted to see more action because we already know who the killer was. It improved later on and the story made so much more progress. Everything became cohesive and it's just so heartbreaking to watch what could happen to adults who are mistreated as a child.

Baek Sang Ho made me feel too many things about his character. But most especially, I felt so sad for the child in him that he never outgrew of. I think he deserved what he got in the end. As much as I pity his childhood self, he knew what he was doing. I loved how he saw Young Jin saving him when he was a kid. He looked so hopeful and it was sad to see because he could have turned out okay.

The three minions weren't very impressive. That whole mysterious clique seemed like it was hiding something bigger but there really wasn't much substance to their characters or role in the story. They were well acted though but I feel like they were nothing more than a tool to make Sang Ho's character more mysterious and confusing.

This is a solid, well written story. I'm relieved it got better in the second half but the direction was always there. It's unlike other stories that lose their traction in the end. This one was well thought out. From the way the scenes were revealed and in what order, the writer had everything figured out already. That is why it was so nice to watch everything unfold.

I especially love the connection between Young Jin and Detective Hwang In Bum. The relationship they have forged throughout the years and also the trust and affection that In Bum has shown towards Young Jin enabled her to keep going. I think even Young Jin was unaware of this, at least before the case started to make progress.

Jang Ki Ho's change was also convincing and even touching. Again, a victim of an unpleasant childhood. I'm glad he got the chance to change.

And ofcourse Young Jin and Eun Ho. The strong bond between them was so believable and heartwarming to see. I really adore Eun Ho's character so much and the actor did such a good job in portraying him.

Young Jin is amazing and is such a charismatic character. The actress has such a strong presence it was never boring to watch her.

Overall, this is definitely not a fast paced, episodic drama. It was painfully slow for me despite the interesting story but if you manage to let yourself continue watching, the pay-off is worth it.

PS - the cinematography is AMAZING. I love how they zoomed in and out to sprawling views and characters. It really elevated the impact of the scenes. And ofcourse, the OSTs are great too.

Leia Mais

This is such a nice take on the melodrama genre. For a melodrama, it made me feel a lot of things - it has comedy, thriller, mystery, romance and strong casts and story. I never watched a melodrama that made me feel hopeful and good. Despite its gloomy vibe, there's something about it that drew me in. I did like it overall but have to say that its a shame it had some stupid tropes it could have very well done without. That's such a game changer for me. Without those, this drama would have been a perfect classic. It was already a satisfying watch but definitely was capable of doing better.

Things I liked:
-The strong points of this drama are for sure its characters and the music. Without the characters/actors who played their roles so well, this drama would have been average overall.

-The music was part of the viewing experience. Its been a while since I watched a drama that was able to cleverly use music/osts to accompany scenes. Every osts was wonderful because they were used at the right scenes and at the right timing. The scenes wouldn't have had the same impact without them. The last time I felt strongly this way was from My Mister and Doctor John.

-It took me a while to warm up to the idea of our main couple together. I didn't immediately see what a lot of people were talking about in regards to their chemistry together. Later on, after seeing their instagram lives and as we progressed more in the story - its safe to say they have become one of my favourite onscreen couples. They were polar opposites but complemented each other so well.

-The supporting actors helped take the viewing experience up a notch. There was variety of personalities so it really improved the overall mood of the drama. I always looked forward to seeing their scenes too because they were fun and entertaining.

- The drama used a lot of symbolism and parallels to showcase development and progress. I really liked those details, and they were easier to spot thanks to My Mister.

Things I did not like so much:

-As a lot of other people have pointed out already, the beginning started out strong only to peter out in the end. I don't know what happened, but the fact that they had to use some cliche tropes didn't help the drama. I am not against using cliche tropes especially if they're executed well and help the story progress, in this case though I felt like it was completely unnecessary because it took the overall quality of the drama down.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In general, that was all that I didn't like about the drama really. I feel like it's all encapsulated there. Overall, I'm glad I watched this drama. The vibe was exactly what I was looking for. I loved both our leads in their other projects. With Kim Dong Wook in The Guest. I saw Moon Ga Young in Live Up To Your Name and the fact that she stood out to me so much despite the minor role means she's done brilliantly. I wanted then to see her one day in a main role and she didn't disappoint. The range of emotions she's shown here was admirable. It's always so nice to see actors be so completely immersed in their roles.

Leia Mais

One of the best storyline execution in a drama. It's actually impressive how they achieved such a feat, because the initial episodes weren't telling of anything spectacular to come. The story telling and directing were really strong in this one, consistent and constantly evolving plot and development. I started this because I just couldn't get into any Kdrama aside from Once Again (which is still ongoing). That drama was also so good, I didn't expect to be so immersed which therefore made it difficult to find something else to watch.

This one had the same vibes as one of my favourite C-dramas, The Love by Hypnotic. Different set up but the female lead give off a similar vibe. So I watched it, at first not really caring much about what's happening. The premise, personally, I found a bit ridiculous and hard to take seriously. I thought the story would seem too impossible that even suspending logic wouldn't be enough to accept what this drama is trying to feed us. I decided to just see how it goes though especially as it is only 24 episodes, short compared to the usual 36 or more episode dramas. 2/3 in and I wasn't completely loving it. I even thought about dropping it but seeing all the positive reviews and because there are no other dramas I can think of watching, I just decided to carry on watching. Despite it seeming like it's not going anywhere, there's just something about it that kept me interested about what's going to happen. Even if I didn't particularly like how slow the progression was at times.

That all changed though when I got to the last third of the drama. Somehow and seemingly out of the blue, it picked up its pace and all I kept seeing was development and progress after progress. I was glued to the tv and genuinely immersed and eager to find out how the story will progress. Han Shuo became really endearing to me. He came off a bit more matured compared to his quite childish personality in the previous episodes. I loved watching all the trials they experienced because it made their characters really well rounded. It was also easy to see just how much they love each other, and how deep.

The message the drama send out (the drama is massively based upon the inequality between men and women) was touched upon, enough that the message was clear and the repercussions if things carried on as they were, was also shown so effectively that you can empathise with what the characters were going through or what they potentially could go through. And again, thanks to the great, careful and thoughtful directing and writing, so many of the things that happened and the decisions taken by the characters were understandable, if not agreeable, because the drama had their intentions built, actions by actions, in the previous episodes. The way they presented the gender issues was quite impressive and didn't feel like they were forcing the viewers to take a certain stand. It has done well on showing us the characters' plights enough for us to understand what is right for them.

And ofcourse, Chen Qian Qian and Han Shuo. The actors played their roles sooooooo well. I loved seing Qian Qian's expressions, even the tiniest quirk of her mouth or eyebrow really portrays so much personality. Ryan Ding was most impressive in heartbreaking scenes. Perhaps it's because I've seen his character always happy/in-love/jealous that it was a complete surprise to see him deliver that side to his character. Qian Qian and Han Shuo complement each other well. I love how their love story developed.

The weak part of the story would definitely have to be the two second leads, Chu Chu and Pei Heng. The premise regarding ChuChu's story sounded really interesting and so it was a bit of a shame that we didn't see much of her in the beginning. I would have loved to see her develop from being a kind, dedicated character to the person she's become after she lost everything. I think if that happened, we would be more empathetic of her suffering and possibly be torn about what we expect the story to become. The main leads' story developed nicely despite that, but if these second leads' stories showed us more depth, I think it would have created a greater impact overall and the drama stronger.

However, those were small things I noticed and for a drama that seemed all cutesy, this one definitely outdid itself. It had consistency and strong, solid plot direction that even quite a lot of the more popular dramas lack, despite all the budget, more experienced actors and cinematography.

I liked the ending and absolutely loved the turn of events in the historical side. I do like how it ended, but personally, I wished to see more scenes of them as Han Shuo and Qian Qian or even a bit more insight into their present lives. Like maybe showed more of QQ's grief over the thought that she's truly lost Han Shuo. Something along those lines. Like another commenter said, it would have been great acting to see. They can definitely deliver.

I can see myself rewatching this again, mostly the last third of the story. Those episodes have the best scenes in them.

Loved this drama.

Leia Mais

Ive come to realise that what makes a 10/10 drama isnt just about technicality or how ‘original’ a story is. This drama, on the surface, definitely isn’t your most original drama. This was what put me off watching it in the first place.

BUT Oh my. What a delightful surprise this turned out to be!!! It’s the perfect fluffy romcom. This felt so familiar and unique at the same time. It was also something like a comfort blanket. There was something about this drama that really reminded me of how the older dramas were made. It felt classic.

I don’t think there’s one definite reason but what I can guarantee is that the characters, story, execution mixed with the perfect blend of OSTs and music made this drama spot on.

I loved it for what is and Im so happy it didn’t try to become something out of the ordinary to impress. It stuck to it’s simple story and that’s the reason why I loved this.

For a long time, I was able to just focus on one plot and I had to pause every now and again just so I don’t finish watching it too soon.

It was AWESOME! I will really miss the characters soooooo much. Perfect.

Leia Mais

Despite the flaws, I personally loved this drama. Yes there could have been a lot more progression earlier on but I was just hooked in this the moment I started. The writer have written a group of strong characters partnered with capable actors in this drama. Where it falls through for me is the development for the most of them. There was so much potential for this to have been an excellent drama. It is already brilliant for what it is, but the potential of the first 4 episodes and the last episode further sheds some look into what more this could have been.

The romance between the characters, if we can even call it that, was a nice complement with the rest of the story at the start however it was clear later on that this was not going to progress into how it seemed to have looked earlier on. Again, could have been explosive but the reveal of the secret was flat to say the least. I was expecting there to have more angst in that regards but it was again obvious there was a lot more that needed addressing.

Overall, disappointing in some aspects but it was great overall. Every episode of this just flew by and despite things not always turning out to be as satisfying, every episode just flowed really smoothly. Each hour felt too short.

Looking at the ending, it has a potential for a season 2 especially with such a change in the atmosphere in the drama. But then thinking back to the main plot, there's nothing else that can defend a season 2 from that point of view. But again with how they put so much importance on the team's bond, I can see a season 2 ensemble focused drama, hopefully with actual romance there lol.

I really loved the cast especially Jamie and Jaewoong together. I also liked the reporter. Plus the OST, I wish they had more opportunity to have used it in the drama.

It made me feel so impatient waiting for this every week but I also enjoyed watching the episodes as they came.

Leia Mais

It's not over until it's over

I don't usually want to rate stuff unless it's over 8. However, I just can't bring myself to rate this more than 7 at the same time I think this is still worth seeing. It was still very engaging and it made me wonder what's going to happen next.

There's something missing though but I can't pinpoint exactly what it is.

So if you like zombie movies, this is definitely a must-see. The whole flow was good but nothing outstanding apart from both the actors' performance. I think it has something to do about the whole timeline of when and how fast things happened that disrupted it a bit for me.

I'm glad I watched it though, definitely something good to engage yourself in for an hour and a half.

Leia Mais

Sweet and great characters

Really happy I only discovered this after it is finished airing. This is the type of drama you binge-watch in one go. I didn't expect to love this as much as I do. The story was rich and entertaining and the overall vibe is perfect for Christmas/Winter time. The characters and the actors are all great in their roles too. I would argue some were a bit too good to be true towards the end. Though it's nice to see them all being kind, I don't think their actions and decisions were realistic.

Setting the huge age gap aside and the fact that the fl is really young, the main leads were perfect together. I absolutely loved the whole of the first 7 episodes (I watched those all in one go) and had to watch the rest the next day so I guess that broke the momentum for me. What I loved most was the mini heart to heart sessions the leads get when they are together on screen and that despite how different they are, they do match each other well when it comes to the most fundamental part - they get each other.

So the part where they keep saying to each other they don't match each other well, although true in most parts, is not entirely correct. I would have loved if we saw more of Asaba realising he loves Kiki without someone else (his ex-girlfriend) having to tell him.

It was such a slow-burn romance but I loveeeeeeeedd it. The actors are one of the massive reasons why - they all just were perfect for their roles. Although I wished Makoto didn't fall in love with Kiki because they matched better as friends and not only that, Kiki never saw him as more than friends despite her efforts to.

I really liked how they all had respective relationship and Asaba was direct with Kiki in telling her he's not able to respond to Kiki's feelings. Even their dates with the other leads were a nice addition to the depth of the story although I would have appreciated if there were less of them especially towards the end.

As much as I didn't mind them not spending so much time with each other (Asaba and Kiki), I wanted to see them more together towards the end. The distance between them on the first episodes were fine as they did interact when it mattered the most and also the drama had other full stories to offer.

However, the ending although happy, wasn't as satisfying for me. I kept feeling I wanted to see more of the leads together and I really wish they showed Kitagawa meeting someone else, she deserves it especially as she longs to be a bride and a mother. There was a part of me that thought what the point of all this was if there were no good ending for the other leads as they were actually kind. Again, by the end it felt like they prevented Kiki and Asaba from having more screen time together because they were trying to prolong the conclusion of their romance as much as possible.

Plus, there was no need for Kiki to be quite whiny towards the end, I felt like despite her young age, she is actually understanding of Asaba and what he is working towards so that bit at the convenience store was, I guess, for the sake of the scene and kiss lol.
The other characters and side couple were great to watch too.
And the OST!

So yes, overall, I am so glad I happened to stumble upon this. I feel like J-dramas have been on a roll recently. Its been years since Ive seen one and to have been watching one after another is surprising. I want to see more stories like this but with more screen time of the main leads together and if the other leads could please fall in love with other characters, for their own sake. We don't need to see them so heartbroken.

I have more to say but this drama was just really good although a tad bit stingy with showing us more of the main leads together. I wanted it to be longer! I personally really enjoyed this story so much.

P.S: Put a high-rewatch value because I feel like this is just perfect for the holidays. And probably because I'm still hung up on the story lol.

Leia Mais

Bridge to Terabithia

If you've seen the other movie, you might be wondering if they are two parts but they are actually different with the same concept. Because I've seen the Dream of Eternity first, I couldn't help but compare but it was clear as soon as it started that though the protagonists are the same, the story itself and the execution are completely different.

This version focused a lot more on its adventure aspect and the choice of humans and monsters instead of humans and demons differentiated both straight away. Whilst the visual effects on both films are both amazing in their own ways, the pacing is where I found the deciding factor was. Dream of Eternity's strength lies on its characters and their strong relatability to the viewers mixed with the solidly directed storyline, amongst all the other well-executed factors that made it such an enjoyable and stunning film for me.

Here, I found the pacing really offset the impact of everything. I found the climax a bit too quick where the buildup seem to have just been starting, leaving not much of a strong impression after everything's been done. And if you are expecting the same level of bromance Qingming and Boya had, I'd say to lower your expectations. If I hadn't watched Dream of Eternity first, I wouldn't have appreciated Boya's character here as much. Qingming on the other hand, both actors in both movies have offered different interpretations to Qingming's character and they really have offered different sides and appeal to them. However, the villain is not quite as good and at times felt a bit tacky and like I was watching a children's movie (and I'm not sure if it has anything to do with this being based off of a game). Unfortunately, it didn't have the same finesse and classiness its counterpart had.

Overall, still a good watch especially if you liked Dream of Eternity. It's nice to be able to see a different spin to the story but unlike the latter, it wasn't as stunning and didn't have much of a lasting impression that DoF had. It reminded me a lot of Bridge to Terabithia though which helped me connect to the monsters especially Red Ghost and the ferrets later on.

Leia Mais

The One Great Love and Sacrifice

Wow what a combination of great performances, execution, story, stunning visual effects and production! This drama not only boasts an obviously high -budget production but it also delivered in every factor that mattered, It is difficult to find a great balance of everything nowadays, where one seem to excel in one thing, it glaringly lacks in another. But this movie was just stunning overall. It was ambitious but it never strayed further to compromise its storytelling. Everything complemented each other and this was boosted further by sincere performances by the leads, most notably Mark Chao and the Princess.

Mark Chao seem to have this command on screen and side by side with Allen Deng, it just elevated the quality of the movie even more. His expressions, down to the tiniest ones, conveyed so much emotions that even when he was doing those hand signals, what might have looked ridiculous and taken away from the scene just integrated nicely with the whole experience because he did them so convincingly.

The whole story was about the good and bad, yin and yang and how this concept, which is not new, have played out in this one compels you to watch it and grabs your whole attention. More than the stunning visuals and Mark Chao's performance alongside Allen and Olivia Wang, the story had substance and direction was solid. I thought whilst watching this movie how great the novel it's been adapted from must be seeing this all play out on screen. This movie has really captured the essence of the story because as someone who didn't have prior knowledge of the novel, everything was easy to follow along and the concept and flow were all very logical.

I have seen a behind the scene of this prior to its release and what drew me the most in that video was how high-budget it seemed to be and of course the cast who are a few of the most well-known faces in the Chinese entertainment industry. But like with a lot of other productions with impressive budget and visual aesthetics, I had my reservations because many fail to put importance on the actual story. You can breathe a sigh of relief with this one because it really felt like the story was done with sincerity that it really radiated with it.

It's been so difficult to get into any show these days but this movie grabbed my attention from the get-go. I was captivated the whole time and I enjoyed the whole ride. Really happy I gave this a chance and I cannot wait to see Mark Chao in a fantasy drama again, hopefully in the near future!

Leia Mais

I preferred the part when they were still high school students. I think that was the part where the whole story felt so special. Overall though, they really have managed to keep to the main theme of the drama. Other than the couples, Qiuyan is my favourite character! She was very logical and mature all through out the story and she has this comforting older sister vibe. I also enjoyed Huai Wu's presence.

This is a great depiction of a love that makes each one a better person.

However, this could have been a lot shorter. I started forcing myself to finish this as the story went on - the lack of conflict and the very contrived ones were almost too much to bear sometimes. You really just have to take it for what it is in those times although it is more disappointing here as it has shown quite a good premise at the start. What made me what though was the overall message of the story. I think they have successfully shown that message of the drama and 'Forever Love' is a befitting title for the story.

The unnecessary conflicts were overblown most of the time, made overly dramatic when in reality and in all obviousness, weren't as serious as what they made it up to be. That is one glaring flaw to me.

But overall, I love the whole team together. Great ensemble which made the story feel a lot more special. Just wanted to see more at the end although it was a happy ending for the couple.

Leia Mais

Perfect for a cosy watch

If you are looking for something to de-stress and relax with, this is a perfect drama to watch. The episodes are surprisingly shorter than expected but the story is tightly packed and paced. The main couple are perfect together. It's just overall a nice watch and though the premise might sound weird if you only read the synopsis, the drama has managed to approach it in a sensitive and realistic manner. I like that it stayed simple and sweet all the way. I really love the song that comes up at the end with the sweet couple montage.



Slight Spoiler:
Although the female lead has come out and integrated with society by the end, I would have liked it more if they showed her getting a job and wilfully getting out of her house, even just bit by bit. I thought that would be part of the process of finding happiness for herself. It would have been nice if they had shown how with the knowledge that she has people who loves her and won't leave her, she gained the courage to take risks by exposing herself more to the outside world.

======================================================
End of Spoiler*

That was a more personal preference but overall this drama managed to deliver a sweet story and conclusion that have been lacking in a lot of dramas this year. Nothing overly complicated or too ambitious. It's a drama you can watch whilst snuggled up in a blanket with your comfort food and cosy socks on whilst it's freezing outside.

Leia Mais

Started off well and more importantly - a satisfying ending!

I liked the beginning of this but it fizzled out towards the end. The ending episode though was greatly satisfying. It’s so easy to find loopholes in time warp dramas but this is probably one of the best time warp dramas made in terms of how well thought out it is.

The timing of everything and the logic behind them all made sense. Finally, a drama where you don’t have to leave your common sense at the front door.

However, I found myself not caring as much towards the later episodes due r to the fact it just wasn’t as exciting anymore. I really loved the part of the story with Hyun Chae and the whole secret affair fiasco. It was exciting and well made. That for me was the peak of the drama up until the part when Seo Jin ultimately found out about them.

Those episodes were very exciting and truly unpredictable. The part where the rapid changes in the future kept happening are one of my most favourites too. The highlight for me was how satisfying they would all just fade into nothing and how great the police detective was. Truly a kind person. It was so nice how he managed to convey so much kindness and warmth through his actions.

By the end, I just appreciated how excellent the actors were in their roles. These are some seasoned actors and it really made for a fantastic watch.

So even though I enjoyed the kidnapping-affair side of the story, the whole company who-done-it chase and reveal felt dragged out. Especially when it became the central part of the story. I felt like there would have been more to flesh out if they had kept with the wife plot for longer.

Got to say how impressive Nam Gyu Ri was in here too. The character was horrible and cannot truly be redeemed but her portrayal of every emotion was so convincing. She was really great being spiteful, a loving mother, a deranged, psychopathic person and manipulator plus a woman in agony. I love love the first time DeoKyun died and she found their photos at the apartment, that was such a heartbreaking scene that even if you know what led to that part, her portrayal was so great it would affect you regardless.

Plus, Geon Wook is just the sweetest.

And despite being annoying, the actor behind Chairman Yul is so good - that whole scene when the evidence of the crime was being revealed, his expression the whole time was just spot on.

Overall a good watch.

Leia Mais