Not a Romance!

Excellent casting and superb acting in a deeply allegorical story descriptive of the simmering political upheaval and unrest characteristic of the 1930s, the era in which this drama is set. Contemporary music juxtaposed with stunning sets and costumes make viewing a real treat. The plot and character development give hints of Wuthering Heights for symmetrical storylines, Crime and Punishment for the creation of a mental prison, and… a hint of Mayor Jean Valjean in Vengo’s character. No idea why this only has 7.5 on the MDL site; perhaps people thought it would be a typical trope-y C-drama. But no!!! So glad I watched this.

Leia Mais

Entertaining and Enjoyable

Great characters, interesting plot and no lazy filler plot. The music was very cleverly utilised- including rock, blues and yodelling! Fantastic application of music to highlight a diplomatic discussion which degenerates into a free-for-all while one character disassociates. Romantic elements included and managed with sensitivity, warmth and humour. The character development is integral to keeping the story moving and preventing the plot from fizzling out over one character. Wonderful to see the actor from Sunshine By My Side (the horrible husband) turning into a friend worth having despite his greed and slipperiness. A long wait for Xiao Zhan’s appearance but well worth it due tis outstanding performance in a non-romantic, complex role. Good acting all around with a great Dorian Gray- type character in there as a ticking time bomb. The premise for the film is, what if we used contemporary values in a hanfu drama? This makes for compelling watching without the usual cliches. Refreshing indeed with plenty of laughs and a young fire-breathing lead fighting for his integrity. I wish all C-drama was this much fun to watch. Wonderful to see representation of disability in the form of chronic illness, blindness and also wheelchair use. All of these characters think for themselves and do not let their disability define them; one of the drivers for FL is the way she and ML combat the prevailing wisdom to get better health outcomes for her and help her improve her independence. Excellent viewing which can be watched by a whole family if desired. I have already started watching s2.

Leia Mais

Well written

I struggled with this until I realised it was a Jane Austen story in modern clothes! A woman wants to make her own choices for her own reasons and everyone in her circle feels perfectly entitled to share their opinion about it. The opinions and judgments show the insecurities of the different characters, who are beautifully and carefully developed. I found many layers to this drama and found it shone a bright light on the viewer’s own inconsistencies and shortcomings by highlighting the behaviours of the characters. I’m glad now that I didn’t give up and could grow somewhat along with the characters although in the beginning a few of them were maddening. I would suggest watching this in close proximity to “The Rational Life” which has similar themes, or even with a Jane Austen such as “Persuasion” where everyone chips in their opinion and influence whether or not it is welcome or qualified. I found this show quite deep from a feminist perspective. To really understand the heroine, you need to watch to the very end. Your patience will be rewarded.

Leia Mais

Touching story about tricky personalities

Presumably this is a “love story” but thankfully there is more to it than that. An excellent performance by Leo Wu, demonstrating that a child prodigy from a difficult background is not naturally blessed with good communication or emotional management skills. Zhao Jinmai likewise shows that an over-protected, pampered prodigy princess can be a good person who is also a terrible whiner and painfully immature at the same time; FL and ML are almost polar opposites. By the tail end of the series I had heard enough of her pre-schooler-in-a-shopping-trolley whining voice, even wondering if it was dubbed.(I have noticed in C-drama there are a lot of female characters acting like spoilt children and whining to get their own way or worm their way into someone’s good books; not doing women’s equality any favours with these nonsensical portrayals, but they could be doing exactly what the director told them to do). By the time the episode of the family restaurant scene came about, I didn’t want to watch anymore, even though I knew the character portrayal was faithful to the trajectory of her childhood development. I was too irritated to care anymore. I kept watching to see a secondary relationship develop with Wang Xingyue’s character (among others) and I was sadly disappointed when that did not occur. Good acting, nice music, interesting plot lines, worth watching. I won’t re-watch though.

Leia Mais