Rhea
Malaysia
Watchable show !
It is clear that Novoland: Pearl Eclipse is a big budget production with elaborate costumes, great cinematography, and top stars as the leads. So, you can be assured that this would have a certain quality to make it watchable. Having said that, I think it still falls a little short compared to other top rated Chinese dramas in the past such as Nirvana In Fire and The Untamed. This is mainly because the story isn’t as riveting with the way it is told and edited.
As you watch, it is quite obvious that certain scenes have been cut that the story flow becomes disjointed. For instance, the leads are shown falling off a cliff in one episode but we are not told what happened thereafter. Then, they just reappeared a little while later with no explanation offered. Simply put, the editing is not perfectly done in this drama.
Apart from that, the story is not told in a straightforward manner. You are given bits of what happened in the past between the 2 male leads every now and then through flashbacks as well as dialogues. So, it takes time to piece everything together. Similarly, the protagonist’s plots are never fully revealed. You will only be shown half of it initially with his actions becoming questionable, only for it to take a different turn later on. The way he handled Zhe Liu is one example of this slow reveal kind of storytelling with a twist.
Perhaps this is a way to get viewers hooked to the drama but it does become a little overdone to me after a few times. The plot also doesn’t have enough excitement to pull this off successfully especially when those twists to the story tend to fall flat.
Master-Disciple Romance Plot
Novoland: Pearl Eclipse is really about master and disciple romance amidst a plot to overthrow the Emperor and the effort to flush out the moles within the palace. This is a slow burn romance as feelings have to be hidden due to the male lead’s blood bond with the Emperor. But he loved her immensely and was always thinking of her safety with enemies lurking around. He would often hide things from her to the extent of hurting her feelings in the name of protecting her from danger.
Therefore, you will get plenty of those torment on the girl’s part because she is always kept in the dark and thought that her master didn’t really love her. I guess if you like this kind of painful love and feel that hiding things to keep the girl safe is romantic, then Novoland: Pearl Eclipse will succeed in evoking those deep emotions within you. But if you are the type who prefers upright honesty from the hero rather than pushing her away in the name of love, then this will be a let down.
As for the power struggle, it is a collection of subplots that are not effectively fleshed out. It is not convoluted like the Legend Of Fei but it lacks depth with a few villains rather than one big bad guy. Basically, these villains are there to drive the romance of the main couple forward as their schemes would put the heroine in danger.
Leads’ Chemistry
Personally, I don’t see sizzling chemistry between Yang Mi and Willian Chan. In fact, I think Yang Mi has much better chemistry with Mark Chao in Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. Perhaps that is because Hai Shi and Fang Zhu’s romance is kind of forbidden and he is always hiding his feelings. Fang Zhu is also a very complex character with emotions being deeply buried in his heart. Hence, I feel that William Chan failed to flesh out the different layers of the character effectively. Most of the time, he just appears as icy and stiff but I think there is more to Fang Zhu than that as he is a tormented man who also has desire, guilt, and frustrations in him.
I think Xu Kai Cheng did a better job with his character and I much prefer his acting here than the one in A Female Student Arrives At The Imperial College. At the very least, he could portray the dark and lonely side of Emperor Xu rather convincingly. In fact, I get the feeling that William Chan seems to have better chemistry with him than with Yang Mi in the drama.
As for Yang Mi, she still could play a girlish character well despite her age. I guess this is nothing new to her as she was also playing a cross-dresser with a mischievous personality in the first part of Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. Being a seasoned actress, she could switch effortlessly from being girlish to being regal and back again as the story requires. It is just a pity that her chemistry with William Chan feels a little muted. Otherwise, this would be a much more memorable drama.
The Imperfect Ending (Spoilers Alert!)
For me, the ending is merely okay. It is realistic because it is Fang Zhu’s fate to be tied to the emperor of the day as the Fang clan has been for centuries. But at the same time, it lacks that finality that viewers crave for regarding Fang Zhu and Hai Shi’s relationship. While I’m not hard up for a happily ever after, I would have preferred for the screenwriters to give us some indication as to the nature of their relationship at the end.
As it is, it is really up to you how you want to see the couple and imagine their future. Personally, the ending has a bittersweet tinge to it with both of them still alive but sacrificing their carefree lives together for the sake of their friends’ young son.
My Verdict – Good To Watch!
While Novoland: Pearl Eclipse has its flaws, it is still a highly watchable drama. It could have been more highly rated if the editing is better and scenes are not cut out unnecessarily so much so that the third couple becomes an afterthought towards the end. But I guess the positive consequence from it is that the drama becomes less dragged out. The story flows pretty fast at times which minimizes boredom.
This is also not a fluffy kind of romance drama but neither is it as tormenting as One And Only. But it is certainly far from sweet like your typical rom-coms. The main couple has lots of interactions but few loving scenes in the entire 48 episodes. Maybe that could make some viewers feel the love more deeply as every one of these rare moments naturally become precious. There are a few kissing scenes but nothing too steamy either. It is not that kind of romance drama that relies on passion to drive the story but rather unexpressed love and devotion.
For this Novoland: Pearl Eclipse review, the score I would give is 7.5/10. It lacks that riveting feel to me unlike The Long Ballad because the story relies too much on pushing-the-girl-away-to-protect-her trope to drive it. Nevertheless, this is not a bad production overall. Despite the weaknesses, you will still be drawn to the story because you will want to know what will happen to the 3 couples and the moles’ identity. It is not a gripping saga but has enough anticipation and twists to make you sit through to the end.
As you watch, it is quite obvious that certain scenes have been cut that the story flow becomes disjointed. For instance, the leads are shown falling off a cliff in one episode but we are not told what happened thereafter. Then, they just reappeared a little while later with no explanation offered. Simply put, the editing is not perfectly done in this drama.
Apart from that, the story is not told in a straightforward manner. You are given bits of what happened in the past between the 2 male leads every now and then through flashbacks as well as dialogues. So, it takes time to piece everything together. Similarly, the protagonist’s plots are never fully revealed. You will only be shown half of it initially with his actions becoming questionable, only for it to take a different turn later on. The way he handled Zhe Liu is one example of this slow reveal kind of storytelling with a twist.
Perhaps this is a way to get viewers hooked to the drama but it does become a little overdone to me after a few times. The plot also doesn’t have enough excitement to pull this off successfully especially when those twists to the story tend to fall flat.
Master-Disciple Romance Plot
Novoland: Pearl Eclipse is really about master and disciple romance amidst a plot to overthrow the Emperor and the effort to flush out the moles within the palace. This is a slow burn romance as feelings have to be hidden due to the male lead’s blood bond with the Emperor. But he loved her immensely and was always thinking of her safety with enemies lurking around. He would often hide things from her to the extent of hurting her feelings in the name of protecting her from danger.
Therefore, you will get plenty of those torment on the girl’s part because she is always kept in the dark and thought that her master didn’t really love her. I guess if you like this kind of painful love and feel that hiding things to keep the girl safe is romantic, then Novoland: Pearl Eclipse will succeed in evoking those deep emotions within you. But if you are the type who prefers upright honesty from the hero rather than pushing her away in the name of love, then this will be a let down.
As for the power struggle, it is a collection of subplots that are not effectively fleshed out. It is not convoluted like the Legend Of Fei but it lacks depth with a few villains rather than one big bad guy. Basically, these villains are there to drive the romance of the main couple forward as their schemes would put the heroine in danger.
Leads’ Chemistry
Personally, I don’t see sizzling chemistry between Yang Mi and Willian Chan. In fact, I think Yang Mi has much better chemistry with Mark Chao in Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. Perhaps that is because Hai Shi and Fang Zhu’s romance is kind of forbidden and he is always hiding his feelings. Fang Zhu is also a very complex character with emotions being deeply buried in his heart. Hence, I feel that William Chan failed to flesh out the different layers of the character effectively. Most of the time, he just appears as icy and stiff but I think there is more to Fang Zhu than that as he is a tormented man who also has desire, guilt, and frustrations in him.
I think Xu Kai Cheng did a better job with his character and I much prefer his acting here than the one in A Female Student Arrives At The Imperial College. At the very least, he could portray the dark and lonely side of Emperor Xu rather convincingly. In fact, I get the feeling that William Chan seems to have better chemistry with him than with Yang Mi in the drama.
As for Yang Mi, she still could play a girlish character well despite her age. I guess this is nothing new to her as she was also playing a cross-dresser with a mischievous personality in the first part of Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. Being a seasoned actress, she could switch effortlessly from being girlish to being regal and back again as the story requires. It is just a pity that her chemistry with William Chan feels a little muted. Otherwise, this would be a much more memorable drama.
The Imperfect Ending (Spoilers Alert!)
For me, the ending is merely okay. It is realistic because it is Fang Zhu’s fate to be tied to the emperor of the day as the Fang clan has been for centuries. But at the same time, it lacks that finality that viewers crave for regarding Fang Zhu and Hai Shi’s relationship. While I’m not hard up for a happily ever after, I would have preferred for the screenwriters to give us some indication as to the nature of their relationship at the end.
As it is, it is really up to you how you want to see the couple and imagine their future. Personally, the ending has a bittersweet tinge to it with both of them still alive but sacrificing their carefree lives together for the sake of their friends’ young son.
My Verdict – Good To Watch!
While Novoland: Pearl Eclipse has its flaws, it is still a highly watchable drama. It could have been more highly rated if the editing is better and scenes are not cut out unnecessarily so much so that the third couple becomes an afterthought towards the end. But I guess the positive consequence from it is that the drama becomes less dragged out. The story flows pretty fast at times which minimizes boredom.
This is also not a fluffy kind of romance drama but neither is it as tormenting as One And Only. But it is certainly far from sweet like your typical rom-coms. The main couple has lots of interactions but few loving scenes in the entire 48 episodes. Maybe that could make some viewers feel the love more deeply as every one of these rare moments naturally become precious. There are a few kissing scenes but nothing too steamy either. It is not that kind of romance drama that relies on passion to drive the story but rather unexpressed love and devotion.
For this Novoland: Pearl Eclipse review, the score I would give is 7.5/10. It lacks that riveting feel to me unlike The Long Ballad because the story relies too much on pushing-the-girl-away-to-protect-her trope to drive it. Nevertheless, this is not a bad production overall. Despite the weaknesses, you will still be drawn to the story because you will want to know what will happen to the 3 couples and the moles’ identity. It is not a gripping saga but has enough anticipation and twists to make you sit through to the end.
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