Easy, unoriginal young-love story

A rather easy watch about young love. Not very original (typical Cdrama about high-school love developing as becoming adults); similarities with other series/known tropes.

Felt like the script lost quality towards the end; was a bit more lacking or took some shortcuts.

It is entertaining though, I especially thought the female main character added most originality /value in the first half (ca).

I did not like the "dream sequences"; I ended up skipping most of those, and also skipped some flashbacks.

Felt the chemistry was a bit lacking. Might be due to the "prim and proper" behaviour not giving them much room to act, resulting in what I thought was some rather "stiff" interactions.

Leia Mais

Well paced script with unique twists; crime, action and romance

Wow! I’ve binged this after coincidentally coming across this show, although I do think it went a bit “downwards” towards the end.
Although the “genius, cold on the outside” ML character is quite typical, the acting and storytelling is very good.
I find the production to be well made in most aspects.

Even if it is a mix of different familiar plots from various movies and shows, the script is well paced and with unique twists. There are some weaknesses in the story, and some things leaves questions. Like what on earth does his friend do for a living, since it appears he can do whatever he wants. And without giving away a spoiler, ML did mention a crucial point about the perps abilities that it felt like they all forgot or overlooked later.

As for the FL character, she kind of disappeared/weakened a bit. I wish they had let her have a stronger presence, although the story revolved more around ML as it went on.

I watched this on Viki, and it was annoying that the subtitle credit popped up WAY too often, and there are some translations (English) that are misspelled and others that appeared to be a bit poorly translated.

Leia Mais

Romance with a different vibe

A romantic Cdrama with a bit of a bit different vibe than many of the others I have seen. It did manage to stir my emotions in several scenes.
They didn’t steer away from all the clichés (like woman tripping and being saved by man), and the female characters in many Cdramas that are too childish and whiny (that I personally find quite annoying) was reduced to a smaller one.

I liked that the FL had a “spunky” personality, and I thought the granddad was a cool character.

The show made me feel everything from the heartaches and despair to attraction and desire, especially from the ML.

What stops me from giving full score is the rushed ending, and the fact that some scenes felt too much like a promotional video for Chinas tech sphere.

Leia Mais

Feelgood romance but not very memorable

It's alright, but not great. It's kind of a sweet/feelgood romance, but the story isn't that original (I could foresee a lot of what would happen).

The acting was OK, but I find the "over-acting" in some scenes to be a bit annoying (mostly the female characters).
And the little sister! How come so many young girls in Cdramas are portrayed to be so childish, immature, and spoiled?

I found there to be some inconsistencies and gaps in the storyline.

I did like the development of the ML; how he, through small glimpses and subtle expressions, managed to show emotions.

In retrospect I don't really remember that much from this, but it is an easy watch – it doesn't evoke big emotions or consume much brain power to watch it!

Leia Mais

Could have been so much better

Unfortunately, the sloppy/rushed script kind of ruined this for me.
The acting is in my opinion what kind of saves this, and is why I didn't abandon it. So if you like the cast and this genre, and think you can overlook a bit of a rushed script, then go for it.

This show has similarities to some other Cdramas, like Bright Eyes in the dark, You are my hero, Operation Special Warfare, and more. This veers more and more away from their daily work, maybe to try differentiate itself, but this is where I find the script to become really sloppy, and more unrealistic/extreme towards the end.
- It feels like a lot is left out / the story progresses very abruptly sometimes. It's OK if the story jumps forward, but I wish there was clearer indication of it. Sometimes it feels like they have cut scenes and not adjusted the following script properly.
- Several details annoy me a bit, for example when another rescue worker comes and says a person is trapped, and then they have to search for the person – wouldn't the original rescue workers know the location? And very obvious staged sets sometimes (stones blocking the road on a straight line on top of a line of some sort, and no one apparently thought about carrying supplies over the rocks?), there are never people in the so-called hospital, and so on.

My main impression is that this production was a bit rushed. Mostly because of smaller issues - some mentioned above, but also instances where dialogue suddenly sounds like it is spoken inside a box, too obvious use of green screen, and some more.

Leia Mais

Some things are great, some things are not…

Key take aways: Starts off good, middle part way too plot-heavy, gets better towards the end but feels a bit rushed and predictable.
Acting was strong, music ok, effects not great.

The following I wrote when on episode 24, but my thoughts are pretty much the same on these points after completing all episodes:

First of all: Fu Yun Shen (1st ML), brought to life by Cheng Yi, is just such a wholeheartedly good character. He didn't start out like that, but he turns out to be the kind of persona that fills you with a warm feeling. Everything from his acts and behaviour to the way he talks and smiles. Great acting by Cheng Yi.

As for Zhang Yu Xi portraying Zhu Jiu (1st FL), I have had some mixed impressions of her before, but I do think she fills this role well.

They had some sweet moments, but not off-the charts chemistry.

Fu Xin Bo as Fu Xi Zhou (2nd ML); I have liked some other works of his I have seen, and he does OK, but I think maybe his character becomes a bit "flat" as it progresses. I do like how they try to show his internal conflicts (will not divulge further to not give spoilers).

Then:
I sincerely wish the writers had skipped the family dramas and scheming character types. That would have made this SO much better. They could have created a story arch in a different way.
The drop that kind of did if for me now was Zhou Zhi Zhi's mum, but Fu Yun Shen's mother is also way over-the-top.

Some scenes are a bit too fake-looking (props & visual effects), but other part of the cinematography is quite beautiful.

I also find it a bit annoying that the female characters, especially Ruan Ruan, but also occasionally Zhu Jiu, talks in so childish ways. I know RR's character is supposed to be a bit spoiled and childish, but still - to talk like she is a 7 year old?

Leia Mais

Very memorable, very touching

This was one of my first historic K-dramas, and my-oh-my, did it leave an impression!
It must be at least a year and a half (probably more) since I watched it, and I have watched endless hours of K- and C-dramas since, but this still has a special place in my memory.

First of all: The acting was top-notch. They brought their characters to life in such convincing ways, displaying their inner and out emotions so you can’t not connect. That goes for both the main leads, and several of the supporting.

And then: The script. How it weaved the love story into the depiction of this difficult time in history. It made me interested in finding out more about this part of South Korea’s history, as not really something we learn about here where I live (or it’s just that I’m too old so don’t remember from my school days ?).

The cinematography and music was also good as far as I can remember.
This is one of a handful of dramas I highly recommend to my friends, and one I can see myself watching over again.
Warning: You will probably cry.

Leia Mais