Reviews

Give It a Try Without Prejudice

If you're hesitating to start this drama because of comments, let me tell you—watch it for yourself! Everyone has different tastes, and the only way to know if it suits you is by giving it a chance. Speaking from personal experience, I used to rely heavily on comments before starting a drama. When Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow was released in 2022, I saw mixed opinions—some said it wasn’t as good as Season 1, others critiqued the female lead’s acting. Because of that, I delayed watching it and deeply regretted it once I finally gave it a try. It turned out to be a drama I loved!

So, here’s my advice: watch at least three episodes of any drama before deciding if it’s for you. Now, let’s talk about this drama—"The Story of Pearl Girl."

Why You Should Watch This Drama
Strong Performances:
The acting in this drama is top-notch. Every actor brings depth to their role, and as the title suggests, this is a journey of perseverance and self-discovery. The story follows Duan Wu, a pearl diver who escapes a harsh past and transforms into Su Mu Zhe, a successful businesswoman. Her growth and resilience are inspiring.

Engaging Storyline:
The narrative is filled with twists—betrayals, secrets, and an intricate web of revenge. Su Mu Zhe’s determination to uncover her past and achieve justice makes for a compelling watch.

Chemistry Between Leads:
If you’re a fan of Zhao Lu Si, you’ll be delighted to see how her acting continues to improve with each project. She shines in her role here. This is her second time acting with the male lead after their roles as second leads in The Long Ballad. Their chemistry in this drama is captivating and brings their characters to life.

A Strong Second Lead:
Tang Xiao Tian plays the second male lead, and this is his first time pairing with Zhao Lu Si. After watching his drama My Little Happiness, I was excited to see his pairing with Lu Si in this drama. He delivers a heartfelt performance, and his character adds depth to the story. If you love their pairing and want to see more, don’t worry—they are teaming up again in Love's Ambition, a drama that hasn’t been released yet but will likely be available next year.

Empowerment and Inspiration:
Beyond the romance and drama, The Story of Pearl Girl celebrates women’s strength and resilience. Watching Su Mu Zhe rise above her circumstances and create her own destiny is empowering and motivational.

Final Thoughts:
This drama has a lot to offer—strong characters, engaging plotlines, and stellar performances. Don’t let online opinions sway your decision. Watch it with an open mind, and by the end of three episodes, you’ll know if it resonates with you. For me, it was worth the watch, and I’m sure many of you will feel the same. Happy watching!

Leia Mais

เนื้อหากระชับ ไม่อืดอาดยืดยาด เข้าใจง่าย ดูได้สบายไม่มีเบื่อ สนุกสนาน นักแสดง แสดงเก่งมาก เล่นดีมาก บทบาทตัวละครแต่ละตัวน่าสนใจ แบ่งแอร์ไทม์ได้ดีค่ะ ไม่มีใครมากกว่า ใครหรือใครน้อยกว่าใคร ที่ตัวละครบทบาทเด่นเท่ากันหมด

Leia Mais

It is okay and I enjoyed it.

I just finished watching To Be Continued. This is a Thai BL series and a partnership between Channel 3 and Netflix. I think I liked this show but not as much as you’d thought to be. I know that it is interesting and it is mature as we have two different timelines that are working to show us the love story of Ji and Achi. Ji is now a doctor and Achi is now a superstar but they have not met for ten years because of things that happened in their past. I think you can say that it was something that they had to deal emotionally and there is a good chance that a lot of the conflict in this show would not have happened if they could have just talked. This is a cliché that we have seen so many times in BL series now that I am wishing that there is still something else that is happening that would be more engaging than this but I will have to give it to the execution of the show because despite falling into a familiar territory, they still did a good job with the execution of the events that led to the finale. Yes, I am disappointed with the finale but I am not disappointed with the show entirely because they were still able to do as much as they could and it resulted to something that is actually quite enjoyable to watch.
The relationship of Ji and Achi is separated into two storylines. We have the story of the past that is dealing with how it started and how it ended while the present is now dealing with a more mature Ji and Achi as they are now dealing with Achi trying to reconnect and rekindle his former relationship with Ji who is still broken by the past. I think I understand Ji in this situation the most as he is the one that Achi left heartbroken. The story of him pursuing him is actually kinda cute and I think the explanation did not seem as big or as deep as they initially have made it to be. I know that coming out is a hard story because I am gay, myself, but the way that they handled it in the finale could have been much better to make the inciting incident that broke them apart to make much sense. Luckily, we had pretty cute and fun 7 episodes prior to that reveal and I enjoyed it too. The secondary couple of Ki and Kambee felt more of a mishandled situation too. I feel like they are a cute couple but had so little scenes together that I did not even care about them. They could have had more scenes together to make it a tighter narrative. The family story of Ji and Ki is not too bad but I am not sure why the father is acting that way considering the promise he made to his wife. Anyways, the relationships in this show okay. There is nothing that is completely striking about them but I feel like there is potential here if they could have explored the storylines much better. It is a cute show though. I feel like if I want to watch something light and bubbly, I would certainly watch this.
It is a pretty good show. It is not as remarkable as I would have expected it to be but it is not bad at all. It is pretty cute.

Leia Mais

How much Can You Hate Someone You Loved?

What happens when you meet your ex-boyfriend who is also your family enemy, returns after almost two decades!

Starring Ju Ji Hoon, Jung Yu Mi in leas roles, “Love Your Enemy” is hysteria at it’s best. The main characters portray a “Enemies to Lover’s” dubiously. Seok Ji Won and Yoon Ji Won, who were born on the same day and with the same name and have been enemies for generations, reunite after 18 years. The catch being, everyone firmly believes that they can’t stand each other, even they themselves believe the same. But underneath this publicly established farce, Seok Ji Won and Yoon Ji Won were once a sweet couple; or so, that’s what the first two episodes lead us to believe. There is undeniable tension simmering between them in most scenes and you can’t miss the attraction masked by misplaced antagonism.

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/11/25/love-your-enemy-first-impressions/#more-1368

Leia Mais

An experience like very few others

Suggestion:

If you watch the series, don't read comments and spoilers, don't even read the synopsis lol, just go watch it. There are plot twists. I sadly knew some of the major ones and while I'm kind of glad I knew what going to happen, I would have felt everything much deeper and I would have wailed my eyes out a lot more if I hadn't seen anything.

I'm not trying to over sell it. This drama could have been more polished. I'm not saying it's the "best drama ever", but the way it made me feel was undeniable. That is what makes it one of the best dramas to me.

Review: **Spoilers**

Oh man, this series made me feel a certain way. I will truly miss it. A big thank you to the actors, director, screen writer, cast, and crew for this beautiful series. You all did a fantastic job creating something different.

I like the premise of it. I think it would be cool to see another BL that kept with the theme of a different story line for each episode because they are soul mates finding each other again. Like the synopsis, but what this was, was interesting too.

Each episode was pretty good. Especially, with the time contraints. Trying to show us a complete story in less than an hour for some of the episodes was ambitious, but I feel like they did it well. The seires was just over all different.
The tears were real, the emotions were raw, it was just a beautiful experience and I'm glad I was apart of it.

I feel like Top and Mick shot up to the top of "need to watch actors". I know Top has another project coming up with a different pairing, but I think Top and Mick's chemistry is insanely good. Too good to waste. I really hope they work together again.

If they can find their way back to doing more projects together in the future, it feels like they could really hone their craft better and work extremely well with each other.
While I don't really "ship" people (I'm more of a "shipper lite". As in, I like to see people with good chemistry together, but if they don't they don't and if they do they do.), they could be one of the top ships in the industry, if they wanted to.
It's hard being an actor, but it's freaking hard being a BL actor imo. If you can master it, that in itself deserves accolades.
But it might not be their goals. They both definitely have more potential to show us and I can't wait.

The OST was basically 1 song, "Every Tears" by Sin. But that 1 song had a deep impact on me and added to this experience. I've had it on repeat and it brings me back to the series when I listen to it. I wish I could find an English lyric version of it on yt, but so far the only translation of the lyrics I've seen are when they translate it on the show. 10/10 beautiful.

The last episode was a little rushed and messy, but considering the series is only 8 episodes and they didn't get to "their story" until the last epsiodes, I think the actors both did a fantastic job.

Overall it was a 10/10 for me.

❤️❤️❤️❤️Every You, Every Me❤️❤️❤️❤️

Leia Mais

Straightforward

With only 12 episodes, the series does a good job with its pacing and overall wrap-up. It's one with a relatively serious undertone that is lightened with comedic interactions. So this isn't a plot that is super intricate and isn't meant to be taken apart by plot holes or analytical rhetoric. It is a fun comedy-drama with equal parts of both that is an easy watch.

The cast is great with many recognizable faces but I was mainly interested in Lee Ha Nee, won me over from Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People and The Fiery Priest. She does not disappoint here and I'm looking forward to seeing her in many more future series. There is also good chemistry between all of the characters.

If you need a break from overly political and very dramatized scenes from historical pieces, highly recommend this one.

Leia Mais

No esta mal....

La serie no esta mal, pero lamentablemente.... no me resulto entretenida.

Los primeros 10 capítulos son bastante lentos y un poco aburridos al menos para mi, eso de ver como se es sometido por los supuestos giros del destino, que están esperando para quitarle el camino hacia la libertad, cuando no es mas que la voluntad de personas egoístas y oportunistas, me suele molestar mucho en los guiones... Pues ese tipo argumentación ya esta bastante desgastado al menos para mi...

Del capitulo 11 al 16, ver como la trama comienza a enredarlos y acercarlos tan fluidamente, estaba dando indicios que algo como un giro inesperado ocurriría, porque en los dramas la armonía no dura para siempre... ademas de una cuestión de números ya que la serie es de 40 capítulos y aquí llegamos casi a la mitad de ellos....

Del17 en adelante no es mas que la biografiá del crecimiento personal del personaje Su Mu Zhe, el cual no me muy pareció entretenido ni perspicaz, sino mas bien de un tono intrigante y para sus adentros...
Las partes del desarrollo y desenlace de las familias Cui y Zheng, fueron bastante repetitivas en cuanto a estrategias y tomo mas tiempo de pantalla del que debería, podrían haber dedicado ese tiempo al desarrollo final de la serie, ya que no aportaban nada nuevo ver lo mismo 2 veces. O a mostrar realmente el arte de la fabricación de joyas, en el cual siento que se podría haber ahondado mas y culturalmente hablando hubiera sido mas enriquecedor.

El vestuario es acorde, nada que destacar.
La música nada memorable.

Me ha gustado mas la actuación de Zhao Lu Si en las series de The Last Immortal y Who Rules the World. Quizas es porque siento que se adapto mejor a ese tipo de personajes.

Leia Mais

The Count of Monte Cristo Melodrama-style

The Double is a revenge drama that's very much in the same vein as the classic The Count of Monte Cristo. This is perhaps the main reason why it drew audiences. After all, who doesn't like a good revenge drama and root for the underdog? It follows the story of Xue Fangfei, the daughter of an upright magistrate who is betrayed by her husband whom a powerful princess coveted. She finds help in a young woman, Jiang Li, who shares a similar fate, having been betrayed by those closest to her as well. When Jiang Li dies, Fangfei decides to take on Jiang Li's persona and swears revenge on the people who wronged them. As she plots her intricately calculated revenge, she meets Xiao Heng or Duke Su (as he is more famously known) the loyal and coldblooded right-hand man of the Emperor charged to root out all the corrupt officials in the kingdom and bring his father's killer to justice. Their plans align and they form an uneasy alliance with the tacit understanding of one another's goals and trickery. As they maneuver through royal court politics, they discover a much deeper and more sinister plot against the kingdom.

What I like most about this drama is that the lead characters are highly intelligent, cunning, and almost always make smart decisions. The dialogues are well-written for the most part, the kind that forces you to read between the lines in order to understand the malice and hatred that are implied with each flattery and seemingly polite remark. It was fun trying to decipher the meaning behind each statement and watching the characters play an elaborate and deadly game of weiqi. I also like that most of the characters are layered and mature despite the fact that it is an idol drama. Xue Fangfei or Jiang Li, like Edmond Dantes, is a schemer set on revenge. Although I found some of her plans outright ridiculous that I'm convinced would never work in a real-life setting, she formulates some pretty interesting ones that are actually doable and believable.

This drama is quite difficult for me to review because even though I found it entertaining as a whole, there are some parts where you simply have to turn off your brain in order to enjoy them. There are scenes that just made me chuckle and scratch my head because I can't believe they did that. Just plain absurd! The inconsistency in the writing also made me lose interest at some point. But my biggest beef is the ending, especially the last three episodes leading to the finale. For the life of me, I really do not understand the need for overly dramatic scenes when it could've been done more simply with less melodrama. Nothing wrong with a straightforward happy ending, but these writers can't seem to grasp the importance of resolution and closure. Of all the C-dramas I've seen, only one gave me a truly satisfying ending and that is Zhang Ruoyun's Under the Microscope. The rest just couldn't quite stick the landing, while others completely missed it. This drama completely missed the mark. In fact, it crashed and burned and left a bitter taste in my mouth, reminiscent of Nirvana in Fire's ending that I still refuse to acknowledge. They had to film an extra 5-minute scene to fix the damage, but it was a little too late. Nothing can save that awful half-baked ending they concocted. Sure, the battle scenes look good, it makes Wang Xingyue's Xiao Heng all the more heroic and dashing, but damn it, you don't need that to make a compelling ending!

I thought about why I was so drawn to this drama in spite of its many flaws. I mean, I didn't like the music, I thought the songs were all awful, especially the duet that plays whenever Xiao Heng and Jiang Li have their lovey dovey scenes. The qin music was nothing special. Just not my cup of tea, I guess. The visuals and cinematography are alright, nothing to write home about. It's obvious that this drama didn't have the biggest budget. The romance was non-existent, at least for me. I am not big on romance so I rarely see chemistry in couples, but when I do, there's always a good reason for it. Fans of this drama have all raved about the explosive chemistry between the leads but I just can't see it. I gag whenever I see them looking so chummy. I may like the character of Xue Fangfei/Jiang Li, but I'm not fond of the actress. I actually knew nothing about Wu Jinyan before this drama so I had no preconceived notions about her acting skills. Apparently, I'm not the only one who noticed how wooden she looks in most of her scenes and how her eyes look like those of dead fish. I can't seem to connect with her character because I don't feel genuine emotions from her. She always looks like she's performing with those eerie looking dead fish eyes. *shudders* And the fact that she's already 34 years old did not escape me. She does look her age (for an Asian woman) and I don't understand why they thought she could pull off the role of an 18-year-old. They should've gotten Bai Lu or someone of her caliber and looks instead. As for her supposed chemistry with Wang Xingyue, she has more chemistry with Li Meng who plays Princess Wanning, and Xingyue has more chemistry with his fan.

But I digress, I was trying to write about what attracted me to this drama, and I could only think of one thing, Wang Xingyue as Xiao Heng. The fact that he's only 22 years old and was 20-21 years old when they filmed the drama blows my mind to this day. He has this husband material aura and a tremendous screen presence that just makes him swoon-worthy to say the least. His charisma is so undeniable that I believe most women watched the drama just for him, I am not ashamed to admit that I am one of those women. His acting skills still need a lot of work, but I believe he will become an in-demand leading man pretty soon.

As for the rest of the cast, Li Meng as the psychopathic Princess Wanning stands out. I can't stand her character and I give props to the actress. I was even slightly sympathetic towards her character in the end because she expertly portrayed the role of a mentally unstable and damaged princess. And for some reason, I found her more attractive than Wu Jinyan. Joe Chen as the scheming stepmother, Ji Churan, is another standout. I also have to give credit to Liang Yong Qi as Shen Yurong, Fangfei's cowardly husband. The villains in this drama (save for one) are superbly written and acted! I completely understood their motivations and the drama explicitly shows how their questionable morals and wrong choices led them to their eventual demise. Lord Cheng, however, could've been incorporated into the story earlier so he could've been more fleshed out. For the supposed biggest baddie of the entire series, his character felt flat, insignificant, and formulaic. The other supporting characters are great as well, no complaints here. Although I would've preferred some of them weren't killed off.

Without these things I mentioned, this drama would be mediocre at best. But thankfully, they got themselves a captivating leading man, great villains, and intelligent writing (for the most part). I give The Double a generous 7. It's great fun, highly addictive, and you'll love it if you can suspend your disbelief and throw logic out the door from time to time.

Leia Mais

A Near Hit But A Miss All The Same

In Blossom is a murder mystery historical fantasy drama in the same vein as Mysterious Lotus Casebook, so it grabbed my attention from the start. As it is a dark fantasy, it features witchcraft and body-swapping, although it doesn't dwell too much on it, much to my disappointment. It focuses rather on the theme of inner beauty and a love that transcends physical appearance. The female lead is a coroner and the male lead is the town's magistrate, and together they solve crime mysteries and bring criminals to justice. It's basically an episodic type of series with an overarching plot just like Mysterious Lotus Casebook. I loved that drama, so I thought this would really hit the spot.

It has spectacular gothic cinematography that I found edgy and enthralling. The sets and costumes do not look cheap, so I assume that this is not a low budget series. I especially love the look of the male leads in their intricately embroidered garments of dark blues and blacks, highlighting their tall and slim figures and making them look regal and statuesque. Great choice of costumes indeed! The soundtrack and musical scores are also pretty impressive, especially the theme used for Zhuo Lanjiang and the Silver Rain Terrace.

Liu Xueyi as Pan Yue is the epitome of a romantic hero, devastatingly handsome, loyal, honest, kind, valiant, and wise. Xueyi is one of the most versatile Chinese actors I've seen thus far, transitioning from protagonist to antagonist and vice versa with ease. Pan Yue is definitely his best role yet as he was able to showcase his dramatic abilities as well as his physicality in the fight scenes.

The second male lead played by Li Ge Yang is also impressive. I never thought that this idol could possess some serious acting chops. I greatly enjoyed his interactions with Xueyi that I started to ship them. His character's relationship with the second female lead also helped draw me in because it started out as an unrequited love and I'm such a sucker for that. I watched the drama for Xueyi, but stayed for him. This kid will go places if he continues to get good roles that will allow him to show his skills.

Unfortunately, this is not a perfect drama and I do have some gripes. First off, the casting of the female lead was definitely not inspired. Ju Jingyi is quite possibly the worst Chinese actress I've seen. I first saw her in The Blooms At Ruyi Pavilion and the girl has the acting range of a potato. I thought that her then co-star, Zhang Zhehan, completely overshadowed her in dramatic scenes and Zhehan is not even on the same level as Liu Xueyi in terms of acting skills. So her being paired with Xueyi in this drama is an absolute travesty. She looks stiff as a board next to Xueyi in their intense and dramatic scenes. The disparity between their acting skills is glaringly obvious. Then her long spider-like eyelashes, glittery eyeshadow, and glossy lipstick just take me out of the drama. Girl, those things didn't exist in ancient China!

Another major beef I have with this drama is the pacing and editing. The first part is pretty solid imho, but with 10 episodes left, it lost me. They could've ended this drama with just 25 episodes. I am convinced that C-dramas have difficulty sticking the landing. Most C-dramas I've seen have questionable endings. This is probably because they always want to have an open ending for the possibility of a season 2. But it kinda sucks when you watched 50 episodes only to find out that the series ends with no resolution. I think this is the C-drama curse that they just can't seem to shake. As far as I can remember, I've only seen a couple of C-dramas that gave me satisfactory endings.

The fight choreography in this is only passable. But I suppose it's understandable considering it is not a wuxia drama unlike Mysterious Lotus Casebook and Word of Honor. But I do wish they invested more in the action scenes because Li Ge Yang and Liu Xueyi can definitely pass for martial artists. This was a wasted opportunity imho.

Overall, In Blossom is an entertaining drama full of suspense and intrigue. But it lost its steam right at the end and the less than desirable acting of its female lead left a sour taste in my mouth. This could've been so much better had they opted for a different actress and shortened the series. I would rate this a generous 6.5 out of 10.

Leia Mais