Two Steps From Heaven
Essex
Tedious
Had I not watched the excellent CGI and special effects in 'Till The End of the Moon' I might have given this one a pass but knowing better has raised the stakes and so the first thing of note is the awful cinema. Things that are fake look fake and even those that are real have no sense of proportion (like Hong Yi's red/pink/white furry robes and outfits which were a tad too small around the shoulders). On another note, we also have a scriptwriter who didn't understand how normal conversations or interactions work. The plot, the set design, the atmosphere, the costumes, and the dialogue...all were in a constant state of disconnect; likewise we have characters who do nothing but fly around in the clouds being deliberately oblivious while the villains are left to plot unimpeded. Huh.Xianxia is never about intelligence cos we all know the god's are 'good' while the 'devils' are bad but only cos the 'gods' wear white <------------ otherwise if we went by their actions we might have to invert that belief. The core of XX is being sold a belief system that allows the audience to empathize with the laborious gatekeeping of the Whites while reviling the monstrous deeds of the Blacks. But what if the audience is indifferent and not easily led by the nose mainly because your character-driven plot failed to give us anyone to root for?!!!
Sigh.
In addition, how is it that the goddess that is Zhao Lusi was cast with this Wang An Yu guy who, by the way, has done some sort of teeth capping which makes it difficult for him to close his lips and in turn is detracting from his main job. Then there's Lusi's reversion to pre-2020 talking voice. Like, this woman has given us so many iconic performances in the last three yrs that we have just barely healed from the assault that was the baby voice, and now they plopped us right back???? Can we say trauma??
Finally, and most importantly, THE PLOT HAS BEEN DONE A DOZEN TIMES AND IT OUGHT TO BE RETIRED. Please, we beg directors and screenwriters to stop giving us 'scattered souls that need to be collected' or 'chickens who turn out to be phoenixes' plotlines. It's been done and we're tired
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It could have been the best based solely on the aesthetics
The strength of MJTY lies in the cinematography and the various eye candy actors yet it still falls prone to the C drama Achilles heel where the audience is given a taut beginning that rapidly descends into hum -drum. Time and again the middle will drag and answers that could have been provided incrementally are dumped at the last minute. In addition, there was barely any chemistry between Esther Yu and Zhang Ling He with both performances verging on robotic, meanwhile, Ryan Cheng and Tian Jia Rui's looks and performances overshadowed the main leads.Also, the fight scenes were a tad acrobatic-ish (and boring) with multiple skirts flying amid the ridiculous gymnastics but overall a good drama
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I did not enjoy this one bit
Look, it was a fail from the very first episode and to top it off we got some atrocious styling for both leads coupled with cluttered sets (like the FL's office and home) all added to a not-so-nice viewing experience. Considering that I renewed Netflix solely to watch this 'highly' loved drama, I feel kinda bombed.:........................................:.......:................…:..................................................................................................:.......:................…:..................................................................................................:.......:................…:................................................................................................:.......:................…:....................................................................................................:.......:................…:..................................................................................................:.......:................…:..................................................................................................:.......:................…:...............................................................................................:.......:................…:................................................................
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Nothing new
For some reason, this reminds me of King The Land in that we have all these beautiful people and set design yet the plot itself is the epitome of cliche. As much as Kim Yoo Jung can be considered a veteran actor (she's been acting for over a decade) I still think her performances are average. Don't get me wrong, I love her as a person but the characters she plays all seem to be on the same spectrum. Anyway, this drama, as other reviews have mentioned, brings nothing new to the table as we've been there and seen it all when it comes to K dramas about gods and demons (go watch the exceptional "Goblin"). Currently at episode 8 and I've already started fast-forwarding because this has me rolling my eyes and scoffing. I can't imagine having to go through eight more episodes.Was this review helpful to you?
Excellent
An engrossing, tumultuous love triangle with multi-dimensional plot and characters. I loved it, especially the gorgeous lead actress who gave a Tour De Force performance that is worthy of all C-Drama awards.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
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Wuxia done badly
This drama draaaaaaags and has zero propulsion. Everything is foreshadowed. I mean what are the chances that all three male leads just happen to converge at that particular town at that particular moment? Come tf on. I tried so hard to stay with this but it's so fucking boring. Can I also say just how low budget the set design is especially given this is Wuxia and most of the set could have been computer generated? That palace was empty af. Sigh. I just didn't like any of the male leads and I wanted XY to fucking stop smiling in the face of abuse and unending degradation. How was this even a popular book?Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Try it if you like bland
This drama is suffering from its own grandiosity. The writers think telling us the characters are 'intelligent' is enough to sway the audience into thinking the same. All the characters are bland, the plot is so glaringly obvious, and the acting from both Dil and Gong is barely lukewarm. I can't believe I renewed my Youku sub for this rubbish.XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
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What was the point?
I'd never seen so many not so good looking guys in one drama and even though I don't consider myself to be superficial, I found that the lack of eye candy in addition to such a boring slow-as-hell plot did nothing to assuage the ennui that crept in with each new episode.Frankly, I found this uninspired and at times ridiculous. For an ensemble cast of relatively talented actors, the script really let them down and gave them little to work with other than creating division and disharmony over whether inner beauty trumped the physical. That was further compounded by making our weak-looking love interests do acts that were cruel, demeaning, and vastly inappropriate (looking at you Teacher Mai). Was there a lesson in there somewhere?
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Absolute Perfection 10++ stars
I could have sworn I'd left a review already. Anyway, this is the sweetest, most romantic C drama I've ever watched and it's one that I'll rewatch often.XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
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This review may contain spoilers
It was okay
Trigger Warning: Stay away from this if you suffer from anxiety or are an empath. Also, if you've been traumatized by Song Yi's performance in Luoyang where she said the ML's name - Erlang - every 2 minutes then you may want to sit this out because she nearly "Giusi"-ed us to death in this one.Okay, the story was multi-layered and the production quality was above average, however, at the end of the day it is just another one in a long line of historical dramas with themes of revenge, arranged marriages, and betrayals.
One of the biggest disappointments for me was the glaring lack of chemistry between Bai Jing Ting and Song Yi and if I'm being honest the problem lies with Song Yi who, when she starred in Luoyang, failed to have even a smidgen of spark with Wang Yibo (How?!!!).
Bai Jing Ting, otoh, had insane chemistry with his co-leads in New Life Begins and Reset (which are the only two of his dramas that I've watched). As an afterthought but one that greatly diminished my enjoyment of the drama, the acting in the last two episodes was just a tad bit overly dramatic and cringe. Particularly Zhao Huan Ran (Fan Yu) and Mickey He (Jiang He). I just couldn't take either one of them seriously and they both were integral to the climatic scenes which tied up all the mysteries of the preceding episodes.
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Ill-defined and unfunny
I could stare at Lee Jun Ho all day long cos that man is both gorgeous and a talented actor which is why I hope he fires whoever told him to choose King the Land as a follow-up to the enrapturing drama that was The Red Sleeve. I tried so hard to care but I was bored of the excessive and sometimes vulgar display of wealth, likewise the ingrained classism that continues to permeate most K dramas. In addition, there was something so uncomfortably trite about yet another subservient female lead and her equally poor female friends. Like, aren't these showrunners tired of this formula? I certainly am.This is deserving of a 1.5-star rating, however, the site moderators are a bit overwhelmed with the Arab Prince controversy and have been deleting anything below 3.5 stars, so that's what I'll have to rate it.
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It’s overrated
If you’ve watched The Glory or Goblin or Descendants of the Sun then you should know that Kim Eun Sook, the screenwriter, is one of the top in the drama industry as her dramas consistently garner high ratings. However, Secret Garden is a decade old therefore it’s understandable that it followed the same format as other popular dramas of that period. Dramas like Boys Over Flowers, The Heirs, and a handful of other which were premised on toxic masculinity and docile women.Similarly, the production values were mediocre with terrible color saturation and cinematography. I kept at it due to the many fawning reviews on MDL but it got to a point where I just couldn’t bear seeing the ML consistently berating the FL or a FL who had zero self-respect. I wish someone would remake this because there is something unique about a FL who’s a stuntwoman and I would like to see that aspect explored more thoroughly.
Anyway, it’s watchable if you don’t mind the above-mentioned details.
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For me, no other drama will ever top Yanxi Palace
I could watch this every 3 months because it is the epitome of a great drama that encompasses perfect writing, beautiful cinematography, and characters with more layers than a mille-feuille. It's also one that gives the most believable depiction of the Qianlong Emperor unlike Ruyi's Love in the Palace which became all about Ruyi's martyrdom.Also, I wonder why there aren't more strong female characters like Wei Ying Luo because if the viewing numbers are anything to go by, it at least tells us that audiences want a heroine who can triumph over adversity by the sheer power of her intellect and yet C dramaland is littered with the ghosts of limp-noodle, baby voice heroines who can't find their way out of a paper bag.
Anyway, watch this if you like a fast-paced and unpredictable plot with multiple strong female characters.
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Abysmal
It's inconceivable that Qin Lan who was my favorite actress from Story of Yanxi Palace is playing a falling-down-drunk corporate executive who doesn't seem to have a clue on how the business world works. Her voice grates, the pacing is off, and the OST is headache-inducing. I'm embarrassed at how bad this is.XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXXOXXOOXOOOXOX
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Dissapointed
I'm fresh from the joyous experience that was "The Master's Sun" and the perfection that was Gong Hyo Jin's performance as the woman whose life was derailed once she started seeing dead people. This euphoria needed to be continued, I said. So, without further ado, I jumped on It's Okay, That's Love.Notwithstanding that it's a completely different story, I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters and that is my baseline when watching these dramas. The writers should at the very least make them likable, especially with a subplot as heavy as mental health and PTSD. Even more so when the leads both have past trauma. All I got from this was an irrational FL with serious anger issues.
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