Reviews

Let's rise with the wind, Jiang Hu & Xu Si

I have finally caught up with all episodes of Rising With the Wind, and I must say that appreciate the way it concluded. I admit that I was skeptical at first while reading the synopsis, thinking it might be a typical idol drama where the business plot serves as mere filler. However, this wasn't the case; it played a crucial role in the story's development, character growth, and relationships among all involved, not just the main leads.

The story revolves around a domestic enterprise facing challenges in the low-end manufacturing industry, highlighting the relationship between financial capital and the industrial economy. It also briefly touched on live-streaming and e-commerce, as mentioned in the synopsis.

The cinematography was aesthetically pleasing and while there are some aspects I wish were written differently, I still think that the story is more than decent with pacing that feels just right (though I wish the last two episodes could've been explored more). It may not be a stand out compared to other dramas I've watched and like, but it left me feeling satisfied after finishing as opposed to making me feel like I've wasted my time.

The two leads: Xu Si, an investment professional (and definitely not your run-of-the-mill domineering CEO), and Jiang Hu, the 'fallen' heiress who turned into one heck of a fighter, are both inherently strong characters, and I appreciate that about them. Their initial encounter sparked interest, and the dynamic between them continued to be engaging. Jiang Hu is not a damsel in distress, and Xu Si is not a prince on a white horse. She had to earn his assistance, and Xu Si didn't offer it for free – this dynamic added depth to their characters and the drama itself.

Jiang Hu has become one of my favorite female leads in contemporary drama, though with her idealism and resilience, she manages to overcome challenges and work hard to get back on her feet. The romantic storyline between the main characters was amusing to watch. Xu Si may not have fallen in love at first sight, but he was definitely intrigued by Jiang Hu's antics from first sight; and as they got to know each other, that amusement sure must have turned into affection.

Honestly, the second female lead and the second couple weren't exactly my favorite; and I also wish there were scenes where the main characters communicated openly rather than discreetly handling things behind each other's backs (proper communication would make more sense, especially considering Xu Si's professionalism and all).

Overall, I'll give this drama an 8/10, though initially 7.5, but I have to elevate it higher for Jiang Hu and because this drama gave me a newfound appreciation for Gongjun and Zhong Chuxi. (And if you think that this rating is low, I just want to tell you that this is already rated high in my personal rating)

I just found out they have to cut the episodes due to the 40-episodes limitation and that answered why the last few episodes felt a tad too rushed for me.

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happy ending for those who deserve it and a well deserved hell

the run away son comes back to his rich fathers farm to take over after his death, he faced difficulties with his golddegger stepmother and her family. he also meets the young girl he once bullied as a young boy ,the story starts as he acts like an idiot and a savage when in reality he is very smart. he gets himself envolved with a forced marriage to some what help with his revenge. the story has as well the romance, jealousy, anger, betrayal and funny factor in it which makes it great. there are some dramatic and sad scenes as well that makes it heartbreaking to watch sometimes, but the most important thing is that good people found happiness and peace and those bad disgusting people found well deserved hell.

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I rate the episodes separately, I also mention their names again, because the names of the episodes are not translated in the translation from M.anon. I'm not giving their episodic names because they're different from what we know and it would be confusing:

Ep.1 Pretend To Love (played by Ohm and Fluke) - the guys we know as Dean and Pharma from Unitl We Meet Again. Story not very well thought out, but I excuse it by saying that there was not enough time for it, acting is still good, great looking shapely Ohm with his long manly fingers, nostalgia ... rating 6 8 8 7

Ep. 2 Just Friend (Ja and First) - they played Leo and Fiat in TharType 2 and now they are the central pair of the newly released series Don't Say No. Despite the condemnation of this mini-story on other world servers, on the other hand, I liked the short, with exaggeration, with insight, when the nice Leo played a young man who took on some cat (a cute Fiat) he found on the street and the confusion - I liked the symbolism, just I smiled when Leo was washing Fiat's hair in the bath, so the "cat" was wearing shorts, nice music ... I'm going against the flow of reviews MDL: 10 10 10 9

Ep. 3 Willing or Not (young Nat and nine years older Max) - they are best known as Nuea and Sun from the Y-Destiny series. The story from the judo club about Softy and the Giant Godzilla ... was simply cute and even though it was more like two friends, I give it higher marks like this ... 8 9 8 8

Ep. 4 Just One Life (Yoon and Talay) as Jian and Masuk from Y-Destiny or Nott and Pun from the quirky sitcom YYY (which I also saw and didn't appeal to me, it's not listed here on GT yet). Jumping off a bridge, breaking up with a girlfriend, slightly above average for me, but nothing that put me on my ass, cute faces of both actors... rating 7 7 6 7

Ep. 5 Dear My Star (Jimmy and Tommy) as Saifah and Zon from Why RU and SaifahZon Story. The story is set in the nineties, when electronic communication was not so widespread and the boys solved it by letters and calling each other from a booth (everyone lives elsewhere - Bangkok, Chiang Mai). A great short, where for me the only thing missing was the step further from camaraderie, friendship (but the hidden gay component can be felt a hundred feet away) ... 9 9 8 9

Ep. 6 Imagine You (Kimmon and Copter) known as Mark and Kit from the series Gen Y. Virtual reality aka reality. Solid, but not necessarily the best of the six ... 7 8 7 7
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Vivant is a spy thriller that harkens back to the old thriller movies that take place in more than one nation with twists, turns, and intrigue around every corner. It takes place in Japan, Mongolia, and the fictitious Balka, a poor country that's home to one of the world's biggest terrorist organizations, Tent. Agent Nozoki, a Japanese Metro Police's Public Security agent (kind of like the FBI with CIA clout in the USA) stationed in the Balkan Japanese Embassy, gets wind of a possible attack on Japanese soil. Meanwhile, mild mannered businessman Nogi Yusuke gets himself involved as he tries to track down some missing money. The paths of these 2 men cross and become entangled as they both continue their investigations. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Actually, that's pretty much just episode 1, maybe part of 2.

The writing is well done. Toward the end it could've probably been a little tighter (or maybe just less confusing), but everything is explained, except for the very end which leaves it open for a sequel. The cinematography was very good. In my decades of watching Japanese tv, they've never had a show like this. Not that they weren't capable of making one, they just didn't. I think Japan has finally realized there's a global market for things other than anime & manga. I for one am here for it. Let's go!

The cast was stellar. I am a huge fan of Abe Hiroshi (Agent Nozaki). To me he's never better than when he's investigating or being investigated. I'm now a fan of Sakai Masato (Nogi). He was brillant. Meek one minute and kick ass the next. The rest of the cast was also talented, especially Mongolian actor, Barslkhagva Batbold (Balka Police Captain Genghis), who held his own in every scene , especially against Abe; and fan favorite Tomisakae Drum, who played the lovable mute, Drum, Nozaki's assistant who aided him at every turn. I hope to see both of them again.

The music was good, especially the main theme that let you know you were in for an adventure. The re-watch is fairly high, which is something rare for me. I say that because the subs were hit and miss depending on the source. I will probably re-watch to see clues and things I missed.

Was Vivant perfect? Nope. What is? Was it an entertaining watch? Yup! It's a good solid watch for those of us who enjoy spies, thrills, and murder. I recommend getting snacks first because although you can pause, you won't want to.

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THE ACTING BETWEEN TWO LEADS MADE ME CRINGE

FL: It's so boring her char like Mary Sue characters in 2000s films, her acting is blank and I think she doesn't even understand her character, other supporting char always praise her beauty but I do not see it she's just a normal beauty girl
ML: he's also the worst one, how on earth that an uncle let his niece alone even when she called him after an accident, and the FL acted cute even saying oh so I need to eat alone and come home alone to make him stay with her and he did??????? MOREOVER, He even went into the girl's dressing room, to eavesdrop and want to learn about the female lead while FL's friend was in there, after that he buttoned her shirt or pants (I forgot), and this scene made me question my worldview =.=
this drama badly reflects how a man is blinded by love, and a woman uses a man for revenge on another girl.
BL: her acting is really bad in every role after One and Only, she needs to improve her acting if not she's an undeniably blank actress.
WHD: His acting is the worst, he's only good at "Love Between Fairy and Devil" That's all, his acting in every drama is so baddddddddd.
Lastly, it's got 3 points in the story because the other actors acted well in their roles and the two supporting couples were really enjoyable

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Although the story in this newly completed series is not sky high and it has its pinoy "flies", overall I am satisfied. At first I doubted the ordinary looking Gino why the makers chose VJ Mendoza. In the end, I came to terms with Potova (I believed him at the end of the last part). He was already quite a grown-up domestic puppet who was afraid not only to admit to his mother that he probably doesn't like girls very much... A simple plot and slight imperfections such as the fact that the resort somehow lacked guests in the first parts and, conversely, the staff like flies. Everything was overshadowed for me by Migo De Vera, whom I already know from the mystical series Cheat mentioned here (Cheat 2 is being prepared), with his character Alex. Not only does Migo look absolutely amazing, and in fact the whole series was partially based on him, but I also appreciate his personality in the fact that he himself is not only defined by perfect beauty (winner of the international competition Mister Friendship International 2021), but also by intelligence, which does not often marry (graduated engineer). Music excellent, as in some other Pinoy projects (not all). The processing is above average pinoy production and the kissing scene very solid (not the shielding Thai meringue).



I když příběh v tomto čerstvě dokončeném seriálu nesahá do nebes a má to své pinoy "mouchy", celkově jsem spokojen. Nejdříve jsem pochyboval o všedně vypadajícím Ginovi, proč tvůrci vybrali VJ Mendozu. Nakonec jsem se s potavou sžil (závěr posledního dílu jsem mu věřil). Byl to už značně odrostlý domácí mazánek, který se bál nejen mamince přiznat, že se mu asi moc nelíbí dívky ... Jednoduchý děj a mírné nedokonalosti typu, že v letovisku jaksi první díly chyběli hosté a naopak personálu jako much. Vše zastínil pro mě Migo De Vera, kterého znám už ze zde uvedeného mystického seriálu Cheat (připravuje se Cheat 2), svou postavou Alexe. Nejen to, že Migo naprosto úžasně vypadá a vlastně celý seriál byl stavěný částečně na něm, ale cením si jeho osobnosti i v tom, že on sám není definován jen dokonalou krásou (vítěz mezinárodní soutěže Mister Friendship International 2021), ale i inteligencí, což se často nesnoubí (vystudovaný inženýr). Hudba vynikající, jako i v některých jiných pinoy projektech (ne ve všech). Zpracování nad průměrem pinoy produkce a líbací scény velmi solidní (ne štítivé thajské pusinky).

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The "exciting story" as written in the Details was not at all, at least for me. The entire series seemed to me like a beautiful picture book of Philippine nature, Manila and exclusive interiors. But the pictures as such do not compose the story itself, not such that the viewer can penetrate deeply into the story, which, although it was presented differently, segmentally, including Ethon's narration, did not appeal to me and did not "draw me in." Unused and moreover incoherent story, screenplay, trivial plots, cramping, acting barely average. On the other hand, the music is much above average, including the processing.


"Vzrušující příběh", jak je napsáno v Podrobnostech, to alespoň pro mě vůbec nebyl. Celý seriál na mě působil jako krásná obrázková kniha filipínské přírody, Manily a exkluzivních interierů. Obrázky jako takové ale samotný příběh neposkládají, ne takový, aby divák mohl proniknout hluboko do příběhu, který ač byl podán jinak, úsekovitě, včetně vyprávění Ethona, mě neoslovil a "nevtáhl dovnitř." Nevyužitý a navíc nesouvislý příběh, scénář, triviální zápletky, křečovitost, herectví sotva průměrné. Na druhé straně hudba hodně nadprůměr včetně zpracování.

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a very busy drama

well first off i loved all of the characters, you know an actor or actress has got it down right, if you hate the character, it means a job well done. The two main female leads are brilliant in each of their roles and at times are in conflict with each other. This drama has it all, marriage betrayal, sexual assault/molestation in the work place, romance, scammers and a murder trial as well...so many stories but they all role along together seamlessly.
Rayzha Alimjan as the main lead lawyer, portrays all the emotion, with a sense of confidence, even when you know how vulnerable her character is
it was good to see Shen Yu Jie here in a supporting role as i am watching her in Only for love at the moment as well

i am really enjoying this drama - recommend to others to give it a go

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Feel good drama

If you want a lighter drama that has didn’t drag much, this is a good one. I haven’t see the FL in anything before and only seen the ML in supporting roles. I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked watching them and felt they portrayed their characters well. Their relationship was natural and I didn’t have any awkward moments watching them.

The second couple had a decent plot too which I appreciated.

I do have to say that you will never meet more understanding people as the ML and FL characters. Wow. Their relationship was going so smoothly and the (inevitable) falling out was seamless. A perfect example of how there are consequences even if the intentions are pure.

Would I reccommend if anyone asks? yes.
Would I watch again? nah.

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I don't even remember why I started watching this, but I am glad I did!

It sure took me a while to finish this. Not only because life got in the way, but also because my go-tos are usually thrillers, action and horror dramas/movies. And to tell you the truth, I don't even remember why I started watching this, but I am glad I did.

If you are looking for something light-hearted, but with life lessons conveyed through short episodes and lots of cuteness, look no further. This is slice of life kind of drama, that displays situations that could happen to us all at any given day. And contrary to the stuff I usually watch, this time I surely hope it does: I hope we all get to experience pure joy, growth and sense of community, by always being surrounded by true friends.

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This drama easily weaved its way into my all-time favorites list.

I didn’t have much expectations coming into this drama. I didn’t know any of the casts except for Gong Jun who I met in Begin Again just a few months back. I am familiar with Gao Zhi Ting and Miles Wei since I saw some feeds featuring them but I haven’t seen any single drama which they starred in. I am literally very new to Cdrama, just started my journey in June this year, although I saw some few dramas in the last three years mostly those that are only available in Netflix. I don’t have any background about Rising With The Wind when I picked it up, only the basic info you could get in MDL’s Details section.

(*By the way, I watched Elaine Zhong in The Furthest Distance back then though I didn’t realize she was the same female lead in Rising With The Wind not until after a few episodes I got curious and checked out her MDL bio.)

THE STORY:
I couldn’t rave more about the story. It is simply one of the best narratives I watched in Cdramaland. It perfectly weaves business intricacies, fall from grace and redemption arc, women empowerment, and romance enough to capture my interest from the get-go. It started with Jiang Hu’s fall from her high horse compounded by betrayals left and right from people she thought she could trust which will leave you asking how she was able to survive all this mess. Her journey towards reviving a century old national brand depicts real life scenarios of a bumpy ride these entrepreneurs encountered when faced with numerous problems from production, material, logistics, marketing and of course the biggest headache of all – the people (workers). There are also opportunists along the way who are very eager to pounce on you at the slightest weakness you show. I also love that the characters here are all flawed in their own ways which makes them very relatable and somehow you can see yourself in their own shoes. You will be able to feel how they felt and understand where they’re coming from.

The way the story was told is so unique, it was the best! Hidden arcs that will give you the wrong impression at first and then when the grand plan was revealed, you can only clap your hands at how brilliant the director/screenwriter executed the plot. The director was also able to bring out the best from all the actors. The main leads’ chemistry is top notch, explosive to say the least, that even their stares are enough to melt me inside. Their witty banters are so entertaining that it feels like you are also a part of it and not just an audience. The best part is this drama has very minimal cliches if there’s any. It doesn’t follow the normal tropes where when FL falls, ML is there ready to catch her with all the slow-mo and multiple angle shots to capture the moment. The portrayal of romance, though slowburn, is something new for me because I couldn’t guess what would be the next move given a typical situation like when ML forced FL to get in the car or when ML secretly followed FL. You can see these plots in almost every romance drama there is but in Rising With The Wind, there is distinctiveness in the way these scenes were executed, you couldn’t guess they would do it that way.

THE ACTING/CASTS:
Simon Gong (Gong Jun) and Elaine Zhong (Zhong Chuxi) are the perfect Xu Si and Jiang Hu, there could be none other except them. Simon’s portrayal of Xu Si as the ambitious and cunning investor who fell deeply in love with his business partner is so on point like this is how I imagined the character to be. His microfacial expressions and eyes that can display a wide range of emotions are perfect for our Xu Si. Elaine is just so wonderful playing opposite characters, first as a Disney princess and second as the struggling entrepreneur of the nearly bankrupt company. She aced her acting here giving me the impression that if it’s an Elaine drama, this must be good. Our second leads Gao Zhi Ting and Wu Xuanyi as Yang Jian and Xiang Zhaoyang is another beautiful pair. From having a brother-sister relationship (YJ is XZY’s stepbrother after her mother remarried to YJ’s father) to becoming lovers, their romance is more of a mellow type where SML is silently helping and cheering on our SFL on the sidelines, just supporting her even if he was not the one in her heart (or so we thought). The way the actors portray their roles are spot on that I couldn’t help watching out for their scenes as well.

MUSIC:
This is one of the rare dramas out there that has wonderful OSTs. In the other dramas, I find myself liking one or two songs but in RWTW, I love all songs in the soundtrack with Song of Faith by Wu Xuanyi (yes, our beloved Zhaoyang sang this song) as my favorite. The melody, the message, the voice, all these complemented so perfectly. I wish these could be available in Spotify because I would love to listen to these on loop. Anyone knows how can we petition for this?

REWATCH VALUE:
I already started with the rewatch party right after the final episode ends. I couldn’t get enough of this drama. Sepanx is REAL for me that I couldn’t move past RWTW at the moment. There might be scenes I missed in the past in my eagerness to know how the story unfolds. I couldn't be thankful enough to the director and screenwriter of this drama for giving me the best birthday gift I have for this year (I’m a November baby). I love their tandem! Hands down to all the actors and production crew for this masterpiece that has been my daily dose of happiness for the past few weeks.

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Review for both seasons

First, I have to mention that I rated the first season 8/10 and the second 6.5/10. The first season has all the classic romcom aspects: love triangle, lots of comedy and romance. It's a quick watch and so much fun. The second season on the other hand was a bit more bland compared to that. They dived a bit more into the political aspect but still only on a quite superficial matter. There was no real conflict for the leads anymore and I think that's when I realised that they actually don't have a lot of chemistry and ML acting like a log all the time gets tiring. I loved the light-heartedness and the drama not taking itself too seriously, but the ending was complete nonsense if we're being honest.
The biggest negative point: the sound management. Whoever was sound director for this drama needs to get fired. It was ridiculous how much the quality changed even within one scene and don't let me get started on sound effects.
What seriously saved and improved the whole drama was FL's acting. Zhao Lu Si is just such a fun comedy actress with such a catching laugh. If it weren't for her, I think the drama would've only been half as good.

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“Rising with the wind begins with Jiang Hu”. A perfectly imperfect story.

A compelling realistic urban romance story revolved around an elite investor & rich girl whose life gets turned upside down after her father’s death and abrupt bankruptcy. Don’t let the ratings fool you! I had no idea what to expect when I began but it hooked me in early on. The business verbiage in the beginning was overwhelming but the ideas start to fall into place piece by piece the further the story develops. The pacing of this show is amazing. The storytelling is consistent for the most part. It carefully balances between business/love without one overshadowing the other. It is slow burn but with a realistic approach and purpose. You will definitely be going on a roller coaster ride up until the climax hits. In my opinion, these main characters are flawed in their own unique ways. The main focus is seeing their growth and how they will come up to "Rise against the wind". I’m all for growth but this aspect wasn’t well touched upon for our 2nd leads. The leads on the other hand showed tremendous growth.

I cannot stress enough how valuable the theme of growth and value of life has been sprinkled along within the story. The story was told through FL’s POV but in doing so, we were able to watch the progress of Xu Si span over 40 episodes to give us & Xu Si the closure we all needed. If “Rising with the wind” begins with Jiang Hu, then it has been a true blessing for Xu Si to meet JH. Her persistent, confident, loving nature radiates amongst anyone she comes across. Who couldn’t help but admire her? I admire the progress for both of our leads. They both came a long way. They each had their own shortcomings & different ideologies but eventually learned valuable lessons from one another. They do have a big hiccup that will cause a drift between them. That’s my favorite part! Why? It stays true to the theme/message.

If you’re looking for full on fluffy romance, this is not it. All leads are written in a mature manner with strong personalities that will make you laugh, cry, frustrated, & even empathize with them. However, when the leads end up together it’ll be worth it and even have you kicking your feet at the cute flirtiness. Their chemistry exudes on screen whether flirty or hot tension. This is my 2nd drama of Gong Jun after, “The Legend of Anle” and 1st time for Zhong Chuxi. They complimented each other so well & truly brought the characters to life. You could feel the sadness & hurt within their eyes. When they were happily together, you couldn’t help but be happy with them. Some of the best natural chemistry I’ve seen this year.

All other cast members blended right in to make a wonderful story. It truly felt like you were a part of one big family sharing happiness and sorrow together. We rooted for them & came to appreciate the characteristics of each individual. That even includes our all-time favorite doggy, BOSS. No character felt out of place. A special tribute to the platonic friendships & women empowerment representation. In a competitive setting it can get quite nasty. To really have a group of supportive individuals who wish nothing but the best for you & help you succeed is the greatest form of love.

One of the biggest highlights in the show is the small details! From milk tea with double sugar, “wind” references to cactus plants. Seriously. I became obsessed over a cactus that was used to represent the progress of our leads. Even the outfits of all the characters were fitting to their personality & situations. I absolutely love when writers/directors use small details to help give insights on the characters. The production did not disappoint.

Overall, I would highly recommend this drama if you’re into an enemy to lover trope with realistic approaches. This is a refreshing story that will have you conflicted with your own thoughts. Exhibiting the issues of mixing business and emotions & how to keep them separate, you won’t be able to pick sides. These perfectly imperfect characters shine in their own way with the support of one another. They have no competition with each other but their own selves. For an unexpected gem, I will truly miss it. Here’s to my cactus couple! ?

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couldn’t finish even though I wanted to

oof.
I love the ML and FL. Their acting was what kept me coming back. Because I stopped in the forever episode land of them not being together, I forgot what their chemistry was like. I think it was good?
The supporting actors also did well.

I felt there were a lot of plot points that were done one too many times. It became old and I felt the plot was going no where for multiple episodes. I might try and finish it later but I don’t know if I have the patience or the will.

Also, there were two annoying female characters that just about killed me with their audacity. Ridiculous.

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A must watch for all, especially those wanting to reminisce their youth

I watched the first two episodes and didn't continue on until a couple days ago and I watched the whole thing in four days!! I have never cried so much from happiness in a drama, the entire last episode I couldn't stop.

The couples are the cutest I have ever seen in my life. Yes the slow burn is real but man I loved their developments and how they properly got to know each other before dating. The love these group of friends has is just amazing.

As someone who just graduated year 12 myself a couple days ago, this drama about youth and growing up really hit home for me. I hope we all have learnt to treasure the time we have with each other after watching this masterpiece.

I know I will turn to this drama again in the future when I need some comfort. Please go watch if you haven't already, I have never been so certain of a show worth a 10/10 rating.

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