Reviews

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

“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! ?

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

I don't usually write bad reviews because i think its a lot of work to produce a series. But this one was one of those dramas i was anticipating for a long time now and i was extremely disappointed!!

Lets start with the cast, both the FL and ML are my favorites and tbh one of the main reason i watched this drama was because of ML. I loved his acting in love and redemption. Both the leads did a great job in portraying the character but their chemistry was lacking.

The story on itself is hard to explain. You know how in kdrams usually the 13th episode has some tragedy and in chinese drama its usually the 20th episode but this drama on the whole felt like those episodes. Through out the drama the ML gets soo many injuries and faces near death experiences. The ML's family is soo messed up and the whole drama revolves around plotting and ML's accidents

There was no character development whatsoever!! The main leads chemistry reaches its peak around 10 or 11th episode after which they get stagnant. As for the ML's brother and his girlfriend i had soo much expectations but they have little to no chemistry after the first few episodes.

In conclusion i wouldn't recommend this drama. But, if u wanna watch then watch first few episodes then skip to the final coz u wouldn't be missing out on anything. I only stuck around for the cast and hope sincerely that the script writer will write his next drama while he is awake

Read More

I watched this aware of all the problems that involved the story, sexual abuse, homophobia, and everything. And I actually know that It will be bad, but I watched bcs I was really curious: Why do people like this? Is it bcs of the NC scenes? Maybe their dynamics...? Just... Why?

And I didn't have an answer, bcs it's just plain BAD and problematic. First, Type is an asshole. It amazes me how he didn't show any progress during the series, he starts like a total bitch and it's a bitch until the end. Tharn is an abuser., nothing more to say.

Why do people like this so much? It doesn't make sense. It's boring, they never settle in their relationship bcs they are both stupid. Even the NC scenes are bad, Mew (Tharn) and Gulf (Type) don't have the chemistry that fans like to say that they have, pleasure it's the last thing that I think about while watching them.

It's fucking bad and I didn't even have the GUTS to watch until the end bcs I was so fucking bored and tired of such a bad series and a bad couple and bad everything.

It's and LGBT+ series made to straight people, that's it.

Read More

This, folks, is an attempt at a feel good underdogs story and it was…well an attempt!

this is something that you put on in the background and spare a glance or two at it hoping for things to get interesting while you do something less useless. Since, I sat through 40 episodes of this I feel the urge to write a review ( or just rant ).

The good parts:
- the production. some of the frames were absolutely beautiful and I loved the colours on the screen
- the main character and her acting……partly. She neither underperformed it nor did she go over the top, her performance was just right barring the scenes with our male lead. I fell in love with jiang hu at the start of the drama- it was refreshing to see a fl like her! fell out of love somewhere along the way too.
- the show had a rather strong start and the last episode was nice

Now onto what went wrong.

-I get that the writer wanted to go for the slice of life feels and something that seems more realistic when it comes to the story, the characters and the main relationship. Romance takes more of a backseat here and I don’t have an issue with that. the issue is that it was bland, the story was awfully bland. I am supposed to be invested in the company and the people and root for them but I couldn’t get myself to really care about anything….perhaps 40 episodes were a bit too much.

- the male lead. The character was poorly written with nothing likeable about him and was incredibly one dimensional. He is supposed to be charming but neither the acting nor the writing helps the case. There is mention of past trauma but it isn’t touched upon at all, just mentioned in the passing. The actor was terrible man.
I happened to watch dream garden recently and he was so much better in that. Gong Jun still isn’t out of his wen kexing era! he tries to be cheeky ( A LOT ) but it just doesn’t work like why are you smiling all the time? and he fails at being stoic, doesn’t have much of a screen presence AND those awful, ill-fitted suits. Gao Yi looked and felt more like a lead character.

- the chemistry. through out the run of the show there were grand total of 2 moments where I felt like they had something. My girl doesn’t even try oh my god for the majority of the scenes the character looks pained to be with the ml and there is NOTHING on her face that might suggest something akin to love or hell even just physical attraction.The character clearly has different priorities so I get the unwillingness but still at least put in some effort.

Read More

All time favourite

i rarely give shows 10/10 and even if the overall rating is a 10, there's usually aspects that are less than—story, acting, etc.

but this!!! as far as acting and soundtracks go, this has never disappointed me once. to the point where i was looking up covers upon covers for the ost... it's that good. the casting doesn't need my two cents to describe how good it is, but the chemistry between the leads definitely translated in practice. inspired me to watch more of their works too!

the humour, pacing, and plot were all amazing to me. every rewatch has given me something to be excited for, and sometimes i notice a lot of things i hadn't noticed the first time. seriously, job well done on this drama. has to be my favourite kdrama thus far

Read More

Epic Friendship More Than Romance

Overall I enjoyed it and I would recommend it, just know you'll be watching for an epic friendship more than a romance. As a story it's an 8, as a romance it's a 6. A good ensemble show.

The sci-fi element was really well thought through and there were no plot holes or threads left hanging. Everything stayed true to the "rules" that were set for this world. There were quite a few moments I laughed outloud and only a couple of spots I fast-forwarded (either because it felt slow or because the messages were repetitive to what I've seen in other shows).

All of the characters were written and acted like real people (no 2-dimensional caricatures), except for maybe the main character Kawai who was borderline a little shallow as a character. Kawi did have some character development but he was often annoying and rarely acted his age (both in how he was written and acted).

Krist and Fluke (Gawin) have best friend vibes but not romantic chemistry. Fluke was believable as a gay character who is somwhat attracted to Kawi and wishes for more, but it never feels truly reciprocated. Krist has difficulty acting attracted, and the writers and director didn't help by making his character freak out and avoid physical affection apart from a few kisses.

Even after they've been together for many years Kawi seems put-off by touching, teasing, and sweet words. This trend in BLs is so unrealistic, annoying, and frustrating to me. It's like disguised homophobia that is supposed to be viewed as "cute". It's not, and it negatively affects my satisfaction with the series.

There are a couple of catchy songs, one of which I added to my playlist.

Great for one watch but I probably won't see it again.

Read More

I was pretty convinced I won't like it. Now I'm a fan.

Love and Redemption shouldn't have worked with me. It had many flaws. Some were laughably bad. Like, could someone in the production team get better props for dismembered limbs, for example? And the War God's armour was atrocious; Crystal Yuan looked as if she wore something far too big for her. They made a really good one for Rahu Ketu — so I know they were capable of making nice-looking armour, so I'm not sure what went wrong there.

The camerawork could also have been better. The colours appear washed out at times.

And while the ending was wonderfully happy, it was also rushed and done in such a slip-shod way that you can't help but go, "Wait, that's it?"

Most of the villains were also one-dimensional, existing to only make lives difficult for our couple.

The acting of the cast ranged from really good (Cheng Yi and Liu Xueyi) to really bad (Si Feng's dad — he was cringeworthy). I found Crystal Yuan okay and not as bad as some people make her out to be, and she was rather good as the War God, but she wasn't as good as I'd like her to be.

And then there's the clumsy way information is conveyed at times. For example, I call Yihuan the "info dump man" because he's either there to explain to other characters what really happened, or to voice the frustration of the audience.

Okay, now that all the bad stuff is out of the way, I can declare that despite the flaws, I still really love the show because it managed to make me feel all the feels. I bought this world, and I bought Si Feng and Xuanji's love.

One of the criticisms lobbed at Si Feng is that he's too much of a martyr. I think this is because we are not given enough background on Si Feng's motivation or his origin with Xuanji.

Another factor that elevated this drama for me is Si Feng and Xuanji's friends: Ling Long, Mingyan, Teng She and Wu Zhi all add color to the plot. They never felt like unnecessary additions but vital parts of the plot. I love how they take care of each other, especially toward the end when Si Feng really needed it. And their stories were quite interesting too — I was invested enough to care what happens to each of them.

So, is Love and Redemption worth your time?

I guess it depends. This is a polarising drama. Some loved it. Some wondered what people who liked it were smoking.

For me, it is a combination of factors: Cheng Yi's good acting and charisma, the fun side characters, the theme of brotherhood and loyalty, and most of all, forgiveness and letting go of grudges: redemption.

I was able to ignore the flaws and simply enjoy the story.

You may not be able to, and that's fine.

I'd say go in with an open mind; let yourself be swept away by the story. You could be surprised where you end up.

Final rating: 8.5

PS: I kept a watch log where I recorded my thoughts on the episodes. You can read it here: https://shorturl.at/bjqG1
I record my thoughts on Kdramas and CDramas at the blog: https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/

Read More

Different cdrama with some great politics

Greetings!!
I am writing review for this because i think this drama shows different side of chinese dramas and not just the typical romantic story i mist say it started low but the value is certainly increased even if you are struggling in first few just go through it till 3 or 4 then you will understand the whole thing.
This drama has the cast like the perfection for their each role Zhang Ling He and Bai Lu play the character slightly different this time but also showing their talents and it just remind me of Xianxia "Till the End of the Moon" where Luo YunXi and Bai Lu slayed their role and so in this Zhang Ling He and Bai Lu also slayed together and also Bai Lu's on-going drama "only for love" is also the great hit in modern romance.

The story showing some interesting politics also and that's what i love to see the more you watch the more you want to see the head strong Jiang Xue Ning who can do anything to become an empress, manipulated many people, betrayed and control them then died by killing herself in regret to exchange life for someone else and whereas Xie Wei who killed entire palace help of Yan Lin who is betrayed by Jiang Xue Ning as his lover and Zheng Zhe almost played important role of Xue Ning's lover and he has his seperate charm also his character play is great anyways not spoiling the second part of story enough for catching your intrest maybe and the most important part that it is not like the other show "My Journey to you" that drama's script was not very liking to me but this is just amazing you are drawn to this drama.

The OST: I would say that i didn't get to know all of the songs but those i have listed it feels straight to heart you can definitely feel the music like every person says you should feel yes that feel! you know what I mean...

Overall this is a very good drama with amazing costume and scenes also contains comedy with some romance i enjoyed watching it and a little disclosure, THIS DRAMA WON THE “HALL OF HONOUR” AT IQIYI SCREAM NIGHT 2023
Thankyou ^^

Read More