Demon Out of Chang An (2016)

Not Good, But Kinda.. Enjoyable?

Amateurishly edited and written, but clearly someone trying their best. Acting is uneven, but mostly good enough. Inexplicable insta-bromance, annoying female assistant, stereotypical characters and tropes. And yet.

At a snappy 12 episodes of 20 min each, this drama is tightly focused on solving the main crime. There is no room for the drag or plot-filler typical of c-dramas. The vibe is intended to be serious and grounded in reality (inasmuch as the supernatural plot permits) rather than fluffy or silly/comical. The story--excusing an occasional gap or medium leaps in logic--generally made sense. Until the ending WENT OFF THE RAILS, so bad I LOL'd. They clearly ran out of money, gave up hope for the hinted second season , and closed out the plot lines the best they could.

Verdict: it's not GOOD but...the ride is surprisingly enjoyable?

If you're a fan of investigation in a historical setting, and have low expectations, it's not the worst way to spend 4 hours.

Read More

Great Mystery with Odd ending

I love mystery and period themed series. Having both in a series made me eager to watch this even tho it is old.
What I like:
+More scenes in what it is - solving mystery rather than relationship or love scenes
+Bromance not BL so don’t react. The series highlighted the good relationship between the two lead male.
+Characters are mostly great, no character just to fill time or waste scenes
+Lead Male investigator is a realistic character that believes everything can be explained
+Scenes explaining how and when clearly shown
+ Master Wei character who portrayed his character the best. Of all casts, he did the best acting.
What I don’t like:
- the female Su Yu is an irritating character. It could have been made or written better wherein she did something to help out other than flirt with the lead male
- Lead Male investigator needs to improve in acting. He has gaps in his reaction
- Director could have directed the entire series better
- It’s supposed to be period mystery but tot got mixed with fantasy
- Ending is confusing.
You have to pay attention to not miss any detail that will help understand the story better.
It is great and interesting until towards the end when it got messed up, and confusing. Actually, more like didn’t make sense.
So if you are able to watch an enjoyable crime mystery and don’t mind a confusing ending, this is a good watch. If they do a sequel or another season of this now, in a better version I’m sure it will be popular.

Read More