Novoland: Pearl Eclipse (2021)

I almost never leave a bad review…but this time I will

Hi there!
If you have seen some of my other reviews, you know that I almost never left a bad review. I enjoy C drama very much, and I can say that I watched almost all historical/ fantasy chinese dramas out there.

I don’t know why people here seem so thrilled about this drama, it may be that they haven’t seen others and don’t have a comparison or otherwise I really don’t know.

I love Yang Mi, she is a great actress and I believe her poor acting here was not her fault, but the script itself. I felt she couldn’t act like herself…everything was dull…

William Chan, I am sorry to disappoint many of you out there that like him, but he made me so bored, no expression on his face at all. Like he can play a dramatic scene, sad scene, fighting, romantic and still have the same face that doesn’t say anything at all.

I decided to drop this drama since I couldn’t watch it, really boring…
It started pretty well in the first episode, but after that it went down hill.

And what’s up with Xu Kai Cheng? Mama mia, I think his character didn’t have any base at all. I understand that he is mean for a certain reason, but his actions don’t lead anywhere.

Also, too much Bl drama. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the untamed because at least it had a consistency, but this one doesn’t. I feel that there’s no need for any female lead since the BL that doesn’t make any sense take up all action.

Overall, even the costumes are average, I also don’t get why people say that the costumes look amazing…even in Legend of fuyao, that was filmed in 2018, they had better costumes.

The music also very average….

I am really disappointed about this drama.

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Now this is what I'm talking about.

Yang Mi, these are the dramas I love you in, the historical dramas. No words can explain it to me just know that I see your acting skills clearer and more precise in these types of Dramas. You had me thinking that you were born in this era of life. This is why you are one of my top 5 Chinese Actresses. William Chan, I will always support you in historical Cdramas, you are also in my top 10 Chinese actors. My top two, together, in a drama... I couldn't be happier. The storyline is beautiful to see how it unfolded. I was worried about the ending which had me in tears. All those supporting actors and actresses, wow, you contributed your skills to this storyline. I am very impressed with this drama. The visuals, the martial arts, the costumes... all of it! Thank you!

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HIGH EXPECTATION WITH LOW OUTCOME

Alright, I haven't watch much of episodes so there isn't much of impression I get from only watching 5 episodes. But so far, fighting/action is pretty good - the story though kind of choppy - don't know the background story/character of Fang Zhu (William Chan), the Emperor (Xu KaiCheng) who madly/obsessively in love with the wife, Fang HaiShi (Yang Mi) a girl that pretended to be a boy to have better opportunity and became a student of Fang Zhu. Alright these are our main character; Fang Zhe is so blah expressionless like an empty shell, the Emperor ballistic over the death of beloved queen - his favorite word choice is 'boring' KaiCheng is like forcing his face to appear angry, So far, the relationship between the Emperor and everyone else is nothing but aggravation, that's what I don't understand. Yang Mi acts the same as she was Bai Qian/Fu Yao - her mesmerism is not far from her last dramas - nothing is new about her. Ep 4, Fang Zhu fainted in Hai Shi annd they sit still all night long under the rain, ok under circumstances she can actually move him to warmer & dryer place to get him safe (not getting infected for his back injuries) but no she stupidly stay that way hold him. The next morning, Fang Zhu fall into the ground and she scream for help and people run toward them to help. Where those people the night before? Can she yell for help the night before? No...no...doesn't make sense. Ep 5 she said she's going to kill Emperor to help her teacher? Lol..wasn't she the one who start it all to get her brother and teacher punish??

Typical C-drama, a girl who pretended to be a boy is usually appear more girly; shorter than average men height that she surrounded herself with, delicate posture and has lovely face, soft feminine voice, and likes girls stuff. I don't know why all the men around so gullible to accept this feminine boy is genuinely a man (soldier on top of that!) even MuLan has to change her behavior and voice to be accepted to the Army. Another Typical is a reserved man Fang Zhu as appear to be an emotionless man where there isn't emotion in his eyes like giving up on life, Mark Chao/Wang Duo/Shaw Qu has way better acting skill in word 'Reserved' because they could convincingly deliver their character. Haiyo, tired with Angry Emperor, madness that I believe such annoyance just because of a woman? Move on already, man.

All in all it isn't good. The theme of love relation between teacher-student is on the range and kind of tiring; One and Only (Allen Ren/Bai Lu), Female Student at the Imperial Collage (Zhao LuSi/Xu KaiCheng), The Longest Promise (Xiao Zhan/Ren Min), 10 miles of Peach Blossom (Yang Mi/Mark Chao). As many say to hold on till ep 10-12 to watch improve scenes, do I have patient to wait that far? Finally decided to drop it....story is choppy, William Chan wooden, Yang Mi unimproved, characters are lame, Xu KaiCheng 'boring', OST so so, rewatch value 2-3, nothing to hold me here.

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Just watch and keep watching

This drama has a very beautiful story line but be prepare for tissue has I cried my eyes out at some parts of the drama. At first when I started watching the drama, I couldn't get into it, but after the 3rd or 4th eps, I couldn't stop watching and binge it.

With Yang Mi being the FL as Fang Hai Shi/Ye Hai Shi and William Chan, ML as Fang Zhu/Fang Jian Ming. I would say its a perfect couple.

This drama is not just about romance but mixed with very good martial arts scene, and of course story line. Hai Shi is a female but pretends to be a male 90% of the drama. As Fang Zhu/Fang Jian Ming manages Jifeng Pavilion to protect Emperor Xu. Hai Shi slowly develops feelings for Jian Ming, who is her master. She is pushed away and is feeling abandoned by him as Jian Ming and Emperor Xu has a baixi. (Baixi is explain later on in the story) Jian Ming had made an oath to protect Emperor Xu and doesn't want to love as he could die anytime due to the baixi. Hai Shi then decides to leave the city and go north to guards the boarder and is away from Jian Ming. Whenever Jian Ming hears something goes wrong or when Hai Shi is in danger or gets hurt, he goes out of his way to save her and protect her. The relationship with them is a roller coaster. The ending could have ended with ep 46, but they couldn't as we didn't know who the mastermind was and it was explained in 47 & 48.

There was parts of the drama that could have been explained better or not cut out as it wasn't explained well, like the cliff part (won't spoil more than I have) and of course in the ending. Which makes me so mad of how they ended it as it didn't need to have so many flashbacks throughout the whole drama or shortened the flashback as there was too many/too long. But honestly, no wuxia drama has a happy ending.

The OST can be listen to over and over again as Zhang Bi Chen - 鐫刻 (Engraved) for opening OST, as we know Zhang Bi Chen (Diamond Zhang) is known in most OST dramas as we all love her songs. As for Zhou Shen - 以無旁騖之吻 (Undisturbed kiss ) ending OST and it is just so good and calming like her 大魚 (Big Fish).

Favourite quotes:
"They all say that when people are dying, they will see the most cherished people in this life. I didn't believe it at first, but it turned out to be Master, the person I love. So, although not reconciled, but also feel no regrets" - Hai Shi
「他們都說人在彌留之中，會看到此生最珍惜的人。我原是不信的，可是原來是師父呀，是我所愛之人。如此，雖不甘心，但也覺得沒有遺憾了。」 - 海市


"How could I not like you, no one knows how much I cherish you" - Fang Zhu/Fang Jian Ming
「我怎麼會不喜歡你， 沒人知道 ，我有多珍愛你。」- 方諸/方鑒明

“I’ll find my true love and never be apart” - Zhou You Du
「願得一人不相離。」- 週幼度

"I have no regrets. I want to tell Master that what I have experienced today is unique to others. Meeting Master is one of the few blessings in my life. I don't regret meeting you, before, now, and in the future, I will never regret meeting you" - Hai Shi
「我不後悔，我想跟師父說，我今日的遭遇與人無尤，遇見師父，是我今生中少有的幾件幸事。我不後悔遇見你，從前、而今、往後，我永遠都不後悔遇見你。」- 海市


"I do have a person in my heart, and I hope to spend the rest of my life with her in a boat on the river and sea." - Fang Zhu/Fang Jian Ming
「我心裡確實有一個人，我希望可以跟她泛舟江海，共度餘生。」- 方諸/方鑒明


"In the past, I only wanted to read and spend my life with you, Qing Gengyu, and only cared about my own happiness. I realized today that you will no longer be the Ching Hai Gong of the Liu Shan Fang clan, and you will no longer be able to mobilize the Jifeng Pavilion. You can't even go back to the temple to worship your ancestors, you really paid too much for me." - Hai Shi
「我以前只想著和你晴耕雨讀、共度一生，只顧著自己高興了，我今日才意識到，你以後再也不是流觴方氏的清海公，也沒辦法再調動霽風館暗衛營了。甚至你都不能回廟堂中祭拜自己的祖先，你為我真的付出太多了。」- 海市


"In the past, I refused to let go because I wanted to atone for the mistakes I made. Without you, Majesty and I will only be tied together for a lifetime, and we will embark on a life without end. But you showed up and let me know that there are other options in life, I've never tried to live so easily and happily" - Fang Zhu/Fang Jian Ming
「從前的我不肯放手，是想贖清我犯下的錯誤。如果沒有你，我跟陛下只會沉重的綁著一輩子，走上沒有終結的一生。但你出現了，讓我知道人生還有另外的選擇，我從來沒有試過像現在過得這麼輕鬆和快樂。」- 方諸/方鑒明


"How great it would have been if you had appeared during the best years of my life." - Fang Zhu/Fang Jian Ming
「如果你在我最美好年華的時候出現，該有多好。」- 方諸/方鑒明

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Grande saga Wuxia avec un cast magnifique

Grande saga Wuxia avec de grands acteurs (c'est magnifiquement interprété) et une histoire bien construite et prenante.

L'univers Fantaisy Novoland est complet : pouvoirs, esprits, immortels, notion de Baixi ("armure" de ton protégé), etc.
Les différents couples se rencontrent, se heurtent, s'apprivoisent, s'aiment,... de façon cohérente. La bromance est superbe (c'est vraiment le fil conducteur de ce drama) !
Les scènes d'action sont de qualité (vive les cascadeurs sur câbles) et les effets spéciaux sont bons (même si on sent le "fond vert" et les animés numériques par moments. Mais globalement, tout est bien fait.
Cerise sur le gâteau : une happy end réaliste et bien amenée...

Si vous aimez les séries épiques, avec de bons effets spéciaux, n'hésitez pas !

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Cerita yang penuh makna, meski menyedihkan

Saya tidak sengaja bertemu dengan drama ini dari trailer dan free episode-nya di kanal WeTV di Youtube. Sebelumnya, saya telah menonton beberapa drama yang dibintangi oleh Yang Mi (Three Miles of Peach Blossom dan Legend of Fuyao), jadi saya ingin tahu seperti apa drama yang dibintangi Yang Mi kali ini. Di dua dramanya sebelumnya, kesan yang saya dapatkan kurang positif karena saya tidak begitu suka ending di mana tokoh utama setelah mati, bisa hidup lagi, khas trope drama-drama Tiongkok. Bagi saya, trope seperti ini tidak masuk akal. Di Novoland: Pearl Eclipse ini, saya sempat khawatir karena membaca berbagai komentar penonton yang mengandung spoiler dan sinopsis di berbagai situs yang mengikuti resensi novelnya. Saya hampir menyerah di awal karena membaca bahwa Haishi yang diperankan Yang Mi akan masuk ke istana dan menjadi selir dan akhirnya seorang ratu, dan selama perjalanannya terlibat cinta segitiga yang berakhir super sedih dan tragis.

Ternyata, prediksi banyak penonton dan bahkan sinopsis yang sudah beredar tentang drama ini kebanyakan keliru (tidak menggambarkan ceritanya yang sebenarnya). Drama ini memang mengadaptasi dari novel, tetapi alur ceritanya benar-benar mengambil jalan lain yang benar-benar saya apresiasi. Karena jalan cerita yang berbeda inilah, saya jatuh cinta dengan drama ini sampai setelah seluruh episodenya selesai, saya menonton ulang sampai tiga kali untuk menangkap maksud dan detail-detailnya secara lebih baik. Saya pun menyukai soundtrack-nya dan rutin mendengarkannya ulang sebagai teman saya bekerja.

Keseluruhan 9,5/10

Drama ini menceritakan tentang kesetiaan tiga pasang kekasih dan perjalanan hidup dan cinta mereka (jadi, bukan cinta segitiga yang penuh persaingan). Pasangan pertama adalah Fang Jianming/ Fang Zhu (William Chan) dan Haishi (Yang Mi). Kedua adalah kaisar Dixu (Xu Kaicheng) dan selirnya, Tilan (Chen Xiao Yun). Ketiga, saudara angkat Haishi, Fang Zhouying (Wang Sen), dan Zhe Liu (Yuan Yu Xuan). Ketiga pasang kekasih ini memiliki kisahnya masing-masing yang unik dan sangat mengena di hati saya karena character development-nya. Di antara keenam tokoh tersebut, yang ingin saya ulas adalah Fang Jianming. Fang Jianming memiliki kisah yang paling lengkap, jelas dan kompleks jika dibandingkan kelima tokoh lainnya. Bagi saya, drama ini bukan kisah tentang Haishi (meski semua orang menerimanya seperti itu), tetapi tentang Fang Jianming. Jika kita perhatikan, keputusan-keputusan yang diambilnya adalah yang membuat cerita dalam Novoland: Pearl Eclipse ini ada dan bergerak maju. Haishi "hanyalah" karakter yang tiba-tiba muncul di tengah perjalanan hidupnya dan mempengaruhi pengambilan keputusannya di separuh akhir masa hidupnya.

Apa jadinya jika Fang Jianming bukan seorang patriot yang cinta pada negaranya? Dia tidak akan berkorban diri menjadi Baixi bagi kaisar dan menyelamatkan kerajaan dengan menumpas pemberontakan. Dia tidak akan memalsukan kematiannya, mengenakan topeng , dan menjadi Fang Zhu, komandan kesatuan rahasia yang bekerja membunuh musuh-musuh kaisar dan melindungi perdamaian. Dia tidak akan menangkap kesan bahwa Haishi yang masih kanak-kanak akan menjadi sosok penting bagi masa depan kerajaan Dazheng, menyelamatkan hidupnya, dan menawarkannya untuk ikut bersamanya ke ibukota dan menjadi muridnya. Fang Jianming bisa dikatakan adalah berkah bagi Haishi, Fang Zhouying, bahkan kaisar, Tilan, dan Zhe Liu. Dia rela berkorban, tangguh menghadapi penderitaan, berpikir jauh ke depan, dan memikirkan kebaikan orang-orang di sekitarnya meski pada awalnya itu tampak menyakiti mereka. Berulang kali ia menjadi korban kesalahpahaman dan tersakiti akibat itu tanpa membela diri. Sosok Fang Jianming dirangkum dengan sangat baik oleh Haishi dalam kalimat ini:

"Beberapa tahun ini kau melakukan banyak hal demi rakyat, Kaisar, dan Dazheng. Namun, tak ada yang sungguh-sungguh melakukan sesuatu untukmu. Kali ini giliranku melakukan sesuatu untukmu. Biarkan aku melindungimu." (Ep. 43)

Cinta Haishi pada Fang Jianming menjadi begitu istimewa, bermakna dan bernilai jika kita memahami perjalanan hidup Fang Jianming. Ini yang menjadikan romansa di dalam drama ini jadi tidak "recehan". Cinta Haishi memang sesuatu yang sangat dibutuhkan Fang Jianming dan bersumber dari pemahaman Haishi tentang perjalanan hidup, tanggung jawab dan kepribadian Fang Jianming. Ini tidak seperti drama-drama percintaan pada umumnya di mana tokoh utama pria dan wanita ditakdirkan untuk mencintai "tanpa sebab". Meski banyak penonton mengeluhkan asmara di antara keduanya tumbuh amat lambat dan adegan percintaan antara Haishi dan Fang Jianming relatif sedikit, pilihan sutradara akan jalan cerita yang seperti ini bisa dimengeri dan diterima. Cinta itu tidak hanya soal hasrat antara pria dan wanita, tetapi juga pengertian, komitmen, kebersamaan, dan pengorbanan.

Menurut saya, cerita Novoland: Pearl Eclipse ini dapat disajikan lebih baik lagi jika sejak awal menggunakan perspektif Haishi dan Fang Jianming secara seimbang dan kuat, bahwa cerita ini sejak awal adalah tentang sepasang kekasih ini saja, bagaimana mereka tumbuh dewasa, dari awalnya tidak mengenal cinta, kemudian belajar memberi cinta (Haishi) dan menerima cinta (Fang Jianming) dan akhirnya bersama-sama memutuskan tetap bersama, meski tidak dapat bersama secara fisik. Sejak awal, drama ini sudah hampir seperti roman (menceritakan kehidupan tokoh secara mendetail sejak lahir hingga dewasa, atau bahkan sampai meninggal dunia). Namun sayang, kurang tuntas padahal tinggal sedikit lagi. Alhasil, banyak penonton mengandalkan imajinasi mereka untuk menutup cerita ini dengan sempurna.

Mungkin memang drama ini sengaja diakhiri dengan cara seperti ini untuk menimbulkan semacam afterthought (perenungan).

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Preferi ler as resenhas sobre o final do que perder meu tempo

Spoiler bem leves.

Eu fiquei muito, mas bem empolgada com esse drama por um bom tempo, e particularmente eu gosto muito das histórias ambientadas no universo Novoland, embora Castle In The Sky ainda seja minha preferida das lançadas até então.
Mas pra começo de conversa (e isso nem é um spoiler), este drama quase não tem nada que nos remeta a Novoland, no máximo a coisa da sereia e tal. Talvez eu não tenha me informado o suficiente sobre essas temáticas, mas isso não afeta muito minha posição aqui, é só um mero detalhe a ser observado durante a trama.
Eu pesquisei bastante sobre o novel original Mr. Pearl Bead, e até procurei pra ler, sem sucesso, não achei nem em inglês algo que fosse além de 3 capítulos curtos, no máximo há um livro na amazon, edição chinesa.
Pelo que vi a respeito da novel ao qual o drama se baseia, a premissa se refere a uma sinopse divergente do que ocorre no drama, e até outro dia (não chequei agora) a sinopse deste drama aqui e em outros locais seguiu a linha da novel, em vez de falar real do dorama. Ou seja, já começa plantando um equívoco que se alguém, como eu, achou interessante justo o detalhe final da sinopse original, vai acabar se decepcionando.
Não há um triângulo amoroso como sugere a sinopse da novel, aqui temos multiplos casais, e isto já é algo que eu não gosto muito. Pois bem, vamos as partes:

O que achei legal:
- A protagonista é com certeza a melhor coisa do drama, ela literalmente carrega a trama nas costas e é chato ver que, muitas vezes ela é subestimada, sendo que no fim ainda é ela quem resolve as coisas.
- A fotografia, trilha sonora, figurinos, tudo impecável.
- Cenas de ação são bem feitas e bem empolgantes também;

O que estragou pra mim:
- Ritmo lento por muitos capítulos até algo grande voltar a acontecer. Eu me vi pulando cenas ou assistindo mais rápido por muitas vezes a partir da metade do episódio 15 ou por volta. É bastante enrolação mesmo, cenas cotidianas com diálogos longos, etc.
- Dois casais secundários pra mim é sempre demais. Respeito quem gosta, mas eu não tenho muita paciência.
- A falta de cumplicidade entre o casal principal. O amor deles é com certeza lindo de se vê, a gente sente o quanto ele a ama e a protege sempre, mas me incomoda muito o fato de ele ter sempre deixado ela sem saber do que estava acontecendo, ele não a informava de seus planos com a desculpa de poupá-la e protegê-la de sofrimento, mas isso só gerava mais mal entendido e mais dor entre eles, sendo que se houvesse confiança e cumplicidade todo o drama desnecessário cairia por terra. Sem contar que a protagonista Haishi não é fraca, nem de longe, ela aguenta todos os trancos e ele sabe disso, e mesmo assim ele a subestima e a deixa no escuro na maioria das vezes. Isso pra mim foi o que mais me incomodou.
- FJM, o protagonista masculino, é muitas vezes pessimista, ele se dá por vencido em várias situações, é daqueles que acha que não merece isso e aquilo, que a protagonista merece algo melhor, etc. No fim são outras personagens que precisam ir atrás das soluções das desgraças que o cercam. Ele viveu mais de década com a Haishi, ele a viu crescer, no entanto precisou que outro personagem (um estranho para ela) que se encantou por Haishi precisasse dar um sacode em FJM sobre como a garota realmente se sentia e que ele (FJM) não deveria agir covardemente sem considerar os sentimentos dela. Bom, a vontade era a de dar uns tapas na cara né kkkkk.
- Ele muitas vezes toma atitudes que, por não informar Haishi sobre seus planos, a nossa mocinha acaba afogada em sofrimento quando não havia necessidade.
- Resumindo, ela é louca por ele desde sempre, ela entrega tudo nesse amor, mas ele pisa em ovos até quase o final do drama.


Outro adendo neutro:
- É interessante ver a lealdade (o bromance) de FJM com o imperador, acho que bromance segue no hype e muitos doramas o inserem nas tramas. Aqui a receita segue firme até o fim, e pra quem gosta é algo legal de acompanhar. Mas é engraçado como pra mim as percepções sobre os dois se inverteram, por um bom tempo tive muito ranço do imperador, e honestamente não defendo a relação dele com a princesa Tianli porque foi tóxica demais pra depois simplesmente abafar. No entanto, o imperador acabou tendo um desenvolvimento maior que FJM na minha opinião, ele tem uma complexidade a mais, e a gente acaba não conseguindo odiá-lo realmente. Enquanto isso, FJM, que começa o drama como um lorde badass e admirável, vai se perdendo conforme o drama avança do meio pro fim, e o contraste da personalidade desses dois (FJM e o imperador) fica mais evidente, dando ao imperador uma vitalidade a mais enquanto seu amigo parece sucumbir a cada capítulo. Claro que, no final, tudo pode dar certo como mágica e tal, mas passar tantos capítulos sem sentir aquele carisma baddas do FJM foi um pouco frustrante tb.


- No fim, eu teria achado a trama mais interessante se realmente seguisse a premissa original. E, embora o bromance seja bacana, eu gostaria de ver como os dois seguiriam unidos aos seus deveres enquanto se apaixonam e se preocupam com a mesma mulher. Creio que esta seria (finalmente) uma boa receita de triangulo amoroso, mas perderam a oportunidade de recriá-la. E bom, esse é só o meu ponto né. O drama talvez agrade muita gente, mas comigo não funcionou.

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אהבה , שייכות, נאמנות- love , belong, loyal..

סדרה בין הטובות ביותר שראיתי. לדעתי ויליאם צ׳אן יאנג מי ושו קאי צ׳אנג נתנו את משחק חייהם.
הסדרה בנויה בהגיון דבר מוליך אל דבר, מערכת יחסים נבנית לאט ובהתמדה. הן של הקיסר והן של המאסטר . משחק מדהים, המאסטר מתעלה על הכל וכן הקיסר. קיסר שמתגלה כאוהב, כדורג למרות כל ההתחלה הקשה והפסאדואלימה שלו. הכל בנוי כמו בד ארוג להפליא שזור בחוטים משתלבים. 47 פרקים שלא מאפשרים רגע לנוח כשהפרק ה48 - פרק ההקרבה האהבה האמינות והעובדות. חלק לא סגור ומשאיר אותנו באפשרות לחלום על מה שנרצה. חלק לצערי סגור ומסוגר. אבל יש המשך לדור שהלך והמורשת תמיד תשאר.
שאפו ענק לבמאי, לתסריטאי, ולצוות שחקנים מדהים באיכותו.
צריך להתאושש מסדרה כל כך משמעותית.
תודה .
רותי.
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
Love, belonging, loyalty

One of the best series I've seen. In my opinion, William Chan Young Mee and Shu Kai Chang gave the performance of their lives.
The series is logically built from one thing to another, a relationship is built slowly and steadily. both the emperor's and the master's. Amazing game, the master surpasses all and so does the emperor. An emperor who turns out to be a lover, as a bird despite all his difficult and pseudo-imminent beginnings. Everything is constructed like a beautifully woven fabric interwoven with interlocking threads. 47 episodes that do not allow a moment to rest when the 48th episode - the episode of sacrifice, love, reliability and facts. Part is not closed and leaves us with the possibility to dream about what we want. Part is unfortunately closed. But there is a continuation of the generation that has passed and the legacy will always remain.
A huge aspiration for the director, the screenwriter, and an amazing cast of quality.
Need to recover from such a significant series.
Thanks .
Ruthie

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