One and Only (2021)

Ugh

So I just came across this c-drama, and let me start by saying that even though this series is from 2021, it's still amazing.

I'm only 15 episodes in, and I absolutely despise the empress dowager. At first, I wasn't really drawn to the male lead in the series, but his acting talent is impressive. However, I sense no chemistry between the two main characters.

I already know that this series is going to be heart-wrenching because I accidentally saw a clip from TikTok. However, this series is so remarkable that it cannot be skipped; it's not the kind of series you can fast forward through in a few minutes.

In my opinion, what makes this series so captivating is the range of emotions evoked in each episode as the story unfolds.

Also commending the entire cast. There are both likable and unlikable characters; you'll smile, laugh, cry, and get frustrated. It's a whirlwind of emotions.

I have enjoyed a wide variety of C-dramas over the years, and this is perhaps one of my top 10 favorite Chinese series.

I'm not a big fan of Bai Lu's character. It might just be me, but I find her to be quite stagnant and a bit lacking. I find some of her scenes to be quite boring and frustrating. Like a helpless puppy pitifully waiting for its master, too fixated on the ML with no self-ambition and growth. Ugh. However, I have enjoyed a few of her series like "Kunning Palace," "Till the End of the Moon," "Only for Love," and "Love is Sweet."

Anyway, there are 9 episodes left, and I'm preparing myself because I know there will be more emotional and heartbreaking scenes moving forward.

UPDATE:
Currently on episode 20, with 4 episodes to go. The latter episodes feel rushed and unpolished; some events from the palace were barely discussed properly. There were scenes that I wish were explored more, etc.

I finished it; it was devastating and heartbreaking. However, I felt that it was rushed as I mentioned previouslyIt wasn’t a perfect series; there were still some letdowns. Overall, it’s a tragically beautiful series. Prepare your tissues.

Read More

The Prince Who Doesn't Want to Be King

The story started off well. It progressed well for a while. Then it turned to the Prince Who Doesn't Want to Be King story. Although he chooses all the kings, he doesn't want to be a king himself, and he doesn't even accept getting married and having children. Such a personality. However, our hero is someone who has taken in and raised a lot of orphans, and made them into men. The woman also wants to be an apprentice to someone who fits this name. But she falls in love with her master. However, her master stands by his words even though he loves her. Good. It's understandable to some extent. However, later on, he consents to the woman he loves marrying someone else, even though she doesn't want it. This marriage breaks up. Then, the man insists again and wants to marry her again, and they get engaged again. He says yes to this. In other words, just as he plays with the woman's nerves, he also plays with the audience's nerves. Such a character is unacceptable. It's wrong. This character doesn't kill his opponents and surrenders himself to them in the last episodes of the series, despite his own soldiers coming to the rescue, despite having the opportunity. Our hero turns into a paper tiger. Because he wants to save the little king, he sacrifices himself instead. It's understandable. But it's advantageous. The little king comes to him. When he comes, he can kill both enemies in front of him. But he doesn't. He is torn to pieces by these enemies. It's not going to happen. It's not possible. But they did it. It's wrong. Likewise, let's leave aside our paper tiger hero. Our smart female hero also marries that prince. She says if my mother allows it. She agrees to marry without saying a word to her mother. Why doesn't she talk? Finally, the female hero also commits suicide. The mother says I'm guilty etc. So no matter where you look, I only have the last episodes. It didn't happen. It was like a comedy of errors. Some things didn't make sense to me. There was no sticky love affair. It seemed like loving from a distance was the most beautiful of loves. These places were good. These kinds of loves of the secondary roles were also handled well. The director was very good. The actors were very good. I really liked the cast. But I can't say the same thing about the script. I was going to give the series an 8, but I have to give it a 6.

Read More

I really only have this to say: The actors understood the assignment.

This was so well done. It was honestly one of the most beautiful and well-acted shows I'd ever seen.

The longing, yearning, love, depression, ache . . . everything was acted to perfection.

I cried so much. I've rewatched the ending scene maybe five times now, and I rewatched the scenes with the couple together so many times as well.

I'd seen Bai Lu's other work and I think she has great chemistry with her other co-stars but this was unparalleled. And these two didn't even kiss. Just the tension and deep feeling they had was perfect.

That's all I have to say about this.

Please watch it. You will not be disappointed.

Read More

A Romantic Tragedy

ONE AND ONLY was a great Cdrama, especially if you like historical period and costume dramas. I admit, I had a difficult time getting into this one at first. I had a few false starts and dropped it several times before going back to it, due to the seemingly predictable and generic romance. It really did develop and pull me in.

Once I finally got going however, I discovered it was a really good show, and quite short in terms of average Cdrama length (24 eps instead of 60-80+ eps). I noticed it used flashback scenes, not overly frequent, but perhaps more so than other dramas in order to condense the storyline. While I do enjoy the longer series (as they create a depth and deeper emotional bonds), but this was a nice change of pace.

" A young man determined to become a general takes a mute, ill-fated princess as his disciple, forming a forbidden bond amid palace power struggles."

The actors were all very good in their roles, and the characters were all very likeable as well. The story was a bit slow starting, focusing on the friendship and blooming romance aspect rather than on the rest of the story, but gradually became more interesting and compelling, especially as villains and other main characters stepped into play. I really enjoyed the music as well, it was very fitting.

Overall, ONE AND ONLY was a great watch. I recommend if you like historical romantic Cdramas. Must warn, it is tragic and emotional.

Read More

A poetic screenplay about a grim, downward spiral that I grew to hate . .

The premise is 'witness a historical, grim epic power dispute, through the eyes of a wide-eyed girl/woman aged 14 - 24.' Nirvana in Fire and The Rise of Phoenixes are my gold standards for tragic male dominated political battles, and this drama falls far far short. Yes, there is a tragic/forbidden romance element that is introduced strong at the start. But, Shi Yi is a passive character and neither she nor Zhou Sheng Chen are focused on their romance as much as their duty to a crumbling and corrupt empire.

Rating it against my gold standard, the court intrigues and strategies of this drama are simplistic, and the villains overacted, cartoonish and not given sufficient back stories. Zhou Sheng Chen lives with integrity, is a talented general, and is made noble by his constant self-sacrifice, but he's also very one note and does not develop any complexity, nor displays any sort of talent for politics or romance.

There was a great use of poetry in this show, very touching beautiful lines . . . and that was the only highlight.

Once I realized that the political intrigue elements, which are the weakest points of this plot, were going to dominate the last 1/3 of the drama, I decided to drop it.

Acting is so so, chemistry is good as child with crush on teacher, but fizzles as Shi Yi becomes a full adult. Music set the mood fine, and I would not rewatch.

Read More

Worst C-drama I've ever seen

This drama is completely destroyed y the script & storyline. It features an ultimately fatally (literally) idiotic, albeit moral and self-sacrficing MML. a feeble and likewise self-sacrificing FML, and a second "villainous" MML who nverthelesscomes out on top. (The last, rushed episode is just an afterthought).

At many key points the protagonists could make different, but equally ethical decisions - thus the air of inevitability the script is trying to convey is simply deceitful.

Also irritating are the prolonged "romantic" scenes with their dreadful sung underpinnings. Pointless padding, given the ultimate, largely catastrophic outcome. This drama fails essentially on its internal inconsistency

So: Worst I've ever seen, out of well over a hundred. The only positive aspect is video quality. But how anybody other than a weepie addict could give this more than 5.0 beats me.

Read More

The One and Only: A political LIFE-TRAUMA as the name doesn't implie.

Rave reviews and it was highly recommended by somebody on my friends list. I tried hard but this show is not making it for me. I don't dislike it but it's too heavy on politics and too light on the romance. For a 24 episodes show...We only get crumbs of torturous romance here and there... I understand that's the point of it but I can't with that pace...
I wish I liked it as much as everybody else but unfortunately no...

I have a tradition on making sure that any drama I watch should be finished under a month... except if the number of episodes exceeds 40. This show being 24 episodes, which is pretty short for a C drama, I thought it would be an easy feat but... not so much in the end. I put that drama on hold and ended deciding to binge the remaining 11 episodes just to finish the show because I knew I wouldn't be able to finish it if I didn't force myself ( and I couldn't even do that in the end since the last episodes were only politics, politics and more politics, and mental torture and no romance whatsoever except to provide you with additional emotional trauma). Bottom line, I almost didn't make it had it not been for force-watching alterning with a very gooey thai romance drama.

This is IN-SA-NE-LY S-L-O-W.

Like literally. When people say it's slow-burn romance is IS SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW-burn romance.

I also find the title pretty misleading. "One and Only" suggests a drama focused on romance but it is hardly the case. Yes, it's at the heart of the story but NO it's not the focus of the drama. The drama focuses not on the forbidden romance of the main leads but rather on all the political back-stabbings and plotting shenanigans that forced them ( and other couples for that matter) to not be able to love freely and choose their own lives.

It is a genuinely good show... but that's not what I signed up for. I was aware of its sad ending so I knew what to expect when I started this... But given how much people were raving about this show and the romance, I was expecting more romance as subtle as it is. There's a good chuck of the drama that focused on it but I'd argue that more than half of the drama focuses only on the political side... I'd say for the romance... It starts around episode 7 and ends around episode 16 so you get 9 episodes focused on the romance with a bit of politics but all the rest is just POLITICS (and the leads missing each other of course in a couple of scenes here and there) and I honestly didn't care even if I understand the background is important.

I've been spoiled by many C dramas that I felt managed to balance romantic angst with political context without focusing too much on the political story all the while making sure viewers are given enough information to understand the context in which the story happens ( Love Like the Galaxy is a perfect example) and it is actually the first time I feel things were just not balanced properly.

The show is gorgeous, the actors are excellent, the romance, as subtle as it is, is great... BUT I was watching for the romance not for all the backstabbing.
Also by the time I reached the end, this drama turned out to be extremely depressing. It reminded me of the K-Drama "My Dearest" which I didn't bother to watch the second part because of its pretty grim nature. I don't watch shows to get depressed, I watch shows to provide a bit of happiness in my life and this one didn't do it.

Now. I have no issue with sad endings. Let's be clear about that. As long as I'm provided with enough happiness on the journey, I'm ok with a sad ending... But I was fed crumbs of happiness and a depressing ending... Well actually not so depressing since, I've got to say - and I can't believe I'm writing this - I cheered when Shi Yi committed suicide. That was the best vengeance ever. The only thing Zi Xing truly ever wanted was her and he didn't get her at the end. Should have kept his greed in check. Zi Xing had the best "character trajectory" out of all the cast... Yes, it wasn't in the right direction but he turned from a character I truly empathized with at the beginning to one I truly loathed and wished death by way of an extremelly painful and s-l-o-w fire all the while being-alive. Too bad we didn't see him suffer more by the end. We know he remained alive for 3 years all the while seeing his kingdom falling apart ( well, you were greedy, jealous, stupid and detestable enough to kill the best and most faithful soldier of your shitty kingdom so, you deserved it you piece of sh***) but it would have been nice to see him SUFFER MORE in order to quench part of my ANGER and RAGE. Ahem. Sorry. Got too emotional. I have to remind myself that this is JUST a drama.

The young Emperor was completely useless. He was too young. As I was watching the show, I was thinking Sheng Chen, wanted to remain the faithful soldier, but he should have done what everybody expected of him: Rebel and take the throne. He was the only one who had the charisma, people's support and intelligence to endorse the role and yet he turned his back to it... Only to be rewarded by being framed as a traitor.

He literally sacrificed his life to defend a kingdom, didn't marry the woman he loved and all of that for NOTHING. In the end, he was betrayed, died injustly , the kingdom he defended fell apart once he was gone (because duh! you should have rebelled and take the emperor's position, being rightful at a time where nobody else is, is literally like planting a target on your back but I digress) and the only woman he ever loved and wanted to protect got (almost) married to the man who betrayed him, got heart-broken and committed suicide.

#real_life_is_not_depressing_enough_I_wanna_get_depressed_watching_dramas_now
#life_sucks_and_there's_no_hope_left_in_this_world
#marriage_sucks
#at_least_the_empress_lived_the_good_life_screwing_six_packed_soldiers_before_jumping_to_her_doom
#she_was_a_nasty_piece_of_work_for_sure_but_she_knew_she'd_get_ejected_at_some_point_so_she_went_YOLO
#most_useless_emperor_in_history
#Good_Never_Wins_Evil_Always_Triumph
#At_least_they_died_looking_good
#f**** escapism in your romance drama.

To be completely honest, by the time I'm typing this, I've finished 21 episodes, still 3 to go. Dunno if I'll have the courage to watch them now or if I cut with "lighter" dramas before the finish line... But since I've really spoiled myself the last episodes, I feel pretty confident I won't need to rewrite this review by the time I finish the show. And I'm going to finish it... since there's only 3 episodes left.

EDIT: In the end, I had to "cut" episode 22 in 3 parts... I knew what was coming. I had prepared myself mentally and STILL the BITTERNESS WAS OVER THE ROOF. No amount of preparation could help me get over the utter feeling of BETRAYAL I went through. This is NOT the type of feeling I want to experience in my free time UNLESS it ends on a good note... and if you've been reading this and have not watched this drama yet... You know it doesn't end well.

In short:

Is it a bad drama? NO

Did I enjoy myself? NO

Probable ratings by the end: 7.

Genuinely good show that I just didn't like for a variety of reasons , main ones being:

1. I avoid politics in real life, it's not to be force fed it in a drama that is supposed to be about ROMANCE.

2. Like most people, I don't have lots of money. Dramas are supposed to bring me happiness not making me need a therapist when I have no money left to pay for one. BECAUSE MY GOD DO I NEED THERAPY NOW. It's not even because of the doomed love story. NO. This, I knew before even starting it. What REALLY made me lose my marbles is the way Sheng Chen, Senior Sister, Conselor Xie and anybody with a good heart ended up dying miserable and UNFAIR deaths.
EVERYTHING WAS PAINFUL IN THIS F*** DRAMA. I'm NEVER WATCHING SAD ENDINGS EVER AGAIN!!!!
It's THE BETRAYAL. The "I gave my life for a great cause, and I was thanked by the most painful, unfair and cowardly BETRAYAL of all".

F*** that show! I gave you almost 24 hours of my life and you only gave be bitterness at the end. Good Job! I have LOTS of emotions, none of them positive.

Read More

What a weak FL with many plot holes

Well, I've read the novel and have watched the sequel of the drama 'Forever and Ever'.
As commons, the drama needs to add more story and plot to make it long enough to be a drama and I find it okay.
What made me disappointed was the portraying of the FL in the drama. The drama portrays the FL as a super weak, vulnerable and helpless woman. She didn't do much in the drama aside of crying, waiting or pouting.
I didn't get why the script made her to stand on the gate during the attack of Yongcheng. She had no skill of fighting or other useful skill in that battle. Standing on top of the gate overseeing the battle is just added more baggage or people to protect. The story is also unbearably so slow made me have to watch it in speed up version. And there should be a more suitable actress to play the FL role.
I am fine with a slow burning story, yet this drama is just so unbearably slow. Romance is indeed doesn't need skin-ship but there should be something to fill that void.
What I can conclude is that I've wasted my time and data😅

Read More

its a watch

𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖈𝖍 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖉𝖉𝖉.𝖉𝖒𝖉𝖒𝖉𝖒𝖉𝖒𝖒𝖉𝖉𝖒𝖉𝖒𝖉𝖒𝖉𝖐𝖉𝖐𝖋𝖐𝖋𝖋𝖋𝖐𝖋𝖐𝖋𝖐𝖉𝖐𝖉𝖐𝖉𝖐𝖉𝖉𝖐𝖉𝖉𝖐𝖉𝖉𝖐𝖋𝖒𝖋𝖋𝖒𝖒𝖋𝖋𝖒𝖋𝖒𝖒𝖋𝖒𝖋𝖋𝖋𝖒𝖋𝖒𝖋𝖒 𝖆𝖐𝖆𝖐𝖆𝖐𝖆𝖐𝖐𝖉𝖋𝖐𝖋𝖐𝖋𝖐𝖋𝖈𝖘𝖔𝖟𝖐𝖟𝖒𝖟𝖒𝖟𝖘.𝖆𝖆𝖒𝖐𝖆𝖘𝖐𝖟𝖐𝖟𝖐𝖝𝖝𝖑𝖝𝖐𝖝𝖐𝖐𝖉𝖉𝖒𝖉𝖒𝖉𝖒𝖉𝖉𝖉𝖉𝖒𝖉𝖒𝖝𝖒𝖈𝖈𝖒𝖈𝖒𝖈𝖒𝖈𝖈𝖒𝖈𝖒𝖈𝖒𝖈𝖒𝖈𝖒𝖈𝖒𝖈𝖐𝖋𝖐𝖋𝖐𝖋𝖋𝖐𝖋𝖐

Read More

Well, everyone got what they deserved

What's done is done, but I believe this drama was miscast. Change the leading man to the smoking hot Monk guy (Zhou Lu La) and we at least would believe the guy was indeed a general because he had the right form plus an expressive face that conveyed more emotions than Ren Jia Lun has done in all his dramas combined.
Moreover, and I can't emphasize enough, this drama suffered from the screenwriter's depiction of the protagonists and antagonists who were done a disservice by being characterized with such clearly delineated qualities. There were no gray areas, everyone was either white or black. Our ML was entirely too selfless while our heroine had less gravitas than cooked noodles. The combination of the two of them kept me entertained because god knows nothing good would ever come out of their combined idiocy. Perhaps I'm being too critical but having just come from watching the masterclass acting and screenplay that is "Royal Nirvana", I'll give myself a pass for being dissatisfied with a drama that needed a couple more re-writes.

While it's normal to romanticize star-crossed lovers, I still need them to not offer themselves up as sacrificial lambs. Zhou Sheng Chen as a character didn't quite ring true for me and for a drama that's this character-driven, I needed to believe he was being tormented by the vow he'd prematurely taken. How could he have been allowed to have his cake and eat it too? Yes, I know he died and all but he never actually suffered unrequited love since whatshername was basically handed to him on a golden platter. What a joke.

In all, the clusterfuck that was the premise could have only worked if they all died, which they did. So, all's well.

Read More

A little slow in the beginning but catches up pace midway.

I have been putting this off for a while because of the description of the drama didn't interest me that much. But a few days ago, I came across a edit on YouTube that made me change my mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1qk0lN1gaY

Someone in the comments said that Cui Shi Yi gave more to the relationship compared to Zhou Sheng Chen. I thought it would be very one-sided like the comment said, but until episode 16 it has been anything but that. They have this special connection since the moment of their first meeting. He has always treated her gently, there's no toxicity in their romance at all. They care for each other and it is plain for a person to see. These two had such good chemistry.

The only issue is that not a single person in this drama fights for their relationship. They all just give up & marry whoever they are being forced to marry. None of them have any choice in it. Even the so called Imperial Decree doesn't seem to be all that powerful. I mean how come he rejected the decree to adopt her as his daughter. So he is willing to fight for that notion but not for the actual relationship. Since they were all gonna die, they might as well have done what they wanted. Gotten married. Rebelled!

I wish Zhou Sheng Chen was a smarter and bigger picture kind of guy. I think I have been spoiled watching characters that can have it all or at least are capable enough of thinking that far ahead so many of his choices don't make sense to me.

Wang Xing Yue's character for a pitiful for a moment and then hateful for most of his story arc and he presented the essence of the character so well. He is one of the underrated gems.

Read More