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Sorry but no
Acting was great! Can’t fault the actors or their chemistry. Sadly have to give this drama a low rating because it happens to be the exact kind of storyline I hate. I can accept tragedy but not to the point all main characters/ couples die.Also personal pet peeve when dramas don’t have a “good” ending. Fair enough the main leads die but also no real justice? Bad guys are all fine so it’s not even like the deaths of main characters are justified? The story really needed more depth if that many people are to die.
Luckily the drama didn’t waste too much of my time being 24 episodes only. Glad it’s over and will need to find something sweeter to watch now.
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One and Lonely, Meh, double Meh.
It's a solid 7 and I'll tell you why.I finished this series an hour ago and It's not as good as I thought it was.
The story and plot is okay, I don't know why they insisted on giving us actual time indicators as someone who should've been in their mid to late 30s is also said to be of the same age as a character that was clearly a child or tween during earlier events. And just when you forget the ages don't natch, here it comes again in dialogue that something happened X amount of years ago when this person was X age.
It was entertaining.
But this is why it's not a 10
No clear Big Bad, a wishy-washy cowardly troublemaker without clear motives, except a "might as well" attitude that starts the body count towards the end.
I don't know if they meant for us to feel sorry for this character or the actor's contract conflicted with him being full-on anything.....There's just no intensity there, none. His motives are half-baked to the point that even when he's probably going to be living his best life without much of the past worries, he goes all-in with (just about) a person that annoys him to death. When, the easiest choice would be to stay still and this person wouldn't be in his way anymore.
I finished another drama of the ML that aired recently and I can't help but notice he plays the same character in each of his recent roles. Pouty with occasional smile in a suit, pouty with occasional smile with a wig and sword, then watch him kick something.
The older actors brought the A game as usual
The monk was a waste, I was waiting for him to hulk out towards the end but, the promise of earlier scenes isn't fleshed out beyond being our sounding board for the tragic hero.
And he is tragic, tragically honorable when the game changes and all bets are off. Seems to me earlier logic and "contracts made" could be changed due to circumstance but not, for him.
Cheaped out on costumes because there are two men in the crew that I got confused with as the styling was the same and they have similar builds and wide faces.
What do you call a disciple that doesn't get taught anything really? A glorified housekeeper? They couldn't teach her to defend herself? Even the one weapon she can use is never shown to be used during a pivotal moment.
The stories of some of the side characters aren't given the time they deserve, even when they seem more interesting than the Main character's arcs.
A double crossing cockroach that brings trouble every time he crosses the screen, for no reason but to cause trouble. It's over and I still don't know what he wants.
THE FL and the Monk are the most disappointing characters in this thing, even though the acting was okay. They didn't give the FL much to work with but she did have 3 scenes that were able to showcase skills.
So, this is a 7, because there's worse offerings out there right now but would I say it's something with rewatch value, nope.
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What is it about this love story that deserve a second chance?
I went into this historical portion of the drama hoping to get one thing answer, because all other things don't matter. What is it about this love story that deserve a second chance at new life time when so many other couples, who have a more passionate love and would die for each other, have not gotten that chance (as we seen in drama land)?The first 10 eps really missed the mark on telling a compelling love story between CSC and SY. There were really no teaching of any sort (CSC supposedly teaches SY everything from painting, reading, writing, playing instrument, ect, but we did not get any of that. It was mostly SY teaching herself , which is kind of sad because the few moments of him spending time with her & trying to figure out what to teach her was so endearing. Later on, about the middle episodes, we finally got to view what they really are like as a couple as they spent a lot of time together traveling (something different from the book). Both of the lead being obvious in their feeling. In the end, I still come to the conclusion that there was nothing specials about their relationship. They both still couldn't fight for their love, there was something bigger for them to protect.
The ending instead puts a new perspective on my question above.... in that it's not about their selfish loving each other only, but their love for those around them. Perhaps god gave them a second chance because CSC was too pitiful for all the good he has done and his death was the most horrific and disrespectful. I cried for him and I cried for Shiyi. His last letter stated "I've never let anyone down except Shiyi." It's almost his indication that the people he tried to saved betrayed him and the one person he let go was his biggest mistake. God perhaps heard his cried and tried to make up for him by gifting Shiyi to him the next life time as one can never turn back time to fix the wrong. CSC left behind a honorable legacy and to those that knew and met him. When he die, those that knew him continues to build a legacy he was working towards. They even tried to save the one thing that matters to him most, his Shiyi, but she felt too wrong for his death and his people (that also dead). She says god will make it right and, if there's a next life, for him to come to her.... and come he did (in Forever and Ever).
My overall rating on this drama,is there's not enough issues here to make it this many Episodes. The ending where the female lead ask or say she'll marry him was kind of off, because he was very firm about not being with her. So I didn't feel for it.
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This review is for both “One and Only” and “Forever and Ever” dramas but the rating is different:One and Only
This drama is really a masterpiece, almost flawless, if it would not be for the poor acting skill and expressions of one of the most significant antagonists, actor Wang Xing Yue as Liu Zi Xing. The production gives the viewer gorgeous costumes, dazzling sets, great cinematography, a leading couple that doesn’t need intimacy to immerses the viewer and evokes beautiful, heartfelt, and sorrowful emotions that leaves anyone breathless even when a romantic relationship between them was forbidden. The action scenes are well choreographed and the chemistry among the soldiers and Zhousheng Chen is strongly fused by their sincere feelings and camaraderie. SPOILER ALERT: Even with the tragic ending, the drama is still worth watching! Enjoy it!
Forever and Ever (SPOILER ALERT!)
If the viewer is looking for a drama that has a nice romance feel but lacks intimacy, then this right drama. I would not consider this drama a sequel since there is little connection to the “prequel” apart for the leading couple, flashbacks that give the viewer a glimpse of their past relationship, a leading male that belongs to an old and establish rich family with a matriarch that simulates a sovereign ruler of great power and rank, a leading female that comes from a “noble” family, and some supporting actors that can be somehow compared to others in the past life. Although the leading couple is connected to the past, find each other and fall in love, this drama doesn’t capture the intensity of their feelings like it was portrayed on the drama “One and Only”. For “Forever and Ever” been a modern romance, Zhousheng Chen’s character is almost emotionally handicap with an unrealistic innocence for a man in his late twenties, even if he has spent most of his life been a bookworm. Although the Zhousheng Chen from the past does not kiss Cui Shi Yi, he was not passive at all! So, overall, this is not a bad drama, it is just a failed attempt to bring an everlasting and passionate love to the present times.
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Why did Allen Ren and Bai Liu pick this script!
Allen Ren is one of my favorite actors and Bai Liu is one of my favorite actresses. I don't have the slightest idea why the screenwriters wrote this the way they wrote this. I loved how the storyline started but I sense something was wrong when I got to Episode #16. From that point on, it just went downhill for me. I have never rated a Chinese Drama that featured Allen Ren or Bai Liu low., two top leading performers in the same drama that I became disappointed and embarrassed to view but I did and I'm sorry that I did. In the very last episode, the writers tried to clean it up but only for the last few minutes of it. I gave the actors/actresses a 10 rating because they did their best and were excellent in their parts. I will never watch another drama that makes the bad guys win. Kudos go to Allen Ren and Bai Liu for enduring a drama like this.I apologized to the rest of the actors for my rough critique.
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"If we meet again in the next life, hope you can come to marry me"
Firstly this drama really was emotional for me. I don't usually write reviews but I had to for this drama.I cried and cried during the last episodes of the drama. The emotions that the actors portrayed and the way they did those scenes made me forget that I was just watching a drama. I cried when Zhousheng Chen was executed and I wept when Shiyi read his letter. Hats off to each and every actor and actress.
Even though it was heartbreaking it made me greatful for those little moments they all shared. Like when Shiyi would wait for news about her Master's victory or when her senior brothers and sisters would spoil her and the conversations that they all shared. It made me realize how quickly things change with time, in the drama and out of it.
Zhousheng Chen's life was one that really made me emotional. He gave his life for his country going so far as to vow not to take a wife or have children so that the royal family can be rest assured that their power would not be affected by him, only to be killed because higher powers felt threatened by his "bones" and ability. It was so sad that right until the last moment he was so sacrificial, worrying about others more than himself. It was so heartbreaking to watch as he bids Shiyi farewell. He loved her so much but could never act on his emotions due to circumstances.
Shiyi's character was performed phenomenally. You see how she gradually grows from a mute noble daughter, to becoming Zhousheng Chen's deciple, to loving him, to having to leave him. I was broken hearted with her during the last episodes.
As I watched the concluding moments of the drama I have come to learn that we don't always get a happy ending. There is loss in life and we have to accept that. For every tragic thing that happens it makes us grateful for those moments where we just chattered with our loved ones, ate with them and walked a busy street with them.
I would 1000% reccomend this drama. It is a masterpiece, and I don't say it often about dramas that I watch. You will laugh, cry and smile with the characters. Don't miss out watching this drama just because it has a sad ending, it is worth it, plus there is a part 2/sequel called Forever and Ever. I am going to start it soon. I am sure that will heal most of the heartbreak and sorrow I went through.
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Not quite your typical cdrama love story.
I've been on a Bai Lu binge lately (along with a wuxia binge in general). I've never seen anything with Ren Jialun but I really enjoyed his acting and overall presence. Overall, I felt like this drama had a good thing going, great cast-music-production, but I was honestly distraught when I got to the last episode because I was left feeling empty.The interactions between ALL the characters felt like they were missing a touch of something in my opinion. The acting was great but I think it had to do with the script/story. The constant sadness really just consumed me to be honest, maybe I'm just being brutal cause none of them were happy for more than half an episode.
Unfortunately not a drama I would recommend to those who are looking for your traditional chinese historical love story.
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Have the Kleenex ready
I haven't cried this much since Goodbye My Princess. The only saving grace for my poor shattered heart is that this is the first of two parts with the modern drama promising a happier ending. Since it's pretty much been touted as such online, even by the actors and studio, I don't feel as if this is in any way a spoiler. Having said that, I'll jump right into what I loved about this show. No cons because honestly, I don't have any.First of all, the acting. The acting is fantastic with so many familiar faces. I actually found myself trying to pick out all the actors who had starred together in recent dramas together such as Song of Youth or Under the Power. Nobody presented themselves as a weak link here, and the two main leads have amazing chemistry together. I knew that Allen Ren conveys a ton of emotion through his eyes, but I think Bai Liu really shone here as well - she really had to since some of the earliest episodes presented her character as being mute.
Secondly, the plot. Very, very good. Excellent feel-good comedic moments (the look of astonishment on the ML's face as the FL gives her daily obeisances was priceless) and sweetness without artifice in their romance. The tragic parts were unavoidable - the "prequel" and their star-crossed status being what drives the modern installment - but done so well that even as I bawled my eyes out, I could appreciate how it slowly developed and was written in an inescapable fashion but without casting a shadow over the happier moments. I also DEEPLY appreciated that the FL was not a sniveling brat and the ML was not tragically stupid. Not a single pouty, arm-swinging, baby-talking moment in the entire 24 episode run. Whew!
The background score was sweeping and the use of various stringed instrumented gave scenes a melancholy note which was appropriate for the theme. Definitely going to rewatch, but I need to catch Forever and Ever first and give my poor eyes a break from the boo-hoo fest.
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The beauty of the bones.
There’s a considerable amount of dramas full of overly wrought love stories in which the conflict seems contrived merely to create drama, comedy or both.In One and Only the love is so simple yet intricate, that it feels totally believable.
This is one my favourite dramas of all time. The quality of the acting leaves me breathless.
The attraction between Shiyi and Shengchen is obvious, but genuine, and is filled with the kind of "touches" that make it feel real.
Because all of us intuitively know what they are going through as they strip away layer after layer. Who of us hasn't feared exposure of the person we feel the world shouldn't see? As such, we are drawn into their secret as we see them shouting their feelings without a sound. Because one can find someone to share that silence with, and it is that that makes being vulnerable worth it.
There is a scene I can’t seem to forget where Shengchen and Shiyi were simply looking at each other eyes, and yet, the magnificent depth and variety of what "those eyes" express is overwhelmingly powerful.
Not every unforgettable love story needs to have a happy ending. The ending while tragic is perfectly fitting;
From the beginning, it was a forbidden love, and a silent one, as historically speaking, women didn’t have a lot of rights in Ancient China and were expected to marry whomever the family selected.
On the other hand, even if you were the most loyal General of the Emperor, he could still execute you for any reason at all. It was portrayed as realistically as possible, and beautifully done. It is also a visually beautiful drama.
The haunting OST sets a marvellous tone for the drama, and I found myself listening the main song over and over, each time tracking the path of each voice, an all-embracing delight. It weaves itself into your consciousness through flawless vocals and longing lyrics.
A must-watch.
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The power of restrained love.
It was'nt until episode 9 I was completely invested with the storyline. 2 months ago, I started this because of all the hypes sorrounding this drama but at that time I can't moved past episode 6 because of the painfully slow and boring storyline thus put it on-hold. Why I picked this up again? Because I'm currently under Allen Ren's spell after watching him in TBW and have yet to recover. So this was my second drama of him. Don't read further if you have'nt watch this drama yet because my review a.k.a rambling contained many spoilers. Don't say I don't warned you.I didn't read any spoilers about the storyline or the ending prior to watching OAO so I was able to enjoy this as much as I can . Ignorance is indeed a bliss as they say. Let only suffer when the suffering comes. Here, I was hoping and praying for our main leads to get the ending they deserved especially our beautiful bone man, Zhou Sheng Chen. The ending made me feeling so angry and sad and angry and sad and angry and sad in a never ending loop...Tbh, I was more angry than sad.. I did'nt cried at all watching the last few eps because I was too furious watching bad people easily had their ways. Only my heart's wailing noiselessly just like Shi Yi's wailing in her mute mode . I am really pissed off that bad people (esp this xf**&^! two-faced snake, Liu Zixing) got to live longer though miserable but still longer than our main leads. He got many screentimes till the end. OAO can't help but remind me of drama The Red Sleeve (Korea) and The Crown Princess (Thai) as they had few similarities.
Plotwise, I guess ms writer was happy she achieved all her objectives with this drama. What shown in Drama is real,people. So,suck it up. Life is unfair. Not all love is united in this world. Good people always gone too soon and bad people always get to live longer. I don't want to get into details of reason why I rate what I rate. I just want to express my thought so that one day I can read this 5/7/10 years later and say '' Oh, this was one of the drama that I watched back in 2022 and made me in so much pain mids and post-watching.'' '' Allen Ren was perfect back then as he still is in the present . ''
Allen Ren's acting as Zhou Sheng Chen was perfect. All his expressions were flawless and he delivered perfectly. His chemistry with Bai Lu as Shi Yi was evident and palpable. All the longings, starings and deeds they did for each other knowingly and unknowingly I could felt it deep in my bones. OAO showed us how to make a perfect romance drama without kiss.
To conclude my rambling, I just want to ask and say all these to him. ''Is this life what you really want ZSC? You can't be real. It is a major crime to be as selfless as you, yk. What was the point of all that sacrifices when you still can't prevent war after you 've gone. What you did was pointless. People you loves still dies in agony one after another. You love your country to death but that very country failed you. Why can't you be selfish for once. Atleast ,take Shi Yi and run to South !!! You deserved all the happiness in this world . You deserved better...''
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Currently on ep. 15, i never imagined that these little thing could bring me to tears, so easy, again and again a lots of time!
A drama which I can finally mark as idol drama I have ever watched it have all of my criterias that I request from series, though it didn't have the happy ending the one of my basic requirement but it just broke every barrier amd created a world itself which is totally justified, remarkable and acceptable, i was totally worth watching it, all the tears and throat lump I had were worthit! Now 2nd season.... Otherwise I can't handle
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WHAT A TRAGIC AND SAD DRAMA. I'M SPEECHLESS.
This drama is unbelievably sad. I was not ready for the ending and how things played out. I usually can predict how things might go and I got some things right, and some things completely shook me.I haven't cried so much over a show since Empress Ki or Prince of Lan Ling. Those shows made me avoid tragic stories for YEARS. And yet here I am again, but there are so many good reasons why this show was not a waste of time.
(1) THE OST is stunning. Whoever sings the end credits has the most haunting voice ever and I could hum along to that melody for weeks. It's so beautiful and the soundtracks used were well-timed throughout the show.
(2) THE CINEMATOGRAPHY & FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY is 10/10. 100% some of the best battle choreography I've seen. The rhythm of the fights along with the perfectly planned shots and angles for each moment of the battle made it so easy to follow who was getting stabbed and who was doing the stabbing.
(3) THE ACTING. I was so hesitant about the male lead for 50% of the show for personal reasons, but by the end, like most of the characters in the show, I also fell for him too and believed that he truly was a hero. Bai Lu can do absolutely no wrong. I only saw her in Love is Sweet which is a contemporary drama, but I'm so impressed by how natural and subtle her facial expressions are. As an editor, it would be a dream to edit an actor whose emotions are so subtle and hidden in small actions. It makes a story easier to tell.
(4) The COSTUMES were obviously gorgeous. Shiyi wore blue 99% of the time throughout the entire show, until the end where she wore red. I loved the black dragon outfit for the Emperor's enthronement and the beautiful white outfits for the General/ML.
(5) THE MESSAGE is so deep and I'll be honest, it's not a new concept in the historical drama category. Two princes - one prince is desperate to have the love of people, Shiyi and fate and seeks it through evil. The other prince doesn't care to have the love of anybody, not even fate, and lives righteously. In the end, it's the latter prince who ends up with Shiyi's, the people and even fate's (shout out to the sequel) love.
(6) THERE'S A SEQUEL SO EVERYONE CALM DOWN WE'RE GETTING A HAPPY ENDING. I hope. I shall find out.
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