Supposed star crossed lovers
Right off the first episode, this mini series took me by surprise. It dived straight into the thick of things and there was never a dull moment. What a great watch and visual feast!A married couple with hidden identities, destined to be at odds but thanks to this being a mini series, everything was fast paced hence problems were quickly resolved. We get to see a lot of our CP and their chemistry with tons of kisses and so much love for each other! Not a stretch to say that this is the best historical mini-series (so far).
One of the rare times I wished a show was a tad longer. I’m also surprised that Yang Ze doesn’t have a full length drama as the male lead. I’ve watched 2 of his works so far and he definitely has the potential to be the ML in a full length historical drama. For now, be right back catching the rest of yang ze’s works!
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THIS IS LIT!
Now I see why lots of people recommend this. If you know about SPYXFAMILY anime, this was the drama version ahah. Ghad, this was so enjoyable! I could repeat this whenever I had a bad day.Both MCs were the best! Maybe because it was super short for the team to add more misunderstanding but having no 2nd character came new to me. It's a relief kind of feeling that the story only focuses on good things and MC.
I like how the story progresses and it's simplicity and happiness it brought to me!
MUST WATCH!
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This review may contain spoilers
Life is not as simple as it seems...
Okay, so this is my third mini drama after 'A Familiar Stranger' and 'Seal of Love'. I've never had much expectation of a mini drama, given their low-budget and average casting. But, this one had me hooked up right from the beginning and I just kept watching nonstop until the end.The plot is centered around two skilled assassins (ML and FL), who were somehow drawn to the political scheme of the first prince and even served under the same commander (you'll notice this in the later episodes). In their daily lives, FL was a clothing merchant whereas ML was an ordinary physician. I'm not sure whether they're betrothed or not, but they married... and tried to hide their real identities with a great deal of difficulty LOL. One more thing, we also have a second couple which consists of FL's blind younger sister and ML's sidekick. Though they didn't have much screentime, their presences also played pivotal roles in aiding the main couple to complete their missions.
My slight complaint is about the villain's arc. Somehow, the villain betrayed the main couple and tried to get them killed. But, he, himself, wasn't dead and... done. What kind of lame plot is this? They could've revised the script and made a proper ending for the villain though.
Surprisingly, this mini drama had done well in every aspect including the sets, costumes, fighting scenes, and more. The actings are on point and I begin to ship the main couple (hoping for a future collab LOL). Second couple is also nice and cute tho.
Overall, a highly recommended mini drama! You won't regret investing your time in this!
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Super, Super Cute
Surprisingly entertaining. Not complicated, no supervillains or twists and hard-to-follow storyline. There is chemistry galore between the ML & FL and those kissing scenes! Best I've seen. Most realistic and rewarding since they already have chemistry. The second couple was cute too.No senseless killing, no rejected spoiled brats whining and flouncing - just really cute, likeable characters. Wish they had done a little more explaining at the end, but hey - I'll take a happy ending any time.
If you're looking for a short series to fill time, or just something to be entertained by, I recommend this one - you get a good fighting fix, a little story, and great romance for a short series. I will certainly re-watch this one.
Wish MangoTV would invest in some decent subtitling however - it is awful and hard to follow the more serious dramas.
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Brief and concise but interesting to watch?
➡️Brief and concise but all elements of the drama are complete.
➡️Interesting and nice to watch because of its directness and no fillers
➡️For a low budgeted show, this one is very productive and well done.
➡️Funny but the comedy doesn't spoil the story at all.
➡️All casts did a good job portraying their character and the plus factor is the chemistry of main leads. ➡️The acting is very smooth and not forced unlike other short dramas.
➡️Well at first I'm thinking the ending was tragic but on a second glance, I found out, the Prince which Yan Wuming served and the Duke where Si Xiaonan worked planned to faked their death inorder for them to live peacefully. A catchy ending indeed!
?If you are searching for a light short drama with good pacing, no annoying characters, try this one for a change
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Simple and quick!
This drama was so cute and funny lol!!! loved the MCs and their love story LOOL how they hid from each other was rly funny. also their chemistry was rly good… like they go CRAZY for each other when they found out they both are assassins LIKE the ANGSTY TENSION. and then literally destroying their house fighting and commemorating their love… INSANE LOL. and the kisses… they were hungry asf?but overall this was good like no filler eps and it wasn’t boring. i lowkey liked it short. but maybe it’s be good as a longer drama ahhh.. this was cute and simple tho. however i didn’t understand the ending but that’s prob my fault for not paying attention ? like why did he turn on the prince guy like ?? idrk . cute drama tho! need to find another nowWas this review helpful to you?
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Rival secret agents with sizzling chemistry
This is the fourth mini drama directed by Zeng Qing Jie that I watched and I enjoyed it immensely.What I like
1. Romance - Wow, Yang Ze and Smile Hu's chemistry translated well on screen. It's evident whenever they were kissing, having a playful banter or expressing their feelings for the other.
2. Yang Ze's acting - I've watched him in Destined to Meet You and I must say I love him in this role so much more because Yan Wu Ming is a better written character. Yang Ze played this character with depth and vulnerability. I like that he is a secret agent but with a kind/boyish face.
3. Smile Hu's acting - brilliantly cast. She looks tall and athletic therefore believable as a secret agent/assasin but with grace and poise. She also demonstrated vulnerability quite well.
4. Costumes - Lord Yan and Xiao Nian wore beautiful clothes. I love Lord Yan's black work outfit, tailored robe in final episodes, Xiao Nian's red work outfit and pink robe. The fox mask is also pretty.
5. Writing - Male and female main characters were well-written. I like the inject of humour at the start though at times seem too much (I think because of the music).
6. Directing - Beautifully shot especially fight sequences.
7. Duration and length - Perfect for bingeing.
What I dislike
1. Villain - I think the villain character was underdeveloped.
Favourite scene
The duel between Yan Wu Ming and Si Xiao Nian. Beautifully choreographed fighting scene that was perfectly captured on screen.
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Great concept, but questionable execution.
As of 2023, it looks like the subtitles have only marginally improved, but the audio is a disaster. If you're watching on the Mango TV Youtube channel, the three part compilation videos are the best quality the channel has to offer. I have to wonder if someone forgot to pay for their music because the sound sporadically cuts out for the entire length of a song in what appears to be a desperate bid to appease the Youtube copyright claim police. If I had to guess, I'd say the hidden episodes were unsalvageable. The compilation "fixed" that problem by just omitting the offending music tracks, so what we're left with is bouts of sudden silence interspersed with audio dissonance. The series loses out on a lot of ambience as a result.If you're lucky enough to be able to experience the series in its originally intended form, it's significantly more bearable, but overall I still found myself feeling that a lot of the comedy was just a bit too forced. And yet, for a while, I was along for the ride as the story focused on the romcom shenanigans of the main couple... until the plot shifted into a secondary romance and I started picking up some uncomfortable implications.
The way Bao'er is treated like a child who can't take care of herself is presented as sweet, but it comes across as extremely patronizing to people who are blind. Sure, Wen Fang is an awkward himbo, but every choice he makes is horrendously wrong. His stalker-like behavior would unsettle anyone in real life and likely just make them feel afraid. Paying a busy street to suddenly be completely silent when just a second ago they were bustling around her feels more like a horrible prank than a romantic gesture. She can still see the blurred shape of humans nearby quietly watching her every move just outside of reach! I won't even get into how Bao'er's blindness is of the "plot convenience" variety because that's a whole other can of worms.
I'm also not a huge fan of the way that Bao'er starts touching and sniffing Wen Fang without permission. The show wants it to come across as romantic and frames her actions as okay just because she's blind, but real people understand that consent needs to be given! The show does briefly address her rashness and Wen Fang's stalker tendencies when she confronts him about creeping around, but it's still undeniably clear that the series treats Bao'er like a prop. She started out as such a cool and capable character, and then she was quickly stripped of her autonomy for the sake of a forced "romance." The writing tries to cover for itself by having her claim to be aware of his silent actions the entire time, even going so far as to consider it romantic, but this wasn't handled with proper respect at all.
Unfortunately, not even the "Chinese Spy x Family" plot can save this one for me in its current state. I love the concept, but the execution is underwhelming. Among other things, Xiao Nian is written as someone way too fond of wine because they needed to give her a flaw to contrast the expected "ladylike" image she tries to uphold as her cover, but there's a difference between liking wine and being an alcoholic. She is clearly the latter and those shots of her haphazardly pouring wine all over herself isn't as sexy as they think it is.
Maybe more accurate subtitles (and less headaches with the audio) would alter my impression of the series. As it is, I'm left wishing for so much more. If my gripes and nitpicks don't deter you and the plot sounds like your cup of tea, you may come away with a vastly different opinion!
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Another micro drama to pass your time
Well, you must have already heard that this is a chinese historical version of Mr&Mrs. Smith. Literally! It seems to me they transposed the script from modern into historical setting and that's it!So the story is identical: two assassins get married not knowing each other's real employment. When they find out first they try to kill each other then they talk and then their employers try to kill them. They manage to escape and live happily ever after! THE END
It was mercifully short. The acting was ok. There was a number of very uncomfortable looking kissing scenes. I had to suspend my belief when they could not recognize each other: she wearing a transparent veil covering half her face and him a mask! And don't start me on visually impaired sister who can make sophisticated weapons and ointments, but gets lost and scared on the street: she is confident at home but not outside of it?!?
Unfortunately, I could not understand much about the politics or the two factions fighting for power due to incomprehensible subs! Someone at MangoTV used and abused Google Translate (or the chinese equivalent!). The ending was messy and undercooked and I did not quite understand whether or why their respective employers decided to leave them alone...it was really unclear! And speaking of youtube, the sound was coming and going throughout: regularly, like every 10min there would be a minute or two of complete lack of sound even though the characters were obviously speaking to each other.
On the up side, it was fun and funny (they managed to keep the original's humour but without the scorching chemistry. I loved the songs, the music in general. The stunts were smooth and the fighting scenes precise and well coordinated. Cinematography was pretty.
I did not like this one as much as the first micro sized episodes webseries I'd seen. I was so happy when I found this format, but if the subs are all just as bad, I am going to drop them. This was such a nuisance to watch but I finished it because it was short and I was promised fun & games.
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Commedia peso piuma ma piacevole
Si tratta davvero di una commedia a peso piuma. La trama ricorda decisamente almeno un film già visto e le situazioni sono spesso stiracchiate all'inverosimile. Molto si perdona perché si tratta chiaramente di una commedia romantica molto, molto leggera. Vista in questi termini fa egregiamente il suo dovere che è quello di divertirci e di farci passare qualche ora di spensieratezza. Si tratta chiaramente di un prodotto a basso costo, ma che ha saputo fare il meglio con il poco budget a disposizione. In drama di questo genere la logica molto spesso va a farsi benedire, così come in effetti succede anche qui. Il cattivo della situazione è abbastanza palese, stante anche il limitato numero dei personaggi in gioco. Non posso dire che il finale mi abbia completamente soddisfatto, e d'altronde certe cose succedono solo in drama Land. Quello che veramente fa scintille è il rapporto fra i due protagonisti. Il vero divertimento deriva dalla situazione in cui si trovano, in cui ciascuno dei due cerca di nascondere la propria identità all'altro. D'altro canto, la chimica fra i due protagonisti principali potrebbe reggere da sola un laboratorio di analisi. Questi due insieme fanno davvero faville e le scene di bacio sono spesso molto roventi, almeno per come siamo abituati a vedere nei drama cinesi. Niente casti bacetti sulla bocca stile asilo, qua! Se quello che cercate è qualche ora di spensieratezza e divertimento qui lo troverete di sicuro, a patto di scollegare prima il cervello e di non pretendere logica e originalità. Puro intrattenimento senza tante pretese. In quest'ottica è un lavoro riuscito. Certo non credo che lo riguarderei.Was this review helpful to you?
