In Blossom (2024)

It's a keeper for me

I decided to write a review after a particular scene in episode 8 sparked a cherished memory. It reminded me of the classic film ‘Heaven Can Wait’ (1978, starring Warren Beatty), where a glance into his eyes reveals his true identity to her, despite being in another body. That moment always gives me tingles. Having watched the film countless times growing up, I find this drama evokes similar emotions. It’s a story that celebrates inner beauty and true love, transcending mere physical appearances. The series is not just about laughs—though it certainly has its funny moments—but also mystery, intrigue, and a compelling narrative. I was captivated from the first episode and eagerly anticipate each new one.

Liu Xue Yi is fantastic as always. He's a real star.

Read More

Your Inner Beauty Speaks to Me

Face swap. Murder investigations. Blossoming romance. Gothic cinematography. These are the four ingredients that create this stunning drama. The story is about the female lead who has a scar on her face. On her wedding day, a beautiful and obsessed woman swaps her face with the female lead, in order to marry her husband (the male lead). But ends up being killed the same day. With a new face and body, the female lead begins to investigate her death in the sinful city, alongside her husband who doesn’t know her true identity.

It’s important to mention that the first two episodes are unusual as they give all the screen time to the guest actress who portrays the original body of the female lead (scar face). This is a great exposition in establishing the relationship between the main leads and enhancing their love story. However, the drawback is that when the main actress shows up at episode three, it feels a little off and it takes a few episodes to get used to seeing the same character portrayed by someone else. (I discuss more about this below).

The biggest highlight for me is the wonderful writing of the male lead who truly makes us all believe that he falls in love with the female lead’s personality and that no matter what face or body she possesses, he will always choose her and love her unconditionally. I loved seeing their blossoming romance, which was kind of slow burn but more like steadily built up in a realistic and mature way.

What truly surprised me in this drama is the intricate murder investigation cases which felt real, raw and well developed. They had the right amount of mystery and cool twists to keep the audience engaged. They never felt like filler scenes as they always connected to the main conflict of the plot. The fact is that I absolutely loved the cases despite being someone who rarely watches investigation dramas or even likes them.

MAIN CHARACTERS/ACTORS:
- Pan Yue (male lead) is written to perfection. You cannot not fall in love with him. He puts personality above looks. He is a great fighter, great poet and probably great lover (hello kiss scenes). The actor Liu Xue Yi has such a strong on-screen presence, he is smoking hot and totally underrated. His character felt well developed especially in showing how he falls in love with the female lead. Perhaps his only flaw is that he might be too perfect but I ain’t complaining.
- Yang Cai Wei / Shangguan Zhi (female lead) is shown as strong-willed, brave, intelligent with a unique forensic skill. My only issue with the way the character is written is the slight inconsistency of her personality after her face is swapped (I’ll discuss in more detail the negative points below). The main actress Ju Jing Yi was fantastic in her role and especially her acting impressed me massively when she portrayed the villain in the first two episodes. I feel she did really well in playing two distinctly different characters and I was easily convinced of the face swap.

POSITIVE:
- Blossoming romance that’s built well and steadily (like a mature and realistic relationship).
- Devilishly handsome male lead with strong on-screen presence.
- Dark and mysterious murder cases that are well written and show the brutality of humanity.
- Male lead falls in love with the female lead’s personality, not her physical looks.
- Smart female lead with unique forensic skills.
- Hot shirtless scenes (yes I said it).
- Hot kiss scene (one but worth the watch).
- Perfect balance between the romance story and the investigation plot. I never felt one overpowered the other.
- Gothic and sexy cinematography.
- Liu Xue Yi (male lead) brilliant acting in every possible way. The way he speaks, the way he moves, the way he walks. He is simply captivating to watch.
- Ju Jing Yi (female lead) portrays two characters beautifully. Her villainous role, although short, is a total scene stealer.
- Engaging and well executed plot.
- Beautiful OST.
- Great support cast and guest actors that stand out with their acting.
- Nice push and pull dynamic between the leads (at the start).

NEGATIVE:
!!! No drama is without flaws and although there are negative points here, none of them took away from my enjoyment. The main issue I had was how the face swap was handled at the beginning of the drama.

- The drama gives all the screen time in the first two episodes to the guest actress (who portrays the original female lead) which creates an awkward emotional bond with the audience when she is suddenly replaced by the main lead at episode three (after the face swap). In terms of the love story, this is great as it emphasised the male lead’s love for the female lead and clearly showed the audience that he did not fall in love with her because she suddenly had a nice face and body. However I feel the actual female lead JJY suffered since the audience had to get used to seeing the same character as her. What would have made it better is, if they had started the drama with JJY (as the villain) and given her more screen time to establish her as the main lead.
- The actual face swap remained a mystery in the whole drama. It was never explained how it was done. In fact it felt very unrealistic that the characters kept referring to it as a face swap when it is very clear that the two actresses have different body types, weight and skin tone. I feel it would have been better if they had chosen an actress similar to JJY or just called it a body/soul swap.
- Personality switch. The original YCW (main character) is shown as mature, calm and level-headed but after the face swap she oddly becomes extremely carefree as SZ. We are told that the character is trying to pretend to be SZ but even when she is alone, we don’t really see her as the original YCW from the first two episodes. Having said that, in the later episodes and especially when her identity is revealed, her personality does appear very similar to the original YCW. So I do blame the writers for this inconsistency. I believe the reason they made her carefree after the switch was to give us light-hearted scenes (especially with the male lead) which meant they sacrificed logic for cuteness.
- Although the drama wraps up well and resolves the main conflict related to the leads, it still leaves it open for a second season. But we all know chinese dramas rarely do second seasons so I kind of wish the last 10 seconds of the drama were cut.

OVERALL:
This is the Best 2024 Historical drama for me so far. Even better, it’s the best 2024 drama for Youku so far too. It has gathered millions of views with a 10,000 heat index by day three of its release. In fact, it became such a huge success that Youku upgraded it to S+ treatment (promotion and live events). I’m very much impressed by what the production has done with an A level (low budget) drama.

If you are looking for a drama with blossoming romance, murder investigations, beautiful gothic cinematography with smart and skillful main leads + a male lead who falls for the female lead’s personality not her looks, watch this drama now.

Read More

Switched by the witch.

In Blossom or 花间令/Huā Jiān Lìng (The Flower Order) is a mystery romance with fantasy elements. I checked this out because of Liu Xueyi, an under appreciated actor who is just as good an antagonist as he is a protagonist. Despite some flaws and controversy, this sleeper hit won Liu Xueyi high praise for his good looks and compelling acting.

Yang Caiwei is a scarred, inauspicious undertaker shunned by citizens of the sinful city of Heyang. She finds herself embroiled in a murder case with the new magistrate Pan Yue, the most handsome gentleman in the capital. As it turns out, before misfortune befell her family, she was engaged to Pan Yue and he seems determined to honor their betrothal. On their wedding day, she is switched by the witch Shangguan Zhi using dark magic. She finds herself in Shangguan Zhi's body right before "Yang Caiwei" is murdered and suspects Pan Yue of doing the deed! Assuming Shangguan Zhi's identity, she investigates her own murder by working for Pan Yue at the yamen in the hope of finding evidence of his complicity. Body swapping is the only fantasy aspect and it is readily accepted without that much disbelief by the characters in this story.

This production drew early criticism because Zheng Hehuizi guest starred as Yang Caiwei for two episodes and impressed viewers with how she interpreted the role. Her Yang Caiwei is a solemn character; a child whose world was shattered overnight and endured nine years of hardship. She finds meaning in following her shifu's footsteps as a coroner, obtaining justice for victims of foul play. This characterization of Yang Caiwei makes sense to me but unfortunately, there was no meeting of the minds in how the role should be portrayed. Although Ju Jingyi delivers an adequate performance, her depiction lacks depth and gravitas. Her Yang Caiwei is literally only Shangguan Zhi; a happy, pampered young lady who never suffered a day in her life. She is so un-serious as a coroner I just scoffed at her autopsies. Still, she didn't quite ruin the show for me as she is so pretty and charismatic I always have a soft spot for her. I just sigh for the opportunity missed because Yang Caiwei is one of the better written female roles and Liu Xueyi is a fantastic actor to be paired up with. She could have impressed enough with a more layered performance to break her out of her usual typecasting but sadly she did not approach this role thoughtfully enough.

While I watched this for the suspense plot, both romances are nicely written. Liu Xueyi and Ju Jingyi look so gorgeous as a couple that their visuals alone deflect many flaws. To me, Pan Yue’s early obsession with Yang Caiwei was not healthy or well founded but I enjoyed how he fell for her against his better instincts thinking she was the detestable Shangguan Zhi. I never faulted Pan Yue for taking so long to figure out she was Yang Caiwei because both actresses failed to show me of they are the same girl. I like how Zhuo Lanjiang is written to be as capable and powerful in his own way as Pan Yue. He is a credible love rival that does not descend into delusional archetypes. But I wasn't that invested in his romance either.

After the big letdown of Youku's big budget Judge Dee's Mystery, this much more modest production satisfied my craving for a good mystery. The cases, beginning with Yang Caiwei's own murder hooked me from the get go. I enjoyed how each case pulls at threads to reveal links initially to the four major clans of Heyang and ultimately a far wider conspiracy that goes back many years. This familiar formula used in many other investigative series is quite well executed. Despite small plot holes, the focus on the human tragedy aspect of these side cases made me either empathize with the victims or at times even the perpetrators. This is something both Judge Dee's Mystery and Mysterious Lotus Casebook failed to do. The main villain is neither too obvious nor revealed too early, which was my biggest gripe with Mysterious Lotus Casebook. This one does well in keeping us guessing right up till the end. However, this is achieved by concealing information from the viewer instead of hiding all the clues in plain sight.

The narrative hiccups in the final arc back at the capital. It seems like a different writer took over. The villain is revealed shortly after they show up onscreen instead of building suspense for a bit. The final villain is not that smart and only gains an upper hand because two hitherto smart characters are thrown under the bus and exercised their free will in unintelligent ways. It always makes me angry to see good characters get undeserved outcomes so I am not happy with how this ends. Good characters were literally wasted just to squeeze some tears from the audience. Instead of ending on a big reveal, it just descends into melodrama. The chilling ending epilogue however is well done but to avoid spoilers I will elaborate on that below. All things considered, this is still an enjoyable watch. I would have rated it 8.0/10 were it not for the ending. My final rating is 7.5/10.0.









ENDING SPOILER COMMENTS

The ending epilogue is a nice chilling way to end regardless of whether Season 2 gets the go ahead. If there is no Season 2, it suggests that #1 is some kind of arch nemesis of Pan Yue, like Moriarty to Holmes who is still out there; that organizations like The Flower Order are not that easy to wipe out. Note there are actually 9 tokens in total in the end scene.

If there is a Season 2, the mastermind is either someone we already met or someone that has not yet appeared onscreen. Recall #2 only shows up in the final arc so this writer does not play fair with the audience. In that case, it is not useful to speculate further. If however, the mastermind is someone we already met, I think it is most likely Shangguan Lan. It is evident from the plain cyan sleeves that it is a man and while the cloth is rich, there is no elaborate embroidery on the sleeve like the nobles and high officials like Pan Yue and Minister Pan wear. The Shangguan family keeps a private army and they have the vast resources and network to be behind this kind of clandestine organization. They also have links to witch doctors and dark magic, which is how Shangguan Zhi swapped bodies with Yang Caiwei. So it would not be surprising that they worship pagan gods like the ram god. I initially ruled out Shangguan Lan due to his age, but he could have inherited the token from his father.

There is also a possibility the mastermind is a woman because the Chinese title is The Flower Order. In that case, it could either be The Empress or Qingdi, who now pretty much controls Heyang after Pan Yue effectively eliminated all her rivals for her.







X

Read More

The dead can talk...

Overview of Plot:-

"In Blossom" follows the story of Yang Cai Wei who belongs to a prominent family but her family got murdered in Heyang City and she had narrow escape from death. Pan Yue, the childhood sweetheart and fiance of Yang Cai Wei, came to find her after eagerly searching for 10 years. Pan Yue proposed Yang Cai Wei to marry him. On their wedding night, Yang Cai Wei was killed mysteriously and the suspect was Pan Yue.

Fortunately, there was a twist and Yang Cai Wei returned as Shangguan Zhi, the evil girl who used to be obsessed with Pan Yue previously. She returned to take her revenge on Pan Yue and expose his deeds.

In the process of investigating the truth of her death, Yang Cai Wei discovered that Pan Yue was not the murderer and that he truly loved her. Now, who is the real mastermind behind the deaths of Yang Family, the main plot proceeds from here.

Main Characters:-

Pan Yue (Liu Xue Yi): A smart, handsome and determined young man, skilled in martial arts and a warm-hearted person. He is an illegitimate child so was unfavored by the family. Due to not having loving family and being often bullied as child, Pan Yue became a type of person who can go against the whole world to protect his beloved and he did it till the end.

Yang Cai Wei (Ju Jing Yi): A female coroner, who possess amazing forensic skills. She used to have a big scar on her face because of her tragic past. A brave girl and stand out with her profession.

My Impressions:-

The drama showcases the beautiful love that blossoms slowly but when it bloom, it turns into incredibly beautiful flower. Not only the slow-burn romance but the mysterious cases are far more captivating which successfully managed to keep viewers hooked to it. The cases are interesting and well managed as the part of real conspiracy which follows a subtle logic. This drama has many grey characters that are worth of a lot of sympathy from viewers.

A well paced drama with marvelous acting from Liu Xue Yi. He is such a versatile actor and managed to steal the hearts of viewers with his performance as Pan Yue. Ju Jing Yi's acting skills improved but she still has a long way to go. I couldn't get much immersed in her character as Cai Wei, like I was in first two episodes with the guest actress. Though two episodes are such a short period compared to 32 episodes but Zheng He Hui Zi made more impact on my mind than Ju Jing Yi. In my opinion, the villainous character Shangguan Zhi played by Jing Yi was more impactful than her character of Cai Wei.

The story revolves around the plot of face swapping but it'll be more convenient for the audience if it was described as soul-swapping because of huge difference in body figure of female lead and the guest actress. At first, it was hard to accept Ju Jing Yi as Yang Cai Wei in episode 3 after the two episodes with Zheng He Hui Zi as Cai Wei. But soon I become used to it.

The relationships between leads developed slowly which looks realistic and the drama has the theme of "loving the soul not the body". Pan Yue loved the soul of Cai Wei and not her body, so, no matter what body she possess, he still loved her wholeheartedly. But, I personally liked the chemistry of Liu Xue Yi and Zheng He Hui Zi more and I hope to see them together in some other drama.

Pros:-

• Slowly building and a healthy relationship which gives an impression of reality. The chemistry between leads is in average to above average category.
• Captivating and logical cases.
• Beautifully designed costumes, especially for males.
• Intelligent female lead who has a stand out profession as female coroner which is not usually seen in any other dramas.
• Remarkable performance from Liu Xue Yi and decent from Ju Jing Yi.
• Decent background music not something special.
• Perfect balance of romance and angst with enough light-hearted moments.
• The main theme "Loved the soul, not the body" is impressive.
• None of the leads overpowering another, which is usually seen in mostly dramas that ML overpowers FL or vice versa. They are on equal footing.

Cons:-

• The face-swapping thing is not explained properly and till the end we don't get to know how exactly the faces swapped.
• Second couple's love story seems like a filler and not managed properly, though they could have a better chemistry if the enough time was given to their relationship.
• I find the Second Female Lead as a filler character that holds no strong reason to be in the drama.
• The casting of two different actresses having huge difference in body type was a major con. It would have been better if makers casted an actress with similar body type as Ju Jing Yi, it would have saved the trouble of confusion in face-swapping and soul-swapping between Cai Wei and Shangguan Zhi.
• Makeup of Ju Jing Yi is too heavy and she sometimes look like whitewashed which may bother many viewers.
• There are few unnecessary deaths that served no purpose, looks like the makers just wanted to kill those characters without solid reasons.

In conclusion, it was an enjoyable watch for me despite it's cons. I was more focused on the cases than romance so conspiracies stole the show for me. There is an open ending for the drama, we may have a season 2 in future. So, I recommend to give it a try.

Read More

Soul Swap & Case Solving; Possible Season 2?

This series mystery solving and "face swap" intrigued me plus I wanted to see LXY in a different role as when I put this on my watchlist I had only seen him in TBOY and though he did well, I wanted to see him play someone other then a sarcastic, bald monk with insane powers. Since then I've seen him as an antagonist in Destined too. This was a very different soul swap & case solving with a cliffhanger ending to the storyline so a possible season 2?

Pros: I liked the cases themselves and that one case was connected to the next and so forth; slowly exposing the massive organization behind it. LXY or PY was impressive as he moved from various emotions of love, grief, revenge, foresight into just about everything, his swords skills were quite impressive, and his jealousy was hilarious. This show was able to make sadness and comedy pop. FL or YCW/SZ played by JJY held her own and I can say that her acting has improved from the first couple of times I've seen her; she was able to portray her character very convincingly. I actually thought the show had some fantasy elements too like the soul swap (I can't call it a face swap because the two actresses were different; both in body type and height. Even though they tried to pile JJY's hair on top of her head to make her appear taller, to a discerning eye, it didn't work), and the bugs spell incantation to make someone blind and how it reversed itself upon healing. This made the cases even more interesting as it wasn't just another coroner and investigator type thing. I liked SML whom I nicknamed Sparky, when he showed up because let's face it, the guy is hot and he played his character very well though I'm glad they got rid of the extra eyeliner he was introduced in (as the young master) as it was very distracting. Though I liked SFL as a friend of FL and a part of the foursome, I'll talk more about her below.

Other characters like the maid, A Ze, brother of the original SZ, Lady Qi, the princess, and even fat Liu were all great characters. The villains and spies even the supposed mastermind all did their roles well. The story of PY trying to bring down the organization that "killed" his wife on their wedding night when it was really the obsessed sister of his best friend that had kidnapped and soul swapped with her just before the wedding, pushed her off a cliff and than got handed her own karma due to the death warrant by the mastermind of YCW’s parents murder and many others in a huge conspiracy. SZ didn't deserve that kind of death and YCW was going to get to the bottom of it. So the husband and wife team that didn't trust each other at first, still started to work together. Second leads also helped in their own way. Though Sparky had a thing for YCW, that was a silly competition and never really felt like a love triangle. Also liked that they showed a few decent kissing scenes and even the second leads getting it on. Plus YCW told Sparky from nearly the get go that she only saw him as her best friend. Best part was the revelation of when PY figured out finally that FL was indeed YCW. It took a bit for them to get together but they did and it was super cute.

The costumes, sets, OSTs, all fit as they should. The story ended on a bit of a cliffhanger in the storyline as the real mastermind wasn't really unveiled leaving room open for a possible season 2 but what they were doing was totally revealed so the mastermind had lost that element so also could just have been set up as an intriguing finale.

Cons: While I loved Sparky’s character, his ending was just weird. It was like they needed to add more tragedy to this; really? And it had nothing to do with his acting but the writing was inconsistent with how we saw him for the rest of the show. One could argue that when he saw his dad essentially die twice, he lost it and decided to go infiltrate the big bad organization all by himself. It made no sense though; if he found information that was useful to his friends ie PY and YCW, he had no backup to bring it to them and everything was just very haphazard. Essentially he was going on a suicide mission with no real assurance that he would even succeed; he ignored his friends warnings repeatedly when they told him how dangerous it was. We saw his death coming very soon after his father's death because it was just that stupid. They essentially did him dirty by making a smart, decisive man just impulsive and dumb. Also the actor lied to fans when the foursome did that Sina building sweep to promote the series and they were asked if both sets would have a happy ending. The leads didn't say anything and he said the second leads would; in reality the very opposite happened (don't get me wrong, I'm happy the leads at least are together). Same was done by the cast of A Journey to Love, when in reality everyone died lol. I think fans should not trust actors from these types of series with this question anymore.

SFL was just strange. Her romance with Sparky was sort of lopsided. It felt forced and she couldn't even talk without pouting 95% of the time. She followed Sparky around like a puppy even before as someone said in the comments he had "runner-up feelings" for her. Yes, they got together but I can't say the chemistry was real to me. Even the maid and A Ze had more chemistry than these two. Can't even compare to the leads; those two had chemistry before her identity reveal even happened. I would have preferred them two to just be friends. We really didn't need a second or third romance. This story had so much going on already.

Suspension of disbelief had to be deployed several times; other than Sparky's whole suicide mission decision but the abuse case with the girl fighting her father in the alley while both male leads just watched? She knew information about that ripple organization but they didn't act and just watched her father essentially kill her or she herself by his sword. Like what even? You've got two highly skilled swordsman just standing there watching their only real lead die? Just beyond.

The ending was rushed with the "mastermind", death of the princess, Sparky and his thing but at least he gave them the evidence they needed even if it was just a clue off his dead body, dad and son reconciling. Like a lot happened in a very condensed amount of time and I wish it was fleshed out more. The pace of the rest of the show was great but the ending definitely took off like its pants were on fire.

Would I recommend it? Yes I would. This show has many layers and despite the minuses, it was a good watch. Actors for the most part did a great job and it's nice to see the alliances form the way they did.

Read More

The main point remains: inner beauty.

The main point remains: inner beauty. Because Pan Yue loves Yan Cai Wei with the face of Shanguang Zi, not because of the face, because he discovers day by day (that inside her), it is the Yang Cai Wei he knew since he was a child, never forgot, looked for her for 10 years and always said she was the only one for him. In episode 7, this feeling of his becomes explicit at the end of the episode.
Romance is what attracts me most about drama, in my case. It's in the title and I see it in the plot itself. But the fact that this couple who is discovering love, works together day in and day out, developing trust not just as friends, co-workers and childhood sweethearts rediscovering love. All these elements (in my opinion) gave it a more real consistency, as if it were from real life. It's not a drama, just sugary water that doesn't convince me. It convinces me precisely because of these elements. In fact, their story starts from childhood. And she remembers what he was like, and in her thoughts she makes the comment about him. And what happened to them in the past resonates in the present. To me (the feeling is there all the time) and I loved it, and that love convinced me. But of course (each viewer) immerses themselves in the story in a particular way. My immersion in the romantic and detective story is like this.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨🩵✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨💘✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨🥀
Drama master radish head
9 minutes ago from Weibo Video

Even if she changes her skin, what he loves from beginning to end is her soul, and he will fall in love with Yang Caiwei again and again Flower Order| Ju Jingyi and Liu Xueyi .
https://video.weibo.com/show?fid=1034:5013078711140382
💘💘😁💘💘😁💘💘😁💘💘
Tangerine Entertainment
3-26 09:45 by Liu Xueyichao

#Liu Xueyi talks about real stress response state#

After listening to Liu Xueyi's explanation, I finally understood why Pan Yue didn't recognize Yang Caiwei who sang nursery rhymes "I have experienced (stress) once, and I probably know what kind of state it is, just like silence, I see that everything is upgraded. ”[Bitter]Everything makes sense[Hello Teacher].
https://video.weibo.com/show?fid=1034:5016270148665387
🍃🍃✨✨✨🍃🍃✨✨✨🍃🍃✨✨✨🍃🍃✨✨✨🍃🍃✨✨✨🍃🍃✨✨✨
@Orange Entertainment:
Liu Xueyi: "Beauty and ugliness, noble and low, regardless of the shape." It was Pan Yue's heart who recognized Yang Caiwei first than Pan Yue's eyes, and he loved her from beginning to end. "🥺🥺🥺
https://video.weibo.com/show?fid=1034:5016604128247866
🌹🧨🧨🧨✨✨✨🌹🧨🧨🧨✨✨✨🌹🧨🧨🧨✨✨✨🌹🧨🧨🧨✨✨✨

Read More

Face change? Shangguan Zhi should have a change of personality as well.

Yang CaiWei and Pan Yue were childhood sweethearts, and were bestowed an imperial decree for marriage. Unfortunately, CaiWei's father was demoted and posted to a remote area. Enroute to his new position, the family was massacred by bandits. CaiWei escaped death but was defigured and became the disciple of a low level coroner in order to survive, and was despised by the villagers for both her look and social status.

Pan Yue searched for his sweetheart for 10 years, eventually found her in Heyang and proposed marriage. Shuangguan Zhi who was obsessively infatuated with Pan Yue was devastated. Evil as she was, she arranged for a sorcerer to swapped her face with CaiWei and pushed her off a cliff. But on the wedding night, the faked CaiWei was murdered. Rumour circulated that Pan Yue who was later betrothed to Princess Liu Qing murdered CaiWei to free himself from the earlier imperial decree and engagement.

Returning with the face and identity of Shuangguan Zhi, CaiWei insisted on joining Pan Yue to investigate the death of 'CaiWei' when he returned as the new magistrate of Heyang. Did Pan Yue really murder his wife? What was the conspiracy behind the murder? How would Pan Yue deal with the faked Shuangguan Zhi whom he detested?

The plot was intriguing as the duo investigated into the death of 'CaiWei', both suspecting that the other was the murderer. When this was cleared up, the mystery shifted to who was the mastermind behind the series of murders in Heyang and the motivation. The viewers were held in suspense as they inched nearer to the mastermind and at every stage, they faced sabotage, fabricated incrimination, attempted assassinations and defamation.

You would go on an emotional roller-coaster alternating between light-hearted moments, and sadness at the death of the innocence who helped with the investigation especially of the second lead.

I had watched Liu Xue Yi appeared many times in dramas. He was excellent as the second lead in the Blood of Youth and outstanding as the demon king in the Story of White Snake. I am happy to see him finally landing a lead role in a drama of substance and hope to see more of him in such lead roles. Besides being very handsome, he acted well. It is quite regrettable that Chinese actors typically have to pass their 30s before landing lead roles in good dramas.

I was watching the Legend of ShenLi, with Zhao LiYing and Lin GengXin as leads. In mydramalist.com, the Legend of ShenLi was rated higher. But while waiting for more episodes to be released in the Legend of ShenLi, I was hijacked completely by this drama and 'chased' this drama to the end. I kind of suspected that the higher rating was due to the fan base of the leads rather than the story.

Some of the support roles who did very well are worth a mention - Li Ge Yang as the second male Zhuo Lan Jiang, Qi Pei Xin who was outstanding as the villain in the Untamed acted as the third male lead A Ze, Wu Jia Yi as the second female Bai Xiao Sheng, and Zheng He Hui Zi as the 'real' CaiWei, who did very well earning some viewers' comments that she should have been the main lead.

Ju Jing Yi did very well in this drama as the female lead. She was outstanding as the evil Shuangguan Zhi. As the fake Shungguan Zhi, there were lots of comic moments as misunderstandings arose often while she faked her identity.

However, the switching of the faces was laughable - the sorcerer who did this must be the best plastic surgeon in the whole of history - lol.

In summary, I highly recommended this drama.

Read More

─  one has a scar on the face, and the other carries a wound in the heart.

In Blossom has been one of those rare dramas that actually grasped the attention of the viewers from the very first episode. From the beginning, they kept the character introduction and storyline intriguing, and delivered it with a beautiful acting and cinematography. In fact, it kept a good balance between mystery, thriller and romance ( and even humour at early episodes ) which made it a worthy watch for those who enjoy multi genre dramas.

One of the impressive aspect of the story was how they focused on the cases. Each case delivered a message that fit not only the historical settings but also the current generation ─ and I think that isn't something easy to do. And through those cases, every character found their chance to shine despite appearing an episode or two. ( side note : I really liked how Yang Caiwei as a woman stood out with her profession in those cases. I also liked how we learnt she wasn't brave at the beginning when she talked about the cases she witnessed as a child but slowly grew up to acknowledge the bond between life and death. )

The main plot which focuses on the soul / face swap was smooth as well. At least, this enabled viewers to witness how the romance was built ─ occasionally showcasing the childhood memories that explained why Pan Yue was so determined to find Yang Caiwei. The line between love and obsession was quite thin in their relationship, so the incidents enabled viewers to see the character and relationship development. In fact, it was quite refreshing to see Pan Yue and Yang Caiwei ( Shangguan Zhi ) doubt each other about the death of YCW. Especially when they actually hid specific information that almost made us also doubt Pan Yue, even though we knew it wasn't him who killed her.

As for Zhou Lanjiang and Bai Xiaosheng ─ I think they were the unexpected surprise for me in this drama. It has been a while since I had been so interested in the relationship development of the second leads. Especially their tragic ending made their whole story impactful and their short sweet moments memorable. I liked how their actions also made us question "is this really love or just admiration?" because while some of their moments showcased early stages of love, other moments made us think they are lonely souls that somehow find a refuge in each other. ─ yes, I expected angst from them but what happened to Jiang was way too cruel, they really delivered pain with his scenes.

Overall, it was a nice watch ( OSTs were so beautiful as well ) with its ups and downs and ignorable plot holes ─ recommended to those who enjoy such genre.

link to edits : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxplWeBw3y5j9iRMCmCJg2oLuHaIASjGi&si=hveTUu-2YXDG4pxi

Read More

Lovely little drama. Not as good as it could be, but worth a watch.

~PROS~

Production:
Colour grading, scene composition, lighting, music, set design are all pretty great. Adds a lot of richness and atmosphere to the drama and each scene. The entire OST is beautiful.

Costumes/Styling:
Main characters have a variety of outfits, and there's different levels of wealth/class level being communicated through the costumes among the cast. In later scenes in the capital some of the fabrics and textures look great, robes look HEAVY and layered. Liu Xue Yi's styling in particular is outstanding in this drama, really works to highlight his best features and he looks true to his character's reputation of being particularly handsome.

Story:
The story has an interesting premise, isn't overly complicated, and focused from start to finish. It's not a literary masterpiece, but nothing meandering or offensive here. Pacing is also generally consistent all the way to the end, doesn't seem super rushed and crammed like some other dramas in recent years.

~CONS~

Fight Scenes:
Choreography of the fights aren't bad, but it feels like the director isn't experienced in filming them. There are instances where you can see the actors moving a bit slow and you become very aware they're going through a planned choreography, which took me out of the scenes sometimes, as someone who likes wuxia dramas.

Ju Jing Yi's acting:
Let me preface this by saying I'm completely unfamiliar with her and her acting prior to this drama and have nothing personal against her, but this section is lengthy because her role is extremely important on multiple levels for this drama. JJY's acting in this drama is just okay/passable for me. She goes through all the motions the script demands of her, and displays all the appropriate emotions, but I think this role is a bit out of her depth. I do not see Yang Cai Wei in her. I'm often aware that it's "JJY acting like Yang Cai Wei" instead of "Yang Cai Wei in the body of Shangguan Zhi". Any resemblance to YCW in her acting are from superficial things (such as saying things YCW would say or displaying YCW's deduction skills), she doesn't have any of YCW's body language or facial expressions, nothing that makes her FEEL like YCW, that this is a character who's carrying a complex past and resulting mental burden. I've had to remind myself many times that this person is supposed to be YCW and not a completely new character. It's no surprise that there are so many jokes about Pan Yue "cheating", because it does feel like that sometimes, especially when the chemistry between post-swap PY and YCW is also very different. The dubbing voice actress remained the same for both versions of YCW throughout the drama but even that didn't help convince me that JJY was actually YCW. She's not a deal breaker, but her lack of ability does drag the drama down compared to if they'd casted an actress with more acting ability. And while I liked seeing the main couple together for plot/ship reasons, on a technical level Liu Xue Yi and Ju Jing Yi's scenes together lacked texture and flow compared to LXY's scenes with some of the other actors (his father, SGZ's brother, original YCW). The gap between their levels of acting ability and commitment is very obvious sometimes, to the point where I have to applaud LXY for doing the extra lifting in some scenes of them together.

~OVERALL~

As a whole, I actually really enjoyed this drama. I've had to suspend my disbelief a little bit when it came to JJY's YCW (remind myself that it's really YCW in the story's universe regardless of what I'm getting from the actress in reality), but I can only do so because I find the drama generally very charming and I wanted to continue and see PY and YCW get together like they deserve. The main couple is very sweet and their affection for each other is steadfast and reliable despite the initial mutual suspicions (understandable). There's a lot of things this production does well, and I admire the team for spending time and effort into things that really matter to make this production feel more expensive than it is. If they make a second season I'll definitely watch it!

Read More

I love you, not the state of you

2024 has been a somewhat disappointing year so far. Many shows that had great starts ended way lower than their intial high. In Blossom was a surprise in this aspect. It maintained the quality of script right till the end. Considering that it was not an adaptation, this is even more impressive. There are many reasons as to why you should try this drama, let's dive into them.

--Refreshing plot
I have seen multiple investigation dramas and in a majority, the cases are too high arched and loose touch with the actual case the leads are actually investigating and they connect the dots right before the climax with a hint lying right in front of them. This is not the scenario here. Each case being investigated was directly related to the ultimate case and the relations were drawn at the same pace the investigation proceeded.
In terms of inter-character relationships, I was not let down either. There were no unnecessary or baseless and senseless misunderstandings between the characters. YCW's initial distrust towards the ml also had reasons stated very clearly.
In fact, there were some twists that I was unable to figure out, which in hindsight, even if they lay right in front of my eyes.

--Relationships
For all the three main pairings, their feelings developed at a steady pace. Their care and concern was visible clearly. Each pairing had its own distinguishing dynamic.

The third pairing, A-Ze and Ling'er were the classic 'My Lord saw the Lady, and I saw the maid beside her,' pair. They start off with a mutual dislike because of their views about the other's master that gradually turned into friendship over a shared interest. Before YCW's identity was revealed to the ML, A-Ze had already fallen for Ling'er and didn't hesitate to acknowledge his feelings, despite knowing that their masters didn't see eye to eye. Overall, these two formed a really cute pairing that was delightful to watch.

The lead ship, Pan Yue and Yang Caiwei- Engaged since childhood and parted for a decade, reunite only to separate soon after again. Their relationship is where most of their characters' development is shown. PY's feeling for YCW may have been there since childhood, but they were no-contact for ten years. So, it can be said that the two really fell in love after the face/body swap, as that was the time they started to know the present of each other and not muse upon their past. Pan Yue acknowledged that he was attracted to Shangguan Zhi before he knew she was actually Yang Caiwei, who in turn also became more optimistic after the switch, as opposed to her initial emo version. The two took their time falling for each other and developing mutual trust. While both care for each other deeply, they are also willing to do what it takes to achieve their goals. Once PY discovers her real identity, he transforms into a teenager who is both excited and nervous to be around his long time crush. PY shows what means to love inner beauty and not outer. Time and time again, he chose YCW's personality and stuck by his choice. Moreover, neither of the leads loose their characters to love, they maintain their individuality at all times.

The second lead, Bai Xiaosheng and Zhuo Lanjiang- Their relationship can be summarized with this one dialogue of theirs: "If you don't want to say, I won't ask either. But if you do want to say, then I'll just silently listen."
This was the pairing that took most of us by surprise and is also my personal favourite. Vastly different in terms of status and upbringing, they were two lonely souls wandering the world who found solace in each other. While ZLJ initially fell for YCW's charming personality, he got over it after being rejected fairly quick. What he had for BXS, however is entirely different. At times, he got lost just gazing her and forgot what he was doing. While he knew, that it was very unlikely for him stay alive at the end of it all, he still spent as much time as he could with her. .
BXS saw him differently the rest of the world. When ZLJ was the Young Master with immense wealth and power, she treated him as friend, as an equal. When he had fallen from grace, she stuck by his side. Her love for him was selfless and truly unconditional. ZLJ was the man of her dreams who trusted her even when no one else did and risked his own safety to protect her. She maintained her sanity even after his death as she knew what was important. And the candy scene legit broke me inside. Undeniably in the early stages of love we couldn't see it maturing into the deep care trust the other pairs have. In the end, this was a very complex ship that I wish we could see mature.

--Characters
Each character was nicely modelled and developed very well with the plot. They were multifaceted and showed different characters different sides of themselves to each other. Once they fell in love, they didn't loose their individuality. Their love for their partner wasn't the only thing that defined them. What impressed me a lot was the writing of the side characters, especially Qing Di. She spent a decade patiently waiting, blamed herself for ten years for harming her dear friend, but when the truth was revealed, she didn't hesitate to do what she thought was right, showing she had a strong moral compass. Another character I like was the Princess. People like her were rare, those who held power but were unafraid to lose it for the greater good.

--Acting
Ju Jingyi doesn't have a great reputation for her acting, but she is the one who surprises me the most here. For once, her facial expressions are more than just a pout. However, her portrayal of the villainous SGZ was mindblowing. I had time adjusting to the fact that YCW and SGZ were being played by the same person. And though many wanted ZHHZ to play YCW, I found her portrayal underwhelming.
Liu Xueyi maintained his standard and he added these little quirks that made PY even more adorable. The chemistry between all three pairings is just perfect. Lastly, while Wu Jiayi did a great portrayal of BXS, I was simply left wanting more. BXS is character more complex that YCW, the fl herself. While her acting was good, I still felt that it could be more intense.

There are also some cons, but I promise I'll wrap it up quickly now.

--The swap
One of the few things that didn't make sense here, this is a part of the show that needs to be judged with dramaland logic. Miraculously, YCW and SGZ swapped bodies and faces, YCW survived an approx hundred foot fall and everyone who figured out her identity accepted it like it happened every once in a while.

--The CGI
This was a court intrigue, not a wuxia or xianxia, so it makes sense that not a lot was spent on the CGI. It was alright for most part, although the wolves were quite comical, it isn't that big of problem. Even if you are sucker for CGI like me.

--The soundtrack
While it was good, it wasn't great. Most songs felt similar to me, the singers chosen had voices too alike and the composition too parallel. While Lai Meiyun's Peach Blossom Hum broke the monotony to some extent, it could only do so much. Even the lyrics are repeated in some songs. However, there are two songs that I have been listening to repeatedly. One is the opening theme, Hu Xia's Nearby and Wang Jingwen's Send off Quietly. These two songs, the former belongs to the lead ship and the latter is for the second leads. It embodies their fates perfectly and are somewhat distinguished from the rest of the soundtrack.

The styling of most characters was great, the white streak's in PY, Qing Di's eye makeup and ZLJ's grey wardrobe were absolutely spot on. JJY's hairstyles were also made with the plot in mind and that side braid of hers looked really cute. The direction was also quite good.

In conclusion, there are some faults with this drama, but neither too huge nor so many that you should skip it. There is a certain rawness about the storyline and all the cases being investigated as they explore the darker side of human emotions.
It is arguably one of the best shows of 2024, and is one hundred percent worth an unbiased shot.

Read More

Watch this for Liu Xue Yi but not for a tightly-written mystery plot.

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

I went into “In Blossom” blind without reading the synopsis or watching the trailer. All I knew is that Liu Xue Yi is the male lead and that’s the only reason I need. LXY did not disappoint, though I think his voice acting could be better. This is not a big complaint because aside from him, the main cast and most of the supporting cast used voice actors. I always appreciate actors dubbing themselves, even though they are not perfect. If you don’t practice, how can you get better, right?

“In Blossom” has a little bit of everything - slow-burn romance, crime investigation/mysteries, action/martial arts and some comedic moments. I do think the drama balances all these elements pretty well. More on romance and mystery in a little bit. I want to comment on the action scenes. I know this is not a wuxia drama, but I feel that the fight scenes are below-average to average. There aren’t too many, but enough for me to wish they are better choreographed and actors fight a little harder and faster. It’s not going to ruin your enjoyment of the drama, but I am a little picky in this area. Comedy is enough to be sprinkled throughout the drama. I enjoy the little comedic moments by the supporting cast, or just a sarcastic remark here and there. Humor brings some light-heartedness to this somewhat serious drama without going over-the-top.

The romance is slow-burn but is developed nicely. ML falls in love with FL again, not because of her looks and wealth, but because of the person inside. They started out as enemies, then frenemies, then partners-in-investigation and eventually partners-in-love. Even though I like the writing of how the relationship is developed and written, I found the chemistry lacking. Liu Xue Yi is only 4 years older than Ju Jing Yi in real life, but when they stand next to each other, LXY looks so much more mature and older. In fact, he seems better matched with the original Yang Cai Wei in the first few episodes and have much better chemistry. LXY and JJY seem more like siblings or best friends when they are bickering. I wonder if it’s because there also seems to be a personality change between the original and the new Yang Cai Wei. The original YCW appears older and more mature, after all she had a really tough life carrying corpses everywhere. The new YCW seems younger and more outgoing and friendly.

That brings me to mystery and crime investigation. There are MANY small investigations in these 32 episodes that tie back to the main plot and mystery. I am usually a fan of how these mini stories, that are not episodic, integrate to the main storyline. But in this drama, there are just way too many, and eventually I lose focus and don’t care anymore. There are also some plot holes and illogical inconsistencies. I do not think the mystery part is tightly written. I feel that if I want to fully enjoy this drama, I need to turn off my brain and not think critically. If you are a big fan and a veteran of crime investigation and mysteries, you might not be satisfied.

The acting as a whole is pretty solid. Liu Xue Yi lives up to my expectations. Ju Jing Yi has a bad rep, but I think she did fine. Not exceptional but also not horrible. 2ML Li Ge Yang might be the weaker of the younger cast.

Lastly, I want to comment on Liu Xue Yi’s wardrobe. He has some beautiful costumes that do not look cheap! You can see the quality of the cloth and the beautiful designs and patterns. Even though Ju Jing Yi’s costumes aren’t bad, I can’t keep my eyes on how handsome and dashing Liu Xue Yi looks. And he looks great both with his down and up in a bun.

I would only recommend this drama if you are a fan of the leads, especially if you are like me, watching this solely for Liu Xue Yi. It’s also not bad if you want a drama that has a good mix of romance and mystery. But if you are picky about tightly written plots, intricate and sensible crime investigation, then you might not find this drama enjoyable.



Completed: 4/8/2024 - Review #425

Read More

Watch for the cast, stayed for the story

This was my first airing C-drama in 2024 that I watch diligently live, waiting for new episodes with bated breath. That means theres sometging grippling about the plot that makes me come back for more.

I thk I have a thg for female coroners. *Cue.. one of my favs: The imperial coroner. I like when FL have brains and wits in historical China. Then there's this face swap thg that reminded me of ..*Cue another great drama: A familiar stranger.

We have a strong cast but Liu Xue Yi's Pan Yue was bang on the money. He is so commanding on the screen, and brings so much to the character. It wouldnt be rash to say he's a great big part of why the drama is so popular. JJY's Yang Cai Wei was okay, she did remind me of some of her other period characters. Shes probably more memorable as the obsessed Shangguan zhi. The leads have chemistry and I enjoy the push pull in their relationship when the secret wasnt reveal yet. Li Ge Yang was a great casting too and he had lots of chemistry with 2FL Wu Jia Yi. I felt like I wanted her character to do more than just being there for 2ML.

For the reasons above i nearly rated this at 9 but rationally I thk an 8 is more deserving. The biggest reason being overly convenient and glaring plotholes. Evidence no1 both ML and 2ML are great in fighting but they stand around and let the resource person (imp on revealing the secrets they were trying to solve) to be killed right under their noses. Evidence no2 they make the leads a bit out of touch with the rest of the world. We were first shown ML and FL who upholds and values justice but the writing makes them brush past and move too fast from the deaths and sacrifices of ppl around them. This kind of writing is just careless imo. Because I've watched other C dramas execute this much better, I cant help penalising.

For rewatch I would only do so with clips and shorts. It has been a good enjoyable watch for 80% of the time and among the better historical dramas offered this year.

Read More