HarryHoudini
This review may contain spoilers
For a Hammer, everything looks like a Nail!
I think that saying fits this Series quite well. Our Female Lead is good with Poisons, so everything becomes somehow Poison related, sometimes to the point of hilariously, comically contrived and laughable.
This series tries to commit every possible Sin dramas can commit. Tropes, Cliches, BS Devices, generating Drama out of thin Air etc. etc. you name it and it probably does it.
Lets do it Morricone Style with Good, Bad and Ugly:
the Good:
It starts quite well and has some things going for it. I mainly stuck to it because at first I thought that this was a lighthearted Drama that didnt take itself too seriously (what with all that Poison gimmicky stuff like a literal Poison Wall). I expected a Mix of Drama, Comedy and Parody which I like a lot. At first it looked like it and some of the Side Characters started quite goofy and entertaining like the side couple that always fights. It was those Elements that were Entertaining and about the best thing in this Drama.
the Bad:
Acting is overall mostly on the mediocre side. The ML is too wooden, the FL is too boring, the 2ML is too flamboyant and the 2FL (if it can be called that) is ....words fail me but more on her in the Ugly Section.
The Story is all over the Place. I found myself asking "what was the Story again?". The FL is good with Poisons....and thats the Story right there. I had the feeling that the Writer just had this one Idea to make an FL that is good with Poisons and then simply made up everything else from that point. The FL is good with Poisons so everything that happens has some connection to Poisons even if it makes no sense whatsoever. Barbarians attack the Nation? it turns out they are "poisonous Barbarians", a Meteorite hits the Palace? it turns out its a "poisonous Meteorite", Godzilla comes out of the Ocean? well you guessed it, it actually turns out to be not Godzilla but Godzillas Chinese Cousin who conveniently is also poisonous, you get the Point! It becomes really tiresome after a while.
The CGI is worse than a joke. Seriously, with CGI this bad, it would have been better to use practical effects. Even some guy in a Costume would have been better than what they tried to pass for a "monster".
the Ugly:
Flashbacks, lots and lots of Flashbacks. Deus Ex Machinas, lots and lots of Deus Ex Machinas. BS Devices, lots and lots of BS Devices (super effective magical Poison Powders in this case that work better than Gasses in the first World War...or any Gasses even today). As I already said, the amount of tropes and cliches in this Drama is quite critical. I am aware that Dramas like this utilize such "gimmicks" and have to utilize them but there are differences of what is useful and necessary and what is lazy and cheap. How many times can you see the mains get rescued "last second" before realizing that they are never really in danger? When I dropped this Series I had lost ALL Interest in any of the Characters. I couldnt care whether they lived or died or loved or hated or whatever, they bored me out of the series with constant repetition of the same "dramas" over and over and over again.
The 2FL has a special place in my heart as the most idiotic, stupid and utterly retarded villain in any Drama of all time. She has triggered me more than any Character in any other Drama I watched and not for lack of competition mind you, she is just that worse! What was her plan again? to DIE for the ML so he can "fall in love" with her Corpse? now there is a "great plan" if I ever heard one. She starts crazy evolves into psycho and ends a complete lunatic and none of it in a good way. This Character harms the Series in a serious way and I would deduct at least two Stars just for this Character alone. Very annoying.
Summary:
Its not completely bad and has its upsides but cutting it down to at least half the Episodes would have improved it a lot. This Series was clearly artificially kept running for 50 Episodes to make Money, avoid Taxes, pay Bribes/the Mafia or whatever and it shows.
I had the time to waste so it was not that big a loss for me but those who dont should check twice before committing.
This series tries to commit every possible Sin dramas can commit. Tropes, Cliches, BS Devices, generating Drama out of thin Air etc. etc. you name it and it probably does it.
Lets do it Morricone Style with Good, Bad and Ugly:
the Good:
It starts quite well and has some things going for it. I mainly stuck to it because at first I thought that this was a lighthearted Drama that didnt take itself too seriously (what with all that Poison gimmicky stuff like a literal Poison Wall). I expected a Mix of Drama, Comedy and Parody which I like a lot. At first it looked like it and some of the Side Characters started quite goofy and entertaining like the side couple that always fights. It was those Elements that were Entertaining and about the best thing in this Drama.
the Bad:
Acting is overall mostly on the mediocre side. The ML is too wooden, the FL is too boring, the 2ML is too flamboyant and the 2FL (if it can be called that) is ....words fail me but more on her in the Ugly Section.
The Story is all over the Place. I found myself asking "what was the Story again?". The FL is good with Poisons....and thats the Story right there. I had the feeling that the Writer just had this one Idea to make an FL that is good with Poisons and then simply made up everything else from that point. The FL is good with Poisons so everything that happens has some connection to Poisons even if it makes no sense whatsoever. Barbarians attack the Nation? it turns out they are "poisonous Barbarians", a Meteorite hits the Palace? it turns out its a "poisonous Meteorite", Godzilla comes out of the Ocean? well you guessed it, it actually turns out to be not Godzilla but Godzillas Chinese Cousin who conveniently is also poisonous, you get the Point! It becomes really tiresome after a while.
The CGI is worse than a joke. Seriously, with CGI this bad, it would have been better to use practical effects. Even some guy in a Costume would have been better than what they tried to pass for a "monster".
the Ugly:
Flashbacks, lots and lots of Flashbacks. Deus Ex Machinas, lots and lots of Deus Ex Machinas. BS Devices, lots and lots of BS Devices (super effective magical Poison Powders in this case that work better than Gasses in the first World War...or any Gasses even today). As I already said, the amount of tropes and cliches in this Drama is quite critical. I am aware that Dramas like this utilize such "gimmicks" and have to utilize them but there are differences of what is useful and necessary and what is lazy and cheap. How many times can you see the mains get rescued "last second" before realizing that they are never really in danger? When I dropped this Series I had lost ALL Interest in any of the Characters. I couldnt care whether they lived or died or loved or hated or whatever, they bored me out of the series with constant repetition of the same "dramas" over and over and over again.
The 2FL has a special place in my heart as the most idiotic, stupid and utterly retarded villain in any Drama of all time. She has triggered me more than any Character in any other Drama I watched and not for lack of competition mind you, she is just that worse! What was her plan again? to DIE for the ML so he can "fall in love" with her Corpse? now there is a "great plan" if I ever heard one. She starts crazy evolves into psycho and ends a complete lunatic and none of it in a good way. This Character harms the Series in a serious way and I would deduct at least two Stars just for this Character alone. Very annoying.
Summary:
Its not completely bad and has its upsides but cutting it down to at least half the Episodes would have improved it a lot. This Series was clearly artificially kept running for 50 Episodes to make Money, avoid Taxes, pay Bribes/the Mafia or whatever and it shows.
I had the time to waste so it was not that big a loss for me but those who dont should check twice before committing.
Was this review helpful to you?
