Hauli
A Rapid Descent into Mediocrity: A Review of a Disappointing Drama
This critique is not intended to denigrate this drama; on the contrary, I strive to be neutral, hence the rating of 5/10.
STORY
The beginning was promising, well-introduced, and I was really captivated (typical plot: an invisible girl likes the most popular boy). I really enjoyed the foundation of the story.
However, after 3, 4, 5 episodes, what happened? Absolutely everything and nothing. It's extremely messy... There are too many long and never-ending episodes, and in a single episode, a crucial plot twist can be introduced without ever having heard of it before!
There is also too much unnecessary dialogue: we learn nothing about the characters, whether they are secondary or main, and there are dialogue-less scenes that add nothing. The photography is not even particularly beautiful (the colors are dull, the framing is bad, and the final green screen scene is particularly ugly and poorly integrated).
The story doesn't progress, and you could watch the drama by only viewing 3 episodes out of 24. I'm very frustrated because I was forced to watch everything without skipping anything.
The characters are poorly developed. I really liked the secondary characters because they have more "human" scenes than the main characters, who have no past, family context, or clearly established personalities until episode 18. Waiting 18 episodes to get attached to the main characters is long, too long. We are more invested in the story of Jiang Bai Li and Luo Zhi's brother than in that of the main characters.
However, the interesting contrast between adult love life (Luo Zhi's brother) and Luo Zhi herself with her childhood love is nice, as it shows that lasting love is love that involves responsibilities, not just stars in your eyes.
There are characters we hate, don't understand, and who are not human: Ge Bi, Luo Zhi, and Sheng Huai Nan. They are literally lacking in feelings, expressions, and sense. You could put a rock in their place, and it would be the same... It was very difficult not to skip scenes with them; it was almost awkward.
For Sheng Huai Nan, there is real growth at the end, where we are finally presented with a human with feelings and a personality... however, his choices are incomprehensible, and his story with his family is terribly mishandled.
ACTING
Honestly, I think the biggest problem with this drama is the acting. It's terribly bad. Thanks to Jiang Bai Li (Rain Shen), Zhang Ming Rui (Zhang Yi Chi), and Xu Ri Qing (Yuan Bai Zi Hui) for being good actors to raise the level. The rest of the actors have NO apparent emotions, and it's difficult to understand their reactions to an event sometimes... I have many examples, but it's enough to take the important scenes to understand.
I don't have much else to say about the performance delivered.
It's a shame that 80% of the drama focuses on Luo Zhi, who shows no emotions. She is aggressive and dry with most of the people around her. The contrast between Luo Zhi's entourage and herself is striking: Luo Zhi's entourage are better actors than she is, which makes her even more unbearable.
MUSIC
The same music throughout the drama, it's nice but always poorly implemented.
Rewatch value:
None.
STORY
The beginning was promising, well-introduced, and I was really captivated (typical plot: an invisible girl likes the most popular boy). I really enjoyed the foundation of the story.
However, after 3, 4, 5 episodes, what happened? Absolutely everything and nothing. It's extremely messy... There are too many long and never-ending episodes, and in a single episode, a crucial plot twist can be introduced without ever having heard of it before!
There is also too much unnecessary dialogue: we learn nothing about the characters, whether they are secondary or main, and there are dialogue-less scenes that add nothing. The photography is not even particularly beautiful (the colors are dull, the framing is bad, and the final green screen scene is particularly ugly and poorly integrated).
The story doesn't progress, and you could watch the drama by only viewing 3 episodes out of 24. I'm very frustrated because I was forced to watch everything without skipping anything.
The characters are poorly developed. I really liked the secondary characters because they have more "human" scenes than the main characters, who have no past, family context, or clearly established personalities until episode 18. Waiting 18 episodes to get attached to the main characters is long, too long. We are more invested in the story of Jiang Bai Li and Luo Zhi's brother than in that of the main characters.
However, the interesting contrast between adult love life (Luo Zhi's brother) and Luo Zhi herself with her childhood love is nice, as it shows that lasting love is love that involves responsibilities, not just stars in your eyes.
There are characters we hate, don't understand, and who are not human: Ge Bi, Luo Zhi, and Sheng Huai Nan. They are literally lacking in feelings, expressions, and sense. You could put a rock in their place, and it would be the same... It was very difficult not to skip scenes with them; it was almost awkward.
For Sheng Huai Nan, there is real growth at the end, where we are finally presented with a human with feelings and a personality... however, his choices are incomprehensible, and his story with his family is terribly mishandled.
ACTING
Honestly, I think the biggest problem with this drama is the acting. It's terribly bad. Thanks to Jiang Bai Li (Rain Shen), Zhang Ming Rui (Zhang Yi Chi), and Xu Ri Qing (Yuan Bai Zi Hui) for being good actors to raise the level. The rest of the actors have NO apparent emotions, and it's difficult to understand their reactions to an event sometimes... I have many examples, but it's enough to take the important scenes to understand.
I don't have much else to say about the performance delivered.
It's a shame that 80% of the drama focuses on Luo Zhi, who shows no emotions. She is aggressive and dry with most of the people around her. The contrast between Luo Zhi's entourage and herself is striking: Luo Zhi's entourage are better actors than she is, which makes her even more unbearable.
MUSIC
The same music throughout the drama, it's nice but always poorly implemented.
Rewatch value:
None.
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