Decent drama, the elder and seasoned actors were better than Z. Tao and Sun Yi
New Vanity Fair has good acting from Wu Gang and Liu Bei, but at the same time, the characters that they play are very annoying.Ding Ke Mang is annoying and a weak man who does not speak up, defend himself, and put his wife in her place when needed, especially when he is an excellent stage actor and teacher. It was frustrating to watch him.
Jiang Ye, his wife, is annoying because she is a stubborn, headstrong, and self-fish person who only thinks of herself. She makes trouble for everyone and worries about her face and aging in the entertainment industry. She has no respect for her husband, and especially she is the breadwinner of the family.
Z. Tao is a one-dimension actor, and I have watched many dramas where he showed the same emotion of anger and frustration without shedding tears.
Sun Yi played a supporting role in this drama. Ding Ke Mang got recognition as the story progressed, and his wife still wanted to divorce him in episode 32.
The onscreen chemistry between Z. Tao and Sun Yi was not good. Ding Momo's character is better off with An Lun than Song Yang.
I am giving this drama a 7.0 rating.
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Don't waste your time and energy for this drama. Action pack but very repetitive script.
In the Name of the Brother is a Republican Drama set in the 1940s about espionage, where an undercover communist person infiltrated and worked under the Secret Service to deliver Japanese plans to the communist party.My Reviews:
1. The acting could be better, and the story could be more varied and engaging. Instead, it is repetitive.
2. Yang Mi's character is the head of the secret service who works for the Japanese regime, but her team is incompetent yet brutal.
3. It is an action pack. It is an upgrade from the Chinese standard for espionage and the republican-era genre.
4. Qin Hao played the twin brother characters, spies for the communist party. The older brother, Song Zhuo Wu, is more brutal and daring, whereas Song Zhuo Wen is calm and calculated.
5. The story is so repetitive, dragging, and boring that it could be better if it were cut short by 10 episodes.
6. I like the hairstyles and the costumes that Yang Mi's character got to wear in this drama. They are exquisite and nice to look at.
7. Yang Mi did her best acting job in this role for a couple of episodes where she showed some emotion, but she was stern, cold, and tough for the rest.
8. I watched up to 30 episodes, and I wanted to give up. I did not continue with it for 3 weeks. I wanted to see the ending, so I watched the last 10 episodes at 2x speed just to see the ending.
I could skip 31 through 39 and only watch episode 40.
What a disappointing drama. Don't waste your time and energy with it if the Republican era is not your genre. I give it a 5.5 rating.
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The plot is decent, but too draggy and repetitive stories to fill and drag out the drama.
Unshakable Faith is a crime drama from the republican period.My Reviews:
The plot is good, but it tends to drag on too much. It would have been better if it had ended in 24-30 episodes instead of 38. The main focus is on the female characters, particularly the policeman and the nurse, rather than the male lead. There is no romance between the female and male leaders in the first 21 episodes. The male lead character seems more interested in the second female lead. There is little progress regarding the water project after 21 episodes. The female information is a smart and intelligent policewoman, while the second female lead is an interesting character. The second female lead was a spy in the end. However, from episode 22 onwards, the drama becomes ridiculous due to too many unnecessary fillers added to drag out the plot, resulting in an unsatisfactory outcome.
I give it a 6.0 rating; the acting is decent but not great.
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This crime drama is bad on so many levels, don't waste your time and energy with it.
"Chase the Truth" is a crime drama starting Wang Zi Qi and Su Xiao Tong.The Synopsis: Police detective Chu Yi Han goes undercover to infiltrate a criminal organization, hoping to find his mother. By chance, he encounters Gu Lin Na.
This drama is bad on so many levels I wasted time watching it.
1. Bad production quality. The resolution is so bad with fuzzy blue for desert scenes.
2. How can the main characters, ML/FL, survive a big explosion without major injuries or death? Unreal. The hospital stays for both characters were short, and they were back in action. Stupid and unreal.
3. I like the ML, but he acted better in the Romcom Genre, but not in the action-adventure type.
4. The FL can't act; the same goes for the supporting cast.
5. Sha Xiao Fei (played by Zhao Xun) is really annoying. All he did was yell to make himself appear as a tough guy. He played the same role in "Chasing the Undercurrent."
6. Everyone in the ensemble, including the ML, yells to appear tough. I don't think you need to do that to show the character is tough. It can be done through facial expressions and body language.
7. No romance between the main CP.
I gave it a 3.5 rating; don't waste your time.
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A mediocre drama about life struggle with career, love, and family as they try to make it in Beijing
Incomparable Beauty follows 3 couples in their 20s, 30s, and 40s as they struggle with love, family, and career choices.- Xu Yao and Yu Jia En (played by Chen Xiao and Gulnezer Bextiyar) broke up after a business failure and rekindled their love in their 30s as they reunited and worked to make it in the business world.
- Li Nian Huan and Zhao Ang (played by Chen Xiao Yun and Chen Xi Jun) are in their 20s, and their parents spoil both and try to figure out how to get their careers going doing what they love instead of the mundane jobs to meet end needs.
- Zhang Qing and Hao Chen Shi (played by Ada Liu and Zhao Da) are in their 40s and still single. Zhang Qing is a strong and successful single career woman who does not want to settle down to marry and have kids. She came to the realization that her loyalty to work backfired after she was mistreated by her boss whom she had worked for over 10 years after he found out that she was pregnant. It makes her realize that there is more to life than work.
The story is mediocre, as is the acting of these 6 main lead characters. They are good to look at, but their acting ability is nothing to rave about, especially Gulnezer. She can't act, even in the dramatic scene; she has no sorrowful expression. The ending is also stupid.
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A decent drama about life struggles and how to overcome them in a competitive city of Beijing.
"All the Way to the Sun" is a melodramatic drama about two besties who graduated from law school and entered the working world. They are both facing life struggles with love and finance and how they overcome them.I love Wang Yang; he is a seasoned actor who acts well both in Main Role and the support role. I have not seen him in a drama where his character is romantically involved with a young person. In this drama, he is in love with Li MuJia, who is almost 20 years younger than him. Their differences should not have worked because they are at different stages of their lives. Let's see how their love story progresses.
The drama also touched on human greed, where Mujia's best friend Tian Rong was so consumed with real estate investment and ignored the risks involved. She ended up in bankruptcy and had to start over, including covering the debt incurred by her father-in-law.
Mujia eventually left the law firm after her manager decided to leave and move out of the country. Mujia embarked on a landscape start-up and struggled to get investors to invest in the company. Eventually, she overcame it, and the ending shows that she and Li Guang are getting back together after a long breakup.
It is a drama about life and its curve balls and how Mujia and Tian Rong deal with the struggles and overcome them as they mature and work hard to make it in Beijing. Not bad acting, and I enjoyed it and gave it a 7.5 rating.
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Mediocre story but good acting from the cast. To me it is more of brotherhood story than romance
The Youth Memories is A melodrama in the 70s with a group of high school friends. Xiao Chun Sheng and his two buddies Ye Guo Hua and Chen Hong Jun, are children of military families and government workers who grew up in the same courtyard. They share many experiences, like joining the army, taking the gaokao, going out to sea, and starting a business while supporting each other the entire way. They also meet Tong Xiao Mei, a Beijing girl pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor. This is an inspirational story of the growth and transformation of ordinary people during the 1970s reform era in China as the country was opening up to the world.To me, this drama is about brotherhood, where the focus is on the male characters, especially Chúng Sheng, and his relationship with others. The acting of the entire ensemble is good, especially Xiao Zhan, the ML of this drama.
I feel bad for Li Qin, the FL of this drama, but she has less screen time in the first almost 20 episodes than the supporting actress who played Chúng Sheng's first girlfriend. Her character didn't show up much until halfway through the drama. In addition, there are no romantic scenes between the two leads, which is disappointing.
I enjoyed the drama overall but didn't like the script much. I give it a 7.5 rating.
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Yet another disappointed idol costume drama with terrible plot and bad acting.
The Princess Gambit is yet another flop in the historical costume drama genre. I like Lin Xue Yi, and I am not a fan of Meng Zi Yi. I watched Blossom and ended up dropping it after 17 episodes.I stuck around until the end of this drama because I like Lin Xue Yi’s acting talents; however, in this drama, the plot was so convoluted and confusing that it was a waste of his abilities.
Their on-screen chemistry was terrible, and I watched it at 2x speed to get past the boring and repetitive episodes. It would have been better if it had ended in 24 episodes.
Synopsis: Princess Jiang Tao Hua of Zhao seeks freedom from Empress Lu’s control by proposing a political marriage to the state of Wei. But upon arriving, she’s attacked and falsely accused of an affair with Chancellor Shen Zai Ye. To survive, she offers herself as his concubine, secretly tasked with toppling the Crown Prince while also searching for the antidote to a poison in her body. Shen Zai Ye, a principled yet ruthless official, becomes unwillingly entangled with Tao Hua amid court conspiracies and power struggles. Though he initially plots to get rid of her, Tao Hua’s courage and cunning earn his reluctant respect. Forced into Shen’s household, she faces constant danger from his other wives and political spies. Still, she uses her palace-honed instincts to hold her ground. As their fates intertwine, the pair form an uneasy alliance against their common enemies. Together, they expose the Crown Prince’s crimes, triggering a power shift within the palace. But with new threats emerging, both must decide if love and peace are within reach — or if the dangerous game of power’ll consume them.
My Reviews:
1. Acting: 6
2. Script: 4
3. Music/OST: 5
4. Production Quality: 7
5. Cinematography: 5
6. Rewatchable: 3
7. On-Screen Chemistry: 5
Overall Rating: 5
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Excellent crime drama that left me on the edge of my seat. Highly Recommended
Drifting Away is a crime drama and part of iQiYi short series, and they did a great job. I have not seen any crime drama out of China that left me on the edge of my seat. It was brutal and scary about a gang who kidnapped, mutilated, and killed people, especially prostitutes.I like it a lot. It had good acting, a good script, and good production quality.
Synopsis: In an ordinary residential building, a tragedy of mutilation occurred. Even experienced criminal police captain Peng Zhao Lin couldn't help but feel horrified when he saw this scene. What he couldn't forgive himself was that he once passed the criminal suspect Deng Li Gang in the corridor. Deng Li Gang and others traveled across the country to commit crimes, specializing in kidnapping, extorting, and killing "nightclub girls." The task force traveled to many provinces to hunt down the murderer but failed. The criminal gang suddenly disappeared. They launder their identities illegally and live a peaceful, contented life. However, Peng Zhao Lin often wakes up from nightmares. The girl was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, her miserable cries lingering in his ears. A piece of inconspicuous information pried open a long-standing unsolved case, and Peng Zhao Lin embarked on a thousand-mile journey to find the murderer.
My Reviews:
1. Acting: 7.5
2, Script: 8
3, Music/OST: 7
4, Production Quality: 8
5. Cinematography: 8
6. Rewatchable: 8
Overall Rating: 8
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Decent acting talent from Vin Zhang, but the story is unrealistic. It went downhill after episode 6.
Live Surgery Room is a medical melodrama starting with Vin Zhang. He is a decent actor, and it was the first time I saw him act so emotionally in a drama when he found out why his dad committed suicide at Haicheng Hospital.It was convincing, but the story went downhill after he found out the reasons why his dad took his life. Streaming surgery Live in real life is unrealistic, and this drama had no romance.
Synopsis: Zhen Ren is a surgeon who achieved his father's dying wish. With the help of ER director Pan, he joined Haicheng Hospital. He took steps forward to save a patient during a Whipple procedure. Zheng Ren devoted everything to being a doctor, and his skills caught the attention of genius doctor Su Yun, who began to study Zheng Ren's methods. Su Yun accepts and admires Zheng Ren as a colleague after witnessing his selflessness when they both signed up for the frontline rescue team after an earthquake. To treat a case of conjoined twins with arrhythmia, Zheng Ren and Su Yun join hands to form a team formed by a group of medical professionals that includes equipment nurse Xie Yiren, attending physician Lin Yuan (Wei Wei), consulting physician Chang Yue, and German professor Rudolph.
My Reviews:
1. The entire cast's acting ability was okay. Vin Zhang performed a decent job in emotional scenes. He is a decent actor, but he has appeared in many dramas in which I felt the scripts were not good, which makes his acting ability mediocre.
2. The first 5-6 episodes were engaging as Vin Zhang's character, Zheng Ren, tried to discover why his dad took his life.
3. Zheng Ren is a genius surgeon, but he cannot be the only one who performs all surgeries successfully in the entire hospital.
4. To have a story about how to survive in a hospital, they have to stream the surgery live, which is unrealistic in real life.
5. There was no romance in this drama, so if you are looking for it, you will be disappointed like I was.
I give it a 6.0 rating for bad scripts and unrealistic storylines.
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It is a suspenseful spy drama with many twists and an open-ended ending.
Spy Game is a spy drama that turns real-life spies through an online game where the organization crime recruits players and turns them into real spies.The Synopsis: In Jinhai, China, a spy game has become popular among young people. As it turns out, the game was developed by an overseas intelligence organization known as "Night Fog." They are using players to engage in espionage activities without their knowledge and seizing the opportunity to cultivate spies among them. The evil seeds of the game have been spreading silently throughout the city. At this time, Gao Tian Yang, the head of reconnaissance at Jinhai National Security Bureau, works with intelligence officer Wu Xi to dive deep into the game as they investigate a case surrounding leaked laboratory secrets. During their investigation, the two rescue Huang Zi Cheng from a conspiracy, who is like a little brother to Gao Tian Yang, and in turn, he becomes their informant thanks to his rich experience in the spy game.
It has a good start and supporting casts like Li Yi Tong, Wei Da Xun, Wang Li Kun, Tony Yang, Wang Yang, etc.; it is an interesting story with decent acting from lead actors/actresses and supporting cast, with interesting twists.
The only complaint I have so far is the synthesized voices that they use to distinguish the characters in the games vs. the real voice in the present time of the drama. It is watchable, and the ending is open for Spy Game 2 since it is open-ended. I give it a 7.5 rating.
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Short and watchable drama about infidelity and revenge.
"Women's Choice" is a short web drama about women's choice. It is about infidelity and revenge.The Synopsis: In the eyes of outsiders, Su Yu Ning almost has a perfect life: a thriving career, a gentle husband, and a well-behaved daughter. Unexpectedly, this wonderful life fell apart overnight. First, her husband cheated, and then her daughter was injured and unconscious. Soon, Su Yu Ning discovers she was already part of and amid a calculated conspiracy. And what was entrenched in the center of the plot was the person she never expected. To protect her daughter, Su Yu Ning had to stand up and declare war on "her."
The acting is mediocre, from the main CP to the supporting cast, but I like the script and the scheme of Su Yu Ning as she is fighting back for what is rightfully her. I can't wait to see the ending. I have watched 17 episodes already and enjoy the drama. I am giving it a 7.0 rating.
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Excellent crime drama with suspense and thrilling. Highly recommended.
I usually don't watch much drama from Taiwan, but Copycat Killer is one of the best crime dramas I have seen. It's much better than crime dramas that come out of China.It is short, only 10 episodes long, with 60 minutes per episode that you can binge-watch in 2-3 days. It was suspenseful and thrilling, and I didn't expect the killer to be someone else, and the person who played the killer did a very good job.
The only thing I didn't like was that in each episode, a woman got killed; not to spoil the ending, but his ex-girlfriend got killed, and Guo Jian went ballistic. The killer was narcissistic and crazy; he still wanted the camera to be on him even to his death.
The acting is good for the entire ensemble. Highly recommend this drama, and I give it an 8.5 rating. The production quality was good with realistic facial colors, and everyone was painted white like dramas come from China.
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If you enjoy crime solving murder mysteries in WuXia setting, you may enjoy this drama.
"Mysterious Lotus Casebook" is a Wuxia CSI drama that involves solving murder mysteries of various clans in a historical setting.The Synopsis: Ten years ago, Li Xiang Yi, the master of the Sigu Sect, dominated with his superior swordsmanship and was a symbol of light in the martial arts world. However, he suddenly disappeared along with Di Fei Sheng, the leader of the Jinyuan Alliance, after they arranged to battle in the East Sea. Ten years later, Li Lian Hua is a countryside doctor who travels dragging around a lotus tower. Li Lian Hua, Di Fei Sheng, and Fang Duo Bing gradually formed a deep friendship and joined hands in solving mysterious cases to uphold justice.
The acting and the kung fu in this drama were good; however, the first 30 episodes were about solving murders. I found it boring, fell asleep watching it, and even skipped around. It only got interesting from episode 32 onward, and the ending is a cliffhanger.
I don't enjoy it much, so I give it a 7.0 rating. The production quality was not good either; the background was too white.
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A mediocre romantic drama and on-screen chemistry of main CP is not good.
"Sweet and Cold" is a RomCom series about the relationship between Meng Hao Tian (played by Wang Zi Wen) and Leng Si Ming (played by Jin Han).Meng Hao Tian is a woman of strength, beauty, and an entrepreneur who met Leng Si Ming, a CTO, at a wedding and how their relationship started.
I have not been able to finish anything that Jin Han has done since he played the bad guy in "Princess Wei Young."
He and Ava Wang's onscreen chemistry is okay but sometimes seems awkward. The script is mediocre. Her bestie is a divorcee and a grown woman but acts like a child, and Meng Hao Tian always comes to the rescue whenever she is in trouble.
As she moves forward with her life, I hope she grows up and is independent, and does not rely on her friends that much.
The drama is mediocre and watchable, but definitely not the best of 2023 Cdramas.
I give it a 6.0 rating.
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