Aryael
Twenty steps away from the toilet and just around the corner from the stairs.
When the story of finding your body parts gets old...
Story: I will start my review by saying that I love the novel "Heart Protection" of which this drama claims to be adapted from. Keyword - "claim". The drama started of well with around 70% similarity to the novel. But somewhere from Ep 5-6 onwards, things start to skew and the drama ended up being an entirely different product. I do not mind changes from novel to drama - provided they are done well. In this drama's case, the changes actually weaken the story and slowed down its pace, because they mostly ended up being fillers to drag the drama into 40 eps. And after so much fillers to keep the timer rolling, we are then treated to a rushed and brief ending in the last 3 mins of Ep 40.Although the introduction of a new character played by Riley in this drama was a nice touch, the dilution of the FL's character reduced the enjoyment somewhat for me. It is rare that we get a xuanhuan novel with a woman as the main character. Yan Hui in the novel is one such character. The dragon is merely her love interest. The story is about her. She's the main character with genius abilities and OP powers from start to end. She's the one who rescued and helped the dragon and others. Basically, the novel's hero. But in the drama, Yan Hui needed rescuing. She's slow with cultivation. In the drama, the dragon becomes the main character and she becomes his love interest. With a male-focused main character, this story has turned into one that is similar with 90% of the xuanhuan novels out there. Why they decided NOT to portray Yan Hui as a strong and independent character who is the main protagonist of the story? Your guess is as good as mine. But the main weakness of the drama is not the weakening of Yan Hui's character per se - it's the use of fillers upon fillers which ended abruptly with a short ending that left viewers feeling cheated and wanting their money (and time) back. Many have defended the changes by saying the author herself is part of the screenwriting team, but I would argue that there are limits to what a novel author can do when she has already sold her rights to the novel plus a good novel author does not equate to a good screenwriter because book to screen adaptations is a whole different ballgame altogether. So, at the end of the day, the novel author being part of the screenwriting team has more marketing value than actual practical value.
Acting/Cast: Casting is done mostly well; from a visual point of view. Both the ML and FL have good looks and this drama has definitely garnered them a stronger fanbase. However, acting of the leads left much to be desired. They started out quite stiff, though they do slowly warm up towards the end, but it is still obvious that they lacked acting experience. The second male lead, Riley, actually acted better - mostly because Riley is a more seasoned actor. Chemistry between ML and FL is so-so. They gave off a "little girl and her best friend dragon" feeling. Minimal skinship and kissing. The "kisses" are polite pecks. Even the hugs are pretty stiff. Very chaste. So if you are after more deeper kissing, more skinship and off-the-charts type chemistry, this is not the drama for you.
Music: Nice OSTs that reflect the mood of the story. No complains in this department.
Rewatch value: Despite the butchering of the story with unwarranted fillers and unsatisfying ending, this drama has a pretty good rewatch value. Why? Because of the "magic" fast-forward button. There are episodes and scenes in this drama that are worth rewatching. If we can cut and paste them together, they probably form around half the length of this entire drama, but they are scenes that are the essence of the story without any fillers.
Overall: It's a pretty decent drama with eye candies to keep you going. The story-telling is a let down due to the many fillers but if you are after a drama that does not require much brain cells and only require your eye cells to ogle at good looking people, then this is the drama for you. But if you are after a more solid product with excellent story and acting, turn around; this is not the drama for you. You are better off reading the novel - which by the way, I highly recommend. Therefore, I rate this drama an overall of 7.5/10.
Was this review helpful to you?
A mix of fantasy and romance that actually worked!
Story: It's complicated but it's also quite straightforward. In a nutshell, this is a fantasy story about a guy who could travel between "dimensions" - which were essentially stories from many different novels. His mission when travelling to the different stories was to collect "spiritual energy" by completing missions given to him by the "system". Once he had collected enough "spiritual energy", he would be able to return to his own world. The female lead was a college student who may seemed at first, un-connected to whatever the male lead's doing - but by accident, found herself in a story where the male lead had just completed. In order to bring her back to her own world, the male lead decided to enter the story again to help her complete her mission. Hence, begun a fantasy joyride of jumping from one story to another - from sci-fi to ancient to modern. The romance between the male lead and female lead developed as they completed missions together. My personal favourite was the ancient story part. :) There was also the underlying sarcasm about how many of these stories featured predictable romance between a female lead (who's always given the character of a victim and requiring help) and despicable male characters who took advantage of the female lead. There were also scenes and things the book characters did that were "standard" that provided some comedic relief.Acting/Cast: Mostly new actors. The female lead acted well. The male lead's a bit stiff but his character will slowly grow on you. Side characters all acted well.
Music: Standard music.
Re-watch value: With only 12 episodes and with each episode adding to the progression of the story with no boring bits, it has excellent re-watch value for when you run out of good dramas to watch. You can very easily marathon this in one day.
Overall: If you want to be really picky and question things like, "What was the identity of the male lead and why could he travel between dimensions? The Book Spirit merely mentioned that "Master is different"- what did that mean? Was he even human? Which world did he came from? What was the logic of collecting "spiritual energy" to send the male lead home? How did that work? Which world did the female lead belong to? Was "the real world" where she came from actually part of a story as well? etc etc etc - then you will struggle to understand and enjoy this drama. Personally, I think the answers to these questions are not important for the enjoyment of this drama. The fantasy bits were merely settings. What this drama did really well was merging the idea of a fantasy story with a smooth progression of romance. It's really a weirdly successful formula despite the many potholes in story and acting. Overall, this was a worthy watch -much to my dumbfounded surprise!
Was this review helpful to you?
This is how a romance involving an alternate world should be!
I suppose many people when reading Lost Romance's synopsis will immediately connect it to the KDrama "W" or even last year's high school comic book romance drama "Extraordinary you" (which was very ordinary in my opinion). I admit to being quite skeptical at first when I read LR's synopsis. I went "Not again! Another W!" You see, I was very very disappointed with W. It was a total wreck in my opinion. Hence, that influenced my perception of any romance drama with an alternate world setting. Having said that, I have a soft spot for TDramas even though most of them performed terribly; there were times when you get gems of legendary status such as Autumn's Concerto, Meteor Garden, It Started With a Kiss, Prince turns into a frog, Fated to Love You etc etc that got adapted many times over into CDramas, KDramas, JDoramas, Thai lakorn, Filipino drama etc. So, I have some hope left for the TDrama industry. Hence, I went into Lost Romance with caution and I am glad I did!Lost Romance is by far the best example of how a romance drama involving an alternate world should be! I know so far it has received mixed reviews. Those who disliked it mostly could not wrap their heads around the alternate world setting. Why did they go into the novel world? How did that happen? If you are one of those who can get caught up with the scientific explanation of the hows and whys in order to enjoy a drama, you might not like this drama. Lost Romance does not offer to fully explain why and how they traveled into the novel world. The leads did try to discuss why and how it happened but in the end they too had to dismiss it. The ML, in the final episode, reflected and said that perhaps it was due to his desperation and lost of hope that drew him into the novel world. The jury is out on that but again, the hows and whys are not important in this drama. If you had watched Someday or One Day - which coincidentally is also one of my recent favourites - you'll also notice the they did not fully explain the whys and hows - simply the ML & FL time traveled when listening to Wu Bai's song and hence the events/story started.
Another popular reason given by those who disliked LR is because they could not comprehend or stand the FL's hesitations. This I have to disagree. I think the hesitations are valid. After all, the ML in the novel and in the real world are two entirely different people in character and personality, and the FL had promised the ML in the novel world that she will love only him. So, immediately jumping on to the ML in the real world will be equivalent to cheating. In this, I agree with the FL's actions to stay firm and loyal to one man only (aka the man in the novel world whom she gave her promise to).
The pacing of this drama is just right for me. I am after all, a person used to watching CDramas with over 30+ episodes. This sort of pacing in LR is just perfect -neither too fast nor too slow. I find myself wanting to watch episode after episode without fast forwarding any parts.
The chemistry between the ML and FL is perfect. And while we are at the topic of chemistry, I would like to announce a good news to all those drama lovers out there who are seeking for romance dramas with lots of kissing, skinship and bed scenes....you will be pleased to know that Lost Romance will fulfill them for you!
Where story goes - it is a pretty simple romance story. Lost Romance does not pretend to make things complicated with multiple plots or try to explain every single thing. It is simply a love story. There are some business and family-related skirmish but it's just on the side and do not distract from the main couple's love story. There are love-able and dislike-able characters, some comedy and adequate push-pull factor in the romance to keep the viewers interested in the OTPs relationship. It also has a perfect and unhurried ending. With only 20 episodes and lots of lovey-dovey scenes in every episode, LR has a high re-watchability value. So, what's stopping you? Now that it has ended, it's the perfect drama for you to binge watch! Overall, I give Lost Romance a 9/10. Happy watching!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Story: The plot in this story is pretty straightforward. It's all about love. How some people love but couldn't let go even when that love ended. How others love but for the sake of that person, had to let go. It's about love and how each of us love differently. There's the sort of love that transcends death. There's the sort of love that became stories of legend, but how much of it is true? There's the sort of love that thrives in simplicity - in the everyday life together, in the smiles of your loved ones, in the silly and petty arguments. There's the sort of love that forms from adversity -having faced life and death together. There's the sort of love that comes from familiarity - being comfortable with that person and having him or her beside you for the rest of your life. And there's the sort of love that stem from compassion, friendship and trust. The female lead in this story is married to a man who became a simpleton because of a poisoning episode. At first, she disliked her husband and the predicament she was in, but slowly came to appreciate the simple and innocent kind of love her husband has for her. Into this picture entered a young man who had loved her since childhood. He had always cherished the memories of their childhood and had always wanted to marry her. For her, he would do anything, including giving his life away for her - just to see her smile. Faced with the dilemma of an innocent love and a passionate love, our female lead is truly stuck in between these two men. There are also the love stories of side couples that will keep you rooting for them too. Even the evil mastermind in this story has a love story to tell - which is the reason why he became what he is. This drama tells a story about love from so many different perspectives. I like the 'maturity' in message about love in this drama. To those of you who is wondering if it's a happy ending - well, it depends who you are rooting for. The female lead has to choose between two perfectly good examples of men. It is no wonder she's confused and frustrated. I would be too! However, I do agree with her choice. Love is not about doing all sorts of things for that person, but to trust that what you and that person had experienced together is enough to secure his or her love for a lifetime. On another note, I love the comedy in this drama. It's not the at-your-face- type comedy. It's nicely weaved into the story and its characters. Cast/Acting: I do not know any of the actors and actresses in this drama. They are all newbies. However, they can act. At least sufficiently to bring the emotions across. What I find problematic is how the drama is edited in some parts - you can clearly see it's an edited part as it didn't flow as smoothly from the previous scene. This is no fault of the acting crew - it's the lack of experience of the editing and production crew. It's a waste but these odd parts of the drama are few - so it's tolerable. Another problem I noticed is how some of the fighting/action scenes came across as awkward and unpolished. Again - not the fault of the acting crew. This is the fault of the directing and production crew. Perhaps they lack the funding to employ a good and experienced action director - hence, had to rely on simple action scenes.
Music: Not much to comment here. Some people like the ending OST, but it's just average to me.
Re-watch value: There are many romantic and sad scenes between the female lead and the two men. I also like the scenes between her and her husband's second brother - who I believe, had a secret crush on her as well, but did not act on it. It's in his actions and the way he looked at her, but he had to stay away from her coz she's his sister-in-law. They ended up as besties, which I think is another good conclusion to love. I actually like their chemistry better and I think the second brother is actually the handsomest actor among all the actors in this drama. This drama has a strong re-watch value. With only 24 episodes and every episode has a sweet or sad love scene with no draggy story telling, it won't be long when I would re-watch this drama again.
Overall: I give this drama a 8.5 out of 10. It's a surprisingly good drama, despite the many directing and editing faults. The story and script writers are clearly the strength of this drama's crew. Witty conversations and comedy mixed well with some deep truths about relationships and love. I would recommend you to watch this drama. It may not be the excellent type drama or a big production, and has a rather weird and nonsensical title, but it is surprisingly good.
Was this review helpful to you?
Story: Although you can watch Season 2 without watching Season 1, you'll get a much better understanding of what's happening if you'd watched Season 1. The story continues with where it ended in Season 1 with Tian Jingzhi finding herself pregnant with Xue Ling Qiao's baby. You'll still get the quirky interactions and conversations between Tiang Jingzhi and the people around her, though in Season 2, you'll get to better understand Tian Jingzhi and her motivations. On the outside, she may come across as a happy-go-lucky, devil-may-care character, but in many circumstances, she'd thought deeply on matters and like any other woman, had her reservations and worries about her relationship with Xue Ling Qiao. On another hand, while Xue Ling Qiao was portrayed as being somewhat detached in Season 1 because he didn't want to involve Tiang Jingzhi overly much in his matters in order to keep her safe, in Season 2, you'll get to see a more involved Xue Ling Qiao as he finally realised he could not live apart from Tiang Jingzhi. In Season 2, you'll get introduced to a few more characters and side-couples. I am sure you'll ship at least one of the side-couples. Overall, the story maintained its fidelity from Season 1 and ended nicely. Though we can now close the chapter to the story of Xue Ling Qiao and Tian Jingzhi, I will not say no if the producer and director decide to further this franchise and tell the story of their son in Season 3.
Acting/Cast: Initially, the change in lead actress threw me off a bit. Esther Yu as Tian Jingzhi has big shoes to fill as her predecessor, Janice Wu, did an excellent job in portraying the quirky, sometimes annoying but surprisingly lovable Tian Jingzhi. In fact, Janice Wu pretty much carried most of the weight of the drama from Season 1 on her shoulders as her acting shone in it. It took me somewhere around 10 episodes before I could watch Season 2 without the bias of comparing Esther Yu's Tian Jingzhi to Janice Wu's Tian Jingzhi. All things considered, Esther did a good job but I couldn't shake the feeling that she's simply emulating Janice Wu on the character. She was a good copycat, and that is in no way something bad because it takes good fundamental acting skills to perfectly emulate another person's acting. For a relatively newish actress, she did well. Hopefully as she grows in her acting career, she'll one day be able to interpret and act out a character entirely based on her own acting style.
As for the male lead, I wasn't very keen on Kim Tae Hwan in Season 1. In my opinion, the man cannot act to save his life (apologies to his fans!) and his only selling point was because he's Korean and nowadays, anything Korean pretty much sells ("The Oppa Trend"). I was actually glad they changed the lead actor to Mike Angelo who is better looking and can act (at least he's a better actor than Kim Tae Hwan!). Also, Mike can speak Mandarin pretty well and although his voice was dubbed, you can tell that he'd spoken his script in Mandarin throughout from how his mouthing of the words matched the dubbing. This is a great improvement from watching Kim Tae Hwan act in Korean but dubbed into Mandarin. I 'll award Mike an extra star for his extra effort in learning Mandarin so he could act in Mandarin dramas. At the back of my mind, I cannot help thinking...if only Mike Angelo was in Season 1 with Janice Wu and they maintain this pairing to Season 2, that would be perfect! Both Mike and Janice are more seasoned actors and I am sure the chemistry would be better too.
Casting for the supporting characters was spot on. Young newbie actor Li Ge Yang as the playful but loyal Zhen Yi Jiao was a lovable character. Mature actor Liu Guang Xiang was perfect as the well-meaning but ambitious and highly principled Qiu Yue Bai/ Lion. Kudos to the ladies too - Yang Zhi Ying as Bai Lu and Tian Yi Tong as Ye Mei Xiao. Of course, we must not forget returning actors from Season 1 - Fu Jia as Li Yan Zhi and Yang Yi Fei as Feng Dong Dong reprised their roles to perfection.
Music: Initially, I wasn't keen on the OST but after a while, it grew on me.
Re watch value: Decent re-watch value as it's an easy and relaxing watch with minimal repetitions and good story pacing.
Overall: A good drama to fill your time, but do not expect this to be a 10/10 or a phenomenal hit. It's light on the viewing and if you'd watched Season 1 and wondered how Tiang Jingzhi and Xue Ling Qiao's romance progresses from Season 1, watching Season 2 will answer your curiosity and give a nice end to their story. Enjoy!
Was this review helpful to you?
Wow! Just wow! Lots of action, the way I like it! This is a story of growth, self-discovery and heroism all bundled up in a package filled with gaming-type CGI and story line. Basically by the end of Season 1, the male lead is very powerful...if he gets any more powerful, he might as well be god! LOL Sure, there were cheesiness and dodgy CGIs along the way but the journey was fun. The story is generally interesting though at parts, it got a little 'complicated' along the way. Maybe it's because of the many story lines happening at one go. After all, this is a series that will probably be nearing 100 episodes in total by the end of Season 2 (if there is a Season 2)! My suggestion....sit back and enjoy the action. If certain parts get uninteresting, just fast forward them. But generally, for those who appreciate fantasy series and gaming, this is an enjoyable ride. I look forward to Season 2 where I hope to see our hero further develop his skills and self-confidence to fulfill the 1000-years' prophesy of him. After all, no one is born a hero. You become a hero. :)
Was this review helpful to you?
Story: I will not repeat the drama's synopsis here which you can read from the drama description. Instead, what I'll say is the story in Ashes of Love is much more addictive than its most popular rival, Eternal Love. Both dramas belong in the same genre with similar themes:- gods and goddess, demons, heavenly politics, war, rebirth into the mortal world, triangle love, missed chances, three lifetimes of romance involving three worlds, angst and more angst etc. While Eternal Love has a good story, Ashes of Love has a better story pace and story development. Therefore, Ashes of Love wins by a small margin over Eternal Love when it comes to story rating. Those of you who love excellent story and story pace, you will probably rate Ashes of Love slightly higher than Eternal Love, but I did not. I gave both dramas the same rating and the reason why can be found below under "Acting/Cast".
Acting/Cast: This is the part where Ashes of Love rated slightly below compared to Eternal Love. Those of you who had watched Eternal Love probably couldn't forget Mark Chao's Ye Hua. Because of his portrayal of Ye Hua, Mark Chao went from an almost unknown drama actor in China (he's popular in Taiwan but not in China and the world in general) to an overnight International success! It was as if the man's born to take on the Ye Hua character! The charisma....the aura.....the screen presence....the silent gentlemanly smoldering look.....everything was perfect! He was totally reborn as Ye Hua!
Now, we go from Mark Chao's Ye Hua to Deng Lun's Xu Feng. Sure, Deng Lun did a good job, especially towards the end of the drama where he demonstrated some good crying skills, but somehow I feel that the role of Xu Feng was a little too big for Deng Lun to fill. He failed to attract me the way Mark Chao's Ye Hua attracted me. And I feel he lacked that heavenly princely-general aura. It was clear that he was acting. This is not to say that Deng Lun did not do a good job. He did. It's just that, in a baker's term, once you've tasted natural vanilla, you will not go back to using artificial vanilla/vanilla essence. Both get the job done but the natural vanilla's a class of its own! However, if you haven't watched Eternal Love before watching Ashes of Love, you will not notice this difference in the acting skills of the male leads.
As for female leads - both female leads in Eternal Love and Ashes of Love are of the same par in terms of acting, Same goes for the supporting cast. They all did a great job! So the slightly lower rating for "Acting/Cast" I gave for this drama was due to the fact I thought that Deng Lun's Xu Feng didn't quite impressed me. Instead, it was Ashes of Love, THE DRAMA AS A WHOLE which impressed me.
Music: The music's good. Check them out!
Re-watch value: It's 60 eps (DVD version) or 63 eps (TV version). That's quite a bit to be re-watching. So, I've rated the re-watch value as mediocre. In the meantime, if you are unable to immediately let go of this drama after watching it, you can fuel your need to slowly say goodbye to it by watching snippets of the main couple or your favourite scenes.....unless of course, if you are suicidal or fanatic enough to re-watch the entire drama again!
Overall: As an overall rating, I've given Ashes of Love a rating of 9/10. Definitely worth your time, effort and box of tissue!
Was this review helpful to you?
Story: Average looking girl with an average height has a low-self esteem problem with her looks. It didn't help that others around her passed negative comments about her looks too (yes! society is cruel this way)! She had never dated before and has this huge crush on the school's handsomest and most talented guy (who doesn't eh?). Her mum seeing how down and depressed she was with her looks and inability to date, passed on a family secret about a ring that can make the person whom you like see you as his/her ideal partner. She was at first skeptical but later was excited when the ring actually worked. The school's heartthrob fell for her. Life's starting to look and feel good. But is that true? You know what they always say.......trouble in paradise.....nothing's ever perfect!
This is a short sweet story that all young women who suffer from low-self esteem about their looks should watch. It has a positive and uplifting message at the end about love and beauty. In a nutshell, it nails the old saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"!
Frankly, I wouldn't have watched this drama if not for me being on sick leave for two days. Feeling urrghhh from a bout of flu, I wanted something light, sweet, uplifting and quick. After reading reviews, I decided to watch this drama. I wasn't disappointed. For a short drama, it's worth the one whole day I spent on my coach - covered with blankets and pillows, a full box of tissue for my runny nose, warm tea, yummy snacks and heater on. It's an ideal drama for relaxation. Doesn't require any brain cells to decipher what's going on. Doesn't incite any strong negative emotions such as sadness, anger, frustration etc. There's no evil character whom you wish you could punch. For me, the drama ends with me thinking "Ah~~~! How nice and sweet!" So, if you are after a quick, relaxing and sweet drama, this one is for you!
Acting/Cast: There's no odd or awkward acting despite the relatively young cast. Everyone did well.
Music: This is a short web-drama. No OSTs worth mentioning here.
Re-watch value: High because of its brevity and uncomplicated story.
Overall: Highly recommended for those who's after a short drama that delivers all the beloved KDrama staples: romance, handsome male lead, triangle love and happily ever after.
Was this review helpful to you?
Story: This is a time-travelling, medical romance drama. The drama started with a cheerful but jaded doctor in the Joseon era - Heo Im - who's job was to serve the people by day and the nobles by night. He wore two masks - one of a benevolent and kind doctor to the poor, and another a doctor who's only interested in fame and fortune. Which is the true Heo Im?
Heo Im was an exceptional and talented acupuncturist. After many years of treating the sick and needy, his efforts were finally recognised. In a once in a lifetime opportunity, he was summoned into the palace to treat the king. However, as he was about to treat the king, his hand shook and he lost his concentration. As a result, the king ordered for Heo Im to be imprisoned. Heo Im escaped and while he was being pursued by palatial guards, he was shoot by arrows and fell into the river. When he woke next, he's in 21st century Seoul. Hence starts his time-travelling adventure.
The female lead (Yeon Kyung) is a cardio-thoracic doctor who was skeptical of oriental medicines at first but after her many interactions with Heo Im, became impressed with his skills. The drama is very character-based. It's about the journey of self-discovery for Heo Im and Yeon Kyung as they learn about themselves, deal with their dark pasts and make peace with their current selves in their journey towards becoming the best doctors in their own fields.
I love the character Heo Im played by Kim Nam Gil. He's quirky, funny, wise, serious, ambitious, evil and nice all wrapped up in one yummy package of a talented acupuncturist. Heo Im is a bag of contradictions and Kim Nam Gil was born for this role. You'll find yourself laughing, smiling, nodding and crying with Heo Im. You will be emotionally and mentally invested in his character as well as his counterpart - Yeon Kyung.
Unlike Heo Im's hot and cold character, Yeon Kyung's a pretty straightforward character. From the get go, you'll know that she's someone who had had a painful past and that had caused her to be indifferent and cold towards her grandfather, skeptical towards oriental medicine and passionate about saving lives. From the moment they met, she and Heo Im influenced each other in a positive manner. Eventually, they fell in love with each other. Their chemistry is perfect. If I am to describe their relationship chemistry in two words, those words will be 'playful' and 'passionate'.
The time-travelling in this drama is not one-way. In other words, both Heo Im and Yeon Kyung travelled back and forth between Joseon and modern Seoul a few times. It wasn't until the third time that it happened that they finally figured out what triggered the time-travel and why they were the ones affected. After that, the time-travelling became a tool they use intentionally to help others.
The overall story is perfect but if I were to be nitpicking on the little things that the drama could improve on, it would be on the logical progression of the story at certain parts of the drama. For example: In one scene, Yeon Kyung and Heo Im were trying to fight off gangsters in Seoul and were cornered. Heo Im was injured while protecting Yeon Kyung. They time-travelled. Then, they met with Japanese soldiers. Yeon Kyung whipped out a taser and pepper spray and defeated the Japanese soldiers. One would wonder, why didn't she use the taser and pepper spray on the gangsters to start with? That would have saved Heo Im and they wouldn't have to time-travel right into the hands of Japanese soldiers! This is just one example of illogical story progression in the drama. Another would be the placements of things, like Yeon Kyung's medical bag, when she or they were running or when moving from one scene to another. If you keep an eye out on where she placed her medical bag when she fell and where it was after a while, you'll realise that in one scene, it wasn't with her and in the next scene, it's strapped over her shoulder! However, these are minor bloopers and didn't significantly distracted my enjoyment of the drama. You'd have to enjoy the drama as it is and not critically pick it apart as how professional reviewers do. As a whole, the drama focused heavily on the characters and not necessarily on little details such as those I mentioned.
Another part of the drama I loved was the interesting facts on acupuncture such as acupuncture points and what they do. I find that very educational. It made me want to read up on acupuncture and traditional oriental medicines.
Acting/Cast: Perfect acting and cast. Kudos to Kim Nam Gil and Kim Ah-Joong. There's also a significant number of elderly veteran actors and actresses in this drama. Three cheers for their excellent acting!
Music: Beautiful OSTs. I thoroughly enjoyed them!
Rewatch value: This is one drama that's enjoyable at every episode. I am saving it for re-watch. Perfect material for drama marathon when the mood strikes.
Overall: I am giving this drama 9/10. Overall story and character development's perfect. It is in the little nitty gritty detail that cost it a minus 1 point. If the director and writer polish up some scenes here and there, this drama will be a perfect 10/10. Absolutely a hidden gem!
Was this review helpful to you?
Story: The start sets the story. A young woman fell from the sky out of nowhere. A young man dived into the lake to save her, disregarding his own life. She woke up without any memory of her past. But she was blessed with a mother and an older brother who seemed to dote on her. This young woman is Ying Nan, the female protagonist of this story. Her older brother is Ying Qi - a man born to be sacrificed so that his clan can survive. Ever since her near death experience which caused her to lose her memories, Ying Nan was plagued with a mysterious dream. In her dream, she saw the silhouette of a man. This man felt familiar. She was convinced that her dream man is the man who saved her. Nevertheless, Ying Nan led a free and happy life until one day, Ying Nan got lost in a forest while searching for her family. In this forest, she met the man who will forever change her destiny - Bai Gu Yi. He saved her from an attack and she fell in love with him; convinced that he's her dream man. Following Ying Qi in his quest to save his clan, Ying Nan ended up joining the Zu Mountain sect. What will happen when she realized that Ying Qi is not her birth brother? What will happen when the survival of the world is once again threatened and the only people standing between world annihilation and survival are the very ones who may well destroy it? Who is Ying Nan? Where did she come from? Will Ying Qi survive after sacrificing his life for his clan? Who will Ying Nan end up with - Ying Qi or Bai Gu Yi? This is a prequel in that this story happened 60 years before the events of Legend of Zu Mountain (2015). This is also a sequel because this story started and ended after the events of the 2015 series.
I love the story in this 2018 installment! There is some time traveling involved, but the 'time loop' makes sense. The story ends where it started. The love triangle (or should I say square since there were 4 people involved in it?) was nicely done. You'll find yourself either in camp Ying Qi or camp Bai Gu Yi. I also love it that a writer is brave enough to include an imperfect personality (or should I say partially evil?) as one of the main male character. I love that there's character development throughout the story. The ending was just perfect! It wasn't rushed and all events and characters explained. This is one drama where the ending created a strong and unforgettable impact. Watch it till the end and let me know if you are not emotionally affected by it!
Acting/Cast: A mix of young and experienced cast. Despite the lack of experience, young age and lack of star power (unlike the 2015 installment with well-known superstars William Chan and Zhao Li Ying), the cast did an excellent job! Special mention to Nie Zi Hao (as Bai Gu Yi).....I've noticed this young man since The Journey and The Journey 2. I look forward to see more of his work!
Music: Let me gush about another aspect of this series that I absolutely love - the music! All of the OSTs are amazing! I've saved them and am enjoying them now.
Rewatch value: I re-watched this almost immediately after finishing it. Like less than 24 hours later! Partly because I was downloading the episodes to save them into my external drive but also for re-watching some important scenes in this series that became so much more meaningful because of the ending. This is a good example of how having an unforgettable ending increases the value of the entire drama. Boy am I glad that they didn't muck up the ending!...... and yes, Bai Gu Yi, I agree.....this is the best ending!
Overall: I give this drama a rating of 9.0/10.0. Amazing story, cast and music. Enough said. Go watch it!
Was this review helpful to you?
Story: At 18 years old, Tang Yi Bai stood at the pinnacle of his career as a swimmer. He was set for the world stage and to realize his dream to be the fastest swimmer in the world. Unexpectedly, after winning the very swimming competition that will push him to the world stage, he was caught doping. Just like that, four years of his youth was lost. For four years, he trained hard and never lost sight of his original dream. The 22-year-old him returned to professional swimming - winning a college-level swimming contest. His excellent performance caught the interest of a trainee reporter, Yun Dou and together with the teammates and coach who believed in him, they faced the challenges of professional swimming and life together.
There are many often used scenes and ideas in this drama such as the infamous "Gone with the Wind" poster posture, male lead being caught showering by the female lead, memory lost, love triangles etc but they are done in such a way that it didn't feel cheesy and repetitive. The storyline and characters are the strengths of this drama. It has 36 episodes but each episode has excellent pacing. It didn't feel rushed or dragged. Total marathon material. As it is a Chinese drama, there were some flashbacks but they were used appropriately and not excessively. I actually watched this drama without fast forwarding any parts....which lead to the sleeplessness I am experiencing now! The romance is sweet and simple but I enjoyed watching the characters as they struggle through their confusions and choices as they try to balance work, life and romance.
I like the 'natural' and realistic progression of the story and characters. The drama gives off a relaxed but inspired feel. The OSTs are excellent and used appropriately throughout the drama. I downloaded all of them and will probably be listening to them on repeat for the next few days! Another praiseworthy aspect of this drama is how they didn't butcher the English language! Characters who can't speak English or claim to speak broken English did speak in broken English without thick pretentious fake accent many Chinese actors try to imitate. Characters who can speak fluent English spoke fluent English with correct accent (eg: the swimmer who trained in Singapore spoke proper Singaporean English and not fake American or British English). Inspiring quotes, motto, signs, props and ads around the characters were written in grammatically correct English. For those of you who can't understand Mandarin, the English subs are also grammatically correct. All of these gives the drama more credibility and a realistic feel to it. As an International viewer who can speak, read, write both English and Mandarin fluently, I can see the honest effort being put into the drama and I really appreciate it! Well done to the director, producer, screenplay and script writers and the casting staff!!!! This is a product you can all be proud of!
Acting/Cast: Young actors and actresses but they can act. The young bloke who acted as Tang Yi Bai has such a sweet smile and his character in this drama is a very likeable, easygoing young man - who although experienced setbacks in his swimming career and life - continued to maintain a smiling and easygoing character till the end. The female lead is also another likeable character who makes mature and ethical choices. Their love story is quite typical of young couples in their early 20s, especially when both are new to love and relationship. I can totally relate to their confusion and choices and some of the silliness or misunderstandings they had as I reflected on my first relationship in my early 20s..... it was similar. Of course, when you get to your 2nd, 3rd etc relationships, marriage, kids, grandkids and aging, your perspective on love and romance will change and mature, but for the young couple in this drama.....what they experienced and the decisions they made are appropriate, mature and realistic for their age.
I also enjoyed the stories and relationships of the side characters. There were little comedic scenes and interactions here and there which were nicely done and again realistic for men and women of the characters' age. The older actors and actresses that played the roles of parents and coaches all did well and gave appropriate and mature advices. There are no annoying or unrealistic characters in this drama. No bad or good guys. Just normal people with aspirations, behaviors, thinking, character and understanding appropriate for their age and situations.
Music: I love the OSTs - all of them! Which is so rare to find in a drama. Usually, it's just one or two OSTs that stick out as good but in this drama, all of the OSTs are worthy of a permanent spot in your playlist!
Rewatch value: I am downloading the entire drama now. That's how good it is! I think my kids will enjoy watching this - so I am saving it up for them for when they come visiting!
Overall: Enough said! If you are like me who doesn't watch sports-themed youth romance type drama and am skeptical of them, give this a try. If you are into sports-themed youth romance type drama and have been watching all those Korean ones and thinks they are fantastic, according to a friend of mine (of my age group) who watches them, this Chinese drama beats all of them hands down! This is a gem and really deserves the 9.5/10 I gave it. Highly highly recommended!
Was this review helpful to you?
- Good introduction that drew in audience's interest but story got dragged around meaninglessly after the first few episodes.
- Good bromance, love-hate and witty interactions between the two main male leads
- An ending that makes sense and wasn't forced
- The side stories and pairings, eg: General Frost and his sister, PK and Bu Ja etc, is more interesting than the development of the OTP's romance
- Could benefit from a shorter version, eg: 13 episodes, instead of the draggy 20 eps.
- Story and plot too simple with many potholes
- A weak female lead character that does not shine as well as her co-stars
- Poor chemistry between the OTP
- Questionable script with 'dodgy' conversations of kindergarten level in poor attempt to make the characters sound witty
- Use of poor quality CGI
- A final showdown that was a disappointment after spending 18 episodes to build up towards it
Therefore, DO NOT watch this drama if you are looking for:
- Good and sizzling chemistry between the OTP
- A tight good story with complex characters and addictive plots
- Clever and witty conversations that does not belittle the characters' (and the audience's) intelligence
- A drama with good quality CGI that does not stick out like a sore thumb
- A conclusive ending that may defy logic and the laws of nature itself
- A drama with fresh new ideas
- Trying to find a drama that will restore your interest and faith in Asian dramas again
Watch this drama if you are:
- A fan of Lee Seung Gi, Cha Seung Won and Lee Hong Ki regardless of how bad the story is
- Like the sort of love-hate witty bromance interactions similarly found in Goblin
- Not into strict happy endings
- Doesn't mind a non-outstanding female lead who's just there as long as the main lead's handsome and charismatic enough to attract your attention
- Looking for a drama that recycles old ideas previously used by the same writers such as having the OTPs wrapped around in a big comforter as they exchange sweet nothings while staring out of the window (eg: Secret Garden) or use of Asian drama "must-haves" such as memory lost or as this drama termed it as "fragmented memories"
My conclusion:
- It's an okay drama but I won't be re-watching it soon.
- It's time the Korean entertainment industry consider employing new writers with new ideas and styles coz recycling the same old ideas using same old writers who most likely have given us their very best and can no longer offer anymore better is frankly getting....well, OLD. Time to consider retirement, Hong sisters. Make way for new bloods.
- Sad waste of great names and talents. It's like placing a Lamborghini engine in an old Toyota car! What sad waste of resources!
- If I want to be lenient and consider the star-studded cast much loved by many (despite the disaster of the story), it can get away with an 8.0 but if you have a list of things to assess this drama on like in a Quality Assurance assessment, as you tick things off without consideration for the big names, you'll realize that the best rating you could give this drama is 7.0
Was this review helpful to you?
Story: I have to be honest here and say reincarnation and time-traveling stories are a dime in a dozen in Chinese dramas to the point the Chinese authorities had to regulate it! Melding modern with ancient Chinese settings is also pretty common. Having deities, ghosts, vampires etc as characters has been done for the umpteenth time! The strength of the story lies in the love triangle between the three main characters. Love triangle? Yeah - common amongst commons in Asian dramas! But the selling point here is......you can't really tell who's the male lead! In fact, I believe both men in the love triangle are the male leads. They are equally outstanding and equally worth your support as they both fought for the female lead's affections. So, you'll end up as either Team Ya Long or Team Si Yin. And true to Chinese drama, the romance is of tragic nature. That, however, shouldn't deter you from watching this drama because if you're like me in appreciating a good story and good characterization, you'll agree with the ending of this story. The good news is, it's not an open ending and it is one that will give you a sigh. I actually feel that after all the three people had been through, it's a fitting and compassionate ending.
Another nice addition to the drama is how first impressions may not be the right impression. Ya Long was characterized as the evil vampire - indiscriminately killing, possessive, arrogant, looking down on humans as food etc. First impression and even throughout the drama, he played the role of the vampire to a T. Then, he fell in love and didn't know what to do with it! At first, he dealt with it poorly but slowly, you start to see his point of view and before you know it, you are rooting for him! Then, at the end as his past-life story is revealed, you start to have split feelings about whom the female lead should end up with. His character was dealt at least a couple of twists! I also love Si Yin's character. First impression and throughout, he played the character of the nice guy who sacrificed all the time for the female lead. You couldn't help but feel sorry for him when it slowly became clear that his is most likely gonna end as an unrequited love. Then came the twist and you start to question if the female lead actually did feel something for him! She has many touching and loving moments with him. Just as you think you should switch your loyalties, his past-life story revealed a different character and you'll realize that Mr. Gentleman-Good Guy ain't Mr. Gentleman-Good Guy after all! There is a reason why he out of the three of them, got punished in the worst ways throughout all his reincarnations! And lastly, our female lead's character is pretty standard in most Asian dramas - bright, bubbly, innocent, bumbling, sometimes incorrectly street smart....she provided the bulk of the comedy in this drama. However, you'll find out at the end of the drama that where female leads are concerned, you'd prefer not to be in her shoes. Without giving too much away, I can summarize her character by saying she is the comedy and the tragedy of this drama.
There are also clear indications in this drama that the author of this story is influenced by both eastern and western beliefs and culture. Ya Long is very much a western vampire - with his sensitivity to sun, silver and the wooden stake. You will also be treated to some popular western myths re. creation such as the creation of a woman from a man's rib. I will not comment re. the author of this story (Vivibear - she's Chinese-Swedish which explains the western influence) and her fame as the Queen of Plagiarism. I'll just leave my review of the story at this: it's interesting enough to capture your attention and is worthy as a drama marathon material, BUT it is not outstanding! Hence, I rate the story at 8.5/10.
Acting/Cast: It is not often that we are treated to two male characters who are equally deserving as the male lead. Both Ma Ke and Fu Xin Bo shone through the drama. They embraced their characters to perfection! The female lead, Zhou Yu Tong, though not the prettiest and most outstanding female lead, adequately portrayed Ye Yin - a modern 18-year-old at the cusp of womanhood but still very much a little girl at heart. When you watch the drama and realize that the female lead is just 18-year-old, you'll understand why Yu Tong had to switch from being sometimes a girl and sometimes speaking and behaving like a mature woman. She's very much a modern teenager in ancient times! Special mention to Nie Zi Hao as Fei Niao (Ye Yin's senior). For a newcomer, he's doing really well. I hope to see him in a main role soon. The rest of the cast did an excellent job too! Hence, I gave the acting 9.0/10.
Music: The OSTs are worth downloading. My personal favorite is the ending OST by A2A. "....the happiness I once had, has come to the end of the road...your love is too blinding... what I wanted I cannot stop...in the end, there is only loneliness......love becomes a burden...." The lyrics aptly described the story.
Re-watch value: It took me 2 days to marathon this drama. I will not be re-watching it anytime soon but I think there will come a day when I become bored and unmotivated with the currently available dramas (aka Drama Slump) and this drama may serve as an adequate reprieve to that sort of boredom.
Overall: This is a drama worth watching but it is not a 9.0 and above sort of drama (if you get my meaning!). My only beef with this drama in terms of the production is the poor visual effects. I understand that it's not a big production like Eternal Love or Novoland, but the special effects can be better. However, if you can grit your teeth and turn a blind eye to the poor visual effects, the story will shine through. Overall, I rate this drama 8.5/10.
Was this review helpful to you?
Story: The synopsis of this drama pretty much summed up what it is - a story about a grim reaper who eventually disappeared from everyone's memories. This drama is more investigative thriller than paranormal romance. Therefore, do not watch this drama with an expectation of paranormal romance. The grim reaper part is the only paranormal part of this drama. It is not used for action or cool effects. The drama is primarily focused on revealing the many twists and plots that led to the deaths of key characters who coincidentally were linked to each other. The reason why I said this is a 'controversial' drama is because you'll either love it or hate it. Unfortunately, I belong to the later group. Hence, in this review, you will read about the other side of opinion as opposed to the many praises others have given to this drama. Hopefully, after reading this review alongside all the positive reviews of this drama, you will get a more balanced view.
The drama started out well with a scene from the final episode - laying the foundation for the mysteries it plan to address. Then, we are introduced to a series of murders which were inevitably linked to mysteries from the past. One by one, skeletons in the closets (literal and figurative) were exposed. And just when you think you've figured out who's the big baddie, the drama deals you another twist. I love twists and plots and sub-plots. But I dislike HOW they were presented in this drama. Sure, they got the 'lay the foundation' part right with many twists being explained with earlier scenes. However, how it was presented lacked the finesse of a true master! The pace of the drama requires re-thinking. You get a good start, then a sluggish middle and a sudden and fast-forwarded end. The last 2 episodes felt like a dump. You get every character in the drama running around trying to solve mysteries, getting killed and missing chances and clues for the better part of the drama and suddenly in the last 2 episodes, they have a sudden IQ increase and knew exactly what to do! Better yet - as soon as they knew what to do, everything fell into place just right for them to do it when the bulk of the drama showed how they kept on missing clues and chances! For example, Moo Gang can be thinking about a certain person and lo and behold!...the tv reports about that person just as he was wondering about him....and lo and behold!....he found that person in the next scene and knew he's the brains behind it all! Same case with the lady doctor... she's been going around trying to locate a certain person, even almost died because of that.....and suddenly in the final episode, she only need to pick up the phone to call him and he answered! Not only did he answered after evading capture for so long.... he even invited her to his place instead of meeting up at some random public but hidden place as any intelligent person evading capture would do! *face palm!* You can see now what I meant by re-thinking the pace. If clues were solved bit by bit and revealed randomly in the course of the drama while leading towards the eventual and logical capture of the big baddie at the end, this drama would have been a much better drama. As it is, the drama was a huge dump fest with all revelations revealed in the last 2 episodes in a whirlwind of past scenes meshed with current scenes in an attempt to give the storyline creditability.
The second main reason why this drama was a disappointment for me is the lack of chemistry between the female lead and the male lead. Let me start by saying that Kang Ha Ram is not a love-able character. She is meddlesome, bumbling, loud, prone to misconception and always stepping into situation without fully assessing it which led to the many mistakes she made leading to loss of lives. To make matters worst, she was supposed to form a love relationship with Moo Gang/Black. At best, the chemistry that came through was that of a comrade or older brother-younger sister. Hence, my earlier warning that this drama is NOT a paranormal romance. Romance was just an afterthought and the development of chemistry was lacking. In fact, it boggled my mind how Moo Gang/Black who was tauted to be the coldest and most unfeeling reaper could fall for Kang Ha Ram. It defied logic. It even defied logic how he could love her so much that he was willing to undertake the worst punishment ever! If the ending was about this great sacrifice the reaper did for his love, then the story should focus on developing a strong love line so the viewers could empathize on the reaper's decision. Instead, the bulk of the story was about the many twists and turns signature of an investigative thriller.
Acting/Cast: Despite my critique of the story, the acting in this drama is good. Although I dislike Kang Ha Ram's character, the actress portraying her did a good job as she had successfully made me dislike Kang Ha Ram! However, she failed to manufacture the necessary chemistry with her male lead that would convince me that they were indeed very much in love with each other. It takes two to tango - hence the lack of chemistry was also a fault of the male lead. Other than that, acting was spot on.
Music: Not worth mentioning and not the focus of the drama.
Rewatch value: I do not possess a sadistic bone in my body. Hence, I will not torture myself by re-watching this drama. What's done is done! And I am relieved that it's over!
Overall: Considering the sentiments of many who seemed to love this drama, this is my most lenient rating of this drama: 7.5/10. Truthfully, I would rate it closer to 7/10.
Was this review helpful to you?
Each of the four main characters were approached online by an 'entity' that identifies itself as the 'demon'. The 'demon' promised to fulfill their wishes but they will never find happiness. The main characters agreed to what the 'demon' offered and signed a lifelong contract with it. In return, the main characters received special powers that at first came in handy to help them but turned into curses that they slowly regretted. One by one, people around them disappeared or died and all of these crimes were somehow related to this 'demon' website. Through a series of circumstances, the main characters meet and after finding out they were all 'contracted' to the 'demon', started to band together to solve the mysteries. One by one the puzzle pieces are fitting together as the 'demon' prepares for a showdown with the world in what can be traced back to the mass murder case from 15 years ago.....
This drama is the perfect blend of mystery, action, sci-fiction, medical fiction, investigation and paranormal. There are some comedy as well when things get a bit too intense - which was a welcomed relief. The story started out with the 'demon' but towards the end, it makes you wonder about the opposite side of the 'demon' - the existence of 'good'. There was even a mention on the concept of Gaia at the final episode which totally delighted the sci-fi cum religious fiction geek in me! At the end of the day, you are left with a sense of wonder about human nature; just like what one of the main characters kept asking in the final episode: "Are humans naturally evil or good?"
Watch to find out! The ending explains everything - no loose ends left!
Excellent special effects and good acting. This drama is available in Youtube in HD and with English subtitles hard-subbed; so you never have to wait for Eng subtitles to watch it. What more are you waiting for?
Acting/Cast: Mostly new faces but they can act, so you won't be disappointed with the acting.
Music: Not much of music but the beginning and ending OSTs perfectly reflected the mood of this drama.
Rewatch value: I would say that this drama is split into five main parts:- Four parts on the stories of the four main characters and the final part begins when they meet and started to investigate the mysteries together. Hence, you can re-watch the parts or episodes of the character that you like. However, all of the parts are connected -which you will realise once our characters meet. Personally, I like the part when they meet and start to band together; that's when things start to come together and bits and pieces from the back stories of our main characters start to make sense. And of course, I love the ending! I am glad they extended this drama to 17 episodes to give us a perfect and unhurried ending. Well done!
Overall: If you haven't check this drama out yet, you should! This is an unexpected and delightful gem for year 2016! What a wonderful way to end the year and just two sleeps away to Christmas! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2016 everyone!
Was this review helpful to you?
