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Dounie
孤单 - 冬天的沙子 ♥/ Feel down
So in my humble opinion the most enjoyable parts of the drama are the story and the friendship between our three main characters : Yun Xiu, Feng Jing and Liu Yi :
1. I really found the story interesting and quite intriguing, firstly the revenge part where our lead is reborn as a new man with a new face, then his path to become a popular and acclaimed actor not for his look but only for his acting and at the same time getting his revenge, secondly the other important element is about the entertainment industry and how it works; what the actors have to go through before being accepted in an agency, how they are selected for their first project, it also deals with the internal battles between agents and last but not least the harsh competitiveness between actors, I found all of that fairly well done and realistic except for one or two things but nothing can be perfect.
2. The intense friendship between our main characters, I found it so real, pure and honest. It's true Yun Xiu isn't without faults but he knows how to value friendship, he is such a loving and caring man. He always gives support to Feng Jing and Liu Yi in most difficult times and the fact that it is reciprocal for them was very beautiful to see. It was mostly hard for Yun Xiu and Feng Jing to trust again after what happened to them in the past but when they met they knew they were meant to be good friends and that they could trust each other unconditionally and yes those who love bromance I can tell it's one of the deepest I've seen, it kinda startled me at first ^^. The strongest point of this drama definitely and what I loved the most about Revive. Surely for me they were the only attractive characters of the drama but they were just purely amazing and made this drama 100% worth watching for me.
My mind was only focused on Ma Ke, Xu Joe and Zhang Viann's characters the other actors weren't enough interesting to me and didn't add any savor to the drama that's why I won't say anything about them, but I need to say the twin brothers (whom I already saw in The Journey of Flower) had important roles here and I appreciated they weren't there just to block the two male leads' way even though I wanted to know more about them but they were not boring villains at least for me, just too stubborn at times.
Ma Ke delivered his part very well and was very credible in these different roles, I couldn't tell it was the same actor playing those various personalities, he was such a delight for the eyes, really well done. Both Xu Joe and Zhang Viann did really great too and surprised me in a good way, I loved how Xu Joe made his character so cold, meticulous and yet very heartwarming and vulnerable. A guy full of inner charms and principles ^^
Zhang Viann what a radiant actress and wow her black hair *.*, I really had eyes only for her, she's so beautiful and lovely as Liu Yi, a very understanding person, her best trait.
The music wasn't impressive unfortunately and didn't leave a great impression on me, only two or three BGMs caught my attention, the songs were just boring and not so much present in the drama.
There are other bad points and things I didn't like such as the dubbing which was very bad and disturbed me all throughout the series, I never complain about that as I'm used to it but when it's bad it's simply bad! Secondly I found the other characters so bland and very unappealing, for most of them I didn't like their acting and they were very frustrating (cf: Amanda, Qin Chu, Zhu Feng, Xie Yi ...) to be frank Lin Xuan was useless as well. There are other flaws but I'm a little bit lazy so I will stop there for now ;p
I would still recommend it for those who wanna watch something short and addicting, actually that's how this drama made me feel. Just if like me you start this drama with some apprehension you might end up liking it!
As for the ending, it was fine like that, I personally don't need a second season and I even think it would be a waste of time, so no complaint from me.
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So basically this movie is about a young man who decides to follow his father's footsteps after his retirement :becoming a postman.
Before retiring the father accompanies his son in the rural mountains of Hunan where he delivered mails to the villagers, villagers he knows very well and so he told his son that being a postman is not only a job where you deliver mails but you have to give all your love in it and understand well all these people, because they are the one who'll make him enjoy this job which is actually not an easy one since he has a long way to go before doing the work properly and so his fathher is going with him for his first time to show him the ropes, his father told him this ''as long as you have dreams you live, a life without dreams is not a life fully lived, same goes with this mail route it is tough but you meet nice people , you learn a lot on this route,then you find new meaning in the job. The villagers give your job a meaning, their life gives you a new meaning'' this sentence will remain in my heart for a very long time*0*!
A part from that I loved the father/son bonding here, I was so touched by their interactions. Here we have a son who does not even know anything about his father but on this long journey he will learn more about him than he could have learnt in his childhood and teenager's days , and so many scenes deeply touched me especially one when the son is carrying his father on his back, absolutely one of my favorite scene of the movie. Well I won't say much you have to see it with your own eyes and I'm sure you'll feel the same way as I did !
I'm sincerely glad I was able to watch such an underrated gem, it's the kind of movie which makes me forget about everything around me and allows me to enjoy every part of it without worrying about the rest.
I think these words perfectly describe the movie : Calm, poetic, breathtaking, beautiful and inspiring yep this is for me one of the most inspiring movie I've ever seen. I also have to say that the cinematography here is so stunning I took not less than 40 screenshots as the Hunan province is so beautiful filled with wonderful landscapes, definitely a place I would love to visit and rest for a long moment ;)
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I just will explain you what I love about this drama : I love the fact that we get to know more about the Japanese Coast Guards and what they have to go through , this drama tells us that being a coast guard is not an easy job and you'll feel it , everyday is a battle for them with their family with victims and also with their hierarchical superiors . I often felt compassion for these Guys because life is not easy for them I wanted to cheer them up and telling them that they can do it and overcome all the obstacles . And I must say it, they must be proud to doing something they like and more importantly to be able to help people in distress .
As for the characters I loved all of them , they all are unique on their own way especially Daisuke , he is such an energetic, adorable and crazy guy always jumping all over the place and being himself next to his cute girlfriend Kanna , and to be honest she's really supportive of him even if she has doubts she has always been understanding and that's only what he was asking for .
I also enjoyed Daisuke's interactions with his partners : Ikezawa , Tetsuya , Kenta ( the guy with glasses ) , and Shimokawa , they all made a great team .
To sum up, they all contributed to make this drama more enjoyable and there are so many emotional moments, I don't know how many times I cried as everything was magnificent, I did not cry because it was sad but because it was meaningful and I can defenitely recognize myself s in them .
OST : This ost is relaxing and makes me feel happy while listening to it , and I think it's perfect for a drama like Umizaru which is a slice of life's type ..
I don't know what to say to convince you to watch it , just that this drama is a gem if you have time you must definitely give it a try you won't waste your time because it's simply beautiful and all the characters are lovely and funny .
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As for the kid it was one amazing experience for him cause the people he met with Kikujiro made his days much brighter filled with laughter, and he is the total opposite of Kikujiro, so quiet, don't talk much, so kind but also very sensitive. One thing is sure he is an obedient child and would do anything you ask him and never complains. So those two characters complemented each other so well and they were a very nice and cool company to the other.
The other characters were a big added bonus especially Fatso, Baldy and the traveller. Their scenes with the two protagonists were among the best, so weird, ridiculous but so much diverting at the same time, just I had some issues with Baldy's behaviour for various reasons I won't tell there.
It definitely has a little dramatic tone but honestly we don't feel it as it was such a fun movie. I need more like this one from Japan, a real Gem highly recommended.
The Ost was exactly to my taste, we hear it since the first second of the movie and it was enough to make me fall in love with it, and what's even better is that all the soundtracks never leave us, they are always in the background adding more emotion and depth to the movie.
Some of my favorite tracks here:
- River Side
- Summer
- Going Out
- The Rain
I'm giving an 8 rewatch value cause I'm sure I would still enjoy it a second time, it's the perfect movie to watch when we're feeling down and morose however also good when we need something refreshing and a bit creative.
So that would be it for me, and hope more people will give it a try and enjoy it;D
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This review may contain spoilers
Oh Well I don't know where to start with this drama, I felt so many emotions like: happiness, sadness, fear, empathy, anger and the list is even longer. But yeah you can guess this drama left a big impact on me, Nankyoku Tairiku is the first one which made me cry from the beginning to the end. It's a drama about strong friendship I would dare say of strong relations between member of a same family, because we can definitely see the deep connections between each characters, as if they were brothers. A drama about human relationships indeed !!!!Here is the legend : I'm warning you because my reviews generally contain spoilers.
[#] : spoiler alert so don't read if you plan on watching the drama.
[%] end of spoiler
As I said before nothing can beat Nankyoku Tairiku,I can't even count the tears I shed for this drama and I constantly felt like I was with all these characters and dogs. It was so hard for me to see them suffering: [#] seeing the dogs wandering all by themselves in Antarctica when the members of the 1st expedition had to leave the continent and prepare the 3rd expedition.[%] I felt so sad for the dogs, I so wanted to hug and comfort them because they are pure treasure, they deserved to be loved and taking cared of. They touched me on so many levels :
1| the way they helped each others, I, for example will never forget the scene when [#]Kuma saved Riki's life, and this was even more meaningful when one knows that they did not get along at the beginning [%]; so right at this moment I started to cry like I never did, I was not able to contain myself for 10 long minutes.
2|They dedicated their lives to the members and the success of the expedition, they were the ones which prevent[#] Kuromachi and Himuro from dying[%]
3|Their willing to survive, I was so proud to see them fighting for their lives and not give up even if food was lacking.
To be honest I have/had a deep aversion towards dogs because I've always found them aggressive, I had been attacked years ago , it was not serious but still It was a bad experience and one thing is sure if they are hungry they can be very dangerous. However little by little I realized they are also living being and they need love like anybody else. I started to think diferently as I know they are the only ones that will save a human or non human life, furthermore they are the man's best friend, there's a reason for it right?
Anyway I'll stop being off-topic, these dogs were for me the stars of the show, the actors were even overshaddowed by them ;D
However one thing bothered me , beside Kuma, Riki, Taro, Jiro and Bekku all other dogs were set aside, I don't understand why because all the dogs were unique on their own way ;(
And now it's finally time to talk about the actors, and what an amazing casting!
I won't beat around the bush my fav character is Shirasaki sensei, I can't be objective as I'm big fan of Shibata Kyohei, you know he is the kind of person who radiates joy of living if he is sad he won't let others see this side of him , I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking that way ?! I also love his interactions with other characters, how he always take their side and put himself at risk for them : A trustworthy Man! As I'm talking about Trustworthy Man, in this drama the male characters are all reliable, I was so impressed by Kuramochi and his devotion for the success of the expedition, he gave everything he had, his strenght ,his knowledge his time only for others's dreams he did not mind if he could not go in Antarctica as long as his friends have this opportunity. I also loved his approach with dogs and how he protected them even if it means to bring upon himself the danger. Then Himuro who was a real surpise, at first he was very disagreeable with others, but little by little he showed his true colors: he is a sensitive person like everyone and he was just more realist than his comrades because he did not want to see them being disappointed. When I saw him crying for the dogs I realized how much he cared for them, that was his most sincere feelings.
And of course other characters were amazing, the kids they were the ray of sunshine of the show, the workers (Terajima san was so touching in this drama),Haruka and her deep love for Rikki, Natsuo,Hoshino San, the cook etc. There's only Ayase Haruka who did not leave an impression on me, she's good actress but her character was not enough developed or maybe that's just me who have a problem with Miyuki!
I will stop here because my review is long enough, but this drama really deserves to be praised and watched by many people and I'll be honest, to me Kuramochi is the best character Kimura Takuya ever portrayed. Of course I did not see all of his dramas ( so my judgement is only based on: Pride, A Sleeping Forest, Long Vacation and Nankyoku ) but he did such a great job that now I'm seeing him differently ;)
Last words? will be for the cinematography which was breathtaking, seriously this was one of the best I've ever seen in dramaland. I was already impressed by the amazing landscapes we could see in Japan , but Antarctica is such a beautiful place I'm not surprised because I've always found the snowy-land to be one of the most pleasing in the world !
Oh and there's something that truly annoyed me in this drama: The Narrator! I don't mind if there's a narrator to explain what will happen, but when it's so repetitive and only for telling about the coming unfortunate events , I simply disagree, because most of the time it ruined my mood + it was like real spoilers.
I highly recommend this drama, not only for Slice of Life Lovers nor for Kimura San's lovers but to everyone because this drama is simply beautiful and totally worth of your time, you just need to be aware that the eps are around 55 min long.
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This review may contain spoilers
Detective Tang Lang was a very refreshing and relaxing drama it brought me lot of laughs and yet I did not expect that, it was not excessively funny (and maybe I'm exagerating) but the comedy touch here and there was a very plus and made this drama much more enjoyable ! I have to admit I decided to watch this one because of Wei Qian Xiang, he is my favorite Chinese guy this is just like that and I can't really explain why but since Lan Ling Wang I could not forget him and I always wanted to watch something else with him just I needed to find the right drama and I think this one was perfect and I even love his character the most, the silliest. So I started it three weeks ago but that's when I realized Huo Wallace was in there too, I completely forgot that detail ! Just I think the poster misleaded me a little bit cause at first I really thought it was a modern Chinese drama only when I read the synopsis I knew it was set in Republic of China.Now back to the story, this is about a police officer, Tang Lang who got fired and then decides to open his own private detective agency, he then drags with him his friend Xiao Shan, well he leaves him no choice but to follow him in this new adventure, the only problem is that they don't have enough money for a location. Fortunately Huang Que, a Lawyer with whom they both had some issues, has an office with two rooms and out of kindness she proposes them to rent one.
That's how the story really began and both Tang Lang and Huang Que ended up working together, at first they were not willing but since their cases were connected, their only option was to cooperate.
In this drama for me the most interesting part is not necessarily the cases but the characters, I really have a crush on many of them : Xiao Shan, Tang Lang, Rong Ge, Luo Lan and Fong Da Yong (aka Pig head hehe) . I'll start with our main guy, the perfect words to describe Tang Lang are self-centered, smart, penniless and over-confident, but that's what makes him who he is , because of his ingenuity he always manages to solve the different cases he is working on, that's the difference between him and the Police!
The main girl who is working with him,is for me just normal there's nothing special to say about her plus I don't think she was particularly clever she knows about body language and that is a good point unfortunately she rarely made good use of this abilitie of hers.
Xiao Shan is for me the 3rd main character here and I don't really understand why he is not on the poster whereas he has more screen time than Xie Tian Hong, so yes I loved him and he was my absolute favorite character, he is so funny and most of his scenes made me laugh so hard as he is so spontaneous and always says what's on his mind he does not care if the person before him his a police officer or a member of mafia he just tells honestly what he thinks of them straight in the eyes, and I loved that so much. Plus I have to say that his first appearance was just memorable. He and Tang Lang made a perfect pair, I love their interactions . In short the bromance here is to my taste.
Fong Da Yong is a brainless police officer who always wants to steal Tang Lang's limelight but yes like I said he is stupid and so he never gets the chance to prove himself, instead he always put the Police in trouble. It was so funny how all the people in the drama called him Pig Head, he really is one!
Other two characters I like were Luo Lan, Tian Hong's wife, I love her calm, kind and beautiful nature, she does not get much screen time but she managed to leave a great impression on me and for me she was the only female character who stands out the most, she's not noisy or annoying just a simple woman who only wants to help her husband and her friends (Tang Lang & Huang Que) simply there for them no matter the situation .
And last, the super cool and funny Rong Ge, I loved him till the end (well just something that bothered me and I'll write about it under spoiler tag), I really had a soft spot on him he was so adorable and unpredictable, plus his haircut oh my what a funny one, that made him so ridiculous but I think that was part of his charm. He was really a breath of fresh air in this show and I loved seeing him prowling around Huang Que, I shipped them so much!
I won' t say much about the rest cause there's nothing special to say, Mei Lun was nothing special, Tian Hong was annoying and compared to Tang Lang he lacks charisma ...
Before ending this review I'll talk about the flaws and the reason why right now I can't give more than a 6.5, well I'll change the rating after some time, probably when I won't be as frustrated as I'm with this ending which came from nowhere and was not adequate ( as for the inadequate part that's because I can't accept all what happened after ep 28, just why did they have to do that, why? I was really pissed off).
Then, almost everything is predictable, that's not really a bad point but it was a bit too much and I did not really like that all the cases were linked, and I also think that the drama could have ended after ep 26, that way I would not be so upset.
As for the costumes somehow I don't think they really fitted in this context, and sometimes I did not feel like watching a drama set in the 20's/30's.
And one last thing, is about Su Ying Ying, I'll write in comment section too, but that is one of the thing I could not swallow, definitely not !
But overall that was a really fun ride and this is a drama I would definitely recommend to everyone, the eps are short and 30 eps is not that long especially for a Cdrama, the characters are all very funny and interesting on their own way, the drama was entertaining mainly thanks to them. Last but not least I think it can be marathoned in 4/5 days, I just took my time since I did not want to leave them so soon especially Xiao Shan, Tang Lang and Rong Ge <3
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The beautiful and inspiring 90s.
That was my first drama of 2019 and I think I made the right choice, it was absolutely refreshing and sweet <3.After hearing only positive things about When We Were Young I thought it was an overrated drama and that I won't like it as much as others did but it was the exact opposite , I just loved it and would definitely recommend it to all those who want to reminisce about their high school days or simply about their youth. And despite having prejudices against this drama before starting it what made me want to venture into it was the 90s setting being myself born in the early 90s and a huge fan of that time period, I just couldn't miss that one no matter how prejudiced I was before starting it (I know it's bad). Yes, I think this drama totally deserves all the positive critics it received.
To be honest after I watched the first few episodes I was quite impressed, I immediately fell in love with the whole group of friends and particularly with Hua Biao. Their friendship and the overall drama seemed so authentic and beautiful that I was actually really happy I chose this one as my first of 2019.
Firstly I would love to mention about the friendship in this drama because this is what I loved the most, and it was so powerful that I could feel it was real.
-Hua Biao, Yang Xi, Si Tu Er Tiao, Li Yu, Yang Xiao He Mei. A little mention for Huang Deng Deng.
I'm a sucker for friendship dramas and I generally always enjoy them but in this drama it was even more special (for me) because those 5 persons are such genereous, kindhearted persons, doing things not expecting anything in return, I have so many examples but that would be pointless mentioning them. I just can't tell how many times Hua Biao did something for Yang Xi and the others without even telling them, same goes for Si Tu Er Tiao who is such an adorable and selfless boy, Huang Deng Deng all what she did for Li Yu and so on. So yeah I really fell in love with them because there's a meaning behind each of their action even though at first we might not understand why they are behaving in such a way.
And now Hua Biao who left the biggest impression on me. I have to say that I had a real crush for Hua Biao's character, he's a pure GEM and his smile aaaaw <3. All the characters are adorable and selfless but Hua Biao he's on another level in my opinion. He's a friend you can depend on and who will never let you down, he's having a difficult time taking care of his sick grandmother but if you need him for something he would never refuse helping his friends and other acquaintances. He would always find a way to make others happy . Well I could say more but I will stop here.
As for the female lead I really liked her too though she's kind of impulsive but she's a really caring and lovely girl. And I really enjoyed her interactions with Hua Biao and her brother.
Lastly I need to mention about the 90s setting and the realism of the drama. I found the story quite realistic especially the way the characters are portrayed in the drama. I really could see myself in all of them, the way they interact with their family, friends and teachers, and aaaah the scenes between Yang Xi and her brother are really funny and realistic. What I loved the most about the 90s though it was the apparition of videos games and such, teens knew how to have fun like we can see in ''When We Were Young'' :
-Reading books, we could seen them reading some famous wuxia novels like ''Legend of Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes'' etc, and they were so happy talking about their fave characters of the books.
-Going to the theater with friends, watching famous movies of that time.
-Spending time in each others' houses, when Hua Biao and Li Yu went to Yang Xi's house and or Yang Xi, Si Tu Er Tiao and others were gathering in Hua Biao's rooftop.
this is what I remember about the 90s and why those years are so special to me though I was still a kid. That's also probably why this drama resonated so much with me.
Oh and about realism, I really loved the ending, I found it realistic and very satisfying. I couldn't imagine another ending if you were to ask me.
In conclusion, I really recommend this drama for all those who are looking for a heartwarming and lighthearted drama because that's what it was for me.
*I gave an 8,5 rating because I truly enjoyed the drama and felt so much emotion while following, Yang Xi, Hua Biao, Si tu Er Tiao, Li Yu and the others's adventures and it reminded me how valuable my high school years were and how much I love that time. I couldn't give more for some personal reasons but all I can say is that it was the best school drama I watched from China and I want to watch more dramas like this one ;).
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I always wanted to write about this movie because I loved it and still I think it's so underrated though I can totally understand why people were disappointed and did not like Shanghai Triad as much as other Zhang Yimou's movies such as "Raise the Red Lantern", "To Live", '' House of Flying Daggers'' etc. I read diverse opinions here and there and why people didn't like it that much, expecting something else considering it's a crime movie, but what I can tell is that all what happened was in my opinion really logical and I knew it would be like that and not otherwise. Maybe it's because I enjoy more those type of stories which might not be everyone cup of tea.
I found the first part of the movie a bit too slow, everything was shown from Shuisheng's point of view and the second part was my fave, I simply loved it, In the first half of the movie I did not like JingBao's behaviour she was in my opinion too strict, capricious, mean and too superficial but in the second half I simply fell for her, I loved how she showed such a different side of her.
This is how I rated this movie :
A 7 for the first 45 mins because like I said they were a bit slow but I still enjoyed the scenes with JingBao in the Cabaret, her singing and strong presence.
The second half was simply a pure 10 for me, JB singing with Aijao and Shuisheng, plus all her scenes with Aijao's mothers were so touching and beautiful in my opinion, not to mention the setting with the gorgeous and breathtaking sceneries.
Overall : 8.5.
This movie is simply one of my favourite Zhang Yimou's, I'd say My 5th favourite, that's how much I loved it. I gave not less than a good 8,5. It's purely subjective and maybe I'm among the few who loved this movie but simply I was amazed by Gong Li's wonderful acting, the sceneries and the touching scenes with the little boy and little girl.
Gong Li as always was ravishing, outstanding and a pure beauty, making this movie even more enjoyable for me. Would recomment it at least to her fans.
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I personnaly enjoyed the drama of course it's not perfect and I was not expecting some masterpiece just to be entertained and appreciate the story and all the actors' effort because here they all did an awesome job and I'm so thankful for that , I loved them all , the evil , the good and also the naive ones ! There's also a good thing in this drama , it tells us not to avenge our precious friends/family's death because it will always lead to never ending deaths , yeah what Hong Qi Gong said really touched me because he was so right but at the same time it's really not easy not to kill the ones who made us suffer. I think that anyone can enjoy in this long journey , there are everything in this drama , some good romance ( the second couple) , good wuxia , friendship , amazing interactions and discussions between Masters and their disciples , revenge , love and also hatred ! 50 eps is not so long when there are all those things put altogether well , believe me !
The cast :
I'm pretty satisfied with the actors chosen for this show , they were definitely all great , some were innocent and nice but very skillful , others smart and also skillful but at the same time a bit calculative (but in a good way) , vicious and evil etc .
So now I will talk about the characters :
Hong'er : this girl is so skillful , smart, fearing nothing and nobody , also calculative not in a pejorative way just that when she wanted to obtain something she always knew how to take action ( using some tactics and deceive the enemy ) I also like how she speaks to elders she respects them of course but they don't intimidate her .
Jing'er: was a brave innocent skillful guy , always helping others when they were in difficult situations maybe that's what I like the most about him , I was always hoping to see some changes in him because he was so brainless and if Rong'er was not here to help him he would not have been so powerful in martial arts , so I think He became what he is thanks to her also I was a little bit surprised seeing him more like a real man near the end I thought he would never change , good point but it was too late .
Furthermore I just want to say that Rong'er & Jing'er's personalities complemented each other , the first one is smart and calculative and the other is really gentle and skillful , good combo ;D
Ouyang Ke : I sincerely love this guy he was so charismatic , skillful , calculative ( that's why at some point I wanted him to be with Hong'er because even if their personalities are really different they could have made a great couple since they are both intelligent ) . He was always scheming behind other's back but I did not care I simply loved him .
Hong Qi Gong : the first time I saw this guy I was so amazed , so gentle guy , I loved the way he deals with others ''give me food and I will teach you martial arts'' of course he could help them without getting food but that was his way of dealing , I love his first encounter with Hong'er & Jing'er it was so funny . He's always willing to help people and he has not something in his mind , he does not want to harm others or to steal their riches to get more power. For me he is the best in the pugilistic world .
Kang'er , first of all I really liked him in the beginning , such a good guy , intelligent but not as much as Hong'er & Ouyang Ke but he has brain , and then he lost his mind and became evil , there was time I truly wanted to kill him , he got more and more evil and Nianci his lover could not help him, talking about Nianci Most of the time, we only see her when she is with Yang Kang and I think there's no really depth in her character , that's a waste of talent . And I just wanted to say , their first encounter was so electric and right away I felt chemistry between them and wanted them to be together .
I did not forget Zhou Botong who was the craziest character here !
The villains are good too , but not so hateful beside Ouyang Feng who was so obsessed with martial arts , a crazy and heartless Man .
If I have to choose only 3 favorites characters my vote will go for : Hong'er , Hong Qi Gong and Ouyang Ke .
The music :
I think all the songs here fitted perfectly with the atmosphere of the drama , I particularly liked the ending theme , the opening was good too but I won't listen to it as it was just fine for the show . There is another song I loved but I can't identify the title .
I won't rewatch this drama , just probably some scenes with Rong'er , Hong Qi Gong, Ouyang Ke and Zhou Botong, that's all !
And to finish with this review I'll just say that If you're a big fan of Wuxia , and of some of the actors you must definitely give it a try and I'm pretty sure you won't regret it , maybe the special effects that are awful but at least I prefered to laugh hihi .
PS : If you're a big big fan of Ariel Lin you must watch it because she's such a badass a smart girl in this drama , without her it wouldn't have been the same .
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So the story deals with a group of 4 college friends Yi Fen , Yang Mao Tang,Tian Mi Xiang and Hao Mei who decided to live together in Mi Xiang's aunt's house to pursue their dreams even if they know that it's not easy to attain their goal, the road is filled with many obtacles and sometimes sacrifices have to be made, the dreams can change too depending the path people follow but to never give up is the sentence all these girls would scream to you. I still remember when Yi Fen said ''that we can not give up before even trying'' which is absolutely true. I'm a little bit sad because in this drama we don't have the opportunity to explore more of each character's dreams beside Qi Feng ( Chris Wang), Yi Fen, Dao Yuan and Mao Tang, the others characters were completely ignored.
As for Yang Mao Tang, her dream changed a little bit because as I said before people may change over time and follow another path, She was the perfect example and that is not a spoiler.
Now I'll say some words about the characters since I have a lot on my mind that needs to be said. My favourites were Mi Xiang and Ping Yao, they made me so crazy . I mean their common love for Arts, one is a painter and the other is a Poet, through this passion they were able to understand each other very well, much much more than the other couples. I love how Ping Yao takes care of Mi Xiang, always considering her thoughts first before doing anything and making her smile. Their first encounter was unique and made my heart beat so fast cause I knew they would make a great and silly pair together. I simply had to talk about them even before the leads, they were the most outstanding for me :) . Then comes Qi Feng and Yi Fen, I really loved them too, they were cute and adorable and never let misunderstandings destroy their relationship, Yi Fen is such a generous, calm and interesting girl, I love her determination to never give up and because of her Qi Feng achieved so many great things.
Our second main couple ''Dao Yuan/Mao Mao'' was pretty annoying, I was totally insensitive toward their love, and sometimes it was like Mao Mao was suffering the most, and as if everything was related to her love story with Dao Yuan which super annoyed me but for sure those who love romance will enjoy in their sweet but lovey-dovey relationship, it was just not my case. If I begin talking about Dao Yuan it will tire me, he made one huge mistake: listening to others and let them dictate him what he has to do and I couldn't understang that. He is very tender and righteous when it comes to work and his real dream was to make Mao Mao happy beside being fair and work for people's rights. I admire that in him but what else does he have to offer?!
Other characters were fine but nothing special, I did really like Mao Mao's manager, Liang Jin De (director of I-Game company), as for Hao Mei the fourth girl I found her really childish and boring and I did not find her pretty useful for the story.
Otherwise my overall impression of this drama is pretty good, I loved the friendship between all these characters which was also one of the reason I watched this drama, but somehow it was not enough developed, I wish they went more often together outside doing activities, anyway there were still great moments. This drama surely has many flaws, some reactions from our characters were very childish and rash even from the oldest, that I was constantly cringing, many things were predictable too it bothered me and sometimes not, and to be honest I knew how it would end, I must say that I'm not really fond of this kind of ending I have my personnal reasons but I won't tell more.
I decided to give this drama a 7, it was fun and refreshing, exactly what I needed at the moment to feel relaxed and not stressed so = mission accomplished. And in comparism with other Twdramas I find this one much better and that's why I give it a pretty high rating.
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So you may ask what is the particularity of this drama ? Simply entertainment and a fresh amazing lead actor : Chen Xiao ; he was probably one of the reason I had to finish this drama no matter what. I really liked the character Chen Xiao portrayed : Yang Kang's son Yang Guo who is a very funny, playful, smart guy. He was not fully aware of his father's past and what sins he committed but it's like he atoned for his father's wrongdoings since he lend a hand to the Guo family and was always here in critical situations.
I really like that he was so different from his father, as a child he wandered everywhere and had no place to call 'his own" but still he only made the right encounters which led him to be the asltruistic, reliable, and friendly person he is as an adult. And when he loves someone it's till the end he will never let anyone ruin the love he feels for this one person no matter the hardship he has to overcome to be with her.
The only other good point I can find to this show are the fighting scenes and all these martial arts shows, even if it was not always well executed and choregraphed it was fine for me. I almost forgot there's finally something that I really liked, it was the Jilun Guoshi/Xiang'er's moments near the end .
And now I will list all the things I disliked and there are a lot unfortunately.
-The characters, which I found to be very plain, dull, underdeveloped and totally useless, honestly I did not understand the use of introducing so many characters which would simply die after two eps or make them disappear juster after their introduction. They did not manage to convey their feelings the way they should or maybe they tried but they did not reach their goal which is to move the audience.
If we take a look at the cast we can see there are not less than 30 supporting characters, they are supposed to bring something new to the story but I could not feel it and I did not take interest to their stories, I found them to be very annoying.
-So many despicable characters, I would have gladly hit to death :
*Zhao Zhi Jing : each time he opened his mouth I had murder desires !
*Fu'er , I simply can't understand why Rong'er doted so much on her, she was too spoiled and always acting like a capricious girl.
*Huo Du
*Gong Sun Zhi and his wife were so annoying and I hated Sun Zhi's fake smile.
-Xiao Long Nu, I found her too passive, she has no expressions at all always the same bland expressions. The actress had no chemistry with Chen Xiao and I think that only comes from her.
-Bad dubbing voices, especially the ones who were dubbing Zhou Botong's characters.
-The characters never age, oh well Zhou Botong is supposed to be 80 and even more but no he is still alive with amazing Martial Arts skills, the same goes for Huang Laoshi, JiLun GuoShi, Reverend Yideng etc.
-Special effects were very bad too, and yet I expected a lot since it's a new version, I thought they would work darned and show us some beautiful sceneries but nothing! And it's better to not get me started on that topic ;)
I never ever do speedwatching so even if I found the drama very boring I watched it till the end without missing any parts ;)
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This review may contain spoilers
I guess this is the first time a Kdrama inspires me that much for me to write a review, from my point of view this drama is a jewel so I decided to express my love for it though it might be an unpopular opinion.It's true I only got interested in Ruler of Your Own World because of Lee Na Young as I've always wanted to see her in at least one drama (her movies are not enough for me I needed more of this actress and a drama would be the perfect length), if it was not for her I think I would have never heard of Ruler of Your Own World and miss the opportunity to watch such a great and passionate drama. She was the one who brought me here indeed but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Yang Dong Geun was also in this drama as the leading guy, I discovered both main actors in the awesome movies (Our Happy Time with LNY and Fighter in the Wind with YDG) so without any doubt I was even more excited to start this drama, and I was not disappointed, the opposite I'd say.
RoYOW really impressed me and I still can't believe I did not stumble upon this drama sooner as I fell under the spell of all the characters and the story, the reason is that it feels so real and genuine and for the first time I watched a drama with almost zero clichés and it's a first for me saying something like that about a Korean drama, I know I did not watch that many but among those I watched no one is as authentic as RoYow which at first really surprised me, I was like ''Am I really watching a Kdrama'' anyway I'm glad I can now say that about a Kdrama as it was about time for me to watch something new and different from South Korea and for me this is a magnificent piece in so many ways. I really loved this drama for all the mentioned things above but there are more than that, the story itself is very uplifting and heartwarming largely thanks to the great supporting cast, all of them bring a lot to the drama. I also need to say it's very depressing because of all the things that are happening/happened to the characters however I was very amazed to see how they cope with their own issues so calmly and bravely.
I love how the relationships between the main and the supporting cast are developing in the drama, really wonderful and honest.
BokSu and Kyung are the center of the story, this is obvious (and when they are together it's definitely like they are the ruler of their own world) but the supporting characters play also a big part in the drama, their bonds with the main characters are strong and deep and the drama also takes time to develop their parts. I decided to Edit my review and put the part about the characters in the spoiler tag, feel free to read, there's no spoiler but I think it was better to remove that part from the review.
The Ost was one of the other good points in this drama, anyhow there's not a single bad thing to say about Ruler. and yes the Ost was the part I love the most, so beautiful & relaxing. At first I did not pay much attention as the songs and intrumentals played in the background are so discreet, I was more immersed into the story but I came to notice them and they are a pure delight for the ears. So many great songs I could mention especially by the singer ''Lee Hyun Wook'' a real discovery ;D
I'll end this review saying this drama is really worth the watch and that Kdrama fans should give it a try, especially those who like old Kdramas. If I fell in love with this drama it's because its storytelling is simple yet so heartwarming, it's not the addictive type but it has its own qualities which I generally appreciate in dramas : greatly written characters, great story and Ost. The interactions between all of them are always natural and mature, I'm almost sure that teens would probably find this drama too slow and maybe boring but a mature audience could appreciate it for its qualities.
Okay the chemistry between characters is great especially between our main couple and for me it was so beautiful seeing them this close but it's not the kind of chemistry a romance drama fan would expect I think but for me it was perfect, I did not want more, it was good this way.
If I have to find some flaws it would be about the last eps which were a bit too long and in my opinion 16 eps would have been enough but I won't complain cause I could see Lee Na Young and Yang Dong Geun a bit more and I have to tell how outstanding they were in their roles, I was feeling all what they were living because their lives are not like a fairy tale, they are all struggling and living with their own problem courageously , and this doesn't apply only to them but also to the other actors who did as great especially Gong Hyo Jin , Shin Goo, Lee Se Chang & Yoon Yeo Jong. My other complaint is about the last ep which was for me a bit ridiculous at some moments, certain events happening in this episode were exaggerated and upset me a little bit, one of the reason I can't give a 10.
I don't think I would rewatch it, I loved it but it was depressing enough so once is good but twice not, maybe after 5-10 years have passed;D
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What a mind-blowing drama, and I really mean it! I'm super happy that it was the first HK drama I managed to complete (even if it's not my very first) because it is such a wonderful drama with a very interesting and brillant storyline (setting, costumes, character development...) , I have watched many dramas but a drama like this one there aren't too many unfortunately. I finished Rosy Business in one week and now I feel very empty cause I'll miss all of them especially : Po Kei, Chai Kau, Pit-Ching and, Fong, Yau Man .I really don't know where to start with this drama since there are so many things to say about it but I'll try to be concise.I have to underline that Rosy Business focuses on a middle-aged woman – Hong Po Kei and how she married Tseug Kiu, became the fourth wife and ended up running the Hing Fung Lin's Business ( the Tseung's family Business) and one of the reason that makes me happy I watched this drama is that it deals with a woman over 40 since in general I'm more used to watch dramas about young women that was a very pleasant change, there should be more dramas like that. So throughout the drama we'll see how she interacts with her new family, how she manages to make the business prosper and deals with the other wives, Pit Man and this money hungry Pang Hang's attacks who always make things difficult for her. But with her brain, Chai Kau's and the Prince's help she'll prove conntless times why she should stay the only legitimate Hing Fung Lin's owner .
Truthtfully I have to say that Po Kei is THE STRONGEST FEMALE LEAD I've ever seen in dramaland and I'm not overstating. The perfect words to describe her '' DARING'', ''DECISIVE'', '' FEARLESS'', ''SMART'', ''KIND-HEARTED'' and ''BRAVE''. The actress Sheren Tang was mind-blowing and I love the way she interacts with all of the characters, especially her relationship with Chai Kau, they have an Employer/employee's relationship but for me it was more than that, they care for each other, they love each other and can sacrifice everything for the other, for me Po Kei was like a sister to him and I love so much when Chai Kau said how she was the only one in his life worth of his respect and that no matter what happens he will always respect her and shows to the world that she's the only respectable person in Wuxi. And she was like his saviour, she was always there for him and giving him strength when his moral was low and about to give up everything. He even created a Po Kei's sect, that is to say how much he loves her! Po Kei is a woman who'll do absolutely anything for the one she loves and cares for, always protecting Pit-Ching and his Mother Fong who has been the victime of the two first wives (Kiu and Fung Yee) since she married the master, always making her life worse than of an animal, intimidating her, And I felt so sad for her, I wanted her to stand for herself and stop them from mistreating her this way, sometimes it wad too painful to see. I won't say more about the character cause I feel like I could spoil a little carelessly, but for sure we either like them ( Po Kei, Chai Kau, Fong, Pit-Ching, Pit-Mo,Prince Wai, Lau Fong, Pang Kiu) or hate them (Pit-Man, Fung Yee and this Pang Hang).
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The villains here were very despicable and did the most unthinkable hideous things and nothing could stop them, very frightening. I really hated Pit Man with his mother and this Pang Hang who was there to steal Tseung's money and back-stabbing them when he was given an occasion. But I have to say that the actors did the job very well, especially the mother with her scary eyes!
Thanks to this drama I discovered two awesome talented actors I'll keep an eye on : Sheren Tang and Wayne Lai and how perfect it is since I'll be able to see them together once more in ''No Regrets'' . I really have no words to describe their performance in this drama, simply astonishing and perfect <3
I would like to say that despite hearing only good things about this drama I really did not expect to enjoy it that much since I'm still very new with HK dramas but RB convinced me that I have to watch more and more and find other gems like this one.
There are still some things that bothered me, first it is about the stuffy atmosphere and I have to say that (I've always thought like that about HK dramas only looking at the posters and the ones I tried were like that too but not too much) maybe this is their way of filming. Anyway back to rosy business the costumes, the story in general and the colors (for example Fung Yee always wears dark clothes filled with red, navy blue and khaki tones,) are suffocating but it does not make the drama less interesting, not at all ! Other things that kinda troubled me was about Po Kei's personality since this is a major spoiler I'll write about it in the spoiler tag.
To end this review I recommend this drama to everyone even for those who aren't used to HK dramas as it was such a clever and passionate story, I was glued to the screen!
ONE OF THE BEST HISTORICAL DRAMAS!!!
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This review may contain spoilers
That's the embodiment of sweetness and warmth.
I guess the only way to let go of this drama is to write a review about it because otherwise I wouldn't be able to move on and start something else, not that it's a bad thing but I'm really too much in love with ARRTI at the moment. Honestly it's been 3 years I haven't written a single review so I can tell you that to come back and write one today is such a big achievement and only proves to me how much attached, in love and invested I was with the story, its characters and everything else.I wanna start by saying that what got me interested in the drama is the 90s setting, I'm a real sucker for that time period especially in school dramas so when I read it was mostly set in 1997/1999 which is the case for most of the drama (if I remember correctly we move to the second millenium around ep 24 so I was completely satisfied because in most school dramas only 1 quarter of the drama takes place in the late 90s which is so frustrating. And to be honest I think that the 90s settings, props and decors were realistically depicted, from the fashion to the culture (music, movies ...) and the technology of that time, it was as I remember them from my childhood days. And to me that matters a lot because if I feel like it's not well represented it would have lessened my interest and love for the drama so really a big thumb up to the production behind this unforgettable and wonderful drama.
It'll be hard to express my thoughts into words and what truly made me fall in love with ARRTI but all throughout my watching journey I was comparing it to "When We Were Young" (2018) and thought it would never surpass that drama which was my fave chinese school drama until I finished " A River Run Through It" however my heart just loves ARRTI so unconditionally which made me realise how stuck and in love I am with it, I can now say proudly that it's the best Youth drama I've ever watched and definitely in my top of 2021, that's how well written and breathtaking it is.
The reason why I'm so emotionally invested is because this drama made feel utterly and completely happy while I was having a difficult time, it made me forget about my harsh reality and brought me happy tears, smiles and laughters for about 30 hours, and for a drama to make me feel that way it can only be a good one in my standards. It's rare going through such feelings during your watching experience, it's something to cherish from the bottom of your heart and that's why I felt the need right now to write about it and tell how awesome, heartwarming and stimulating this show is because it can definitely brighten up someone's day like it did for me. I'm so grateful toward the actors, the production and everyone behind the success of this drama because it made my viewing experience so much more meaningful.
Regarding the story, I don't have much to say, I've seen similar shows like this one and I know that it will either be a hit or a miss but this time what made it a success for me is:
*The realistic portrayal of the characters and how natural they were with each other.
*The relatable relationship between the main characters and their parents, I particularly love the squabbles between Shi Yi and his father, I encountered similar things when I was younger with my mum who was often chasing after my siblings and I with a broom in a serious but still in a funny way. Not to forget XiaoJu's issues with her mother regarding her mum's preference for her brother over her, it was so realistically portrayed that it hurts.
*The authentic settings, I absolutely love their neighborhood, it looks so 90s and so real, everyone knows each other and helps each other, it brings so much nostalgia.
* The beautiful and convincing friendship between all of them: Shi Yi, Xiao Ju, Le Tao, Bao Bao, Cheng Lang, Lin You and Huang Jun. They're all good and wonderful in their own way.
* The Music, the songs and the bgms I particularly love Datu/XiaoJu's song " Do you Know I'm waiting for you?" which is so touching and beautiful, same with Huang Jun/Le Tao's song. And not to forget that bgm with those weird sound effetcs with that bleating sheep sound, it cracked me up for real :p.
And now the most important part for me and what got me truly addicted and obsessed: the friendship between Lu Shiyi and Xia Xiaoju. They were definitely the highlight of the drama for me, it's true Shiyi is my fave character of the drama and he's the one who made it even more special in my eyes but his relationship with Xiaoju was just so beautiful and inspiring to watch, a lot to learn from them both: their interactions, their understanding of each other, their care and unconditional love for each other was just portrayed in such a way that you can only believe it's true. Shiyi did a lot for XiaoJu, he was always there for her in her saddest and most painful time but Xiaoju was always there for him helping him and comforting him when he needed it the most. They just complement each other so well, Shiyi is naughty, playful, funny, positive and caring and Xiaoju is calm, serious a little bit pessimistic yet very cute and supportive of her friends.
{SPOILERS] If I were to mention about the things I didn't like, I would say sometimes it looks a little bit cliché but afterall it's a school drama, to this day I haven't found one where I told myself "yeah that's how it was during my high shcool days" but maybe because In western countries the education is different from what it is in Asian countries, I don't know.
Of course the last few episodes were a little bit disappointing but I've seen so many more Chinese dramas with frustrating ending with annoying decisions taken by the leads that I didn't feel bothered it by certain turn of events.
Also though I really like Le Tao with Xiaoju and the others I didn't like how she hit Huang Jun no matter how wrong he might have been toward her, it's something that truly bothered me, it's a tendency that she had all throughout the drama with guys. {END OF SPOILERS]
I guess when I feel bored I'll come back to this drama as it not only brought me happiness, laughters and inspiration but also beautiful and positive messages about life and its ups and downs and that with effort and confidence we can achieve whatever we want to. I really loved seeing all of them evolving into mature, strong and independent persons who didn't give up after one failure.
And obviously I would recommend to watch this drama for all those who are looking for a realistic story with genuine and touching characters that will grow on you and make you feel immensely happy and crazy. Last but not the least the best character of the year definitely goes to Shiyi, I can't count how many times I replayed his crazy and funny scenes while he was playing with Xiaoju's nerves but my it was so hilarious and heartening ♥♥
I'll remember A River Runs Through it for all the sweetness I got from it ♥.
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