20
40
2
Drama Mama Lambanana
UK
An appreciation for MDZS is almost a prerequisite.
8/10
IMO the drama doesn't stand up on its own. An appreciation for MDZS is almost a prerequisite.
Over the years, three separate attempts were made before giving up on this drama. Until I recently fell down the MXTX donghua rabbit hole and binge watched all three series of MDZS donghua in a matter of days. So I restarted and finished TU, finally.
I like the MDZS story. The live action is ok. I was moved in parts but it lacked humour. Actor performances varied, LZ only came to life later on. I have not read the novel yet but I know of the relationships that are omitted in both the donghua and the live action. I don't mind this, if you're looking for it, the subtle looks and smiles are there.
I suppose the biggest complaint of the drama is the pacing, I watched a lot of the show at 1.5x and it didn't feel sped up at all, I often went to increase the speed to find it was already at 1.5x (Netflix max). The first 20 episodes were verging on boring, when are they going to "get good"? 20 episodes of lashings and getting beaten down.
The next 13 episodes, a lot happens and was actually paced better than the donghua.
The drama becomes far more interesting when we're finally out of the ginormous 33 episode-long flash back and deal with the matter in hand.
The ending, the final showdown, was a big let down. Visually non threatening, in fact I was often just distracted by the red paint on WWX's neck or ZWJ looking like handsome squidward. The heartbreaking moments for ZWJ....meh, I felt nothing here. I felt more heartbreak for Xue Yang. And then finally 5mins of WWX walking in the mountains...huh? What?
Random observations. Wasn't it uncanny how much Jin Ling looked like Jin GuangYao? The opening credits was bland, I skipped every time.
Honestly, I'm just glad I've finally completed it. I doubt I'll ever rewatch, maybe fan made edits, the fandom is very talented.
Off to go appreciate more MDZS in its various forms (manhua, audio, novel).
IMO the drama doesn't stand up on its own. An appreciation for MDZS is almost a prerequisite.
Over the years, three separate attempts were made before giving up on this drama. Until I recently fell down the MXTX donghua rabbit hole and binge watched all three series of MDZS donghua in a matter of days. So I restarted and finished TU, finally.
I like the MDZS story. The live action is ok. I was moved in parts but it lacked humour. Actor performances varied, LZ only came to life later on. I have not read the novel yet but I know of the relationships that are omitted in both the donghua and the live action. I don't mind this, if you're looking for it, the subtle looks and smiles are there.
I suppose the biggest complaint of the drama is the pacing, I watched a lot of the show at 1.5x and it didn't feel sped up at all, I often went to increase the speed to find it was already at 1.5x (Netflix max). The first 20 episodes were verging on boring, when are they going to "get good"? 20 episodes of lashings and getting beaten down.
The next 13 episodes, a lot happens and was actually paced better than the donghua.
The drama becomes far more interesting when we're finally out of the ginormous 33 episode-long flash back and deal with the matter in hand.
The ending, the final showdown, was a big let down. Visually non threatening, in fact I was often just distracted by the red paint on WWX's neck or ZWJ looking like handsome squidward. The heartbreaking moments for ZWJ....meh, I felt nothing here. I felt more heartbreak for Xue Yang. And then finally 5mins of WWX walking in the mountains...huh? What?
Random observations. Wasn't it uncanny how much Jin Ling looked like Jin GuangYao? The opening credits was bland, I skipped every time.
Honestly, I'm just glad I've finally completed it. I doubt I'll ever rewatch, maybe fan made edits, the fandom is very talented.
Off to go appreciate more MDZS in its various forms (manhua, audio, novel).
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