LynnLy

Finally a grownup romance

Let me start by stating the show is not perfect, there are some slow spots and some silly misunderstandings but those are resolved relatively quickly and we moved on. This show is really about two people meeting and how their relationship evolves. I've read some reviews saying that not much happens, but that is really life. Life isn't always super exiting or tragic it can be mundane and just every day. That is what I liked about this show.

So I'll start with the 2 main leads. The ML was a stiff, no-nonsense doctor who basically worked hard , did what he could to help everyone, but really had no life experience. The FL was younger and sometimes a bit immature as her father told her, but she had a good heart. The 2 complimented each other well. The FL lead got the ML to open up more and experience life, while the ML helped her to mature and make difficult life choices. What I really appreciated was that the 2 were different but equally. Sometimes he did things that ended up hurting her, and sometimes she made the mistakes and ended up hurting him, but they worked through the issues together like an adult and real relationship. I also liked the fact that unlike other Chinese romances, this was not the perfect male lead (although he was pretty close to perfect) where the girl adores him and treats him like a god.

I also enjoyed the family dynamics. I absolutely loved the FL's family. I think everyone would be happy to have them as parents. The father strict but looking at for the best interests of the daughter, and the mother calm and reassuring. The scenes with the family are some of my favorite. Compare that to the ML lead's parents who are doctors are very formal and stiff, although they do come around.

The friends are all fine, there was some time spent on them but not too much to the point it hurt the main story. They were not cartoonish but had really depth to them. They also had growth and development throughout the show.

As for the acting, it was really great. Xiao Zhan is really a talented actor, and not just eye candy (although there is that as well). SPOILER - the episodes where he thinks he will lose his license and not be a doctor are well acted as are the episodes where he tries to get FL lead to forgive him for not telling her what was going on. Yang Zi was good as well, especially with her interactions with her family and the other cast. Special mention to Xia Zhi Qing and Sunny Hao who play the FL lead's parents. In many ways I was as impressed with their love story as the main lead's story.

Without trying to give up too much detail, the 2 meet when FL's father is diagnosed with cancer and the ML is the person who found it and the surgeon. Again as this is a grown-up show and real-life there is no miracle, so the last 2 episodes are bittersweet - happy and sad. Just like real-life as anyone who has been through this with a parent would know.

Extra points for the little extras at the end of almost every episode.

Would I re-watch? Yes there is a lot of romance and not the cringe-worthy kind so it is good eye-candy

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Watch for Ye Hua and Bai Qian

There are already a lot of reviews explaining the story, so I am going to concentrate on what I feel and my scores.

The story for me is 2 scores really. The story of the main characters Ye Hua / Mo Yuan and Bai Qian, and then the other people. The story and writing for the main story is well done and one of the best written around. The other storylines are all over the place, I love all the Kunlu brothers and their stories (16th brother and demon princes, love the demon tribe stories with crazy Xuan Yu and Li Jing., 4th brother and Zhe Yan, and even the hateful Sun Jin and heavenly Lord. The part of the story I could not stand was Bai Feng Jiu and Emperor Dong Hua. I started of thinking they were ok, but I ended up cringing every time they were on and hoping the scenes didn't take too long and we could get back to the other characters.

The acting was again hard for me and depended on who you were talking about. I will say all of the cast was great from Sun Jin and Heavenly Lord, who did so well at making me dislike them, to demon princess, the kunlun boys all really top notch. I adore 3rd Uncle and Chen Lu. I thought Venmo Gao was good as the Emperor Lord playing the stoic but I still feel character. My biggest issue was with Dilraba Dilmurat and the character of Bai Feng Jiu. I found her acting to grate on my nerves. I'm not a big fan of the whole I am young and innocent and the way she played it made the character annoying, I have a hard time watching her in other dramas now cause she just seems to annoy me. Ying Mi as Bai Qian is great, she does not have the widest range but there are times she impressed me and she really captured the difference between Su Su and Bai Qian, and even when she played "Xuan Yu". The perfect actor score really comes down to Mark Chao as Ye Hua and Mo Yuan. His acting is incredible. Watch the changes in Ye Hua before he meets Su Su, while he is with Su Su, after he loses Su Su, and then while wooing Bai Qian. His facial expressions and his eyes are even different. The scene when 2nd prince is trying to save his Snake love, he just looks on with a passive I do not get this. When he is with Su Su he seems like a young kid in first love with such a happy and easy smile. Then there are the heart wrenching scenes losing Su Su and afterward. Gone are the passive I don't get it stares and they are replaced with stares to burn a hole through Su Jin (but she is too dense to see it). Finally is the more cautious Ye Hua with Bai Qian, he's smiles are there but there is almost a sadness and less freedom than with Su Su, You know an actor does a great job when you feel worse for ye Hua than Su Su / Bai Qian after he takes her eyes away and she jumps off the terrace. If you are not sure watch episodes 27 when Ye Hua wakes up and refuses to drink the amnesia liquid to (best scene) stabbing Su Jin, then episode 28 when heart broken Ye Hua burns Su Su's cloths to make a fake Su Su but then is clearly an amazing but sad father to A-Li, and then episode 29 when he sees Bai Qian. In 3 episodes that was an amazing range of acting,

The music is great. I listen to the OST all the time. Remarkably my favorite piece of music is after Ye Hua meets with Heavenly Lord (having stabbed Su Jin) and he is walking back to his palace, is not in the OST. The haunting music along with the world weary expression and slow gate of Ye Hua make the scene so moving.

Rewatch value for me is I watched the entire show, rewatched it again in its entirety, and now I continually re-watch but just the parts I like. I find it more enjoyable skipping all the scenes with Bai Feng Jiu! I basically watch all the scenes with Si Yin and Mo Yuan, Su Su and Ye Hua, and Bai Qian and Ye Hua. Anything with A-Li, who is adorable, 3rd Uncle, 4th brother, well pretty much every scene not related to Bai Feng Jiu and Emperor Lord.

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Bloody Romance is Bloody Good

Let me start by saying this is one of my favorite shows I ave ever watched. It is not pleasant or romantic at all, but it is one of the most well written and well acted dramas you would want to see. For those looking for light, happy and romance this is not your show, For those looking for a great show with a not always happy storyline that can be disturbing at times, then this show is highly recommended.

it is the story of Wan Mei who is sold to a brothel by her father, already not the typical storyline, for some rice, She manages to escape and ends up in a city of female assassins. She is assigned a shadow Chang An who is her trainer, body guard and servant, and as she is given assassination assignments she also ends up in the line of Dong Xi, a blind probe of the country. Not at all a typical story. Some of it is actually brutal to watch.

As for acting, all I can say is wow. The villain is a bit over the top, aren't they all, but the 3 leads are fantastic. Wang Duo does a really great job with his character Dong Xi who at times himself is not sure what he does or does not feel for Wan Mei. Shaw Qu plays the stoic shadow Chang An to perfection. I have written in other reviews, this is how to play stoic, His face betrays nothing most of the time but when out does it is magical to view, I cannot say enough about Li Yi Tong and her portrayal of Wan Mei, I have never felt so much with one character (except Ye Hua in TMPB) than I did with her. There are some heart-wrenching scenes that I will never forget and I cannot think of an actress that could have done a better job, I have not seen her in another drama, but I am actively looking for other dramas with her,

Rewatch - definitely! The show is 36 episodes with little filler time and moves along quickly. It is beautifully done from story, to acting, to production values, and the soundtrack. The music from the show is also one of my favorites of all time.

This may not be what you expect and it is not typical, but it is really worth a watch.

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Joy of Life is the story of Fan Xian who is born knowing the modern world in feudal times. The story follows him as he movs to the capital and falls in love, and basically walks the tightrope on court politics and the royal family.

What I liked about the drama was the outstanding acting. Everyone was great in their roles. The male lead was outstanding. The story although it could be dragging in parts and slow was complex and interesting most of the time. Everyone has layers and they are neither really good or bad. I am a huge fan of Xiao Zhan so even though he wasn't in many episodes and he played a very unsympathetic character, he was still very nice to look at and appreciate! The music was good, not great but I've listened to the opening and closing dongs multiple times.

What I didn't like.... let me start with since there is a season 2 some of this may be resolved but there were things that I didn't really like. First I am not certain I am supposed to care about the main love story. The two were barely together so I really have no interest in the love story at all. In fact I found the mail lead much more interesting with Si Lili and especially Haitang Duoduo. Ideally Fan Xian should end up with Haitang Duoduo. Also, the story with Qi was a little confusing as the last part of the show was all new characters and you do not see any of the original set of characters. I missed Xian's sister Ruoruo, and his father and step-mother. I was invested in the characters and then they were just gone. I missed Uncle Wuzhu and what happened to him??? Again that may be fixed in season 2. Plus they did it explain the frozen people and the god temple very well. The massive secret that kept Xiao En in jailer years was that he knew where the God Temple was but Chen Pingping was the only one that seemed to care. That whole episode was confusing to me.

One of the best things was the characters are so layered and complex, but it also makes it hard to like most of them. I am still not certain if the cares about Fan Xian. I do know his adopted father certainly does care about him. So basically liked the Fan Xian, Uncle Wuzhu, Fan Jian, Ruoruo, and Fei Jie leader of the third bureau. Everyone else I am not sure what to think about them. Again that is interesting but also left me not really caring.

STOP READING IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING
The show ends on a cliffhanger in the true sense of the word with Xian being stabbed and bleeding on the ground. I'm not sold that Yan Bingyun actually stabbed him and that this wasn't already planned. Yan Bingyun seemed to be listening to him and yes the bureau was his life, but it felt like there was a crack when Shen Zhong's sister was stabbed protecting him and he seemed upset when he heard what the second prince was doing to control Xian. I mean there was a whole not between the threats fo the second prince and the morning when Bingyun stabbed. That is just what I am thinking, but I haven't heard Xiao Zhan will be back for the second season.

Overall I liked it, but not like my favorite show, Would I watch again, maybe if I had nothing else to watch. Would I watch season 2 - yes cause I have to find out what happened to Uncle Wuzhu.

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