Meari21
A Waste of a Good Concept and a Great Cast of Actors
I had such high expectations for this drama and had hoped that it would be better than Liu Xueyi's previous project, In Blossom. But sadly, it's subjectively much worse. Even though he is paired with a more capable leading lady in this and has better chemistry with her, the writing just isn't up to snuff. The drama crashes and burns pretty much from the get-go. The first few episodes are kinda interesting. A romance between a domineering and borderline psychotic leading man and a badass female lead determined to end him is something I haven't quite seen in a C-drama before. Alas, the drama only plays with the concept but never fully realizes it as if afraid to explore a truly toxic romance.
The story is a jumbled mess. I didn't know how to make of it and I got the feeling the writers didn't know what they wanted it to be either. It's like a patchwork of different subplots that don't seamlessly fit together. The transitions from one story arc to another are badly executed and the writing is filled with overused and melodramatic tropes that I wish would disappear from dramas altogether. The drama also runs a little too long. It should've ended by the 25th episode. But instead, they let it drag on even though there's practically nothing else to tell. I blame the writing for this, they should've gotten better writers to adapt the novel. The cast, in general, did what they could with the material given to them. Although I wish they had chosen other actors to play certain roles, I was satisfied with the cast for the most part. It's a shame because they could've made something far more engaging with this plot. The only thing that made this drama watchable for me is Liu Xueyi's acting that is always on point.
The production is pretty decent. Kudos to the costume and makeup department for the styling of the actors. The music is alright. The soundtrack and musical score don't really stand out to me but serviceable. But that's about it. I don't know what else to say about this drama. I had it to put it on hold after I finished watching the 23rd episode because I completely lost interest. It dragged so heavily by the last few episodes that completing it was agonizing. This is simply not my cup of tea. They wasted a good concept and a great cast of actors.
The story is a jumbled mess. I didn't know how to make of it and I got the feeling the writers didn't know what they wanted it to be either. It's like a patchwork of different subplots that don't seamlessly fit together. The transitions from one story arc to another are badly executed and the writing is filled with overused and melodramatic tropes that I wish would disappear from dramas altogether. The drama also runs a little too long. It should've ended by the 25th episode. But instead, they let it drag on even though there's practically nothing else to tell. I blame the writing for this, they should've gotten better writers to adapt the novel. The cast, in general, did what they could with the material given to them. Although I wish they had chosen other actors to play certain roles, I was satisfied with the cast for the most part. It's a shame because they could've made something far more engaging with this plot. The only thing that made this drama watchable for me is Liu Xueyi's acting that is always on point.
The production is pretty decent. Kudos to the costume and makeup department for the styling of the actors. The music is alright. The soundtrack and musical score don't really stand out to me but serviceable. But that's about it. I don't know what else to say about this drama. I had it to put it on hold after I finished watching the 23rd episode because I completely lost interest. It dragged so heavily by the last few episodes that completing it was agonizing. This is simply not my cup of tea. They wasted a good concept and a great cast of actors.
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