Smart Demons + Stupid Humans = Extraordinary Mess

Watched this to see Xu Kai act but just like in a previous series of his; his and everyone else's acting was great but the story itself was a hot mess. Wish he or whomever chooses for him, chose better. The only reason this even got a 6.5 and not lower was because of the literally only 3 pros. Otherwise, it was like the mighty morphin power rangers and mortal kombat took LSD and spit this out.

Pros: Leads chemistry, the actors hard work which included great fight scenes, and costumes (except for the Halloween store costume lion for Uncle Tang), and good OSTs. No other pros.

Cons: Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for smart antagonists but not when the protagonists are so ridiculously idiotic. Just about everyone was led by the nose by the demons the ENTIRE show. Even when our ML told them otherwise, the Elders still chose to believe evil people. The amount of times the good guys failed to understand something very simple made you want to run your face into the wall. The entire series made a ton of no sense because the bad guys were running the show while the good guys were just walking around like zombies and talking in circles.

Did just about everyone really deserve to die; KYY's death in the last episode was pointless and meaningless. Some really did die as heroes but what made much of it senseless is that if they put two and two together sooner and made it 4 instead of 7, they could have made things happen sooner and survived. It made me feel like whoever the writer was, had no clue how to write a novel or one that's understandable or cohesive. Ji Rong staying alive and even her death at the hands of probably the show’s stupidest character, made me feel like I lost brain cells. DXY warned his brother and the two elders something was fishy about her from nearly the beginning and yet both uncles died because of her.

The sets and CGI looked very cheap. The words chucked up on the screen each time a new magic trick was used was eye roll worthy. Welcome to the 90s and not in a good way! Situ Hong's ruthlessness was completely ignored and his death and that of the weird random cultivator that at first clung to XY was completely pathetic. Both were sucked dry for big bad demon God that most of the time sounded like an alien cat that sucked in a helium balloon. We were all expecting a fight between him and XY but yeah, why bother?

Demon Ao Lan turned himself into a psychedelic Venus flytrap to try and kill XY in the last episode and it had me laughing. Little Shop of Horrors that was filmed in the 1970s had better CGI than this mess. I shed a tear for Shifu sacrificing himself at the end as out of all the guardians, he was the only one that infiltrated the demon clan and didn't do too poorly. Yes, happy ending for leads and the maybe 3 other living people but what did I watch for 40 episodes?

Would I recommend? No way. Even if you are a fan of the leads or anyone else, please find something else. Leads chemistry is not enough to hold this thing together.

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Great Acting, Hot Mess in a Dress Script

Watched this to see Dilraba taking on a new type of role and recognized 2 other actors from previous series. Also read the article on this as since this was supposed to be based on a true story of an international cybercrime syndicate. So was hoping for something substantial, what I got was great acting from basically everyone but an absolutely lousy hot mess in a dress script.

Pros: Reba should definitely take on more of these types of roles as she was awesome as An Ni. Very convincing be it in her personal or professional life. As I mentioned in the comments, Han Dong is great at playing an antagonist who makes your skin crawl. From the moment he stepped onscreen, you knew something was off about him. The cast couldn't be better and more professional. That however is where the pros end.

Cons: Fire all directors and screenwriters. What happened here? This had so much promise as a based on a true story series and instead it was turned into an alphabet soup of countries where every European looking actor could speak Mandarin and even the courts looked alike, the costumes were either not fitting or too big and the extras couldn't even hold their props. The story took a nose dive in the single digit episodes. I don't even remember how much went wrong but a lot did.

It ended up being about a genius who was abused and abandoned by his mom with massive daddy issues getting revenge on his father while creating a massive cybercrime network that treated its employees like slaves. He himself was the last person one thought would be the one behind it all; but he did show as a narcissistic sociopath who saw nothing wrong with his crimes and whose manipulative behavior made him fall for FL the prosecutor.

The entire thing was like a bad docuseries that should have been made for Chinese law students because whole episodes consisted of speeches about their law system. Just fast forward because no one outside their country understood how it worked. I have a background in law though in the US and the stuff and the speed they spit things out, you couldn't follow. Also their absolute lack of knowledge of other countries laws that seemed to be important to the main case was laughable. Example: to say that a Chinese attorney who got a J.D. and passed the bar exam in California automatically got onto the US Supreme Court was dumb. Firstly he had to be a federal prosecutor, then go through a boat load of nominations from governor, senators to even have a chance. Also had to be nominated/chosen by a sitting president and pass through the senate or congress. It's a huge, complicated process and they made it seem like by passing a bar exam one can get there.

They remembered it was a drama in the last maybe 6 episodes and started just writing lord knows what in. I literally had no words and wasn't even sure I was going to write a review. Some characters that were constant, just up and disappeared and were never seen again with zilch explanation. Even the ending was like someone drunk wrote it. Frankenstein's monster was better put together than this.

Would I recommend it? No way. If it wasn't for Dilraba and wanting to know who A was and the outcome, I would have dropped it long ago. All of these actors deserve better scripts on these topics.

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Leads Insane Chemistry is the Lure......Plot/Story is Nonexistent

This is the first drama I've ever watched of this genre and it's not one I watch or like but what caught my attention was the insane chemistry of the leads. It was enough to give me pause and decide to watch. While I'm still not interested in anything in this genre going forward; the two actors themselves I have added to my following list because they are truly unique, multi-talented individuals. Their work, though regardless of genre, I will watch again in the future. For those unfamiliar with my reviews, I never read the source material so go in solely as a viewer.

Pros: As mentioned above, the chemistry of the leads is off the charts. After doing some research on Twitter and watching War's concert-like fanmeet, I realized these two are literally brothers from another mother and it's because of their close friendship and understanding of one another that it can translate so convincingly onto the screen. Both Yin and War embodied their characters very well, I just wish they were working with a strong script (that will be discussed below).

Out of all of their gaggle of friends, the only few I liked were Bar, his bf, and the Dr. Ana character as they were (to me at least), the only ones that were supportive of the leads no matter what and never had any hidden agendas or preconceived notions. Vee's parents win "parents of the year" for their acceptance and protection of not only their own kids but of Mark as well. Vee's brother was also great as both comedic relief and just in general. The lesson dad taught Vee by way of his motorbike should be taken into account in real life as well; if you break something, it's your responsibility to fix it.

The OSTs were also right on point save one that sounded like it belonged in a circus tent and not in the show. Every time it played like in episode 6 when Mark was sick and Vee was taking care of him after apologizing, it just threw the entire scene off. Another high point was the comedy; so many different scenes to choose from that just added a little bit of hope or just made you bust out laughing at the absolute nonsense happening.

Cons: Just as the title says above, this series had literally no plot nor storyline. It was essentially a group of university students acting out emotions. It was very unbelievable, considering that save for the two sets of parents, some thugs, the "token" straight female friend, and a little girl, everyone else was gay. You don't see that in real life; I may be straight but I have many close gay/lesbian/bi friends all over the world that I've met throughout my travels that can attest that's just not the way it is.

I saw someone in the comments saying that the characters getting plastered every night was a normal American thing in college and as someone with 2.5 degrees in America, I can tell you that's not the case at all. Are there parties, people going to clubs, getting wasted? Hell yeah! But not every single night unless they want to flunk out of school; especially blackout drunk. Every single episode or half of one ended with someone needing to be carried home or passing out by the toilet. These folks needed AA (Alcoholics Anonymous)!

The conversations were always about the same thing; I questioned the need for a script even; could have handled everything through improv. It was always who liked or didn't like whom, who should date whom, whining about being alone, innuendos up the wazoo, and what bar they should hit up that night; rinse, repeat, please pass the cheese. There was no ingenuity whatsoever. This script carried very little weight other then heavy on many emotions especially angst and a ton of miscommunication.

Tropes were insane (especially not closing the door in 9; like come on! That was beyond ridiculous and extremely foolish on the production's part) and the same situation kept repeating itself especially with Ploy; felt like we were on a hamster wheel getting very dizzy. Ploy was like a Jack in the Box popping up in the most in opportune of times and I do feel she overstayed her welcome. Also, a bunch of unnecessary characters like the creepy as hell boxer dude who was harassing Mark in episode 9; what was his purpose? Confusion, filler, to make Mark who stands up for himself always, forget how to speak words? Or those random girls hitting on Vee in 10 and then badmouthing Mark behind his back to make him have doubts about his relationship again? These people were completely unnecessary; made me question just how much and of what production was smoking.

The only thing I'll say about that crazy train second ending that I'm still trying to wrap my head around, is that it should have been incorporated a lot better then the way it was and perhaps in the middle of part 2 of that episode somewhere. The first ending really brought the relationship full circle while the second one turned Mark into a combo of Daenerys and a hyena ready to devour its prey with a side order of rock music lol!

Would I recommend it? This one is out of my hands. I leave it to the viewers discretion. For me personally, it introduced me to two young men who I see having very bright futures regardless of what paths they take in life and I want to see them succeed.

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Young Jessica Fletcher meets Dick Tracey in a Shanghai Chicago

FINALLY! I got a chance to watch this series. I was quite upset when it first came out and didn't have English subtitles anywhere on any site legal or otherwise. This was my very first Republican Era drama so I wasn't sure what to expect but wanted to watch it because I follow Vengo Gao. It definitely didn't disappoint; quite the opposite and if it wasn't for parts of the very last episode, I would have given it a perfect score which for me is very rare.

Pros: Everything was exquisitely beautiful; from the sets to the costumes, the makeup. Su Wenli was like the epitome of what a modern day woman of even today acts like (she took the initiative to kiss Qiuheng first). Clothing on her looked like she should have been a model. Just about everything in this series was absolutely stunning. The music, OSTs, not a single stitch was out of place.

Both of the leads acting and chemistry was on point from the very beginning. As older actors then the 20 somethings you see in most of their dramas, here the experience and the understanding of both actors was visible. All of the support cast were there for as long as they were needed. The story flowed seamlessly from one murder investigation to another. It really was like a young Jessica Fletcher (from Murder, She Wrote) met Dick Tracey and they added a Chicago (the Musical) flair.

Su Wenli and Luo Qiuheng started off on a bickering note which was absolutely hysterical; as he tried in a lot of vain to prevent her from entering various crime scenes only for her to find a back door. Since every case took up two episodes, they would just about always have someone Su Wenli knew either asking for help or being the victim. With the two SLs Taozi and Xiao'an to add to the hilarity, made each investigation even more interesting.

Su Wenli had a superb eye for detail that helped each investigation. Many people she met from the first episode ended up becoming a part of her extended family; from the two random cab drivers (Tong and San) at the pier that took her home, to Taozi (a maid of family friend's) in the very first murder case who became her assistant and a younger sister and the orphan (Suyun) she adopted after the homage to "Murder on the Orient Express" episode. She had inherited a huge mansion and massive property from her grandmother and her gaggle rag-tag family lived there.

Luo Qiuheng played by the very handsome Vengo Gao was a wonderful, caring, yet upright investigator who took each case seriously no matter who the victims were. We never knew much about his past (other then his ex-gf was the daughter of his mentor) or where he even lived, but his character in no way played second fiddle to Wenli. Both were equals. I have until this drama not seen Vengo in something non-costume but feel he needs more of these kinds of dramas.

It was very funny how the crime busting duo was always bickering or betting on information and yet still ending up solving each case together. Their chemistry even in those most funniest of moments was palpable. It amused me to no end how Wenli would always find a way to go undercover in any situation with just a pretty dress and the power of persuasion; everyone opened up to her without fear.

I loved and was actually quite surprised by just how much made it past censorship; a gay couple was shown in photographs holding hands and being really close as well as the topic of homosexuality was discussed openly without issue. Small amounts of nudity was allowed as well. A mentally disabled boy was involved in 2 episodes towards the end and related to Wenli and he wasn't treated as some freak but with respect and love; usually none of these would be able to get anywhere near one of their dramas, so it makes me wonder if the requirements for Republican era dramas are different then the other genres.

Cons: The biggest reason I couldn't give this series a full score was because almost the entire last episode was screwed up pretty badly and it was the pivotal case. The biggest mystery of the series was that of Wenli's kidnapped and long thought to be murdered younger sister, Wenfei. Though this fact and the man responsible were sparsely spread through many episodes, it wasn't until about the last 6 that that case started to take shape. Ding Rushan was jailed for 10 years on suspicion of kidnapping and murder but escaped.

In the last episode, they turned Wenli into this hysterical, unhinged, crazy woman who goes to rescue Suyun and Qiuheng alone while locking a few officers in a jail cell. It absolutely made no sense, though I understand her being distraught when she came home to find practically everyone drugged and Suyun missing, she knew it was the work of Ding Rushan but then she goes off to the police station and when Qiuheng tells her to stay put she starts acting a plum fool causing him to go alone without backup because someone has to watch her.

For 33 episodes even if she was in grave danger, she always kept a level head and found ways to get out of the situation and always asked for backup from the police or Tong and San or the combination of the two. Here she takes her little gold pistol like a one woman army to go after the most dangerous man in the entire series who's essentially a crazed serial killer. It was ridiculous; what made it even more so was that said serial killer was a nutcase who wanted to sacrifice women to bring his own daughter back from the dead in some twisted "The Mummy Returns" scenario which absolutely made no sense in this very progressive drama.

Of course Wenli was captured and though she retained some of her old characteristics, much of her acting until she was rescued was like some completely different person. It felt like for a solid half hour I was watching a totally different show. There was also a huge inconsistency, in the second to last episode where Ding Rushan had come into their home and cut the phone cord so no one could call, yet in that last episode when Taozi tried calling home to warn Wenli, the phone rang like the line was never cut. Another minor inconsistency was that Wenli was filthy rich but would wear a lot of the same clothing over and over again, even though she had a massive walk-in closet with racks of clothing. It didn't make sense for her to wear the same outfit 2 or even 3 times.

This pivotal point when Wenli finds out where the body of her sister is and the entire mystery is finally solved, the gravitas is completely lost because of this completely out of character and off topic scenario and it makes me sad because it should have been so much stronger than that. It lost its humor, quality, and any actual logic. Thankfully afterwards it regained its previous momentum to be able to finish the last 25 minutes in the same style as what got me hooked to it in the first place.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely. That one portion of the very last episode doesn't drown out the rest of this aesthetically pleasing and truly remarkable series that will have you rolling around laughing at the absurd situations, subtle yet very obvious flirting and romance of our leads, jealous and chivalrous moments of Qiuheng, and just fall in love with this bunch of people who, though not blood, are truly a family in the best sense of the word.

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Welcome to Thunderdome - Challenge Accepted!

Wuxia, wuxia, wuxia! Score! To be honest, I wasn't even going to pick it up originally because other then Xing Fei a bit, I didn't know anyone in the cast. But the fact that recommended sources told me that if I wanted a real wuxia that was written by someone well known for the genre, this was it. And I'm so glad I did. This was close to absolutely everything I had hoped this genre would be. Welcome to Thunderdome - challenge accepted!

Pros: Though I usually start this section with outlining my favorite characters, I have to begin by praising my favorite portion of the series; the martial arts! Absolutely fantastic and in just about every single episode or every other one. Every character performed very well when it came to those scenes, it made you just want to cheer for our heroes when they bagged another slime ball. I can't say enough about how much I personally loved the physicality of each sequence, each fight, each battle. I'd give those scenes 10s easily.

Favorite character was MRF; he was beautifully written and executed to perfection by his actor. This man was essentially living or existing in self-loathing and torture over the death of his sworn brother and wife. Running all over the world trying to find the truth of who the real killer was, was evident with every slump of his shoulders, every fruitless trip he made; seemed that with every betrayal, his eyes got gloomier and more despair filled. Only when he had his daughter did that ease a little bit but even until his dying breath he was protecting the ones he cared for and swore to protect and executing his revenge on the villain who sadly was right in front of him the entire time. A real man of honor. Didn't hurt that he looked like D'Artagnon from The 3 Musketeers with the long hair and goatee.

HF, our ML was also great especially as they showed him growing and maturing. Do wish he was less gullible sooner but those are small fries. As he traveled around and met more martial artists and just soaked up the knowledge and won each time he was put to the test, it was a cheerful moment, kind of like a goal at a soccer match. Probably the most touching moment for me in the entire series was when MRF knelt down and put his hand on HF's neck before he went to finish off TGN in episode 39. That real connection between sworn uncle and nephew, I wish it lasted forever. HF by that time knew MRF was innocent of his parents' deaths and MRF was finishing his vengeance and honoring the oath he made to HF's mother, to protect him. MRF's ultimate sacrifice to save HF and the others, I felt was a bit unnecessary as they could have escaped together as is. Though perhaps to him, death was actually more suitable to release him from all of the agony he'd lived with mentally and psychologically through the years knowing his daughter had her mother to take care of her. He could literally rest in eternal peace. So that one is a catch 22; what's better for the audience or the character.

Both of the female leads did very well. I really liked that though there were romantic feelings whirling around, romance wasn't forced into this series. It was a sad ending for all in that capacity but it did serve a purpose. I do wish things were written differently and that will be discussed below. If I had to choose, I do wish HF ended up with ZY as they had the most chemistry and there was no need to show sparks and whatnot; subtle love is fine too. Both women had their own strengths and helped HF grow while they were with him. Just like other people he met along the way, he became a hero in his own right because of the experiences ZY and CLS gave him.

Other favorite characters included official Zhou and his brothers; they were very smart when it came to their own self interests and when it was time to come and go; they were quite comical at times. The other sect leaders and brothers HF met along the way who taught him stuff and backed him up. I did like MCH but she really wasn't a smart person. In the absolute plethora of villains, the most convincing ones were vampire poison and TGN, though I do wish TGN had way less screen time.

Production was beautiful; from costumes, weapons, styling, sets and some of the OSTs. Very little to pick apart in this section.

Cons: This series nearly became the second costume drama to get a perfect score if it wasn't for the final episodes. This is where the really awesome pacing of the entire series became a runaway horse of we need to tie up every loose end somehow even if it looks completely bizarre. How did MCH know what was happening that she appeared on the gate tower to keep the gates open only to jump down and get shot with an arrow? They were so determined to kill her that this completely in-cohesive situation was created. Did she grow wings, learn telepathy, manifest a sword? It was so out of left field, one had no words. Also the swords vs rifles scenes just seemed very weird; bullets will kill a lot faster then a sword will unless you're a master martial artist or sacrificing yourself to protect others like MRF did.

Let's backtrack a bit to the idiot father-son duo whose arc took forever to end, the nun who essentially manipulated her disciple aka ZY into following her into becoming a nun too, instead of letting her follow her heart and be with HF. I hope the nun doesn't turn MCH's kids into monks but lets them choose their own paths as was decided by both their father and HF. There seemed too much heavy-handed approaches to situations that didn't need them. TGN and NL had way too much screen time and that was really the only time the drama got slightly boring; though she learned the truth in the end and chose the right path, she was too dumb for too long. Though TGN was one of the biggest villains, he was so annoying and childish, you wanted to shove him off a cliff the minute you met him. You knew immediately he was not a good person and that just snowballed from there.

Returning to the last episode, why couldn't CLS's death be written better? They literally waited until then to have her face off against vampire poison and his puny disciples; then when she starts to save HF who of course intervened to save her, she paralyzes him leaving him struggling, gaping like a fish out of water while she does her final monologue? It was all very inconsistent and haphazard. I think she deserved a better end since they decided on that. Killing vampire poison in a flashback HF has in the final maybe 5 minutes of the show was also very lackluster and unsatisfactory considering who he was and what he had done. Literally the last 1.5 episodes of this entire series botched what would have been a perfect score but otherwise the show was/is really great!

Would I recommend it? Absolutely, 100%! The last 1.5 episodes notwithstanding and a few parts in the middle, this series hit every aspect of a terrific wuxia. As far as I'm concerned, the challenge was met, accepted, and won!

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Same Formula, Better Actors & Wu Lei Can Have Chemistry w/a Pet Rock.

Watched this solely because I follow Wu Lei and wanted to see both badminton and tennis on a more prominent scale as someone who played both in her youth albeit not professionally. This series was very nostalgic to me because of both of those. Was this show fresh otherwise? No. I've seen at least one other drama very much like this; in other words same formula, better actors & Wu Lei can have chemistry with a pet rock.

Pros: I loved the fact that SC played by WL, essentially played someone his own age but as a ridiculously old soul. Very rarely did his character actually act his age or younger. At the same time because of his love for FL which developed fairly early on, he carried their world on his shoulders all on his own volition. Every goal he set for himself, he met and never backed down. It was awesome to see WL take his character seriously and really train himself for the challenges of tennis. He's already an athlete but this was a different skill set and it was great to see him and the other tennis playing actors be so serious with that. I actually really enjoyed watching all of their training sessions as much as the rest of the story. The FL or LYA was also one who stood her ground. I liked their funny and cute moments but save their "one night stand" when she royally screwed up the next morning, SC's eyes always sizzled when he looked at her in their times alone but hers always had the same gaze. I wish she could have emoted the romance more once that got started, considering her character was a 30 plus year old woman. My only real minus in their chemistry. The comedy though was able to cover for what was lacking there.

All of their friends and colleagues like LN, AN, CZ, DY, JJJ, his mom, Alex, even coach unorthodox evolved from a solid douchebag to someone rather likable and his two assistants and though thankfully she didn't have a lot of solo scenes LT was alright too. I really loved the OSTs, they all fit accordingly. The storyline was split down the middle for me; half of it was great and really had terrific substance while the other half was a mess and I'll discuss that below. The good portion of the storyline was the evolution of each character including the growth of friendships where anonymity started in the beginning ie SC and JJJ. Or when the spoiled rich kid started to understand what being the opposite was like. The final closure for SC, AN, and his mom, getting passed and through trauma both psychological and physical. Most of the trauma was bore by SC though we saw a bit of it on LYA and her parental relations. Switching from badminton to tennis was a great main focus and should have stayed essential to most of the plot and then moved onto now as a professional tennis player, let his story move upwards. This is where, unfortunately we visit the cons.

Cons: The other half of the story was focused on so many problems that were chucked primarily at SC it got to be too much. Or other characters and their plots were rushed through like their asses were on fire, it was unnecessary. Though I understand the point was to show people getting through difficulties, they still didn't need to bring so much junk in. Especially with the company Young Space and its antagonists who never got any real resolution in the end. They were just left hanging. After LYA opened Top Smash that should have been the last time we heard of Young Space or their BS, but no they kept being dragged through with their problems, demands, making things harder for our leads because why? There were no other company they could work with? I understand the need to show the divorce of boss Jiang and his wife but later on with that other asswipe in the company; it was a constant hamster wheel of unnecessary problems. The wild card thing, possible doping scandal, rumors of love affairs and bastard kids, the constant lying and using by boss Jiang and basically everyone at Young Space, signing a deal with the devil, then being accosted when training for crap promotions, only way to get away from the Devil is to go train in Europe (just like in Falling into You and I never compare dramas) and separate the leads for two years after which they decided to get married in the last 5 minutes of the last episode.

Though it was a good touch in the psychological scheme of things, medically they got this wrong; phantom pain only exists after an amputation or if a person is born without a limb or body part, not if something is torn like ligaments, tendons, muscles, etc. the body part will swell, ache a lot, may require further surgery but there's no phantom pain. Really wish they did better research on that part. I looked it up myself as I've had a torn tendon in the past that thankfully didn't require surgery thanks to a top orthopedist but I've never ever heard of any variation of this having phantom pain especially not from him.

Couple number two aka JJJ and LT had zilch chemistry. They were just thrown together for the heck of stretching out the story; everything for them was missing. She was like an overly peppy cheerleader even when she was giving her best RBF and he was essentially bored or annoyed through all of their times together. Keep them separate and it wouldn't have looked any different. At least coach unorthodox and LN had real comedy and no one pushed them together. The other two were just there to be there. Lastly, just like there wasn't any resolution with the antagonists, same went with the parents of LYA and LT, the cancer arc was very predictably chucked in towards the end and then it was just as quickly forgotten; only good thing was that LYA and her mom worked out their differences. The ending was all over the place and very rushed but a happy ending for basically everyone that mattered anyways. Granted the after cut to black part and their after getting married hair cutting scene was too funny but the ending still could have been better.

Would I recommend it? Yes. Though there were a lot of issues with this series storyline wise, I wanted to come back everyday and watch the two episodes plus purchased the express so I did enjoy it very much. Take from that what you will.

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A Wild Goose Chase w/an anti-climactic ending

I fully understand this production had lack of funding and I watched it only because of Wang Yibo. It was a comedy but it lacked a lot. The ending was stitched together like a bad rag doll. Yibo's character getting constantly beat up was hard to watch. It should have been renamed "Where's My Notebook?" There were a lot of plot holes that never got filled, like why did the teacher cooperate with the ultimate bad guy? Or how did the fat guy and Lexi end up with powers? The ending was very haphazard and random. For one of Yibo's first series, I'd say it was a good start and his acting was the only thing that I admired. I won't rewatch it but I look forward to seeing his future works.

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Great Acting by the Entire Cast But Plot Took a Nosedive in the 2nd Half

I'd seen a retro tribute modern drama already with ZLY this year but this one had a totally different premise, so I wanted to see how she would handle a harder plot and though she and the rest of the cast did a wonderful job in their respective roles, the plot took a serious nosedive towards the second half and the end.

Pros: I can't say enough about the acting of this very professional cast. ZLY did a terrific job as XBX, a stubborn, enterprising, reflective, yet very flawed character and everyone else followed. At first, I wasn't a fan of GXY as she appeared like a spoiled rich girl going through a rebellion but it became clear after a handful of episodes that though she was spoiled and bratty, she had a big heart and really cared about TXQ. The "steel trio" of XBX, TXQ, and CYZ were a great bunch who sincerely loved one another even if that sometimes came across as tough love or protection in the form of lying which backfired more often then not. The intent behind it was real.

Other favorite characters were ZL, President Gao, Dr. Su, Su Computer Nerd, and manager Jia; all were wonderful supportive people to XBX and each other wherever they fit. When it came to the good guys, all of their parts were done accordingly. The scenery and OSTs were on point and appropriate.

Cons: While I understood this was a propaganda tribute drama and that it would have a lot of that included in it, what absolutely shocked me was the hamster wheel plot of the antagonists would completely overshadow even that. There were a total of 4 really bad guys, one coward, and one insignificant idiot that came and went. The plot essentially took a nosedive in the second half when the 3 main antagonists/business partners and XBX plus her ex routinely sent each other to jail. It was a literal revolving door of prison sentences. They'd set each other up, beg for someone else to take the fall, or manage to somehow twist themselves loose so many times that all of their illegal deeds combined would probably equal a 25 year minimum for each save XBX.

Everyone of them ended up with some sort of redemption arc in the last few episodes that they didn't deserve. Even though Mr. Wu did turn himself in, in the final 15 minutes of the last episode, the amount of illegalities he'd done throughout the years should have seen him in prison for more then just a year. I didn't like the antagonists at all in this series, though their acting was on point 100%, it was because every time one would get into trouble, he'd get himself out by setting someone else up, rinse, repeat x maybe 8! The storyline hindered them completely which was very sad because they could have really done something more believable in terms of how the law worked.

Speaking of the law, how is it that TXQ got 5 years in prison for kicking XBX's ex in the balls while the latter was choking her to death (murder attempt number 1) and the ex 10 years later only got 1 month after he ran her off the road and threw a metal pipe at her head causing a head injury (murder attempt number 2)? So saving another person from near death is illegal but actually trying to kill someone isn't. In that second case plus with the antagonists, was XBX Mother Theresa? She gave the ex a debit card that she'd deposit money in each month to help him and the kid he adopted. She felt like she owed him; for what? Trying to kill her? Same with Wu, Qiu, and even Dong, they'd set her up but there she goes trying to bail them out. That kind of backwards logic was confusing. Lastly on this topic, they essentially spent the last 4-6 episodes spouting various domestic and international laws that the average viewer wouldn't have a clue as to what was happening.

Another point of contention was with poor CYZ, once it was obvious he had terminal cancer and had little time to live, they kept dragging his death out. It was brutal to watch; they could have had the pier sunrise scene maybe 6 episodes earlier then they did. Made me wonder if they purposefully did it as filler but that's like the really wrong way of going about that. Because even to the last episode, they brought him in as happy and in flashbacks. That would have been way better then what was done with his character at that time.

The introduction of Russian speaking characters that couldn't speak the language fluently like Nina was ridiculous especially to someone whose native tongue it is. The entire Russian arc in the beginning, I fast forwarded because it was off historically among many other things. The last part that bugged me though it wasn't huge were the costumes especially XBX's wedding dress which was straight out of the 1980s instead of the year 2000. Some ppl said she didn't have enough money for a new one but that didn't jive either as by that time she and ZL lived in a huge house and her car was a Mercedes, she didn't drive herself but had a driver and assistant with her at nearly all times.

So though the acting was very well with a professional cast, the storyline/plot started out strong but then just unraveled. Hadn't it been for the great acting, I would have given it a much lower score.

Would I recommend it? Honestly, only if you like ZLY or anyone else in the cast. Otherwise, plot wise it's not strong at all with many factual and historical errors.

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Soul Swap & Case Solving; Possible Season 2?

This series mystery solving and "face swap" intrigued me plus I wanted to see LXY in a different role as when I put this on my watchlist I had only seen him in TBOY and though he did well, I wanted to see him play someone other then a sarcastic, bald monk with insane powers. Since then I've seen him as an antagonist in Destined too. This was a very different soul swap & case solving with a cliffhanger ending to the storyline so a possible season 2?

Pros: I liked the cases themselves and that one case was connected to the next and so forth; slowly exposing the massive organization behind it. LXY or PY was impressive as he moved from various emotions of love, grief, revenge, foresight into just about everything, his swords skills were quite impressive, and his jealousy was hilarious. This show was able to make sadness and comedy pop. FL or YCW/SZ played by JJY held her own and I can say that her acting has improved from the first couple of times I've seen her; she was able to portray her character very convincingly. I actually thought the show had some fantasy elements too like the soul swap (I can't call it a face swap because the two actresses were different; both in body type and height. Even though they tried to pile JJY's hair on top of her head to make her appear taller, to a discerning eye, it didn't work), and the bugs spell incantation to make someone blind and how it reversed itself upon healing. This made the cases even more interesting as it wasn't just another coroner and investigator type thing. I liked SML whom I nicknamed Sparky, when he showed up because let's face it, the guy is hot and he played his character very well though I'm glad they got rid of the extra eyeliner he was introduced in (as the young master) as it was very distracting. Though I liked SFL as a friend of FL and a part of the foursome, I'll talk more about her below.

Other characters like the maid, A Ze, brother of the original SZ, Lady Qi, the princess, and even fat Liu were all great characters. The villains and spies even the supposed mastermind all did their roles well. The story of PY trying to bring down the organization that "killed" his wife on their wedding night when it was really the obsessed sister of his best friend that had kidnapped and soul swapped with her just before the wedding, pushed her off a cliff and than got handed her own karma due to the death warrant by the mastermind of YCW’s parents murder and many others in a huge conspiracy. SZ didn't deserve that kind of death and YCW was going to get to the bottom of it. So the husband and wife team that didn't trust each other at first, still started to work together. Second leads also helped in their own way. Though Sparky had a thing for YCW, that was a silly competition and never really felt like a love triangle. Also liked that they showed a few decent kissing scenes and even the second leads getting it on. Plus YCW told Sparky from nearly the get go that she only saw him as her best friend. Best part was the revelation of when PY figured out finally that FL was indeed YCW. It took a bit for them to get together but they did and it was super cute.

The costumes, sets, OSTs, all fit as they should. The story ended on a bit of a cliffhanger in the storyline as the real mastermind wasn't really unveiled leaving room open for a possible season 2 but what they were doing was totally revealed so the mastermind had lost that element so also could just have been set up as an intriguing finale.

Cons: While I loved Sparky’s character, his ending was just weird. It was like they needed to add more tragedy to this; really? And it had nothing to do with his acting but the writing was inconsistent with how we saw him for the rest of the show. One could argue that when he saw his dad essentially die twice, he lost it and decided to go infiltrate the big bad organization all by himself. It made no sense though; if he found information that was useful to his friends ie PY and YCW, he had no backup to bring it to them and everything was just very haphazard. Essentially he was going on a suicide mission with no real assurance that he would even succeed; he ignored his friends warnings repeatedly when they told him how dangerous it was. We saw his death coming very soon after his father's death because it was just that stupid. They essentially did him dirty by making a smart, decisive man just impulsive and dumb. Also the actor lied to fans when the foursome did that Sina building sweep to promote the series and they were asked if both sets would have a happy ending. The leads didn't say anything and he said the second leads would; in reality the very opposite happened (don't get me wrong, I'm happy the leads at least are together). Same was done by the cast of A Journey to Love, when in reality everyone died lol. I think fans should not trust actors from these types of series with this question anymore.

SFL was just strange. Her romance with Sparky was sort of lopsided. It felt forced and she couldn't even talk without pouting 95% of the time. She followed Sparky around like a puppy even before as someone said in the comments he had "runner-up feelings" for her. Yes, they got together but I can't say the chemistry was real to me. Even the maid and A Ze had more chemistry than these two. Can't even compare to the leads; those two had chemistry before her identity reveal even happened. I would have preferred them two to just be friends. We really didn't need a second or third romance. This story had so much going on already.

Suspension of disbelief had to be deployed several times; other than Sparky's whole suicide mission decision but the abuse case with the girl fighting her father in the alley while both male leads just watched? She knew information about that ripple organization but they didn't act and just watched her father essentially kill her or she herself by his sword. Like what even? You've got two highly skilled swordsman just standing there watching their only real lead die? Just beyond.

The ending was rushed with the "mastermind", death of the princess, Sparky and his thing but at least he gave them the evidence they needed even if it was just a clue off his dead body, dad and son reconciling. Like a lot happened in a very condensed amount of time and I wish it was fleshed out more. The pace of the rest of the show was great but the ending definitely took off like its pants were on fire.

Would I recommend it? Yes I would. This show has many layers and despite the minuses, it was a good watch. Actors for the most part did a great job and it's nice to see the alliances form the way they did.

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An honest review (100% recommend to watch)

I was recommended this drama by a credible source on YouTube; I don't follow the actors but the plot fascinated me since there was a natural disaster in it and I'm personally a nerd in that area. Was actually watching something at the time but dropped it to watch this and was blown away. I have seen a lot of their dramas and I have to say this is my new number 1 favorite modern drama of all time. It almost had no cons for me which is beyond rare.

All three couples were great. I would have loved to see couple number two develop faster then episode 33 out of 40 but considering the SML was such a "blockhead" it was a bit understandable. The only other minus was the OST's are very forgettable but that's not a major thing for me. Usually, I wish for there to be less episodes because you're running into one annoying cliche or another, but this story had none of that; I actually wished it and the drama I dropped traded places in episode count as that one had 45. No love triangles, minimal jealousy, no toxicity, no stalkers, or other tropes ridiculously prevalent in most of these dramas.

Every episode you're laughing your head off and every conflict gets resolved very quickly. The FL is a powerful woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind. ML is a hero in his job and a bit of a dork in the story. But he doesn't waste anytime in pursuing his lady love once he figures out he's got feelings for her and he does it in a way that will win her heart. There are tiny misunderstandings that are resolved with proper communication in their relationship. Their conversations are very cute and everyone related has a strong bond which is also so awesome and refreshing to see.

Also love the third couple and how since ML and TFL are brother and sister, they really care about each other. There's none of that toxic family environment where family hates son's/daughter's choice in significant other and want to choose for him or her. Sister is 100% on board with FL even before she and bro start dating and has her back when they do. It is realistic life events and relationships; it is common for doctors to be in relationships with police officers because both share the same goals professionally, to save lives. This is literally the definition of a modern drama.

The screenwriter and directors did a fantastic job adapting this and creating a fun, loving, heart pounding series that I will absolutely rewatch and will go into my permanent collection of rewatching where really 3 dramas exist, two of which are costume. Thank you to the entire cast and crew for a phenomenal job! I will miss all of these characters very much and I truly hope that the actors can do something together again in the future. A+!

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Luxurious Cinematography, CGI, and Costumes---Screenplay Sold Separately.

First and foremost, I'd like to thank the fan subbers for doing this entire part for us. Without them, we'd still be waiting. They made it possible. I will be reviewing the parts separately as I don't want one to influence the other. I watched this series because Dilraba is one of the people I follow.

Pros: The only reason this drama is getting a higher score is because of the absolutely stunning cinematography, CGI, luxurious and richly colored costumes, and some of the OSTs. Production spared no expense there. The last time I saw a production even closely resemble this one was ELOD which also starred Dilraba. But this one clearly went full steam with the richness of each location and their gorgeous and bright colors.

While I liked Yunhe and her complexity as a character; I felt she had way more chemistry with Lin junior as I nicknamed him; the one she called older brother. His love and protection of her though falling short many times, was raw and real. I liked him more after I learned his secret and how much he wanted to save those who he cared about most including the entire Wanhua Valley. The man, whether he succeeds or fails in part 2 is already a hero in my book.

Other decent characters were Kong Ming for steadfastly standing on Chang Yi's side and helping him along the way. Head Immortal is a good antagonist and he's evil enough where while you can't stand him, you also understand he's a necessary evil. Can't say I liked old man wheelchair though he didn't need a wheelchair, but when he died and Lin junior was grieving; that was one of the few times in part 1 that tears came to my eyes. The man was a horrible ruler, father, etc and yet....there was always that yet. So a decent character.

Mediocre characters that were confusing and I'm not sure where to place them yet were the peacock that was released from underground, Li Shu, and San Yue; perhaps in part 2 they'll do better. So I'll leave them alone for now. Also immortal bodyguard Cheng Ye and the kid emperor were decent and I hope to see them evolve more as well.

Cons: When I wrote screenplay sold separately, I wasn't kidding. It was a mess. A zillion characters whose names you don't remember nor want to. Every single relationship between every couple was essentially sadomasochistic. Lies, betrayal, secrets kept, scheming to either harm or protect which 9 times out of 10 backfired. I didn't know if I was coming or going. The character Chang Yi didn't offer much; it was disappointing. I didn't feel his chemistry with Yunhe was beyond friendship that was clumped together haphazardly out of thin air. He always looked either constipated or stoned; I hope part 2 shows something more from him.

The annoying butterfly maid drove me batty. In the first 5 episodes, she had more lines and screen time then the leads. And she would yammer nonstop. I legit ffw when she would start. Also the other big bad was Shunde? Really? All she did was throw her weight around and whine. Yes, she's vicious and ruthless but I couldn't take her seriously as a proper villain when she acted like a drama queen and diva 99% of the time. Gorgeous costumes on her but her character was just roll-your-eyes worthy at best.

I don't remember any of the others because they were really that forgettable. It wasn't just one plot with maybe 2 subplots but about 76 of them all running amok where I legit felt like I was in the twilight zone. What the heck were these writers thinking? Just focus on a few things maybe from a few angles but don't confuse the audience with a zillion failed love stories and doomsday scenarios. The best way to describe it was a luxurious mess.

Would I recommend it? If you're a diehard Reba fan, then of course as she embodies Yunhe well and the cinematography is beyond stunning. But in general this is for people who like busy plots with lots of different characters all going in some direction from center. In any case, decide for yourselves.

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The Cute Kid Carried 2/3rds of the Show w/Help from the Leads

I have seen some of the cast in various shows before but this just looked like a rom-com that I may have enjoyed. To be honest though, it was very underwhelming. The reason it got the score it did was because of how messy the script was and that I essentially had to ffw most of the 28 episodes. The child actor was the best thing out of the entire show and he was smarter than his parents and all of the adults combined. He legit carried 2/3rds of the series with help from the leads.

Pros: Not too many of those here sadly. As I mentioned the kid actor would probably be favorite because he would be the voice of reason for his parents and their constant quarrels. The leads had a great chemistry when they were together and there was decent comedy. The supporting cast was actually good (save for gorilla glue) when they were by themselves. But when the script started throwing them together at random, it went down the drain. The story had a lot of potential from the past to the present and growing and understanding, it just threw too many monkey wrenches into the mix which will be discussed below. I liked the flashbacks at the end of each episode as it explained what happened 5 years ago in detail.

Cons: So much potential in this script but it was wasted. The past and present at first, it was understandable why both leads would be at odds but then once things started to become clear we still had an FL that refused to let go of her narrow-mindedness and it would just be this constant 1 step forward, 2 steps back. The amount of times something needed to be said or a kiss happen and they were interrupted went from silly to tropey and boring. Felt like their second chance start being interrupted by CJJ and back to the bus accident we went was more of a filler then anything else because it brought the leads to odds again and it either shouldn't have happened or placed earlier so it was more cohesive. It was so mismatched and out of place that it seemed like they ran out of how to move onto a proper reconciliation and needed to throw something in there that was already over with and understood.

Both support couples getting together was so confusing and ridiculous. One ran over her younger dude with a car and then turned into a cougar ravenous after her prey and the other happened like a very bad whiplash. One moment SML is finally going to confess to the FL after 4 years of hoping she'd randomly like him, the next he really likes gorilla glue, baby voiced, stalker chick and is ready to turn himself into a pretzel to show his affection when he couldn't utter two words towards FL. It was so out of any realm of understanding and just beyond confusing. I didn't feel chemistry between either couple. They were literal fillers when they--sans one--could have just been great friends and support systems to the leads. This was essentially two very forced romances on the audience that didn't need it.

What in the what was up with the villain? He wasn't even on anyone's radar other then being a lewd and womanizing bastard and then in the last literally 6 episodes they turned him into a viper of a monster that was ready to sexually assault, run over, beat up, harass, extort people, kill dogs, and lord knows what else. That Ding dude was a more believable villain than CQR because from his first appearance until his arrest, he was a predator. But they didn't do that to CQR, who didn't even appear in a half a dozen episodes. There was no evolution to his character, so to go from like 0 or maybe a 3 to infinity in antagonist land in literally under 10 episodes was ridiculous and a disservice for a person playing a supposedly important antagonist character. There were many other plot holes like this.

The literal flip of FL from "we're not meant for each other" to "yep, we're together", was too spastic and sudden. It could have been done way smoother. ML had promised her a zillion times already that he'd take care of her but only when he spoke for her to CQR after she'd beaten him up, then she was like "ok I'm yours." It needed a much smoother transition. No wonder in the last two episodes ML's heart started to give him problems again. She was so busy with her own life and world that it never even dawned on her that he was in trouble, even when his sister told her that he would hide things so not to worry others. Like that angered me because everyone was feeling bad for the FL but in this case, the man has gone above and beyond and you supposedly love him so much but you can't tell that he's not being honest with you? And you know so much about the heart and whatnot? It was quite unbelievable.

Would I recommend it? Only if you like messy plots. But personally only reason it got this score is because of the adorable kid. And I'm not rewatching this again. A lot of folks liked it and more power to them but it's not for everyone.

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Beast Mode Activated

Picked this up on a whim when the air date was announced as I had seen HYT (ML) in two republican era detective dramas and this was a totally different genre plus a romance so was interested in how he'd do. I'd heard of ZJY before but never seen her in anything and was familiar with some of our supporting cast especially the main antagonist. This was a female-centric drama about going through hardships and evolving. Not to mention ML's ability to go from quiet and kind to beast mode activated.

Pros: I have to give the martial arts of ML or GYX main pointers here; it gave this review a title. At 6'2 or 6'3, GYX towered over everyone including emperor psycho aka his own uncle (which baffled me when I saw it in the first episode as I had seen the actor who played big bad twice before and thought he was monster sized but here he looked like a mouse in comparison), so when he deployed his martial arts be it sword or fists, he could destroy a human in seconds. This was also funny to me because his fat guard in the brigade who could carry two people at once and the guard he killed upon assuming his post as commander; both actors played bad guys in TLB (ironically the aunt who was raising the kid of the concubine played the main antagonist in TLB too; reunion!), and they were huge there; yet here they paled in comparison. Props to HYT for doing the stunt work himself. The chemistry of the leads was on point as well; they were just too cute together and great partners in crime. Loved how no matter what—even during breakup—he had her back 100%; even if it meant as stealthy Batman. The story was nice about the FL and how she leads her female family out of disaster after disaster while they evolve from dependency on men to independence as the men are exiled north and just in general because once the men returned, they learned of the new normal very quickly. GYX also led the bureau to a change from barbaric to a brotherhood that was united and supported each other. Was also great that his three guards (my favorite was spider monkey guard though CQ was good too), always protected HZ and her family too however they could. It was like the Hua family and them became a massive family. Called the entire bureau the Spider-Man brigade; their ability to assassinate goons in a midst of a food competition at the restaurant while picking up blood drops took the cake. We're talking Cirque du Soleil meets Special Ops action here.

This drama was not short on comedy be it intentional or not. There was always something that made people laugh at any given point. The comment section here was lively. The OSTs and BGM really fit most scenes especially the beast mode ones. Favorite single character was actually very hard but both leads fit, wish we saw more of the SML as he spent like 30 episodes studying lol. The secondary couple (SY and SH) was adorable, SY stole everyone's heart (and boy is her actress versatile; from a cunning seductress spy in MJTY to a young woman with high functioning autism as it seemed here), Ah Jian, empress dowager (who I wish went to the wedding) as mentioned guards, the eunuch (first kind one I’ve seen in any drama next to a nasty emperor), all aunts and cousins of HZ, the maids and their men, one uncle, grandpa and grandma (grandma's death was the saddest thing of the entire show other than Hua Rong's).

Let's talk about our main antagonist; emperor psycho as I dubbed him. Actor never disappoints; you hated his guts from the first episode to the second he died in the last one. Hell has never had a more deserving candidate from a drama. A narcissistic psychopath that only with death could people be free. Though I loved how HZ finally took him to town in 38 and GYX let himself be heard too, the man himself was the absolute monster and played it very well. Costumes and sets were nice as well.

Cons: I wish the script let the leads emote more as HZ was far too perfect and could get through any turmoil without so much as an eyebrow lift. Only saw her really show negative emotions twice, when she was told by the emperor she couldn't redeem the men through money and she went from catatonic to ballistic in under 2 minutes and when GYX took on the palace guards and got himself severely injured, she was shrieking and crying. Same went for GYX, the actor has a difficulty emoting in general apparently as his are very subtle; but when he's fighting, he's not playing around. But his negative or even positive emoting was rare i.e. breakup scene and when emperor psycho croaked were the only two times he cried, I think I saw him really smile maybe three times in the entire show. He smiled more in their BTS when they did the actual scenes; so wonder why director didn't use those scenes.

I had more issues with the script than the acting; though the breakup scene lacked gravitas especially given it was a nobility arc for a change and not a dumb misunderstanding. It just seemed that many important scenes where angst was required, were never given a pause but just rolled along to the next whatever it was. The spy astronomer and last adult prince were more like plot devices to get to the death of emperor psycho; I forgot who that prince even was as he appeared a total of two times prior. Felt very disjointed from the rest of the show. The last 6 episodes were a sprint to the finish line as for a story that large you needed to pack it in. Especially the very last episode. They really sacrificed quality for quantity here, sadly. Instead of focusing on many smaller characters and story lines, they could have chosen less of those and really fleshed out the leads, second couple, SML, a few others and stuck to a more conducive storyline. What we got at the end, was a dizzying amount of people whose loose ends needed to be tied and it was done in 30 seconds or less for each batch while the leads were forgotten for a bit.

Wish the Jurassic sized CGI dolphins didn't take up the ending of the leads as they were unnecessary and made that scene laughable for the wrong reasons. Continuity and dubbing were also visible issues during the show, the other CGI wasn't that great either though thankfully rarely used and mostly for the background and I wish the music didn’t drown out some of the conversations as well.

Would I recommend it? Yes, I would. Despite the running around and kinks, it was an enjoyable series and one I would recommend especially if you like female-centric with sweet chemistry types of dramas.

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Friendships Formed through Intertwined Meow-Steries

I will be completely honest when I say I dropped this drama mid-episode 2 because of the really cheesy childish antics. But something told me to return to it and listening to my instincts and asking some people who kept watching, I did just that. And I'm very glad I did because this is one of those very few cdramas that actually got better with each episode especially after 5 or 6. So I'm very glad I trusted my instincts to finish watching. It was friendships formed through intertwined meow-stries. See what I did there? ;)

Pros: At first it seemed each of the cases were separate but as you continued to watch, you understood they were all connected to the original case and story from three years back and LB losing his father to some unknown organization of mask wearing assassins and being turned into a cat. The story revolves around him and his group of subordinates (SB, WQ, CB, and Alibaba) in the CJR with an extra kid (CS) who becomes LB's little brother of sorts plus QQZ who used to be LB's childhood best friend but due to a misunderstanding those 3 years ago that is only really resolved in the second to last episode they appear on opposite sides. In reality QQZ infiltrated the organization that's trying to gain immortality through murder and to overthrow the Empress. Favorite character is hard because the main gang is great plus QQZ who I wish appeared in more episodes so they could have properly fleshed out his and LB's friendship. CS knew of LB being a cat first (not counting QQZ of course though he didn't know or ask for that to be done) and it didn't bother him and then towards the end when the others found out about it, they still stood by him calling him a "Cat Hero", which was so awesome.

The old fart society, though they were the main villains, you also had YZH who though started out just as helpless as anyone was fed to some demon cat but got the upper hand and became a demon cat himself, morphed into a sociopathic loony that killed people, turned LB into a cat, caused the domino effect that got LB's father murdered, and ultimately killed QQZ just for a stupid game in his own mind. Same went for CS's brother CJ aka Black Rakhasa who was the actual murderer of LB's father as he was hired by the old fart society because though he cared for his brother, after being bullied in Shendu, instead of helping others, he chose to be a predator. LZS got karma not once but twice; got killed once, brought back by the old fart society, used until he no longer was needed and killed by them for his blood. Whoopsie; now thats seriously cold karma.

This show had many layers that you had to peel back like an onion to understand. People did come back to life but none were immortal save for YZH and LB; though LB gave the only antidote to YZH as a deal for his testimony at the old fart society's trial which was before his own. QQZ wanted the antidote for LB and he essentially died for it. I did tear up because the way LB keened over QQZ as they finally made amends officially--though LB had long suspected that QQZ didn't really turn bad--just before he passed was only seen when he lost his father. When finding out just how much evidence QQZ had found out on his own even before LB's father was killed and his father knew QQZ had successfully infiltrated but didn't tell LB. Maybe if he did, then their misunderstanding wouldn't have happened upon his murder; LB was very smart even back then and he would have left him alone.

But in the end it was CS who saved LB and the gang; the kid that started out illiterate and very naive, brought the city folk together to save his best friends through the haunting final words of the now gone QQZ copied hundreds of times and distributed to the people of the city.

Wow, I feel like I've fallen back into the story. Let's move on. The costumes (save maybe the Walmart wigs and beards of the foreigners from Alibaba's country), OSTs, scenery, fight scenes were really great, plus appropriate comedy was all very nice and fit everything.

Cons: I wish we got to see the Empress's face as that was a huge mystery the entire show. As well as who Du Zixu was; he was an important figure in the story as a lot of it started with him but we never saw who his character was. I wish that they ended SGQ's story better as she was moved properly out of the story but don't just poof her. Also wish that the story didn't begin as shakily as it did then maybe I wouldn't have dropped it in the first place.

Though I know it was also in the source material, I really don't feel like QQZ should have died especially after his line of "I have also outlived my usefulness." That's not true. He was very important to LB, the veterans he worked so hard to exonerate, and now the gang of CJR too. I don't feel sorry for YZH at all; even though LB did towards the end. In a way he chose his own path in life. He knew the antidote was on that dagger, he could have taken it at any point but like BR, it was a lot easier to be a predator pretending he was a god than choose to be good.

Would I recommend it? I absolutely would. Just get passed the first several episodes that are a bit cheesy and all over the place. But the rest is very good and worth watching; it's got a little bit of everything comedy, mystery, action, case solving, clues, but most importantly friendship.

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Great until the Last 2 hours of the Live

This season was exceptional because of the addition of the international dancers. Each episode made you laugh and cry. However, as expected by many, the very obvious scripting and rigging of the finale sent the weakest (though still talented) member of Team Boom to win. The scores for the battle section were ridiculous in range and they didn't focus at all on the stronger/better dancers. With so many highly talented international dancers with decades of experience; China still couldn't let one of them win. Because of this, though I watched the live the majority of it and woke up at 4:45am for it, I couldn't watch the last 2 hours. It just wasn't fair. And therefore, it doesn't get a solid 10 from me.

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