Of the fantasy/xianxia shows I've watched this one is the most adult/serious. It's not necessarily the one with the best growth and themes (that goes to Ashes of Love). But this focuses mostly on adults with adult issues (marriage, raising children, feuding families, honouring ones mentor etc.)
I enjoyed watching it, it was addicting and I was curious how it would resolve. But, I don't have the same fondness for the couple as I do for some of the other shows I've watched.
The plot was very engaging and rarely too repetitive, and the actors on their own were quite good. But, when the couple was on screen together, you didn't get the little looks/touches energy of a couple in love. In the end, I was happy with the story and glad I watched it all the way through, but I wasn't sad to leave the universe behind.... EXCEPT
I really enjoyed the secondary couple between Bai Fengjiu and Dong Hua, and I'm glad to see they are getting their own spinoff. It never felt like wasted time, and they actually seemed to have a more give and take, naturalistic type interactions than the main couple.
Music was nothing special, and I'm not sure whether I'd watch it again, perhaps certain scenes.
Other Criteria I score by
Complex Themes - 6
(Ye Hua and Bai Qian go through a lot over their lifetimes, but there are not strong themes besides appreciating the love that you have, and being loyal/having honour). Also, giving in to overbearing parents is endless, one needs to find the moral strength to stand up to them.)
Character Growth -7
(Both Ye Hua and Bai Qian show a decent amount of character growth, as they go through romance and lots of loss)
Nuanced Women -7
(Bai Qian and Bai Fengjiu both have nuanced personalities, and are good playing different types Bai Qian is more tom boyish and then stoic/austere, whereas Bai Fengjiu is more silly and headstrong)
Cinematography/Production Values - 6
(It's all CGI and green screens unless they are in the human world, I didn't find the worlds created or the costumes very beautiful, but it was all competently done)
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This review may contain spoilers
Great suspense and an endearing friends to lovers romance ....Will this end on a cynical, happy or tragic note? Finding out the answer kept me on the edge of my seat for all 12 episodes. More thriller than horror, Happiness reminded me of the old X-files series in the US. The main couple treat each other as equals, long time friends who can communicate without speaking a word. They both are bad*ss and excel at their jobs.
Similar to his role in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Hyungsik is excellent at portraying someone who is head over heels for the woman next to him - in all her strengths and weaknesses. Han Hyo-joo does an excellent job of portraying very grounded, protective qualities with no patience for the strong hurting the week.
The ~12-16 side characters are distinctive with GOOD and BAD qualities that are played as archetypes/caricatures. Overwhelmingly, the bad qualities are delusion, greed, and narcissism. Despite exaggerated portrayals, I thought the personalities represented were accurate and rare to see. I was as invested in side plots as I was the main plot, and didn't feel any urge to skip the side character scenes.
(*SPOILER* big minus points for interjecting a needless serial killer storyline, and also using the sociopathic doctor one too many times)
The music was really well done with two very distinctive styles: amped up/industrial and mournful, nostalgic guitar. The two different music styles kept you guessing as to whether the show would end happily or sadly.
Rewatch - I'm not sure about rewatch, but definitely a lot of the visuals are going to stick in my head, I felt like I was stuck in the apartment building with them and that I knew these characters and cheered them (well some of them) on.
(*SPOILER* minus points for making the end scenes not at all reflect the depth of the show - it was like all the trauma etc. was all magically erased)
I grade on other criteria as well:
Themes: 8.5
Greed and never-ending desires are the downfall of human beings. Continuing to be narcissistic, self-centered, and fantasizing about triumphing over others in crisis are unfortunate traits in many. Trauma and tragedy often magnify the character traits that already existed. Keeping grounded in reality, surrounded by family and friends can keep hope alive and the ability to continue to be a community minded human being. Home, family (blood or found) are the keys to happiness. Overcoming disappointment early in life and finding reasons to live can provide resilience in tough circumstances down the road.
(*Spoiler* if the show had ended differently, I would have given the themes a higher score, but in the last 15 minutes it's like the whole disease never happened.)
Complex characters/Character Growth: 7
The general was an excellent complex character, with a mix of opportunism and a moral center. The rest didn't so much grow as illustrate how different types of people respond to crisis. It was realistic that people would still obsess over real estate portfolios, wealth and how to take advantage of a crisis for their own benefit. I also thought it was realistic that people would take silly risks on the optimism that they were special/unique or wouldn't trust others evaluation of the dangers until they had experience it themselves.
Complex women characters/Relationships between Women: 7.5
Yoon Sae-Boom is a really wonderful mix of caring, nurturing and can't stand societal niceties. Despite her slight figure, you never feel like she couldn't kick *ss and take names. It was a realistic blend too, not whiplash between two different selves. I liked the range of women presented and also a minor theme about how women handle crisis vs men. The show, however, had a ratio of 1:1 women to men characters, and the women didn't have rich relationships with each other.
Production Values/Cinematography: 9
There were some really striking visual scenes, great use of music and realistic fight scenes with lots of grappling and use of the human body. In this era of CGI, the real zombies and physical fighting were very much welcome. 1 point off as it was completely unbelievable (esp. given the number of cars in the parking lot) how few residents were in the building when it was locked down - the lack of people just felt odd.
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First off, these slow, poetic K-dramas are generally not my cup of tea, and this one suffered like the others. After the initial well-done aesthetics, and 'cozy' feel are established nothing ... happens. Plus, the romance was very immature for one woman divorced and one man with an established dating history. If you are familiar with the U.S. show Younger that this is based on, this doesn't have the crazy hijinks and cliffhangers, it is quiet and not much happens.
What kept me watching, was the ideal of work that you love, doing it with integrity, and adding value and well-being in the world. If only we could all work like that! It seems like an ideal from another time, and it moved me a lot. Also, the care the show put in to actually portraying the publishing industry with detail.
Acting was competent, music matched the mood, I absolutely will not be rewatching. I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes - 7.5
Putting in the time and work to create and bring art into the world is a responsibility and a lifelong passion. Behaving with integrity may cause pain in the short run, but pays off in the long-run. A minor theme on how hard modern capitalism is on mothers.
Character Growth - 4
No one meaningfully changes or grows, they are the same as of episode 2 as the end. Perhaps, the most disappointing part of the show.
Complex women and relationships between women- 7
There's plenty of screen time between the women in the publishing house, them interacting, mentoring, helping and hurting each other. They are all a bit of a stereotype. Dani, it must be said, is a bit of a blank slate - apparently has no friends or family besides what goes on in the publishing house.
Production/Cinematography - 8
I loved all the different outerwear/coats. The clothing and settings really fit the characters. There was a soft, warm feel to the cinematography that suited the show, and I liked how they shot bookstores and books, but it did not attempt to be very creative cinematically.
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If you are familiar with the standard shojo romance tropes, all the elements are available here:
1) Extremely handsome somewhat older man who is a precocious genius/super competent, all the girls are after him. He struggles to communicate and has hidden man pain.
2) Self-conscious woman, somewhat struggling with her self esteem, a beginner in the field who attracts the man with her straightforward sweetness and emotional courage.
3) Enter random woman character who has no boundaries with the older man, is more his age, style etc. and makes our main character feel like she has no chance
4) Enter random male character who is sweet and straightforward like our main woman character, who is nice and good and a more appropriate match, but she just can't get into him.
BUT, if you do like this type of plot, this is a great version of it. What really makes this work is that all the characters really do feel like artists, living their lives in a small city in Japan. The cinematography and sense of place, the music, the dialogue etc. all feels quite perfect. While the voiceovers are a bit heavy handed, they are limited.
The themes aren't groundbreaking but are also very real: they are struggling with how to make art, how to inspire themselves in this modern world where everything feels meaningless, they are also struggling to invest in each other in relationships and in human beings where nothing seems very permanent or lasting.
And while none of this is ground breaking or new, I enjoyed watching this, got invested in the characters and was determined to see how it ended. I was transported by this slice of life more than I expected, and it's definitely worth a try.
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An admirable effort to make the modern case for love and relationships . . .Men - they can be worth it maybe? This series following the Chu parents and their 3 children as they navigate modern love and romance. All 4 relationships are given roughly equivalent screentime. The majority of the episodes are devoted to establishing all the ways relationships in our era go wrong and all the ways we can engage (or not engage) in sex. Just as you are about to despair that all the relationships are trash, the series turns a corner; it's worth watching all the way through.
Note: The cheating, abuse etc. all turn out to be 'misunderstandings.' I though that was a cheap resolution. The abuse storyline, especially should not have been 'don't judge what you don't understand.' Surely the child of an abusive relationship has some insight on to whether or not his father treats his mother appropriately beyond walking in on them one time?
The acting is great to the point where you feel like you are watching a documentary instead of a fictional series. I also thought a lot of the sex scenes were well done. The music was excellent and set the tones/moods of each episode. Cinematically and production wise it was competent with a few sublime moments.
All in all, I'm glad I watched this. It's very different from your normal drama fare, but I wish the payoff was a bit better towards the end.
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Dr. Cutie sticks to a simple romantic story. It has two endearing main leads and a few supporting characters.
Sun Quian excels as Tian Xi - she makes her role better than the script. She's bright and sunny despite having lived through extraordinary difficulties. She excels both at portraying her sadness/trauma as well as the sunny, silly resilient parts.
Huang Jun Jie as Ji Heng is a great match as a lonely, precocious young man who took on responsibility too early. Grumpy and unable to sleep, he slowly loosens up and rediscovers the joy of life. The only times he failed as an actor was as a military general. He did better with the more playful action elements (running along roofs, practicing fighting with his brother).
Together they had a ton of chemistry, good at ease moments between the two etc.
The music was fine and went with the mood of the show. There were cute moments to rewatch and I was 100% addicted.
I grade on other criteria as well.
Complex Themes - 5
There isn't so much themes as a point being made. That you deserve happiness and joy - and that if you fight for it you can have it. A grim childhood and a life of difficulties does not doom you forever.
Character Growth - 8
Tian Xi needs to reconcile herself to the past, but otherwise is presented as someone who knows how to live a happy life. Ji Heng however does go through a lot of growth to becoming a more humble and joyous person. You feel like they have lived a lot and learned a lot over the years.
Complex Women/Interaction between Women - 5
Tian Xi is an excellent doctor. Her aunt is also an excellent doctor who has survived and come to terms with living in a brothel. But, Tian Xi does not have strong female friendships, and her relationship with her aunt is more of a plot device than anything else. Ji Heng's mother, while decently acted is a typical stereotype as is his female cousin.
Production design/values - 8
Given the clearly small budget, this is far better done than many shows with 3x the budget. Clothing materials are in colors that flatter the characters and tell a story. Sets are bright and airy and well lit. Fighting scenes are well done with the small budget and no attempt at bad CGI. As it is a shorter series, I didn't even get tired of the fact that there were only 3 or 4 sets and no real out in the world scenes.
.
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Nirvana in Fire Season 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin
3 people found this review helpful
The plot of Nirvana in Fire 2 suffered from two main problems 1) Lots of wasted time on an evil exaggerated caricature in the first half (I had to start watching sped up) 2) the characters in the second half show very little character growth.
The acting/cast was uneven as well. I truly enjoyed all the scenes that featured the Xiao family and Lin Xi, and I was super curious about how it would all resolve for them. But, the other characters such as the Emperor, officials/advisors, concubines, I found overacted and boring. I have gone back and watched bits and pieces that I liked.
Music was well done.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 8
(The series does not jump from random plot element to plot element, but actually builds on concepts regarding sacrifices for the greater good, fate vs. individual action, the ups and downs of power, recognising ones limits and the harm of long-held grudges)
Character Growth - 7
(Characters do not change as much as one would hope or think. They will change or grow a bit, but then get 'stuck' either due to limited acting range or limited script)
Nuanced Women - 5
(Like Nirvana in Fire, there are some great nuanced female characters (esp. Meng Qian Xue - the older brother's wife), but unlike Nirvana in Fire there's a lot of simplistic one note female characters as well (esp. in the inner palace).
Cinematography/Production Values - 10
(Beautifully filmed compared to Nirvana in Fire, lots of outdoor scenes, sweeping vistas, huge, choreographed fight scenes).
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Our main female lead is out for revenge against the selfish, deluded and truly evil. Much of the screentime goes to these terrible people to the point of frustration. Just as you can't handle one more cruel or petty scene, Jiang Li appears and takes them down. Jiang Li's plots are not overly complicated there isn't tons of intrigue, there's not a lot of gray areas. Frustratingly, also, most of the evil characters are women.
If you were hoping for a romance centric story, the romance is strung out for one or two scenes per episode, with our Duke Su always the puppet master, and never losing his composure or risking anything.
The costumes and production values are a bit low budget and do not make-up for the handicaps of this story. My frustration levels were high, and the rewards too delayed. I'm dropping.
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In this realistic slow burn romance, Sang Zhi carries the show with her playfulness paired with a fiery stubbornness. She is willing to defer and let Duan Ji Xu lead but only to a point - determined and opinionated she doesn't hesitate to push if necessary. The suspense and tension comes from a few different places - their age difference, Duan Ji Xu's complex family and financial situation. In terms of ethics, their relationship matures with Sang Zhi's age with plenty of time skips. The plot hints at the forbidden without crossing the line.
The plot is simple and it's really the acting and chemistry that sets this apart. You, the audience, can feel and know the longing and hesitation from both sides. As they get older, the awareness that they are physically attracted to each other builds due to excellent acting.
The music is fine, production values bit low. I ended up dropping this before the end as once the central tensions were resolved, I started losing interest.
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This drama launches with two addictive plots running 1) will our main characters be able to find love despite all the political turmoil ? 2) will our main characters be able to secure justice, righteous revenge and yet still have a happy ever after?
As the main romance plot starts resolving, a LOT of screen time is wasted on uninspiring terrible characters takes their place. This was so aggravating for me I almost DNF.
BUT, I really wanted to know if it all works out in the end. Unlike most other Chinese historical political dramas I've seen, this drama really hid the ending well. I wasn't quite sure how it would resolve until it did.
The acting is great, the music and production values are very good, and the pacing for the first 2/3rds and last 3 episodes was really good. If you like this genre, this drama is a must watch.
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What if a modern man landed straight in the middle of your standard Joseon era plot, but into the body of the queen instead of the king?
The actress here (Shin Hye Sun) is really amazing, and plays all the bodily quirks, humor and slapstick in a truly wonderful way. The first 10 episodes sail along on her sheer acting ability plus some love triangle intrigue. The male actors that form the love triangle are a bit one note, but they show good connection with the actress.
It quickly became clear that no one knew how to end the plot, and the writers just stuck to the same themes and gimmicks of the first 10 episodes. The rest of the actors and plot devices are somewhat mediocre, and so everytime the main actress is off screen it was hard to pay attention.
By episode 17, I was skipping rapidly (I did finish it). Music was fine, I would not rewatch. I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes: 6
Love can come in unexpected ways. Embracing what life throws at you with sincerity can be rewarding. The gender and body dynamics are not explored much at all.
Character Growth: 7.5
The male chef in Kim So Yong's body goes from being dismissive and treating it all as a game, to sincerely wanting to help the people he encounters, and feeling more open to emotions. It was an expected transformation, but still decently done.
Complex Women/Relationships Between Women: 7
There's lots of women characters but besides the main character, they are all somewhat caricatures with very thin backstories. Kim So Yong's rival was the only other female character that had a bit of depth.
Cinematography/Production Budget: 7
Competent, in the way most modern dramas are. But, the sets, costumes etc. all feel like you've seen them twenty times before. The fight scenes are fairly uninspired.
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This review may contain spoilers
Who doesn't love a bad boy/good girl romance? With all the thrills and problems it implies . . . *Discussion of Red Flags at the end*
This modern romance has the life/death feel of a historical drama set in the present day. Li Xun is your black sheep general or heir, highly strategic, intelligent, competent and cold as ice. Zhu Yun is your earnest and bubbly sheltered daughter of a palace adviser who has a hidden righteous fury. Li Xun could conquer the world in one step, if not for his weaknesses which are the family and friends around him especially Zhu Yun. Their journey to happiness takes years of twists and turns, revenge plots and separations.
The beginning creates a lot of suspense by jumping back and forward in time. The end is touching and perfect acknowledging the years that have passed. In the perfect last flip of perspective, Li Xun never says it, but we get to see that Zhu Yun was the best thing that ever happened to him.
Chen Fei Yu as Li Xun excels at a smirky teenage cool. Zhang Jing Yi as Zhu Yun excels at a straight-forward eagerness and stubbornness. They have excellent chemistry together, but limited range. Even as the years pass, you do not get a sense of any time passing for their characters. There's no large moments of self-doubt, no hidden flaws or temperaments that only come out later on. What you see is what you get. Zhao Zhi Wei as Gao does a much better of job of changing into a more bitter, muddle headed adult.
Music is fine, and I wouldn't really rewatch.
I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes: 9.0
Men who have chips on their shoulder, jealous, unscrupulous and thirsty to succeed can indeed be bad partners. But, these men can come from any economic class. It's wrong to assume that ambitious men who grow up in poorer circumstances will have bad values compared to those from other wealthier backgrounds. Upfront, straight-forward, reliable people of whatever background are worth a dozen schemers.
Complex Characters/Character Growth: 5.5
Gao changes a lot and it’s a very believable change, that he was unable to accept his own limitations, and had unhealthy level of grudges and aggression that grew with time. Li Xun and Zhu Yun stay very consistent throughout.
Complex Women/Complex Relationships Between Women: 7.5
Zhu Yun and her mother have a very complicated and contentious relationship. With her mother unable to see her potential, and so sure that her daughter is the same as her. So, some points there. Otherwise, there are women friendships and characters but they are drawn a bit thin.
Production Value/Cinematography: 5.0
This is filmed very straight on with not too much creativity to clothes or sets let alone camera angles. There’s a camera choice for the very end where it switches to Li Xun that is powerful, but otherwise this category did not stand out to me at all.
*RED FLAGS*
Both Li Xun and Gao display numerous red flags including: smirking in the face of distress, not showing vulnerability, taking away people’s choices, defensiveness, feeling like you are ‘above the rules’ or ‘above the law,’ a lack of friend/familial relationships, uncomfortable feelings, dreams outsized to current reality, quick to sacrifice other people’s feelings to meet your goals etc.
The highly problematic myth of the bad boy/good girl romance is that the love of a good woman can ‘tame’ or soften a bad boy and these traits, and that myth is highly on display here.
What’s worse is that Zhu Yun shows all the signs of someone in the thrall of limerence/obsession running after Li Xun and getting crumbs for 95% of the show. She declares at the end that she knows he will soften/ripen like a peach, but we the viewers see little indication that that’s the case.
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What if the gender roles were reversed in a Cinderella romance? Could the relationship survive or would the man feel too emasculated? Could he find a way to be a man while being the less powerful, less wealthy half?
The initial premise becomes weighed down with large scale conspiracies, sickly sweet morals about the 'common people,' and lots of sickness/death wish fulfilment. Ultimately, the show is completely unrealistic, full on daytime soap level drama, but with extremely slow pacing.
The two actors have little chemistry, the music is just OK, and besides one scene early on where our male lead rescues the female lead, there's nothing here I would rewatch.
This is one of the most popular KDramas, with prestige actors, and so I've been trying to suffer through but I can't anymore . . . I'm dropping.
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This review may contain spoilers
A brilliant, thrilling first half and a touching ending don't makeup for a lost, floundering middle section . . . Warning: This is a tragedy
Some mistakes you can't recover from. In the first half, the momentum is high with our male and female lead teaming together on a path of revenge. They both are attractive, talented, and have excellent romantic chemistry. As the first storyline nears its end, there's still a big looming problem: Murong Jinghe in his darkest, most cruel moments poisoned Mei Lin without securing an antidote. What will happen when he tells her? Will he be able to make it up to her and cure her?
When Mei Lin finds out she will have none of it, and leaves him. Good for her. But then what? Then what indeed . . . from there Murong Jinghe mopes, and pines, and hoovers not sure how to make it up to her, but still desperately in love with her.
The acting is great, the themes are solid, it's beautifully shot, but this easily could have been 24 episodes instead of 32 and not lost anything.
Despite it all, this drama will stick with me. Greed, power struggles and revenge often take the beginnings of a good life and turn them into tragedy. Endearing life-long love stories are hard to come by in times of struggle, uncertainty and war. In the midst of the darkness, do we truly understand what we're giving up until it's too late?
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*Warning* Part 1 ends in the middle, abruptly. You may want to wait to watch the whole thing together
After a lifetime of betrayal, how should you pick your romantic partners? What does it mean to live a good life and how much are you willing to sacrifice to secure it?
The pitfalls of picking romantic partners here are realistic and addictive, and show the pros and cons of your typical love interests. Each gets a somewhat equal chance, and there isn't an 'obvious winner' as there is in other harem type scenarios. There are four here:
1) The ambitious childhood friend, 2) The kind, soft man inspired by a fierce woman 3) the ruthless and callous lover born out of years of trauma and fighting 4) the golden child, talented and fun with seemingly no darker pasts or sides
Add to that above standard music, and well done investment in cinematography and special effects, and this all came together well. Whether this rises to one of my favorites really depends on how pt 2 shakes out . . .
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