Peridot83
Almost 4 years later, this drama is still the gold standard and has aged extremely well. Each plot piece fits perfectly, heroes and villains all have interesting, nuanced stories. The music adds great atmosphere, though I wish it was a bit more varied (they heavily rely on some 2 excellent songs/musical theme) . Scenes from the show linger in your memory far after the show is over, and I did rewatch certain scenes - though not the whole show.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 10
(The series does not jump from random plot element to plot element, but actually builds on concepts regarding narcissism, good leadership, sacrifices for the greater good, etc.)
Character Growth - 10
(Characters are not just playing the same 5 facial expressions. They face tragedies and setbacks, and they actually change as a result; even the 'evil' or 'bad' characters have moments of weakness and sympathy.)
Nuanced Women - 6
(The female characters are nuanced, but in the end they have much less screen time than the men. Also, felt like their storylines were somewhat cut or dropped by the end).
Cinematography/Production Values - 7
(Did not distract from the drama, but also did not add to it. Seemed mostly filmed on 3 or 4 standard sets, costumes/design were competent but not particularly interesting, action scenes were a bit poorly choreographed and limited).
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The initial premise is great: what if someone with modern sensibilities, good coping mechanisms, kind, generous and humorous were placed into a traditional wuxia storyline? For the first 10 episodes, you get subversions after subversions of the drama formula, 'misunderstandings' are cleared up, people who are bad turn good and good turn bad etc.
As the novelty wore off, I just didn't care that much about the fates of the characters - I didn't care who won the succession fight, or if the main romance prevailed. There was just so many minor characters and one oversized lead, that it was hard for me to get invested.
This is despite excellent, distinctive acting. This has a huge cast, yet I could keep track of most all the characters and their varying plotlines and was fond of many of them.
I loved the opening credits song, and enjoyed a lot of the music. I wouldn't rewatch - again just wasn't very invested in any particular scene.
I grade on other criteria as well:
Complex Themes - 8
The main theme is having mature coping mechanisms, humor, kindness and generosity will keep you on the right path despite all the wrong around you.
Character Growth - 4
Too many characters to have meaningful character growth, and the main lead is presented as close to perfect as is - just a bit overconfident.
Complex Women Characters/Plotlines - 7
The women are incredibly intriguing with distinct plot lines and characters, but the main lead and his problems and feelings take up so much center stage, there just isn't real space to develop the female characters other then as plot devices to help the male lead.
Production/Cinematography - 10
Really, truly beautiful with lots of interesting scenes shot in different ways, varied sets, lavish costumes. On par with the best aesthetics in C-dramas I've seen.
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At the start, there is the typical powerful war god and the naive, powerless sprite/goddess. Except, this powerful war god looks and acts far far older than the naive powerless sprite. He is cold, authoritarian and acts more like mentor than love interest, and the powerless sprite stumbles earnestly along without a clue. 30 episodes later - this dynamic has not altered.
What's worse, the secondary plot in the 'demon' 'dark power' kingdom (they wear black/red costumes) is truly boring and the lead actor for that plot has very little charisma (he just walks around doing bad things or being in shock) .
This is a shame because the actors are quite good. Indeed, the actress who plays Ling Xi- I loved in the Rise of Phoenixes.
The music is fine, - I would not rewatch.
*Note the production values are top notch with lovely costuming and design, but the show isn't particularly cinematic and they rely a lot on sound stages/fixed sets.
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The first episodes are full of family drama, injustice to be corrected, a fearless heroine, and romantic tension. . . then the whole show stagnates and limps along. Why am I still watching this? I kept asking myself.
Hot/cold opposite attracts couples require great chemistry and the chemistry here is only so so . Oh Mi-joo while hot tempered, brash and spontaneous is tempered by the drive to be self-sufficient. Seo Dan-ah while arrogant and cold, also has a tendency to be oblivious and not understand human dynamics in a silly, charming way. The male characters in comparison do not stand out, Ki Seon-gyeom's open-eyed confusion gets old and Lee Yeong-hwa's sensitivity is played for laughs.
The wealthy parents are narcissistic and overbearing as is typical.
Music didn't register, I wouldn't rewatch. The speed and cliffhangers of the first five episodes was refreshing, as were some of the mild taboo elements - not at all as artistic and slow as I thought from the publicity. But as the show went on . . . it was hard not to notice that this was just a higher budget standard drama with the same age old plots.
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I really loved the idea of this couple and story. But, each episode was full of filler with minor characters, unnecessary exposition and plot lines. I skipped more and more sections.
Dilraba Dilmurat as Bai Feng Jiu is a true delight and she lights up the screen. She's endearing and shows a lot of character complexity and growth. Unfortunately, no one really matches her. Every time she is off screen, I keep waiting for her to re-appear.
Vengo Gao certainly is no match. Frozen into an archetype - he's almost a cardboard cut out and shows very little vibrancy. The interactions between the two main leads 24 episodes in are still incredibly stilted. This is especially true when General Ye Qing Ti steals all his scenes by having true charisma and great connection with Bai Feng Jiu.
Once I caught myself skipping/fast-forwarding through more than 50% of each episode I realized I am done. I was looking forward to this drama, but it's time to give up.
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The romance here is great. Forbidden love through lifetimes, epic protectiveness, jealousy and misunderstandings. The acting also rises above - to no surprise. I'm a big fan of 3 of the main actors Zhao Lu Si, I've followed since 'The Romance of Tiger and Rose', Wang An Yu starred in one of my favorite modern romances 'Falling Into You' and I thought Li Yun Ri stole the show in 'Love Like the Galaxy. '
Why then drop? The plot is a mess with too much screen time spent on petty villains and lots of wasted time with our main characters not sharing screen time. The CGI, production and costumes are all lacklustre.
As time went on, I started not just distractedly watching, but actively skipping to scenes with the three main actors mentioned above. Once I realised I was skipping 50% of each episode I decided it was time to stop.
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There's only one message to this show: young love has its benefits! It can motivate and mature and keep you safe and on track. Sure, this young love is wholesome, but it was also disappointingly standard: a driven, bit cold, good at everything male paired with an intelligent, lively, but in need of mentoring female.
On top of that, no progress has been made on the opening episode mystery. It really seemed the show was waiting until the last episodes to even address it. Sure, there is some underlying tension in how did we get from there to here? But, without any themes or conflicts or originality, the drive to finish this series waned. Time to drop.
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Eternal Love 2 is a very natural continuation of Eternal Love. Whilst this time it is the male actor who plays two parts, otherwise in terms personalities, acting, plots everything is in perfect consistency to what happened before. If you enjoyed Eternal Love, you'll enjoy this. If you disliked Eternal Love, why would you watch this?
Watching Eternal Love and Eternal Love 2 almost in a row, was a bit too much. By the end, the crazy silliness/endearing aspects of the series had worn a bit thin. I had hoped some 40-50 episodes in, that Qu Xiao Tan would become a more equal partner, but unfortunately Mo Lian Cheng is always the leader in this one (perhaps even more so than Eternal Love). Also, there was a side inner palace plot that I didn't like as much as in Eternal Love.
But still, it is absolutely worth the watch.
Other Criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 3
(Still none really . . .)
Character Growth -7
(As with Eternal Love, the split personality takes a fair bit of good acting and thinking. It's nice to see the ultra-serious, secretive old Mo Lian Cheng, next to the more mischievous and light-hearted new Mo Lian Cheng)
Nuanced Women -5
(The female friendships are tamped down in this one since there is no split personality on the female side, and this time Sun Yi Ning (the maid) has a romance plot of her own to take up screentime)
Cinematography/Production Values - 5
(Still not great, but an improvement from Eternal Love. They didn't try to do a mystic world on a low budget, more money was put into the costumes and interior design, and the modern scenes were done in the 'real world' without tons of green screen )
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All the elements are there: cross-dressing, evil ministers, comedic servants, hinted at love triangle, spunky woman heroine . . . and nothing else. At the 10th episode, we are where we were at the end of episode 2. We have literally no new major plot elements or character developments.
I am disappointed as Park Hyung-sik was excellent in Happiness and Strong Girl Bong Soon and stellar in Soundtrack#1, but here the restraint of the Joseon era seems to knock down his charisma a fair amount. He can't seem to do the 'beneath the calm water lies strong emotion' acting here, even though he's done it well in modern settings.
The drama is well produced - it's almost like they invested in the actors, production, etc. and then decided the plot and character development did not matter all too much. If you are a big fan of the genre, you may like this to pass the time, but I couldn't stick with it.
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The only reason to watch is that this Overbearing CEO characterization is somewhat unique - very earnest, and almost accidentally and apologetically overbearing, plus the chemistry between the leads is fairly good.
Everything else is mediocre from the plot, costuming, production values etc. and there's an especially toxic ex that is given so much screen time that I eventually couldn't continue watching . . .
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There are some truly creative, cinematic and eccentric scenes that will linger. But, the episodes are long, and the core theme repeats over and over. Eventually, I came to the point where watching caused boredom or needless tension from emotional whiplash between the absurd comedy and the violence. It was time to stop.
In our modern era of corruption, narcissism, greed and nihilism perhaps only death and destruction can change things around. Vincenzo is an intriguing character with an innocent surface, hiding an ease with violence and revenge. Cha-Young (female sidekick) is along for the ride experiencing the vicarious thrill of well-deserved retribution in action.
Music fits the mood, would not rewatch.
I grade on other criteria as well:
Complex Themes: 8.5
Psychopathic 'dark triad/tetrad' individuals and their enablers cause wide-spread destruction and havoc on society, violence may be the only effective answer. Some people are beyond redemption. Courage can be found in unlikely places.
Character Growth: 4
At least 3/4 the way through there really wasn’t any for Vincenzo or Cha-Young.
Complex women/Relationships: 5.5
Here we have a full blown female villain and a female co-hero with barely any romance elements. I liked that the female villain’s clothing, demeanour and temperament was dowdy and unassuming and how it could change in a split moment into something more sinister. Note: low points for not having much substantive interactions between women.
Cinematography/Production Values: 9.0
Really top notch, shooting in different styles, different angles. Lots of changing of scenery. Great fight scenes.
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This review may contain spoilers
A poetic screenplay about a grim, downward spiral that I grew to hate . . The premise is 'witness a historical, grim epic power dispute, through the eyes of a wide-eyed girl/woman aged 14 - 24.' Nirvana in Fire and The Rise of Phoenixes are my gold standards for tragic male dominated political battles, and this drama falls far far short. Yes, there is a tragic/forbidden romance element that is introduced strong at the start. But, Shi Yi is a passive character and neither she nor Zhou Sheng Chen are focused on their romance as much as their duty to a crumbling and corrupt empire.
Rating it against my gold standard, the court intrigues and strategies of this drama are simplistic, and the villains overacted, cartoonish and not given sufficient back stories. Zhou Sheng Chen lives with integrity, is a talented general, and is made noble by his constant self-sacrifice, but he's also very one note and does not develop any complexity, nor displays any sort of talent for politics or romance.
There was a great use of poetry in this show, very touching beautiful lines . . . and that was the only highlight.
Once I realized that the political intrigue elements, which are the weakest points of this plot, were going to dominate the last 1/3 of the drama, I decided to drop it.
Acting is so so, chemistry is good as child with crush on teacher, but fizzles as Shi Yi becomes a full adult. Music set the mood fine, and I would not rewatch.
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Every romantic trope is here: from opposites attract, forbidden romance, memory loss, rescues, reincarnation etc. There are fresh conflicts and an opportunity for the women to stand in the rescuing role. I was cheered to see this, but a few things hold this drama back:
1) Too many climactic, should have been the end/resolution moments
2) The acting and chemistry of the main couple is off. Chen Xing Xu (ML) plays a quite stodgy one note character in order to show difference later on - but it makes for a boring first half and a lack of chemistry.
3) Music and production values are sub par. So much so, that I would be taken fully out of the story and clearly could see how they were acting in front of a green screen. When the actors, would struggle or say no - it was really hard not to laugh given it was clear nothing was actually holding them back.
The themes were all over the place as well, though I did enjoy the challenge to an older too rigid generation. This drama is worth a try but just one too many issues to make it into my top tier.
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The premise is compelling and addictive: Ying Bu Yi - the most feared man in the empire tries and struggles to win over in all the wrong ways Cheng Shao Shang, an abandoned daughter of a military official.
Ying Bu Yi falls hard and fast for Cheng Shao Shang intensely realizing that they have this bond in a painful past and resulting resourcefulness. But Cheng Shao Shang has multiple options in life and being the star to someone else's sun or moon feels too unsettling after being let down and deprioritized multiple times in her life.
Thus sets the scene of the first half of the show. The leads have very little chemistry with each other and Ying Bu Yi wanders around in a very one note, in a fear me as I walk type way. Cheng Shao Sheng is a much more interesting and vibrant character in the first half.
THERE IS A LOT OF RESCUING, JUST ENDLESS RESCUE SCENES, which create the adrenaline, fast paced romance despite the lack of chemistry. The point made over and over and over again is when times become uncertain, wouldn't you want the most fearsome, capable person around?
Credit to the supporting actors - there's tons of them and they all had very unique personalities and I was invested in them as much (if not more so at times) than the main couple.
Music is decent, one of the instrumental pieces was quite nostalgic and wistful. Would not rewatch.
I did go on to watch part 2 - and more analysis will be there.
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Kang Mi Rae fixes her face but is still the same person: shy, insecure and socially inept. Instead of developing self-confidence, she tries to please everyone and panics at any negativity. Ultimately, she is drawn to the most handsome, outwardly self-confident guy in school . . . at this point I dropped the show. This is 2020, model healthy relationships please!
Granted, it's a realistic portrayal. Insecure people often do fall into relationships with very intense, stubborn and cold personalities. This is usually a very dangerous mix - there is often no space in such relationships to figure out who you are and who you want to be (indeed Kyung Suk's parents' relationship is a prime example of this).
Im Soo Hyang and Cha Eun Woo are very flat but it’s unclear whether that’s due to acting skills or the screenwriting. How many episodes can one take of an actress looking sheepish and the actor looking brooding?
Music is fine, I would not rewatch.
I grade on other criteria as well:
Complex Themes: 6
Wasted opportunity to explore the disconnect between one's outside appearance and inner well-being. The three main leads all have this problem but for different reasons, and instead of exploring the why and how to get unstuck, they just repeat over and over. The show did emphasize that while being an attractive woman can have its drawbacks, it also comes with opportunities.
Character Growth: 4
None through episode 13. All the main characters are essentially the same as they were in episode 2.
Complex Women/Relationships between women: 7.5
Kyung Suk's mother and Mi Rae have interesting conversations around expectations for women, attractiveness and career. Hyun Soo-Ah was excellent as someone with borderline personality or some sort of narcissistic personality disorder. But, Mi Rae herself is very two dimensional.
Cinematography/Production Budget: 5
Barely competent for a modern K drama. Very low budget, same sets over and over.
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