QAS
Los Angeles, CA
This review may contain spoilers
This is the best executed C-drama that I have watched in the last 2 1/2 years. The production values are excellent, with an excellent cast, director, film editor, scriptwriter, music supervisor, wardrobe supervisor, stage design supervisor, location supervisor and all the diligent crew members. The caterers might have been excellent as well.Bai Yu is the best C-detective, Lou Fei, who is charismatic, upper class, and well-dressed, and he possesses a sharp intellect and an analytical mind. Una You as Xiao Man is the perfect assisting police detective, with fighting skills and a sharp mind to complement Lou Fei's. Jeffrey Ji as Ben Jie Ming is the very handsome and tall coroner with a sharp mind and excellent inter-communication skills. Captain Savoy is the perfect boss and team leader, who leads, supports and respects his staff members. Their loyalty to him is shown in the final episode, when the police officers stand with him, against the raging director of the municipality.
Acting: 9.5
Directing: 9
Casting 9
Editing 9
Music 10
Costumes 9
Sets 10
Script 8.5
This is the first Chinese drama that I am willing to rewatch. The 24-episode length and the tight scripts are perfect for viewers with a short attention span.
ATTENTION: This drama contains NONE of the following drama flaws to disrupt the viewer's concentration;
(a) flashback and repetitive flashback filler,
(b) story filler,
(c) useless flashbacking,
(d) pattern-mad or garish wardrobe,
(e) obtrusive loud singing and loud incidental music score overlapping the characters' dialogs and scenes.
Final episode comment; The ending is the beginning.
From the structure and pace of the cases, the ending was designed to continue in a second season. Bai Yu and Una You comprise the best detective team, Lou Fei and Qin Xiao Man, since Inspector Earl Lynley and Detective Havers, Sherlock and Watson, Morse and Lewis. If Detective L had been launched as a 50 episode drama, we would have been bombarded with fillers and flashbacks, loud, repetitive singing and draggy incidental music.
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Best Drama Couple of 2018 - Li Zi Cheng and Lin Qian
I sat through the entire drama, unlike other C-dramas that I dropped, due to lack of interest.The casting of Jin Han was an excellent choice. He really lit up the screen, and he and Zhao LiYing had very good rapport. The casting of Zhao LiYing was another excellent choice, but there were serious issues with continuity, and her appearances on screen were not seamless. Her hair had varying lengths in the same scene, and seemed to grow several inches within a week.
Despite the perfect casting of the two main leads, I was bored with the remaining characters and their issues. Too much filler, too much dialog, too much bad editing, too much bad fashion!
For a drama set in a fashion industry, the fashions were fugly and painful to watch. Boss Chen wore the most ludicrous men's clothing, and Manager Ning wore two dozen or three dozen double-breasted busisness suits in every color, that were all two sizes too small for him. The male actors, who seemed to be in the height range of 5'9 to 6'0, wore clothes that were manufactured for males, 5'7 or shorter.
The haircuts were another story. Most of the actors had bad haircuts. Bad haircuts and fugly fashions weighed down the drama. Editing was bad. The scene with Lin Qin and Brother in the beginning episodes stretched over two or three episodes. The intercut scene editing made it look like they had been talking for twenty-four hours, and Lin Qian's hair length kept changing. That one scene should have been ten minutes long without the dreaded intercuts.
Flashbacking/flashback filler; this was almost as bad as Age of Legends, that I dropped because of the excessive flashbacks. The C-Drama Directors seem to forget that the viewers have a short attention span, and that constant interruptions only serve to disrupt the concentration. The Director should be trying to keep the viewer engaged in the plot.
Loud music; 75% of the time, the music volume was turned up when the characters were having a discussion. In real life, I don't think people have loud music playing when they are talking, unless they are in a dance club or concert.
Despite all the above criticisms, I found Jin Han and Zhao Liying to be charismatic, congenial, and refreshing in their characters. One might say that I loved the drama for these two actors, and the love story of their characters.
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Sherlock and the Ghostbusters
I LOVED watching Daniel Choi in this drama, and appreciated his acting skills. He's the most photogenic, handsome, charistmatic K-actor. The cast and acting was on point. Some acting was overacting, but this is K-dramaland.Too much detail was spent on Sun Woo-Hye and the flashbacks/flashbacking and singing. The constant loud singing in your "face" is so tiresome in the Asian dramas. If they had shown the sequence of events in chronological order, instead of flashbacking constantly, the story would have flowed effortlessly instead of listlessly like the ocean tides. This could have improved the Korea TV ratings significantly.
Some of the plot was confusing, confounded by the repetitive flashbacks and flashbacking. "I see you, Lee Da Il. I don't see you, Lee Da Il." Once the characters started talking directly to Lee Da Il, when they were not really seeing him, was a conspiracy among the Director, Scriptwriter and Film Editor. The story dragged in places, especially with Sun Woo-Hye on screen. The whole story could have been told in 16 30-minute episodes, or it could have been a very good 2-hour movie.
Spoiler: Lastly, the five years' time jump at the end! Really, Director? Really, Writer? This "love" story qualifies for the 1,000 or 10,000 years' old romance drama.
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Heartbreak drama
Here to Heart was my Go-To Drama for May 2018. It started out very favorable, owing to the participation of Hans Zhang and Janine Chang, who are engaging actors. As the drama progressed, with the characters remaining in a rut, I began to notice the bipolar, depressed, weepy and/or deluded characteristics of several characters. Midstream, the weepiness began to wear on me. By the end, I was too worn out, to cry during the lovers' emotional reunion.Story: 6.5
A credible romance plot with too much weepiness, depression, delusion. By the middle of the story, I had no empathy and sympathy for the two lovers, Wen Nuan and Zhan Nanxian. Their persistent weepiness and inadequate communication skill made me indifferent to the lovers' plight. While the supporting characters were beautiful to behold, their mini stories also seemed to drag on forever.
Acting/Cast: 8
Credible acting by the main and supporting casts! Janine Chang's range of emotions was impressive, but she was wept her way through this drama, and that was depressing. Hans Zhang exuded charm and elegance on screen, but his weepiness was depressing. My favorite character was Gao Fang (… actor Ji Xiao Bing), who was the only rational, normal person.
Music: 9.5
The incidental music was beautiful. I wondered if the Winter Sonata composer composed the music. The theme song was overplayed too much; two or three times in the episodes. Once is enough, during the opening credits.
Rewatch value: 1
I was too depressed, watching the depressed, bipolar, deluded characters. Never again!
Overall rating: 6.5
If the drama had been trimmed to 30 episodes, with a tighter plot, less drivel, less weepiness, less depression, it would have been awarded the title of Ultimate Romance Drama to challenge the K-drama, Winter Sonata, sitting at the top of the Romance Drama chart. The Writer, Director and Actors put too much emphasis on the MELODRAMA, versus DRAMA.
Wardrobe notes:
Janine and Hans wore the most beautiful fashions, but some of their wardrobe should have been rejected. Nanxian wore checkered pajama pants and a tailored black tuxedo jacket and bowtie, and loafer shoes that looked like bedroom slippers, at his wedding in episode 45. Wen Nuan's red dress in the final London scene looked ill-fitting. It was loose and ready to fall off her. Yixin was an extreme fashionista, wearing elegant or tacky outfits. In general, all the actors were subjected to the whims of the wardrobe department.
Observation:
I felt that HTH had the tone of Winter Sonata, in story, characters and music. Lost love, love rivals, lost memory, interfering deluded parent, lack of communication, dream house, weepiness, depression, delusion! There were similarities between the four main characters of HTH and WS. Wen Nuan (=Yu Jin), Nanxian (=Joon Sang), Linlu (=Sang Hyuk) and Yixin (=Chaelin)! The HTH characters had more depth of character and job responsibilities.
The final montage of the couple in their State of Happiness was unnecessary. The drama should have ended at their final reunion by the River Thames.
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Bad Drama of the Year Award
The drama has two actors of interest, Hu Ge and Chen Long. They dressed well, and looked handsome in their business suits. Chen Long's character, Lin Bai, was my favorite character.This is the story of the survival of the underdog, Qiu Dong; his fall from grace, and his climb out of the hole, with a few female companions along the way, to keep his company. I was intrigued by the trailer, but the intrigue thinned out over the duration of the drama. The actors did a good job, but their characters had no spark, and the plot stretched into oblivion.
The incidental music was pretty but monotonous, and a disruption during the dramatic moments. The last arc about the widow Yan was nonsensical filler. The director should have ended the drama at episode 44, with the lovers' reunion, and time jumped to Qiu Dong's success with his headhunting empire. This drama should have been 24 episodes only. Half of the content was drivel. The budget was wasted on this drama. Hu Ge and Chen Long must have taken the acting assignment as a favor; a bad decision on their part!
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Plot holes due to memory loss
I watched the entire drama of 36 episodes in 1 1/2 weeks. The actors were interesting and good looking. The setting, Lan City, is a perfect, beautiful, clean, spacious city, and the police station is high end. This is a review of the entire drama; Seasons 1, 2 and 3.Story:
The story begins in the current time, with some mysterious reference to five years prior. As the drama moves forward, we learn that the main characters have wide gaps in their memories of five years prior. No surprise! A number of Alphabet Villains are introduced strategically with every new crime in Lan City, and it is obvious that they were involved with those lost memories.
As the drama reaches the last stretch, the scriptwriter takes a flashback (aka time jump backward) to five years prior, to explain the Alphabet Villains’ megalomaniacal master plan. This is spread over five or six episodes needlessly, when we just want to see the conclusion of the drama.
Acting:
The casting is very good. Bai Yu is exceptional as Han Chen, who is a knight in shining armor. Yong Rang is not exceptional as Bai Jin Xi/Su Mian. The character is obnoxious and egocentric, and chatty. She also hits her subordinate throughout the drama, which is a form of violence in the workplace. She stops being obnoxious, but is still egocentric and chatty. The three supporting actors who play the young and handsome supporting Black Shield detectives, are very efficient. The teamwork of the Black Shield members and their supervisor is exceptional.
The supporting actors who play the young and handsome Alphabet Villains are efficient. The teamwork of the villains falls apart. The old adage, “ Too many cooks spoil the broth." comes to mind.
Music:
A very good O.S.T.!
Rewatch value:
Should I forget that I watched the drama, I might end up watching it again (...Lost memory! Muahahahaha!).
Overall:
The drama is praiseworthy. The production values are high, and all the actors deliver very good performances. The plot is clever, but the script is confusing at times, as it randomly jumps backward in time, and the villains keep popping up at the oddest times. The script would have been solid if the drama had started out the gate with the villains hatching their diabolical master plan, the main leads losing their memories, and the time jump to five years later, when the drama originally began.
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Flashbacks in Shanghai
I came to the party 1 1/2 years after the initial TV broadcast. I was searching for C-dramas with English subs, that are hard to find. I found it by accident on YT, and watched the whole drama, with some fast forwarding, over eight consecutive days.Story:
The plot was plausible, but long-winded, and packed with unnecessary, redundant, superfluous flashbacks. At least six episodes would have been shaved off, if they had resisted the flashback route. Drama could have been renamed "Flashbacks in Shanghai" or "I Hate You, I Love You!"; a romance, conspiracy, crime, musical, pre-war drama set in Shanghai.
Acting/Cast:
Huang Xiao Ming was impressive with his height, acting and fighting skills and his steadfast character. Zou Zhen was overzealous about Jingxui. Joe Chen’s acting was average. Her character Jinxui is a very confused, easily manipulated woman, who flows like the river, and latches onto any man in her periphery. At least six men were in various stages of like/love/obsession, which was a stretch.
Qiao Kimi gave a very good acting performance as SLS Ying Dong. His character was easy going but conflicted. Lu Kelsey was the most beautiful actor in the cast. Her acting range was greater than Joe Chen's. Qi Ji was the tall, handsome, dastardly evil villain Maeda. Maeda's false charm and charisma were over the top, and should have been dialed back. The supporting actors did very good professional acting jobs. The puppy was the best character.
Music:
I was very impressed with the opening song, the BGM and the closing song.
Rewatch Value:
Once is enough, even if Huang Xiao Ming were to ask me to watch it again.
Overall:
Acting-very good
Directing-good, but could have been better if he had laid off the Flashback Management Team.
Cinematography-very good
Costume design-very good
Set design-very good
Editing-good, but could have been better if he had refused to load all the inane flashbacks. A painted scene of Shanghai would flash monotonously across the screen numerous times in every episode, as if we did not already know that the city is Shanghai.
Memo to production companies; If we see a building or landmark once, we do not have to see it 100 times.
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Sorcery with bad hair days and bad patterns
LLIT infused fantasy and sorcery elements with a fictional branch of the Western Wei Yuan dynasty. Male characters are clad in voluminous, pattern-challenged costumes. The male and female characters wear overt head dress or braided hat hair.Story:
A very creative plot about Time intervention, with some shortfalls. The story could have been tighter, and effective with three dozen episodes.
Acting Cast:
The actors delivered solid acting performances. William Chan and Cecilia Liu were the group leaders, but Zhang Ryan and Xu Jiawei walked away with the awards. Zhang Ryan (Yuan Ming) receives the Wide Range of Acting Award, as the villain Prince. Xu Jiawei (Yuan Li) receives the Congenial Character Award, as undercover Prince/Guardian of the Transformations.
Music:
The incidental music was impressive, and facilitated the activity on screen.
Rewatch Value
I am not in a hurry to relive the drama, but I might attempt it for William Chan, Xu Jiawei (Yuan Li) and Gong Jun (Yuan Che) only.
Overall score 7.0 - Good production values in directing, editing, acting, set design and cinematography! Costume and hair designs were over the top, and a constant distraction. Writing was average. The best surprise was the ending. Overall, the episodes stretched Time. This drama should have started out the gate with eight weekly episodes, to keep the viewers' attention span.
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Suspense and tension
The Guardians was full of suspense and tension. The writing and direction were very good until episode 31 and 32, when logic, communication and collaboration went out the window, and confusion, idiocy and tragedy entered the room.Kim Young Kwang made the show sparkle, with his great height, wardrobe and acting. Kim Ki Bum (aka Key) did a very good acting job, which should make him viable for future acting projects. Kim Seul Gi also showed her acting range throughout the drama. Lee Shi Young did a very good job with the physical aspects of her role, but her monotone voice throughout the drama, made me cringe.
The music was very good, and upbeat. I could not locate the full OST on Itunes.
The final episode had the typical bad K-drama ending, that included a time jump that was unnecessary and extraneous, and a waste of the filming budget. Was I stupid, to hope for a great ending to a very good drama? Yoon Seung Ro's masterplan for a second season could have been five minutes long, and the remaining eleven minutes could have been put to better use.
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Mystery Theatre at its best
Qin, Medical Examiner is a very tense drama, with suspense and sporadic comedic dialog to alleviate the tension. The autopsy scenes are very graphic.Zhang Ruo Yun, Jiao Jun Yan and Li Xian created the best forensic TV drama team. Every case was tense, as the subplot unfolded. The supporting actors also did a very good job.
Directing and editing were done well, except for the constant shaky camera that caused motion sickness. The director could have invested a few budget dollars in a tripod for the cameraman. Music was very good, and fit the mood of the scenes. Overall, a well done drama, similar in style to the British detective dramas!
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Matt Damon stepped up the plate in his first Chinese movie, as an European mercenary in China during the Song dynasty. Damon's only flaw was the American accent, that did not match the job title.
Jing Tian was credible as Commander Lin Mae.
Andy Lau showed his competency in the second language. I was very impressed that the scriptwriter entrusted a lot of English dialog to his character, the military strategist. Andy Lau should have received third billing.
Lu Han did a very good job as the apprentice soldier, whose work experience was in the kitchen.
The monsters looked like relatives of the alien species in the Alien movies.
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Idol historical costume drama
I had great difficulty keeping up with the plot, and sympathizing with the superficial characters and the storyline. It is more of a contemporary historical drama, with the K-POP fans as the target audience. This was touted as a pre-produced drama, but the planning and execution of a poor script, emotionless acting with excessive crying and average directing, shows in the end-result.The scene stealers were Park Ban-ryu and Kim Soo-yeon (Do Ji-Han and Lee Da-in). The weakest link was Kim Ah-Ro(Go Ara). If they had strengthened her back-bone, and deleted 90% of the crying, she would have shined among the young cast. The two characters that I rank last, are the Queen of Shilla and Park Yeong-Shil. Queen Jiso sat on the throne to protect her son, but at some point, it seemed like she was on a power trip. Park was a sleazy villain, who wanted to rule Shilla.
This is a drama where I was impressed with the incidental music, more than with the cast, characters and story.
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Novoland adventure with the Winged Tribe
I watched Novoland Castle in the Sky #1 for Zhang Ruo Yun and Guan Xiao Tong.Story:
Emperor Feng Tian Yi started out as megalomaniacal and arrogant, but he revealed his motives for acting like a young despot. Fuling was the nucleus of the story. Fuling was stiff, but her temperament seemed to be the perfect yang(bright) to Tian Yi's yin(dark). SLS Prince Bai Ting Jun was lackluster, but his temperament was most compatible with Fuling's personality.
Acting/Cast
Zhang Ruo Yun carried the show with his superb acting and his regal stature. He is one of the outstanding young actors in China. Guan Xiao Tong's acting was adequate, but still charming on screen.
Music:
Music moved the drama along adequately.
Overall:
The maniacal Queen and Fuling's father's side story was tedious, and a detriment to the plot. The wingkind tribe seemed to function in a small space. CGI and props were cheesy,and reminiscent of the early Doctor Who days. The M-POP artist in the end credits seems disjointed with the drama setting.
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Beautiful fantasy drama
Ten Miles Peach Blossoms is a rare drama phenomenon of the early 21st century. Modestly produced, this fantasy romance costume drama became a sleeper hit. It is ultimately the love story between a TV drama and the Chinese viewers and international viewers across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.Story:
The love stories and the characters, and the outstanding cast touch the heart. The emotional pull of the story and creative plot transcended culture and language. When subtitles can draw tears of sorrow and joy, the actors, directors and the scriptwriter have done a very effective job.
Acting Cast:
Mark Chao was destined to play twin gods, Ye Hua and Mo Yuan. He demonstrated his range of acting skills, and gained a very large fanbase across the oceans. Yang MI revealed her acting range with the three distinctive entities, Si Yin, Bai Qian and Su Su. Maggie Huang and Zhu Xudan were convincing as the psychotic, obsessive, delusioned antagonists, Su Jin and Xuan Nu, respectively. The young actors, Hummer Zhang (A-Li), Huang Tianqi (Fire Qilin), Zhang Youhao (Mi Gu), and Little Zhao Ge character, ultimately stole the show.
Music:
The OST is very good. The main love ballad, Liang, Liang, was overplayed in every episode, and in totality, it may have been heard 90 billion times (30+billion views * 3 times per episode). The songs and the BGM were well composed, and haunting melodies.
Rewatch Value:
On a rainy day, I might attempt to rewatch this drama, but the second time time around, I would focus on my favorite characters, Ye Hua, Mo Yuan, Bai Qian/Si Yin/Su Su and Si Ming.
Overall Score:
The calibre of acting, writing, directing, editing, music composition, set design, and costume and hair design, is reflected in this cinematic masterpiece. There were several draggy sections involving Li Jing, Feng Jiu or Dong Hua. The plot could have been tighter, and very effective with 48 episodes instead of 58 episodes.
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Prince Chu Bei Jie, Man of the Year
The best thing about this drama is that the 62 episodes were translated in seven weeks on the DF site. I watched all the episodes, but started skipping the Bai Lan State scenes, due to lack of interest in their melodrama.SStory:
A love story/epic battle costume historical drama.
Acting/Cast: General Prince Chu Bei Jie wins the Man of the Year award. Throughout the story, he was steadfast in his ethics and integrity. Bai Ping Ting was an adequate military strategist but she was also an expert waffler. She waffled between Chu Bei Jie and He Xia. He Xia started out as the underdog prince, but his royal ambition and the callous manipulation of the needy Princess Yao Tian, made me grimace.
Music:
The BGM kept the drama moving to its conclusion.
Rewatch value:
Not likely to rewatch this drama, due to the lengthy drama and the lengthy filler.
Overall:
Chu Bei Jie, Fan Lu and Ze Yin saved the day, and the drama.
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