I love you, not the state of you

2024 has been a somewhat disappointing year so far. Many shows that had great starts ended way lower than their intial high. In Blossom was a surprise in this aspect. It maintained the quality of script right till the end. Considering that it was not an adaptation, this is even more impressive. There are many reasons as to why you should try this drama, let's dive into them.

--Refreshing plot
I have seen multiple investigation dramas and in a majority, the cases are too high arched and loose touch with the actual case the leads are actually investigating and they connect the dots right before the climax with a hint lying right in front of them. This is not the scenario here. Each case being investigated was directly related to the ultimate case and the relations were drawn at the same pace the investigation proceeded.
In terms of inter-character relationships, I was not let down either. There were no unnecessary or baseless and senseless misunderstandings between the characters. YCW's initial distrust towards the ml also had reasons stated very clearly.
In fact, there were some twists that I was unable to figure out, which in hindsight, even if they lay right in front of my eyes.

--Relationships
For all the three main pairings, their feelings developed at a steady pace. Their care and concern was visible clearly. Each pairing had its own distinguishing dynamic.

The third pairing, A-Ze and Ling'er were the classic 'My Lord saw the Lady, and I saw the maid beside her,' pair. They start off with a mutual dislike because of their views about the other's master that gradually turned into friendship over a shared interest. Before YCW's identity was revealed to the ML, A-Ze had already fallen for Ling'er and didn't hesitate to acknowledge his feelings, despite knowing that their masters didn't see eye to eye. Overall, these two formed a really cute pairing that was delightful to watch.

The lead ship, Pan Yue and Yang Caiwei- Engaged since childhood and parted for a decade, reunite only to separate soon after again. Their relationship is where most of their characters' development is shown. PY's feeling for YCW may have been there since childhood, but they were no-contact for ten years. So, it can be said that the two really fell in love after the face/body swap, as that was the time they started to know the present of each other and not muse upon their past. Pan Yue acknowledged that he was attracted to Shangguan Zhi before he knew she was actually Yang Caiwei, who in turn also became more optimistic after the switch, as opposed to her initial emo version. The two took their time falling for each other and developing mutual trust. While both care for each other deeply, they are also willing to do what it takes to achieve their goals. Once PY discovers her real identity, he transforms into a teenager who is both excited and nervous to be around his long time crush. PY shows what means to love inner beauty and not outer. Time and time again, he chose YCW's personality and stuck by his choice. Moreover, neither of the leads loose their characters to love, they maintain their individuality at all times.

The second lead, Bai Xiaosheng and Zhuo Lanjiang- Their relationship can be summarized with this one dialogue of theirs: "If you don't want to say, I won't ask either. But if you do want to say, then I'll just silently listen."
This was the pairing that took most of us by surprise and is also my personal favourite. Vastly different in terms of status and upbringing, they were two lonely souls wandering the world who found solace in each other. While ZLJ initially fell for YCW's charming personality, he got over it after being rejected fairly quick. What he had for BXS, however is entirely different. At times, he got lost just gazing her and forgot what he was doing. While he knew, that it was very unlikely for him stay alive at the end of it all, he still spent as much time as he could with her. .
BXS saw him differently the rest of the world. When ZLJ was the Young Master with immense wealth and power, she treated him as friend, as an equal. When he had fallen from grace, she stuck by his side. Her love for him was selfless and truly unconditional. ZLJ was the man of her dreams who trusted her even when no one else did and risked his own safety to protect her. She maintained her sanity even after his death as she knew what was important. And the candy scene legit broke me inside. Undeniably in the early stages of love we couldn't see it maturing into the deep care trust the other pairs have. In the end, this was a very complex ship that I wish we could see mature.

--Characters
Each character was nicely modelled and developed very well with the plot. They were multifaceted and showed different characters different sides of themselves to each other. Once they fell in love, they didn't loose their individuality. Their love for their partner wasn't the only thing that defined them. What impressed me a lot was the writing of the side characters, especially Qing Di. She spent a decade patiently waiting, blamed herself for ten years for harming her dear friend, but when the truth was revealed, she didn't hesitate to do what she thought was right, showing she had a strong moral compass. Another character I like was the Princess. People like her were rare, those who held power but were unafraid to lose it for the greater good.

--Acting
Ju Jingyi doesn't have a great reputation for her acting, but she is the one who surprises me the most here. For once, her facial expressions are more than just a pout. However, her portrayal of the villainous SGZ was mindblowing. I had time adjusting to the fact that YCW and SGZ were being played by the same person. And though many wanted ZHHZ to play YCW, I found her portrayal underwhelming.
Liu Xueyi maintained his standard and he added these little quirks that made PY even more adorable. The chemistry between all three pairings is just perfect. Lastly, while Wu Jiayi did a great portrayal of BXS, I was simply left wanting more. BXS is character more complex that YCW, the fl herself. While her acting was good, I still felt that it could be more intense.

There are also some cons, but I promise I'll wrap it up quickly now.

--The swap
One of the few things that didn't make sense here, this is a part of the show that needs to be judged with dramaland logic. Miraculously, YCW and SGZ swapped bodies and faces, YCW survived an approx hundred foot fall and everyone who figured out her identity accepted it like it happened every once in a while.

--The CGI
This was a court intrigue, not a wuxia or xianxia, so it makes sense that not a lot was spent on the CGI. It was alright for most part, although the wolves were quite comical, it isn't that big of problem. Even if you are sucker for CGI like me.

--The soundtrack
While it was good, it wasn't great. Most songs felt similar to me, the singers chosen had voices too alike and the composition too parallel. While Lai Meiyun's Peach Blossom Hum broke the monotony to some extent, it could only do so much. Even the lyrics are repeated in some songs. However, there are two songs that I have been listening to repeatedly. One is the opening theme, Hu Xia's Nearby and Wang Jingwen's Send off Quietly. These two songs, the former belongs to the lead ship and the latter is for the second leads. It embodies their fates perfectly and are somewhat distinguished from the rest of the soundtrack.

The styling of most characters was great, the white streak's in PY, Qing Di's eye makeup and ZLJ's grey wardrobe were absolutely spot on. JJY's hairstyles were also made with the plot in mind and that side braid of hers looked really cute. The direction was also quite good.

In conclusion, there are some faults with this drama, but neither too huge nor so many that you should skip it. There is a certain rawness about the storyline and all the cases being investigated as they explore the darker side of human emotions.
It is arguably one of the best shows of 2024, and is one hundred percent worth an unbiased shot.

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Ten thousand years, three lifetimes, one love story

Honestly, I started following this only for the cast. Then, I read the premise and it became very clear that the character which would have traditionally been a villain is the main character here. It gave a strong indication that this will be a heart wrenching slow burn with a plot that won't necessarily be simple.

The show doesn't divert from the plot at any point of time. The story is complex with room for character development.

The third pairing caught me off guard here. I didn't expect Sun Zhenni to be this good. She appeared as the seductress her character was perfectly. Ye Qingyu was a smart guy as a general but he was uneducated in matters of the heart. He stood no chance against Pian Ran.

Xiao Lin and Ye Bingchang: not of fan what she did, but I could understand why she was the way she was. Had we had the original 56 eps, we could have had the opportunity to explore them further.

Now, the leads. It was clear that it will be Tan Tai Jin's character which will make or break the show. Luo Yunxi nailed the acting with subtle changes overtime as his character evolved. The character himself was complex beyond compare and sometimes, he changed for the worse and the story was all the better for it. He fell for Ye Xiwu before he even started to form love threads. He didn't know that he felt sad when she jumped off the ship. He even risked his life using the World alluring jade. It was clear that he already cared for her deeply.

Li Susu, started with a deep hatred for Tan Tai Jin. She had no qualms whipping him or punishing him as Ye Xiwu. But very soon, she sees that underneath his cold mask, lay a man who needed warmth. She unconsciously fell for him and even though she lied that liked him, she herself didn't how quickly this lie was becoming the truth. She tried to keep TTJ happy and alive for her mission, but the reason became love little by little. As Li Susu, when all their debts had been settled, she gave love another chance wholeheartedly, letting go of her hatred for him completely.

It was actually after Bo'Re Fu Sheng that they had an epiphany about love and decided to accept their feelings. While LSS did everything for her mission, it is undeniable that she liked him. TTJ already figured that he liked her and took his time teasing her. However, everything went to hell in the episodes following that. I was not in the right state to meet people for hours after 25-26.

The way TTJ goes crazy after YXW dies was beautiful. Personally, one of my favourite things about the show.

The cast was absolutely perfect, especially the leads. TTJ and LSS couldn't have had better actors. The others were fairly well too, but they hadn't been given a lot of screen time.

I used to think that the best actor in C-ent was Xiao Zhan, and the gap between #1 and #2 was really huge. But that was until I saw Luo Yunxi. He brought the character alive, he had seven different types of get-ups and everyone looked different from each other, the way they walk, talk and even look at others. I couldn't believe that two characters had the same face even when they were in the same frame.

Bai Lu has outdone herself this time. As the evil Sang Jiu, she truly shone. She captured the essence of all three characters perfectly.

The chemistry was on fire! There are barely any good kissing scenes in C-Dramas, but this one? My screen steamed up sometimes when they were just looking at each other. I was wondering at so many points how it passed the censorship.

The costumes were done diligently and the props were beautiful. Even the hairstyles changed with changes in characters and story. The details in clam tribe costumes were to die for. I want to get married wearing Sang Jiu's wedding dress. Dressing the characters in Bo'Re Fu Sheng in Dunhuang culture was the best decision after the cast. They looked so ethereal.

The graphics scream money. Although I feel that this may be problem of my streaming quality, but the graphics at a lot of points were fuzzy and unclear in comparison to The starry Love. The graphics of TTEOTM lacked the clarity in a lot of places nailed by the Starry love despite being more creative and used more extensively.

The direction was impeccable. That's it, no other words for it.

The fight scenes are mind blowing, especially the one between Ming Ye the OG Devil God. Honestly, it's a crime that we didn't get to see more of the golden eyed Mo Shen, the little snippets aren't enough, I'd happily die at his hands.

The OST: the show starts with a strong number by Liu Yuning. The Organ is an interesting instrument and it fit the song perfectly. The best intro since LBFAD, a mirror of the show. It was TTJ's heart in words. The ending theme Hei Yue Guang(black moonlight, is a play on the phrase Bai Yue Guang)white moonlight), as the latter means an unattainable love while latter means a love that is also unattainable, but it is destined to have a bad ending. It is also a homage to the novel's title.

The album is huge and no song feels repetitive. The lyrics don't disappoint and neither do the production and vocals. There is no song more suitable than Yue Jin Wu Sheng to listen to whilst watching TTJ search for YXW's soul for five centuries.

Till The End of The Moon will be worth every second of your time, every smile and every tear you shed. But it is not everyone's cup of tea either. It is pretty dark as compared with its peers, maybe even The Untamed. If you're looking for a fluffly romance with a side of pain, go for LBFAD or even Destined, for rom-com- The starry love is a good choice. But, this show is unlike any I have ever seen in C-ent. So, be prepared.

And I hope that you don't give it a bad rating simply because it was too dark for your liking or the open ending. I hope you give this the rating it deserves.

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Not what you'd expect

First of all, I am huge ZLS fan. Her acting is great. Second, it was a tencent production with a great cast and the original work has a huge fan base as well. So, it wouldn't be illogical to have high expectations from a show like this. But, whilst the show had its highs, it also had its lows.
Pros-
1. Acting: The acting was great. Period. No further explanation needed.

2. Music: It was good, the opening track was quite nice.

3. Happy ending.

Cons-
1. The plot- As the spiritual successor of ALP, you would expect better plot. But, all you get is recycled cliches. Has it never happened before that the FL is actually a super powerful and is just undergoing tribulation? Has there never been someone who erased the ML's memories/feelings because they thought that the FL was unworthy of him?

2. The Characters- The ML started off interesting, but as the show progressed, he became an increasingly textbook wood block ML. The kind that will go through thousands of trial for the FL, but would die, (or kill her, as seen here) than tell her. The FL's character was still bearable. The second leads were alright, I'll give them that. The characters of Ao Ge and Xiu Yan were very interesting. Then comes the Devil God. His character was well in the grey zone. It could have been so great, but the story didn't give him enough time. But still, he was the only good thing about the ending. Other than the 2nd leads wedding, that is.

3. CGI: The CGI was just so underwhelming. It was bearable, you can say, but it had so much room for improvement.

4. The ending- Enough with one of the leads dying and then regenerating after some centuries.

The plot was my biggest disappointment. ZLS's shows in the recent years have mostly had a plot different from the rest. It looks like the streak breaks here. Because this is easily one of the worst shows I have watched in 2023. The acting was the only saving grace.

And the intro track, while it is a good song, it fails as an intro. A good opening song is a mirror of the show, it highlights some feature of the plot or the interpersonal relationships or shows the story from the other lead's pov. This one failed to do any of them. It talks about not being willing to die, yet A-Yin is willing to sacrifice her life at the drop of a hat. It doesn't even matter for whom, at times.

2023 had a lot of great shows, it was a nice year for C-dramas. I hoped to end it on a good note. But it seems that I just wasn't meant to. Thanks to 'The Last Immortal', I am laying off xianxia scripts for a long while now.

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An attempt to break free from cliches.

The show starts off with a very cheerful soundtrack and then introduces us to our clumsy, silly and naive mc, Chen Shi. We are then introduced to the other members of the Court of Judicial Review, who each have their own quirks that distinguish them from each other. The ending brings in the main protagonist, Li Bing who has a secret- he can transform into a cat.
The plot starts off strong, with interesting cases and each character was equally important in solving them. But, the plot is also what let down the entire drama.
Firstly, lets discuss the pros-
The cast- Couldn't have asked for a better cast. They were all so good! Great chemistry and expressions. I was surprised to learn that Chen Shi's actor is actually rather young. The level of maturity in his style is rare in actor of this age group. Yi Zhi Hua's actor also managed to bring out the perverse insanity of his role.
Then we have Ding Yuxi. I have heard that there are often animal imitation classes in acting schools. I think we know who was top of the class when the subject was cats. I am convinced that he is a cat in a human's body. His acting is filled with details, even in scenes that don't explicitly show his feline nature, he still adds those quirks that remind you he is actually a cat.

The OST- Most of the tracks are refreshing and filled with energy. I have no complaints with the soundtrack.

The characters- I have already talked about the characters, but I'll praise them as many times is required. The characters were well modelled, each had their own story and characteristics unique to them. The only thing is, Qiu Qingzhi's character didn't have enough screen time. The writers attempted to make him a very complex character and even succeeded to some extent. But, we didn't get to see much of his sides before the last few episodes. Any time before that was utterly confusing and I get that it was for the big reveal later on. So, I guess this counts as an open door.

The anecdotes in credits of the last episode were hilarious. I have rewatched them twice already.

Now, the only con here was the Plot- While the cases were interesting and so was the idea of someone intentionally leading them, the plot stopped functioning properly in the last quarter. Negative characters kept popping up like they were the final villain and then died and then suddenly revived only to be killed again. Like what was going on??? It felt like the writers couldn't decide who should be the main villain. While everything made sense in the last two episodes, it was simply too late. It could not compensate for the confusion created by the previous episodes. Especially when it brought back more confusion itself in the form of Lai Zhongshu.
Lai Zhongshu was an extremely annoying character, not because he was a negative one, but because I didn't see the point in killing him so soon after he transitioned into a potential villain from just a side character and then reviving him when the dust finally settled on his corpse.
The Yong An Pavilion was the final boss, of whom we were given a glimpse of in the first half and then poof! They disappeared for god knows how many episodes. Then the Empress, she was said to be involved with the Pavilion as inferred from what an elder said to QQZ when he asked to become a part of the Pavilion. She was also said to be suffering from an illness which made her look younger as grew older. This was also never addressed properly. She was a major plot hole.
Another plot hole was the lack of boundaries that distinguished the duties of the Court of Judicial Review, Jinwu guards and the Ministry of Justice. The three fought for every second case.

The cases were although, all tied together to the underlying case of Yi Zhi Hua. But, the screenplay simply lacked coherence.

The first half built high expectations. The third quarter struggled to maintain them and the last completely failed. It could have been one of the best shows this year, but it just lacked some sense of direction in the overall and especially in the last few episodes. A good show, but it just failed to hit the mark.

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