TangYan
This review may contain spoilers
Encore, encore!
What a pleasantly surprise of a drama!
Entirely refreshing though has a somber tone. Slightly familiar story but presented in a different way, without predictable moments or lack of intrigue. Very well written and a highly recommended watch!
1. Story
Wan Mei's journey from an impoverished birth to being betrayed and having to fend for survival, ultimately reaching her destination was filled with dark moments and decisions that tested her moral conscience, yet out sprung a beautiful romance and unexpected alliances.
This drama is very well written, many times in some dramas I would be left with questions or asking myself what happened to that particular scene or part of the story but this drama appropriately addressed in within the script.
It is well paced and rarely a dull moment with the characters being so open ended and sometimes you could not tell which side of moral conscience they were on. At 36 episodes, its filled with mystery, intrigue, and surprises. It didn't feel lacking or anything dragged out.
2. Characters
The main leads were exceptional and exhibited natural chemistry. There were some stronger characters that I will highlight below but the majority of the supporting cast did a wonderfully in their roles.
Wan Mei -- an exceptional actress; she brought to life this character and throughout the story, she held with her, her humble beginnings and though she took on a new identity, Su Qi Xue could still be seen underneath it all. Her chemistry with Chang An was genuine and moving, they definitely created a memorable relationship even if I initially thought it was unlikely.
Chang An -- complimentary to Wan Mei's character and he was her main foundation. His character was a calm, thoughtful and loyal opposite to Wan Mei's indecisiveness and fragile character. He remained her source of inspiration and his role heavily influenced the development of Wan Mei. Their chemistry was very alluring since there were many moments where they weren't able to show affection, yet you could still feel it there.
Gong Zi -- an interesting character; he exhibited antihero tendencies and other times heroic capacities. He was the silent supporter of Wan Mei and she sort of filled a hole that was left in his life. He fit this role perfectly, and he portrays a mysterious and slightly dark personality very well.
Yue Ying -- she was one of the more hapless characters as all of her intention and feelings went towards Gong Zi, he never reciprocated the same sentiments with only one scene a saving grace. A very likeable character and very much similar to Chang An in some ways. I really wanted her to end up with Gong Zi, it was a perfect match!
Wan Xiang -- in the beginning, a very detestable character that closely resembled the main villain, however she entirely changed and became a person to root for in the later half of the story. She played her character extremely well.
Xing Feng -- maybe the most interesting character since he is a Shadow, similar to Chang An and Yue Ying, yet his master was the main villain of the story and his character is closely associated with her. However like Gong Zi, he showed heroic capacities towards the end and holds secret to the hopeful ending.
Cha Luo -- the main villain and a very good (bad) one. Her performance was entirely believable and a great cast for the role. In the story, she could be compared to Wan Mei in terms of her journey and also romantic relationship with her shadow, yet she was on the opposite side of the moral spectrum to Wan Mei. There were many "Yin" and "Yang" characters in this drama and she could be considered the Yin to Wan Mei's Yang in terms or morale.
I also really enjoyed Liu Guang's character.
3. Costume / Set Design / Cinematography
The other drama with highly exceptional set production and attention to detail was The Untamed. I think these dramas are on the same level since the set design fit so well as if it were actual and authentic. Costumes were outstanding, it all fit together so well.
Cinematography, no question was superb. Almost any frame could have been considered very artistic. It is something to highly praise about and comment on.
4. Music
It was different but somehow the soundtrack fits so perfectly. The main theme can be considered haunting yet moving and beautiful. They also featured many instrumental pieces that were outstanding as well.
The soundtrack very close to being one of the top soundtracks, but its a matter of tastes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL_VDLnrRkU&list=PLXNBJ-hfssNYmf9YOulQSUGCtqVAURocO&index=12
5. Ending
If the ending had not been open ended or hopeful as the last scene insinuated, I would not have given such a high rating. Luckily though, it was neither good nor bad since it left room for a possible Season 2, or if not, it retained one of the main characters -- Chang An.
Overall definitely a recommended watch, a very good surprise of a drama!
Only reason I hesitated to watch this was because of the title, which I feel could be renamed.
Entirely refreshing though has a somber tone. Slightly familiar story but presented in a different way, without predictable moments or lack of intrigue. Very well written and a highly recommended watch!
1. Story
Wan Mei's journey from an impoverished birth to being betrayed and having to fend for survival, ultimately reaching her destination was filled with dark moments and decisions that tested her moral conscience, yet out sprung a beautiful romance and unexpected alliances.
This drama is very well written, many times in some dramas I would be left with questions or asking myself what happened to that particular scene or part of the story but this drama appropriately addressed in within the script.
It is well paced and rarely a dull moment with the characters being so open ended and sometimes you could not tell which side of moral conscience they were on. At 36 episodes, its filled with mystery, intrigue, and surprises. It didn't feel lacking or anything dragged out.
2. Characters
The main leads were exceptional and exhibited natural chemistry. There were some stronger characters that I will highlight below but the majority of the supporting cast did a wonderfully in their roles.
Wan Mei -- an exceptional actress; she brought to life this character and throughout the story, she held with her, her humble beginnings and though she took on a new identity, Su Qi Xue could still be seen underneath it all. Her chemistry with Chang An was genuine and moving, they definitely created a memorable relationship even if I initially thought it was unlikely.
Chang An -- complimentary to Wan Mei's character and he was her main foundation. His character was a calm, thoughtful and loyal opposite to Wan Mei's indecisiveness and fragile character. He remained her source of inspiration and his role heavily influenced the development of Wan Mei. Their chemistry was very alluring since there were many moments where they weren't able to show affection, yet you could still feel it there.
Gong Zi -- an interesting character; he exhibited antihero tendencies and other times heroic capacities. He was the silent supporter of Wan Mei and she sort of filled a hole that was left in his life. He fit this role perfectly, and he portrays a mysterious and slightly dark personality very well.
Yue Ying -- she was one of the more hapless characters as all of her intention and feelings went towards Gong Zi, he never reciprocated the same sentiments with only one scene a saving grace. A very likeable character and very much similar to Chang An in some ways. I really wanted her to end up with Gong Zi, it was a perfect match!
Wan Xiang -- in the beginning, a very detestable character that closely resembled the main villain, however she entirely changed and became a person to root for in the later half of the story. She played her character extremely well.
Xing Feng -- maybe the most interesting character since he is a Shadow, similar to Chang An and Yue Ying, yet his master was the main villain of the story and his character is closely associated with her. However like Gong Zi, he showed heroic capacities towards the end and holds secret to the hopeful ending.
Cha Luo -- the main villain and a very good (bad) one. Her performance was entirely believable and a great cast for the role. In the story, she could be compared to Wan Mei in terms of her journey and also romantic relationship with her shadow, yet she was on the opposite side of the moral spectrum to Wan Mei. There were many "Yin" and "Yang" characters in this drama and she could be considered the Yin to Wan Mei's Yang in terms or morale.
I also really enjoyed Liu Guang's character.
3. Costume / Set Design / Cinematography
The other drama with highly exceptional set production and attention to detail was The Untamed. I think these dramas are on the same level since the set design fit so well as if it were actual and authentic. Costumes were outstanding, it all fit together so well.
Cinematography, no question was superb. Almost any frame could have been considered very artistic. It is something to highly praise about and comment on.
4. Music
It was different but somehow the soundtrack fits so perfectly. The main theme can be considered haunting yet moving and beautiful. They also featured many instrumental pieces that were outstanding as well.
The soundtrack very close to being one of the top soundtracks, but its a matter of tastes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL_VDLnrRkU&list=PLXNBJ-hfssNYmf9YOulQSUGCtqVAURocO&index=12
5. Ending
If the ending had not been open ended or hopeful as the last scene insinuated, I would not have given such a high rating. Luckily though, it was neither good nor bad since it left room for a possible Season 2, or if not, it retained one of the main characters -- Chang An.
Overall definitely a recommended watch, a very good surprise of a drama!
Only reason I hesitated to watch this was because of the title, which I feel could be renamed.
Was this review helpful to you?
