This review may contain spoilers
So close to perfection, but unfortunately fell short for me
I feel like this could have so easily been a 10/10 for me, or at least a 9/10 except for a few major issues.
One, this is a deeply philosophical drama. Everything has more than one layer. But because I don't speak Chinese, it was frustrating to constantly feel like I'm missing out on the depth. A lot of things I could only understand by reading people's explanations on Reddit. The most egregious example is not even understanding what Hunter School was until after the series was over, because it was just never explained. While anyone can enjoy this drama, it was primarily made for Chinese people steeped in Chinese culture, so I always felt like I was participating from the sidelines.
Secondly, the 2nd couple didn't really feel like they added much to the story. I understand them thematically as a parallel to Qing Lang & Shi Yuhao, but they weren't that well written. We didn't get to know them as much as our main characters, so it was a struggle to understand their motivations. (e.g. why did Han Lu bring his boss' daughter to a meeting with his sugar daddy?????) I think they could have been removed without anything really changing.
Lastly, I hate, hate, hate how the show handed Qing Tian's death. I appreciated his death, even though it broke my heart, and I thought Zelia was very brave for allowing her story to go there. But I can't lie: I got whiplash from the next episode. After spending so much time with Qing Lang, following his every emotion, it felt odd for us not to grieve with him. By the next episode Qing Tian is basically gone from the story and the show keeps on moving. It felt inauthentic and created a disconnect that I just couldn't recover from. Lan Jie got more mention than Qing Tian after both of their deaths, and I don't like that one bit.
I really thought this would be a 10/10 show, but alas. Not sure it's one I'll revisit, but it was beautiful while it lasted.
One, this is a deeply philosophical drama. Everything has more than one layer. But because I don't speak Chinese, it was frustrating to constantly feel like I'm missing out on the depth. A lot of things I could only understand by reading people's explanations on Reddit. The most egregious example is not even understanding what Hunter School was until after the series was over, because it was just never explained. While anyone can enjoy this drama, it was primarily made for Chinese people steeped in Chinese culture, so I always felt like I was participating from the sidelines.
Secondly, the 2nd couple didn't really feel like they added much to the story. I understand them thematically as a parallel to Qing Lang & Shi Yuhao, but they weren't that well written. We didn't get to know them as much as our main characters, so it was a struggle to understand their motivations. (e.g. why did Han Lu bring his boss' daughter to a meeting with his sugar daddy?????) I think they could have been removed without anything really changing.
Lastly, I hate, hate, hate how the show handed Qing Tian's death. I appreciated his death, even though it broke my heart, and I thought Zelia was very brave for allowing her story to go there. But I can't lie: I got whiplash from the next episode. After spending so much time with Qing Lang, following his every emotion, it felt odd for us not to grieve with him. By the next episode Qing Tian is basically gone from the story and the show keeps on moving. It felt inauthentic and created a disconnect that I just couldn't recover from. Lan Jie got more mention than Qing Tian after both of their deaths, and I don't like that one bit.
I really thought this would be a 10/10 show, but alas. Not sure it's one I'll revisit, but it was beautiful while it lasted.
Was this review helpful to you?
