This review may contain spoilers
Worth watching
I decided to watch Blossom due to the way it was so hyped.
Indeed, the first half of the show is solid. It is pacient in developing the world, its stories, its characters.
There are very solid episodes that transcend genres, mixing comedy with keen political commentary. These are gems.
Halfway, around the wedding of the main couple, the show takes a dowturn, never to fully recover its ancient grace.
The main couple, thus far being presented as knowledgeable, devolve into infantile caricatures. I found it absurd how Dou Zhao in particular, due to her retaining her memories of a previous life, would act so coy regarding married life. This mischaracterization linearizes these complex characters, lowering the overall bar of quality, making it resemble any other drama of puerile female lead and emotionally unaware male lead.
Where stereotypes were being challenged, they are now being enacted.
For me, the great culprit was how Duo Zhao was characterized in the middle section of the drama. Ji Yong says it best: Duo was righteous, all knowing, a Deus Ex Machina, never truly being in a spot of true conflict. Some characters point out her almighty attitude, and the irony is they are correct.
What was primarily portrayed as an engaging, curious mind, became a stifling know-it-all, with very little empathy shown.
Song Mo is hesitantly characterized, also suffering from the comparison with the actress that portrays Zhuo: she's the better one, acting wise. Still, some of the more poignant scenes in the later episodes belong to him.
It's a shame, this sense of frustration. By all means, it's a good drama, but somewhere on the middle part it loses its footing, it meanders, and fails to recover.
Very worthy of a first watch, I think its rewatch value is very low.
Indeed, the first half of the show is solid. It is pacient in developing the world, its stories, its characters.
There are very solid episodes that transcend genres, mixing comedy with keen political commentary. These are gems.
Halfway, around the wedding of the main couple, the show takes a dowturn, never to fully recover its ancient grace.
The main couple, thus far being presented as knowledgeable, devolve into infantile caricatures. I found it absurd how Dou Zhao in particular, due to her retaining her memories of a previous life, would act so coy regarding married life. This mischaracterization linearizes these complex characters, lowering the overall bar of quality, making it resemble any other drama of puerile female lead and emotionally unaware male lead.
Where stereotypes were being challenged, they are now being enacted.
For me, the great culprit was how Duo Zhao was characterized in the middle section of the drama. Ji Yong says it best: Duo was righteous, all knowing, a Deus Ex Machina, never truly being in a spot of true conflict. Some characters point out her almighty attitude, and the irony is they are correct.
What was primarily portrayed as an engaging, curious mind, became a stifling know-it-all, with very little empathy shown.
Song Mo is hesitantly characterized, also suffering from the comparison with the actress that portrays Zhuo: she's the better one, acting wise. Still, some of the more poignant scenes in the later episodes belong to him.
It's a shame, this sense of frustration. By all means, it's a good drama, but somewhere on the middle part it loses its footing, it meanders, and fails to recover.
Very worthy of a first watch, I think its rewatch value is very low.
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