coa-chan
Japan
Fun, touching, and inspirational
The original Japanese manga is probably my favorite manga of all time. Then the anime adaptation did not disappoint and was a joy to watch. So obviously, I had hesitations going into this show.But all my worries were blown away and the show exceeded expectations. Definitely recommended!
This Chinese live-action did so well in adapting the events/details in the story to fit the Chinese Go world. As a fan of the original, I got to see my favorite characters again. And at the same time, they were also completely different. Some personalities were slightly changed, some matches were with different characters from the original, and there were some added background or information about other characters.
One of the characters whose changes I really loved was Shi Guang's mother. She barely appeared in the original manga, where she was mostly shown as a supportive but rather clueless mom. In this live action series, her character is more fleshed out. I absolutely love that scene where she and Shi Guang had a fight about him playing Go and his future. They actually talked about it and Shi Guang grows to be so open about showing his appreciation for his mom.
Personally, I felt that the last 2 episodes of the show were a little too rushed. They really cut out events just to make it work. I wish they'd given the show 3 or 4 more episodes to really flesh out the changes and the growth after "the disappearance". It wasn't bad, per se, but it could have been better.
The main actors Hu Xian Xu (as Shi Guang) and Hao Fu Shen (as Yu Liang) were perfect for their roles. I've become a fan of theirs from this series. Individually, they carry their roles well. Together, their chemistry is so natural and fun to watch. Even the kid actors of their roles did so well at the start of the show.
Zhang Chao (as Chu Ying) portrayed his character in a way that slightly deviated from how I've always taken it (Sai in the original manga/anime). It took a bit of getting used to but it did crawl into my heart over time.
In any case, the whole thing was a lot of fun to watch. It's making me want to reread the manga (which did make a cameo in this show)!
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I'll just say this ahead, in this series: there is no laughing, cute, perfect couple; no unrealistic problem-free relationship; no flat, emotionless actors-who-cannot-act; and most importantly, no shot of two lips touching and staying so painfully still for over a minute. All of these, in my humble opinion, are very good things.
I love the character interactions in this series the most. The short humorous exchanges the characters sometimes have are precious. Not only do the characters have chemistry, but they are also entirely natural and believable. There is a certain quiet atmosphere all throughout the series, punctuated by the beautiful soundtrack. The cinematography is also wonderful and aesthetically pleasing. There is just this one point in Episode 3(?) where the transition was so abrupt and ridiculous that I laughed out loud. Other than that, I have no complaints.
To be honest, I had no idea who Izuka Kenta was before this. Now, I have no idea why he isn't known more. His acting is smooth, there is almost no 'acting' but just him being the character. On the other hand, I didn't fancy Takezai Terunosuke's acting at the start. I felt it was too monotone, until this one turning point in the series where we see a different side to his character and I realized his acting was actually pretty on-point from start to end. Izuka may have stolen the show, but in at least two scenes Takezai completely stole the moment.
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This review may contain spoilers
Great start but lost its way towards the end
Overall, fun and lighthearted, especially if you're willing to overlook the forgotten plot and character inconsistency.What I liked:
- the main couple's chemistry
- a lot of adorable cheek kisses! (from all couples)
- the male lead's mother
- the second male lead
- Mo Xiaobai
What I disliked:
- side characters were not used to their full potential, often appearing only when they're needed for the plot
- the female lead's brother (am I the only one who found him annoying?)
- the overreaction of the guards that the male lead hired to protect the female lead (they should have at least made them act realistically)
- (Wang Jiayi) Bai Xin Yi's crying scenes; when she's not crying she's actually pretty okay
- the main leads' past together was introduced from the very beginning and it seemed so important but it wasn't
General thoughts:
The beginning was the best part for me. It was pretty good while they were living together and up until a little after that. There were interactions between the leads, and the story moved forwards, there was a goal, and there were interesting explorations in the characters.
But then the story became dragging. It repeated the cycle of the male lead not being able to say his true honest feelings so many times I got tired of it. During this period, it was really the second couple being adorable that allowed me to continue watching.
The pacing got better at around the time the male lead finally confessed. Unfortunately, it was also around this time that the story just kind of became so different from how it started it almost felt like a completely different show when I thought back to the first few episodes. Then, in the last few episodes of the drama, it seemed like the drama transformed from one genre to another with small "arcs" every 1-2 episodes like the terminal illness and the separation because of going abroad.
While I did see some character developments (such as the female lead's attitude as an actress, her friend's confidence in herself, Ling-er and Jiang Fang's view on love and relationships, etc.), there were times when it seemed like the characters changed completely (e.g. I find the male lead's characterization to be rather inconsistent and has no solid foundation personality).
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The acting is pretty consistent, across episodes and across all actors/actresses. There are two scenes, however, where I found Hunt's acting a little awkward. In the first one, he was supposed to be angry but I just couldn't feel the rage and passion from him. In the second, he was supposed to be very sad but the emotion just wasn't reaching me and it felt forced. If I remember correctly, both scenes were in Episode 1 (or maybe one was in Episode 2). It almost put me off, but I'm glad I continued because it never happened again. In the rest of the series, the acting was so well-done I almost forgot about it until I rewatched from the start after finishing. The series as a whole also just got better and better with each succeeding episode.
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