5
1
Style Over Character
The problem with many Chinese historical dramas is that they confuse style with character.
They give us a flawless twenty-year-old warrior with perfect hair, porcelain skin, no scars, no sun damage, and almost supernatural abilities, then expect us to be impressed because the camera films him in slow motion.
But a pose does not create a character.
Dirty Harry wasn't intimidating because of the pose.
The pose worked because the character had already earned it.
Here, it's the opposite.
First, they sell you the legend.
Then they expect you to believe it.
I didn't drop this drama because of the story.
I dropped it because it asked me to admire its characters before giving me a reason to do so.
They give us a flawless twenty-year-old warrior with perfect hair, porcelain skin, no scars, no sun damage, and almost supernatural abilities, then expect us to be impressed because the camera films him in slow motion.
But a pose does not create a character.
Dirty Harry wasn't intimidating because of the pose.
The pose worked because the character had already earned it.
Here, it's the opposite.
First, they sell you the legend.
Then they expect you to believe it.
I didn't drop this drama because of the story.
I dropped it because it asked me to admire its characters before giving me a reason to do so.
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