Empty and Disappointed

If you're going to make a mafia show, be brave and give us a mafia show. Vegas is the only character I'd come back for a second series for, but because I genuinely like Apo as a person, I decided to finish this series with the mindset of it being a standard BL series. I initially dropped it at ep.10.

/Finale EDIT~
The series actually gave me a little of what I wanted/expected in the last 2 episodes and it has been left with an intriguing plot twist that paves the way for a sequel, which is interesting. They must have been planning/hoping for a season 2 from the start. I felt like I had seen the end of Act 1 rather than an end to the series. This show LOVES plot twists and I wanted that from a 'mafia' theme, but it's very frustrating when the writers can't maintain a rhythm to execute it well.
Overall, if I had gone into this series thinking that it's just another Thai BL (or better yet, no expectations at all) I probably would have enjoyed this more, rating it more around 7. The noncon and repeated loss of plot would still have kept the rating down. As other reviewers have said, this show is wildly popular because of it's 18+ content and the intense idolisation of the cast and the new Kings of BL couples, MileApo who say they don't do fanservice but they very clearly do, Mile more so because it sells and it's working.
I'm exposing myself here as I do feel very emotionally drawn to Apo. I see a lot of myself in him and I can't help but want to cheer him on, so if there's a season 2 or whatever comes next, I'm likely to be back for him. Bible who plays Vegas, is another honourable mention. Only then I'll remember my lesson and leave my brain off. //


I started watching shortly after ep.2 aired and I'm legitimately devasted at how this has turned out and no, it's not because of the violent content. The trailer promised us everything we wanted from this show and I was hooked from the first episode. Heaven knows the BL genre has a routine. A system that works and after a while, it gets stale, frustrating and needlessly melodramatic.
KinnPorsche started off sexy, tense, violent, dangerous, everything you'd expect from a show classified as a 'Mafia BL' but each week as I've waited, the story gets less and less of what it promised and is just falling into the same old BL routine. The route that works. Drama for dramas sake.

I loved episode one. It was everything I thought the show would be. Two humanly broken characters trying to survive their world while colliding into each others.
/Finale EDIT~ I got that flavour back in ep. 13 & 14. If they can keep the plot on that level for whatever sequel is in the works, a lot more people wouldn't be left feeling so angry about this series.//

I can forgive the drunken kiss in ep.3. I'm an adult. I've gone to parties and been drunk. If you live your life, this will probably happen at some point. Understandable human screw ups and Kinn was shown to feel bad about it. Cool. I like that.

But then the first red flag happens in ep4 when a drugged up Porsche gets r*ped by Kinn. It doesn't matter that he was 'seducing' him or Kinn was holding back or that the piano music made it seem really romantic. It was r*pe. There could have been alternate scenes to this situation that would have given just as much sexual tension without involving this very toxic trope in LGBT+ media. But I was willing to wait it out and see how this was dealt with.
The next episode is spent torturing Porsche further while he deals with ptsd and Kinn feeling bad about it but not actually doing anything, and just rubbing salt into the wounds because he was 'distancing himself'. Then it's all forgiven because Porsche realises he's in love with Kinn and has put it behind him by the time Kinn manages to say something, at the end of episode 6 after their happy little vacation in a forest.
Am I surprised? No. Not shocked in the slightest. This happens a lot in BLs because when it's two hot guys, it's just rough sex. They're tough enough not to make a big deal out of it right?
Followed by lots of romantic fluff and the ever eye rolling 'return of the ex/third party' arc. Again. More drama for dramas sake because Tawan was only there to annoy you, as most third party arcs usually are, and Kinn didn't involve Porsche in his plans because we don't know what Kinn is going to do from one moment to the next.

If hot guys having sex, every where and anywhere is what you're looking for, cool. I'm a member of the LGBT+ community and every now and then eye candy is fine. But I honestly had higher hopes for this one. It really isn't as revolutionary as everyone says it is. A new standard in filming and sex scenes for the BL genre, absolutely, but revolutionary? Absolutely not.

----Further thoughts on story & characters----

The actors seem like really sweet people who are just trying to make the world a better place and they did the best they could with the script given to them. And personally, is one of the biggest reasons why I think this show is doing so well. They are talented, likeable people, and everyone has the hots for them. It's always a winning combination.

*Kinn could have been a phenomenal character. He is deep and complicated but we never see why. Only that he doesn't trust anyone because of an ex and is currently obsessed with Porsche. He's super rich and acts like every seme ever. He exists to be rich and sexy with a big **** and that's it. He's completely colourless despite always wearing red and some pretty nice suave suits. He just mopes about in his pyjamas drinking and being jealous in the first few episodes. We only see inside Kinn's head when it comes to Porsche and even then, it's glimpses. Kinn is as much an emotional fort to the audience as he is to the rest of the characters. What Kinn says is controlled by the writers. With the exception of the forest episode where he suddenly transforms into a love sick puppy, what he says and what he doesn't say is purely for drama and emotional tension which is lazy writing and infuriating for me as the viewer. He is also shown to be able to fight pretty well but that was only convenient once to ramp up the sexual tension between him and Porsche. You would also imagine a character like this to be exceptionally intelligent but this is never explored either. No intense out manoeuvring or mind games despite all the chess analogy. Oh yeah, and he forgets about Pete because convenience for plot, and having sex with Porsche is more important.
No real mafia business transactions beside once beating up an old man for vague reasons and to slightly injure Porsche to further his romance.

I honestly still don't know what the family does other than a very brief overview where even Porsche doesn't really care and falls asleep, so we see and understand very little about the family dealings. There was an Italian branch but they appear, disappear and then reappear to be slaughtered. No other purpose than to serve as a shoot out.

This is not a Mafia BL. It's a BL with a slight mafia theme.

*Porsche.
You can do anything when you look as good as Apo Nattawin. Can't lie. He is a stunning looking human being. Every shot, he's glowing, captured from every angle as the camera lingers over his sculpted features and abs and just teasing full frontal as the camera pans down some shower shots. Apo is the main visual in this show and the camera crew knew it. Unfortunately, his character Porsche, is frustrating and stupid. A little more depth than Kinn as the show is mainly his POV but the writers failed him. Hard. He started off strong, a sexy cool guy, a martial artist who took down armed men in minutes, an underground boxer driven by money problems, and escapes Kinn's kidnapping. A character who has raised his little brother from childhood with little help from a gambling addicted uncle who just seems to make things worse. He is understandably reluctant to join the mafia as gangs have ruled his life since his parents death.
Once he's with Kinn, this is all forgotten. He's bumbling, childish and annoying. Only every now and then do the writers remember he has skills and it's still never put to use. I was expecting a man fighting to protect his little brother, tooth and nail in a cold mafia world, with conflicting difficult emotions about his job, his role and his burgeoning love for his boss. Nope. We get a useless fool getting drunk, starting fights and needing to be saved from them, and suddenly, and almost randomly, in love with Kinn. Then he spends the rest of the show mostly in his underwear, doing something in water and having sex with Kinn.
Apo's body is more important than Porsche's story.
/Finale EDIT~
I cannot emphasise that last line enough. Apo may have seen this as a challenge as an actor but as the viewer, he might as well be made to do poster or calendar at this point. We've seen everything besides his genitals that are carefully hidden behind Kinn's arm and clever camera angles. Nudity is natural when the plot makes sense. This is just pure fan service //


Kinn and Porsche are obviously the main focus of the show. Their name is the title. But it really is just about Kinn and Porsche's romance and that's it. Everything else is an add on or a serves as a background. Two other couples are squeezed in for variety but neither really make sense.

Kinn's little brother, Kim and Porsche's little brother, Chay, starts out with an actual plot on Kim's behalf and has just developed into cringe. Jeff is the second visual in this show but he's not as sexualised as Apo since there's no sex so they're just focusing on his 'silent cool guy' persona, leaving him as a blank wall. Kim is clearly, and seems like the only, mafia brains in this whole show but there's so much time spent on Kinn and Porsche that we don't really see a lot of what he's up to or why.
Chay is sweet and innocent and to be fair, seems almost too pure for someone who has had the upbringing he's had. If Porsche worked that hard to protect Chay from the cruelty surrounding him, we never see the depths of this in Porsche's behaviour.
As adorable as Chay is made out to be, he is flat and one dimensional serving as nothing more than the brother of the protagonist and a chess piece for Kim's detective work. Much like Kim, there just wasn't enough spacing for their plot for me to be satisfied with it. It just seems like a rush to develop a romance and create more drama from it.

Then finally, there's Vegas and Pete. Stockholm syndrome. There's meant to be a relationship out of this one but I honestly couldn't see it. A very toxic and abusive one, yes. But the loving, romantic one that fans are hoping for. In the next 3 episodes? Really? I feel bad for the BDSM community because this is not how it works and I'll be really annoyed if we're using the word 'love' at the end of this.
/Finale EDIT~ I actually appreciate how this one developed. Unfortunately, they were using the word love after this, however, it was portrayed more for what it was, 'trauma bonding' but being confused as love. This twisted dynamic was almost what I had been expecting from Kinn and Porsche but the plot was still very rushed and again, left open for a season two. I would actually be interested to see more of this one, if it was done right. //

The rest of the characters exist to fill out the bodies. We know nothing about them other than they are the cardboard cut outs of the giddy, goofy friends but are still the best bodyguards there, or are the love experts for Kinn and Porsche because that's the only thing that matters here.
Porsche has two school friends who are so rarely seen, it's like the writers remembered them at the last minute and had to add them in during post.
The ep 9 & 10 plot twists were barely plot twists because we rarely seen the characters involved. I can't feel anything for a character who had no development, no interactions other than be bullies to Porsche, with 3 second cameos every other episode.
/Finale EDIT~ the characters in question are never spoken of again, further exposing how little the writers cared about them. //

Kinn's older brother Tankhun is another example of this is just another BL that just happens to have a mafia background. He's the camp character. Every BL has to have one for some reason because heaven forbid a gay show is taken seriously. There's no development for him either. He's supposed to be a damaged character which is why Kinn is the heir and not him but instead of letting us feel any pity for his pain, he's reduced to the whacky comic relief character with an outlandish wardrobe. I can almost let the cartoon sense of humour throughout the show pass but Tankhun is just too much and almost insulting 10 episodes in.

The cinematographer is the real hero of this show. They know what they're doing. They know how to capture the most beautiful shots, make use of lighting, colour psychology, framing, let everyone know there was a bigger budget than usual for the show with nice cars and expensive hotel rooms. There is a never ending source of beauty happening around the characters. There's no rating for them but if there was, I'd give them a 9.

This is meant to be 14 episodes and the pacing is like it were to be much longer. I would be guessing 50 if I hadn't previously known. I would be more accepting if that were the case but it's not. This show is all sparkle and no taste and in the end that's all it's going to be. All that budget, those gorgeous trailers/art films released before airing. It's all hype and it's a major let down.

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Wuxian Sleuthing And The Search For Peace

I need to be hooked from the first few episodes or the a.d.d drops the show. I was about half way through episode 2 when I had an itching to stop watching but I didn't and holy cow, am I glad I didn't. (I now need to go and give the other shows I dropped a chance lol)

Plot -
I love watching a mystery unfold. Battle of wits can be just as, if not more entertaining that combat. There's a lot of information to digest though. There were a few times i had to rewatch just to understand what had happened. It's one of those mysteries that deliberately with hold information to surprise you. I dont mind that but I can imagine some people might find that annoying and perhaps even lazy for detective writing as it can be fun to try and work it out with the characters. I loved watching the characters unfold their pasts and it was done without too much melodrama and was very human. As is the case with c-dramas there's so much happening and such a big cast that there were things kind of being cut or left out, never revisited again simply because it just wouldn't fit into the timeframe. Minor complaint though as I found the pacing pretty consistent over all. I'm usually pretty good with foreshadowing so there were a few things I predicted but there were also some things that got me. The villains were a little unpredictable at times and weren't too cliche for this genre.

Fang is a slow evolution. It was only when I was in the 20s episodes that I began to notice it. At the start, he really was very spoiled and arrogant and had to be guided through the mystery solving and watching him mature slowly is like watching a child grow up. He really does come into his own character eventually, both by Xiangi's teachings and also, most importantly, through his own merit, so that by the end, you really do believe that he is the next big thing in the martial arts world, and that is enjoyable for me as a viewer.

Xangi definitely needed new friends though. Once the Ex arc was dealt with they kind of just disappeared until the end and I kept wondering to myself if I was going to see them again. They very much took a back seat when I thought they would play a larger role but again, c-drama's love a 100 character cast and then can't fit them all in. All but one, I honestly felt like these glorified friends were pretty useless. Thankfully, they didn't play too much into needless drama which I am thankful for because I really hate that. The traitor friend was the only friend I liked because he was the only one that showed some kind of depth. The rest of them just kind of stood around or just whined.

Music -
The music was awesome in this show lol I loved the tribal humming happening during the fight scenes. It was a beautiful mix of the traditional chinese instruments combined with the more tribal slightly middle eastern sounds to add to that ancient dark magic feel that follows the main plot.

Acting -
Shout out to the ML, Cheng Li because there were a few times I kind of wanted to cry with him. He was both hilarious to watch and also got me in my feels a few times. I only call out actors when they really get me and his work here will definitely have me looking into more of his shows.

Designs -
There were so many sets in this one I could not keep up but it's ok, they all were a backdrop to the variety of mysteries being solved so well done set creators, they had their work cut out for them in this one. But mostly importantly, the creativity of that ancient chinese mobile home. That is straight out of a ghibli anime, it's so cute LOL The outfit designs weren't too stand outish to me but I think that's good for this kind of show. There's so much happening and so many places that a simple wardrobe looks better. There are plenty of visuals already in the background that if the characters were in anything more ornate, it would be just too much.

Ending Thoughts -
It is an open ended ending so forewarning for that, seen in the special 41 episode. However, this is the first time I've watched a show and my brain saw two endings at once lol It really is a choose left or right kind of ending so I can absolutely accept either one but when I put the rest of the plot into perspective, the themes it dealt with and the consistent messages it kept coming back to, as well as the Lead character's journey, I'm inclined to lean more into the bittersweet ending.
We begin the series at sea and end looking out at sea. Xiangi was meant to die in that opening scene and somehow survives. In his quest to find his marital brother's remains, he finds another reason to live. Martial arts was thrust on him from he was a small child and then propelled forward by his genius and youthful arrogance, so when he was alone and making decisions for himself, he found that a simple life was what he actually wanted. It gave him the peace and wisdom he needed throughout the series. Even though it feels like he's a character that doesn't seem to change, it's because he doesn't really have to. He's dying, We're told that right from the start and that he's tired. All he wants to do his find his friend's body so he can die in peace. The only change he makes in the whole series is opening himself up to being cared about again. This might annoy some viewers as it can feel like he's just martyring himself and running away from his friends again but I can understand his reasoning here. He's already learnt what he needs to know throughout the whole show, and he brings that sense of peace to help heal old wounds and tie up loose ends, from his youth. He admits his fault and regrets and does what he can to right those wrongs, and teach what he's learnt, so that when I got to the ending scene, it honestly just felt more natural to end with his death and that his body had gone back out to sea like a karmic completion. He was given a second chance so that he could be at peace. And honestly, I don't feel like that's a sad ending. The character feels finished.

EDIT- I was reading some other comments from viewers and realised that some of them felt like Xiangi had unalived himself at the end and since I'm going with the death ending, I don't want to stress anyone out so if you've read my spoiler, hello, don't worry, let me explain.
I personally don't think he would do that. We seen in a previous scene with Fang that Xiangi is pretty much at death's door by the end. I understand that Wuxia is based in Buddhism and there's a shot of the Monk that Xiangi was in touch with meditating and then stopping suddenly to look up at the Buddha statue when the sunlight hits, reminiscent of the first mystery, signifying a spiritual ascension. Xiangi explains briefly in an earlier episode that he was told he didn't have any Buddha threads in him, as though he was just destined to repeat his karmic cycles as per Buddhist beliefs. When we see him dressed up in all white on the beach, I feel like that's a portrayal that he has died on the beach but has repaid his karma and that's his soul ascending into his next life, to be reborn free either in another life or in Nirvana. Xiangi wanted to go fishing and feel the sun, so going to the beach feels right, and just as the waves washed him up there, it took his body back out to the sea, and that's why we're looking at the waves in the final shot. From a Buddhist perspective, that's not a sad ending. His soul was set free. He was long done with the martial arts world and passed his torch to Fang, while also sparing him and his family from the Emperor's wrath and paranoia. For me personally, I feel like that's what truly makes him an Ascended Master. He proved himself to be noble and a true leader and his afterlife will reward him with that, in whatever form that takes.
****


Overall, I would sit and watch this again. Don't know if it's something I'd on in the background though. I think this is one I would have to want to sit and watch through all the mysteries again with a snack.

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Nearly.

This was my 2nd venture into Chinese fantasy and much like it's predecessor, I found that there were so many characters I could barely keep up. I am slowly learning that this is very common in Chinese shows. The casts are huge. My poor brain.

This one starts with just full on attack of information that it's a little hard to digest at first. I can tell this has come from a book series because they were just info dumping all over the plot.

For me, at it's heart, this a redemption tale for the two male leads, and I loved the set up. Zhou, a tormented assassin's group leader and Wen, Chief of Ghost Valley. Both of them essentially the 'bad guy'. Neither of them have any will to live, Zhou is consumed by remorse for his past behaviour and is basically torturing himself while he drinks himself into a stupor waiting for death. On the other hand, we have Wen who is consumed with grief and hatred, and pretty much has the attitude that if the world is going to set me on fire and laugh as I burn, I'm going to take as many mofos as I can with me.
It's deep and it's complicated, and I love that since this is meant to be a romantic couple. It's not so much a 'love conquers' theme, it's finding a reason to live beyond pain, even in little every day things.

Having said that, there is very clear homosexual feelings from the get go. My first chinese series was Untamed, and it was much more subtle. You could pass it off as just a deep brotherhood. This is not. This is outright flirting and sexual feelings. At times I was in shock that this was allowed. But it adds to the romanticism of finding something to live for. In this case, it's each other, which ultimately leads you to th ending sequence. I think we jumped a little too quickly into 'soulmate' but that might be a culture clash. I don't know if soulmate has a more platonic meaning in asia since the sages of ajni were called soulmates.

What first started to let me down, was the constant back and forth between the two leads. I think they broke up about 4 times, only to be normal again 3 scenes later. I found that a little jarring and unnecessary drama, another pet peeve in writing. Speaking of which, there is major unnecessary drama towards the end and even though I saw it coming from about episode 15, it still sucked to see. I understand this happens in the novels so it's on the OG writer but still, it's something that really peeves me off in many types of shows. It was deliberately built up over the show, just to hurt your feelings at the end. I don't feel it added a whole lot to the actual plot.

I did not know about the extra episode, 37 or MV style ending so when I got to the end of 36, I was punched in the face. Understandably with the censors and they wanted to keep a happy ending, but it's such a random place to end a show. It really does feel like we're missing episodes and apparently they did cut several down due to the budget running out. (or they were actually shut down but that just might be me) When I managed to get the ending online, I was fairly satisfied with it. It's pretty romantic and ironic that the show started with both characters, alone, wandering and wanting to die, where now together, immortal on a mountain.

I feel like what let the series down were the cuts the most. As we were reaching the end, there were a few things just being forgotten about or happening off screen.

Visually, it's the usual dream like, chinese fantasy but I have to admit that I didn't like the styling on this one. I found Wen's robes to be unflattering on him the most. I liked the first one he's in, the white silver ones, and the Chief red robes. Both of which we barely see him in. I found the shoulder cuts and colours just to be unflattering on him. I think keeping everything soft and lose on him, would have looked better. I can tell by the hair they were trying to keep things a little more in line with historical accuracy but I just didnt like it, or Zhou's hair. You can tell it's a choppy cut with extensions. It's a good looking cast but the styling definitely needed more work.

I would still rewatch it but I feel like there would be scenes I would be skipping.

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Accidental Hilarious Fluff

After a long deep dive into more serious 40+ ep c-dramas, I honestly think I enjoyed this more than I would have because it reminded of the kind of manga's I enjoyed as a teenager and it was only 22 episodes.

Plot - The overall story is of a Ginseng fairy who keeps finding herself believing in the wrong men while her 'true love' is standing on the outskirts protecting her in secret. We go back and forth, back and forth uncovering the mystery of the past for the first half of the series before moving forward towards a conclusion.
I personally, don't like this method of story telling. I prefer one long flashback and then move on, whereas this one flashes back a few times. That can be a bit disjointing for me as a viewer but I kept watching because, and here's the kicker, I found the whole concept accidentally hilarious. The whole idea of dying and resurrecting without your memories to find a few men who are full blown yandere for you kind of funny. I shouldn't have and I'm pretty sure that wasn't the idea but I'm me, and I did.
Another aspect of the plot is the yearning. There is a fine line for me between unnecessary angst and understandable silent yearning, and I feel like that's really up to the viewer to decide which side they're on. For me, I understood Bai Lu's silence this time. It made sense to me and it was pitiful so for me, it's a silent yearning. I didn't feel stressed or annoyed with characters while watching. The bad guys did bad guy things, and the good guys did good guy things.
As for the ending, if it had been 40 episodes, that last little dilemma would have been a whole new arc LOL The big problem is quickly solved and it's Happy ever after manga ending. I would have liked to have seen Bai Lu's promise to Xi but maybe it has to be skipped now? I wonder how this reality deals with that final reveal which is not really a final reveal. If anything it just cemented that shoujo ending that the clueless, innocent lead had to be told LOL

Characters - The FL might be a character who could easily annoy you though. I viewed her almost like a perpetual 15 year old. Flighty, impulsive and in love with life. The only character she actually falls in love with is our ML. The other characters she's just trying to be a good person to in accordance with her beliefs. However, I didnt feel like she was childish. Just free spirited. She had her own morals and held to them in however she was treated.
Our ML is the glorious Li Hong Yi. I stated in my Blood of Youth review, I would be happy to look at him all day and I didn't lie. That man is Fine. He held a similar vibe as his character in Blood of Youth though. I don't know enough about him or have watched enough shows to say if he feels a little type casted but it kind of suited his character Bai Lu. Just brooding in the background added to his 'tortured prince' sort of character. If that's a character he gets a lot of or is something his good looks plays on, I felt it in this one.
As for the side couple, I'm not normally interested in the side couples because they often feel forced but because this one developed off screen, by the time we get back to them, they're just being cute, so I didnt mind them so much.

Music and Set - The music and set were nothing to stand out to me. I feel like we were outside a lot for this one, but I did love the set pieces for the Valley, Bai Lu's house. It looked very spacious and zen. I think it was the high ceilings. So far, a lot of chinese interior for these types of show tend to be more horizontal and low. Whereas Bai Lu's house seemed to have a lot of open space and breathing room. It looked like something I would live in, here in Europe, only with chinese furniture and decor.

Overall, I think it's one of those shows you'll either enjoy the cuteness or will just feel annoyed. I might be a little biased with this one because it really did feel like a fluffy, romantic pining for you forever kind of story that I used to love as a kid. I didn't feel like there was unnecessary drama which these kind of shows often use. There were a few guys after our FL but it's pretty clear she has no romantic interest, and she stands her ground when she does make up her mind, and the other female character is friendly without any jealous plotting. She's pretty supportive of our FL. There was nothing that created an annoying love triangle arc. Just the usual randomly obsessive characters you get with this sort type of FL character.

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Hint - It's only an hour & 20 minutes LOL

Do you know those really random and bizarre dreams you have after a late night curry that has you waking up at 3am in a haze wondering what happened? That's what this movie feels like.
It goes off with a bang. No warning. No introduction. No reasoning. Just bam. Demon wife. Random General clearly in love and fought for her hand but she hates him and wants the prince. Cue the shortest quest for a cure I've ever seen ending in an anti climatic big reveal that's not really reveal if you any kind of foresight. And then it just kind of ends.

I guess it's meant to follow one of those folklore style stories that always seems to have a randomly depressing ending but hey, it was Friday night and I wasn't doing anything LOL But hey, it made me laugh so sure. 10/10 LOL

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Don't think about it

The whole premise of this is pretty goofy in a comic book way but I like that. I watched this show a few times last year before netflix took it down.
The first several episodes were pretty entertaining in a fun sort of way then it tried to get into the bigger part of the plot and it floundered a bit. I was a little disappointed in the ML's back story because it was set up to be a bit more exciting. He was too brutal of a fighter to be what he was. I was expecting something more political, even underground, which is what the plot tried to do eventually, and I kind of wish it was but that's when I learn that this is a 'don't think about it' kind of show because that's how it ends. It has a pretty ridiculous ending, a complete ending for the actual plot used but one that left me feeling a little, meh, you could have done more with that. It was also left open a little in the case of a season 2 and trying to force a romance between the leads.

I did not care for the brother's scenes. I skipped him. His pitches were meant to be seen as humour filling in the gaps but it didn't appeal to me.

As for the villains, one seems sort of legitimate and the other was melodrama. Both at least had a part to play in the ML's past so there's that.
The side characters were the usual random, cartoonish side characters I'm used to by now so they are what they are. I don't really have much of an opinion on them.
The other ML was also just sad to watch honestly and the FL was the usual ditzy but will get the job done sort of lead.

I remember only rewatching the first half of the show for fun because I just enjoyed the idea of a zombie trying to exist in the real world without getting caught. I was more entertained by the lead up to the actual plot than the actual plot.

I also really enjoyed the visuals. The opening scene with the yellow and red looked awesome, with the Moonlight sonata playing, and I wish they had kept that gritty, comic look through out to go with the mad scientist but they eventually drop it as they try to get more emotional.

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For the Fans

I went in knowing this was going to be more for fans of the show but I was about 45 minutes in when I realised that this whole film, 1hr 20 mins, is going to take place in a tomb LOL Damn, I was so excited hearing the Untamed theme song play as they marched off on their horses LOL.

Consider this film being more like 2 cut episodes of the Untamed rather than a stand alone movie. It pretty much just gives a little bit more insight into why Huasung does what he does in the Untamed series. I imagine most people get the point anyway but this just gives a little extra information, with a ton of computer game cgi. The brothers were close and the elder brother wasn't such a tough guy, he genuinely cared about people, which is why he kept sparing Yao. And we all know that Hua trusted Yao, so the hurt runs deep.

Alas, again, I was robbed of the Ghosts. The film opened with some promises of giving me what I didn't get in the Untamed and then just resorted to this cgi fight.

Since it's depicted as an extra episode, I would have loved to have had it end with some sort of throw back to the original series like Hua meeting Mo or lingering outside the Mo Manor while the sacrifice ritual begins, or even how he came up with his revenge plot to start with, but it just sort of ends with Hua realising he was tricked by Yao. Revisiting the sets might have been difficult but I would have liked something like that.
Overall, it's really just something for the fans to enjoy esp with they loved the Nie brothers.

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Comfort Comic Book Series

This has become my comfort series. It touches on deep matters of forgiveness and power without taking it's self too seriously. Sometimes, I can find the sense of humour in these sorts of shows a little childish but this surprisingly manages to blend the cartoonish humour with a deep subject.

The lead is described as being like a comic book character and that's how I feel about the serious as whole. It's like a visual comic book. It is both fantastical and believable and appeals to my sense of humour.
Kim Nam Gil is glorious to look at and is clearly a pro, believably conveying a variety of emotions from cartoon hell raiser to a vulnerable man begging to God on his knees. His character, Kim Hae-il is one of my favourite types of characters. He's hot headed and passionate but has a strong sense of himself and what he stands for. He's also hilarious. He's the type of hero I love to see. When he wins a fight, I'm applauding him or I know he's about to eff up some assholes. What can be described as mistakes were enemy retaliations.

This is why I love the comic book feel to it all. If it were a regular drama, I would feel like he's a bit much. He has to slip up somewhere but because of that added element, I find myself routing for him like Batman. I want the hero to be the hero. Someone everyone can rely on. It's that 'I will find you and I will kill you' kind of badassery and you believe him.

The villains are gloriously hateable just simply for being greedy people. No big evil plot, no mastermind, just plain, old human greed. They even have them slow-mo smile during moments of them winning. And I thoroughly enjoyed watching them be brought to justice one by one.

Both sides managing to walk the fine line being comic book character and relatable human, and for me personally, I just simply love the idea of a Batman type priest. That added element of spiritual peace, forgiveness and redemption just feels like that added touch at the end of a hero plot, where you are left with an uplifted satisfied feeling.

I am looking forward to season 2 .

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True to the Hype

Untamed and it's corresponding animes were all over the internet in 2019 and I deliberately ignored it. I don't usually trust anything with that much hype because it's usually fans of the actors just getting really excited. I've also never watched a wuxia before and wasn't sure what to expect.
Having said that, I got bored one day and decided to watch it. I was pleasantly surprised.

Plot Pacing - Possibly one of the best ways to open a series I think I've ever seen. I was instantly hooked. The pacing for the first 30 episodes is perfect as we find out what actually happened to get the starting scene, which from a visual story telling pov, I really loved that. When we get back to the current time line, it does however slow and takes on a shorter chapter pacing to reach the end. The big finale fight is more of a reveal than a fight. These last 20 episodes are the reason I marked this down a little. After the onslaught that is the first 30 eps, I honestly got a little bored from 34 - 42. There were also a few things I feel weren't explained very well or were just left out entirely. It never mentions what exactly the true plot was and what was being searched for.

Ending - Surprisingly didn't mind the ending as much as I'm pretty tolerable of open ended endings especially since this is a BL in China. I summarized that it was Wei Wuxian who returned to Lan Zahn. Lan did enough running after him and also feel he's too noble and loyal to run off into the sunset. His 'ice' melted and gushed like the waterfall behind him in those last scenes. He had gotten the resolution he wanted, and his emotions were set free. I like to think even physically, he got to love his lover finally, and knew his love was returned, and so was contented to allow Wuxian to go be himself while he sorts the mess out. The conversation that happens at the mid way point to me is almost like 'the after glow' conversation where both know they are parting ways for a while, represented by the parting of the water.
I also clocked that each of the clans is represented by an element, with the Lan clan being air and the Jiang clan being water, however the guys represent each other's element. Lan Zahn is water, or in his case, ice, trapped emotion, whereas Wuxian is like air, and he's tied down with rules, so the ending scene taking place at the top of the Cloud Recess's waterfall, where air and water meet is very poetic to me. The emotions now run free and the wind has willingly come home.
When I came to that conclusion, I find myself really loving the ending.

Visually, absolutely stunning. I have never watched a chinese fantasy before but I've always been aware that a lot of effort goes into the set and costuming and I wasn't disappointed. It is a beautiful visually. The make up department for the enemies did well, however I did find the lava people a little corny. That whole set up felt a bit like power rangers. I do wish they had used more ghosts as that one ghost scene was awesome and I really loved her entrance.
There is some homo-erotic imagery in the last episodes to slip through the censors that can also be read as a physical relationship 'behind the scenes' of the characters or can just be left as they are. I honestly kind of liked that. I feel like chemistry between the actors is a very a subjective thing and I didn't feel like there was a lot of 'heat' between the leads but there was definitely a deep bond feeling between them which, like the ending, allows the viewer to create their own opinion about what's happening without the censors.

I do wish Wei Wuxian had been a little bit more vengeful though, I cant lie. There were times when he could have legitimately been more brutal and it would have been justified as a viewer, but, at least for the show, his 'big bad, evil dark lord' turned out to be all rumour which did leave feeling a little cheated. Another reason I've marked this down. I do genuinely wish they had gone deeper into the plot morality of what is right and wrong. The scene opens with this broken man being painted as an absolute monster and I was genuinely expecting a brutal anti-hero character and it turned out to just be people talking crap. I was a little disappointed with that.

Overall, still did really enjoy it and is definitely on my rewatch list.

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Cute

A pretty cute BL I binge watched one Sunday.

It's pretty standard material but I like that the show started with the start of the relationship rather than the progression, so it was more about about trying to navigate how to be with each other, as opposed to wanting to be with each other.
The drama was up and down, every other episode but I've come to expect that so it doesn't take a lot of thinking, just let it unravel and it's sorted out by the next episode.

I did appreciate the attempts at communicating each other's desires for one another, allowing a natural progression of sexuality within the relationship rather than just jumping each other's bones immediately.

I did find Fiat slightly annoying as a character, a babyish kind of character, pouting and seemingly unable to do regular activities because he's so rich and never had to, or because Leo indulges him. This dynamic is a matter of preference, not really my thing but I can see how indulging in a rich guy pampering your every whim is a bit of desire for many people and can be enjoyed as such.
Both actors are fairly easy on the eyes and seem to work well with each other. Fiat has very beautiful eyes and Leo makes me think he would do well in as a prince in a costume drama. The chemistry between them seemed pretty good and not too forced.

The plot was predictable with the usual melodrama for me but I admittedly enjoyed Fiat's sass to every 3rd party attempt at his man. I do like a bit of sass and it did make me smirk slightly.

Fiat's mother was a strange case but they handled the delicate scenes with child Fiat well. I did feel more for the character after that and makes his own behaviour slightly more understandable.

I would have liked to have seen more of the lesbian friends because they seemed like an adorable couple but as with most friends in BL's they were left to the side to explain the obvious to the viewers.
I also would have loved to have seen more of a punishment for one curly haired character at the end. What he did to Fiat was not ok and there was only a hint of justice at the end. I would have liked to have seen the police cart this slimeball off in handcuffs because that's what he truly deserved.

Visually, they couldn't get enough of the 'really wealthy family' backgrounds. I think we seen a few different mansions in this series and the rest of the time is around the university. The emotional scenes were little overdone and at times somewhat cheesy but sweet nonetheless.

I really didnt care for the sub couple, even skipping them at times but again, that's a matter of preference and I did find them a little awkward with each other. As characters, they didn't seem to fit too well together either and it did seem like a very random, why are you together? kind of couple.

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Wibbly wobbly timey wimey plus Karma and a Marvel amount of CGI

I initially dropped this at episode 2 after reading the reviews. I felt like this was going be a 'bully him until he snaps and then we'll congratulate ourselves on being right' sort of thing but reconsidered and started watching again. At episode 20, I've dropped it for good.
I think it's best to decide for yourself if you like something or not and if you, like me, decide that it's not your sort of thing, it wasn't time wasted. You tried something new and made a decision on it. That's just life.

This whole plot really could have been something. It's main focus was on karma. Every action, every laugh and tear caused, will come back to you. There are 4 timelines to this story. The original that we open with, the 'past life', the 'ancient past life' and the altered timeline.
When reading the reviews, it would seem a lot of people didn't like the first time line of the Ancient past life arc, which we see second, between eps11. and 18.
Going back to what I just typed about trying things out for yourself, this was my favourite part of the 20 eps I watch LOL I wish that had been a series by it's self, I loved that concept and I actually really loved the set and designs. It felt like a fantasy fever dream and the drama kid in me is ok with that. It's also the basis of the entire plot. The whole story starts with what happens in this arc so it was meant to be there. It's the foundations of everyone else's karma. The past is paid for and the future is written with every choice we make, even if we're think we're doing a good thing.
Unfortunately when we came back, I could already sense that the writing would start to dissolve. When I start to feel that way, I watch the last episode and decide if it's worth it and have ultimately decided that it's not.
I probably would loved this kind of show as a teenager but I'm now well into my adulthood and this sort just doesn't entertain me anymore.

So I join the ranks of the more critical reviews where I feel like, there was a masterpiece in here somewhere, the general idea, the costumes, the superhero movie cgi fight scenes, but the execution was dissolving into something quite childish and some sort of lack of understanding of how to properly communicate with people. Emotional maturity will teach you that nothing ever good comes from lie. There is no such thing as a good lie. When I got to the 'he keeps his distance because he likes you, lets seduce him' story line in 19, I can feel the annoyance coming in the following episodes as though I was going to start schooling my teenage nieces. When I skipped to the end, I can see that that attitude doesn't change and when you are world weary, regardless of age, that isn't entertaining.

It's definitely has it's audience as with everything but I feel like I've long outgrown this kind of show.

Leaving on a brighter note, I actually really enjoyed the music in this one. I'm in shock. I genuinely loved the background sad music that was happening. There's a genuine ache to the pieces I was hearing along with just enjoying the emotion in the instrumentals. So silver lining perhaps? To my surprise I found some chinese songs to add my playlist. So you see?
Nothing is ever futile.

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Game Of Thrones-ing the Past with the Food Network

I prefer to go into show blind as I find it better to reach my own conclusion and/or opinion on a show.
I normally like detective style shows but this is one of those ones that I dropped simply because I didn't like the characters.

This show uses some pretty heavy material for it's mysteries which if you are anything like me, will put the anxiety through the roof as your watching. This show was not good for my heart in that aspect. So if you are sensitive to very violent source material, be warned here. When I meet material as dark as this, I need to have something to counteract that kind of information. I need deeply heroic people and compassionate people. I am fully aware this stuff happens in life and the people responsible get to walk. I do not find it entertaining to watch it in a show. I am a viewer who doesn't need step by step reality in my shows.

Having said that, the characters fail me in this. The leads are the only truly likeable people, at the start. Everyone else is a truly an evil person. There are no excuses here. It's a kill or be killed kind of reality. I get it. The past sucked.

Our 3 main leads are a stoic and solemn guy with a violent past, the effeminate baby girl genius guy with a sad past and the hard nosed palace eunuch that you're not sure whether or not to trust, and I couldn't be bothered to find out his past.
I can understand this set up in the beginning but they were still the same by episode 20. I knew nothing more about them other than Stoic guy is kind, everyone hates the eunuch and the effeminate ML is as annoying as all hell.
I don't do tsunderes. I don't find them cute or endearing or even funny. They just annoy me. 20 episodes in and our ML is supposed to be exceptionally intelligent. He is the 'sleuth' in the main title and yet he will pout and stomp is his feet like a baby, rush into a situation on emotion and will straight up tell the Emperor to go away because no one is above the law and I just don't want to. I'm sick, I'm getting married, I'm dead. Seriously? This is our Genuis ML? The Emperor could have you and your friends gutted on the spot. Is a bit of tact too much to ask for from our supposedly competent genius? Am I supposed to cheer this on?
The surrounding characters aren't very fleshed out by episode 20 either. We've got the super genius adopted sister who remains in the background eating sweets until she's useful and two foreign characters that are just kind of there. They fell into the plot randomly and now there's a romance trying to be pushed between foreign girl and the ML.

Also, the food p@rn. I really don't care for. Am I supposed to feel something? Was this to counteract the absolute devastation of the mysteries? It does nothing for me.

First time in my life, I also found the cinematography annoying as well but perhaps that's just the mood I had when watching. Someone really loved getting picture-esque shots between doors and at side angles with lots of props in view. After a while, this started to give me a slight headache as I tilt my head with the camera. Yes, the surroundings are beautiful but every other angle doesnt need to be up and down and side to side.

Overall, I can see the appeal if detective shows are your thing. Not alot of action. It's all sleuth or at least until 20 but it is an exhausting show to watch. From the annoying lead, the camera angles, the dark material and deep web of lies and deceit in the royal court, there was just too much going on for me to be able to enjoy it properly.

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Painful Writing

I realise this is from an old novel so I can't really say this had potential knowing that but, yeah, I feel this had potential. My western thought processing clashed terribly with this. I knew I was going to drop this on the second episode.
The pacing is painful. There are a lot of more exciting/creative ways to have summarized the beginnings of the plot. Nope. We're made to walk the story, inch by inch. I sat with my head in my hands realising why it's 40 episodes.

Side note - The father/twin, what did they do to this man's face. He felt like a robot and honestly made to look like one. Was he meant to be structured and porcelain white ? and instead ended up looking a face of flour with 2016 insta eyebrows. But perhaps that's my agitation talking. The actor is good looking. The father clearly was meant to be a heart throb. I did not see it.

Case in point - I absolutely hate love triangles and the big bad is jealous sisters, so either way, this Cassanova was effed from the start because even if he fell for a sister, the other sister would still be scorned. No wonder the poor guy ran away. These women are just delusional psychos and I hate seeing women pitted against each other for silly reasons. If there is a legitimate reason for this hate, I don't have the patience to find out.
I have no pity for pathetic villains. Meanwhile, the other villains were just straight up goofy and stupid.
I hated everyone on this show.
The women are just a misogynistic tragedy to watch and the male characters are just stupid and unreasonable.
I made it to episode 12 simply because of the lead. I was really enjoying his impish wits and heart of gold moments. I love intelligent characters who can think themselves out of a problem, until I caught the scent of putting him in a love triangle with his robot of a brother, who is trying to kill simply because he was told to. What?
I wanted to punch the FL (at least she is by episode 12) She came in with a lot of badass potential and as soon as she's dressed in pink, she's turned into a simpering, floundering brat who was thoroughly enjoying playing the lead's feelings because, hehe, he's jealous. No. Just no.
That's when I knew I wasn't going to make it through this series. I skipped right to the last episode for the conclusion and very thankful that I didn't waste my time.

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Le Sigh

I really, really wanted to like this but I just couldn't get into it. I tried 3 times but my brain just won't let me accept a romantic relationship with a lead who basically acts like a child. If it was meant to be friendship I'd be fine but I'm expecting romance from a character who is basically a 5 year old in an adult body and I just can't move past that. Also, the harem of fairies. Oh please. My first, 2 months now as of writing this, adventure into chinese dramas, I'm starting to see a pattern of shows that just aren't for me.

Visually, this show is stunning. A lot of green screen LOL The sets are glorious. It even just looks like a chinese fantasy. Palaces floating in the sky. Ornate head pieces etc The opening credits were actually my favourite thing LOL the artwork had my mouth open and I think that's why I just really wanted to like this.

It's one of those shows, I think this is my 3rd one now, where everything looks so grand but I just don't like the characters. This time I at least liked the ML but that was it. You can't force yourself to watch a show that you're just bored to tears watching. It's like a christmas cookie. All visual, no flavour.

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If someone bullies you, it's because they like you

I tried to like this, I really did but I just couldn't do it. I initially loved it with Wuxin and Xiao but then he left and it started to get really boring with lots of very irritating characters, very fast. And at least by ep 16, they're trying to force a romance with Xiao and the female character trope I absolutely loathe. Pouty princess with a big weapon. She beats you up because she loves you. Just no. That's not a couple destined to be. I don't do tsunderes and I can't imagine a man like Xiao liking it either. I just wanted Wuxin to come back so I googled and was disappointed so I've decided to drop.

Visually, there's a lot of special effects here. Gives me a final fantasy kind of vibe with a headache inducing amount of characters and back stories.

Xiao's face though. I will be watching out for that actor later because damn. I don't mind looking at him a little longer lol currently watching In Blossom with Wuxin's actor and he's pretty fine too with hair LOL honestly, if they do a spin off with just Xiao and Wuxin, I'd be all in but this is just too much for me to sit through 40 hours of my life.

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