Spilling Blood In Search for the Light
Blood River is an assassin organization that is reknowned throughout the realm and feared by many. Su Muyu, a quiet, reserved man under the codename Umbrella Ghost, is the head of guards of Blood River’s Patriarch and also one of most formidable assassins in Blood River. Even so, he is not your average violent assassin. He is compassionate and kind, never taking up missions against the innocent. Meanwhile, Su Changhe, with codename Undertaker, is known to be a violent, greedy and unhinged person, a total opposite of Su Muyu. These two polar opposite, however, made up an unseparable pair of brotherhood, comrade-in-arms, a relationship so strong that it is unrivalled by others, and their main goal was to lead the youngsters of Blood River towards the light, towards humanity, stripping away their identity as assassins. An opportunity emerges as the Partriach Mu Cingge was poisoned during his duel and a bloodbath of power struggle occured within Blood River’s 3 main families, Su, Mu and Xie, with each family head vying for the position of Partriach. Su Muyu, as the Partriach’s head bodyguard, found himself fighting against his own people, and his own brother Su Changhe, raising question of the viability of their dream to head into the light.I am surprised to see Gong Jun’s excellent performance here as opposed to his bland acting in Legend of Anle. His second work ‘wow’ed me and changed my perspective completely. He was good as the aloof and quiet assassin, only speaking when necessary, but instead spoke with his eyes. Su Muyu is formidable and feared by all, but even so Blood River’s enemies are even fiercer. His fightings, although some he could not win, still made him look magnificient and mighty. I really love his formations and skills, they definitely towered above others despite him narrowly escaping. And when i said spilling blood, blood is definitely spilling though more from vomit than actual gory wounds. ML (and other fighters too) constantly gets poisoned and injured, vomitting large amount of blood at the end of almost every battle. They definitely used up quite a lot of red fluid in this one.
Chang Hua Sen’s Su Changhe is very likable despite being depicted as a grey character, someone who kills without batting an eye. His character however, is almost happy go lucky, the cheerful one between the duo. Boy, I thought i could not like the character as I truly hated Chang Hua Sen’s short fused role in A Journey to Love, but apparently he proved me otherwise. Su Changhe owed his life to Su Muyu in more than one occasion during their childhood in Blood River, hence the bond between them was as firm as a concrete, literally set in stone, way surpassing the famed bromance of The Untamed’s Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan. They trusted each other to the core, even when one had not disclosed their decisions (and actions for that matter) to the other. Basically the world could topple and tear apart one person and the other would always come through for the other with absolute trust. Definitely a rare kind of bromance.
The romance here is very mild, but because it did not go deep for one main couple but scatter around the numerous supporting couples, it felt kind of repetitive and boring (yea I sure thanked my ff button for its existence). And because there were more than 3 couple’s love story, it felt rather suffocating. Although they were mild romance with only one kissing scene of supporting couple, i honestly feel it was taking too much screentime. I would prefer they scrapped it altogether and focus entirely on the jianghu fights and court’s power struggle instead.
I really love the plot twists of strategies taken up by the duo in outsmarting their enemies while reigning in support for Blood River. Although longwinded and much of a hassle, they served their purpose and worked out towards its goal.
The show is fast paced except during romantic scenes. Man those really botched up the plot. Basically if youre not a romance fan, and more of an action lover, youre going to like this very much, the romance is still much less the those titles with ‘romance’ tag.
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What Doesnt Kill You Makes You Stronger
I was suddenly feeling nostalgic and felt like watching my first and biggest kdrama when i was in my teens. I remembered how obsessed I was with Jang Geum that I even bought the cd boxset a few years later when I finally earned my own money during my college days, as it was aired on tv the first time and there were days that I missed one or two episodes. Fastforward 20+ years later, I realized had I first watched it now at my current age, I wouldve dropped it so fast due to how timid and reserved the FL’s character was written throughout the show. She literally had no rebuking bone in her. She was always bowing her head and hunched over so submissively, talking so very slowly and the episodes almost always end with her facial reactions of either - shocked, bewildered, sad, or happy - and all of these expressions usually came wide eyed and gaping mouth. I am glad I came across this show when I was in my teens where I havent experienced much life yet and expectations rather low. I guess FL’s perseverence and brilliance was what hooked my attention the most back then.Anyway, now that I am rewatching for the third time, I fastforwarded so many scenes where they replayed past dialogues of characters in the background for flashback scenes and there were a whole dang lot. It also irks me that FL would always gets sabotaged all in similar ways and her decade-long court lady experience offered little help in outsmarting the bad guys, even though the sole motivation of her entering the palace (BOTH TIMES!) was for revenge, knowing full well that she is surrounded by crafty enemies. Her confused or shocked expressions as she gets framed by her old enemies one after another just make my eyes roll, as if that’s her first time! What makes it much worse is the tricks were so repetitive that I can literally guess what the next trick would be while Jang Geum acts like a clueless rabbit all over each time. And her quivering and stammering like a new girl instead of a seasoned palace veteren every time she gets questioned after each set up made me wonder, why the heck was I so obsessed with this character? 😒 she gets nervous and flustered so easily, and panic when carrying out covert excursions. i also cant stand her spacing out lamenting her sad life either, it made her look weak instead of pitiful. How I wished she had 10% of Jang Duk’s defiance so her character didnt look too feeble and weak, so that this whole thing would be more fun to watch. It’s also a shame they couldnt come up with better framing scheme that doesnt make the FL look helpless and naiive, while always calling out either “ye” or “mamanim”, there were probably more than a thousand of that same word in the FL’s script. And I especially despised how FL would swallow insults and unreasonable scoldings lying down, even as she held the highest title for female officials. Like I said, she had no rebuking bone in her.
Watching this old series also made me realized how pure the romance was in shows like this back in those days. Couples in love did not have to hold hands, cuddle or french-kiss every time they meet. Although the romance was not intense and physical-oriented, it was still conveyed successfully to the audience as I can really feel how deeply Min Jungho’s cared for Jang Geum, and how she felt for Min Jungho even they did not express their love verbally. Back then it was all in the poetic script, how beautifully they string the words to convey the characters’ feelings for each other. I liked it when Min Jungho first realized he was smitten with Jang Geum, and asked her earnestly,”Would you share your pain with me now?” Oh god I just melted. And this was waaaayyy before Jang Geum and Min Jungho was a thing, mind you! Before he realized she was the girl he was looking for all this while. Oohh so sweet. The chemistry between Lee Young Ae and Ji Jinhee was explosive! Oh one of the other dialogue of Min Jungho’s that melted me was during the plague arc, when he saved Jang Geum from the fire and told her,”How could I not come back for you when I realized I finally hold value in your heart?”
They did not have to say i love you or i cant live without you, instead they spoke with their eyes and gestures. Even the way Min Jungho and Jang Geum’s eyes light up everytime they see each other was enough to spell love all over the their faces. Compared to nowadays, even period dramas where the girls were supposed to be reserved and maintain proximity gaps with the opposite gender, their characters would instead brazenly hug or kiss the love interest. Or the least they would show is the couple prancing around the market or festivals while holding hands or each other’s waist. 🙄 so modern-like, huh, hence unrealistic. At least in this show the couple only started to hug during perillous situations that they almost lost each other, and most importantly they never did it in the presence of others. Though i felt that Min Jungho love for Jang Geum was more than her for him. He literally left his post without notice for her and yet she couldnt be bothered to do the same. I also could not figure put where was her dedication for the emperor coming from. It just doesnt add up.
Although I had an utmost admiration for the soundtrack, it held the no 1 spot in my heart for so long before i managed to move on. The main themesong Oh Na Ra! was so good i even memorized it as a kid despite not understanding a single word. The piano soundtrack was also one that managed to make my heart flutter, i cant help myself from humming the tune whenever it came on. The instrumental pieces were all phenomenal, successfully giving off the classic period vibe.
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Intriguing Cases, Bland Romance
Tang Yingying is an accomplished senior lawyer in Shenzhen’s Chen Law Firm owned by her mentor cum father figure, while Kang Jun is recently hired Director that previously faced off with Tang Yingying in court. They started off on the wrong foot, with Tang Yingying having a certain dislike of him, frequently and subtly opposing her new boss in front and behind others. As they solved cases and headbutts each other profesionnally, they found that they were developing feelings for each other, just as Kang Jun about to leave the firm and accept another offer in his hometown Beijing.This is my third show of Xin Zhilei. She is actually the reason I watched this and her performance definitely did not disappoint. She is ever so formidable as a tough-to-crack lawyer with solid conviction and belief on seeking for the truth. Her pairing with one playing Kang Jun is okay, as theyre both portraying a mature relationship. Although it’s because of this seemingly professional front that made the romance between them seem bland and lacks depth. Tang Yingying is more insteresting as the tough lawyer than a lovestruck woman.
I love their cases, each one able to invoke the emotion and relates to the ups and downs of the common people. Tang Yingying’s emotional burden for her father’s abandonment of her family that led to her mom’s death was written with significant growth that doesnt disappoint. I really liked how her relationship with her half sister progressed despite FL’s reluctance at first. I think theyre a great duo because Jiang Xiaoying (the sister) is as relentless and tough as the half elder sister that she used to hate but end up idolize in the middle of the show.
The only thing that seem to be different of this series than most legal-themed dramas that I’ve seen is there was no major case/grudge that usually becomes the main drive of the story amid the small easily solved cases.
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Jumanji Cdrama Style
Wang Cui Ha is an average editor working for a company that produces drama. She is tasked to edit a novel for an adaptation, and while reading through the novel, she somehow woke up as Yu Wanyin, a supporting character who is the emperor’s consort, that met her demise quite early in the story. To her surprise, when the emperor summoned her to his chamber for the first time, she found out that he too was a transmigrator when he managed to communicate with her in english. As both characters, The emperor and concubine Yu were secondary characters that would die very soon in the novel, Yu Wanyin decided to ally with the emperor to change the course of the story into their favour.I started this series with a low bar for a romcom. Actually i did not look at the tagged genre, i just assumed it was romcom due to the opening theme and the early scenes of the series. And because most of novel transmigration series that ive seen rarely manage to hold my attention span (other than A Dream Within a Dream, that one was good!), i did not have much expectation on this, despite it having one of notable actor Ryan Cheng. Boy was I wrong. Other than the FL who was written so perfectly well, i really love the twisty unexpected plots too. And i was so not ready for the emotional turmoil they had in store in the last 10 episodes. The cast managed to induce enough emotion that i could really feel through the screen. Why did i mention Jumanji although there was no wildlife coming to life from the book into the real world? It was the Emperor, Xiahou Dan. He was trapped inside the novel for more than 10 years, basically growing up inside the book, which reminds me of the character in Jumanji who was trapped for almost 20 years inside a game. Such a sad life. So sad that he had to guard against others while growing up, getting poisoned by the Empress Dowager in order to drive him into madness.
Although both ML and FL were transmigrators, i could really feel the bonds they developed for the 2D characters they met in the novel. They did not look or feel fake like how i felt with other novel transmigration series that I’ve seen. I noticed that the main reason I don’t quite like novel transmigration stories is because the transmigrator’s relationship with other novel characters look fake (as they are a real person from a real world while the others are just creation of the author). Amazingly it was not the case in How Dare You! For this one, I’ll have to commend the screenwriter and the cast for making it look and feel real.
And although both main characters do not know any martial art, viewers can still feast on good action choreograph executed by those around the mainleads, their shadow guards, and Mr Bei.
I am actually impressed with Ryan Cheng. I’ve seen quite a lot of his works starting from My Journey To You, and I must say he managed to develop chemistry with all his co-stars that I’ve seen so far. That is talent, on his part and his co-lead of course, but I can only comment on his performance since I’ve seen many of his works and not quite as many of his co-stars. It also worths to note that this is also the first of Ryan’s work that I saw he not donning the general’s mantel or wielding any weapon with exceptional martial skill. Oh he didnt go bare-chested too 😂😆 it’s a fresh take to see him in a different type of character with a whole different emotional range and skillset.
I am especially smitten by the wonderful themesongs, notably Blazing Light by Curley Gao. The first time i heard it, i quickly told myself this must be curley gao and when i searched for the song on youtube, yup it was her indeed.
All in all, this series went waaaaay beyond my expectation that i feel it deserves a high rating. Kudos to the cast and production team!
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The Girl who Braves the Storm
Hua Zhi is the eldest granddaughter of the Hua family, her grandfather being the imperial censor. She travelled far and wide with her grandfather as child and got an early taste of the free world. When she could no longer pose as a boy servant in her grandfather's travels as she’s grown up, she returned to the family mansion only to be labelled as an idler with no noble-lady characters, constantly looked down upon and criticized by her own parents and uncles, even her own grandmother did not like her. Everything changed when a circumstance led to the banishment of all of Hua men, while the women were left penniless as their properties and wealth was confiscated by the court. Unwilling to let the family sink further, she decided to become the glue that keeps the family together, the lifeline that keeps the family afloat, and contested against her third aunt for the helm of the household. As head of the Hua household, she went on to thrive and expand the family's wealth with the sole aim to redeem the Hua men's freedom from banishment, meeting Gu Yanxi, nephew of the emperor posing as a commoner, along the way in a relationship that soon developed into affection despite him being the person who raided the Hua Mansion earlier on.The story really is engaging and intriguing except for the corny relationship buildup and romance between the mainleads. Honestly I failed to see the spark. I liked both characters as an individual but I can't see them as a couple. The typical trope of claiming each other as fiances and husband and wife in unwarranted situations are also just too lame and cliche.
I love Hua Zhi as the resilient, relentless and courageous young girl trying to hold up her family in her arms and brave the storm, her headstrong character really gets to my soft spot. She isnt the kind of girl who takes no nonsense and willing to do anything to achieve a goal, even if it means to lower her pride as a noble lady, which even the maids of the household find it hard to do. Although FL is not physically strong, her quickwit made up for it. She is the kind of character that would initially look like a burden and liability in a combat, but could turn the tide just by using her wits. However, as a girl with a crush, she was just too clingy and touchy-feely. Always trying to lean on ML even when they had nothing between each other and started throwing herself into his arms and kissing and holding him every chance she could get after they thought they had feelings for each other, gosh those are really too much and look fake-ish. I could relate if she was a time-travelling modern girl or a transmigrator, but as a genuine lady of the ancient world, this kind of acts are not something usual, they looked cheap even, as those are acts only seen in women of brothel, not in a noble young lady. This is the only flaw in the writing of this character, putting in modern girl's thirst for men's affection before marriage into an ancient one. I skipped most of their scenes cuz I just can't stand the sight of them trying to get the romance on as they looked awkward. And those comedic scenes they try so hard to do, especially the bethrothal misunderstanding, were wayyyyy too corny. They majorly looked like half-assed comic that failed to deliver the punchline. Instead of smiling or ROFLing in my heart, my lips moved into a cringe instead even without me realizing it.
I have seen so many romance stories of unrequited love of couples that shouldve never been separated, A Journey to Love being one of them (gosh I still bawl my eyes out each time I rewatch), but this is actually one of the series that I hope the main couple's relationship never work out. IMPO, the storyline is standalonely strong enough without this romance thingy, which looked so much like a distraction. It's too bad they (the novel writer or the screenwriter, whoever is responsible for hyping the romance) decided to make it the secondary focus as if the original storyline can’t stand on its own, so i ended up skipping so many of this couple scenes after Hua Zhi realized Gu Yanxi’s real identity.
My only drive to finish the show is how Hua Zhi was going to bring the Hua men back, and how Gu Yanxi going to end up with his seemingly good-on-the-surface-but-volatile relationship with the imperial family. To be honest, their respective personal stories are a thousand times much more intriguing than their romance, which i feel was taking up too much of the screentime. The only couples that i felt a wee bit for were Hua Pingyang-Yunniang (forth uncle and aunt) and ShenHuan-Gu Shaoyao. They really looked like couples who enjoy each other’s company, the adoration for their other half is clear in their eyes. Somehow i failed to see it in the main couple. So im left unconvinced to the end.
I totally love the rest of the cast, they acted really well and cried well too! Each sad arcs came through and after seeing many awful crying skills of actors in other series, I came to appreciate the sad scenes here. I find the one playing Gu Shaoyao particularly good, I could see bright future for her if luck is on her side.
The story was good all throughout the show only to falter in the last 3 episodes that seemed too ridiculous. I love the ending where they had a reunion. Forth uncle was truly adorable it’s a pity his scene was so little.
The songs are okay, but the background music is spectacular. The opening themsong by Curley Gao is phenomenal. Action scenes are fine too but not quite exceptional. Honestly i could give this story a solid 9 -9.5ish had not for the bland romance they tried to fit into the plot. Too bad for that.
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Entertaining Hilarious with Few Flaws
Chen Xiaoqian is a screenwriter stumbling a block when the future lead actor for her story, Mr Han criticizes her work saying it unrealistic and forced her to rewrite it. She pushed through the night and made changes to her story while having a cold, and fell asleep after her wrote the final touch. Opening her eyes next, she could not believe that she had woken up in her own story as a supporting character, the unruly and reckless Third Princess Chen Qianqian who would die on episode 3 of the script she wrote after being poisoned by the groom she stole, Crown Prince of neighbouring city Xuanhu, Han Shou. When she managed to avoid being killed cuz she basically know everything about the plot, she realized the key to her escaping the story is to stay alive til the end of the plot, falling in love with Han Shou in the process.Looks like typical transmigration plot, and it is quite cliche, but i must say the show managed to keep my attention with the amazing performance of its actors. I usually hate whiny characters like Chen Qianqian, but somehow the way Zhao Lusi executed her role isnt cringy at all. And i think this is the second co star of Ding Yuxi that I saw didnt make me cringe and hate them. The first being Victoria Song from Fight for Love.
The plot is okay although rather typical, only the last 2 episodes made me roll my eyes when the heroine-turned-villain usurped the minister of war position and somehow able to rule the city. Like whaaat? 🙄
I liked the plot twists, loved how much chemistry the mainleads had, and loved how smooth the story was. Action was so-so since this is a romance-centric show after all. The songs were catchy, though i wont be adding them to my playlist. Overal, it’s an okay show and i didnt regret the time spent.
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Exhilirating Ride into the Tombs
The storyline is rather typical where a group of tomb raiders got together to break into undiscovered tombs, each with their own personal agenda. Crisis breaks out when there was suspected snitch among them that served a different powerful authority of nearby population.Where should I really start? I watched this quite a long time ago but Gao Wei Guang and Xin Zhilei left such a deep impression on me that I kept rummaging for their works. I totally loved Hong Gu Niang character that was a badass all throughout the show. Gao Wei Guang did not disappoint, which is why my eyes were set on him, especially when he has quite a unique face for a Chinese. It’s a wonder he rarely landed many main role projects cuz i really thought he had the full package, looks and talent. I guess it’s a tough world out there and the competition is harsh, where luck definitely plays a huge role.
I totally love the action mechanics of the show, all those cave-ins, bugs obstacles, tomb traps etc managed to keep me at the edge of my seat. The plot doesnt look ridiculous, the mystery is engaging and everyone performed exceptionally well. I have seen many tomb raiding installments but i must say this belongs in the top tier, where there hardly any boring/preachy scenes or awkward sloppy romance forced into the plot.
I was disappointed when the show reached the end - it was too dang short 😭 - and even more disappointed that Zhuge Shao wasnt the main character in any of the other candle in the tomb series. But anyway, it was a worthwhile time spent and honestly I dont mind a rewatch just for a dose of Zhuge Shao and Miss Hong.
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Moms Know Best
Bi Shennan is a ruthlessly controlling and serious mom, which is a vast contrast to her husband’s character who is carefree and easygoing. While she controls every aspect of her daughter’s life especially education, her husband became the refuge for their only child. Situation escalated when her daughter decided she has had enough, and to make it worse, an old girlfriend of the husband waltzed into the picture. With her marriage and family hanging by the thread, she came to a realization that letting go did not mean to get defeated.Zhao Wei was my all time favourite actress during my teenage and young adult years and held quite a childhood memory to me, so I was over the moon when I found this last project of hers and it was a huge bonus when it was so dang good. And since i am also a tiger mom when I saw the show, i can totally relate to FL character and stayed rooted for her all the way to the end.
I totally ship ML and FL although their personalities hugely counter each other. The husband was so lovable and cute, which reminds me of Xiao Yanzi from Huanzhu GeGe, while FL was relentless and ruthless, basically she wears the pants in the house. Although she was strict with the child, she was never harsh to the point of being hateful, which was why i could totally relate. Although this might seem over the top in the eyes of a westerner, it is totally normal for asians.
Tong Da Wei was so good as Luo Su that i even looked him up for his past projects and went to look for them. He is definitely a good actor and had a great chemistry with Zhao Wei.
I cried during sad scenes and laughed in comedic ones, so I can say this show is a huge success to me as an audience. And of course i would totally rewatch for Zhao Wei.
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Legend of Mr and Ms Incognito
Hei Fengxi and Bai Fengxi are two of the greatest warriors in Jianghu, Hei Fengxi being known for being prideful and conniving, while Bai Fengxi for carefree and unrestraint in her actions. As their fate entertwined in the search for the Imperial’s imperyan tokens that got lost, they found themselves drawn to each other closer than they ever thought they could be.I put off this title for so long since I put it on hold after the first episode. Don’t know why i somehow lost interest after FL got injured trying to save the general who was carrying one of the tokens. Months (or was it years?) went by and after Zhao Lusi’s impressive performance in Love’s Ambition, I decided to continue.
Well, the first few episodes were rather horrendous and confusing to endure, as there were so many characters and kinghood being thrown in. And the surname Feng being used over and over again by different unrelated peoples only made it worse. Took me quite a number of episodes to finally grasped that there was a main imperial government that supposedly ruled over the land and then there were kings of the six states that the kingdom was divided into. The ancestors of the six state kings were those who fought their way during the first emperor’s rise to the throne, hence why they were granted kinghood and domain to rule over, which were the 6 states. Each unique to their own political struggle and upon the lost of empyrian tokens, all (except Qingzhou) were keen to conquer other states and march to the capital to seize the throne and unite the land.
I must say Yang Yang and Zhao Lusi had an uncanny chemistry. I always saw Yang Yang as an older generation to Zhao Lusi since the last show I saw of him was the movie Once Upon a Time with Liu Yifei which he also had great chemistry with. It turned out he had no problem creating that chemistry with the young Zhao Lusi too! Wow. Kudos to both!
I loved how badass the FL was, but i thought she had too much damsel in distress situations that needed rescuing by ML. So yeah there were two times where she rescued ML but thats about it. I guess my personal preference is an on-par relationship like how the ML and FL were in Luoyang - they save each other alternately and their skills match each other.
Anyway. I think the Tianshuang Sect is full of braindead people. It’s a wonder how they produced a prodege like Bai Fengxi, when the master repeatedly fell into traps which ultimately cost his own life. Best part is he also produced a stupid offspring to carry on the stupid gene. Gosh i hate these characters even more than the villain in this show.
I loved ML’s half brother Feng Chang though. The screenwriter did right by him by not turning him against ML like in other typical power struggle. There were so many instances that I thought, “okay he’d sure betray ML,” but he didnt! He stayed true and loyal to ML right to the end even though they never shared a birth mother. That’s a real wowsie.
I love the songs, theyre catchy and nice to listen to. Am gonna add one or two to my running playlist.
The action scenes had too many dogfights, gosh theyre flying all over the place that it felt too comical.
Basically an okay show, not the best but not too bad either. It is endurable especially if u like one of the mainleads (or both!).
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Great Storyline and Acting
I actually saw this on youtube where it was stitched into a 4h+ that looked so much like the usual cheap vertical drama. I never thought it was a legit high budget production until i saw the comments. Honestly the show was really impressive in terms of acting and cinematography. The storyline is rather typical, a modern FL was thrown into ancient setting, finding herself reborn into the body of a concubine of a tyrant emperor. And since she was an archeologist, she perfectly knew what was waiting in the concubine’s future, as she was the honey trap character that people despise for corrupting the emperor.It was actually fun to see the FL try to navigate her way around the political scene of the court, as she turn the concubine into a benovalent character as she tried to stay alive long enough for her to find way back to her time.
I assumed the youtube version was a cut down from this 24episodes but it was enough to understand the whole plot and it was a worthwhile ride.
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Your Past, My Future
Shen Buyan was a history researcher who had written a book on Sheng Dynasty, one of a kingdom in the nine kingdoms era. His publisher was pushing him to write a sequel because a tv station was ready to produce tv series based on his book, so he was pressured into making up stories as there was little documented material of the era. As he was looking for inspiration, he came upon a jade broken into 5 pieces at a wishing tree sold by an old woman. He decided to buy the broken jade, and as his nose bled onto the jade piece that night, he found himself transported into the past, looking at a woman playing konghao as the people cursed her Demon Empress. Thus starts his journey to uncover the real history of the Demon Empress and Sheng Dynasty.This is truly a hidden gem! I have never seen a miniseries written and shot as perfect as this! I couldnt find any loophole to the story. There was no sketchy plot even each episode only had about 25-30min of runtime.
Although the ML and FL had only a brief moment of several days in each encounter as ML travels back in time, i could really feel the deep connection they both had each time they look into each other’s eyes. The longing in FL’s expression was truly genuine at the beginning of the show as ML acted prejudiced towards her, and the regret and pained look of ML as he travelled further back in time to meet the FL younger in each encounter was also able to strike deep into my heart. This is the first time that I saw both actors, but i am truly impressed at their striking performances.
The cinematography doesnt look like most miniseries on a budget. They were stunningly shot with amazing scenery and colour gradient. It really didnt feel like i was watching a miniseries, the quality was superb. Action choreograph is also impressive, FL being the badass warrior compared to the scholarly ML. And lets not even mention the makeup. Theyre excellent! FL looked mature and domineering at the beginning of the show as the Demon Empress, but they really nailed it to make her look more youthful with each encounter (as the ML was moving back in time) and finally that teenage look at the final encounter took my breath away. They were so dang good!
Gosh I wished it could be made longer. And to think that it was based off a fanvideo was even more mindblowing. It’s truly a fresh idea of a love that seemed fleeting and separated by thousands of years, compared to the usual love in multiple lifetimes that usually has a more fulfilling happy ending.
Honestly it was an interesting ride. I am truly and extremely satisfied and impressed with this show. I think the mainleads had an off-the-chart chemistry and i really hope to see more of them in the future.
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How to Shape Your Heir’s Future without Him Knowing
Picked this up on a whim after reading some of the reviews here.It’s basically a walk of growth of the ML Xu Fengnian, the heir of King of Southern (eh was it northern?) Liang. He was against the idea of succeeding his father, Xu Xiao, and practicing marial arts, until he heard the death of his travel companian, the groom Old Huang, who is also the world reknowned swordsman Jiu Jian Huang. Only then did he realized he needed power and martial capability to bring back his Old Huang’s sword box from the walls of Wudi City, and his sisters and brother whom Xu Xiao sent away in order to strengthen ML’s heir position. Thus upon agreeing to be King of Liang’s successor, his father told him to go on a quest to visit his siblings in various regions outside Northern Liang, during which the ML inadvertently acumulated martial art in the various assassinations that he was subjected to.
Xu Xiao is probably most unpredictable king-cum-father figure I’ve ever seen. He looked formidable enough to make people cower around him but in the presence of his heir, he was not ashamed to cower under ML even in the presence of others, just to quell Xu Fengnian’s dissatisfaction. Everything he did was calculated to the minute possibility of Xu Fengnian diverting off, and i would say it looked brilliant at first, but later appeared too staged. Despite being a loving father who dotes on his heir, Xu Xiao was so ruthless that he would not mind having his heir almost killed if it meant for ML to survive with better prospect of kingship later. Looking at their love-hate relationship, i can’t help but thought about Fated Hearts’s ML relationship with his father the emperor. If only Susha emperor was a bit more like Xu Xiao, the broken relationship with his heir wouldnt have been so. And that is why Xu Xiao earned my respect even more!
I am also surprised at how meticulous the makeup team is. Lord of Jing’an’s son was slapped by ML when his assassination attempt failed, and several scenes later the red mark still apparent on the right side of the cheek. It was not an obvious red like most would do, but a faint hue of redness like a real slap would look like.
The songs were great. I love the CGI too, those adorable baby hukuis were definitely better than Legend of Shenli’s cartoonish chicken-looking-phoenix despite SSS being produced earlier.
However, the choreograph is rather mediocre especially when they rely too much on inner strength battles than the actual physical battle. I also failed to ship the Fengnian-Jiangni relationship. Honestly they looked like brother and sister rather than couple attracted to each other. Jiang Ni looked too childish while Fengnian too cunningly predictable. Predictable in a sense that all his actions are laid upon this particular sense of fake righteousnous that seemed out of this world for the era he was in. It’s like seeing Joy of Life’s Fanxian with his quirky acts but in a different setting. I just felt like the writers got his surface personality mixed up with the from-the-future-Fanxian.
It was the supporting cast appearances that kept me interested, really. I was thrilled to see Little Fanxian appearing here! That boy’s acting was superb in Joy of Life, I really liked him. And I was also excited to see Ah Mai from Fighting for Love, Zhang Tian Ai as Nangong Puye. Too bad her scenes were just in those first few episodes. how I wished for her to follow ML’s journey instead of the death guard Qingniao just so i can see more of her. And boy was I feeling giddy when Liu DuanDuan’s Zhao Kai made an appearance. He is definitely one of my favourite actors, i always get curious with the roles he takes up, cuz they were always of the eccentric kind. Like here Zhao Kai was infatuated with ML’s sister and keep telling people that she was his wife, but at the same time had no problem going on a rampage killing for his future brother-in-law’s life. What a disturbed mind.
I liked the plot up to the last 10 episodes when they started to intensify Fengnian-Jiangni relationship. Also the way Fengnian eventually found himself right back into the trajectory that Xu Xiao has planned for him looked too damn staged that my interest started to wane. I enjoyed Sword Snow Stride but I dont think i’d be eager to watch season 2. I might even skip it altogether 🤷🏻♀️.
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Great Start but Got Draggy towards The End
Fu Yixiao was a commander under Jinxiu’s First Prince, Prince of Zhennan Xia Jingshi, both being in love with each other and planning to get married. However at Battle of Pingling, right after FL secured a win for the Jinxiu by shooting the enemy’s general, the first Prince of Susha, Feng Suige right in the chest, FL went missing. It turned out she was shot down a cliff and hunted by assassins, at which she encountered Ling Xueying, daughter of divine physician Ling Feng, revered by both emperors of Susha and Jinxiu. Xueying brought her back for treatment, and while she was left to soak in the spring for recuperation, she met with ML who was sneaking in to recuperate in the pool. Due to a head injury during the fall, FL did not remember who she was and her life before, so ML took this chance to lure her into his trap by saying that they were friends. Once captured, ML tortured FL for revenge and intel as he believed Jinxiu had Susha’s people working as a spy. Unable to extract intel from her due to her amnesia, he brought her back to Susha under the pretense of a concubine. Meanwhile Xia Jingshi was frantically looking for FL when he heard she was spotted with ML. With the marriage arrangement between Susha and Jinxiu in return for peace, Xia Jingshi rushed to Susha under the guise of the bethrothal to Princess Feng Xiyang, when in reality he was determined to bring FL back with him to Jinxiu. As FL’s memories started to come back in bits and pieces, she realized there was a more sinister reason for her falling off the cliff, and eventually decided to work with ML to uncover the truth.I truly prefer seeing Li Qin as a badass character than those demure, soft ones (like Lin Waner in Joy of Life). So far I have only seen Song of Glory where he was also a badass there, and i loved it too. In here, I love how resolute and ruthless the FL’s nature is. She doesnt hesitate to pay back every single lash that she received during interrogation by the ML, very unlike some supposedly badass FL who conveniently forgets the torture they had been subjected to a few episodes before just because they was starstruck by him. And you know how when the high and mighty minister started to pull ranks and bicker with the ML and in most situations the young one had to concede to the old villainous minister? We can all get pure satisfaction from this show because our ML doesnt take no nonsense at all. He actually swung a fist at the old guy’s face when the old hag won’t budge. Pure satisfaction!
Although i liked the plot where they deviated from the trash novel’s, I couldnt fathom how childish the court politics theyve written. It is disappointing that ML had no vision of his future beyond avenging his mom, of how much the court and the kingdom would be thrown in turmoil after he got rid of the trecherous minister who also has ties to the royal blood and then refuse to ascend the throne as his father wanted. For a brilliant mind who had been tiptoeing around people who keeps trying to kill him growing up, he was sure damn short sighted and never planned ahead. As for the SML, how is he so naiive and stubborn in not treating Xiyang courteously even as nominal wife? He had no connection and power in Jinxiu’s court, how could it never crossed his mind that a good relationship with a princess that represents a foreign power who is also infatuated in him would add considerably to his advantage and road for revenge? All his life he was trampled upon and used beyond measure, subjected to countless humiliating situations all due to his lowborn status, and when he was scheming against the court for survival he thought he’d just toss off this foreign power backing just because he was in love with a commoner who had turned against him? How laughable. If ML was shortsighted and never planned ahead, then the SML is double triple that! I just got off the brilliant Nirvana in Fire so the political scene in Fated Hearts seemed practically kindergarten level, giving off how stupid the characters are written. They couldve made the plot more interesting with better scheming characters, but nope, they went with the dull and stupid plot instead.
And just when i thought the plot could not get any worse, then bam they proved me wrong. Who the heck buries corpses in the middle of a route? 🤣 even if it’s in the forest, it’s still in plain sight accessible by carriage. Truly a joke.
And what even more laughable is how characters could survive multiple sword slashes and strikes through the midsection and chest like theyre freaking Terminators. Gosh, they really pushed the odds to the limits with ML’s supposedly assassination and later Xiyang’s 🤣 basically the good characters will survive while the bad characters wouldnt survive even one strike of sword. Lame-ass writing.
Despite the cringy plot, I am impressed with Feng Chengyang, ML’s pure-hearted brother. At first i thought he would be easily manipulated by both his mom and grandfather, being the soft and crybaby that he is, but it turned out he changed drastically after assuming the throne. Now this is one of the brilliant and pure soul that the screenwriter didnt manage to botch. Honestly i think he would be a thousand times a better ruler than the dense and stupid Xiyang, like seriously.
Love the fight choreography. Love the songs. Love Sa Dingding’s cameo. Love FL’s badass character that stayed true to the end. Love all the lead and second lead casts, theyre all beautiful people that impressed me with their acting (of all the cast I am only familiar with Li Qin and Sa Dingding, and a few support roles that i regularly see in other shows), but somehow I had a hard time finishing the show as quickly as when i binge great shows before. Even the last episode it took me 2 days to finish. I even got sleepy during the final battle. I cannot explain it, maybe the cringy and draggy plot in the last 10 episodes got to me more than my love for the overall plot? Somehow they failed to keep my binge attention.
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Sweet Revenge is Best Served Cold
Jiang Xueying and Jiang Yuer were siblings who had been at odds with each other due to a prophecy by a monk that their fates would always inverse from each other, and Jiang Yuer made sure to keep all the good fortunes to herself. The first life they had ended with Jiang Yuer dying after being discarded as a wife by the Heir Apparent of Lu family. Both siblings woke up in their do-over rebirth to the day of their wedding, and Jiang Yuer coerced Jiang Xueying to swap grooms, with Yuer becoming the second young master, Lu Liang’s wife, whom she already knew from her previous life would be a jinshi scholar with a bright future as Prince Ning’s aide, while Xueying marries the playboy and wayward Heir Apparent, Lu Junxing. Little that Yuer knew, being Lu Liang’s wife isnt all rainbow and sunshine, and Xueying was determined to create a destiny of her own without clinging to Heir Apparent’s status. On their first night, she proposed to have a fake marriage with Lu Junxing by signing a divorce agreement where they will divorce from each other at the end of the first year of their marriage. Lu Junxing was baffled by her straightforwardness but welcomed the gesture as he too was against the marriage all along. But as they interacted more with each other, they realized the person in front of them was not who they really was. Proximity naturally breeds attraction, and soon enough, they found themselves falling for each other, all while navigating the treacherous path of deceit and jealousy in the Lu Manor and outside.No silly-ridiculous scenes, no repetitive-clumsy proximity staring contests or accidental hugs, no prolonged squabbles, almost no plotholes and no draggy bullying scenes. Sounds like impossible for a miniseries but that is exactly what this show is all about. The screenwriter was awesome in combining the episodes, as short as they are, without making the audience question what, why or how come anything happens. Each scene was threaded seamlessly to the next without much choppiness that is usually common with miniseries.
But then again, excellent screenwriting is meaningless without talented cast, and again this show nailed it in that department. Nobody overact and everyone successfully carried out their roles immaculately fine, even the small insignificant roles like a manor steward or a showgirl.
I especially love the FL, Jiang Xueying. She is firm, resolute, intelligent, and on top of that, she is a brilliant strategist. What i love the most about this character is that she doesnt fall head over heels for her husband to the point of losing her head, after they professed their love for each other and didnt turn into super clingy and weak woman. Coming from The Eternal Love which i set my bar rather high based on the ratings and comments but later became so disappointed to the point of dropping it altogether because of the steadily declining FL character, this show somewhat filled that void due to the disappointment with its excellent cast and brilliantly written characters.
I love the 2nd FL character development, which conveyed that the act of humanity pays off. All in all, this show satisfies me after dropping lousy dramas one after another before this one.
Although I love how the story came together without coming off as cheap and a waste of time, i must say the plot actually contain the usual reborn tropes that we most see on vertical dramas. Although it sounded kind of lame that multiple characters were eventually reborn together with intact memories of their last lives multiple times, i just couldnt hate this show too much cuz it is truly one of the good ones out there due to the strongpoints that i have stated above.
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The Jagged Path of Lone Wolves
The story opens with the ML - Jang Siyul, waiting for work detail at a dock controlled by bandits. They had to pay the bandits to be eligible for work permit, then pay taxes after the work is done at the end of the day. It was a harsh life strewn with corruption from the top (the governement) to bottom (the bandits), and it was these common people who had to bear the brunt of it. ML laid low most of the time, not wanting to draw any attention to himself, thus turning a blind eye to all the injustices that unfold in front of him despite his righteous heart. The final straw was when the bandit controlling the dock, a known coward called Mudeok, pocketed the fee from a merchant family, leaving the labors with no pay at all for their work. Siyul, who had starved for 3 days, decided to demand for payment from the merchant family as Mudeok claimed they did not receive any, and that was when he met FL - Choi Eun, daughter of the Choi Merchant Guild head. After some verbal altercation, FL gave him a bolt of silk, thinking he would pocket it all for himself. To her surprise, ML tore one small piece from the bolt and gave the rest to the workers waiting for him outside the merchant residence. It was also due to him chasing after the FL that he got into a brawl with another local bandit controlling the town, making himself a mark for others. Mudeok, aggrieved by ML’s defiance at his dock, decided to stalk him and eventually stole an article that linked ML to Jung Chul, a newly appointed assistent officer from the government office. With the letter, Mudeok threatened ML into becoming his loyal follower, or the letter would be exposed to the corrupt authorities which could jeopardize Jung Chul, his childhood best friend cum adopted brother. Thus begun ML’s days as a thug doing all Mudeok’s bidding. Despite that, he tried to improve the working condition of the workers, such as taking lesser tax, abolishing ridiculous taxes such as toilet break tax, and providing free shade for the workers to rest from the scorching sun. Although these actions angered Mudeok, he could not stop ML as he relied on ML’s muscle which his gang astronomically lack of. Later, a new threat raged into town as a defected Jurchen (Mongol) army officer stepped into the picture, who ML realized was his mother’s killer, becoming one of the thumbs (bandit boss that deals directly with govt official) under a corrupt government official along with Mudeok when ML won against Mudeok’s thumb.The show practically depicted what a treacherous path it could be for singular people trying to change the world. Jung Chul tried to clean up the town’s government office, great General tried to clean up the kingdom, Choi Guild head (FL’s father) tried to clean up his merchant path by opposing corrupt officials discreetly, FL tried to stand tall as the first female guild head, and ML tried to clean up the bandits. Everyone had their own struggles with an oppressive surrounding suffocating them into submission. I could not help but think perhaps the endings of each persona would not have come to that point had they worked systemically together. I felt that Jung Chul couldve easily defeated Wang Hae the Jurchen had he fought him together with his childhood friend, ML. I really liked his character.
Honestly this wouldve been very enjoyable had not for the 5 stooges of the Mudeok bandit gang. They kind of took away part of my reverie for the character Jang Siyul. This character is great standing on its own rights, but when its thrown into the ragtag gang of halfbrains, with the suddenly developed camaraderie, this character also seem to chop its brain in half. The cowardly gang, although i knew their existence is partly for the comic relief and to make Siyul stand out from the rest, i just could not feel sorry nor find anything comedic about them, especially when they showed no mercy to the labourers before Siyul walked into their life. Theyre thugs through and through, and just because they were missing half a brain it doesnt make them any better than the rest of the more notorious thugs. And for Siyul to suddenly to hold them dearly to his heart just because a promise he made under duress is rather spontaneous and mindblowing.
I liked how this show downplay the romance which emphasizes it being a serious piece that shows the reality of life, and not what we expect of it. Other than occasional curious or surprised stare between ML and FL, romance is practically nonexistent. Worth noting that both ML and FL are very beautiful people, even with ML in his ragged, unkempt appearance of rough labor and later bandit.
I commend the makeup artists and wardrobe department, they successfully achieved to embody the harshness of common people’s life onto the actors. I felt hot and sweaty when the labors and thugs appeared on screen, with their torn clothes, dirty hands and faces with single layer clothing. And i felt as if the weather suddenly turn cold and breezy whenever the merchants and or nobles appeared, with all the clean look and multiple layered clothing on their backs.
The story is kinda slow paced in the beginning, and frustrating when ML had to lay low despite the injustices unfolding in front of him. I keep waiting for the moment he would pounce to save any of the bullied workers, but he never did. The pace and action only picks up after ML demanded for labor fee from Choi Guild.
Action sequence is marvelously executed. Nobody escape unscathed like Hollywood heroes would have. We see blood and cuts, even on the victor. It could get kinda gory for the weak-hearted, so be warned. The only thing that ticks me off about it is many of the fight scenes were done during nighttime and the production only relied on natural light, which makes it hard to see. I almost dropped this out of frustration, but decided to push on since it was only 9 episodes and i’m already over the middle of the show.
The ending looked as if it was prepped for season 2, but knowing that most kdrama don’t really do multiple seasons, I wouldnt put my hopes up. Overall it was an enjoyable ride if youre into reality instead of fantasy.
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