Cotton Candy Romance

In Chinese, the terms 妹妹 (mei mei) and 哥哥 (ge ge) have double meanings - one refers to a sibling, the other can mean a lover. It is the mix up in the understanding and usage of the terms that has caused the hilarious misunderstanding of our naive characters that drives the plot. The love of one's sibling (platonic) and a romantic love can be confusing for someone who has never seen an opposite sex, let alone having a sister. This purity together with naivety leads to confusion and hilarious conclusions.

For the Chinese, it is very common for an admirer calling the admired "ge ge" or "mei mei". Using such terms helps to reduce the embarrassment of being too blatant in a relationship especially if it's hidden, as well as reducing the barrier in the name of familial relationship. In this drama, these two terms are repeatedly and interchangeably used and construed by various characters for different meanings.

This story is a fusion of the modern world with the ancient xianxia world. Our Female Lead Shi Xia (Wu Qianying) has accidentally travelled to the xianxia world while searching for her brother Shi Dong (Dai Yunfan). There in the xianxia world she meets the immortal Hou Chi (Zhao Yingbo) and falls in love with him. Hou Chi has never seen an opposite sex, nor heard of the term “mei mei”, and has no clue what a “sister” is, for Hou Chi is the purest of the pure and has been trained for 200 years to take over the role of the united ruler of the universe. But adopting Shi Xia as his “mei mei” to love and to protect changes his life because he also falls in love with her.

I really like Zhao Yingbo’s portrayal of the Hou Chi character. Hou Chi does look like a piece of wood, drained of emotions on his face, lack of understanding of any worldly matters and human relationship. Though slow in his motion, he is not stiff, and he is intelligent and loyal. Therefore when he eventually gives the viewers a slight smile, we know he is truly in love. The actor has an untainted look as pure as a baby’s face, with his innocent mind asking adult questions, it is really a joy to watch.

Coming from a modern world, Shi Xia is as astute as any of today’s young adults. Wu Qianying’s acting here is not bad as a sometimes-rebellious little sister, and can be rather sweet and cute at times. She and Zhao Yingbo make a very adorable pair with great chemistry. I love Dai Yunfan as Shi Xia’s protective big brother. The dynamics he has with his little sister and her boy friend, Hou Chi, are funny and warm, and the confusing interchanging use of the terms “mei mei” and “ge ge” is hilarious.

My Verdict

This drama is silly but absolutely adorable. At first, I wanted to drop at episode 1. But I was like licking a cotton candy that I couldn't throw away because it's too cute and fluffy. There’s not so much of a plot here. Basically, Shi Xia tries to find a way back to her modern world and Hou Chi tries to become the ruler of the universe so that he can help send her back. Then there is a couple of not-so-evil antagonists who suffer mental illness because of their wrongful perception, and perish eventually. The OSTs are very pretty and calming, just like our Hou Chi character and his relationship with the first girl he has ever seen in his life. Despite all the flaws and stuff, I was rather enjoying it.

Entertaining! Great watch!

P/S Though this drama is listed as having 35 episodes, there is an extra episode that tells the modern life of our love birds. Don't miss it. It super funny, and cute.

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The Funniest Narcissistic Idiotic Moron Ever

This is one of the funniest dramas I’ve ever watched. At the beginning, I found it comedic and thought I wouldn’t like it. After the first episode, I couldn’t stop watching and laughing because it’s so hilarious. The narcissism is idiotic but at the same time so so cute.

Mu Jue Chen (Fiction Guo) is a narcissistic youth who is so absorbed into himself that whatever negatives would become positives in his mind. Everyone around him brushes his ego but rolls their eyes and curses him behind his back. All his actions and demeanor are bombastic and egregious. This drama has the most eye rolls and the Mu Jue Chen character is the most egoistic person that I’ve ever come across and it’s super funny. I must applaud Fiction Guo for his amazing acting as Mu Jue Chen. I have almost believed that Mu Jue Chen is Fiction Guo because the actor has really immersed himself into the character totally.

Qian Yu (Li Nuo) is the only person who knows Mu Jue Chen inside out; she knows all his strengths and weaknesses, and knows how to capitalize on this knowledge to her advantage. Though seemingly a lord and servant relationship, there is more to the relationship that is not revealed at the beginning. Li Nuo plays her character well as a submissive servant and then later as a powerful head of the valley.

By Episode 10, the plot thickens. There are hidden mysteries. Who is Qian Yu? What has happened in their childhood? Why is Mu Jue Chen so protective of her? All these questions drive the plot. The tone turns serious at times (only when Mu Jue Chen is not around - it's almost impossible to be serious with him around) with beautiful sword fighting and “qing qong”.

Everything is exaggerated out of proportion and the CGI is really bad, but together, the whole thing is simply hilarious and adorable. A lot of the dialogues are unexpected and many scenes are out of expectation. I almost choked when they start to play the tune of The Flight of the Bumble Bee. They have also used EDM (electronic dance music) as background music extensively, so much so that I have to roll my eyes too. There are a few dark humors here and there. Though they banter and fight all the time, the lead characters’ chemistry is wonderful.

I love the use of oxymoron phrases here, such as, “Don’t let my face lose face”. There is also frequent play with pronunciation of Chinese words, e.g. the character 恶 (e). Depending how one says it, it can mean different things - fierce or loathsome. Therefore, non-native Mandarin speakers may not appreciate such humors.

There are of course the typical tropes such as falling off cliff and memory loss stuff. Overall, if you want a drama to laugh and take away some stress, this is the one. I’m loving it!

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A Delightful Sweet Fluffy Romance

If you want a romance that is sweet from the beginning till the end, this is it. Since their first meeting in episode 1, our main couple holds hands, sleeps together and hardly gets separated. There’re hardly any moments they are not together, and when they are not, they miss each other dearly and cannot wait to get back into each other’s arms again. This drama is easy to watch with very little angst though the last few episodes become rather tensed. All the characters are lovable, an antagonist that is revealed from the beginning, and an ending everyone loves.

Ji Dinglan (Wang Xingyue) is a prince born with no taste buds nor emotions. He cannot feel pain, happiness nor sadness. No one knows about his condition because if exposed, he is deemed a demon and would be persecuted. He becomes a hermit, changes his name to Mo Qingchen (meaning strange light dust), and lives far away from the palace and everyone else. When he accidentally touches Lin Chi (Bu Guanjin), all his senses come back temporarily. For the first time in his life, he experiences a new world which he has never known before. Since then, he attaches himself to Lin Chi and they quickly fall in love and inseparable from each other. They also realize they can transfer their power to and fro via each other’s tears. Lurking under this romance is Ji Dinglan’s ambitious and vindictive half-brother, Ji Dingyue (Nie Zihao). Time and time again he tries to expose Mo Qingchen’s secret, and he tries to hurt the couple to achieve his goal. Again and again he fails because of the unyielding love and devotion Mo Qingchen has for Lin Chi and she him; both do not hesitate to sacrifice for the other.

I have watched some of Wang Xingyue's previous dramas and find him an excellent actor. This drama is his first drama as a main lead, and his acting here is believable and again outstanding. At the tender age of 19, Wang Xingyue has a chisel good look and mature in his demeanor. He has a great potential ahead of him. Bu Guanjin on the other hand is a lot older than Wang Xingyue, but the pairing doesn’t look awkward because the couple has great chemistry together. Her acting is natural without trying too hard making the Lin Chi character very lovable. As with most young actors, Wang Xingyue is not stingy with his kisses. Nie Zihao has been acting as antagonists for several dramas I have watched. He has a very good-looking face with a sliver of hideousness in it and he is perfect for this tormented role as Ji Dingyue whom I’ve come to empathize. His acting here is applaudable.

I like the second couple and all the side characters. The acting by the whole cast is solid with an intact script and commendable editing. The background props look authentic and the costumes are carefully designed and made. The official soundtracks are some of the most impressive ballads in recent historical dramas.

My Verdict

This is such a delightful drama that has a very clear plot with very few visible plot holes or flaws. The flow is good and the pace is on spot. Despite the couple spending a lot of time conveying their love and admiration for each other, this doesn’t feel draggy because there are other things happening simultaneously. The acting is solid by the whole cast. The comedy is light and dialogues are humorous. Though rather predictable, I find this drama a great de-stressor that gives us a make-believe world that perhaps such love and devotion do exist. If you’re a romance buff and want something easy to watch with no angst, this is it. This is a story well told and deserves a bravo!

Don't miss it!

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Follow Your Heart

Can one feel love, and love without a heart or with a mechanical heart? Though unthinkable, this story assumes a mechanical heart works just as good as a real human heart when it comes to love, maybe even better in times of trouble. As it is a fantasy, let’s just accept that people don’t need a real heart to fall in love; a mechanic heart works just fine, and can make a person fall in love just like a normal person does.

This drama is narrated from the perspective of Jiang Xiao Ning (Xing Fei aka Fair Xing). 10 years ago, she got into a car accident and Gu Chuan (Ren Jialun aka Allen Ren) was there trying to save her, and got hurt himself. 10 years later, they meet again without recognizing each other initially. And they fall in love.

Gu Chuan is a very talented young architect, but he has a secret: he doesn’t have a heart, he lost it in the car accident while he tried to save Jiang Xiao Ning, and in its place, he has a mechanical heart. He knows his heart will one day expire and he will die. Imagine how difficult it is to live a life constantly reminding oneself of death, and this is what Gu Chuan has been tormented for the last 10 years; he has been preparing for his imminent death. His mood is always somber and dark as he cannot have excessive emotions with his mechanical heart. He also doesn’t want to love nor be loved because he wants to avoid any heart breaks in the event of his death. He’s like a lizard, cold and hidden. Ren Jialun has a natural sour face which I’ve come to love. Looking like an adolescent yet with an air of maturity, he is perfect as the somber Gu Chuan who doesn’t smile. Ren Jialun is natural with this role as his sour face makes him very believable and his acting is not stiff.

Gu Chuan doesn’t expect to fall in love with Jiang Xiao Ning but he does because she gives him the kind of optimism he has never experienced before. Now life has meaning, which jeopardizes all his death plans.

Jiang Xiao Ning has a totally opposite personality from Gu Chuan’s darkness. She is sunny and positive despite of her bad lucks; she always views her glass as half-full and grateful for everything she has. She considers herself like a crow which people normally associate with bad luck. Jiang Xiao Ning is smart, considerate and protective especially of Gu Chuan. When they are together, there’s a big contrast of the two characters: Gu Chuan dresses immaculately and somber, whereas Jiang Xiao Ning is sunny and active, and dresses in oversized clothing. Their chemistry may not be 100% but their romance is quiet and rather sweet. As two unlikely people come together, cold becomes warm, bad luck becomes good luck. And sorry to disappoint viewers, there are no hot kisses, as expected. Most of the presumed kisses are zoomed out and blurred. Any closeup kisses are so close that no one knows if the lips belong to the same actors. Xing Fei’s bright eyes that seem to smile forever fit her well into the role of the sunny Jiang Xiao Ning and her acting is very convincing, especially when it comes to her heart breaking scenes.

There is an over-powering second couple with overly mushy dialogues which feel overdone and banal. However, they also give viewers some hot kisses. There’s also something nefarious lurking under the sweet romance, with murders and corruption which gives some fireworks to the otherwise rather bland story.

OSTs
This drama produces some of the best sound tracks. I particularly love the beautiful song “Exchange” sung by Zhou Shen. It’s so touching and amazing that it can bring tears to the listeners’ eyes. I also love the instrumental music played by the cello when Gu Chuan is alone in his deep thinking, reflecting his torments.

My Verdict
If you like love triangles, there are plenty here. Both male and female leads have their respective secret admirers who become the antagonists and attempt to cause harm to their love competitors, but each time, their attempts are thwarted, either because our leads are smarter or plain dumb luck they have.

I love Gu Chuan’s philosophy in his designs, merging western architecture with Chinese wisdom and culture. Facing death is frightening, knowing it’s coming to take one’s life anytime soon. This drama helps us feel how it’s like for Gu Chuan.

Overall, the drama is not bad, neither is it excellent. It has some tropes, such as splitting up in a relationship for-their-own-good stuff, which can be rather annoying. The comedy can be rather stale at times. There are some minor flaws here and there but not enough to destroy the story.

Despite a rather bland story, there are some good lessons here. As Gu Chuan is teaching Jiang Xiao Ning, "It doesn't matter how others look at you, most importantly you cannot look down on yourself. Crow is the bird that most looked down by people, but they have their quality - they know how to put a nut in the middle of the road and let passing cars crush it. They are devoted to their partners and will forever remain faithful to that same partners." (I didn't know that.)

In turn, Jiang Xiao Ning teaches Gu Chuan, life is not forever. Life, no matter how hard it is, we must persevere. Be positive. Look at the positives. Take life as it comes and make the best of it.

I would have awarded this drama a 8.5/10 but the OSTs are so good that a 9/10 seems to be more appropriate. Fun watch. Must listen to the song "Exchange" by Zhou Shen.

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Great Story, Amazing Acting, Best of Chen Feiyu

Just as I thought Chen Feiyu’s acting somewhat lacking in Ever Night, he gives me a bombshell here in this drama. While I thought only Song Weilong has those eyes with words that cannot be spoken, Chen Feiyu possesses those similar irresistible gazes that make the viewers' heart ache. As I thought this drama is "just" another youth drama with immature characters and silly storyline, this story touches the real challenges of youth in the cutthroat IT world today.

Lighter and Princess or L & P, is adapted from a popular novel. "Lighter" depicts the lighter that the male lead possesses whereas "Princess" is the nickname given to the female lead by the male lead. The story is narrated by Zhu Yun (Zhang Jingyi) of her encounter starting in her freshman year in college, 2012. The story has a span of 7-8 years with four years in college, 3 years in adulthood (not shown in details), and the current year of 2019. L & P has also come to mean "Lucky and Power" in the story.

In college, Zhu Yun is an innocent girl, but she is not naive. She is intelligent but unafraid to ask questions and to admit errors. She is obedient and responsible, at home and at school; she is the perfect daughter all parents want – an obedient child who never lies nor defies the parents. Having said that, Zhu Yun later begins to tell white lies and secretly defy her mother who is judgmental. I wish Zhu Yun had stood up to her mother and given her an ultimatum: “accept us or lose a daughter”. Zhang Jingyi puts up a perfect performance here as an uncertain and yet determined Zhu Yun. The actor’s adorable adolescent look and demeanor make her so convincing and lovable.

In romance, a perfectly good girl has to meet a totally opposite character. Here, Zhu Yun meets Li Xun (Chen Feiyu), an outrageous, arrogant, untamed, super intelligent, confident and unconformable character. Li Xun is a very misunderstood character, not only by people around him, even many viewers also don't understand him and therefore condemn him.

Here, I want to address some criticisms from viewers about Li Xun. Many viewers complains that Li Xun is misogynistic. Li Xun is definitely not a misogynist. He looks down on people not because they are women but because they are being mediocre. Those people he looks down on are usually people who get to high positions through connections, either they have powerful relatives, or they bribe their way through; these people do not have substance. This is a common phenomenon happening around the world. People buy their credentials and tout themselves as the experts, sitting in high positions, receiving high salaries and benefits, claiming credits for everything, while the real people doing the actual tasks receive measly compensations and no recognition. This is what Li Xun despises. He despises people with no substance but still have no self-realization to try to improve themselves further. And to improve, he laughs at those for reading and memorizing from text books. For him, improvement means getting your hands dirty, making mistakes and learning from the mistakes. Contrast his attitude towards Ren Di. He likes Ren Di because he feels she is authentic, pursuing her passion even against her father's will. He helps her in every way he can: financial support, a place for her to live, and extra school credit points from his coding club, etc. All these prove that Li Xun is not misogynistic.

Despite how Li Xun looks and behaves, deep down, Li Xun is a decent and kind person who loves his mother and sister dearly, and cares for all his friends even he himself is in a dire position. He is compassionate but doesn't give a damn how others think of him. Only Zhu Yun knows how he thinks, puts up with him and stands up for him throughout.

Both Zhu Yun and Li Xun are classmates in computer programming. But Li Xun is well ahead of his class as he is a computer whiz kid and a brilliant programmer but he doesn't use this skill for hideous crimes. He humiliates everyone as they seem childish to him with their shallow knowledge of the course. Everyone hates him for his badassness, and yet loves him for his ingenuity. Li Xun doesn’t follow frivolous rules; he finds generally people only care about how things look on the surface and not the substance inside, so he calls them fake. I love how he looks at everyone, a classic condescending look. Li Xun is a person with an attitude, and for me, that's Chen Feiyu’s natural look; Chen Feiyu fits into the Li Xun character seamlessly as if the character is written for him. In real life, if your boyfriend is such a character, I empathize with you, but in a romance, this type of personality captures the viewers’ imagination. I am so in love with this character.

According to readers, in the novel, Li Xun is flamboyant and has many girlfriends but none last long. Here in the drama, the Li Xun character has been whitewashed – instead, girls throw themselves at him, but he doesn't even look at them as if they are non-existent; they usually leave him alone after getting humiliating scolds from him. None of the girls attract Li Xun’s attention, until Zhu Yun comes into his sight. With her, he experiences jealousy and longing, and with him, she always believes in, no matter what. I really love how their relationship develops, slowly and steadfastly. It takes half of the drama for the trust and love to blossom before the couple is officially together.

College life ends at Episode 22, and the kids graduate, each starts their work life, further education, or something else (spoiler). Three years whizz past, present life continues. Our characters struggle with life, career and revenge. This is the beginning of romance 2.0, mature, steamy and sensual. Here we can see the growth of the characters compared to their college years.

The official sound tracks and background music are beautiful, capturing the ups and downs of our characters, and the mood of the story. I'm so glad that my favorite singer, Zhou Shen, sings one of the songs, Fireworks.

My Verdict

For me, not one episode is considered redundant or boring as I relish every scene and every moment. I really enjoy watching how the characters being carefully explored in detail, giving viewers multiple dimensions of the two main characters, both have flaws, both learn from their mistakes, and grow to become better person of their own. The writing of the characters is very realistic. In life, all of us could come across many of these characters: a child with outrageous hair color and an attitude, a sister who is also the perfect daughter, a classmate or a colleague who sabotages your projects and stabs you on the back, even the parents of Zhu Yun are the typical Chinese parents that many Chinese viewers can empathize with. There are many fine and sweet improvised moments of the love birds; this is candy for any romance buffs. The love is pure and deep, and reciprocated. The sacrifices are relatable. The humor is subtle and delightful. Not least, Chen Feiyu is a heartthrob.

In China, the Li Xun character is an outlier, but in the west, he’s a norm. Therefore when he's being called a "bad boy", my heart aches. What bad boy? Just because he doesn't conform to the norm? It upsets me that such a beautiful soul is being treated so unfairly by a society that demands conformity. Many people are fearful of making life changing decisions. Li Xun is decisive and fearless. Once he makes up his mind, he doesn't look back. For me, this is a highly valued quality and is well depicted, among others, in the multiple times he helps the hesitant Zhu Yun in clicking the submit button.

As Zhu Yun puts it, “He never looks back, confident, courageous, energetic, care-free. Forever with a determined direction, never with self-doubt.” These are the qualities all viewers would be inspired by the character.

Towards the last few episodes, the writing becomes soften with somewhat conflicting messages; everyone, including Li Xun, compromises in achieving a win-win outcome. The writing even has Li Xun get back in line with what society expects of him, and what it means by success - wealth. Nonetheless, this slight change of tone has not reduced my excitement of the Li Xun character and my enjoyment of the overall story.

This drama captures my heart, my imagination and my emotions, hence deserves a 10/10.

TWO THUMBS UP!

BRAVO!

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Li Hong Yi is Super Hot

This is another one of those isekai time travel stories. It’s tropey and I wasn’t very impressed with the beginning of episode 1 when a girl bumps into a boy and rips his suit at his important occasion. However, as the story progresses, I was absorbed into the story by the narcissist Jiao Yang (Li Hong Yi) character who is a wealthy spoilt brat and scared of responsibilities. Though the character of Jiao Yang is cliché, his look is hilarious and eccentric.

To return to her own universe, Lin Miao (Kira Shi) must help Jiao Yang become the CEO of his father’s company. Though trying to avoid responsibilities, Jiao Yang also tries to prove himself, especially to his father who is almost tired of scolding him (Jiao Yang) in front of his staff. In contrast with Jiao Yang’s immaturity, Lin Miao is mature and capable, and very soon Jiao Yang falls in love with her and is inseparable from her.

Jiao Yang’s journey to the CEO seat is arduous, having challenges thrown at him at all times from all directions. Each time he takes up the challenge and faces it head on with Lin Miao by his side. Their moments together are filled with sweetness and silliness, and it is this sweet romance that has made this drama the highlight of my days.

There is not much of a plot here. Whatever insignificant plot there maybe has not been developed well. Plot holes are everywhere and illogical. I stuck on with this drama because of the romance which I really like. Initially Li Hong Yi’s hair style baffles me, but then I grow to like it for its wuxia appeal. Li Hong Yi has the charisma and look of a guy who is always being misunderstood by others and yet he adopts a I-don’t-give-a-damn attitude. Having said that, he’s desperate in proving himself to his father and to Lin Miao. Li Hong Yi’s performance is very convincing here.

Kira Shi has a mature look. As Lin Miao (current self), she’s perfect but as Lin Wei Jun (younger self), she’s overstretched a bit. I can’t say I like her as Lin Wei Jun (really hard to watch when she tries to act cute). The co-existence of Lin Miao and Lin Wei Jun is mind boggling and is not properly reconciled at the end. Therefore, despite being a time travel story, there are 2 people of the same person. This is a glaring intentional plot hole that doesn’t make any logical sense, and is very quickly swept under the carpet. The ending is sloppy. It feels like lazy writing to me. They just want to pack up and go home. What a pity. This could have been a very nice drama.

Overall, this drama is unexpectedly quite a fun watch despite the shoddy ending. I love the dynamics of the female and male leads which are perhaps the only thing that have kept me going.

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Daring, Romantic, Beautiful

After CQL (“The Untamed”), many viewers called for more dramas like it, and are pleasantly rewarded with this drama. “Word of Honor” (WoH) is unexpectedly daring, romantic and visually beautiful. Adapted from a BL novel, “The Wanderers” by Priest, this drama was expected to have the BL elements toned down, if not totally eliminated, to pass censorship, To the surprise of many, here, the show of love is blatant and unabashed; according to readers, the adaptation is faithful and they are delighted.

Story
One is guilt ridden, and seeks to redeem.
One is revenge ridden, and vows to avenge.
One is young with no skills, and promises to become better.
They all have one thing in common - they’ve lost everything. When they meet, they become a family, watching out for each other. Life becomes meaningful again.

Many viewers ask the question how this drama is compared to CQL (“The Untamed”). Though of different genre, CQL is xianxia and WoH is wuxia, there are many similar parts, such as the search for some relics that everyone kills to possess, the monsters/zombies, music therapy (to heal, Wen Ke Xing plays the flute, Lan Zhan plays the guqin), herd mentality, dark can be light, and white can be black etc. They even use the same composer Lin Hai to compose the music. The visual effect of both dramas is very beautiful with amazingly good-looking actors.

“Word of Honor” is a very typical wuxia story with various sects and alliances, emphasizing on chivalry, altruism and compassion as virtues. Compared with “The Untamed”, the relationship in this drama is more explicit. Within the first episode, one would know it's more than platonic - there're more skin-to-skin contacts, and admiration words are flying everywhere. Having said that by episode 22, the BL elements become more subdue and the dynamics somehow shift to more brotherly. Nonetheless, the undertone is still the vow of “till death we part”. There is not so much of the actual plot, but this drama dwells deep into the inner feelings of the main characters – their fears, their hatred, their guilt – and how they try to redeem themselves. A lot of feelings are channeled in an unspoken way, leaving room for interpretation.

With Wen Ke Xing (Gong Jun aka Simon Gong), Zhou Zi Shu (Zhang Zhe Han) is understanding and benevolent. He has great respect and patience for Wen Ke Xing who is a broken man. Wen Ke Xing continues to use flamboyant words to cover his own pains and feelings, and constantly test Zhou Zi Shu with unanswered questions to determine if the latter can understand him truly. They become each other's soul mate, and accompany each other wherever they may go; their constant bantering and teasing is fun to watch, and their CP chemistry is undeniable. Many of the dialogues have deep meaning using analogies and idioms. The use of poems in expressing love and admiration for the other is lavishly done, making the declaration direct and yet classy and meaningful.

Acting
The overall acting is good, in particular for Gong Jun (Simon Gong) as many viewers have pointed out. He has a playful and at the same time a devilish mysterious look which helps him fit perfectly as the gray Wen Ke Xing character. His ability to change from a dark side with devious hatred in his eyes instantly into a bright, cheeky and flirtatious character, or vice versa, is commendable. All this is done aesthetically and convincingly. I particularly love all his fighting scenes, beautifully executed.

I am normally critical of Zhang Zhe Han's acting, but here, he nails it, either as the dark face rugged looking Zhou Xu or the handsome somber Zhou Zi Shu.

As many emotions are expressed through few words but with the actors’ eyes, both main leads have given a rich performance here.

OSTs
As mentioned earlier, the OSTs are composed by Lin Hai who has also composed the OSTs for CQL (“The Untamed”). For me, the OSTs here are less memorable though I have enjoyed listening to the title theme song.

WoH or CQL
I’m not trying to compare apple to apple of the two dramas. I’m just trying to answer some questions new viewers may have. When viewers express that BL not their cup-of-tea, they are being labeled as homophobes and attacked en masse by fans. But attacking others doesn’t make one less bigot.

The Chinese title for WoH is Shan He Ling, which makes me think, just because Chen Qing Ling (CQL) is successful, did they also try to copy the naming style of the title to give WoH a similar feel for the Chinese audience? Shan He in this case has less relevancy than Chen Qing in CQL (The Untamed).

For me, WoH has not touched me as much as CQL has. I have been almost in control, apart from some burst out laughter, throughout the whole drama whereas CQL has made me cry a river. I like the lighting and colors here, and the CGIs are probably done better here too. The fighting scenes here are very beautifully executed, especially with Gong Jun’s scenes (I know I’m repeating, but his fighting scenes are really very good). But the story is not as rich as CQL, the super villains are not as mysterious, and the pains not as intense. The BL elements though are very explicit which may turn some viewers away whereas in CQL, they are very subtle, expressed in thousands of symbolisms, songs, and minute actions. Some viewers even find the relationship platonic in CQL.

My Verdict
There is great character contrast - one is active and the other passive. Both characters have unbeatable fighting skills. The lavish use of poems to describe feelings is brilliant and sophisticated. Great cinematography and great fighting scenes. Visually, like CQL (“The Untamed”), this drama is beautiful. There is a lot of actions, and at the same time, the drama spends a lot of time exploring the inner feelings of the characters.

If you love watching men ogling each other openly, this drama is for you. Else skip the first 20 episodes, but then there's nothing much left to watch and you may not follow the story. Of course, all this boils down to personal taste. Some people didn't like CQL but love WoH. Likewise for viewers who have loved CQL and found WoH not measuring up. And some love both, like myself.

Though there are flaws, I must applaud the courage in producing such a work of art that does not conform. Overall, I have enjoyed this drama.

Great watch!

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A Hidden Gem

The Kingdom of Great Chu is a female-centric world where women’s and men’s roles are flipped. Women hold power and important office, whereas men stay home and do house chores, tend to the kids and are subservient to their wives. Here, we have a female emperor, and all the generals and ministers are women, and a powerful female shizi (世子) who holds the prestigious title inherited through her family. All families’ heritance and titles are to be passed down to daughters, and men are to be married into the women’s households. Courtesan houses are popular where men serve for the women’s pleasure.

Shen Ye (Yuan Hao) has fallen in love with Shu Cheng (Jia Ze aka Claire Jia) since they were both kids because she had shown kindness towards him. From then, Shen Ye disguises as various characters and hides within her circle, secretly protecting her. As the intelligent shizi, the Emperor is threatened by her prowess and military power her family holds, and secretly sends out assassins to kill her. Time and time again, assassinations fail because Shen Ye always protects her in the dark, and she always comes out unscathed.

After saving Shu Cheng yet again in an ugly humpback cover that leads to her falling in love with him, Shen Ye changes his identity and reveals himself to her as the owner of Feng Lou, a courtesan house where wealthy women come to drink and to be entertained by male courtesans. Here, Shen Ye is considered as a stunning beauty in the Kingdom of Great Chu. He is charming and fast to please, frivolous and loves money dearly; but all these are on the surface. Under that good-looking skin, Shen Ye is intelligent and schemeful; he is always ahead of everyone around him, and always has a solution for every problem he encounters. He has multiple identities which add additional mysteries to his character. Despite being such a complex character, Shen Ye is devoted and willing to give up everything for the one he loves. He has so many secrets that he says he would reveal to Shu Cheng at the appropriate moment, this has created a lot of hilarious suspicions and misunderstandings by Shu Cheng. How Shen Ye continues to overcome such obstacles and maintains Shu Cheng’s love for him is brilliant.

I am intrigued by the Shen Ye character. I almost spit out laughing when he wears a veil covering his face when appearing in public or meeting with other women (think of ancient women wearing veils). His visor-looking veil is really ugly and looks funny on his face. Perhaps this is the purpose – to make viewers laugh. Yuan Hao’s portrayal of the character is very believable. He has a face that can look feminine (to be called beautiful in the land of Great Chu), and yet he is also very masculine.

Shu Cheng has to pretend to be a playgirl to make the Emperor let down her guard and stop wanting to kill her. So, she frequents Shen Ye’s courtesan house and proclaims he is hers; she tries to look as bad as possible. She is taken by surprise when she finds out that the man she’s being decreed to marry by the Emperor is Shen Ye under a different identify, Su Rongqing, the only son of one of the Emperor’s high ranking ministers. Even after they get married, Shu Cheng still doesn’t fully know Shen Ye’s real identity and what is under his sleeves. She loves him and yet doesn’t trust him, whereas for Shen Ye, he respects and loves her with no holding back. Despite their sweet romance, the secrecy spurs the plot on.

This is the first aired drama for Jia Ze playing a main lead. I find her acting better than many better known names. As the shizi, Jia Ze manages to bring out her commandeering charisma, courage, earnesty and upstandingness, and yet she also shows her feminine side when she is tormented by the conflict of her love for a man whom she believes to be a usurper, and her love for her country that she swears to protect. Jia Ze is natural and convincing.

The second couple is amazing with a very compelling story. Both Li Zhehao and Peng Yaqi (aka Yakisa) put up a fine performance as a heart-wrenching couple, Shen Cong and Murong Wanqing, who endure revenge and love, romance and guilt. The Murong Wanqing character reminds me of the sweet-silly characters played by Zhao Lusi. In fact, Peng Yaqi and Zhao Lusi look somewhat alike in their aura and demeanor under certain instances.

My Verdict

Unusual, refreshing, great plot, captivating storyline, intense, lovely characters, good humor, sweet romance, fine writing, directing and production. Unfortunately, not many viewers are watching this wonderful drama because decent English subtitles are not available at the time of airing, therefore, the rating here is lower than it deserves.

An enjoyable watch. Don’t miss it!

P/S: A sneak peek of next season seems to be dark and even more intense with amnesia, deaths, and protagonists turn antagonists.

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Sherlock Holmes, Criminal Minds, Forensic Files - All in One

What an interesting drama this is. All the main leads are new to me, so I watched it not for them. After the first episode, I realized it's a love triangle. Normally in other dramas, love triangles usually give weaker or less liked 3rd characters. In this case, it's hard not to like either of the main male characters. In fact I was pretty torn in the beginning because I found both male characters desirable and attractive in their own ways.

This drama is a combination of Sherlock Holmes with Criminal Minds and Forensic Files. As a forensic expert, Ran Yan (played by Zhou Jie Qiong) is a daring, unpretentious girl who is always determined to find the truth. Unlike most girls of her time, she has no qualm touching dead bodies and slicing them up. Even the men around her are sickened by the sights and many cannot even stay on. I love this character so much. Though she has flaws, she is courageous, kind and upstanding, without the annoying noisiness and self-righteousness of many main female characters in other dramas.

When Ran Yan first meets the man who has saved her and falls in love with him, I fell in love with the man she loves too. Su Fu (played by Tim Pei) is cold and mysterious. How his cold heart is eventually melted by Ran Yan's warmth and kindness, and in the end falling madly in love with her is really a fun journey to watch.

Of course the main story revolves around the two main characters, Ran Yan and Xiao Song (played by Toby Lee). I absolutely love the dynamics between them, how they toy with each other and hang each other out to dry. The constant bickering and bargaining are really fun to watch. Each gives the other nickname that becomes part of the character; Xiao Song calls Ran Yan, "Fox", whereas Ran Yan calls him, "Human Fish". The addressing seems to stick for each other till the end of the show. I love watching the look on Xiao Song's face when he's seething with jealousy over Su Fu. Seeing how a powerful figure of his stature fighting for the love of a woman and getting jealous over her is very amusing, and Toby Lee has performed this role perfectly with his piercing eyes. Together with Ran Yan, they work as one, melting two minds together. They reconstruct crime scenes, figure out motives of killings, put the jigsaw puzzles together; their chemistry is simply enviable. Though there were some misunderstandings between the two, it's quickly dispelled without making the pair losing their love and care for each other.

Overall, this drama improves significantly after the first half. I didn't find major plot holes and significant flaws apart from some of the poor acting by peripheral characters like over exaggerated death scenes, obvious fake props (supposedly solid stone door that shifts when forced against), etc. Editing could be rough for some episodes. As for most Chinese dramas, the attention to details is still lacking. I wish the production team treats viewers with more intelligence. All this poor editing leaves tons of errors for all to see. Some logic is really bad and makes one rolls one's eyes.

Having said that, the acting of the three main leads is very good, despite this is the first major drama for Zhou Jie Qiong. Her performance is marvelous. The details of scenes that required further explanations are cleverly done in black/white flashbacks without breaking the flow of the story. It makes the story very easy to understand and follow. The twists and turns make the whole thing interesting and compel me to follow it faithfully for weeks.

Yes, a great drama to watch. Don't miss this one!

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Torments, Melancholy & Emotional Turmoil For The Promise of Forever Peace

Accordingly, the Promise of Chang’an is a remake of the 2002 drama The Epic of Xiao Zhuang which was set in the Qing Dynasty. In the earlier drama, Empress Dowager Xiao Zhuang was in love with a general but forced to marry the general’s brother instead. Her son subsequently succeeded the throne and she continued to help her grandson who later came to be known as the Kangxi Emperor. The Promise of Chang’an draws many parallels from the earlier drama, with the setting in a fictional kingdom and era.

As I was pondering the title The Promise of Chang'an, I came to the realization that it has not meant the city Chang'an but its literal meaning as "forever peace" because the city Chang'an has not been a main feature of this drama except a by-passing event when Xiao Chengxu seizes the city. The literal meaning of "forever peace" makes more sense in this context: The Promise of Forever Peace which is the epitome of all the sacrifices Helan Mingyu and Xiao Chengxu have contributed throughout the story. They have sacrificed their whole life in order to achieve peace for the country. The brilliant use of "chang an" here by the writer is applaudable.

This drama is not for the faint of heart. I love historical stories based on real life characters and yet I still find this story depressing as it continues to give the viewers the sense of hopelessness and helplessness. The author has successfully captured all the pains in life as described in the Buddhist seven bitterness: birth, old age, sickness, death, hatred, separation, and yearning. This is a story with convoluted plot, layered storyline, and multi-dimensional characters. Our main characters go through despairs episodes after episodes.

The Promise of Chang’an was made prior to Love and Redemption but only aired after the latter. Therefore, upon completion of Love and Redemption, many viewers (like myself) have come to watch this drama for Cheng Yi, and sure enough, his torments and crying continue. Every episode of this drama is beautifully written and acted, but extremely painful to watch because of the torments our characters have to endure.

The Story
A young princess Helan Mingyu (Zhao Yingjuan) from the northern kingdom meets the young 9th prince, Xiao Chengxu (Cheng Yi) of the Sheng Kingdom, and they fall in love with each other. Hoping to make a name for himself and return to marry Helan Mingyu, Xiao Chengxu goes off to war. Little does he know his brothers want him dead in battle; they set him up to be killed. When news arrives that he’s dead, Helan Mingyu is devastated. At the same time, the Sheng King Xiao Chengrui who is Xiao Chengxu’s older brother, asks for her hand. Out of no choice, she agrees. When Xiao Chengxu makes it back, she’s already become his sister-in-law. Since then for years, the duo endures the pain of lost love, each walking on thin ice every day. The torment is so great that, even as viewers, it is unbearable.

When Xiao Chengxu finds out the truth about the death of his mother and the will of his late father appointing him the heir but stolen from him, he vows revenge and to take back what is rightfully his – the throne and his love. However, time and time, his schemes fail due to various reasons, and he’s saved by Helan Mingyu from death again and again. Deeply, their love for each other never wanes. Things become even more complicated when Helan Mingyu gives birth to the child of Xiao Chengrui who is now the Emperor. When the Emperor dies, he passes the throne to Mingyu’s 6 years old son, Xiao Qiyuan and Xiao Chengxu becomes the regent.

Xiao Chengxu tries to treat Xiao Qiyuan as his own son and groom him to be a wise emperor, but the results are not what he has expected; the little emperor is spoilt rotten by the two dowager empresses and becomes a bratty tyrant. At the turn of events when dethroning his nephew the tyrannical emperor becomes impossible as Mingyu constantly protects her son and plays Xiao Chengxu out, the death of his little brother and friend, Xiao Chengxu loses all hope to continue living.

At this point, most viewers are disgusted by Helan Mingyu’s actions and how she has treated Xiao Chengxu who continues to be a poor lovesick boy. I've been trying to give credit to Helan Mingyu and empathize with her for the actions she has taken in situations that she has no control over. I can feel her predicament: on one hand, she's still in love with Xiao Chengxu and wants to elope with him, on the other hand, she's the mother of the Emperor and she knows if she were to run away with Xiao Chengxu, the country would descend into chaos as the young Emperor is still too naive and gullible, and can be easily manipulated by those who are eyeing at the throne. Giving up the throne is not an option as she knows there would be a lot of bloodshed, including losing all her loved ones. Until the end, Helan Mingyu is still Xiao Chengxu's Achilles’ heels: he would do anything for her, even giving up his own life.

Episode 50 is probably my favorite episode, and yet it's also the saddest. I cry for the painful loss, Xiao Chengxu's selflessness and miserable life. At the same time, it also feels like a stone lifted from the heart; all the knots from the beginning have disappeared after episode 50. Xiao Chengxu maintains his dignity and becomes an immortal. The final chapter has ended, and the epilogue begins. I sigh a sigh of relief.

The Acting
Xiao Chengxu is a very difficult character to portray. On one hand, Cheng Yi has to show his torments to the viewers, on the other hand, these torments have to be hidden from the eyes of those around him, in particular, from the Emperor. As Xiao Chengxu, he grows from a care-free risk-taking youth overnight to a patient, calm, strategic, mature, calculative person when he loses his mother and lover. Xiao Chengxu’s crying at his losses is so painful to watch that viewers cry with him. This is some incredible and brilliant acting and I salute this actor whole heartedly. Cheng Yi is an amazing actor. He has an air of melancholy surrounding him and a poker face which tailor-makes for the Xiao Chengxu character who has to hide his emotions at all times in order to survive the palace politics. Tormented by love and duty, Xiao Chengxu’s emotional turmoil is incredible. His crying really rips the viewers' hearts out. The character is a miserable character living a miserable life. Cheng Yi has successfully brought all these out on the screen for the viewers. Incredible acting!

Helan Mingyu is another difficult character to portray. At the beginning of the drama, many viewers criticize the use of Zhao Yingjuan (aka Sarah Zhao) as Helan Mingyu because she looks too mature for the role. As a 16-17 years old wild girl from the steppes, it is indeed a hard sell; Zhao Yingjuan is very lady-like, gentle and soft. However, as a consort later, she is beautiful, elegant and regal. Still, many viewers are not convinced by her performance complaining that she has few expressions on her face; most of her expressions are either apologetic or indifferent. It’s hard to see her heartache and resignation despite those are supposed to be the situations she's in. Her role also seems confusing. Many viewers conclude that she’s just been very selfish and unlikable. For me, I can feel Helan Mingyu's pain and her resignation. She has to hide all her feelings inside, no matter what. Watching her, I can feel I'm almost exploding with feelings but at the same time, I'd have to exercise self-restraint to suppress those feelings. It's extremely hard to play and Zhao Yingjuan has successfully achieved that.

All other cast members put up equally incredible acting. All the costumes and settings are beautiful, appropriate and believable.

My Verdict
The Promise of Chang'an reminds me why I didn't like to watch historical dramas in the old days, in particular the palace genre. This is because most of these stories are very heart-breaking, portraying all the pains of human life. I have become "braver" in the recent years, consuming historical dramas as soon as they're airing. Most of these are pretty light-hearted. The Promise of Chang'an is one of those once-in-a-blue-moon type - sad, depressing and yet realistic.

This is a heavy drama with a lot of torments and emotional turmoil. It is not recommended for viewers with depression or high blood pressure as the story may make you feel so helpless and hopeless which is indeed a rotten feeling. Having said that, this is a very well written and produced drama. There are no apparent plot holes nor flaws. Everything is tied up properly and concluded plausibly. Most of all, Xiao Qiyuan and Helan Mingyu have both redeemed themselves towards the end. Despite how some viewers have condemned the storyline and how unsatisfactory they feel some of the characters are being written, I have thoroughly enjoyed this drama. For me, this is how a drama should be written, directed and acted. This is a story of forbidden love, regrets and resignation. Power, duty and country take over.

At this end, I've always pondered, is it ever possible for a love like what Chengxu and Mingyu share, after everything that has happened between them, to last for decades till death, and hence how realistic this drama is? And yes, perhaps it does exist. I find the answer in the current British royal family, Prince Charles and Camila Bowles. Their story could be quite an excellent live example. Only that this British couple has a happily-ever-after ending.

Incredible story. Incredible production! TWO THUMBS UP!

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How to be a Family

The idea of a contract marriage, and seemingly a child from a previous marriage, didn’t appeal to me initially. But how the story is being told and how everything unfolds make this drama a very worthwhile watch. All the characters are lovable despite each has his/her flaws, making them believable. A child is always the center of attention, and here this cutie is the most adorable child in recent dramas. What seemingly a fake relationship and marriage that initially try to address the psychological issue of the boy by giving him a complete family that he craves, have become a real outcome as the fake parents fall in love.

He (pronounced as “her”) Qiao Yan (Wei Zhe Ming aka Miles Wei) is the CEO of a conglomerate owned by his family and a single father. He loves and dotes on the child, at the same time tries to discipline him like an adult. The outcome is ineffective and hilarious until he meets Qin Yi Yue (Hu Yi Xuan), a child psychologist. Seeing how readily He Wei Fei aka Xiao Bao (Lennon Sun) takes Qin Yi Yue in as his own mother, He Qiao Yan coerces Qin Yi Yue into a contract, with high compensation, to be a pretend mother of Xiao Bao and a pretend Mrs He, for he is a “number” guy who does everything in black and white. Little does he know he falls head-over-toes in love with Qin Yi Yue himself. He misses and thinks of her whenever she’s not around, and he would find ways and means, using Xiao Bao as an excuse, to see her. The interaction is cute and hilarious. The family dynamics are warm and pleasing. What seemingly two very different personalities, he is meticulous and analytical, and she is spontaneous, come together and form an enviable family with a ready-made son.

He Qiao Yan is a person who doesn’t express his emotions very well and openly. He doesn’t understand human relationships and has lived a monotonous life. In other words, He Qiao Yan is a boring person and Wei Zhe Ming captures that 100%. Despite being an immaculate person, I really love how he acts to protect Qin Yi Yue by dropping everything he’s doing and come to her rescue. He Qiao Yan may be a genius in everything but is an idiot in love relationship.

This is my first drama of Wei Zhe Ming. At the first look, he didn’t appeal to me. But he grows on me and by the end of the drama, I find him the most eligible single father to die for. His acting is so convincing with small little facial expressions such as a raise of the corner of his eyebrow, a blur look on his face etc, capturing all the essence of his character.

Qin Yi Yue is disorganized, intelligent and quick witted. Despite being a doctor, she is not very health conscious as she feasts on junk food. She finds He Qiao Yan a weirdo initially but moved by him when she sees his devotion for the child who is not his, and his consideration for her well-being unspoken. Their love development is gradual and solid.

I have liked Hu Yi Xuan’s acting in “Sleepless Princess”. I find her charismatic with an air of freshness and authenticity. Here as a child psychologist, she is soothing and gentle. Even at times of helplessness, she still smiles with tears and resignation in her eyes.

Chinese dramas will not be complete without some tropes such as arranged marriage for economic benefits which is not much different from marriages of the old days among the royals. And of course, there are the side couples who are also the best friends of our ML and FL.

My Verdict
This is a very enjoyable drama most romance buffs will love. I love it myself. It’s funny and light, especially when it comes to dealing with the child. The parent-child dynamics are really fun to watch. Both main lead characters are mature with a tsundere ML and a warm and approachable FL. Although some parts of the editing are lacking, it hasn’t turned into a disaster and ruined the story. Overall, this is a wonderful drama not to be missed.

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Awkward and Poor Script

If not because of Zeng Shun Xi (aka Joseph Zeng), I don’t think I would have continued with this drama. The writing is weird, the dialogues are weird, the logic is weird, Liang Jie’s acting and character are weird, and the English title is even more weird. The only saving grace is Zeng Shun Xi’s acting and his character which I really like a lot. This drama is set in the Song Dynasty when often the emperors had no heirs of their own and were forced to adopt their nephews as their successors.

Zhao Xiao Qian (Zeng Shun Xi) is the adopted son of the Emperor. He and his older brother were brought into the palace to be groomed as the heir to the throne. Then the Empress conceived, and the two brothers lost favor. When the Empress had a still-born, Zhao Xiao Qian’s brother died and Zhao Xiao Qian was banished to Wu Jiang Fu, a city far away from the palace. He is happy living his quiet life, until Xie Xiao Man (Liang Jie) shows up and he falls in love with her. Zhao Xiao Qian cannot marry her because of their difference in their social statuses – he’s a noble and she’s a commoner from the countryside.

Fundamentally, Zhao Xiao Qian is a good person. He's kind and caring, generous and protective towards all the people he cares about. However, he is also hot tempered, entitled, unreasonable, demanding, authoritative and abusive, all an act to cover his pain and anger. Zeng Shun Xi's acting as the explosive Zhao Xiao Qian with a lot of pend up anger is very convincing, and I empathize with this character, despite his initial verbally abusive behavior towards Xie Xiao Man, which I feel she totally deserves. For some reason, Liang Jie’s acting of the Xie Xiao Man character here is not very impressive; she feels awkward and unnatural. I don’t know if her voice is dubbed, but she sure sounds cringey.

This is a story about class struggle and the oligarchy system which imposes injustices in the society with rampant corruption and abuse of power. The writing seems childish, written for young viewers. The characters are very immature with very simple dialogues and logic. Though they later grow to become more responsible and to achieving their dreams, they remain naïve because their thinking is still simplistic. More than 80% of the drama is spent in an academic setting where the characters are acquiring their education. Initially, the theme of equality emerges - one mustn’t judge another by their birth, in particular in gender equality when girls are inspired to nourish themselves with education and contribute to the society. Then this theme fizzles out with nothing much to show.

The writer seems to be flip-flopping with the characters, in particular with the Xie Xiao Man character. On one hand, she is smart, but at the same time, her actions are pretty dumb. She is supposed to be strong and brave, and yet she is so muddle and girly, causing misunderstanding again and again, that she is frustrating to watch.

Overall
This is a youth school drama in a historical setting with a theme that says, “Education is the most powerful weapon” when the characters, boys and girls, are encouraged to value education. Then enters gender equality when girls are inspired to perform as well as the boys and contribute to society. All these fizzle out; the world is still unjust with birth statuses still being the determinant of what one can and cannot do with one's life though Zhao Xiao Qian manages to upgrade Xie Xiao Man’s status so that he could marry her; girls are still being treated as the belongings of men and cannot make their own decisions for their own lives though an independent female businesswoman is being highlighted here; the rich and powerful still rule the world though Zhao Xiao Qian manages to take down some. Flaws and plot holes everywhere, the dialogues are boring and bad. Many viewers find the OTP’s relationship toxic, and they grit their teeth watching the romance development and continuous misunderstandings one after another, and the annoying behavior of Xie Xiao Man that always angers Zhao Xiao Qian. For me, he loves and wants her, and the feelings are mutual (though she also feels insecure), that is good enough for me (boy! I have such low expectation).

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Lots of Actions, Frustrating Relationships

Recently, there have been multiple historical dramas set during the reign of Emperor Tang Taizong (626 – 649): “The Long Ballad” is set when Li Shimin (Emperor Tang Taizong) came to power whereas “Weaving a Tale of Love” is set at the end of Li Shimin’s reign and the beginning reign of his son, Li Zhi (Emperor Tang Gaozong). This drama is set in between those two periods with events that lead to the abdication of the first crown prince and the coronation of Li Zhi as the crown prince.

Fu Rou (Li Yi Tong) is the daughter of a wealthy businessman. She is intelligent, well-bred and strategic with a mind that can instantly come up with win-win solutions. When Sheng Chu Mu (Xu Kai) meets her, he falls head over toes in love with her. Sheng Chu Mu’s father is a general serving the Emperor, and Sheng Chu Mu is pampered and spoilt by his mother and older sister who is married to Prince Han, making him a good-for-nothing flamboyant playboy. To get Fu Rou’s love, he vows to better himself, both academically and martially (military). What takes normally years to accomplish, Sheng Chu Mu turbocharges his accomplishments in weeks, if not days, for Sheng Chu Mu is not a normal person - he’s a genius. How he accomplishes his academic and martial prowess is similar to Gump in “Forest Gump”; it is really hilarious, cute and cartoonish. By the middle of the drama, he loses his youthful tomfoorlery and the drama turns rather serious and dark with outrageous actions and events.

Both Fu Rou and Sheng Chu Mu love their families and siblings, especially the latter. He has adorable relationships with his parents and his siblings. Their dynamics are really funny and enjoyable to watch. As Sheng Chu Mu, Xu Kai brings out his adorable charisma. He is egoistic and at the same time, self-deprecates. He is playful, shameless and babyish, but when the situation is dire, he instantly becomes the fearsome and formidable general; he’s the hero who saves the day. Though unrealistic, his scenes are hilarious and I really enjoy watching them.

Li Yi Tong is a natural beauty. Her Fu Rou character is stoic and calm, and she always sticks to the book. I can’t say I like the Fu Rou character very much because I find her too inflexible though this is necessary to maintain law and order in the palace, and to safeguard herself and those she cares. At times, I find it stressful watching Fu Rou for her saintly endurance of mistreatment. Multiple times Sheng Chu Mu and Fu Rou break up and then make up, only to break up again. It is really frustrating for the viewers.

Overall acting by the whole cast is fabulous. Each actor has totally immersed himself/herself into his/her character and it shows in their acting. Every minute emotion and expression is captured. Most characters are black and white except perhaps one or two who are greyish and the actors have brought all the personalities out on the screen.

Everyone seems to be in love. Apart from our main couple, we have Han Wang or Prince of Han (Liu En Shang) and his wife (Sheng Chu Mu’s sister), Princess Xin Nan and Sheng Chu Ling (Kris Fan), the Crown Prince and his wife, the Emperor and the Empress, and so on (you get what I mean). And quite a few lose their virginity before marriage. My favorite female character is perhaps Lu Ying Ying (He Rui Xian). She comes from a powerful and corrupt family with murderous father and brother, and yet she is kind, strong and truthful. Her only fault is for being born to a power-crazy father who has no mercy for others. Multiple times she is thrown into disarray yet she takes it in stride with dignity. Her ending, including the endings for some very well loved characters, is sad and undeserving. Most other characters end either with rewards for their good deeds or retribution for their misdeeds. Having said that, despite all the misdeeds by our antagonists, their punishments are not shown explicitly to satisfy the viewers, and are just skimmed over with.

My Verdict

This is a historical fantasy with a superman who saves the kingdom and the world. A lot of the actions by the leads are over exaggerated. It is intriguing and funny, and the pace is fast. Apart from the Emperor and his princes, most of the characters are fictional and the events are not based on historical records. The writing for the endings of many supporting cast is quite lazy, with many being dropped off like flies – they are dead, and some don’t even have endings, leaving viewers wondering what has happened to these characters. The editing of some episodes are also choppy and incoherent.

Despite these short-comings, this drama is still very entertaining, and I have really enjoyed the Sheng Chu Mu character as he reminds me of "Forrest Gump" which is one of my favorite movies. As long as viewers do not take this drama seriously, it is rather a fun watch.

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Light And Yet Dark

This is a very delightful drama with comedic acting and jokes, at the same time, it is also dark with bloody plots and mysteries. Accordingly, it has been adapted from a novel and the characters have been drastically rewritten rendering dissatisfaction from the readers. There are many twists and turns, and with great endearing relationships between the main couples and the overall family as a whole, this drama is a rather entertaining watch.

The Story
Ju Mu’er (Xiao Yan aka Shane Xiao) is the daughter of a wine maker. In her daily business transactions, she encounters a miser, Long Yao (Xing Zhao Lin) who is a shrewd businessman running the largest conglomerate in the land. He has deep pocket and has a formidable relationship with the palace. Ju Mu’er is also a virtuoso of the Guzheng. When her shifu is framed and executed, she's determined to find the truth behind his death. Long Yao helps her after falling in love with her. Together, they go through ups and downs, marry each other three times (hence the Chinese title for this drama), and risk losing everything including their lives. Their entanglement also endangers their own family members whom they love dearly. In the beginning, it’s hard to discern who the antagonists are.

Long Yao has an older brother who is the head of the royal guards and a younger brother who is the leader of the wǔ lín (martial arts world). They all live together in an exquisite mansion financially supported by Long Yao through his business income. The Long brothers, though have totally different personalities, love each other dearly and would do anything to protect each other. I love the scenes when they eat their meals together daily, bantering with each other. The Long family is very powerful because they have the royal family’s full support. Long Yao’s miserliness is egregious, making him incorruptible hence trusted by the Emperor and the Dowager Empress.

There are some deadly fights within the harem and some light palace politics. During Ju Mu’er’s investigation, both Long Yao’s brothers meet the loves of their life who are also embroiled in the mystery. The eventual outcome is delightful, giving the audience three beautiful pairs of lovers.

The Acting
Xiao Yan is one of my favorite actors but as Ju Mu’er, I can’t say I like her very much. Her acting here is not that bad, but her make-up is terrible. Her eye make-up in particular, has made her so uncomfortable to look at. On top of that, she has a constant smiling face which makes her sad scenes difficult to comprehend; one doesn’t know if she is happy or sad, giving the impression that her acting does not synchronize with the situations.

Xing Zhao Lin’s acting is not bad as the crafty and prideful Long Yao who loves his money and charges for everything including tea money for the match-maker. Everything he does is viewed as a business transaction. He is very smart but not particularly good in expressing himself to his love, Ju Mu’er, Xing Zhao Lin has convincingly brought out the miser and the prude Long Yao.

The styling for the major couple is quite unconventional for historical dressing. It has a hint of western style and the couple’s costumes are always matching each other’s like lovers’ his-and-hers.

My Verdict
There are some very enjoyable scenes, but somehow, certain parts of the story are also not very coherent. This is very likely that the screen writers have changed the original story from the novel without properly addressing the plotline, hence making it illogical with plot holes and flaws. Having said that, this is a story with mysteries, crimes, investigation and super villains. It is funny and cartoonish at times, and yet dark and bloody. There are strong brotherly relationship and trusted friendship, at the same time, betrayal, deceits and deadly misunderstandings.

Overall, this is a drama with an interesting plotline. Had the Ju Mu’er character been more consistently written and acted, this would have been a very good drama.

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A Fateful Mix Up

She's the daughter of a street artist and is forced to marry a bandit. Another is the daughter of a prince and is arranged to marry a general. The brides are switched, all because of the misread of a simple character, resulting in the commoner marrying the general and the royal princess waiting to marry the bandit. It is this seemingly simple play of words/characters that has attracted my attention and drawn me into the story.

On that fateful day while waiting to be married off, both Xiao Wanzi (Li Gengxi aka Teresa Li) and Lu Yingyao (Sun Anke) are in their respective rooms in a motel until chaos strikes. In confusion, they run back into the wrong rooms because they misread the characters 竹 ("zhu") and 林 ("lin") which may look rather similar in certain calligraphy style. From there, they are sent to the wrong households as the wrong brides, and their fates totally change.

At the general's mansion, very soon Mei Shiqing (Huang Junjie) realizes Xiao Wanzi is an imposter. Nothing like a supposedly well-groomed princess, Xiao Wanzi is crass, has a common look and an illiterate. However, she is streetwise, honest, compassionate and upstanding as she protects others with her own life, and this is enough for Mei Shiqing to fall in love with her. He also has a secret identity as Ye Ling Xia that Xiao Wanzi idolizes. Like Batman, Ye Ling Xia helps the poor and weak. Numerous times, she comes forward to help him fend off the enemies, though he doesn't really need her help because he's a skilled martial artist and a superhero. But her selfless acts impress and attract him.

As Xiao Wanzi, Li Gengxi is very convincing with a lot of animated expressions, after all she uses to perform on the street and needs her vivacity for her acts. Many viewers find her not attractive enough, but for me, she fits the role well because Xiao Wanzi is supposed to be a very common looking girl with no sophistication.

Huang Junjie is very good looking and he looks extremely well as a wordless cold character. However, he still hasn’t grasped how to play such a stern character fully; frowning doesn't make him look serious but makes him look constipated. The only moments I find his acting perfect are when he tells people to “get out” in a stern voice, expressionless, and when he dresses as the superhero character with a mask.

I love the second couple here in particular Lu Yingyao who is well read, gentle and kind without the spoilt princess temperament. And she falls in love with the adopted son of the bandit, Xiao Bao (Ding Jiawen) who has a good heart. Under her coaxing, Xiao Bao eventually abandons his life as a bandit.

What seemingly two mismatched pairs become best of friends and love each other with no judgement of their respective backgrounds. Hanging around the mix up identities lurks something nefarious – smuggle, money laundering and conspiracy. The supervillain is not revealed until the final episode.

The Chinese title, “huā hǎo yuè yòu yuan” (the flowers are good and the moon is round), gives hints of the ending of the story. There are some pretty good OSTs here that I have enjoyed very much.

My Verdict
Though the storyline is not new, and can be tropey at times with predictable outcome, this is still rather a fun watch with a superhero protagonist, an animated first female lead, an intelligent lovable second female lead, an antagonist turns protagonist, and a hidden supervillain. The comedy is cute and sweet. For romance buffs, the two couples have never been separated since they first meet, and there are no misunderstandings that are not resolved quickly. There could be flaws here and there but the writing and editing are decent. Overall, it’s quite an enjoyable drama.

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