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namjhyuns

Dramaland

namjhyuns

Dramaland
Completed
Love 911
1 people found this review helpful
May 6, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
I’m down with the flu, so instead of studying for my finals I have been watching a lot of films and series. That’s what you are supposed to do, right? Last night, I watched Love 911, a korean dramedy from 2012, starring Han Hyo-joo and Go Soo as leads, and with a really good and solid ensemble of supporting actors.

Mi-soo (Han Hyo-joo) is a doctor studying towards her goal to become a cardiothoracic surgeon and working through her residency. She has a tendency for being a smartass and quick judgement, but it backfires when she misdiagnosed a woman, whose husband she assumed to be an abusive thug. So when the patient takes a turn for the worse, the husband decided to sue.

Kang-il (Go Soo) is the epitome of the wounded hero. A former soldier now turned firefighter and widower. Despite having a great team of friends and co-wokers at the station, Kang-il refuses to move on with his life, carrying the guilt of his wife dying alone while he was busy saving others.

Fate and some machiavellians ways bring these two together. The relationship between Mi-soo and Kang-il didn’t feel forced, their chemistry is fiery since the first moment. Her carefree personality brings a much needed light tone to his brooding, and his way of taking everything serious gives her a newfound weight to every decision she makes and how they affect other people’s lives.

I enjoyed it was Mi-soo who very cheekly and endearingly pursued Kang-il first. That’s right, he was the one being wooed not the other way around. In this film you will find a leading lady, willing to take risks and rejection, but also in control of her life, not letting anyone tell her how to be proper. What’s more, this way she has, actually gets her out of almost all the troubles she starts.

Kang-il’s grief was harder to watch, mostly thanks to Go Soo’s acting, which carried a lot of weight through the film. You could feel his heartbreaking and denial to move on, even when he was clearly falling for someone else. But he had lighter moments too, like when he interacted with his friends or Mi-soo, and then you could see glimpses of the real Kang-il.

The rest of the cast it’s what really made the story so enjoyable to watch. Ma Dong-seok (Police Force 38, Train to Busan) is the adorable and though Chief, who behaves like an older brother and father figure at the same time. A true leader. And then you have Kim Sung-oh (Fight for My Way, My PS Partner) and Hyun Jyu-ni (IRIS, Descendants of the Sun) friendship-turned-romance which is both hilarious and endearing. My favorite part is the cameos from Jung Ji-hyun and Yang Dong-ge, the detectives who befriend Mi-soo at the police station.

Overall, Love 911 was a fun romance with enough gravity to have actual character development and a lovely message about the meaning of happiness and living your life.

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Completed
Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
1 people found this review helpful
May 6, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers
It all ends the way it started. With grown men getting a beating from a tiny little woman, but this time around there’s two of them and the mobsters still run in fear and tears. Also, they were their babysitters.

Personally, I through-fully enjoyed the mobsters storyline from beginning to end, and it’s so like them to get conned and end up in embarrassment yet again. In their defense, they are like a phoenix that keeps on rising from the ashes, again and again. And despite their ways, they were kind of good guys once you got to know them and kept them in line.

Another incredibly funny storyline were the neighborhood kids, who I was sorry to not see at Bong-soon’s wedding, and just kept brining laugher with every scene they were at. Their journey was equally enjoyable as the mobsters, sometimes even more because theirs was a love story with their Noonim. And I love how they went to have a little talk with Min-hyuk to know more about his intentions with their boss. I love even more than he had no idea Bong-soon had this group of high-school kids patrolling the neighborhood too. HAHAHAHA!

Also, it was good that the show clarified that Mom didn’t use physical violence against Dad *that* time around. I still believe that the show didn’t portray this woman in the right way and that her journey wasn’t all that. She’s still the bully she was at 19, the only difference is that she doesn’t use her fists. Should I be applauding this? And I would have like for Dad to make an stand other than to leave the house, for example, how about a real talk between them? He was such an endearing, honest and good character thorough out the show that I grew to love him as I love our leads. He is precious. It gives me hope that the last scene between him and Mom was much more peaceful than usually when Gook-doo’s mom was involved.

I’m also happy awesome bro Bong-ki got some screen time too. This was such a good character, just like Dad, and I was sorry we didn’t get to see more of him. I also think his storyline with Hee-ji was a little rushed at the end. And it doesn’t seem like it because Bong-ki spent a lot of time healing broken bones (thanks to his sis) but this relationship was really put to a test: Gook-doo found out not only that he had been lying through out their entire lives by keeping Bong-soon’s secret but also that his girlfriend was attracted to his best friend. So I appreciate how their friendship remained strong even after everything they went through.

As for other characters like Secretary Gong and Mr. Oh, they were another great comedy act. Especially when they were together and I love how their bromance was born by getting to know each other better through their shared experiences with Bong-soon’s abilities. Pffft!

Finally, Min-kyuk really changed through the story: started as a lonely guy looking for protection from his own family and ending up as a man with a family to protect. He was smart, honest and assertive from day one, and not once he tried to change Bong-soon into something she wasn’t. The greatest attribute Min-hyuk had was that he never made Bong-soon feel that she had to hide from the world, what’s more he even encouraged and helped her to be more like her true self and come into her powers. He always tried to be there for his girl but was more than willing to be a proud onlooker when the time called for it and let Bong-soon do what she had to do.

Bong-soon’s journey was also something to witness. When we first met her she was hiding from the world, afraid of her powers and by extention herself. These abilities she was born with had made her an outcast despite her spunk and outgoing personality, she was confident but had insecurities. Some of them born out of crush and others from the idea society holds on how a woman should be and behave.

I liked how the show connected her personal life with the city’s problems, because in a way they are one and the same, by having her best friend being kidnapped by the resident psycho. It was a good move since she was already gaining the confidence to do more with her powers by watching the news, her interactions with the mobsters and the neighborhood’s kids and Min-hyuk, who knew from day one about her powers and didn’t rejected her. He thought she was sexy! All of these factors made Bong-soon want to become the heroine of her life (beyond a video game) and I really loved to see her grow into a truly strong woman ready to take on the world.

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon wasn’t a perfect show but it was really entertaining and sweet, made me swoon and laugh out loud more than twice per episode, and I’m going to miss these characters and their shenanigans!!

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Completed
Hidden Love
1 people found this review helpful
May 6, 2024
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

Sweet and tender

Hidden Love it’s a beautiful love story about love, overcoming grief, guilt and building a family. The acting is really good and the OST fun. I don’t know where scriptwriter Shen Fei Xian has been for the past 7 years but, God, I am so glad she’s back!

This drama had two MVPs: Sang Yan for opening his home and always being a good friend and brother, and Qian Fei for helping Jian Xu figure out his love life. Where would our leads be without them? Probably still pining for each other.

Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan carry the drama with ease and sizzling chemistry. It was a joy to see their characters fall in love and dealing with everything that came their way as a team with a deep understanding of each other. They made an effort to communicate and this made them stronger and smarter as couple. Wonderful.

If you enjoyed this drama, you might want to check out Love O2O. Shen Fei Xian was also the scriptwriter responsible for that adaptation to the screen and she clearly very talented. And if you have already seen both dramas, then good news: she’s already working on her next project!

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Completed
The Wind Blows from Longxi
1 people found this review helpful
Jan 27, 2024
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

Soldier and Spy.

I imagine intelligence work is probably very much like portrayed in this drama. No thrilling chases or big action scenes, but rather a group of weary men, drinking tea or alcohol, in a series of conversations that circle an enigma. This doesn't mean the story it's not fascinating to watch, after all we are looking for a double agent who is more likely to be among our lead characters than in some far away location pulling at strings.

This is a slow paced drama and it will ask things of you as a viewer. You will have to pay attention to details in the story because they might be important later on but, at the same time, you have to keep an eye on the bigger picture these characters are trying to paint. It's easy to get lost in the small things and miss out on the glaring obvious. The narrative can be a little confusing in the first few episodes but around episode 5 to 7 things started to take form as we got all of our players on the board, with different missions and objectives.

The strongest point of this drama is probably technical aspects. Superbly atmospheric in the hands of director Lu Yang. His camera work is implacable, its moves sinister, the rooms are filled with uncertainty, and the characters warily circle around — well, each other, really. The Wind Blows From Longxi looks, sounds and feels exactly right. The drama is faithful to the time period in all aspects, from the locations to set designs. The costumes, hair and make up are incredible tactile and you can feel the roughness of piece of fabric as you watch a scene. The cinematography, tho, it's the true star. The use of light and lenses in this drama are planned to the tee. It enhances and hides the characters' personality and true intentions, giving you clues through visuals instead of exposition. It's perfect.

The performances from all the cast are on par with the production, but particularly Chen Kun and Bai Yu. They prove to be at the top of their craft in this drama. The story asks a lot of them to be portrayed in a whisper, almost. There are times when physical conflicts happen and they are really well done but not as interesting as what came before and after.

I am aware this is is the kind of drama that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I think you should at least try a couple of episodes and then decide because, I promise you, it's worth it.

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Completed
Moving
1 people found this review helpful
Jan 3, 2024
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

This drama 100% deserves the hype

In a time when we are suffering from a over-saturation of content and less than mediocre stories, particularly related to people with superpowers, South Korea has released MOVING and proved there's still hope for the genre.

Like its tittle the story is in constant move, not only pushing forward but going back to different timelines to give us context o our main characters and how the things happening in present time are a direct consequence to the past. Technically, MOVING is perfect. One of the strongest points is definitely the editing and this can be seen in the way the story jumps from one year to another but you never lose track of what's happening nor leaves you confused. There are gaps to fill but with other episodes that will give you answers. The score complements the actions and emotions of the characters to perfection.

The performances are top notch and it's not surprise considering this drama is stack. If you have been watching korean dramas or films for a while, you will recognize even the most random character or one-episode-cameo it's performed by an award winning actor or actress. These people have a reputation for a reason and they deliver in every scene, with a look, a touch, a smile or a punch that will push you through a wall. For some characters in the drama literally speaking.

Zo In Sung hasn't starred in a drama since Dear My Friends (2016) and I am so glad this is his return to the tv format. In MOVING he delivered a nuance, charming and badass performance that in the hands of another would have fell flat. His character's entire existence it's what pushes most of the story forward: a person used as a weapon to kill but all he ever wanted was to live. The big mystery of the drama it's to find out what was his fate after he got separated from those he loves.

Ryoo Seung Ryong remains one of the most compelling actors of his generation, giving us the incredible story of a good man lost in life until he found his purpose and redemption. His storyline, full of gore and violence, was actually a tender love story about how far a man will go to protect his family. Marvelous.

Han Hyo Joo's character could have easily fallen into the Smurfette principle but no. She's an equal to the men who love her and those that want to kill her, with a very strong motivation to keep herself on the top of the game. This character's loneliness comes through every scene she's in, bottling everything up in order to be strong for her family but you can tell she's waiting for a chance to be free and, most importantly, for her son to be able to live freely.

Ko Yoon Jung, Lee Jeong Ha and Kim Do Hoon are really promising actors, particularly considering they hold their own while performance with so many household names. I think Kim Do Hoon and Kim Sun Kyun probably gave one of the most heartbreaking yet beautiful stories in the drama.

Like I mentioned before every single actor in this drama brought their A+ game face but I would be doing a disservice if I didn't mention Kim Hee Won, Cha Tae Hyun, Ryoo Seung Bum, Park Hee Soon, Yang Dong Geun, Jo Bok Rae, Park Kwang Jae, Kim Joong He and, of course, Kwak Sun Young. She in particular was SPECTACULAR.

None of these characters are one-dimensional, they are not defined by the label society wants to put on them. They are all joined together by the experiences, hardships, love, motivations and ambitions they share. At the end of the day, related or not by blood, they are a family. Even the so-called enemies.

MOVING it's absolutely worthy of the hype that surrounds it through all social media and news outlets putting in the category of one of 2023 best tv shows. I only regret I didn't have the time to watch it sooner so I could have add it to mine.

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Completed
Soundtrack #2
1 people found this review helpful
Dec 24, 2023
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Third time is the charm.

If the first Soundtrack story was a beautiful love story about two friends falling in love, then Soundtrack #2 it's a bittersweet melody about two people who can't seem to get it right. Not matter how much you care for someone, sometimes love isn't enough and you have to let time and space give you perspective to understand why things didn't work out with that person.

Some couples have to try hard at their relationship. It may be because of different upbringings, POV on life or individual issues. No relationship it's perfect, timing can be tricky and life make things difficult. The characters own personal issues also stand in their way but the important thing to take from this love song it's that when you find the person who makes you happy, you try to make it work until the very end. Even if it takes two or three times. Even if it means letting them go more than once.

The Soundtrack Anthology remains one of the best productions coming from South Korea and I hope that we get many more stories from this world.

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Completed
One Piece
1 people found this review helpful
Sep 10, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.0

A step in the right direction!

Netflix has being trying to adapt to live action manga/anime stories for a while and after the incredibly mild version they released of cult classic Cowboy Bebop, I was unsure if I should give One Piece a chance.

Based on the long-running story by Japanese mangaka Oda Eiichiro, the first season is a somewhat faithful version of the first 100 chapters of the original work. We meet most of the main characters, their backgrounds and motivations, as they come together to become the Straw Hat Crew.

This “new” version of the beloved series is primed to be a commercial success, make fans happy and bring a new audience. The story is entertaining, the characters incredibly charming, their chemistry off charts, and the world building super interesting.

The show it’s not perfect but you can see they did their darnest to make it fun for everyone. Overall, I think it‘s a step in the right direction of live action adaptations.

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Completed
When I Fly Towards You
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 7, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

Beautiful and uplifting

When I Fly Towards You manages to capture the fleeting moment in life when possibilities are endless. Back when we say goodbye to childhood and we become young adults going out into the world to expand our understanding as we discover ourselves through others.

On a technical aspect the cdrama is shot digitally but there are snippets filmed with an analog camera, visually making you understand you are being told this story from the POV of someone remembering. This adds a layer of nostalgia. Smart and beautiful to watch.

The acting is what I expect from a youth drama that understands itself: good natured, solid and well-rounded performances of characters growing up as we see them going through different every day experiences involving school, friends, family and love.

Overall, I fully enjoyed this cdrama that features an easy to cheer for characters, with good chemistry, learning about life and themselves. This is why I love youth dramas, they can be a source of joy and energy.

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Completed
Fireworks of My Heart
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 7, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

Good acting carries a seen before story.

You have probably seen this story before: young love torn apart by adults who disapprove of the relationship, leaving two people forever changed and pinning for each other for years. Until they are reunited and now they must decided if fight for their love and move on.

Story-wise, the script brings nothing new to the genre. There's the angst and pinning, unreasonable and manipulative parents, the flashbacks to happier days, the depressing present life of two adults who can't move from that time in their lives. Almost every decision made it's based on that brief time in when they were happy.

The first half of the drama we must meet the characters to understand their motivations and why they must heal first before contemplating whatever or not they want to be together. It's very frustrating. Particularly because of how manipulative leading lady's mother is. She has no absolutely no redeeming qualities and it's been a while since I wanted to strangled a fictional character so much.

The second part of the drama is less frustrating. Characters start to snap out of it and becoming far more proactive into trying to build the life they want for themselves, with the support of friends and peers.

Yang Yang and Wang Churan carry this drama with their performances. Their chemistry is off charts and they deliver a strong melodrama full of action, angst, personal trauma and romance, heightened by the life or death situations the leads find themselves in because of their field of work.

Overall, a solid story.

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Completed
Our Secret
1 people found this review helpful
Feb 24, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

A very sweet and mature youth drama!

Desk mates. Friends. Lovers. Through growing pains, separation and reconciliation, Si Yue and Ding Xian remain earnest to what they know to be true: their relationship. They are each other's constant through everything and a love based on mutual respect and understanding is meant to last a lifetime.

Yes, the story follows a pattern and it has troupes. But I can overlook all that thanks to good story development and performances. Besides, Chen Zheyuan and Xu Meng Jie have GREAT chemistry. If you are looking a drama to relax to, this is it.

The teaser trailer for Our Secret is accurate but also misleading af. It has all the sweet moments but the story is more mature than what is shown. I was pleasently surprised.

Overall, this was a very endearing youth drama, with solid character development and performances. The story is sweet and if you are looking for a drama to relax and smile to, this is it.

I recommend it!

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Completed
Chijo no Kiss
1 people found this review helpful
Jan 17, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Generic romcom

Blinded Kiss is yet another jdrama that begins with a creepy leading man that ends up being a keeper once you get to know him. I don’t know how else to describe it.

Look. I am all for these lighthearted, surface level romcoms but can’t we just present all the characters as healthy options from the start?

Once they are together, their relationship is very healthy and respectful of each other’s interest and feelings. I just think leading lady didn’t need to be “tricked” into living together with a man for her to fall in love with him.
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Completed
All of Us Are Dead
1 people found this review helpful
Feb 9, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

What is the point...?

The premise of All of Us Are Dead is simple: a group students try their best to stay alive while being trapped in their school through a zombie apocalypse. When I first heard about this drama and saw the talent attached to the project, I thought this was a promising story.

After watching it, I feel mostly lukewarm about it. Sadly, most of the developments that don’t sit well with me are major spoilers, so I won’t be sharing it. Instead, I will be talking about what I liked about it and what didn’t quite reach the potential it had.

What I like the most was that I got to watch the story from several perspectives, from desperate teen survivor, detective and the framed science teacher, to military and political government. The different points of view on what to do in this situation was very interesting.

The first half of the drama was very compelling. Its rhythm fast paced and adrenaline infused but also took its time to develop characters and their inner and outer demons. In the final six episodes the story shifts and the drama suffers from it a little.

The acting is a mixed bag. The adult performers do a solid job but it’s the young talent where it flattered. I personally think what is really attracting people to watch this drama, more than the story, is the charming new actors and actresses. Particularly Park Solomon, whom I admit is a find and probably the next big thing. I can see a little of Go Soo in him and that should tell you everything you need to know. Lee Eun-saem and Ha Seung-ri are another two really strong performances. But the most impactful presence is Lee Yoo Mi who demonstrates the meaning of the word range.

The zombie action is top notch, no surprise coming from a korean production. It is gory and blood thirsty. Their origin story, however, it’s one of the things that just don’t sit well with me.

The school violence, bullying and sexual abuse display in this drama is far more disturbing than the actual zombies. I am sure this was the intention, so we as an audience can understand and empathize with the logic behind the creation of the zombies. The adult solution to the problem is anarchy and destruction. From this situation, a group of kids is left to figure out what’s morally correct, ethical behavior, justice, the importance of kindness, and so on. Lord of the Flies: Zombie Edition.

This is the point where I am left wondering if this is what of All Of Us Are Dead is actually about. Is this a gore fest showing me the worst a human can do? People so detached to what others feel, so already dead inside, that everything they do is worse than what a zombie does? Is this a brutal bullying survivor story? But then why none of the main characters were part of the bullied? Or someone who stood up to the bullies before the zombie apocalypse? Or part of the bullying storyline at all?

As I mentioned before, I found the conclusion of this series lukewarm, up in the air, as I am sure it was the intention since Netflix or the powers at the studio who produced this drama are probably wishing for a second season. Or more.

Overall, if you like zombies stories, you might as well give it chance.

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Completed
Everyone Loves Me
1 people found this review helpful
Apr 27, 2024
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

In the mood for laughter and love

If there's one thing I appreciate about cdramas it's that, from time to time, they manage to produce a story with characters behaving their age but also showing a pleasantly surprise maturity to their actions. In recent years, youth dramas like Love O2O, Our Secret, You Are Desire or When I Fly Towards You come to mind. Everyone Loves Me falls into this category. We are presented a group of characters who are young enough to make mistakes, but old enough to be aware of their limitations, of their missteps, and learn to grow from them.

I really liked both leads. Particularly Ling's spitfire personality, which is a breath of fresh air and I loved every minute she made Gu Xun sweat. But he didn't lose against her. Gu Xun was charming and overall had a great presence, boy needed to be taken down a notch tho. And thanks to the fact both leads are written as equals through their entire journey together, at the end of the drama it feels like they have come out as better people. I even dare say, it feels like their story it's just beginning.

Lin Yi and Zhou Ye have great chemistry and managed to portray their characters really well. They clearly had a lot of fun working together and with their character's development. I would love to see them work together again in the future.

The rest of the cast was also very good. The supportive characters hace each a function in pushing forward the story at the workplace and the leads's personal lives, which made for some very interesting office tension and hilarious interactions out of it. For example, at the beginning of the story leading man it's arrogant enough to know a good quantity of girls are crushing on him but for someone who claimed to be so popular, he spent a good portion of the story dealing with loves rivals from right to left, up and down. Everyone Loves Me? More like Everyone Loves Her. The results were awesome.

This was a very fun and easy going drama for me, with lots of re-watch potential. Every time I watched a new episode, it put me in a good mood and that's enough for me to recommend it.

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Completed
Only for Love
1 people found this review helpful
Dec 13, 2023
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
This review may contain spoilers

Frustrating and boring (very little spoilers ahead to make a point)

To be honest, I found this drama to be mild. It's main problem is the script, trying to find problems where there are none and taking way too long for things to happen. I don't mind a long burn but when absolutely nothing happens on a personal level and, most of the time, the characters are in corporate meetings talking about chips, it's a bore.

On the other hand, there are very real problems, with lots of potential, that take the entire drama to be resolved and it's done badly. Example: leading lady has to constantly deal with a nasty and jealous co-worker who slanders her and even physically hurts her at one point. When the boss can no longer avoid the issue, leading lady's personal life is brought up and questioned. Excuse me? Her relationship it's nobody's business and furthermore why are y'all weaponizing it against her when it hasn't affected her work or the work place in the fist place? Seems to me you are all dealing with a terrible case of sexism among women and a change of attitude would have been nice. But, no, nasty co-worker doesn't even get fired. She's transferred and choses to quit altogether as if she was trying to save some face. Bitch, please. This particular storyline was frustrating.

There are other two couples, apart from the leads, that we spent a good amount of time following, only for them to completely disappear from once they respectively find happiness. No follow up, nothing, until the last scene of the drama.

The one saving grace is the cast, which is flawless in the respective roles they were given and had good chemistry (at times).

It honestly seems like a waste of a good cast on a mediocre story. A shame.

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The Rise of Ning
0 people found this review helpful
10 days ago
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 7.5

Pleasantly surprised!

I was pleasantly surprised by this drama, and it's not like I was planning to watch it before it even aired but I was in a mood for an historical piece and a Zhang Wanyi fan, so why not?

The story, we have all seen before, but there's something about an underdog rising among the ranks of his family and court that's very satisfying to watch, particularly when it's deserved and well developed.

I confess I wasn't all that interested in most of the supportive characters. An ensemble cast ca be tricky and, most of the time, supportive characters get overlooked. In this drama, this doesn't necessarily happen but, however, I do think most of the supportive cast serves as a player to push the leads' story forward and, most of them, don't get their own story per se. This doesn't mean the story is not good but, compared to other dramas like this one, it's a little lacking on this part.

Ren Min, Zhang Wanyi and Ci Sha do most of the weightlifting in the story, all of them giving really solid performances with the first two perfectly casted as the leads, and the latter delivering one of the most unnerving obsessive characters I have seen in a while.

Overall, I think this was a really good watch and enjoyed it.

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