Accompanying the phoenix, Romancing the god.

The appeal of xian xia dramas to me was always the power, strength and magic of the characters. But many dramas I have watched over the years left me wanting. How I have suffered through 'powerful' leads spitting blood every second frame.
THIS DRAMA DELIVERED
It showcased a strong male and female lead.
They showed us romance, foreplay, and affection in a tastefully done way.
The fight scenes were amazing.
The costumes and CGI beautifully done.
And very importantly engaging little side stories that did not take all the air time.
I write this review happily. Yes, I will miss the drama but it finished well that I can also move on without regrets. An easy one to rewatch in the coming years.
I gave it a perfect 10 well aware that it has some flaws. This rating is because in spite of the flaws it is a show well worth one's time.

Read More

Happiness is Subjective

I am glad Happiness exists. A big thank you to the cast, crew and production team.
I have always been a fan of Han Hyo Joo.
But a hidden gem to discover was Park Hyung Sik. The role makes the man and he was perfect as Yi Hyun.
A big shout out too to Jo Woo Jin. He oozed charisma as the antihero.

Although the drama fell short due to the ending for me.
The show managed to make itself relatable. One would think such a show would put people off as a pandemic is currently happening but it actually connected us in a way. It took elements of the current pandemic and spun it into 12 hours of entertainment I truly enjoyed.

Two things I would take out is:
a. People hearts are the scariest - we see the best and worst of people in stressful times
b. Happiness is subjective - love? wealth? prestige? What is our definition of happiness? Everyone wants it.

I will certainly re watch this show again. I hope I see then things I missed.

Now for that ending...ALERT SPOILERS (sort of)

Episode 12 should have ended with that gun shot wound. And that is why I rated it as such. Almost perfection but not quite. To be writing about a fan fiction at the end tells you how much I got invested in this show. I used to get annoyed by dramas spending 45 minutes of the episode explaining what happened with the side characters and sadly here we really needed it but did not get it.
So in my mind here is what happened, with my imaginary EPISODE 13:

The episode starts with Sae Bom on her way to a facility. She has flowers in hand. We do not quite know for whom. Her inner monologue acts as the narrator as scenes unfold.

We see a scene with Na Soo Min confirmed to have antibodies and soldiers track others like him with bites or wounds around their bodies unchanged, paving the gateway to the development of a cure as many with antibodies surface.

Han Tae Sook visits his wife. This time, the chains are gone. They mourn the loss of their child who could not be saved, but hope to try again in the future.

Detective Jeong Gook goes visit Seo Yoon who is recovering from her heart surgery. They both talk about being able to see their loved ones soon. Seo Yoon asks about Sae Bom and Yi Hyun and the scene cuts to the present.

But we hold our breaths as Sae Bom reaches the room. It is not Yi Hyun but her mother. She tells her about the man she loves. He kept her together during the ordeal. Sae Bom apologies he could not visit. We brace for the worse for the scene cuts to a graveyard. But we breathe a sigh of relief. It is not Yi Hyun but Kim Se Hoon. The fallen comrades needlessly murdered.

Sae Bom jokes about not bringing Yi Hyun since she knows Kim Se Hoon was not to fond of him.

Sae Bom finally goes home to their apartment. Yi Hyun still brusied and bandage is waiting for her. She runs into his embrace and as per their tradition they go to the rooftop to watch the sunset. Finally saying the words kept in their heart and sharing a gentle kiss.
This is how I choose to see the drama ending.
And the last 2 minutes take place after!

So goodbye Happiness. In your twisted way you made me happy. I will watch out for the writer's future works now too.

Read More