Not quite there!

I had very high expectation of this show, and was patiently waiting for all episodes to air so that I could binge watch it. The ML is a ex-mobster, now a stoic CEO running a company which hires ex-cons and gives them a chance to change their lives. He has a serious personality, and has no romantic experience despite being 36 yrs old. The FL is an online influencer who makes content for kids, does honesty work, but fails to garner the attention her company expects her to achieve. The interactions between our leads are all good till episode 10. There is an additional pursuer of the FL, who is a public prosecutor, good hearted, nice to the FL and weary of the ML. His interactions with the FL are great too. We see a love confession happening between the leads around the 10th-11th episode and that is when things start going south. In one scene we see the ML getting all awkward about physical contact with the FL, and in the next scene we see them acting all googly eyed, making finger hearts at each other and being lovey dicey to the point of being silly. Seeing the character of ML in previous episodes, this sudden change was a little hard to digest. Then there were unnecessary tropes added in episode 12-14 where we see the history of other characters, and problems being created because of them, which felt like they were added just to increase the screen time of the actors. I didn’t dislike the show, but I had to forward quite a lot of portions in these episodes because they felt stupid and unnecessary.

The serious, no-nonsense character suited the ML a lot, and I wish we didn’t have to see his silly romantic side. Serious romances are good too, given the age of the leads, that would have naturally looked better. The series got interesting again from the middle of episode 14 when things stated getting heated up between the ML and his dad’s gang.We see the silly side returning for a bit in episode 16 again, but thankfully it wasn’t as cringe as before. The FL was very pretty, but I didn’t like her kinky, super short bangs somehow. I guess Korean actors think that wearing bangs is the only way to look young, but looking one’s age is super elegant too. Anyhow, overall it was a good one time watch for me, I loved the serious ML, as well as the love rival prosecutor, the right hand man of the ML, however, was the best looking of all! Hope to see more of these guys!

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Could have been so much better!

I had high expectations from this series, seeing the leads were such accomplished actors, but the poor editing and mediocre music of this series proved that only having a good story and great actors is not enough, a good series requires good cinematography, excellent camera angles, and a near perfect editing. The transition between episodes was ill placed and there were countless abrupt scenes-endings, which dampened the effect of the basic storyline. The series could have been made a little shorter and crispier, eliminating unnecessary plot-twists and unwanted characters who added nothing to the script. Yao Chi looked amazing in his character and he did perfect justice to his role as the second lead, that said, I would have liked it more if the dialogues assigned to him would have been better scripted. The lead actors, Zhang Han and Zhu Xu Dan were great, because they are inherently good actors, but I would have loved to see better costumes for Zhang Han and some more romance and chemistry between the leads. In the end, even excellent actors require a good script and great camera-work to bring their characters to life. Seven stars to this series for Zhang Han, Zhu Xu Dan and Yao Chi !!

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Unimpressive despite expectations!

This was a much awaited show, since I am a fan of both Bai Lu and Dylan Wang, with Miles Wei in this show as well, the anticipation was even higher. I generally wait for a show to complete airing before I binge watch it, but I started watching when about 26 episodes were aired. Episode after episode, my confusion kept growing as to what was the deal with the leads, with the ML clearly interested in the FL but always giving her a tough time, then helping her covertly. As for the FL, she is shown as a rising star in financial journalism, with many noteworthy articles under her belt, but as soon as the ML comes into the picture, she sees him as the only ladder she needs to climb professionally, the character sketch of the FL couldn’t have been more skewed. She flirts with a business contact openly, is unsure whether she actually has feelings for him, but sees nothing wrong in using him for her professional gain. I was expecting a great onscreen chemistry between the leads, but it was lacklustre and mediocre at best. What was really appalling were the unnecessary scenes of horse riding that felt so out of place and context! For the second leads, they looked good together, had chemistry too, but I didn’t get why their relationship had to be an on-and-off kind of situation, with no rhyme or reason for unnecessary conflict or coldness. The third couple, with Miles Wei was my favourite, and one of the reasons I continued watching. That said, even this cute pair couldn’t compel me to watch beyond episode 24. I really like Bai Lu and Dylan Wang, and sincerely hope they get better stories and characters in future. Bai Lu has shown such great on-screen chemistry with Ren Jialun, Xu Kai and Luo Yunxi, I expected more from her here, but she can only do what she is directed to, with the character that’s written for her. As for Dylan Wang, I loved him in Love between Fairy and Devil, but I just couldn’t feel the same for him in this show.

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Why did this show have to have Esther Yu????

After watching melody of Golden Age, I was looking forward to another drama by Ding Yu Xi. I loved him in all the dramas I have watched with him so far, except moonlight, which I couldn’t finish because of Esther Yu, but I still wanted to give this one a try, despite Esther Yu, just because of Ding Yu Xi. I just managed to watch a trailer and that was enough to put me off the show completely. I am sorry Ding Yu Xi, but you need to choose carefully who you are being cast with, if you want your work to be appreciated. As for Esther Yu, what do I say, I feel she jinxes every male lead that she works with, by overshadowing their hard work with her kiddish, silly acting and her toddler-like voice, which is frankly like pouring burning hot oil in one’s ears. I mean the woman is almost 30, acting in a drama where she has been cast as an adult, can she not act her age for once? Do people seriously like her so much that they can overlook her pathetic acting and baby voice and keep showering her with false praises? Nothing against those who think this drama is worth ten stars, I seriously wanted to give it a sincere try, even if it was just for Ding Yu Xi, but the trailer was sufficient to put me off it forever! My sincere apologies to Zhu Shu Dan and Yang Shi Ze as well, I love you guys, and I wanted to watch you so much, if it was not Esther Yu I had to watch you guys with. Please do more dramas minus Esther Yu and I promise to watch all of them!

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Loved it!

There is absolutely nothing not to love in this drama. I wanted to watch One and Only first, but I am not a fan of tragic endings, so I decided to skip that series and directly watch Forever and Ever. I was already a fan of Bai Lu, and it was my first time watching Ren Jia Lun. I loved this pairing of lead characters. The chemistry was great, and the unwavering love between the lead characters was both refreshing and powerful. Bai Lu looks stunning, and Ren Jia Lun looks better and better in each episode. The supporting cast was all great too. The story isn’t too complicated, and I binge watched the entire series in two days. Don’t want to give spoilers, but if someone likes love stories with happy marriages, no misunderstandings, and complete devotion between loved ones, then this series wouldn’t disappoint at all!

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A good show!

A sweet romance, the story was nothing new but I liked both the leads and their chemistry was good. I would admit I had a negative bias towards Laing Jie and avoided watching the shows in which she was the lead. But I’ve always liked Steven Zhang and Joseph Zeng, and I finally decided to watch A Day of becoming you because frankly, I had finished what I was watching and didn’t have anything else to watch. But once I started watching the show, my impression of Liang Jie changed quickly and I wanted to watch more shows with her. That’s how I ended up watching Hi Venus. It was a sweet love story with a predictable plot, but it was worth the screentime, one because the show didn’t drag anywhere, two because there wasn’t a love triangle or an evil ex-girlfriend to complicate issues. The parents on both sides were supportive despite the huge economical barrier between the leads, and the ML didn’t seem to think one bit about how he was super rich and our FL was from a humble background. He admired her for her qualities and personality and that didn’t change till the end. The second leads were super nice too, and I never felt like fast forwarding any scenes with them. Though I am still confused why the show was titled Hi Venus, I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet and simple romance.

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loved it!

I loved, loved, loved this show. I had my eyes for it as soon as it started airing, but I patiently waited for all episodes to finish airing so I could binge watch it in a weekend. I love time travel themed shows, and this one was such a heart warming story, of family, love, friendship, dreams, love and loyalty! I loved all the characters, especially the ones from 1995, and I felt the dilemma, confusion, happiness and sadness with every character, especially the ML, right with him. The actress who played Cheong-Ah in 1995 was super cute and I simply loved her innocence and expressions. One discovered that the disability of the ML’s dad was not congenital, rather due to an accident at the age of 18, but even if it was 1995, hearing aids were available to people who could speak but just couldn’t hear. I mean one can understand how Beethoven became deaf and couldn’t be treated in the 1700s, but it is beyond me why Ha Lee Chan couldn’t be given a hearing aid! That said, I still love this show to pieces, and would be rewatching it several times, and would also recommend it to my friends!

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Exceptional, by Japanese drama standards

There are several Japanese dramas that I have started and left after a couple of episodes, some I’ve managed to finish as well, but no Japanese series has made me feel so many emotions as this one. What a beautiful story, it makes you laugh, fall in love, suffer heartbreaks, feel a sense of longing, dream, work hard for dreams, and then puts it all together with a very sweet happy ending. I loved both lead actors, and a special mention to the agent at the music label, the landlady and the pattern maker colleague of the FL, they all made the show worth watching. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more shows by these actors, and seriously, more shows like these would change the way people think about Japanese shows! A show worth watching, not to be missed for fans of sweet romances.

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One of the best!

One of the best Wuxia dramas I’ve seen! To begin with, I love strong female leads and Shen Li, our FL, is the most formidable, brave and courageous person in the show. She is simply awe-inspiring! As for our ML, he is an epitome of straight faced humour, and despite of his status as the last living God, he is patient, emotional, contradicted by his own emotions, and burdened by responsibilities, but even with all this, he is so much fun when he is with the FL. As for the actors, I’d seen both leads before, though in separate shows and I must say their chemistry was over the roof, right from the start. All in all, the show was very very entertaining, with light hearted moments in each episode, even during very serious situations. It was interesting to see the growth of Lord Furong into what he became towards the end of the show, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Mofang, no matter whatever evil he did. I can go on and on about other characters, there were so many I loved, but seriously, every Chinese drama lover should watch and appreciate this show. Last but definitely not the least, the music and background score of this show was simply superb! I wish I could give more than 10 stars :)

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A Tale of flawed people with twisted fates, superb acting, but I still dropped it!

Where do I begin? Let me start by saying that this show has been in my watch list like, forever! I’ve kept removing it and then adding it back to the list, without actually watching it. Needless to say, every time I re-added it to my watchlist, it was because of Tan Jian Ci, I love this actor a lot, especially his deep voice. Finally I gave in and started watching this series, my interest grew by episode 5, and I was completely hooked by episode 15. Since there were too many good looking men around the FL, I couldn’t wait to see all 39 episodes, and then season 2, to find out who she ends up with, so I searched for spoilers online. Once i knew how the story was to end, I lost all interest, but somehow still kept watching till episode 30. That’s when I put my foot down and dropped the show. I don’t want to discourage anyone from watching..It is a show with amazing actors, with super good acting, great background score. I’ve not liked Yang Zi much, not in the Oath of Love, and just a little in Ashes of Love, but here I loved her acting, especially when she acted as a man. Zhang Wan Yi acted superbly, but I kept getting irritated with his character who kept spoiling an already spoilt princess, all in the name of making up for failing her elder sister. It was probably his excellent acting that made me dislike an actor I obviously liked before. The only reason I watched till episode 30 was Tan Jian Ci, he lit up the scene whenever he appeared and I just couldn’t get enough of him. I wanted to watch him more, but knowing what would happen to him in the show, I couldn’t bear to watch his tragic end. He was obviously most deeply in love with the FL, but had things weighing down on him, and I loved that he didn’t show his affection much since he knew his feelings wouldn’t be reciprocated by the woman who was madly in love with the wrong guy! It was too painful to watch her making the choices she made. Now for the character of Deng Wei…I love the actor, I do, his character in Miss the Dragon and Till the end of the moon was very likeable, but here, I felt like shaking the guy and telling him to man up for once! I mean, how silly was it for the FL to fall for a guy who could just make puppy eyes at her and shower her with smiles, and coy looks, but was never man enough to take the right decisions, and needed others to stop her getting married to someone else, while he was already married to another! Basically, all lead characters were flawed in this series, which is quite human, but who needs to see flawed characters in a fictional series? We have real life for that right? In fictional world, we need to see perfect couples with sweet happily ever after endings, that one can take heart in and feel good about. If you are someone who enjoys bittersweet endings, this show would probably appeal to you most. No complaints about acting, music, or cinematography, I just couldn’t finish the show once I knew my fav actor wouldn’t end up with the woman he loved, and that she would marry the wrong guy and lose him too!

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If Only…..

I am so heartbroken!!! Why does most Ren Jia Lun series have tragic endings?? If we could for a minute forget that there isn’t a happily ever after in this drama, I would have given it a solid 10 stars, 15 if possible. The story was amazing, the conspiracies, the politics, the quick thinking leads, the soundtrack was like icing on the cake, not to forget the amazing costumes of Ren Jia Lun and Jeremy Tsui. I’m sure the makers of this series have attended to every minute detail in the show to bring us an amazing series, if only they could give the leads a happy ending after all they went through. I suffer from the second lead syndrome in most shows, but even if Jeremy Tsui was an amazing second lead, I didn’t get the second lead syndrome, this shows just how good he was in character. What do I even say about Ren Jia Lun! He was amazing, he is the champion of sacrifices, subtle glances for romance, and tragic climaxes. On top of it, he looked super awesome too! As for Landy Li, she was perfect in her girl-next-door personality and I loved her chemistry with RJL.

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The animation was so much better!

I might have liked this series better had I not seen the animation ‘No Doubt in Us’ first. Generally when I watch a good animation, I want to see a live action based on the same story. Here, I would say the live action was less impressive. One, because I already knew the basic story, so there was no suspense or element of surprise in this drama for me, second because I somehow didn’t find the chemistry between the leads convincing. The emperor, or city lord (emperor sounds so much better in the animation) is supposed to be in his early twenties, and his harem has women in their late teens..but the actors chosen looked visibly older and less convincing of the ages they were supposed to play. The drama didn’t follow the animation verbatim, I frankly don’t know what was made first, but I would still give more credit and appreciation to the animation, I am myself surprised I choose anime over live action, but in the case of this series, the viewers should watch No Doubt in Us too and then decide for themselves.

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