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tsuyoi_hikari
Secret Forest
This review may contain spoilers
Messy & Inconsistent Script At Its Finest
Can you see how cool is the entrance of drama? Will the drama stay cool and maintain its quality? Boy what a roller-coaster ride the drama gave its viewers – it will certainly stay with me for a very long time without a doubt.Unfortunately, the only thing the drama did right is that they made Wang So a sage and a wise king. Other than that (aside from Lee Jun Ki & Kang Ha Neul’s amazing acting), I have nothing good to say about this drama. Sadly to say, this is one of the worst Kdramas I have ever seen (this probably because I usually drop bad dramas but I didnt for this one obviously since I dont love myself lol). This drama has one of the worst writing, directing and editing I have ever seen from a Kdrama. And for me this is a big indication of how awful is the drama since I dont really notice all those before (except bad scripts in general) but I truly feel it with every fiber of my being with this one.
Script: The script is the worst offender of this production. I seriously confuse why this writer got hired since her writing is very inconsistent and terrible. It is full of plot holes, unexplained happenings, dragged and rush script, poor characters’ developments and most of all, full of ridiculous and illogical plots. It seemed like her characters didnt seemed to function like a normal human beings would. I need the drama to make sense but I find myself wondering most of the times of why this and that happened. I need a legit and reasonable reasons for something to happen. Not just something you pluck from the sky thinking that you can fool the audiences. We have brains Ms. Writer, you cant expect us to buy your ridiculous plots again and again.
Directing: People said good thing about the director and his previous works but the direction quality of this production is pretty awful in general. The close-ups, soap opera zoom style and no direction input to new actors (according to Seohyun) made the directing suffers greatly esp for sageuk dramas which are known for quality production. I expect a creative directing or pretty shot from the director but instead I got the opposite of what I’m hoping for.
Editing: Hands down the worst editing I have come across from a Kdrama (and I have seen really a looooot over the years). The choppiness and shoddiness of it is out of this world. They dragged the storyline in the beginning and squeeze everything in the last 5 episodes. The fact that we have like 2 time-skips in a matter of 2 episodes are just laughable. And the fact that some of the plots didnt make sense due to the editing makes it really jarring and dreadful. I dont expect this from a pre-produced drama obviously.
Acting: Like I mentioned above, Lee Jun Ki is soo amazing as Wang So. His eyes conveyed lots of emotions and it just break your heart when you watch this drama as his character is very tragic and unloved. Kang Ha Neul is amazing as well. His characters is so underdeveloped and later forgotten by the time we reached the end (he has like 3 minutes screen time in the later episodes lol – what are you doing Ms. Writer?). The actress who play Lady Oh was great and IU improved a lot as the drama progressed. The rest of the actors are pretty much forgettable esp Seohyun as Woohee.
Soundtracks: Got to admit that the drama has one of the best OSTs for this year. But unfortunately, most of the songs are not suitable for a period drama. Why put a rap as part of the OSTs? And English words in the songs are so jarring when it was played as the background music. For goodness sake this is a sageuk and not a modern day drama. To have ‘baby baby boy’ playing at the background really killing you softly inside. :P
Money: This is a million dollar pre-produced drama but I really cant see where all the money went to. Goryeo and the Palace looks empty most of the times. Where are the servants, guards, armies, noble men, and the citizen? Why the attempted coup looks fake and underwhelming? Why the wigs look so fake? Why we can see the net for the mustache? Why the sets look cheap? Why the Palace only limited to the grand hall, court room, king’s bedroom and the hallway?!! Where did all the money went to?
I’m glad I didnt really care for any of the character so this drama didnt scar me like The Slave Hunter and Warrior Baek Dong Soo did. The writing got pretty bad at the end that I dont have emotional attachment to any of the characters anymore. One thing for sure, I will stay away from the writer’s future work – I ain’t gonna put myself in the same situation ever again.
By the end, I just want to see how this mess will conclude and boy it didn’t disappoint – I spent my time rolling my eyes watching the last 2 episodes (no tears since I was so mad with the ridiculous plots). :P Like I mentioned above, the only thing the drama did right is that they made Wang So a wise king. But thinking back, they should make him go all evil and greedy so the reasons behind everyone leaving him (even Ji Mong) will make more sense. I dont mind a tragic ending but I need it to make sense. I give this drama 4/10. I try to rate it higher but this flawed, and awfully illogical executed drama didnt deserve anything more than a 4.
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Major roll-eye (◔_◔) to the writer for her insistence of making Wang So the most tragic character ever – with very illogical reasons for everyone to leave him at the end of the drama. >.>
Wang So is a flawed character without a doubt – his obsessiveness or him killing the monks and horse but somehow Wang So’s fate is just very tragic from the moment he was born right until the end where he is left alone and lonely.
It is more tragic then any other Kdramas’ characters because it is his own family who dislike or abandoned him. Its not his friends or people that he has no blood relation but his own family members.
1) He lacked of love since he was a little kid. His own mother hurt him and left that big scars on his face and later throw him away.
2) His dad use him as a captive and send him away to other tribe to console some lady who lost her son (What a terrible childhood!). And he is not loved by the lady or his adopted family (Surprise surprise ◔_◔).
3) The tribe lock, starve and sent him to the wolves that he ended up having to burn his only friend that is Mr. Tree since it was so cold during the winter (or is it because of the wolves?).
4) His Crown Prince brother, Moo ask him to replace him during the masked dance since he think someone is going to assassinate him. So its okay for So to die on his place? Both of them learn martial arts so its weird for Moo to ask him that request (But of course, So’s life is not that important I guess?).
5) His father’s reaction after the mask was removed – not worry about him being injured but quickly call for Moo and his safety.
6) He killed all the monks (what a fool lol!) for his evil mother but she still disowned and disgusted with his existence (stop Ms. Writer, stawp!!!).
7) All his brothers except Baek Ah didnt treat him right. Moo used him for the dance/marriage and Eun is too dumb(?) to care about his feeling when he ask So to show his scars. The rest just plain hate him without any legit reasons.
8) His mother call him for family dinner only to ask him to kill Moo. Attempt to use him to do her dirty work instead of accepting him as her son after he proved his worth for her attention.
9) The woman that he love; Soo didnt trust him enough that he ended up having to kill Eun with his own hands. By the time Soo decided to stop thinking about the future and be honest with him, it was too late.
10) His loved ones; Beak Ah & Soo are used again & again that forced him to do things that he hate to save them from harm.
11) He never wanted to be a King but later changed his mind since he is tired of bloodshed and everyone using him when they are on the throne (His father –> Fight Kitan, Moo –> Marriage with his niece, Yo –> Using Soo to threat him). He wanted to stop the killing cycle and Yo’s ruthless reign (Or so he thought ◔_◔).
12) He didnt want to marry evil princess Yeonhwa but the love of his life Soo said ‘its okay’ to straighten his position as the King and assured him that she wont give up and she is okay with the arrangement. (Which she didnt since no one will be okay with that kind of arrangement tbh).
13) His happy times with Soo are so brief that she left him and stay with Jung because she is pregnant. She is not honest with him and trust him enough that he will protect her and the baby. She probably think So will treat her like his father did to Lady Oh.
14) In the end, despite writing all those letters how she love and yearn for him, she still doesn’t trust him enough to tell him about their daughter. She probably think he would not respect her request about wanting the girl to stay out of the Palace. (Of course she couldn’t tell him via the letters, but still! ಠﭛಠ)
15) Everyone leave him for such ridiculous reasons; Baek Ah (??) and Ji Mong for he only loyal to the weak King Moo? Really? Why are you feeding us this crap Ms. Writer??!!1 And why I’m still watching? lol
16) Have to live the rest of his lives alone and lonely with someone that he hate. Cant love his son as it is a product of an evil Queen Yeonhwa...
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The budget for this drama is definitely on the high side. The sets are beautiful and expensive and the costumes are definitely one of the best parts of this whole drama. I love the coupling costumes that Long Yue and Ju'er always wear after their marriage. :D This is the first time that I've seen a couple in historical drama that done this and I super love it! Their flowery black hanfu is my favourite which followed with their blue coloured hanfu -- they are so so pretty!
The Longs household is definitely a nice place to live in. All the 3 brothers are lovely and their relationships with their ladies are healthy and balanced. Long Residence is such a beautiful and serene home and you somehow get the feeling that it’s gonna be a happy home for everyone when they live there. A residence in dramas usually didnt give this vibe to viewers but the Long Residence definitely gives you this happy and comfortable vibe and I love all the scenes that are shot in there.
I really love if Zhaolin keeps taking this kind of role in the future. His portrayal as Long Yue is hilarious here. He loves for money, being a profiteer and most of all stingy, despite all of these negative traits, he made it very lovable somehow. I keeps laughing how calculative he is even with the Dowager Empress to how petty he is in everything from borrowing his brother's army just to mess with rivals' business to his stinginess with his younger brother -- its all done in hilarious way that instead of being turned off, you will laugh at all the scenes instead. And most of all, I love how intelligent he is, he had his flaws and likes to do things his own way but you gotta admits that most of his plans worked and he saves his loved ones again & again. I think the plot that I love the most is most probably how far he is willing to go to save his personal servant; Li Ke. Dramas usually like to take the female leads as hostage where the male leads need to make impossible choices but here, it was his servants. He has a heart of gold and I love him for that. Long Yue is definitely one of my top 3 Zhaolin's best characters to date.
Shane Xiao as Mu'er definitely one of the highlights in this drama. She is strong, lovely, very opiniated and she definitely has what it takes to take on the rather wild Long Yue. I love how savage she is and her; '2nd Young Master, you are hungry? Aren't you already FULL with jealousy?' and her follow up; 'Chicken soup? I rather not take it or else it will heated up my passion' -- it is a brilliant remarks to deal with a rather jealous husband haha! And Ju'er's fashion is definitely the best. Her costumes are like expensive rags sew on together and it comes out funky and elegant at the same time. Her hanfu itself shows how different she is from other girls and the way she thinks as well is different that set her apart from other people. I love how details the production team in writing and making her character.
I also love how they dedicate the whole 1 episode for the ending. I always have issues how C-dramas like to rush their endings but here, the last episode has everything on why I really like the drama and why it is such a stress relief kind of story. From how the brides do not want to be seen as too eager and acting all demure despite being very excited themselves to Long Fei having to wear recycled Long Yue's wedding dress to how the Dowager Empress trolled Long Yue into paying for the very expensive wedding to Long Yue giving the key to Longs' Treasure Room to Ju'er is the icing on the cake. I like how both of them always smiling constantly thorough out the drama especially when they are together and that’s the very reasons why it is such a joy to see their scenes as a couple.
Rewatch value is definitely 100%. I started the first episode again after I finished it and that’s how I love this drama as a whole.
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But despite that, I found that the things I love the most about this C-version is their original scenes. I especially love the imaginary conversation Jiaxin had with Xiyi in her head and all the underlaying depth of that conversation. I love how the script pointed out that 'the path they walked together is too short, yet the regrets they left behind is too deep.' Or the scene where Xiyi hugs Jiaxin for the last time and tell her not to blame herself over Xiao Ximi's death and his 'I love you' one last time while shivering -- how come anyone not breaking up watching such scenes? ;_;
Even if they took the original scenes, I personally think they revamp the whole scene to a new height with a better script. The birthday scene was done really well in which Xiyi confessed without knowing it was Jiaxin in the bear costume. Or both of their conversation after the kiss at the hotel are especially brilliant. I love it when scriptwriter wrote this touching and creative script that touch the deepest of our hearts. It is simple yet can highlight their deep regrets and sadness.
The C-version definitely has the most good-looking main couple of all the versions. But funnily enough, Jiaxin looked the most hideous in her nerdy look though -- my goodness, those glasses need to burn in hell lol. I thought both Xing Zhaolin and Liang Jie did really well in their respective roles despite their young age. This is the first time I'm seeing them in anything so I can’t believe how young is Zhaolin (he is 22 years old here?) and he played this role of heartbroken and sad husband and father amazingly. I adore his subtle expressions and the way his expression change from happy to hurting in split seconds are especially amazing -- that you know in that moment, his everything was shattering in the inside. And Liang Jie was great at emotional scenes! Girl can definitely cry and looking pretty while doing so.
The writer made everyone kinder in this version especially Xiyi. He almost made all the right decisions despite how tough it is. People aren’t black and white and it’s fun to see how he struggle to come terms with his feelings. It wasn’t easy but when he chose Jiaxin, he never rethink his decision and he never waver. She is always 'the one' for him. Like all versions, I guess it’s important for us to realise that Jiaxin never has to change in order to be worthy of his love. She is always the one since the beginning and I love that this is the main theme that this drama and all the versions has always pointed out again and again.
And Jiaxin truly change into a new woman as Elaine. She made a mistake by kissing Xiyi at the hotel but after that, she told herself she can be 'weak' but can never give in to her 'vulnerability'. Can anyone do that especially in front someone that the once deeply love and still in love? Only a strong person can do that and that is Jiaxin. She only chose him in the end when she knew he is genuinely a good guy who always chose her and never abandoned her. However, this version Anna is absolutely the worst though. Until the end, she never knew the impact of her decision did to both Xiyi & Jiaxin. But I'm not gonna ruin my review by mentioning her and getting frustrated on how she ruined the story for me. :P
Lastly, I love like the fact that this drama highlighted a few of important theme of the whole story:
1) How it’s not easy to come to someone life and change their lives but Jiaxin did exactly that to both Xiyi and his family with her kindness.
2) Xiyi constantly ask Jiaxin to believe in herself in the short time when he was with her because he believes in her and her capabilities. That her alone, just as it is, is enough for him.
3) Xiyi realised how broken he made Jiaxin and his inability to protect her made her change to Elaine. It’s not a bad thing but she lose her innocence and he knew he is the reasons for that.
4) The loss of Xiao Ximi, no matter how hurting it is for both of them, but it made Jiaxin can meet Xiyi as an 'equal'.
5) Xiyi realised that he is the cause of Jiaxin pain and literally, literally anyone can be Mr. W as long as it is not him. Thus, his decision to let her go despite how painful it is for him.
All the OST in this drama is amazing though. I can’t get over how the BGM always always make the scenes even sadder. And those lyrics, how it fits all the characters like a shoe.
The story is not perfect since I have my problem with the way some of the plots are handled but overall, this drama is a good adaptation. I thoroughly enjoyed it and ended up becoming a fan of the actors.
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This review may contain spoilers
Very interesting & enjoyable drama. I really like it a lot. I personally think the synopsis was kind of misleading since the drama started with both of them having a good relationship with each other before the tragedy. And I like how Arthit is the only one who can relate to Paeng and her mischievous way of trying to get the attention from her parents. We understand where she's coming from and why she's behave like the way she did.Arthit is a really great guy. I dont know how he does it but Mark somehow de-aged like how he looked in My Husband in Law that's why he still can passed as a college student here (lol). I always thought he's an amazing actor and very expressive since he can emoting really well -- when the script is ambiguous, I always rely on his facial expressions to relate on what his character supposed to be feeling. In heartbreaking scenes, he didnt need to shed tears but I know his heart is breaking just from his facial expressions alone. I found it really amazing as when you look at his face, his facial muscles barely moving but it showed a lot of emotions at the same time. And he does hating really well like he did in Kleun Cheewit. I literally can feel his anger and hatred. He really excel in this kind of role I must say. But at the same time, he smiles a loooot in this drama so its really a plus.
Kao as Paeng is hilarious, lovely, feisty and a fighter. I know I'm supposed to feel sorry for her but I ended up laugh out loud everytime Arthit had a fight with her. She maybe remorseful but she aint gonna accept everything without a fight -- thats why all her banters with Arthit is such a delight to watch. And I looooove how she is the one who always cornered Arthit when it is supposed to be the opposite. She's amazing, really. She did many first moves and I always enjoy this kind of characters where the female is the one in charged of their own destiny. There's a couple of dark episodes where she is not herself but when she's back, she's back and the drama becomes lively again.
Mark is a King of Chemistry in my book so his chemistry with Kao is engaging and a delight to watch. Their banters are lovely, fun & hilarious and they did emotional scenes really well. Aside from the chemistry, I love Arthit's bestfriends and all his workers. They're such great people and they're hilarious -- mostly all of them are funny which make the drama fun most of the times even during the sad times. And I love the houses, the farms and all the greens in the drama. The story is mainly not in Bangkok so its really refreshing to be surrounded with trees and flowers for a change. And the cinematography is really beautiful -- they went to many different places so its such a treat to the eyes.
I love that the drama always explore the meaning behind the title 'As Long as the Sky Has the Sun' / 'My Forever Sunshine'. Arthit has always been like a sun to Paeng whether the bright, warm or the hot sun to her. And the evening sun (sunset) is the Arthit that Paeng loves the most thus they are many scenes of them watching the sunset together.
This is one of the better drama for Year 2020. I hope to see this type of drama more in my life without a doubt where both the male & female leads are likeable.
What I love the most about this drama is the great ending! Truly great ending in my book:
- Paeng's 'Love Actually' apology
- Paeng's kiss attempt to win Arthit back
- Paeng's broadcasted love confession
- Paeng's marriage proposal :D
- Their disaster wet wedding
- Arthit wanting to skip the wedding and go straight to their bridal chamber and Paeng agrees without hesitation (lol)
- Paeng kissed Arthit first at their wedding
- Wet and very handsome Arthit (haha) 8D
- Lots of smiles and kisses!
- It is such a refreshing and great ending -- sweet, fun & full of heart.
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This review may contain spoilers
I watch this drama knowing it would be good, but it never crossed my mind that the story will totally blow my mind away. I love almost everything the drama has to offer; the mesmerizing leads, excellent written script, brilliant directing, beautiful cinematography, heart-wrenching soundtracks, deep and angsty storyline, mind-blowing on-screen chemistry, and most of all the moving and pure love story of the lead characters.Park Shi Hoo and Moon Chae Won shine brilliantly in their award-winning performance as the star-crossed lovers. Who thought that they will be such a beautiful and unforgettable couple to watch? Park Shi Hoo portrayal as Kim Seung Yoo totally take my breath away. He left me in awe for his amazing portrayal of Seung Yoo: from a happy and full of life noble man with witty personality, he changed into a bitter and revengeful young man after his family was killed and later into a charismatic leader with big responsibility on his shoulder. This is no doubt the best performance Shi Hoo has to offer to date – he is the gem in this drama and his character is the drive that carried the drama forward. While Moon Chae Won is dazzling as Se Ryung. Who can hate this character when it is full of love, courage, honesty and justice? It’s actually painful to see her dilemma of wanting to protect the one that she loves in the expense of going against her beloved father. But I don’t know how she does this, but she remained innocent and noble right until the end. She never makes one single questionable action that can question her loyalty to his family and the man she loves. The rest of the cast also played all their characters excellently. Hong Soo Hyun as Princess Kyung Hye unexpectedly gives a very good performance as a bitter princess and both of the second male leads; Song Jong Ho and Lee Min Woo done their part to give the drama overall good performance. 8 of the drama’s main and supporting characters were nominated for acting awards and 3 of them ended up winning so you basically can know how this drama is backed up with unprecedented quality of good acting from all the actors involved.
The main reason that makes the drama special is the pure & innocent love story between Seung Yoo and Se Ryung. Honestly, I have watched tons of K-dramas love stories before but I have to say that this one is one of the very best ever written. It is so well developed right from the start; their sweet and beautiful courtship, misunderstanding, reunion, betrayal, and their heartbreaking sad fate and longing to each other is just painful and agonizing to watch. You can truly see why they fall in love and remain devoted to each other no matter how cruel the circumstances between their families. It is so well told and beautifully portrayed by both of the leads -- their exceptional and explosive chemistry is absolutely compelling with unparalleled eminence that for the first time in my life, I actually feel heartache watching a love story. No matter whether it is happy or sad scenes, watching the two of them just breaks my heart. Kudos to the writer for writing such a memorable love story, I’m expecting it to be good but I got more than what I asked for. There’re plenty of romantic unforgettable scenes between the two of them. I find myself watching them over and over again since they are beautifully shot; be it their first meeting, the date at the market and river, the horse ridings, the sudden confession, the hug scene in the shack, the kidnapping scene, the romantic scenes at the forest (honestly, the most romantic scene in Kdramas history ever ♥) nor the marriage scene in the hut (I can’t believe they pulled a Cold Mountain here XD). The two of them really look like they are deeply in love with each other just by the look in their eyes or how they touched -- it is just simply beautiful yet heartbreaking to watch at the same time.
- Childhood story: It is usual for period piece dramas to start the story from the leads’ childhood years. While it is important for us to understand the background story, I always find it is a struggle to finish the childhood parts. But here in this drama, it went straightly to their adult years which is a very refreshing and revitalizing change.
- Mortality aspect: It always annoyed me to no end how the bad guys in historical dramas always seemed to have 9 lives while the good guys always die just by one strike. And it also annoyed me how the good guys will never have the balls to kill the bad guys, which resulted with more blood spills because of the hesitation of the good guys to do what is right. But in this drama, you going to be surprised how there are no such elements making the storyline more justified and believable between the good and the evil people.
- Extreme actions: Usually in Kdramas, good guys have always known to have this reputation of not taking things to the extreme. They are known to always forgive, let go or given light punishment to the bad guys -- they basically are known for not taking things to the max. But the drama surprised me on how often the good guys took matters on their own hand. Seung Yoo startled me on how far he can go as far as kidnapping Se Ryung, shoot Soo Yang and Myun with arrows, murdered the bad guys one by one, go to the dangerous enemy den to save his friends and Se Ryung and etc... It’s nice to see that for once, good guys actually do all these kind of extreme things and gave good fights to the bad guys that actually satisfy the viewers.
- Promises: Another one aspect that extinguished this drama from its counterparts is the promises made between the characters. Usually in Kdramas, it is almost certain that once a character made promises, they almost never fulfilled it -- they either die or decided to break it. But in this drama, all the 3 promises that Seung Yoo made to Se Ryung, he fulfilled them; one by one. I was being skeptical at first, but the writer surprised me since Seung Yoo stick to his words right until the end.
- Blood aspect: It is known that Korean people have strong value and emphasis on their blood line. No matter how evil their fathers/relatives, just because they are related by blood, they will stand by them although they know it is wrong. In this drama, I love the fact that Se Ryung never attempt to go against his father nor decided to go against Seung Yoo. She just did what she thinks is right -- what her heart told her and remain loyal to both of them. She always asks her father repeatedly to repent while supporting Seung Yoo from the back at the same time. And I’m expecting that she going to choose one of them in the end but she never did. She also never ask Seung Yoo to choose her or her father or asking him to forgive her father’s sins but instead, she let him to choose what he wants to do without subjecting her opinion like what other Kdramas like to do.
- The ending: Korean historical piece are known to have bad and unsatisfactory ending. Hell, most of them have crappy endings to be honest. But this drama actually different and managed to give us a good and very satisfactory endings to all the characters. Most of people already predicted from the start how the story gonna end. Both of the main leads’ families are enemies to each other, no matter what happened in the end, there’s no way the story going to end happily since it is too tragic to begin with. For all the responsibilities that people put on Seung Yoo’s shoulder, it is almost certain that either him or Soo Yang will live, and of course luck doesn’t seemed to be on Seung Yoo’s side. But I was proven wrong! Ending Soo Yang’s life is seemed to be only a light punishment to him for all the sins that he has done. Leave him living his life seemed to be more cruel since he will never be happy and ridden with guilt for all the blood that he has spilled -- his only son died, his daughter left him, his wife hates him, he will forever feel afraid of the day someone going to take the throne away from him, and he also suffered from incurable disease and spending his life regretfully.
I will forever grateful for the clever and brilliant ending the writer has to offer. I come expecting they both will die in the end but the writer instead give us a very surprising happy ending and a justified one too. I never being so nervous in my life watching the last episode of a drama since I pray hard that the production team will give me a good and happy ending since I really feel attached to both of the main characters. Although I know it will probably end tragically right from the start, there’s a tiny little hope in my heart that wish it will end up differently. In the last episode, when Se Ryung figured out that she is pregnant, I know for sure that Seung Yoo will die since it is typical for a story to end one life with the gift of life to another. My expectation on how the drama going to end were in motion right until the last moments of the drama, however, the writers surprised me with a twist they have in store for the drama’s ending.
A great Korean drama will never be complete without an awesome OST. What the drama surely promised us is the heart-wrenching soundtracks. Queen of K-OST; Baek Ji Young provides us with the title track; ‘I’m Loving You Today’. Everytime the song is played at the background, my heart ache because of the song’s yearning and sad melody. While Seung Yoo theme song was sung by Park Wan Kyu which heart-breaking lyrics portray his longing for Se Ryung which he can no longer see. This drama great OSTs also provide an amazing duet between Ha Dong Kyun & Lee Jung which gives us a very powerful ballade that totally took me my storm when it is played in the drama -- who can overlook those powerful vocals which is full of passion and emotion? And Yoon Hwa Jae In provides us the theme song for Se Ryung character titled ‘Longing’ which was superbly sung by her to reflect the dilemma that Se Ryung is feeling inside. Overall, the soundtracks basically make the drama more alive and vivid -- it is simply exceptional in bringing the drama tragic atmosphere feel more real.
In the end, what hold the drama together are the strong value about life and death, doing what is right, fight for right reasons and remain true to your hearts. The drama got many other reasons to make it stay high in my list but the glorious ending makes it even more memorable. It’s no doubt this piece has become one of my very personal favorites. Seung Yoo once said that forgetting everything and living happily faraway with Se Ryung is only a dream for him. I’m glad in the end, he’s living in the dream life he yearned and desired.
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Xing Zhaolin did a very good job portraying a peculiar, weird and confused Zhihao who hates touching people due to his germaphobia. But later, all the sweet things he did to accommodate his shortcomings are really nice to watch. And I love it how he didn’t need words or explanation later to understand Shiya's love towards him -- he is the one who felt her sincerity thus other people words didn’t convince him otherwise.
Zhang Yuxi as Shiya is just super lovely! She's pretty, insane, fun, cute and overall just really lovely. I understand why Zhihao falls for her since anyone would. Her imagination, persistence and lack of self-control always made everything more hilarious. The scene that got me the most is the ones where she needs to use children's song in order to stop her sexual frustration lol. And her fashion! My goodness, all those one pieces, dresses and evening gowns are just so pretty. Shiya’s fashion is truly A++ in this drama - the best dressed Chinese lead female actress in my book as for once, a gorgeous person is dressed gorgeously with very pretty hairstyles.
I actually enjoyed a lot of monologue in the drama. The one that I like the most is when Zhihao said that ''He likes being alone where no one disturb him, he has a lot of time to himself -- until Shiya comes into his life and change everything. Then he realised that kind of life actually an extravagant to him thus he dares not to dream about it -- not that he hates it. But now he has felt it, he wants to continue living this new life with Shiya.''
Apart from that, what I love about this drama is the very pretty cinematography and directing. Mostly all of their romantic scenes together are just like a perfect picture with very nice props and background. The drama is like a collection of many beautiful pictures put together. This is one of the dramas where you realise how important is the directing as the director used a lot of props to make everything looks so pretty, beautiful and breath-taking. From the usage of umbrella, hanging lights on trees, lamp posts light at night to theme park or garden backdrop, every of their romantic scenes together are so pretty and perfect as a photobook material. Coupled this with the leads' attractive features and Shiya's great fashion, each scene is like a beautiful photoshoot pictures.
And the OSTs, its really perfect and just beautiful. I don’t know why but C-dramas OSTs are really my cup of tea -- from the sweet melody to the heart-breaking lyrics, everyone seemed to have their own theme song -- even Shi Huan (I didn’t expect the 2nd part ending song is actually from his POV). :D
And the revelation at the end of the drama is really nice and unexpected. Everything makes sense after that -- on why Shiya attracted to Zhihao and why there are always this strange & explanation connection between them. Not only because Zhihao taste delicious but because they are connected together since that day -- as her body remembers his touch and it was his touch which save her from that dark incident. A perfect ending to a complexly fun drama. All around an enjoyable and entertaining production – the one which is perfect for a rewatch everytime you want to have a good and amusing time.
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The Unknown: Legend of Exorcist Zhong Kui
5 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
Okay, I cried at the reunion scene in the last episode. It was so well done and in my opinion one of the best reunion scenes in dramaland. When I started the drama, I went from ‘Zhaolin, the things I do for you…’ to ended up enjoying the drama for real. This is a great story about brotherhood, friendship, forbidden love, responsibility, sacrifices, obsession and what one has to do for the greater good. The drama unfortunately didn’t start up as interesting and the CGI is terrible. But if you can stand the horrible CGI in Ten Miles of Peach Blossom or other Chinese fantasy dramas in general, then you can surely can stand this one as well. :P But the budget is actually more on the moderate side since they used really a lot of extras and different sets for 6 different arch stories. Not to mention that the costumes that the extras wore were pretty much not cheap and even the extras change their costume regularly which shows that the budget is definitely in the moderate side. Plus, Hanyan’s hanfus are really pretty! I always looking forward to her costumes since its really awesome and beautiful. :D
This drama is about a famous Chinese deity; Zhong Kui which in charge of vanquishing all demons and evil beings in the Underworld and this drama tells his story before he become a deity and the trials and judgements he has to go through. That is why Zhong Yunfei is constantly being tested and can never catch a break since his noble beliefs are being tested again and again. And he has his sworn brothers Hanyan & Fuqu on his side to kill and battle all the demons in the mortal world in his journey to deity-hood.
Throughout the drama, we seen him being tested where he constantly in the battle between himself and his inner demon (human’s feelings). Sometimes, he succeeded and sometimes he failed since after all he is still human with real feelings. But one thing we should pointed out is that how selfless he is when he is against the evil – regardless anyone status, he is willing to sacrifice himself in order the defeat the evil. Which is why when he sacrificed himself to save his brother Fuqu from becoming a demon, it is enough to show how his noble belief is one of his strongest strengths and the reason why the demon realms wanted his immortal body since his noble belief itself is enough to shake the heaven’s realms.
The last 12 episodes of this drama is especially great. This is when Yunfei is tested with his biggest trial with the appearance of his long lost lover Nian’er in the form of a Butterfly Demon and this is where he’s inside is tested on what he should do for the right thing between defeating the evil or wallowing in his regrets of not being able to protect Nian’er in the past. When Nian’er decided to sacrifice herself to save him, he was adamant to follow her words to continue living a happy and fulfilling life but when Hanyan & Fuqu decided to sacrifice themselves in order to kill the Demon King for him later on the same day, it is what that broke him and make him lose his faith. He lost the 3 person he loved the most in the world on the same day and one can assume the great sadness he is feeling despite the great evil is defeated.
I actually really love the message the drama wants to tell us at the end. His inner demon is right, that it is better to be happy despite it being short rather than spent centuries in love-sickness. Yunfei knew this as well since it is him who feels those regrets and loneliness but with LOVE, comes RESPONSIBILITIES. The love he felt towards Nian’er is the ultimate forbidden love since they can’t be together no matter how he struggle and fight the heaven since it will end with both of them being struck with lighting with no chance of reincarnation. It is cruel and unfair, but some thing can never being done no matter how much you try to fight and resist it. That is why despite I am crying tears of happiness when he reunite with Hanyan & Fuqu, I can’t help but feeling sad as well. Those longing look everytime he sees Nian’er – wanting to hold her but he can’t is just heartbreaking. But he can’t be selfish and sacrifice her for his own regrets and obsession and he know this as well. I like it since even his inner demon comes term with his own obsession and chose to do what is right which is to let go of Nian'er. True love can never be selfish but wanting happiness for the person that you love although it is not with you.
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First, I like that Xia Ke has always likes Xing Yun since the very beginning. It’s just that, he didn’t realise it since they have a very close work relationship. It’s the same with Xing Yun, we thought that she's the type who just went along with everything but then we are given the many little hints here and there how she has always like him from her phone case to how she concern to every little things involving him -- all of this contribute to the fact that she always had him in her heart without her realising it as well.
Second, I like how Xia Ke is just naturally a very nice guy and an amazing boss. His kindness is not only limited to Xing Yun but his other employees as well. He pretends to act cold (tender heart, cold exterior), but he cares for his employees deeply with a pretence that when he do something nice for them, it is not from him -- so in a way, it’s actually more genuine since when he did something, he didn’t ask anything in return.
Third, I like the background story that they give to Xing Yun. We can’t deny that she's really lucky and the reason why Xia Ke treasure her so much -- everyone in the company knows it and acknowledge it too. She's there from the beginning and the reasons behind TIG success as well. Xia Ke has groomed her to be a planner as well so when she finally takes the challenge, for him, it was worth the wait since he always know she is capable of it. Her getting 4 freaking increments in 2 years are just part of the many things that shows how much Xia Ke appreciated her.
Fourth, I love the relationship of everyone in the drama. From Xia Ke good friendship with his 2 collage friends to Xing Yun awesome friendship with her two best friends. Not to mention Xing Yun's parents’ relationship to Xing Yun relationship with them. No wonder she has so much kindness and happiness as she being brought up by 2 awesome parents. But the relationship that takes the cake for me is the relationship between Xia Ke and her sister. Zhaolin surprisingly has the most chemistry with her sister Shen Ying in the drama. From the way her sister likes to troll him to his sacrifices for her -- his love is genuine and for once, I thought it makes since for him to hide the fact about her ex-hubby (noble idiocy that I agree lol) since by the time she learned the truth, she already finds love again and won’t be dragged by the bad memories.
Fifth, I really love the progression of the love relationship between Xia Ke and Xing Yun. It just progressed naturally instead of being shoe-horned to us. Their spending time together just naturally happen or merely a coincidence. Xia Ke tries to protect her from bad relationships but he didn’t cock-blocked her and he is not doing things just out of jealousy. I love that for the fact, he's not jealous (since he didn’t realise his feelings yet at that time) so many of his actions are not resulted just because Xing Yun is in a relationship. He only learns his feeling gradually when he realised how he just always wanted to have her around him all the time. It’s funny how all the people knew that he likes her but he himself isn’t aware of it. It makes sense as they started their relationship as a boss and an employee so for them to realise the attraction very much later makes sense. I also liked the fact that how Xing Yun teach Xia Ke to have more trust on people and stopped taking and controlling everything himself -- for him to break that thinking wasn’t easy so from her sister's ex-hubby, Xing Yun & Chu Nan relationship & to the investment fiasco -- Xing Yun teaches him to stop doing things that he 'thought' are good for them but instead having more trust on people. I'm glad that after the long journey, he finally gets it.
Such a fun drama. It definitely makes a good re-watch. And I would recommend as well to people since it is after all a good office romance drama. The one where all characters have their own lives and challenges and their lives are not centered on love alone but other things as well.
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The plot is interesting and fast-paced and the scripts is very simple without over dragging so everything is solved very fast without many heartaches. I really love the first half of the drama since it was hilarious and exciting but the 2nd part couldn't match up the first half unfortunately. But it’s still very watchable and the writers gave us a satisfactory ending.
Aside from that, this drama is pure romance through and through and for once, a married couple who actually behave like a true married couple in love with lots of hugs and kisses. :D The plot centered around the canopy bed but tbh, the only magical thing about the bed is that it increased the lust of people who sleep on it to 9586583% lol
Liang Jie is really good in this dual role as Xiao Tan is both hilarious and shameless so its very enjoyable to watch all her antics since girlie know how to take care of herself while Tan Er is frustrating as a character but very refined and elegant as a lady.
Xing Zhaolin as Mo Lian Cheng is my fave character in this drama as he is full of tease and most of his comments are sharp and savage. I personally didn't find him very handsome but his confidence, intelligent and boldness really make him very attractive. Both Xiao Tan & Lian Cheng have very different personalities but somehow, they matched up with each other to the T as it seemed only Lian Cheng could tame the rather wild Xiao Tan.
In conclusion, this is a good and happy romance drama if you want to have a good time. The very simple plot and script wouldn't make your head spinning and the chemistry between the leads are mesmerizing. Sometimes, you just want to watch a good romance drama that is not tragic or frustrating and this drama is exactly that.
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One of The Best Mystery Dramas
Its been such a looooong time since I've seen a good mystery drama like this! The last time is Maou & Ryusei no Kizuna which is like 12 years ago.The plot is very interesting and the plot twist at the end is very unexpected (kudos to who manage to guess since the writer actually gave us various hints in the script). The leads' sexual tension is great (lol) and I love how despite they are not supposed to love each other, their relationship is not toxic at all. They comes terms to their feeling very early and everything moves very fast.
The girl is so pretty -- honestly the prettiest J-actress I have ever seen in my decades of watching J-dramas. And I have no idea who is the male lead but he emotes really well so all his emotional scenes are great.
I finished the drama in one day since it is that addicting. And those Japanese sweets -- I'm willing to pay good money to taste all of it! 8D
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Mark is seriously so handsome and charismatic as Thien that even a simple tshirt looks good on him and he had such a killer smile especially all those mischievous smiles when he is teasing Muey. And Mew as Muey is very refreshing as a character -- as she is the innocent type but she is horny as hell as well (have we seen this combination before? lol). There are sooo soo soo many embarrassing scenes between the 2 of them and I was like; 'Girl, NO NO NOOOO!!!' but she did it anyway and since Thien is so savage, the whole thing was even more embarrassing for her haha. I still cant believe that he had to tied her on the bed since she was so horny that night! I dont think I have seen scenes like that happen in any dramas before and since there are so many this type of scene in this drama, it just stands out even more.
But most of all, both of them are such a good actors despite being so pretty which make the whole thing even more enjoyable. I love the production of this drama since you know it is high budgeted with the way all the houses are so pretty and look expensive and not to mention the extras that they used in this drama -- I love that it truly look like office with actual people working in it. The storyline do get frustrating at times but its still entertaining and interesting and not to mention consistently hilarious so it will always hold a special place in my heart.
The the rewatching value for this drama is like 100% as there are so many iconic and legendary scenes that I cant stop watching. The drama made you feel good and happy and thats the reason why I always find myself rewatching it over and over again. :D
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Lots Lots Lots of Twists!
This drama is probably a drama that has the most twists in it. Just when you thought this is the truth, they gave you another twist to something that you thought its the real truth. I'm actually surprise no one has ever remake this drama despite its rich storyline. It was nicely done without things being too predictable since all the twists and turns are fits into the story and characters perfectly.I have to hands this to Mark Chao as this is his first ever role and he got the prestigious Golden Horse Best Actor Awards for this drama. Has anyone ever manage to do this before? First role and they managed to beat the other veteran actors in the same category? I personally thought he over-reacted in the first few episodes but his acting skills improved tremendously in the later episodes that made me think that he actually deserved that award. And Vic Chou really surprise me here. The last time I saw him is ages ago in Meteor Garden and he's like a different person here since his acting skills have improved so so so much. I cant believe he is the same person lol. And his character is really interesting and a delight to watch.
Aside from all this positive points, it is also worth to note that this drama has one of the most interesting love storyline that cant be found in other Asian dramas out there. Everyone is basically in love with different people so the relationship dynamics turned out to be very interesting and refreshing.
But despite this, I still have complain since I feel like the storyline when they took the law in their hands was very distasteful. This is because if police officers start doing things that didnt follow the law (no matter how innocent are they), it makes them very hypocritical since they wont let anyone else do the same. If police officers start to run away from the law, then how can we trust the justice system? I'm all for dark knight / robin hood kind of justice but as a police officer, they have principle that they need to uphold and those principles apply to them and not just EVERYONE else except them.
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One of the Greatest Love Stories Ever Told
I really love this drama. Its literally the greatest love story ever told in the history of movies/dramas imo. Forget Romeo & Juliet, the Shakespearean tragedy is so paled in comparison with this one. The level of heartache (lol) that I suffered when watching this drama is like what I have never felt before -- it makes the drama highly addicting and engaging. No wonder that this drama is the most watched television series in China as per this moment despite the many flaws that it may had.Yang Mi as Bai Qian as a character is very interesting and fun. The kind of dedication that she showed and how headstrong she is in everything despite never act recklessly that can ruin her Master's sacrifices are really admirable. Plus, she got all those legendary script which is hilarious and funny as hell like when she tell her Master Mo Yuen having the face of a Boy Toy in stage plays as he is so handsome or telling Ye Hua she has no problem in having lots of children after they are married as long as Ye Hua is the one who gets pregnant lol. Her character is so savage and she didnt back off in facing evil people either makes her character as someone easily to root for. The fact that he actually propose twice to Ye Hua says everything.
Mark Chao as Ye Hua/Mo Yuen is really fantastic in my opinion. I'm actually really amazed with his acting skills. Both Ye Hua & Mo Yuen, despite having the same face, really feel like a different person since they totally have different vibes and mannerisms. His crying scenes are really well done that you can literally feel his heart is breaking everytime that he cried. He didnt care how he looks when he cried so you feel all those raw emotion even more. He didnt hold back, that is why you can feel Ye Hua's deep love to Bai Qian in another level. I have never seen someone love as deep as Ye Hua loves Bai Qian. The things he has to go through, the waiting, the sacrifices that he made for her are really selfless. The things that made Ye Hua really iconic is the fact that it one of a rare occasions when you can truly feel his deep love. Ye Hua actually wants Bai Qian desperately and sincerely and it shows in all his actions and words. His love is selfless, it didnt matter if he got her or not but as long as she is alive and happy, its all that matters to him and it is enough -- it is enough for him. That is why his love is great while at the same time sad as well. The writer made a good job writing such an excellent character and Mark played the character to perfection like he understood the very deep of Ye Hua's soul. And I love despite how much he loves her, he still never neglects his duty as a Crown Prince which in turn making his character as a whole really admirable and awesome. Or the fact that he is a great father to A-li -- who play with him, tuck him to bed, hands on towards him and give him warm childhood that he didnt have just make him even more dreamy as a character.
While I love the drama and understand the popularity behind it, the drama itself is not without faults. The CGI in particular are horrible and mostly all characters aside from the leads are merely a tools that do not have individual character's arch -- its like they are just there either to assist of hinder the leads from each other. It makes them one dimensional and uninteresting. But the biggest major complain about the drama that I have is that they shouldn't put A-Li in the equation as the writer wrote Bai Qian as someone with literally zero motherly instinct. While I super love the love story between the 2 of them, A-Li's story arch leave a bad taste in my mouth with how indifferent Bai Qian is towards him. My guess is the writer is not a mother thus she didnt know the natural instinct that all mother should have towards their children.
But despite it, the drama deserved 9.5/10 for the beautiful love story and 100% rewatch value. It is without doubt love with many trials & tribulations but stood the test of time.
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Xing Zhaolin did a very good job portraying a peculiar, weird and confused Zhihao who hates touching people due to his germaphobia. But later, all the sweet things he did to accommodate his shortcomings are really nice to watch. And I love it how he didn’t need words or explanation later to understand Shiya's love towards him -- he is the one who felt her sincerity thus other people words didn’t convince him otherwise.
Zhang Yuxi as Shiya is just super lovely! She's pretty, insane, fun, cute and overall just really lovely. I understand why Zhihao falls for her since anyone would. Her imagination, persistence and lack of self-control always made everything more hilarious. The scene that got me the most is the ones where she needs to use children's song in order to stop her sexual frustration lol. And her fashion! My goodness, all those one pieces, dresses and evening gowns are just so pretty. Shiya’s fashion is truly A++ in this drama - the best dressed Chinese lead female actress in my book as for once, a gorgeous person is dressed gorgeously with very pretty hairstyles.
I actually enjoyed a lot of monologue in the drama. The one that I like the most is when Zhihao said that ''He likes being alone where no one disturb him, he has a lot of time to himself -- until Shiya comes into his life and change everything. Then he realised that kind of life actually an extravagant to him thus he dares not to dream about it -- not that he hates it. But now he has felt it, he wants to continue living this new life with Shiya.''
Apart from that, what I love about this drama is the very pretty cinematography and directing. Mostly all of their romantic scenes together are just like a perfect picture with very nice props and background. The drama is like a collection of many beautiful pictures put together. This is one of the dramas where you realise how important is the directing as the director used a lot of props to make everything looks so pretty, beautiful and breath-taking. From the usage of umbrella, hanging lights on trees, lamp posts light at night to theme park or garden backdrop, every of their romantic scenes together are so pretty and perfect as a photobook material. Coupled this with the leads' attractive features and Shiya's great fashion, each scene is like a beautiful photoshoot pictures.
And the OSTs, its really perfect and just beautiful. I don’t know why but C-dramas OSTs are really my cup of tea -- from the sweet melody to the heart-breaking lyrics, everyone seemed to have their own theme song -- even Shi Huan (I didn’t expect the 2nd part ending song is actually from his POV). :D
And the revelation at the end of the drama is really nice and unexpected. Everything makes sense after that -- on why Shiya attracted to Zhihao and why there are always this strange & explanation connection between them. Not only because Zhihao taste delicious but because they are connected together since that day -- as her body remembers his touch and it was his touch which save her from that dark incident. A perfect ending to a complexly fun drama. All around an enjoyable and entertaining production – the one which is perfect for a rewatch everytime you want to have a good and amusing time.
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A Near Perfect Romance Drama!
Seriously one of the best romance T-dramas out there. Full of lovable characters, interesting plots and a lot of sweet and heartwarming scenes and not to mention amazing OSTs with awesome lyrics that fits the story perfectly. I actually have low expectation when I watched this drama but I was pleasantly surprise with how much I love it and not wanting for it to end.Jiro Wang is so so so lovely as Michelin. He has those tough & brute look but he has a heart of gold and always always smiling. I cant say in words of how much I am in love with his character in this drama. His easy to embarrassed self, and not to mention blunt & honest personality was a delight to watch. But most surprise come from the leading lady Genie Chuo as Xiao Shu. I love her character so much! I usually find it hard to like leading ladies in romance dramas since they always portray as dumb or weak but she's none of that. I love how kind she is and most of all that overflowing confidence, despite being blind. And how smiley she is in everything -- for someone who cant see, she is very positive making everyone around her falls for her despite her disability. And I understood why everyone willing to sacrifice for her since she is worthy of all that. And another pleasant surprise also come from the 2nd male lead Danson Tang as Leng Lei. He has a lot of screen time as well and I love the fact how he is not petty despite he loves Xiao Shu as much as Michelin and the one who has been waiting for her for years. We can see different kind of love from him which I find really refreshing.
My only complain would be involving the plot regarding Leng Lei's father but everything else was near perfect. I love that the last episode made me cry and I was touched when Michelin said he used all his lifetime wishes for her in order for her to be healthy and happy -- those kind of selfless love is a really beautiful thing to experience. All in all, it was a perfect romance drama which love good plot and storyline.
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