6
52
3
virgievirgie
Lost in Dramaland
Lack of romantic chemistry, low production quality and repetitive plot
Subjective Gut Rating: 7.25
I really wanted to like “Fateful Love” and I thought I would. Who wouldn’t like a kickass female lead who can beat anyone up and is as physically strong and powerful as the male lead? Unfortunately, that fact alone is not enough. I anticipated that this is not a super popular drama since there’s no idol actors. This drama was filmed in 2021 but broadcasted in 2024. 3 years isn’t that bad but unfortunately, the low budget production makes this drama feel more dated than it should be. I thought Zhang Han would be able to pull in more resources as a veteran. Oh well…. I quite like the first half of the drama, especially before the music scavenger hunt. Ultimately, it failed to hold my attention for all 40 episodes and I was quite bored in the last 10 episodes.
Here is my quick rundown of likes/dislikes.
What I like:
1. A badass female lead, who complements a strong male lead.
2. A good-looking 2ML in Yao Chi, who played Xuanyuan Li Ge. His handsomeness keeps me going.
3. Creative fight choreography. Aside from a few slow motion scenes, I really enjoy and am very pleasantly surprised. The actors also do a great job in those moves.
4. It seems like, actors are really riding those horses. No fake CGI horses and I was quite impressed with Zhang Han’s horseback riding skills.
5. I like the focus on music and it’s cool to see music so prominently featured as a weapon.
What I have Mixed feelings:
1. A badass female lead who still needs saving quite a bit.
2. Looks like low quality fabric in costumes but the drama has beautiful headpieces for the women. The designs are beautiful, if only it has money. Props to the costume designers.
3. As much as I like the 2ML, it’s hard to keep on watching him trying to sacrifice himself. Where’s ML when FL needs him? He’s always a step behind.
4. The mermaid fight was hilariously BAD!
5. Acting is decent but not excellent. I was glad to see Zhu Xu Dan not playing the evil 2FL role, but her acting seems inconsistent.
What I Don’t Like:
1. I have to suspend my belief that a modern girl does not need time to adjust to the new world at all.
2. Poor dubbing and often out of sync.
3. Too many spoiled princesses
4. Not a fan of all men falling for FL and all women falling for ML. Adding to that, the women are usually jealous and evil, and the men are caring and will die/sacrifice for FL. Enough of these cliches.
5. Repetitive sabotage and trying to hurt FL becomes boring. The plot seems to run in circles in the second half.
6. Romance is not romancing. I don’t mind the slow burn, but I am not feeling the chemistry. I think Zhang Han tries his best, but Zhu Xu Dan is not feeling it.
7. What happened in the last arc with 2ML’s sudden change? I don’t think it was written and explained well.
Due to the lower production value, repetitive plot, lack of romantic chemistry and some other annoying factors, I am not going to recommend “Fateful Love”. This is very subjective as it seems like many others like it. I think there are other better quality dramas out there.
Completed: 10/4/2024 - Review #494
I really wanted to like “Fateful Love” and I thought I would. Who wouldn’t like a kickass female lead who can beat anyone up and is as physically strong and powerful as the male lead? Unfortunately, that fact alone is not enough. I anticipated that this is not a super popular drama since there’s no idol actors. This drama was filmed in 2021 but broadcasted in 2024. 3 years isn’t that bad but unfortunately, the low budget production makes this drama feel more dated than it should be. I thought Zhang Han would be able to pull in more resources as a veteran. Oh well…. I quite like the first half of the drama, especially before the music scavenger hunt. Ultimately, it failed to hold my attention for all 40 episodes and I was quite bored in the last 10 episodes.
Here is my quick rundown of likes/dislikes.
What I like:
1. A badass female lead, who complements a strong male lead.
2. A good-looking 2ML in Yao Chi, who played Xuanyuan Li Ge. His handsomeness keeps me going.
3. Creative fight choreography. Aside from a few slow motion scenes, I really enjoy and am very pleasantly surprised. The actors also do a great job in those moves.
4. It seems like, actors are really riding those horses. No fake CGI horses and I was quite impressed with Zhang Han’s horseback riding skills.
5. I like the focus on music and it’s cool to see music so prominently featured as a weapon.
What I have Mixed feelings:
1. A badass female lead who still needs saving quite a bit.
2. Looks like low quality fabric in costumes but the drama has beautiful headpieces for the women. The designs are beautiful, if only it has money. Props to the costume designers.
3. As much as I like the 2ML, it’s hard to keep on watching him trying to sacrifice himself. Where’s ML when FL needs him? He’s always a step behind.
4. The mermaid fight was hilariously BAD!
5. Acting is decent but not excellent. I was glad to see Zhu Xu Dan not playing the evil 2FL role, but her acting seems inconsistent.
What I Don’t Like:
1. I have to suspend my belief that a modern girl does not need time to adjust to the new world at all.
2. Poor dubbing and often out of sync.
3. Too many spoiled princesses
4. Not a fan of all men falling for FL and all women falling for ML. Adding to that, the women are usually jealous and evil, and the men are caring and will die/sacrifice for FL. Enough of these cliches.
5. Repetitive sabotage and trying to hurt FL becomes boring. The plot seems to run in circles in the second half.
6. Romance is not romancing. I don’t mind the slow burn, but I am not feeling the chemistry. I think Zhang Han tries his best, but Zhu Xu Dan is not feeling it.
7. What happened in the last arc with 2ML’s sudden change? I don’t think it was written and explained well.
Due to the lower production value, repetitive plot, lack of romantic chemistry and some other annoying factors, I am not going to recommend “Fateful Love”. This is very subjective as it seems like many others like it. I think there are other better quality dramas out there.
Completed: 10/4/2024 - Review #494
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