A Train is Coming ......

The Devil Punisher is a 2020 romance fantasy supernatural drama co-produced by Sanli and Netflix. This drama includes some elements of mythology. I was originally really pumped waiting for this drama to finish airing since the synopsis looks pretty interesting. I ran here after finished watching the drama, and all I can say is it is a train wreck.

In Chinese mythology, Zhong Kui is a demon fighter (you might have seen pictures of him posted on doors). According to legends, when he was a mortal, he lived during the Tang dynasty era. He participated in the palace examination, however, due to jealousy, the prime minister framed him and he took his own life. Meanwhile, Meng Po is known as the goddess/ grandma who cooks forgetfulness soup so that souls who reincarnate will have no memories of their past life, thus there is no grievances nor resentfulness. This drama narrative revolves around Zhong Kui and Meng Po as lovers that transcend over time.

It all started after a hateful spirit burned a bridge in the underworld realm and dragged Meng Po to the human realm. Upon arriving at the human realm, Meng Po memory was erased and her heavenly aura was sealed, making Zhong Kui unable to find her for a period of time. Shortly after finding Meng Po, Zhong Kui and Meng Po crack stranger supernatural cases together, and in the process of it, Meng Po falls for Zhong Kui once again. However, not long after problems start to brew bigger. The problems they were solving were like dominos that lead to one another, which ultimately lead to the big plan and the villain. The villain in the drama is really predictable, after watching a few episodes, I am pretty sure that most of the viewers are able to guess who is the big bad boss.

This drama was funny and interesting in the first few episodes, I laughed quite a few times watching the earlier episodes. However, it got really draggy and it has a lot of nonsensical plot and plotholes in the middle of the drama. The climax lacks intensity, and the ending of this drama was really rushed and full of nonsense. Why go all around circles, ups and down when the problem/ trial could be solved easily. For real, the problem-solving in this drama was really funny and nonsense. In addition, one episode of this drama is around 1 hour long, which will probably make some fall asleep or really sleepy while watching this.

The characters in this drama are straight so bland, they have no personality or whatsoever. I don't know if the characters were written in that way. And I'd like to give a slap to En Xi, she acted so bratty and took everything for granted. The actors and actresses' acting was emmm, it was like a child's play. I watched one of Mike He's dramas, Cambrian Period, but his acting does not give me any impression, meanwhile, this is the first Ivy Shao drama I watched. Their acting was downright bland, I am sorry to say this but I feel like all of the actors in this drama were just reciting lines. I mean yea the male lead looks hot and the female lead looks cute but they have no chemistry at all. I always laughed at their kiss scenes, I feel like watching 2 fishes kissing every time they kissed...

This drama got a pretty huge subsidy from the government, however, I wonder where all those budgets went. The production, the cinematography is so terrible it looks like a high school kid production drama. I don't know if because it is shot during Corona or what but it is terrible. I have no words on how to describe it, I The CGI was average, not too bad but not good also, even though there were some terrible CGIs. And even if the cinematography is terrible, I am still kinda looking forward to the actor's outfit but again, their outfit is soo bland.. And the historical/ period costume, makeup, the hairstyle was horrendous; I am sure even a small production period drama did it better. As for the BGM and OSTs, there is nothing catchy in particular.

I thought I'd give this 4.5, because there are some cases that were pretty touching (but still not well-developed), and for their comedy element in the early episodes, and lastly for the character development. The only character development I see throughout this series is Zhong Kui and Ouyang Kai. Their character develops as the story arc progresses- Zhong Kui became more "sympathetic and more humane", Ouyang Kai became more "mature".

I thought of dropping it halfway, but I kept on watching since I was curious if the story takes a better turn but It does not. Overall, if you are a fan of the actors or genre, go ahead and watch but for me who is not a fan of the actor nor genres, it is a waste of time and energy.

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Ancient Poetry in Motion and Girl Power!!

Marvelous Women（当家主母）is a 35 episode drama produced by HuanYu Entertainment. The drama premise itself revolves around the art of Chinese traditional weaving culture, Kesi (cutting silk) and how the two women in that era tries to defy the traditional norms.

Produced by HuanYu Entertainment, the drama aesthetics itself is visually stunning. Marvelous Women uses a soft and muted colour palette and grading making it visually pleasing for the eyes. It has beautiful cinematography, such as wide, fluid shots that will draw you into the story. In addition, the outfit details and daily items details during the Qing dynasty is also shot beautifully.

What I loved about Marvelous Women is that all the characters are three-dimensional and real. Their actions are understandable, they didn't feel generic, they felt like real people with real stories. For instance, one of our female leads, Zeng Baoqin was once from an affluent family, but her family was ruined overnight, thus she was sold to a brothel. From then on, her personality changed and her outlook towards life has also changed, and through learning about her story, you can understand where she came from and why she does this and that. Moving on, the female characters in the drama are also not those young and innocent women but they are all strong and independent women. Both female leads started off as friends during their childhood, but then they grew up and become love rivals but then they became friends again. I simply love how both of them worked and racked their brain together to protect Ren family.

The cast of Marvelous Women is not stellar or star-studded but every single performance is stellar. This is one of the examples where drama doesn't have to have actors to bring tremendous traffic or to be star-studded; a good script, cinematography and production is the key. The most commendable actor I find is Zhang Huiwen (Lin Shufang) and Mao Zijun (Wei Liangong). There is not much to say about both the female lead's acting, both Jiang Qinqin and Yang Rong manages to be complex while never compromising on the very real human emotions being experienced by the characters. Meanwhile, other than Zhang Huiwen's character in Nirvana in Fire 2, I have never taken a liking to the characters she played until now. Her portrayal as Lin Shufang is excellent. YES, she tends to play dramas where she's cold and aloof, but here I can see a few changes and I find myself immersed and invested in her story. Mao Zijun on the other hand, his acting has never disappoints but his depiction as Wei Liangong here is very fleshed out. He managed to depict a sickly but gifted scholar perfectly, he speak through his eyes. Also special mention to the little boy who played Xiushan, he is so adorable!!

Moving on, honestly, I don't think I have any issue that I find in this drama, only that the whole drama is average in every aspect, the only thing that stood out in this drama is its cinematography and aesthetic. But as a Yu Zheng production, his aesthetic has always been the same, if you have ever watched Story of Yanxi Palace or Winter Begonia, you can find that there are a lot of similar and recycled elements. It is still pretty and beautiful, but it is just not refreshing.

In conclusion, the story itself isn’t that compelling but if you are looking for a visually stunning drama with a beautiful aesthetic, do pick this up!

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Goddess or Science Experiment Monster?

The Blessed Girl/ Ling Long is a drama production made by Tangren Media along with Tencent. This drama takes place in Suchuan a fictional continent. The drama narrates the story of Ling Long (Angel Zhao), who is allegedly a "goddess" / an experiment monster made by the villains. Meanwhile, Yuan Yi (Lin Yi) is the powerless young emperor of Suchuan. Together, they embark on adventures and challenges along with others to seek peace and stability in Suchuan.

The production of this drama is exquisite, and we can see that its budget is mostly spent on CGI. The CGI in this drama are really well-made in my opinion, especially the sceneries and fish boats. Then again, there are some scenes were the CGI are average/ terrible; but it is still bearble. In addition, the color schemes are really beautiful, it is rare to see historical dramas with this kind of color schemes. The color combination are bold yet goes along really well with each other. Also the styling and costumes of this drama are very immaculate and intricate. And the OSTs are also very beautiful, it managed to successfully encapsutlate the essence of the story.

The plot of this drama is not straightforward, there are a lot of flashbacks and memory travelling which may be arupt and confusing. The characters of this drama are not really well-written, the motive of their actions are not really known to the viewers which is a minus, and there are also some plot holes in the drama. However, I love how this drama highlights the relationship between Ling Long and her father. It is really heart warming to see how his father sacrifice and protect Ling Long at all costs even though he is kinda powerless.

The actors acting are average. Angel's acting is okay but Lin Yi's acting is very stoic. There are not many skinship in this drama, however, the chemistry between them is there. I personally think 40 episodes is too much for this drama. It gets really draggy in the middle, and there are a lot of unnecessary fillers. If this drama only has 24/26 episodes, it would be much better as the plot would be more straightforward and simple. The ending of the drama is not straightforward, it kinda hangs. So I am guessing there will be Ling Long S2.

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