2
12
3
virgievirgie
Lost in Dramaland
Good Idea and General Plot but Poor Execution and Acting
Completed - 5/28/2022 - 7.75
I don't know anything about Tai Chi, so I can't really comment on the authenticity of the moves and fight choreography. I thought Tai Chi is basically healing and exercise for the mind and body. Little did I know that there's a whole martial arts side to it. Thanks to the crash course and the (too) fast introduction of the Tai Chi plot in the first few minutes, I realized Tai Chi is martial arts used in wars and battles before the use of weapons.
What I Like:
1. General Plot - This drama has elements of a wuxia drama set in the modern world. Instead of sects of the pugilistic world, we have different types and clans of martial arts. I enjoy the story of how the descendants of the four major Tai Chi clans try to attract new followers, break traditional and outdated customs and spread the art of Tai Chi to the younger generation. I also like the idea of a talented female lead who is so gifted that she gets to fight and protect others physically using her Tai Chi skills. It's always fun to see a group of youngsters band together to fight the bad guys and win in competitions. The academy that they are in, CMFU, is interesting and weird at the same thing. It's interesting because students can choose a major of their liking, wear fancy uniforms (if they want?) and compete/challenge against each other - reminds of Harry Potter and the Houses of Hogwarts. But it's also weird in a sense that I thought the different majors are only of traditional Chinese arts e.g. painting and Tai Chi. Then I realized it has all types of martial arts (Judo, Karate, Taekwondo, Wrestling). And then there's swimming as a major? What kind of weird Academy is this??
2. Costumes, Sets and Cinematography of CMFU - Even though the academy is weird, its setting is beautiful. The school is surrounded by beautiful sceneries - valleys, grass fields, rivers and mountains. Many training scenes take place out in nature or overlooking the water. The villas, houses and classrooms have a very traditional touch and design. The battle stage is set over the river and near a bridge where spectators are located. In the final competition, competitors all hang out in their respective boats with flags of their clans - very wuxia-style. Though the characters don't wear often, I really like the all-white, traditional fight uniform during the final competition. Every so often, the female lead would wear something traditional when practicing. I also enjoy the school uniform - black, long coat, and wish the characters wear them more often.
3. Fight scenes - I don't know if the fight choreography is real Tai Chi or not, but I enjoy all the scenes. I like the side-by-side Tai Chi practice between the characters. There is a decent number of Tai Chi practice and fight moves, though I would have liked to see longer scenes. I am satisfied and it's a pleasant surprise as I initially thought this drama is more romance-heavy, and really wasn't expecting a more serious plot.
What I Don't Like:
1. Acting - I know many of the actors are young and new, but the acting is really not good. This is male lead, Bi Wen Jun's first drama and it really shows. I actually saw him previously in "Sweet Teeth" and I can definitely say his acting has improved slightly 2 years later, though still has a lot of room for improvement. I have previously seen our female lead, Sun Qian, in "Remembrance of Things Past" and similar to Bi Wen Jun, she has also improved in that other drama. Her acting here in "Sweet Tai Chi" is just as bad (maybe a little better) than Bi Wen Jun. For some reason, I found their acting more tolerable in the first half than the second half. The romance scenes are awkward and lacking chemistry. Well, they do look good together visually. The rest of the supporting cast isn't that great either. I guess I am most surprised (in a bad way) at the acting of the two Hong Kong veteran actors who played grandma & grandma. Why do they also seem so uneasy in this drama?
2. Characters - Separating the acting from the characters, I actually still don't like any of them. If I have to choose, Chen Bing is my favorite character. He is funny and adorable, yet is mature when we need him to hold back his annoying, blabber mouth girlfriend. Our female lead, Feng Piao Piao, could be a very controversial character. I find her both funny/cute and annoying/childish at the same time. I think for the most part, she is more annoying/childish, especially when compared to the quiet, cold and mature male lead, Wei Chu. Wei Chu isn't that interesting of a male lead either. He's the typical cold genius who is smart and good at EVERYTHING. He never tells others his plans because he's the smartest of all and can fix everything.
3. Romance - The main romance is awkward and I think this is due to both the acting and the writing. There should be many shy, cute, fluffy moments, but I can't feel the chemistry at all. Even when they are officially a couple, they still act like shy teenagers uttering their lines without any display of affection. On the other hand, the secondary romance started out really clingy, stalker-ish and annoying. But at least once they are a couple, they act like normal couple. However, I don't understand why the 2ML all of a sudden is so in love with 2FL when for the most part he never shows interest in her.
Other Random Observations:
1. For someone who practices Tai Chi for years, our FL loses her balance often and keeps on falling on the ML.
2. Not sure if I would trust someone inexperienced and has no medical knowledge to be in charge of making medicine and treating a seriously hurt patient by learning from a book (even if she's getting advice over the phone from a doctor).
3. It's quite easy to guess who the masked lady in black is.
4. Men in this drama like to declare their love by announcing to the world that she is his girlfriend/fiancee without first informing the girl of his feelings.
5. I want to beat FL before her competition when she's acting childish and clingy.
6. Why are the mean girls being chased by the bad guys? What's the point of that scene?
7. Why are the mean girls on stage after the competition? When did they all of a sudden become great friends? Because they're saved by the main cast?
8. They just got engaged, why are they worrying about losing each other and being apart?
I don't know anything about Tai Chi, so I can't really comment on the authenticity of the moves and fight choreography. I thought Tai Chi is basically healing and exercise for the mind and body. Little did I know that there's a whole martial arts side to it. Thanks to the crash course and the (too) fast introduction of the Tai Chi plot in the first few minutes, I realized Tai Chi is martial arts used in wars and battles before the use of weapons.
What I Like:
1. General Plot - This drama has elements of a wuxia drama set in the modern world. Instead of sects of the pugilistic world, we have different types and clans of martial arts. I enjoy the story of how the descendants of the four major Tai Chi clans try to attract new followers, break traditional and outdated customs and spread the art of Tai Chi to the younger generation. I also like the idea of a talented female lead who is so gifted that she gets to fight and protect others physically using her Tai Chi skills. It's always fun to see a group of youngsters band together to fight the bad guys and win in competitions. The academy that they are in, CMFU, is interesting and weird at the same thing. It's interesting because students can choose a major of their liking, wear fancy uniforms (if they want?) and compete/challenge against each other - reminds of Harry Potter and the Houses of Hogwarts. But it's also weird in a sense that I thought the different majors are only of traditional Chinese arts e.g. painting and Tai Chi. Then I realized it has all types of martial arts (Judo, Karate, Taekwondo, Wrestling). And then there's swimming as a major? What kind of weird Academy is this??
2. Costumes, Sets and Cinematography of CMFU - Even though the academy is weird, its setting is beautiful. The school is surrounded by beautiful sceneries - valleys, grass fields, rivers and mountains. Many training scenes take place out in nature or overlooking the water. The villas, houses and classrooms have a very traditional touch and design. The battle stage is set over the river and near a bridge where spectators are located. In the final competition, competitors all hang out in their respective boats with flags of their clans - very wuxia-style. Though the characters don't wear often, I really like the all-white, traditional fight uniform during the final competition. Every so often, the female lead would wear something traditional when practicing. I also enjoy the school uniform - black, long coat, and wish the characters wear them more often.
3. Fight scenes - I don't know if the fight choreography is real Tai Chi or not, but I enjoy all the scenes. I like the side-by-side Tai Chi practice between the characters. There is a decent number of Tai Chi practice and fight moves, though I would have liked to see longer scenes. I am satisfied and it's a pleasant surprise as I initially thought this drama is more romance-heavy, and really wasn't expecting a more serious plot.
What I Don't Like:
1. Acting - I know many of the actors are young and new, but the acting is really not good. This is male lead, Bi Wen Jun's first drama and it really shows. I actually saw him previously in "Sweet Teeth" and I can definitely say his acting has improved slightly 2 years later, though still has a lot of room for improvement. I have previously seen our female lead, Sun Qian, in "Remembrance of Things Past" and similar to Bi Wen Jun, she has also improved in that other drama. Her acting here in "Sweet Tai Chi" is just as bad (maybe a little better) than Bi Wen Jun. For some reason, I found their acting more tolerable in the first half than the second half. The romance scenes are awkward and lacking chemistry. Well, they do look good together visually. The rest of the supporting cast isn't that great either. I guess I am most surprised (in a bad way) at the acting of the two Hong Kong veteran actors who played grandma & grandma. Why do they also seem so uneasy in this drama?
2. Characters - Separating the acting from the characters, I actually still don't like any of them. If I have to choose, Chen Bing is my favorite character. He is funny and adorable, yet is mature when we need him to hold back his annoying, blabber mouth girlfriend. Our female lead, Feng Piao Piao, could be a very controversial character. I find her both funny/cute and annoying/childish at the same time. I think for the most part, she is more annoying/childish, especially when compared to the quiet, cold and mature male lead, Wei Chu. Wei Chu isn't that interesting of a male lead either. He's the typical cold genius who is smart and good at EVERYTHING. He never tells others his plans because he's the smartest of all and can fix everything.
3. Romance - The main romance is awkward and I think this is due to both the acting and the writing. There should be many shy, cute, fluffy moments, but I can't feel the chemistry at all. Even when they are officially a couple, they still act like shy teenagers uttering their lines without any display of affection. On the other hand, the secondary romance started out really clingy, stalker-ish and annoying. But at least once they are a couple, they act like normal couple. However, I don't understand why the 2ML all of a sudden is so in love with 2FL when for the most part he never shows interest in her.
Other Random Observations:
1. For someone who practices Tai Chi for years, our FL loses her balance often and keeps on falling on the ML.
2. Not sure if I would trust someone inexperienced and has no medical knowledge to be in charge of making medicine and treating a seriously hurt patient by learning from a book (even if she's getting advice over the phone from a doctor).
3. It's quite easy to guess who the masked lady in black is.
4. Men in this drama like to declare their love by announcing to the world that she is his girlfriend/fiancee without first informing the girl of his feelings.
5. I want to beat FL before her competition when she's acting childish and clingy.
6. Why are the mean girls being chased by the bad guys? What's the point of that scene?
7. Why are the mean girls on stage after the competition? When did they all of a sudden become great friends? Because they're saved by the main cast?
8. They just got engaged, why are they worrying about losing each other and being apart?
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