2
13
3
virgievirgie
Lost in Dramaland
Good quality, chemistry and acting for a low-budget web drama
Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25
“Provoke” is another well-produced low budget web drama directed by Zeng Qin Jie of “A Familiar Stranger” and “The Killer is Also Romantic“. The production quality is pretty good and I like it just as much as I like the other two dramas. Following a similar format, in twenty-five episodes, 12-16 minutes long, the drama tells the story of revenge, hidden identity and love. I can’t help but compare this drama to another popular web drama “Maid’s Revenge”.
Although I enjoy Dai Gao Zheng’s frequent flashes of his muscular torso and abs in “Maid’s Revenge” more than Zhao Yi Qin’s abs in “Provoke”, I have to say “Provoke” is a much better drama. The story is more coherent with fewer WTH moments. The acting and costumes are better and is also a lot less cringey and trashy.
Actress Daisy Li is beautiful as the sexy Jiang Ying. She is absolutely gorgeous in her various costumes and sexy when she is on stage singing and trying to seduce all the men. Male lead Zhao Yi Qin is handsome, but he is so skinny that when he’s wearing a long coat, it seems like he’s being swallowed. I enjoyed his body-building toned abs but a little too lean for my taste. LOL. Both leads have pretty good chemistry and the acting is pretty good as well.
However, my first reaction to the drama within the first episode is that there are too many slow motion scenes. Why are they walking so slowly? Why are they slowing things down when it’s not necessarily a ‘romantic’ scene? This got better throughout the drama, but I can’t help but also notice everyone speaks very slowly as well. Moreover, whoever dubs the male lead sounds like he’s whispering instead of speaking (a very airy voice). I like the first half of the drama more than the second half. The writing is weaker in the last few episodes.
Overall, if you are looking for a simple and short web drama in the Republican era, I will recommend this. It’s rare to find a pretty well-rounded low budget drama that doesn’t look cheap. Oh, and it has a pretty good OST as well.
Completed: 4/20/2023
“Provoke” is another well-produced low budget web drama directed by Zeng Qin Jie of “A Familiar Stranger” and “The Killer is Also Romantic“. The production quality is pretty good and I like it just as much as I like the other two dramas. Following a similar format, in twenty-five episodes, 12-16 minutes long, the drama tells the story of revenge, hidden identity and love. I can’t help but compare this drama to another popular web drama “Maid’s Revenge”.
Although I enjoy Dai Gao Zheng’s frequent flashes of his muscular torso and abs in “Maid’s Revenge” more than Zhao Yi Qin’s abs in “Provoke”, I have to say “Provoke” is a much better drama. The story is more coherent with fewer WTH moments. The acting and costumes are better and is also a lot less cringey and trashy.
Actress Daisy Li is beautiful as the sexy Jiang Ying. She is absolutely gorgeous in her various costumes and sexy when she is on stage singing and trying to seduce all the men. Male lead Zhao Yi Qin is handsome, but he is so skinny that when he’s wearing a long coat, it seems like he’s being swallowed. I enjoyed his body-building toned abs but a little too lean for my taste. LOL. Both leads have pretty good chemistry and the acting is pretty good as well.
However, my first reaction to the drama within the first episode is that there are too many slow motion scenes. Why are they walking so slowly? Why are they slowing things down when it’s not necessarily a ‘romantic’ scene? This got better throughout the drama, but I can’t help but also notice everyone speaks very slowly as well. Moreover, whoever dubs the male lead sounds like he’s whispering instead of speaking (a very airy voice). I like the first half of the drama more than the second half. The writing is weaker in the last few episodes.
Overall, if you are looking for a simple and short web drama in the Republican era, I will recommend this. It’s rare to find a pretty well-rounded low budget drama that doesn’t look cheap. Oh, and it has a pretty good OST as well.
Completed: 4/20/2023
Was this review helpful to you?
