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Lost in Dramaland
This review may contain spoilers
Finally a drama and role for a more mature and experienced Xu Kai
Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25
“Wonderland of Love” features two intelligent leads who always try to outsmart each other. That should be a pretty attractive premise to attract a wide audience. However, it doesn’t seem to be as popular as “The Story of Kunning Palace” which was broadcasted at about the same time. I guess a vampire gege is more attractive than a war hero Mr. Green flag. LOL There are many things I liked about this drama, but I do agree with many reviewers that the last arc wasn’t quite as exciting.
What I Like:
1. Xu Kai - I’m so glad I finally get to see Xu Kai in another drama worthy of his popularity and star power. His last few projects have been duds. I have liked him best as the more animated lead in “Arsenal Military Academy” and also his more subtle emotional acting in “Ancient Love Poetry”. But here in “Wonderland of Love”, I see the best of both worlds. I am thankful that he’s not another emotionless cold-on-the-outside character, but one that is mature and gives him the ability to showcase his acting range. If you are a Xu Kai fan, this is a must-watch.
2. Li Ni (ML) - Li Ni is a historical Mr. Green flag. He’s loyal, respectful, communicative, honest, courageous, selfless, can fight, can scheme (but not wicked and cunning). He’s a good son, a good brother, a good comrade, a good lover. He’s almost Mr. Perfect. His one flaw (if you can call it a flaw), is that he’s so in love with A Ying (FL) that it might have clouded his judgment and conceding to A Ying. He just can’t say No. But, as a romance-lover, he’s the perfect boyfriend.
3. Cui Lin/A Ying (FL) - On paper as a female character in a historical war and political drama, it’s nice to see a smart female lead who can fight and can think. She is as smart as Li Ni, and sometimes actually outsmarts him. She is independent, stubborn, and loyal to the Cui Army. She also has strong beliefs in bringing peace to all.
4. Fight and Battle Choreography - First of all, I am going to criticize the occasional slow-motion fights, and spinning/twirling to create a romantic effect. Having said that, “Wonderland of Love” has some of the more impressive fight choreography for close-combat fight and war/battle scenes. The drama started off with the leads fighting each other. There are a few sword fighting scenes throughout the drama that are pretty good, especially when this is a historical, political drama, and not a wuxia/xianxia drama. As other reviewers mentioned, the battle in episode 30 was well shot and hardcore. It was a bloody battle and many died in different ways. When the Laolan song is played, it breaks my heart. There are only a few other dramas (e.g. The Rebel Princess and Love Like the Galaxy) that I can think of with similar impressive battle scenes.
5. OST - There are several songs in the soundtrack and they all sound lovely and complementary to the scenes.
6. Acting - Xu Kai and Jian Tian both acted well and did not disappoint. The veteran supporting cast definitely outshines the younger supporting cast. I don’t think the younger cast is horrible, but no one shines through either.
7. Ending - No rush ending, in a way. The last episode is dedicated to show how everyone’s doing.
What I have Mixed Feelings:
1. Lead Romance - As I mentioned, I like Xu Kai and Jiang Tian’s acting. But for whatever reason, I am not feeling their chemistry as a couple, especially during the cute and fluffy scenes. I can’t get it out of my head that Jiang Tian is 7 years older than Xu Kai. I don’t feel this way when Jiang Tian is paired up with Timmy Xu or Vin Zhan. It’s probably because Xu Kai has somewhat of a baby face. I don’t think this is supposed to be an older sis/younger bro romance either. A Ying is a strong female lead, but not necessarily an easy-to-like female lead in a romance. There are plenty of kisses in the drama, yet none of them seems passionate to me. I also think the directing of the kisses is a little off. But if you look at the romance objectively, it’s a good one. They are both smart, have the same goal in mind, courageous and for the most part when there are issues, they communicate with each other. They might not take the same road to achieve their goals and disagree on principle, but they understand each other’s circumstances. I love their love letter correspondence during war time. All the good elements of a great romance, but I am just not feeling it.
2. Secondary Romance - I don’t particularly like or dislike it. It’s like every other secondary romance in many dramas. They’re cute and all, but don’t add much to the drama itself. I much rather learn more of Consort Xiao and the General love story.
3. Liu Cheng Feng (2ML) - I don’t believe his love and obsession for FL justify his actions. The way he seeks revenge seems way over-the-top when it comes to a country’s safety. I pity him when he was weak and then I just didn't care for him much when he turned to the dark side.
4. Final Arc (last 9 episodes) - I have to agree with others that the last arc of the drama isn’t written well. This part of the drama was draggy and anti-climatic after the big battle in episode 30. All that could be told in half the time. With the initial cold war between the leads, I find it somewhat annoying that our supposedly smart FL hasn’t thought of the consequence of the Cui army when she tried to push ML to be the crown prince. She should have calculated all of that politics, and not been surprised by the king’s decision to disband them. We wasted a couple episodes on this cold war. The villain tried to scheme and set up the general as a traitor. It was brought up without much info, and was resolved without much fanfare either. I thought it would be some elaborate plan but in the end it was just he said she said. The invasion was done half-heartedly. These foreigners were used by others for most of the drama. And when it came down to business, they were taken out easily and anti-climatically.
5. Production Quality - I don’t believe this is a big budget production. The green screen used during the leads’ horseback riding was hilariously fake. The wonderland scenery also seems fake to me. The set design, costumes and props seem OK. I am disappointed that almost everyone is dubbed. I find the dubbed voice for A Ying doesn’t quite match the face of Jiang Tian. And what is up with the pale faces of Xu Kai and Jiang Tian when they are soldiers, living under the sun and dust all the time. I think they could have darkened their skin tone a little. They definitely look too white, clean and pretty to be general/commander.
6. The King - He’s annoying as heck! I know he’s not the smartest cookie, but I can’t believe we need to tolerate his dumbness and ignorance for 40 episodes.
Overall, this is a decent drama to watch. I will recommend this if you are a fan of Xu Kai and Jiang Tan. I am rounding my rating up for Xu Kai, as I think this is his best role yet. I realize my criticisms are very personal and somewhat petty. LOL.
Other Random Observations:
1. The band of brothers are fun but way too loud.
2. I love the scene of the grass dragonflies when ML was sad.
3. I am glad Gu Wang Niang is not the typical evil 2FL. She technically didn’t do anything too evil, but this actress portrayed the character so well that I really dislike her! She gives off this cunning aura, without doing anything evil. Is it good acting?
Completed: 12/17/2023 - Review #383
“Wonderland of Love” features two intelligent leads who always try to outsmart each other. That should be a pretty attractive premise to attract a wide audience. However, it doesn’t seem to be as popular as “The Story of Kunning Palace” which was broadcasted at about the same time. I guess a vampire gege is more attractive than a war hero Mr. Green flag. LOL There are many things I liked about this drama, but I do agree with many reviewers that the last arc wasn’t quite as exciting.
What I Like:
1. Xu Kai - I’m so glad I finally get to see Xu Kai in another drama worthy of his popularity and star power. His last few projects have been duds. I have liked him best as the more animated lead in “Arsenal Military Academy” and also his more subtle emotional acting in “Ancient Love Poetry”. But here in “Wonderland of Love”, I see the best of both worlds. I am thankful that he’s not another emotionless cold-on-the-outside character, but one that is mature and gives him the ability to showcase his acting range. If you are a Xu Kai fan, this is a must-watch.
2. Li Ni (ML) - Li Ni is a historical Mr. Green flag. He’s loyal, respectful, communicative, honest, courageous, selfless, can fight, can scheme (but not wicked and cunning). He’s a good son, a good brother, a good comrade, a good lover. He’s almost Mr. Perfect. His one flaw (if you can call it a flaw), is that he’s so in love with A Ying (FL) that it might have clouded his judgment and conceding to A Ying. He just can’t say No. But, as a romance-lover, he’s the perfect boyfriend.
3. Cui Lin/A Ying (FL) - On paper as a female character in a historical war and political drama, it’s nice to see a smart female lead who can fight and can think. She is as smart as Li Ni, and sometimes actually outsmarts him. She is independent, stubborn, and loyal to the Cui Army. She also has strong beliefs in bringing peace to all.
4. Fight and Battle Choreography - First of all, I am going to criticize the occasional slow-motion fights, and spinning/twirling to create a romantic effect. Having said that, “Wonderland of Love” has some of the more impressive fight choreography for close-combat fight and war/battle scenes. The drama started off with the leads fighting each other. There are a few sword fighting scenes throughout the drama that are pretty good, especially when this is a historical, political drama, and not a wuxia/xianxia drama. As other reviewers mentioned, the battle in episode 30 was well shot and hardcore. It was a bloody battle and many died in different ways. When the Laolan song is played, it breaks my heart. There are only a few other dramas (e.g. The Rebel Princess and Love Like the Galaxy) that I can think of with similar impressive battle scenes.
5. OST - There are several songs in the soundtrack and they all sound lovely and complementary to the scenes.
6. Acting - Xu Kai and Jian Tian both acted well and did not disappoint. The veteran supporting cast definitely outshines the younger supporting cast. I don’t think the younger cast is horrible, but no one shines through either.
7. Ending - No rush ending, in a way. The last episode is dedicated to show how everyone’s doing.
What I have Mixed Feelings:
1. Lead Romance - As I mentioned, I like Xu Kai and Jiang Tian’s acting. But for whatever reason, I am not feeling their chemistry as a couple, especially during the cute and fluffy scenes. I can’t get it out of my head that Jiang Tian is 7 years older than Xu Kai. I don’t feel this way when Jiang Tian is paired up with Timmy Xu or Vin Zhan. It’s probably because Xu Kai has somewhat of a baby face. I don’t think this is supposed to be an older sis/younger bro romance either. A Ying is a strong female lead, but not necessarily an easy-to-like female lead in a romance. There are plenty of kisses in the drama, yet none of them seems passionate to me. I also think the directing of the kisses is a little off. But if you look at the romance objectively, it’s a good one. They are both smart, have the same goal in mind, courageous and for the most part when there are issues, they communicate with each other. They might not take the same road to achieve their goals and disagree on principle, but they understand each other’s circumstances. I love their love letter correspondence during war time. All the good elements of a great romance, but I am just not feeling it.
2. Secondary Romance - I don’t particularly like or dislike it. It’s like every other secondary romance in many dramas. They’re cute and all, but don’t add much to the drama itself. I much rather learn more of Consort Xiao and the General love story.
3. Liu Cheng Feng (2ML) - I don’t believe his love and obsession for FL justify his actions. The way he seeks revenge seems way over-the-top when it comes to a country’s safety. I pity him when he was weak and then I just didn't care for him much when he turned to the dark side.
4. Final Arc (last 9 episodes) - I have to agree with others that the last arc of the drama isn’t written well. This part of the drama was draggy and anti-climatic after the big battle in episode 30. All that could be told in half the time. With the initial cold war between the leads, I find it somewhat annoying that our supposedly smart FL hasn’t thought of the consequence of the Cui army when she tried to push ML to be the crown prince. She should have calculated all of that politics, and not been surprised by the king’s decision to disband them. We wasted a couple episodes on this cold war. The villain tried to scheme and set up the general as a traitor. It was brought up without much info, and was resolved without much fanfare either. I thought it would be some elaborate plan but in the end it was just he said she said. The invasion was done half-heartedly. These foreigners were used by others for most of the drama. And when it came down to business, they were taken out easily and anti-climatically.
5. Production Quality - I don’t believe this is a big budget production. The green screen used during the leads’ horseback riding was hilariously fake. The wonderland scenery also seems fake to me. The set design, costumes and props seem OK. I am disappointed that almost everyone is dubbed. I find the dubbed voice for A Ying doesn’t quite match the face of Jiang Tian. And what is up with the pale faces of Xu Kai and Jiang Tian when they are soldiers, living under the sun and dust all the time. I think they could have darkened their skin tone a little. They definitely look too white, clean and pretty to be general/commander.
6. The King - He’s annoying as heck! I know he’s not the smartest cookie, but I can’t believe we need to tolerate his dumbness and ignorance for 40 episodes.
Overall, this is a decent drama to watch. I will recommend this if you are a fan of Xu Kai and Jiang Tan. I am rounding my rating up for Xu Kai, as I think this is his best role yet. I realize my criticisms are very personal and somewhat petty. LOL.
Other Random Observations:
1. The band of brothers are fun but way too loud.
2. I love the scene of the grass dragonflies when ML was sad.
3. I am glad Gu Wang Niang is not the typical evil 2FL. She technically didn’t do anything too evil, but this actress portrayed the character so well that I really dislike her! She gives off this cunning aura, without doing anything evil. Is it good acting?
Completed: 12/17/2023 - Review #383
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