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In the beginning I wasn't sure whether I would like it. The trailer was promising, but the first few minutes somewhat put me off. I didn't like the FL's story character's hairstyle and costume and the acting of both ML and FL was missing something as well. But I stuck with the story in hopes it would get better. And it did.
As you get to know the characters more, you actually start to care for them and get invested in their stories. The acting became more enjoyable as well. I started to like a lot of the side characters! I liked the servants of both leads, I liked the secondary couple with the first sister and their weird overly melodramatic scenes, I was quite impressed with the FL's mother and her strong and leading stance (such a beauty, btw!) and had fun with the ML's parents. The ML's perfomance started weak but got better quickly. Though, sometimes I had wished for a more matured behaviour than giving me the silly boy attitude that definitely doesn't belong to the son of a city ruler. The FL's acting was constantly good, convincing and never let down.
The story of the annoying SML started off well but pissed me off during the further story because he shifted sides so often and could never let go.
I think the most interesting development had the second sister. Starting off as the good doting second sister turning into a cunning, jealous and hateful villain. The unfolding of her character throughout the story, the step by step changes were one of the highlights of the drama. Now, you could say the cause for that was the change in the FL's (third sister, btw) attitude when she entered her own character's body. But in my humble opinion the second sister had always been like that and only appeared to be the good samaritan because the original third sister was bad mannered and disliked by everyone.
The humor was great, subtle, never exaggerated and always well placed. I enjoyed the constant murder attempts and the FL's script changes to escape those. I was also very pleased that, even though you knew, that the light and funny and fluffy atmosphere would turn into conflict and sorrow at some point, it was never devastating and resolved quite fast.
I was actually very satisfied with one moment when the heroic FL decided to put an end to the act to save her man (and I'm not talking about the finale of the drama but a turning point way earlier). That part was very well written and very well acted by both sides.
Overall a decent watch, enjoyable and entertaining with a good main and supporting cast. The plot was well done, logical, and had a well balanced suspense arc. And the side treat with the city being ruled by woman? How fun was that.
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If there were a few things, it would be what I mentioned in the beginning. Slow start with reduced facial expressions of the ML. But it quickly got better. And the plot continued to get better and better and better, too.
And then episode 31 happened. And episode 32... Well, I don't want to complain about the further story after those eps. But the events that happened during 31/32 felt like the ultimate climax. Everything afterwards resembled only a shadow of everything that happened before (which is funny considering the plot, lol). I still loved the story, there was just not much to rage about. New problems were solved quite fast, no heart ripping moments between the leads and so on. And yes, maybe it was nice to take a breather, but well... My masochistic tendencies hungered for mooore 👀.
Only the last few episodes tried to build up climax again. And it got me quite good almost the same. But it didn't reach the same level as those 2 episodes some time earlier.
Nevertheless, I felt highly entertained, got addicted, lost my heart and will now pursue the soundtrack and lots of pictures 🤪
Funny thing btw, it somewhat felt like a computer game. There was this big journey of the main cast. They had to travel to different places, collect things... And along their journey they met all kinds of people. Lol.
Sometimes even the gadgets felt a bit funny. That shell "ear bud" or that flower bulletin to communicate? Yes... 😅👍
Ohhh, and only later on in backflashes I realized how much the ML's hair was continously growing throughout his development. Nice one!
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The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity
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A perfect story
The story was captivating, the pace was really good and the storytelling was almost flawless from beginning to end. CGI, costumes and make up were stunning, the choreography of the fights was awesome.I appreciate it a lot that they took their time to tell everyone's story (expect for Bora's, that one came up short, though you might argue whether their was actually enough told for the story). That way I could connect with them, understand their actions and enjoy their adventure. The acting added its sweet part as well, so there wouldn't be anything to complain about. I mean, there was no dull moment, not even for a second.
The music was fantastic. Sweet and melancholic, creating a perfect mood.
A round about satisfying watch that depicts the concept of "Yin and Yang" in an understandable and impressive way. As a side snack you get a nice bromance, too~
(On a side not, what I didn't get was the serpent at the beginning and the one from the main story... That one wasn't the same, was it? But if not, why were there more than one? The story sounded like there was only one. But if it was that one, how's that possible since the main one was concealed at that time?)
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Interesting story, but lacking in character design
The idea was interesting, the storytelling was good enough to keep me going. As I said before, I liked the cases they were working together, they made me somewhat invested in the characters tragedies.But it was sad that they didn't put more effort into building a solid background for the exorcism itself. They always mentioned some historical infos here and there, so it would help the current case, but it always felt only half-baked and clumsy in thinking it through. Especially the dealing with the cases during the last episodes, even though the action during those episodes was really good.
I always found Jang Na Ra's character very one-dimensional, although I liked her resting b**-face at times. But seeing it throughout the whole 16 eps was tedious. And there was NO character development, a smirk here and there doesn't make it any better. Her male part, Oh In-Beom was way more interesting (even though I'm usually not a fan of the actor). Jung Yong Hwa's acting skills were somewhat limited (or the writing lacked) but still more entertaining than Jang Na Ra here.
Also, the villian!! Please... I'm a fan of Ahn Kil Kang, but the writing of his character was just so, so bad! There was no depth, no background story, no explaining of his character. What a waste of potential.
Overall: Entertaining because of the cases and the CGI. Really, the special effects were really well done! The ghosts at times were frightening, one or two jump-scares (when you watch it at night, alone, lol), and that special faceless one was an interesting idea and a good implementation.
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1. Sato Takeru in a Hakama
2. Samurai
Oops... I thought I would list more things... I didn't even read the summary, so I can't say I went for the plot either.
Apparently, this one's based on a novel and an actual historical event. The film doesn't solely center on Sato Takeru's character. It tells the story of the people of Annaka (today a town in Japan). Its lord is concerned about how his samurai are doing during this time of peace while foreigners (through trading) slowly start to approach that so far closed Japan to outsiders. He sees a thread in them and doesn't want his men to slack off. Therefore he starts a marathon to keep them on track.
At first it sounds somewhat unusual. But it was a really pleasant watch for me. There are no fancy sword fights or overwhelming poetic dialogues or scenes. It simply shows how unstable peace was back then (spies laid low everywhere), how one single letter can change for the better or worse and how people who were only aiming for their own goals before, start to fight unitedly to protect their territory.
I felt really comfortable while watching. The atmosphere wasn't too heavy, though there was still some seriousness to it. The film doesn't go into too much detail and yet you grasp all the subtle circumstances everyone is in.
It starts on a calm note but it never drags. It has a steady rhythm to tell the story, very well paced, in my opinion. You don't always need action-loaded elements to enjoy something like that. Sometimes you just need a well thought through strategy that puts every piece together in the final stage. Combined with some beautiful cinematography, you get a real nice dish served.
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As I watched the movie, I realized once again that only Japan can create that kind of varying atmosphere. It started as some depressing slice-of-life genre, transformed into some fun Sc-fy action, jumped into the Death Note universe and came back for some superhero clash.
Two people of different age and circumstances stumble upon the opportunity to actually try out a "What would you do if you had god-like power"-situation while turning their innermost body parts into a superhuman robot. Due to their varied life experiences, their paths divide into completely different directions. Even though there's an explanation for the cause, they don't reveal the purpose of it all, and instead focus on the main characters development. You know pretty early on that there will be a hero and an anti-hero.
They use stereotype ruthless public bashing to corner the characters even further. Since there's no bloodthirsty psycho, there's no exaggerating use of gore either. But there is a very high death toll that makes you swallow nonetheless because of its simplicity. Like snapping fingers it happens without creating tension, no extensive explanation and delay. Just like that, it hits you in the guts (and that might not be to everyone's liking, just so you know).
CGI was totally okay in my eyes and the constant change between background music and silence I liked as well.
I don't think it's a movie for some real deep thinking. There is that question "What if...", but it's just that. The rest is either to people's liking or not. I for myself enjoyed the movie. And Sato Takeru can definitely pull off a high school kid.
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Watching the trailer, I knew I would definitely start this when I get the chance. Excitement, suspense and the hope of some good mystery (whether it might be supernatural or not) led me to the impression that I wouldn't waste my time with this one. Maybe you're going to watch the trailer now, maybe you already did and just decided to start the drama. Well, sometimes producers tend to put the most exciting moments into those two minute clips to attract a lot of people. Unfortunately that often results in viewers being disappointed because all the already known suspense is getting served in the first one or two episodes. There's a big chance your interest has been piqued by then but the further you watch the more sober you get about the plot and you just know that you won't develop the same gripping emotions you had in the beginning.
Does that make "Search" not worth the watch? Don't worry, it still does. But don't let your imagination and excitement run free, don't expect too much or set the bar too high.
The story itself is still very interesting and most times they did a great job telling it. You can guess one or two things and connect some dots along the road as more details come to light, intentionally or not. I don't think it's a bad idea to show pieces of the puzzle here and there (I definitely wouldn't call it predictable) because I for myself like to guess things and I'm happy when I'm right about it. And I really enjoyed the net that was woven. Even though the drama left me with one or two unanswered questions (I'm still really curious about those - i.e. the explanation for the "cause" was pretty vague), most things were explained in the end.
The cast did an adequate job, some more than others and in the end the acting was good enough for the story. I thought that Jang Dong Yoon (ML) would be my light of the day, but it was actually Moon Jung Hee and Yeon Woo Jin. Oh, and of course the dogs, Leo and Mac! They were trained so well. Makes me wonder whether they really used military ones.
Aside from a pointless romance that already ended before it had even started, the main problem for a plot like this was that they revealed too much physics of the main "thing" too early, which took out all the "mystery". Therefore the main force was pulled down right away and never rose again. That makes you start to concentrate on the side dishes and you discover small details that bother the flow if you put too much thought into it. For example, I'm no expert regarding military behavior, but how can they chat about private things in the middle of an operation. In the dark. With an unknown target. Like yeah, no. But don't worry, those situations are quite rare. And maybe it's just me who noticed those things which happened only once or twice.
Would I recommend this? Yes, I would. Despite its flaws it's still a good watch. And for people who don't nitpick about every tiny crack, it can be quite a show. I did feel entertained by it. My expectations were just too high right from the start.
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So, where to start…
If you look at the basic story alone, it’s actually a quite interesting case. I was really curious about all the new revelations and how things were connected. But the writers messed up the whole concept of “keeping suspense”. There was none. And if this wasn’t enough already, it felt like they were going backwards with the thrill and make it even more boring.
First of all, there was the constant power struggle between the bad side characters. It was chaotic and obscure to a point where it reached the level of a sleeping pill. It made you unable to get interested in all the schemes they were weaving whenever it was needed. And what made it even more tiring was the acting in those cases. It had such a monotone tune without even one attempt to accelerate the intensity or change certain expressions in the characters to make them more dimensional. I would have been happy about some independent single cases to loosen that grey, depressing atmosphere of the drama and get the drama back to life.
Secondly, the main characters. Even though I liked that bit romance they had added to the story, I was not satisfied with the rest of their behavior. Choi Jin Hyuk did a good job with his acting, but I was not always fond of his character. I liked him during his private time when he was not working at some case. Those times he was enjoyable to watch. But whenever he was doing some prosecutor stuff, he got on my nerves because he was always picking a fight with his supervisor, was disobedient and got in trouble all the time.
Baek Jin Hee… I liked her so much in Missing 9, but here she’s rather a disappointment. Her acting was boring and could have been way more expressive. She looked like a wet puppy most times. At the same time her eyes seemed uninterested in the surroundings and the dialogues and it felt like there was a child doing some grown-up stuff (nooo, not what you guys think). Her character seemed out of place. She was timid and without any confidence. There was always someone who cut her short and she obediently let it happen. At times she was like a child and very stubborn when it came to her own case. Her approach to solve that one was in no way clever and the most ridiculous thing was that she and her team displayed the whole progress on a board in their office room for everyone to see.
Choi Min Soo… He was great. I liked his acting a lot and his character was seriously interesting. He made mistakes in the past and tried to hide them, it was never sure on what side he was on, but deep down you knew that he had some good will roots. Sometimes though, he was a bit exaggerating and acting too extreme. He was on the verge of the abusing his power towards his subordinates (most of all whenever he was angry with the female lead he invaded her personal space to a point where it should be called “harassing”). That was the only thing I hated about him.
I also like the veteran supporting actors, i.e. Kim Na Woon who played the mother of the female lead. Or Son Chang Min who was equally entertaining as Choi Min Soo. Also, Choi Woo Shik was a funny character as well. He was not without flaws and it was fun to see him trying to escape the “going up against my superiors”-road every time.
Also, the father of the female lead. I didn’t like the actor in “King of Baking”, but here he was very impressive, even though his screen-time was very short.
On the other hand I was not happy with the clothing of the females in this. Call me prude, but it was totally inappropriate for them to wear extremely short skirts and do the “I’m too sexy for this job”-dance.
Overall a drama with a good start and an interesting idea. But failed pacing without suspense, bad placed revealing of secrets and a consistently grayish atmosphere made the drama a tiring journey.
But most of all: Why the hell are people allowed to prosecute cases they are involved in themselves?! And then the ending… What was that?
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A second chance on life and and a captivating romance transcending time
This is one of those dramas that suck you in immediately and so heavily, that you start to worry about being disappointed in the end. But you're not. Because it holds its promises till the end.Time travel is a popular theme in dramas and the variety of plots is immense. Here it's a queen in Joseon sentenced to death but suddenly waking up in modern days. Finding a second chance on life, she grabs it, only to discover that history is repeating itself, confronting her with the same threats she already had to face in her past life. Amidst the chaos, she meets her "nemesis", the ML, a coldhearted, domineering blockhead.
What makes the drama so entertaining is its strong cast that carries a quite well written story. Captivating performances of Im Ji Yeon, Heo Nam Jun and Jang Seung Jo make the plot work so well and create the true heart of the story. While Im Ji Yeon is outstanding with her play of a Joseon queen conquering modern routines and forcing her ancient means on others while "socialising" and "adapting" in her own manner in an extremely entertaining way, Heo Nam Jun creates a real good counterpart, unwillingly encountering her and her ways again and again, constantly loosing his composure over her, going against his principles all the time and afterwards questioning himself unbelievably, while unconsciously and helplessly falling for her deeper and deeper. And once accepting it all, he doesn't budge or shy away from his feelings, no matter what peculiar or disappointing things she did again. He's giving her room, he's never forcing her. And he accepts all her weirdness. The romance feels mature, you get your funny/silly moments and it still feels authentic, not over the top - even with the FLs unexpected antics. You notice the slight changes in their behaviour but they stay true to their very own treats from the beginning to end - esp. Im Ji Yeon and her Joseon speech. I appreciated that a lot because their initial bickering and all their early fired up interactions were what made you drawn to the couple in the first place. Their chemistry was on another level.
Jang Seung Jo is one of my favorite actors. He's got a real good acting quality, always giving it all and man, he's great at playing a two-faced, venomous snake. Yet the script manages to not making him out to be a plain villain, but actually gives him a soft spot as well. No matter, how black a heart, everyone needs a driving force in the first place.
What surprised me on a side-note was the grandfather. I always had my suspicions, but damn, they secretly rolled that out throughout the drama quite well. He might be one of the "good" ones, but I can't say that I liked all his ways.
When you look at the drama from above you find a lot of known tropes, yet it reinvents and makes them look more advanced, so you can fully enjoy them again.
If I had to wish for something, I would have liked it if they had shown a bit more about the past life. You get a lot of short scenes and can kinda put it together on your own which was well done. But a few more details for my own curiosity would have been great. I also admit I was a bit lost at the end, when they explained the actual reason for the time travel in the first place. But I might understand it when I think about it a bit longer though. Small personal issues here, but it doesn't lessen the overall entertainment of this commendable drama.
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The story was well written and the theme about ballet was well chosen as well. The fragility of the dance is mirrored in the plot. Ballet is fragile yet strong, and so is the love story of Yeon Soo and Dan.
Though the big finale was predictable, it was still very good. You anticipate it to happen and just want to know how it's playing out in the end.
Not everything was predictable though, there were also many smaller things that surprised me. I'm also glad that not every death was a planned assassination here.
Acting was really, really good. I'm used to Shin Hye Sun's convincing skills, but I have to praise L's performance even more. He improved a lot since I last saw him in a drama. His scenes were never lacking nor were they exaggerated. It seemed as if Dan's character was written for L's body and soul. I can't think of anyone else more fitting.
The cinematography of some scenes were quite an eyecatcher. And to complete the picture, the music was at its best. It was so well composed and placed that the drama would truly have missed out if it wouldn't have been a part of it. It's one of those soundtracks that makes you immediately remember the drama that belonged to it. It was sad and beautiful and comforting and hopeful.
Definitely recommended.
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First of all the drama went way too long. Even for people who'd marathon this, they would still forget the first half or feel like it's been ages since they watched the first couple of eps.
The biggest weakness is this really, REALLY flexible storyline. Depending on what was needed, it happened. Regardless of its realistic possibility or moral value, or topping one stupidity after another.
The more ridiculous it became, the more fun I had with the side characters. Their weird behavior was entertaining at times and drew in the focus while the leads lost a lot of importance.
The "best" part was how this drama turned into a makjang. And that actually made me stick with it, even though it was still way over the top. But in exchange some of the hidden side stories were really interesting. I was even willing to give this a 5.5, but then the finale happened and destroyed more of what I thought wasn't possible anymore. People who should be clever, quick-witted or whatever, became the opposite, got stupid and blindly followed a messed up script. Not to mention the result of Kim Jong Sam's falsely judged imprisonment.
I wouldn't recommend this, not in a million years.
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If there's one thing the drama has in common with Italy, it's the fact that it ripes like a good wine. The start was okay but never knocked me off my socks, and therefore paused it for awhile. After some time I continued, and suddenly I was carried away by it. It's one of the few dramas that actually get better with the second half.
It's an old trope, trying to fight against a big corrupt company, revealing all the evil deeds, discover more corruption and so on. It's pretty exhausting, I don't even know why I always watch that stuff. It's no different with this one, yet I felt pretty entertained at the end. And that's because of this unique cast and very well written characters - not just one or two but a huge bunch of those. And because of the balance between good and evil. It was mostly 70/30 for the good ones, but the villains' counterattacks had deeper impacts, if only for a short while. I also loved those posing entries whenever Vincenzo's group was about to attack. I never felt more satisfied then watching their stunts being successful.
Managing such a large group of supportive characters is probably not that easy, but the drama still pulled it off somehow. And that without a detailed background story for everyone. There was always enough information of each of them to draw enough of a 3D image while the respective actors and actresses did the rest in bringing them to life. The result is a fantastic and highly entertaining side cast that carries a big part of the story. And I'm just talking about the residents Vincenzo gets aquainted with.
The villains in this experience slow but impressive character changes throughout the story - they either become darker or have a change of heart. Except for one. I don't mind that though because he was who he was, there was never a hint that he would change, and that was more than enough for me.
I don't think that everyone needs some kind of development whatsoever. If the character is written well enough, I only care whether he or she acts in-character, because that alone can be fun as hell if done right. For example the female lead. She does have some huge development jump in the early episodes after a certain incident, but after that she gets her stand and never budges. I must praise the actress here, because damn, she got the most natural performance I've seen in a long time. It was pure enjoyment watching her very being, her charisma was electrifying.
SJK aka Vincenzo... Well, well. I liked his performance, no question. He did a decent job and I enjoyed his scenes alot, and there are even one or two scenes which he played out quite impressively. But in the end I never felt a real Mafioso vibe around him. No matter how many seemingly cold-blooded, yet passionate scenes they put him into. I don't even blame the accent. I know it wasn't the best. Espescially since he played someone who grew up in Italy, it wasn't convincing. I don't speak the language but I'm quite familiar with it, so I hear the difference. But I never blame foreign accents in kdramas. I'm already pleased when I see that they try. I just think that his ~Italian aura lacked alot. It was missing density and didn't feel as intimidating as it should have.
Nevertheless, one of the few dramas, I enjoyed alot because the WHOLE cast was outstanding (excluding the few foreigners who appear one of two times).
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Well, first of all the combination of zombies and Joseon dynasty was definitely worth while. Haven't seen that kind of drama before and also don't know of anything like this. They integrated your usual sageuk theme quite well into the zombie genre.
You can see that they had a high budget on this and it paid off. Of course, there's also the "Netflix"-touch (or let's call it the Western touch) to it. Scenes/editing/cinematography feel different. I mean, really good sageuks have this certain serious aura. This one as well, but it's still different. And yet, it maintains its historical Korean core: the conflict between politicians and the Royal family.
Do you know what's really satisfying in this drama? Whenever you get annoyed by corrupt characters in a sageuk, you'd almost pull out all of your hair, you want to punish them yourself and it takes an eternity until they get what they really deserve. But here you don't get bothered at all because you just know that there's a higher/stronger instance that doesn't care for Joseon politics and that defines a new order. Its pure existance threatens the whole system whether it's noblemen or peasants. And no one can escape.
The cast in this is simply amazing. I wouldn't expect less either. Here are stellar actors and actresses assembled, each of them doing a fantastic job. Maybe it's the editing but it feels like a whole new level... or a different level. It's hard to describe.
The only character I couldn't become comfortable with was the queen. I don't really think that the actress was the right choice for this. She was the weakest part of them all even though the character itself is actually quite important. She never warmed up to me. That's my only complaint about this.
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Family bonds and family secrets
I expected a lot from this drama and it did meet my expectations.The storytelling was well structured. Hopping from one part-story to the other, neither too short nor too long, there was a good balance of how the story developed and how secrets unfolded throughout. There happened to be so many cornered situations where I couldn't think any rational outcome, and yet they actually found solutions that worked well. Many outcomes were not predictable even though certain characters might have given out hints of their later actions. And while the drama was filled with many betrayals that it might could have gotten boring, the writers managed to make each further reveal even more shocking - until that one big event, that left even me speechless. That one scene was well displayed/edited, awesomely performed and had a lasting impact on me.
What I loved the most was the slow development between the leads. Given the characters' history, every faster way would have been illogical. Thankfully it had just the right pace to make the whole relationship palpable and strong. Therefore, I was grateful for so many episodes of uncertainty and anticipation. And once accomplished, the leads never wavered and still stayed true to themselves. While being deeply in love, they stayed in-character, their fierce attitude during important events remained (the God of War was still the God of War and the female general never got too girly). Every behaviour fitted just right depending on the situation. I loved that wild, intense gaze of the ML, while he looked at his enemies throughout the drama, as well as all the sweet moments between him and the FL. The hugging, the cuddling, unconsciously caressing of the other one's ear, fingers, cheeks, arms.
The drama has a wide set of various and complex characters. Non of them appeared to be what they seemed to be at first. So many people with hidden secrets, agendas and two faces. I felt greatly entertained by that. In the end every character still appeared reasonable and true to themselves. While the younger ones (the princess and the second prince) grew new traits with the difficult situations they had to face later on, the actual grown-ups (the leads and everyone else) were already full-fledged from the beginning, but you would only discover every side of them as the story went further. I found it extremely intriguing that some of them were so deep into the gray zone that it took me until the last episode to actually see their true nature and until I realized who was actually beyond redemption. The acting was convincing in making me confused for a long time. I always hoped for the better but some people couldn't be saved at all.
I think the main theme of the drama was actually "family bonds". Because in the end everything came down to that. Second would be the siblings dynamics. They showed two different kinds of how those could look and I enjoyed both of them.
Other things that added to the fun:
- Awesome fighting scenes! Didn't look too chaotic and you could actually follow their moves, plus well placed slo-mos that increased the impact of the entrances.
- Music. Again and again I realized how much the music could influence the feeling of a scene. And they just delivered here. Especially the battle music was captivating.
I wavered between a 9.5, because their were one or two tiny things I found unnecessary, but the overall enjoyment was too good.
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Second half explains it all
Well, I took notice that this drama had quite some divided opinions when it aired. I can't remember the content of those opinions, but I do have my own issues with it. Fact is, I was definitely swept away by the second half of the show.Things, the first half lacked were that there was just not enough information about the characters which made me question their behaviour all the time. Esp. Hong Ye (ML) was a mystery to me. His actions, the fast change in his attitude towards Xiao Yao (FL) didn't have any explainable footing for a long time. Only way later it got explained (which was, after getting to know it, actually satisfying). Regarding him being the demon king, I believe some people found him a bit too "nice". I was never bothered by that, I must say. I liked the different approach and never expected some prejudiced stereotype.
I also kind of had a problem with the FL having a somewhat too childish behaviour at first. I did like her character and all, but it was difficult to feel that "fast blooming romance" between her an Hong Ye. Even more so because he was some thousand years old. The side stories conveyed more emotion and even the brother/sister relationship of Bing Zhu (SML) and Tan were more relatable. I was also very intrigued by his character development. He took quite a rough path which caused his soul to be quite torn. I enjoyed his encounter and relationship with Pian Pian (SFL).
Third thing that bothered me in the first half, was the somewhat chaotic and non organized storytelling. Then, the story of the Realm of Mist and Void began and they invested way too much time with that, almost bringing the story to a halt.
What kept me going? The two soul demon cat Xiao Ming/Xiao Mu! ...Just kidding. Though he was great, he wasn't the only reason. I don't really know actually. There were glimpses of it getting better in the early side stories. And maybe I just hoped that it would get better since Hou MingHao wouldn't chose total trash, right?
And suddenly the second half of the story started and it got so much better. Finally things were explained, the relationship of the main couple got a deeper bond and an understandable explanation for its weird speedy development in the beginning. Xiao Yao also seemed more grown up which made it easier to feel for her and Hong Ye. The more they showed the past of the characters, the more I got invested in the romance. So much, that it did made me shed a lot of tears in the end (which I didn't expect until a certain point in the story).
They also introduced more important side characters (the dragons) and made the story more interesting, since those new people were way too charming - each of them in their own way.
I might not agree with the outcome of some characters, and the closer I got to the finale, the more it felt like the writers were at a loss to find a suitable closure for everyone at some point. Somehow it still worked, but that didn't make me less angry about it (and I'm not talking about the ending). Though that might just be my very personal impression.
Visual contradictions:
CGI and make-up were quite well done sometimes, also the costumes of the leads and some side cast were stunning, yet other demon costumes and facial masks/add-ons were just junk. And don't get me started with those obvious fake flowers, leafs, branches. On the other hand, the fake snow was well made again.
Music was great. I love those pieces where you hear bells? Though I'm not even sure if it were those or some other instrument (a flute?). Wonder if you get what I'm talking about. Those sometimes eerie sounds that make you feel like you're in the middle of some ritual.
And I just loooooove Hou MingHao's voice in songs.
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