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PeachBlossomGoddess

Hong Kong

PeachBlossomGoddess

Hong Kong
Completed
Brotherhood of Blades 2
7 people found this review helpful
Oct 11, 2019
Completed 1
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

How to top an already phenomenal first movie.

Brotherhood of the Blades 2 is one of those rare second movies that I liked better than the first (which also rocked). In this prequel, the younger Shen Lian stumbles upon a larger political conspiracy in the middle of an assignment to eliminate a controversial artist. The plot falls more along the lines of a mystery with just the right number of plot twists and betrayals. While the action scenes are still bloody, intense and masterfully choreographed, there is a better balance between close up lethal swordplay, suspenseful cat and mouse evasions and gripping high speed chases.

The plot in the prequel is easier to follow and more interesting to me. The cast is stronger and the characters are deeper and have to grapple with more inner conflicts. The three main characters - Shen Lian (Chang Chen), Lu Wen Zhao (Zhang Yi) and Pei Lun (Lie Jia Yin) have agendas, loyalties and morals that are at times in outright conflict, making them alternately allies and adversaries. Yet they are bound by a certain code of conduct and mutual empathy shared by those who are ultimately just expendable chess pieces. Chang Chen's Shen Lian silently brimmed with intensity from barely suppressed defiance, to lethal violence, to cold calculation and to longing and desire in this movie. Lie Jia Yin as Pei Lun was his perfect foil with his nonchalant mocking insolence and casually deadly innuendo. Their chemistry as both friends and foes was spot on - I could not get enough of them. In the first movie, the third male lead, his sappy love interest and the female lead were insipid superfluous characters. This second movie doesn't have any notable weak links in the cast. In fact all of the supporting characters were exceptionally well acted.

Also two thumbs up for the strong, yet paradoxical female lead character - a brave and independent woman with a voice that will not be suppressed but who yet loves not that wisely. Ever at fault with a damsel in distress, Shen Lian's reluctant yet burning infatuation with her had me squealing with delight. I was shocked however to discover Yang Mi's truly awful real voice - it is thin, reedy and at odds with the strong character she portrayed. She pretty much owes all her success to her voice dubbers and undoubtedly this is why she hasn't graduated to the big screen despite her popularity and success. Still there is something inexplicable about her that connects with all her leading men and Chang Chen was no exception here.

Overall a fantastic movie to revisit, one that is hugely satisfying for any Chang Chen and/or Lie Jia Yin fans suffering from withdrawal after 2019's top dramas.

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Completed
Autumn Cicada
18 people found this review helpful
Jun 6, 2020
49 of 49 episodes seen
Completed 13
Overall 5.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 4.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

Spy candy

Let me cut to the chase - Autumn Cicada is a complete train wreck. But aspiring screenwriters should be inspired by this - if this script managed to be produced with a cast of decent actors and even aired, there is hope for anything!

I watched this because I like spy thrillers and it is set in my city, Hong Kong during the Japanese occupation. Ren Jialun as the male lead Ye Chong is admittedly an added bonus. It does start with a bang as Ye Chong, a major in the Japanese military is almost exposed as a Chinese spy code-name Autumn Cicada the day he is posted to Hong Kong. I suspended disbelief at the wildly improbable backstory as to how a Chinese patriot managed to advance to the highest ranks of the Japanese military but as the plot unfolds I quickly realize that that is on a relative basis, not that ridiculous. Isolated and cut off from all known contacts, he gropes around trying to figure out who is friend and foe and who betrayed his codename. We see him pondering a lot with suspenseful music in the background- every grumpy angle of Ren Jialun's thinking face is vigorously and closely explored so if you are a fan, this is spy candy galore!

Evidently the original female lead dropped out due to a convenient pregnancy that saved her from playing He Ying (Li Man), the most useless character in the show. This boring whiny wallflower was so incompetent she couldn't even successfully get herself killed. Her greatest accomplishment is saving one person at the cost of eleven others. I told myself that if this inept and reckless character survives, it would qualify the drama for a fantasy tag. Needless to say there is zero chemistry between her and Ren Jialun. The drama's only saving grace is the sparkling chemistry between Liu Huan's Chi Cheng and his infuriating and flamboyant wife Jin Xiang (He Dujuan). I really love this couple, they are the only reason I continued to watch the show. Indeed Liu Huan stole the show - his ability to convey crippling fear of discovery behind a facade of a suave businessman sharply contrasted with Ren Jialun's (too) cool as a cucumber Ye Chong. As much as I like him, this is not one of Ren Jialun's better works.

The main antagonist in this show Miyamoto, Ye Chong's arch enemy, is the smartest and only quasi intelligent character in the show. He figured out right away that Ye Chong is Autumn Cicada and was also onto Chi Cheng and the other spies very early in the game but everyone else was too dumb to believe hm. And yeah, even though this should have been obvious to both of them, our two heroes spend most of the drama circling each other warily but the lightbulb just doesn't go on. I was really unimpressed and frustrated with their spycraft and general lack of common sense and intuition. And despite the repeated attempted brainwashing from the suspenseful background music, there is nothing thrilling or suspenseful about watching such bungling spies. Even the ending was predictible and not remotely moving. If anyone is concerned that this may be a propaganda drama, don't be. It is actually a scathing almost insulting depiction of the Chinese spies during this period.

I actually suspect this must be a spoof. It is such a bad drama it is actually quite funny. And yes, there are many, many good looking eye candy actors in this show in dashing costumes. This is one that can be played in the background on mute during those interminable conference calls we endure while working from home.


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Completed
Still Human
4 people found this review helpful
Jul 14, 2019
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Cinderella and an unlikely fairy godfather

This is not my usual type of movie, I picked it up out of curiousity on a plane and was pleasantly surprised. The plot is simple - it is about the relationship that develops between a disabled middle aged divorcee Leung (Anthony Wong) and his caregiver Evelyn (Crisel Consunji), a Filipino domesetic helper. Leung is initally harsh to Evelyn; he is embittered by the random accident that led to the loss of his wife and son to another marriage that took them far away to the US. But her kindness and dedication eventually moves him to empathize with her plight, which is sadly all to common to the large Fillipino domestic helper community in Hong Kong. They come to care deeply for each other and find joy in each other's company in an otherwise bleak existence. Although they are so very different in terms of culture and background they even had to learn each others' language to communicate, what they both have in common is a kind and generous spirit. As a person who no longer has dreams, Leung rediscovers joy and meaning in life in making Evelyn's dreams come true even at great cost to himself. This is a very simple and humble production but the acting by both lead actors as well as the small supporting cast was really strong. And the script was well done, with a lot of humor that brightened up the mood along the way. It is both a sad and happy movie although the plot was somewhat fairy tale like or improbable but that is all I would say to avoid giving it away.

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Completed
The Penalty Zone
6 people found this review helpful
Jan 16, 2021
44 of 44 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 6.5

Fifty shades of grey.

I expected this to be just another undercover narcotics cop drama. Which it is -  but still it hooked me from the very first episode. A sudden explosion sends Gan Tianlei (Ou Hao) into an 8 year coma in the middle of a decade long deep undercover mission to infiltrate the Ceasar drug organization. When he wakes up, he has no memory of his teenage daughter and her mother and only retains shadowy images of the events leading up to his accident. As his memory returns in snatches, he grapples with where his true loyalties lie and whether he had crossed over to the dark side. Ou Hao really shines in this role - he is heartbroken, moved, bewildered,  cunning, disingenuous, inscrutable, conflicted and enraged at all the right moments. His fight scenes were also really gripping and jam packed with raw, powerful fist-slugging and high impact kick action.

The main characters in this drama are extremely well written - they are multi-faceted, imperfect and complex such that the lines between protagonist and antagonist are frequently blurry. In particular the reluctant chemistry between Gan Tianlei and Che Lizi  as they encircle each other warily at times as allies and at times in combat is the best, most fascinating portrayal of the conflict between black and white and the fifty shades of grey in between. The drama throws them into moments where they are stressed into revealing themselves and their true priorities in the split second choices that they make. Both actors Ou Hao and Xu Hongjie are nuanced and compelling in the way they articulate themselves; theirs is the best frenemy bromance I watched in 2020. The entire ensemble cast delivers a very strong performance in terms of the rapport of the anti-narcotics force and the depth, length and endurance of their relationships and loyalties to one another. The collegial humour and comradeship pulls you in with sketches that are equal parts funny, cynical, nostalgic, light and dark and makes vivid what anchors Gan Tianlei as he walks the line between dark and light.

For about three quarters of the drama, the pacing is excellent and transitions seamlessly between suspense, action, comedy, tragedy with a few good twists and reveals mixed in at all the right moments. Then the drama peaks in an epic showdown between the remnants of the Ceasar group and the Tan family that had succeeded them as drug kingpins. And that is where the drama could have and should have ended on a high note. Up until then, my rating was an 8.0 with an eye towards 8.5. But in the final arc, it seems another writer took over. The mad scientist Lu Mingxiong is another decently written grey character but falls far short in comparison to Gan Tianlei and Che Lizi and the dynamic becomes more like two's company, three's a crowd. His relationship with Gan Xiaoyuan was so oily even the drama admits as much. It is clearly intended to set the stage for another season that sees Gan Tianlei, the ultimate undercover cop go after an international drug ring. I really didn't enjoy the final short arc that felt long, which is why this ends up an 7.5 for me. That said, Ou Hao has really impresses with his acting in this and in The Eight. I believe he is the best up and coming actor I came across in 2020.

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Completed
Once Upon a Time
5 people found this review helpful
Jun 25, 2019
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

How to make a quick buck off of a super successful TV drama...

I watched this out of mild curiosity when I was in China on business and could only get into iQiyi. It was barely entertaining and nowhere compares to the TV drama Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. The storytelling was chaotic and difficult to follow because they pretty much just cut and pasted together all of the best moments and lines between Bai Qian and Ye Hua from the TV drama and then re-shot it with different actors. Everything else was hurriedly compressed into what time was left so it will be incomprehensible to anyone who doesn't know the story line.

The actors who play the two leads, they are both beautiful people and had pretty good chemistry but still fell short of Yang Mi/Mark Chao. Liu Yifei's Bai Qian was way too young and sweet-natured to pull off the role of feisty goddess queen of the fox tribe. And Yang Yang's Ye Hua was very handsome in a very, very pretty way but as an actor he has nowhere near the emotional range and intensity of Mark Chao. They made for an adorable pair of young lovebirds but their relationship didn't build any substance before they were pretty much hooking up. In fairness to the actors, its difficult to impress when the no story-line jumps around and there isn't any real character development. One change to the story I did approve of is that four beasts become one beast and they kill it off together. That was kind of cool.

Alibaba had money to throw at this so the sets were visually stunning as were the costumes (and also more revealing). But the whole thing didn't come together in a good way. Had I watched it first I would have avoided the drama. I wouldn't say the movie is yuck but it is a rather obvious attempt to make a quick buck on the back of the success of a mega hit TV romance.

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Completed
The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion
18 people found this review helpful
Nov 16, 2020
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 6.0

If you don't know me by now.

This is another enjoyable light romance that has many amusing moments but is overall lazily written and doesn't bear close scrutiny. If there is a hidden message, it is that going for the brainy sister can change your life in the best of ways whereas choosing the reckless* one and can well end it. [*I could use a much more accurate word but since its just the first paragraph, I restrained myself].

The overarching plot is centered around the mysterious Ruyi Pavilion, at surface a purveyor of unique jewelry and the finer things in life. Fu Xuan and her younger sister Fu Rong are daughters of a mid-level magistrate and disciples of the enigmatic Liu Ruyi and assist her in crafting Ruyi Pavilion's celebrated designs. Fu Rong is plagued by prophetic dreams of a tragic future with Prince Su and while trying to ward off this inauspicious future, she instead catches his eye. After a number of hilarious encounters as they get roped into unraveling the secrets of Ruyi Pavilion, they fall for each other. Does this couple have what it takes to overcome an emperor's disapproval, unscrupulous political rivals, deadly love rivals and ultimately an ill-fated destiny itself to stay together?

The plot around the secrets of Ruyi Pavilion is fresh and promising and the drama starts strongly, aided by the wonderful chemistry between the leads who worked together on the much loved Legend of Yunxi by the same production team. Sadly this production mostly cruises on audience indulgence as the writing fails to hold up and the intriguing backstory and some of the more promising plot threads are never exploited to their full potential.

One of the main problems is that this drama lacks that one, good, well developed and multi-faceted villain. Many of the better villains and interesting grey characters in the story get killed off quite early and we are left with a mastermind with lame motives. He is revealed early on but his plotting with respect to Ruyi Pavilion doesn't seem to have a real end game. He is such a poor excuse for a villain that I couldn't even be bothered to hate him. As for side characters, despite her annoying voice, I thoroughly enjoyed Princess Xihe; or more specifically Xu Jin's gut-busting facial expressions and terse rebuffs that spoke volumes. Initially I was both intrigued and charmed by Xu Ping/Duke An and was so looking forward to a rare, enjoyable triangle. It is unforgivable that sloppy writing turned him into a creepy Phantom of the Opera-like character with mommy issues.

In this drama the second couple stole my heart over the lead couple. Both characters and their relationship develops in a more convincing way. His desire to pursue the more mature and responsible Fu Xuan is the catalyst that pushes Wu Baiqi to set aside his resentment, grow up and work hard to prove his potential. He trusts Fu Xuan with his mother's legacy, which also unlocks her dreams and he brings out a more fun loving side to her nature. Adversity strengthens their relationship and they grow from it and are so natural and fun together I couldn't get enough of their moments.

Unlike Wu Baiqi, Fu Rong is an immature and over-indulged character at the beginning that shows minuscule development. Ju Jingyi's beauty and charisma can only go so far to make up for shortcomings in how the character is written. Fu Rong cannot fight yet she allows her low survival instincts take over and charges recklessly into one dangerous situation after another. Luckily we can always count on Xu Jin/Prince Su or Xu Ping to be conveniently around the corner to rescue her. Like all selfish brats, she does as she pleases even if it is inappropriate or if she knows it hurts Xu Jin's feelings or is against his interest. Unlike other viewers, I understand why the emperor considers her a most unsuitable consort for his son.

Nonetheless as a couple, Fu Rong and Xu Jin have a sparkling, lively chemistry that still seduces me into rooting for them and forgiving their faults. Ju Jingyi's brilliant comedic flirtatiousness is so seamlessly in sync with Zhang Zhehan's answering glimpses of mischievous, amorous appreciation behind a severe façade it is no wonder that this is an OTP that melts hearts. But their relationship is frustratingly developed - even when their goals are aligned they at best work in parallel independently of each other. Xu Jin over indulges her and is over protective of her at the same time. Although Xu Jin is allegedly the love of her life, Fu Rong doesn't trust him and repeatedly jumps to the most heinous (and retarded) conclusions about him. This was forgivable early in their relationship but it is really disappointing to see her doubt him after he risks his life for her time and again. My favorite part was the look on her face when Xu Jin tells her off and pretty much gives her the spot on "If you don't know me by now..." speech. Its just too bad that our lovable doormat was once again just being a noble idiot but his biggest saving grace is he manages to suffer successfully without spitting blood. In the end, I am not convinced this is a couple that lasts because unlike Fu Xuan and Wu Baiqi, adversity seems to pull this couple apart and not together; thus the whole is lesser than the sum of the parts.

Despite the poor writing, the main characters are so lovably portrayed that I enjoyed this drama immensely. That said, I cannot in good conscience rate this higher than an 7.0 maybe an 7.5 if you are a die hard Yunxi fan (I did not watch Yunxi).

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Completed
A Writer's Odyssey
5 people found this review helpful
May 30, 2021
Completed 5
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

The pen is mightier than the sword.

This is a very entertaining action fantasy movie with absolutely stunning world building and production design. Unlike this year's more pretentious Dream of Eternity, this is much more than a showy demonstration of cinematic pyrotechnics. This production truly breathes life into the absolutely amazing animations and convincingly fuses them with live actors who are actually in the moment and evoke a sense of imminent peril. This drama spent two years in post production and it is clear that a lot of care went into the visual effects that sweeps one into an addictive, thrilling virtual reality fantasy game world.

There are two main plot lines to this action loaded story within a story, the first takes place in the real world and the second in a fantasy world. The spectacular Lei Jiayin plays Guan Ning, a distraught father who is searching desperately for his daughter who went missing six years ago. He is tasked to assassinate an online novelist Kongwen who is writing a fantasy novel about a young warrior's quest to bring down an evil overlord Redmane. At the sweep of a pen that is mightier than the sword, the two plot threads fuse into an epic, action packed showdown. What stands out is the crazy, creative energy in the action sequences and how they snuck in some really wild, ingenious and unconventional moves that wowed me. I absolutely loved Guan Ning's almost superhuman ability to throw rocks, that was incredibly entertaining to watch.

Despite the intense action orientation, the narrative is not secondary to the action and the humanity at its core shines through as a result of superb acting by Lei Jiayin, Dong Zijian (who plays Kongwen) and the very talented Yu Hewei. This is a cast you can't go wrong with... except for the insipid Yang Mi, whose character was not necessary to the plot and her wimpy voice yet again had me wishing they dubbed her. I don't know why Lu Yang always makes such terrible casting choices for his female characters.

While it doesn't dot every i or cross every t; the backstories of some characters could be tighter, there are minor plot holes and logic flaws in the real world antagonists, overall it is a very cool story that broadly hangs together. This movie takes a bold swipe at both China's communist past and capitalist present - it is very obvious the major corporation with the Aladdin's lamp logo in the present plot is Alibaba and Redmane's red army represents the Red Guards in the fantasy plot.

This is a great way to indulge in two hours of pure escapism. I give it 8.5.

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Dropped 26/48
The King's Woman
8 people found this review helpful
Jun 18, 2019
26 of 48 episodes seen
Dropped 3
Overall 4.5
Story 4.5
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.5

Mission Impossible

I picked this one up because I quite like Vin Zhang as an actor - he has a certain intensity that in the right role could be quite powerful. I was quite excited to see he him cast as the male lead and as the first emperor of China Qin Shi Huang no less! I also (rightly) suspected that Dilraba Dilmurat would pair up quite nicely with him as the female lead Gong Sun Li.

After getting about halfway through this, I realized that the good chemistry between the leads just really wasn't good enough to hold up the challenging story-line that doomed this drama from the start. The lovely Dilraba/Sun Li had the misfortune to catch the eye of the tyrannical Qin emperor. Being all powerful, he tears her from the arms of her childhood love Jing Ke and makes her his concubine. He keeps her by his side by adopting their child and holding him hostage. Despite all of this, we are supposed to be moved by his persistent and not always tender efforts to win her heart. As the Qin emperor, Zhang was mercurial, suspicious, petty and jealous - often coming across like a petulant rejected teenage suitor. Despite his personal intensity, Zhang was not able to round out these lesser qualities with the requisite gravitas of such a powerful emperor. Don't get me wrong, I still think Zhang is a promising actor but the character that he plays is not an innately likable one.

Switching to Dilraba, she also had her work cut out for her - how to betray her love and eventually succumb to such a petty tyrant and not alienate the audience? To make it more palatable, they cast some completely vapid, limp noodle of an actor to play Jing Ke, supposedly the love of Sun Li's life and the father of her child. Needless to say, there was even less chemistry between Jing Ke and Sun Li so we didn't even get a good and convincing triangle. A jealous misunderstanding set him down the path of falling for someone else with the heartbroken encouragement of Sun Li. All I could think was wow, this girl has bad taste in men and they (Sun Li and Jing Ke) were really not that into each other. The rest of the cast was rather insipid and didn't really resonate. There was some silly assassination sub plot that Jing Ke is likely in on (yes kill the tyrant that stole your wife and child) but I didn't get far enough to see it play out. Don't think I am missing anything.

And finally of course there was the requisite palace harem cliche of beautiful women doing their absolute worst to each other - oh yes of course they picked on Sun Li. I can usually tolerate some of it but in this case it was just the last straw. In hindsight, I should have known better than to spend time on this and I have much sympathy for the leads. To begin with, the plot is a super challenging one in which none of the lead characters can possibly come off in a good way. It didn't help that the script writing and character development was shallow and completely not up to the formidable task of making wife snatching romantic. In this regard however, my irritation is squarely aimed at the scriptwriters and not the actors. Their job was literally mission impossible. Instead of self destructing, hopefully they both (and I) make better script choices going forward.

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Completed
Till the End of the World
3 people found this review helpful
Jun 17, 2019
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 3.5

There really is no need to go to the end of the world.

Despite the two big name stars, this movie about a survival romance in the Antartica is just not bad - it is not especially enjoyable or memorable. It was definitely visually stunning but that is not in and of itself enough - after all, it is a movie not a documentary on Antartica. I tried to like this but while there were some good moments, my overwhelming reaction was that it was boring and forgettable. The love story around an unlikely couple stranded together unexpectedly is not unique but it is a simple formula that often works. The basic problem is that aside from the extremely challenging environment, it must also be super boring to be stranded in Antartica. That is why I have great sympathy for what the two leads were up against. I truly don't think there are that many actors out there that could have been able to pull off this kind of role without ultimately boring the audience. I mean watching someone talk to penguins and seals is only entertaining (to kids) in cartoons. Mark Chao and Yang Zishan did have good chemistry and some of the scenes between them were quite moving. But overall their chemistry was not breathtaking the way it would need to be for this kind of performance that really revolves solely around two characters. Mark Chao's excessive face fur also may have hurt his performance. He is an actor with fantastic facial expressions but in some of the moments that truly mattered the fur really got in the way and his expressions were largely obscured. I suspect this is why he wasn't always convincing in conveying Fuchon's (Chao) love for and dedication to Ruyi (Yang). Indeed, while we can debate over whether he looks better with some face fur, this actor's most successful roles to date have been ones in which he has exposed more face.

It was a also likely a critical mistake to have Ruyi (Yang) break her leg from the very beginning , rendering her pretty much immobile throughout. That left Fuchun a one man show for large chunks of the movie and also limits the scope of the interactions between the couple. While that may well be true to the book, in the movie they could have exercised some artistic license and had her break it later on. After all, Antartica is a very dangerous place with all that slippery ice... it could have ideally occured in the latter half of the movie without much changing the storyline or ending. There was a bit of a Chinese twist to the story at the end that helped at the margin but by then I was falling asleep. While I did like and empathize with the couple, this firmly sticks into the only if you are really bored (for example: stuck in Antartica) and need to pass some time category.

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Dropped 13/63
Ashes of Love
31 people found this review helpful
Jun 16, 2019
13 of 63 episodes seen
Dropped 26
Overall 3.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 1.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Nincompoop warning: may cause indigestion.

I am posting this as a warning not to unwittingly get sucked into watching this show. I picked it up after the almost overwhelming number of (misleading) rave reviews about it. This is not another Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, it is in no way comparable on every possible level and it is not enjoyable to watch at all. The plot may well be somewhat interesting and my overall impression of the story line is that it is decent. I am willing to give all Chinese drama 10-12 episodes to engage me. With this one, sadly I could barely even bring myself to watch no 10. The main problem is the lead actress alienated me from the get go with her portrayal of Jinmi as a silly, naive, mischievous, noisy and thoroughly obnoxious young girl. It was not at all adorable or charming, just dumb and annoying. I could have ignored it if it was just one or two episodes but it went on endlessly and there was so, so much of it and none of it added to the storyline. It was quite obvious from the beginning that there is a love triangle in the plot. But she made the character so not lovable that it was just not credible that the two rather superb male leads would fall for such a complete and utter nincompoop. It made the unfolding story-line of two half-brothers who were very close but starting to fall out over their rivalry for this silly, shallow and irritating girl just seem not at all believable. I would however, have readily bought into the two of them fighting each other not to have to marry her she was so obnoxious!

It is my pet peeve that Chinese drama likes to portray female characters in this most unflattering light. But one has to believe that the actress has some artistic input and this one really completely got it wrong by over-acting. Maybe it would have been ok if she "grew up" after one or two episodes and became actually likable. Very quickly,, I lost patience and had to fast forward or mute her every time she opened her mouth. In fact I put this actress whom I have never watched before on my NO list- I will not watch this super low talent actress again. I decided to abandon it after I started to hope she would quickly come to a tragic end and both princes would find happiness with someone (anyone) else.

Dramas nowadays avoid portraying these terrible female stereotypes. I guess if you don't understand the language and are just reading subtitles it could be less obnoxious. Thankfully MANY other hit C-dramas have started to significantly dial down these outdated female stereotypes or have eliminated them altogether. It is why shows like Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, Nirvana in Fire and Princess Weiyoung are in a different class altogether from Ashes of Love. However, the reviews I have seen are not pointing out how difficult this one is to get into and is unfairly putting this show in the same league of many much superior dramas. The story line itself sounds promising but exectution was terrible. Probably best to just read the book and pass on the show.

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Dropped 8/40
Bright as the Moon
13 people found this review helpful
Dec 12, 2021
8 of 40 episodes seen
Dropped 6
Overall 1.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 1.0
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

How to make sows ears out of silk purses.

This drama has been adapted beyond recognition from a well loved hit novel to the rage and dismay of its many fans. Nothing makes my drama bestie more livid than how this favorite novel of hers has been ruined. This drama's only dubious glory is achieving the hitherto impossible - making sows ears out of silk purses! It is shocking how something so exceptionally good could have been so completely and utterly desecrated.

This production is lead actor Zhang Zhixi's vanity project. Frustrated at being relegated to secondary roles, she secured the lead role by acquiring the script and proceeded to show the world why she does not deserve lead roles. Her portrayal of Yun Qianyue was so bizarrely schizophrenic annoying beyond words and just simply exhausting that I wished I would get amnesia to wipe her appalling performance from memory. If she were portraying a murder victim, I am quite sure the jury would return a verdict of justifiable homocide. The big missing scene was one where Rong Jing and the 4th Prince were fighting to see who could be the first to shove her off a cliff. Because unless their mothers dropped them on their heads when they were babies, no way are these two men falling for this bat-shit crazy imbecile.

This is actually a rather expensive production with a good director, nice sets and beautifully shot scenes. If only the silly harebrained actress had submitted to some direction and not insisted on her unfathomable interpretation of the story, this drama could have been as big of a hit as the novel was.

This drama must be the absolute worst of 2021 - it is so bad it is offensive. Don't waste your time on it. 1.0/10.

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