Reviews

I applaud the show for managing to sustain my interest - enough for me to binge-watch it in 3(?) days, despite its mystery/crime genre, which I'm usually not as motivated with. This is attributed to the overall fast pacing, compelling lead characters and relationship tension, dashes of appropriate humour, and interesting cases (though this point, I say with contention and will be elaborated on later).

Before I proceed on to sound like I'm nitpicking, I would like to say that I am still quite personally fond of this drama, which is why I am feeling a little indignant about its unlived potential and significant writing flaws.

The cases are sufficiently engaging, for how the cases are set up with imaginative and intriguing leads and premise. I'm not one to get picky with mystery shows nor are they my biggest concern when I watch such shows. Even so, I have also watched a fair amount of them for someone who hasn't been that particularly interested, so I could sense in my guts that there has been something about the storytelling and portrayal of the procedural which often left me kinda empty.

I won't pick too much on some details like how sometimes I question the ethics and methods of the profession (like, CZ and LL revealing details of ongoing cases to outsiders - is that even ok?). But what truly bothered me the most is with how convoluted and imaginative the methods of crime are, the reveal often turns out to be anti-climatic. The reveals tend to be abrupt - the true backstories comes gushing out all at once when the arc approaches the end, instead of a slow build-up. (Though with this, it's interesting to note that the knowledge we have as audience about the cases can be different from what the lead characters know - I wonder what is the significance in this choice of storytelling.)

And most importantly, my main gripe with the writing of the cases is how there usually is a significant disconnect between the severity of the crimes and the perpetrators' personalities and motivations. (eg. A motherly housewife who suddenly lost all sense and planned an elaborate and cryptic murder after the death of her son; a money-grubbing, loafing, family planning an elaborate insurance fraud, etc etc.) Despite it being understandable that they're filled with hate and greed, but I still see a huge gap between the timid-looking or ordinary commoners, and psychopaths. The string of suspended disbelief usually snaps for me during the big reveal; being unable to see the justification of them being driven to such distances. It felt almost like the writers started off with thinking about ~the most exciting crimes~, without connecting it to the people who could have committed them.

Although of course I won't say that this issue is applied throughout every case and its involved characters, it still happened more often than not. (ie. I did appreciate the last two cases because it was easier for me to see what had driven the murderers to such corners, and how they went about developing the crime was realistic for their circumstances.)

Having said these, I could close an eye on the flaws of the writing because understanding and sympathising with criminals usually isn't the most important thing. And what matters to me more are the lead characters, especially in this story.


So yes, Lu Li and Chi Zhen! I started being interested in this drama when they first wrapped up filming for the drama. I see Yin Zheng and Zhai Tian Lin, both actors who I know/heard are good actors despite this not being my type of genre. Double male leads? Ah, ""brotherhood"" ... then until much later I read about them having their respective hetero love lines, it was kinda disappointing, because I didn't want to be queerbaited. Then I put this drama aside until it aired, and saw that many of the fandom friends and some cdrama commentary videos highly praising it.

Indeed, I was not disappointed by the leads' performance, especially Zhai Tian Lin! I haven't seen him in anything before, though I've heard good things about him. He's a very charismatic and expressive actor, he brought Chi Zhen to life. Yin Zheng's Lu Li pales slightly in comparison due to the gloominess of his character, but did well too.

What is the best about this show really, is the lead characters. Both of them carry with them emotional burdens - a sense of guilt to some extent for what had happened beyond their control. And with this, their lives intersect - their tension first comes with their roles as a police and lawyer, then eventually to revealed to be families of an accused murderer and murder victim. Chi Zhen is broken - he believed that nobody truly cared about him and he had been lonely his whole life, yet he was evidently still so full of empathy. Lu Li is broken too - his entire world view built since young had collapsed after his father's arrest, and once managed to open up, and that ''normal'', blissful family life left him once again. Both of them thus indirectly found solace through their professional duties - their intertwined pasts fuel their drive to uphold justice.

With the amount of time given to the cases, the unlived potential is definitely of how I don't see enough of the leads and their interactions - and their storyline in general. The show puts in effort to draw some parallels between the messages drawn from the cases with our leads, but they were extremely subtle and was kinda lost halfway through. I want to see more of our leads, I want to know more about them - we haven't gotten to the case of LL's dad and CZ's sister. I had expected more from the backstory of CZ becoming a businessman, as it seemed to involve conspiracies and bigger implications with the triads. And these are what I am looking forward to in the second season...!


Now, regarding the last episode. My main and only confusion with the story only surfaced in the last episode with Dong-ju's involvement in the last case. He has always been around, and we know he does play some a role in the background as a grey character - but there wasn't significant build-up on what would lead to his actions in the last arc - and that really came abruptly out of nowhere. Thus, it made the climax felt rushed - I didn't really feel much for LL/CZ's emotional scene in that and there wasn't enough build-up/time to process CZ's actions at that point.

This eventually developed into the infamous ending which unleashed fury on Weibo from the netizens. I didn't actually feel strongly against it but the ending left me perplexed. Chi Zhen *can* die (and his last words with the train tracing back to what he said before really was an emotional punch), I'm ok with character deaths if they're justified. Perhaps CZ was already cornered to the point he might as well be dead instead of being a fugitive... but being conveniently stabbed by a rando? That was just ridiculous. And while I was still struggling to figure out CZ's decision to kill Dong-ju and ended up on a runaway, his abrupt death leaves one stunned. To top that, CZ had been so sad and lonely his whole life, and he died when he was so close to love and being supported, it's understandable how anybody would get mad at his unjustified ending.

And here is the twist: it seemed like the 24-episode's ending was made this way because of some internal conflicts within the production team. We do know that CZ is actually not dead in the bonus clip - as it seemed to be planned by the scriptwriter initially. And now, we look forward to season 2!

If we didn't have a season 2 planned, I would be even more disappointed. Ideally, this shouldn't have been 24 episodes - but should have had a couple more episodes to resolve LL and CZ's backstories, and it would have been a complete narrative. There was so much more the drama could have achieved, so much more I had expected at the start - but it didn't fulfill, as much as I would have loved to rate it more highly.

Nevertheless, if you're contemplating to watch this, I would say that it's still a relatively worthy watch - but do so with managed expectations.

Leggi di Più

I love the Xiao Tian's character very much (just my type LOL)
Anyway I honestly didn't expect to enjoy it. I've read the comments and some said that it was good but was kind of put out since they said that there was no kissing scenes. As an avid fan of romance, I was skeptical. So I tried it and said that if it doesn't get interesting until episode 20 then I'll drop it but moving pass the line, I just couldn't stop myself from watching episode after episode. I have watched every episode and could concur that there was definitely no romantic kiss on this one. They did have the "bloody kiss" (watch it to understand) but I don't think that basically counts.
The love story was definitely sweet and romantic but to warn you, don't expected very romantic scenes. I kind of respected and at the same time resented the writers and director for that. Would it hurt to like put more romance in to it?

Another reason for my skepticism was the number of the episodes. I think by far this is the longest one that I have watched (forgot the number of episodes on other dramas) but I guess I learned my lesson, not to judge a drama by the numbers LOL.

To rate this one, I'd say 8/10. Was hoping for a better ending but I guess it was good enough. The ending kind of insinuated that there might be MIGHT be a sequel since it was in some way an open ending not technically an epilogue.

Leggi di Più

Wuah~ just finish this and so much feels of happiness are floating through me right now. This is so adorable cute not in ur girly man kind of way which there are a ton in this movie but are so hilariously put really makes this movie interesting and grabs you all the way through. He has some amazing friends. The main Male lead is a Virgin, trying to find "The One' and he believes he has found it in the main, Male Lead "the playboy". the story is quite unique in that it takes a slight twist on the playboys story that he cant fall in love do to something that i will not say, which it adds hype to the movie so i wont say anything besides the obvious that was mention in the beginning of the film. The story in its self can be seen as average but the acting is well put. Gives u a very fluffy and sweet feeling all the way through. Its a nice film that gives a brighter out look on Gay relationships instead of ur common dark gay films.


BOTH leads are very handsome they have Killer smiles and lips. the innocent man that has never tasted love will taste it for the first time . this film is a must see u will leave with a satisfied ending and along the way laugh from the good comedy it has.

Leggi di Più

Give it a try, don't be drawn on the first episodes impressions.

I like this drama, the general idea, the setting are interesting despite some shortcomings in the script, direction, editing and acting. I wouldn't have believed it but the second part is much better and allowed me to appreciate it.

We follow the story of these 3 couples with different trajectories but with a common passion for sports.

If the couple Torn and Fah didn't impress me during the first episodes, I liked the evolution of their story from episode 6 onwards. Without realizing it, each wants to be the best in their sport, basketball. Here, there are no usual misunderstandings, no love triangles, no misplaced jealousy, just a guy who can't find his place in the shadow of his professional basketball boyfriend and the so-called boyfriend who doesn't understand his needs. Their relationship shows that love isn't always enough to make a relationship work, but also love on the other hand is what pushes one to understand the other, to forgive and to improve.

As for Aii and Saen, they are ultimately the most classic couple in this story, despite a beginning that would have made us think the worst. They support each other, they trust each other, they love each other and that's enough.

I conclude with the duo that has the most impact on me, by the simplicity and at the same time the complexity of their relationship, Dome and Wee. How do you react when you meet the right person at the wrong time? Is waiting enough or do you let your feelings fade over time and remain only a fleeting moment in your life?

Leggi di Più

A Mellow Production of 2 Lonely Hearts Navigating the World with Disabilities

First. What this drama is NOT:
It is not a poignant love story that will evoke your emotions. It is not a gush-inducing romance that will make you clap or kick your feet or grin like a giddy school child. In fact, how I am I about to describe what the drama is, will come off much more poetic than the actual execution.

What this drama is:
A mellow production equally composed of disability commentary and of a lesbian romance between two hearts faced with a different way of moving through life than the masses. They fit very well together in theory. And the actors nailed the romantic gazes and awkwardness of a new relationship. One of the female leads is the insecure type with years of walls. She knows that her condition prevents her from gaining and maintaining genuine connections. The other female lead just wants to be taken seriously as an independent woman despite her disability - by the workforce, her family, and her romantic partners. They're already carrying emotional damage before we even meet them on screen - adding a layer to awkwardness, although often quite charming, into the vast majority of their interactions.

Many of the wheelchair points have been done before - whether that be the questions, the clout-related requests, the inaccessibility of major buildings and services, micromanaging and hovering family and friends, or the excuses during the job search. So, while I can't relate personally, it does seem they tackled this topic with knowledge and empathy. It's not new, but it's incredibly relevant. And quite new in the realm of queer media specifically.

What I could relate to though, was Luna's condition. Her Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder was nailed, at least in the first 3 episodes anyway. The microaggressions were flawless. As someone who experiences the same delay (just not to the point of being a disorder), I am no stranger to ALL of the snide and off-handed comments, the assumptions, the difficulties. That if you are up all night, you're a slacker. You're lazy. You're not committing yourself. You're wasting your time. You're off partying. All of the "helpful" suggestions to help you get to sleep earlier. The unfortunateness of normal business hours, especially for work. The difficulty keeping up with a social life (unless they reside in a different time zone). Not being able to get opinions/feedback at the opportune time. Or to gush about something happy or exciting when it happens. It puts everything on a delay. Everything is done retroactively - as Luna herself states.

I loved seeing the way this drama unfolded in it's night time setting. Not the energy-filled chaos of the nightlife associated with clubs and parties and bars. But rather the mellow quietness of a world where everyone else is asleep. And seeing how all these individuals, up at night for different reasons, find a rhythm with each other - settling into relationships of romance, friendship, and family.

Now if you will excuse me, the sun will be rising in a couple of hours - I should probably start winding down for bed. 😉

Leggi di Più

The road to the Top of the mountain is a very lonely journey

First of all, “Stand by Me” is not a typical, cute and fluffy high school romance drama. It gives off a vibe similar to that of “The Bond”. The drama talks of life as a high schooler back in the 90s and how they endure hardships and challenges. All the main characters come from broken families and most have lower socio-economic status. There are definitely some fun and lighter moments, but for the most part, this is not a very happy drama. But it’s a great drama nonetheless, if you know what you are getting yourself into.

There are many references to classic Chinese wuxia novels, Hong Kong dramas, movies, music and stars. If you are unfamiliar, you don’t miss much of the important plot. But if you are familiar (which I am), it feels very nostalgic in a good way. It’s similar to watching the very popular K-drama Reply 1988.

“Stand By Me” focuses on the journey of female lead Luo Qi Qi. We follow her from when she was an adorable and super smart young girl, living with her grandfather in the village. As she moved to the city to live with her parents, she was forced to grow up and it’s heartbreaking to see the outgoing and innocent young girl disappear. The drama spends the rest of the time telling the story of Qi Qi’s learning and discovering herself, identifying her goals and her dedication to achieving her dreams. Along the way, she met friends who supported her and encouraged her. But the road to the top of the mountain is a very lonely journey. Is she able to achieve her dreams with her friends?

A few quick bullet points on what I like:
1. Zhang Xi Wei who played the young Luo Qi Qi is fantastic.
2. I love the scenes of young Qi Qi and her grandfather. I wish I could see more flashbacks of them together.
3. Top notch acting by Zhao Jin Mai. She carries the show on her shoulder and runs with it.
4. The rest of the cast is just as good. I initially thought Wu Jia Kai (who played Zhang Jun) might be the weaker of the cast. But he grew on me and I think his acting improved throughout the drama.
5. I don’t question Bai Yu Fan’s acting, but I do question him playing a high schooler. He looks a little too old to be an 18 year old.
6. Love that the actors use their own voice. Big plus with live recording. This really adds to my viewing pleasure as there are many emotional scenes.
7. It’s nice to see a drama where the main characters are not geniuses or Mary Sues. They are all flawed and interesting.
8. It’s nice to see teachers who are decent and act like teachers.
9. It’s also nice to see parents who are real and not overly-bearing (just a little) or overly protective. They are not perfect, but the female lead’s mother actually communicates and wants to have honest conversations, after fiery emotions died down.
10. This drama is so real.

A few quick bullet points on what I have mixed feelings of:
1. This drama is so real. At times it was very difficult to watch, especially to binge. I do not recommend binge-watching this straight.
2. 30 episodes focusing primarily in high school is a little much. I lost focus and felt the pace slow down in the middle.
3. If Luo Qi Qi and Zhang Jun actually communicate honestly and openly, they would not have that many arguments. They make up and break up quite a bit (as friends).
4. I do hate Qi Qi a little bit sometimes for her stubborn and prideful personality. It’s OK to back down once in a while and be considerate of others’ feelings. She’s an interesting character. I love her and I hate her.
5. The drama can seem a little preachy.
6. Romance is light, even for a high school drama. So, don't go in looking for romance.


Overall, this is a great drama. I can see why it has a high Douban rating (currently at 8.3,) as the local Chinese audience can definitely relate to what the characters are going through. But I am not sure the international audience will feel the same way, esp. if they are looking for typical teen high school C-dramas. I recommend this drama to all for its excellent acting and realistic portrayal of life in the 90s as a Chinese high schooler. I definitely do not recommend binge-watching this in 3 days. I tried and was watching this along with “My Dearest” (K-drama), and the cruelty of reality and life's challenges really got to me and I was very stressed out.



Completed: 11/20/2023 - Review #378

Leggi di Più

Toxic as hell but I ATE IT UP

* Trigger warning for sexual assault *

TLDR: This show is has a lot of problematic moments and isn't for everyone. However, it's well made and a lot of fun to watch so if you aren't put off by the toxicity, you'll probably like it.

Full review:

The premise is ridiculously wonderful. A virus that turned the world into an omegaverse? Hysterical. SIGN ME UP.

The acting, music and directing are all great. The show looks really clean and the premise is easy to buy into, I never felt taken out of the story, even when it got really ridiculous. The flowers on the hands were so funny to me though, my friend and I kept referring to them as the My Little Pony marks XD

The show did randomly switch up narrative style a couple times. For the first couple episodes we would get Hua Yong's thoughts written on a black screen but that was dropped early on and never happened again (that I can remember), and at the end Wen Lang's breakdown is just narrated by some random voice out of the blue lol, but these things didn't bother me, I just noticed them.

I'll go through my detailed thoughts in sections:

Hua Yong and Shao You (main couple):
Hua Yong gave me MAD whisplash throughout the show because half the time he was this cool, powerful mafia leader man with his Enigma powers, and the other half he was a pathetic, manipulative stalker boy who made me understand what 'getting the ick' felt like (e.g. the way he follows Shao You around and sends him so many letters after Shao You breaks up with him). Thankfully for the last few episodes he is the former and he was a lot of fun to watch.

Shao You was well written and well acted. The actor is a fantastic crier, like damn. I enjoyed his motivations and characterisation, and I also enjoyed his reaction to finding out about Hua Yong's lies. There was at least an ATTEMPT to set boundaries, which in a show like this, is already an achievement. Based on the premise, I found their getting back together believable and satisfying (though the consent of the marking scene was dubious at best, at least we got a scene showing Shao You being ok with it later). Despite the whole relationship being toxic as hell, Shao You is aware of and accepts Hua Yong's psychotic tendencies by the end (even calling him his 'Little Psycho') so at least he knows what he's in for. As a FICTIONAL romance I enjoyed them, although I only really started supporting them as a couple around episode 12.

It was around episode 12 when Shao You accepted Hua Yong as not an Omega and they get together without any lies or pretence. This is where they get really fun to watch. I loved Hua Yong protecting him from his brother's attack and the following pregnancy reveal. I love a good dynamic flip, and I feel for the most part it was done really well with Shao You.

My only major gripe with them is their rape scene in episode 9 which DID NOT NEED TO BE THERE. It doesn't forward the relationship or the plot. Shao You would still have figured out Hua Yong wasn't an Omega without that scene and their first time could just have been after the marking. The pregnancy thankfully came from a later, consensual love scene. I know it was supposed to make Hua Yong feel guilty and be more careful or something, but then just do a close call, I dunno, the way it was filmed all romantically as well just frustrated me.

Gao Tu and Wen Lang (secondary couple):

I use the word 'couple' lightly because they never actually get together. I've seen a lot of people complain about this but I LOVED it, it was so unexpected in the best way! If Hua Yong and Shao You were toxic, these two were irredeemable. To me, the big difference is that as a rich CEO and an S-tier Alpha, even though he's being manipulated, Shao You still holds power and a way out if need be. Gao Tu has none of these luxuries. He's poor, has a pheromone disorder and has to hide his status as an Omega from his abusive, phobic boss, and predatory, gambling addict father. Plus he has a sick sister he needs to provide for. Gao Tu has it rough, man. He also has my heart. Best character by far. So sweet and gentle and patient, and the way he makes the right decision for himself and his baby in the end made me so happy for him because the whole show all I wanted was for him to get away and be happy.

Wen Lang SUCKS SO BAD. STRAIGHT TO JAIL. To be fair, Hua Yong and Wen Lang both belong in jail but at least Hua Yong is fun evil (usually), Wen Lang is just a hot loser with money. He's constantly verbally abusive to Gao Tu, RAPES HIM, and then has the audacity to BLAME IT ON HIM. When he eventually finds out that he's pregnant (through Gao Tu's dad trying to extort money in exchange for aborting the baby against Gao Tu's will), Wen Lang, the man who has known Gao Tu for over a decade, believes his dad over him??? Gao Tu was right to run away and never look back. I cheered. Their ending is open-ended and I am open to believe they maybe co-parent their child in the future but I just can't see them together unless Wen Lang gets a personality transplant. I did enjoy him being the uncle figure for the main couple's kid though, it was nice to see he became a bit friendlier over the years at least.

I will say that unlike with Shao You and Hua Yong, the existence of the rape scene for these two doesn't bother me as much because it's somewhat essential to the plot. It's how Gao Tu gets pregnant, which is a major part of the reason why he leaves. Wen Lang is shown to be a scumbag and doesn't get the guy in the end, so it doesn't feel so unnecessary or romanticised as it did for the main couple.

The secretaries:
I loved the secretary characters and what their thoughts on any given situation might be. I particularly loved Pin Ming getting teary during Shao You's crying and birth scenes. My friend and I like to imagine Chang Yu, Pin Ming and Gao Tu having a secretary support club where they gossip about the crazy stuff their bosses get up. Especially after Shao You and Hua Yong get together, I like to imagine Chang Yu and Pin Ming become good friends so they can suffer their bosses' drama together lol

The ending:
I liked everything that happened in the ending, I just wish we'd gotten more detail. I feel the show could have been 18-20 episodes, rather than 16. I wonder if they ran out of budget and had to rush the ending or maybe the book really is written like that. I would have loved to have seen some of Gao Tu's life after he leaves since he's so unwell and unhappy most of the show, I really wanted to see him living a better life. It's implied of course, but it would have been nice to even have one scene of it.

I was also pretty frustrated with them skipping over the birth of the main couple's baby. Shao You has a dangerous birth due to being an Alpha and another trope I really love is a character's life being in danger and everyone worrying about them but ultimately they make it, so this could have been SO GOOD and exactly the kind of drama you need for an ending. But sadly they do a three year time skip right after they take him to the hospital. It would also have been such a great opportunity to finally have Hua Yong cry when Shao You wakes up from the birth because they built up his inability to cry so much and then never did anything with it. The main couple's baby finally being born, Shao You almost dying and surviving, Hua Yong finally crying, the friends celebrating, there would have been SO MUCH emotional pay off in this one scene it actually boggles my mind that they didn't make it. So much so that I decided to just write a fanfic to fill in the gaps for myself lollll

In conclusion, I loved it, twas incredibly entertaining. If not for the main couple's unnecessary rape scene and the rushed ending, this would have been a 9.5/10 for me. Despite that, I will definitely be rewatching this, and I will also be reading the novel.

Leggi di Più

An Absolute Mess

The more I think about it the more I'm convinced that the show that aired is not the show they intended to make. There are too many things that don't add up or that are disjointed to assume it was intentional.

I don't think the actors failed, necessarily. They didn't elevate poor material but I don't fault them for that. I know some of these actors are much better than what is seen in this series. The problem, as I can discern, falls entirely on the writing and editing (and possibly direction).

Trigger Warning: I will be discussing the suicide of one of the characters.

The first almost half of the series really builds up what happened to Blue. Him somehow holds some culpability in his fate, though only Te and Him seem to ascribe any blame to him. Chao and Dream, in fact, don't seem to know what happened to him at all. Early in the series there are comments made by various members of this group of friends that imply a) Blue is alive, b) something bad happened to him, c) not everyone knows what happened to him, d) but everyone DOES know Blue is still somewhere he can be reached.

I suspected early on that Blue attempted suicide at some point and that Him was somehow at fault for that. However I also assumed he failed in that attempt. A big reason for that was the way the characters who knew him spoke about him. The way Te spoke about whatever terrible thing Him did almost implied he was in contact with Blue at some point after the event, or even currently. Te had so much disdain for Him this entire series. Him had such deep guilt and shame this entire series. Until the last few episodes where Him was alleviated of wrong doing by the revelation that he didn't really do anything wrong (though he was kind of a dick to his very codependent boyfriend when his mom wound up in the hospital). And then Te just magically gets over his grudge. What?

My theory is that Blue was originally intended to survive his suicide attempt and come back later in the series. I also think Him was originally supposed to be more of a factor in why Blue made the attempt. However I think the plan changed at some point after the show began airing. Perhaps the original story for Him was too dark and someone felt he couldn't be redeemed properly for a happy ending. Perhaps they felt Blue returning made things too complicated to wrap up in the number of episodes they had. I don't know, I can only hypothesize unless someone involves in the production speaks about it and either confirms my theory or confirms this is what they intended to make.

We go from regularly getting 40ish minute episodes to getting 25-30 minute episodes. We get huge holes like the fight at the end of episode seven leading to an entirely different fight in the opening of episode eight and then everything being magically better later in that episode without explanation. The second half of the series requires you to assume a lot of things happen off screen and make up what exactly happens in those conversations. We also have the atrocity that was episode nine (I think it was nine), where the editing was clearly not completed and the audio is a disaster. Entire lines are missing from the dialogue track and you only know what was said because it was included in the English subtitles. I don't know what Thai speakers did to make sense of that episode. The plot very quickly runs out of plot around episode eight when things are magically reconciled and the entire show shifts to focusing more on Chao and Phai at that point. To me, all of this suggests they had to scramble to cut material that was already included in the final episodes and then had to shoot new material for the last few episodes. The finale was basically a throwaway episode for NC scenes.

Other than how very messy the plot was, my other problem with the series were the characters who made no sense and the terrible "relationship" between Chao and Phai.

Type was a caricature villain. What was his problem with Him? Was it really just an inferiority complex over his family having less money? Why was he so intent to fuck Him over and even hurt someone he didn't know at all to do it? Then we get the out-of-left-field plot of him trying to get back with Phai so he could sell a sex tape of him and him pulling a gun on Chao because he "thwarted" his plans by discovering them and telling Phai. What? This was cartoonish and poorly written, to say the least. Once again, I think there may have been a real reason Type hated his cousin that ultimately got cut from the series but I don't know.

Te. Just...what? I already covered how his hate of Him doesn't really make sense. Sure, he had a crush on his friend who he never confessed to and who ultimately dated his other friend. Blue was clingy and codependent and got overly emotional whenever he didn't have all of Him's attention. Because Blue got so upset Te got angry that Him was in a position to treat Blue poorly (in their eyes) in the first place while he, of course, would have taken better care of Blue. But this does not explain why he would doggedly pursue Nail. Sure, he's Blue's doppleganger and he resents Him because Blue chose Him and later took his own life for reasons that (from what we're shown) don't even really have anything to do with Him. Either there's way more substance to that grudge or he's way more unhinged and obsessed with Blue than we are ever shown.

Then we get a sudden alternate love interest for Te who just materializes out of thin air. This man has had no interest in anyone other than Blue or a Blue replacement for 10 episodes but here comes Piece and he's all for it. What? Piece didn't even appear in the credits until then, which reinforces my idea that he wasn't originally part of the series but someone added in later after airing had begun. We get an apology to Him that I don't think almost any of us would have accepted and then he goes off to flirt with Piece. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the dynamic between those two. They have good chemistry. But Te is a completely different person with Piece than he is at any other time in this series. It comes off as slapped on at the end to make Te palatable, to cover up rewriting the end of the series or to just fill time because they realized they didn't have enough material for twelve episodes.

Chao and Phai...dear gods, save me from obnoxious, intrusive puppies and people who can't reinforce their words. On the one hand, we have Phai constantly telling this kid he doesn't want to date anyone and they are just fucking, then on the other hand he also constantly allows Chao to run amuck all over that boundary. He tells him to sleep on the couch or leave but never makes him. In the last few episodes we see these secret little smiles implying Phai has finally succumbed to a form of Stockholm Syndrome and now finds Chao endearing.

Chao, however, knows how to do nothing other than doggedly pursue Phai, violate every boundary Phai attempts to place and just shove his way into a relationship. Phai says no so Chao whines and badgers until Phai gives in some small amount. Phai says he doesn't want a relationship so Chao repeatedly declares he wants to be in one with him. Phai doesn't want him showing up at various times or has plans with others so Chao shows up. If anyone is somehow unclear: THIS IS A RED FLAG PEOPLE! This guy is exactly the person you should never ever date and if they keep coming around you should report them to the police for harassment.

Did I eventually feel a little bad for Chao? Sure, I did. Phai very easily could have explained a number of things to Chao but chose not to. He even was willing to explain things (such as how he was definitely not getting back together with Type) to people who WEREN'T Chao. He brushes off Chao's emotions and requests for communication. He decides Chao doesn't need to be told anything even though they are in a sexual relationship with some elements of friendship. (This is also a red flag, people, it's just not one that requires police intervention.) He made things so much harder unnecessarily just because he didn't want to ever explain anything to Chao, as if letting him in at all would violate the boundaries of the relationship he was telling himself they had.

Don't get me started on Chao telling Phai in the finale that if he wanted to have sex they needed to be in a relationship and Phai suddenly just agrees after months of insisting it wasn't what he wanted.

Did we really need Pae and Somsom shoehorned in as a couple at the end? Did that couple even make sense?

This novel is long enough as it is and I think it says most of what needs to be said about this series. I would like to see the actors in other series with much, MUCH better writing. I think a lot of them could do really well with good material. I think there was some failing in direction here, but there was a much bigger failing in writing and editing.

It's a mess.
Do yourself a favor.
Skip it.
There is no rewatch value. It's a dumpster fire of confusion, loose threads and dots that don't connect the way they tell you they should.

Leggi di Più

A perfect encounter with the imperfect Qiao children

Maybe the line above is the most suitable line to sum up what I’ve been through after 36 episodes of The Bond. This drama is not perfect. The characters are not perfect either. They are bloody annoying and manage to make my blood boil in every single episode.

But, I still finished this drama. I’m still able to find my strength to see how the ending is for the Qiao family, especially those unfortunate children. In those 36 episodes, I can’t help but think, how can people get through all of those events but still survive and always have each other back.

After the final episode, I give myself some time to think about it, and the answer is laid on the English title of this drama, The Bond.

The Bond that they have created since the day their mother died. The Bond which was glued by their eldest brother who carried them for decades. The Bond that makes them stronger to pursue their happy ending, tho life always throws them in the miserable place again and again.

Synopsis

The story began in 1977. In that year, the fifth and the last child of the Qiao family was born. But unfortunately, the mom passed away right after giving birth to Qiao Qiqi. She left her five children with their irresponsible and not capable dad, Qiao Zuwang. This dad loved to gamble and didn’t even care about his home or his children at all.

This left no choice for the eldest brother in this family, Qiao Yicheng who was only 12 years old at that time to step up and be the caretaker of the family. He suddenly became the mother and the father of them.

This kept going on until they were teenagers and adults. This eldest brother is always the one who cares and protects them. Even when they started to have their own romantic life, their bond was still as strong as ever.

Review

To be honest, I don’t know how to give this drama an objective review, because I’m so damn attached with it. I have followed this drama since it was airing on August 17th until September 8th. The Bond was airing 2 episodes everyday in Tencent Video, that’s why it ended pretty fast. And I’m very content with this kind of schedule, though it made me couldn’t watch the other dramas because my mind was full of these children.

This drama actually has shortcomings, especially towards the ending. It seems so rushed. If it really followed the original material (the novel), this drama should have more than 36 episodes. Some parts of the novel were changed to fit the TV drama schedule. So, it left me a little bit unsatisfied. I really want one or two extra episodes just to see them being happy, especially the eldest brother, Qiao Yicheng.

It doesn’t have to be exactly like the novel, but I do wish the part when the eldest brother was sick wasn’t changed that much or at least a little bit longer. If you watched this drama and saw with your own eyes what Qiao Yicheng has done to his family, you would also want this man to be pampered for a little bit longer. Especially when you have Bai Yu (Guardian, Suddenly This Summer, The Long Night) who pulled off the sick character so well.

I saw so many complains about the drama, which they think too miserable, too annoying, too *狗血 (gǒuxiě), etc. But when I read those comments, I realized they never really criticized the plot. What they actually criticized was the choice of the characters.

“Why the hell was he married to that woman?” “Why is he so stupid?” “This man is good for nothing.” “This woman is too blinded by love.” and so many other things.

I said those things too, but it didn’t make me leave the drama. Instead, this drama turned me into a noisy aunty who lived as their neighbor. I talked about them with the other aunties and was always curious what would happen with their life after they made a certain decision.

This drama would never work so well for me if it wasn’t because of the ensemble cast. We have Bai Yu as Qiao Yi Cheng, Zhang Wan Yi as Qiao Er Qiang, Mao Xiao Tong as Qiao San Li, Song Zu Er as Qiao Si Mei and Zhou Yi Ran as Qiao Qi Qi.

I will emphasize my compliment to Bai Yu. I don’t want to sound biased (since he’s indeed my favorite Chinese actor), but he’s indeed really that good. He can show the development of Qiao Yicheng in the span of 20 years in the drama. He can transform himself from the temperamental, awkward, naggy and full of energy young Qiao Yicheng to still naggy but relatively calm, insecure and tired older Qiao Yicheng. He can show the complicated emotions of Qiao Yicheng perfectly. When you watch this drama, you will see how wide the emotional range of Qiao Yicheng is. He is a completely different person depending on his opponent. His line delivery is so natural as if he isn’t acting. It makes the drama feel even more real.

What I like about this drama (it may be a minor reason and not necessarily important but I love it) is this drama never dubbed the inner thought with voice over nor did monologues. We can easily understand what they were thinking only by looking at their expressions. For me, it’s such praise worthy of the actors. It means, they succeed in giving us a narrative without too much dialogue. That’s what real actors should do.

Beside the main leads, we still have tons of supporting actors who also did extremely well to bring the story to life, such as Liu Jun as Qiao Zu Wang, Li Jia Hang as Qi Wei Min, and Zhao Fan as Ye Xiao Lang. All the child actors are also impressive.

So, in the acting department, I’m quite satisfied. There are some actors who didn’t meet my expectations but overall they are still watchable and didn’t ruin the flow.

Original soundtracks of The Bond are one of the best. The opening song, “Life Should Always Face the Light”, is sung by Zhou Sen and it is sooooo beautiful. The title is full of hope and the lyrics get me teared up every time I listen to it. I almost never skip the opening just to listen to this song.

The most important thing from these brilliant soundtracks is how well placed they are. The timing when the songs are played is never missed. It hits right in your heart at the perfect moment to add more emotion in this drama.

Last, I love the details for the setting and properties. Though I’m not Chinese and obviously I didn’t live there in that era, I feel very familiar with all the properties there. Especially when they enter the millennial year when the handphone was found. I’m like, “I recognize the ringtone!” “Ah, that was my first phone!”. Something like that.

The tone and color grading that they use from time to time is also distinctive. It looks like it’s the same, but it’s actually not. It follows the year the drama took place. It’s such a pleasing for my eyes.

In the end, I can say again, this drama is no where near perfect. But this drama teaches me so many thing about life and how we should handle it. That’s why, I can’t help but put this drama in a very high place in my heart.

This review is also posted at https://lalasalittleworld.wordpress.com/2021/09/10/review-the-bond-qiao-jia-de-er-nu/

Leggi di Più

Untold theory of the last scene

Beautifully wicked drama that depicted tragic things happened to tragic people.
Great acting from all casts. All in all, there’s no good and bad people in this story. People did what they did out of spite and to redeem themselves.

For those who didn’t understand last ending scene between Mayuko and Naomi, this review will be mainly wrapped around that particular scene.

The Ending Scene (Episode 4):
Naomi asked Mayuko to watch him swims to the buoy. As he walked to the shore, Naomi turned around for one last look at Mayuko whilst pointing his finger into the distance before swimming into the ocean.
He was mimicking the same scene performed by Tadzio in a 1971 film “Death in Venice” directed by Luchino Visconti.
The significance of this film’s ending scene and the director himself are important to Mayuko later on.

To summarise this film, Tadzio had a pursuer called Aschenbach who secretly followed him around Venice as his obsession with Tadzio’s beauty grew stronger. Towards the film’s ending, Aschenbach was stuck in the same situation as Mayuko, because both were unwell due to health conditions.
In this same scene, Tadzio turned around looking at Aschenbach and pointing into the distance (the same way as Naomi did to Mayuko). Aschenbach who was dying, yearned for Tadzio and still mesmerised by the boy’s beauty before passing away while trying to reach out to Tadzio.
[Updated in 2024: abovementioned cinematic parallels - https://easterndelights.tumblr.com/post/759516469940879360/kna-div ]

Based on both scenes, Tadzio was a symbol of youth, innocence and adolescence beauty to Aschenbach; in the same way that Naomi symbolised as a perfect ideal man to Mayuko.

In episode 1, Mayuko’s father praised Mayuko for having a keen eye for something beautiful when he saw the necklace that Mayuko found from the beach. As Yuki took that necklace from her, Mayuko took something beautiful from Yuki 30 years later.

When Naomi was born, Mayuko held baby Naomi and saw the beauty in him. She told Yuki that she might take him away, but Yuki never took that matters seriously.
Over the course of 20 years, Mayuko moulded Naomi’s personality and groomed him into becoming her ideal man. Naomi would have knew everything about Mayuko at this point - like he knew her favourite french poets are Verlaine and Baudelaire, and her obsession with the novel of “Chijin no Ai”.
After Naomi was freed from both of his parents, his wish to always be together with Mayuko came true - albeit it came with a hefty price.

Back in episode 1, Mayuko brought up a film called “The Leopard”, into a conversation with her mother where she reminisced the beautiful castle scene. That particular film was directed by Luchino Visconti.
Naomi might have also learned about Mayuko’s love for Visconti’s films, although the viewers never get to witness this scene.

Back to the ending scene, Naomi dressed Mayuko in all-white before heading to the beach. It was coincidentally the same as how Aschenbach wore all-white to see Tadzio for the last time.
When Naomi was pointing into the distance mimicking Tadzio's scene, Naomi wanted to show Mayuko that he was never the Naomi from “Chijin no Ai” and Mayuko was not his captor.
Instead, he is the Naomi that always yearned for Mayuko and her affection, despite all tragic things happened to Mayuko because of Yuki.

Mayuko was conflicted with her feelings at first, but did reciprocated and gave in to the decision to be with Naomi.
With Yuki completely gone from both of their lives, there will be no more malice and destruction as peace ensured.
Despite being bedridden and in a vegetative state, Mayuko regained her long forgotten youth and innocence by starting anew with Naomi.

When Naomi was tributing his Tadzio to Mayuko, it was a sign to trigger Mayuko’s memory telling her to yearn for him, as he will always be waiting for her return.
In the end, Mayuko understood what Naomi was signalling to her (hence she smiled).

Leggi di Più

Best TV Show of 2021

I fell in love with the world instantly. The martial arts or the so called “magic system” in this universe is really well thought out. It makes so much of the tension during the political plot-lines heighten because of how well-defined the kind of martial artist can exist in this world. Yes, a person who can wipe whole armies exist but somehow it makes sense because they are almost always philosophically defeated individuals and are not willing to party with the political players.

That’s where the main character comes in. He chooses his moments of authenticity and cunning well, so much so that he wins the hearts of the strongest in the realm to work with him. The other characters have their stories and layers of personality. No characters are left behind in terms of development.

I’ve seen some people say the fight scenes are bad. The slow motion scenes are a stylistic choice and I like it. I do agree however that they’re not as flashy as some of the best anime fight scenes. But it’s up to the viewer whether fight scenes have to be as good as they get. I don’t care much about them, the rest of the drama is excellent.

Leggi di Più

An incredibly intelligent and cogent series that examines the enormous pressure that society places on women and that they place on themselves throughout their lives. Beautifully filmed, masterfully edited, with post-modern production that consistently breaks the fourth wall, this series is incredibly entertaining with equal measures of comedy and drama that examines the real flaws of the characters without being preachy but instead acknowledges that we are all human and is supportive of the life stages and experiences we all share. This is among the best series I have seen in our current Golden Age of Television - Amazon really did an amazing job with this!

Leggi di Più

incredibly calming , very slow and relaxing ..lots of metaphors for growing up, a great coming of age movie displaying how two different people deal with becoming and adult
Calm and sweet soundtrack , not distracting and blends perfectly
Nice cinematography breathtaking yet very simple , captures the beauty of the place it was filmed in , the camera sticks to the scene for a long time but i don;t mind at all ..many beautiful shots of the sea and countryside
Actors did a great job ,the roles didn't require many complicated emotions but you could feel what they wanted to deliver through the screen
I recommend to watch if you aren't expecting action scenes and just want something sweet at the end of the day with a hot drink and cozy blanket
I would re-watch again but not too soon ..maybe in a year or two when i need something calming

Leggi di Più