Reviews

It's very good, but that ending...

The acting in this is superb - all the actors did an excellent job, even all the minor parts. Some of that is good directing - there are actors in this that have been mediocre elsewhere that were fantastic in this. Standouts for me were Off, who had way more star power than he has in the past (and he's gotten mighty fine, I must say). There's a scene with Gawin that's an 11/10 - you won't be able to breathe (although some of that is beauty). Gunn has always been good, so no surprises there.

The Music is pretty good. It didn't really stand out to me very much, but it avoided tired cliches, never got in the way, and supported the story.

The story... this is a tough one. With the number of plot threads introduced, I kind of expected some of them to be dropped, but not ALL of them. The ending of this wasn't an ending - it just stopped, and it was way, way too happy for the story. It even ends with the tired cliche that this series had avoided up to that point, the triple-take kiss, which made me LOL it was so silly. I don't like sad endings, but come on. The only thing it was missing was a rainbow and unicorn. What was the point of Todd's character? He never did anything that was important to the plot, except for one thing before the series starts, and we never find out why he did it. He never does anything of consequence again (except look sexy).

The 2 BL romances were good, the straight ones just chewed up time and had nothing to do with the story. There's a lot of violence in this - a lot of it is necessary, but there's a lot that's just eye-rolling machismo and wasn't needed at all. For example there's a scene where someone hurts someone emotionally - it would have been a lot stronger if it was all words and not lots of punching. In another, a decision is made by an actual physical fight between the two viewpoints. This is never done again despte there being a huge number of times there was no consensus, so why that one time? There's another case where a character deliberately beats someone into a coma. How on earth do you calculate how much beating to administer that leads to worse than unconsciousness, but not quite death? Dumb and unnecessary.

All-in-all, this was a refreshingly different series - I just wish it could have been more nuanced than rich=bad and poor=good. Evil powerful people tend to be wealthy because evil poor people don't have the means to gain power (except in revolutions), not because rich people are inherently evil. Although to be fair the ending was so abrupt that it's not entirely clear even the main villain was a villain. In any case, you don't get points for including social issues if you having nothing to say.

I guess the secret to enjoying this is to not take it very seriously. Let's face it - this is a story about a law student who replaces his evil twin in a marxist motorcycle gang. (I know Black isn't evil, but he's definitely not the good twin). In the end, it contains some really good romance with great chemistry in both couples, and that's what saves it from it's total lack of plot. (Before anyone says it - consider a rope ladder. If you use excellent materials and fashion it with skill and artistry, but you never hang it up, is it a ladder, or an expensive pile of rope?)

I don't think I would rewatch this, but there are scenes I might go back to - there were several that were in the top handful in all of BL.

Overall: 8. It would have been a 9 or 9.5 if it had an ending.

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The Patriot

Poignant, riveting, suspenseful, thrilling, emotional, shocking, heart wrenching, and extremely gratifying. The Rebel is one of the best C-dramas I’ve watched this year or any year, for that matter. In terms of the production quality, technical execution, performances of the cast and music, this drama is close to perfection. It’s not flawless by any means, for there are some quibbles here and there but it’s good enough for me to give it a 9.5 rating.

Based on the novel, The Traitor (叛逆者) by multiple award winning and prolific author Bi Yu (畀愚), The Rebel is set during the Republican era primarily in Shanghai while certain arcs transpired in Hong Kong and Chongqing. Spanning the course of more than a decade, from 1936 to the creation of the PRC in 1949, the story revolves around the main character of Lin Nan Sheng during the tumultuous period of the Chinese civil war between the Nationalists (Kuomintang) and Communists, as well as the second Sino-Japanese war. It chronicles his personal growth as he matures from a naive young military recruit to an experienced intelligence operative, while charting the trajectory of his “journey of self-actualisation”.

This drama features espionage, war and romance with certain elements of slice-of-life, socio and geopolitics, while exploring themes of family, friendship, betrayal, and sacrifice. It exudes vibes of The Infernal Affairs (HK, 2002) and Decoded (2016) due to the counterintelligence aspects involving sophisticated networks of covert activities operating within a complicated web of deceit and subterfuge as well as via trademark spycraft, notably undercover agents, double agents, coded transmissions and assassinations, among many others. A number of viewers have also made direct comparisons to Fearless Whispers (2020) due to the romantic entanglements between the leads who stand on opposite sides of the great political divide.

This drama may not be universally lauded because of the subject matter, which is not everyone’s cup of tea. Aside from the usual tragic endings, Republican era dramas in general are associated with Communist propaganda and jingoism. In this case, such concerns are magnified because of its intended release to coincide with the Chinese Communist Party’s centenary celebrations on 1 July 2021. Additionally, there are those who might not even appreciate the appeal of the slowburn nature of the storytelling or the lack of action-packed choreographed sequences.

However, the masterful delivery of the entire production based upon a compellingly written screenplay makes this drama arguably one of the best of the genre. The overarching plot is cohesively structured and integrated seamlessly with the intricately woven subplots and character arcs. The simmering pace - imbued with many an eventful moment, palpable tension and unpredictable twists and turns - is consistently sustained through linear storytelling via multiple points-of-views, albeit the emphasis always remains on the main protagonist. The exceptionally well constructed major characters are brought to life by the outstanding stellar cast, who deliver profoundly compelling interpretations of immense character developments as the drama unfolds. As far as the flag-waving is concerned, the subtle and layered approach is conveyed by these multifaceted characters seemingly with various shades of grey.

The attention to detail in the overall production design and art direction is exemplary in this joint production between iQiyi and CCTV. Principal photography took place entirely at the famous Shanghai Film Park in Shanghai, which wrapped up filming in August 2020. The ready-made filming locale oozes Old Shanghai atmospherics, along with the electric trams and the countless Buick cars on display. The use of interior props such as the antiquated rotary-dial telephones, vintage radios, gramophones and telegraph, to name a few, all give credence to the authenticity of the depiction. The exquisite costumes are equally worthy of praise, where the ladies appear elegantly dressed in fashionable qipao while the men are smartly attired in military uniforms or bespoke suits. These aspects enhance the general sense of realism which are visually framed by the excellent cinematography, as can be seen throughout the drama.

The main cast is certainly deserving of at least a nomination for acting honours, whether it be for Golden Eagle, Feitian or Magnolia Awards. In preparation for the main role of Lin Nan Sheng, the critically acclaimed Zhu Yi Long lost a massive amount of body weight and reportedly weighed a mere 64kg during filming. In addition to his efforts and dedication to his craft, his immense talent undoubtedly shines through in his portrayal of the evolution that his character undergoes in the drama. He very much reminds me of a young Tony Leung Chiu Wai here, in terms of the acting and the looks, where his characterisation is both understated and nuanced.

The award-winning Tong Yao plays the love interest, Zhu Yi Zhen. Although credited as the female lead, her character does appear to be more of a supporting role and, at times, somewhat overshadowed by the dynamic performance of her leading co-star. In fairness, she possesses less overall screen time and I have enjoyed Tong Yao’s interpretation of the role, as an independent, strong willed and fearless revolutionary in the face of adversity and challenges. The character also undergoes tremendous development and together with Lin Nan Sheng, they both showcase such convincing chemistry and connection with each other, even when they are far apart. It is almost a surreal and spiritual kind of long-distance relationship that transcends physical boundaries. Her uncanny resemblance to Zhang Zi Yi makes her screen presence with Zhu Yi Long unintentionally appear as though Leung Chiu Wai and Zhang Zi Yi are the main leads for this drama.

This production is further elevated by the presence of experienced veterans Wang Zhi Wen and Wang Yang, who play Gu Shen Yan and Chen Mo Qun respectively. Without these two distinguished actors, the drama would not have been as credible, evocative and visceral. Chen Mo Qun, in particular, emits such a powerful aura not unlike say Darth Vader to the point that I would actually include him as one of my favourite “villains” of C-Dramas. These two actors should have their own spin-off Republican drama, seriously.

It’s my third time seeing Zhu Zhu since Qin Dynasty Epic and Breath of Destiny. Despite being perfect for the role of Lan Xin Jie, I sometimes do feel that she’s typecast as a sultry seductress and femme fatale type of characters. She is amazingly versatile, a quality which hopefully garners her more varied roles in future projects. The rest of the supporting cast represent good value for their depictions, particularly Zhang Zi Xian and Dai Xu who give a decent portrayal of the unscrupulous Wang Shi An and the suave Zuo Qiu Ming respectively.

I cannot emphasize enough how incredibly fitting and beautiful the soundtrack for this drama is. The original score featuring piano pieces by the celebrated Chinese pianist, Lang Lang expresses the mood and emotion of pivotal scenes in the drama. In particular, the signature theme, Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons, op. 37a: VI. June "Barcarolle" is played throughout. OST listing as follows:

1. Zhu Yi Long, Lang Lang - The Rebel (main theme)
2. Ayanga - Shadow Behind
3. Sara - Candid
4. Lang Lang - The Seasons, op. 37a: VI. June "Barcarolle"

Having espoused the positives, there are certain issues I noted but which does not diminish the overall quality of the production. Firstly, towards the tail end of the drama, there is a somewhat melodramatic undertone involving “misunderstanding and contract marriage tropes” that gradually builds up to briefly occupy some screen time. However it does eventually get tied up during the final phase of the story. Secondly, in the parting scene at the Hong Kong pier, the overdub process must have been overlooked during post-production because two distinct pieces of music were inserted, thus ruining what was supposed to be a deeply emotional moment. Last but not least, I do feel that the unexpected manner in which the final action sequence plays out creates unnecessary confusion, as the story transitions to the ending.

All things considered, The Rebel is a top-tier production that probably does not but should receive the appreciation and recognition that it truly deserves for the quality of the production, writing and acting. With a Douban rating of 8.3 at the time of writing, the numbers speak for themselves. I have utterly enjoyed the worthwhile experience of being immersed in this fantastic drama and if you do decide to give this a try, perhaps you would be too.

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Still can't believe this is a History series..

Let's start with the positives. The second couple is amazing, the chemistry is hot, the storyline between them is good, and I am absolutely living for it!

Now, onto the main couple. We've got a time-travel story here, and we all know time-travel storylines are like complicated recipes. If you're gonna make it, make it right! Unfortunately, they didn't do that. The time-travel element in this series is not only confusing but doesn't really add any significance to the show. And let's talk about Dai-Johnny. Dude comes off annoying, childish, and worse, a terrible kisser. I mean, if you're gonna go back in time, at least learn some kissing skills before you do.
Plus, Considering this is a History show, I don't think he should have played this role, because dude acts like he isn't up for this gay ish. Come on, man, show some enthusiasm. And what's up with the lack of skinship? It's been 20 episodes, people! Get it together!

And speaking of things that don't make sense, how did they end up going from living in a storage unit to working for Hai-yi's dad's company, when the whole point was Hai-yi running away from home and not wanting to work with his dad? A lot of details are missing in this series. It's a little confusing, and I have so many questions

Overall, I am quite dissappointed considering how History 1 chemistry even has more spark than this. But hey, at least it's not boring. So i'mma hang in there. Who knows, maybe things will heat up in the next episode... or not."

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Guys, pals, fam.
Where do I even start with this mess.

The BIG ASS issues with this drama are:
- Toxicity
- Nonsense (both for the story and the characters)
- Lack of Consequences
(- Editing too but not as bad as the rest)


Let's start as usual with

GENERAL

• NO COHESIVENESS WHATSOEVER

1. Character's personality, their relationship, and the situations in general happen/change however and whenever the plot needs them to.
Ex.
a. Sarawat & Tine's friends become friends but then they're rivals but then boh
b. Fangirls hating on Tine but then suddenly shipping them together with no apparent reason (it's not character development, sorry)
c. Green appearing and disappearing accordingly to what the story needs

I could go on but this review is already going to be long as it is.

2. Double Standards.

A big point in the TOXICITY issue is how relationship are represented.

Green stalks and harasses Tine, in the EXACT SAME way Tine does with Sarawat at the beginning, or Man does with Type FOR THE WHOLE TIME, or even PhuKong does with Mil.
So why is it that when it's Green the one doing it, it's annoying and "dangerous" (Tine's words) and we hope he stops, but when it's the rest of them it's funny and/or romantic? That's NOT how it works!

• GIRLS REPRESENTATION

Three (3). It's the number of girls with an actual working brain we get to see during the drama. The rest of them (A LOT) are either weird (Tine's exes), a brainless screaming crowd or become brainless screaming people the moment Sarawat appears.
It's just really sad.

• EDITING

It's really confusing sometimes. It's not easy to understand if you're watching a flashback, a dream, the present, the future or what.
Also. I'm sorry but I HAVE to mention this. THE SEQUENCE OF TINE SEEING SARAWAT EVERYWHERE IN EP 7.
That edit is just HORRIBLE.
Tine sees Sarawat everywhere without a real reason, without a good bgm emphasizing the process of Tine realizing and coming to terms with the fact he misses Wat, without even having the time to reflect on it. It's just bad.

( My Engineer did a way better job in the same situation, but the "missing" was about a frogging gift box. I feel ashamed in behalf of 2gether ' staff, honestly)

• ACTING

.... Y'all remember Sarawat used to smile too, right?
WHERE TF WAS IT IN THE LAST 6 EPS??
Especially when with Tine I remember seeing it maybe once, when they were both on the couch while Type was "sleeping" in the bed.
That's it.
I honestly don't know what happened to Bright, or to his acting coach for him to have almost for the entire second half of the drama this sort of facial paresis.
Maybe it's just that they didn't get the note that while the drama progresses and we get to know him better, he should start showing MORE emotions. But okay, whatever.
I kinda liked Win tho, especially the emotional scene in ep 10. That was good, and a cute scene as a whole.
I hope they'll both get to improve and act in other series in the future.

Gunsmile and Taptop the gems of this series, bless them.

• GENERAL NONSENSE

to name just a few examples:

1. How Sarawat says in front of Green & screaming fangirls that he and Tine are only friends just to tell later in the same ep that he likes Tine. In front of Green & screaming fangirls
2. Sarawat not letting Tine talk even if he's supposed to be secretly in love with him already
3. Whatever happened in the bg during Phukong's interview in ep 5
4. Sarawat beaten up because some girls liked his ig posts??

• TOXICITY

Direct consequence of the "double standard" problem I talked about, or together with it, is the narrative this series is normalizing:

"No doesn't really mean 'no'. They're just playing hard to get, and if you keep doing whatever you're doing they'll eventually love you back"

Do I really need to say how wrong and creepy and dangerous this belief can be?

And not just that. There are a number of bad behaviors normalized. Stalking, harassing, catfishing, getting drunk WAY too often...


CHARACTERS


• Tine
He's often showed as just dumb. And that's really sad. Even the time he cut the pick in half, it would have been so easy to make it an act of ingenuity to affectionately make fun of in the future but the way it was shown, it just made Tine look stupid.
Also there is no character development, all his flaws are there for the whole drama.
Ex. He was selfish and irresponsible when he paid Phukong to go somewhere else, and again later when ditched the music club because he didn't need Sarawat anymore, and when he went outside alone in the dark during the trip ecc.
At least he's coherent I guess

• Sarawat

Complete opposite to Tine, he changes his behavior CONSTANTLY.
From distant and reserved, to affectionate and clingy to distant but also flirty to caring to uncomfortable...
It's a rollercoaster and it doesn't have a logic development

• Man

I hate him and I'm not even sorry.
Helps Wat getting Tine drunk, stalks Type and keeps following and harassing him even after Type VERY CLEARLY tells him he's not interested, catfishing him in the meantime.
He's not a good character.

• Type

He deserved better. I knew he would eventually end up with Man, but he really deserved so much more than a liar creepy stalker as love interest *sigh*

• Gunsmile and the rest of the friends

I don't even remember their names, that's how important they are in the show.
Tine's friends especially don't really do a lot, except maybe constantly going after girls and sometimes randomly giving an advice that the plot needs to "develop".
They also don't have any consistency in the way they act, but I blame this to the writing of the plot more than to them as characters.


• Mil

He doesn't have the space he needed. For Tine and Sarawat, he is an asshole that keeps bothering someone who already has a bf and doesn't know when to stop.
But he also seems to have morals and be kind. No space to develop it tho

• Phukong

Another stalker in the series.
Doesn't really have a plotline besides trying to become Mil's bf

• Green

Green doesn't make sense as a whole.
I appreciate having a semi-good representation of a "feminine" gay, even being seen as strong when he goes against Tine's masked friends in ep 1
But... He doesn't want anyone to know he's dating P'Dim but he has no problem to follow Tine everywhere being super loud and direct? And if he broke up with P'Dim for 2 mins ecc... Why was the whole question still going on in ep 7?


Last point.

RELATIONSHIPS

• Sarawat/Tine

I have no idea where their chemistry went from the moment they became official. They look progressively more awkward and uncomfortable being around each other. To the point where they seem to be almost forced or in pain when together, and far more comfortable and happy with their friends. Hello?? Aren't you supposed to be a new couple who just moved together (way too fast too, if we have to be honest)?? Where is the intimacy? The tension? The love??
They also have NO communication nor trust.
In ep 12 for ex. First Sarawat turns his back to Tine even while being well aware of him feeling upset. Then he reassures him the following morning, just to act suspicious and hiding things from him immediately after. And don't let me start with how Sarawat with the help of his friends makes Tine get drunk so that he can post a suggestive pic on Tine's IG to declare to the world he's taken.
Should that be romantic? Cause it's NOT. It's creepy and a BIG red flag.
But as with everything else, this action has no consequences.
Like when Sarawat promises not to let their friends know they're together yet, but announces it to them 0.3 secs later instead. Or really anything. No consequences at all.

• Man/Type

I won't repeat the whole "creepy obsessive stalker" thing, but let's talk about how the infamous dinner went. Type tried to tell Man not to go, but Man completely ignored him (as per usual) and decided to go. During the dinner he talks about Type and tells to Type's coworkers things it's absolutely not his place to tell. He doesn't know if Type is friend or even comfortable with them. It's so disrespectful towards Type. After that, Type STILL tells his colleague to stop when he was making fun of Man and tries to protect him.
And people hated on him because he left with his co-worker. OKAY.
(I think he should have walked home or taken a taxi and left them both there)

EXTRA

They are red sometimes when drunk. I promised to give extra points for this so here I am.

And another one because they wash hands after using the toilet.

I appreciate the little things ?

CONCLUSION

What can I say. This drama started up in my top 10, but from ep 4 on it started going down. A pity, honestly. Especially because I love the "fake bf" trope.
Even putting the toxicity aside, the complete lack of consequences for literally anything that happens completely destroys any tension even when you are supposed to feel it. And things keep happening without a real reason, completely random.
I honestly have NO idea what show the people praising this, the acting, the story, the relationship and so on are watching, cause it can't be the same.

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I think that this is my first review in MyDramalist. I decided to write this review because I really like Mr. Fighting, and wanted to share my feelings with others

The story itself is actually not complicated, and could be considered as simple actually. It's about an actor who was popular when he was in teens, and then become the "washed-up" actor after 10 years, where no one actually know him (or remember his name anymore). With the help of the people he called as "Family" he stepped back onto the road of an actor once again

When i first read the summary, I think that the story is just too simple. Like, there's not much going on. I have predicted that there would be struggle to achieve stardom, but it will be the usual happy-go-lucky story. But when I watched the first episode, I know i'm wrong

The story is not heavy but it's also not fluffy. The drama might tell the story of Hao Zeyu and his road to stardom, but it's the story behind the scene that makes this drama so worth watching. His interaction with the people who he considered as his family, with Fu Zi, and also his struggle to become an actor. What I like is the simplicity of the story, that there's no actual "evil" person in the story (even agent Shi), and that they're just so human. They felt realistic and felt close to me, and that's why I could relate to each of them personally. I also think that the conflict is actually pretty real

This drama actually make me rethink about the word "happiness" itself. What do happiness actually means? Is it having a lot of money and could buy anything you want? Or is happiness the way you're able to be with the person you love and care most and laugh with them everyday? Just like what Fu Zi said, that she wanted normal and realistic romance, and this is what makes their separation, and then their eventual break-up, make me very emotional. I think I didn't stop crying since episode 43, and I continue to cry until the end of episode 44

The story is not gloomy, but it's also not the "fairy tale" story where everything will magically be okay even after a big conflict. And that's what makes me love the story so much

Acting/Cast
All the actors portray their parts properly and amazingly, even the supporting characters like Mr Gu (who like Niu Meili). Their wonderful action makes the drama felt even real to me

Rewatch value
I might not be able to rewatch this because there's just too much heartache. I could only go through this drama once. If I have to sit through this emotional drama again, I might not be able to hold on

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I didn't even start watching this drama until after the 15th episode had aired. In my experience, school dramas are virtually all the same, just with a different cast. This drama was, surprisingly, really good. It was a lot different than I was expecting. Where other school dramas are bright and fluffy (and seriously, do we ever actually see them go to school?), this one was a lot darker and more realistic. Where others focus more on the romantic relationship(s) between the three/four main characters, this show was all about the relationships between the whole class, teachers included.

One thing I can say about this show is that it was amazing at making me emotional. I don't cry often when watching dramas unless I'm really touched, but I found myself in tears often while watching this show. Future shows like this need to pay attention to this show. Hiring actors instead of idols makes a world of difference.

That being said, while I enjoyed most of this, there were some things that bugged me constantly. The one thing that never sat right with me about this show was how the class was portrayed. When you listen to K-Pop for a long time, one thing you notice a lot is that music videos about school get banned instantly the second someone thinks they see even a hint of violence. I'm not a fan of hypocrites, so to see a show aired where school violence is such a major event (even though I understand this is how schools are there), it's incredibly irritating.

Another thing that bugged me a lot was the way the writers went about making certain things happen. In order to make sure misunderstandings would occur, they'd always set it up in a way that was horrible to watch because it made absolutely no sense. Somebody would suddenly do something they would never do otherwise, and you just know that it's happening for the sole reason of making the misunderstanding seem true.

Now then, as much as I disliked all of that (and some other things that I feel are too small to be mentioned), I was absolutely in love with this cast. Their chemistry and the ways they interacted with each other were a joy to watch. I had absolutely no trouble believing any of it. It really helped that almost the entire cast was given a backstory of their own. When you give an actor a reason to act like they do, it lets you connect with them and that, in turn, makes their acting believable.

The music for this show was okay. I wasn't blown away by anything, but it wasn't horrible either.

If I were going to rewatch this, it would be in the distant future, and I'd be doing a lot of skipping. Especially the ending. The ending for this drama was, by far, one of the least satisfying endings I have ever seen. That alone almost had me giving this drama a score of 7 instead of the 8 I gave it.

Overall, the drama wasn't as mind-blowing as people were making it out to be. There were a lot of times during the first 2-4 episodes where I was seriously considering dropping it. If I had watched this as it was airing instead of waiting as long as I had to start it, I can almost guarantee that I wouldn't have finished.

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A new bar for xianxia genre

Never have I ever written a review for a drama despite having watched 1000+ dramas/movies in my life.
So here are the 5 things I love about this show:

1. No draggy plot, no silly misunderstanding, a handful of supportive characters. No irritating conventional tropes. Fresh stories in the mortal realm. Of course there is still room for improvement, but in general, the plot is logical and coherent. You don't have to ask yourself frequently why the characters behave in a certain way or why a particular event occurs. I also love the writer's formula to match the leads and the second leads. It would have been less fun or more destructive if they had been paired up the other way around. And that is how relationships in real life usually are.

2. The acting of the leads is top-notch. I cannot imagine anyone who can play these roles better than Chen Xingxu and Li Landy. I have watched two previous famous dramas of Chen Xingxu (Goodbye my princess and Fall in love). He was already outstanding in those dramas, yet he even brought his A-game here. He delivers skillfully nuances and perfection in many scenes that I cannot delve into here to avoid giving spoilers. In short, he succeeds in nailing another challenging role. Also, this is the first show of Li Landy that I've watched, and she does a good job bringing out the depth of her character. Besides, her acting is very natural, and her crying scenes are probably the best among all the Chinese actresses I have watched. The remaining cast's acting is solid and spot on too, especially the second leads, despite their little acting experiences. Moreover, the show is overflowing with the cast's strong chemistry and synergy.

3. Great character development. If for some reasons you find the female lead childish in the first episode, give her a bit more time, and normally, you should change your mind around ep 6, 7, although Li Landy has already done an excellent job handling this kind of character from the very beginning. Similarly, if somehow you find the male lead quite plain in the first few episodes, don't stop because he will eventually become the best ML in the xianxia genre. He is simply a breadth of fresh air who can strike a terrific balance between duty and love, between being ordinary and exceptional, between being innocent and cunning. If you still disagree with these after finishing the drama, come and discuss with me ;)

4. The soundtracks are beautiful and addictive. They elevate so many scenes.

5. So many hilarious scenes, which is rare in this genre. Moreover, these scenes were properly performed and not overdone. This is a big plus as this is the type of show that you can enjoy with your partner (if he/she is into fantasy and comedy). Hence, the re-watch value is very high.

In summary, I thought no drama could exceed Eternal love or Ashes of love, but The starry love has set a new bar in my heart for the xianxia genre. Thank you the production team and the cast for delivering a magnificent show. I will cherish this show for a long long time.

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Something different, but not thought out all the way...

When the Director of "Not Me" is doing a new series with OffGun, it is not the normal stuff we expect from a BL. I can't even call this a BL, there is nothing fluffy in it, so I would categorize it more as a gay story. We have a red flag named Koh who uses humans as tools to get all what he desires but without achieving happyness at all. We have Jira, who is also more a red flag than not, while he is not bad per se, he is very self-centered. Then we have Pheem which is also a red flag, not because he is bad, because he let Koh control him and he has to clean up all the shit Koh is leaving in his wake for more money. The only positive persons are Mawin (or should it be Marvin, I never know with Thai nick names) Pheem's friend and Ing, not only a close friend to Jira but also his curator and confidant. There is also the "Burnout Bar" which had a nice atmosphere but is not that prominent and only plays a "role" in the beginning and the ending...

One of the questions the show is asking if AI is doing any good for humanity, but it does not answer the question. AI can do good for humanity, I'm sure of, but it can also be very bad for humanity and it's going this direction more visible. Voice-actors for Netflix in Germany are on strike because Netflix demanded to use their voices for AI which would cost them their jobs. AI can't create art, as AI does not understand language most of the time. Because language is not only about the spoken words, it's also about the intention of how you say something. An AI will never grasp that. So the meaning can be something completely different compared to the sentence alone. Social Networks are flooded with AI art (pictures, music even paintings), AI messages and so on and that can't be good for anyone. But the show does not have a discourse in depth. Maybe that's something the viewer should think about.

The finale: We all could say, they should not have got together in the end - but of course it's GMMTV and they always want an happy end. But I watched the finale two times and it's not that happy anyways. maybe you did not get the subtle hints... it begins with the flowers in Koh's home which are a similar to the painting... you missed that Pheem let Jira go.... and he is the first to have a redemption arc... so he changed in the end not going even more bitter than he was, but he is now more balanced with a new job and a new goal. Koh can't escape Jira that's why he slept 277 times infront of Jira's house (taking Ing's advice of being close to him but not crossing the line) and Jira can't paint without his muse even if his muse is not a human which he really likes, but as he said his heart refuses to have any other inspiration. And when they come together it's their desire and lust speaking out of them - they are dependent on each other, regaradless of all their flaws because both work only if they have each other. When Jira asks "Can we work out?", Koh says "I don't know" - so it does make sense for me. They still have their baggage to carry. Koh did not get his humanity he has lost due to his past and Jira is still as uncompromising as ever. And because we have only 10 episodes we don't see their future. Koh's home mirrors Jira painting with all the flowers.

What impresses most of this show is the very good acting of all the cast. Off went on diet to be as skinny as possible and it shows and because they are veteran actors they all can bring their character to life and you still don't like them in the end. I have more symphaties with Pheem then with the couple. But that is also something not often seen especially in thai productions. Camera, lighting, music were all perfect.

Because this is something different, something not seen often in thai productions, I rate it that high. Yes, they could have made the couple be seperated for all eternity, but overall it does make sense how it played out. The show had his flaws and flow, it's artsy, it kept me interested and it was mature without any cringe or childish parts. The best of all, the actors showed us what they can do after the last two shows which I did not like at all :)

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Siren's kiss is more like misogyny's kiss

Misogyny can be very loosely summed up as prejudice or hatred of women and girls, often leading to harmful actions against them. In this show, the female lead literally doesn't do much wrong. She's just beautiful. And because of that, she had weirdos after her, often feeling like she owes them something when she doesn't. Even the male lead, whom she ends up with in the end, was initially very weird towards her and accused her of all kinds of stuff without any actual evidence.

I probably would have enjoyed this series more if they had aired episodes every day or released them all at once. However, due to the pace, I found myself losing interest at times. As such, I rated this a 7/10. It's a decent show, and now that all the episodes are out, I do recommend it.

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This is a tough one to rate. I am so used to the normal k-drama series where there is no second season. There is always a solid conclusion at the end of it's 16, 20, or whatever episode run. But here, you are waiting for what presumably looks like is going to be the show's biggest action scene yet, and then boom! ....Sorry, wait until next year. REALLY!

Ending aside, this show is a lot of fun. It's a blockbuster type of drama. While there is story and character around the monarchy, with it's lead character of the crown prince, the show isn't too concerned with character development and a deep storyline. In many ways it fits in the disaster film genre. It isn't so much about its characters as it is more about the epidemic surrounding them. Which I think is fine. It presents itself as an epic and violent action feature, and it succeeds at that. The acting is great. The effects are great. It's a fun one to watch for sure. But damn you for making us wait a year on that type of cliffhanger.

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I am not going to lie, I felt extremely frustrated while watching this drama. It had amazing potential, but close to nothing worked out. The beauty - amazing cinematography and styling of our main character, and the beast - the writing.

There honestly is not much to say about the characters, since the only one that had true depth was Man Wol. She was the centre of the drama and IU did an amazing job representing her development and gradual change. Chang Sung could have worked way better if it wasn't for Chung Myung. All the rest of the characters we simply did not spend enough time with, to truly care about. I must say, Sanchez was my favorite and he was the breath of fresh air.

Kim Seon Bi/Choi Seo Hee/Ji Hyun Joong aka when writers do not care.
Out of all their stories, only Seo Hee's had some depth to it. Kim Seon Bin's story was extremely random, there were close to no hints about his previous life so I did not even care to speculate what happened to him. Hyun Joong's past life story had the least sense. How did his sister not recognize that the guy taking care of her was not her brother. How did his family not ask any questions, why did they recognize her and not him? You could say it was a war so they did not see him for a long time, but the same would apply to the sister. Hong sisters did not care enough about those characters to spend time to truly explain and develop their stories. They had the material for a good 8 episodes of Man Wol's side and had to fill the rest with random storylines. I could not feel emotional about them all leaving at the end, because all I could think about was: None of it makes any sense.

I also believe it would be better to start sending away the characters around episode 10-12, and not just have them all gone in the last 2 episodes. We could slowly see how Man Wol is realizing all the people she loves and cares about are gone and moving on to the afterlife. How the ones that stay behind struggle with the loss. We would see her being more concerned about how will Chan Sung deal in the future when she is gone. Them gradually leaving would have more impact on both the characters and the storyline.

Chan Sung/Chung Myung aka the failed romance
While I enjoyed Chan Sung at the beginning, the moment we got more scenes with Chung Myung and the past story developed into something interesting, I could not focus on the present. Chan Sung was simply a boring character that was there only for Man Wol's story to develop and he had nothing going on for himself. When we met another male character that had a past romantic relationship with Man Wol, but also was its own character, it was easy to forget our male lead. At the end of the day I wished for more flashbacks and less present plot. And I would rather have them as friends than as romantic partners.

Kim Yoo Na aka no one truly cares about anything
While I enjoyed Yoo Na, I do believe they should have made her a more tragic character. Yet again, there was no depth to the story. Show me how much she struggles to fit in that new house, how she misses her old friends and family and how she is tired of pretending to be someone else.

All the hotel cases aka when you try too hard to please the viewers
I did not truly like any of the random hotel cases, but I hated some more than others. The most random one with the humans having sex in the hotel room to have some superior child in the future. I was truly confused why this plotline was in the drama.
There were too many cases, so at the end, none of them was developed or complex. They tried to fit any genre (horror, crime, romance, melo, etc.) into the drama, just to make sure all viewers can find something they may like.

Disney ending aka when you are afraid to commit to the tragedy
None of the characters involved in the drama had a truly tragic ending. Which was extremely unrealistic. It could be easily fixed. Make Yoona too late to say goodbye to Hyun Joong. After Seo Hee goes to the bridge, cut to the mother registering the baby with the father's surname because of the grandparents. Make the book about Seon Bi flop. I would even like for Chung Myung to vanish because he used all his energy looking after Man Wol. The Song sisters wanted to show us how sad, tragic, and emotional the feeling of loss is, but they did not want to show the truly ugly side of it. Because of that, the ending felt bland.

Overall, during the whole watch, there was literally (and I truly mean it) only one time when I thought "wow, this is a good writing, I finally feel the playoff" and it was with how they used the Coffee Writer Dude. They spent just enough time for us to be curious about him and wonder what will happen to him, when he will go to the afterlife.

At the end, Hong Sisters had an amazing idea, about an amazing character, and no idea what to do with the rest. Trying to fit too many stories of too many characters made this drama a... mess.

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This drama was filmed in the wrong era

If this drama was out at the same time as Boys Over Flowers or Secret Garden or something, I would be more understanding. But this drama felt like they were just following the Book of K-Drama Cliches. I have watched cliche dramas before that work just fine, but this was just straight up boring and outdated. Everything was predictable, from the dialogue to the tropes. There was barely anything to the plot to keep the drama moving. I felt like I was watching filler ep after filler. No wonder there's only 12 eps.

I thought we have moved past the I-will-bother-you-till-you-like-me-Sehoon-Lee Min Ho-like romance. The main couple barely shared any connection and had no chemistry. The second couple was slightly better, but they also didn't match in compatibility.

The only unique factor was the English speaking cousin.

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Another good piece from Author Kim!

Reviews gotten me skeptical but it surpasses my expectation.

Author Kim is very well-known in writing different kinds of genre and this drama is like a combination of Goblin + Mr Sunshine where it has a little of the fantasy element with some foreign affairs politics. However, as this is the first drama over the past few years that wasn't produced Director Lee Eung Bok, the production wasn't that fantastic, but still okay.

For those who enjoyed fantasy, this will most likely be your cup of tea. However, do note that this is slightly more complicated than the other fantasy as it involves time travel, universe travel and space-time gap but I personally think that these have made the drama even more special! As someone who enjoy fairytale, I love how they created the monarch world and also where the king was riding on his white horse! Pure imagination!

A big applaud for the cast as well for portraying more than one role in the drama and slayed it! My favourite goes to Eun-seob and Jo Yeong!!!!!! He is so charming and cute at the same time in his totally different-character roles and really deserve much love omgggg!

Overall, I love it! Giving it a 9.0/10.0 as 1 mark goes to the excessive product placement that is out of nowhere. I don't really enjoy product placement in the drama, especially when they even designed their lines to promote the product, it gives me a C-drama vibes which I don't really fancy it. And this drama has really too much of it, it sort of ruin the whole atmosphere build up for this drama. Other than that, all good! :)

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