Reviews

The story pacing is very well planned out and logical for a melodrama. The transition from youth to adult stage is nicely distinguished making 52 episodes not repetitive at all, bringing a new element of excitement till the last episode. The dialogue is witty and very humane, also appropriate flashbacks are inserted throughout the main story. The characters' experience is very relatable and easily sympathized with great development. The insert songs and music are colorful, at times light-hearted, other times tear bringer.
Lastly, the acting is very natural, even gets better in later episodes. I will definitely rewatch this drama in the future for its romance.
I cried on the last couple of episodes. Overall I recommend this true hidden gem till the last episodes.

Leggi di Più

Life, love, relationships, and how we handle it.

Again, warning, spoilers.

There are spoilers because it is what this show is about.

…

Final warning. Spoilers.

…

…

As the title says, “Strangers Again”, so you shouldn't be surprised what the story is about: break-up.

This is a very rare topic in TV series, after all, who wants to be reminded of their painful memories? Thus, I applaud the entire team for taking on this project even though there is risk it may, or may not, become a success, maybe forgotten after a few months.

However, it is important to note that there are lessons in this story, and here are some of it:

1. Love is not as simple as we assume it to be.

2. People are unique.

3. Relationships are not easy to handle.

4. Yes, break-ups are painful, but how you handle it defines if you are a mature adult.

5. Moving on is not about hating each other, not wanting to see each other's shadows, rather it is about if you can become “Strangers Again”.

Another winning aspect of this show. It is rare to see the Second Leads end up happy and the Main Leads go on their separate ways. In many stories, not only K-dramas but in other countries as well, the title points to one thing then still end up with “they happily live ever after”.

This show? The title is what it is about, “Strangers Again”. Huge plus for me.

If you want to learn something about life, love, relationships, breaking-up, and moving on, then put this show in your list. However, if you are looking for a fantasy, this is not it.

Leggi di Più

Arthur Chen Feiyu and Zhang Jingyi’s perfect chemistry

Lighter and Princess is one of the best C dramas ever. From the Actors to the production team to the storyline to the plot, OST, every single aspect of this drama is a top notch.The way all the actors gave their all in making this drama exceptional is also a special aspect of this drama . And when it comes to the original soundtrack of this drama geez it’s the best Thea original soundtrack of the drama is Falling You by Arthur Chen Feiyu and Zhang Jingyi I can listen to this song for thousands of times because it makes the movie nice and finally the main leads did a great job

Leggi di Più

Slow but wholesome

I am not the one to wait for something eventful to happen in a drama. if it gets boring, i drop it instantly. But for some reason the liberation notes made me stick to it till the end. Not gonna lie, it was too slow yet i could relate to it. All three siblings and their problems were too realistic. I was rooting for them and secretly hoped to find my way through them. Perhaps some words of motivation or a hope that it gets better.

In a way things did change for them at the end but not soo much as one would expect. That’s why the story is too realistic and bit bitter at times, it’s not those big drastic changes but tiny ones at a time that keeps them going. The portrayal of the family and their bond was soo organic.
Mi jeong wanted to liberate herself from her toxic workplace and her situation.She did stood up for herself at the end and gathered the courage to move to a new workplace. It might not seem like a big deal for some people but for a person who is a doormat, it’s a huge deal to stand up for themselves and it takes a lot. In the end Mr. Gu also returned to her. It wasn’t that grand happy ending but i guess it was a new start for her.
The older sister, ji jeong, wanted love, a partner and got one, even though, he had a complex background and all was not well in their relationship yet it was also a new beginning for her. Change always comes with a price.

And the brother, Chang hee, found a new purpose for his life after working hard for years to get a promotion or to own a store. Yet one thing i didn’t understand was why he and hyun ah broke up?? And why was there relationship toxic?? Also, It was soo sad that the siblings got to move to Seoul after their mother passed.

The only thing that bugged me was that ending could’ve been better. Ending wasn’t a perfectly happy one, it was bit unsettling yet it made a point that in order to get what you want, you need to get out of your comfort zone. And change comes with a price.

Leggi di Più

Absolutely adorable! ❤️

Okay, Im going to say it. Please dont hate me! Im one of those who didn’t fall in love with Put Your Head on my Shoulder. It didn’t even register a blip on my cdrama love radar. I was bored and had to drop it. Im sure it was a lovely drama but it wasnt for me!
Then I heard that the FL and the 2nd ML of PYHOMS was going to do a drama as leads. I was intrigued because the 2nd ML (Fu Pei) of PYHOMS did not make an impression to me at all. I didn’t find him attractive nor compelling. But I saw him in ToGetHer and decided to watch him here because, after all, its a Fair Xing drama. First episode in and that was it for me, I was a goner.

I LOVE THIS DRAMA SO FREAKING MUCH!

Story:
There are a lot of haters saying that Wen Shaoqing fell too fast and it wasn’t realistic, blah blah blah. Well that’s drama land peeps. I mean c’mon, I dont watch cdramas to raise my IQ points nor because I need a dose of reality. I watch because of the feels and for an escape from the mundane. And it more than delivered, I loved everything about the storyline and how healthy their relationship is. No annoying 3rd parties and if there were, they were smart and gracious too. Oh and when talking about the drama, you have to mention the kisses. I mean whoa! The kisses are so passionate and realistic that you feel like you’re a voyeur and are intruding on their private moments. I need more dramas with kisses like these

Acting/Cast
Why didn’t I notice before that Daddi Tang is so unbelievably gorgeous?! I mean seriously, this role was made for him. He was absolutely perfect as the tall, intelligent, beautiful and affluent Wen Shaoqing! Perfect boyfriend material. Fair Xing was adorable as always and their height difference is just perfect. I have never wished that a couple was dating in real life as much as these two! Their chemistry is off and way beyond the charts. Their flirting on and off screen makes me ship them even more.

The 2nd couple, Im not so crazy about but the love I have for the OTP is enough for me to give a 10!

Music
Just perfect

Rewatch Value
Well Ive rewatched it 3 times already, so enough said

Overall
10/10 Its already in my top fave dramas and believe me I’ve watched a lot! I strongly recommend this if you are in the mood for an unrelenting ML who chases the FL and is very determined. I also suggest watching this if you want a feel good drama with low angst and sweetness overload!

Let’s talk about that ending too! It was one of the most perfect endings I’ve ever watched in a drama. All loose ends tied in a perfect and beautiful bow! ❤️

Leggi di Più

ABSOLUTELY SPLENDID!

Seldom do I give a perfect score to a drama or rewatch it, but this was an incredible watch from start to end, and it deserves to be recognized as such. Like a Flowing River by its excellence single-handedly raises the bar of the quality of small-screen productions coming out of China. I highly recommend it.

Every single character from this drama has remained with me, and I felt as though I were part of the story, as though I were from Xiaoleijia. You get to live through that post cultural revolution period in Chinese history, and see, feel the impact of the progressive and socialist reforms implemented, the angst of a people at the end of a terrible era, and their excitement at the dawn of China's current economic revolution. Absolutely fascinating!

There has not been a day since the completion of this drama (about a month ago) that I have not thought about Xiaolejia or one of its characters in some way, shape or form.

Yang Shuo, Wang Kai, Tong Yao, and Dong Zijian delivered extraordinary performances; so did the rest of the cast, and they are commendable for it. The cinematography and directing were of sheer brilliance. Don't even get me started with the writing! Tang Yao penned the script (based on Ah Nai's novel River of Time) impeccably.

I cannot wait for Season 2, which is slated to air in December 2019 (11 long months away). I will rewatch the entire Season 1 then, prior to seeing Season 2.
What a kicker it would be if they can air it even earlier than the previously scheduled date!

Leggi di Più

A quick one, because there have been so many others written already:

I doubted this show in the beginning. The premise sounded great, but the first episode didn't grip me. The second wasn't much better. So let me just post a quick rundown of reasons why I am ever so glad I stayed with it:

- The Male Lead: Really, he is too precious. He is caring and awkward, afraid but powers through it, competent, confident and content to stay in the background at the same time. He truly cares for his employees, gives everyone a second chance, takes responsibility for his actions, stays with his friends and he's just an overall cutie. Really, this show was about him growing into himself as much as about romance, and I'd have watched at least ten more episodes of him becoming happy and confident.

- The Female Lead: Couldn't stand her at first, but she suddenly gets better after episode 5 and you'll forget you ever hated her. She's super cute, too!

- The characters and their struggles: There was hardly any black/white storytelling. Every character was shown to have multiple motivations, strength and weaknesses and I just enjoyed seeing people in this show instead of cardboard cutouts.

- The relationships between the female characters: Really, all around people were just so supportive of each other, it was incredible! But what stayed with me most is the relationship between Roo Won and Hee Jin. The best relationship between two girls fancying the same guy I have ever seen, refreshing but heartwarming.

- The relationships in general: You'll watch everyone almost grow into a family and it's so emotionally rewarding!

- Of course, the relationship between our main couple: They're adorable, full stop. They bring out the best in each other and support each other and it's wonderful to see

- THIS POINT CONTAINS A MINOR SPOILER: We see a glimpse of a trans character! And for me, as a cis person, it seemed like a really good portrayal! Of course, if someone who is trans themselves sees an issue with the way the point is handled in the show I'd rescind this point, but so far I've read of no complaints.

- Semi-accurate portrayal of mental illnesses that isn't just depressing: I know this one is hard, but as a person struggling with some of the same stuff the characters struggled with, I saw myself represented here. And in a good way, too! Their actions aren't excused, they aren't used as pointless reasons for some actions, but everyone has their own thing they struggle with and it's really well portrayed.

In general: This is probably one of my favourites now. The music is cute, the cast is amazing, the story is exciting, suspenseful, funny, romantic and heartwarming. It has that TvN flavour. If you're looking for a show that will make you feel a range of emotions and leave you with a smile on your face, try this one!

Leggi di Più

Story - Very interesting story. At first you may find it boring, but as you go deeper on the story, you will understand it. How much important life to all of us! And don't take it for granted. You may find some scenes very disturbing but you will appreciate the things they want us to learn.
Acting/Cast - I'm very satisfied with the acting, even though there are young kids who portray the roles, they are really great!
Music - Songs were really fit in every scenes.
Rewatch Value - I gave it a perfect score, 'cos definitely this movie will be listed as one of my favorites, so I will watch it all over again. :)
Overall - Perfect! I really like this movie, A must watch!

Leggi di Più

Actingwise TOP, but storywise.... meh

I understand why there are so many people who really love the goblin. The reason are the really awesome looking actors and their great performance! You cannot help to fall for them, I fully understand that!If you only want to swoon for the actors, just go on, they are great! But honestly, the ending isn't satisfying at all. It just feels as if the sad ending is only delayed for an unknown amount of time. And the religious beliefs in this story are a great mess. A very strange mix of catholic and buddhistic elements called fantasy. Come on, there are reincarnations AND heaven and hell at the same time, to mention just one example... There were many funny moments, it is really moving because of the good acting, but the wishy-washy ending killed it for me.

Leggi di Più

Why seek therapy and help when you can just fall in love with your best friend!

The drama runs on the premise of the childhood friends x lovers trope. And when I see this trope, the first thing that comes to my mind is slow-burning romance where two people who grew up together with embarrassing memories and inside jokes, slowly come to the realisation that they are in love with each other all along. The yearning...the pinning.... the subtle hints...The holy grail of slow burn romance.

But what I got was anything but that. Instead of character development, gradual tension and those push-and-pull monologues, what I got was fast-forward confessions with abrupt mood swings and no subtlety.
There was barely any tension or emotional build up. Just a series of "Oh, I guess I love you now" in a very reckless way.

Character Descriptions-

Han Tuo: In the BL world, we are familiar with a lead having a tragic past or a childhood trauma. A'Tuo was no different. This man didn't need a relationship, but a therapist. Despite having a backstory, none of it translates into actual depth. His internal conflicts existed but briefly and for name's sake. I wanted to sympathise with him, considering how emotionally distant his mother was and his abandonment issues by his mother, but somehow how it was portrayed and how he dealt with it as a character annoyed me.

His way out was to trauma dump Junxi with an invisible PowerPoint presentation with two slides - "I am sad" and "I love you". With his backstory came possessiveness on another level. If we remove the romance angle, it is controlling and manipulative. And let's not forget his communication skills, or lack thereof.

At best, he was an overgrown child desperately trying to prove that he is the centre of Jun Xi's universe and that being together is the ultimate solution to all his problems.

Lu Junxi: He was a third wheel in his own relationship and not in a cute way. He was always reactive to A'Tuo's mood swings and possessiveness, and somehow I wondered if he even liked him, or was it just the pressure and the anxiety that came with not having your childhood friend around that you mistake it for love. He makes all his decisions with the legendary stone, paper, scissors game and loses more often than you think.

Romance between them wasn't healthy, but if I remove the problematic lens, it was cute in fragments. It thrived on the notion that one partner constantly crosses boundaries because "that is how they show love", while the other passively accepts as if that's what love is supposed to be like.

There were many aww factors, especially when they were being absolutely sweet and domestic to each other. The way they bickered over the smallest things with silly arguments and small acts of care did entertain me, and I did enjoy their boyfriend era.
They had decent chemistry overall with some good kissing scenes, but honestly, the red flags were raised so high that there is no way to sugar coat them.

Lin Xiao Yang: She was such a breath of fresh air. She was understanding, supportive and out of the trio, the most sensible. I have many issues with how characters are written in the drama, but I am glad writers didn't turn her into the cliche female lead in a BL drama that we usually see, who only causes chaos and is irrationally protective. I wish they had explored her character more or in general, her friendship with the duo.

The other side character, He You Mei, was a hit and a miss for me. I liked her for her quirkiness, but sometimes her behaviour was abrupt. The emotional scene of hers came out of nowhere, and with much context.

I liked Junxi's parents for not being the stereotypical asian parent we see. Them being supportive and treating A'Tuo with so much love was heartwarming to see!

Acting-wise, I found both the leads passable. I mean, the emotional scenes could have been way better, but it wasn't unwatchable. The rest of the cast also did decently based on what the script had to offer, but nothing outstanding.

Writing & Production: I think writing was the weakest link here. The character arcs were painfully uneven. I kept expecting meaningful emotional growth both for the individuals and their relationship, but it rarely appeared. At times, we seemed on the brink of progress, only for the story to backtrack and reset us near square one. On top of that, there were far too many flashbacks to their teenage years, most of which didn’t add much to the present-day story. It felt unnecessarily redundant. Production seemed decent as well. The sets were clean, and the locations felt believable. (The college had students and everything).

Overall, this isn't a masterpiece by any stretch, but it's oddly entertaining in its own way. I reviewed it very critically but if I keep my brain aside, it has a weird charm to its flaws.

Will I recommend it? Maybe, but with a giant asterisk. If you are in the mood for some low-stakes entertainment but a clumsy attempt at romance and a hint of sweetness... then yes. Also, their height difference was really cute.
But if you are here for a deep, healthy relationship with a well-developed character arc, please look elsewhere.

Thank you for reading my review! I hope you have a good day! <3

Leggi di Più

I feel like this is probably an unpopular opinion, however I found this drama to very mediocre... For a show that keeps pushing the idea that beauty isn't everything and personality matters more, you would think they would give the two leads some pretty interesting personalities to work with. But no, the two leads were the most uninteresting characters I think I have ever come across in a Korean drama. The only "chemistry" they had, was the fact that they were both in the chemistry department at school. The male lead seemed to only have one facial expression; brooding. His only attractive quality (pretty much his only quality in general) was that he was extremely attractive. And even that was spoonfed to us each episode by characters needing to excessively point out that fact. When the two leads were in scenes together it was almost painful to watch. The only character who actually had depth was Soo Ah.

The story? There basically was none. Pretty much everything that happens in the drama is written in the description for this drama...

I also feel I need to point out that this drama seems to be being praised left and right for apparently having a strong message, but it completely fails to deliver when it has multiple product placement ads for weightloss tools such as real diet pills and drinks. What a joke.

Leggi di Più

I’m sorry but I don’t share the enthousiasm

First of all, I’m not an SJK fan but I’m not a hater either - I don’t hate people, except maybe for a few world leaders at the moment :-(. I’m neutral where he is concerned.
This film just didn’t strike an emotional chord with me.
It all looked a bit amateurish to me. Maybe because of the sets and because the “Belgian” scenes were shot in Budapest. Brussels has a very different vibe than Budapest. The last scenes at the airport, sorry but that was so obvious that it was a set. Also, in official government buildings in Brussels, everything is always bilingual in French AND Dutch. So here, a bit more research would have helped. The gangster scene was just laughable and the European gangsters very stereotyped.
Storywise, too many topics addressed without really going deeper into them (reading further from here means SPOILERS).
But what bothers me most of all is: how on earth would he have obtained refugee status when he ran out of his own court case! Most of the time I got the feeling that I was watching a KBS K-drama instead of a movie, because of the sets that were used and some topics that were apparently solved so easily in the end (like Marie’s drug habit). Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against KBS K-dramas, because they don’t pretend to be more than they are, viz. a daily moment of escapism and guilty pleasure. And to me that is what this film (or the creators) do, they pretend to be more than they are. If they wanted to make a human interest film, they should have restricted the topics to the refugee theme and the love story. The themes of drug habit, euthanasia, the gangster circle Marie was caught up in… it all felt like topics piled on the heap. So sorry but overall the film felt unrealistic and immature to me.

I rated the music because you have to but I didn’t pay attention to it honestly.

The good thing about it all is that I definitely want to read the book now. From the synopsis I have read, I think that is going to be far more interesting and realistic.

Leggi di Più

I love this drama as a spinoff but......I will (probably) never make peace with the ending.

More to how I feel about the ending at the end of my review, if you don't mind ending spoilers, or spoilers in general then read on!

Let's start of with the actors, the male lead Vin Zhang (Zhang Binbin), really did an amazing job in featuring four different characters in this story: God of Moon(Yue), Lu Li, Luo Ge and Dark God of Moon(Dark Yue), each have their own distinct personality, and I'm so glad he uses his own voice in this drama!!

This isn't the first time I see Zhang Binbin to be honest, since the first drama I ever watched him in was as Li Zing in Ten Miles Peach Blossom, and I did like his character in there, even when he had made that one mistake that caused his tragic fate at the end. Back then he made an impression for me, enough to still remember him all these years, but my love for his acting and his character portrayal has cemented in this drama(Song of the Moon)! I love how he portrayed his emotions well, and I really, really love him as Luo Ge! I got to say that while I don't like to see pain being inflicted upon Luo Ge, Lu Li or God of Moon, but I will be lying if I say I didn't enjoy his pain-scenes or scenes where he expresses pain/suffering because he is JUST THAT GOOD in acting out those scenes that made it believable!! I love his love for Liu Shao and how he expresses it through his micro expressions (when he's holding back in openly expressing his love for her), so no matter what I never got tired of scenes that have him in it! He can literally carry the show! I love Luo Ge as a character, because he is one of the most reasonable male leads I have seen in a long time! I also love the way he loves the FL (Liu Shao) as well, and I do see chemistry between them!

Also, I just want to touch on the fact that Luo Ge is NOT weak, and it really bothers me how some people don't know how to pay attention to the story at all to be saying this. People need to bear in mind that spiritual powers aren't limitless, if you overuse it, then it can worn you out, and it could also put your life at risk.

It has been stated several times in the story already that Liu Shao's spiritual powers influence Luo Ge, their spiritual powers are both mutually destructive on each other, if they were to use it on each other. Without spoiling too much of the later-story, you can see later what will happen when the extreme Yin energy does to Liu Shao. So this alone, along with what the Immortal Master said to Luo Ge earlier when he(LG) was helping Liu Shao open her Qi Hai to help her cultivate on her immortal path, he got hurt in the process, when the symbol on Liu Shao's forehead (which was God of Sun's divine spirit) activates. Luo Ge got hurt because he withdrew some of his powers in the last minute, so Liu Shao life was save. If not, not even her bracelet would have saved her in the end. She would have died..

So in context of understanding that situation, every time when Liu Shao is hurt/injured, and Luo Ge use his powers to heal/help her, it hurts him in the process, and we can make a conjecture here because Liu Shao is fine each time when Luo Ge heals her or use his powers on her, and only Luo Ge is affected by this, shows that Luo Ge is holding some of his extreme yin energy/powers when he use it on Liu Shao, when he does that you can say that it leaves him defenseless against Liu Shao's extreme yang energy so this hurts him....When he is hurt, just like everyone else, it takes time to recover, and it was pointed out that when Liu Shao is beside Luo Ge, he can't recover back fully (that's why Immortal Master was so against them being together). So what Liu Shao is like to Luo Ge when he's injured is similarly opposite to what Wan Shui is to Liu Shao when she is hurt (after Luo Ge received the three lightning punishment in her place instead). Wan Shui said that him being near her will benefit her recovery quicker because of the medicinal effect of Wan Shui being the 10,000 years king herb. But for Liu Shao, unfortunately that doesn't benefit Luo Ge because of their conflicting spiritual powers of being extreme yin and yang.

Even when he was already injured, he can still cast the formation in the yin-yang cave, that strong formation does not come without great spiritual powers, you need to have enough spiritual powers to be able to use it... So let's refresh our memory here, and put these into step by step, Luo Ge was already injured earlier because of the conflicting powers, then he went and set up the formation in the yin-yang cave.... And then when he returns as he was trying to recover back his spiritual powers, the evil spirit have to continue to throw all these at him where he have to use up (again) most of his spiritual powers to seal them all into the sphere when he was in the Bone Melting Pool.... So honestly, can anyone just cut him a break there... Even Wan Shui said it himself, that he can't continue on like this, because he will eventually die... And again, spiritual powers aren't limitless. People need to understand this... BUT even when that is the case, why don't people ever consider the fact that yeah, Luo Ge wasn't at 100% of his powers, but he can still stand his own against the Evil Spirit and what the Evil Spirit throws at him... Isn't that good enough to prove that he's strong, and NOT weak!

Moving onto the Female Leading actress Xu Lu who portray her character as Liu Shao, this is the first I've seen of her, but I do think that she's not as bad as some people make her out to be, I don't mind her acting cute/having a different side to her where she only shows towards Lu Li/Luo Ge because I see that is a form of affection she has for Luo Ge. Some people don't like her character, but for me, I don't mind it, since I don't think she's weak at all. Strong female characters doesn't necessarily have to be physically strong... Because those who are physically strong but lack the brains and not mentality strong, are female characters I don't really like. What's the point of having physical strength but your heart is weak. I also disagree to how some calls her the weakest female lead in Chinese Drama's like if they really think that then just WOW! They have NOT seen any yet! To me, Liu Shao is 1000x better than the FL to Ashes of Love (Jin Mi). At least Liu Shao actually works hard to cultivate and get stronger to becoming a God, unlike Jin Mi (Ashes of Love), where she just so stupid and takes it for granted and get her cultivation handed to her on silver platter! Jin Mi to me is the WORST FL ever!

Main pairing Luo Ge x Liu Shao is my favorite in this drama, and I have made quite a few MV's on them as the drama was airing, so if you're interested, you can check it out here: https://mydramalist.com/discussions/ben-yue/84027-mv-sharing. I love Luo Ge and Liu Shao relationship, because when I think of the main pairing, I picture them as touching and sweet and I really love how they are always supporting each other and that's the kind of relationship that appeals to me and I love Liu Shao strong love for LG and how she always there to support him! They also both have trust in each other, which is an appeal to me as well. This is refreshing to see instead of the usual misunderstanding so I honestly don't know why some people say is boring! When there's no trust in a pairing and there's misunderstanding they complain! When there's trust between a pairing they still complain! Can they just make up their mind and stick to it! Even when the focus was dragging on for the 2nd pairing..... I never get bored of seeing Luo Ge and Liu Shao moments when they come onscreen. During those times, I see them like a married CP almost like this is what their life will be like when they are married! So for me, I will always love the main pairing no matter what! I also love their domestic life during these times almost like they are married and how I pictured them to be like when they are married and protecting the three realms together and Liu Shao is cultivating her powers as we can see. If those actually paid attention to it at all, the main pairing did have their own developments very early on. But I guess we can watch the same drama but feel very different to interpreting the drama. That's all I have to say.

2nd pair A Fu x Luo Ning: To be honest I did started of shipping the second pairing at first and was looking forward to their story, but over time I just got to the point of not seeing a future for them anymore. If I am going to say my feelings on how I describe this pairing is disappointing and unhealthy. Disappointing comes from the fact that A Fu actually fed her the Phoenix tears against her will. This wouldn't have happened if he trusted LN's love for him a little. He should know what Phoenix tears does and in the end he ended up punishing himself for this... Unhealthy because I can't picture a future for them. It got to the point where it felt forced coming from A Fu side because he would rather lock her up and not respect what LN really wants. Yeah they love each other but I don't see it as a healthy relationship and honestly I don't see A Fu genuinely cared for LN and her feelings when he plotted to hurt those she cared for. He was the one who destroyed their future. Did he ever consider how LN would feel when he plotted to kill or hurt those she care for? -_-

This drama has 2 alternate endings, which is according to the choices made by Liu Shao! (Well I know there's a secret ending was filmed but got deleted, and I am still pissed about their decision to delete that perfect ending for me)! T__T

Ending 1(Ep 39) is when Liu Shao decided to sacrifice herself to save Luo Ge from the evil spirits by drawing it all into her, because her being the God of Sun (reincarnation)/that has the Sun Spirit, her powers are Yang, and the Evil Spirit is tied to Yin(which is the power from God of Moon), so when Liu Shao draws the Evil Spirit into her, because of their conflicting opposite powers, they will both in the end die from it. In this ending, Liu Shao made the decision to sacrifice herself to protect Luo Ge and release him of the Evil Energy. This ending is more tied to the Novel ending, although not exactly the same reason, but it's the same where Novel Liu Shao sacrificed herself and God of Moon in the end, was looking all over the world, and with great efforts to find her again, which is similarly to how the ending played out in this episode (Ending 1). In the Novel Extra's it was revealed that God of Moon was able to find Liu Shao again, and they managed to get their happy ending!

In terms of the main pairing ending goes , I felt like ep39 touched me more... I felt more emotional in that one even when it didn't have an on-screen happy ending. Between one of them who have to "die"(sacrifice), I rather that to be Liu Shao not Luo Ge...Lu Li "died" in Liu Shao's arms back then so I felt like ep39 ending where it shows that scene where Liu Shao "died/sacrifice" herself is like a contrast to that part. Tbh, I prefer Liu Shao's choice in ep 39 ending better since that's how I see she would decide on her end especially when she have been saying all along that the person she wants to protect the most is Luo Ge. I still love what she said to Luo Ge that "10,000 years ago, Yao Ling have to painfully kill the one she loves, 10,000 years later, Liu Shao can finally protect you" ~ that's a powerful quote for me that I love. It kinda gives a sense of growth to her character for me since this time it's her turn to protect him instead of the other way around.

I really urge viewers to NOT skip it since you're missing out such an emotional heartfelt episode if you do IMO. Even if Liu Shao "died" in ep39, I didn't have doubt that she will come back, and get their happy ending in the end, just like in the novel. I love Luo Ge so much and seeing him died again just doesn't sit right for me. I just felt episode 39 ending coherently makes sense to me. I much rather they stick to Ep39 ending, where they have Ep40 wrap up to Luo Ge finding Liu Shao again that would be nice since that would tie in similar to Novel!

Ending 2 (Ep40) - This ending is when Liu Shao have no choice but to kill the Evil Spirit (Dark God of Moon), so in the end, Luo Ge have to "die" for that to happen... I'm not saying I don't like some of the scenes in episode 40, I'm just saying I don't like the ending scene in episode 40 since it raises questions for me... If they changed that ending to the ending to the deleted secret ending (will touch on this later) I would say I happily accept that at least it doesn't leave doubt. In this ending, Liu Shao said at the end that she hopes that her dream (which is in context what she wish for) will come true, and she said and implied through what she said is her dream (wish) is for Luo Ge to come back to her and then we see that scene of Luo Ge being back shows her wish has been granted. When it comes to the ending I want it to leave no doubt and this is why I am not happy with how it ended since it's open for interpretation. At first I was confused about this ending, but after watching that final episode several times. I ended up picking some details on my end. GOD, YOU REALLY NEED TO BE ABLE TO PICK UP SUBTLENESS WHEN IT COMES TO THIS DRAMA!!

So when Luo Ge "died", we see that Liu Shao was playing with her Corroding Harp where you see both Luo Ge's Moon Sword and Moon Bell was there. And you know what the effects of Corroding Harp actually does. Then we have Liu Shao was wandering the mortal realm and she saw A Fu and Luo Ning reincarnated, so this signify there's a time skip here (seriously writers, you can't even put in that effort to tell us this?!) And then in that ending scene, we saw Luo Ge using his fan to tap on Liu Shao's shoulder lightly to show that he's back.. And he have his moon bell back with him even when this was kept with Liu Shao in the immortal palace..

I honestly wish the ending to Ep40 was handled better... But after watching that ending scene in Ep40 again a couple of times I do think he's back but can they not exchange a few words or something... I think Luo Ge have his full memories intact and there's a time skip after he "died" before he can form a physical body to return to Liu Shao again. And lastly Luo Ge did promise her that he will return to her... So while this ending scene to Ep40 felt rushed but he did return... So yeah.. while subtle but the hints is there..

Secret Ending - Is coming from this deleted scene, where they did filmed it, but was not included in the Finale. To whoever made the decision to delete this scene, you really make a stupid decision for doing so, because this would have been perfect at the end for ending 2 then what we were given! (Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLCqJyUn4Hc). In this ending, Luo Ge 100% did return to Liu Shao in the immortal palace, and when he returned Liu Shao ran up to him and hugged him and scolded him for why he took so long to come back, I really like this ending and I am still sad why they would delete it....THIS will always be my fav ending!

In terms of story, I enjoyed it, it is fast pace, yes, but it was good enough to make me want to watch each ep after the ep ended. I didn't have a problem understanding the story, and what I love about this drama is when I finished the episode it made me want to watch more! I also love how this story made me want to make guesses and theories about what actually happened, and I like it when some of them I analysed was right! Although I have to admit that I was wrong about my views on Hei Yue (Dark God of Moon). With that being said, I will be lying if I said I don't enjoy Dark Yue scenes when he's being intimate with Liu Shao... For me, I guess this is one of the reasons why I love Vin Zhang, that is, no matter which character he plays as in this story, even if it's the evil God of Moon, he still perfected it to the point that it's hard for me to really hate him you know! LOL

In terms of faithfulness to the Novel? SOTM is NOT faithful at all.. The Story direction, and Character portrayal is completely changed in the Drama. So I can only take this as a spinoff. Which is sad, seeing how I love the Novel on my end. Maybe one faithful part in the Drama was at the end, Luo Ge was searching for Liu Shao again.

Characters I love in SOTM: Luo Ge, YueGuang, YaoLing, Lu Li, Liu shao, He Na. To an extent I love Zhang Binbin portrayal as Dark Yue, and even when he's back as Luo Ge, I love him in that dark costume! I also love Shang Yurong and his Shijie relationship, I am happy they get to be together in the end. Xie Lingqi was a jerk at first, but after learning his back story, I came to like his redemption arc.

Rewatch Value: I will watch this again, but only on the scenes I love/enjoy.
Fast forward scenes for me: A Fu, Baifeng, A Fu and Bai Feng plotting, A Fu x Luo Ning scenes...
Sad that Lan Chi (which he is a Novel Character) did not make it into the Drama, since I love his interactions with God of Moon in the Novel, but then, the Novel and Drama is very different so... Not surprising though...

Editing to the drama side of things, I do agree it went downhill, and honestly, I will never forgive the editors/those who deleted some of my favorite CP scenes that I know it was filmed but never made it to the aired version. It's a huge insult to the actors doing their best to play out their scenes, but in the end, it just went down the drain. It's not the actors fault but those who chose to delete them!

Leggi di Più

Abyss is one of those shows thats premise is full of potential. Unfortunately, throughout episodes one to twelve, this premise is explored nowhere near as much as it should be. The "abyss," which is a magical ball which essentially grants the user power over life, is seldom used, or explained, which is a shame as 45% of the drama's description talks about it and it sets you up for a more heavily paranormal story. In the final 4 more episodes they use it more and in episode 16 (the last episode) its value and relevance literally disappears. The abyss itself is poorly explained as the story goes along and is quite confusing. The information dump in the last few episodes is really jarring.

The story as a whole, though not atrocious, is exceedingly meh for a crime drama. One of my main gripes with this show was that though it sets you up for a romance, crime and paranormal story. The paranormal and romance elements are very short, and I understand that it is a crime drama but the long crime scenes that do exist usually only add superfluous information or have seemingly no relevance to evolving the plot.

From episode 1 of the show, as soon as the villain was introduced I was 100% sure that he would be involved in Seyeon (Park Bo Young's) death, and they gave out the name of the secondary villain way too early. I think the show was relying on this imaginary suspense that really wasn't there. I'll admit I don't watch a lot of crime dramas so I don't know if this type of bland story is the norm (or better) than most but for one of my first crime dramas I was unimpressed.

I will wholeheartedly admit I started watching this drama because of my love of Park Bo-Young in her other dramas, even though I had watched other dramas with Ahn Hyo-Seop I had never found his portrayal interesting enough to seek out all of his works. I feel like the role Park Bo Young played in this drama is very similar to a lot of others she has played but that's definitely not a bad thing. She's great at it and she fits the character well (except, I don't really agree with the asessment of her beauty as plain, but that doesn't have much to do with her) and Ahn Hyo-Seop and her had really great chemistry. I was honestly surprised, their relationship was really pure and sweet, and it was interesting to see evidently how long they had both been interested in each other, even though the first few episodes stated otherwise. In the last few episodes especially, their relationship was really wholesome and fluffy, even though I think the timing of some of their relationship moments was an odd juxtaposition to the other events occuring.

The side characters were honestly, at times. a lot better than the mains, probably, because the actual script was written so that they were placed in more extremist situations and experienced a large range of emotions. I thought Han So Hee (Heejin) was really good, and I went through the experience of initially disliking her, to liking her, to disliking her again, to liking her again, like the script writers probably wanted me to feel. I think the strongest of all of them was probably Kwon Soo Hyun (Ji Wook) because I got bad vibes from him from the get-go. He was genuinely convincing in every scene he was in and I think he did a very good job of delivering every inch of the meh script. Personally, I thought the person who did the weakest job was Lee Sung Jae (Young Cheol). I don't know if it was because I found his scenes the most boring out of all of them rather than suspenseful or if it rested more in his blase delivery but I enjoyed him the least. He wasn't bad though and suited the purpose of the show.

The music wasn't very memorable, but it worked well with the show and I found myself nodding along sometimes. My favorites were "Into the Abyss," "Stay" and "Fallin'." Though, I think there could've been overall better music placement it served its purpose well.

In conclusion, I feel like I probably will rewatch this show but not for the best reasons. It's on Netflix, and it's all-round easy to access so I can see myself rewatching the more light-hearted episodes or the last episode. I can also see myself wanting to rewatch the cute romance moments or some of the more heartwarming moments. I don't see myself ever wanting to rewatch the entire show because the mystery aspect isn't the kind where you discover new things and go "aha!" every time you rewatch it but more like you watch it once and there's nothing new to uncover. I would recommend this show if you like Park Bo Young and if you're interested in watching a crime drama for the first time because this is a pretty basic, easy to follow, way to start. However, if you're looking for a show about the paranormal or romance which Abyss promises this really isn't the drama for you.

Leggi di Più