I waited and waited and waited for it to get better. It never did.
As a fan of Nirvana in Fire, I perked up when I saw that Leo Wu and Zhang Lingxin were both in Guardians of the Ancient Oath, and gave it a go.First Impressions (1-4):
The first few episodes were actually very promising. The machinations of the Yo Imperial Court contrasted well with the serenity of the Baili household, and Ming Ye Feng promised to raise big waves in the Wolf Tribe.
The cinematography is great in general, and the dim and gritty colour palette is also to my taste, as it speaks to a sort of realism and a lack of anachronism on the director's part.
Mid Season (5-33) Impressions:
This is where it starts to fall apart. The quality of the screenplay falls off a cliff (esp. the dialogue) and the generic/cliche storyline can no longer support the agonising pacing.
It just feels like people talk a lot without getting to the main point, and repeat themselves in general. Lareina Song parrots this line like a broken record across an entire arc of the drama: "If you touch him, I'll kill you!".
Leo Wu, Lareina Song, Karry Wang, and a full 80% of the other characters just aren't interesting to watch - the viewer can already predict what they will do and its incredibly boring to watch this occur, without any tension.
Props to Ming Yefeng, Baili Hongxuan, An Tingfeng, and Ling Jun, the only multifaceted characters, for painfully dragging the comatose body of the storyline forward towards the final arc.
There is zero humour in this drama, just none. Yuen Wah's Ji Qiu tries his very best but there's no straight man to match his absurdity - what a waste of this talented actor.
The active CG (the magic) is good in general, blends well into the scene and isn't poorly made. The passive CG is quite poor - the backgrounds of many Wolf Tribe wilderness scenes have been green-screened very obviously.
And could they stop blasting the main theme at full volume at every available opportunity, multiple times an episode? Did they commission ANY OTHER music at all?! Why is there no instrumental-only version of the main theme?
Final Impressions (34-45):
Episodes 34 to 36 were quite good, as the main characters finally start coming into their powers. This change of events wasn't to last though, as somehow the drama became even more boring after these three episodes than the episodes that came before them.
There is a confusing and haphazard introduction of the "ancient" characters, and because of the insistence of masking their faces and using three different names to refer to the same characters, viewers have no idea who is talking to whom.
Each of the very strong, very important-ish "Wu" disciples barely have 10 minutes to recite their entire lifestory: it is not odd then that all these new characters actually make the drama more boring - they just become repetitive obstacles for the protagonists to overcome.
It's not all terrible though; throughout the drama, you could say that Lareina Song had portrayed three different characters: the present, the past, and the "ancient". With each iteration her character became more interesting, and her acting talent more clear (I thought it was extremely poor in her first iteration, but I guess that was how it was written).
Ling Jun is also very consistent as the prime mover of the plot, but somehow Ming Yefeng became a stereotype of his own role, and Baili Hongxuan deteriorated to become a ranting and raving lunatic of a racist.
There is also an uncomfortable undertone of genocide/racism and sexism in the ending arc.
If a character is not a human, they should die [for the plot].
If a character is a woman who doesn't adhere to the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, they should die [for the plot].
If a character is a woman who is not a human, it's impossible that they could adhere to Confucian values and so they should die [for the plot].
Conclusion:
The very best dramas have likable heroes with depth, likable villains with depth, and likable side characters with depth. I find almost every character in this drama unlikable and one dimensional as written.
The protagonists on paper, Baili Hongshuo, Baili Hongyi, and Baili Haohe do not have sufficient agency in the storyline to be proper protagonists (Baili Haohe was a puppet both figuratively and literally: I dare say Karry Wang's role is not a real main character and only has top billing because he's famous/popular). None of the three have any motivation beyond what's been narrowly defined, are not complex, nor deep.
The final villain, on the other hand, has no real reason to be evil except for "it's the character's nature to be evil". What drives them? Evil. What is their hobby? Evil. Why are they fighting the protagonists? Because of evil muahahaha! Somehow this made perfect sense to the writers of this drama.
The actual protagonist of the entire narrative is An Tingfeng, and his tragic epilogue is ordained by karma. His character, and Ling Jun's character, have the only well-thought arcs from start to finish of this drama.
TLDR: Watch something else unless you are an idol superfan.
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Tearjerker
As usual, Roy Chiu delivers! This movie is about a softhearted debt collector that has fallen in love with his debtor.The storyline revolves around his life as a collector and his life with the woman he fell for. The movie has a very authentic feel to it. Very good cinematography of the poor, urban life-- very realistic to say the least.
Roy Chiu, a vibrant actor brought it and will make you cry in the last 10 minutes of the movie. Apparently, Roy won the Best Actor awards for his role in this film including the female lead Ann Hsu.
I may not want to rewatch this movie as it was painful to do so. But hey, Man In Love is definitely worth your time.
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- Good looking actors with great acting skills.
- Perfect romance.
- Wonderful story line.
- Hilarious comedy.
- Tearful situations.
- Great music.
But most important of all, this drama gives me happiness. it expresses so much emotions and feelings that when i watch, i forgot that i'm watching a drama. i feel it completely- what is actually happening on the screen. I laughed so much, i cried so hard, i felt so happy watching this and to be short, I ENJOYED IT SO MUCH. this may not appear to be great to some but i'm sure that most will enjoy it just like i do.
Strongly recommend it to any one at any age.
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A most beautiful journey into the unknown
This review will be short, because I'm not going to spoil the plot here. Only this much about the story: It is mysterious, philosophical, confusing, absolutely unique, and it is not being told in a linear way, but even if you don't understand what's going on in the earlier episodes, it will glue you to your screen. At the end of every episode it felt like torture having to wait a whole week before getting more hints – this series is a masterpiece of suspense.Like the three ”Once in memory” short films which were produced by the same production company, MindTrio, ”On Cloud Nine” is another example of what a small company can achieve with creativity and dedication.
What makes this series so outstanding is the fact that all elements are amazing. The cinematography is just great, the writing excellent, the directing very good, the editing with only very few flaws, the settings in Chiang Mai and the mountains of Northern Thailand are breathtaking sometimes, and the atmosphere which is created by images and music has made me indescribably happy like no other Bl series before.
And then there are the actors. Rossi Nonthakorn as Mon/Mork is simply brilliant – other actors won't be able to express with all their body and face what he can express with his eyes. Meen Nattakrit as Tiew comes across a little superficial in the beginning, but that is deliberate, because he shows his full acting skills in the later episodes. New Saharat as Wise, the angel-like character, plays his part so convincingly that he gave me goosebumps.
If you want to watch another BL series similar to the dozens or hundreds of high school or college drama you've watched before, this is not a series you'll enjoy. But if you are willing to open your mind, to be surprised, to wonder, to look for hints, and to let a completely unusual Bl series put a spell on you, you will experience a most beautiful journey into the unknown, and the happiest sad ending of all times.
Mind Trio have announced that there may be a season 2 if they find sponsors. I hope and pray they will.
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Script Full of Details with Unique & Creative Storytelling (Ending Explained)
''Seeing you is like seeing another me. My heart has been crushed, never healed. You are a protagonist and so am I. Souls with the same color. Finally, a light shines upon me. In the dark corners, accompany me in breaking free from the shackles.''This is a question that I always struggle with myself on whether I want to watch my favorite actors/actresses with a hit drama that is popular or a drama with quality script. And everytime, my answer will always be the latter and this drama is a perfect example of this. I truly love this drama to pieces. I love how it is full of depth and details, have substance and full of complicated and layered characters. And the greatest thing about this drama is the script. I have never come across this kind of creative scriptwriting before. The drama from the surface just look like a normal slice of life or romance drama but the elements and depth that the script possessed makes it unique that managed to stand in a class of its own.
Due to this, I will only explore the substance that the script possessed in my review:
FORESHADOWING ELEMENTS IN SHAN SHAN'S SCRIPTS
It is actually clues to us, the audiences on who is the villains and who is the real nice people in his life. We should know the plot twist in the Shan Shan’s police script ‘Pursuit’ since the same character has started to show his fangs in his life as early as Episode 2. There will be unknown faces that makes cameos in his script and this is all clues on their motives when they finally appear in his life. My favorite is the big guy; Brother Kuan from basketball and when he finally appears in Shan Shan’s life, I knew instantly that he will be on his side. I never seen this kind of creative writing from any dramas before. I thought it is very refreshing -- how the foreshadowing for future events are told from his stories.
SUBSTANTIVE PLOTS WITH DEPTH
I like the fact that in the first glance, we thought the leads are just normal people since they hide it so well with all the smiles and their out-going personalities -- then the story start shedding their tragic past one by one and you can see how these two characters are broken people and are connected since they are 'Souls with the same color' just like the OST lyrics indicated. In fact, the whole theme song is a reflection of their relationship in a nutshell.
COMPLEX CHARACTERS WITH LAYERS & SUBTLE DETAILS
The scene where Shan Shan watched a movie and Liu Xia said it is okay to raise the sound even more but he told her that he already did when you can barely hear the sound. Only a person who has been hurt will act as guarded like that. Or the scenes where Grandma gave him the chicken soup and she offered him a drumstick as an add on but he just said ‘No need’ as he is too happy just receiving the soup only. Now all these scenes make more sense. Or the fact, all Brother Kuan did is feed him and offer him a small kindness but he went all up and beyond to write him a script for free with no credit. This guy just wants to be loved and appreciated. Taking all the small kindness he received at heart and gives more in return. The abandonment issues that Shan Shan’s suffers truly made him as ‘People Pleaser’ and as guarded to everyone despite the bright out-going personality that he has on the outside. All these cracks in his personality are excellent, subtle and were revealed slowly as the drama progressed. Same can be seen with Liu Xia on how she always smile yet, she never truly happy. Her BFF always like 'Why I'm always happier than you when something great happen to you?' as she always ready to receive all these bad things that keeps happening to her, like she was expecting all of it, deserving everything, like she used to never catch a break in her life. All these little hints from the characters are like puzzle that made perfect sense in the end on why they behave as they did in the drama.
HEALING SCRIPT
I love how the leads’ tragic past didn’t make them feel bitter about the world or make them treat other people badly -- but they are really good people, with very beautiful souls. I love all the conversations they have with each other, they have the same views and values on what's important, and they also view the world with the same kindness -- it is a realistic portrayal of how two people falls in love -- the similarity, the calmness and the tranquility that they found with each other. They had this tacit understanding like 'soulmate' kind of relationship which is really beautiful to watch. Like all shits are happening outside for them, then they come home, see each other and feel happy with each other's company; 'Us Against Them' mentality. I love how Ren Jialun has amazing amazing chemistry with Angelababy. They were captivating to watch on screen and their scenes emits the peaceful aura and vibe that is so healing to the soul.
BALANCE WRITING
This drama mastered the arts of balance writing which I personally think should be the case for any dramas out there. In many episodes, you will find yourself shed tears for the characters and feel bad for them -- the dark past they are hiding in their heart, the bad things that keep happening to them but in the same episode, there will be healing scenes that makes you feel heal and happy. The balance that this drama achieved is one of the reasons why this drama is really fantastic in my book. Good deeds’ rewards are shown in many forms. We are used to see characters suffers in dramas but here, it is shown even though evil people are making the leads’ life miserable, there are many good people out there that will look out for them and ‘punish’ this bad guys FOR THEM (karma). I rarely seen this in dramas but it is so satisfying to watch. It shows all your actions has consequences and the universe will reward you for your good hearts and deeds.
SCRIPT WITH RESEARCH
The whole psychology matters in the script was handled delicately. I love how since early in the episode, the drama made clear the different between psychologist and psychiatrist -- so patients that required doctor’s diagnosis and medication, Lui Xia told them she cant help them since it’s beyond her expertise. Then the breathing technique is one of the most important thing in this profession and we can see how it is being used constantly in the drama. And how depression is not a taboo illness but something that we can seek treatment. Then we have Shan Shan as the scriptwriter – the different between writer VS scriptwriter, his dilemma of writing original script VS following what the client wants, focusing on plot VS romance plot, to writing tighter script VS writing script filled with filler scenes and overall the toxic environment on set and the exhaustion he faced in trying to meet the deadline.
REALISTIC SCRIPT
Many details that other dramas always overlook was taken into great consideration here. Like after finding out that they were online friends, instead of romanticize the encounter, Liu Xia was weary on whether their whole meeting was planned like other normal person would. Or to transfer large amount of money, need a token and can’t be done online on the spot. Then how Shan Shan has asthma and it can be seen how he fainted after he carried Liu Xia on his back. Then the hospital scene, despite after waking up, all Liu Xia wants is to sleep again since that is normal due to medication in her body. This kind of small details always being taken for granted but this drama didn’t which make me appreciate it very much.
THOUGHT-PROVOKING WRITING
This drama has so so many memorable phrases! I love how it makes you think and change your outlook and perspective on life. Like the one that Liu Xia told Shan Shan; ‘Memories don’t make people sad. It’s sad because people always perceive things from only one perspective. But if you change your perspective, it might not be that sad.’ Or one of my favorites; ‘I told you to step on the brakes to wake up and get back on track. Not to make you give-up entirely.’ Or the best one in the drama which is ‘Life is like a stage where the light/goodness shines on it. And it only took one step to cross over to the dark side.’ This one is the best yet as many people disregard on how easy it is to cross-over to the darkness and once you cross that, you can never go back to where things were. And I believe the most famous one from the drama would be; ‘When you unexpectedly encounter someone as radiant as a rainbow, everyone else is just a passing clouds’ which first comes out in the third episode of the drama yet you know this phrase is to foreshadow the leads’ relationship in the future.
NON-PRETENTIOUS OUTTAKES ON LIFE
There is no right or wrong in certain life’s situation and I’m glad for certain dilemma, the writer didn’t force to us on what he think is the right way. Like who should the Drama Producer listen to? The words of award-winning scriptwriter or an experienced director? Then you throw in the bits that when the last time this experienced director had a hit movies/dramas? There is no right answer to this question and I love how the drama didn’t force it to our face on the moral compass in this type of situation.
UNCONVENTIONAL BAD GUYS
This drama has different type of bad people. First, the one that is outright evil and show no attempt to hide it. Second, the worst kind of enemies which is the ones hiding in a blanket. And the last one spectator that watch the evil deeds being done and remains silent about it. The slow progression of toxic behaviors are explored to the fullest here. It started from small things such as not being honest about a simple car purchase, then the 'acting' mad in a manipulation attempt to get what they want then the gifting part to make the other party feels happy -- all of this can be passed as something small but this is actually seed of red flags of a toxic relationship. Then add the sprinkles of how people keep asking Shan Shan 'Is he always treat you like this?' 'Why are you taking this job?' 'Did he always do this to you?' to show to us how everyone can see how wrong it is but Shan Shan, just passed it as something normal since he is used to these small abuses. This kind of toxic relationship did not happen in just love relationship but as well between friends and someone close to you.
EVERYTHING COMING INTO A PERFECT CIRCLE IN THE END
Shan Shan’s police script ‘Pursuit’ is actually the exact depiction of every person in his life. You don’t realize this before but it all comes to a perfect circle when the story reached its climate ending -- from his Police character to Yuan Yuan's character in the story. Also, this drama ‘Twilight’ as a whole is actually the last script that Shan Shan wrote which tells the story about him and Liu Xia. All this coming seamlessly into a perfect circle at the end. This part is strongly foreshadowed during the scene when he asked Jia Zhen’s help with a script where Jia Zhen described Shan Shan’s script with depth and full of details on characterizations -– exactly like this drama itself -– a foreshadow that this drama that we watched, is a script written by him. Then the hot pot date scene happened where Shan Shan described to Liu Xia the reason behind why the chose ‘Twilight’ as the name of their story which further cemented this theory. And pay attention to the bedsheet -- all scripts that Shan Shan wrote has the same bedsheet as his bedsheet to show how this drama 'Twilight', is also his script. Its not a matter of production budget since we can see Liu Xia changed bedsheet a few times but not him. The attention to detail in this drama is just amazing!
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THOUGHT-PROVOKING ENDING
On the surface, the ending of this drama can be interpreted with these three possible endings:
1) All things happened just like in the drama.
or
2) It’s all fractions of imagination in Shan Shan’s mind.
or
3) This whole story is written by someone else.
All these 3 endings makes sense and is supported by various clues such as cars' plate number and etc.. However, when you look at the drama as a whole, it pointed more towards the first ending since if you look at the script in details, its more towards the fact that it indeed happened as this drama 'Twilight' that we watched is the last script that Shan Shan wrote, which is the story about him and Liu Xia. Since it is his script, that's why it becomes a comic strip at the end. But where his script inspiration comes to be? From his real life -- from his life experience with Liu Xia -- this is their story. Its a play within a play and within a play -- School love story (which has penpal element) IN Twilight (the drama that we watched) IN Shan Shan's real life story with Liu Xia. One might argue that the fashion has changed for Shan Shan in the last scene but remember the scene where Shan Shan went shopping for new clothes and Liu Xia said she will style him in the future? The clothes that Shan Shan wore in the last scene is totally what Liu Xia might style him -- the smart and clean look that she explained in the same scene.
Also, when they play the full second verse of the theme song before the ending credit, then you realized that the one sentence in the lyrics ‘YOU ARE THE ME who broke free from the shackles. Living the life of freedom, basking in the sunshine.’ is the actual message of this whole drama. The theme song is actually can be interpret into 2 meanings -– that the leads indeed healed each other’s hearts BUT when it comes to the outcome, it can only be achieved when the person itself wanted to change as well. The drama ended with Shan Shan telling Brother Kuan on the phone that he has 2 endings for the script that he wrote. At first, you can just pass it as something insignificant but then you realized how all this has been foreshowed since early in the drama. You have his school romance script with 2 endings. Then his crime script 'Pursuit' ended with a shot with no real hint who fire it which indicate that the good or bad guys could possibly win at the end. Then you have his last script ‘Twilight’ with 2 possible endings as well. This is to show that at the end, it all depends on your choice – on whether you want to choose light or darkness in your life.
And these 2 choices have been emphasis in many different scenes in the last 2 episodes of the drama as well:
1) How Mr. Cao told Coco that Shan Shan needs to settle his ‘brother’ matters on his own despite no matter how much they help him, he is the only one can make that decision for his life.
2) Liu Xia teacher saying that how Liu Xia going to overcome her PTSD is all depends on her on whether she wants to confront it or remains in the dark forever.
3) The slap Yuan Yuan gave to herself –- on how she is responsible for her own life and its finally the time for her to wake up from being a bystander and see Jia Zhen on who he truly is.
4) The inner thought of Jia Zhen when he read ‘Pursuit’ ending as in his version, he is the one who making the shot (bad guy won) and in the end, we can see which choice he chose to make in his life as well.
This kind of ending is indeed rare and very creative, so when you understood the reason behind it, then every little hints in the drama makes sense. The ending really elevated the whole story. Due to all this, 9.5 is the only appropriate rating that this drama deserved. I have no idea when I can come across with this type of script again but I’m so glad to find this gem among all the airing dramas right now.
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The story is interesting, it catched my attetion as soon as I read it. The actors are great and the characters whom they play are really interesting. The background music is good and I'm sure I'll re-watch the whole drama within a few days because I liked it so much :)
I think that the plot is really original, it's way more than your usual good vs. bad battle you see in other supernatural drama's.
This drama asks the questions everybody copes with while warching the serie; "What is good? What is bad" "Is doing the social right thing, really the best thing to do?" "Who decides what's wrong?" "When doing the wrong thing will save many others, is it still not the right thing to do?"
The drama is about 2 guys who are exceptionally gifted with a special power yet are cursed at the same time.... They never asked to be born with those powers, they just happen to have them. It's not always nice to posses something others don't have. Because when you're special, you're different from others.
Being special, being able to do inhuman things causes the people around you to envy, hate or wanna use you. When you make one decision, it'll always have consequences for another. People judge them based on their personal ideas or situations and get mad when they don't act according to their ideas. But who gets to decides what the right decision is? Society? The people with power? The people with money? Or them...?
Both Nishikido Ryo and Takizawa Hideaki are great actors and portray their character perfectly if you ask me. They are able to keep their own personality through the story even though you'll see that they, just like the people around them, slowly start to change. Even though they change they won't lose their personality, something I really liked (which happens often in drama's).
Even though this drama has only 9 episodes (there were circumstances during the filming, I read that both actors got sick or something) I liked the ending. I know not everyone will agree with me but it's better than I expected and quite fitting with the rest of the story.
To make a long story short; if you like supernatural drama's with a lot deep psychological moments this is an absolute must watch :)
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Of course, it's a cheesy and cliché romance, but it's perfect if you're in the mood to binge watch something cute and light hearted.
The story was simple but did it need something more? The actors played their characters well and I really like Jaemin's performance. The four friends were really cute.
I would totally recommend this to someone who wants to relax for two hours!
This was a really short review but I think I've said everything.
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The biggest problem with this drama was the story. It started out really promising. I loved the time travel concept and all the characters had interesting stories and motivations. Then somewhere in the middle it became a huge mess. Suddenly there were complicated time travel rules that contradicted themselves. The characters started to contradict themselves as well, and lose a lot of their motivations and, in some cases, likability. Everything became a big mess, but I held out hope for a nice, neat, happy ending, only to be extremely disappointed.
It's such a pity. I really loved most of the characters, mostly thanks to the actors and not the writing. Mi Rae was a very strong lead. She didn't fall into the usual annoying female lead cliches. Kim Shin ended up being really likable despite his first impressions. His smile killed me (in all the best ways). Yoo Kyung was a surprisingly likable female second lead, and I loved so many of the secondary characters, like Mi Rae's brother, Writer Bae, and the rest of the production team.
And then there were characters who couldn't be saved despite their charming actors. I'm looking at you, Se Joo! He started out so well. I was cheering for him like I usually do second leads. But then when the plot started getting messy, so did his character. The motivations became unclear and the charm disappeared. The other mess of a character was Future Mi Rae. After awhile I found her really annoying and lost all sympathy for her.
The music was okay, but if got pretty repetitive and wasn't always used at appropriate times. Overall, this show was a big disappointment. The only reason I finished it and gave it as high of a rating as I did was because I ended up caring about a lot of the characters. I really wanted to know what happened to them each week. If only they'd gotten a decent ending...
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NOT ADDICTING (AT ALL)
Usually when i write reviews i tend to be scared of saying i hated the series - the current world is full of rabid fansready to bite your head off in defense of their beloved show- but this one is quite the opposite because - im scared to say (that even if i didnt love it) that i didnt hate it as much as other people.When they announced that there is going to be a Thai adaptation of the beloved chinese novel i was a little bit excited - first, both chinese adaptations didnt have the opportunity to finish the story and so i thought finally we' are going to see the ending, and second, I really liked the casting choice - granted i thought August was little too old to play the role conisdering the other 3 actors are quite young. Also after the disastrous HitBIteLove, I was really hoping to see Newyear and Jur (who is the only bright spot of that series) in a new and better series and although they casted them as support i was quite ok with it.
When i saw who is directing it my heart crashed- I am both at awe and fascinated how this director keeps getting a directing job because his previous works and ratings will speak for itself - but then they showed us a very strong first few episodes that I thought, wow, finally, the director is delivering something good. I loved the pacing, i loved the cinematography and i thought the location was absolutely beautiful.
And then the mess of the middle episodes happen. The silly silly annoying female characters (its almost a trademark of the director to portray girls as annoying characters in every series he makes). There was also quite a lot of glitchy editing that you'd wonder if you ever miss an episode or slept through something only to realize that you havent- its just the way the editing goes.
One of my biggest gripes is that they have not used NewyearJur to the extent that i was hoping for. Not only was Tiger almost non-exxistent in the last episode but did we really need that Only-Pop twist in the the finale? Really? Its like they forgot that Only and Tiger kissed at the penultimate episode.
Granted all theses points and comments, i also wouldnt discount the possibility that these issues may be a problem of adapting the source material. The novel and the original series is just filled with over the top red-flags from bullying to kidnapping to molestation and combine that with all the despicable characters. What this adaptation failed to do however, is make the series addicting - something both the chinese adaptation were able to do. It failed to make its adaptation unique enough and at the same time it was so afraid to fully immerse into the source material. What we get here is a very bland adaptation that is scared to make its mark. Im also sad to say that none of the actors here will be able to reach Johnny Huang's success after appearing in Addicted, in fact, for me it even diminished the shine of rising stars Newyear and jur.
Also one thing i need to mention - none of the earlier promos pointed to this being a Season 1 of 2. This is a very sh*tty trick by the makers. After all the fans clamour to finally execute a full Addicted Heroin series, they gave us this - its like a curse that none of them will ever get to finish the story. I think its finally time to give it a rest.
I also need to mention this very annoying trend that a lot of Thai series is making - the uncut and cut version. Does this actually work for them because its not only really useless in most of these series because sometimes there are almost no diffeerence to both versions or at the opposite side the editing of the cut version is so extreme the story just doesnt work anymore. If you cant decide what is the right version then there is a problem with your editor and director. Please enough of this. I have seen no one in the Thai industry who is doing this trick that is close enough to the caliber of a Snyder to warrant 2 versions of the same show per week so please just stop wasting our time and just do your jobs.
Will i recommend? No not at all - most specially if you have seen b oth chinese versions because theres nothing new here and you wont miss a thing. Will i rewatch? Seriously, not even if you pay me.
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1
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1This review may contain spoilers
'I can stand him, not loving me; I can't stand him, loving her.' ~Lang Leav
This series is so good , our power couple is back , after " Moonlight Chicken " I was waiting for their comeback and finally they came with a great series .Disclaimer - This is my own review according to my own feelings , this review may contain spoilers , Go On .
Story - This is an adaptation from a very popular show " Ossans Love " ( Japanese) . After the succession of the Japanese one , I had a high hope for this Thai One ( no 1 reason was EarthMixx ) and I am impressed a lot . The love triangle is not toxic but actually funny and cute , the way Mo ( Mix ) and Boss fought over Heng ( Earth ) is really so funny and cute . Earth is doing a completely different character from his previous shows ( Moonlight Chicken and A tale of Thousand Stars ) and he impressed me 100 % . Talking about Mixx , hands down , he is a great actor . He has some magic in his eyes , the way he expresses his emotions through his eyes, is really so natural and realistic . Mr Krit ( Boss ) is a professional actor , he nailed his role completely , the way he did everything so perfectly , is so good .
Cinematography and Visuals - I liked Mixx's fluffy hair so much , he was looking like a visual king , his coolness fits perfectly with his style . Cinematography was excellent .
My Opinion - I liked this drama a lot , after watching so many bad shows in 2024 , this is my healing pill in 2025 . So happy that my new year started with a great show , for me this shows is 9.5 /10 .
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Gold medal for underdeveloping… everything.
What happened? Someone explain, because I am confused. What started as a loveable cliche mess, ended as just a mess. Around half way through I could sense it - no development, no quality of writing, no details to the storytelling, no real stakes…Personally, I just think there were too many characters and plots for that many episodes. We did not need the stupid siblings duo - truly brought nothing to the table. The side romance was cute, but also unnecessary. The writers should have picked either a tragic mysterious past or the power struggle in the company and focus on developing it more. Random ex to show up 3 times to cause a little bit of trouble that led to nowhere? Why?
I was watching the second half with constant thought - so much is happening, but why does it feel like nothing is happening? Maybe because the plot seemed more like a brainstorm on a whiteboard rather than a full narration with detailed setup and development… The way almost nothing got a proper closure…
What carried the show for me were the characters of Ah Jung, Ji Han and one and only unproblematic powerful queen Chae Won. These three were fun, entertaining, dynamic. Their scenes always left a smile on my face. These three also had an amazing chemistry.
On the other hand, every character other than these three was boring or frustrating, with little to no redeeming qualities.
What’s more, the quality of acting was on average mediocre - either because the characters were too poorly written for the actors to make it work, or because the actors just could not connect to the emotions they were supposed to present.
Overall, what a waste of time. Another case of a great first half and disappointing finish.
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This review may contain spoilers
I pushed my way through the entire series because there were some sweet moments that made it really worth watching, yet I still feel like I'm writing this review to criticize more than compliment.But let's start with a compliment:
I enjoyed the lead female character. This kind of nice, independent, no-nonsense lead female character has been a rare item in the Korean drama industry. I'm saying she's strong as in not TOO comically strong or bratty as well. Eun Hawon character is really likable, and it's the only part that makes sense why this kind of reverse harem plot works. The boys in the house genuinely like her, and I accept it. Most of the Korean dramas that go for either this generic reverse harem plot or the strong lead girl plot usually fail to deliver them naturally. I grew fond of her the most and her character made me stick around.
Another good point that somehow kept me around was the sweet moments and the chemistry between the lead characters. I could feel that they really care for each other. Nothing was forced. The love story wasn't rushed. I enjoyed it. Sometimes the sub plots dragged on for too long and their sweet moments would restore my faith for this show.
Now onto the bad part:
From the title: Cinderella and Four Knights, there are no four knights at all. They're trying to sell that this is a reverse harem kind of story, with one lead girl and four lead guys and such, but it only lasted probably up to the first few episodes. The first few episodes promised you a love triangle which was cliche but still entertaining.
From somewhere early in the series, however, out of *four* knights: 1) one of them loses complete interest in the lead female and goes back to the second lead female he ditched long ago for unexplained reasons, 2) one of them grows to like the lead female yet takes care of the second lead female to an unreasonable extent, 3) one of them likes the lead female genuinely but, of course, the plot won't allow them to even meet and talk properly, 4) and the last one of them leaves the *knight* title ever so quickly and branches out to his own super cliche sub plot although he has so much potential in everything from acting to his looks to his chemistry with the lead female.
It felt so much like the writers lured us into such F4 - Boys Over Flowers kind of settings, then ditched us to an extremely cliche plot that revolved more around the second lead female – who I have to use the word "annoyingly boring" to describe. I like Son Naeun as a member of A Pink, but I believe her acting is very bad – or this character does not shine a light on her as an actress at all. Her character is an "I-only-look-at-you" kind of pitiful(?) girl, but somehow the story (or her acting) made her evil. I thought she was going to grow into a likable second female lead because she was one of a few second leads that don't act evil towards the lead female character. However, her damsel-in-distress situations only turned her into a "I don't care if I look evil, I just want to own one of these rich guys" kind of character.
She has the looks and she's from a well-raised background. She was also incredibly stubborn for (literally) unsaid reasons while she could just go out and have a happy life while forgetting these main guys. Plus, her interest in fashion design seemed useless. It played no part in the plot, and I wish writers would stop stereotyping fashion design major as a "high class" thing. Beautiful barbie-like female characters don't need to like fashion to look sophisticated. Try harder.
Likewise, I didn't enjoy the stereotypes in this story at all. Jung Ilwoo's character (Kang Jiwoon) was built around a quiet, rebellious guy with a troubled past, so they gave him a street-racer persona while in the story it was just him fidgeting with his toy cars from time to time. It didn't look cool and rebellious. It looked pathetic.
Ahn Jaehyun's character (Kang Hyunmin) – the playboy successor of Haneul Group – can he be even more cliche than this? I mean, playboy chaebols are fun to have in a story, but this characteristic of him progressed to nowhere. He was out with random girls for only 2 or 3 episodes at the beginning. At the same time, he's a supposed successor of their family business, but I see him lazing around inside the mansion the *entire* series. In fact, he doesn't seem very aloof. He has a heart, but they didn't make use of it at all.
Lee Jungshin's character (Kang Seowoo) is a musician. Why? There's no back story to his characteristics. He's popular and is a good singer and he's very nice. Rich and romantic, yet he seemed the most unattached to the entire chaebol family. Again, there's nothing bad about this, I just feel like this musician character is very stereotypical. And again, for a chaebol grandson who's *finally* nice and decent, he's out of the picture from the first half of the series. He likes the main girl alone, feels sad alone, and lets her go alone. His music plays almost no part in putting his character together with the main girl or other guys, and despite that, there's no explanation in why he fails to convey his love to the main girl at all. (Oh, wait, why? Because the writer doesn't want that. Then WHY did they even make his character up at all?)
I still forced my way through the end purely because of the lead female character. She was the only decent one in the entire series. The "missions" and "part-time job" that put her in these guys' mansion made me cringe though. And although she's naturally kindhearted, genuinely wanting the boys to reunite as a family was a bit odd, given that she hasn't been raised in a warm *family* as well.
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Should You Become An “ Anti-Fan” Of This Drama?
Have you ever watched a drama which starts off with cataclysmic screenwriting and then surprisingly grows on you in the second-half ? Well, most watchers can probably agree that this ideology epitomises ‘So, I Married An Anti-Fan’ with its surprising turn from certain cliches to an endearing relationship between our leads.However those expecting ‘So I Married An Anti-Fan’ to be a “masterpiece” should probably be told outright that this drama isn’t without its flaws either.
Taking nearly three years to air ( after finishing production in 2018) and sparking an eruption of mixed criticism by viewers afterwards , “ So, I Married An Anti-Fan” is a drama which has greatly divided the audience demographic . Some viewers take the stance that it is " too reminiscent of the tacky 2000s abusive relationships" and " poorly-written", whilst others on this platform defend this as " sweet" and a " comfort drama". However, this raises the bigger question for those wanting to watch the show for the first time; is it actually worth watching?
Well, there are some undeniable strengths which may have an alluring charm for certain watchers. The main cast (consisting of Choi Soo Young, Choi Tae Joon, Hwang Chan Sung and Han Ji An) were an absolute delight, the plot was " romantic and fluffy with a twist of melodrama", and it was straightforward enough to follow ( in an " unplug your brain" sort of way ). Refreshingly, the second-half took a slightly more serious stance to our main leads’ relationship by delving into the main leads’ interactions, whilst also addressing more profound insights into the idol industry’s sociocultural issues in South-Korea. However, this is also where we must address the opposite side of the coin; the problems.
One of the biggest dilemmas of ‘ So, I Married An Anti-Fan’ came through character development. Let’s start off this example with our female lead Lee Geun Young. Geun Young was a female lead who you desperately tried to like as a viewer as Choi Soo Young is a good actress. Undeniably as a character, she isn’t "naive" or the " sweet girl next door" and will happily stand her ground at times when the male lead kicks off. However, ultimately this is where our biggest problem occurs with Geun Young; she exists( for a major proportion of the series) as a component of an enforced pairing for the “ sake of plot” .
There is nothing wrong per say with a female lead being in a relationship in a drama. ( In fact it can allow god-tier character development . ) However whilst we did get to see Geun Young come round to accepting her feelings in the second-half, this first part felt more like a carte blanche for Geun Young’s character development by screenwriters Kim Eun Jung and Nam Ji Yeon in order to forcefully pair-off Geun Young with our male lead Hoo Joon. Consequently Geun Young was rarely given time to understand exactly why she was attracted to the " jerk who ruined her life" ( the motiveless goal aside from her obsessive desire to " ruin his life"). Sadly further interactions with her mother and friends provided little insight into her actual personality (beside the romantic pairing).
Then there’s the male lead Hoo Joon. Similar to Soo Young, Tae Joon is a dynamic actor and there were certainly intriguing issues tackled with his character; a popular star who is getting fed up of being used by his company and his tiresome lifestyle. However typical of cliches, he was often glorified by his role throughout the drama as the " stoic, jerk male lead” ; getting away with assault, bribery and blackmail (including towards the female lead). The show attempted to play an uno reverse card by introducing the " tragic backstory" which may evidently cause mixed-feelings for viewers.
Of course the issue of our main leads also remains a source of mixed-criticism for the drama. On one side, there is the undeniable problem that the male lead Hoo Joon constantly found ways to emotionally gaslight the female lead ; grabbing Geun Young’s wrist , then giving her the cold shoulder over the most trivial of matters and refusing at times to hear her side of the story (or just talk to her like a decent human being). However, there is an alternate stance that ‘ So I Married An Anti-Fan’ isn’t supposed to be perfect. It’s a romantic-comedy which attempts to reflect the real-life reality that actual relationships are messy and problematic. The focalised writing decision to focus more on our main leads’ relationship in the second-half did seem to prove that this was the intention of the drama.
Although this review would not be complete without talking about one of the biggest elephants in the room; our supporting characters JJ ( Hwang Chan Sung) and Oh In Hyung ( Han Ji An)’s overly problematic relationship.
Hwang Chan Sung is a really good actor, however, you could imagine if there was an “ Encyclopaedia Of The Most Obsessive Second Male Leads Of All Time”, his character JJ would have been on the first page. It was evident that the drama desperately tried for us (as viewers) to root for JJ as the “ pining lover”. However , this appeared difficult when his behaviour reflected an otherwise dysfunctional and oppressive figure in In Hyung’s life by rifling around In Hyung’s room ( without her permission), screaming at her manager down the phone in public ( and thus purposefully embarrassing In Hyung in front of people) and then even attempting to manipulate Geun Young ( without considering In Hyung or Geun Young’s feelings) early on in the series in order to get back at Hoo Joon.
Yet whilst it would be easy to pin all the blame on JJ, Oh In Hyung had her own fair share of problems also . Similar to her costars Han Ji An is a good actress. In terms of her character In Hyung, the drama works incredibly hard to make us feel pity for her being a a victim of the malicious industry of idols and JJ’s obsessive infatuations. ( For the most part as viewers we certainly do.) However as we delve more into the show ( without spoilers), it soon becomes apparent that In Hyung is manipulated by the screenwriting into becoming a tiresome plot mechanism in order to trigger catalytic events in the later storyline.
Oh boy, then there’s the additional problem of the producers. Admittedly they do not have such a prominent role in the second-half, however, most viewers will probably agree that they were incredibly irksome characters. Yes they were supposed to add a touch of comedy during more angst-ridden moments of the show, however, secretly filming the leads without their permission, screaming at the camera crew, forcing, guilt-tripping and then humiliating Geun Young on multiple occasions just grew fairly irksome for viewers .
Nevertheless the ending was a left on a sweet note for viewers. Although admittedly there could have been some plot points wrapped up, it was entertaining to have some closure with our finale.
So, is“ So I Married An Anti-Fan" actually worth watching? Whilst the show has a fairly good cast and is easygoing for viewers looking for an escape from darker romance storylines, this depends entirely on personal taste. For fans of "cutesy" romance with a " slice of 2000s K-drama relationship abuse angst" or just looking for a show to unplug your brain with,then this drama is right up your street. However, drama watchers looking for a more profound storyline then look elsewhere as " So, I Married An Anti-Fan" isn’t it.
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Drama Special Series Season 1: White Christmas
78 people found this review helpful
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NO SPOILER Miss detective wants to take the lead. Beware of unrequited lovers from second arc.
The story : Two people who hate each other are forced to get married. And to work together to solve cases.As they do, they are gradually drawn to one another. Will love or hate wins ?
Pros:
- Strong clever detective Female Lead.
- Strong clever military Male Lead.
- It is the first time I have seen a heroine, daughter of a concubine, who is loved by her entire family and not bullied. Not a cliché. Yes (*_*)
- Chemistry is fire and the settings make it even more beautiful to watch.
- Characterisation is outstanding for Male Lead (Ding Yu Xi) who looks very manly as the great Shen Du.
- The inquiry is very good. Complex and involving many people. I try to guess the outcome as it progresses but I have a hard time doing so.
- Comedy is just great between the leads. I hope they had more comedic scenes.
- Cinematography is great.
- Action scenes are worth watching. There are few but when performed, OMG they blew my mind. Especially with Male Lead. I am still in shock (*_*)
- Overall the story is good and entertaining.
Cons:
- The mystery unfolds piece by piece and it can disturb some viewers. But like in Agatha Christie's novels, you end-up getting the answer.
- Misunderstandings (who is Male Lead, who is Female Lead, what they do on their own...).
Sometimes they don't communicate enough.
- I don't like childish Female voice dubbing. Guess what ? The Female Lead's best friend has one. *sight*
- Female Lead is not perfect, her many flaws could spoil your fun.
- Lots of unrequited lovers from the second arc for almost every cast member. This should be titled "conspiracy in love island" o_O
Overall :
I like the investigation and the romance.
The investigation was very complex, a lot of clues were shown to give hints in order to know who the main antagonist is. So by paying attention to the early episodes you migt be able to decypher who it is.
The bickering romance was enjoyable generally speacking. You have to stand FL's temper sometimes but at the end the love story is beautiful and Shen Du is the bright light in this show. He carries it like the titan atlas who do with the heavens. He is just marvellous. Special mention to Yan Xing who stayed witty till the very end. And that's great for a female lead.
This is a good drama. So I recommend it if you like case solving duo with strong Leads. You might like it.
And the OST is great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLjFuY9p48E
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