Torments, Melancholy & Emotional Turmoil For The Promise of Forever Peace
Accordingly, the Promise of Chang’an is a remake of the 2002 drama The Epic of Xiao Zhuang which was set in the Qing Dynasty. In the earlier drama, Empress Dowager Xiao Zhuang was in love with a general but forced to marry the general’s brother instead. Her son subsequently succeeded the throne and she continued to help her grandson who later came to be known as the Kangxi Emperor. The Promise of Chang’an draws many parallels from the earlier drama, with the setting in a fictional kingdom and era.As I was pondering the title The Promise of Chang'an, I came to the realization that it has not meant the city Chang'an but its literal meaning as "forever peace" because the city Chang'an has not been a main feature of this drama except a by-passing event when Xiao Chengxu seizes the city. The literal meaning of "forever peace" makes more sense in this context: The Promise of Forever Peace which is the epitome of all the sacrifices Helan Mingyu and Xiao Chengxu have contributed throughout the story. They have sacrificed their whole life in order to achieve peace for the country. The brilliant use of "chang an" here by the writer is applaudable.
This drama is not for the faint of heart. I love historical stories based on real life characters and yet I still find this story depressing as it continues to give the viewers the sense of hopelessness and helplessness. The author has successfully captured all the pains in life as described in the Buddhist seven bitterness: birth, old age, sickness, death, hatred, separation, and yearning. This is a story with convoluted plot, layered storyline, and multi-dimensional characters. Our main characters go through despairs episodes after episodes.
The Promise of Chang’an was made prior to Love and Redemption but only aired after the latter. Therefore, upon completion of Love and Redemption, many viewers (like myself) have come to watch this drama for Cheng Yi, and sure enough, his torments and crying continue. Every episode of this drama is beautifully written and acted, but extremely painful to watch because of the torments our characters have to endure.
The Story
A young princess Helan Mingyu (Zhao Yingjuan) from the northern kingdom meets the young 9th prince, Xiao Chengxu (Cheng Yi) of the Sheng Kingdom, and they fall in love with each other. Hoping to make a name for himself and return to marry Helan Mingyu, Xiao Chengxu goes off to war. Little does he know his brothers want him dead in battle; they set him up to be killed. When news arrives that he’s dead, Helan Mingyu is devastated. At the same time, the Sheng King Xiao Chengrui who is Xiao Chengxu’s older brother, asks for her hand. Out of no choice, she agrees. When Xiao Chengxu makes it back, she’s already become his sister-in-law. Since then for years, the duo endures the pain of lost love, each walking on thin ice every day. The torment is so great that, even as viewers, it is unbearable.
When Xiao Chengxu finds out the truth about the death of his mother and the will of his late father appointing him the heir but stolen from him, he vows revenge and to take back what is rightfully his – the throne and his love. However, time and time, his schemes fail due to various reasons, and he’s saved by Helan Mingyu from death again and again. Deeply, their love for each other never wanes. Things become even more complicated when Helan Mingyu gives birth to the child of Xiao Chengrui who is now the Emperor. When the Emperor dies, he passes the throne to Mingyu’s 6 years old son, Xiao Qiyuan and Xiao Chengxu becomes the regent.
Xiao Chengxu tries to treat Xiao Qiyuan as his own son and groom him to be a wise emperor, but the results are not what he has expected; the little emperor is spoilt rotten by the two dowager empresses and becomes a bratty tyrant. At the turn of events when dethroning his nephew the tyrannical emperor becomes impossible as Mingyu constantly protects her son and plays Xiao Chengxu out, the death of his little brother and friend, Xiao Chengxu loses all hope to continue living.
At this point, most viewers are disgusted by Helan Mingyu’s actions and how she has treated Xiao Chengxu who continues to be a poor lovesick boy. I've been trying to give credit to Helan Mingyu and empathize with her for the actions she has taken in situations that she has no control over. I can feel her predicament: on one hand, she's still in love with Xiao Chengxu and wants to elope with him, on the other hand, she's the mother of the Emperor and she knows if she were to run away with Xiao Chengxu, the country would descend into chaos as the young Emperor is still too naive and gullible, and can be easily manipulated by those who are eyeing at the throne. Giving up the throne is not an option as she knows there would be a lot of bloodshed, including losing all her loved ones. Until the end, Helan Mingyu is still Xiao Chengxu's Achilles’ heels: he would do anything for her, even giving up his own life.
Episode 50 is probably my favorite episode, and yet it's also the saddest. I cry for the painful loss, Xiao Chengxu's selflessness and miserable life. At the same time, it also feels like a stone lifted from the heart; all the knots from the beginning have disappeared after episode 50. Xiao Chengxu maintains his dignity and becomes an immortal. The final chapter has ended, and the epilogue begins. I sigh a sigh of relief.
The Acting
Xiao Chengxu is a very difficult character to portray. On one hand, Cheng Yi has to show his torments to the viewers, on the other hand, these torments have to be hidden from the eyes of those around him, in particular, from the Emperor. As Xiao Chengxu, he grows from a care-free risk-taking youth overnight to a patient, calm, strategic, mature, calculative person when he loses his mother and lover. Xiao Chengxu’s crying at his losses is so painful to watch that viewers cry with him. This is some incredible and brilliant acting and I salute this actor whole heartedly. Cheng Yi is an amazing actor. He has an air of melancholy surrounding him and a poker face which tailor-makes for the Xiao Chengxu character who has to hide his emotions at all times in order to survive the palace politics. Tormented by love and duty, Xiao Chengxu’s emotional turmoil is incredible. His crying really rips the viewers' hearts out. The character is a miserable character living a miserable life. Cheng Yi has successfully brought all these out on the screen for the viewers. Incredible acting!
Helan Mingyu is another difficult character to portray. At the beginning of the drama, many viewers criticize the use of Zhao Yingjuan (aka Sarah Zhao) as Helan Mingyu because she looks too mature for the role. As a 16-17 years old wild girl from the steppes, it is indeed a hard sell; Zhao Yingjuan is very lady-like, gentle and soft. However, as a consort later, she is beautiful, elegant and regal. Still, many viewers are not convinced by her performance complaining that she has few expressions on her face; most of her expressions are either apologetic or indifferent. It’s hard to see her heartache and resignation despite those are supposed to be the situations she's in. Her role also seems confusing. Many viewers conclude that she’s just been very selfish and unlikable. For me, I can feel Helan Mingyu's pain and her resignation. She has to hide all her feelings inside, no matter what. Watching her, I can feel I'm almost exploding with feelings but at the same time, I'd have to exercise self-restraint to suppress those feelings. It's extremely hard to play and Zhao Yingjuan has successfully achieved that.
All other cast members put up equally incredible acting. All the costumes and settings are beautiful, appropriate and believable.
My Verdict
The Promise of Chang'an reminds me why I didn't like to watch historical dramas in the old days, in particular the palace genre. This is because most of these stories are very heart-breaking, portraying all the pains of human life. I have become "braver" in the recent years, consuming historical dramas as soon as they're airing. Most of these are pretty light-hearted. The Promise of Chang'an is one of those once-in-a-blue-moon type - sad, depressing and yet realistic.
This is a heavy drama with a lot of torments and emotional turmoil. It is not recommended for viewers with depression or high blood pressure as the story may make you feel so helpless and hopeless which is indeed a rotten feeling. Having said that, this is a very well written and produced drama. There are no apparent plot holes nor flaws. Everything is tied up properly and concluded plausibly. Most of all, Xiao Qiyuan and Helan Mingyu have both redeemed themselves towards the end. Despite how some viewers have condemned the storyline and how unsatisfactory they feel some of the characters are being written, I have thoroughly enjoyed this drama. For me, this is how a drama should be written, directed and acted. This is a story of forbidden love, regrets and resignation. Power, duty and country take over.
At this end, I've always pondered, is it ever possible for a love like what Chengxu and Mingyu share, after everything that has happened between them, to last for decades till death, and hence how realistic this drama is? And yes, perhaps it does exist. I find the answer in the current British royal family, Prince Charles and Camila Bowles. Their story could be quite an excellent live example. Only that this British couple has a happily-ever-after ending.
Incredible story. Incredible production! TWO THUMBS UP!
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One step forward for mankind and two giant steps backwards for womankind.
This romanticized account of the life story of Xiao Yanyan, the accomplished Khitan Empress Chengtian (953-1009), gives voice to folk or unofficial history of her relationship with Han Derang. Wild history of their love affair survived over a thousand years and continues to fire the imagination of Chinese historians today.Please be aware of mild spoilers ahead (unless you already know the history).
It is known that Xiao Yanyan, was once engaged to Han Derang, who was from an elite Han Chinese family loyal to the Khitan rulers. According to the drama (which is based on a novel), her father chancellor Xiao Siwen and Han Derang help Mingyi (Emperor Jingzong) ascend the throne. Mingyi is sickly and his hold onto power is thus unstable; many branches of the royal family vie for the throne. Mingyi insists on marrying Yanyan so that like both his main rivals who married Yanyan's older sisters, his wife is also of royal bloodline. This kind of ill fated romance has limited appeal to most romance watchers and is an unnecessary digression for most historical or political drama buffs.
Although I was primarily interested in the history, Tang Yan and Dou Xiao's portrayal of the young lovebirds captured my heart and I was devastated by their forced separation. But alas their chemistry fizzles out later on in the drama and leaves me unconvinced that they are soul mates whose love is as deep or as epic as folk history suggests. At face, the bare facts are tantalizing - he shores up her regency over her young son Emperor Shengzong; is her trusted confidante and is highly ranked in her court; they may even have married and had a child together and; he was likely buried besides her. But in their more mature personas, both characters just seem sad, tired and lonely and not long lost soul mates who finally have their moment in the sun. It does not help that Tang Yan appears to have an easier, more natural chemistry with Jing Chao's Mingyi. To make matters worse, there are no nuances or subtleties in Yanyan's interactions with Mingyi and Derang that suggests they mean different things to her, that her relationship with and affection for each of them is not the same.
Mingyi is the most layered, complex and interesting character in this drama and probably one of the best grey characters I have seen this year. Although I resent his manipulation, his selfishness, his obscene sense of entitlement and his disingenuous excuses for doing terrible things, I also grudgingly empathized with him and the monumental task in front of him. Jing Chao really delivers one of the most convincing portrayals of a sociopath emperor who has the audacity to steal his best friend's fiancé and yet demands and expects them to protect his legacy. Unfortunately although she delivers a few good scenes, Tang Yan fails to evoke a strong and powerful empress who can rule alongside and then after the emperor. She cannot hold onto her strong moments, just defaults back to her comfort zone of a very beautiful and feminine woman that is to be rescued and protected. Her attempts at gravitas just results in a cold, aloof empress that doesn't allow any sparks to fly; even when she is free to be with the alleged love of her life. To be fair Tang Yan was pregnant during the shooting and that put limits on her ability to do the more physically challenging scenes but she still did not have to be written to be so mopey and passive aggressive.
The other magnificently and effortless acted role is Sheh Szeman's Xiao Hunian who is everything and more of what I imagined Yanyan would be. Her portrayal of a strong, yet feminine woman who bows to duty without wallowing in self pity; who is a fierce, strategic warrior that stands up to the menacing Yansage; who does as she pleases and shows her displeasure as effectively in words as in action puts Tang Yan's meek and insipid performance to shame. When Hunian tells Han Derang that it was just a twist of fate, else she would be just as great an empress, that resonates because art imitates life; a younger Sheh Szeman would have conveyed an unforgettable Xiao Yanyan. I did not approve of how the writing undermines Hunian in the final arc - even though Sheh Szeman got more airtime and had some awesome scenes, it was just not the right thing to do to the character.
While this drama as a whole does not live up to my expectations, I found many parts of it to be riveting. The power struggles and the battle for the throne are well written and shot but the story peaks at the Yansage arc. The battle footage and strategies used to route the enemy in this arc are bloodthirsty and exciting but is too early for the climax of the drama. To some extent that cannot be helped as it is the correct sequence historically. That said, after the Yansage arc, the focus of the story should shift from internal strife to external strife rather than focus on a series of much weaker, rather pathetic attempts at coups by the least interesting characters in the drama. It does little more than to drive home how hard it is for a widowed empress to hold on to the throne as regent without a strong military backer. It does highlight Han Derang's contributions and achievements as the unsung hero and the true power behind the Liao throne.
To me this is a 7.5/8.0 but I am going with 7.5 because I expected to watch a drama about a woman warrior who chose her country over her true love and then went on to make Liao great so that her sacrifice would be worth something. Instead, I may as well have watched her get her revenge on Mingyi by doing nothing besides get fat on sweet cakes and having flings with stable boys. But I learned many things about Liao/Khitan culture, including that Khitan women were very equal and progressive - they can get divorced, remarry if widowed, lead armies, hold positions and even rule in court. Which is really ironic because Mingyi's legacy Han reforms that were among Yanyan and Han Derang's greatest achievements basically Sinicized the nomadic Liao people to their vast benefit in terms of agriculture, language, culture and administrative and legal systems. But it also set Liao women back thousands of years in terms of the status and freedom. So what our warrior empress really achieved was one step forwards for mankind and two giant steps backwards for womankind. Maybe Tang Yan's portrayal wasn't that far off...
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An entertaining drama for someone who is unfamiliar with the story
First I want to say I'm coming to this drama without prior knowledge of the donhua or novel. So I am coming to this drama with a fresh pair of eyes and no preconceived ideas what the story should be like.I actually very much enjoyed the drama. I was a little worried at first because there was so much complaints from those who have read the source material complaining it wasn't true to the source and I found the first episode was all over the place. I admit almost dropped it after ep1, but by ep 5/6 I was thoroughly enjoying it. So my advice to give it a few eps before making a judgement.
In terms of the story line, it is very much about Tang San's journey to "level up" and the friendships he makes on the way. I found the pacing was good, the acting decent, and good enough character development that I truly cared about each of the main characters. The dynamic of the shrek seven and their head masters had some serious comedic moments that had me laughing out loud. And for all my worries about the ending knowing there was a second season I have to say I was satisfied with how it ended. I found it was a rather natural conclusion (like the end of a chapter) as opposed to something that felt rushed or like the writers didn't sloppily put together, nothing too jarring.
My only real complaint is I didn't really like the audio. Oftentimes there was a lot of unnecessary background noise, or suddenly the actors voices /volume would change. For those Xiao Zhan fans expecting him to sound like his character in the untamed, get ready for a shock! His voice is much deeper here, and it took a little getting used to, but he did do his own dubbing in this drama so that's commendable. And his voice's tone and timber gets way more natural by the midway point (again I blame this more on the sound director).
Overall I found this to be a very enjoyable drama, I hope it gets the greenlight for that season two and they can invite the original actors back. I am looking forward to seeing more of TS and his journey.
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This review may contain spoilers
* SPOILERS AHEAD. READ ONLY IF YOU'VE WATCHED THE SERIES* Things that annoyed me about Innocent Man:
1) The heroine that was used as little more than a beauty prop. The heroine is basically introduced to us as this badass, ruthless businesswoman who's the sole heir to a multi-national company. She is supposed to be a complete WOP, strutting in her high heels donning a zero-fucks-given attitude. And at first, she legit got me shouting, 'That's ma girl!' And, then ofc it all came to an end as soon as the guy walked in. From there onward, started the four-staged transition of our heroine from a boss ass bitch to just another irrelevant not-that-pretty face. Dx
Stage 1: When we realize that all the talk about her supposed badassery was just that, talk. For, when she is given a chance to actually prove her worth; she, despite being a Harvard graduate, famous child prodigy and an all-around genius, spends all her time banging her head against a desk and then, passes out in the garden. Whereas, the hero; a med school drop-out who doesn’t know the ABC of business, freaking flies from another country, learn everything about accounting and marketing on an hour-long phone call with his dumb best friend. And overnight, devises a fool-proof and practical investment plan. Like, m888 pls there's pushing it and then there is freaking bullshitting it to Hades and back. Ofc, all the while the heroine just stared at him; tongue wagging and hearty eyes shining.
Stage 2: Now obv, no-one can resist heartless badboys, so ofc she instantly falls in love with him. He is, unsurprisingly, using her for a revenge scheme against his ex (who's coincidentally also the heroine's step mom/sugar daddy's arm piece who wants to steal all her fortune) and ends up breaking her heart. Just seconds after the breakup, she gets a call that her father is on his death bed and wants her there with him but because she is just so fucking heartbroken, instead of going to her dying father she says fuck my privileged life and deliberately crashes into an oncoming car. (Ofc the car belonged to the hero and both of them then, dab their broken bones into the ICU)
Stage 3: Then came a nice dramatic twist where she loses all her memories 'cause of the car crash -joy- and is quickly transformed into a fragile, wimpy, spineless walking talking sob story who constantly whines about how much of a fragile, wimpy, spineless walking talking sob story she is. Double joy with happy tears on top.
Stage 4: Finally after 5, hour consuming episodes, she gets her memories back. And at this point, I was all pumped up and was like "Okay girl, let's bring the swag back on. This is your time to conquer and get back the billion-dollar company that was rightfully yours and show 'em who's the boss". But alas, I just got a stuck up, self-pitying brat who, instead of bringing her best revenge game just pouted, screamed and walked around with her arms crossed. #RIP Not to mention that after she gets her memories back and she finally remembers all that shit the hero did (he basically ruined her life), all she does is show a lil attitude and even in that duration, half of her thoughts are spent on pining after the dude. #RIPx2
2) The highly unnecessary martyr syndrome:
So at the end, both of our MC's realize that they can't live without each other (shocker), and they run around the city, tryna find the other when at last, their eyes connect over a heavily trafficked road. So, the red signal comes up and while all the other obviously dumb pedestrians rush to cross the road, these two geniuses start their slo-mo jaywalk towards each other. Conveniently, the killer (who wants to stab the heroine and take over her company) arrives just when they're steps away from embracing and then outta nowhere the hero magically lights nitrous under his ass, does a fancy little twirl in the air -where he spins the heroine a full 360 degree, while simultaneously giving her a bear hug- and gets stabbed in her place. BRAVO. I mean, I get that he needed his sixty seconds of stardom but in the time he did all that shit, he coulda just pushed her to the side and saved both of their sorry asses. #AllHailGlory
3) The horribly put together ending.
Like, if you're gonna invest in producing 30 hours of screen-time, the least you could do is film a proper ending. Instead, everything is wrapped up in a measly 15 minutes. We are teleported to seven years later; where apparently, it's the hero's turn to lose all his memories. LMAO. 100% Dead-ass. It is revealed that the accident they were involved in had apparently caused him some brain damage too (just like the heroine) and his surgery caused memory loss. How divine. So, basically, he forgets everything that happened and is now starting over with the heroine in a rural town. WTF.
There is no inkling as to where the multinational company (which was the whole focus of the show) went to. The heroine, who was a billionaire in her own right and was basically built to lead the business, is reduced to a giggling girl who spends her time baking horrible goods at a cheap store (that nobody buys) and not-so-discreetly snapping pictures of the hero. They also show the fail killer walking somewhere out of his own volition (hopefully to jail) and the drama ends with a "Love trumps all" moral.
So yes, Innocent Man does come with its fair share of flaws but it still wrenched a 7.0 rating out of me because even despite all of its ludicrousness, I somehow ended up enjoying the drama. The acting is satisfactory. Not a single episode is boring and it would keep you at the edge of your seat till the end. Even though Eun Chae lost her character half way through the show, she had got me on her side with her personality in the beginning and so I was still cheering her on till the end. Kang Ma Roo also had his moments.
Moon Chae Won and Soon Joong Ki are both good actors and even though they did appear rather blank sometimes, I feel like they played their roles nicely. Won't rewatch it all but I might revisit some of the more interesting scenes in the future. Who knows?
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One of THE BEST BL that is out there ( A MUST WATCH) - EDITED-
Even though there is still one episode left to finish this journey, I think I can write a review that will conclude my thoughts.No matter what ending this series have, I just can't deny that this has been a journey.
Every Friday has been a blessing with this series and I can't be more sad that this is ending.
I never spoil anything about the story or the characters in any of my reviews because I want you to feel and experience them for your self. However, I can easily say that this has one of the best stories that has ever been written for a BL. It's just amazing how you feel the characters and their emotions, at least that's how I felt about it. Wonderful actors and my god, beside their incredible and attractive looks, they delivered the characters emotions, the body language was on point, it was just wonderful to watch it. About the story, all I can say is that there is no necessary drama from the other characters, no love triangles or any of that shit. BUT, there are some scenes that are intense and have some action. The development of the characters was wonderfully and tastefully done. Amazing writing. Loved to see how their emotions developed for each other. It was just amazing.
The music in this one is top notch. That is all I can say for it.
The cinematography is amazing. Probably one of THE BEST BL that has come out of GMMTV, beside few others. It was a pleasure to watch it.
-EDIT-
Now that the series are officially over, my heart is filled with love and mixed emotions. So happy for the ending but so sad that it's over. This series is a PROVE that you don't need necessary drama, stupid plots and dragging the story for too long, you don't need to see them kiss or have sexy scenes to understand that they love and care for each other. This one will definitely be missed every Friday and I hope GMMTV will give us a special episode or a second season( which I highly doubt but I still pray for one). A Tale Of Thousand Stars will hold a special place in my heart, for sure. Loved every second of it.
We got the BEST ROCKIE OF THE YEAR - Mix, and Earth got the HIGHLIGHT OF HIS CAREER.
I totally agree with myself- A PLEASURE TO WATCH!!!!
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Basically this drama is about a women who works at an advertising company as she enters a crossfire of various love interests including her ex-boyfriend. Despite this, it's a hilarious comedy that looks into how she copes with her work and personal life.
The Good
Can I give a huge hug to the writers for not dragging on this drama at all compared to like 99.99% of the other dramas i watched?? Like damn, considering the 20 episodes- one wouldve thought that 'oh no... there must be some dragging on going around' but don't be deceived! Each episode is around 20 min; hence the reason why there are 20 episodes, but there is never a dull moment!
I seriously loved the storyline as everything gets resolved at the end and the main character isn't as annoying as other female leads. The actors and actresses were spot on! I loved their chemistry and their acting as they got along pretty well and portrayed their character well!
The music was fun and light and all the tracks were enjoyable!
The Bad
There's not much to say about the bad- but imho, i think that whenever there was a 'sick' scene where someone is coughing or sneezing- it was very obviously fake and not well done. I would prefer if they could somehow made the sneezing and coughing scenes not as forceful.
Overall? This drama really is good since it's light and not as melodramatic. If you want something to pass time with or something that doesnt make your brain hurt too much, i seriously recommend this drama!
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Survivor: The Mother-in-Law Obstacles.
Xu Lingyi, marquis Yongping is all that a mother could ask for: a patriotic high ranking court official, ethical, cultured, responsible and a shining example of Confucian filial piety who asks not if he is happy with his wives, it is enough that his mother is. When his official wife dies, he takes her younger half-sister Luo Shiyi, a lowly concubine's daughter as his official wife, thus preserving the marriage ties between the Luo and Xu family. But Shiyi is a talented and resourceful woman ahead of her times and values her freedom and independence over making such an excellent match. She has her own agenda and unlike his fawning concubines, is quite happy to be neglected by Lingyi and left to her own devices. Her attitude bemuses and intrigues Lingyi out of his indifference and he finds to his dismay that he is increasingly attracted to her.The best part of this drama is how the romance blossoms at a realistic pace between Lingyi and Shiyi, leisurely exploring important phases from distrust, to mild annoyance, to intrigue and blossoming attraction, to collaboration with some conflict and a healthy dose of jealousy thrown in. Neither character is perfect - Lingyi is a workaholic, neglects his harem, is aloof, overly strict with his children and his brother and just generally comes across as no fun at all. Except for the flashes of subtle humour that emerges when he deals with impertinence from his close aides or criticism from his family. Wallace Chung really delivers a very nuanced portrayal as a lonely and kind nobleman beneath a strict and unapproachable exterior. I really enjoy watching him come out of his shell and become a more complete person as he discovers happiness with Shiyi. Shiyi grows from a rather headstrong and defiant young wife into the caring, responsible and capable mistress of Yongping manor. This is a very different kind of role for Tan Songyun and although I feel her interpretation of the role is not that inspired, her Shiyi is likeable and pleasant to watch. Both leads are consummate actors with very solid chemistry, delivering many sweet and thrilling romantic moments as they fall in love and grow together as a couple.
Even though I don't expect much from the plot when it comes to character dramas, I have to say that the writing overall leaves a lot to be desired. It actually starts out fairly well even though it is incredibly tropey from the beginning. That is because there is a satirical approach to the writing, with subtle humour nicely woven neatly into the dialogue that had me grinning away. And some of the characters, especially the hateful concubine Qiao and Erniang were such parodies and so well acted that I got many chuckles and base enjoyment out of their setbacks and defeats. That fizzles out after the Qiao arc and at that point the mystery and defeat of the mastermind should have just been quickly wrapped out instead of dragged into repetitive plot lines and themes. The writer with a sense of humour must also have bowed out at that point because it wasn't funny anymore.
Which brings me to the mother-in-law from hell. This MIL is a real piece of work - she picks all of her sons wives, she is snobbish, biased, hypocritical, is completely illogical and plays the matriarch card all the time to get her way. This character turned the drama into some bizarre edition of Survivor where the contestants are parachuted into Ming Dynasty where they need to survive the mother-in-law of all obstacles and win the heart of the dude. Shiyi and all of Lingyi's wives are pitted against this troll who thinks that the ultimate reward is marriage to her son. The most unbelievable part of the story is that none of these rather ruthless and resentful bitches took the initiative to poison her. It would have made for an excellent Murder on the Orient Express kind of murder mystery if they all did it. As for Shiyi, her winning strategy is to kill everyone from her MIL to her love rivals with kindness. This took so long and we have to endure so many ridiculous, lazily written and repetitive arcs that I couldn't help but think poison would work so much faster.
The two main takeaways from this drama is it really sucked to be a woman during Ming Dynasty and bad shit happens when your mother picks your wives. Overall an ok watch to pass time but nothing to write home about. 7.5/8.0 overall, maybe 8.0 for just the first ~half.
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In the opening shot, we see a woman whom will be an integral character later in the show, advocating for a woman’s right to openly express her sexuality within Japan cultural mores, shamelessly flaunts her armpit hair to people while saying love means accepting nature, to her it's an expression of feminity and identity. The drama depicts her as a symbol of strong female representation. But even with that, people might still be put off by the show's handling of sexuality at points. It would be too taboo and misogynistic to a different culture, but this drama is not trying to be morally correct, it only depicts a story as what happened, to watch this drama you don't have to agree to enjoy it.
Naked director is an 8 episode drama based on Japanese legend, Toru Muranishi aka "The Emperor of Porn", a controversial figure but considered by many as the most innovative director of Japanese adult videos. He has a fascinating life, went from a Japanese struggling salary man to a legendary director that soon will trigger the Japan's pornographic revolution. It's a fictionalize biography of him, not everything happen is accurate, and some events have been overly dramatized for the sake of entertainment.
Although it's a semi biography about Toru Muranishi, it also shows Japan's economic and cultural expansion, the movement in the porn industry as people move from magazine to video/media age. Rules are changing, everything is changing but not Muranishi's strong resolve. Well paced drama, doesn't felt too slow or fast. It's also has nice balance of slapstick comedy to the underworld dark side of porn. What I especially love about this drama is it doesn't shy away from the bad actions of this main character. They didn't try to portray him as a hero or justified his actions, but also didn't try villainize the character.
It's clearly aims towards international audience. It promotes Japanese culture from food, hustling bustling Tokyo to the infamous Japanese sex industry. The drama also felt inspired by American television, not as thematic and preachy like most Japanese dramas. The music is a blend between electronic and rock. On the technical side, cinematography was the strongest. It clearly depicts 80's vibe, from colors, landmarks and the way they shot famous 80's establishment like disco scenes.
Wonderfully acted all around, these talented casts brought their best in this drama. Yamada Takayuki captivates as ever, brilliantly portray Muranishi, from facial expression to the way he speaks he nailed it. But what's amazing about his performance is how he balances the humor and seriousness given the situation. Biopics needs strong lead actor and Yamada Takayuki delivers. I've seen almost all of his dramas and movies and I think this is one of his best performance and definitely his most daring ever. The one the surprise me the most is the actress who played Kaoru Kuroki, Misato Morita. Talking about a career defining performance, the actress gave it all like literally, that scene alone with Takayuki deserves an award. She's one of the strongest female character in a drama for me, feisty, and she don't give a damn what others will think. Her character is that interesting that they could make a drama out of her. Not just the leads but the supporting cast is a bunch of interesting characters as well, all of them have their own quirks, but don't just serve as comic relief characters, and if there's a standout among them it's Shinnosuke Mitsushima, the one who played that goofy character Toshi, he is the gangster, the do it all of the group. With strong leads and eccentric set of character forms this dynamic group that is fun to watch.
If you're a fan of biopics and you want to learn more about Japan and its fascinating porn history then you should watch this drama. Even if it's considered as the dark side it is still part of its culture. Not for everyone obviously, it's too explicit, and I think even late night Jdrama slot would not show this drama. If there's no Netflix this drama won't get a green light unless they made this into movie. And before someone say it's glorifying porn, it doesn't mean they make this drama that they already glorifying the act, it's just simply telling a story. It's best to separate your morals and reasoning from a story and try to see it through neutral eyes.
Check my Blog for other reviews & other JDramas stuffs. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
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Like a refreshing lemonade in the Summer
My very first review! Watched this with a bit of prejudice as age-gap romance was there. But I'm glad I did.Instead of rushing into everything, the writer gives us a slow-burn romance that is both logically and dramatically appealing.
Happy to see both the Male and Female leads having strong personalities. Entire cast gave their best performance. Everything fit perfectly and we have a closure after completing this series.
Thanks to the entire team of Melancholia for this treat. Would re-watch again in the future.
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Great acting from the cast, in particular, from the leads, in which this film was their acting debut. Shawn Dou was great as the hunky lead male (great smile!) and Zhou Dongyu was lovely as the naive lead female. My only gripe: the male lead character seemed to be a bit too perfect and angelic and it would have been nice to have some more dimension to his character.
Even though the film is set during the end of the Cultural Revolution, there isn't too much emphasis on politics. This is a pure love story at its best with the interactions between the main characters at the forefront.
The film also has amazing cinematography. The color palette isn't striking but there is a nice contrast between the village and the city landscapes.
Recommended for those who enjoy those simple and pure love stories.
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It’s a shame that this drama didn’t get the right international attention despite the fact that this is one of the best produced K-dramas back in 2012.
This is a journey in the harsh world of political schemes and the higher ups power struggle where the jungle law is effective: “the strong consumes the weak”. However, a man defies that law and starts his own journey of justice to defend his beliefs accompanied by fellows and confronted by whoever who gets hold of power. The Chaser’s screenwriting is almost flawless if we exclude some events, nothing less from a genius writer named Park Kyeong Soo who never fails in delivering delicious witty dialogues full of wisdom quotes. The thrilling events will keep you at the edge of your seat; just get ready to throw yourself into a ride of consuming twists and endless turns because that’s the core of this drama: Extremely Intense screenwriting.
If I have to talk about acting, I would say it’s high-class and very penetrating especially the main leads’. With veteran charismatic actors like Kim Sang Joong and Son Hyun Joo, you’re bound to expect perfect roles’ portrayal and astonishing acting skills. Other actors were also fitting and quite enjoyable to watch.
As for the characters, you will find yourself compassionate towards the protagonist and not hating the evil figure mainly because he succeeds at making you understand his motives. The rest of characters were appreciated especially their development but if I have to mention the most absorbing character in this drama, I would say Chairman Seo Dong Hwan. He had such a complex character that can be described as a man of wisdom, who represented power but those qualities can also be interpreted as filthy power and misleading wisdom.
It's a given that intense dramas with several twists would lose its factor of surprise once it's rewatched that's why its value is low.
To summarize, you should watch this if you’re looking for a good thriller, unique plot, cliché-free storyline, top-notch acting, powerful screenwriting and deep characters. However, if you’re searching for a romantic plot, cheesy events, light drama or idol actors then you shouldn’t be reading this in the first place.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama is a rather different republican drama, it's not about espionage, not about the civil war or fighting against the Japanese, it's not even about glamourous Shanghai. It's set between 1915 till 1921, but majority of the story happen between 1917 till 1919 and revolves around the New Culture Movement (or May Fourth Movement) and mostly set in Peking University. It's about young people trying to find a way to save their country, it's about introducing new ideas and changing customs that had been there for thousand of years.A little background first, Qing Dynasty was overthrown in 1911 and Republic of China was established, but life didn't change much. Most ports and a lot of important railways were under colonial control because China had lost multiple wars in the past century and Qing's government had been on a decline. Even with the new government, it was still rather chaotic times, there were warlords abound (and they continue to be influential and powerful in their various regions until Second Sino-Japanese war), the government was far more interested in infighting and power grabbing (as depicted in multiple cabinet changes throughout the drama), and there were many that wished Qing would come back.
I had imagine the drama would be relatively hard to get into, but it's actually not! The beginning loosely revolved around the creation and publishing of Xinqingnian/New Youth/La Jeunesse, which was a magazine created by our protagonist Chen Duxiu, and promotes science and democracy. It slamed Confucianism and classical Chinese while promoting using vernacular Chinese. It's during these times, the famed Lu Xun wrote his first vernacular Chinese novel, a short story called Diary of a Madman, where the narrator sees the traditional customs as "man-eating". Vernacular Chinese would end up making education much much more accessible to the common people. The drama even had someone that wanted everyone to abandon characters altogether and adopt latin alphabet. While this didn't end up happening, it set the grounds for the modern pinyin system that students use to learn characters \nowadays.
With some of these rather outrageous suggestions, there's of course some opposition, there's some that support the return of the emperor, there's understandably some that doesn't want to abandon thousand year old traditions and customs, there's those that sing praise to beauty and simplification of classical Chinese. These technical "antagonists" were portrayed respectfully and even somewhat adorably. They weren't backwards dimwits, multiple of them were well respected professors who had sound ideas and were remarkable in their respective fields. e,g, Gu Hongming was a notable polyglot and translator who studied for decade and half in UK and knew western culture as well as he knew Chinese culture, but he was a staunch conservative because he deeply believed in preserving the roots, he gave my favourite speech in the entire drama!
Like the movement itself, the drama mentioned and showed various political philosophy. The drama started with students arguing if constitutional monarchy or democracy was better, Hu Shi who idolises experimentalism was prominent part of the drama, anarchism and mutual aid was explore quite a bit through the Chen brothers (Chen Duxiu's sons), and of course Marxism comes into play late in the drama too. Despite my description, the drama wasn't like a dry political lesson, it was times of multiple parties debate and tried to see what fits China, I don't know how to describe the joy of seeing some of these debates. It helped that it featured so many well known people that pioneered or made great contribution to various fields in modern China. Seriously, some one off cameo might be a well known revolutionist :P
The culmination of the New Culture Movement is May Fourth Movement. After end of WWI, Treaty of Versailles was signed, but the German concession in Shandong province was transferred to Japan (due to Twenty One demands that's mentioned in ep 1), instead of given back to China, despite the fact China had sent tens of thousands of workers to the frontlines and contributed greatly to the war. It was the first time in a century that China was part of the victor's side, and everyone had hoped that might be the start of fighting back against colonial control. Unfortunately, the government had failed them, they simply didn't have enough power to demand it back, nor did the other countries care to get involve when it didn't concern them. This caused mass demonstrations all around China, starting with students and not long after workers as well, eventually this led to the government refusing to sign the peace treaty, the first time in recent history where China tried to fight back in diplomacy. May Fourth movement further promoted new ethics system, mobilised students and workers to express their dissatisfaction and protect their interest, led to reorgnisation of KMT, and contributed to the start of Chinese Communist Party.
Normally I wouldn't spend so much time essentially spoilering the show, but this is all history, and rather complicated history that I personally didn't know much about (besides May Fourth), so I thought I'd go over the gist while gushing. It was a lot of fun wiki‘ing while watching the drama, and I'm glad it ended at 1921, since that way the drama was mostly uplifting. I'd say avoid wiki'ing if you don't want to know who meets their early demise (many do), but the drama will tell you when they appear for the last time anyways. The drama was surprisingly light despite the chaotic background and heavy historical basis, the humour was fairly natural and the characters were mostly very smart even though they argued a lot, the young people were super relatable and a fair few end up being world changing. These were 90s and 00s kids of the previous century and I can't begin to imagine doing some of the amazing things they do despite being the same age or even younger.
I actually love so many of the characters that I don't know where to begin, the Chen brothers were probably my favourite though, since they were rarely portrayed in dramas before this. They were resilient and idealistic, had a rather complicated relationship with their father that was portrayed pretty thoroughly throughout the drama. It's one of the biggest deviation from actual history, historically they would have been estranged for most part of their lives, and they likely wouldn't have been around for most the drama if it stuck closer to history. Zhang Wanyi and Ma Qiyue did amazing in this drama, I look forward to Zhang Wanyi's role in Daylight Ent's drama with Bai Yu + Mao Xiaotong + Song Zu'er, Ma Qiyue was only 14 when he played Qiaonian (who's 13~18 in the drama) so he has a bright future ahead of him! The acting was all around splendid, especially Yu Hewei who played Chen Duxiu amazingly (and won Magnolia award for it woohoo!) and Ma Shaohua who played the adorable University principal Cai Yuanpei that facilitate the awesome environment where various ideals could flourish.
Unfortunately, one of the few female characters with significant role started off rather terribly, playing a spoilt and unreasonable girl, she comes around rather quickly but it was jarring. I think her acting/her character was one of the few flaws of the drama, but she still have some shining scenes here and there, most notably a play that acts out the debates they've been having and notes the oppression that women have been facing. The other minor flaw was female characters don't get much screen time, a lot of well known female revolutionists weren't in Beijing at the time (they were in France or Hunan province, there are other dramas that do feature them), and they mostly weren't relevant to New Culture Movement. The few older women around were wives regulated to homemaking roles (despite one being educated and could be portrayed less stereotypically), younger women tend to play more active roles (all fictionalised) since students were first supporters of the movement.
Lastly, I must applaud the drama for the absolutely spectacular directing! Hot damn, I was big fan of the director after Advisor Alliance (do rec! Fun retelling of Three kingdoms!), but now I'm a super fan and will gobble everything Zhang Yongxin puts out (also got a Magnolia!). He has amazing eye for framing shots, he filled the drama with symbolism that I don't know how to interpret sometimes. I loved the astounding sequence that introduced Lu Xun and clearly referenced his story "Medicine", the goose bump inducing scene of Li Dazhao encountering a crying bride without a groom (likely a ghost marriage), the incredible usage of wide angle shots + heavy clouds to create heart aching scene that broke Chen Duxiu near the end of the drama, and of course the montage of Chen brothers as they leave for France stayed with me months after I finished the drama. The soundtrack was super memorable, the distinctive art used to denotes some important events was gorgeous, and I just love the aesthetics of the drama in general.
I've been sitting on this review for whooping 3 months because I don't know how to begin, I feel like all my words pale in comparison, sometimes explaining a scene without seeing it seems to make it lose all of its magic. This is the first time I found the entire drama just screams art to me, and I love it so so much that I want to recommend it to everyone. Please give it a try! I'm dump some interesting tidbits in the comment below, may or may not be spoilery.
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This review may contain spoilers
Authentic! The people, the stories, the setting. Affectionate, humorous & true to life characters
"Diary of a Prosecutor" is an extremely delightful, unconventional and, despite all the sometimes snappy, sometimes cheerful, sometimes pitch black, sometimes heartful humor, it also offers a quite serious, profound examination of jurisdiction and practically handling the law. This embedded in the simple everyday work-life of ordinary people, told from the perspective of a provincial prosecutor. The script is based on the essay "Civil War Prosecutor", written by a real prosecutor and inspired by his personal experiences.So it is primarily about the everyday life on the office floors and behind the office doors of the public prosecutor's office. First and foremost, this is about profane workdays that often last until late, including dinner and drinks with colleagues. However, this is also about a noble task, the juggling with legal regulations, the ideals of a just society and the diplomatic basics in dealing with superiors in the strict hierarchy from the bottom to the top. And last but not least, this is a potpourri of different individual stories of quite ordinary people who face the challenges of their inconspicuous lives every day anew, and eventually grow from them - as it is in life...
In other words, you get: a variety of people you grow fond of as you get to know them better; a job-portrait that is subject to the highest expectations, but whose credibility in the country is still not easy. And a (fictional) outskirts - a town at the seaside, famous for its oyster harvest. The filming took place in Tonyeong-si in the very south of the country, where practically the entire crew (around 150 people, including cast) stayed during the five-month shooting period... Provincial life is thus breathing from every pore of the KDrama - everything is a bit more relaxed, closer to nature. Seoul is far away…
Conclusion: Authentic! The people, the stories, the setting. The dramaturgical 'trick': the greater narrative of the omniscient narrator. The humor that comes along with it. Sometimes ironic, sometimes satirical, sometimes bone dry. Bottom line: funny and complex at the same time. Affectionate, humorous and true to life personality portraits. In script and play. The cases and the ethical questions involved go deep at times. And yet it is people who deal with it. Colleagues. Eventually in competition at times. Imperfect people, with weaknesses, even if they wear robes. Yet, people who can excel themselves at times, too. Other than that, the days, weeks, months and years go by, case after case, team dinner after team dinner...
As far as Korean life and culture is concerned, with this KDrama you can get pretty close to the people and their everyday world in many ways. Because of this and a wonderful overall concept, whose good spirit works on all scales, I consider “Diary of a Prosecutor” highly valuable.
Maybe it's a bit unusual at first. Don't let it irritate you. Keep going. I´d say it is worth it...
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This is not what you think it is!
This drama is not what you think it is. Is it a taboo romance between a student and teacher that, if real, would be unacceptable in every possible way? Absolutely yes. But, again, this drama is not what you think it is.In the first 5 eps, we are set up to believe that the story is nothing more than an icky romance. In episode 6, your jaw will drop, as the plot takes a total twist and the story becomes so much more. This story is part thriller, mystery, and melodrama.
The main leads have sizzling chemistry and both are sympathetic characters. At first, the ML is beyond insufferable, but if you give it a couple episodes, you'll see a big transformation in his behavior.
This is a series where the second half is way better than the first half. Don't stop after the first episode.
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