In short: This drama will bring about a physical reaction in you and you still won’t regret watching it one bit. You can quote me on that.
I think the title of this show pretty much tells its entire story. “Mother”. The amount of importance this word holds. The responsibility, love and sacrifice that comes with it. How some women can never be worthy to embrace it while some own it and wear it as a second skin. This show highlights how much a mother’s actions can define a child’s life. How sensitive the stage of childhood is and ultimately, how family can transcend blood.
I haven’t watched the original so I can’t make comparisons but judging this drama on its own standing, I will say it was one of the most beautifully written, directed and acted pieces of production I have ever seen. No amount of praise is enough for the actors. I am not a fan of Lee Bo Young but she embodied her character perfectly here. Lee Hye Young, my favorite veteran actress once again brought forth a character I will forever remember and treasure and finally, the star of the show: 7 year old Heo Yool. I am still speechless at how a child so young could execute such a difficult character with such mastery and that also in her first role ever. I am going to follow her career throughout her life and I’m positive that she’s going to take the world by a storm and I can only hope she wasn’t scarred by playing the widely complex role of Kim Hye Na.
The drama comes with excellent dialogue and symbolism. It is also morbidly suspenseful, as in you desperately want to know what happens next but are afraid to find out at the same time. I really don’t have anything to complain about and the only reason I took one star back was because so many emotionally powerful things kept happening throughout the show that by the last two episodes, I was just spent and exhausted and my capacity to react had vanished which is why I watched the end with a sort of indifference.
However, I will say that even though the process is painful the drama ends with a sweet relief that we all earnestly wished for.
A must-watch.
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When love speaks louder!
While the premise might seem like your typical "silly wealthy man and his caretaker falling in love", the drama delves much deeper into their emotional journey.Shao Peng is a positive and resilient character who is deaf and mute. He is aware of his disability but doesn’t let it define him, though he’s sometimes insecure about how others see him. His journey shows his strength and vulnerability and the actor played him perfectly. Also, although I have very little knowledge of sign language, the portrayal felt very real and authentic to me .
Zi Xiang is multi-layered. Initially, he came across as someone who enjoyed a privileged life while evading his responsibilities. But as we move forward , his carefree demeanour was just a show to hide his dissatisfaction with the life he is forced into. He slowly grows from self-centred to someone capable of empathy and love.
The chemistry between them was the highlight of the series for me. What started as a reluctant partnership slowly transformed into a tender, evolving love story. Zi Xiang's feelings for Shoa Peng grow not only because he takes care of him but also because of the perseverance and strength he shows despite his own doubts. Their journey of getting to know each other, understanding one another, and being together was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. They acted as catalysts for each other's growth, helping each other look beyond their struggles.
The second couple's story was interesting but they didn't have enough screen time for their story to be properly developed or for me to really connect with them. Their chemistry was evident and they were sweet and cute together, but more time was needed to make their relationship feel believable.
The pacing felt uneven at times. The tone of the first few episodes was borderline silly and goofy compared to the second half of the series. Plot devices like assassins ,kidnapping and the portrayal of trashy, unsupportive parents felt more like a gimmick where they didn't contribute anything to the plot or was introduced in the final episodes and wasn't executed well.
The drama also tries to address prejudice against disabled people, particularly in a professional environment. It manages to show that not everyone is openly rude or dismissive but there is a subtle bias even when they are not overtly hostile. But it felt like this issue was only touched on superficially serving as a plot device for the love story. I'm not complaining but I would have liked to see more focus on Shao Peng's character and how he personally deals with it.
Overall, while the pacing can be uneven and some plot points feel forced and underdeveloped, the chemistry between the leads and their character development make it a solid, enjoyable one-time watch. Probably more enjoyable if binged.
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I really loved this drama , it was so realistic & it is not just a youthful romance but also a slice of life drama without the heaviness that we usually find in this kind of genre . And is not like the normal romance stories where they love each other > break up cause of a 3rd party > end up together .. the end !!
Like the couple as it was stated in the summary they were separated for years , so they experienced different things & they became older , there is so much to think of & not just LOVE so that’s why I loved the story line .. the couple even if they are still in love with each other they have doubts in their relationship .
The concept of the drama is for mature audience ... you can see the lovey dovey type of romance in the past scenes but I wont consider it as the genre of drama .
Fan Kris is so cute , I am in love with his eyes they 're so beautiful , I liked his acting he portrayed the character well ..
As for the Leads as a couple they were cute but actually for me I loved the ( Zhu Xuan x Yuan Lang ) couple more they were more interesting and fun to watch .
The cinematography is so amazing ! I liked how they made the transition from the present to the past vise versa , it was so smooth that sometime got me confused .
The OST was perfect it suited the drama mood .
The ending also got me confused at first but I loved it , I find the whole production is well executed ..
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Yes the main plot is about one couple who were together for so long that their relationship started to fall apart and at one moment the girl comes in possession of magical chocolate that brings her mind when she was 17 to 28 years old herself in the present time. And going like that back and forth she begins to realize her life, her mistakes, she starts to find her old self again and learns what was it that she lost along the way till this day. Whole movie is funny and very sweet, it brings many memories of our own past and it definitely makes you connect with the main girl. She is one beautiful woman who for the man she loves gave up her dreams, her own desires and her own self, she thought that acting that way will bring her marriage and happiness. And that's when Little Liang comes to the light, she awakes in Liang that young spirit, she brings her back her love for painting and drawing, she makes her feel alive and full of life again, to be more brave and relaxed, simply she makes her to learn to love herself and do what she really loves. And that was the strongest part of this movie, the main focus is only on her and her two personalities- young 17 years old Liang and unsatisfied lost 28 years old one. The way they start to interact with each other, in the beginning their bickering, misunderstandings, to the part where they finally accept and learn all the lessons becoming one. The guys were pretty good although I couldn't feel the chemistry with her boyfriend and I find that part of the movie weak- it simply wasn't explained how they feel in love with each other and till the end I think they weren't suited for each other. My heart has won the second lead or should I say the guy with whom Little Liang fell in love with. He was a typical rebel, riding a bike with living his life to the fullest but the one who awoke in her passion and love, they were totally great together. And when you add that Darren Wang was that second guy, well then it's logical that I rooted for him. ;)
The choice of the actors was also good, Ni Ni is one gorgeous goddess and she looks more beautiful by each day. She could really pass as a high school girl. Her acting was very believable and although she is older than Darren, their chemistry was so damn real and fantastic. Wallace as the lead guy was okay but in his typical wooden serious cool style and although in some other projects of his I liked him, here he definitely wasn't my choice nor the right choice for her. Despite that, it doesn't matter in the end because the main thing wasn't in men and relationships, it was in her, her mind and her heart.
" I'm proud of us"- this sentence simply engraved in my heart, the moment she said it, the way how two of them were portrayed and what they said to each other, it was very touching and realistic. As long as we have our own selves, as long as we think with our hearts and do the things we desire, as long as we don't lose ourselves along the way of growing up, we can make it, only then we can be truly happy, making our dreams come true and our lives into the life worth living for. This is the best message one movie can teach us. Despite that we may already know all that, still it means and makes us smile. It made me smile and I fully recommend it for watching.
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There are many characters in this drama and tons of different story lines. Although there is a lot going on the story never really drags like some 16-20 episode dramas do. It's always interesting and something is always happening to hold your attention.
The acting was great from the whole cast. If I had to pick a favorite from the entire drama it would be Lee Hee Joon as Chun Jae Yong. He was amazing in this and stood out among the talented cast. He made me laugh and cry, not to mention his fantastic chemistry with Jo Yoon Hee.
The music was good and fit the drama nicely. I really liked the use of American pop when the scene took place in a restaurant or coffee house.
I loved this drama but due to the number of episodes and the monster that is my plan to watch list, I don't see myself re-watching it anytime soon.
Overall this is a great drama and definitely worth watching.
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Wild Chives and Soy Bean Soup: 12 Years Reunion
31 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
This is my first review (don't know how to write it actually~) so I'll just share some of my scattered thoughts.So.. this drama started really good and the young actors did an absolutely great job. Both story and acting made me feel like I was watching Wednesday-Thursday drama. Almost perfect... but...
My opinion changed as soon as they turned to the current Jang Kook and and Joon Soo... The acting was terrible. Though I watched some of Nam Goong Min's dramas and he seemed like a good actor, this drama made me change my mind...
I don't want to post any spoilers so I can't write anything about the ending.. Though you should keep in mind that as soon as you finish the last episode you'll feel lost - "is this end? where is the next episode". It feels like they just cut off the drama in the middle...
It's a pity that such a potentially good story was made into this... very disappointing....
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Know your value. If you don't... then learn.
I learnt a lot from this drama as a woman. Instead of setting standard for a man this drama taught me how to set a standard for myself.I've never written a review before. And all the dramas I watch are light hearted like the on I'm watching side by side 'You are my lover friend'. But I always found myself waiting only for the episodes of in between. It goes around the stories of different women pursuing different lifestyle. But that doesn't keep us women away from some men.
Which take me to the charachters of this drama and their experience with differnt types of men which only gave one conclusion.. we women don't really need a man to make a living and live a happy life.
I won't write about the acting or music but yessss, this drama goes around different stories which represents the different types things that are happening in this materialistic world. Cheating, harassment, lying, backstabbing, revenge etc. This drama is definetely a good drama if you want something different. And not some honey coated lovestory.
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Even though there was a lot of angst, I found myself smiling happily and even laughing out loud because some scenes were just ridiculously funny and just made me happy. Those scenes were very welcomed breathers between all this anxiousness and nervousness.
I actually liked all the characters (except the root of all evil Choi Jin Cheol) and the way they all were intertwined. Their relationships were interesting to follow and I was especially fond of the relationship between Sun Woo and Young Hoon, Sun Woo and Chul Min and of course Sun Woo and Min Young.
The interactions between each one of them and that everyone has some kind of a relationship with the others was great. Especially since we didn't know from the very beginning where they knew each other from.
To be perfectly honest I am not such a big fan of the time-travel-theme. But I found myself enjoying this drama very much. Although I found the beginning and the ending somehow confusing or just too much for my brain to grasp I didn't think that the whole time travel thing was difficult to follow. Even though that's often the case in such dramas.
But I don't think that not understanding the ending is a problem because I believe that this was intended by the writers. Everyone can interpret the ending the way he wants. There are many possibilities. And depending on which ending you choose it's either a happy or a sad ending.
For my part I still don't know if it has a bad or a good ending. But the last episode made me equally happy and anxious. But I guess the happiness or the funny parts in the last episode exceed the sad ones.
Nine_ Nine Times Time Travel is one of the best dramas that I have watched. It is awesome. The story and the characters are great and for me there is nothing more to wish for. Although at first I wasn't sure if it would be worth my time I am so happy I gave it a chance.
And I think that's also what you ought to do.
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Throwback to Classic K-Dramas
This was fun!It was very classic K-Drama. The cliché of a rich guy butting heads with and getting humbled by the person he'll fall head-over-heels for. All with slapstick humor, cheesy lines, and easy music included.
What was particularly good about this was the time they allowed for just general bonding. Before our MLs even get together we are already convinced that they get along and have gotten to see them interact and bond enough to make their feelings believable and have depth to them.
If you're looking for a good-time drama with some occasional intriguing bits, you'll enjoy this.
Side Note: I'm so glad these guys got a chance to be in another drama together and show off their chemistry with a better story.
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could have been amazing
Overall: imagine if Muffin was actually a police officer and we saw her beat up some baddies in one of her outfits, or what if the mafia boss was actually a secret huge romantic at heart? There were so many ways the writing could have been innovative with this premise, but the cliche writing really ruined it, especially in episode 6. It is based off of "The Ideal Relationship" which I have read but I reviewed the series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.Content Warnings: deaths/murders, non con touching/attempted sexual assault, violence, drugging, manhandling, stalking, attempted murder, kidnapping, manipulation
What I Liked
- the intro credits style was an homage to the source material
- how Guy was set up as a queer character from the beginning
- the video gaming sequence, unfortunately we only saw 1 sequence
- cute/sweet moments
- Guy showed agency
- laughed a few times (although mostly at huge plot holes/nonsense writing)
- Wahl's girlfriend in episode 6
- (neutral) comedy noises
Room For Improvement
- cliched/nonsense writing (i.e. Tew's idiotic "plans", Guy probably had 6 bullets in his revolver but seemed to shoot waaaayyyy more than that in episode 8)
- Kenji's backstory makes zero sense, maybe if Tew had used him as a human shield then it would have made sense, they made him into a cliche cartoon villain with nonsensical actions/motivations, even episode 7 didn't make enough sense for his motivation, also way too much screentime taken by Kenji
- the voice over was a fast way to set up a character/beginning but not my favorite way to start a series
- the music was sometimes not what I would have preferred, also think they could have removed the comedy sound effects and just let the comedy come through on its own
- tropey (ie multiple accidental fall and catches)
- avoiding physical affection in episode 5 (although Guy was better by the end)
- cliche plot point in episode 6
- Wahl had way too much screen time, needed to devote some of that to Guy/Tew building their relationship
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1The female general and her- Lover boy, Protector and Arch Nemesis.
I have a question- what will you do if your life is suddenly surrounded by 3 very mysterious people!?-One is the shy and sweet LOVER BOY who gives you sweet promises and flowers. Swearing to always be by your side to protect you.
-Second is the supernatural, powerful and mystical PROTECTOR with silver hair and a sexy mask who just appears out of nowhere to protect you whenever you are in danger.
-Third is the ruthless, cunning and formidable ARCH NEMESIS who you are sworn to kill as duty.
This my friends is a classic recipe to a 'disaster' or 'an epic romance' because the real plot twist is THEY ALL ARE THE SAME PERSON.
PLOT-
1 man. 3 identity. And a bond forged in blood.
Shadow love follows the story of a female general and a prince/general who both are sworn enemies whose kingdoms are at war with each other but somehow get their fates entangled together after a series of events which lead the ML to transform into a shadow puppet with the FL as his blood master. In the process the ML loses his memory and his identity. Together they navigate through blood connections, crazy consorts, insane crown princes, sly court politics, wars, hidden identity, supernatural powers/ artifacts and hidden enemies. This drama follows the thin line of love and hate, loyalty and duty, obsession and indifference.
MUSIC, COSTUME, DIRECTION AND CINEMATOGRAPHY-
The cinematography of the drama is just top notch, the colour grading and costumes go well with the whole vibe of the drama and suit the character well.
The background music add to the charm of the drama. The OST specially is beautiful. All the BGM played during the soft romance scene and intense fight scenes compliments the tone of the drama.
The fight scene are also immaculate, like you actually grip your seats while watching them. With the supernatural element in the drama we see quite a lot of high quality VFX.
The director are the same as from 'the prisoner of beauty' so you can totally imagine the unique and beautiful way the scenes are portrayed. The way of story telling hooks you to the drama immediately.
ACTORS-
Both the main cast have been a spot on casting, they are literally made for their role. I had reservation about the FL in the start but as the episodes progressed she did really good in portraying her role a female general.
I have to take a moment and appreciate the ML, like cheng li had 3 characters to play and he played them soo well. From soft and determined to ruthless and unhinged, he played all his 3 characters really well. His eyes sing emotions. I am not shy to say I have become a fan. The total 180 degree change in between his character was insane and he did such commendable job playing them.
And I mean if a character makes you hate their guts it means the actors slayed and in this case the villains slayed hard. Both the crown prince and empress dowager were character that made me want to throw things.
OVERALL MY THOUGHT-
The plot is intriguing, and keep you hooked from the very beginning. It may get a bit slow in the middle but catches up with the plot very soon. Watching the drama, you feel the love, anger, hate, happiness, sadness through the screen. You actually connect with the character's and theirs story.
If you are fan of 'vampire', 'fantasy', 'flash' I think you will love this drama.
The music and cinematography gives the drama a different vibe that makes it addicting to watch.
The scenes are done soo perfectly, like the whole direction of fight scenes and intimacy scenes is next level. I mean I can clearly see the director of TPOB and this is same by the way the scenes are presented.
I love the romance part of the drama, the small touches and kisses are really well done. There are alot of intimacy scenes which doens't really have kisses but like small touches, act of service, them protecting each other, the whole blood sucking thing. All this just adds to the romance vibes.
I love how it was more romance plotted than political which was nice, the attention was the main leads and their dynamics.
And one thing I think made me fall even more in love with this drama was the trust, love and act of service between the main leads. Like they literally would fight the whole world for each other, protect each other even when they hate the other, have forgotten them . The love between them was between the souls. The way they trusted each other and were ready to protect each other made me so immotional.
During the climax of the drama so many things were not said between them but their hurt, love, betrayal and loyalty to each other was expressed through their eyes.
Even when the ML at a point forget her he still knew deep down in his heart that she meant something so much more than just her enemy. Even when the FL knew she should hate him and kill him for her duty she could just not stop being kind to him, stop loving him, stop hurting.
At the end I just had one thought- 'oh to be loved like they love each other'.
Overall the drama is a must watch. And deserves the time you invest in it. It might not be perfect but it deserves the recognition.
SOME of my favorite scenes till now-
-the transformation scene/ blood pool scene (ep 1)
-the charcter introduction scene (ep 1)
-the blood sucking scene (ep 5)
-the general killing scene with a sword (ep 11)
-the sword dance scene
-the battle in general house with prince li
-the scene where she disguised as a dancer and went to save him
-the marriage scene
-his entry scene in the court when he gets his memory back
-their first battle against each other when he forgot him memory
-the interrogation scene between them
-when he as prince annan saved her from the torture chamber
-the whole confrontation scene and forced kiss (ep 34)
-her celebrating his birthday and dancing for him (ep 36)
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1One that loved not wisely but too well.
Once upon a time in Beili, there lived a woman who was simply too beautiful 倾国倾城/qīng guó qīngchéng; she could fell a city with one look and fell a kingdom with a second look. This kind of woman is a menace to mankind that can only be locked out of sight in a gilded cage. This is the cautionary tale of a brave man, one that loved not wisely but too well who dared to set her free. And his one true friend who tried to help him do the right thing.Dashing Youth 少年白马醉春风 or Young White Horse Drunk in the Spring Breeze is the highly anticipated prequel to 2022's dark horse hit high fantasy martial arts drama The Blood of Youth 少年哥行. Like its predecessor, it is a youthful coming of age story about friendship, adventure and the spirited idealism of youth. Even though Baili Dongjun is the titular character, it is equally his best friend Ye Yun's villain origin story. They are parallel characters; both innate martial artists and scions of the Beili empire's founding families. As boys, they vowed to storm the martial world together when they grew up; Yun as the Sword Deity and Dongjun as the Liquor Deity. After the Ye family's downfall, they are destined to go down opposite paths. Dongjun lives a charmed life; making a name for himself as Li Changsheng's final disciple at the prestigious Jixia Academy; surrounded by new friends like Sikong Changfeng and Beili's Eight Talented Gentlemen. He reunites briefly with Ye Yun, who now calls himself Ye Dingzhi. In sharp contrast, Ye Dingzhi's path is a lonely one, full of obstacles, inequities, betrayals and brief snatches of happiness.
At its core, this is quite a straightforward story that is cluttered in the storytelling. There are too many digressions into the Who's Who of the martial world and and its pretentious rankings. While the fan service is terrific, such a dazzling array of too hot to handle swordsmen put my exploding ovaries in danger of apoplexy. The surfeit of hot filler characters with shallow side stories distract from the main arcs. For all their fancy swords and pompous rankings, all we see are a few showy poses and twirls before the CGI takes over and screen explodes in a gory orgy of light and digital creatures. While the CGI is well done, it is a big let-down not to see a few well choreographed live action fight sequences.
I was happy to see Hou Minghao dub himself as Baili Dongjun. It makes a big difference in how the character comes to life. While his acting is still a work in progress, he plays a character he can relate to and it shows. Ye Dingzhi is a more complex and intense role, one that He Yu pulls off charismatically. Even though he does questionable things, I empathized with him every step of the way. It would have been nice to see more of Xia Zhiguang's Sikong Changfeng. The humor and camaraderie between all the dashing youths is one of the drama's highlights. Even though the romances are not convincingly written or well developed, I liked all of the couples enough to root for them. The role of Yi Wenjun should have been more sympathetically portrayed instead of just as helpless, selfish and willful. The lovely Ye Yao is only Dongjun's muse, her character doesn't get to do much.
The irreverent Li Changsheng/Nangong Chunshui is the funniest, best acted and most engaging character in this story. Even though his arcs don't tie well with the main plot, the narrative visibly sags after his exit. His parting words to his disciples 凭心而动/píng xīn ér dòng or "act according to your heart" captures the spirit and idealism of youth that is Dongjun's lifelong mantra; one that years later, he passes on to his disciple Tang Lian. He helps Dingzhi steal the bride because Wenjun was not willing and therefor it is wrong to force her. It is the simple, absolute truth that trumps the cynical calculations driven by politics and expedience. He never wavers from this belief. It is true that Wenjun is a selfish, weak and dislikable character who makes terrible decisions with devastating consequences. But she was still wronged in the first place. Thus like Dongjun, I understood, even tried to empathize with her until she was too easily manipulated into returning to Tianqi. That was not only a stupid decision, it showed that she simply did not trust and love Dingzhi enough to wait for him. Poor Dingzhi, he never got any breaks. Even the love of his life failed him at the end. Through sick and sin, it was always and only Dongjun who remained his one true friend.
There is little new in the political plot that wasn't revealed in dialogue and flashbacks in TBOY. Which would be fine if they fleshed out the character stories and the succession struggle instead. But those are dealt with cursorily with Ruojin left as a blank cartoon character and the relationship between the brothers not explored. TBOY romanticizes Prince Langya as a tragic hero, the noble uncrowned king of Beili. In this prequel, he is the character that disappointed me most. He tore up his father's will out of misplaced loyalty and his own selfish desire to live an unrestrained life. He never made the case for why Ruojin was more worthy, supported him unconditionally and in the case of Wenjun, enabled him even though he knew it was wrong. There was never a so called greater good or do or die reason why Wenjun had to marry Ruojin, it was simply a matter of imperial privilege and entitlement. They could have escaped with his help and everything could have been so different. But I don't hold him solely responsible; there were so many malign forces at play and bad decisions that there is plenty of blame to go around.
The ending to this story leaves that bitter after taste that the bad guys won. It makes too convincing a case that a too beautiful woman who can topple kingdoms must be safely locked out of sight so she can do no harm. Both Wenjun and Dingzhi paid a high price for their mistakes but too many people who pushed Dingzhi down the dark path got off unscathed. In the novel, Dongjun has an epiphany about his own dào/道 or convictions in the middle of his fight with Dingzhi. He switches sides and punches the daylights out of the emperor instead. He scolds him: "She does not like you, why force her to marry you? She has escaped and is living a happy life, why lock her up again? You are the emperor with a harem of 3000. My brother only loves one person. Live and let live. Learn from your brother, he can even let you have the throne, why can't you let my brother have one wife?" Even though it changed nothing it was something that had to be said. Without this scene, Ruojin is never called out or held accountable for his role in starting a war over a woman. Instead it is Dingzhi who is destroyed and villainized for trying to hold on to a grass hut in a tiny corner of the world where he was happy. It is very hard to feel good about a story that ends like this.
This messy and disappointing prequel was in some ways limited by what was already canon in TBOY but still could have been better on multiple fronts, Nonetheless it is a chock full of eye candy and a fun watch if you don't look too hard at it and ignore the inconsistencies with TBOY. Even though this is a critical review I enjoyed the drama. I am just mad because it had the potential to be almost as good as TBOY. But it wasn't and so I can only rate this 8/10. I am still happy to recommend it , especially if you loved TBOY. If you liked Wuxin before, you will love him more after knowing his parent's story.
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Potentials Wasted & Left a lot to be desired
the first half of the show is pretty soild (for a rom-com) but the second half is boring as hell. i skipped alot just to be done with it. I watched it for PMY but her acting is questionable at some points. Main Male lead's performance was also underwhelming, the second male lead was good tho.i think what made the second half unbearable to watch (aside from the poorly written script) is that the main characters had no chemistry, the FM and the second lead worked better for me, and it's not for "second lead's sympathy" reasons, they pairing felt refreshing and made up for the chemistry which lacked in the endgame couple. in addition, i think their stories would've made a lot more interesting plotlines and events than what we've been left with. I was surprised by the LGBTQ+ representation but again, something was lacking, much like most of the sub-plotlines, it felt poorly done and toned down.
to put it simple, yet another underwhelming project from PMY.
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This review may contain spoilers
If you love Ancient Love Poetry, then you have got to watch this!
Yuan Qi being the Son to the Two True Gods: Bai Jue and Shang Gu in Ancient Love Poetry, The Last Immortal is a story which focuses on Yuan Qi journey to Adult-hood, after he was sent to Daze Mountain as the disciple to Donghua.The Last Immortal beginning takes place after Bai Jue sacrificed himself and before he return at the very end of Ancient Love Poetry.
Yuan Qi in the beginning is 200 years old, which is a bit odd in Xianxia standard that he's fully grown into teenager, but that's okay, since I just take it that it is just the world-building in this story. So when Yuan Qi is under a different identity, named Gu Jin (being 200 years old), would be considered a Young Teen at the beginning.
Some people keep asking whether they should watch Ancient Love Poetry first, or not. The Last Immortal is a standalone drama, BUT if you haven't watched Ancient Love Poetry, then you are surely missing out on it's prequel, since whether you like it or not, knowing what happened in the past, will give you a better understanding to the world building & characters and where this story takes place, since Post Time-Skip (1000 years later), Bai Jue(Yuan Qi's father) would have already returned to Shang Gu, in the God Realm. So the story is connected/tied back with each other.
I am into Xianxia genre, so naturally, when a Xianxia genre looks appealing I would give it a go, and me being a fan to Ancient Love Poetry, and know that the story are linked/connected in the world-building, how can I not give The Last Immortal a try? Since Bai Jue and Shang Gu is my OTP in the Ancient Love Poetry, naturally I would want to watch about their son in his own story/spinoff i.e. The Last Immortal. When I first started watching this drama, I was pretty neutral with Gu Jin (ML), but if I have to be honest, I didn't like that side to him where he doesn't want to cultivate to get stronger. At first I didn't understand why but as the story progresses there are hints thrown in to show why he felt that way, and by then, I came to understand his feelings better.
I actually felt that Yuan Qi's character is quite sad when you think about it. If we look at his past from his childhood until now, it is impossible not to feel sorry for him. People also need to know that the Novel Yuanqi (portrayed in Shang Gu) is different to the Drama Yuan Qi (in Ancient Love Poetry) when he was a kid. The change in the Novel Kid Yuan Qi vs Drama Kid Yuan Qi, is that in the Drama: Ancient Love Poetry, it was an added bonus where the screen-writers give us those moments where Yuan Qi's father (Bai Jue) spends time with him in the mortal realm before he go and sacrifice himself. He have those father-son moments that the Novel Kid Yuan Qi never received in the prequel.
So, if you take this into consideration, you will know just how sad his childhood is like. Since the Last Immortal takes the adaptation of it's Novel (Hidden God), based on the events that happened in Shang Gu Novel.
Why is it sad? Well, Yuan Qi was born without a mother and father. When his mother woke up, he had to call her "auntie" for a while. His father acted like he didn't love him. Just when Shang Gu (Yuan Qi's mother) found out that his father was doing all this for them, she completely lost it. His mother could not take care of him as a result, since she didn't have the heart to take care of Yuan Qi, because she knelt before the ancestral god for years (500 years in the Drama, but more in the novel). When looking at this, it really feels like she ignored him. And then he was sent to Daze Mountain for training. It was also shown that Yuan Qi's lost his god powers due to what happened (in the past). Gu Jin was the name he uses as another identity when he was sent to Daze Mountain.
In all those years, he never properly get to have a family moment, nor did he get to celebrate his own birthday with his parents...
So honestly, I don't blame Gu Jin if he doesn't want to return to being True God Yuan Qi, because looking at his past/backstory, there is no example in front of him, when he's a child that godhood is a good thing. For Yuan Qi, being God means self-sacrifice, loneliness, and leaving loved ones behind, and not being able to live the life he want.
He once said that logically speaking; he understands why his father (Bai Jue) did what he did, but he then revealed his true feelings deep down, and I felt that the actor WAY (Wang An Yu) did a really good job in portraying those subtle expressions of hurt and sadness within him. BUT despite this being said, he still loves his parents deeply, for a child that didn't get to grow up in that kind of happy-family environment, his parents is among those few people that is very important to him (Yuan Qi really deserves a hug to be honest!!).
I honestly don't fault him for feeling this way, because as much as I love his parents (Bai Jue and Shang Gu, in their story), but as parents, they weren't able to give a loving childhood and environment for their son Yuan Qi to grow up in. Even Daze Mountain felt more like a loving family atmosphere than the God Realm that he grew up in so I can understand why he loves being in Daze mountain, those were his carefree moments where he gets to do the things he loves to do.
So when we began watching the very first scene, the producers gave us a snippet of 1000 years later at the beginning scene when Yuanqi(ML) was trying to chase after A-Yin(FL), but we didn't know what happened that lead to that scene, and then it got shifted back to 1000 years ago, the past, before that scene occurred, I do think it was cleverly used because it gives the audience a sense that "we know this beginning scene is going to happen eventually", but we don't know why, and what lead to that scene, so as we got transported back 1000 years ago, this is like going through a journey where we learn about their backstory and what lead to that scene at the beginning.
Acting wise, Zhao Lusi doesn't disappoint in her role as A-Yin and Feng Yin, she really bring out the emotions well! This is also the first time I've seen WAY (Wang An Yu) in a drama, but I felt like he really brought out the feelings of his character: Gu Jin and Yuan Qi well (in his own way), at least he did successfully made me feel sorry for him/through the way he played out those subtle sad/hurt emotions.
Both WAY (Wang An Yu) and Zhao Lusi have great chemistry in terms of expressing their love/feelings for each other, that when they're together on-screen you see how naturally comfortable they are together. FL being born to be the Next Pheonix Queen have to go through her Nirvana/Tribulation as A-Yin, the water divine beast and their story begins from there, where they came to meet each other, what started off as bickering to being the "only one" in each other life.
While in the Ancient Love Poetry (it's prequel) shows me that being a True God is cool etc etc, but in The Last Immortal, it really showcase it in a different light that being a True God isn't fun and games but someone with a heavy responsibility, that needs to consider the well-being of the Three Realms, and how to be fair, where personal opinions doesn't matter. I honestly felt so tired for Yuan Qi during those times, because..... Well, won't spoil it for you - you can see for yourself when you watch it.
Please don't hate Yuan Qi, try to see and understand his feelings... This is a story/journey to adulthood. If we have everything perfect with no mistakes, then it will just be bland and boring, and it will not touch on our emotions the way it did... If you didn't like him at the beginning then he's a character that will grow on you by the end.
Yuan Qi is character that have made mistakes, mistakes that leads to regret and regret that leads to character developments, but in my eyes, no matter he is Gu Jin or Yuan Qi, they are the same person, and he has always tried his very best to protect A-Yin on his end. I can never bring myself to hate Yuan Qi, because I understood the situation that was presented to him, and how much he shows me he cares and values A-Yin's life. But the portrayal of Gu Jin and True God Yuan Qi does present different aura's to show a contrast on the development/growth that after Gu Jin returned to being True God Yuan Qi, he is no longer that same carefree him who just lives his life away, not having to shoulder those heavy responsibilities that he will have when he returned to being True God Yuan Qi
But you know, one of the things I love about Yuan Qi's character is that, although he know he doesn't have much time left, he really just simply want to spend those remaining moments with Feng Yin, so they can have those happy memories to look back to.
This is really difference to his father, Bai Jue, because respectively(each to their own) love the FL, in BJ perspectives, he thought that having his family hate him will be their strength to live on and move on without being heartbroken when he's gone. Since he didn't want the whole short time bliss leads to an long term suffering.
But Yuan Qi, in his own story shows us this in another light, where he didn't want to waste any moments away and he just simply want to create those happy memories together for Feng Yin, so that even if he's gone there won't be any regrets.
I think deep down Yuan Qi is subconsciously impacted by his father's decision and wish he didn't have to go that direction to make them(YQ and SG) hate him(BJ), because that left them with regrets when they found out the whole truth but is too late to go back to fix those regrets because they didn't know BJ real intentions and how much BJ loved them
Anyways what I wanted to say is that I honestly love BOTH Bai Jue and Yuanqi here, they both will do anything to protect the woman they love but have taken different paths to achieve it. If I have to choose here, although I understand BJ intentions were good, but I have to agree with Yuanqi decisions and what he's showing me, since I rather see some happy moments which leaves them happy memories without any regrets IF he have to "die".
Yuanqi in my eyes is a great and loving husband and I feel happy that Fengyin can have someone like Yuanqi who loves and protects her like this.
From the audience perspective, my advise is when you watch this drama, try to take a step back and see it from all sides perspectives, not just one, and then you will see why they did what they did. Whether you like it or not, it is entirely up to your preference, but like I said, when we look at his past from his childhood until now, it is impossible not to feel sorry for him. I do think this is the fate of the god of chaos, the direct leader of the true gods. The same was true for his mother, Shang Gu. In my opinion, the greater the power, the greater the difficulties one must overcome.
Some may love ALP better, due to preference, I love ALP too but I also love this drama as well, in its own way because it is a great story which shows a different perspective to being a True God in the three realms and showing how the characters have grown through their respective story. Each one have their own tribulation they must overcome, both Bai Jue and Shang Gu have theirs in ALP, now it's Yuan Qi's turn in TLI. Being in a tribulation, I see it is obstacles they have to overcome whether it's in love(worthy of being with each other at the end, after going through all these obstacles set for them by fate) or the roles of being a True God (Yuan Qi) and Phoenix Queen (Feng Yin).
As far as the other actors goes, there is quite a few familiar faces, like I recognized Qi Pei Xin who plays as Bi Bo and Feng Ming Jing who plays as the Three Headed Dragon, since they were both actors from The Untamed LOL, so that was a nice surprise to see them in this drama. I do think that all the actors did a great job in this drama!
If I have to say something I don't like is that, they didn't feature Tian Qi or Zhi Yang in the God Realm (or any mentioning of them), and I am still bitter at the fact that aside from Yuan Qi, they didn't keep the canon names for some of the other characters, and have to changed it instead. Di Juan and Yi He, seriously?? (-___-)
In terms of ending perspective, my final verdict is I asked for an ending that makes sense and I got that, they did well in explaining how Yuan Qi can come back instead of just leaving it to our imagination... Thats at least not lazy writing imo.
It's a happy ending for all characters and I'm happy for them. Happy that for all 3 pairings I shipped they got their happy ending.
I will have to express my gratitude to the Devil God, Ming Qi, since he really played a big role in bringing back Yuan Qi, and he doesn't seem as evil/selfish as his character portrayal in Ancient Love Poetry. I also like the bromance between him and Xiuyan!
In terms of the ending for Yuan Qi and Feng Yin, yeah, it's a Happy Ending BUT personally it's not a satisfying one, for me at least, since.... I was like why didn't she run up and hug him at the end???
Honestly, I would be content if they shared one last hug before the end. It would be a nice parallel back to Bai Jue and Shang Gu (Yuan Qi's parents) where Shanggu ran up to Baijue and hugged him and them both being content at the end of Ancient Love Poetry (ALP) in each other's arms... But sadly we didn't get that in The Last Immortal. You know the irony here is that back then when I saw that ending for Shang Gu and Bai Jue, I wanted something more for them, not just a hug, but now in The Last Immortal, looking back at the ending, to Ancient Love Poetry, that was at least a more satisfying ending for the Shang Gu and Bai Jue, at least they can have a one final hug, which we didn't get for Yuan Qi and Feng Yin.
This is why I feel conflicted about the ending. I love that they put in the effort to explain how it's possible for Yuan Qi to come back and not left it to our imagination, but at the same time, I didn't feel satisfied with this ending. I honestly would be content if Feng Yin ran up to Yuan Qi and they have one final hug before the end. If that happened I think it will be a nice parallel back to ALP ending IMO.
IF they can't get that, then, can they not at least close the gap and not standing at a distance like that? Yeah, I can see that they both expresses how happy they were that they're back together, even if there's a distance, they're connected through their mutual happiness (for their well deserved happy ending). It is poetic, but it didn't leave me with a satisfying feeling, this is because I do think that after all they've been through they both deserve a more satisfying ending, you know....
Well, I think that is about me and my Xianxia genres in todays standards.... They always go with the typical "last minute happy ending", where the ML sacrifice for the FL, and the FL wait for the ML and then he return, and they got their happy ending... I really miss the good old days where the ending for Xianxia back then have a more fully satisfying ending when compared to nowadays. This is why for me, when I came to love them as a pairing in Xianxia, I want them to film at least another Drama together but this time in a Modern setting since at least the Modern Dramas are more fulfilling with their ending when compared to Xianxia. Xianxia has always been my favourite genre, but sadly, this is how I feel towards Xianxia ending nowadays, there's only a few Xianxia endings that puts a smile in my face when I watch it in 2023.... Back from the Brink, Love you Seven Times and The Journey of Chongzi epilogue to name a few where I was happy/content with their ending..
Anyways, I won't ramble on, so I will conclude my review here, do I recommend this drama? Yes!!! If you're a fan to Ancient Love Poetry, then do give this Drama a go, but watch this without any biasness. We may have our preference on which one we love better: ALP or TLI, but don't hate on one of them just to make your drama the "better" one since everyone have different preferences, and you're not doing your drama any justice because you're giving a bad rep to the one you're supporting/loving.
For me, I love both Ancient Love Poetry and The Last Immortal. They both have their own unique charm that is compelling, and it will be a sad miss if you don't watch either one IMO!
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