Editorials 
For the most part, the drama is easy to watch and the episodes go by fast. Good pacing with no time is wasted since there is a lot to tell in the given time. There are some stories that outshine others, but the story still gave a fair amount of screen time to all the characters. The music that accompanies it is excellent. The main theme song, sung by our main heroines, is perfect in portraying what this drama is all about, women of this era. The other theme song that caught my attention was Cinderella by Jiang Xin (Fan Sheng Mei) had really great lyrics that describes the hardships and hopes of women our generation.
If I were to look at the stories individually, I wouldn't call them original in any way. Not only that, you can say they aren't that realistic either. What makes this drama outstanding and memorable in my eyes isn't the over story, it isn't the result where our girls end, but the characters, the journey they take individually and together. It makes their world feel real and complete. Every new character we meet feels that he or she is playing their main character in their own world. While watching each episode, I found myself having so much to say about each and every character. Everything they did made sense in their mindset. Everything they say had a reason behind it. And the more we discover about the characters, the more the picture feels complete and everything starts making better sense.
Honestly, I could write an essay on each character in the story. None of the characters is perfect, each characters had good and bad points. But you know what the genius is in the end? At the end of the drama, we still have the same people, with the same positive and negative side, yet they felt more at peace and more satisfied with themselves than when we first them. There was definitely changes and development throughout the drama, but it is very subtle and didn't require any of them to change their personality.
While characters individually were all written well, and the relationship between the girls was great and felt the most genuine, when it came to the love relationships, the chemistry wasn't all there, and many times it felt awkward seeing the characters together. Somehow, when they went on dates, it felt like everyone was being pretentious. At times that suited the characters, but other times it felt out of place. It didn't bother me much, though, since the main theme of the story was the relationship between the girls, and that felt the most genuine with the most sizzling chemistry XD
The one thing that annoyed me most was the narration. First of all I just don't like the narrator's voice. And second, it's a wasted effort. In reality, the cast is all very capable, and they were great at expressing their thoughts and turmoil through their facial expression. NONE of them needed someone to tell us what they were thinking. It really annoyed me in the beginning, then I just tried to ignore it.
Before finishing the drama, when I heard there would be a second season, I worried that the story would drag. However, this isn't the case anymore. While the drama ended in a good place and I feel completely satisfied, there is a lot of potential for a second season and a lot more stories to tell. For that reason, I can't wait for it. I already miss those girls!
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Firstly let me say that the acting is on point, no surprise there at all. These are all talented cast who've worked for many years. Guo Jinfei as Su Mingcheng was the overall highlight for me as I felt his character was the most difficult to grasp and had some intense dialogue, many of which were improvised. Of all the cast, I hope he gets some recognition for his performance. They also added a touch of Suzhou culture to the drama by inserting Suzhou "pingtan" (a traditional form of performing arts sung in the Suzhou dialect) that usually matched the scenes they were edited to.
It's hard for me to review this for several reasons. I think most people watching this would enjoy it as a good, emotional family drama. But let's set aside emotional manipulation and convenient plot devices because I feel that's lazy writing. What ruined this show for me was the ending that broke away from the novel's original ending in order not to aggravate TV audience expectations. The amount of toxicity and abuse in the Su family could not have realistically been resolved the way it was in the show. As a result, characters went through typical whitewashing, which I think completely missed the point of the original story and does a huge disservice to Su Mingyu and all people who have grown up in similar environments.
The message this drama passes along is that family is everything and no matter what, you should always forgive family because forgiveness sets you free. But I disagree, I find this message extremely invalidating and oftentimes unrealistic. Letting go of hatred is not equivalent to forgiving those who have abused you emotionally or physically. No amount of whitewashing, no reasons, serve as justifiable validation for people to treat you like trash, ever. Period. You can learn to let go of hatred so that you can free your present self from the grasp that shitty events in the past have on you without forgiving people who do not deserve your forgiveness, even if those people are family.
And that's why I'm conflicted about my thoughts about this. I don't feel like I have the right to decide how other people, such as Mingyu, personally handle these situations. We all choose our own way of moving on and letting go, and at best we can only be supportive instead of judgmental of what makes other people feel empowered and happy. I personally feel that the direction this drama went is rather fantastical and is something more often wished for than actually happens in real life. For a realistic production such as this, I expect less wish gratification and more stark realism. I can only say that in the original novel, Mingyu did not make certain choices she made in the drama, and I think the drama should have at the very least kept the choices she made in the book. Firstly because they make more sense character-wise, even if they are less wholesome; secondly because while I can't make decisions for Mingyu, the original author can and did, but her choices weren't respected. Most Chinese family dramas choose this type of ending, All Is Well did not bring anything new to the table even though it had the opportunity to.
There is also one error in the writing that doesn't actually affect the story, I only want to point it out because this is supposed to be a realistic drama and I really feel like the writer should have done some work here: The entire premise of this story is unrealistic in itself due to the fact that China established the one-child policy in 1980. The Su kids are obviously born after 1980, so yeah. Especially in a major area like Suzhou, given the Su parents' occupations (hospital nurse and school librarian) it's impossible that the Su family could have had 3 children.
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Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring
32 people found this review helpful
This was a movie that showcased the beauty of life in all it's stages, what the world can show you if you only watch and listen, and how harmonious it can be. This is not a fast paced film, nor is it filled with alot of dialogue. However, 10 years later I still remember this film fondly and look forward to watching it again.
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Watch it for your favorite actor / actress
This is the first review I've written because I find the high rating (7.9 currently) puzzling.Compared to other dramas of similar rating, I must say this is not on the same level.
I'm fan of the leads, so I'm watching the drama because of them. Unlike other comments, I find the acting more than acceptable (but I haven't read the novel, so I can't say if the characterization matches that in the novel). They are cute individually, but I also agree the chemistry is lacking - despite the cinematographer's efforts into building romantic picturesque scene that's just classically gorgeous (particularly those scene in those last episodes - you know the ones. yum.)
Except those few scenes at the end, the special effect was also horrible in the sense that it pulls you out of the story. The "inner force" is all just fan and wind, and the power feels a bit hallow on screen. The line trap that's virtually invisible is thick as a rope at times, and can just be cut through or repositioned if you're a character that needs to stay alive. It is impossibly deadly if you're a bad guy. The green screen effect and prop so obvious that again it looks more like a school project than a professional production. The editing is choppy. The exact same line repeated in consecutive scenes (as if they filmed it, and didn't know how which they want to use and decided to include both).
The fights themselves are not the most interesting choreography I've seen, and we've all seen these actors execute better fight scenes in other dramas. Every c-drama fight is a dance, but it's like watching a professional dancer dance or watching an elementary school production. The steps are simple - suggestive of a fight more than seeing and feeling it. For a show billing itself as a wuxia, the "wu" (meaning fight) element is surprisingly weak. This got worse in later episodes, where they skip the fight entirely. There is a scene where the character picks up their knifes indicating they are going to fight. The next scene is the bad guy on the ground suggesting there was a fight and the bad guy lost... which leads us to the biggest problem of this story - the writing. The political dynamics both of the court and of the martial arts world were brushed over. It leaves the viewers feeling like all the fights were just random. You're barely invested in the fights. You know good guys will win and bad guys will lose.
The drama has never set any tangible goal for any character. Zhou Fei leaves home for the sake of leaving home - no goals to speak of. Xie Yun's goal is achieved by the end of the first episodes, the rest of the time he's just wanting to live his life. Now, wanting to live his life has been the plot of many leading man, if only there was someone who doesn't want him to do that. But in fact, everyone wants him to just live a normal life and do nothing. So, yeah, our leading man is someone who's entire arc rests on do nothing. One could then say his arc is to support Zhou Fei, but Zhou Fei's arc seems to be supporting Xie Yun. So, again, circling around nothing...
Side characters are largely one-dimensional, and again lacks purposes. So often, I feel like why is that character in that scene? She has no skills and therefore no reasons to join this "mission". Eventually I concluded the actress needs screen time. So, even though there is absolutely no reasons for character x or y to be there, the script put them there because that's where the action is. The acting for some were flat - furthering my feeling of "huh?"
Low music scores because as the show progress, I find the music montages as just a way to fill time. Later episode also had very modern sounding music that pulls me out. I thought I was watching a James Bond movie...
I'm writing this review because I use this site to evaluate what drama to watch - and 51 ep is not a small amount of time. So, if you are fan of the leads, go for it. The plot is simple enough that you can watch it easily in 2x without issues. Honestly, this is a fine show if it wasn't for higher expectations. Had this been a show with no names, no supposedly good source material, and released without fanfare, it would have been just another average c-drama in the sea of internet dramas with rushed script and low production. Some reviews say this is their favorite drama of 2021, I suspect it's only because we're in January...
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All is good up to the last few episode / ending
Story :I think the main story was good and it was really engaging, really like the part however when it comes to the ending, it became really shitty. I couldn't understand what was going on. It makes sense but doesn't make sense in the way that it just doesn't come together. It felt like they didn't had enough time or money to put in the effort. After ep 20, things start to go haywire imo.
CGI:
Despite it being a show where most of it is CGI, I think it is pretty good. The CGI don't seem too fake like other Chinese movies/dramas. It doesn't look like a 50cent CGI. Feels like a good $2 CGI.
Music :
No Much comment, think it is pretty good. I skipped the intro song and ending songs because it wasn't really that catchy but suits the mood. I binged watch every week once it is fresh out of the oven so I only listen to it once or twice per few ep.
Acting:
I don't know how others view their acting. The ML does has a pretty solid filmography so his acting is ok. The FL, many people complaint about her acting. I think there are quite a few moments where her expression do not tell me anything, particularly towards the ending but overall, I still can stand her and I think she is pretty good looking. The chemistry between them offset feels more real than the chemistry in the show. I felt that at the starting that there was no chemistry and I wanted to drop but I continued.
Ending:
I really cannot stress how this ending is like BOOM in your face. There is no real meaning I felt. It felt like I dropped into a pit and had no way of coming out. Will there be a second season?? Open ending?? I felt like the last 10 eps are kinda waste. of time.
There is no proper ending to the second male lead and the main male lead. The female lead also. Who the fk this master comes over "Hey , I am here to fetch you" Go where????? There is no proper explanation.
There are a lot of questions that I have in mind and I want to know:
1. Where is the FL's real home/ real past?
2. What happens to the ML and second ML now that this FL is going to leave?
3. How the hell did the two side characters (Xwien Ei, Jaoke) came back when they were gone during the fight?
4. What is the master's story? How did he went into that ring and the coming back out didn't really make big sense.
As you watch this show, please remove all your doubts from your head if not you will be like ????
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Well, a lot of people didn't like this one, but I enjoyed a lot! :)
I think that this drama deserves more love and attention.
So, give this a try and don't stop at the fist episode, because everything progressed from episode to episode.
Romance between the two main leads was awesome and so cute.
I’m sad because they cut 2 episodes. The ending was a little bit rushed, but I still liked.
The acting was good, the plot was good, interesting and somehow warm, the actors did a very good job and OSTs were sooo good! :D
Yoon Shi Yoon was so adorable in this one. His acting skills are awesome. You could clearly see the difference between Kang Ho and Soo Ho! He can act a silly, cute and fun guys and serious guys with deep emotions!
Yoon Shi Yoon, see you soon, on your new project and Tv drama!!!
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Having said that, G 1970 is thoroughly watchable. In fact I watched it twice. The first time was a blur because there were so many characters, and to be honest, all the men, and there were plenty of them - gangsters and politicians - did sort of start to look like one another after a while which made it difficult to understand the plot and storyline, not to mention having to read the subtitles fast left me a bit confused.
But when i watched it a second time, I enjoyed it much more because the story and characters became clearer to me.The action/fighting scenes are very realistic and well executed; there is a lot of blood and gore. The pace of the movie is tight and well controlled although I think the editing did leave some parts a bit patchy and not as smooth and seamless as it could have been.
Kim Rae Won shines as a baddie but I think this has to do with his "bad boy" look in the first place which makes his character believable but KRW does play his character very effortlessly and it is testament to the good actor that he is. Jeong Jin Yeong who plays Jong Dae's adoptive father is also an excellent actor - very controlled in his acting yet conveying volumes - pain, regret; you really get that he wants to leave his gangster roots behind and live a simple life.
It is tougher to see Lee Min Ho as a gangster, but on the occasions when he is out for blood and you see the anger and raw emotions - that's when he really stands out. It helps that he is not an all out baddie; he did not start out as a gangster and his psyche is such that he would not have been one if circumstances and fate had not dealt him such a hand. So he can be excused for looking exceedingly handsome while wielding a knife. I think overall it was a major transformative role for him and he truly delivered. Aside from anger and ferocity which he conveyed well, he also spoke volumes with his eyes when channelling ambition, despair and emptiness. You have to watch his eyes; it's all in his eyes. All in a great performance for a breakout role such as this. In fact, after sharing his pain and loss as Jong Dae, I had to get a dose of fresh air and made my way to the Innisfree store downstairs to look at his standee (he's their global brand ambassador) - there he was standing, smiling, fresh faced and youthful, with his Kim Tan look and that was when the contrast of characters really hit me, it was like i was looking at 2 completely different people, and that was when I realised he had really managed to change his image for the movie and he had done it very successfully. Forgive me for rambling about Min Ho; I am a fan!
The last scene is very touching, heart wrenching and symbolic and very well done; a fitting end to a roller coaster movie. On the whole, kudos to Yoo Ha and the cast; it was quite a ride!
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An Absolutely Wild Ride!
I went in with ZERO expectations after YouTube randomly recommended me the first episode, and let me tell you, the leads are both absolutely unhinged!While I love the ML, the FL stole the show for me! This lady is no damsel in distress. If anything, she’s the one causing others’ distress half the time lol and is capable of saving herself and the ML too. They are logical to an extent and think like normal human beings, which I really appreciate.
FOR ONCE, we have an ML with a functioning brain, who does not welcome the supposed dead lover back with open arms and actually asks the FL for cooperation to check if this randomly resurrected chick is sus or not. Them acting like a couple in love absolutely cracked me up. From the looks of it, the ML probably enjoyed it a little too much and has no qualms choosing the FL over the random gege-ily-back-from-the-dead chick.
The ML and FL team up quite often to break open conspiracies, and it’s so nice to see the FL being the one with the loose screws. And the ML absolutely knows that, which makes their banter absolute GOLD! (especially when they’re offing people who offend them)
The chemistry is through the roof sans the usual violence in the name of affection. There's consent asked and given once they move past the murder-y phase. Not to mention, it’s an enemy-to-lovers done right where the ML was ready to off the FL in the beginning for supposedly causing his GF to die. But once he figures out something is fishy, he not only helps the FL find the truth about her cheating BF but also helps her punish her stepmom. All the while he’s still doubting her lmao
And they both don’t give two shits about the yappers around them. The nosey sister, the domineering grandmom, the slimy brother, the spoiled child princess, everyone is background noise for them to use at their convenience and dispose of as required.
But there's character development and I actually ended up feeling sorry for the 2FL. The whole diary thing was kinda random tho but okay. The SIL became FL's follower and the grandmom sorta just accepted the situation and gave up. Yay for that honestly!
I do have an issue with them letting people go rather than dealing with them, but they all do get what they deserve, and most of it happens in things seemingly unrelated to the leads, but totally within their purview, which makes for an interesting watch. Because they know how to borrow others’ blades to deal with others, and not directly get involved and tarnish their own reputation.
The ending 3-4 episodes were kinda weird tho. It was almost like the writers forgot they had a bunch of episodes left and ran out of ideas once the 2FL's identity was exposed. The push and pull didn't feel authentic since the ML was very much making heart-eyes at the FL but suddenly had an identity crises after the diary was discovered. Again, kinda weird, since it would've made sense for the ML to be confused about his feelings during the early episodes since he was supposed to love his kinda-dead GF but suddenly felt drawn to this girl who spoke and acted in a familiar manner. But once the FL had the epiphany that she liked this guy, she was very much committed to making them a thing. Gotta respect the hustle.
The swapped person plot was very reminiscent of the coroners diary and kinda felt being thrown in for shits and giggles to pass time. Maybe they were a 20 episode drama and had to extend last min. Never-the-less, the ending was decent so I'll let it pass.
Was quite worried the FL would probably sacrifice herself with all the assertions of loving herself the most (coupled with the ML's love of letting the antagonistic brother just go) but I'm very glad they proved me wrong. She really does have foresight and is well prepared for all the shit that might go down so props to her.
I’ve previously seen the FL and my god, she’s improved by leaps and bounds. Haven’t seen much of the ML’s work, but he’s definitely on my radar now.
All in all, it’s an amazing watch, especially for a mini-drama, and if you’re looking for something with minimal dog-blood plots with sensible leads who have more than one brain-cell between them and actually TALK to each other instead of making wild assumptions from thin air, you should definitely check this one out! Kinda surprised it hasn’t blown up much, but I guess limited availability could be a reason too. Hopefully, we get better subs in the future :/
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Silence, Love and the Value of Friendship
This is my first review but I just had to write about Silent. I really loved this show. I was hesitant to love it up until the last episode because I was afraid that it would break my heart as so many Japanese dramas & movies tend to do. But this was beautiful all the way through and every character was so rich. There were several opportunities for the show to go in a way that would have disappointed me but the writers resisted. Watching Sou's growth throughout the series was so endearing and I couldn't wait to see what would happen. Meguro Ren did such a great job of playing a complex character and one that was so different from the only other drama that I'd seen him in, My Love Mixup. Kawaguchi Haruna is luminous as Aoba. All of the side characters were also so layered and interesting. Special shoutout to Suzuka Ouji as Minato. The character was my underappreciated MVP and this young actor did such a good job with him. I can't wait to see what he does in the future. I loved the last episode which brought tears to my eyes as it ended. I highly recommend if you don't mind a quiet, slow paced show that will steal your heart.Was this review helpful to you?
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A Lighthearted Sweet Drama
You should definitely watch this drama if you crave a lighthearted sweet drama without stupid misunderstandings. This drama mainly focuses on the main leads, and not so much on the second leads, but the second leads still get a reasonable amount of screen time (the right amount in my opinion). Also, the chemistry between the main leads are just... AMAZING. There's not a lot of kiss scenes (since Allen Ren is married) and this drama shows that even without many kiss scenes, the drama can still be as sweet as any other dramas. The reason why I gave it a 9.5/10 instead of 10/10 was because the ending seemed really rushed and a lot of parts were missing or cut out. So, the beginning and the middle of this drama is definitely a 10/10 for me.I usually don't really mention music since it's not TOO important, but here I have to say something about it...
There's about 100 different pieces of music used in this drama (it's an exaggeration but still) and most of them are really... weird. Not only that, but the most of the music comes in during very awkward places that doesn't seem that appropriate for that specific piece of music. Also, sometimes it's unnecessarily loud. Nevertheless, I really enjoy the music "Exchange" sang by my favorite singer Zhou Shen, and you'll hear it a lot throughout the drama lol. But as I mentioned earlier, music isn't that important in a drama so it did not affect the overall score of this drama :)
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Not having been a huge fan of Taecyeon in Dream High, I watched this drama strictly for the plot. It sounds neat: A girl who discovers she can see ghosts after a 6 year coma and a guy who helps her solve her ghostly mysteries. I'm not saying the plot line should win a Pullitzer or anything, but it does sound entertaining! Unfortunately, this drama squandered all of that fun potential on pseudo plot twists and mediocre romance.
It's never a good sign when you root more for the lead character to be with a ghost than you do the actual male love interest. Surprisingly, this isn't even Taecyeon's fault! I was really impressed with how much he had improved from Dream High, and I really did love his character. Cha Gun Woo is an all-around good guy, willing to help out our heroine even when he isn't sure if he believes her. But even though he was doing all the right things, there was just no chemistry between him and Yang Shi On.
Yang Shi On's character was, for the most part, fairly likable. It was hard not to feel for her when she was so obviously lost and confused, trying to pick up the pieces after a 6 year absence from the world.
Kim Jae Wook was easily the star of the drama, which is interesting considering that for the majority of it, he didn't have any lines. But the way he watched over Shi On and loved her so much, even after so long was just heartrending.
The villains were disappointing, never evil enough to really be interesting, nor frightening. I can't even count the number of times that Gun Woo and Shi On were able to outmaneuver huge groups of men. If two people, with one of them having just come out of a coma, can beat 20+ gangsters, you are obviously not hiring gangsters from the right place.
Other than convoluted plot lines and a sad attempt at emotional terrorism in an effort to make you connect with the characters, this show isn't wholly irredeemable. It's short episodes ensure that you don't feel too bored throughout, and for the most part the ghost's problems were fairly interesting. All in all, not a complete waste of time.
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Liked It For Vibes, Chemistry, And Chaos
Let’s just start with this: what a wild ride from start to finish. The drama starts off with FL attending her fiancé’s funeral, it’s raining, she's in black, holding a red umbrella, and then, She kisses a man who looks just like her dead fiancé… on the coffin. I was instantly hooked. That opening was Insane and I loved every second of it.The leads chemistry was fire! the tension, the kisses, the banter, the hugs, the looks… they were so in love even when they weren’t supposed to be in love. I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing this pairing again—they were that good.
FL (Mi Chuxia / Huo Ruoyi) was adorable, quirky in the best way, and so full of life, even in her grief. Her moments of talking to herself are Iconic. And I loved her pouty face.
ML (Lu Nian Bai / Tang Jing Xing) was the perfect combo of playful and broody. The teasing? The “uncle” card? Sir. Please.
Let’s talk about cinematography,The colors, the funeral scene, the dance, the proposal, the flashbacks—everything had that dramatic mini-series gloss, but they used it well.
SFL (Lu Nian Qi) was stunning. You knew from the start she’d be the villain but she was so elegant and compelling, I couldn’t even bring myself to hate her.
SML though? NO. Certified creep. Obsessive, manipulative, unhinged. The kind of character that makes you side-eye the actor just a little (no hate though, He did a great job). And the attempted assault? Absolutely not. Not romantic. Not okay. I’m so over dramas pretending non-consensual stuff is passion. Hard pass.
Still, despite that moment (and a few too many “are we really doing this?” kisses), the show delivered on romance.
There were plot holes, yes. But you know what? I was too entertained to care.
Also—plot twist—I’d seen Season 1 before and didn’t even realize it until halfway through! Different actors, same characters.
Final thoughts:
Entertaining, emotional, and sometimes unhinged. It had everything a good mini drama needs, strong chemistry, drama, a wild plot, and some swoon-worthy moments.
Would recommend. Just… be ready for chaos.
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This Drama Has Changed My Life
Once you´re at the end, you´re at the beginning.Thanks to the Novel, "Mo Dao Zu Shi" by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, this masterpiece was produced and released early enough to cure depression. Due to the 50 Episodes, it might seem like a long way to go but don´t be hasty with your judgement because your decision to not watch it, will leave an invisible scar in your creative mind. Not only are the actors superb - I am not only talking about the main cast here - and reliable in their execution of every scene, but also the plot is unique and will keep you wanting for more.
Initially, I wasn´t that excited to watch this series and spend 2.250 minutes in total watching it. If back then I only knew how wrong I was. Presently, I think I spend even more time being obsessed with it. Once you´re at the end, you´re at the beginning.
Starting off with the novel has about 130 chapters and thematizes the origin and the hardship of the "friendship" between Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian, which was implemented so well in the filming. (Once you read the novel, you get what I mean) While the original web novel depicted an explicit romance between the two main male characters, the adaptation was censored with homoerotic subtexts instead due to China's ban on LGBT portrayals in films. Nevertheless, it was portrayed well enough to not be disappointing, since the actors put a lot of effort to show their feelings without the need for physical touch.
Besides the tragic main plot of Wei Wuxian’s search for himself and the sacrifices he has to make, there are also side stories that make the Drama definitely worth watching. Especially the tragedy of Yi City. You just have to watch it.
The most interesting gift that this series gives you tho, is the ability to see through a monotone facade of "... is evil" or "... is good". I would say it is a life-changing and instructive drama than most of the dramas I saw. It will give you insights into the life of a wrongly accused soul, fighting their way to survive the hell of prejudices/being a villain. On the other hand, we have a killer, whose murder impulse got triggered by the unloving and mean environment.
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As a period piece, Golden Empire explores harsh years in Korean history. While we are enfolded by this unique atmosphere, the opulent poison represented by the Choi family's own corporate power and wealth begins to take hold. Managing to be highly personal and impactful (even as it tackles complicated business affairs), this is a drama without cliche. Potential viewers should note only negligible romance is present. A few dalliances do exist, but these are far from sweet. For instance, one of the first and foremost openly compares its trajectory to the ill-fated connection between Eva Braun and Hitler. Of the heavily explored ties, family and business are king. Don't expect fuzzy heart flutters here; in the world of Golden Empire, loved ones stab you in the back for even one more share and prison is just another business trip.
Some imperfections exist admittedly; early episodes are strewn with time skips and somewhat confusing cinematographic cuts. It took about five hours submerged in this drama for me to find my footing and solidify my understanding of the plot. Once I could, the rest of the experience was riveting.
The leads offer juggernaut performances. Go Soo becomes Jang Tae Joo with almost theatrical flourish, building him impressively. This character represents the unpredictable, behaving radically in the race for money and influence. As such, his portrayal adopts a delightful and intoxicating element of controlled volatility, comparable to a lightning strike. It was a pleasure trying to figure out what he might say next and just how. Son Hyun Joo and Lee Yo Won embody the brilliant, but tragically flawed Choi cousins. Both of them had an amazing ability to begin friendly conversations and end them with figurative claws out. Out of the three addressed in this section, the persistent Min Jae (Son Hyun Joo) captured my attention without fail. His scenes comprise some of the most dynamic I've encountered in any drama; truly, both character and actor are highlights. Watch out for any scene including even two of these talents; it's guaranteed to be thrilling, especially if it includes both men.
Orchestrations were generally well applied, often serving to add that extra punch to a scene. The best description that can be made of them "moody, elegant, and high drama." Beyond the incredible introductory piece though, I'm not sure any of them make for good post-view listening. Vocals are another story, with Yeon Gyu Sung ("Crying"), ALi ("In My Dream"), and Sun Soo Jin ("Shout to the World") serving up some of the best I've heard all year. Despite romantic lyrics occasionally inappropriate to the series, but hey, they sound great.
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