Dilraba & Chen Feiyu’s Chemistry is Addictive! Cast Them in a Modern Drama
Love Beyond the Grave is the series I was most looking forward to this year, and I have to say — it didn’t disappoint me even a little bit!The story follows He Simu, the powerful and immortal Ghost Queen who lacks all five senses. She appears cold and detached on the outside, but deep down she’s incredibly fragile. Then there’s Duan Xu, the young and mysterious general with a brutal past, who turns out to be fiercely devoted and surprisingly gentle with her. He’s willing to give everything for her. What begins as a chance encounter gradually blossoms into a beautiful, intense, and heartwarming love that transcends the human and spirit worlds.Both lead actors delivered fantastic performances. Especially Dilraba — she was outstanding and played the role with such depth. She beautifully portrayed the transformation from an emotionless, icy queen to a young woman slowly learning about love and vulnerability. Every scene she’s in looks stunning and majestic. Chen Feiyu also did an excellent job conveying Duan Xu’s obsessive love and inner pain with subtle, nuanced acting. Every glance and every action makes it crystal clear how much he loves her. The supporting cast was generally solid, though I really hated Yan Ke’s character — he was so annoying and frustrating that he genuinely made my blood boil. On the bright side, Wei Zheming was great, and Zhang Li looked absolutely glamorous in her role as Jiang Ai.
The production is spectacular. The visuals are premium-level, the CGI and fight scenes are well-done, the costumes are incredibly intricate and gorgeous, and the soundtrack perfectly enhances the emotions of every scene.
What I loved the most is the chemistry between Dilraba and Chen Feiyu — it’s off the charts and so addictive! Their skinship feels so natural, both on and off screen. Every time they share a scene, the chemistry flows effortlessly without any forced moments. It really feels like the whole world disappears and there’s only the two of them. It’s such a shame that the production cut out so many kiss scenes in episode 30. Those were some of the best kiss scenes ever . I really hope the leads do another drama together, maybe a modern one next time.
Overall, Love Beyond the Grave is a romantic fantasy series that was absolutely worth the wait this year. The leads have incredible chemistry, the production is grand and beautiful, the fight scenes and CGI are top-tier, the costumes are stunning, and the soundtrack fits perfectly. 10/10 — I highly recommend everyone to watch it.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Is the cultural difference really so huge?
I started to watch the show with high expectations, so the disappointment was all the bigger. First of all, the ML is absolutely intolerable. Because he used to be a good hacker 10 years earlier, he is arrogant, extremely rude, and keeps bullying other people. The FL, who is supposed to be an IT prodigy and a popular online singer, has no sense of pride or self-respect and chases the ML to the verge of ridiculousness, even though he openly told her that he wasn't interested and treated her like garbage most of the time. So painful to watch! But the worst is still to come. At the beginning, we learn that ML's former team leader did some horrible thing, which resulted in the team being disbanded. You know what that horrible thing was? It was his commitment to fatherhood and responsibility for his unplanned child. His new GF, a team member, was too much of an immature !@$%^ to support him - she preferred to dump him and that's how the whole team broke up. Is the Chinese culture really so different from European that decent behaviour and responsibility are seen as vile and wrong? While rudeness, immaturity and hatefulness are seen as virtues? I don't get it.What I really liked were the charming supporting characters. I continued the show for them.
Was this review helpful to you?
The plot is neither shallow nor particularly predictable. Until the end, the viewer does not know if the romance between the leads will have a future or not, because apart from the age difference - which isn't that big anyway - there are other, more important obstacles: opposite stances towards work and life in general, different social status, dissimilar goals. The good aspect of this love story based upon differences is that both learn one from the other. It's not the dramatic change of one of them overnight, in the name of love or another equally unrealistic reason.
The best part of the plot lies in the dialogues, though. They are clever, at times hilarious, at others quite deep. I loved learning of the process behind the creation of an advertisement, and why those people are often referred to as "the creatives".
The acting was very good, although I must admit at not having been swept away by Itoh Misaki's performance. There were times when she felt wooden and unconvincing. This lowers my acting mark to an 8, which would have been otherwise flawless, since everybody else did a great job, including Kame.
The music isn't my favourite, but it was chosen with great sense and is very fitting with the story told and the setting.
The photography deserves a mention too: there are some beautiful screen shots throughout this show. I can still see them with my mind's eyes today, more than 4 years after I've watched the drama. They are meant to create a visual pattern, parallel images which create a nice contrast between the incompatibility of the two main leads in the world of words, and the harmony between them on a more emotional level.
I will rewatch it. It gave me an energy shot at the time, therefore I keep it for future need of the same.
Was this review helpful to you?
The one thing I'm confused about is they never really explained why was there another Xun'er in the villain valley.
Was this review helpful to you?
It's for you only if you do like comedy
first of all it's not actor's fault, I'm sure they're doing their best, but this idea was bad since the start.Is not easy to scream 99% time, but Yim has to do that for this role, what a waist!
I love the cast, but I also think they're ready for a serious story, with drama, maybe sensual scenes, I don't really know.
Unfortunally I'm sure I am not the only one disapointed with the choice to still in Bed Friends universe, because the production made it poorly.
Uea was sofiticaded and his boyfriend was warm and savage, we loved that, but now they are not interesting anymore, a truly shame.
Again, I loved the cast, even the two new ones, hopefully they got more elaborated roles in future, so I can have a great time watching them unshowed skills.
Give it a try, if you was able to giggle in the first episode, I think you can watch it without any problem <3
Was this review helpful to you?
Disappointing. It’s visually stunning, music is great, but that’s it.
I’m disappointed. The story is not good. Or maybe I just expected so much from the glimpse I had from the music video and reviews here.The music video of Park hyo shin’s ost is a way better story than the entire series. It’s unnecessarily long just to keep dragging the episodes to showcase the beautiful cinematography.
Story: Why so long? Is it to cater for the countless slow motions and CGI? Or is it to make it seem like a big shot kdrama? Most of the scenes are empty, the order of the series is a mess, maybe they were just trying to be more historically accurate but if then they couldve just made a movie. The war that I was expecting for the last episode actually happened in the first episode, and it was just a glimpse. The feeling of patriotism that I’ve been waiting for was concealed in a very short scenes, then the lovestory-filled ending came up, then the end.
Cast/Acting: I don’t buy the main leads. Why does it have to be Lee byung hun? He might as well became the father figure for the main female lead. I could see hyun bin as a more fitting cast for the character. Kim tae ri, okay so many better actress to portray this role, but I can forgive this. The rest of the main leads, perfect.
Music: One of the best soundtracks in kdramaworld. Thank you Park hyo shin and Baek ji young.
Rewatch: No, because it’s so long and empty, I might actually fall asleep. Actually I did fell asleep so many times while watching this, I just woke up one morning and the entire series has been streamed out. Lol!
Overall: Very disappointed. Unlike the claims of other fans about this drama as patriotic, historical etc. it actually focused on the lovestory of the main leads, the main leads as in the five main leads.
There are only three good things about this drama.
1. The cinematography
2. The music
3. The mourning scenes in ep 20.
Was this review helpful to you?
1The Female Lead Choice Doesn't Matter But The Story Line
I've been seen a lot of people complaining about FM choice what what, could you have been better? for my opinion I think she's portraying her character very well, it's just people used for the same FM's on the stories.I've watched the story and I already know how it's going, it's so good , the ML is not just handsome but so cool, he's the villan I love hating but failing to.
The FL is cute , I really can't wait for those to finally realized they have feelings for each 🤭
Was this review helpful to you?
Let me break it down for you, the drama is about 2 beautiful loving soulmates who, by the time they meet, they already have settled down for the wrong people. The drama is about true and fated love, but in its core it talks about putting yourself, your needs first and choosing your own happiness over everything and everyone else. We deserve to be happy and nobody is entitled to strip us of this right!
Yes the drama, on the surface, presents 2 married individuals who, because of different personal circumstances, fall for each other. Don't let this drive you away from this drama. The affair is introduced in the most romantic way possible without being glorified. It's not filthy in any way, quite on the contrary i'd say.
What made the drama stand out was easily the chemistry between the leads. Not the best i've seen but enough to charm you and make you get lost in the sparks. However, the best of the drama for me was the characterization. Seldom do we see such 3D, deep and well-rounded characters that feel like real people. This is one of the dramas that you have to read between the lines to properly comprehend that is going on and why. Many's the time i felt frustrated by the characters' choices and decisions, but this is human nature, scarcely logical sometimes. Moreover, i loved how even the "evil" characters had many layers but if you tried walking in their shoes you could understand where they were coming from, even if you still disagreed with their course of action. Good writing.
Sadly the drama was cut 4 episodes shorts and significant part of the storylines along with some characters were left unexplored. Still the writers did their best to complete the drama is a fulfilling way.
The drama is so natural, based completely on emotions and feelings, the plot devices for the story to unfold are strong and it is never really dragged or anything considering you're into romance and melodrama. However, there are certain drawbacks that refrain me from giving it a higher score.
First and foremost, i feel that the writers were really scared to actually go for it. The build up is there, the reasons, the excuses, the plot that is getting thicker and thicker, the chemistry which is sizzling but there is no climax. Generally the drama lacked the intensity that was needed sometimes, but the drama was special because of its mellow and calm nature. That being said, this aspect of the drama may make some viewers feel a little bored.
Story wise, the drama was solid, i only wished it wasn't so subtle when it came to the affair and also that they wouldn't deem some characters so evil just so they make other character look favorable. Too fake in my opinion.
Continuing to the acting, the overall experience was quite spectacular.
I've seen Lee Sang Yoon in other roles, wasn't impressed. Apparently i hadn't seen his flawless puppy eyes that he so effortlessly demonstrates here. Emotional and passionate, he pulled of his character impeccably.
Gotta hand it to Shin Sung Rok, for being a complete asshole (jn yet another drama i've seen him in). Takes talent to become the perfect antagonist and act like a complete jerk so realistically. His character was rather unemotional and shut down. It takes talent to act as an unemotional jerk and still pour part of your soul in the role! Luscious performance. An actor for me to look out for.
My personal favourite is, hands down, Choi Yeo Jin; the actress deserves more credit, she's been amazing in every project i've seen her in, but she shines here. Loved her character and the friendship subplot that she introduced, she was strong and intelligent and yet so loyal and dependable. Relateable and loveable.
My only issue was with Kim Ha Neul. Not that she was bad or anything, but i did feel that she overacted a lot especially while crying to the point it was fake and, moreover, i couldn't really relate to her in certain scenes while the plot was crafted so conveniently that anyone should have been able to excuse her and identify.
Overall, this is a good watch. Considering this is a melodrama it's not overly heavy, just the right amount. I'd recommend this to melodrama and especially romance fans. Be warned that the romance is not cute and fluffy here, but it is fullfilling (the chemistry is one you don't want to miss out on) in case you want to see something more "serious" let's say. I doubt i'll rewatch this, but it deserves a try.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Skip to the JohanNorth parts
This series might have been rated higher if it was based solely off the Johan North storyline. I had so many issues with the first couple. From the actors to the storyline to the script. Wasn't sure if was the character design or the actor but the character Easter just wasn't all that likeable. The acting felt very unnatural, a lot of strange face-pulling, exaggerated sighing, dramatic whining, yup nope. And the character Hill was so one-dimensional, and because I've seen the actor's other work, it's hard to believe that it was poor acting. The chemistry between the two felt extremely scripted and awkward. This is cliche done poorly. yawns...As for the second couple, they had a more interesting backstory, more natural dialogue, amazing chemistry and their script had a good mix of humour, drama and fluff. North grew on me over the course of his story and I was pleasantly surprised by the acting cos i had originally thought he was designed to be the "clown" and expected his acting to be over-the-top and cringey. This pair created so many heart fluttering moments with a good old enemies to lovers storyline, add on an interesting power imbalance with the debtor-creditor situation and a tsundere proud faced rich boy with a secret long term crush for a sassy, clueless, happy-go-lucky loser who has a ridiculous fear for ghosts and you've got me hooked. My two favourite scenes from this pair were when they reunited after Johan was a away for a few weeks, and when they were sitting next to each other in silence but in complete bliss during a basketball practice. This is cliche done right.
If you're looking for a fluffy series with a good tsundere rich boy-clueless poor dork dynamic I suggest skipping to the parts with Johan North i.e. episode 6 onward.
Was this review helpful to you?
Remake of Novel NOT Drama
FULL DISCLAIMER:Okay, first of all people need to know that this is a remake based on Zhao Qian Qian’s novel which is also clearly stated in the opening sequence so don’t come watching this thinking it’s gonna be a copy and past version of the Chinese drama. I’ve not read the novel so have no idea how close the drama is. My advise would be to lower your expectations, better still have none and don’t compare cos you will most likely be disappointed.
Secondly, whilst I did try the Chinese version I dropped it after one episode so I was kinda happy when I found out that there would be a Thai version especially one that’s not yet another Korean drama. I do love Thailand for remaking as many Korean dramas as they have but honestly, it’s so darn refreshing that they went with China.
As always, starting with the negatives which for me were the second leads. I tend not to like them if I’m being quite honest and this was no different. I found them both annoying until I didn’t anymore but I also didn’t like Pai’s so called friend Wawa. I found her to be selfish and her scenes always consisted of her moaning which resulted in my skipping most of her scenes unless she was with Pai or Pupaa.
STORY
This is pretty much the usual Cookie Cutter school love story for me, I’m not much of a School drama fan. Nothing really new to bring to the table but I guess for me, I found the fluff of it all refreshing….explained in my final thoughts. Also, whilst I did love the fact that the drama wasn’t just about the romance, I would’ve loved to get more light on the friendship between Ta and Pupaa. One thing I didn’t really like is how Pai always needed someone to come and solve her problems for her. Whilst the drama is made from China origin, I loved how they still managed to incorporate some Thai stuff into it to make it feel a bit more Thai. My favourite parts of the drama were definitely the Special Scenes.
ACTING/CAST
The acting isn’t anything groundbreaking but considering the actress playing Pai is a newbie, I personally think she did rather well. I enjoyed the main couple the most and what little friendship was used, I thought they had nice chemistry and fitted the characters well.
MUSIC
I only noticed the opening song which I loved. Oh and the lyric free background music.
REWATCH VALUE
For me, yes because I’ve probably enjoyed it more than I ever imagined I would.
I’m not usually into the overly fluffy romcoms but as far as Thai productions go, this is possibly the fluffiest I’ve ever seen which is a huge deal for me as most Thai I watch tend to come from Channels 3, 7 and One31 so you know there is a big difference. I didn’t feel out of my comfort zone which is strange as I previously mentioned, I’m not a fan of fluff or school and some scenes you could tell were a bit too cringey but somehow I didn’t cringe as much as I normally would from other countries. It’s been a nice experience watching a drama without fear of someone getting kidnapped, assaulted or stalked by some killer. This is a true romcom and I wish more were like this - danger free!
Was this review helpful to you?
Sort of tricked into somewhat completing the series
The series had a good introduction and followed up well on the suspense, until around halfway through at episode seven. Then it abruptly just nose-dived from the initial uncovering of the truth, which was pretty lackluster despite half of the episodes leading up to it. It continually only worsened with characters making odd decisions that made no sense. It's hard to describe but they spent so much time building up the ML/FL, only to have them look like blubbering fools for the rest of the series. The further diving into the truth also begins to develop large plot holes that weren't pieced together very well. I found myself becoming more and more disinterested with each latter episode and ended up not liking any of the characters at all. Because seven episodes had already been invested, the rest of the episodes were sped through with aggressive skipping just to get to the full unraveling of the mysteries (with exception of a few historical flashback moments). The slight twist in the end would have made the plot halfway decent if it weren't for all of the items mentioned above.Was this review helpful to you?
Nam Goong Min Awakens One's Curiosity
Review based on episode three.Nobody and nothing are what they seem in this drama, filled with mind games, mysteries, and eeriness. Awaken was a bit slow in its start-up, but once it got its groove, it's been nothing but one surprise after another. I love how Nam Goong Min plays Jung Woo. Everything, from the way he walks, talks, carries himself, and the carefree demeanor, belying his true feelings and thoughts. But what I like most is his uncanny ability to know what's going on around him and those he takes an interest in, be it his team members, the victims, potential victims, or the culprit(s). I got the sense there was more than one. Jung Woo makes this show worth the watch but then so do Jamie (Lee Chung Ah) and MJW (Yoon Sun Woo), who seem to mirror each other and are Jung Woo's other halves from an incident thirty years ago.
I like Hye Won's (Kim Seol Hyun) loyalty to Jung Woo; I hope she doesn't let her feelings get in the way. I get the sense Jung Woo picked her, knowing how she or, more so, her father connects to the village. I adore Yoon Seok Pil (Choi Dae Chul), Jang Ji Wan (Lee Shin Young), and Deputy Chief Hwang Byeong Chul (Kim Won Hae). I enjoy the humor and chemistry they bring to the team. I continue to be wary of Lee Taek Jo (Baek Ji Won) for her unscrupulous connections and Lee Ji Wook (Yoon Gyung Ho) for his self-serving reporting. As well as CEO Yong Shik (Jang Hyuk Jin) for his treatment of MJW, but think they are all just puppets playing to the tune of a more persuasive puppeteer. Awaken turned out to be a fun ride indeed.
Was this review helpful to you?
Might disapoint you if you believe everyone saying it's a masterpiece
Hear me out, I'm not saying this was crap. I liked it, it was a nice watch and I looked forward to it every thursday.But I kinda believe that the reason the rating is so high is because of 1: The NC scenes, 2: The popularity of the original manga/anime, 3: the acting
I have to say, the NC scenes were truly incredible. Not only because they were explicit or special (Use of Honey as lube, crying s*x...), but because the rythm and camera shots truly made us dive into their intimacy. The acting was also amazing, specifically from Boom as Akin who killed it all the way.
Now, the story itself was a bit all over the place. Specifically in the beginning before they get together, Akin keeps going back and forth in the way he treats Jin, both their actions kinda come out of nowhere and the evolution of the romance doesn't really make sense. It gets better after they become a couple though.
In general, it isn't that much different from any other BL in term of process and storyline.
For the adapation aspect of it, I have to say I'm SO GLAD for how it turned out. They were pretty loyal to the original plot, but they took the amazing initiative to change Jin's character for the better. If you haven't watched the anime or read the manga, you might have been taken aback by the nonconsensual kiss in the beginning, or the slight toxic treatment when Jin ignored Akin cuz he was sick. Well, I agree it wasn't the best, but oh god how happy I was this was the only aspect to be worried about, when you know Jin in the original story constantly r*pes Akin and is overall a controling piece of sh*t that sometimes has a sweet smile which apparently is enough to forgive him. So yeah, this was such a good choice from the screen writer/director of the drama.
On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised in the beginning when I saw they had decided to change point of view and take Jin as a main character instead of Akin. But then it seems they forgot about this whole idea as the story went on. It was disapointing how everything was always about Akin and we rarely got to dig deeper into Jin's character. It makes sense in the manga since Akin is the main character, but since they took that initiative of change in the drama, I wish they had gone all the way.
So yeah, overall worth it, but I definitely wouldn't call it a masterpiece
Was this review helpful to you?
This movie was exceptionally moving. A exquisite piece of Art by Hirokazu Koreeda, although the outcome is off of his usual genre I do think it convey his essence.
It's very rare, perhaps disturbing, mesmerizing movie.
The actress does a terrific work in interpreting a living doll, her roll was extremely believable.
The developing of the plot may be obscure for some people (I've read some harsh reviews about this movie) but I resolved to think that people CAN'T get the real meaning of the history: explore how people interact at a deep emotional level. The idea that someone's respiration could insufflate life to another person is a very intimate form of interaction and satisfaction.
All characters, whether their gender, they are alone.
For female characters, the keywords are "empty" and "absence". For the male, are "substitution" and "perversion." The men of the film didn't go straight to the object of his desire, but they choose alternative solutions. They are perverted men who want the death, not life.
These are the characters that KORE-EDA tried to to portray. It's a film about the solitude of urban life.
Overall, I think It's a worth-watching movie. You'll never forget it if you can find the meaning through the multiple metaphors inside and apply it to your own life. This is a philosophical essay... real poetry. A stirring rendition and superb images.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The Most Audacious Pair of Assassins!!!
It is exceptionally rare for me to begin a review with who I think literally steals this series from everyone. There is only one reason to watch this series. And that is because this story has Style. Style gave this series distinction. He IS the series and the only reason I finished this rather mundane and pedestrian story. Dunk Natachai as the character of Style brought such uniqueness to his persona from the beginning. Layered with arrogance, shallowness, pomposity and yet underlying it all was still a sense of sincerity. I could observe that he began his pursuit of Fadel (Joong Archen) simply as a challenge in the beginning. But once he undertook to know who Fadel was, he fell for him, hard and began to peel away at his exterior gruff layers, much like you peel an onion. As he did so with Fadel, he also peeled away at his own layers of shallowness surrounding himself. As he got Fadel to open his soul to him, he too did the same. With Dunk’s characterization however, I could sense and feel it deeply. His facial features and the way he looked at Fadel were not just about acting. It felt real. And oh, his love scenes with Fadel were not just fervently romantic; they were simply hot, erotic, and alluring. It has been ages, especially for a Thail BL, for me to actually feel a sensuousness emanating from an individual. He exuded it. Not only in words but in his expressions and his actions. It has also been a long time since I have been able to use the outdated term ‘it factor’ but he has it. He is the whole package. I never once felt as if he was faking it or ‘acting’ it out. He was genuine, sincere, even when he was being perhaps impish and immature in his approach to winning Fadel over. Deep-down, he projected such passion and intensity that he is the only Thai BL actor in an inordinate length of time that felt authentic. When he kissed, it looked sensual, seductive, and steamy. Excuse my vernacular, but his actions were hedonic, and his scenes made him tantalizingly erotic. Not afraid or ashamed to show it or be it. Something that has been missing in Thai BLs. He is an exceptional actor as he made it look so nature and unguarded. What a performance and kudos for making it feel so damn genuine.Read the complete article here-
https://the-bl-xpress.com/2025/03/08/the-heart-killers-series-review-ep-1-to-12/
Was this review helpful to you?
