Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area - Part 1
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Don't expect heart-racing thrills
I would expect a heist show to be fast-paced, high-tension, and high-energy. But this was strangely flat, slow and pretty dull. Heist movies and shows need one of two things to succeed: a tight, well-structured plot, or complex and rich characters. This tried to have both but ultimately had neither. There were interesting moments here and there, particularly towards the end. But the characters were too thin and the plot was too loose to make this an engaging watch. But since it's only 6 episodes, it's a pretty quick binge (supposedly there is going to be a part 2 with 6 more episodes, but I'm not sure if/when that will come out).Acting-wise, Kim Yunjin is definitely the standout. The rest were pretty average. Park Haesoo's Berlin is probably the most interesting of the heist crew, but it feels like they could have gone in harder on his (and everyone else's character).
The setting (reunified Korea) is probably meant to give the show a different spin. But I feel like they didn't make full enough use of it. They could definitely have exploited the tensions between a newly reunified North and South Korea a lot more. Even things like tensions within the negotiating team could have been used to create a lot more tension.
There was also not much soundtrack or BGM in this. Music is usually quite an important part of this type of movie, as it can really heighten the mood. But it was basically non-existent here. It's almost like they forgot.
This wasn't a bad show. It's an okay watch if you have some time and don't want to get too attached to a drama. But given the nature of the source material and the strong cast of actors, it was quite disappointing.
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Hands down, THE BEST.
Unmet – perhaps the best drama I’ve watched – is a poetic, moving piece based on a character’s journey to self-discovery. It is heart wrenching yet beautifully written. It reminds us of the essence and priceless value of life, evoking emotions that could resonate for most of us. It shows that not everything can be explained in scientific terms, as such that there are some things that the heart remembers when the brain does not.Every episode is a work of art, crafted carefully for the viewers to relish every minute of it. The entire staff, including the actors, spent an incredible amount of time to make this drama authentic by brainstorming ideas together and adding ad libs whenever necessary. The lighting, sound, and camera work has been set up meticulously to convey the tone for each scene.
This drama explores the human intricacies and the compassion that goes with it. Some incidents are not necessarily sad and yet you find yourself crying by the end of it. You cry because of the moments, the heartwarming relationships, the storytelling, and ultimately, the dialogues that are so moving. The featured stories for each patient will struck a chord in your heart. The comradery of the people in the hospital has been amazing to watch; everyone cares for each other like family.
Miyabi was introduced as an amnesiac character who does not remember the past 2 years of her life and would now only retain her memories for a day. She does not remember her past, so does the viewers. And as the story progresses, the audience (along with the heroine) would also get hints of her past. Some characters may seem to be the villain in the beginning, but in reality, they are not. Every episode is like opening a pandora box, giving a revelation which made it interesting and thrilling throughout.
The casting is immaculate. The actors who played their respective roles have been brilliant with expressing their intended message beyond just words. In one interview, Sugisaki Hana mentioned that one of the best things about their drama is that: it trusts their audience. Sugisaki Hana’s portrayal as Miyabi has been nothing short of perfection. Same thing for Wakabi Ryuya’s portrayal as Sanpei. Their acting is top-notch and you can feel every bit of emotions of their characters without them even saying a single word. There are moments where the camera would zoom into their face without any dialogues, and you will just find yourself shedding a tear. Their persuasive and heartfelt performances conveyed the feeling of loss, exhaustion, the longing, the ‘what could have been’. You cry because you feel the the utter depth of sentiment from the lost memories. Sanpei and Miyabi’s love for each other is subtle and yet the chemistry between the two is undeniably strong.
I could go on and on, but nothing could encapsulate my love for this drama in a nutshell. One has to watch every bit of it to get the compelling viewing experience.
Overall, 10/10. One of the best dramas – if not the best – I’ve watched.
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I'm relatively new to K- and T-Dramas, but I've been watching Telenovelas all my life, so at times I feel jaded of the topics and cliches that are shown. This drama did not make think about anything else but what I was watching. I was so into it, I was not thinking things like: When is this arc going to be over? Why are they dragging this so much?. It seems they had a firm hold on what they wanted to express from beginning to end.
This drama varies from many, as the Heroine of the story seems to be more "alpha" in personality than the male. The growth shown by her character and the way this actress portrayed it, was outstanding. I was at first hesitant about the acting by VanNess Wu, he seemed overpowered physically and performance wise by the main actress, but in a way this suited the characters so well, that it made it even more believable.
I liked that you get your "grew up in an orphanage" heroine, who instead of growing up to become the maid of a big hotel and a giving soul; becomes a strong, self centered, materialistic person who works hard for what she wants. Even if these things are brand named clothes and diamonds. Unlike most dramas this heroine is not the one spreading love and rainbows of happiness wherever she goes. She has a lot to learn about love and life, but has had no one to teach her. Nor has she been willing to learn.
In juxtaposition, our Hero is the one who is gentle and idealistic.
I liked the side characters and that the second female was not some mean girl who was going to take the man she wanted regardless of his feelings. The greatest hurdles that our characters went through were self created. Wounds that had to be healed. The main villain in our heroine's life was herself. I LOVED the characters of Peter and later on Moses.
The Parisian backdrop, the clothes and jewelry shown were amazing. It really did help to take me in and suck me into the world presented even more. The music was so beautiful and right when presented. It did not overpower and only aided to express what was going on in the scenes. This drama makes you fall for the sounds of the violin and makes you want to listen to what else is out there with this instrument. I even liked the opening score.
In short I really, thoroughly enjoyed this drama. Was it perfect? I don't know. I was too tunneled visioned while I was watching. I was buying EVERYTHING they were showing in an AS IS manner. To me, that is the best compliment I can give any sort of movie, book or drama. If the point of watching is to let go of your own reality for a few moments, this drama did it for me in a way I was more than willing to just go along. This drama really feels like a brand name, luxury item. I highly recommend it.
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heartwarming and heartrending
Overall: this is a prequel to Unintentional Love Story (ULS) with a focus on the side couple from ULS. Originally released as a movie and then broken into 6 episodes about 18 minutes each on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/the-time-of-fever-episode-1-18mbzov4oiw?lang=en_usContent Warnings: past death, child abuse/beaten up, homophobia, punch
What I Liked
- acting/chemistry/tension
- sweet and caring moments
- cameo from Unintentional Love Story actor Gong Chan
Room For Improvement
- because it's a prequel the ending is open, I still would love to see what happened to the couple after ULS but we'll likely never get that (this is a rare time I would have been okay with a time gap in order to get closure on their story)
- too much blur filter
- I don't totally understand the actions of 1 character at the end because he must have realized what the drawings meant, maybe internalized homophobia played a part in not communicating/telling the truth
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In terms of historical accuracy, Gohatto is right on the money for everything except the subject it's primarily dealing with.
In a way, it's modern-minded characters in a historical setting.
I won't give an entire Japanese history lesson here, but homosexuality was not fraught over as it is in the movie. For example, there is a lot of concern in the movie over who "swings that way" and who doesn't. In reality, shudo was considered a higher form of bonding and there was extremely little concern over who participated in such acts and who didn't. It's also important to note that sexuality was much less... fixed. It was not seen as such a solid concept as it is today.
Again, this could arguably be the intention of the director, handling a modern issue on a different platform.
Historical accuracy has never been huge for me, though. I do feel it's important to understand if something is or isn't.
A lot of this movie is left open to interpretation. If this is a big pet peeve of yours, I don't recommend this movie.
While artistically I understand why so many questions were left hanging in the air, a big part of me still wouldn't mind some filling in of the blanks.
Something I didn't hugely care for was that large chunks of time were "skipped over", explanations of what has occurred given textually. I just felt it didn't work for this film.
I do want to give due credit to the costume and set designs which were excellent. The swordsmanship was also well choreographed.
The music, on the other hand, just wasn't noteworthy.
The acting just didn't stand out to me. I felt the actors did their job and they did it well, but it wasn't anything more than that. It's difficult to tell if that is a reflection of their skills or a director's decision; I'm leaning towards the latter.
As a last little peeve, most of the actors keep a relatively flat affect the entire movie, especially Kano. While this can be chalked up to how samurai actually behaved at the time, my problem with it in this instance is that because so much of the plot is left up to how you interpret it, I was hoping for emotional cues to lead me in the right direction. So yes, I think the director made the right choice, but the selfish part of me wants to know what the characters actually felt.
I personally felt this movie was more about the corruption that goes with desire rather than homosexuality. Nonetheless, the director does a good job of presenting the issue in an interesting and relatively unique way.
Overall, it wasn't my favorite, but I do think Gohatto is worth watching.
Note: There's truly no sexually explicit scenes in this movie. There's only one that's even questionable. I do advise anyone who is squeamish of gore to proceed with caution, though.
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You Taught Me All the Precious Things
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We get to see the story in two parts- one where the story begins and other six months later. It had me entertained, frustrated, depressed and happy. But only when a story manages in getting the right reactions out of you, you can say it was successful. And this definitely was. I was on a ride with all its characters throughout the span of 10 episodes. I can't believe how quickly it ended.
It has one of the most well-shot emotional scenes I have seen in dramas yet. The last two episodes had moments which had me close to tears. Some scenes were plain beautiful. Plus, the dialogues are exceptionally well-written. The OST was also great. Pink is one of my favourite singers and I liked the songs they picked. The background score is beyond amazing. I will keep listening to it until I get bored.
This is the kind of drama that you either love or hate. It might require some patience towards the middle of the story, but it is all worth it in the end. The plot loses its colour in this part, but I still wanted to know what would happen. I was very invested in the characters. Though its ending is predictable, it is difficult to guess anything in between. The writer will manage to provide you with a good twist every other episode.
It has some pretty solid characters. It reminded me of how humans really are like. All characters act in a way that would turn you off, but at the end of the day they are presented as very ordinary human beings. And that is how we all are- flawed. And we all make mistakes. This is exactly what the characters do- they screw up, but they also learn from their mistakes and move on. The character depth of Hikari was tremendous. She is initially presented as a thoughtless, immature bad girl to us. But in fact, she is lonely and has serious abandonment issues. I really loved how she grew up by the end. Also, the struggle of Natsumi touched me. She shows how important it is to keep fighting and never give up hope. On the other hand, I was pissed at Shuji. He was hard to like till the end. He has some good things about him too, but the bad ones really annoyed me.
There were some scenes of the school which didn't get through me. I don't know how it is in Japan, but isn't the private matter of teachers to not be discussed with the students? I didn't get why Shuji was so openly talking about his personal problems with the students. That was super weird. Maybe it had to with his honesty? I am confused about that.
As for the ending- it was perfect. Just how things should have been. This is the first ending that left me totally satisfied because it provided closure to each and every character. And every one got what they wanted. What better way than this to end a drama?
So, this drama is not just for light viewing. Unless you have the patience to sit through a story where you can't enjoy unless you think- this isn't for you. If you're up for complex stories, then go ahead. It will surely not let you down.
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The kind of show that says too much without truly saying.
The most underrated show in 2021! This is the kind of show that will definitely stick around in your head for quite sometime.It might not be for everybody, but those who can enjoy melodramatic shows as much as I do, will understand what I mean.
Realistic, full of emotions, deeply written with some class acting.
It just leaves you thinking about the numbness we feel while we are living in autopilot mode and how a sense of belonging can brings life back even if it’s in the prohibited desires.
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The leads were cute as kittens and it really just made me smile for the majority. Though it did make me wish it was a little bit longer but that always happens with web dramas.
The OST has introduced me to ASTRO and I will save this drama for one of those times I need something short, sweet and cute to watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
A good show to clear your head:)
What I can say about this show:Now that I have finished this show, i can tell my whole judgement. This show is actually good, its not as bad as what most people say in the comments. I’ve been here since release of ep 3 so i can safely tell you that if your planning to watch this don’t get discouraged and go ahead and watch it. It’s a good watch, don’t over analyze it that much:)
Chemistry:
I LOVE IT, Nana and Jang Dongyoon made me stay. Their chemistry is EVERYTHING, hoping for more projects of them together. They compliment each other really well!!
Plotwise:
Now for plotwise, I do agree that it’s not the best of all. It had a good and promising start but the writing went sloppy towards the end.. There was
A LOT of filler moments which sometimes I enjoyed and sometimes not. There was also plenty of moments where something actually progresses but not really, basically dragging it. Like for example they finally knew smth in ep 12 which felt like should’ve been revealed in ep 8 or 9. It was a slow yet just right paced, i really think they could’ve pulled it off if it had proper scriptwriting or writing in terms of transitioning each scenes/story.. Personally it felt like there was two different writers who couldn’t agree on one thing. It made sense but also doesn’t. Anyways, Its good and enjoyable, they had some scenes that made me go 🤯
FINAL STATEMENT:
It’s one of my favorite comfort show and would watch again. Despite everything, I’ll miss this show.
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Don't Look Back: The Legend of Orpheus
31 people found this review helpful
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This review may contain spoilers
Reunion at Ruyi Pavilion
2 years after the much loved Legend of Yun Xi ended, the gang got together once more to give us The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion. This is a reunion of the cast and crew, comprising:Director - Lin Jian Long
Screenwriter - Jin Yuan Yuan
Main cast – Ju Jing Yi, Zhang Zhe Han, Xu Jia Qi (Kiki), and Wang You Shuo
Supporting cast - Lu Xing Yu, Chen Jing Yu, Tan Li Min, Tong Rong Qin, Li Rui Chao, and Jin Xiang Dong, among the notable ones
Unfortunately, Merxat isn’t part of the reunion (which is just as well, since the SML’s character here wouldn’t have suited him anyway).
UNOFFICIALLY, this is the sequel to Legend of Yunxi about the reincarnation of Han Yun Xi and Long Fei Ye. OFFICIALLY though, The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion is a totally different story - it’s apparently an extremely loose adaptation of the novel Chong Hou Zhi Lu (宠后之路) aka The Way of Favors by renowned web novelist Xiao Jia Ren (笑佳人). This drama is essentially about LOVE in its many incarnations – affectionate love, enduring love, familiar love, romantic love, playful love, obsessive love, self-love, and selfless love (also known as the ancient Greek’s 8 types of love). Included in the mix are subsets comprising the dreaded love triangle, and the most unusual of all, love gone horribly wrong (more on this later).
This concoction of love themes is set within the context of palace politics with an underlying conspiracy brewing throughout and, to some extent, an exploration of ancient jewellery-making and commercial rivalry between diverse jewellers, chief among them being Ruyi Pavilion (in addition to other “activities” it’s involved in) and Feng Lai Yi, the royally-commissioned supplier of palace jewellery. Although the synopsis says otherwise, I really consider these as mere side stories and plot devices that accentuate the main story, which really is all about LOVE through its assorted manifestations among the various characters.
This drama is largely character driven rather than concentrated on an intricately woven plot. The plot itself is rather straightforward and the so-called villains contained therein belong to the quite harmless category. I do appreciate its unique premise that centres around the fascinating concept of foreboding dreams, much like LoYX’s distinct focus on detoxifying poisons as a healing art. Sadly, this concept was not explored in-depth but instead only fleetingly referenced at the beginning of the show. This has led to much discussion on the cut scenes involving dream sequences (particularly in episode 1) in both the Chinese and International versions of this drama. The uncut version is available on cable subscription in certain regions and, having seen the deleted footage, I can safely conclude that it does not diminish the overall storytelling. As such, viewers can be rest assured to enjoy this drama with a peace of mind and without fear of plot holes to adversely impact your viewing experience.
This is a well made production with excellent quality art direction and cinematography. However, the editing is rather choppy which is made glaringly obvious particularly during scene transitions. For the most part, the wuxia action scenes have been superbly choreographed. Interestingly, these martial arts skills (particularly the Qinggong 轻功) feature prominently during courtship and dating scenes e.g. the dashing male protagonists holding the female love interest tightly in their arms as they gracefully leap across the night sky from roof to roof or to the top of the watch tower to gaze longingly upon the constellation of stars and even the floating Kongming lanterns孔明灯 (definitely more visually stunning and stylishly romantic when compared to using the clumsy step ladder). Without doubt, the martial arts choreography reached its zenith through the spectacular display of awesome swordsmanship by the main characters of Prince Su and Prince An during the night skirmish in episode 31.
The FL Fu Rong is a character that’s supposedly written to be adorably cute, selflessly courageous, and intelligently bright. Whether intentionally or not, the character design did come across as somewhat immature and irrational at times, thus infuriating certain segments of viewers. However, seeing as all that’s well ends well, I have since resigned to the fact that the FL for this show is not written to be as consistently strong and intelligent as the character Han Yun Xi in LoYX. I’m a big fan of Ju Jing Yi and I thought she delivered what was expected of her, since actors can only work with what they’re given. The other aspect that bothers me somewhat is JJY’s heavy makeup and excessive red eye shadow (much like in In a Class of Her Own). I honestly hope that her makeup team would make the necessary adjustments to tone down the vampire with conjunctivitis look in her future projects. She did look much better in LoYX back in 2018 anyway, so sometimes less is definitely more.
On the other hand, I’m quite pleased with some of the other main characters. The ML Prince Su initially gave me Long Fei Ye vibes, the cold and stoic military man. He turned out to be much more that that - he gave us a nuanced display of emotive expressions and glimpses of a cheeky and mischievous side. Zhang Zhe Han has done a brilliant job here and portrayed probably his most endearing moment of the show when he cried his guts out in episode 21. That visibly touching scene truly tugged at the heartstrings and you cannot but sympathise with his insufferable plight. A masterclass in acting perfection indeed.
The highlight of the entire show is undoubtedly the delightful interactions and amazing chemistry between the OTP that’s reminiscent of their time together in LoYX. It’s as if they had stayed married and never parted ways since 2018. From their hilarious first encounter, to their eventual acceptance of each other as lovers and soul mates, and finally working together hand in hand to unravel the underlying conspiracy, their romantic development is somewhat slow burn this time but still evenly paced where they finally get together around the halfway mark. Although they encounter much adversity along the way, these are promptly resolved without the prolonged angst and the OTP’s many sweet moments throughout more than make up for those anxieties.
The SML, Prince An, is played by Liu Yi Chang in what is perhaps his first serious role as a “villain”, compared to his previous roles in youth and comedy dramas. As the “third wheel” of the low angst (and highly implausible) love triangle, he is perhaps the perfect example of how “love”, no matter how one-sided, can go wrong on so many levels – by being the only guy who has ever given away, willingly, the love of his life to another rival (considered to be his bitter enemy, no less) to be married. Such a magnanimous character indeed. His version of the lovelorn and vengeful antagonist who is seemingly motivated by familial piety and misplaced sense of justice is as feeble as the basis of his motivations. What started out promisingly in the first 5 episodes devolved into a depiction of an utterly unbelievable twisted psychosis of love sickness and vengeance.
Meanwhile, the second couple is truly a pleasure to observe. Portrayed by the exquisitely talented and gorgeous Kiki Xu and the undeniably charismatic Wang You Shou (with a really captivating voice), the supporting characters of Fu Xuan and Wu Bai Qi are one of the major compelling reasons that kept me watching this show. I honestly find their individual character growth as well as their emotional connection when they eventually got together to be extremely well written and remarkably depicted. How their entire story arc unfolded, is so believable and relatable without ever being contrived, cringeworthy or OTT. Fantastic portrayal and outstanding acting! At times, I do wonder whether Fu Xuan and Fu Rong are biological siblings for they seem worlds apart. Perhaps the screenwriters would know the answer to this.
There are side characters who compete for attention in annoying the heck out of viewers. None more so than the unholy trinity of the Emperor, the Marquis, and the Princess. The Emperor, played by Chang Cheng (who was much more pleasant in Love is Sweet), antagonises with his peculiar mix of incompetence and fanaticism in matchmaking his son with what he considers to be the “proper noble wife". Lu Xing Yu’s Marquis Zhang is the perfect example of the lousy parent. Even from beyond his grave, his villainy continues to cause much torment. The Princess of Xihe, Cui Wan is one of the most infuriating characters ever created for a C-drama. Jiang Shan’s portrayal of this idiotic, bratty and loathsome airhead leaves us all tremendously exasperated and literally gasping for air.
The OST for this show is truly exceptional. Comprising 5 tracks, 3 of which were sung by JJY while Kiki sings one track. JJY’s singing, as always is enthralling, much like her OST for LoY. Her rendition of the opening theme is particularly touching while the duet, Dreams Crossing is hauntingly enchanting. Kiki showcases her soulful side through her song, Deep Feelings. Track listing as follows:
古画Ancient Painting - 鞠婧祎Ju JingYi
芙蓉Fu Rong - 鞠婧祎Ju JingYi
梦渡Dreams Crossing - 鞠婧祎·霍尊Ju JingYi·Henry Huo
意浓Deep Feelings - 许佳琪Xu Jia Qi
祈愿Make a Wish - 孔肖吟Kong Xiao Yin
The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion is, to many, a much needed “sequel” to the uncertain outcome of Legend of Yunxi. Although we were given alternate endings then, there was a feeling of unresolved emotions that needed a proper closure. Fortunately, the production team gave us a definite happily ever after ending this time. I believe fans of LoYX would probably savour this more than those who have not watched the “parent story”. There were many references that paid homage to LoYX in easter eggs such as the puppet show highlighting the story of Han Yun Xi and Long Fei Ye, as well as the “cold poison” that afflicted the MLs of both dramas. Having said that, I think this drama provides enough entertainment value for newcomers to the romance between Ju Jing Yi and Zhang Zhe Han, who also get the value-added second couple’s romance between Kiki Xu and Wang You Shou. Despite its imperfections and not surpassing LoYX’s overall quality of script and storytelling, I still had fun watching this show, and I think most viewers would too.
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It's sweet, but not too sweet
This drama has pretty good elements, from cast to story. As you can expect in the title, perfect and casual, there's a character that is taking on the role of perfect and there's another that ruins everything with their casual ways.For a contract marriage, I did not expect Si Nian to actually be this sweet throughout the drama. There are moments where you can see the way he treats Yun Shu is all for her best interest which is great and he doesn't do it in the "I'm going to bully you" way but in a caring way that lets her understand.
I honestly forget that they were in that student-teacher relationship throughout the series because it's both their first loves and it brings on that perfect first love vibe.
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The Doting Wife
Not Rebel Princess, Monarch Industry, or Emperor Phoenix. The Doting Wife is the most appropriate name and should have been the official title of this long-drawn melodrama. After 2 months and 68 episodes, there can be no denying that although this drama is about Zhang Ziyi, it has nothing to do with her being rebellious (except maybe against her father), but rather everything to do with her being the loving wife who could “do no wrong” in an epic romance.This production wrapped up filming in 2018 and is ZZY’s first ever TV series. She personally bankrolled this project and even had the final say on casting decisions. She recruited a renowned production team, some of whom she had worked with in the past, and they include the following:
Director – Hou Yong (Jasmine Women, Hero)
Art Director – Han Zhong (House of Flying Daggers)
Cinematographer - Philippe Le Sourd (The Grandmaster)
Long story short, this drama absolutely toyed with my emotions and in all honesty, I was left rather disillusioned by the end of it all. However, I attribute this towards my personal expectations instead of an objective evaluation which therefore should not detract from what has been a well-made production. For the most part.
The Rebel Princess is based on Mei Yu Zhe’s first novel, Imperial Industry which was published in 2007 and released in two volumes, Emperor’s Industry Parts 1 and 2. It tells the story of A’Wu, a prominent noblewoman of Shangyang County with royal blood flowing in her veins and who possesses all the wholesome qualities of beauty and talents befitting a highborn. These qualities would eventually endear her to a renowned military commander, Xiao Qi. Together, they would overcome all obstacles and enemies near and far as their love conquers everything in their way to establishing a new era of peace in the kingdom. Something like that, as I was given to understand having not actually read the novel.
The drama pretty much plays out the general plot of the source material but with some deviation in the characterization of the main protagonist, according to viewers. Mei Yu Zhe (aka Amei) is a popular contemporary novelist who is famed for being the “Love Queen” of romance fiction.
Production, direction, art direction and set designs, costumes, cinematography, and sound editing:
The technical aspects are done to near perfection. This is a big budget production of the highest quality filled with a brazen display of grandeur and opulence. Every detail shown is gorgeous and visually stunning. The architecture of the palace and mansions, the lavish interior settings, and intricately designed luxurious costumes for the nobles. The cinematography comprising the effective use of interior lighting, exquisite camerawork and framing of many pivotal moments beautifully capture the essence of those scenes, which are further enhanced by the impeccable sound editing and accompaniment of orchestral BGM.
It’s worth mentioning that discerning and keen-eyed viewers have taken note of anachronisms that were present in the drama. In particular, the design and tailoring of certain costumes worn by A’Wu, among others. The more obvious one would be the Game of Thrones-inspired black armour worn by Xiao Qi’s battalion which simply couldn’t have existed in Imperial China. Although this is a work of fiction, I speculate that the drama is set during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a period of internal political strife and wars between the central plains and the northern invaders. The scripted dialogue did quote Zhuge Liang after all from the preceding era of the Three Kingdoms. However, I shall suspend disbelief and accept the costume designers taking liberties on this aspect.
It has to be said that the drama progresses at a very uneven pace that corresponds to several major story arcs. The first 20 episodes were very engaging and fast paced. Subsequently after that, the drama slowed down with intermittent dramatic moments and minimal action of note, spread over the course of 30 episodes before slowly picking up the momentum again. The final episode was truly thrilling, but felt rushed, with many shocking twists crammed into a space of 45 minutes.
Acting and cast:
With the exception of the minor supporting cast, the leads and a number of the main supporting cast gave a decent account of themselves.
The legendary Zhang Ziyi needs no introduction, where her list of achievements speaks for itself. She makes the transition from the big screen to the small screen seamlessly and the quality of her portrayal of A’Wu remained steadfast throughout, although towards the latter stages of the show I wished she had injected a bit more intensity and variety in the character’s expressions. The major qualm lies in the fact that at the age of 39, she played a 15-year old character at the very beginning. Nobody, not even her, can pull this off. Fortunately that story arc did not last long so all is forgiven once her character matures into adulthood.
Zhou Yi Wei was handpicked by ZZY for this starring role and we finally understand why. His phenomenal depiction of the stoic but hopeless romantic Xiao Qi has set many viewers’ hearts fluttering. Despite not possessing the effeminate looks and rabid popularity of boyband idols (which is a good thing, in fact), this is a real actor with a mature charisma that makes his version of the ML appears every inch the real life ancient general. His scene-stealing presence is no doubt cultivated by the immense talent that he has, as can be seen in his previous works in Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy, and many others in his ever growing portfolio.
As for the supporting cast, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Yu He Wei and Angie Chiu who portrayed husband and wife, as well as parents to A’Wu. These 2 veterans have been consistent for many years and their experience is extremely telling, particularly He Wei’s Wang Lin in the way he sold his performance to me. Yuan Hong was fun to watch with his Helan Zhen. Admittedly midway through I started to take him less seriously as a result of watching him in Blessed Girl which was airing concurrently.
In contrast, I wasn’t really invested in Yang You Ning’s portrayal of Zi Dan, as I felt his acting and expressions were somewhat mono-dimensional. Likewise Liu Duan Duan’s Song Huai En, the portrayal lacks the sufficient depth heading towards the bitter end. The weakest performance has to be from Zeng Yi Xuan as Wang Qian, A’Wu’s treacherous cousin.
Screenplay and characters:
Whether it is the source material or adaptation, or perhaps both, the way the story unfolds does not entirely meet my personal expectations. I went into this show anticipating something akin to Nirvana in Fire and The Rise of Phoenixes with heavy focus on clever political machinations and multifaceted power dynamics. I realise now that the core of the story is essentially about romance, jealousy and betrayals. Rather than a political drama with some romance, it is the other way round – an almost theatrical romance with some politics as a side story.
There is more than enough love, lust and toxicity to go around with every character in its multitude of forms. The non-exhaustive list includes attempted rape, sexual assault, three men pining for the same married woman, women pining for married men, the murdered lover, attempted drugging, forced contraception, pregnancies and miscarriages, child abuse, estranged marriages, forced marriages, secret affairs, old flames... And this is before we even get to the regicide, patricide and fratricide. Although this isn’t exactly my cup of tea, I have to acknowledge its single minded tenacity in defining for viewers the true definition of melodrama, complete with vicissitudes and histrionics.
The main characters are generally adequately written. A’Wu arguably does display traits of a Mary Sue, albeit a flawed version within this context. The author was perhaps attempting to showcase the character as virtuous, morally upright and principled but the character comes across as aloof and self-righteous instead. Meanwhile Xiao Qi is the shining example of the ancient heroic general and the perfect gentleman. Wang Lin, as the Prime Minister, is a character I particularly relished. Although an antagonist, I thought the character was worthy of a better ending than the one that befell him.
However I found it somewhat unconvincing and ludicrous how certain characters experienced sudden shifts in personality and motive towards the second half of the show. Song Huai En suddenly had his “head turned” having experienced confusing visions/ dreams of A’Wu. Helan Zhen, the imposing grassland warrior and mortal enemy of Xiao Qi, despite having his limb chopped off and falling thousands of feet off a suspension bridge only to survive to challenge for A’Wu’s affections. There are several other examples of irrational out-of-character behaviours but I shall end my nit-picking here before going overboard.
Action choreography:
This is primarily a historical with minimal wuxia elements, and therefore the action sequences are more grounded and less spectacular, which is the case with the sword fighting sequences. The action is instead predominantly focused on battles between opposing armies and on sieges laid on castles along with the use of catapults, chariots, war horses and other armaments. The battle scenes are fast, furious and frantic.
However the CGI utilised for the visual effects is not exactly the best in the genre and it has to be said that the camerawork for all battle scenes is average, with the typical reliance on repeated sudden zoom shots and unsteady pan shots while accompanied by dramatic sound effects. The coordinated stunts of soldiers engaged in fierce combat appear contrived, with only a handful of stuntmen performing the actual fighting. The armour worn by the soldiers appear obviously ill-fitted, especially the oversized unconventional helmets worn by Xiao Qi’s men, as opposed to those used by the palace guards and imperial soldiers.
Music:
The OSTs are one of the best ever composed for a historical drama. I love 3 tracks in particular. The beautiful opening theme Ode to Shangyang, the powerful ending theme At All Corners of the Earth which was performed as a duet featuring two men (most people were unaware that the”female” voice belonged to Zhou Shen), and the hauntingly evocative Hope For which slowly builds up to a climactic end.
Full listing as follows:
Ode to Shangyang (上阳赋) - Tan Wei Wei (Opening theme song)
At All Corners of the Earth (天涯尽处) - Hu Xia & Zhou Shen (Ending theme song)
Love in This Lifetime (爱于此生) - Elvis Wang
Looking Into the Distance (遥望) - Zheng Yun Long
Lonely Heart (孤心) - Shuang Sheng
Tomorrow (明夕何夕) - Mei Xi
Hope For (盼) - Claire Kuo
Overall:
Objectively speaking, The Rebel Princess is undoubtedly a beautifully-crafted drama. The execution of most aspects is done to near perfection. With the exception of the story, which I feel is overly melodramatic. The genre “Life” should not be tagged to this drama, because the depiction is larger than life and too heavily romanticized to be realistic, even as far as historicals and palace dramas are concerned. Despite my reservations, however, this drama is still worth a watch if you can spare your time for 68 episodes.
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I cant really explain it, but this show is just such a disappointment, I really hoped it'd get better and nope. It didnt. It really didnt. It just got worse and pissed me off even more. And the characters. I cannot get over how bad... Damn
Get a better scrip hunty this aint it.
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Halfway through I knew this won't be getting a season 2.
A star-studded cast, grand production, and enthusiastic promotions have resulted in a lacklustre show. I don't know whether it's the limitation that a 6-episode format provides or poor direction that made this show purely average. The action, the dialogue scenes, the setup scenes everything could've been so much better. A very hopeful concept which is why the viewer is intrigued, yet repetitive details same as every other story told before this one. There's nothing to expect from the show, because what good is a brilliant set if it doesn't contribute to a proper story. I am disappointed because it had so much potential. It did make for something good to binge on, only because of the cast. But I am sure I won't be giving this a rewatch.Was this review helpful to you?
