A Drama Which Certainly Doesn’t Have A “ Shining” Charm…
‘ Shining Like You’ is one of those dramas which upon paper sounds brilliant. It isn’t particularly original concept of “female lead goes to art school behind her parents’ back” and the “potentially handsome love interests” but there was still a lot of unlimited ground to explore messages, character growth and social themes. However the end result of ‘ Shining Like You’ is a mixed bag of wasted screenwriting and character writing potential with poor-editing and a discordant buildup.
On a positive note the acting is decent enough ( aside from a few questionable line deliverances) and the drama is a fairly lighthearted watch. The premise isn’t overly complex and follows typically obsequious lead Lu Qi Yi ( Wang Xi Xuan) rebelling against the wishes of her parents to attend a course in foreign languages at university by instead enrolling in arts school. However due to her more timid nature Qi Yi soon finds herself an outcast by struggling to fit in amongst the more expressive and extroverted personalities on campus. After an initial awkward meeting Qi Yi soon attracts the attention of outgoing and popular art student Fang Yan ( Simon Gong).
So if the concept and the acting aren’t the drama’s major problems then what exactly lets down ‘ Shining Like You’? Ultimately the downfall for the show can be found through two main factors; character writing (one of the drama’s major cataclysmic letdowns) and of course plot coherency. To address the former issue it is important to establish that plot coherency is crucial within dramas for viewers to make sense often of a storyline or setup . Of course sometimes screenwriters can purposefully make plot coherency more enigmatic for viewers with the intention of reflecting themes or messages ( dependent on the plot or storyline ). However , in “ typical” romance dramas such as ‘ Shining Like You’’s plot coherency is nearly always quintessential to helping viewers root for certain characters, understand developments of relationships and keep us intrigued with events that are soon to follow .
Naturally ‘ Shining Like You’ isn’t devoid of a basic plot but its descent can be found as a consequence of a mismatched narrative and timeline as a consequence of sporadic subplots , arbitrary jump scenes and disjointed patchy editing. As a consequence a quintessential moment could suddenly be skipped by a sketch scene or an arbitrary moment, which became confusing for casual and devoted watchers alike to keep up.
This brings us onto the second dilemma of ‘ Shining Like You’; the characters. One of the biggest elephants in the room is evidently our female lead Qi Yi. Our main female lead is the epitome of a carte blanche female lead. She’s used by the screenwriter to move the plot along when necessary but she rarely has more definitive characteristics or traits to make her feel sentient. For example considering that it was one of the major focal points of the entire drama, there’s little explanation or depth given to her her goals or raison d’être for applying to the arts school in the first place . Arguably she does make a quick passing comment towards “chasing her dreams” yet it’s hard to really understand or relate to Qi Yi’s drive or exact motives for hiding her attendance from her parents, when the drama has rarely delved beyond the surface of her goals, past or exact motivations.
There’s naturally a big dilemma with the female lead’s “ personality” also. Qi Yi is intentionally supposed to be an “ introvert” but it often felt as though the series was never sure how to present her entire character persona. Introverted main characters can often be tackled in versatile ways by screenwriters from being simply “reserved” to “antisocial”, but opportunities for characters to grow, develop (or at least be explored in more depth) are often key to shaping out an introverted main character as an individual.
To some extent ‘ Shining Like You’ desperately tried to do this with Qi Yi and her “ difficultly to fit in” and “ reserved nature”. She’s supposed to be “shy and sweet” but it was hard to truly feel as though our female lead was seemingly struggling or suffering as a consequence of her personality. Qi Yi was often surrounded by allies or at least close acquaintances and therefore never really felt on the “ edge” of social exclusion ( as the series was desperately trying to make out in the beginning ), she was never really singled-out or excluded particularly by a greater majority of her peers( sans the cliche “ bully group” who picked upon more than just Qi Yi) and when she did exhibit “ antisocial” moments during the series her attitude was often petulant and childlike rather than moody or aggressive. Whilst the drama does try to offer a turn around by Qi Yi suddenly becoming “ prettier and more outgoing” , this was often ineffably unexplained.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad if the series had offered that Qi Yi’s immaturity at times was a byproduct of the way her parents have treated her or her upbringing . However instead of at least giving Qi Yi time to mature or explore her feelings, the female lead was treated in a similar manner to a rag doll ; an object of affection for the male leads , whilst happily obliging to having her emotions torn apart by not just her potential love interests, but not putting her foot down against a fake friend in plain sight also.
This also brings us naturally onto the discussion of side characters in the drama. On one note the show does really shine through at times with how more unlikely characters have difficult pasts or can prove themselves to be true friends in time of need. However like a lot of cliche romance dramas ‘ Shine Like You’ and the dreaded “ best friends formula” is torn apart from “ friends to enemies” with the creme de la creme of cliches; “the dreaded love triangle”.
This brings us onto one of the biggest flaws of the drama between the actual lacklustre romantic series between Qi Yi and Fang Yan. Respectfully the chemistry between Wang Xi Xuan and Simon Gong is hardly passionate, but it is not where the major flaw of the series lies .
Whilst trope-worthy, screenwriters and directors can often strike gold by using time and scenes to allow characters to know one another or feel conflicted with their feelings. In ‘ Shining Like You’ it’s hard to really define one particular moment where these two characters really develop their relationship beyond being classmates or having early impressions of one another. There’s the evident side argument about their gradual feelings and helping one another out when it was necessary for the exposition, but this rarely allowed for more definitive writing opportunities.
Consequently it was bitterly ironic that it is was easier to root for who we were supposed to “ dislike” (as viewers), second male lead Du Ang ( Zhou Cheng Ao) , as he had more initial interactions and chemistry with the female lead. Of course rather than using this as an opportunity for the series to allow the male lead to come to terms with his own feelings or develop interactions between the main love interests, the drama enjoys using this time to make Fang Yan the typical “ moody, short-tempered and jealous potential love interest”. The ending consequently felt disappointing by failing to wrap up some major plot points.
So what is the ultimate takeaway from ‘ Shining Like You’ and is it actually worth watching? ‘ Shining Like You’ tries hard to create a “ lovely and cutesy love story” between our main leads. To an extent the series flourishes with satisfactory performances by our main cast and some more insightful side characters having their own backgrounds and pasts. On the other hand the series has a patchwork approach to storytelling and narrative with a feeling of discordant coherency between characters and the actual storyline. Slow pacing and sporadic plot jumps lead to poor and lacklustre character building and interactions between our main leads. Ultimately whilst ‘ Shining Like You’ might not make a bad binge-watch drama, there are certainly more entertaining, well-written, engaging and classic love stories in dramas to watch than this one.
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I'll write about the good parts first ( so that no one would get too angry at me! ^^) The first half of the drama was pretty good; it was very youthful, and quite unique. It's not easy to create youth, it usually has too much elements or too little, but this drama nailed it. It made me remember my high school, skipping classes, hating some subject/teachers and loving the others, obsessing over things, not worrying about time/health/future, and thinking that everything is possible, that I can become anything if I set my mind into it. The times that I didn't have to think too srsly nor had to take that much responsibility, since my parents were there to take care of it all. However, I liked it even more, because it wasn't all fun and games; it had some darker, deeper elements into it. The writers managed to explore these deeper part of the plot through the older characters i.e. the parents. I loved them so much, they were a joy to watch.
But then half way through the drama, as if the magic was gone, the characters lost their charisma and started to become flat. There was no character development anymore, and the plot itself became one dimensional, boring and in times very very annoying. Remember the darker, deeper parts of the plot that I was writing about in the previous paragraph ... well the writers decided to forget about it, which created a huge problem.
It was as if the writers didn't understand human psychology. They didn't put any effort into changing the characters- which was necessary due to the darker,deeper parts of the plot -. Let me elaborate here: if someone has a problem within themselves that is stoping them from achieving something they want, they have to first recognize that there is a problem and then solve it in order to be able to achieve what they desire. However, in this drama, the writers decided to skip the step of one looking deeper within oneself, pondering, changing and maturing. They went straight to the achieving part !!!!!! Yes, that's all fun and nice ... BUT the thing is, in real life, this couldn't have happened, they had to mature. - side note: maturing is not a bad thing, it's a natural process for humans to survive, and it doesn't mean one cannot keep their inner child, nor that they will be a completely different person -
So yeah, I had a problem with this drama being so unrealistic... and trust me the writers had more than enough time to manage and show some character development, I mean from 1997 to 2012 is not a short period of time.
The acting was very good, I really liked the cast - even though I didn't like half of the characters, I still enjoyed watching it because of their awesome acting & chemistry. Well, if you want to watch something youthful, and give a break to the realistic part of your brain, start watching this right now! You'll have lots of laughter and maybe some tears! enjoy!
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This movie has 2 part..first part of this series tells about Touji as the junior,who is popular as one-week man,dates with his senior,Yuzuru.Touji always accepts anyone who asks him to go date and will give answer 1 week after.Actually,he has crush on Shino.But as the time goes by,their relathionship getting serious...
Actually i'm a takumi-kun series hardcore (not series 1)..And after long time,this movie makes me get the same feeling when i watched takumi-kun <333
I hope this review will help you guys...don't forget to watch both of part of this movie ^^
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The acting was very good and believable. UTW made me feel every pain he was going through without him having to overact. LSH's acting was spot on. His personality suited his role. LSY was able to show me how her character has changed and grown in the 20 episodes of this drama. The supporting actors were also all so good.
I liked the music because it did not take away from the drama but set the mood of the story.
It was a great drama but I probably will not watch it again in the near future because of the slow pace. Watching this drama however made me feel like reading a very good novel by a really brilliant story teller; like Like reading Hemingway.
I highly recommend to anyone interested in watching wonderful story unfolding slowly in 20 episodes.
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1This review may contain spoilers
It’s a “fusion sageuk” and I loved it. [Major Spoilers]
As I understand the term, “fusion” sageuk is not based on actual history (which was cruel, bloody and terrifying for just about everyone) so the writers can incorporate more humor and more true romance (as opposed to arranged marriages). It’s my 1st time watching any sageuk beyond the first 2 episodes for the following reasons [spoilers!]1. The main reason I continued to watch beyond Ep. 3 was the Character of Shi-yeol. I have never seen the actor Kang Hoon before, but I am now watching many of his prior dramas: Little Women, etc. He carried the show forward.
2. For the first 10 episodes, there was a continuing mystery as to which of the scholars was the real lost prince, which one was the “Watchman” and if there were any other assorted “royals” who might have a claim to the throne. The Watchman “reveal” was one of the best written, directed and choreographed scenes I have ever watched – and re-watched. Truly Epic (and bloody).
3. Much of the drama was full of many side characters with conspiracies, betrayals, spies/counter-spies but at about the 12 episode mark, the puzzle pieces began to align and the viewer understood who was friend or foe and (except for one minor character in Ep 18 – a truly wasted 4 minutes) there were no major surprises. In other words, the writers carefully wove the various storylines together and there were no “WTF” moments where a character totally forgot about a prior conversation or new facts were suddenly inserted to move the story forward.
4. Happy Ending for the entire Ilwahon family: Dan-oh, Kang San, Yu-ha, Shi-yeol, Naju, Yook Ho and Hong-joo
5. I hate star-crossed lover stories usually, but the slow-burn romance between Shi-yeol and Hong-joo was beautifully written and because of their backstory/history, it was easy to see how their connection grew and evolved. In my view, they outshone the supposed Main Couple whose primary claim to romance was a childhood connection. Anyway, very happy ending for both couples, so good job writers.
6. The sword fights (and there were many) were well choreographed – outstanding stunt work. The production team did not spare expense in filming the final outdoor scenes both within and outside the palace.
7. All of the bad guys died 😊
A few negatives:
As w/most k-dramas, the ending (last ½ hour of Ep. 18) was rushed as everyone’s story was wrapped up with a neat bow in a two-year time skip. However, the reconciliation between Shi-yeol and Hong-joo was a series of small scenes – I was frankly surprised at the writers/directors because they shared short “sketch” scenes which may have been in the novel, but as I said – rushed. Not even a kiss or hug when they reunited. ☹☹
Lots of blood spilled but the most graphic scenes involved the bad guys, so easier to handle.
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There were a lot of potentially interesting elements to this story. The fashion design aspect, the military/action aspect, and the business aspect. All three things that don't necessarily go together, but it seemed like it could work. The beginning of the drama wove those three plot points together fairly well in my opinion. Things seemed to make sense as you watched, but as you continued on, it basically seemed like they were giving up on these major plot focuses one by one.
Not even halfway through, most of the action side of it basically disappeared as they closed the plot that they introduced at the beginning of the drama. It went from being action scenes in almost every episode, to being basically nothing until the last few episodes. Honestly, the action side was the only thing keeping this from being completely another basic modern business romance.
I honestly feel like even the fashion element was thrown out of the window after a while. It went from focusing on designing for multiple different business projects and showing the designing process and trial and error, to just basically talking about it and saying "We're starting our own brand," but by the end was only really showing the business aspect of everything and everything else was just something they mentioned every once in a while to keep it in your mind. By the time they created the Qing Cheng brand, there was really NO mention of the design process. Scenes would go by and all of a sudden there was an entire store filled with clothes, whereas at the beginning when she designed the waterproof uniform, there was constant mention of how to make it, what materials to use, what the problems were, etc.
Romance wise, there was obviously a lot of that. It moved fairly quickly (the first kiss was episode 10 or so) and seemed to make sense as to why they fell for each other. There was a LOT of romance happening though. Four different couple pairings by the end of the drama. A LOT of split screen time between these four. There was a lot of focus on the second lead couple, but at this point the main couple was firmly established, so it was ok I guess.
ACTING:
Zhao Li Ying - honestly, ZLY is one of my favorite actresses. I think she always does a really good job with what she's given and shows a good variety of emotion and skill. This particular drama (and a LOT of people agree with me), I honestly think she shouldn't have taken up. Personally, I don't like her modern dramas (or modern dramas in general as they always end up about the same), but after seeing her being such a strong, smart, brave, etc. character in other dramas, it was really annoying to watch her just be such a Mary Sue character in this drama. She was talented and loyal and loving, sure. But that's about it. There were a lot of aspects where she was just a sideline in the process, or they talked about how important she was, but she didn't really show it. I have no problem with her having a cutesy role and whatnot, but I just feel like this character wasn't someone she needed to take up and there wasn't much about Lin Qian that made it a MUST HAVE role.
Jin Han - personally don't think he was that great. I've only seen him in supporting roles, and always as a bad guy, which I honestly thing suits him a lot better. I fall for male characters really easily in dramas, but there wasn't a lot about this role that I was infatuated with. The character himself was fine, but there was a disconnect for me between Jin Han's acting and the character coming to life.
Everyone else - No one in the drama honestly really stood out to me as being amazing. Whether it was character wise or acting wise. Again, this might play into the fact that I don't really care for modern dramas, but overall no one gave me a particular sense of joy while watching.
Side note - the portrayal of Peter really blew my mind. Not so much that the acting was amazing, but just the characterization was just WOW. I know he was supposed to be a bad guy in the drama, but the pill popping, sexual harassment tendencies, and general psychotic-ness was just a LOT.
OVERALL:
The drama wasn't terrible. The story made sense overall, it just was fairly boring (really just predictable and meh) by the end of it and again, the main aspects of the story that were introduced weren't all upheld by the end of the drama, turning it into just another fairly standard modern drama. I also again always have high expectations for ZLY dramas and really do think she's a very good actress, but there wasn't much with this drama by the end that made it super worth it (especially knowing how popular and in demand she is and how full her schedule is, I just think this drama wasn't necessary). Don't really feel the need to rewatch as there wasn't a lot in the drama that was super memorable for me.
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This review may contain spoilers
Penthouse was a really peculiar experience for me, something that I haven't encountered in my journey through dramaland yet. A full blown makjang extraordinaire, the closest thing to grotesque, truly faithful to its baroque provenance - extreme, excessive, contradictory and uncomfortable to watch. So, fortunately, it completely fits my preferences, but generally speaking it's not the easiest thing to swallow. The writers of this drama don't want to spare their audience, they don't play easy. This is a show full of twists and turns, exaggerated acting, hilariously absurd scenes and plot resolutions, irony and overall over-the-topness. Classical music playing in the distance while the red wine is tossed around the table and the characters slap each other. You're gonna either retreat in disgust seeing that combination or you'll end up loving every second of this on-screen madness spectacle.
On the surface it's all about the glam and gore, but it's not completely shallow as it might seem. It's a well known story about the destructive nature of greed and a satire on classism and the invincible regime of The Rich™. We have the class of bad bourgeoisie, corrupted and rotten to the core, with Joo Dan Tae in the lead. He's more of an idea, the personification of Evil that rules in this big Moloch-like castle that is Hera Palace. The building itself is very symbolic too, it rules over the city as the highest and the most luxurious/desireable residential building in the city, but its nothing more than a devilish machine that devours its residents and transform them into greedy and inhumane versions of themselves . They're all a part of the system of injustice that either destroy the poor and weak (Min Seol A) or corrupt their mind too (Oh Yoon Hee). Every character in this show is more or less despicable and we truly love to hate on them all. From the evil mastermind Dan Tae, witchy Seo Jin and her Lady Macbeth-esque descent into madness to naive and easily manipulated Yoon Hee. Even the audience's sweetheart Su Ryeon is not completely flawless. And the sad conclusion that's left at the end of the show is that in the end there is no escape from the creepling evilness. You can try, you can fight and the skies will eventually side with the rich. But for how long? Well, we will see in the next seasons!
What I truly loved about this show were the little bits of absolutely random comedic scenes. They were surreal and hilarious (with the lucha libre kidnapping being my absolute favorite), but somehow fit the mood of the entire show. And I felt like it was a reminder that this show is not 100% serious and should be treated that way. We love a self-aware makjang!
The only thing that bothered me was the entire subplot of kids. Well, it wasn't a subplot per se, as the kids played a major role in the whole plot (as a catalyst of Min Seol A tragedy, their parents weakness and kind of a deterministic effect of their parent's flawed parenting), but I felt like it stood out from the main plot that took place in the "adult world". Especially interactions between the kids themselves, it felt like a separate story. And the writing in this part was really weak. Some characters didn't make sense (Ro Na especially), so it was hard to watch.
Writing was kinda bumpy for me in general. The beginning was fantastic, really well connected events, logical (even for this drama!) consequences and reactions from the characters. But the ending felt really flat with too much information given in the last minute and too convenient plot resolutions. Also (please, don't kill me for that hot take!) I feel like some actors went a little overboard with their exaggerated acting. Yes, it fits this type of show, but I felt like they relied too much on screams, evil smirks and wide opened eyes. Even when the seamless transitions between these expressions were truly outstanding (Kim So Yeon), it really loose its impact when it's repeated few times .
Overaly it's such a fun show. If you're willing to abandon logic and embrace the madness of this drama, it's gonna be a time well spent. But beware, it's really addictive!
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I met a friend, at the edge of the universe
This show is perfection! There! It has been achieved. Arguably one of the best shows I have ever watched, Lost is a profound, philosophical, and incredibly romantic masterpiece that examines its characters in a moment of personal crisis. Depending on how you look at this show it’s about a couple falling out of love, about people falling in love, about finding your self-worth, about letting go of the residue of your trauma, and about healing your soul and stepping back from the edge to find a new meaning in life, in yourself, in your relationships. This show deals with death and death ideation with such patience and natural care that despite the heavy subject, the show never felt claustrophobic or bleak. The story follows its main characters through a crisis of humanity, yet it doesn’t make you feel miserable and nihilistic. Instead, it inspires warm feelings of being understood and seen and appreciated on a journey to find a new facet of oneself.Granted, this is not your typical drama or even melodrama watch. It requires a bit of a commitment from the viewer to pause and absorb the emotions quietly. The show does not have loud emotional moments that will have pay-offs of cheap reactions. There is no melodramatic event in this show. There is no grand gesture, no epic confrontation, no shameful and over-the-top confession. The biggest and most impactful events happen and pass by as you would expect them to in real life; with little noise and then life keeps going. That’s perhaps the most profound narrative climax that the show has achieved: that life goes on. It keeps going even if it feels like it should be over. All will pass and you will feel better soon. The calm and serene way that the camera follows stress-inducing events manages to truly reveal a new side to the story of its characters. It doesn’t communicate the distress and anxiety but the empathy to cheer the characters on as they survive the mundane hardships of everyday life. This might just be the best show I have seen all year long.
This show has everything:
1. A beautiful, profound friendship formed with delicate care and harmony
2. Kindred spirits healing together
3. The most beautiful father-daughter dynamic in any show I have seen
4. The hardships of everyday life
5. Dealing with loss and grief
6. The best romantic development I have seen in a long time
7. But very little physical romance (so don’t expect Eros love. It’s more of a platonic love, in the PLATOnic sense…I’ll elaborate later)
8. Suicide and depression and how to come back from the edge of life
9. Complex human relationships in which no one is a clear villain/victim
10. A very subtle and well-expressed reference to privilege and abuse in the entertainment industry
11. Profound symbolism and metaphors
Summary: Lee Boo Jung has hit rock bottom. She is working as a cleaning lady getting treated like crap, refuses to deal with her clueless husband, and now she even has a possible criminal record hanging over her head. At forty years old, Boo Jung feels like she has reached the end of her potential and has amounted to absolutely nothing. Her elderly father is the very last thing she cares about. Lee Kang Jae is only twenty-seven and has his own successful stand-in escort business but he is so ashamed of the person he has become and is so far beyond caring about himself or life that he wears apathy as a second skin. The two of them live at the threshold of each other’s lives. Then one fateful night, after the suicide of a friend and one lawsuit later, the two of them see each other for the first time. Really see each other. In a way that no one else in either of their lives has seen them. Fate, destiny, enemies, or money conspire to further entangle these two’s lives together. It might sound like a recipe for disaster but it ends up being a blessing in disguise.
Plot: There are multiple amazing facets to this story and I think the show has managed to execute each of them to perfection. First of all, this show does suspense and mystery better than all mystery shows I’ve seen out there. The story begins in medias res so when we find the characters, it feels like they are already in the middle of a bigger crisis. There’s a lot of information that is kept hidden from the viewer and they unravel as we learn them along with some of the characters and with each revelation the picture becomes more and more clear. This creates an excitement and anticipation that is usually not there for slow-paced and quiet shows like this. On the other hand, there are the journeys of the characters themselves. While Boo Jung and Kang Jae are the unrivaled protagonists, the show also has a plotline for all the side characters. Everyone seems simple and typical at first, like the evil mother-in-law or the bumbling husband. Yet, the show manages to follow their stories and reveal inner depths for them to the point that with the exception of two or three characters, all are extremely sympathetic. Even in the case of the unlikeable characters, there is still depth so that I couldn’t bring myself to be enraged by them. It’s just an incredibly human story. I came to care deeply for all characters and the writing is so amazing that by the end of it, all the characters get satisfying albeit realistic ends. There’s just something irresistible about a narrative that is so harmonious from the beginning to end. In a lot of ways, the experience of watching this show was more akin to reading a good novel, rather than watching a show.
The romance: Oh yeah, it gets its own category because I want to rant. This is not a romance-centered show. There’s romance in every cell of it. Love oozes out of the characters like tears. Everyone in the story is desperate to have it, to find it, to hold on to it. One of the less-likable characters in the show says: “Love? Is there still such a thing?” and I think that was the ultimate way to show how pathetic that one character was because everyone else was vying for love and struggling for it but this person was blind to that sensation and isn’t that the worst punishment of them all? Side-romances aside, the profound love between the two main characters truly surpassed what I have witnessed in a TV show so far. When we talk about platonic love, we usually think of a friendship of sorts, not romance. Yet, interestingly enough, platonic love as defined by Plato himself is not one that excludes sexuality and physical love but one that goes beyond it. In fact, there is a distinction to be made between amour platonique and amour platonicien. Here, the love was platonicien in the sense that it did have a physical aspect but it grew beyond that. Instead, it depicted two people coming together as kindred spirits.
Usually, in older woman/younger man dynamics or affair plotlines, the focus is on the sex. It’s on the physical chemistry between the characters and it’s usually not surprising when things fall apart. This show bypasses all that messy sh!t. Instead, it has the characters connect because their souls call out to each other. Their interest in each other helps them open up and express themselves even if ultimately words are left unsaid between them, they are forever changed for their connection together. That’s why it’s better than all the other stories. It’s a love that does not judge but elevates the soul and it was gorgeous. Even when typical melodrama hurdles get in the way, they float above those pesky things and focus on that authentic dynamic between them. I can’t praise the show enough for this.
Acting: A bunch of giants acted in this show. The acting was just…beyond amazing. So subtle and natural. From the male lead's heart suddenly beating faster in overwhelmed emotions to the slowly growing smiles of the female lead, to the tears that formed in Kim Hyo Jin’s eyes but just wouldn’t fall to the tired disappointment in Jo Eun Ji’s drooping shoulders, the cast out-acted the pants off each other! Just wonderful. Ryu Joon Yeol looks ethereal. He’s handsome, yeah but also not conventionally handsome? Like he’s beautiful in this beyond reproach way and that’s exactly the energy his character has. Then with a mature and seasoned performance, he slowly unravels that icy veneer of his character, and he becomes so human and vulnerable in the show and I just loved that. Jeon Do Yeon was beyond outstanding. She just brought Boo Jung to life in such a heartbreaking and natural way. Her character doesn’t have to say anything to express the most complex and difficult emotions. Her gaze is enough. I am truly in awe of her and this cast.
Music: I finally figured out my issue with music in East Asian productions. Unlike western shows that have soundtracks for each episode, East Asians have an original soundtrack with a few songs that are created specifically for the show and used for different scenes. Now, this will be fine when you watch one episode a week but if you binge it, then it’s like listening to the same songs straight for 4 days and everyone knows that’s the fasted way to hate a song! Here, they had more music than you usually expect from a Kdrama and they masterfully use them in tandem in such a way that nothing gets repeated so much that it’ll be irritating. I mean just as I thought they were going to play Hallelujah to death, the show stopped playing it altogether and it only came back once, many episodes later. An impactful return if there ever was one. In addition, the show uses silence as well as it uses sounds and so the calm and measured playlist melds perfectly into the pattern of storytelling and truly elevates the watching experience instead of interrupting it with loud bursts of noise or dramatic screaming by a singer.
Production: The aesthetic, the camerawork, the creation of spaces, lighting, attention to detail were all amazing. Time passes in this show!!!!!! I know, a shocker! There’s continuity. There is a timeline and the show stays true to it. It’s just a very well-thought-out production with great attention to detail. You can tell it was made with care and not just to make profits.
Rewatch value: YES! I already want to watch it all over again. This is a story I will definitely come back to when I need some feel-good but not boisterous watch.
Overall: What’s left to say? This is a story about not being able to go on living and then finding a way to do so anyway. It was just a joy and a privilege to watch it. I am so glad that I made the choice to watch it and I hope others will give it a chance and actually like it. It might not be for everyone though, I acknowledge that but it was definitely the perfect watch for me.
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Anyway apart from that I always loved Chinese historical movies the most so it's logical that I enjoy in Chinese dramas too. Lan Ling was easily one of the best historical dramas I've seen and I could gladly give even the higher score but those episodes from 20 to 26 or 27 I think, were too draggy and unnecessary with many illogical turn of events and I found the reactions some of the characters too unbelievable. Except for that everything else was FANTASTIC. LITERALLY. I think that the acting was outstanding and that even the side characters were brilliant and shined in some moments more than the leads.
Ariel as Xue Wu was perfect, she became my fav. female from historical dramas, so witty, smart, caring, funny, cool, brave and strong full of love to give to her man and all her friends, it's so rare to see a woman like her. I loved how she was such a support to Lan Ling and a true wise woman who deserved to be treated as a Queen, without her Lan Ling wouldn't succeed in anything, she was so psychically strong and in some scenes I loved how she showed balls like a real man. :P
William as Lan Ling- beautiful, wonderful, so freaking hot and grandiose man, a true leader who loved his people more than anything, who was willing to sacrifice himself in order to save the woman he loved and to save his soldiers and his country, I enjoyed in watching his brotherly love with Fifth Prince and how they shared their deepest thoughts together. And when he was a masked warrior oh well I was so in love with him, that role was even more suited for him. ;)
Yu Wen Yong-the way Chan Daniel has portrayed him was just magnificent, his expressions, gestures, his ability to be such a great Emperor and grand man, how he fell in love with Xue Wu and loved her until his last breath and who fought for her but to the point when it was possible, how he respected her, I enjoyed so much in their scenes together, I think they had incredible chemistry, they should make some other drama as a couple for real. ;) He broke my heart several times, I really fell hard for him and once more I had that second lead syndrome.
Amongst them all, there was one character I literally loved the most, it was Wei Qian Xiang as Xiao Dong, that guy was freaking brilliant and I have to say that without him, his helping and solving some things, nothing would be possible, he was of the crucial help for Xue Wu, Lan Ling and Yu Wen Yong. So spontaneous, free spirited, in love with life, a rebel who was by each step side by side with her, who supported and believed in her no matter what, who was also the most intelligent one- he saw before everyone else threats, who was evil and who's not, reminded me so much of Moon Jae Shin in SS which was fantastic. Above that he had so great chemistry with Ariel, both of them were such a splendid sight for the eyes, their scenes were the most funny and interesting ones. ;)
This drama also has such a great villains, the most hateful ones. I really found in Lan Ling the character I hate the most but really hate, she climbed up to my number one and most definitely she well deserves that place. Zheng Er- you who have seen this drama know why I'm saying this, you who haven't- go and watch. I've never seen some woman to be this evil to the core, to the tiniest bone in her body, twisted, nasty, terrible, disgusting, obsessively jealous, her smile is the most creepy one, I have goosebumps every time I think of her. The actress deserves and award for such a brilliant performance.
Music was beautiful and so wonderful, I like all the ballads, especially from Della &amp;quot;Shou Zhang Xin&amp;quot;, it brought tears to my eyes.
I liked fighting scenes, cinematography was great, costumes astonishing, sceneries breathtaking, and the chemistry between the leads one of the best I've seen if not the very best one. They became one of my fav. couples in the whole world, their chemistry was too great, moments they shared were priceless, kisses, conversations, hugs, teasing, even fights were great, intimacy- one of the best I've seen, mindblowing for sure.
Every vivid fan of historical dramas should see Lan Ling, every fan of the actors in it should see Lan Ling, every fan of intelligent script should see Lan Ling and every fan of real passionate love and intimacy should see Lan Ling.
The bottom line is- Lan Ling is a great drama with its own flaws, holes and boring moments like almost every drama but hell it was worth watching every moment of it. And it has the most perfect ending. At least I found it to be so appropriate and logically wonderful.
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This review may contain spoilers
The nerd in me loves this drama in its entirety. The cast, the directing, the production, the storyline, the screenplay and even the multitude numbers of product placements which at one point simply became amusing...
I guess; it was very expensive to keep up with the Haute Couture fashion for the entire royal crew from the Kingdom of Corea. They needed those product placements.
Although I enjoy watching it to the very end; I feel rather unsatisfied with Lee Gon and Tae Eul‘s ending. Traveling into different parallel universes and time periods are all fun and game; however, I wanted to see a royal wedding, a royal queen coronation and a stable lifestyle... So to speak...
The scientist in me understands that it is against the rules to have both Luna as a detective and Tae Eul as the crowned queen living in the same universe.
Nonetheless, the irrational romantique in me wants Lee Gon and Tae Eul to be the royal couple that rules over the kingdom.
*All in all, both the scientist and the romantique in me adored this drama.
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The inherent feminism of being a shrewd woman!
Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen in this riveting historical romance-mystery. This show was a surprise favorite for me. A diamond in the rough, a show with seriously feminist aspirations and an unapologetic stance on its radical and rebellious views. And the pièce de resistance? It’s an originally written story that avoids 99% of cdrama cliché pitfalls!If you’re still not convinced that this show is worth a watch here are some more reasons:
1. Pride and Prejudice meets Mrs. Marple!
2. A headstrong, intelligent, and flawed female lead who had a steady personality and an unbreakable spirit
3. An intelligent, nuanced, and flawed male lead who grows and develops through the story with not a single jealous cell in his body…like WOW!
4. An actual good second male lead? With freaking personality and flaws?! Who isn’t a sticky gum and doesn’t scheme against the leads and doesn’t think he knows best for the FL, thus undermining her personhood whilst acting like he’s soooo nice?!?!?! Like...what?! He’s mine now! I have adopted him! He’s my child now, no one hurt this baby! He’s too pure for Cdramaland.
5. A villain who is not an idiot or a caricature who keeps the mains on their toes and is in return kept on his toes by the leads!
6. A truly enjoyable ensemble with interesting stories, arcs, and journeys.
7. A meta-commentary on women’s lives in the olden days
8. Actually good mystery cases
9. One of the best romances I have seen in historical dramas in a while
10. Enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, with “there was only one bed”!
11. Nice parents?!?!?!?! (Is this even a cdrama at this point? Where am I right now?)
12. And more!
Summary: Qiu Yan is the concubine-born daughter of the second master of Qiu family. Everyone in her family dislikes her except for her legal mother who loves her beyond anything. When Qiu Yan was young, she and her biological mother and brother are caught by bandits but a young man saves Qiu Yan and gives her a fan that becomes the symbol of Qiu Yan’s yearning to become educated and step above her station in her deeply misogynistic and biased society. The story follows Qiu Yan as she uses her wits, knowledge, street-savviness, and intelligence to survive and make her way in life. And the ML is Liang Yi. He's pretty cool, too!
Plot: I loved this show and mainly because it was so well-written. The characters make sense, the plot makes sense. The themes are clear and the writer knew exactly how they meant to explore them. No scene is unnecessary. Each character and event had a purpose. The tone is a good mix of romantic, comedic, emotional, and thought-provoking. It hardly has the usual stereotype pitfalls of historical dramas. I have to mention that the show has a very modern tone and the female lead’s opinions are beyond her era and time but the show somehow makes it work. On top of it all, the stories that are explored were stuff I had never seen in any other show which made this very refreshing for me. What was interesting was that I could recognize the plot as mentioned backstories in other shows but I had never seen a show that actually explored the plot, head-on. As for the romance, I loved it! The growth of their feelings felt natural and the progression of their relationship was super satisfying. No unnecessary misunderstandings or overly complicated melodrama.
Acting: I was very impressed by the leads. They had such amazing chemistry. Jeremy Tsui has an amazing voice and since everyone is using their own voice, the performances feel that much more real and authentic. I liked the supporting cast too. Minus one or two cannon fodders, I think everyone did a good job conveying their character and working together.
Music and Production: Music was okay; nothing too impressive. The production didn’t look expensive and it did leave some things to be desired. The cinematography was simple, the clothes and makeup were passable. Overall, this is the section the show might fall short but many of my favorite historical dramas have average or below average productions so I didn’t mind.
Rewatch: Right! Forgot about this! I never rewatch shows but this is a fun show so I would say it's worth it? Idk, watch new shows, why rewatch?!
Negative: There is a slight hiccup in storytelling in the very last episode. I have deduced that the reason is that the show did too good a job at closing all loose ends and just ended up with 20 extra minutes with nothing else happening there so they had to pull a last-minute twist to fill up the time. I didn’t care much for the twist but it didn’t affect the plot at all so I don’t care. What matters is that we got a happy ending and after watching such a good mystery show for 23 episodes, it was easy to see how the ending worked in the context of the whole show. (like I don't want to spoil but you could tell that the twist was super temporary)
Overall: I was expecting something like Jun Jiu Ling or Sword and the Brocade when I started this show but was pleasantly surprised when it turned out the way that it did. I almost dropped this! But I couldn't stop thinking about the characters so I went back and I am very happy with my decision. It was a joy for me to watch this. I laughed in every episode, I cheered for the main cast of characters to triumph and I was heartbroken for them when they suffered. This was one of the best watches I’ve had and though the show may not be perfect, the happiness it brought me made me decide to give it a 10. Because at the end of the day, we watch shows for enjoyment and that is what they should provide. The Autumn Ballad did just that. Highly recommended.
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This review may contain spoilers
I started Solomon Perjury with the intention of probably dropping it; school dramas usually bore me. Yet, i was hooked 5 minutes in. I loved this drama in the sense that it was very well written. There weren't many plot holes (that i could remember lol) and the writer stayed true to the previous episodes/overall plot rather than trying to manipulate and fool everyone at the end by introducing a whole different reason to why Sowoo died just to create an "illusion" of a major plot twist. Instead, the reason why Sowoo died kept you second guessing until the last episode but when the truth was revealed, it doesn't really take you by surprise either.
More than anything, I also loved the characters. For me in particular, even though Bae Joonyoung acts more of a side character, I believe he was very important to the story. In a way (not completely...but in a way) his story sort of mirrors that of Jihoon's and Sowoo's but with a more positive outcome. [SPOILER]: His almost suicide attempt, his crippling family and their mediation, and at one point his outlook on life. [END SPOILER] His character fighting through all that while the trial was still ongoing made me feel even more sympathetic towards the other two characters; it made it more real. That's just me though. Oh and the subtle romance between him and Seoyeon was a very nice addition!! It was the perfect relief to the bleakness of the drama. There wasn't much but it was cute.
I have more to say about the other characters but I'm lazy and this would turn into a 10 page review so I'll stop here.
Anyways, overall I give this drama a 9/10. I don't really have anything bad to say. Though one thing that got me a bit ????? is WHY is it so easy to gain entry into the school at like 11pm lol??? You have kids going up the roof top and into classrooms when it's pitch black. One way to decrease the number of student suicides on school grounds? Lock the school gates mayb. Also, I'll say this; although the reason for Sowoo's death didn't surprise me, I'm mad that he died that way. No, I'm not talking about the school. As much as I wanna rant about it, it's a major spoiler so I can't lol.
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I can honestly say that it was not what I was expecting. Lol~
The story was good in the beginning, but then I don't know what happened. The drama isn't the best but that doesn't mean it's not watchable. There are so many flaws you can point out, but besides that, it's so cliché and some of it is cute at the same time. It's one of those dramas where you still watch even if it's not the best. Something about it made me kept watching. I guess there were three things that made me continue to watch. One, was the relationship Mi Mi's family had. They were a warm and loving family. They would even welcome a complete stranger into their home and treat them like one of their own. It was touching to watch. Another thing that made me continue to watch was the relationship between the leads, Mi Mi and Ze Ming. I absolutely love the romantic clichés in dramas. I'm a sucker for it. The relationship between them was cute and sweet. In the beginning, Ze Ming was like a child, an adorable one at that, with the sweetest smile that just melts your heart. Mi Mi was able to help him reconnect with old and establish new relationships. This helped him to mature and experience things he's once experienced as a child and even the things he's never experienced before. She had such a huge impact on his life that he couldn't bear the thought of living without her and along the way, she felt the same. They're so cute together. >w<
The last thing that kept me watching was the actor Chang Derek (Ze Ming). Really hard to believe that this was his first drama ever. He did an amazing job, especially with his emotional scenes. Those scenes he did where he had to execute some emotions, he did really well and it was very believable. I love the fact how his character had development. He went from an innocent, sweet childlike person to a mature, and still lovable person who had to adapt to a new environment and be surrounded by people all the time. I also liked An Amber's character, Mi Mi. Others might have found her annoying but I found her really adorable actually. She becomes very shy and cute around Ze Ming and you could tell she loved him very much as he did her. The other characters were ok, I honestly didn't care much about them. Some of the characters became annoying but I did like her parents a lot. They were such warm and loving people. It was nice seeing Chen Katie again since Bromance, but her character seemed the same from how it was in Bromance. Lol~
I absolutely loved the OST. At least 4 of the song were sung by Bii, including the opening song~? I love listening to him sing. I did like the two songs that were sung by An Amber as well. Her voice is pleasant. I liked the ending song that was sung by Dino Lee as well~ ^^
I'd recommend this but if you guys are willing to watch, watch with an open mind and if you can ignore the flaws or at least acknowledge them, I think you'll actually enjoy. Even if some of it was unbearable to watch, I still enjoyed for the sweet and cuteness between the leads and the strong bond the family had. This is one of the very few dramas I'll always have a soft spot for~ ^^
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