Story/Love plot - A forbidden love between two warring organizations? I have to say that this was a great idea. Although this was different from Iris, it made the drama extremely interesting. Whenever there were collisions from the opposing sides, the love story would blossom during the most intense parts of the drama. Well done from the directors part for portraying it as such and the writers for coming up with this idea. Now, the actual drama, pretty good. An easy to follow story line but still throws in twists and turns to keep viewers interested.
Acting/Cast - Not as good as Iris, but the actors/actresses did their part. It was enough to keep viewers interested, but bringing in Kim So Yeon as a guest role showed that there was some wavering for the drama and needed a small help from the cast of Iris(Kim SoYeon was phenomenal in IRIS, but I digress)
Music - Kim TaeYeon sings one of the OST's, what more is there? Hah, I kid, the music was alright honestly.
Rewatch Value - Ehhh... The story drops off during the middle of the drama and it becomes a bit troublesome watching the episodes.
Overall - Yeah, it was ok, nothing great.
Circumstances - due to someone getting injured, production of the last two episodes were stopped for about 2 months, so I have not had the chance to see the last two episodes but I did read the summary, with a relatively predictable ending.
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This review may contain spoilers
Story: The story revolves around a young boy who was 'cursed' with a mysterious aura suppressed within him. Because of this curse, he secludes himself from others and yearns to be normal. After he is accused of murder due to his 'curse', he runs away in an attempt to discover the truth behind the murder, and along the way he finds love, friendship and family. In his journey to find the truth, he uncovers more than he has ever imagined - his 'curse'.Acting/Cast: I literally fell in love with every character in this - from the main characters to even the minor supporting characters. Yang Mi and Li Yi Feng were a very sweet couple but a little dull at times. But I can't help but love them. They have a very rather bitter sweet relationship. Not sure why, but it did get a little annoying hearing her call "Su Su" all the time.. XD My favourite 'couple' were probably Zheng Shuang and Ma Tian Yu... their cute bickering was adorable. I love how naturally they appeared with one another that I always looked forward to watching their scenes the most. Who impressed me the most in this was probably Qiao Zhen Yu - I have never seen him nor heard of him before but his portrayal of his character was brilliant. *SPOILER* He played one of the best villians I've seen IMO. It doesn't hurt that he's quite good looking too!
Music: I actually loved both the opening and ending songs - they were beautiful. Though I don't really know who the singers are as I'm not very familiar with Chinese music. I love the sound of chinese oriental music so much! Even the background music that was played during any battles was rather upbeat and 'exciting'.
Rewatch Value: I don't rewatch shows much because I don't have time to and there's always so many new dramas coming out. But, I would be willing to sit through this again with english subs as I'm sure I must of missed something because I'm not 100% fluent with chinese especially when modern speech isn't used.
Overall: I highly recommend this drama especially if you like the ancient fantasy type dramas (aka wuxia). The story was wonderfully written and the actors did an amazing job with giving us this drama. Like any other wuxia dramas, the costumes are beautiful! I guess the only drawback is the 'awesome' CGI effects that they used - very typical CGI in these dramas. I know some people who cannnot stand the CGI, but to me they were beautifully created so I don't mind too much.
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In its monstrosity hardly dealt with war crime pulled off the dusty shelf in vividly stylized mode
The Netflix production “Gyeongseong Creature” turns out to be quite an idiosyncratic mix. Studio Dragon had the opportunity to experiment and make full use of an illustrious cast. Despite some clichés, "Gyeongseong Creature" is not a banal K-drama that you quickly forget.Basically it's another hero´s quest of some hero against his will, discovering unexpected sides of himself. It´s another ´mission impossible´ right into the lion's den - in this case: the military hospital of the Japanese colonial army base in the middle of the capital of the Chōsen colony in 1945. It is not the fair maiden who is to be saved, but the kidnapped, impregnated courtesan of the chief of the Japanese police. It turns out that a 'dragon' - in this case an artificially created monster - also has to be overcome along the way. The hero is flanked by a motley crew of long-standing and spontaneous companions...
Now this old wine comes in a freshly spiced-up Korean-style bottle. The personal touch of "Gyeongseong Creature" is precisely that Gyeongseong in those final months of the Pacific War, when Seoul bore that name. The historical setting as well as the historically and socially significant issues of Japanese colonial rule give the plot its selectivity and a quite serious foundation, so that "Gyeongseong Creature" does not simply offer interchangeable run-of-the-mill entertainment. Here, a painful chapter of South Korean suffering is intertwined with personal fates in the form of loosely interspersed critical events during colonial rule that is officially (by Japan) to this day preferable neglected, not to mention rehabilitated. With this Netflix production it has been nonchalantly thrown onto the World Channel to be proclaimed and acknowledged in HD.
This involves in general: the arbitrary racist violence and oppression against the Koreans as well as the systematic torture and execution of suspected resistance fighters in Sodaemun Prison; the forced military conscription and bullying of Korean soldiers within Japanese units; the forced recruitment or abduction of comfort women for (mass rape for the pleasure of) frontline soldiers... And specifically in the case of this story: the monstrous machinations of Unit 731 as part of the Imperial Japanese Army, which went down in history for its inhumane experiments on human subjects. Although these experiments actually took place mainly in Harbin in Manchuria (see side note below), they were for this KDrama also imported to Gyeongseong for a compact narrative stringency.
Against this background, "Gyeongseong Creature" tells its fictional story with artistic license. In some scenes you may get the impression that you have lost your way in a parody. Despite of such incomprehensible human menace and distress, the story presents itself at times completely unimpressed by any seriousness. There is room for humor and coolness, (which sometimes made me think of a parody of 'James Bond' or alike production). There is this reluctant hero who sometimes appears naive, sometimes quite cheeky and self-confident. He´s someone who has learned to achieve his goals, but who prefers to stay out of any trouble, wearing a stylish suit. And then, out of nowhere, he can withstand torture and injuries as if it were nothing at all. You can't really take this seriously. And yet...
In contrast, there is plenty of objective seriousness and expertise from the two foreign travelers on their detective mission. Pleasant extra: a clever, self-confident FL who is quick-witted in every respect.
In contrast, there is also the extremely dark world of medical experiments (and their artistic documentation) – underground on the military site.
In contrast, there are also the monsters, the army and the imprisoned test subjects.
And in the middle of the perfidious chase, the great feelings of humanity shine through: familial bonds and solidarity as well as wounded pride and jealousy act as driving forces, flanked by patriotic resistance and questionable scientific ambition. It's hardly surprising that Cupid also shoots his arrow in passing.
Not only do the individual characters at times feel like caricatures of themselves, Gyeongseong's production, choreographed in light and colors, also seems to come from an unreal fairytale world. While the pawnshop shimmers in all colors, the Japanese research laboratory is stylized as a dark dungeon beneath the military prison. And then there is the Moonlight Bar on the one hand and the police chief's property on the other - each of them control centers with a certain (political) impact. All of this is impressively aestheticized again and again in hand-picked scenes and settings. Sometimes you can feel like you're in the theater and then again like you're in the high-resolution digital world of a computer game.
So is the KDrama worth watching? On the one hand, "Gyeongseong Creature" takes itself very seriously with regard to its historical contemporary themes, but on the other hand, in the clichéd exaggeration of the individual characters, it apparently doesn't. This KDrama mix chosen for "Gyeongseong Creature" is, in my opinion, quite daring. However, I mean this in a benevolently positive way, in the sense of 'feeling free to experiment'. You might have to get used to it - but easily so. The (let´s say) rather 'banal' entertainment element - the Mission Impossible in view of the numerically superior Japanese military and the monster creation - is effectively intertwined with painful historical reality in a strikingly piquant and catchy manner. During the action-packed and visually stunning ride through the episodes, the KDrama subtly but consequently throws its barbs of memory at the audience.
The KDrama surely is offering cinematically solid entertainment with a star cast, but at the same time, based on the different personal backgrounds of the main and supporting characters, it demands acknowledgement of how the Japanese dealt with Koreans at that time. By stylizing the manifestation of Unit 731's monstrous experiments and research in the form of a concrete monster with superpowers, "Gyeongseong Creature" symbolically brings the unsatisfactorily dealt with war crime off the dusty history shelves in an unmistakable monstrosity.
...
Well, a second season has already been announced.
This will obviously be set in contemporary Seoul, though. We´ll see...
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SIDE NOTE: --- Unit 731 of the Kwantung Army of the Imperial Japanese Army ---
From 1932 onwards, Unit 731 of the Kwantung Army of the Imperial Japanese Army under the leadership of Ishii Shirō was stationed in Harbin, the largest city of the puppet state of Manchukuo in northern Manchuria. Around 3,000 mostly bacteriologists carried out experiments on living people there. The test subjects imprisoned and tortured there were predominantly Korean and Chinese civilians as well as Soviet prisoners of war. Later, including American prisoners of war, too.
Unit 731 of the Kwantung Army of the Imperial Japanese Army was disguised as the “Main Branch of the Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department.” In fact, Unit 731 in Harbin is responsible for the most cruel experiments on living humans. Later, field research was also carried out using the biological weapons developed in Harbin. The victims based on this research alone were mostly civilians - tens of thousands came together over the course of the war years.
I would like to ad that the main perpetrators of these war crimes by Unit 731, who had the full support of the later Japanese prime ministers and the Japanese imperial family, remained unpunished in exchange for the research results that they handed over to the USA...
PS:
There was no offshoot of Unit 731 in the fictional Onseong Hospital in Geyeongseong. That's fictional.
There was no Onseong Hospital in Gyeongseong either.
However...
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SIDE NOTE: --- Gyeongseong Japanese Military Hospital ---
The main KDrama setting is a colorful look and feel of Gyeongsong (Seoul at that time). The focus is on the architecture of the Republic's former Defense Security Command Center. On the area between the palace and the old town of Bukcho a military hospital was built by the Japanese in 1928. The Onseong named Hospital in "Gyeongseong Creature" is fictional, but the architecture that takes center stage is in fact related to a real Japanese military hospital before later actually becoming part of the Republic's Defense Security Command Center.
Until about two decades ago, this area was an urban area closed to the public and with bad memories for the people - not only of the activities of the colonial rulers, but also of their own military, which staged a coup against the people here in the 1970s. Furthermore, many South Koreans were tortured and mistreated there (by the security officers of South Korea's dictatorial regime). Until recently, human rights was an unknown concept behind those walls.
The ensemble could have been demolished, but the people decided to preserve the building as a memorial. The historical witness is now part of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. The bloody past is thus being countered with something positive: the imagination and emotional power of modern art.
Here, with the KDrama "Gyeongsong Creature", the dark past of this military area bearing a bloody and painful past, which began with Japanese colonial rule and was later continued by South Korean government officials, comes to life again with artistic license, too - as representative contemporary witness in HD.
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The entire artistic production would receive 9/10 from me for a romcom drama like this. The direction was great; the set and props were outstanding; the cast was full of both eye candy and skills. The cinematography was amazing. It was good to look at. I just wish they gave much more effort into blending their multiple genres together.
THE CAST:
I'm never a fan of any of them, but I believe they did a really great job. The set of 3 leads owned their roles. I even believe that the writers wrote this story with Park Boyoung in their mind. Tiny and cutesy role is definitely for her, and she's a good actress as well. This is only my second drama with her, however, and I believe that the next one with her is gonna start boring me a bit. Her tone and acting is just so *her* like she was in Oh My Ghost. This happened to me with Hwang Jungeum in every single drama she was in as well.
THE STORY:
The story, however, was a strange mix of romance, comedy, supernatural(?), police investigation, and even bloody thriller. How would they mix into a good storyline? There's no way. I believe they needed to take out at least one, or tone down each of them to make everything flow.
The dynamic of this storyline is super strange. It was like an incredibly bumpy road instead of a smooth rollercoaster. The comedy element was almost too forced that it wasn't funny. Some parts were even disgusting that just made me fast-forward throughout the show.
The thriller part started out really strong in the beginning which tipped off the consistent cute and comical tone of the entire Do Bongsoon character. That villain character was just too over-the-top that the entire sub plot around this guy doesn't fit in with the tone of this story at all.
Plus, the entire reason Bongsoon and Hyungshik got together was because *his* case, not the one in her neighborhood. He was being threatened, and that case was solved so easily and quickly. It was definitely just there to bring the two together.
The love story between the two/three leads was nothing special. Nothing really developed or had an impact on any characteristic change. It was just there out of nowhere. I have to admit that they were cute and fluffy together though. They were almost too cheesy together and I usually don't prefer that kind of super cringy stuff, but I believe it helped even out the darker tones regarding the villain. It still isn't the ideal way for such purpose.
But all in all, I wouldn't keep watching until the end if it wasn't entertaining. Like I said, I liked the cinematography and the cast a lot (surprisingly, given that I'm never a fan of any of them). It was something to watch in my free time and I did take my time to finish it. The bad parts weren't soooo bad that it let me down. At least the first episode started off nicely. If you wanna see for yourself, I don't recommend you against it. I have a reputation for dropping series halfway through if the first few episodes are slow and have too much flashback. This one was fine.
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Rather Bizarre Ending
Believe in Love is a partly xianxia, partly non xianxia drama. The xianxia elements are not pronounced throughout the story, as most of the characters are all normal humans living an earthly life, until towards the end when some elements of xianxia come to light. This is another story revolving around cuisines and food, and it is my fourth one in a row. Despite the tag that says “comedy”, there is very little comedy here, or comedies that don't make people laugh. Nonetheless, it’s quite an enjoyable light watch with some “angsts” for some viewers.Hua Yinan (Huang Shengchi) and Lu Yue’er (Zheng He Hui Zi) were lovers in their previous life as General Mu Yuan and Xiao Man. Mu Yuan died and Xiao Man perished while trying to save him. Thousands of years later, they meet again living on an island -- Hua Yinan as the son of the owner of the island and Lu Yue’er as the daughter of the owner of a small noodle shop. With mysteries and unexplained circumstances, Hua Yinan is told to marry Lu Yue’er in his father’s will before he can inherit his father’s legacy as the rightful owner of the island and all his properties, including the biggest and best restaurant on the island. Hua Yinan is reluctant to marry Lu Yue’er as he doesn’t like her and the feelings are mutual. Through various encounters that make them save each other’s life, Hua Yinan begins to fall in love with Lu Yue’er. So when she agrees to marry him, Hua Yinan is overjoy. He inherits everything the will promises he will. Comes our antagonist who was the antagonist in their previous life as well. What follows become a test of their true love for each other.
The whole cast is new to me including the main leads. Huang Shengchi is good looking and despite having acted in many dramas, this is my first drama of him. His portrayal of Hua Yinan is convincing with a mild demeanor and a soft romance towards his love. Likewise, I have never watched any of Zheng He Hui Zi’s dramas, and her portrayal here is equally convincing as the naïve Lu Yue’er or the arrogant Tang Yingying. Her outfit is rather unconventional with bared shoulders, accentuating her narrow frame, making her looking like a little girl. Their dynamics together are sweet and authentic with a lot of intimate scenes. The antagonist is vile and hateful, and Xiao Kaizhong's portrayal is very convincing. The second couple, Su Tang (Zhu Rong Jun) and Du Ruo (Hou Dong), is quite a joy to watch, and the stepmom and step sister are so horrible that you want to slap them. These supporting actors are great in their respective roles.
My Verdict
This drama is not great nor very bad. It’s easy watching though it can be rather slow pace as there is a prolong romance play which can be welcoming for some romance buffs, but boring for others. The last episode turns into a love triangle with a xianxia fight with superpower. The endings have multiple plot holes and questions not answered. It's rather bizarre. Overall, watch it for light entertainment and don't be too bothered with the details.
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Overall good :]
For a short netflix kdrama I'd say its good.The plot isnt confusing if anything its pretty straightfoward in a good way of course!
I think the main female really did carry the show though. The energy her character brought in really hooked me personally making me feel like watching the next episodes.
It doesnt feel too cliche well atleast to me it felt that way! Then again that might just depend on your taste if its cliche or not so keep that in mind.
For 10 episodes I think the pacing was pretty good actually the plot line doesnt feel to slow or to fast! Doenst feel like there many plot holes either which you gotta appreciate. They provide enough backstory on both main leads and the side characters also get their amount of plot.
Overall the show is just exactly what its description say it would be about. It was full with some humor parts and overall can be taken very lightly.
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I'm slowly getting back to kdramas, so I picked this one up and at first I was all in. I loved every moment of this show. The acting was top notch and the story, at least in the beginning, was complex and unique.
I loved it!
So why the 7?
Well, what I loved about the show was the complexity of everything and how everyone was flawed. As the show progressed and more secrets were revealed, I thought that it would continue to add to the depth of the characters, instead I got the same kdrama. Rich guy falls in love with poor girl. Poor girl has a guy that likes her and the rich guy has a girl that likes him. Drama ensues.
I can accept that. What I couldn't accept was this love story. Min Hyuk and Yoo Jeong just didn't make any sense as lovers. Min Hyuk had some reverse Stockholm Syndrome where he fell in love with the person he was tormenting. It came about from obsession and then he loves her. It made sense. But for Yoo Jeong to love him back all of a sudden? No. That never made sense and never felt authentic to me. After five years of being harassed and tormented, you don't just suddenly say "I love you too."
I also felt like the story dropped the ball with Do Hoon, who was the most interesting character on the show. He's been brought up in a family that expects him to be the best, but still keep his morals intact. That all changes when he allows Yoo Jeong to take the fall for him. Him getting close to Min Hyuk and trying to destroy him seemed to be his ways of making amends, but in the end I really didn't know what he was doing.
I enjoyed my time watching this and was eagerly waiting for the next episode to appear so I could watch it, but now that everything is said and done, was this really all that different from the rest of the kdramas out there? Kind of, but not really. There's a lot of plot holes and the ending was rushed. I just wasn't satisfied when it was done.
I am in the minority with this, so if you think this might be something you'd like then check it out, but if you are looking for something new in the kdrama world then I don't think you'll find it here.
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Love Story Between a Scorpio and an Aquarius
Wow, what an ending!!! At the beginning of this episode (last episode) I thought this was going to be another amnesia trope but in this case it really worked (also made this entire drama make sense). This is going to put up a serious fight against Crash Landing On You as my favorite drama for the year. I have to say this show surprised me so much. Unlike Crash Landing On You, I came in with normal expectations. One, because I have never watched a show with Lee Joon Gi before despite having watched hundreds of dramas (I know, I know. I have always respected him and admired him but somehow just never watched a k-drama with him in it). On the other hand, I really like Moon Chae Won as an actress. She has never disappointed in any of the dramas she was in. She neve disappointed me in Innocent Man, never disappointed me in Princess Man, never disappointed me in Good Doctor, and has not even disappointed me in Goodbye Mr. Black (yes, that show was a disaster but her acting is spectacular). She has took it to a different level in this drama. Everything just hit so hard in this show and I have never once felt that her character was not insincere or she was acting.And Lee Joon Gi was phenomenal. As a dude, I always thought all of the other k-drama fans (mostly women) have liked him not just because he was a good actor but also handsome. But he killed it in this show. He portrayed a complicated character so well it is unbelievable. This character has showed and experienced every emotion possible to a human being (betrayal, shock, love, guilt, anger, happiness, sadness, jealousness), everything. To show every single emotion without even acting out all of the scenes is just beyong amazing (of course the writing and directing were phenomenal).
This show also reminds me an article I read half an hour ago about horology (I know this is not related but it kind of is). It was an article about Scorpios and Aquarius. What really stood out was how the two signs have so many obstacles in the way but strangely match up so well. It really seemed to describe this couple.
Do Hyun Su (the Scorpio in this case) does not have a lot of friends. He does not trust people easily. He comes off as off-putting and such a huge jerk. He is hated by everyone as well as society. People do not understand him, they think he is psychopathic. However, as a Scorpio (I am just going to assume his character is a Scorpio-type personality) he can read people easily. Hence why he often manipulated people (he feels emotions but manipulated people simply because he could and it legitimately made sense in his situation). He can read his friend Moo Jin and he can read his Noona. He can certainly read Cha Ji Won as well (the aquarius in this case). Moreover, he cares a lot about the people he loves: his Dad, his Mom, his Sister, his friend, and last but least his wife (also loves his adopted family hence why he was able to be set up by them despite himself being extremely careful and observant, he just loved them too much). He is very family-centric (misses his mom, still loves his dad and even cares about his adoptive family) and loyal (hates betrayals, hence why he wanted to kill the nephew in his mind). However, despite still trusting the people around him, he still cannot trust anyone completely, not even his wife (aggravated by the fact that she is a cop and he is a fugitive). Hence, why he fooled her for so long. However, this drama really pushed him to change (Scorpios don't change easily) to really take a leap of faith and trust his wife completely which he eventually did (however, somewhere he did not know why he trusted her and even doubted his feelings a bit both before the accident and after the accident).
Ok, now back to Cha Ji Won (the aquarius). She is extremely popular with people, is very creative and idealistic. She has a lot of friends but enjoys having her own space. She seems to have a lot of friends but none of them seem to be able to read through her. However, Do Hyun Soo can. Do Hyun Soo finds her creativity and playfulness enjoyable and extremely captivating but he does not know why he likes her (mysterious attraction). He tries extremely hard to figure out everything about her (all of the notes he wrote trying to figure out why she likes something, and all of his effort trying to get her know better). I know it is hypocritical to want to know about someone but hide yourself but Do Hyun Soo is very insecure deep inside (once again aggravated by his complicated past, his fugitive status, and his wife's job). In the end, he seemingly succeeds. But deep inside, he is not only not truly confident that his wife loves him, but not even sure that he likes her (since he does not know why). Cha Ji Won (the aquarius) is also extremely attracted to Do Hyun Soo but she is not 100 percent sure why either. From her point of view, she keeps on expressing her interest (right before they started dating and after the memory loss) but she is getting no response. She is extremely tired but just cannot seem to give up. At the end of this episode, she seemingly gave up but still had some hope somewhere (Hyun Soo could not really go to her in both cases before he was certain that he really liked her).
This all ties back to the final analogy which made everything make sense to me. Hyun Soo, the Greek God who is misunderstood by everyone likes to hang out in his own comfortable space. However, he always has his wife on his mind (Cha Ji Won). He finally realized that just like the Greek God, there was only one person he truly loved and trusted, and that was Cha Ji won.
All right, one more thing. I thought Eun Ha loved her Dad irrationally too much before this episode but it makes sense to me now. She is a shadow of her mom. She is too similar to her mom. WIth the exact same personality and half of her genes, it is easy to see why she loves him. Do Hyun Soo loves her as well which is another parallel to the relationship betwen him and his wife.
TL;DR: Do Hyun Soo and Cha Ji Won seem like they might not be a great fit because of their tumultous relationship but in reality it is all within the process of finding true love. This drama shows that true love is possible and marriage is certainly not the end product of love, not even a child (in fact, it is more likely a new beginning).
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Shameless exploitation of BL audience to promote a music career.
It's a good thing Pete can sing, because if he had to fall back on his acting skills he'd starve to death. He doesn't really act at all. He does appear to have memorized his lines, though, so there's that. Tonliew is adorable as Yoshi, and that's largely why I stayed with this.The plot is stock - a standoffish star ends up as the temporary charge of our main character, who has to navigate his star through a maze of ill-wishers including the usual malicious ladyboy, which is becoming such an offensive stereotype that I'm going to start boycotting series with characters like this, and also a cartoonishly evil rival actor - you may not be able to spot him. (Hint: he's the one wearing all black at a Thai beach resort).
I can't recommend this, but it's so short that it won't hurt you to watch it.
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ATTENTION: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!
ATTENTION: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!Please do not read if you don’t want to be spoiled!!!
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A simple but effective drama: a murder, a suspect, and a solid story. On the other hand, we have a woman with a very special ability she can detect lies (which would be really useful for us in real life too lol).
Overall, I thought the story was well developed: from their first meeting on the bus, to him becoming her neighbor, the discovery of his identity, the moment she finds out he’s been accused of murder, and how lost she feels because of it. Then the way the story unfolds you’re genuinely surprised by who actually caused the tragedy, even if it’s a bit predictable. From the very beginning, without knowing the plot, I suspected her friend was the culprit. Still, the story stays really cool.The acting is good overall. Not surprising coming from the actress she always delivers. I didn’t know the actor before, so he was a pleasant discovery.
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Could have been more better, expected alot
The Eternal Fragrance feels like it's lacking in many areas, partly because of the choppy editing and the fact that it's a drama that was completed around three years ago, making some aspects feel dated. While ju jingyi is doing okay with her acting, there's still room for improvement, especially when it comes to delivering more emotional depth and natural expressions. The cultivation genre itself has become quite repetitive, and this drama follows many familiar tropes, making it feel generic rather than refreshing. On top of that, its visual aesthetics and overall fantasy vibe are very reminiscent of, which makes it harder for it to establish a unique identity.Was this review helpful to you?
The story is twisted. In my opinion. If you ask why, it doesn't follow a single plot. It gets very complicated. They've taken all the characters from the martial arts world. There are fight scenes with all of them. They're all presented separately, and they've united to form the Power Gang. This gang is initially portrayed as evil, but later we see that it's a very good gang. It works for the national good. So, can such a gang even exist? At least not a gang. He also poisons the men he employs. If he doesn't give them the pills, they die. He keeps his men under his control. So, you figure out the rest.
The real important thing is the relationships between the four siblings. The eldest brother is the heir, the second brother is neutral, the third brother is the daughter and stepbrother, but they're harmonious and affectionate, and they also have a medical background. The fourth character is the most intelligent and beloved. He's his mother's favorite. His father's secret favorite. His father and mother are murdered. This is how the conflict begins.
Now, the dominant character is the older brother; he takes responsibility, saying he knows everything and can do it. He's uncompromising and very narrow-minded, a naive character who can be easily deceived and convinced. He's a very honest person, but he can't stand anyone putting him in his place. The second brother constantly flatters him and says he's on his side. The female character tries to find a middle ground. The younger brother says he'll do it. He says, "Trust me." They don't listen to him, especially the older brother. They act like they're the younger ones, "How can we trust him?"
I tried to establish the characters here. To me, the second son seems implacable, naive, uninformed, and uncouth, far inferior to his brother in martial arts, yet uncertain in comparison. That's what we're shown. However, later, this character transforms into someone who rules the country. I didn't think it was appropriate for someone so naive, uninformed, uncouth, and ineffective in martial arts to be portrayed at this level. Let's say he took on certain things through a mask. Is he taking on the character as well? Is he taking on the mindset? While they're conveying martial arts, are they also conveying the mind? I didn't understand that. I couldn't make sense of it. There were many things I couldn't make sense of, but I'm saying it's clear.
Another issue I'm having trouble with is the Emperor poisoning the Power Gang Leader. Then he asks, "Where is this guy? Let's reward him. Call him. They say he's dead." He's surprised. I don't understand that at all. What's the point of meeting a man he poisoned himself with such shock and sadness? Did I misunderstand? I don't know. It was absurd. Why would the Emperor have his own country crushed and conquered? These were meaningless things. I couldn't understand those things at all. I couldn't grasp them. It didn't work.
Another incident involved the meaningless crowd around Cheng Yi, whom everyone agrees on. They don't contribute to the game. In other words, the casting choices were also flawed. I didn't like them. There could have been much better characters and actors suited to him. Some were simple, some were meaningless. We were torn between laughing and crying while watching. For me, the emotional scenes—the scenes of the mother and father's death, the brother's death, and the sister's death—were incredibly moving. Cheng Yi, with his red eyes, truly did justice to these scenes, crying. Some people wondered why he was crying, but even I was moved by the scenes. Beautifully shot, well-shot, good fight scenes, good production and direction. Good costumes. I liked it.
Cheng Yi carried the series single-handedly. Well done. A great performance. I found it successful. It makes you watch. I'm curious and looking forward to watching his next series. Why did Gulnezar Bextiyar, whom I found meaningless, appear in this series? She seemed to have no role. She was a meaningless character. This actress was unnecessary. I'm talking about Gulnezar. I wouldn't have played her. I liked Elenor Lee. A good performance. Xu Zen Xuan performed very well. Well done. Liu Meng Rui performed very well. Well done. I really liked Ding Xiao Ying. She suits the role very well. Well done. Johnny Zhang put in a lot of effort. He did justice to his role. Well done. Edward Zhang started badly but ended well. He made us feel the villain. He made us feel bad. Besides them, Xiao Yan, Ding Yong Dai, Hu Ke, Lu Yong, Zhang Yi Ge, and Julian Cheung were the actors who stood out to me. I was expecting a much better series. It didn't end well. Everyone died. Would I watch it again? No. Would I watch it if there was a sequel? Maybe.
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The low budget, simple settings and slightly eccentric pacing give this show the feeling of real life. The characterizations are top-notch. Much of the tension comes from just how stubborn both of the main characters are. That they're able to rely on each other anyway is sweet, and makes them an interesting and memorable BL pairing. But the writer also portrayed a great father-son relationship and gave a humorous insight into the differences between China's poor and nouveau riche. The music is also good, and I often don't notice music. (The "It's Okay That's Love" shout-out in one of the musical selections made me very happy.)
The greatest flaw in this series is also the thing that makes it most interesting: the censorship of many scenes and the fact that China banned gay content before the series could be finished. The romance never feels fully developed because censors eliminated not only sex but kissing. The end result is a show where the guys talk about sex frankly (okay, Guo Bai talks about it, gotta love that cheeky bugger), but we never even see an affectionate kiss between them. And the story ends abruptly with a cliffhanger and a ton of emotional issues unresolved between the guys.
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Cute!!
Loved it till 18th episode and then it felt like it was dragging on. Finished the last couple of episodes in 1.5x. The sibling dynamics were a treat to watch and the cast acted well. I just liked "When I Fly towards you" better because I was watching them parallelly and the general lack of misunderstanding and cliches in When I fly made it a better watch than Hidden Love. One thing that I did like about HL is that female lead was not a damsel in distress and could take a stand and not just for herself - but for the male lead as well. All the female characters written by this author are strong and know their mind - I truly appreciate the fact that these characters are unlike the naive/weak/gullible ones usually found in dramas,.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
It was good at first, the story was interesting, a little exaggerated but good, but by the middle of it, they started coming and going, getting together then fighting for the silliest reasons... Also I waited the hole series to see the main female character live as who she is, with no make up or hiding, to see the contrast with her time as a "duck", but after she reveals herself in just 1 episode she decides to go back to hiding her real self cos her boyfriend is jealous... it's 2018!!! really are we still hiding our beauty cos a guy feels threaten? PATHETIC.
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