Reviews

I saw the original version back in the ’90s while following Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s filmography and it was my first encounter with Wong Kar-wai. I didn’t know who he was at the time nor the fact that this was an insane cast, and although I forgot much of the movie, the lingering feeling it left me with after it ended has stayed with me to this day.

This past month I’ve had the opportunity to revisit WKW’s work, and I came across this 2008 Redux version (edited to correct year), in which the director rearranged certain elements. While watching it, I realized that all the scenes had remained fresh in some dark chamber of my mind, because as they appeared on screen, the memories came flooding back — yet I still couldn’t predict the following scenes. Quite an experience!

Now, with more knowledge of Chinese and Eastern culture in general, I realize this is WKW’s version of how Eastern Heretic, Western Venom, and Northern Beggar came to be, and I have even less doubt than before that Xu Bing is a great admirer of Wong Kar-wai. Having seen the trailer for his upcoming Remnants of Gold, I can clearly see the homage to Ashes of Time.

Another director who, I can tell, has liked Wong Kar-Wai filmography is Yu Xiaochen, the director of Back to the Origin, who must also admire Christopher Doyle’s cinematography, as he worked as a cinematographer himself before making his directorial debut.

And it also turned out that I did know Jacky Cheung from his glorious days — I just didn’t realize it lol.

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Wong Kar-wai’s first series - a must watch unique drama

As one professional review described it in the trailer, Blossoms Shanghai is the spiritual sequel to Wong Kar-wai's films, in the format of a TV series. And it's quite an accurate description, because you'll find the filmmaker's distinctive signature throughout the whole drama, adapted to the series format and with a rhythm and tone that are somewhat more uplifting than in his films.

If you like, enjoy or love Wong Kar-wai's portfolio, there's no doubt you'll like Blossoms Shanghai. The uniqueness of it all: the cinematography, movie-like quality, acting, incredible soundtrack, meticulous production, camera work, and storytelling, all worth the experience. On the contrary, if you like linear, very talkative and straightforward narratives, this might not be for you.

While in his movies the emotions linger with you long after they finish, the series format simply lets you dive into them throughout its 30 episodes, but ultimately lets you go at the end. Because if there's a difference between WKW's first series and his movies, it is not only the slightly faster pace but also the more positive overall tone and ending. The first 5 to 7 episodes set the premise, but then the drama finds its rhythm and keeps it up until the end; it all makes sense and wraps up nicely.

The technical aspects are, of course, magnificent and very personal in flavour, with the director's recurrent elements also present here: silences, looks and gestures that speak more than words, mirror frames, the role of lighting and soundtrack, slow-mo for certain takes, voice-over narration, you name it.

Acting is top notch and you wouldn´t expect less from this cast: Hu Ge, Xin Zhi Lei, Ma Li, Dong Yong, Wu Yue, Huang Jue and many more. Even my initial cavils with the monotone high-pitched voice of Tiffany Tang faded away and she grew on me eventually, although she never made it into my list of favourites.

Also, the fragmented storytelling that's one of Wong Kar-wai's signatures is here too. The story starts in the middle of the narrative told from the protagonist's perspective, and you'll only have the full picture by the end of the drama.

In that regard, the whole series is wrapped in a warm light that carries you to a world that no longer exists, as in a dream or a remembrance of things past that feels real, yet tamed by someone's lens. This is a love letter to Shanghai, to the blossoming side of the city and that era in the 90s, and the Shanghainese dialect adds to that atmosphere and to the overall flavour of the drama. There's no point in looking for the less positive side of that period here; WKW has no intention whatsoever of talking about it.

This is the story of the swag, savvy and handsome Ah Bao, who decided to surf the wave of China's financial and economic awakening in the late 80s and early 90s, and his journey from a fabric worker to a millionaire in the stock market and textile-retail industry in Shanghai during those years. Along the way, he crossed paths with business competitors and established several meaningful relationships, especially with three women – two of them involved in the restaurant industry – who were also striving to find not only love but their place in this new world.

This is told around WKW's common topics: unrequited love and longing, memory, nostalgia, the passage of time, loneliness, missed connections, the fleeting nature of happiness and human relationships. The difference this time is the addition of business aspects, and it's worth noting that Blossoms Shanghai leans heavily into them too.

All the characters in the drama, even the minor ones, are fleshed out. You have "antagonists", but there are no purely good or bad people; they're mostly multifaceted people with dreams, ambitions and struggles whose interests often merge or collide. You learn to cherish all of them, and every one has their moment of "glory".

Among them, I just want to give a special shout out to the female "laoban" restaurant gang and their leader Lu Mei Lin, and the three waitress-managers; while among the "main" ones my favourites were Mr. Jiang, Ling Zi and the precious Mr. Fan, besides, of course, Ah Bao.

And let me finish this review highlighting my favourite part among many favourite parts of Blossoms Shanghai: episode 14.

This feels like a Wong Kar-wai short film within the 30-episode series, something that only a creative mind like this director's could imagine and execute in such an exquisite way that you wish to rewatch it on loop for quite some time. It’s also a pivotal point in the story that gives meaning to the rest, but that you could also watch independently and still fall in love with it. Jackie Cheung and his "Broken Heart" – or "Stolen Heart" – adds to the magic.

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NOTE: The drama is now available worldwide on MUBI (plus Criterion on USA and Canada)

The drama is also available in Mandarin. I prefer the original Shanghainese version.

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Did they get new writers for the second half?

I was quite worried going into this drama because everyone only ever has bad things to say about it. Episodes one through the first half of episode five were pretty decent. Just your very standard romance kdrama. I was really enjoying it and didn't get why it was getting so hated on...then came when Jo Jo and Sun Ho got into the accident. From here on the show just got insane. They were starting plotlines that went nowhere, romances that went nowhere, Jo Jo and Sun Ho became a bit unlikable, and the editing of going back and forth between after the accident and the present was so badly edited. The only thing that stayed good was Hye Yeongs character. Everything else went to shit. People were suddenly dying because of the app, Dokgu commits, the aunt and cousin somehow got worse...I could keep going but I won't. The way the finale ended didn't give finale ending either, more just like an episode ending (ok that's my last complaint). The actors all did a great job I will say. The only reason I watched it is because I love Song Kang and am watching everything he's been in, but just wow. I just don't know what went wrong in the writing room after that accident, but it wasn't good.

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Overhyped and boring

I'm not going to lie I didn't enjoy this as much as others seemed to. I've heard it getting hyped up since it was airing and I honestly don't get the hype. Is it bad? No, but I wouldn't say it's great either. The plot was fine but so drawn out and the episodes were just way too long. It could've been so much shorter. The plot of Khem being haunted and cursed to die on his 21st birthday had so much potential, but I think because the show was so long and pretty boring, I just didn't care by the end.

The characters were the best part of the show for sure. I liked our main cast of characters a lot and think the actors all did a great job.
I liked Peem a lot and liked the layers to him.
Khem was such a cutie patootie and I liked watching him a lot.
Jet was my favorite. I liked how funny he was but also caring and serious when needed to be.
Chan was adorable. I liked seeing him get more confident throughout the show.
The two kids were so fun and cutie.
Pour one out for Rampheung. Girl went through so much. When we got her backstory, I couldn't even blame her for what she was doing anymore and I'm glad she found peace at the end.

I think visually the show was beautiful with the sets and the visual effects. The camera work did bug me sometimes but overall, that wasn't a big issue. The show was fine, I just think it was WAY overhyped.

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Not bad for my first GL

This was the first ever GL I watched and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I think the girls all had great chemistry together and I really liked all the pairings. The spice was pretty decent in my opinion, like I said I haven't seen one before, so I don't have anything to compare it to. My main issue with the show is some plotlines were drawn out too much or were just really repetitive. Prim and Bambi's will they-won't they and Gorya's back and forth relationship with Shasha got old after a bit. Other than that, I liked it. The girls are so gorgeous too!! Loved seeing Emi and Bonnie's cameo as well!!

Characters:
Prim: I really liked her for most part. She did annoy me at times, but I loved how determined and hardworking she was.
Bambi: I think she was the most complex and interesting character. We saw a lot of growth from her over the series, and I feel like we saw the most emotionally from her.
Shasha: I think she was also one of the most interesting. She's been through a lot to get to where she is and I liked seeing her finally be able to process and deal with it to get what she truly wants.
Gorya: I liked her, but I do think she annoyed me more than she didn't. She just always seemed mad or annoyed about something, and it usually wasn't anything worth getting worked up over. I love how she helped Sha though.
Min: I loved her a lot until the last couple episodes. She was so unreasonable when it came to Prim wanting time off for Bambi. It was so frustrating to watch. Until that moment she was one of my favorites.
Praew: She was my least favorite. I liked how strong she was and how she would fight for what's right. That being said, she pressured Min so much!! Whether that was to date her, to be public with her, to come out; all of it! She was never really understanding that it's harder for some people to come out than others, especially when she thought she was straight before.

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Teenage miscommunication with not enough begging for forgiveness.

I was very bored for the majority of this series. Anytime there was a flashback? Bored. There were dozens of them as well, placed literally everywhere in the story. Side couple time? Bored to yawning, which is sad because I liked Ki. My attention drifted so much during their scenes that it was a full-time job staying focused. Anytime Ji and Achi were in Ji's apartment? You guessed it, bored. Honestly, bored and annoyed.

The acting didn't help. Poppy was the best actor in the series. The girl who played Song did a good job as well. Junior was okay, but to be honest, his excessive smiling creeped me out, and I just wanted him to stop. None of the couples really had chemistry, and it left even the non-intimate scenes feeling stiff and awkward. Fluke did get better as the story progressed, and he even made me cry in episode 7.

I cried not because of Money (okay, maybe a little) or Achi leaving, but because I could tell how Ji felt truly small, powerless, and abandoned in that moment, and he wanted to hold onto the only thing he had left of Achi and was scared that his mom wouldn't let him.

If Achi hadn't lied and fled the country and left things unresolved, they could have been together MUCH sooner. I do understand it, though, because they are teenagers and they don't fully understand their feelings, let alone know how to express them. Communication is the most important and difficult thing in a relationship.

As much as I wasn't enjoying the majority of the show, Achi and Ji getting together felt very abrupt, and they had no problems with anything after. It was literally like 4-5 episodes of Ji pushing Achi away because he doesn't want to be hurt again, a couple of episodes of Ji giving in and letting Achi get closer, and then last episode BOOM together and happily ever after. I get that they both never stopped loving each other, and they don't want to waste any more time, but you'd think that they would talk a little bit. I don't consider the flashbacks to be them talking. Show us the flashback; we needed it, but show them talking things out. It would have also been nice to see if their being in a relationship had a positive or negative effect on their lives because of Achi's job.

In my opinion, Ji gave in way too easily. Make him beg a little bit! Achi's smile would have already had me creeped out, but this man showing up in the random places I am, and then at my home? Combined with the sudden kiss that he did not have permission for, it would have had me telling him off and avoiding him, and if he wouldn't leave me alone? Restraining order. But Ji is still in love with him and gave in to everything Achi wanted. Achi should have been working for forgiveness every step of the way, but it felt like he had to put almost no work at all into it because Ji loved him more than he loved himself.

The plot had a lot of potential, but not enough time was spent forming, breaking, and then fixing the main relationship. They did an okay job at breaking it, but it still felt very surface-level. It's hard to put my thoughts on it into words. Like I felt the pain Ji was going through, but I felt nothing from Achi. If they are limited to just 8 episodes, they should have just cut out the second couple altogether, given us a full episode ( & maybe a half) of just flashbacks, then spent the rest of the time with Achi begging for forgiveness, them working things out, and then given them a happily ever after. As it stands, their finally getting together was unsatisfying. I found myself actively not wanting them to get together because it didn't feel like Achi put in enough effort after the pain he caused. I don't care if it was 10 years ago, and Ji is still in love with him. It clearly left scars on Ji.

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Razoável

Eu tinha começado Dear. M assim que lançou (muito por influência da época em que eu acompanhava o NCT), mas larguei porque não tive muita paciência com o estilo do dorama, confesso. Fiquei um período bem longo sem assistir doramas no geral e agora que voltei a ter esse hobby decidi dar continuidade também aos que eu nunca terminei e Dear. M, como esperado, estava entre eles. O que tenho a dizer sobre ele agora é que é bem básico e previsível, com nada de muito surpreendente ou diferente do comum. É aquele dorama genérico para passar o tempo mesmo, o que não o torna exatamente ruim. Só é bem fraco. Os casais secundários me cativaram muito mais do que o principal e senti que erraram um pouco na dose na representação da antagonista. A atuação, no geral, também não é de tirar o chapéu. Tirando esses pontos, é assistível (embora eu não sei se reassistiria em algum outro momento).
Por fim, shout out to my boy Jaeyhun! Nos provou que é sim possível ter mais de uma expressão!

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Colors, Filters,Slow motions and......Action ?

The 2AM Cinderella... where do I even start?

What I liked:

1. The brothers' relationship, a rare blessing in chaebol world 10/10, no notes.
2. The brother and his "wife" and their cold-to-warm relationship. Surprisingly healthy communication? In a drama? What a concept.
3. The ML. Honestly, I could probably write an entire review about him alone. I've often wondered who would take over once Jung Hae-in retires from the romance and yearning industry. I may have found the answer. He has that mid 20s tall, handsome, effortlessly charismatic energy we call" Aura farming" without trying that C-dramaland seems to be mass-producing. The last time I saw it was with Lee Chae Min and Lee Jae Won in "Hierarchy" and we need more of that., emphasis on "we"
4. It was short. An average drama that respects my time deserves recognition.

What I disliked:

1. The coloring, the filters, the slow motion. I thought Shine On Me had already used up the world's supply, but apparently there was more in storage.
2. The coworkers. Quite possibly the most irritating collection of colleagues ever assembled in an office.
3. The whole business side of things. Even by the end, I wasn't entirely sure why they were so rich. Hotels? Art? Vibes? Your guess is as good as mine.
4. The usual frustrating FL. At this point, I have questions. Are Korean writers deliberately trying to test our patience, rage-bait us or are they writing what they wish Korean women were like? Difficult, self-absorbed, insecure, low-self esteem, unnecessarily stubborn, and wrapped in layers of fake humility. The list goes on, but I don't have the energy to write a thousand-page thesis today.
5. The ending was all over the place. One minute they had figured everything out, the next they hadn't. The obligatory wedding scene was held together by excessive lighting and, of course, another generous serving of slow motion.

Final Rating: 7.8/10

Most of those points belong to the ML and his brother.

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Thank god for time travelling cats

Twelve Letters is a beautifully shot, beautifully acted and beautifully written drama.

I felt strangely nostalgic my first time watching this. The cinematography is very reminiscent of 90s Hong Kong films that I grew up on. They're similarly melancholic and passionately tragic. In these stories, the happiness is always fleeting and that's why I cried so much during their little rain dancing session lmao.

The story was well paced and the twists were surprising. I was constantly engaged but I don't really have much to say on the actual plot.

Wang Yinglu and Zhou Yiran acted the shit out of their roles in Twelve Letters. The anger, the yearning, the desperation—it's like they danced all over my guts. I cried so much I got a migraine and threw up. They need to work together again, preferably in a romcom or something; I desperately want them to be together and happy. And kisses! Omg we deserve kisses so bad.

Despite my adoration of this drama, I couldn't give it a perfect score because of two reasons. One is because the non-linear storyline within the 1991 time period was not always necessary and just added to the confusion (episode 8 in particular). And two is because the ending felt abrupt as hell. Why couldn't they have added a scene of Haitang and Yixun boarding a bus out of Meiwan or them moving in to an apartment near her university? A small scene like that would have made a huge difference, ughhh we were robbed.

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Beautiful, Emotional, and Surprisingly Easy to Follow

Moonlight Mystique is easily one of my favorite C-dramas of all time. I know it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, it was exceptional from start to finish. The acting, cinematography, music, action scenes, and costumes were all beautifully done, and every aspect of the production felt carefully crafted.

One thing I appreciated the most was how understandable the story was despite its complexity. The drama weaves together past lives, present lives, mysteries, and multiple plotlines, yet it never felt confusing. Unlike many fantasy C-dramas that leave me with unanswered questions by the end, Moonlight Mystique consistently explained its plot and revealed information at the right moments. As the story progressed, everything gradually fell into place, making the overall narrative feel coherent and well-written.

The storyline wasn’t simple by any means—it was layered and ambitious—but it was presented in a way that made sense and kept me invested throughout. I found myself enjoying every episode, every character, and every emotional moment. The music also deserves special praise because it elevated many scenes and made the viewing experience even more memorable.

Honestly, I don’t have any major complaints about this drama. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey from beginning to end, and it remains one of the most satisfying and well-executed C-dramas I’ve watched.

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An enjoyable wuxia mini drama!

I throughly enjoyed watch Nan Yanzhi navigate Lingya Tower's perils (frequently while adding to her shifu's stress levels) and gain allies along the way. I also liked seeing Zhuang Wujiu deal with the tower's politics while surreptitiously aiding Nan Yanzhi. There are a number of twists in the story, and I'm looking forward to rewatching it!

The supporting cast has a decent amount of character development, despite the drama's length, although I wish there was a bit more of Chilan Tuya. Characters' backstories tend to be grim and/or tragic, but the show doesn't come across as bleak to me (and in fact ends happier and with a lower body count than I expected). The trope of weddings being bad luck in suxia stories holds true, but more for the antagonists rather than the heroines. Some of the flashbacks got a bit repetitive (which makes me wonder if a bunch of footage was cut) but I didn't find it that overly annoying.

I liked the drama's cinematography and thought the fight choregraphy was well done. The soundtrack is very pretty and I hope someone eventually translates the ending credits song (the opening credits song is subtitled when it appears toward the end of episode 23).

Liu Meihan and Jinna Fu have excellent acting chemistry imho - I hope they work together on more projects in the future!

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Poignant, funny, healing two-part series

I was misty-eyed but smiling the whole way through. Even at 720p on Bilibili, I didn't mind the low resolution and janky subtitles because the storytelling was so compelling and propulsive. At two episodes (2.5h total), the pacing is surprisingly spot on, neither feeling rushed nor draggy.
There were numerous moments where I could guess how a scene was going to unfold, but instead of it feeling predictable, it felt inevitable. Like a perfect punchline after a skillful setup. The payoff of the headphones was especially sublime. And the dual catharsis of the mother and FL was incredibly well conceived and performed.
I also really liked the nuance of the romance, which was so subtle you could miss it if you weren't paying attention (especially if you didn't watch all the way to the end). The show would have worked fine without it, but to me it added a perfect extra sprinkle of sweetness.
I wouldn't have minded have seen a few characters get the karma they deserved, but ultimately it was a good choice to keep the focus on the main cast.
I can't say any more without spoilers, but I really recommend watching this show if you're a fan of melancholy but heart-warming dramas. It's great to find one this affecting that's also so concise but doesn't feel shallow. I definitely want to watch it again at higher resolution.

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I picked this up since I like Zhou Ye and Wang Xingyue but I think this drama just made me want them to collab again because it didn't really fill my expectations on the romantic side of the story. I really wish we could have explored the main lead's relationship more thoroughly because the tension between them was palpable.

The characters are great at making me interested in their goals and struggles but I found the pacing to be a bit slow. The political and court drama aspects of the plot were pretty bland and it was sort of a pain to follow.

I understand that they had to conform to censorship rules but I think that they could have still made the plot better. The idea of Hua Qian dreaming, waking up and not having fixed anything is an intriguing concept, but it felt very frustrating and unsatisfying since the viewers have seen her change throughout the whole story. A better plot would have been to have her wake sooner and then start to change things in the real world.

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A unique, if unrealistic, take on school bullying

On the one hand, this show is deeply satisfying if you enjoy watching bullies get a taste of their own medicine, especially when those bullies are snot-nosed kids who think they're above the law. It also addresses a wide range of issues that affect students, teachers, and parents alike, including students bullying fellow students, students not respecting their teachers, teachers favoring students with connections and rich parents over students from poor backgrounds, parents bullying teachers, and the enormous pressure students face from their parents to perform well academically.

On the other hand, this show is also ridiculously over the top and not at all realistic. The ERPB itself is government overreach to an absurd degree, and I found it really hard to believe that, in South Korea of all places, where public scrutiny of celebrities and elected officials is almost suffocating, there was not an immediate outcry over adults physically assaulting literal children, no matter how much the children deserved it. Not to mention the invasion of privacy and constant surveillance by the ERPB. Honestly, as much as I liked the main characters individually, I was actually rooting for the opposition party to disband the ERPB entirely. There's also the fact that the Bureau was founded after the murder of a teacher at the hands of her student, yet somehow no one knew that Ga-Yun, the murdered teacher, was actually the daughter of the Minister of Education who founded the Bureau and the fiancee of the Bureau's lead investigator until well after the ERPB was established. Han-Rim and Geun-Dae both routinely going undercover as students makes for some funny scenes and I get that they both look young but COME ON, you're telling me none of the students ever suspected them of being narcs?? Do not even get me started on their "romance," the negative amount of romantic chemistry they had should be studied. Also, what the actual HELL did they do to my girl Jin Ki Joo with that haircut?? South Korea's obsession with bangs should also be studied, my god, they treat foreheads like the Victorians treated ankles.

The last two episodes center around the student who murdered Ga-Yun as the big bad who has set up an extensive drug ring that spans multiple schools and goes so far as to commit multiple murders to maintain said drug ring. And yes, murder is bad, and yes, kids are capable of committing horrific crimes, but like, he's literally in high school. His brain's not even fully developed. I'm not downplaying his actions but there's a reason juvenile offenders often get lighter sentences and that is because their brains are literally not fully developed yet and as a result, they don't always know the consequences of their actions. Again, I'm not downplaying the actions of the bullies in this show, but it does make it hard to really root for the good guys when you remember it's literally a group of grown ass adults beefing with a bunch of teenagers. There's another episode earlier in the show where a group of kids who are also dealing drugs get thrown in a juvenile detention facility and basically get the shit scared out of them by the other prisoners who are legit murderers, and frankly, it's hard to really view this as justice when you consider that there's a very real chance they will get murdered before they get released. Maybe this is just my American worldview showing, but juvenile detention is not really considered a rehabilitative success here when most juvenile delinquents just end up becoming adult delinquents and commit further crimes.

As someone who doesn't particularly enjoy school bullying dramas primarily because it's so frustrating to watch the adults sit by and do nothing, I initially felt like this show was a breath of fresh air. The first episode in particular is fast and fun and I loved seeing an adult actually stand up to the school bullies and bully them back. But as the show progresses, it becomes harder and harder to stomach some of the extreme lengths the ERPB goes to to deliver justice. I've seen a lot of people compare this show to Taxi Driver because they're similar stories about people using violence for a good cause. Unfortunately, vigilante justice can only actually be delivered by vigilantes, and the ERPB is not that, they're literally a government agency. And when the government does it, it feels less like vigilante justice and more like the beginnings of fascism. I'm sure this show has more appeal to its native audience, but as an American, it hit a little too close to home for me, and not in a good way. If this show came out in 2024, I might've been able to just enjoy it for what it is and not think too much about it. But in 2026, when the U.S. government is figuratively and literally waging war on its own citizens and weaponizing different government agencies to do so, it's a lot harder to watch this and feel like it's anything other than a particularly insidious form of propaganda.

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