Reviews

Non è come sembra...

Ragazzi, che viaggio. All’inizio sono partita convinta di guardare il solito, rassicurante K-drama terapeutico. Avete presente la formula standard? Lui ha i traumi del passato (rigorosamente sotto forma di fobia dell'acqua, perché se non c'è un elemento naturale che terrorizza il protagonista non siamo contenti), lei ha i traumi del presente, e i loro drammi si intrecciano che sembra un balletto della Scala.
​Fino a qui, tutto bellissimo. Unica stranezza: gli sceneggiatori hanno premuto troppo sull'acceleratore. Di solito per sbrogliare questi nodi del passato ci mettono almeno 10 puntate di sguardi intensi a rallentatore sotto la pioggia. Qui succede tutto subito! All'episodio 5 avevo già capito e visto tutto. Mi sono detta: "E ora? Che facciamo per le restanti puntate, giochiamo a carte?"
​E invece NO. È qui che la serie svolta e affronta i veri temi.
​Il vero cattivo della storia? La burocrazia.
​Andando avanti capisci che il problema non sono le sedute dallo psicologo che i due protagonisti si dovrebbero fare. Il vero fulcro della questione è che vivere su quel maledetto isolotto significa essere a un passo dall'aldilà ogni volta che c'è un po' di nebbia.
​Vedi scene madri in cui la gente sta per rimetterci le penne e parte il dramma logistico: ​La terraferma è lontana.
​Il meteo fa schifo.
​L'elicottero dei soccorsi non riesce ad atterrare.
​E perché l'elicottero non atterra? Perché le pale sono fatte di cartone pressato! Ed ecco che Doctor on the Edge smette di essere Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha e si trasforma magicamente in una puntata di Report sulla corruzione dietro gli appalti pubblici e sull'abuso di potere dei colletti bianchi. Una roba che ti fa venire voglia di scendere in piazza con i forconi a difendere i diritti dei pescatori di Pyeondongdo.
​La genialità della serie sta tutta qui: ​Riesce a farti incazzare nero per le ingiustizie sociali e il sistema sanitario locale corrotto, ma cinque minuti dopo ti rimette al mondo perché c'è quella dose di amore e amicizia tra i personaggi talmente ben dosata che ti pulisce il palato. Non è troppo zuccherosa da farti venire il diabete, né troppo pesante da farti venire la depressione.

Leia Mais

Pire ambiance musical

Habituellement, je ne prête pas beaucoup attention à l'ambiance musicale. Ce qui fait que quand elle arrive à se faire remarquée, ça rajoute à mon plaisir de visionnage. Sauf dans ce cas ci.
En effet, à elle seule, la musique m'a donné envie de fuir la série.
Elle est trop forte et présente pour aucune raison. Dès qu'un mot "important" est prononcé on a droit à une musique sombre et inquiétante digne d'un film d'horreur. Et elle alterne toute les 2 minutes avec une musique pleine de carillon pour un effet féérique vraiment trop surjoué. C'était pour moi un vrai supplice.

Pour le reste, ça ne rattrape pas l'ambiance. La réalisation est passable, entre les images 3D ajoutées, les scènes de surjeux, le manque de logique. Quand on voit un personnage faire une grosse chute dans la boue, pendant une tempête mais qui se réveille, Sec, propre et pas décoiffé. Un minimum d'effort serait pas mal.

ça m'a suffit pour me faire quitter mon visionnage avec grand plaisir. Aucune envie de m'infliger ça pendant 7 autres épisodes.

Si la musique ne vous gêne pas et que vous n'êtes pas trop attentif à la réalisation, vous pourriez peut être y trouver votre compte mais ce n'est pas mon cas.

Leia Mais

Empoderamiento y venganza

Este drama nos cuenta cómo la vida le da una segunda oportunidad a nuestra protagonista Chu Zhao para no terminar trágicamente perdiendolo todo; y ella la toma con fuerza y con gran ímpetu decidida a cambiarlo todo.

Es una historia llena de conspiraciones políticas, venganzas, alianzas y traiciones, donde las batallas se ganan con astucia, no con fuerza. Me gusta mucho que Chu Zhao es una mujer decidida, que aprende de sus errores y lucha para protegerse a ella y a su familia, que no le importa ser tachada como una mujer malvada, calculadora y cruel, porque con quienes lo merecen realmente lo es; ella no se viene con juegos, tiene sus estrategias muy bien planeadas y aunque sus enemigos creen que pueden manipularla, es ella quien mueve los hilos de sus destinos. Pero tampoco es perfecta, comete errores y así como es cruel con quienes le han hecho daño o se meten en su camino, a veces también lo era con las personas que más quería, por desesperación, por sentirse sola y traicionada, pero luego al darse cuenta que les está haciendo daño a quienes no lo merecen, cambia su actitud y entiende que ellos también son humanos, que cometían errores, pero en sus corazones solo querían lo mejor para ella. Jiu es un chico solitario, y de quienes los primeros que le enseñaron a que no podía confiar en nadie es su propia familia; pero desde que conoce al padre de Chu Zhao y a ella, se da cuenta que hay personas leales; y él se convierte en el compañero más leal de Chu Zhao, siempre está ahí para ella, no la juzga, pero si la aconseja cuando está a punto de sentirse pérdida, incluso cuando ella se equivoca y lo lástima, él la entiende y jamás la deja desamparada; me gusta que tenían un entendimiento tácito y que a pesar de las distancias, siempre sabían que podían confiar el uno en el otro, en medio de un mundo lleno de conspiraciones y gente desleal.

Xiao Xun, Yan Fang y Deng Yi eran hombres completamente malvados llenos de una sed de poder enorme y llenos de artimañas, manipulaban a todo el mundo a su antojo sin importarles las consecuencias, si esto significa un peldaño para alcanzar sus objetivos; a pesar de que eran tan malos, no podía odiarlos del todo, de alguna manera sentía admiración por su astucia y por la manera en que se la jugaron hasta el final, incluso Yang Fang después de perder el juego, se fue a su estilo; definitivamente fueron unos grandes villanos, porque tenían una personalidad bien marcada, y a pesar de ser varios, cada uno tenía su toque que los hacía especiales y distintivos 😈

Me gustó el final, que después de tantas guerras y caos, nuestros protagonistas pudieran tener una vida mucho más pacífica y feliz; aún tenían un camino largo a construir, pero ya habían dado de todo por la seguridad del reino y era su momento para disfrutar de los placeres de la vida. Realmente es una historia interesante y entretenida, llena de empoderamiento femenino y de luchas para lograr alcanzar un mundo mucho más justo.

Leia Mais

Great cast but I wish I could get my time back!

I was so mad about this series that I put down my oath of never writing a review and signed up for MDL just so I could give this review. ***Occasional spoiler alert***

First things first: I watch historical c-dramas for their stories and (some of the) dialogue as I love exploring and learning more about China's history and past (yes, I know it's not all accurate but as I'm an author, I enjoy being inspired by other scriptwriters).

(*Please note that I skipped MANY scenes because there was a lot that didn't need to be kept in plus I got BORED).

1). Cast: EXCELLENT cast! I LOVVVVEEEE Dai Lu Wa & Riley Wang (hello, DIMPLESSSS) and thought they did the best despite the writing. There are many playful moments that I adored between Shisan & Gao Ran, Fan Yun & Qi Zheng, plus the brotherhood between Qi Zheng, Wei Ying, and Yan Jiang - all of it was great). Fan of Deng Wei but I couldn't STAND his character, Zheng Shi/Lou Qiyan here - UGH).

2). Characters: Now, I tend to like watching characters grow over the course of the series because that's what they're supposed to do but I couldn't believe how confusing and ridiculous some of these characters were (especially the main leads)!

2a). Qi Zheng: He probably had one of the better character arcs throughout the series. Starting off as a baffoonish governor who only lives a lavish life, he's truly hiding someone who cares for his people. First of all, why would you need to show it like this? He cares for the people - that's his JOB as governor. He SHOULD care for his people. I know that the 3 Elders are there to guide (aka hinder) him so they can see their dream of the Nine Cities play out, but come on. That's just silly. Either way, he goes from being super immature to a somewhat understanding person, but that isn't really until epi 35/36.

2b). Fan Yun: As the first female lead, one would think she should have the biggest character growth in the series. Only..... *crickets crickets* there was none. I wanted to smack her character so many fkn times throughout! How are you SO DUMB?? Even near the end of the series, you still couldn't see how Zheng Shi is hella manipulative and insane?! And for all the *strong female character* BS, all it shows is that whatever she wants, she gets. Which isn't always a GOOD thing. PLSSSSSS. And she can't tell when someone likes her? She doesn't understand how she keeps walking into traps, even by episode 30?! HUH? The way they wrote her is super embarrassing, even though it's meant to showcase a strong woman who won't bend to other people's will. But how can you have someone like this who can't even seem to read the room be a "gate commander" or official? That just shows how immature she is. And even when Shisan shows her 1 defensive move, she never uses it. I at least thought she'd would've used it on ZS in the end! But noooooo, she just whines and harrumphs about the unfairness of a man grabbing her. UGH.

2c). Zheng Shi: YO. YOOOOOOO. Y'all managed to get Deng Wei to be in your series and you wasted his talent on acting like some manipulative punkass b*tch who can't take no for an answer? STOP. Please. Just stop. It's 2026 (or it was 2023 when this was filmed, EVEN THEN it should have better writing than these lame tropes). You should be able to create better characters who can show growth instead of demanding attention through manipulation and tricks. That's just hella petty. And for him to keep telling FY how he hopes to drink the sweet dew tea (which signifies the love between 2 people) she brews for him, which was also the antidote to the poison he got from an arrow. (<--- also, this is such a device to use, this is hella lazy writing) In the end, he finally gives up because he realizes FY prefers QZ over him? AFTER HE KNOCKS HER OUT AND KIDNAPS HER?? And tells her that one moment of dislike in her life can pass quickly but one moment of happiness can be revisited over and over? They made him this super insane person who is too stubborn to save themselves from the poison and insists on FY to help him out, when he knew she didn't feel the same way as him? OMG, I wanted to smack him too so many times because at times he seemed decent, respectful, and never wanted to go against FY (his own words) but in the end, he couldn't even keep that facade up. ZERO character growth for him too! How disappointing! I get there needs to be tension between the 2 male leads but seriously? This was unimaginative.

All of the other characters I had zero issue with - it was just these 3 that had some of the worst writing/developments. I was SUPER disappointed, especially after seeing Li Yi Tong in A Dream Within a Dream. I do have to say that there are times when LYT seems to rely too heavily on her looks and being confused - I hope she can grow out of that.

3). Plot: WHAT DID I JUST WATCH?! The plot made ZERO sense to me (and I allow a lot of room for interpretation when it comes to c-dramas, especially historical ones and their ability to stretch the imagination - FINE) but this one? I have no idea what the writers were smoking because I think I want some of it.

3a). Right off the bat - FY is to be married to the governor, QZ. Okay, I can go along with this but for the governor, they paired him with someone from a fallen noble family?? Like that could EVER happen? I get why FY's fam did it for the money but come ON. Plus, the whole money aspect didn't come up (other than QZ feeling disgruntled by the fact that he's only worth 500 taels of gold).

3b). The fake divorce for FY to become an official - was that even necessary? I'm trying to understand this. And if they were trying to get it to this plot point, why wouldn't they just have her start off with petitioning to take the exam, discover that there are no rules (in terms of gender) when it comes to serving in court and building up her merits from there? And while in court, QZ could fall in love with her and the 3 Elders could come in and create a marriage between the two?

3c). Zheng family clan leader election - perhaps I missed the point of this, and I understand that the Zheng family are powerful in Jing City and can control a military but if anything, this should have been threaded throughout the series, not just plopped at the end.

3d). The love triangle - I couldn't stand how FY wouldn't just say something to either QZ or ZS. If you're such a STRONG WOMAN, you should be able to speak your mind more easily. Don't put forth this idea that FY is this incredible person who cares for the people, speaks up IN COURT, goes against the rules and is a timid person around the 2 men who like her? HOW? At least be consistent if you're going to write a strong female character. You can't have her go against the rules, speak out against the Elders and yet suddenly can't seem to say simple things to QZ or ZS! And also, how are you going to write a character who is betrayed by ZS in the end and yet she still trusts him? HUH? FY cannot be THIS DUMB.

3e). The 3 Elders - Look, I get that ancient China was all about being Confucian and filial and all that but the idea that 3 Elders who were there at the beginning of the Nine Cities would prevent the Governor from actually doing his job was ridiculous. There's no FKN way 3 old people could have that much power. Like it didn't make any sense! And when Elder Zheng started going off like a crazy person, why wasn't he removed from court for speaking out of turn? AIYAHHHHH

I know I missed a lot of the other plot points but these were the top ones that my brain couldn't deal with. It makes me so sad when there are great actors involved in a series and yet they had to produce something like this? I just finished the series today and my brain nearly exploded at how stunted so many of the characters were. Like how did this get greenlit?!

But seriously, ALL THE LOVE to Dai Lu Wa & Riley Wang cuz they were THE CUTEST TOGETHER!!! I hope they star as main roles for other series because their dynamic was OFF THE CHARTS!!

Leia Mais

Nothing remarkable, but so far it's the only vampire series I'd recommend

I'm pleasantly surprised that I liked this series. I haven't had the best luck with vampire dramas, so I went in with very low expectations, even more so because of the high rating, & it turned out to be the best one I've seen so far.

For one thing, and I would say the most important, they didn't try to create a whole different lore for these vampires. They also didn't try to make the world bigger than they were prepared to explain. This has been my main issue with almost every vampire series I've watched, so it's nice that they just kept things simple. Yes, there are some things left to question when it came to making supplements & aging, but in comparison to the other series I've watched, those were really non-issues.

In a sense, you could say that the vampire part of the story took such a back seat that you could replace the roles with anything & nothing would change. However, I liked that it wasn't made into a big deal. It mainly focused on the relationships between the characters & I was fine with there not being these tense "I can't control myself" moments. It humanized them in a way, yes, but that didn't feel like a bad thing.

The acting was also fairly solid & the actors did a great job of conveying things through looks, so you pick up on how the characters feel about each other without having to be told, which left more room to focus on our main couple. I never once felt like a character's feelings for another came out of nowhere or was forced.

If I were going to recommend a vampire series, it would be this one. It's short & light-hearted, and most importantly, it doesn't try to stand out by messing around with the lore.

Leia Mais

Watched 2 episodes, and so far, I really like it.
When Xiao Wuyi killed off those officials with that cold gaze and wearing that sinister smile with blood smeared all over his face, got instant chills! Hou Minghao nailed that murderous aura.
Waiting to see how the plot develops next!
Will update this review after finishing all episodes.
Edit: Completed all episodes. Superb acting by Hou Minghao and Aimi. Each nailed their roles perfectly!! The plot, the characters, the storyline, the visuals, kept me hooked throughout the drama. And of course the OSTs, each one carried a perfect feeling conveying the characters emotions. Thanks to all the cast and crew team for bringing us such an amazing drama. One of the best dramas I've watched this year, totally recommended watching it!!

Leia Mais

Brilliant ( what a masterpiece), number 2 best drama of the year.

I'm so impressed, the writer knew exactly what we wanted this 2026. The fl is powerful, she deals with people mercilessly that messes with her, she's no damsel in destres. The ml gives a poor sick front but behind the scenes he's powerful and know martial arts. The ml is a green forest. He saves the princess all the time but he doesn't make it known to her that he's the one doing all these things for her because he doesn't want her to fall in love with him out of gratitude. Once he falls for her he decides to actually not pursue her anymore because of he's sickness he doesn't have a long time to live so he doesn't want her to be lonely. The ml is so selfless and so kind. This drama is so good and a must watch. The romance is so gentle, I love how their kisses are gentle. The consumation of the marriage was normal, not the usual where the ml is drugged or drunk. No they were both sober.
The ending was perfect, even if they decided to give us a happy ending instead of a sad one. It ended perfectly, people are going on on about how they didn't explain the ml return in the end it wasn't necessary, the fl probably knew that he had gone to recuperate.

The ost is good, haven't heard such a good ost since eternal love

Well done to the cast and everyone for this brilliant drama.

Leia Mais

good atmosphere for the horror and some unsettling based on real life urban legend

Overall this was an enjoyable psychological horror film. I quite liked the scares, they weren't the scariest but it does however thrives on mystery and uncertainty surrounding Salmokji. It's apparently also based around some real life urban stories surrounding the place and that's pretty cool. I like when they base thrillers/horror on urban legends it makes it so much more enjoyable and realistic in a sense. It also makes it feel more real even though none of this ever happened but it got that element of spooky where it's a fun watch. I watched this while it was completely dark out and no lights bc that is how horror should be enjoyed and it added so much more to the film. It definitely one I would rewatch at a later point with some of my friends if they were up for watching a horror film. But yes as mentioned It is not particularly frightening but it got some unsettling aspects to it since it's some urban legend sequel. What I loved about it especially is that it create an eerie atmosphere that keept me focused on the film and not loose focus, I tend to loose focus when I watch bad and poorly directed/poor jumpscares in horror.
So if I had to give an overall, id say that this is a good watch for those looking for a layered psychological experience.

Leia Mais

By this point, I had to admit it - I really loved Xie Miao and his works. Because as soon as he's back as Sun Wukong, Dream Journey immediately becomes really funny as hell. Like it can't just be the writing or how the movie's direction, but Xie Miao really can pull some very comedic scenes even just wearing a poker face.

So this time, the gang meets the 7 spider sisters. But before that, we get to see Wukong and Tang Seng have yet another argument which end up with them switching each other's powers as well as making a bet for who would be to most successful in transcending the demons they'd encounter afterwards in seven days. Whoever thought up this idea for this is a genius. Tang Seng with Wukong's powers and simple mind ended up being very unruly and overconfident. Wukong with Tang Seng's intellect ended up being very talkative and thoughtful, and while he lost his invincible powers for a while... he still had his fighting skill but have weak body. You have no idea how funny these scenarios are.

I ended up seeing quite a number of familiar faces, who gonna end up acting together with Xie Miao again in Great God Monkey drama. So that explains why their chemistry with each other was so very good. So yeah, if you're looking for some very good laugh... this movie is for you. I seriously recommend this movie a lot. I somehow end up laughing my backpain away after watching this.

Leia Mais

Great Cast Weak Writing

Good Boy is definitely one of those K-dramas that keeps you hooked until the very last episode, even though it has some flaws.

First of all, every performance feels convincing, and the cast did a great job. Overall, the story is interesting, and I liked the message it tries to convey.

However, I struggled to accept some of the characters’ decisions because they often felt questionable. For example, at the beginning, Han Na’s relationship with Dong Ju felt too forced. She does everything she can to push him away and treat him badly without any convincing reason, which made her come across as unlikeable to me.

Another thing that disappointed me was how Han Na discovers important information related to her father’s case through connections with the current investigation but doesn’t tell the team until around Episode 12. It felt like a wasted opportunity.

Some of the action scenes also didn’t work for me. Several of them felt unnecessary and avoidable, almost as if they were added just to fill time. As a result, the amount of violence sometimes felt excessive rather than meaningful.

The least believable moment was when Dong Ju is drugged, beaten, stabbed, somehow manages to walk across Insung, jumps off a moving truck, and then recovers after barely receiving any medical treatment and only a couple of days of rest. I understand that he’s meant to be incredibly strong and determined, but that was simply too unrealistic for me.

That said, I never found the drama slow or boring. The OST is excellent, with several songs that are genuinely catchy and get you pumped. The acting is consistently strong across the entire cast, but the screenplay has noticeable weak points.

I honestly wanted to give this drama a higher rating because I genuinely enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the issues in the writing kept it from reaching that level for me, so my final rating is 8/10.

Leia Mais

Le scénario est classique... mais cette bande vaut largement le détour ;)

Franchement, je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais avec un titre comme "Heroes Next Door", je m'attendais à un drama où des super-pouvoirs allaient s'entrechoquer dans tous les sens 🤣.

Eh bien… pas du tout 😭

Ici, on suit une bande d'anciens soldats qui ont laissé leur passé derrière eux pour mener une vie tout à fait ordinaire 😌. Enfin… en apparence 🤣. Lorsqu'une série d'incidents vient perturber la tranquillité de leur quartier, ils n'ont d'autre choix que de reprendre du service pour protéger leur petit coin de paradis ❤️💥.

Autant dire que leur retraite risque d'être beaucoup plus mouvementée que prévu 😅.

Très honnêtement, je suis restée avant tout pour cette bande de bras cassés 🫶🏻. L'intrigue fait le travail, mais ce qui m'a vraiment donné envie d'enchaîner les épisodes, c'est cette petite famille complètement improbable. Ils passent leur temps à se chambrer, à s'envoyer des piques et à se chercher... mais dès que l'un d'eux est en difficulté, tout le monde répond présent 💪🏻. Franchement, cette camaraderie fonctionne super bien et c'est clairement le plus gros point fort du drama.

J'ai aussi beaucoup aimé l'équilibre entre l'action et l'humour 🤣. Le drama ne cherche jamais à devenir un énorme blockbuster rempli d'explosions ou de combats interminables. Les scènes d'action sont surtout là pour mettre les personnages en valeur, et elles s'intègrent naturellement aux moments plus légers. Résultat, je ne me suis jamais ennuyée et le ton reste toujours agréable du début à la fin.

Côté casting, Yoon Kye Sang s'amuse clairement dans le rôle de Choi Gang 👏🏻. J'ai beaucoup aimé son personnage. Au premier abord, on pourrait croire qu'il fonce tête baissée sans réfléchir... alors qu'en réalité, il est bien plus posé qu'il n'y paraît. Et puis... impossible de ne pas parler de sa bromance avec Kwak Byeong Nam, joué par Jin Sun Gyu 🤣❤️. Tous leurs échanges m'ont fait rire. C'est clairement lui qui apporte la plus grosse dose de bonne humeur au groupe. Derrière son côté un peu clown se cache pourtant quelqu'un de profondément loyal, et j'ai adoré cet équilibre.

Le reste de l'équipe est peut-être un peu moins mis en avant, mais chacun apporte sa petite pierre à l'édifice. Même les personnages secondaires trouvent facilement leur place. Petit coup de cœur d'ailleurs pour le mafieux qui finit progressivement par devenir un allié 🤣🫰🏻.

Concernant la fin... mission accomplie 😌✌🏻. Le drama reste fidèle à lui-même jusqu'au bout. Il ne cherche pas à devenir plus grand ou plus spectaculaire qu'il ne l'a été pendant tout le reste de la série, et j'ai apprécié cette cohérence. Tout se conclut de manière simple, chaleureuse et dans le même esprit que celui qui m'avait séduite dès les premiers épisodes.

Bref, "Heroes Next Door" ne révolutionne certainement pas le genre... mais ce n'est pas ce que je lui demandais ❤️. Je suis surtout venue passer un bon moment avec cette bande de copains complètement barrés... et franchement, le contrat est largement rempli 🤣🫶🏻.

Leia Mais

Light at the end of the tunnel

Tomorrow had been sitting on my watchlist since 2022, and I finally gathered the courage to watch it. Even then, I wasn't fully prepared for how emotionally intense it would be. The show tackles some incredibly sensitive topics that caught me completely off guard. If you're planning to watch this ,I'd say make sure you're in the right headspace because it can be quite traumatic.

I can’t exactly say that I enjoyed it because it was too intense. Despite that, I keep watching because I wanted to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Healing isn't quick or easy, and the drama never pretends otherwise. Every story carries a message of hope and a meaningful lesson, which makes the emotional journey worthwhile.

The fried chicken episode and the final three episodes were my favorites because we finally got to learn Mr. Park's and Ms. Koo's backstory. I'd been waiting for their story since the very beginning, and while it was a long wait, it was worth it but their ending was really ambiguous. I felt bit unsettled bcz of it.

The show gave me similar vibes to Hotel Del Luna, but if I had to choose one to rewatch, I'd pick Hotel Del Luna. Tomorrow is much heavier emotionally, and I don't think it's a drama for everyone.

One thing I wish the show had included was a love interest for Rowoon or even a lil cute crush. It could have added a little warmth and humor to balance the darker themes.

Leia Mais

Decent Fanfiction - Atrocious "Adaptation"

I normally don’t write reviews and just give shows a rating. However, weeks after finishing the drama, I find myself constantly thinking about it and how disappointed I am. I was so excited when I heard Cheng Lei and Bai Lu were cast as the leads in this adaptation, and prayed they wouldn’t butcher it. My hopes were crushed to see 98% of the story changed. What is the point of obtaining rights to a story if you change EVERYTHING?

Every episode I had to fight the adaptation snob in me from raging and remind myself to watch it for what it was…FAN FICTION. I truly do not understand why they changed the entire plot. As an “original story” it is decent, touching on topics like trauma, and mental health. I commend the actors for doing a good job with this atrocity of a script called an "adaptation". The actors did a great job with what they were given, but overall, the romance fell flat, and the politics/schemes were not as engaging as the novel.

Yes, the novel is long. Yes, I understand that adaptations change things to suit the different mediums and I accept that. Pursuit of Jade also changed things from the novel, but those changes did not impact the essence of the plot and the overall story being told. What the screenwriters/adapters did with The First Jasmine is criminal. Let them work on original content, and be banned from adapting anything in the future.

Amazing characters were either completely cut out or changed to the point they were unrecognizable. They destroyed the essence of the ML turning him into a weak simp, and turned a strong intelligent FL into a traumatized victim. The romance, deep love & respect the two leads have in the novel as they navigate survival in a treacherous political war-torn world is nowhere to be found in the drama. I wanted to see their relationship built on trust and respect, where they didn’t hide anything from each other. I wanted to see them work together on military strategies to defeat their numerous enemies. I wanted to see Ye Li being the only person in the world who could put a leash on Mo Xiuyao. I wanted to see the Mo Xiuyao who was still feared and powerful even when confined to a wheelchair. I didn’t get any of it. All I got was broken characters with little to no resemblance to their written counterparts. I wish they properly adapted the story. There was so much content in the novel to make a great drama.

The whole Lishan plot DID NOT HAPPEN. There was no “Child Emperor” and Empress Dowager was not the main antagonist. Mo Jingli, the Emperor’s brother, was a better antagonist in the novel along with many others. Ye Li’s maternal family were her biggest supporters. They even had the audacity to cut out their son Mo Xiaobao. His scenes constantly bickering & plotting against his father to monopolize his mother's affection are some of the funniest scenes I have ever read.

FINAL VERDICT- DISAPPOINTING

Leia Mais