Reviews

Finding jade is hard

There's a promise of something exciting and swoon-worthy in the opening episodes of this show, but it ultimately suffers from the typical trappings of an idol period drama, with the more political and court intrigue side of the story leaving much to be desired. There's nothing particularly bad in all departments, but there is also lack in all the major areas as well - in acting, writing and even directing.

Still, it's an enjoyable romance tale primarily, and the director certainly excels in this area. Tian Xiwei makes an appealing performance as Fan Changyu, who certainly will go down as one of the more charismatic and layered strong female leads in recent years. Her story from peasant butcher lady to formidable general is probably the most well-constructed character in the show. Unfortunately, Xie Zheng's story is not developed as thoughtfully, and Zhang Linghe's performance is too nondescript to leave a lasting impression - at least for me. He's certainly capable of more (he's much more lively and memorable in Love Between Fairy and Devil and The Princess Royal).

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Bell-Bottoms, Bicycles & Butterflies: A Love Story That Takes Its own sweet time

Set against the dusty charm of 1970s China, Love Story in the 1970s is the kind of drama that doesn't rush to impress you, it just quietly wins you over, like a slow cup of tea you didn't know you needed.
Let's be upfront: this is not a drama for the impatient. If you need car chases, misunderstandings every episode, or a second male lead stirring up unnecessary chaos ...look elsewhere. The pacing here is gentler than a Sunday afternoon bicycle ride. Some might call it slow burn. Others (me, briefly) might call it "why is nothing happening yet?" But stick with it, because what unfolds is genuinely worth the wait.

And then a line like this hits you: "I like you. The moment I first saw you, I liked you. I carry this feeling, across half of China."
No grand gestures. No dramatic music swell needed. Just a man, his truth, and an entire country between them. That one line is the whole drama in a sentence , and it's the reason I stayed for every slow, beautiful episode of it.

The leads are the real soul of this show. Their romance doesn't rely on drama or manufactured tension it's built on something almost radical in C-drama land: actual communication. They talk. They listen. They understand each other. It's so refreshingly healthy you might feel personally attacked by how functional their relationship is compared to your own life.
The acting is stellar across the board. No overacting, no melodrama just grounded, honest performances that feel lived-in. The entire cast clearly understood the assignment.
Production-wise, this drama did its homework. The costumes, the settings, the textures of everyday 1970s life all of it feels authentic, not like a prettified Pinterest version of the era. The clothes alone are a love letter to that decade, and not in an ironic way.
Is it slow? Yes. Is it honest? Absolutely. Is the romance so wholesome it made me briefly reconsider my whole personality? Possibly.
Rating: A beautifully unhurried 8.5/10 = for those who believe love stories should breathe.

At the end of the day, Fang Muyang and Fei Ni are not just victors in love they are the most simple 'light chasers' of their era

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When Love Comes Too Late ⚠️Spoiler⚠️

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Between the Lines
igiam’s reflections on drama, character and hidden meaning
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There are dramas that hurt because they are unfair… and others that hurt because they are true.

“Kill Me Love Me” belongs to the second.

What drew me into this story was not just the romance, but the emotional mystery behind the male lead. I didn’t fall for him easily — I wanted to understand him. Every decision, every hesitation, every contradiction made me question who he really was beneath everything.

And that is where the story becomes powerful.

Because this is not a story about pure love.
It is a story about consequences.

Knowing the ending would be tragic did not stop me from watching. On the contrary, it made me more attentive to every step that led there. And when it finally happened… it didn’t feel unfair.

It felt inevitable.

What hurt the most was not only his fate, but hers. I expected him to pay the price for his actions — but I didn’t expect her to be part of that cost. And yet, that is what made the story feel even more real.

Their relationship was never stable, never peaceful… but it was undeniably strong. A bond that could not be easily broken, even when everything around them was.

After finishing the drama, I looked into the original novel — and what I found changed my perspective completely.

In the novel, the male lead is far more cruel. He uses her, mistreats her, even poisons her… and only realizes her true value after her death. His punishment is not death, but something far worse: living with the knowledge that he destroyed the only person who truly loved him.

That is the author’s idea of justice.

And suddenly, everything made sense.

The drama adaptation softens his character, allowing the audience to connect with him. But at its core, the story still carries that same message:

Sometimes, justice is not redemption.

Sometimes, justice is regret.

And perhaps that is why this story stays with you.

Not because it gives you what you want… but because it shows you what happens when love is understood too late.

Final thought:
Some stories don’t break your heart.
They quietly teach you to value it — before it’s gone.

igiam | Observing Stories Between the Lines

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Borrenme la memoria necesito verla como la primera vez

The Untamed fue el primer cdrama histórico que vi, y llegó en el momento perfecto. Lo vi en plena pandemia, cuando todo se sentía incierto, y terminó siendo una especie de refugio para mí. Sin exagerar, fue una curita al corazón. 😭💞

Entré sin expectativas, solo porque una amiga me lo recomendó. Sabía que era un “bromance” (aunque claramente hay mucho más que eso), pero jamás imaginé que encontraría una historia tan compleja y profunda. No es solo un romance: es política, es poder, es tragedia, héroes inmortales, lealtad, traiciones, misterios… es un mundo completo con todo de un poco.

Al principio fue confuso, sobre todo por la cantidad de nombres y títulos debía pausar para anotar en mi cuaderno y no perderme, pero ese inicio tan caótico “Wei Wuxian ha muerto” no ayuda mucho 😅. Pero una vez que te sumerges, no hay vuelta atrás. Me vi los 50 episodios en menos de una semana, algo que nunca había hecho antes. 😼

Lo que más me marcó fue la relación entre Wei Wuxian y Lan Wangji. No necesitan demostraciones físicas para transmitir amor. 🥹💞 Se siente en las miradas, en las decisiones, en la forma en que se eligen una y otra vez. Es un amor profundo, incondicional, que trasciende todo. Para mí, representan perfectamente el concepto de almas gemelas, y me subieron por total mis expectativas en el amor.

También es una historia que duele. Wei Wuxian es, sin duda, uno de los personajes que más sufrió, y eso me rompía el corazón constantemente (Te amo Wei Ying) Solo quería protegerlo de todo. 🫂❤️‍🩹 Lo mismo con Lan Wangji. Y ni hablar de personajes como Wen Ning o Lan Sizhui… todos tienen un lugar especial en mi corazón.

Jiang Yanli 🫂🥹 merece mención aparte, porque fue de los pocos personajes que realmente amó y apoyó sin juzgar. En contraste, hay personajes que simplemente no soporté (sí, hablo de ustedes idiotas Jiang), y otros como Jiang Cheng con los que tengo una relación de amor-odio.

Por otro lado, el soundtrack es precioso, lo volvería a escuchar una y otra vez, me causa escalofríos, nostalgia y emoción. Los vestuarios también, aportan muchísimo a la experiencia, y aunque los efectos especiales no son los mejores, llega un punto en que ni te importa, porque estás completamente inmersa en la historia.

Si tengo que mencionar algo que no me convenció del todo, sería el final. Se siente más abierto y distinto a la novela original haciendo comparaciones en este momento porque yo quedé con un gran vacío cuando terminé la serie por primera vez, no sabía que había novela, y personalmente me dejó con esa sensación de que faltó algo más. Aun así, no arruina todo lo construido.

Esta historia me enseñó mucho: sobre resiliencia, sobre no vivir para complacer a otros, sobre el peso de los prejuicios y los rumores, sobre el amor incondicional y también sobre el dolor de cargar con todo solo, y en especial vivir sin arrepentimientos (aún sigo trabajando en eso). Es una historia que realmente se queda contigo.

A pesar de todo lo que me hizo sufrir, la sigo amando igual. Es de esas historias que me gustaría olvidar solo para poder vivirlas otra vez desde cero. 🤧💗

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Amazing bl

This is my second rewatch, I'm currently reviewing a lot of stuff I've seen some time ago. Ok where do I begin the OST is super peak and one of my fav OST's, the music in general AAAH. I love it.

I love the roles of Gene and Nubsib. Gene's role as introverted person reallyyyy suits the story and it's acted so realistically. Also Nubsib has amazing acting. I find it kinda sad this is their only work out there. I love how they also had that bad engineer thingy. It reminded me of my engineer and they clearly put a lot of effort in it. I FUCKING HATE AEY, yes I felt bad for him sometimes but most of the times he came on the screen he just made me wanna trow my laptop around the fucking room.

The whole industry was so realistic aswell and I'm happy they showed the good and bad sides of the bl industry. It also shows how lgbtq is actually treated within the industry including the unnecessary NSFW scene's that Gene was forced to write. I fucking love how much consent there is between Gene and Nubsib. To be very honest, Nubsibs's character didn't really stick with me since some of the romance (like first meet) seemed a little of the top especially from his side.

One of things with this drama is, is that you just need to be the target audience. I don't know how to explain it but I think you need just give it a go and see what you think about it. I personally love this bl extremely much.

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Not the ending you think it is

There’s a deeper meaning to the ending or that is how I personally see it. Lee woojin is still dead regardless of the timeline, it’s like a canon event. You may think he’s alive but he’s actually not. In ep 7 towards the end woojin says “reminisce you in your art” thinking of hyeseong, when hyeseong told him that he’s going abroad to pursue his studies. I think the last scene in ep 8 is hyeseong’s way of remembering his late lover through the pebble he gave him that has a basketball drawing on it. We see hyeseong wearing white and woojin wearing a black coat, that in on itself says a lot and the main leads didn’t even get to touch each other, this maybe a sign of hyeseong’s delusion and desperation to see/remember his late lover in his own way.

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A ten year secret crush finally sees the light of the day

A refreshing, non-melodramatic story with a unique perspective, a story of mutual unrequited love that seemingly ends a decade ago due to various coincidences. A new opportunity unexpectedly brings the two back together.

Ruan Yu, the FL, used the unrequited love from ten years ago as the creative material for her new book. Before her new book's release it's embroiled in plagiarism accusations.
And for Xu Huaisong, the ML, 'a text RYXHXHS' sent by his sister changed everything! It turned out that the girl he had a crush on had also been secretly in love with him all along.

Even though he knows they have a mutual crush, he plays a little game to get closer, not reckless but with eyes full of affection. While helping her with the case, he brings their decade-long deep love and tenderness to life. It turns out that a mutual commitment, ten years overdue, was still incredibly exciting!

Wei Zheming's portrayal of Xu Huaisong paired with Zheng Hehuizi's Ruan Yu, is a perfect match, complementing each other beautifully. The emotional fluctuations between the two are frequent and intense.
Their sweet, back-and-forth interactions are always just right making it very comfortable and enjoyable to watch.

Supporting cast: I love the character Liu Mao! He's used as a scapegoat by Xu Huaisong all the time but he is absolutely loyal to Xu Huaisong. Their playful banter is hilarious. Xu Huaisong's sister and her classmate are a playful pair. Ruan Yu has a realistic best friend Shen Mingying. Cen Si Si is the trouble maker. Li Shi Can yet to appear (4 episodes in) The actors performances are all on point and the cinematography is great.

With such a super interesting plot and characters, amazing acting and cinematography I can't wait to watch how the ten year mutual crush finally sees the light of the day. If you are a fan of mutual crushes, sweet love stories and light hearted comedy, this one is for you.

Review after Episode 19
Still watching and enjoying the show. It's silly, funny, entertaining and relaxing overall.
Special mention to the bgm and sound effects for funny scenes. Afterall it elevates the already good comedic timing of the actors.
The overall narrative of the story shows promise. However, the pacing seems to have slowed down somewhere in the middle around episodes 14/15. Rather than advancing the plot, the story often repeats the same kind of events with fillers. I thought it would have been far more interesting and engaging for viewers if there was more focus on the side stories of Liu Mao/Shen Mingying and Xu Huashi/Zhao Yi.

The final 5-6 episodes let us see some great advancement in the leads romance storyline, professional success, resolved family conflicts, development to the side stories, bringing a structural, definitive and happy closure to the series. Absolutely enjoyable series.

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The Lie That Built a Life

If I had to summarize Pursuit of Jade in one sentence, it would be this: a butcher girl picked up a half dead man in the snow and accidentally picked up a marquis, a war, political conspiracies, and the love of her life along the way. The story follows Fan Chang Yu, a butcher’s daughter who becomes the breadwinner after her parents’ death, and Xie Zheng, a fallen noble hiding under a fake identity while seeking revenge and justice. What started as a fake marriage slowly turned into real love, but fate and war had other plans. Chang Yu eventually carried her butcher’s knife onto the battlefield while Xie Zheng reclaimed his title and fought to protect his country and the people he loved. In the end, they reunited through war, politics, and bloodshed, uncovering the truth behind the past while choosing each other again and again.

What made this drama special for me from the very beginning was Fan Chang Yu as a character. She is strong but not overpowered, kind but not naive, capable but still very human. She is not book smart, she makes mistakes, she struggles with money, she gets tired, she cries, and that makes her feel real. Watching her butcher pigs in the morning, fight debt collectors in the afternoon, and worry about her sister at night made her one of the most grounded female leads I’ve seen in a costume drama. Tian Xi Wei really carried this role with so much charm. She can look cute, funny, fierce, heartbreaking, and charismatic all at the same time. One moment she is carrying a grown man on her back through the snow, the next moment she is sitting properly because she realized the man she saved is handsome. That duality is exactly why Chang Yu is so lovable.

Then we have Xie Zheng, also known as Yan Zheng, the most handsome matrilocal husband in drama history. Zhang Ling He looks insanely good in this drama, probably his best costume drama look so far. But what made his character work is not just the visuals. Xie Zheng is smart, strategic, calm, and ruthless on the battlefield, but in Xigu Lane he becomes someone soft, awkward, and quietly in love. The way he fell for Chang Yu was very gradual and believable. It was not love at first sight. At first he trusted her, then respected her, then admired her, then slowly loved her. One of the most beautiful parts of their relationship is that Chang Yu respected the Marquis Wu’an before she even knew Yan Zheng was him, and Xie Zheng fell for Chang Yu before she knew he was powerful. They loved each other as people, not because of status.

Their relationship progression is honestly one of the best parts of the drama. From fake marriage, to awkward newlyweds, to partners, to lovers, to fighting side by side on the battlefield. Their romantic scenes were full of tension even before they officially became a couple. The silhouette scene, the measuring clothes scene, the cheek kiss, the tangerine candy kiss, the iconic teardrop, the forceful kiss in the snow, the gua sha scene, the bathtub scene, all of them were memorable. Their chemistry was not just romantic but also emotional and strategic. They trust each other with their lives, not just their hearts.

The side characters were also very memorable, and this is actually one of the reasons the drama stood out to me. Qi Min and Qian Qian in particular provided a very interesting parallel to Xie Zheng and Chang Yu. Both Chang Yu and Qian Qian saved the men in their lives, but the relationships that followed went in completely different directions. Chang Yu and Xie Zheng’s relationship grew into mutual respect, trust, and partnership, while Qi Min and Qian Qian’s relationship turned into something much darker and more obsessive. When Qi Min made advances toward Qian Qian, she often had to play along as a way to survive and protect herself, but when Xie Zheng tried to flirt or push Chang Yu, she would literally smack him or push him away. The contrast between these two relationships was very strong, and it made both arcs more interesting. One relationship showed what love built on respect looks like, while the other showed what happens when love turns into control and obsession. It was also impressive how the drama made viewers emotionally invested not just in the main leads, but also in side characters like Qi Min and Qian Qian, whose story was tragic, frustrating, but very memorable.

Another thing I really loved about this drama is Xigu Lane. The Fan sisters, Uncle Zhao, Madam Zhao, the neighbors, the pig butcher squad, all of them made the drama feel warm and alive. A large portion of the early episodes focuses on Chang Yu and Xie Zheng’s life there, and those episodes are honestly some of the most charming and heartwarming parts of the entire drama. Because of that, when the story later shifted into politics, revenge, and war, the change felt quite sudden. I sometimes wished the drama had sprinkled more political developments or court conflicts earlier on so the transition would feel more gradual rather than switching from slice of life to political drama almost all at once.

The cinematography in this drama is honestly one of the best I have seen. The director plays a lot with warm and cold tones, framing, symbolism, and camera angles. Xigu Lane is always warm, golden, and lively, while the palace, battlefield, and revenge arcs are often cold, blue, and distant. Some scenes feel like paintings. The snow scenes, the lantern festival, the massacre and war scenes, the fire scenes, the Yin and Yang composition bathtub scene, so many wallpaper worthy shots.

Interestingly, the drama also did a very good job with Chang Yu’s action scenes. When she finally stepped onto the battlefield, she did not feel like a random civilian holding a weapon. She moved like a soldier and fought like a general. Her fight scenes were sharp, decisive, and powerful, and Tian Xi Wei really managed to give Chang Yu a very commanding and empowering presence in those moments. You could believe that soldiers would follow her into battle. However, this also made the contrast with the rest of the war scenes more noticeable. For a story filled with generals, battles, and military strategy, many of the large scale fights and duels felt surprisingly restrained. Some confrontations that should have felt desperate and intense ended up looking more stylized than dangerous. As the story moved toward its political climax and final confrontation, the scale and urgency never quite matched the amount of buildup. The rebellion, the revenge, and the palace showdown should have felt explosive, but instead some parts felt smaller and less intense than expected. This is probably where the drama felt the weakest, not because the story was bad, but because the execution of the final conflict did not fully match the emotional and narrative weight the drama had been building for so long. Episode 39 in particular felt like it should have been bigger, more chaotic, and more emotionally explosive.

However, episode 40 gave a very good closure. We finally learned the truth about what happened in the past, and it turned out many characters were victims of the late emperor’s tyranny. Wei Yan was not purely evil, Qi Sheng was just a puppet emperor who went mad, Qi Min and Qian Qian finally had closure, Bao Er becoming emperor felt like a new beginning, and the best part was Chang Yu, Xie Zheng, and Chang Ning returning to Xigu Lane and becoming a real family with the Zhao couple. When Chang Yu called Uncle and Madam Zhao mother and father, that scene really hit me emotionally. It felt like everything came full circle. The love knot tree scene near the end perfectly describes Xie Zheng’s love. He wrote his name on many love knots so that no matter where Chang Yu throws hers, it will still land with his. That is basically his character in one scene. He does not control her, he just makes sure that no matter where she goes, he will always be there.

Overall, Pursuit of Jade is a drama that starts warm, becomes intense, then ends warm again. It has romance, comedy, politics, war, action, friendship, family, and very beautiful cinematography. It is not a perfect drama, especially near the climax and war execution, but the characters, relationships, emotions, and visuals make the journey very worth it. More than politics or revenge, this drama is really about finding a home, finding people who choose you, and choosing them back no matter how chaotic the world becomes.

And honestly, who would have thought that a butcher’s knife could shine brighter than a general’s sword.

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İmmortals

Let me say this upfront. I really liked the series. I enjoyed watching it. However, there are flaws, errors, contradictions, and a departure from reality, especially in the script, in the flow of the story. Normally, it deserves a 9. But I lowered my score because of these inconsistencies in the story.

First of all, it started well. The series captivated me. It drew me in. But when we get to episode 18, especially the character Sui Qin is shot with two arrows, receives three or five knife wounds (not counting the other blows), and falls off a cliff. Normally, it's impossible for her to survive. Let's say she does survive. Bandits find her, bandage her wounds, and treat her. As soon as she wakes up, she doesn't feel any pain, she acts nimbly, and in two minutes she beats up a woman who is the bandit leader and everyone else. No pain. Then, this woman takes the bandit's men and raids the town, killing everyone in sight. It has nothing to do with reality. It's thoughtlessly written, someone who should have died is doing Kung Fu as if nothing happened. It's unbelievable how she looks, as if she hasn't been shot, hasn't had any broken bones, but has instead been injected with strength. There's a lack of care. There's a lot of exaggeration.
In episode 19, the woman who narrowly escaped death wakes up. As soon as she wakes up, she carries a blind woman on her back. She falls down a mountain. Her husband saves her. So, the series should have been called "The Immortals." There are many contradictions. For example, the nanny who raises the children of the treacherous Prince is kind-hearted, loving, brings the little children together and watches them with admiration. She is even killed while rescuing a child from the hands of the traitors. By whom? By the child she raised. Now, shouldn't the children raised by such a nanny be well-intentioned, loving, and helpful? No, quite the opposite, they have become cruel-hearted. The character analysis is wrong. It starts wrong and continues wrong. The screenwriter hasn't cared about the characters at all.

In episode 22, our frail, 40 kg female protagonist, who only knows kung fu, lifts 150 kg and climbs to the top. It's not believable. At least they could have made the female protagonist a big, burly guy to make up these things. They're making a mockery of the audience's intelligence.
In episode 23, the dam bursts. Everything is flooded. People in the flooded area die. Sui Manor is also flooded. The manor is submerged. Everyone dies. Sui's master finds and rescues the woman he loves from those raging waters. The Sui master's soldiers die in these dam waters. He watches them from a height. In the next scene, he rescues the woman he loves from the waters in the manor. How can he be in two places at once? It's unbelievable. In another scene, this master catches and kills the fleeing nanny. So, without any sequence or timing, this person is in different places at the same time. I found it wrong. I couldn't understand what the screenwriter wanted to do. Similarly, this little Sui Prince is cruel and ruthless. He kills everyone he encounters. But he also does good deeds. But he also kills those who do him good. He's a psychopath. Cruel. A maniac who enjoys killing. Can you expect good behavior from him? No. It's a mistake. There's a contradiction. This little Sui prince, despite being stabbed several times, falling off a cliff, and being shot with arrows, just won't die. After these events, repeated not once but several times, he finally dies. It's as if he was going to die the first time he was shot, but they were pleased with the actor and extended his scenes. That's why they killed and resurrected him several times. Something like that.

We could add more to this. I was going to lower my rating even more, but I liked the series. I liked the cinematography, the direction, the costumes. There were only flaws in the script. That's why I gave it an 8.

As for the actors, there was a very good group of actors. The main roles were very, very good and harmonious. Zhang Ling He looks good wherever you put him. He looks very charismatic and very handsome in the costumes. Tian Xi Wei was very beautiful. I liked her. Snow Kong was quite good. Deng Kai was very good. He also looked charismatic in costume. Li Qing was cute. Yu Zhong Li was beautiful. Ren Hao was good, but he had a kind of "what am I doing here?" kind of demeanor. Yan Yi Kuan was very good. He was charismatic. Guan Yun Peng was very good. I liked him. Lin Mu Ran, our hero who just won't die. Evil suits him. I hope these roles don't stick with him. I liked him. There were many young actors. They were all very handsome. I liked them all. I liked the veteran actors. It was a good drama. Despite these criticisms, I recommend it to those who haven't watched it.

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From One Night to Romance

Positively Yours is one of those dramas where you can pretty much predict what’s going to happen—but that doesn’t necessarily make it boring.

The story follows a very familiar path, especially if you enjoy boss–employee or office romance tropes. Nothing about the main plot feels particularly new, and at times it really does feel like you’ve seen this exact storyline before, just with different actors and slightly different situations.

And I have to say—his smile really stood out to me. It’s not just a normal smile; his eyes smile too, which makes his softer moments feel genuine. On the flip side, his jealousy scenes were honestly adorable. They didn’t feel forced, just natural reactions that added a bit of charm and humor to the relationship.

Now, one character I really struggled with was the sister-in-law. I kept asking myself, what is wrong with her? Yes, her trauma is understandable—losing someone important because of an accident involving the male lead (even if it wasn’t intentional) is devastating. But holding onto that pain and resentment for 15 years felt exhausting to watch. That’s literally half a lifetime, and while her emotions are valid, it sometimes felt like her character was stuck in the past without much growth for a long time.

That said, this drama definitely leans more toward fantasy than reality. It is very fictional than realistic (I know all the dramas are fictional, but some dramas will leave strong impression on you). The whole “CEO falls in love and everything works out perfectly” vibe is very idealized. But if you go in expecting something light and feel-good, it actually works in its favor.

Now, something random but memorable—the drama made even small things feel interesting. Like that moment with the beer, poured at a perfect 45-degree angle and mixed just right… I don’t know why, but it looked so satisfying that it actually made me want to try it myself one day.

My favorite character has to be Secretary Go. He was genuinely hilarious. His scenes had me laughing so hard that I wouldn’t even risk watching them in public. His expressions, timing, everything—it just worked. He added a fun energy that balanced out the more emotional parts of the story.

The female lead’s team leader is another character who grew on me. At first, she came across as overly critical and hard to like, always nitpicking the female lead. But once she found out about the pregnancy, her attitude shifted. She became more protective and supportive, and that change felt natural enough to appreciate.

If you’re in the mood for something deep and unpredictable, this might not be the right choice. But if you want a comforting, romantic drama with good chemistry, funny side characters, and simple feel-good moments then this drama worth giving a try.

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Jackie punches someone so hard in the balls that he dies.

At its core, The Fearless Hyena is an overly familiar traditional kung fu revenge story, but, being that this is Jackie Chan's directorial debut, you get the added treat of watching him figure himself out in real time. Showcasing his own brand of charm, naivety and bravado in a film that blends traditional martial arts storytelling with the comedic, expressive style that would later define his career. Split pretty much straight down the middle in terms of tone, shifting between slapstick humour and surprisingly brutal violence, it shows Jackie experimenting with a formula he hadn't fully perfected yet. Fight-wise, the choreography is intricate and very well performed, boasting a beautifully inventive chopstick food fight and Jackie defeating the villain by punching him in the balls so hard that he dies, which is worthy of 5 stars all on its own. It helps that the cast is populated with a variety of interesting characters, led by a great turn from James Tien as Chan's elderly master, but, of course, the real star of the show is Chan himself. Unfortunately, it seems he hasn’t fully freed himself from Lo Wei quite yet as there is a lot of Wei's influence still present; as it's clear this wasn't a big-budget or heavily refined production, Wei's writing is more prevalent than Chan's. But there’s definitely a charm in that roughness; it feels scrappy, personal and driven by a creative ambition of expression, so while The Fearless Hyena isn’t Jackie's best film, it is an important one, less about perfection and more about watching the blueprint of something great being built. Capturing him at a turning point, transitioning from a traditional martial arts actor into the genre-defining star he would become.

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Grief: A Consequence of Love

South Korea has not given us consistent pairings before, so when this series was announced, I cheered, because I loved them in their first series together and I wasn't disappointed with this series as well. The chemistry is still fire, the visuals are on the attack, but the storyline was where the intrigue was for me.

The series is 8 episodes and, we are told right at the start that there is loss. One part of the couple, the remaining is struggling with the passing of the other. There is a sense of guilt and what ifs and low and behold, he is given the opportunity to return and 'correct' things, excepting he himself is exhibiting signs of ill health and a diagnosis is never given, but there an impending and foreboding feeling in the air.

The final episode is where it all comes together for me because throughout the series, the remaining man has been working super hard to secure the life of his partner and the last episode shows the result of his efforts, but equally, they are not shown to be in the same physical space - umm together. I wondered why and I then theorized, the story was never about them being together, but rather the story is about grief. When you look at the back and forth between time before and now and you focus on the details, the story loses sense, but when you zoom out and look at it from above, it brings into focus the sadness which has permeated the story throughout the episodes.

The struggle, the mourning, the unsurmountable grief of finding love and losing it. In the end, it really does not matter who lived or who died, because they cannot have each other for as long as they wished to, due to untimely passing, either through illness or unforeseen circumstances. When you think you have found one meant for you and then they pass, how are you meant to move on?

I would recommend this series to anyone interested in plot driven storytelling, because the gazes and the kissing aren't the strongest points. The story is.

Let's rewatch!

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