The romance was... messy. It was as if the production team couldn't decide what they were trying to film-- an historical political drama, or a romance drama, and kept flip-flopping between the two. I felt like I was watching an half-arsed political drama half the time with irrelevant characters who don't contribute to Chu Qiao's storyline at all, and an underdeveloped love triangle between Chu Xiao, Yan Xun, and Yuwen Yue the other time.
The title "Legend of Chu Qiao" is pretty much a lie. There's hints at CQ having an incredibly interesting backstory, but that's shoehorned in at random times and isn't revealed until way too late, and never utilised to make an interesting story. CQ has very little agency, and the story isn't even about her bringing down the institution of slavery. It's first about her under the command of YWY, then her under the command of YX, and trying to outsmart a bunch of YWY/YX-related people want to kill her.
Her relationship with YX could've been one of the strongest emotional arcs, and while to some extent I did think it worked, it could have been much stronger. I found CQ's romance with YWY very underdeveloped and flat for the majority of the drama, although it started off okay, and got better near the end.
In terms of acting and characters, Dou Xiao (Yan Xun), Li Qin (Chun'er), and Niu Junfeng (Yuan Song) stood out to me the most. It probably helped that their characters had complete arcs, and had significantly changed from the start to the end. DX completely stole the show for me, and his portrayal of YX from a happy-go-lucky princeling to a person filled with hate was amazing. I wouldn't say CQ didn't have a character arc, but her storyline felt like one befitting a supporting character rather than the main character-- as such, I found ZLY's performance adequate, with a few great emotional scenes, but didn't wow me in the same way as DX or LQ. In the same way, I thought Lin Gengxin was watchable, but there were no real 'wow' moments for me.
Another highlight would be Deng Lun (Xiao Ce) whose foxy prince was amazing, but unfortunately, under-utilised.
The music was great, but I don't think I'll be rewatching this drama again. There's just way too much I'll have to fast-forward through.
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Another thing I liked about this drama was the little details the writer gave that make the world feel more lived-in. Without spoiling much, there is an early episode where the characters are told a story about a ghost haunting a building. Although, played for laughs, this story later plays a somewhat important part to the main story. It's little details like this and others that eventually add up and have repercussions on the characters and their decisions and actions so you'll get more out of this drama if you pay attention to all the fine details. Beyond the theme of love, this drama also touches on the subject of regrets/second chances, independence/freedom and fate/locus of control.
The main four leads varied from good-great with Summer Meng and Huang Wei Ting being the standouts to me. Summer Meng and Nick Chou should be commended for selling the fact that they were close friends with a shared history together. The glances the two shared as the other pursued other love interests definitely were effective in portraying the love they had for one another. Johnny Yang and Blue Lan were also good in supporting roles that provided some levity during some of the more "serious" moments.
The OST was great with Let Go, My Turn to Love and Could Still Embrace standing out for me. There were some technical/sound mixing issues when songs were used sometimes but that is a minor nitpick.
I would definitely rewatch this drama as many of themes touched upon in this drama are right up my alley and I became invested in watching these characters change and grow. Ultimately, I felt like this drama set out to explore the theme of love, which means showing both the joy you get out of it and also the pain it can also bring. How we learn to endure the pain part of it makes the joy part of it that much better. For my money's worth, the drama succeeded in conveying this while also tackling other themes to great effect. As a result, I believe this is one of the more overlooked dramas of 2017 and feel it deserves your attention and time if you want a drama that has loftier ambitions than simply who the characters will end up with.
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Story: 9.5/10
Realistic. I was thinking throughout the story of how realistic it is. It talked about real life problems and that was how I was able to connect to the story. I also liked the idea of childhood best friends so that was a plus. The only thing that kind of left me hanging was Kim Tak Soo. What happened to him? But I guess that wasn't the main point of the story so it doesn't bother me as much.
Acting/Cast: 9.0/10
The acting was pretty good as expected from these top rated actors. My favorite was Seol hee or the landlord lady. Another thing, the reason why I doubted myself in the first place to watch this drama was because of Park Seo Joon. Other than Kill me,Heal me (His character in that drama was my favorite), I would always fall for the second main lead and not him (ex.Hwarang,She was pretty). So I was scared that I would have second lead syndrome in this one. Luckily, the second lead in this one was not that strong.
I'm also happy to see Kim Ji Won on screen after descendants!
Music: 9.0/10
Tbh I wasn't really paying attention to the music until the near end of the drama but one song that really stuck to me was BTOB's "Ambiguous". I listened to all the songs on the track and I must say, I might have to give some of these songs a second listen because of how catchy it is.
Rewatch Value: 7.0/10
Not the type to rewatch but if I needed a little bit of sugar because of how sweet it is, then I would consider rewatching!
I would consider watching this if you wanted something like Weightlifting fairy kim bok joo or strong woman do bong soon!
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STORY (No spoilers)
The show kicks off with an rather fun and dynamic introduction to our main leads. On one side of the ring you have Nantisa (Ooy) who can rightly be considered a 'man-hater' in that she has a very very poor view of the male species in general, thanks to the indoctrinations from her mother and grandmother. On the other side is Angoon (Att) who seems to have a fine appreciation of females.
This disparate two are thrown together through a series of coincidences (some contrived) and when Att ends up recruiting Ooy to help him deal with the girls his sister (Bua) is trying to set him up with, cue hilarious hijinks in spades!
I can see why this show is so enjoyable. It is fast-paced, snappy and concise in moving the scenes and the storyline across so there is rarely a dull or draggy moment. It has a fun, light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek vibe which sets the style and tone of the show from the get-go. And of course the antics and situations the leads find themselves can be downright hilarious - plenty of laughs to be had in this show.
It is not by all means perfect as there are a few bumpy bits (i.e. situations or scenes, and character portrayals, which might incite frustration or hair-pulling), but thankfully the fast-pacing of this show quickly takes you through those humps and things do get resolved rather quickly (huge plus).
A bonus to the show - no psychotic second female lead here! Yes, there are conflicts and tension and misunderstandings sprinkled throughout the show but they were largely from mad and irrational side characters. A refreshing change from your typical Thai lakorn crazy woman trope.
ACTING/ CAST
CHEER THIKUMPORN, playing Nantisa (Ooy), killed it in her portrayal as a biased, prejudiced man-hater who, nevertheless, had a heart, especially for her family. She was lively, energetic, motivated and assertive. And rather charming and loveably flawed despite her prejudices. Cheer gives us a heroine which we can all relate to, get behind and root for as she navigates her way through the currents swirling around her. Ooy can also be rather physical too (read: violent) - something which the show has established right from the start in episode 1 - so do be prepared for some man-abuse throughout the show. (A friend of mine wryly noted that there were more hits than kisses, lol).
TOEY PONGSAKORN, playing Angoon (Att), was a great match to Cheer's Ooy. He had a boyish, charming look and smile which made him believable as a person who appreciates and respects women. Gentlemanly and family-oriented, Att is your perfect male lead (maybe too perfect), whose only flaw is being weak to a woman's tears and a softie when it comes to the women he cares about. I thought Toey carried his scenes well and was a good foil to Cheer's Ooy.
In a nutshell, I thought the casting was well done and the acting sufficient to carry the show.
MUSIC
Teeny-boppy Cupid theme song, and a couple of nice love ballads here and there. The background sound-effects are out in full-force and while in some scenes it really adds the fun and laughs, in others it can be a little over-done. Still, the sound effect and music give an added fun vibe to this show so overall, sufficiently well done.
RE-WATCH VALUE
Some of the hilarious scenes are re-watcheable, for the laughs. Overall, if you're looking for a light-hearted, fun romantic comedy, this is a decent show to watch.
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The story itself revolves around revenge, crime, and the price of success, with one character getting caught up in a life he didn't plan, and another character having her entire perfect world turned upside down. Somewhere in between there is an ill-fated love story. I do like melodrama, so I can generally handle all the feels this drama offers, but I admit that it was even too much for me at times... not the circumstances, but the heavy handedness. Some of that could be the fault of some weak writing and acting.
The cast is lead by Yoon Kye Sang who plays a man who reinvents himself into a con man in order to seek revenge. His struggle to fight against his true nature is heartbreaking, from the very first, beautifully shot, scene. I haven't seen him in any drama since "The Greatest Love", where he gave me major second lead syndrome, but here he is completely different. Here he gets to show off a much wider range, going from bad@ss to vulnerable with ease. I thought he was excellent, but I can't say the same for his costar. Han Ji Hye as Han Yeong Won is either a case of an actress not bringing enough to the role or the role not giving her much to work with. She played the sheltered rich girl part well, but her emotions were pretty one note. She was good enough for me to believe her character, but compared to the epic tears and emotions from Kye Sang, she often felt flat. I mean, she's dealing with some major tragedies and betrayals in this drama and her reactions always seemed a little "Meh". Even her anger seemed super passive, which I think was a character choice, but it made it hard for me to invest too much in her emotionally. I wanted to care about her more than I did. To put it more bluntly, she can be pretty boring to watch. I may have cared more about the whistle than her by the end.
The supporting cast is excellent. Of course Kim Young Ok is the Halmeoni MVP of KDramas, Kim Young Chul was excellent as the worst dad ever, as well as the other wonderfully horrible family members, and I especially loved the cast of cons as an ensemble. I was honestly more interested in Kim Yoo Ri as the petty and jealous Seo Jae In than I was in the female lead. And the real star of the entire cast in my opinion is Jo Jin Woong as Park Kang Jae. I think there is a reason he earned a spot on the promo poster, and that is because he is by far the strongest character in the show. I liked that almost all of the characters blur the lines between good and bad, and are complicated, but his character made me angry, made me root for him (even when he was wrong), and brought me to full tears. I have already seen him in Signal, so his being so good is no surprise, but his character was imo the best one in the drama as far as the writing and performance goes.
I feel like the story itself was interesting when in came to the cons, especially in the first episode, but instead too much time was spent on two sad people trying not to want to be together. The romance is also very restrained, which makes sense to the story, but it means more tears and anguish than loving or passionate moments. If I watched this while it aired, I probably would have dropped it after the first few episodes, but instead I powered through the boring parts just to see how it would all end. It also helped that the beginning was so intriguing that even when the story got slow I at least wanted to make it to the part that the beginning scene foreshadowed. The ending wasn't disappointing, so I have no regrets watching the whole drama, but with it's fair share of clichés and tropes it is hardly original, or necessarily recommendable. It does feel more like a movie than a drama at times, but only visually. I also want to avoid spoilers but the characters are far more complicated than the actual story. Just know that you've probably seen this all before.
Would I watch it again? It's possible, but not that likely. I just didn't like the story enough, although I liked some of the characters enough. A lot of it is also already forgettable, which is not a good thing.
Overall, if you choose to miss this drama you're not really missing much. I do believe that Yoon Kye Sang deserved a much better leading lady, and maybe I would have liked this more. Still, it's entertaining enough if emo-melodrama is your thing. Just keep some tissues nearby, just in case.
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This review may contain spoilers
I think "Circle: Two Connected Worlds" is the perfect sci-fi binge drama I was hoping it would be. With only 12 episodes, and such a compelling story, I easily finished this in two days. The most interesting thing about this drama is how it's literally split into two different stories, so it almost feel like you are watching the original and the sequel at the same time, and you're basically waiting for the stories to eventually connect. The first part is set in 2017 (which is actually the past and called “Beta Project"), and it has more of a sci-fi thriller feel. This story centers around a disturbing trend of suicides at a school that are more than they seem to be. The second half is set in 2037 and has more of a sci-fi fantasy feel with a detective edge (called "Brave New World") which took a little more time to grow on me. I do think the fantasy world was imaginative, yet realistic, for just 20 years into the future (I want those phones), but I still was more into the the story set in 2017 involving the 2 brothers, the suicides, and this mysterious "being". The Brave New World part of the story has more of a dystopian society feel, that is equal parts "ideal" and creepy. I guess which you prefer may depend on what genre you prefer. Those looking for a romantic drama should know that this falls more in the category of bromance. The story centers around the relationship between twin brothers played by Yeo Jin Goo and Ahn Woo Yeon in the Beta Project episodes, and Gong Seung Yeon rounds out the trio as the mysterious Han Jung Yeon. There are so many twists in the story that I am hesitant to talk about any of the characters too much, but it's fun to figure out who's crazy, who can be trusted, and who the heroes will be. Yeo Jin Goo as Kim Woo Jin definitely has star quality that I remember from "The Moon that Embraces the Sun", and "Missing You", where I think he was better than his "older" counterparts. He is the deserving star of this drama and I think he did a great job. I was initially less impressed by Gong Seung Yeon and her blank face stare, but I really started to like her as well, and I'm impressed by how beautifully she cries.
In the 2037 cast the stand out is Kim Kang Woo as Kim Joon Hyuk. It's initially very hard to figure him out which I think is a good thing for this kind of story. This is the first drama I have seen him in, so I had no expectations for him, and by the end he made me tear up. I also really loved Lee Ki Kwang as Lee Ho Soo, his reluctant side kick. This was another character that really grew on me as the show progressed.
The rest of the cast, in both worlds, were really good, even when some were, almost comically, acting in an over the top manor. The villains in particular were definitely extra wide eyed crazy. But all the characters were played well, and those who had a matching future counterpart were matched pretty well. Even the kids were super cute, so I have no cast complaints.
Now, the story is definitely full of complicated and confusing twists, and some of the logic may not work if you pay too much attention, but in general I thought they did a good job of keeping the story constantly interesting, especially when the two stories started to merge more. There may be some holes in the science that I'm sure you could find, but what I liked about the story was that it was more about the moral questions that the science brought up, than the scientific details. I think they hit on some really thought provoking questions like "What makes us who we are?", or "What creates inner peace?", or "Can science go to far?", or even "Should happiness trump all else?". Those are just a few of the things this drama touched on in this story that I thought were very interesting. There are some other thoughts and themes that would fall too close to the spoiler zone to mention here, so I will just sayI enjoyed the philosophical aspects of this drama as much as the story.
I will say that I have mixed feelings about the end. I think the goal was to leave it open for possibilities of a sequel, or just to keep people thinking. Not every question is answered either, but I think everything that needed to be resolved was resolved, and the rest is just open for interpretation, or a season 2. I could see myself watching this again, because it's not drawn out, and it would be interesting to watch the story knowing how all the pieces fit. I admit that the fact that it's not very predictable is what kept me watching initially, but the story and characters are entertaining, and the surprise element isn't it's only appeal.
Overall this is not the kind of KDrama I would usually watch, but I'm glad I expanded my horizons a bit. I do like sci-fi in general, and love Thrillers, and both of those elements were done well here. This may not be full of rom com antics, but it is not totally without some romantic elements. If you like endearing cops cracking the case, there's some of that too. It's also the perfect length, so there is absolutely no dragging storylines, or rushed endings. I know this personally opened me up to watching more dramas like this one. "Circle" didn't give me the obsessive feels that my favorite dramas give me, but sometimes a really good story told well is all you need!
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The storyline definitely dragged, and I often wished each episode was focused on a different case instead of just this corruption of the prosecutor's office. So slow.
I was left disappointed because I love Bae Doona in Sense8 and was expecting something of that caliber in this drama. She didn't get to showcase her acting abilities in this drama unfortunately (as far as I watched).
With an unoriginal plot and dull main character, this drama failed to excite me and I dropped after ten episodes. While I do not recommend this at all, you should definitely give it a try and form your own thoughts on it.
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I thought there was more chemistry between Hao Wei and Kai Qi.
Jasper Liu's character was too childish at times, which made it difficult for me to believe that he was this badass chef and that he possessed the know-how to run his father's company when he wasn't stalking Kai Qi.
It's never a good idea to rely on children too much in a supporting role because the cuteness factor quickly wears off and you find yourself wishing them bodily harm. At least, I did.
The entire kidnap/rescue scenes were laughable and not in a good way.
I absolutely loved the supporting cast because they made this show tolerable and fun to watch.
I think I'll take a break from watching Taiwanese television shows for a while thanks in large part to Jasper Liu's performance.
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