Reviews

A GREAT SACRIFICE, STILL WITHOUT OFFICIAL EXCUSES

"A nation should not meddle in the affairs of other nations. Do you believe the US will abide by this pact? If it does, the civil war in Korea is not a problem. If it goes to war, it will undermine China's internal security."


"The great war" starts with the decision of Chinese central government to enter the "War in defense of Korea against US aggression" , with the great deeds of the heroic volunteers of the people in war to resist aggression and help North Korea, after the US and South Korean attack on Chinese territory too. This is the first film in a trilogy that adapts a series of 3 novels.
To be closer to the volunteer soldiers of the 1950s in terms of physical fitness and mental temperament, the 300 actors who played the roles of the soldiers underwent rigorous military training for a month, with war scenes shot with 8 cameras simultaneously by multiple sides.
To better adapt to the physical condition of Premier Zhou who worked all night and did not sleep during that period, Liu Jin who played him also changed his work and rest schedule.
Zhang Ziyi collected a lot of data and also visited elders who had served as simultaneous interpreters at the United Nations, and took English classes to practice British pronunciation.
The war to resist US aggression and help Korea was the founding battle of New China.
The film adopts a narrative strategy that develops at an internal and external level, of politics and war, first the USA and Russia, then Korea.
On a broader level, the film represents elements that have never been depicted before, such as Chinese representatives and their impassioned speeches at the United Nations General Assembly, to also make China's voice heard.
Actor Wu Xiuquan, representing the Chinese delegate, raising his hands at the United Nations General Assembly, exemplifies a relationship between national dignity and individual life, giving a frontal blow to the invaders on the battlefield.

Another praise that I would like to give to the film is the figure of Mao Zedong's son, Mao Anying played by a very good Wei Daxun, one of the Chinese martyrs of this war (where China emerged from 38 years of civil war and an aggressive foreign), who died on the battlefield while sending telegraphic messages and various communications and who was buried in Pyongyang.
The topic of the movie is something that deeply interests me, and i am happy that i t shows with great impact that Chinese victims are all aged between 18 and 30.
It's one of those films that makes me love China even more and their patriotic spirit to the maximum, ready to sacrifice and fight, because without a homeland there is no home.

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A MUST WATCH

SUPER LONG REVIEW AHEAD!

I can't believe I just happened to scroll by the title "My Dearest" and because it reminded me of Supercell's song "My Dearest", I went on to google to search out of curiosity what's it about. For once, I've been grateful I let my curiosity get ahead of me or else I'd be missing a gem.

This is definitely a masterpiece portraying a combination of romance, drama, war and politics. The story took place in Joseon Dynasty and during the Qing Invasion. I am well aware I'm still confused to some of the war politics here, but there's a lot of references that you can take note of such as the "JingKang incident". It's thanks to Legend of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong that I understood this reference. It goes way back to the Song Dynasty when Jin invaded the Song empire (thus the war between Jin And Song) and when the Jin army caught the Song Emperors, they humiliated them... Going back to the events in My Dearest, this is what the Joseon Emperor is fearful of when the Qing Army besieged them. Since the Qing army is composed of what they call 'barbarians' who cares more about money and raping women, the show managed to execute it in the entirety of season 1 with such thrill. It was also the perfect introduction to highlight the strengths of both the male and female lead. It left us in tenterhooks and anticipation of what will happen next, will they survive? The Season 1 set the bar so high that somehow, when things calmed down and gave way to more palace politics in Season 2, S2 pales in comparison. But what happens in S2 is still essential to wrap up the entire story, and it actually has much more tragedy than S1 so prepare your tissues. Tbh, I felt like crying on almost every episodes, that when we get cute moments, it almost felt surreal. That's just how heart-wrenching this show is. It gives us that feeling of receiving treats before getting beat up badly.

CHARACTERS

Now let's talk about Namkoong Min and Ahn Eun-jin. Jang hyun (Namkoong Min) is a mysterious man who has no desire nor purpose. I felt Namkoong Min really did well in pulling of Jang Hyun's charm and enigma. He is wise when he speaks, but when he reserve his words, his eyes tells everything. He is an empty shell, satisfied being a bystander, and letting others enjoy than himself. But upon meeting Gil Chae, his eyes started having all sorts of emotions. Because he wants to prove to Gil Chae his worth, he decided to save people and the fire that died inside of him once again ignited. Jang Hyun is actually a compassionate man. In the series, I cannot count how many times he cried, and nothing was more manly than that of how NamKoong Min did so. And even though he cried a lot, there's still subtle differences. You can notice that there are only two times he really cried for real, one is because of Gil Chae, the second when he plead His Highness the Crown Prince to keep his promise to the captives. I fell in love with Jang Hyun's character so bad, that's no doubt.

The dynamic between the Namkoong and Eunjin is also just perfect.
Here's my take for the people hating on the FL. The FL is a strong headed woman. In a setting where women are usually suppressed and kept as housewives whose expected role is only to tend and serve their husbands, Gil Chae broke the norm and actually had done SO SO MUCH. She saved her friends during the invasion, she provided rice for the people of the General in exchange of their labor and she continues saving people and slaves to the point of being a slave herself. Those who are hating on her lacks empathy and may be bias to the Male lead. There's a point where I also almost got annoyed by her because why can't she just accept Jang Hyun? But later on, I understood. Perhaps Jang Hyun— with his overflowing display of affection— came on too strong. And Gil Chae, as someone who also has a strong personality, her instinct was to avoid Jang Hyun and suppress her feelings. She knew Jang Hyun always has a bigger purpose and role, always gone like a wind, he's bound to leave at anytime and she's bound to wait. Did y'all ever see an instance where she stopped him from going? Not once. Everytime, she wishes him well on his journey, even when Jang Hyun himself pleaded to Gil Chae to stop him, she did not. And that was so courageous of her, that even though it pains her to see Jang Hyun go everytime, she persevered and waited, even without assurance from Jang Hyun. How hard is a long distance communication in their period? It's not like they have cellphones to communicate whenever they liked. How excruciating was it to wait for news of your loved ones, for weeks, months and years? Yet Jang Hyun never wrote to her to update her. He's always on the go, and even though he promises to come back, it was always Gil Chae who has to bear the burden of WAITING. So it's unfair for everyone to say who suffers more, when clearly both Gil Chae and Jang Hyun suffers in their own both ways. It's unfair that Gil Chae has to be the bad person when she married another man, but who does not make bad decisions in their life? There's still that traditional thinking wherein it's okay for men are allowed to sleep to anyone, but if it's a woman who was touched by another man, it's such a big deal. Gil Chae may have married another man, but just like what Jang Hyun says to the Princess of Qing, "I can give you my body but not my heart", Gil Chae was the same. The whirlwind of events taught us that it doesn't matter who they were entangled on in their journey, what matters is that they FOUND THEIR WAY HOME TO EACH OTHER. Just like Gil Chae loved Jang Hyun despite knowing him only on surface level (Gil Chae only knows Jang Hyun is a merchant, and later on she knew he was a government slave. In those times, nobles are on a waaay different level from people who only bought titles, so even if Jang Hyun appears to be an aristocrat, some might just raise their eyebrows and not honor his title and still regard him as lowly slave. For you can change your title but not your origin. Gil Chae did not do any of this, and she still love Jang Hyun as he is. She never pried into his past, and just like that. Jang Hyun also did the same to her, he never cared what Gil Chae went through with the hands of the intruders, he just honor Gil Chae for what he had known her, a strong and amazing woman. Dare I say any more why they are perfect for each other, and that them ending up together did not do any injustice to the other, rather, what's greater injustice is that! If they didn't get the happy ending they deserve from each other's company.

I have never written a review for a romance drama before, but I just felt compelled to speak out for the characters here. My Dearest is definitely one of the historical kdramas that will stay in my memory forever. Highly recommended.

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"I had made up my mind to not believe in marriage. But if the only way to make a certain woman mine is through marriage, then I am willing to marry."

"Husband? No way. I will be your servant. My body is yours, my soul is yours, my heart is yours too" - Lee Jang Hyun

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Eun Ae: Do you think women should take their own lives when the foreign intruders grabbed their wrists?

Yeon Jun: A single drop of ink is enough to make a clean water dirty. Whether it's just their wrist, or something even worse, they have lost their chastity

💔

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Gil Chae: What if I say a foreign intruder took advantage of me?

Jang Hyun: Then I should give you a hug, for it must have been painful.


💘

Here's a clear differences in perspective of a scholar who has never experienced dirt and is bound by traditional thinking vs a man who crawled himself out of dirt and experienced all kinds of cruelties.

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A distinct storyline! Is that too much to ask?

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m officially fed up with these recurring stories. They may as well just make one drama and give it different names. It’s frustrating at this point, the acting, the storyline, the actors themselves, and the CGI to be fair has always been at it and you’ve got to give credit where it’s due. For me, C-drama is on a proper downhill and pretty much has been for the past couple of years.
The genre XianXia is enormous, and you cannot tell me each time we’ll have to watch repeats of other dramas, it’s so cliché having to watch a drama and being able to predict what is gonna happen. What happened to the impressive voices, eye-catching Male and female leads, the distinguished storylines like Journey of Flower? And I’ll just say it, this thing of petulant and trying-to-be-funny actors has to stop, it’s boring and it gets annoying at times with how long it carries on and how much screen time it takes up. As for the FL, I’m a huge fan of Zhao Lusi when she’s playing a role that brings the best out of her, Who Rules the World directors understood that perfectly, and for me that was her best-ever performance I have seen to this day. The ML lead does not fit this role, or the storyline doesn’t fit the ML, whichever way you want to put it, he shouldn’t be playing this role and that storyline is mid. The turning point is what is doing my headin’ the most. It was just like any other normal scene and all of a sudden it was something huge. Come on! Where’s the build-up? I get no feeling that something story-changing is about to happen.
And before I even forget, what was this writer thinking about when he decided to hand us a ML with such little spiritual power? He’s a true god for God’s sake!!
Personally, I’ll keep on watching this scrap and I have to anyway because I have no other drama to watch but I highly advise you to do something more productive with your time. I haven’t found this drama interesting enough to keep me exuberant waiting for the next episode. It’s instead just happened to be another of many failures of the C-drama industry this year.

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Justice that is extremely rational

There are largely 2 main points addressed in the story.
1) What happens if someone creates a fast lane for all the public to deliver justice as they see fit?
2) What happened 8 years ago and how is it relevant to everyone involved?

Now whether what happened or happens is right or wrong, that's up to the viewers. They just tell you both stories. I'd say it's a well done show. From the practical case & investigation part, it's as good as any decent thriller out there. Nothing more though and nothing less either. As for the concept itself, it's a part vigilante / part revenge style story. But this wasn't an all-about-oppa show and with more people on different sides falling under the limelight, it's kinda hard to pick sides.
I have a strong bias for Park Hae Jin and one of the things many of his roles have in common is they give me a hard time seeing things as black and white. Everyone's performance and acting was good, Park Sung Woong, Kim Kwon, Im Ji Yeon (if she irritated me at times, I'd look at her outfits instead, they were good) and all the supporting actors as well, and so I was swayed this way and that and most importantly had a good interesting time watching this show. Certainly had its set of plot twists, big reveals, decoy plot lines and such. Beware of the last fake out is all I'll say.

Post that, the last scenes are setting up for a follow up story but that is none of our business until it's officially announced. This season reached its own conclusion. So can be watched for now.

Overall, 9/10 from me.

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Reviving chinese drama for me

Finished this 2 days ago after marathoning for 5 days in between work. Overall, i was quite impressed because honestly I was in a slump with regards to watching chinese dramas recently. Started The Longest Promise, but cant seem to continue after 15episodes even though XZ is one of my favs. Finished Fireworks of my heart but it took me a month and so much willpower. Finished Legend of Anle, but also took me quite some time. So the fact that I finished this in 5 days even with working shifts in between, tells me that this is interesting and able to capture my attention. Lol.

Storyline was quite fast paced, which I like. Even Legend of Anle has some part which is quite draggy. Not sure what is being done, but YZ’s portrayal as a man in early episodes is quite convincing, she appeared quite thick built and not that skinny (as compared to say, Lusi’s or Dilireba’s portrayal of man in disguise.) Though some things done with her by the male leads may appeared to be gay-ish if we are looking from man to man’s perspective lol (but honestly, which guy is that happy to suck a man’s neck time and time again with such a questionable position? Lol)

Overall, the screentime allocated to CX, TSJ and XL was so evenly spread to me that I cant even figure out who was the main male leads at first. Lol. The actors for CX and TSJ plays crying scene so well, they can basically cry in split second. Lol. I was amazed tbh. CX was a power hungry guy, but i like that he stays loyal to Xiao Yao despite everything. He and XY was completely dependent and supportive of each other even XY doesn't mind that CX is using her to establish power. I guess many people support XL and find that he’s the perfect guy for XY, but as someone who’s already at that kind of age, I guess I am not kinda into bad boy guy anymore, no matter what sacrifice he had done for her behind the scene. I mean, i get that he saves XY and sacrifice his own life for that (but if I have 9 lives, i wouldnt mind losing one so much. Lol) but he was an a$$hole to XY as well, especially when she was Wen Xiaoliu even knowing she’s a girl, so yes,thanks but no thanks.

Meanwhile, I was rooting for Tushan Jing so much all the while because despite the flaw that he is engaged to be married to someone else (through not his own arrangement at that), he stays true and loyal to XY from start to finish. The soft and tender love TSJ has for XY is such a balm to me. I like that he was so kind to everyone despite being hurt so much (but at the same time his character is not dumbed down to showcase the kindness, he was completely in the know, but still choose to show compassion). I was actually hoping for Tushan Hou to repent and appreciate such a good and kindhearted brother that he has, but well, it doesnt seem like so *sigh
I like that TSJ is so sweet in his flirting and is so supportive of XY despite XY’s bullying him in between. Lol.

CGI was quite good and the scenery was beautiful. There’s something weird here and there but well, it was a fantasy drama, so I guess some landscape/animal scene must be exaggerated. Lol. OST was quite good as well, and accompanies the scenes so well.

Overall, i cant wait for season 2 to be published. Hopefully it wont be too long. I cant understand why they cant copy Love to the Galaxy and shows part1 and part 2 back to back, instead of taking their own sweet time like this

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A unique, unforgettable cdrama

Amazing martial arts choreography, breathtaking cinematography, and a compelling spy assassin storyline = a cdrama that is unique and unforgettable. It will feed your inner demon with the delicious darkness that lingers in each well-crafted scene. If you're craving comedy, there are unexpected hilarious scenes that will make you chuckle in memory.

Romance is aplenty with 4 CPs, and you can choose to ship your sweet, heartwarming CP, your spicy hot CP, your adorable CP and/or your star-crossed CP.

Also, the excellent acting from an eye candy cast is just the lovely cherry on top! Enjoy watching!!

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Nothing

In my opinion, it's a beautiful series, because it has beautiful actors and a beautiful story... I always trust Lusi and her choices... I definitely recommend watching this series...♥️
I hope you will enjoy watching this beautiful series like me... I congratulate Lusi and other actors for their excellent performance...♥️
very very very goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
I love you lusi😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

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BEST DRAMA

Best drama..Good music .. I like Zhao Lusi ..Her drama never dissapoint me..Her chemistry with Wang Anyu is the best.This plot i like so much. I love to watch this split character. She can be cute also she can be strict. For me she is one of the best Chinese Actress . I love how she act. She can carry a lot of character. ..I dont know why many people jelouse. Maybe because she is so good and chemistry among male lead is so high. she can partner with so many male actor. She can built chemistry so fast. Thats make her special. She can grow popular more and more. Trust me

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Love story

Warning: This review will contain spoilers!!!

Plot: A woman falls in love with her boss at first sight.
For three years she works at his company, cherishing each moment they casually meet and interact, snapping and collecting pictures of him on the sly. (Not stalkery--just very cute). He, of course, is completely clueless to all of this to the point that...
....three and a half years later, he asks her help to "pursue" her best friend.
FL knows that her bff is in a relationship with someone else. Nonetheless, she seized the opportunity to get closer to the ML, so she agrees to "help" him pursue the bff. Using this excuse, the ML and FL begin spending time together, meeting and talking purportedly about the bff but eventually it reaches a point where they're almost like friends (despite him being her boss). Even after the bff gets married they still meet and interact.
The FL falls deeper and deeper until she decides to confess, whereupon the ML rejects her outright.
In his defence, her confession seems sudden, since he has no idea she'd had feelings for him for years. He just sees someone he knows as an employee and causal friend suddenly confess out of nowhere. When he asks her to explain why she likes him, our FL panics and lies, giving a very shallow response: "You're handsome and rich, of course I like you". The ML, who is the opposite of a playboy, naturally finds her response off-putting and tells her that they are not suitable.

The FL takes the rejection hard. But she accepts his decision and immediately begins taking steps to distance herself from the ML. As soon as she does, we can see the ML begin having doubts. From the start, her response ("handsome, money") strikes him as off, and out of character for the woman he's gotten to know over the past six months. But each time he tries approaching her again, she shuts him down hard. The FL is heartbroken and won't give an inch.

Now we enter our cat-and-mouse phase.
He does everything he can to pursue her, using work (offering to produce the movie for the book which the FL authored), proximity (he moves next-door to her), and support (financial and otherwise-putting his reputation and business on the line to ensure the development of her movie).

However, the issue is that he still has no idea that the FL has liked him for so long or how very deep her hurt is.
And she is not able to tell him. She can't open up and trust him.
So we go around in never-ending circles.
Many obstacles are thrown their way during this point, from online dating rumours, to a parent-pushed secondary love interest.

After a long (long, long, long!!) wait, the FL finally accepts that he truly does like her and they get together.
Once they get together it's a smooth walk down the aisle. Both of their families are happy and supportive. They live happily ever after.

My issue: The first half of the show built on chemistry, sexual tension, and heavy emotions. At one point I became annoyed with FL for putting off the ML for too long. But eventually we see her on-screen breakdown when he finds out that she's liked him for so long, and I forgive her. However, once they got together, the entire mood of them changed. She became less mature, more playful, and the sexual tension/chemistry seemed to vanish. We went from a heavy drama to a sweet romance--the transition was too abrupt and the mood shift was so extreme that I couldn't really connect the couple from part one of the show to the couple in part two of the show. This mood lasted up to the final episode. The final episode redeemed it. It was still playful and light, but the chemistry came back at least. Overall, I was satisfied with how it was wrapped up.

The secondary couple is the Director of the FL's movie and the ML's younger sister.
I'll say this: both characters are truly wonderful people.
The younger sister is cute, kind, and hard working.
The Director is dedicated, sweet, and also very kind.
In a sense, the younger sister who, by virtue of her age, always acted much younger and girlish than the FL, actually acted much more mature in her romance with the Director than the FL did in her own romance with the ML.
The chemistry between the younger sister and the director was wonderful.
I truly liked them together.
I loved seeing her gradually grow up and take control of her life. She made zero mistakes in her relationship with the director and I admire her so much for that. Since we'd seen her as a very young and cossetted girl, she'd have had ample opportunity to screw it all up, but she didn't. Truly, truly amazing of her.
As for the director, he admired her from the start, took his time, guided her as she entered his industry, supported her patiently, and confessed at the right time. Kudos to him for a job well done.
This couple was truly amazing to watch.

The music was fantastic!!!! The ost was one of the best I've heard.
The shooting was great.
The cast was wonderful.
I will definitely rewatch this show :)

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approaching perfection and giving insights into choosing a hero's side.

The movie is simple, telling the story of an idol and her success in reaching the point where she has reached the same level as her idol in an era where the pressures of the economic situation are in decline and it affects every character differently. The movie combines storytelling perfectly and flawlessly. The story is told in a way that cuts back and forth between past and present scenes. In a step-by-step and amazing way, the characters in the movie that stand out are the heroines who act perfectly. Credit must also be given to the screenwriter. that tricks the audience back and forth and teasing and tempting you to think accordingly Tricking people into misunderstandings until the end.

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Deeper Societal Messaging

I think this season was even better than season 1 simply due to the plot development. The first season I was initially really disappointed in the unrealistic nature of the monsters. However, as you keep watching through season 1 and to season 2 the justifications behind the monsters are really quite deep. There is a video on YouTube explaining all the monsters we have seen so far that I think really helps to give context. The different classification of monsters is a really interesting addition to the understanding of what the monsters really are and how Hyun Soo is so different.

This season also really delved into the broader societal impact that crisis can have. We see in just the first few episodes the chaos that fear and power have influenced the army resulting in many unnecessary deaths. I was so angry when the army was shooting at the hide and seek monster when she was not showing any signs of aggression, resulting in not only the death of 100+ civilians but also her death and the unnecessary torturing of her baby. It really shows how fear of the unknown and being in a position of power can really twist people's minds.

Overall a really strong season in my opinion, I am looking forward to season 3!

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Last immortal

I have never written a review for dramas before, but this drama caught my attention and I wanted to write a review for it. I read the reviews about the drama, some were very good and some were really bad. The success of Lucy and this series has hurt them so much are angry
I wanted to say that we support him and the entire drama team because he has worked hard for everything and deserves respect and admiration. The drama has an interesting and exciting story. Every episode makes you want to see the next episode faster. It is true that the visual effects are really lacking, but this weakness The excellent acting of Lucy and Anyo and the rest of the actors can be overlooked. If the effects were better, I'm sure this drama would have received more positive ratings than now, and many hits may be named, but anyway, watch and enjoy this drama. Ayin is very cute. Gojin is also simpleIt makes her trust anyone easily and that's bad. I hope my daughter doesn't upset Ayin too much because it makes my heart ache. Lucy conveys emotions really well. Watch the drama and enjoy it. Don't think about anything else.
🥰😍🥰

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Started strong with good cgi

The costumes are so so good! I like the dunhuang style. Glad they went out of their way and try new styling instead of the usual plain clothes.

The CGI is top notch especially the 12 gods arc!!! All characters look so pretty and handsome. But again, this is not enough for me.

Sadly, after the mortal realm arc, the story just went downhill for me. Misunderstandings over and over again, I can't stand it. They've (leads,) already went through a lot but they don't communicate. Bruh.

I love the fox and the prince love story the most. Sadly I didn't see them again, at least before I dropped.

Chen Duling is so convincing as a villain.

Bailu and Luo Yunxi is good.

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