Reviews

Where was this Sword and Fairy?

Like the many others I thought that you'd have to watch the other Chinese Paladin series to start this one. Luckily you don't have to do that! The series is based off of video games, and each series pretty much stands alone.

This adaptation of Chinese Paladin 6 is called Sword and Fairy, and weirdly enough it's airing at the same time of another Chinese Paladin series. Between the two I chose to watch this one because of Xu Kai,

It's not extraordinary (but it had the makings of a fantastic drama. At the beginning drama is fun and not too dense with mellow, and I can go either way honestly. I like a lot of different dramas and was skeptical because of the wondrous nature of this one. A handful of episodes in and I'm buying into how the world works and where the drama seems to lead. Which is an interesting place considering its main premise is surrounding a looming disaster brought by a demon lord that may or may not be our FL? What is even better than that is the cult that worships this Lord Ming and hilariously mistaken our FL, Qi, played by Esther Yu, as this demon lord. So her and her sworn brother (lol not buying that) are in the middle of it all trying to reclaim their (mainly Qi's identity). Surely enough handfuls of more episodes and there is a lot I can't buy into so easily. I think the show started being bad when a certain someone found out their origins. Then it was a lot of back and forth between two settings and not a lot of organic sets. I am someone that is more into real life settings and weather and etc.

I haven't seen anything like it honestly. It's unique with the costumes, and especially the dynamic between the FL and the ML. Qi is very dumb and I see the complaints about the dubbing and the 'annoying' voice, but be serious with yourself on this. This character only knows three years of life other than a reoccurring dream. She is naive and how she sounds equals to that, I have always been wary of Esther Yu because of the voice but why? It works so well here and she is hilarious. She doesn't phone in what she is playing and make it annoying, she has charm and the acting chops to fill in many diverse roles and funny and naive ones alike. Xu Kai who plays the ML, Jin Zhao, isn't as naive as her, but they are both as unfortunate honestly. They both know nothing about their whereabouts, other than that they woke up together so that makes them to be born on the same day. He is protective of her and just as skeptical as anyone that wants anything to do with her. I am loving the dynamic between them, their teasing is great to watch and that makes me excited for a potential romance at the beginning slowly falls into a mess. Their relationship isn't developed and instead you watch the other characters and their relationships. I really didn't get what I bargained for.

The mystery behind the leads is interesting, as. you don't know exactly what the two even are. Are they human? Demon? Are they bound by fate? Again, I don't know how the Chinese Paladin series really work, but I see a lot of fights, characters, and wonder if it will get heavy into plot or if they will just go place to place. The latter is what happens.. honestly a mix of both. It is hard to take seriously at times with how fake everything looks.. the effort is there but it just overall seems cheap by the end of 36 episodes.

I think about what the drama is trying to accomplish and rate based on that. So if this drama is appealing to the demographic in China it is doing very well. People are happy and better than that, this drama has been acknowledged by one of the producers from the source material. So that alone tells me it is doing something right.

Although upon watching the whole series it seems I am asking myself... what really happened? What was the point? All of these pretty faces in this drama can't amount to anything if they are barely in it by the time the series ends. Xu Kai and Esther Yu are still great.. but unfortunate.

There is a lot of what I care about and nothing of what I do. So that is really less Xu Kai and more side characters. The chemistry between the leads is the best it can do I guess.. but it's not electric when comparing to much better dramas with much better performances. It is due to the script.. because I know the leads have it in them. This story is just convuluted. There is so much happening and it is hard to keep up, but it is pretty entertaining. In the end I am wishing for more stories with more heart. This one was just a video game adaptation, that really didn't have its own unique narrative to tell. There was only so much that could happen and in the end it was pretty stale.. but it had Xu Kai and I love him to death.

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Overall I Love This Series

Please read to the end becayse i have good stuff to say then. I'm going to be brutally honest...I skipped through a lot of this show. There are a lot, and I mean a lot, of scenes that are way too long...and I'm talking 2 minutes too long. Making me watch Aey cry for 2 minutes, at least 3 times in the series, is not going to make me like him or feel sympathy for him. His character sucks and has 0 redeeming qualities...but he is crucial to the story and I appreciate that. Besides having to skip all the crying or staring at a wall for 2 minutes...this show is actually great. It's so well produced and the acting is really good. Despite all the negative stuff I had to say...this show is still in my top favorites of the BLs I've seen. Mostly, because of how unique and engaging the story line is.

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AVERAGE..... DRAMA ??But if like romance stuff u can try it!

This Kdrama is such a beautiful ride ? I read and loved it! While obviously, the series doesn't exactly follow the same storyline, the essentials are here. It is a great mix of cuteness, comedy, romance and mystery. The ensemble cast does a great job of bringing this story to life, the music is exquisite, and the cinematography, colors are so connected to Manhoya.
I started watching this drama for Cha Eun Woo - loved him in Island, True Beauty and more - and he's perfect for the role. He is such a versatile actor, he brings something new and unique to every new role he plays.
She is a nice surprise, JIN Seo Won's role suits her really well.
The chemistry between the leads is great and the cute and awkward romance aspect of the show is, I think, what makes it so fresh and enjoyable.
I recommend this drama to anyone looking for some cute romance, kind characters and laughs. Enjoy the ride!

Note: The only thing I dislike is having to wait so long for each episode to air. If you're like me and can't wait to know the whole story from start to finish, watch all the episodes in full once they've aired. I think it's a perfect show to watch on a weekend when you need a little more pastel color in your life.

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Light and Romantic BL

There are a lot of plot holes in the multi verse mechanism, but they are meant to be overlooked in favor of the romance. It is the first time playing a main role for both Jimmy and Sea, and it is palpable in their performances. They don't have the air of a leading actor in front of the camera yet. Hopefully they are going to arrive there next time. They have great chemistry as goofy friends, but not more much. The kisses feel too forceful, like they are only doing their job here; they are not enjoying it actually. But that's what a BL is after all. Heterosexual actors playing LGBTQ+ characters. I just wish they were better actors so they could sell it easily. Instead of many kissing scenes even naked in the bathtub, only one chaste kiss but with enough passion would make me believe them. I really liked the girls' performances in this series. Namtan, Jeab and Ae are going to be great actresses.

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I simply loved these thrills and frills.

My Journey to You (2023) has the most amount of pretty people I have seen in a Chinese Drama. Yes, I can be shallow, but that is not what worked for me (even though at times I forgot to read the subtitles, because I was looking at faces). This is a pulsating, gripping love story, where the main couples are constantly at risk throughout the whole drama. You get an overwhelming romantic journey, but many times you don’t feel at ease for these couples.

Okay, I admit it. I did not like Chinese singer/actress Esther Yu (or Yu Shu Xin) from the Chinese Drama ‘Find Yourself’. She played the helpless airhead. However, in My Journey To You, Esther Yu has the strong killer character, as she plays an assassin. I needed an immediate brain adjustment. With this outstanding Chinese Drama “My Journey To You”, in the opening scenes you get a mixture of the American series Mission Impossible and Bourne Identity. The Esther Yu’s character even has a handler in the Period Chinese Drama. So out of the gate, I am liking My Journey To You.

My Journey To You is wholly gothic and edgy, but at times comedic. It has a killer OST. My Journey To You is not the usual Chinese Period Costume Drama. While My Journey To You does not have the finesse of the 2023 Chinese drama A Journey to Love, as respect writing sophistication, it does have the action thrills of that drama. The exquisite back and forth of the principal actors amount to a chess game of wits. However, this drama is more romance intensive than A Journey To Love. A Journey to Love is a Chinese Drama that is more thrilling. My Journey to You has the more gripping love story. I wish all to see both back to back.

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Were You Not Entertained??

Watched it on a whim. I had it on my list on Netflix for a while and just had never been in the mood for it but then the other day I was just craving K-Dramas so I decided to watch it. I was watching a C-Drama I had paused for a while but then just needed to watch a K-drama for whatever reason and this helped to scratch the itch a little. Now I want to watch more K-dramas lol.

I liked it. It kept me captivated enough to finish it in 2 days. Would have been quicker but I had to work lol.

The acting was a bit meh at times but not enough to ruin the story. I'm assuming that is what they were looking for for certain characters, a monotonous complicity with their lives.

I think the FL's character was pretty boring when she wasn't doing anything. It was weird like they would say she knows how to get people's attention and we'd see her smiling and laughing with random people but then in the scenes that drive the story forward, she seems to lack personality. I was thinking maybe they wanted you to not be able to guess what she was going to do next so she would just look blank at times, but I don't know.

My favorite part was definitely those crumbs of romance they threw to us. That man said "I like you, please like me back" and you expect me to not be sat for their scenes?? This rich, successful, unproblematic man who only wanted to protect the FL, you want me to lie and say it was lackluster because of the lack of facial expressions??? I will not stand for this slander lol. But seriously, I love Kang Min Hyuk. He was a supporting character in a few of my first K-dramas so I can't hate him. He's too adorable and I was so surprised to see him in this show. Let alone as the ML.

But honestly, I judge TV Shows and movies based on how much I like them. I am not someone who looks for an underlying message or needs some kind of huge complicated plot to be satisfied. I just watch things for their entertainment value. Was it fun? Did I get bored? Are the FL and ML characters I can empathize with? I really only binge-watch or read when the thing I am watching or reading gets me hooked to the point where I can't put it down. When a show constantly makes me want to keep going and finish it in one sitting, that's enough for me.

K-Dramas have been disappointing for a while now and while this was not a show focused on romance (my favorite genre) it was a very fun world to dive into. I would recommend this, it's short and sweet.

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A great performance from the actors, but spoiled by a poorly written story.

PLOT: ML, a playboy who wastes his life in France, returns to Korea for his grandfather's inheritance. He only inherits 1 old bookstore which he transforms into a cocktail bar, with the help of the FL. She dreams of becoming a great French chef. Through her love, she will little by little heal the ML of the guilt that gnaws at him. But romantic rivals and family relationships will pose multiple obstacles.

PROS:
+ very good actors who bring the story to life. It's a very good role for Sung Joon, but I wasn't totally convinced by Lim Ji Yeon's performance which lacks micro-expressions. On the other hand, the CL shows great chemistry and there are many scenes of kisses.
+ an adorable kitten (✯◡✯)
+ Characters are not one-dimensional. They are all bruised, damaged by life, complex.
+ the most consistent character in this series, the one who has the most realistic-intelligent behavior, is Lee Shi Won. The actress shines throughout the drama.

CONS:
Above all, the story is poorly written, with:
- unnecessary and annoying characters and narrative arcs: the Thai prince and his music group for example; the FL's brother, a lazy person looking for easy money; etc.
- The ML's behavior consumed by guilt, OK. But he hurts the FL, by being totally submissive to a visibly super selfish and manipulative FL2. Suicide blackmail is poorly handled, not convincing.
- FL2 has typical toxic behavior, as does her mother. And the ML's family watches him destroy himself without doing anything, without saying anything?? Seriously ?
- The behavior of FL2's mother is not credible. Why would you want to find someone responsible (especially a 16 year old kid) for an accident? Her final apology is not acceptable either.

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PLOT: Le ML, playboy qui disperse sa vie en France, rentre en Corée pour l'héritage de son grand-père. Il n'hérite que d'1 libraire qu'il transforme en bar à cocktail, avec l'aide de la FL. Celle-ci rêve de devenir un grand chef de cuisine française. Par son amour, elle va peu à peu guérir le ML de la culpabilité qui le ronge. Mais les rivaux amoureux et les relations familiales vont poser de multiples obstacles.

PROS:
+ de très bons acteurs qui font vivre l'histoire. C'est un très bon rôle pour Sung Joon, mais je n'ai pas été totalement convaincue par la performance de Lim Ji Yeon qui manque de micro-expressions.Par contre, le CL montre une belle alchimie et il y a de nombreuses scènes de kisses.
+ un chaton adorable (✯◡✯)
+ Les personnages ne sont pas unidimensionnels. Ils sont tous meurtris, abimés par la vie, complexes.
+ le personnage le plus cohérent dans cette série, celui qui a le comportement le plus réaliste-intelligent, est Lee Shi Won. L'actrice brille durant tout le drama.

CONS:
Surtout, la story est mal écrite avec :
- des personnages et des arcs narratifs inutiles et gênants : le prince thaï et son groupe de musique par exemple ; le frère de la FL, fainéant qui recherche l'argent facile ; etc.
- Le comportement du ML rongé par la culpabilité, OK. Mais il blesse la FL, en étant totalement soumis à une FL2 visiblement super égoïste et manipulatrice. Le chantage au suicide est mal traité, pas convaincant.
- la FL2 a un comportement toxique typique, sa mère aussi. Et la famille du ML le regarde se détruire sans rien faire, sans rien dire ?? Sérieux ?
- Le comportement de la mère de la FL2 n'est pas crédible. Pourquoi vouloir trouver un responsable (surtout un gamin de 16 ans) à un accident ? Ses excuses finales ne sont pas acceptables non plus.

=> Une belle performance d'acteurs, mais gâchée par une story mal écrite.

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as much as i love this kdrama, i do wish that there could’ve been a different ending.. i didn’t really except the ending but i was kind of happy that they are alive but i wanna know what happens next like i just wanna see a happy ending where they’re like free! this kdrama also kinda had me so frustrated like some mafias were being so obvious and i was surprised that they didn’t see these like little hints the only person that i didn’t really except to be a mafia was da bum tbh LMAO but i will say that this kdrama had me come with so many theories and connections and it was fun to just notice like the little clues and some of the characters death got me so sad this had me entertained for a while and im just wishing that there’s gonna be a season 2 like i just wanna see a happy ending ?

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The Best Show of 2023 By Far

Yeah, I said it. Not that I've done a very good job keeping up with K-dramas in 2023, but regardless, I really do think Death's Game captures everything beautiful, intricate and powerful about K-dramas. Right from how tightly written every episode is, to the complexity of each character (no matter how long or how brief their appearance), to even the subtle threads that weave the fate of each reincarnation in the show together- for better or for worse.

There's nothing much more to say about it, really. The message about suicide was a touch preachy, I'll bite, but in the context of South Korea's suicide epidemic and tightly knit society/family structure, the PSA that life is worth living if only so you can try your hardest for the people who love you makes technical sense, even if it's not an opinion I personally wholly subscribe to.

Acting-wise, you really can't get better than this. Aside from our (brilliant) main characters, every cast member played their role with such conviction, heart and enthusiasm that there wasn't a second I was unconvinced by the naturalness of their character and the situation they were in.

And what would you know, it also made me call my parents up after a long time and catch up. Powerful stuff, indeed.

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So I watched this drama in continuation to other voice series. As much as I loved thriller genre, I must say this was not as good as other seasons. Especially after Do kand Woo death. His death in previous season was highly disappointing. His character was so good and complex that I loved watching him. One thing that I found absurd in Voice seasons was that nobody shot the actual criminal in the series but they shot a police officer in the head with the intention of killing him. His mental state was not good, but it was not taken into account.
Now coming to this season there were so many stupid mistakes in first few episodes tht I was literally banging my head on the wall. Ths mute sister of the ML made so many stupid mistakes in order to get killed. The main villain and the concept behind it was good but somehow I was not that impressed with the story line as there was no mystery in it to solve. It became repetitive and boring after a point of time. I didn't like the male lead much but let's hope they come up with a better storyline in Voice 5.

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one of the best rom com ??

8,6/10. Ini drama buildnya bagus sih, karena dari awal dibuat bener2 kocak. Comedynya lebih masuk di gw & jujur lebih banyak nyengir sm ketawa di sini daripada di wfkbj. Plotnya juga realistis. Acting menurut gw gausah diraguin lagi... banyak scene iconic yg dibuat sm aktor & aktris di sini ?‍♂️?‍♂️?‍♂️ OST-nya yg Good Morning - Kassy itu surprisingly sering gw puter dulu jaman2 2018 ????? kerasa bgt jatuh cintanya denger lagu itu wkwkwk. Kurangnya ini drama cuma di ending sih jujur ? gw kurang sreg sm plot di eps 15-16. Apalagi ending. Jujur ga ngerti sama endingnya ?????? tapi gw anggep aja itu happy ending yg sesuai ekspektasi ??

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Suffers from the Chinese Drama Syndrome

I have now watched around a dozen Chinese Drama Series and only managed to finish 3 of them while dropping the others mostly midway through. The Chinese have a remarkable propensity to pull off a "Game of Thrones" in nearly every one of their Dramas. Only 1 of the Dramas I watched managed not to completely ruin everything towards the end.

This is not the one!

To be fair, it started incredibly strong with an engaging Story, interesting Characters, good Actors and an overall good "feel". The first 20 Episodes just flew by and would be easily worth 9/10 Stars. The next 20 Episodes were a little bit draggy and it could not keep up the momentum but it would still have been worth 8/10 to me. Its the last 10+ Episodes that really jump the Shark in ways that I cannot accept, ignore or forgive. I would consider 3/10 as a very generous rating for those.

But lets get through the Categories shall we? starting with the least important (to me).

MUSIC: the Intro is brilliant and fits the Series very well. It has a memorable Tune and gives the whole series a unique Character. However, it is completely countered by the Outro, which is an abomination I could not wait to skip. I dont know what they thought when they introduced that song into the outro but its just ear cancer to me. Also, there were some background music during scenes that was so annoying that often times I though that my Sink was defect and water was dropping from it. The 5 Stars are all for the Intro while the rest is either unnoticable or straight up bad.

ACTING: some great some pathetic! The Actor that plays Sima Yi is the clear Winner here. He does a great job overall and is only let down by the Story towards the end. On the other Hand, some Actors were so over the top "dramatic" that it bordered on comical and the actor playing the Emperor was just annoying towards the end.

STORY: This is based on the Historic Events of the Three Kingdoms Period. Arguably one of, if not the most Interesting Period in Chinese History. So the Story is based on very solid Foundation. Lets not forget though, based on History does not mean "historically accurate" and this series is clearly not historically accurate and takes a lot of creative freedoms, which sometimes works, sometimes doesnt.

The whole Twist with switching off the Emperor is interesting at first but becomes actually a weak point towards the end. The "holier than thou" attitude of the imposter should have better been left to Cartoons and simply looks misplaced in this Series. His actions are laughable and can only be accepted by those who are unknowing in Political Reality. I dont mind having a "cartoon character" in Cartoons but since this Series is clearly not a Cartoon, it just doesnt fit. There is a reason why History celebrates those who had little to no compassion and killed whole Countries. Thats the Reality of life. Jesus was compassionate, he ended up tortured and crucified, Gandhi was compassionate, he was shot, Luther King was compassionate, he was assassinated.....those are no accidents.

This gets even worse later in the Series by the Actor that plays the Emperor (they could have easily replaced him with a cuddly animal and nobody would notice the difference), who I would suggest should take the role of a piece of driftwood next time.

The "Romance" between him and the Empress is LAUGHABLE!!!!! Its really really cringe and catastrophically bad. We are supposed to believe that she is an Empress under constant threat, he is someone who replaces the Emperor and later even becomes a major Player but the two are so full of "Teenage Angst" that they cannot even touch each other.....riiiiiiiiiiiiiight! This is clearly targeted at said "angsty Teenagers" and does not make any sense in the series overall serious tone. The writers even go so far to insult us viewers by suggesting that their chastity was because their enemies would use it against them (they were in laws and that was supposedly a problem). They were living in the same Palace, in the same room, sleeping in the same bed. Do you really think once this came out people would care whether they really slept with each other or not? do you really think once it comes out that he replaced the Emperor this would be their main Problem? Its just insultingly bad.

On a positive Note, I liked nearly everything that was Sima Yi. Even his Romance. However, they even managed to ruin that by letting his Wife die in what must have been the most pathetic, forced, idiotic self sacrificies I have ever seen on film.

CONCLUSION: I am really thinking about watching Chinese Dramas only half or 2/3 max. The way they manage to ruin everything in the last couple of Episodes is nothing short of remarkable. This series is like a Gift wrapped Turd, as long as you only see the packaging, its great but the more you open it, the more it stinks.

Such a shame, there was great potential!

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deep psychological analysis ,detective

Its a very good detective story with great pleasure and would be glad for season 3! Thank u ) !
Separately, I would like to immediately note the unsurpassed performance of Cho Seung Woo in the role of Hwang Shi Mok
He perfectly played the role of a man who had undergone brain surgery and did not experience any emotions afterwards. It’s physically difficult simply because we react in one way or another to some events, details in our lives every day, and even with complete indifference, at least some emotion manifests itself momentarily, throughout the day, and it’s very difficult to maintain the same facial expression, let alone for the whole day or even for a couple of minutes! Or not to react to anger or someone’s attacks, it’s difficult not to respond as emotionally as your opponent in the event of a dispute, despite the fact that you are a prosecutor and “in front of everyone.”
I'm sure it was also a little difficult for the actor to “maintain” the same facial expression throughout the entire series! But he coped with this role perfectly! In the 2nd season, I asked myself the question, “maybe it’s the actor himself who is “without emotions’ that he plays so well .. or plays himself?”), but this was the first time I watched the series with him, so I can’t judge yet! But I really liked his performance. I started watching because
Lee Joon Hyuk thinking that he would play a “good detective” .. and even when I realized that he wasn’t because his character is a “vile prosecutor”, I still didn’t regret watching it).
This detective story may seem boring to some because there are not many events, it is not so dynamic, but this is its feature!
Each episode shows how a person who has undergone brain surgery, who is completely (or partially) deprived of experiencing emotions (as well as feeling the emotions of other people), struggles with that every day, trying to solve problems relying only on his logic and “ 6’feeling”, so to speak... how It was said in the series itself that people who have undergone brain surgery are not always completely devoid of feelings... although it was also shown as sometimes Hwang Shi Mok
could not understand when people talked to him about “feeling angry/embarrassed/embarrassed.”.. he simply did not understand what it was and how it was, while those around him did not understand him, considering him strange.. (except for those who knew about his past).
What's amazing about Hwang Shi Mok's character
He could clearly see when the suspect was lying or hiding something (which suggests that he still had empathy after the operation) and he solved all the cases better than other prosecutors and investigators. He was always one step ahead.
This series (like all cinema in principle) is useful because you can better learn to understand people, understand that behind every facial expression there can be a lot of different feelings hidden, since people express their feelings differently in the same circumstances.. it’s interesting to watch the detective’s thoughts and his analysis of those around him in an attempt to find the truth.. it shows a deep psychological analysis of individual characters, their actions, motive.. I love it, I really liked it!))
I’ll make a special note about the music! It was chosen just perfectly and is very compatible with the theme of the series itself and the events developing in it

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