Reviews

First half was great ! Then it went downhill...

Honestly, everything is in my title...
The first half was very good : a smart, calculating, scheming female lead who knows what she wants and how far she's willing to go to get it. I'm not especially a fan of Hong Xiao but I have to admit she nailed the part of the femme fatale. Yan Zi Xian, her male lead, is great as usual, although I would have liked a bit of development on his part, especially about how he fell for the female lead (though I did love the scene where he was crying in front of his father's memorial tablet : great acting by YZX). The whole thing was overall predictable from the beginning (who was the real culprit, how the second female lead was gonna end up...) but we could pass since the process was interesting, especially when the female lead was obiously really falling for the male lead.
And then, in the second part, we fall into the awful cliche : the leads having misunderstandings, suspecting each other non stop and having a toxic relationship where the male lead imprisons the female lead (come on...) instead of talking honestly and trusting each other (come on, I couldn't believe that the female lead started to doubt the male lead so easily).
What's even sadder is that there was a huge potential about what could have been done because there were also good ideas in that second part : for example, to get the male lead victim of drugs and going through a period of withdrawal with the female lead by his side was an original and interesting move. But after all the suspicions, conflicts and dramas there was before, it kinda fell flat.
I also think there could have been a better of the second female lead, played by Luo Yutian : she wasn't a saint, but I hated that her punishment was going through domestic abuse by the hands of her husband as it felt stereotypical and kinda excessive, almost chauvinistic. When it started, I almost expected a power move from the female lead to help another woman in need but my expectations weren't met, sadly.
Anyway, it's still watchable but like I said, I felt a great disappointment towards the second half for a drama that had done so well on its first half

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One of my favorite & most rewatched dramas!

This is one of my all time favorite dramas. The story is compelling, all of the actors are perfectly cast and each one has absolutely nailed their character, the soundtrack is amazing, the costumes/character design are gorgeous, not to mention the stunning visuals & cinematography. I've probably watched this one all the way through 5-6 times now. There's so many layers and details woven throughout the story that I pick up on something new each time I watch it, so it never gets old. It's also a good first drama for someone who is new to Chinese historical dramas, as I feel that they explain nuances well and the story is very easy to follow.

The two leads have undeniable chemistry, especially if you view their scenes through the lens of "these are two old souls who know each other better than anyone else." There is no pretense between them. There's no shy flirtation or butterflies. Instead, they bicker and jab at each other like old married folks. Because really, that's what they are. There's romance, for sure, including a *particular* scene I was surprised was allowed to make the final cut due to being kind of spicy.

I also want to take a minute to defend the 2nd ML. I truly don't understand why he gets so much hate, in fact, the more I have watched this drama, the more I like and empathize with his character. He is well written and his story arc -- his actions, his motives -- makes sense to me and the actor portrayed him very believably. He's flawed and complex. Not truly a villain but not the hero; he's somewhere in between. I think he's one of the most interesting characters in any drama I've seen.

If you want a good palace intrigue story with lots of lovable characters, shocking plot twists, and a hint of time travel -- look no further!

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Ellie My Love

Genuinely wasn't aware this was a thing until it was seemingly dumped on Netflix last week. An extremely ambitious Japanese–South Korean co-production, Human Vapor does everything a remake should aspire to, utilising Honda's original film as a jumping-off point before going in its own direction to do something radically different with the material. It hits all the right beats, modernising the premise with a darker, more grounded tone that leads into a compelling supernatural murder mystery, gradually evolving into an exploration of revenge and the human cost of scientific ambition. It's just kind of a shame that the whole thing eventually runs out of steam by the end of its lengthy eight-episode run. Visually, however, there's little to complain about; Shinzo Katayama directs his socks off, the performances are superb across the board, while the music by Takashi Ohmama is simply outstanding. The visual effects deserve their own special mention; done by the same team behind Godzilla Minus One, they are outstanding; every transformation is thoroughly unsettling, inventive and seamlessly integrated. Although the momentum slows to an absolute crawl after an opening sequence that literally blows you away, the series never loses you, as you buy into the horror of what the Human Vapor truly is, remaining a hugely entertaining romp that sublimates the atomic-age paranoia and kitschy monster mayhem of the 60s into a thrilling cautionary tale for the modern era, replete with bountiful action, romance, peril and enough renditions of the Southern All Stars Ellie My Love to last a lifetime.

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Mutual pining so thick you could spread it on toast

Starting a drama with dubious consent in the first five minutes is still a clunky way to set the tone. It’s not assault, but it’s messy enough that you pause and wonder if the show knows what it’s doing. I’ve read and written dark romance, so I wasn’t shocked—just mildly wary. Luckily, it drops that energy fast. The ML’s assistant/driver ends up being the unexpected comic relief, tossing in comments that keep things from feeling too heavy. And the FL, who initially looks like she’ll be pushed around, quietly proves she’s sharper and more capable than her introduction suggests.

The mutual pining is the real engine here. They circle each other with obvious longing, constantly tripped up by miscommunication and a few people who seem dedicated to keeping them apart. It’s a familiar trope, but it works well enough because their emotional blind spots feel natural, not forced. And once they finally get together, the shift is simple and cute—awkward, soft, and a little clumsy in a way that feels honest rather than overly dramatized.

It’s not a perfect drama, but it settles into something easy to watch. A rough start, some light humor, and a straightforward romance that lands without trying too hard.

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my thoughts of edge of the horizon

i’m honestly obsessed with this series to a whole next level!!!! the acting 10 out of 10!!!!
i wanted to give it a ranking of 10 over all but couldn’t until i watch the whole series and see the ending.. i just don’t think i could survive them getting anything but happy ending!!!! yeah yeah.. i know that some people want a “realistic” ending but fuk that!!!!! i don’t need more angst!!! i have enough in my life of that ‘realistic’ aspect.. i don’t need it in my shows too!!!! those are my ‘escape’ of the reality.. i don’t need that there as well.. also, they suffer soooooo much!!! every episode they are literally emotionally tortured.. it would be just so sad and heartbreaking if they won’t at least get this happy ending then what was this all about??? why do this to my heart…? at least worn me of a tragic ending… AND YES!!!! THEM NOT ENDING UP TOGETHER IS TRAGIC!!!!

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Enjoyable Watch Despite Flaws

This Japanese effort is a reworking of the Korean original. While it corrects some flaws of the original it has a few of its own.

The basic story remains the same hitting the key plot twists in fewer episodes. This version improves on the original by moving faster, so better pacing, and by eliminating the weird direction imposed on the original acting, in particular the weird facial expressions. It a bit less in that there's less music.

Like the original the switched gender deceit isn't taken seriously and I mean that anyone looking at the lead would know she's a she however she is identifying. She doesn't attempt to change her voice. In Japan females tend to speak with a higher than their normal voice, and males lower. They also tend to use different words e.g. pronouns and phrases, much more so than in English. So to be realistic at a minimum the lead would not only have to carry herself differently, but would use a lower voice, keep to male word choices etc. If taken seriously that would be interesting to watch. In both the Korean and Japanese versions the producer/directors are more concerned to make sure the female lead presents as cute than able to pass as a male.

An irritating aspect is that while in the early episodes the subtitling was average towards the last several episodes the translating appeared to be a tossed word salad. Someone got the right verb and a few words to go with it and called it good enough leaving a confusing jumble of a sentence that required active puzzle solving adding the proper order, and discovering the needed tense given the context.

Possible Spoiler Below

I looked forward to how this version would handle the twin reunion and was disappointed because it follows the sin of the original in that they don't meet or communicate. Throughout the story, the girl never talks to her brother by phone which would be so easy to do. Towards the end, when he returns to Japan, it is inconceivable that they would not get together to exchange information. As she uncovered certain truths and secrets regarding their common past, it is extremely unlikely she wouldn’t tell him. It was therefore necessary to deal with the fact that she would contact him and he would have reactions to these truths which would impact his presence in the rock group. At a absolute minimum there should have been at least a few lines, perhaps a phone call, in which she indicates she told her brother something of these important details, e.g. their mother is in fact dead, how she died, THE MOTHER’S NAME! The script, perhaps because of budget issues and time constraints, left these gaping holes and kind of too hurriedly finished things up.

And the ending felt even more truncated than the original regarding the end point for the leads.

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