Shadow Love (CDrama review)

The story

Li Shuang, a female general of the Jin Dynasty, finds a young boy with no memory and names him Jin An.

Jin An mysteriously turns into a strapping young lad overnight and becomes Li Shuang’s most loyal companion, and the two eventually fall in love.

However, as we all know with dramas such as these, Jin An has an inconvenient past: that of Duan Ao Deng, the prince of the Yao Kingdom, Jin’s enemy.

Characters

Li Shuang (played by Song Yi): The adopted daughter of a general of the Jin Dynasty, and a female general who guards the border for many years.

Jin An/Duan Aodeng (played by Cheng Lei): Severely wounded and suffering from amnesia, Jin An is rescued by Li Shuang.

Su Muyang (played by Bi Wenjun): The crown prince of Jin, yet ill-favoured by the emperor.

Lu Xin (played by Shi Ce): The most famous doctor in Lucheng and Li Shuang’s best friend.

Mo Yin (played by Guan Hong): The master of Wuling Mountain and a renowned physician of exceptional medical skill.

Li Ting (played by Wu Yuheng): The son of Li Shuang’s adoptive father.

What I liked

I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers premise, and it’s actually a compelling plotline that keeps us intrigued till the very end.

Song Yi and Cheng Lei really sell the chemistry. She gives her all, convincing me of Li Shuang’s relationship with Jin An.

Cheng Lei being shirtless every episode. I mean, hey, one needs to be honest! lol. The “reasons” they give for Jin An removing his shirt and giving Li Shuang hickeys are a big part of the drama’s enjoyment. 😉

What I didn’t like

• Song Yi simply doesn’t project the aura of a general. This has nothing to do with her being slight or thin, or lacking muscles. It is in the way she carries herself, such as how she moves and projects authority. She moves more like a genteel maiden than a woman used to the rough ways of a military camp. She does not project any authority and uses weapons very unconvincingly. To add fuel to the fire, she is constantly saved by our hero. Because of this, it’s difficult to buy her as a general, which is the defining role for her character.
• The plot’s logic doesn’t hold up. From minor things, like how she seems to have an endless supply of arrows, to etiquette (mild spoilers: letting a strange man apply medicine on her bare back? I know that she may be used to the military, but shouldn’t she have an aide for that? Not to mention the security risk of it, since she was still suspicious of him then!). I could go on, but it could fill a book.
• The weak world-building. I don’t quite understand or picture how the two kingdoms work or their politics. It’s painted with a light brush. And how does magic work in this world? I guess we’re supposed to just accept the weird things happening with Cheng Lei’s character, Jin An.
• Uneven, saggy pacing. There were whole episodes where we just have our main couple just… dating. I guess it’s sweet, but sometimes I’m scratching my head going, “Hey, General Li Shuang, aren’t you being a tad… laid-back and casual about things here, especially since your enemies are almost always ready to attack you?”
• It’s campy. Yes, that super-powered dual-eyed hero thing may be sexy, but sometimes I have flashbacks to _The Power Rangers.

Thoughts about the ending

Conclusion

Story: Two things can be true at the same time. Shadow Love is technically a bad drama and also a highly enjoyable one at the same time.

Acting: Song Yi and Cheng Lei really sell the chemistry. Their acting is fine and didn’t distract me.

Final rating: 2.5 out of 5

Campy fluff that knows its worth: Cheng Lei being shirtless as often as possible.

I understand why it scored 4.8 on Douban, but I still enjoyed the heck out of it. 😀 However, I feel 4.8 is too low. Shadow Love is undeniably fluff, but it is not god-awful fluff — just average fluff. So, it deserves at least a 5.3 on Douban.

#25Stars #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #Fantasy #TV

Back from the Brink review

The ancient dragon Tian Yao had the worst wedding day ever. The woman he loved and was about to marry betrayed him by dismembering him, stripping him of his dragon scales and then sealing his body parts in five places. Fortunately, his soul manages to escape and he reborns, but with hardly any power. He encounters Yan Hui, a Taoist woman disowned by her sect, who happens to possess his heart protection scale. Tian Yao uses Yan Hui to retrieve his stolen body parts, but eventually they grow fond of one another and set on an epic journey to recover his body and restore balance to the world.

Characters

Tian Yao

An ancient dragon who was far too naïve for his own good, he learned the hard way not to trust humans — especially the Taoists who hunt down spirits like prey.

Yan Hui

A Taoist disowned by her sect, she is a free-spirited adventurer who believes spirits are equal to human beings.

Bai Xiao Sheng

A mysterious man who practices “dark arts”, he has an agenda that involves Tian Yao and Yan Hui.

Su Ying

Honestly, she’s the big bad for me, the one who caused Tian Yao the most pain. A stern, cold-hearted Taoist master, she has only one goal in mind: To use Tian Yao’s body to keep her lover alive.

You can also watch the review here:

https://youtu.be/rCy2U3Mhzo8

Or have a listen to the episode on Spotify.

What I like

The dynamite premise

Seriously, wasn’t that story that grabbed your heart? A once mighty dragon falling down to low depths, betrayed by the woman he loved. That was what attracted me to the show.

Neo Huo as Tian Yao

He was really good. Congrats to his stylist! He sure did a good job because Tian Yao looked really good.

Sympathetic villains

What I found pleasantly surprising was how three-dimensional the bad guys were. They have good, almost relatable reasons to be bad. Well, except for the big bad. He was just nasty.

But for some of them, even the loathsome Su Ying, I find myself sympathetic to their grievances and hope somehow that they can getter a better life in the next life.

Interesting romance side plots

There were other couples in this drama whose romance I enjoyed. Some ended well, some tragically, and I felt for all of them.

What I didn’t like

Uneven tone

Is it a comedy or a tragedy? When the cutesy Pokemon-like spirits drifted into view, I just got thrown out of the moment. Was I supposed to think about it as a cute fantasy or an epic, dark fantasy? It veers from both themes wildly throughout the series.

The bad CGI

I have seen worse, but couldn’t they have stuck to the tragic tones of the story and do away with Pokemon visuals? I found it jarring.

Nosedive in script quality midway

I dropped this drama at episode 15 when the story took a turn for worse.

The tiresome love triangle

Bai Xiao Sheng (pic above), whom I really thought was unique and different, morphed into a stereotypical jealous second male lead. He deserves way more than that sad role. (Fortunately, they dropped this nonsense later.)

And then, Tian Yao did something mind boggling that didn’t make sense.

To add oil to the fire, the three of them ended up wandering around this alternate dimension, the love triangle dynamics in full force. And then there was something about pixie kids…

It took me about a month to brave this drama again.

But this time, I skipped the annoying episodes and started at episode 20.

To my surprise, I binged the episode in a few days. The storytelling improved a lot and the storu got decidedly more interesting and ironically, it wasn’t the main couple that pulled me back in but the story of the King of Qinqui and his twin brother.
Wow, the actor played both roles amazingly.

Conclusion

It will take a very patient viewer to stick with Back from the Brink and appreciate it.

Show is something that makes me sigh in sadness. It could have been soooo good.

If only the plot didn’t take a nose dive at episode 15.
If only the cutesy CGI was done away with.
If only they could be consistent with the tone of the show.

While the two leads were not mind-blowingly great actors or have awesome chemistry, they were good enough. But they were hobbled by the subpar script.

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

#25Stars #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #Fantasy #Xianxia

The Princess’ Gambit (桃花映江山) Chinese drama review

To save her brother, Princess Jiang Taohua of Beiyuan offers herself as a bride in a political marriage to the Qi Kingdom.

Though born royalty, she is more prisoner than princess. Her entourage is not there to serve her but to guard her, and she is dogged by countless assassins.

In a twist of fate, she finds herself compelled to marry the formidable Shen Zaiye, a man widely feared for his ruthlessness and deep involvement in Qi’s power struggles.

Furious at being deceived into marriage, Shen Zaiye grows wary of his new concubine—especially when he discovers she is no pampered princess, but a woman with a Machiavellian cunning that can match his. Is she his most dangerous enemy, or his most perfect partner?

Characters

Shen Zaiye (Liu Xueyi): The ruthless and cruel “left” chancellor of the Qi Kingdom. Hated by the royal family and noble houses, but highly favoured by the emperor.

Jiang Taohua (Meng Ziyi): The princess of Beiyuan Kingdom. Ordered by the Queen of Beiyuan to marry into the Qi royal family to secure peace. (No, to act as a spy!)

Mu Wuyin (Gao Han): The Fourth Prince of Qi. He is not favoured by the King of Qi, appearing isolated in the power struggles of the court.

Meng Zhenzhen (Liu Lingzhi): Shen Zaiye’s legal wife who has a kind and demure facade, but is a hidden viper of the Meng family planted next to Zaiye.

Mu Wuxia (Bian Cheng): A member of one of the princes and as shady as they come.

Xiang Qingying: Shen Zaiye’s sister. While she enjoys traveling the world as a hero, she can be quite naive.

What I liked

• Liu Xueyi’s acting, of course! Now, it would’ve been perfect if they had allowed him to use his original voice.
• I also admire the quiet restraint of Liu Lingzhi’s character, Meng Zhen Zhen, a conflicted schemer trapped by her duty to the clan. Great actress, and hope she gets more roles.
• The cinematography is above average. There is no heavy use of filters nor overly bright sets, so the drama is beautiful to look like.
• The costumes, which are made by the same stylists for the drama Kill Me Love Me, are beautiful.

What I didn’t like

• It was really, really tough getting used to Liu Xueyi’s dubbed voice. Liu Xueyi is one of those actors whom you really shouldn’t dub because he’s just that good. While the voice actor was not bad, he doesn’t hit the same emotional highs and tensions like Liu Xueyi can. (We know that he did those lines better as the trailers were dubbed by Liu Xueyi.)
• Oddly, for such a fast-paced drama, I found it difficult to really get into the drama. As a person who is more interested in character development than twisty plots, this could be the reason. I couldn’t connect with the characters in the first 8 episodes. They seem more like chest pieces than actual people.
• There was a lack of chemistry between Zaiye and Taohua … most probably because there were so few moments of emotional intimacy or vulnerabilities between the two. And this is probably due to …
• The story literally fell off the cliff after Taohua … fell off a cliff. But after that, the plot got stuck for 10 very long episodes in one spot with our characters going in circles, stuck in a tangle of misunderstandings. And we’re forced to endure …
• Excessive side-plots of supporting characters we don’t really care about. Case in point: Qingying, a paper-thin character who barely has any history or personality. And a very long story of the third prince and Empress Lu of Beiyuan.
• The last eight episodes was a mess of rushed and illogical plots. Even the set-up is illogical. For example, we get characters travelling one foreign country to another in mere days. And maybe I’m being pedantic, but I can’t get over the fact that Taohua travelled, on foot, to a dusty, dessert city, in an expensive hanfu, her head full of golden, dangling jewellery, her make-up perfect. How she was not robbed on the way to the desolate city, is a huge wonder.

Thoughts about the ending

Well, what can I say? It is a happy ending according to the script, which said that they “lived happily till the end of their days”, but it was shot in a way that could lead to some people thinking that it’s a dream, or in heaven or something. But since it ended like the script (though with some weird jokes from Qingtao edited out, thank god) I, like most of Chinese social media, believes it’s a happy ending.

But would it kill them to show us a happy montage of them in their new, simple lives in the mountains like they fantasized throughout the drama? That’s what we want the most after so much turmoil.

Conclusion

This drama had so much potential, but I suspect it fell victim to Chinese entertainment industry drama. Meaning, the drama was used as a promotional vehicle for younger idols, and that meant investment money directed the direction of the script.

Apparently around 11 scriptwriters had their turn butchering, I mean, writing their script. And it would seem that each of them had their own agenda, which meant one thing: Goodbye, cohesive plot!

It’s saying a lot that I think Kill Me Love Me had a better plot than this one, and that Love Never Fails is far more engaging! (Both are Liu Xueyi dramas.)

I do feel that it’s a waste of Liu Xueyi’s talent, but since this drama was taken up during his days with an unsupportive agency, and he hadn’t made much of a splash back then, it was understandable that he didn’t get the pick of his scripts.

My only prayer is that he gets better scripts soon!

If you’re interested in a quality drama starring Liu Xueyi, I highly recommend A Moment But Forever. It’s probably his best role so far, though I think Murong Jinghe in Kill Me Love Me is where he showed outstanding range.)

As for Meng Ziyi, I wasn’t super impressed with her acting abilities even in the hit drama Blossom. I suspect in that drama, she was directed well, but in this drama, she wasn’t. I hope she demonstrates a better range in her next project.

Story: Choppy, uneven, exaggerated and unsatisfying. I wish there was something good to be said about it …
Acting: Liu Xueyi, as usual, did very well. Meng Ziyi, aiks, not very well. I feel that she doesn’t have much range beyond widening her eyes.
Costumes and sets: The stylist is the one that styled for Si Teng and Kill Me Love Me, known for their lush costumes, so this one is as beautiful, though not as distinctive as those two dramas.
Camerawork: Slightly above average
Rewatchability: To be honest, very little, because the story arcs were not very enjoyable to me.

Final rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

#25Stars #CDrama #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #LiuXueyi #MengZeyi #TV

Love Never Fails (落花时节又逢君) Chinese drama review

“Broadcasting is a victory.” In 2022, Love Never Fails suffered a massive blow when leading actress Yuan Bingyan was officially implicated for tax evasion.

The tax evasion scandal was a big deal in China—so big that it effectively destroyed Yuan Bingyan’s career. In China, if there’s even a hint of scandal around a drama, it could prevent it from airing.

There was a smidgen of hope when the drama got a broadcasting permit. Then nothing. So much so that rumours eventually appeared that investors had written off the dramas as a loss.

Then, around 2024, rumours appeared saying that the production crew was replacing Yuan Bingyan with another actress and that male leads Liu Xueyi and Ao Ruipeng had actually rejoined the crew to reshoot some of their scenes.

I didn’t believe them until the drama dropped with little warning in late April.

What can I say? The drama’s ups and downs were more exciting than the actual plot!

The Story

Jin Xiu, the Flower Deity of the heavenly realm Zhongtian (or Central Heavens), doted on a red camellia flower since childhood. The emperor, displeased that Jin Xiu was developing feelings that could get in the way of his development as the future emperor, destroyed the camellia flower.

However, Jin Xiu managed to save the camellia by piecing back her shattered form with his finger bone. He sent her to the mortal world so that she could grow and cultivate in peace, safe from the schemes of Zhongtian.

Centuries later, Hong Ning, the camellia, achieved human form. One impulsive moment reunited Hong Ning with Jin Xiu. She vowed to find the deity who had saved her life, not knowing that Jin Xiu was the deity!

Their fates were then entwined from that moment on, lasting several lifetimes.

Characters

Jin Xiu (Liu Xueyi): The flower deity whose original form is the golden peony. He is being groomed (or pruned!) to be Zhongtian’s emperor.

Hong Ning (Hu Yixuan): Formerly a red camellia in Jinxiu’s garden, she is sent to the mortal realm to cultivate. She returns to heaven, determined to repay the deity that had saved her.

Kunlun (Ao Ruipeng): Jinxiu’s rebellious and fun-loving brother causes a lot of trouble in the heavens, but he loves his brother deeply.

Lu Yao (Xu Xiao Nuo): Jinxiu’s bethrothed, a nine-tailed fox and Great Maiden of the Northern celestial realm.

Lu Jiu (Jing Yan Jun): Lu Yao’s brother who has been neglected by their father due to him having only three tails.

Bai Cha (James Yang): A white camellia demon and a friend of Hong Ning.

What I Liked

• Liu Xueyi and Hu Yixuan are both great actors and had surprisingly good chemistry! They handled the comedic and serious parts deftly. This is especially impressive since they only had two weeks to film scenes together.
• It was pretty funny and entertaining, which was surprising. This was the kind of drama to relax with at the end of a tough day at work. One stand-out moment was when Hong Ning accidentally transforms into Jin Xiu. Watching Liu Xueyi act like a teenage girl was a treat!
• I usually can’t stand cute pixie xianxia heroines (TM), but Hu Yixuan was not just palatable but delightfully cute. I actually miss Hong Ning’s cute naivete as her character became more serious and mature.
• Some side characters had lovely character development, such as Lu Jiu. His ousting from his clan, his gratitude and devotion to Jin Xiu, and then his reunion with his sister were well done.
• For once, we got to see brothers who truly loved each other. I really enjoyed watching Jin Xiu and Kunlun support each other through their many, many trials.
• While a tired trope, I really enjoyed how each “lifetime” reinvigorated the story. It was like watching different stories starring our favourite characters in one drama.
• Hong Ning’s development from a clueless pixie to someone mature and independent was delightful to watch.
• I’m really impressed with the technology involved in replacing Yuan Bingyan. It wasn’t an AI face swap like I had feared. (The face swap in Brocade Odyssey was rather painful to look at.) Instead, actress Hu Yixuan spent two months shooting alone in front of a green screen and then a few weeks to reshoot scenes with Liu Xueyi and other cast members. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be, reacting to nothing but a green screen!

What I Didn’t Like

• The dated xianxia plot. It was indeed tragic that this drama aired at a time when the xianxia genre was declining and people were tired of the “love over several lifetimes” plot. If it had aired four years ago, it could have been a hit.
• The ‘obsessive love’ plot. Watching this after A Moment But Forever was rough! A Moment But Forever was more complex and philosophical, while Love Never Fails was “assembly-line” xianxia, sometimes mockingly called “baby xianxia” by Chinese netizens due to its simpler, more romance-focused plot.
• The repetitive torture of Jin Xiu could get to you. It felt as if they were just torturing him for the sake of it. Jin Xiu taking all that punishment nobly was slightly aggravating towards the end. I wished he could have been less passive and more proactive in protecting Hong Ning and escaping his father’s awful clutches. But no, he just reacted to things.
• Paper-thin villains. Bai Cha, the Heavenly Emperor and Empress—I’m looking at you.
• The repetitive thwarting of our couple’s romance was, well, repetitive. Towards the end, I had to take a break from all that torture before watching the final arc.
• Lord in heaven, must all celestial emperors and empresses be so nasty? It was like a rule in all Cdramaland that heavenly rulers were cruel. I wondered what divine right they had to rule over mortals if they were no better than them. Heck, they were worse!
• How passive Hong Ning and Jin Xue are! They’re often reacting to them instead of being proactive in countering them. I suppose if they had a strategy, it’ll be called “let’s be sitting ducks”.

Thoughts About the Ending

I thought maybe we should have named this drama Wedding Interruptus instead. Never had I seen characters try to marry so many times only to get thwarted each time. It got to the point where when Jin Xiu and Hong Ning finally married in the special episode (only available on Mango TV), I was bracing myself for it to be thwarted yet again.

With Cdramaland’s bad reputation for unnecessarily unhappy endings, I had been genuinely worried things would unexpectedly turn tragic or, horror of all horrors, open-ended.

As I watched the drama, I could only console myself that with a title like Love Never Fails, it would live up to its promise!

Fortunately, no—our lovely couple ended up safely in each other’s arms for all eternity, reincarnating over and over again and falling in love with each other through different lifetimes.

Liu Xueyi had earned a reputation for playing characters who ended up widowers, so I was glad Jin Xiu succeeded in marrying his sweetheart this time. (Though, mind you, he had had another successful marriage in Qing Luo.)

Here’s to more successful weddings in the future!

* Annoyingly, the wedding takes place in the first extra episode that you can only watch on the MangoTV. It’s about 16 minutes long, and I think it’s worth it.

Conclusion

My friends, watching this after the deep and philosophical A Moment But Forever had been rather… difficult.

Love Never Fails was everything I hated about xianxia: a dumbed-down, shallow, romance-focused plot with passive, “love-brained” heroes and a cookie-cutter, assembly-line story I’d seen a million times before.

Honestly, without Liu Xueyi, there would have been very little to attract me to this drama. He was known for his powerful acting, and while he didn’t have as many powerhouse scenes here, he still grabbed me due to his sheer talent and charisma (and, er, looks).

I was a little kinder to it than I would have been if it hadn’t been led by the capable Liu Xueyi and Hu Yixuan. I was especially impressed with her because she had spent two months shooting with just a green screen and no castmates, only filming with Liu Xueyi for two weeks.

This drama’s difficult production history had also earned it some sympathy points from me.

Still, despite its unimaginative plot, it was charming in its own way. It was a relatively stress-free drama to watch after a hard day’s work. (Okay, fine, maybe not completely stress-free, but the first ten episodes had been especially sweet and funny, and our leads had great comedic chops.)

I’d say just watch this without many expectations, and you’ll be entertained.

Final rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

#25Stars #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #Fantasy #LiuXueYi #LiuXueyi #loveNeverFails #netflix #review #reviews #romance #TV #Xianxia

Towards the Truth review

Towards the Truth was so ignored by iQiyi that it didn’t give it any promotion or even proper English subtitles! While I can understand most of what was said in the drama, the characters do use flowery and poetic language that befuddles me at times, so out comes the translating app. (I’m even thinking of recapping and creating subtitles for this drama so that more people would be able to appreciate this drama.)

All this effort is worth it as it’s a gem of a Chinese drama – an original script, at that! And we should always support actors and productions that have talent so that they get noticed more.

Where to watch: The drama can be found on the iQIYI app, but it has machine-translated subs.

The story

Ten years ago, the entire Shen clan was massacred, leaving only the young Shen Shaowen alive.

Shen Shaowen managed to pass the imperial examination to become an official. But when he begged the emperor for permission to investigate the massacre, he was outplayed by court politics and was demoted to a commoner.

Now an ordinary chef, Shen Shaowen has resigned himself to a lifetime of bitterness, unable to find out what happened to his clan. However, he possesses a special ability that makes him especially equipped to be a great detective, and mysterious, powerful figures want to tap into that power.

Characters

Shen Shaowen (Wang You Shou): A former official demoted to ordinary cook, Shen Shaowen has special abilities that makes him an extraordinary investigator.

Gongsun Li (Zhang Chen Xiao): Son of the minister of revenue, he gets involved with Shen Shaowen due to a mystery involving the minsitry.

Li Qin Er (Jin Jia Yue): A mysterious woman who forcibly recruits Shen Shaowen to work for her master. She has the ability to entrance people.

Zhan Mao Er: A bandit who eventually gets involved with Shen Shaowen’s little detective outfit.

Old Li/Lao Li (Natas Asoka): A constable who took in Shen Shaowen when he was at his lowest.

Rong Hua (Liang Yong Ni): A princess who likes solving mysteries.

What I liked

• The acting is solid, especially Wang You Shou and Natas Asoka’s. Wang was recently in The Legend of Taotie. Natas’ acting was especially good to me, because he played multiple roles that were so different from each other that I couldn’t figure out the third role he played until after!
• For a low budget drama, it didn’t have a “cheap” look or feel at all. In fact, I’d say the camerawork and costuming is better than some expensive dramas like 2024’s Sword and Fairy, for example. They make do with what they have in creative ways.
• The team dynamics is good. Every character is memorable.
• Shen Shaowen’s character is fascinating, especially his mysterious abilities.

What I didn’t like

• The plot feels rushed and skimmed over.
• Some plot points are not logical.
• There are still unanswered questions … a possibility of a second season, though I highly doubt it will happen. The drama, however, ends satisfactorily, so no cliffhangers.
• The BL elements were rather obvious and the foundation wasn’t properly laid out for me to truly appreciate the “coupling” of Shen Shaowen and Gongsun Li. Just why was Gonsun so into Shen Shaowen?
• Gongsun Li doesn’t really have much of a function in the team. A scared-y cat and no detective skills to speak of, I suppose his ability is his connections to the nobility and his purse strings.

Final thoughts

Once in a while, there comes a drama where you think to yourself: If there was more justice in the world, and if the Chinese entertainment industry wasn’t so driven by traffic stars, capitalists and corrupt producers, the drama would’ve gotten more exposure.

Of course, we won’t know exactly why Towards the Truth was treated so badly, bereft of promotion or funds that even its machine-translated subs couldn’t pass muster. Meanwhile, you side-eye big-budget dramas starring idol actors who are pretty but bad at acting gobbling up the good scripts.

(I know I sound bitter, but as a long-time Chinese drama fan since the 1980s, I 100% am.)

Towards the Truth has flaws. Big flaws. But it’s an earnest production, an original script in a sea of clumsy web novel adaptations. Its main lead Wang You Shou reminds me so much of Liu Xueyi, an actor who have heaps of acting talent but lack the resources and backers to land good scripts and big-budget dramas. So, he languishes in low-budget dramas with bad scripts. Sigh!

However, Wang You Shou being the main lead of many dramas is a good sign, and the fact that he’s one of the main leads for Douban highly-rated sleeper hit dramas such Young Blood I (7.8 rating) and II (7.8 rating) gives me hope that he’ll one day snag that big break. May he get a Blossom one day!

Anyway, back to the script and story of the drama. Towards the Truth has a script that gets almost good enough … but falls short.

If it had been a little bit more polished, and better fleshed out, I can easily see it joining the ranks of underrated classics like Ancient Detective and the 2024 drama Heroes.

This is one of the rare dramas that I wished they had bumped up to at least 24 episodes so that we could get more depth.

And that’s what frustrates me about Towards the Truth. There is such potential in the story if only it was better fleshed out. And while the drama ended satisfyingly with no cliffhangers, I was hungry for more of Shen Shaowen and his fellow sleuthers.

While they left the possibility of season 2 open, seeing what happened to Ancient Detective, I doubt it’ll ever happen. Sigh.

For one, Shen Shaowen’s clairvoyant abilities have so many possibilities, but so much of it is skimmed over due to the slim number of episodes (16 in all).

if there’s one thing I liked about his abilities, is that the writers placed limitations on it. Each time he uses his abilities, he gets physically weaker and may end up losing his mind. This prevents his abilities from being a convenient deus ex machina in solving mysteries.

In fact, so serious was his limitation that he tells Zhan Mao’er to be his “sword”, not just when solving cases, but on that day when he finally loses himself completely. He actually makes Zhan Mao’er promise to kill him if that happens, and Zhan promises somberly that he’d be the one to do so. This is how you write “realistic” powers in a drama!

Another thing I liked about the drama is that the team has excellent chemistry. However, due to the speedy gonzalez nature of its plot, they went from being hostile and suspicious to each other to being best buds in just a few episodes. (In Gongsun Li’s case, something more? hahaha)

The team could use a lot more conflict before finally solidifying into a team, just like how the Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty team did.

And some of the plot points was a little unbelievable, so it’s pretty hard to take mysteries seriously sometimes.

So, here’s how I rate the drama, with 8 being above average, and 7 being average.

• Camerawork: 8
• Sets and costumes: 8
• Acting: 8
• Story: 7

Final rating: 2.5

#25Stars #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #Fantasy #Mystery #TowardsTheTruth #TV #underrated

Sunrise on the River review

When Wang Wu, the vice mayor in charge of environmental protection of Qijiang city, commits suicide, Lin Han Jiang finds himself pulled into city administration.

A university professor and an environmental protection expert, he ends up being appointed director of the Environmental Protection Bureau of Qijiang City, taking over Wang Wu’s place.

It turns out that being a city official is very different from being an environmental activist. As an official, Han Jiang is caught between the needs of the environment and the demands of a city hungry to develop and prosper.

He discovers, sometimes painfully, that the environment always ends up being the last priority and that people are more keen to act when there is profit. He is also blocked at every turn by his colleagues who feel that their KPIs are being threatened by his reforms. Business establishments, furious at their projects being affected, puts pressure on his superiors who in turn “advise” Han Jiang to reverse his decisions.

Han Jiang finally understood the stress his predecessor Wang Wu, must’ve gone through. But did Wang Wu commit suicide because he couldn’t manage the balancing act of safeguarding the environment and ensuring the city’s growth and development? Or was it something more sinister?

My thoughts

I had to concede that towards the end the drama got really, really boring for me 😅.

It started out really well and then it just got suuuuuper slow.

I think I understand why. Initially, the show was filmed dynamically. Our characters would go on expeditions to villages, into mountains and caves, and discover pockets of terrible pollution. There would be interesting environmental cases to tackle.

The first case was a prime example – how do you move a street full of vendors without harming their livelihoods? I thought the solution was ingenious.

Then the case of an apartment complex abandoned by developers, stranding the buyers with no homes but with high mortgages. And to add insult to injury, the apartment grounds were turned into a toxic garbage dump.
These cases held my attention until the big case involving the suicide of our main lead’s friend which started it all ..and the drama literally slowed down and grounded to a halt. In terms of action and dynamism.

Suddenly, all our characters are stuck in meeting rooms, boardrooms, and press conferences. They talk, they lecture. Essentially the show became super, super talky and my brain, tired out from a day of meetings at work, could not bear to watch TV people hold meetings. Pure torture 🤪

But I persevered.

I just felt that the last 10 episodes could’ve been told in the same dynamic way the show started out. What happened? God knows, but my brain begged for mercy and I ended up fastforwarding most of the last ten episodes. 😆

So should you watch this? Well, if an environmental, curious about how China goes green kinda person like me finds it boring…well, probably not a good idea unless you are an even bigger nerd than I am. 😉

Rating: 2.5

#25Stars #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama

What’s wrong with my princess? (mini drama, review)

General Murong Qiu Yu was infatuated with the second prince Li Mo, she aided him in seizing the throne. However, Li Mo and her sister Murong Xin Er betrays and kills her. But the gods are merciful and she is reborn; Qiu Yu found herself back on her wedding night with the seventh prince, Li Jian. Qiu Yu decided to join forces with Li Mo’s rival, Li Jian, to ensure that Murong Xin Er and Li Mo face the punishment they deserve

What drew me to watch this?

Found this short drama through a random search and am enjoying it immensely. Each episode is 10 minutes. I would have preferred it to be 30-minute long so that I don’t have to repeatedly watch the opening theme song 😆

The premise caught me immediately. Everyone wants a do-over, a second chance, especially after you’ve effed up so majorly in your life that you were betrayed by people whom you thought loved you.

What I like about the show

• The acting was quite good, not Zhang Yi Mou material, but good enough not to distract me.
• The sets were not the best. But it wasn’t flimsy or cheap.
• The premise was great though I felt the prince trusted her too quickly.
• The show demonstrates that you really do not need 40 over episodes to tell a good story! The tone is largely serious but there were some comedic moments, like when our main couple realised that they have started to like each other but our Murong was just too clueless to get Li Jian’s advances!

What I didn’t like about the show

• I felt that our heroine succeeded too easily and I waited for the inevitable middle arc where she will fail only to rise up again … only, well, she outwitted them all because of her knowledge from her previous life. But hey, that’s what makes it satisfying.
• The world also don’t seem well fleshed out. The world felt very “small”, more like a fiefdom than a kingdom.
• I had a hard time believing that Murong was such a capable general. They never really showed that part of her, but instead highlighted her as a wife, daughter, sister and daughter.
• The characters the villains were nothing really extraordinary. We do not know why the step sister is the way she is, nor why the second prince wanted to kill his brother. (I’m just assuming it’s the usual, “I want to be crown prince” motivation.) But having too much sympathy for the villains of a revenge drama is probably counter-productive! That said, the actors for the villains acted their socks off and was quite despicable, which made their ends satisfying. I felt a smidgen of sympathy with the ruthless way one of them was dispatched.

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

This is a tightly written story and the quality of the production isn’t bad at all. A satisfying revenge drama! 😁
You can watch the series on Youtube, condensed into a 3-hour movie.

https://youtu.be/RCKc0Xe5HEk?si=s5T-1uR6hK2j_Crl

#25Stars #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #miniDrama

Story of Kunning Palace review

Started watching: Nov 20, 2023
Final update Dec 5, 2023

There was a lot of buzz about the show so I decided to see what the fuss was all about. However, I eventually grew annoyed with the increasing overcomplexity of the plot. One needs to be in the mood for such things and I suspect I wasn’t. So, I bailed around episode 12 and escaped to Wonderland of Love.

I returned after I completed Wonderland, feeling completely satisfied by the good watch. I have to admit that I felt a lot of dread returning to Story of Kunning Palace. In fact, a lot of people advice me to drop it already because I don’t seem to like it. However, I am driven by the mystery that is Xie Wei.

And like Back from the Brink, the other drama I abandoned and later resumed, I found myself drawn back in. But what’s my final verdict? Stay tuned.

You can also listen to my podcast review of Story of Kunning Palace.

Note: If you have not watched the show yet, be sure to avoid the spoilerific Watch Log. Head on to the spoiler-free final review instead.

The story

Xuening was an empress in her former life, but she did many, many bad things to get there. It all ended badly with rebels invading the palace.

When she finds herself “reborn” into her 18-year-old self, she decides to lead “a good life” and do right by the people she had harmed in her past life.

Characters

The Xue family – A scheming, bloodthirsty lot whose sole purpose in life, apparently, is to bring disaster on everyone as they scrabble for power. Unfortunately, the empress dowager is from this family. Duke Xue is the main villain of the story. If there’s proof for “bad genes”, this is it.

The Yan family – An honourable military family and blood enemies of the Xues. A long time ago, they were connected by marriage, but not anymore. They are still grieving the loss of Xue Dingfeng, a young boy who died during a rebellion 20 years ago, andwas the son of the current Marquis Yan’s late sister and the Duke of Xue.

Xie Wei – a court official with mysterious motivations and plans

Jiang Xuening – an empress in her first life, she’s now an 18-year-old determined to avoid palace life

Zhang Zhe – honourable court official for the justice department.

Yan Lin – Xuening’s best friend and long-time admirer and scion of the Yan family.

Watchlog (beware of spoilers)

Read this part only after you’ve watched or while watching the Show. You’ve been warned!

Episode 1-6

So, I watched Only for Love first, and I have to say that Bai Lu is so much better here, it’s crazy. Bai Lu is very believable as an empress. The way she speaks, looks, and carries herself as an empress was very impressive.

Zhang Ling He is not bad. Here he is playing another cold, shady character. I would say that this is his best role to date, though I cannot say that he’s amazing like some fans say. I’m sorry, my friends, but he’s nowhere even near Hu Ge level. He has potential, but just slightly above average for now. For now, I feel that he has trouble emoting intense scenes and can overact during those scenes.

And they didn’t edit out that actor who had that scandal and caused Kunning Palace to be on hold? Good for him.

Wait what, there’s a modern scene in the middle of it all? Eh. What’s going on?? That was so weirdly jarring!

Joy of Life had the same thing and it threw me off completely because it makes it hard for me to buy the story.

Incidentally, we see a moth flying around the sleeping writer. Fun fact, in Chinese mythology moths are said to be the manifestation of the spirits of the dead. If we see a moth in the house after someone passes away, we are not to kill it because it is said to be the spirit of the person who just passed away, and they were visiting.

So, my theory is that the actual spirit of the empress, sparked by the writer (or maybe she influenced the writer) returns to the past. Without the writer as a catalyst, she couldn’t do that.

Liking it a lot so far. I find the cinematography interesting especially at the start, even if I found the premise (or how she reborns) hard to buy.

PS: Xuening is such a b***h. Even she admits that she was one. “I used to be so arrogant and difficult,” she says at one point.

My experience with the first six episodes of this drama can be summed up with this gif:

Episode 7

Initially, I thought Zhang Ling He did quite well with his dubbing. While he is not bad at playing a morally grey character, now I really think he needs to be dubbed because he sounds like he’s reciting a dictionary and has as much emotion doing it. I die a little each time I listen to him talk.

Bai Lu is slightly better but I hate to say it, but she’s also not good at emotional delivery.

Episode 8

I am at episode 8 of Story of Kunning Palace and I am starting to lose interest.

At first, it was novel to not know what the heck is going on and just experience this world of political intrigue but now I am annoyed. Probably because I am watching it at the end of the day when my brain cells at no longer powered up, but I can’t follow the story at all.

Unpopular opinion: The drama has a poor narrative structure.

I will continue to watch it as I do want to know what the hell is happening but this is tinged with a dash of resentment and annoyance 😂

I think people who like this drama likes the novelty of being in the dark and just being thrown around by the various plot twists. But I have no patience for this at the end of a tiring work day 😑

Episode 9

Am I the only one who feels that the sudden interest Xie Wei has for Ning’er very odd, especially since she found out about that jade scepter thing and his involvement in it?

Also, finally glad there’s an explanation of why Xie Wei was so cold to her despite their meeting four years ago. Can’t help but think it could be made clearer from the start.

Why is Yan suddenly cold and standoffish from Ning’er? Is it because he wants to protect her from his family’s shaky standing?

Episode 10

I realised what kind of drama Story of Kunning Palace is – a puzzle story! The kind of story where viewers try to solve the mystery as the story plays out.

I really do not like the empress dowager. So, Ning’er had to deal with her as a mother-in-law in her first life, I assume? Not fun!

Yes, I have more questions than opinions right now. I’m still at the “what the heck is goin’ on” stage.

I’m also not feeling the supposed vibe/attraction between Ning’er and Xie Wei yet. And I wish they could move away from the school setting lol.

Hmm … I think part of the reason why I do not seem to like this drama as much as I don’t really like palace intrigue, and I especially do not like cattiness between women which is why I avoid palace harem dramas. Well, not at this time of my life when I just want to be happy after work.

Episode 11

Why do I feel that the young child Marquis (who was tragically killed) is actually Xie Wei? Is that why he’s helping the Yan family? Because they’re literally his family?

I really shuddered at the story of the 300 souls who died in the rebellion. Honestly, I get really upset at the thought of kids being harmed in any way, and when I saw the poor boy’s mother crawling toward that fire pit, my heart about gave out.

Children harmed in shows can make me avoid it like a plague. I didn’t watch Game of Thrones because I accidentally watched a video on Youtube of a certain character being burnt at stake. That scene traumatised me.

Still, I have a feeling some of them are still alive and are somehow connected to Xie Wei – judging from his reaction.

Episode 12

At this point, I’m watching only because I want to know what the heck is going on with Xie Wei. I’m over the mean girls nonsense at the School for Spoiled Noblewomen, I’m tired of the palace politics, I’m tired of the scheming Xue family and I just want some meaty reveals to land, damn it. I’ve been told it gets better, and more reveals will be coming my way.

But to be very honest, I feel no emotion at all to most of the characters. Maybe a smidgen of curiosity about Xie Wei. But it’s like watching pieces moving in a game of Go, every character a featureless piece on the board.

To quote a person on mydramalist, where I sometimes hang out: “I’m emotionlessly watching right now.”

Episode 13-20

These episodes were a blur for me as all I can think of is: “Xie Wei be plotting.”

Episode 17

Perked up in this episode because blood was shed.

Goes to show I need mayhem and murder to stay interested.

Episode 21

Xie Wei probably thinking, “OMG why am I always rescuing Ning’er, damnit.”

Episode 22

Waitaminute so Ning’er’s cover story is that she and Zhang Zhe are siblings in love and are eloping? Uhm, yeah, I guess that’s a good cover story, I guess! (Zhang Zhe seems equally horrified by the cover story. Poor lad, his tender sensibilities have been terribly violated.)

I should re-listen to this bit because I think something is lost in translation here.

Meanwhile, me on the side of the rebels, wishing Duke Xue, his son and his army could be buried under the landslide.

Episode 23

Yes, Xie Wei, that’s the way to a woman’s heart: By threatening to kill her. * slow claps *

Episode 24

Ah,poor Zhang Zhe, you have second male lead syndrome so hard.

And the romance between the girl and that businessman is so sweet.

Episode 25

The fake Xue Dingfei plot is so delicious. To think that Duke Xue was actually wanted to kill his own son like he’s an inconvenient thing OMG 💀

Episode 27

I understand Xuening’s mum, truly. She loves her but just doesn’t know how to express it beyond yelling at her to improve.

Zhang Zhe to Xie Wei: “You’re very suspicious.”
Me: No shit, Sherlock!

Episode 28

Aww come on, Emperor. So you’re okay with one night of sex with that hellion in exchange for many nights of misery with the Xue family? Talk about priorities. And it’s kinda eeew because they’re close relations.

Also, the number of times women were slapped in this drama was … 💀

Episode 29

I cannot wait to see the Xue family’s bad end because I am 100% sure it’ll be terrible and I’ll be so happy.

Episode 30

LOL that eff up when Xie Wei’s men saw him giving Xuening a tender kiss. Yeah, boys, you guys better stay low for a few days.

Xuening is clearly afraid of Xie Wei due to her past life experiences with him. Can you fall for the person terrified you in your past life? I suppose that’s the deliciousness of this romance. (It’s not my thing, but I can see how it’s a thing for many people.)

Also. Is there some kind of cdrama law where it says that you cannot wipe off blood trails from your lips? It drives me bonkers when they don’t wipe it off. Is it like some kinda badge of honour??

Episode 32

OK I feel a smidgen of chemistry between Ning’er and Xie Wei. I suppose there’s hope for my icy heart after all 😂

Gosh my heart bleeds for Dingfei’s mum. No wonder she never recovered and no wonder he is so angry with the Xues. 😭

OK those CGI wild cats was rough 😆

So, yeah the kiss. Errr yeah I don’t know what to think about it. 😅 Not my thing I guess, forced kisses.

I guess he’s trying to scare her into leaving him. I think?

Yea I really do not understand why people are saying, oooh this is hot. Uhm noooo. Not for me, darlings.

Episode 33

Oooh the reunion between uncle and nephew. This was what I was waiting for. I don’t care about the romance between Xie Wei and Ning’er (sorry guys), but this? Yes this is what I was waiting for. 🥰

The princess is so brave. Now that’s a heroine I love.

Uh. Do people actually find this hot? 😅 (Shudders)

Episode 34

Okay, apparently I spoke too soon. My heart is indeed icy and utterly irredeemable, at least in the ways of Xie Wei + Ning’er fans (I kid, I kid, please unseathe your claws).

Xie Wei demanding to know why Ning er is afraid him while roughly pulling her around and hand-grabbing her by the neck? I don’t know dude, take a wiiiild guess??

Then he forces her to stab him and says, “Now, can you not be afraid of me?”

Girl, run. And oh yeah, if a dude makes you stab him and declares that’s enough to help you get over your fear over him. Tis not romantic, my girlfriends.

Okay, really, I am legit confused why anyone would think these two are couple goals 🤪🥴 Are we even watching the same show? 😶

I guess red flag guys are not my thing. At all 😬

Episode 36

Half of me is hate watching Show. The other half is loving it.

People are complicated beings.

LOLOLOL.

—

Fans of Xie Wei and Ning’er – squee they did it! It’s so hawt!

Me:

Episode 40

So I just finished Story of Kunning Palace. And my feelings can be summed up here:

While I super liked how the Xue family got dispatched (I play those scenes on repeat, cackling to myself), a big part of me is glad that it was all over and I can now slam the door behind me.

What I like about the show

• The revenge plot was the one that kept me watching the show. It was engrossing and mysterious. I did not care for the romance between Xie Wei and Ning’er at all and wish they’d left it out.
• The plot really picked up after episode 13 or so, especially after they leave the palace study group. If you find yourself frustrated, try stick around for that long and re-evaluate. I had to take a break and then return.
• Interesting side characters that do not feel useless.
• Scary effective villains that you will absolutely loathe and wish dead.
• The fight choreography, while making some of them look like supermen, is chef’s kiss at times.
• A satisfying ending where everyone gets their just desserts. No quickie five second flashes here!

What I didn’t like

• I think the narrative structure isn’t great. More could be done to establish what Ning’er was like before her “rebirth” so that the viewers are invested in her efforts to change her past. The use of flashbacks can be very difficult to keep track of.
• Zhang Ling He’s voice acting leaves a lot to be desired. I like his voice, but he sounds far too flat and emotionless. Bai Lu’s voice acting isn’t good either. I felt that they should’ve been better dubbed.
• Although I understand why the modern-day snippets were included (to pacify China’s censorship), they were so jarring I choose not acknowledge their existence.
• You know what I regret? Not wearing sunglasses while watching it cos the director’s love for intense lense flares and for shining the damn light strainght into the viewer’s eyes was giving me migraines. And that was not an exaggeration. I was getting actual headaches!
• The drama’s final arc felt really rushed. The final confrontation with the bad guys didn’t look realistic at all. Zhang Zhe was just standing around looking confused. Why was he even there, really?
• The long internal monologues that Xuening has – am not a fan. Again, it shows that the narrative structure needs work if you have to rely on info dump devices like these.
• Some character arcs were left hanging – the romance between the crown prince and Ning’er’s sister for one. That’s it??
• The limited OST. Hearing the same songs again and again and…
• Xie Wei and Ning’er’s romance does not elicit warm, fuzzy feelings in me. It borders on toxic. (Look at the final review below for why I feel this way.)
• I’m sorry but Zhang Ling He may have potential, but he’s not amazing here. Slightly above average perhaps, but he overacted a few scenes. I kept fantasizing having other actors play Xie Wei. Liu Xie Yi or Cheng Yi perhaps. Oh what it could’ve been.

Thoughts about the ending

I am utterly, completely shocked that this ended happily and mushily. But I feel that a show like this should end tragically or in an open-ended way to be tonally consistent. And I’m saying this as a softie for happy endings! I’m evil, I know.

I would’ve probably liked it if I liked or rooted for the couple, but lordie this couple’s romance is so problematic the happy scenes just didn’t land.

Final review

I think there are perfectly understandable reasons why I was turned off by this show. Besides its technical and storytelling flaws, I disliked many of the tropes in this drama:

• Scheming palace ladies
• Reverse harem

And most of all, this: A physically and verbally aggressive male lead.

I’ll come out and say this: Xie Wei and Ning’er’s relationship is very unhealthy. It taps into the girlhood fantasy of “reforming your man”. Spoiler alert: You can’t reform men like that, girlfriends. Trust me. Leave that to a shrink.

I understand how some people may look at it as an “opposites attract” thing, or that “he had such a hard life and is traumatised”, but to me, they are not good enough excuses to justify this behaviour.

So, I found it hard to overlook Xie Wei’s aggressive expressions of “love”. I’ve never been a fan of this thing that seemed so popular in Kdramas and CDramas: the hand grabbing, the physical yanking, the forced kisses, yelling or rough handling.

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer my leading men to be respectful of their ladies and treat them as equals worthy of respect. No treating them like immature kids that need schooling. No disrespecting their decisions. No physical aggresion. If this is a big thing for you like it is for me, you will have a hard time embracing Story of Kunning Palace’s central romance. And since it makes a large part of the story, a big part of it would be unpalatable for you.

I don’t care if someone calls me “overly sensitive” for this, but we should never, ever glorify abuse between couples of any kind and call it romantic. This trope needs to die.

Okay, but are other aspects of the drama watchable at least?

So, let’s say you ignore the romantic aspects of this drama and focus on the puzzle that is Xie Wei and what happened 20 years ago. If you’re in the mood to solve a mystery without being spoonfed, this is the drama for you. If you want to park your brain one side and just experience something or be swept away by the story, this may not be for you.

In one forum I was at, someone said they actually created a chart to keep track of the plot threads in the story. If that’s your jam, great, but if you are annoyed that you have to do all the work, this is definitely not for you.

Another puzzle drama that I can think of that did a better job with flashbacks was Westworld, season 1. Viewers are not fed the story, we do not know what happened, we are plonked in the middle of the story. The forums went mad with theories. It turns out that the story was actually told out of order, and the flashbacks were actually a story told out of order.

This drama does get better after we leave the petty court politics of the noble ladies’ study club around episode 15 or so, and when the revenge plot finally starts getting going and our characters literally move out of the confines of the palace into the world.

So, yes, I have a complex love-hate relationship with this drama. And if you’re confused about where I stand, I don’t blame you.

Should I have dropped this drama? Well, I thought the revenge plot was worth sticking around for, but it did get wobbly towards the end.

As a revenge drama, it is good enough. As a romance, it is problematic. Veeery problematic. 😬 I will rate the revenge plot an 8. But the romance line would be an abysmal 5 for me.

So, while I consider this drama slightly above average in a busy Cdrama season, its popularity was iverblown. Why it has become so popular with international fans will be filed under the folder “mysteries of the universe that I will never understand.”

And despite how it managed to hold my attention, how intriguing the plot twists were and the emotional gravitas of the whole revenge … I cannot overlook its many technical flaws – the bad directing decisions, the choppy narrative, the bloated first half and the rush towards the end …

This was a difficult drama to rate.

Here’s my verdict:

Final Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

#25Stars #CDrama #cdramaReview #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #TV