Month: December 2021

Review: Sword Snow Stride (2021) 雪中悍刀行

Posted on by Karen and Cathy

 

 

雪中悍刀行》新剧照：张若昀变俊美，“姜泥”为“李淳罡”撑伞- 时尚资讯(娱乐新闻网)

Sword Snow Stride (2021) 雪中悍刀行

Summary: Xu Feng Nian 徐凤年 (starring Zhang Ruo Yun 张若昀) has the reputation of being a playboy and the humiliation of Northern Liang as he does not know martial arts and is thought of as an idiot. However, in reality, he is extremely intelligent and understands the burdens he has as the eldest son of the Prince of Bei Liang.  

 

The drama follows Xu Feng Nian’s journey across the empire to protect is family and his territory as he combats threats from all sides. Based on a book of the same name, this drama introduces a new and interesting world of mythical creatures, political intrigue and masterclass fighters.

 

 

 

Overall rating: 8/10

Overall Thoughts One of the most enjoyable dramas and possibly the highest viewed drama on Tencent of 2021, breaking 60 0million views. I do not think it AS good as Joy of Life (Qing Yu Nian) from 2019, but it is still a fun binge. Zhang Ruo Yun does a stellar job of portraying Xu Feng Nian in all of his facets – the homeless wanderer, the playboy and the heir apparent to the territory of Liang. The large cast of characters that Xu Feng Nian meets on his journey also add various shades of color to this interesting trip. The biggest gripes have been the martial arts sequences which is laughable compared to its older contemporaries and also the main female lead, but on the whole, this is a wonderful drama that combines intrigue, heart, comedy, sadness all into one compelling story

雪中悍刀行》收官，张若昀发长文告别，并透露第二季播出时间（长篇）

Story: The drama starts with Xu Feng Nian and his good friend, Old Huang, who manages horses, trying to head home after 3 years out in the world.  Though Xu Feng Nian is the son of the Prince of Liang, he is currently impoverished and dressed as a hobo. Because he doesn’t know martial arts, his travels have largely relied on his intellect, thick skin and kindness of others. On the way back, he meets the beautiful and powerful Nan Gong Pu Ye (ft Zhang Tian Ai) who helps them return back to Northern Liang borders.

Once home, he is reunited with his kind hearted but strategic father, his loving younger brother and his myriad of maids. Initially, Xu Feng Nian is reluctant to take up the mantle as the next Prince of Liang but his father, the current Prince, Xu Xiao (ft Hu Jun) explains to him the burdens that must be placed on Xu Feng Nian because he is the only one capable of protecting his loved ones and ensuring the peace that Liang soldiers fought for with their lives remains in place.

Thus begins Xu Feng Nian’s journey across the mythical Li Yang empire to grow and develop as the next Prince of Liang. 

 

What I liked:

 

雪中悍刀行》大结局：徐凤年斩杀韩貂寺，赵楷身死，金甲最可怜_李淳罡_徐龙象_母亲

Family Dynamics: Xu Feng Nian is one of 4 Xu family children. He is the oldest son but has 2 older sisters and 1 younger brother. His father is the Prince of Liang, a seasoned veteran and skilled tactician.  He is also the only Prince in the Empire that is not of the Imperial Royal family. Thus, the precarious nature of maintaining his territory.  Xu Feng Nian’s mother was a formidable swordswoman in her own right before her passing. What is fantastic in this drama is that you can feel they truly love and care for each other all in their own way, despite not all being together.

When Xu Feng Nian finally arrives back home within the territory of Northern Liang, his younger brother, Xu Long Xiang, runs miles to greet him. When greeting Xu Feng Nian after several years apart, Xu Xiao allows his son to throw objects at him to let go of his anger. Honestly, episode 2 was so funny I watched it like 10 times because Xu Xiao made a decree that when Xu Xiao sees his son, if he is beaten to death, everyone has to pretend like nothing happened.  The staff are al like “WTF” but then indeed, Xu Feng Nian chases his father around trying to beat him because he knows his dad probably made his life hell while on his travels.  Hahahahaha

A key driver of why Xu Feng Nian agrees to finally take on the title of “Prince of Northern Liang” and rule his territory is because his father reveals to him that unseen forces that have infiltrated the kingdom are pushing Xu Feng Nian’s younger brother to the throne. While Xu Feng Nian doesn’t object, Xu Xiao explains that his younger brother, who has ungodly strength, is too naive and childish. He would easily be used by others and tricked into traps. Xu Feng Nian is the only person who is intelligent enough to withstand all of the threats and schemes that are headed their way. 

I would like to think that Chinese dramas are moving in a direction where family members and siblings no longer fight each other but are instead supportive of each other’s goals. In this drama, even though each family member is apart on their own paths, they are thinking of the rest of the family and how their paths will help the other.

雪中悍刀行》播出后口碑一路滑到谷底，网友惊呼天哪- 爆料台- 娱乐新闻_明星绯闻- 明星资讯

The Journey: The drama takes us throughout the Empire of Li Yang – from Northern Liang, to Wu Dang, to Jiang Nan, to Wu Di City among many others. Along the way at each stop, there are many interesting characters that Xu Feng Nian meets that help him grow but also challenges him on his journey. Each location has its purpose and you cannot help but want to follow Xu Feng Nian on his trip. 

Particularly important are the old men that he meets. It’s a joke online that every few episodes you meet a new “lao tou” or old dude who either helps Xu Feng Nian, tries to kill him or both. They all are somehow insanely powerful. In my view, they were the MVPs of the drama. Some of these actors/characters were only on screen for an episode or two but they are all very distinct characters and quite memorable. 

The original book, from my understanding, paired Xu Feng Nian with many women so I would be remiss to not mention all of the gorgeous ladies Xu Feng Nian meets as well.  Similar to the old men, each woman has her own distinct character and style. While some are more important than others, each character I thought took full advantage of the screen time they had and added color to the overall drama.  Please enjoy the beautiful and powerful Nan Gong Pu Ye by Zhang Tian Ai below 🙂

张天爱南宫仆射《雪中悍刀行》拍摄过程中的小故事- 爆料台- 娱乐新闻_明星绯闻- 明星资讯

Everyone’s Motivations Make Sense:  Throughout the drama, you don’t meet anyone who is obviously contributing to drama because they do something stupid. There’s no miscommunication that we see in rom com dramas. Xu Xiao and Xu Feng Nian are master tacticians and strategists. They know how to plan their next moves and think several steps ahead. It’s really quite satisfying to watch as pieces fall into place based on their plans. But what’s more important is that their adversaries and allies are not stupid either. Well, some are, but not all.  Each character has their own motivations for their actions that is dependent on his or her station in life, upbringing, background and capabilities. Very few people in this drama are inherently “evil” and are driven by reasons that from his or her particular standpoint, makes absolute sense. 

That’s why it’s interesting to see how Xu Feng Nian has to work with those he meets to get them to help him with his final goal.  Because his martial arts skill is still at a nascent stage, he has to rely on the help of others and showcase his upstanding character in order to win the loyalty of those traveling with hi. It makes his title of Prince seem deserved rather than something that is just given to him because he is the son of the current Prince. 

 

What I Didn’t Like:

Jiang Ni 姜泥 – the main female lead: Sigh – what can I say. She’s the one in the middle in the picture below. Her backstory is that she is the sole surviving princess from the Empire of Shu which was destroyed by Xu Xiao and the Li Yang Empire. Xu Xiao took pity on the young girl and took her in to be raised as a maid in his household as a means to protect her. She grew up aiding Xu Feng Nian. Such an interesting backstory right? But Li Geng Xi, and I shouldn’t be too harsh because she’s still rather young, just shows off a pouty and angry face. There’s no grace and poise of a former princess in sight anywhere.

Some pushback has been that she’s been raised as a maid so of course she doesn’t have the aura of a princess. Ok fine, but can she learn to smile? Almost every scene she’s in she is frowning, or glaring, or glowering, or pouting. She’s not unintelligent and if any other woman acted her I think I would feel differently but I honestly have no idea why Xu Feng Nian would like her. To me, they have no chemistry and their relationship is largely carried by his acting. I see more sibling chemistry between the two. I’m probably also biased because when you look at Li Geng Xi’s Jiang Ni and then above at Zhang Tian Ai’s Nan Gong Pu Ye, I just want to bop Xu Feng Nian on what he’s thinking. 

 

雪中悍刀行》10大美女！张天爱比李庚希美，除《如懿传》李纯，还有孟子义_徐凤年_姜泥_微博

 

-Karen

Review: LuoYang (2021) 风起洛阳

Posted on by Karen and Cathy

 

 

不讓王一博專美於前 《風起洛陽》由宋茜領軍的女角群也超圈粉！迷妹模式開啟，來看本劇對女性群像的魅力描寫！ | Vogue Taiwan

LuoYang (2021) 风起洛阳

Summary: Under the reign of the only female emperor in Chinese history, individuals from various levels of society team up to investigate an ever expanding web of threats that threaten the safety of the Emperor and the regime. 

The drama stars: Huang Xuan 黄轩, Song Qian 宋茜 and Wang Yi Bo 王一博 as main leads with Song Yi 宋轶 rounding out the primary cast.

 

 

 

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Overall Thoughts: Out of all the dramas I watched in 2021, I can unequivocally say the production value of this drama is the best. The long takes and action shots throughout the show reflects how much care was put into creating a living, breathing world of Luo Yang during this period. The costumes and set pieces are some of the best in the year so that alone should be enough to push one to see the drama. I hold back on considering this a classic because the acting for at least 2 of the main characters could be improved and the storylines can sometimes be hard to follow. But that doesn’t mean this is not highly enjoyable.  

 

Story: The drama brings together 3 individuals from different echelons in society during the extravagant Zhou Dynasty under the rule of the only female emperor in Chinese history, Wu Ze Tian 武则天 to investigate and protect the peace of the Empire in the face of numerous threats.

 

Wu Si Yue 武思月 ft Song Qian 宋茜, is from the Wu clan and is a distant relative of the Emperor. She holds a prominent position in the Emperor’s imperial guard and represents the Emperor on important security matters

Gao Bing Zhu 高秉烛 ft Huang Xuan 黄轩 is a member of the lowest class of society, living in a place called Bu Liang Jing, which is an impoverished commune of people who were either banished for crimes or descendants of criminals. People from Bu Liang Jing are not allowed to leave their destitute home. Gao Bing Zhu was the leader or marshall of sorts for the people.

Bai Li Hong Yi 百里弘毅 ft Wang Yi Bo 王一博 – second son of an important court official, he is incredibly detail oriented, learned of various crafts and highly intelligent. He is also the premier food critic in the city but does not know martial arts. 

Liu Ran 柳然 ft Song Yi 宋轶 – The daughter of the prominent Liu Family from He Dong, she is close friends with Wu Si Yue and is well connected with the imperial family. Despite Bai Li Hong Yi’s initial objections, he and Liu Ran marry early on in the drama. 

 

风起洛阳》真正的粉黑大战！延迟播放，见证了两极分化-嘉

 

风起洛阳》剧情有bug，但总体说来，是部值得一看的好剧- 资讯咖

 

Reason to watch:

Costumes, Set Design and Cinematography -> World Building: This drama is incredibly fast paced as the three groups work together to figure out threats against the Emperor and the overall empire.  From the get go in the very first episode, you are on the edge of your seat following chase scenes through a breathtaking view of Luo Yang, the capital of the Tang/Zhou dynasty.  It’s evident that the show took great pains to choreograph incredible shots of chase and action scenes that takes the viewer through what was a Luo Yang that is full of life. People from all walks of life – merchants, peddlers, guards, scholars, socialites- are all depicted in the crowd. The early Tang dynasty is heralded as one of the wealthiest and most extravagant time periods in Chinese history and this drama certainly let me believe it. 

The drama reminds me a lot of The Longest Day in Chang’An or 长安十二时辰 from a set design and cinematography perspective though more richly colored and not as bleak as the former drama. Notably, both The Long Day in Chang’An and this drama, Luo Yang, were both based on books written by the same author, Ma Bo Yong. 

 

Additionally, I am absolutely in love with the costumes that everyone is wearing. It is time period accurate for both men and women but the women in particular are stunning. Just take a look at some of the photos I’ve put up in this post. The designs, fabrics, colors and jewelry are complicated and intricate. It exudes the wealth of the time but is not over the top and flashy as some other dramas show. You can tell there’s been a lot of care put into each individual’s costume design and I just cannot get enough of how beautiful the women look, particularly Liu Ran. 

Overall, if I could travel back in time or to a world in a drama, it would be this one just to see exactly how international and vogue the capital of the Tang/Zhou dynasty was. 

宋轶《风起洛阳》热播柳然灵动形象深入人心_天天新闻,甜甜新闻

Song Yi’s Liu Ran – Her relationship with the stoic Bai Li Hong Yi is really sweet. Bai Li Hong Yi pretty much has a heart of stone who reluctantly agreed to marry her at his father’s request. It’s not that he doesn’t like her necessarily, he just doesn’t want to get married. But, Liu Ran is just a very caring and rather naive socialite who only has eyes for Bai Li Hong Yi. After a period of time where Liu Ran is just circling around Bai Li Hong Yi and trying to help him in the sweetest way, she finally gets a response from her relationship investment. I can see why some people don’t like her but their relationship just speaks to a young heart. 

Song Yi is also probably the most relaxed actress in the drama. Like I look forward to watching her on screen. Her voice and poise just emanate the aura of a socialite during that time but someone who has been trained well from a young age on how to act and behave as woman from the Heng Dong Liu family. 

 

风起洛阳》百里弘毅的哥哥是谁？ - 历史剧- 曾经史

 

What’s Preventing This From Being A Classic

Lead Acting: Out of the main trio, the only person who can actually act, and it’s painfully obvious, is Huang Xuan, who plays Gao Bing Zhu. He’s been in numerous dramas and movies over the years and you can tell he is acting circles around Song Qian and Wang Yi Bo, who were/still is an idol. Song Qian was part of the girl group F(X) in Korea and Wang Yi Bo, well, everyone knows he’s a singer and an even better dancer.

It’s a pity for Wang Yi Bo in particular because from behind the screen clips, he actually has put a lot of thought into his role and how he should act it. But what’s translated on screen is someone who doesn’t have much facial expression. His fans will say that that is what Bai Li Hong Yi is supposed to be like but I think at least a little change in expression is warranted. 

Song Qian at least is trying but I can barely hear her speak most of the time. Her enunciation isn’t the best. Though we should commend this cast for using their actual voices rather than being dubbed so there’s that. I think my biggest issue is that Song Qian’s acting leaves the trace that she is acting. It’s a little overdone especially when compared to Huang Xuan and Liu Ran.

 

Story Pacing in the Second Half: While the first 20 or so episodes were top notch, things started to get a little convoluted in the back half as threads start extending much farther out beyond the initial mysteries. It became confusing trying to follow the various threads and what each person or clan’s true motive was. While people on weibo certainly had a blast trying to figure out who exactly were the culprits behind the myriad of murders and plots, by the end of the drama, I almost didn’t care. The ending was also infuriating with many plot holes that could have easily been avoided so instead of a drama that I feel like I can rewatch consistently, it left a sour taste in my mouth. I will happily re-watch the first couple of episodes and leave it at that.  This drama almost could have been 10 episodes shorter or else made into a movie. As a movie it would have been a classic. 

 

-Karen

Review: Novoland: Pearl Eclipse (2021) 斛珠夫人

Posted on by Karen and Cathy

 

 

 

 

Novoland: Pearl Eclipse (2021) 斛珠夫人

Summary:  The young girl Hai Shi (Yang Mi) was set as bait to procure naga pearls which set off a chain of events that changed her life. 

Following the death of her father and her escape from soldiers threatening her family, she is taken by Fang Zhu (William Chan) to train in the capital as a man and his student. 

As Hai Shi grows up, she must balance her love for Fang Zhu and the threats to the Empire. 

 

 

Overall rating: 6.5/10

An engaging mystical setting, strong visual effects, high quality production value and a relatively strong secondary cast makes for a fun show that unfortunately is set back by a lackluster script and cliched, often forced conflict.

As a fan of Yang Mi for more than a decade, I gave this drama a shot immediately because, well, it’s Yang Mi. I’ve watched every historical drama of hers in the last 10 years and am always rooting for her to do well. This drama only has a 5.2 rating on DouBan which I personally think is a little low but that does not mean it is not popular. On Teng Xun or QQ which has sole airing rights to the drama, the show hit 300million+ hits by the series finale. On Weibo, every day the show aired and even in the days immediately after its finale, there were plenty of top posts trending from the drama. 

Yang Mi and Chen Wei Ting/William Chan participated in a couple rounds of marketing where they did photo shoots together and live streamed to promote the show which was fun to view as Yang Mi and William Chan worked together years before in Gu Jian Qi Tan (Sword of Legends).

The biggest surprise actually came in the relationship between secondary characters Emperor Xu and his concubine, Ti Lan. 

 

Story: Set in a mythical land, the young girl Ye Hai Shi (Yang Mi) was set as bait by her father to procure naga pearls, tears of Chinese mermaids. Young Hai Shi was saved by the mermaid after her father tried to kill her for those pearls which led to Hai Shi being bestowed a special connection to the mermaid. 

Upon returning to her village, she sees the village threatened by soldiers seeking the naga pearls. In trying to escape the attack, she is saved by a passing Fang Zhu who takes her to the capital. There, she grew up as a boy and trained with her adoptive brother, Fang Zhuo Ying, to become a bodyguard for the Emperor Xu. 

As Hai Shi and her brother grow up, they help their teacher, Fang Zhu, who in reality is Fang Jian Ming, the Duke of Qing Hai and the Emperor’s best friend, complete missions to protect the Emperor and the Zheng Empire. 

Main characters:

Fang Hai Shi (played by Yang Mi) – Originally from a pearl harvesting village, she became the student of Fang Zhu after her village was threatened by soldiers. In the capital, she trained to become an elite bodyguard for the Emperor as a man but also slowly developed feelings for Fang Zhu. 

Fang Zhu/Fang Jian Ming (played by William Chan) – The Emperor’s most trusted advisor and best friend, Fang Zhu is the Duke of Qing Hai and responsible for the safety of the Emperor. Due to previous tragedy, Fang Zhu and the Emperor are linked by an ancient bond to keep the Emperor’s line safe. 

Emperor Xu (played by Xu Kai Cheng) – The Emperor of the Zheng empire who lost his beloved wife, Zi Zan, during a coup that also killed two of his brothers. Post the tragedy, Emperor Xu became easy to angry as his grief could only manifest inwardly. 

Ti Lan (played by Chen Xiao Yun) – Princess from Zhu Nian sent to the Zheng Empire to marry, she is the spitting image of her sister Zi Zan. This triggered the Emperor’s grief and therefore suffered heavily at his hands.

Fang Zhuo Ying (played Wang Sen ) – Another student of Fang Zhu and adopted older brother to Fang Hai Shi, he also grew up in the Capital to serve the Emperor. In reality, he is royalty from a northern clan.

Zhi Liu (played by Yuan Yu Xuan) – A young woman in charge of palace embroidery, she and Fang Zhuo Ying developed feelings for each other. But before they could express their affections, Zhi Liu suffered a devastating blow due to an attack in the palace.

 

What I liked:

Emperor Xu’s realistic portrayal of inwardly manifested grief. 

Di Xu to me is one of the most interesting characters in the drama. He is the centerpiece which all of the other characters revolve around. As a young prince, he had a best friend in Fang Jian Ming and a doting wife in Zi Zan, a princess from the neighboring nation of Zhu Nian.  There was not a whole lot more he wanted. 

But all of that changed during the Coup of Prince Yi which caused the death of Fang Jian Ming’s entire family and the death of Zi Zan who was pregnant at the time. Emperor Xu was also gravely injured which forced Fang Jian Ming to enact the Bai Xi ritual in order to save his life, thereby connecting the two lives forever. 

Stricken with grief over the death of his beloved wife and unborn child, Di Xu, who ascended the throne after the death of his two brothers involved in the coup, became suicidal and explosive with anger. He was snide and condescending to pretty much everyone around him. In essence, he is a man who lost his entire family and is a burden to his best friend but must take on the role of Emperor. 

This all came to a head when Zhu Nian, the nation where Zi Zan came from, sent her younger sister to marry him to continue this alliance between the two empires. But, this younger sister, Ti Lan, is a spitting image of Zi Zan. 

In any other drama, I could see Di Xu suddenly fall in love with this sister, Ti Lan, simply because she looks like his lost love and then be manipulated because the nation of Zhu Nian must have known what the were doing sending Ti Lan. Instead, in Pearl Eclipse, the Emperor fully knows that the two are not the same. So instead, he is extremely explosive towards her and punishes her often times without her knowing why. It’s simply because she reminded him of his tortured past. 

Now, in absolutely NO WAY should any woman EVER accept a man who puts his hands on her so that portrayal by the Emperor is NOT to be condoned. A lot of what he did would be enough to put him in jail by today’s standards but I appreciate that the Emperor is extremely clear headed knowing these two are entirely different people. This is also a portrayal of a man who clearly never processed his grief and let it manifest inwardly which led to his explosiveness. This paved the way for the Emperor to develop his feelings for Ti Lan that may have been influenced by Zi Zan but is still independent of her. That’s actually more respectful of Ti Lan than if he pretended she was someone else.

The Emperor is further complicated by the fact that while he does want to die to be with his wife, he feels a sense of responsibility to his people to be at least, a decent Emperor who provides for the people.  It’s difficult to see at first because the earlier episodes are all about him being abusive towards Ti Lan but when it comes to court and his job, he takes it very seriously. 

After realizing that he’s grievously hurt Ti Lan as a direct result of his grief, he learns that his anger stems from wanting to feel again but also not wanting to feel because of memories of the past. Once he moves past his grief and accepts that he must walk out of the past, he becomes a doting and loving husband once more, this time to Ti Lan. 

Supportive Friendships – (1) Emperor Xu/Fang Jian Ming, (2) Fang Hai Shi and Fang Zhuo Ying, (3) Fang Hai Shi and Ti Lan

Fans and marketing focused too much on the couples of this drama but I don’t think emphasized the extremely supportive friendships showcased in Pearl Eclipse. And by friendships, I think they’re more like brotherhoods and sisterhoods. These relationships stayed true throughout the drama which was incredibly refreshing and heartfelt. 

Emperor and Fang Jian Ming – these two grew up together and went through hell and back. Sure, Fang Jian Ming always felt a level of guilt for his actions that led to Zi Zan’s death and therefore dedicated his life to the Emperor, but the two often only need a glance or a motion towards one another to signal that something is afoot and either action or inaction is needed. This level of understanding is what makes the Emperor so complicated. He needed anger management but trusted Fang Jian Ming with his life. 

Fang Hang Shi and Fang Zhuo Ying – These two were both adopted by Fang Jian Ming to train together as teens. I personally loved their sibling interactions with each other. Zhuo Ying always looked out for his younger sister who the world thought was a man but only he and Fang Jian Ming knew the truth. Their sibling banter were some of the funniest dialogue in the drama and it seemed so natural. Who doesn’t want to have a big brother like Zhuo Ying?

Ti Lan and Hai Shi – Ti Lan knew from the very beginning that Hai Shi was a woman after ill placed hands on Hai Shi during a harrowing escape revealed the truth to Ti Lan. Though their stations were quite different, Hai Shi tried to look out for Ti Lan while she could and Ti Lan did the same. When the two ended up in the imperial harem together, their open conversations as sisters were incredibly satisfying as there was no hidden agenda between the two of them, just sisters looking out for each other and wanting the best for each other. 

 

What I didn’t like:

Fang Hai Shi/Fang Jian Ming’s back-and-forth relationship

Ok. Yang Mi, I love you, but the chick you portrayed needs to just CHILL.  Hai Shi has the hots for her teacher, which fine, but she is refused by him multiple times and she STILL does not relent. Every time she DOES give up, Fang Jian Ming does something that makes her think he actually does have feelings for her and returns to him. This level of stubbornness is generally not attractive.

He also needs to be more heartless in his refusal of Fang Hai Shi. Maybe I paid too much attention to Di Xu and Ti Lan’s relationship that I never felt the love Fang Jian Ming felt for Hai Shi was as natural. Is it just because they spent a ton of time together?

 

In any case, I thought the relationship was rather forced, or at least the drama was rather forced. There have been plenty of dramas where communication was the antidote to all problems and so the miscommunication and secrets in this drama seemed like it was too cliche. 

It did seem like there was tension for tension’s sake because that’s what tugs at heartstrings. 

 Acting – 

I’m probably going to be pummeled over the head with this but I thought that out of everyone in the drama, Yang Mi’s acting was the most problematic. Perhaps it’s because she didn’t use a voice actress this time which is commendable but for most of the drama, I just felt that I was watching Yang Mi say her lines. There were several instances throughout the drama where this was abundantly clear and a perfect example is when Hai Shi has a conversation with Ti Lan towards the end of the drama. The two women are chatting as good friends but when Hai Shi gets up to leave, everything she says is like she’s saying memorized lines. There’s not a whole lot of emotion. 

I don’t know, I feel like everyone else’s acting I could get into but Yang Mi, for the most part, I just saw Yang Mi. Not Fang Hai Shi. Her previous roles were much better in this regard.

 

Summary: Overall, I at least “chased” this drama to the end and still watched the drama through its entirety. That’s more than can be said about a few other dramas this year where I tried to watch it and gave up. You can tell the cast and crew put effort into trying to make this drama look good and the script was also changed from the storylines from the book that this drama was based on to be more palatable to current audiences. However, I did still think this drama was lacking in perhaps heart, primarily from the main leads. I would say give this drama a go since it does feature Yang Mi whom I love though do not be hesitant to recognize that there are areas of improvement that would have made this drama into an even better one.