Worth the wait

Season 2 wasn’t as strong as Season 1 but still an amazing story and I’m looking forward to Season 3.

The Good

The JOL is definitely a uniquely written story that keeps you on your toes. I found that there wasn’t much of any hiccups from the plot and acting from the long wait of the first season. The cast fell right back into place and delivered strong performances as expected. Even the change of Yan Bingyun’s character flowed nicely and he took the character to greater heights. Many twists and turns in the story and the action/plotting scenes definitely do not disappoint. The OST still remained relatively decent. The costumes and production quality were elevated and a welcome change in this season. I appreciated the pacing in this season as the story continues to unfold.

The Bad

Three things, I didn’t like the change in Ye Linger character as I feel as if they changed up her character arc. She seemed less independent and more tolerant than the first season and the same goes for Fan Xian. There were aspects of his character that changed in season 2 such as the constant bowing and being more tolerant to the royal family that made him more defiant and unique in the first season. I know it has to do with character growth but wished they could have maintained that throughout the show. Still didn’t care too much for the love story between Fan Xian and Lin Waner. It just doesn’t add much to the story but had a heavier focus this season. Still not sure how her character is considered a main character.

Either way. Loved this story!

Leer más

Intriguing Story

This movie was quite enjoyable. There was some predictability in the storyline with some questionable moments that made me go “of course that would happen or wow what a shocker (sarcasm),” but overall I can understand the high praise for this movie.

The Good

It was filled with high action from beginning to end and the overall story moved at a fast pace so things never got boring. Although I’m not familiar with all of the Chinese lore, it was neat to see it portrayed in a large feature film centered around war. The overall acting was a highlight here as most of the cast did a pretty decent job. Overall production was good with attention to details from the costumes, settings, hair and makeup, etc. wasn’t low budget at all. I’m glad the run time was also a little longer to give time to actually tell the story without it feeling rushed or too incomplete for the first installment.

The Bad

Not much in the way of character and world building. Most of the movie was shot in 1 or 2 locations. Though there was a summarized backstory in the very beginning, would have like to see this go deeper and explain more of the war backstory and king’s backstory in more detail so we could connect more to the story and motivations. Again, as mentioned at the beginning, there was some predictability in the story that I wish would have been turned more into an interesting twist. The OST was okay but not very memorable.

I’d recommend a watch for this movie if you like high action and stories about Gods.

Leer más

Interesting twist

This one was interesting. I enjoyed the focus on mental health for the plot and how it was a story within a story.

The Good

ML has a distinctive look that made him perfect for this role. I’ve seen him in other dramas as supporting characters and he typically does well given his scripts. I hadn’t seen FL before but she was also decent and had good chemistry with the ML. The overall plot setup is what drew me in because it combined both a historical and modern drama into one and executed okay.

The Bad

The overall acting wasn’t necessarily the best from all the cast and I wouldn’t say this drama was amazing. Overall costumes, production and OST were mediocre.

It’s a good filler show to watch since it does have a different story but definitely a different take on the usual CDramas. I would still say overall there are still a lot of cliches and some predictability to it which makes it an average show.

Leer más

Not that great

This story was poorly written. The main problem I had with the overall plot was it was really bias. The Jixi people along with the Crown Prince were good and could do no wrong in the FL’s eyes and the Shendong people were bad and Xing Shi didn’t have a right to fight for their country. His feelings were invalidated by her. Doesn’t make for a very good story.

Otherwise, basic plot with nothing new to offer. The romance was more G Rated. This is definitely for the younger, teenage audience. Sound track was average. Costumes were okay but production value was definitely lower. The best acting from the main cast was probably the ML. I wouldn’t rewatch this.

More of a show to watch if you are bored with nothing else to watch but I really wouldn’t recommend it.

Leer más

Good for romance

This was a typical romance drama with a predictable plot. There are many full length dramas with similar themes that are done better (e.g. Romance of Tiger and Rose, Different Princess, Romance on the Farm, etc) but this was an entertaining watch.

The good

If you are looking for romance, this has it. Lots of kissing scenes and the main couple had good chemistry. Very heated, very electric. This drama played up the parody aspect which gave way to comedic relief. Lots of pretty people, if that’s what you are looking for.

The bad

Outside of the romance, it was a basic, recycled story and didn’t stand out or add anything new to the genre. The acting was mediocre, had bland characters and production was low budget with some editing mishaps.

I enjoy short length series as in between fillers to some of the larger productions and can sometimes find good stories with actors who have potential to make it big. This one has a lower rewatch value for me but was an okay one time watch.

Leer más

Resident Evil with a hint of The Walking Dead

This was a pretty good watch for me. It reminded me of the Resident Evil games and if the failed Resident Evil Netflix show was done right. It definitely has a slight hint of The Walking Dead with the story plot of you turn even when you die because it’s inside of them. I worry about Season 2 and that the story’s direction will change too drastically with the introduction of new characters and no real end in sight.

The Good

The acting was very good amongst the entire cast. No one person had to carry the rest. I also enjoyed the production value since they seemed to put some effort into the blood, gore and CGI creatures. Also, there was a lot of action even though it’s being filmed in one location. At times, it felt like they were in different locations because of how large the apartment complex was. They were never truly safe and it was all about survival.

The Bad

Too many characters. A lot of dramas of this nature suffer this same problem with too many characters and not enough time to focus on each. I would have loved more of backstory on some of the characters but with so few episodes, there wasn’t time for that. Also, Song Kang was the number one lead here but it’s hard to tell at times because he sometimes gets little screen time. More focus was placed on the rest of the leads. Not sure how many seasons this will be but there wasn’t much movement in the plot in this first season. Would have liked to see more on the creatures, motivations, potential cures, testing, etc.

Leer más

Everyday Relationship

Let me start by saying this was a pretty decent story that depicts an everyday type of relationship. The story wasn’t mind blowing but it wasn’t typical either. My review is based on a fresh take since I’ve never seen the original Korean version of this show.

The Good:

Adding on to my original comment about the story not being typical, there wasn’t a lot of CDrama tropes nor was this a fluffy romance tale that didn’t depict the negative sides of a new relationship. If you’re a person that likes more realism in shows, this one may be for you. The acting was okay and I feel that each character was well represented and casted appropriately for this type of story. Lastly, I enjoyed the OST as the songs were very chill and had a sense of mature romance which paired well with the scenes.

The Bad:

Although I enjoyed the story, of course there were still some nuances that frustrates or makes you question the characters/writing. This is a slow burn so if you do not like the draggy bits, this may not be for you. Next I will say again that the story was okay… it’s a good and bad thing because sometimes the characters were a little dull and either expressed odd emotions or not enough emotions for the situations. It led to a little bit of over acting or under acting at times. Lastly, there are parts where it becomes monotonous and nothing new or exciting was happening. Again, it’s a slow drama that depicts everyday life when dealing with relationships so it could be boring at times.

This won’t be for everyone but check it out and make your own decision.

Leer más

Hauntingly Tragic

Let me start by saying that the production and visuals in this show were some the best that I’ve seen in CDramas. The beautiful colors, lighting and massive landscapes made the show more real and raw. The OST was also great. Love the song about the Fox as it had such a haunting meaning behind it since foxes are known as tricksters. It summed up this story very well.

This drama takes the cake as one of the top tragic stories in CDrama that I’ve seen to date. I can appreciate the consistency with the story and the fact that it wasn’t turned into an enemies to lovers plot, which would have made no sense given the nature. The bulk of the story was well written along with the superb acting throughout but where it almost lost me was in the meat of the story.

I would say the story took a while to progress around the middle and had too much filler details within. This show could have been cut down to about 30-38 or so episodes and focus on less of the main ML’s revenge plan. They could have cut a lot of those details out and focused more on the story between ML and FL.

This story isn’t for everyone since a lot of people prefer happy endings but I’d recommend a watch if you don’t mind that.

Leer más

Story Doesn’t Flow Well

This movie had potential to be a great story as the setup of the plot was decent. The story quickly went downhill early on.

Story

As my review title mentioned, it does not flow well. The story is sort of all over the place and is confusing at times. It was hard to gage what they wanted the story to focus on or what they wanted the main plot to be. There were also parts of the story that weren’t very logical and they seemed to force some of the disputes that were unnecessary.

Acting

Acting was over exaggerated at times and fell very flat. No one person stood out or did an amazing job. It was just okay.

I can see why this movie received lower ratings but thought I would give it a shot anyways. As I always suggest, watch and make your own judgement because some will like it and some won’t. This one wasn’t for me.

Leer más