What's not to love about Zhang zi yi?

Yes not having a 16 year looking face is really distracting in the beginning but once you reach ep 10 you'll probably enjoy the story. Even her personality in the story is like a 30 year old so I wish they made the character at least in her late 20s. They also could've slowed down the love between the ML & FL as she seemed to fall for him pretty fast. It picks up more ep 16 on so be patient with this title as the cast, the story is very good. Although the story with political scheming isn't new but the stellar cast makes this drama a good watch. The high quality production with amazing costume design & cinematography is impressive esp ep 28 I was absolutely in awe.

Helan Zhen being the stand out character. He played a similar role in Rise of the Phoenix but it was short lived so happy to see him in this role.

Now I am near the end, the story is slow but I can't stop watching it because it feels like a fashion show with the endless costume designs. There are quite a few character's development that made the story have some depth but it's not a captivating. I didn't feel the love story was epic and I felt the love development was a bit quick no fault to the actors of course. The cast of actors were all very good. In the end despite the production / stellar cast , the story is not on the same level as a Joy of Life or Rise of Phoenix.

And I still love Zhangziyi !!

Lire davantage

Ep 37 she finally wore flats!

I started watching this drama for Dai Xu. It's been so long since I've seen him in a good drama like Burning Ice or the Legends.

But this drama is about a gifted housekeeper who can walk in high heels anywhere.
High heels walking on grass
High heels walking in the country side
High heels pushing a wheelchair down the slope

The FL "gifted housekeeper" can fix apparently everyone's problems (other than her own). She's a psychiatrist, a nurse, a nanny all in one. Much of the drama lacks focus since it's about everyone else's stories and not really about her.
I keep watching this for sometime of development but it never really happened.

Honestly the basis of the story line isn't bad. Had they drama focused more on the slow burn development between the FL and the Man bun ML (who will grow on you) then the drama would've been more watchable.
Instead I had to skip through the filler lines and creepy 30+ year old calling "MOMMY" left and right. ...

Lire davantage

Clever Spoof on C-dramas. Ep 22-23 is the best!

I probably only have 1 % interest in short dramas as I enjoy slow burn development but this one is hilarious! Its explores on all the standard custom c-drama tropes so if you watched enough of them you'll identify the scenes.

The starting scene: A crew shooting a costume drama but due to the female lead missing they used a stand in with a green face. Producer/ML actor yells cut !! and that's how the story begins. He keeps telling the screen writer to change the story and 9 FL later....... you pretty much will see a hot mess of all drama tropes. The best episodes are where the screen writer gets more lines and tells him what to do. (ep 22-23).

For such a short drama, I was surprised that the acting was pretty good. All 9 FL are beautiful and can act better than some well known actresses. The ML was definitely funny and his makeup going from a white idol skin face to a brown assassin face made me laugh so hard.

The only down side is that I heard there are 2 more stories (~6 ep) that didn't pass censorship. Such a shame because I would love to watch more!

Lire davantage

Beyond your average Youth Drama

I found this Drama by chance because I enjoyed some of the prior works by the cast. This is not your typical youth drama that you can play on the side because you'll miss out on all the funny moments. It's a shame that this drama is under the radar as the subs are terrible. However if you do at least understand partial Chinese this would be a great pick even if you don't care for debate. Also I watched S2 before S1 and I am glad I did because if I watched S1 I would not go for S2 as the acting was so bad. S1 & S2 are completely independent stories because I saw a few same actors playing completely different characters (like Ma Nan & Tao Hao's ex)

What I enjoyed:
1. Cast. After watching Zhai Zi Lu (in "My Calorie boy") & Wu Jai Yi (from "The Letter from the Cloud") I thought the pairing would be super cute. Great chemistry between them and love the pace of development from friends to couple.
Ma Nan (Wang Ze Xuan) - I've only seen this actor in supporting bad guy roles, but his character was my favorite one in the show with the best one liners. Honestly it's a shame he hasn't been in good ML roles.
2. Actual story. Yes its the typical don't give up till you come out of the gutter and reach your goal, but there's actual depth to the script. I liked how they tied the debate topics to what the characters are going through.
3. Comedy aspect - Lots of laughs every episode mixed with subtle and OTP acting but all so entertaining!
4. Coupling - Very rare do I enjoy all the match ups
5. Ma Nan's Ending - Classic!

Could've been better:
1. First 10 episodes were really good and then the pace slowed down. A few episodes felt like pure fillers almost out of place.
2. Scene transition isn't always smooth like the development of supporting couple just went silent for a long time then all of a sudden they are together.
3. Team 1 Yin Nan's character came in as an one sided antagonist and then the great face off never really happened.
4. Team 2 captain Yan Ze, his voice was so mono tuned, it was hard to watch
5. Tuan Zi's doll dresses .... YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

How about S3?

Lire davantage

ML Lipstick ultra Fail

I can't believe so many good reviews for this. The story is nothing new which means script needs:

1. ML & FL Chemistry which none that I could feel. I've enjoyed both of the leads in other dramas but this pairing didn't work for me at all
2. Dynamic characters with witty dialogue and..... Lead characters were flat.
3. Great supporting characters, they had potential but not a lot of time were spent on them

Too many scenes with major lipstick fail on the ML. One restaurant scene his lip liner was 5 shades off from his spotty lipstick. It was just all too distracting. Other scenes his lipstick was heavier than the FL. Maybe it should've been a lipstick commercial instead.

Only character that stood out was the Lee Jae Woon, the rich friend and of course ALL other supporting characters were more interesting than the Main couple.

Lire davantage

Hope they stop making the series but....

S4 ended w/ well S5

I watched S1, S2, and S4. S1 is still my favorite.

S3 not available on Viki or Netflix so can't watch it. It's not that the acting wasn't great because despite the ML changing, each MLs were excellent.
The English actors weren't great though. They sounded like they were reading a script just memorized.
S4 story wasn't strong, rather it felt unnecessary grotesque. I was distracted by the bad wig many episodes.
FL: There's utterly no character development on her part. How she started acting is how she ended.

My favorite part is actually the supporting role of Shim Dae Shik (Golden time detective that was in S1) who came back. I loved his character. There's depth and complexity in his acting which is much more memorable to me than the FL. If you watched him in While you were sleeping, you'll just love his acting all that much more.

If they move on to S5 I'll still feel pot committed to watch it, but I won't expect much either.

Lire davantage

ML's character officially killed the drama 7 ep in

FL actress is quite good and the storyline started out interesting. There's mystery of why she went into another world or did she? Going from highly privileged life to a girl with nothing. Her character is believable. I like the transferable skillset from her art major to hair and makeup is not so farfetched. She shows how resilient she is proving herself over and over again.

The ML's character initially is quite likeable. He's caring and helping her to survive in an unfamiliar environment.
However 7 ep in how the ML acted is so irrational making you think who write's this crap? That neck choke was way out of left field. It's not like she wants to stay here. Why go crazy serial killer on her? Doesn't help the ML isn't a great actor either. He's pretty much unwatchable after that.

I continued watching for the FL. Her emotions are on point and hits so I can see why she is such an upcoming actress. Her crying scenes are superb!

The story developed in a complete direction without things making much sense. Rushed ending to explain what happened and amend all relationships in one episode.....

Lire davantage

3 Strong MLs carrying the FL's acting

I've seen Sabrina Zhuang's prior works as she gets some interesting scripts. Its not that she can't act but it's just not amazing. Her expressions are pretty much the same in every character I've seen her in. The 3 MLs were all better. Huang Jun Jie's acting definitely gotten better over the years but the pairing didn't really spark any chemistry for me.

The story itself is quite enjoyable if you like less serious ancient detective genre types. (i.e Miss Truth, The Imperial Coroner, Maiden Holmes)

What I enjoyed:
1. Actual story - smart (but not witty) female litigator with the unique name of Tumi defends the powerless and fights for equality.
2. Bromance worthy between Han Wu Wei & Kang Zheng Yuan
3. Fan Zhi Xin (Han Wu Wei) stand out acting. His face is very expressive. I can't believe I never seen his works!
4. Father / Daughter relationship - I am a sucker for those
5. Decent fight scenes. This is not big budget production but I thought the fight scenes were not too shabby
6. Actual cases - no dragged out cases, not overly complicated, easy watch if even if don't fully pay attention

Downside
1. I wish Tumi was a bit less serious. Hardly any humor compared to other similar dramas.
2. Lots & Lots of words. My Chinese is limited so I may need subtitles and story focuses on arguing cases = lots & lots of tiresome reading subtitles.
3. Ending with no ending .... yeah I watch dramas so there are endings but which would you rather have? Not an ending or bad endings? It's a toss up. Waiting for S2 could be forever painful.

Lire davantage

Don't miss the Epilogues

Starting ep 2 there's mini epilogues at the end for about ~10 ep.

Underrated cute drama ruined by no subs but if you can understand Chinese and enjoys costume rom coms, this is a great pick.

Loved great cast & characters:
FL Shen Yu is super cute without over acting (which a lot of dramas tend to do). Her character is cute, witty & smart! I loved her expressions.
ML (Old Male Chicken) is a great looking actor and the young actor they picked is a perfect match too!
The back and forth dialogue between the leads is written pretty well. Of course with any rom com there will be the standard "catch & fall" moments but if its cutely done, its very enjoyable.
Zhou Yue - one of few females that can pass off as a male at least in a drama.
Gao Mo - Funny supporting character

If you enjoy dramas like:
Dr. Cutie
A love so Romantic
Chances are you'll like this one too but personally I thought the pairing & dialogue was better in this one.

The only down side is that like many C-drama ending's kind of a mess starting ep 20. There are also a few one dimensional bad characters that you can skip through.

Lire davantage

Light hearted historical drama

Same category as:
Dr. Cutie
Romance of Tiger & Rose
Romance of Hua Rong
A Girl like me

If you enjoy this kind of silly historical dramas then you will enjoy this one. Started off strong with so many funny moments. I loved the nickname ML called her. "Xiao Jian Shang" Drama also had more than average cuddly kissing playful couple scenes which is quite refreshing. The best friend couple was also a good pairing providing some comedic moments.

Of course the overall plot didn't flow & some of the characters just randomly popped in & out with no rhyme or reason.

The downfall came around ep 20. After so many of the SAME character introduction trying to pull them apart, it got tired out. Previous rivals all were likeable somewhere along the way except the last one was unbearable. They should've just ended at ep 20.

It was still quite enjoyable overall.

Lire davantage

Only worth watching if you love the Leads

The only reason to watch this is because you saw the ML/FL in Love Better Than Immortality.

The story goes from mediocre to worse
The character development goes from bad to intolerable
The few good supporting characters goes from few to zero
Zhao Lusi's lovely voice gets dubbed & subpar at that

after ~20 the story just gets worse and worse. Obsessed people all turns evil over unattainable love as that's an excuse for bad drama

It could've been a great drama w/ the frame work. Magical land with CGI, fun magic powers, powerful healer with mysteries to be solved. Instead they focused entirely on evil obsession love.
Chu Tian Yao lives to be one the worst written characters ever in c-drama history. Completely unnecessary.

Lire davantage

Obviously not a thriller

It started out promising with the serial killer mystery then it was poorly executed on so many levels.

1. Plot was predictable and there was no mystery even before midway.
2. "Romance" Why bother with the romance if you are not even go build the connection . That "I like you" came out of left field
3. No stand out likeable characters .... well there was 1 and he was killed.
4. Excessive yelling - ML cop character's yelling didn't make the drama feel more intense but rather it was just noise.
5. Mounting evidence ..... That's how they wrapped the obvious crime.
Do you admit your crime? no? here is a recording
Do you admit your crime? no? here is a video
Do you admit your crime? no? here is a witness
Do you admit your crime? no? here is a video of you ... in the act .............................

Just watch "Children of Nobody" instead

Lire davantage

Face change revenge drama. Insta Bro is great!

I kind of lost count of how many FL wronged and gets a chance at revenge dramas in the past 2 years now. I wasn't expecting much especially with the poster of ML Wei Zhe Ming in really bad hair.
Production isn't the greatest like these fake horseback riding scenes with hair not moving (at all) makes me laugh.

But if you disregard:
1. ML's bad hair days all day everyday
2. Typical female revenge drama storyline
3. Insta face change, Insta Kungfu
4. Mid way change dubbed voice of the evil sister
You can enjoy this.

This is better than other revenge dramas in that:
1. FL is smart & strong w/ her "insta" Kung Fu. Actress Xu Lu is doing a pretty good job.
2. Her insta Bro is a pretty darn good character.
3. Pacing is not bad. There are plenty of bad characters, but so far % of screen time is tolerable.

Lire davantage

FL is amazing! OTP silly humor worked!

Best watching this drama when on wine.

This is one of those dramas took me by surprise. I only watched this because someone posted on a feed with a specific funny scene of the FL catching an arrow then pretending to stab herself & die. The poster definitely was NOT appealing. Her expressions are so funny that I had to try out this drama.

These types of dramas are typical OTP stupid humor with paper thin plot so I can only watch these once in a while. The best part of the drama is the FL. Not that she looks like a guy at all but her gestures, her forced man voice & her manly expressions are exceptional. ML was ok but he was nowhere near the FL.

Strong supporting silly characters!
- 1st greatest assassin & the lovely princess who "never" lies
- Dad & the fake brothers
- 2nd ML

The stupid humor is not for everyone. If you want plot to totally work this is not it. If you want light humor, this is a good choice.

Lire davantage

The teacher that brings hope to the special 5

The end of ep 1 reminds me of this video I saw many years ago: Social Inequalities Explained in a $100 Race. Where you start in life may be out of your control but how hard you race in life is up to you.

Since I don't particular like heavy content so I wouldn't have started this if weren't for the cast.
Zhang Ruo Yun is always a solid actor in all his roles. In recent years he took on more serious roles. Here he plays someone who looks a lot older than his actual age with a painful past he tried to escape from.

The students: played by actors Zhang Cheng and Wang Qiang did a great job in the drama "Cross Fire" (One of my unexpected favorites) Here they are part of that special 5 students and play completely different characters.

Story starts with Lei Ming (ML) returning to be a teacher. He wants to assemble a special class of 5 out to prove his unconventional teaching methods can help these kids make it to the top college.

The special 5 + the troubled Shen Yao:
1. Li Ran, an orphan living in the basement where his grandma works as a housekeeper. The son of the owner is the top student (Shen Yao) in the same grade but with a sick twisted mind. Li Ran fix electronics on the side to help with the bills.
2. Cheng Yu Shan, her mom remarries to a guy who only cares or his biological son. On the outside she's fearless and fends off all the unwanted boy's attention. One day she finds hidden cameras, she trembles in fear. She sits in her small room looking outside of her small window feeling completely trapped. The camera work was so well done for that scene.
3. Yu Yang, he's the bully target of many kids including the twisted top student.
4. Zeng You Zhen, she may not be living in poverty but she's constantly trying to please the girls pretending to be accepted. She has a secret she's trying to hide.
5. Jiang Qing Lang, he comes from successful parents in an unhealthy relationship, clearly not happy despite all that success. The overbearing mom character clearly that you'll want to skip through is his ultimate source of torment.
6. Shen Yao, he is not part of the 5 but he is such an interesting character. Outside he is the perfect student, but you see his anger brewing inside expressed in self-harm and doing bad things to others. His story finally unfolds in ep 23. This is the 1st time I've seen Li Ming De in a serious emotional scene, and he did a great job.

The content is not overly heavy but definitely meaningful. It touches upon self-harm, parental abuse, suicide, depression, teacher student dynamics & so on....

Only thing I don't like is ep 30 with the older version of the kids. Not relatable at all. They used the same actors for the teachers might as well use the same actors for the students. But they didn't and it was just not good.

Lire davantage