A Disappointment for a Kiki fan — when star power is not enough to mask the boring script

A Good Script Makes a Whole lot of Difference

I watched Sassy Beauty (Snow Kong) together with The Flowers are Blooming (Kiki Xu) expecting that I will like TFAB more since I’ve seen Kiki Xu’s work before and I like her. Both dramas didn’t have the A lister cast that you’d expect so I was totally banking on Kiki Xu’s charm. But 2 episodes in both dramas and I hate to admit that TFAB was a disappointment for a Kiki fan like me.

|Boring, all over the place plot|
I had no problem with Kiki Xu’s acting but it’s just that the plot was just so lacking that the main leads don’t even have as much romantic scenes as you’d get from a rom com and the supporting characters remain as disposable characters that even if you remove them from the scene they wouldn’t matter and I wouldn’t care.

|Barely there chemistry|
I know Kiki can have chemistry with her co-star because she did have it with Wang Yuo Shuo in The Blooms at Ruyi Pavillion. But in this drama, I can see That they tried but there’s just some disconnect with Huang Sheng Chi. Also I never liked the MLs face/acting because I always found it so wooden in his past drama.
I think the secret sauce is that both Kiki and Sheng Ci needs the perky, impish co-stars because they both suit the elegant, poised characters. Which is why Kiki also worked well with Yuo Shuo who has the impish vibe.

In the end, I already finished SB while I had trouble finishing this drama because of what a let down it is.

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Best Script/Story among Zhao Lusi's Rom-com period ramas but not the best chemistry

I just finished TROTAR after 3 sitting. After watching almost all of Zhao Lusi's period rom-coms (Cinderella Chef, Oh My Emperor, Prodigy Healer, Love Better than Immortality, and TROTAR), I must say that what makes this drama so special is the great script. We must give credit where it is due - writer 南镇 / Nan Zhen (who also wrote the script for another nice time-traveling rom-com Unexpected 2018) really has a knack for writing stories that don't have repetitive plot devices and competent FL & ML. If I were to rate Zhao Lusi's drama based on Female Lead likability, Male Lead likability, Chemistry, and Script:

Zhao Lusi's Female Lead competence and overall likability:
Oh My Emperor (Fei fei) > TROTAR (QianQian) > Love Better than Immortality (Chun Hua) > Prodigy Healer (Yun Shang) > Cinderella Chef (Yiyi)
** Fei fei is the most purpose driven heroine (saving a whole world not only a city) while Yiyi is the most useless, sad courtesan/entertainer

Male Lead competence and overall charisma:
Love Better than Immortality (Qiu Yue Gege) > TROTAR (Han Shuo) > Oh My Emperor (Tang yi) > Prodigy Healer (Xing Chen) > Cinderella Chef (Chun Yu)
***Qiu Yue is the most enigmatic male lead of any of Zhao Lusi's period character. They tried to create a connection with Chun Yu but it was so bland

Chemistry on and off screen:
Love Better than Immortality (Li Hongyi) > TROTAR (Ryan Ding)/ Prodigy Healer (Li Hongyi) > Oh My Emperor(Jason Koo) > Cinderella Chef (Bie Thassapak Hsu)

Script - how the story evolved, how the characters were written:
1. TROTAR (Nan Zhen)
2. Oh My Emperor (Yu Hai Xia/Yin Hang)
3. Love Better than Immortality (Shu Ke)
4.5. Prodigy Healer (Fang Mo Qi/ Yu Ying Nan/Zhang Jie /Xue Hui)
4.5. Cinderella Chef (Lin Wei Rui/Yang Zhi Li/Yu Ge/Liu Yuan Yu/Qiu Jun Jie) - ***Zhao Lusi was a supporting character here
***TROTAR story was the least draggy while Prodigy healer has the fewest romantic scenes between FL and ML and the most irritating 2nd FL.

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I signed up on MDL just so I can leave a review for this underated gem that I found in the iQiyi app.

Lovely Swords Girl is a drama made of new actors/actresses that delivered fresh, and ok acting. It also helped that the OTP is highly unusual and that a lot of the male casts are good looking. Through the 28eps I can say that the writer and director had the right pacing and made interesting storylines to flesh out our main and side characters.

Pros:
- character backstories for main and side characters is solid A. You can really understand the characters well from the main leads, to the parental characters, villain, etc. Even the 1/2 character of the male lead is so well developed that when he was “lost” I cried buckets for him.
- good chemistry between the young casts as friends and lovers. Even the bromance is well developed
- lighthearted/wacky mood at the start that might turn you off at first but as the story goes you’ll see that the Series becomes more dramatic

Cons
- very basic conflict - since the drama invested more on the characters, the conflict with the villain is very simple and straight forward. But then again you also have that other overarching conflict about what love is so I guess it balanced it out.
- Setting - maybe Also due to the limited budget, the characters and story just move from almost just 5 general locations throughout the drama

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