Worth the chance

I like Japanese BL even though it is not consistent in defining BL.
This series started and progressed slow for 8 episodes but it has an endearing story that did not get written well in my opinion.
Chemistry seems lacking at first for the main actors but towards the end, it felt like the story needed to evolve before the chemistry bloomed.
I have no complaints in how these artists did their job. I find all of them (from lead to support) expressed their characters well.
It is not on my top Japanese BL series but it is still a good watch for me.
I just wished the wardrobe for this series was done alittle better.

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Apprentice of Dee Renjie?

The story is similar to any Dee Renjie mystery film. Although the protagonists doesnt know any martial arts, he has a sidekick who accompanied him in all his investigations.
Low ranking official who received a letter from his mentor and upon visiting him, he found suspecting situation that caused him to investigate.
Although he has limited resorces and power, he persevered. He is witty and brave. He investigated scary places by himself and I was wondering how he will protect himself without knowing any martial arts.
The production is good. Scene sets were fitting, props were placed well and wardrobes were nicely chosen for each scene.
It is a recommended viewing for any period mystery fanatic. As to rewatch value, this is my second time watching this film. I still enjoyed it. Actually came across scenes I missed for some reason.
Enjoyed this film. Thank you to the producers.

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2nd watch a year later made it better for me

Watched this over a year ago and receny completed watching it again. It may have been my liberal use of the fast forward button before that made me understand and enjoy this series this time around.

I was so confused the first time i watched this causing depletion of my interest that itched for that fast forward button. I can now say the reason is the switched of the leading character wasnt done smoothly. The transition could have been done better.

Zhao Lusi did improve in her transition acting since this series. She is awesome in fun, comedic and quirky roles but in this series, I believe she was still on the learning phase for transitioning role from comedy to serious character role. Her acting nowadays is way, way better than from this series. She excels in smoothly transitioning roles.

Production wise, it is obvious the set, wardrobe and props were invested on heavily. I wish they took parts of it to invest more on editing.

The story plot is challenging and truly could have been a great one.

Rewatch value, like I mentioned here, I am doing this review after rewatching it over a year later. I honestly like this series more now than the first time I watched it. So my recommendation is reserving judgment after watching it the second time. Giving it a bit of time can make a difference based on my own experience.

All casts in this series were awesome and seemed to have portrayed their role well. It is interesting that I even noticed the acting of couple of extras who didnt have a line - just a facial expression.

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Watched in Iqiyi

Review is after second attempt to watch. My First attempt: 15 minutes through episode one and I was going to add this to my dropped list however, I read other viewer review first, and it convinced me to give it a second try.

This could have been a good one but.....
The director and film editor obviously didn't give their heart to this project. It reflects no care at all and that they did the bare minimum and collected their paycheck. The editing is horrible. Cut scenes were so obvious, and theres instances of camera not being focused or angled right. Theres scenes that were included that didn't make sense. Cheesy lines caused me to fast forward a lot. Awkward scenes are also included. And come on.... a threesome out of nowhere of people who works closely together???? I truly didnt see the necessity to add this to the story. Piano BGM was used too much in this series that it was hard to focus when hearing same BGM for almost every kind of scene. Wardrobe is off in some scenes and seemed like revolved within just 5 sets of outfits (I may have overcounted).
Ton Saran Anantasetthakul needs to take more acting class. Casting could have been done better; hardly any chemistry within the entire production casts.
This can be a construed as a mean review however this is my honest take for this series. I feel regretful because to me it is a good simple story that could have turned good if directed and edited better. As many negative things I noticed, I didn't drop watching it after my second attempt of watching because it has an "it" factor that kept me in my seat after I finished episode 1.
So give it a try, pass episode 1 and see if you wont finish it. I don't think it is enough for rewatch value tho.

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Another Mystery of Song Ci

NOTE: After much confusion I discovered the title in iQIYI and the title here in MDL is different. This movie has a different title in iQIYI - Work Vain Song Ci. My feedback and rating is for (titled here in MDL )as Forensic Scientist Song Ci
: The Fraud


I enjoy Dee Renji and Song Ci movies and surprised that there's no review for this movie yet.

Plot is around Song Ci - SC assisting the emperor get back his throne after being plotted against by his trusted Shaman.

The production is not a huge budgeted film. It is simple yet perfectly done for each scenes. The location shoot was minimized but it didn't affect the way the story was relayed on the screen. Wardrobe was perfect for each scenes and each character that you won't feel slighted as a viewer. Even though it wasn't elaborate, the focus was majnly on the story.
I like that the simplicity of this movie still provided a satisfying watch.
The artists who played each character were professionals. They portrayed their character well enough even tho there are couple who probably could have rendered their lines and facial expressions better. This didn't impact the overall outcome of the movie anyways for me.

I am recommending this movie for anyone interested in period, costume and mystery movie.

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Typical but done very well

The story here is the typical two main male characters who does not get along due to past incident happened to end up working together to solve crimes.
As crimes are solve, it also allowed for each other to settle and clarify their anger and frustrations with each other.
I wasnt invested jn this series at the start but as tje story got more mysterious and intriguing, I ended up binge watching it.
The role portrayal is good, wardrobe was in queue, location fits, direction and flow of story is good.
If you are not a fan of detective story this might not be for you but i suggest to give it a try til episode 3.

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Hidden Light Drama

I didnt hear nor read anything about this series and just happen to ckme across it in iQIYI.
First off, it has a cute & charming casts. The story plot is charmjng, stable and consistent. Its short 8 episodes that can be a weekend night binge. The cast were good in portraying their roles and if there is anything that viewers might notice, it'll be extras on the background here and there looking awkward. Wardrobe was also slightly off. Aside from those, its a relaxing series to watch.
Keep in mind that they concised the story so a lot of background stories were left out like how they ended up living together-this was pretty much explained in one sentence. First lead's family background is totally missing. Friend who is part of their band owns a bar but story added scenes of having to have a place for band practice which left me questioning it. 🤔 overall it is a good one to watch.

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Typical & Nice Costume Drama

I enjoy Neo's work as an actor (especially in Hutong with Zhao Lusi) and there was a good hype for this series that I gave it a try even paying for a month subscription for it just to satisfy my curiosity.
This is a fantasy, costume series. As a typical costume series, it started from the very beginning with a poor, starving soul then came across the hero with unsettled heart that then healed by the poor soul.
Costume is magnificent in this series for everyone even the extras. Production is awesome. Beautifully crafted and done with obvious dedication showing in every small details.
The entire cast work harmoniously together but I will avoid saying that there's this magical chemistry. I am unable to see that even from the lead characters. The actor who was casted as the Dark Phantom didnt work for me either. Its lacking the face and look of the most powerful evil being.

The story evolved but mainly focused on the dragon's affairs affecting the lead female's life. Many side stories before it got to the highlight of the story.
I enjoyed it while watching but it wasnt one of those where I anticipated for the next episode or excited to see how it will turn out. It was 👍 👌
Worth watching, though as someone who paid subscription for this, I would suggest not to do that and find it to watch for free. Theses another series i paid for a subscription in another platform and that one I am very thankful I did because it is so worth the payment.

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Don't expect the title to be explained

So much hype on this during promotion that I added on my watch list.
The start isn't going to hook you to watch, tho I continued giving it the chance. Few episodes later, i wanted to drop because it dragged and became chaotic. The writer seemed to have used the license to do whatever whenever to the male lead character.
I did say it dragged .... this serirs could have been done in 8 episodes if directed well enough. So many senseless scenes that didnt make sense as to why it was even added. So many scenes came kn without any explanation as to what it is about.
Overall, I felt I wasted my time on this series. FEMALE LEAD character looking just regular and not beautiful anymore was mentioned so many times that it reflected Korea's culture of valuing physical appearances more than humanity.
Last, this series ended without clear explanation of the abyss. It said what it does but why how when were not answered. I wonder why even title it Abyss when the series was a mystery/murder/romance plot.

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Don't Miss Watching this Series!

This started slow for me but right after episode 3, I cant stop watching and binged all the way to season 2. I personally think season 1 is better but dont get me wrong, they both kept me glued on the screen and anticipating.
It is an excellent drama tbat is welk directed. The story smokthly flowed and every character played a vital role, connected to the story.
I would have missed this show if not for Netflix. I am not sure it is available in other pkatform but if you have the chance, don't skip watchibg this show and stick past the first two episodes.
The way season 2 ended, I am strongly hoping they will have a season 3.

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Could have been really good if directed better

I like Ruipeng Ao in Blood of Youth since he did a good role portrayal in that series. I watched this because of him. Its weird that if you search for Ruipeng Ao, this series isnt even listed under his list of drama.
I can't say for sure whats not clocking here but my points are mainly for the effort, costumes, and plot.
Based on my perspective, its not directed well. The scene transition is not smooth. Theres scenes that wod come up out of nowhere thats not related and i wondered what was it and why that was shown. The editing could have been better.
I started wondering at first if this is a semi BL the way it started.
The chemistry is not there. The Female Lead (FL)' portrayal of her role is a bit irritating. The beauty of the male leads didn't seem to jive with hers.
The acting for most artists are good except for few that to me overdid it with their facial expression.
The good part is the story. Its good enough to watch but i did fast forward a lot.

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Short, deep & impressive

I am surprised that this series is underrated here but each of us have our own free thoughts and I’ll share mine.

It is a short series that could have been well developed into a 12 series. Saying this, it contributed to the somewhat vague discussions, confusing start, and the feeling of needing more. It felt like “it’s so good why rushed the storytelling” kind of feeling.

The actors seriously did excellently with the portrayal of their roles, evoking emotions and towards the end, I had to reach out for the box of tissue. Ending was good but lacked clarity as to how it got there, but still acceptable.

Romance is just a fraction of the story, it also talks about the hardship of being blackballed in the industry when you decide to voice your unpopular opinion even if it is right. It also showed how good intentions may not always work as a right answer. This is a mixture of human thinking, feelings and society’s impact on life.

It is confusing in the beginning, the way editing was done but it’s not bad enough to drop it. There’s recap that I find unnecessary and could have just been replaced by story explaining things that led to situations.

The BGM is good and perfect for the series.

The entire production is good, artists all did excellently, and editing is the only thing that could have improved.
Overall, it is a good short series to invest time. I hope you give it a chance and see for yourself.

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UNCONVENTIONAL ROMANCE ?

Eien No Kinou

This is an unconventional romance series based on a novel. You can tell cinematography is simple but grasped the mellow mood of a tragic romance between two young students.

I find this to be soft, quirky, emotional, and at times, low-key comical series.

The BGM blended wonderfully with the mood of the scenes without causing any distraction

support cast did their job of moving the story forward, and unlike many romantic shows where a side character upstages the protagonists, in this series they are all interconnected and contributed to the story. The series could’ve had an extra episode or two, because the climax leaves you feeling a little empty, like we deserved some more.

If you are a crier, grab some tissues and be prepared for a heart-breaking wistful ending.

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A “Must” Watch

Despite the show's lacklustre ratings, I decided to give it a try expecting to be satisfied even for it having Park Bogum. Shame on me because this show turned out to be excellent from production to actors.

The plot is excellent and each episode was well directed. There was no dragging moments that I never pressed fast forward even once. I rewatched couple of episodes to make sure I didn’t miss anything. The story
progressed excellently leaving watcher glued and eagerly following.

It is a well balanced & blended mystery, romance, family, thriller, comedy. It was emotional for me at one point, making me think the writers were successful in conveying empathy and sympathy.

It is one of those series that you will not regret watching even if it is not the genre you prefer.

If there is anything that can be improved, in my opinion it is the ending.

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