Meh

I had full expectations for this drama going in but now I fail to see the genius. the characters seem very forced to me. It feels like they had certain features they were determined to convey but forgot to add the little things that make characters come alive. And really Liu Tao is such a bore to watch. The writing is also very basic, I don't follow the logic. They're trying to set up this really clever strategist protagonist but his setup is unrealistic. For lack of a better example let's say this really smart guy predicts there'll be a rainbow in the morning following the long and hard downpour at night according to this drama there's always a rainbow in the morning. But we all know it's possible it doesn't stop raining throughout the next day and there might be no sun and the real prove of ability is being able to quickly change course under such circumstances. Things like this aren't only unrealistic but they're boring to watch because everytime something comes up you know the ML has "foreseen" it and planned accordingly, so the balance is lost and there's no climax. The emotional aspect is also lost on me. The story revolves around very tragic events from the past and the ML's revenge, however, the writer didn't deem it fit to reveal the thoughts, feelings and emotions of the villains surrounding their wrongdoings.They also skipped all the complex emotions you'd expect from the protagonists considering all they've been through. For example how did it feel to not be recognized by loved ones or to live with the realities of a new and fatal illness as a former soldier. Hu Ge is also not very good at conveying this hidden anger and boiling need for revenge while maintaining a facade upfront. The fire is just not there. There are no engaging devices employed in this drama, no real chemistry between the main characters ( be it bromance or romance) and no interesting plot twists. Events just unfold one to another, the next being more boring than the former. To summarize my feelings by the end I'd say it ended without ever starting. There's really no outstanding aspect to this drama for me and it'll always be mystery why it's so highly rated but to each their own.

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STOMACH CHURNING

I enjoy slow burn movies, especially mystery, but this one just takes it to a whole new level. Previous comments are right, it's not for everyone. I just felt there were a lot of unnecessary scenes spent peeing, masturbating and doing god knows what. It's really sickening and hard to watch. There's so little dialogue and the BGM is so dull. Everything is so quiet that you could fall asleep even though a murder was taking place or there was an explosion. It took me three days to finish this movie bcoz everytime it starts I fall asleep. I was willing to continue bcoz I'm familiar with the pace and I know it requires attention to pick up details but an entire hour+ to wait for things to pick up in a movie of 2+ hours is just too much. As for the climax, I know that it's a trend to leave a lot of questions to be answered by the audience themselves but unfortunately I couldn't really connect the dots in the end and still had to go look it up to understand, really sad.
I should have known better since "old boy" was also recommended by the same blog.

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Deceptively plotless

Yu Zheng might be a controversial figure but he most definitely has style. This has to be the most beautifully produced Republican era drama I've seen so far. I was drawn by the realistic sets and the stunning reds, but alas a good plot could not be found.

THE PLOT:
When I read the synopsis I thought surely this cannot be all, but dear reader, it is. Watching this drama was like reading a collection of short stories with the same characters and weak conflicts. There are so many side plots but all they do is increase screen time, they don't enrich the plot (besides what exactly is it?) or come together to build momentum. Events are just too disjointed, so this isn't really bingeworthy. All we have to look out for is Shang Xirui performing or preparing to perform Opera, when this is not happening, nothing else is. The only real conflicts are the ones the characters fight within themselves, but this is represented in such a haphazard way, you can't build on emotions. I enjoy the slice of life genre but even they understand the need for momentum.

Tiny spoiler: This drama started losing me after the lacklustre performance in episode 13 because so much hype was built around that performance.

ACTING/CHARACTERS:
Nothing needs to be said on the acting except that they were all brilliant, especially the actor playing Shang Xirui. I loved the tandem between Shang Xirui and Chen Fengtai, unfortunately it's not enough to keep me through the last 20 episodes. Charmaine Sheh was also delightful, she and Huang Xiaoming had good banter.

But I do have a lot to be said on characterization. Yu Zheng seems to have a love for unconventional, feisty, stubborn, rash and clever MCs'. I like them too, but a touch of reality doesn't hurt. I hate that when their strength of character is tested they are 9 out of 10 times saved by a stroke of luck. There is nothing interesting about these characters if they don't bear responsibilities for their ideals and manoeuvre challenges that come from going against conventions on their own.

MUSIC:
Naturally as the plot is closely connected to Chinese opera, there were a lot of beautiful performances but aside from that the soundtrack for the drama was really nice.

This one was not for me, but I'm still looking forward to "Legacy" hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

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