The Calamity of Beautiful Faces and Boring Plots (Major spoilers ahead!)

I. The Good
Beautiful faces, beautiful costumes, beautiful set... and that was about it. The music neither added to the experience nor took away from it, and none of the songs are particularly memorable.

II. The Bad
Year 2024 must be YZX's year to play toxic characters that kill their love interest's family members for the sake of power (see Love and Bid Farewell). In this drama, YZX plays the second male lead (2ML) who has made the equally questionable decision of forsaking love and principles for power. The first male lead is played by ZHR, whose baby face lends credence to his role as the (seemingly) naive younger brother who only wants to live life peacefully with the FL portrayed by ZCH, whose acting skills were lukewarm at best. ZCH had a delicious role which she delivered without any enthusiasm, relying completely on her pretty face to carry the scenes.

The storyline is interesting for this sort of revenge-themed dramas: The ingenue younger brother is the one who wins the lady. However, the manner in which the storyline was expanded and the plot devices used were tepid like a glass of water left out in 36C weather. Episode 1 opens with a steamy scene of the 2ML and the FL supposedly enjoying a tryst as the ML furiously hunts for the 2ML, before the FL runs into the ML's arms crying offense. The FL and the 2ML were originally betrothed as children, before the 2ML murders her entire family and sets the estate on fire to please the Crown Prince. The FL's face is somehow hurt in the fire, but a witch doctor saves her and gives her plastic surgery, rendering her appearances beautiful and unrecognisable. The FL plots the 2ML's downfall, by using the ML to gain access to the 2ML. For some inane and inexplicable reason, this required the FL to plant a child-Gu bug in the 2ML, and if she failed to seduce the 2ML into falling in love with her within a year, she'd die from the mother-Gu bug in her. In episode 2 we find out that ML is the beloved Xiao grandson and the 2ML is the unloved bastard grandson and by episode 3, the FL has finagled a way to move into the Xiao residence and the ML is clearly crushing on the FL. The 2ML objects to the FL and ML's blossoming romance and the FL takes the opportunity to start seducing the 2ML. Episode 5 reveals that the 2ML's mother had murdered the ML's mother, so that she could marry General Xiao and give some legitimacy to the 2ML, but her evil deeds have rendered her paranoid. The 2ML confronts the FL in episode 7 for driving his mother's paranoia, and the FL takes it as an opportunity to seduce the 2ML further. The ML witnesses the FL and the 2ML scandalously entwined and confronts her with some oblique references to freedom. Episode 9 suggests that the FL and the 2ML did have sexual relations, but the FL denies it and obfuscates the reality by coyly flirting with the 2ML. In episode 10, the ML declares that he will surrender inheritance to the 2ML and he only wants the FL. The 2ML kidnaps the FL, and plans to render his brother disabled when the ML inevitably tries to save her. The ML successfully saves the FL without losing his limbs, but in the meantime, the 2ML had successfully executed his plan to fake-save their father, to gain their father's approval and secure heir rights.

The second arc begins in episode 13. To protect the ML, the FL cold-heartedly informs him of her plans to marry his brother who now was more likely to be the heir. As the FL unravels the 2ML's plans, the ML stabs his own leg to kickstart his own plans of dragging his brother down. Apparently, being rejected by a woman is the beginning of his villain arc. This provides the FL an opportunity to provide care to the 2ML and elicit feelings in episode 14. While the 2ML's feelings develop in episodes 15 and 16, the ML repeatedly rubs the proverbial salt in the FL's wound, because of course the 2ML is already betrothed to the Crown Prince's sister. The ML saves the FL from the princess' plot and it is revealed in episode 18 that he is aware of the FL's true identity and her plans for revenge, and that his cruel act was merely to assist her in her plans. They continue their act for the 2ML, who is revealed to be deeply in love with his childhood sweetheart (the FL) and who had murdered the Xia'an clan in exchange for the FL's life. It is also disclosed in episode 20 that it was the princess who had set the Xia'an residence on fire. The princess attempts to assassinate the FL in episode 21, but the ML saves her and with some kind of physics-defying gymnastics, he manages to climb back up a cliff that he'd fallen off, with no scratches on him. The 2ML, who had rushed over to save the FL, witnesses their loving embrace and goes into hiding. To lure him out, the FL and ML planned to get married, which brings us back to the opening scene in episode 1. Episode 23 confusingly opens with the 2ML presenting the FL as the surviving Xia'an member to the Crown Prince, after the cliffhanger in episode 22. As it turns out, the FL, ML, and 2ML had plotted the Crown Prince's downfall after the confrontation at the wedding, with the 2ML gifting evidence of the Crown Prince's crimes to the FL and ML for their wedding gift. Of course, the 2ML dies protecting the FL from the princess trying to stab her. Burdened by guilt, the FL tells the ML to forget about 'Ban Meng' in the beginning of episode 24, and they go their separate ways. But by the end of the episode, after the ML returns successful from some random battle, they meet each other again.

As you can see, not very creative, not very titillating, and definitely underwhelming. I can't even say I was secretly thrilled by the so-called 'steamy' scenes.

III. The Ugly
There's nothing particularly ugly and there are no trigger warnings (other than the mass murder at the beginning, but what's new).

IV. The Verdict
Beauty can only take you so far without substance. While the FL, ML, and 2ML are not hard on the eyes, there are better things to watch.

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The Imperial Concubine Needs Better Notes (Major spoilers ahead!)

I. The Ugly
This does not have a happy ending. The edits tried to suggest an open ending to appease viewers, but the two minutes before that leads one to the logical conclusion that there is no happy ending. The last episode is just pretty takes of people waiting fruitlessly for their loved ones.

II. The Good
This seemed like someone's cinematography degree final year project, filled with beautiful shots and a flair for the dramatic. Some frames showcased a blend of bold colours and dynamic angles (e.g., the sword dance scene in episode 1 and the bamboo forest fight scene in episode 12). However, these were done at the literal expense of storytelling, edits, and acting, which is such a shame because it had a deliciously seductive premise. There were some comedic relief plots thrown in (e.g., when the FL accidentally becomes the lamppost in the 2ML and 2FL's angsty dialogue, when the ML's male servant became a horse, or when the FL misunderstood the ML, his manservant, and his female servant were in a threesome). There was so much more that could have been done with the plots and storylines.

III. The Bad
The storytelling is chaotic and choppy; scenes were pieced together without concern for continuity.
If you've ever attempted to clean a mirror with the wrong type of cleaner, you know how frustrating it can be. You keep buffing in circles, going round and round with foggy streaks. That's what the storytelling is like in this drama.

Episode 1 opens with the male lead's (ML) sword held against the female lead's (FL) neck, purportedly because he was paid a thousand gold taels to assassinate her. The FL's special skill (truth-seeking) and disease (truth-blurting) activates and she calls him out on his lie. We suddenly cut to a background introduction of the ML, a beautiful sword dance scene ruined by an assassination attempt, which is ruined by the fact that the assassin could not even stab the man sitting still next to him. As it turns out, the FL is betrothed to the ML, but the FL's father has broken off the betrothal and married his daughter off to the ML's brother, the emperor (2ML). We jump to the ten-second introduction of the vivacious and youthful FL who isn't having it easy in the palace. We are then gifted a confusing five seconds introducing the 2ML and his beloved, the 2FL. We then come back to how the ML and FL meet at the start of episode 1. FL shares the existence of her special skill, and the ML tests it. They are interrupted by a eunuch informing the FL that someone had attempted to assassinate the emperor, and the FL quickly assumed it was the ML. In episode 2. fearing for her life, she tells the ML (not knowing that he is Prince Ning) that she was betrothed to her childhood sweetheart Prince Ning and she would be happy if the emperor was dead. The ML then blackmails the FL into agreeing to cooperate with him. Meanwhile the 2ML is in love with the woman who purportedly save him, not knowing that the 2FL was sent to his side by the ML. The dowager empress is then introduced, and she appears to be conspiring with the head eunuch serving the 2ML. In episode 3, we see that the ML is supposed to be a cruel, cold-blooded killer, who grew up as an abandoned prince. The 2ML emperor is supposedly a naive, trusting fool. The dowager empress seeks to drive a wedge between the ML and 2ML to maintain power. In episode 4, we are served multiple flashbacks to when the ML and FL met, and their deal for the FL to help the ML assassinate the emperor so that the FL may marry her beloved Prince Ning. We find out that the FL is able to determine the truth only when a lie is told, but her skill does not activate if it is not a statement.

This storytelling style is repeated in all 24 episodes, as if the director and screenwriters had a collection of ideas that didn't find their narrative anchor and so lacks any form of cohesion. The FL inexplicably thinks the ML is a 'good person' despite the fact that he's only blackmailed her and instructed her to assassinate the emperor every time they meet. The ML supposedly falls in love with the FL from the time she vehemently defends her artwork. The FL supposedly falls in love at some point, but we do not know which point. The ML. 2ML, and the FL's father were secretly working together to defeat the dowager empress' plans. The 2ML is an idiot in love. The 2FL is also an idiot in love. The 2FL is killed for no reasonable plot device. The head eunuch turned out to be a spy serving another master. The dowager empress is a weak villain. All of these plot devices could have been expanded further for a more captivating story, but they burnt the opportunities to ashes instead.

I was confused about the lack of chemistry and kissing scenes between the ML and FL, given that the 2ML and 2FL had one scene, until I found out that HTT was 16 when she acted as the FL. That explained how the FL's acting is unpolished and immature; she is able to cry at the drop of a hat, but her performance lacks the in-depth angst and drama we expect from older actresses. ZJY was also a frozen stick in his scenes with HTT. which is understandable if all he can think of at that time is that she was 16. Good to know he's not a secret pedo.

IV. Conclusion
It's not an absolute do not watch, but you should not have high expectations for it.

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Drama Named "Royal Song" Without a Song

I. The Ugly:
The ending, while fitting, is not a happy one. Stop at episode 26 if you wish to force a happy ending, even though it would seem abrupt. The last 5 seconds of episode 29 hint at a second season but no news as yet.

Also, trigger warnings: Sexual assault and attempted suicide.

II. The Bad:
While the story is intriguing, the telling of it was more convoluted than wired earphones left in a bag. I had to watch the drama a second time right after the first to understand what is going on. It doesn't help that the English subtitles available on YouTube are atrocious and I resorted to watching it with the Chinese subtitles and whipping out my trusty Google Translate where necessary. The FL was 17 when she meets an imperial examination candidate with vision impairment (Xie Qing Chen's older brother, the Major General, also portrayed by Lin Ze Hui) (episode 21). They fall in love, and they were engaged when the FL was 19. Before they could marry, the Major General goes off to fight a war. A year later, the FL happily greets him at the city gates when he returns victoriously, but that's when the old libertine emperor spots her and plots to steal her (episode 22). The old emperor had perverse kinks and tricked the FL into submitting, in exchange for her parents' and the Major General's lives. The FL holds out, believing that the Major General would rescue her. Unbeknownst to her, the soldiers had already killed her parents when they tried to protect their daughter and the Major General when he stormed the palace trying to rescue the FL (episode 23). The FL only finds out when her companion maid enters the palace a year later in search of her, and the FL attempts to commit suicide. After the day she 'died', the FL rose to claim vengeance against the ministers who assisted the old emperor to kidnap her and murder her parents and the Major General (episode 24). This circles back to episode 1, where she chose to submit sexually to the ninth prince Xiao Zhi (portrayed by Richard Li Fei) "since she was unable to attain the one she loves, she might as well attain the one who loves her", presumably to secure his assistance in getting vengeance.

The drama in its entirety suffers from an identity crisis. This is apparent from the absence of a dedicated theme song; episode 28 uses a song from Love Like The Galaxy and episode 29 uses the Dream of Chang'an theme song. At first glance, one would be confused by the costumes and set, as they are highly reminiscent of the Deliberations of Love. However, when you look up the director (Zhou Xiao), you realise that she was also involved in Ru Hua Ru Tu (2022) & (2023), The Deliberations of Love (2023), and A Tale of Love and Loyalty (2024). That is not to say that the costumes and set are not beautiful (that gorgeous fan in episode 4!), but it is difficult to dive deep into the story when half my brain is trying to connect the pieces to the dramas I've watched previously. It is as if they finished filming one drama and thought "Let's not waste this" and continued filming the other dramas back-to-back, especially when all the dramas involve Richard Li Fei and Lin Ze Hui in one form or another.

I finished Legend of Lin Ye and Ru Hua Ru Tu prior to this and thought to myself "I'd like to see more of RLF and LZH in the same drama", and lo' and behold I come across Chao Ge Fu. These two are very beautiful men, but note that this drama is focussed on Hui Yi Yao as the female lead and so, the two men receive limited onscreen time. Because they had such limited onscreen time, it is difficult to evaluate if they acted well or otherwise (although RLF gets a whole episode to cry and I thought that was... barely adequate).

III. The Good:
I watched HYY as the FL in Secrets of The Shadow Sect (2024) prior to this, and HYY more or less played the same role (profligate seductress bent on revenge) except in Chao Ge Fu, HYY also reminded me of Ming Jia Jia in A Tale of Love and Loyalty towards the end. I relished HYY's role as the vengeful, sharp-tongued, self-aware gorgeous puma in this drama. I absolutely cackled each time she refers to herself as "aijia 哀家" before flirting with some toy boy or swiftly verbally flagellating insurgents. Special mention is given to the FL's companion maid who acted very, very well. She is uncredited even on Douban, so if anyone knows who she is, please comment below.

I enjoyed and wanted more of the scenes between HYY and her companion maid if anyone knows her name, please drop a comment!). The duo had really good chemistry, like an old married couple who are used to each other's shenanigans. For example, in episode 14, when the FL asks the maid to frame up LZH's painting, the maid roles her eyes in exasperation. In episode 16, when the maid speaks impolitely to the FL's brother and the FL's brother exclaims that she's rude, the FL snappily says "yes, like your housekeeper who rudely snatched a woman off the streets and beat her husband and child to death".

IV. The Verdict:
This is an opportunity for an indulgent, self-insert fantasy where the FL is so beautiful that every man who lays eyes on her, including her brother-in-law, falls in love with her but she holds true to her one true love and the only thing she can do for the one who came too late was to leave him for his own good. If you can ignore the plot fallacies and absurd storytelling, it's a drama full of melodramatic dog-blood but beautiful scenes, good for one or two rewatches (the first rewatch is absolutely necessary to understand the story).

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Nothing Wrong, Could Be More Right

I. Introduction
This is a solid rebirth-themed short-length drama, with few plot holes. The drama follows the FL in her rebirth life, as she seeks revenge on the people who did her wrong. Each revenge scene has a convenient flashback to explain what went wrong in her previous life, before bringing the audience back to the current timeline whereupon the FL promptly dispenses justice. The drama tiptoes around the plot hole where the villains have not actually done the FL wrong yet by hinting that they would have, if it weren't for the FL going on defensive offense. I was hooked throughout the 3.5 hours, and I have rewatched this twice. And yes, it has a satisfying ending.

II. Storyline/ Plot
Episode 1 opens with the FL, a decorated war general, in labour, whereupon she is betrayed by her husband the 2nd prince (the main villain), her sister (who is also sister wife), and her closest personal maid. They murder her child, then her. She awakens to find herself on the night of her marriage to the 7th prince (ML). She proposes to the disbelieving ML to work together to defeat the villain. After the FL proves herself, the ML cautiously agrees to cooperate. In the beginning, the FL takes action on her own, based on her recollection of past events and the ML astutely steps up to support the FL in her play. The FL is willing to hurt herself, just to seek retribution; her plan being to lure the main villain into destroying himself. Witnessing her resolve, the ML begins to fall in love with the FL and refuses to let her leave him. Every time the ML enquires how the villains had hurt her, the FL refuses to answer. Halfway through the drama, the ML expresses his frustrations at how the FL does not trust the ML enough to include him in her plans. The FL appears oblivious to the ML's feelings, but the ML persistently expresses his feelings. Finally, the FL trusts the ML enough to disclose that her premonitions were her experiences from her past life. At the end, all villains face their just desserts: her evil stepmother is forced to commit suicide for her crimes, her sister is driven mad, her ex-husband the 2nd prince is killed (by the ML no less!). The final scene is of the ML supporting the FL in returning to the frontlines when the country faces a crisis, because she is first Murong Qiuyu the person, then the General Pingxiang as appointed, before she is the 7th prince's wife (which I thought was bloody romantic).

The overall plot is solid, with few plot holes that you'd only notice if you really thought about it. The retribution plan is not particularly ingenious and merely required the FL's previous experience as background knowledge, but the plan was plausible and did not require full suspension of disbelief and outrageous miraculous resources. Nothing in the storyline jumps out to slap you in the face with a smelly tuna or leaves you hanging at the end as everything is tied up neatly.

III. Characters
I enjoyed the chemistry between WMJ (FL) and CB (ML). They didn't have the fiery passion of a young romance, but the companionship of an old couple or mature people who've been through the worst in life and found solace and comfort in each other. The romance between the two developed at a good, believable pace, and WMJ and CB performed their roles remarkably well. I'd like to see both together or individually in more dramas. LSY (main villain) and MLE (villain sister) surprisingly did really well as villains; LSY had me believing he's truly obnoxious and vile and MLE, as a spoilt, conniving woman.

IV. Production Aspects
I watched the drama as a full-length movie, so most of the theme songs were cut out. But if you search YouTube, you will find that there were 4 and all 4 are fantastic and would have definitely augmented the drama to full-length drama quality. The costumes and set weren't bad but nothing particularly stood out to me; both were designed to reflect a more sombre drama (think LLTG) than happy bright themes (e.g., AB).

V. Conclusion
This is worth watching, especially if you have a predilection for clever leads, satisfying comeuppance for evildoers, and complete endings.

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Nothing Wrong, Yet Nothing Right

I. Introduction
This is yet another transmigration-themed short-length drama. The FL was originally an 18th tier actress who landed a supporting role in a drama, which the FL complained had a terrible script, slow storyline, cheesy (dog-blood) plot, and strange personalities. The FL is sucked into the script, with the option to either portray the supporting role as written to its dead end or revise the storyline for a 'perfect ending' to return to her world. The FL starts by choosing the easy way out, i.e., playing the supporting role as a white lotus (pure outward appearances, muddy depths hidden underneath), before choosing to change the plot.

The drama relies heavily on tried transmigration tropes, e.g., the FL plagiarises famous works when she is forced to recite poetry, the FL utilises modern knowledge to perform artistic skill, the FL having to save the ML after they fall off a cliff. However, the scriptwriters managed to insert new twists, e.g., the FL pushes the ML into a pond despite knowing full-well he cannot swim, the bodyguard yeeting the ML and FL off the cliff, the ML being dressed as a maid while he recuperates secretly in the FL's home. The clever humour elevated the score to a 7, but there was not enough novelty to raise it higher.

II. Storyline/ Plot
The storyline isn't particularly original. The FL intended to play the white lotus role, inciting her older sister to kill her and thereby return her to her world quickly. However, her older sister refuses to play ball and commends the FL for her good taste. Because the elder sister treated her so well, the FL decides to forge a new storyline and tries matchmaking her sister with the Prince of Lin, whom the sister is in love with. The FL informs her sister that she would be joining the ML's camp, to which her sister is horrified as the Su family are the Prince of Lin's supporters. The FL begins to obliviously gather a collection of men, the way ripening fruit collects fruit flies. The FL's interactions with the ML appear to be completely misguided on the ML's part and accidental on the FL's part. Meanwhile, a secondary palace intrigue plot unfolds, and the FL is suddenly replaced by a doppelgänger. The FL is rescued and a body substitute is burned to death in her place. The FL's rescuers turned out to be beneficiaries of the FL's mother's grace, and surprise, surprise, the rescuers are all special cookies who assists the FL to return under a different identity to disrupt the plans of the villain (who is a really weak villain). The FL's sister randomly and unnecessarily dies at the hands of the villain and the FL quickly develops a plan to drive the villain insane. After the villain gets her comeuppance, the FL is suddenly kidnapped by the 8th prince to be gifted to the ML for his birthday. While escaping, the FL remembers that the ML is about to be poisoned by mushrooms and so she returns to meet him.

This synopsis is disjointed and incomplete, precisely how the drama is. It is as if someone sewed a garment and while the garment is technically fit for its purpose, there are many loose threads hanging on to the garment that have not been neatly incorporated or snipped off. The production theme decided to leave this with an open ending that cannot even be completed with fan fiction or fan edits.

III. Characters
XXN acts well as the spunky, witty FL. Admittedly, HL is playing a stone-cold ML but he singularly held on to a placid expression for all 26 episodes, even when he purports to miss her and when he finally sees her again. PQ once again plays a 'prince on a white steed' role, but I'm not exactly sure what purpose his character serves as it could easily be replaced by an unnamed male. The supporting cast either overacted or underacted, but that is to be expected in a lower-budget short-length drama. However, honourable mention should be given to GWX who plays the 8th prince Zhao Yinghe. Although he had very limited screen time, he definitely made the most of it and would have been interesting to watch if his character had more screen time in season 2.

IV. Production Aspects
This must have been one of the lower-budget dramas as the costumes and set are undeniably of cheaper quality. None of the FL or ML's outfits stood out for me. The music (what little we hear of it) was also a cheap jingle that highlighted this drama is not to be taken seriously.

V. Conclusion
It's an easy watch, if you just want something playing in the background while you are occupied with menial tasks. However, if you pay full attention to this, it may not hold your attention for very long.

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Crack Humour, Perfect Marks for the Commitment!

I. Introduction
This drama is proof that if the production team commits to the theme, no matter how ludicrous the storyline is or how substandard the costume looks, the drama can still score almost perfect marks. Everything, from the characters' names to the plot to the costumes and makeup to the music, was eccentric crack. Zhangsun Wuhen (the FL, whose name is literally 'eldest grandson no hatred') is granted the title Commandery Princess and sent to Xiangxiong (literally, Elephant Bear) for a political marriage. After 3 years, she arrives in Xiangxiong alone as her entourage has been beaten and eaten by monsters during the journey. There, she finds out that Xiangxiong practises polyandry in addition to polygyny, and thus, she is to marry all 5 brothers of the Kun family: Prime Minister Nima Yixi, Defence General Heima Renzeng (literally, 'black horse, increasing benevolence'), businessman Duojin Zhandui (literally, 'lots of gold, to possess heaps'), top idol Baima Jiacuo (literally, 'white horse, excellent measures'), and child prodigy Gaerben Dalongwajiong (literally, 'karma you fool, attain (and) gather distant roof tiles'). The FL tries to strategise a way out of the polygamous marriage, but in the meantime she must comply with Xiangxiong's laws.

I enjoyed this drama so much because of its constant subversion of expectations. The writing team took every single costume, political-marriage-themed drama and inverted the plot points, resulting in a highly entertaining work product. Because they fully committed to the crack humour theme, every scene is judge by that standard and no mistake could be found.

II. Story and Plot
The drama mostly focusses on the FL's daily life being married to the 5 brothers. There really isn't a single plot thread connecting the episodes, and each episode could be watched in isolation of the others without much mental gymnastics. Some episodes are pure crack (subverting common palace romance/ palace intrigue tropes) while others are sardonic about modern day politics and society. In the first few episodes, it would appear that the 5 brothers are not too pleased about having the FL as their wife but this is later negated. In episode 5 they sweetly cheer her up after realising she may be homesick, and episode 9 hints that there was a reason the FL is chosen as the political marriage victim. In episode 11, the truth is revealed. Episode 12 leaves an opening for season 2, but considering this was aired in 2021, I hold zero hopes for a second season.

III. Characters
ZXB is a FL who is trying to navigate life being essentially a political hostage in a foreign nation, while LBY, WHX, YHM, LMJ, and PJQ are parodies of the male leads in costume/ palace romance dramas.
Here's the thing: ZXB, LBY, WHX, YHM, LMJ are all very good looking people in real life/ other dramas. Due to the concept of this drama, certain aspects of their facial features were magnified to create cartoonish images. The only one who looks normal in this drama is PJQ as Gaerben Dalongwajiong. In terms of acting chops, kudos must be given to the cast; they fully committed to the theme and delivered not just cracked pots but pots smashed to smithereens.

IV. Production Aspects
Production oscillates between seriously good quality investments, e.g., the FL's costumes, the Xiangxiong queen's costumes, and the animated parts, and seriously cheap quality trash, e.g., Heima Renzeng's costume, the Xiangxiong king's costume, the Xiangxiong imperial greeting room. The theme song plays up the crack pot humour.

V. Conclusion
If you need something light-hearted, easy to watch, this is the drama for you. However, do not expect any intelligence from it, as the production team was clearly taking the mickey out of everything and everyone, and in some episodes, highly un-PC-ed (unpolitically-corrected).

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10/10 Rewatch if You Enjoy Dog-blood Melodrama

I. Introduction

Brace yourself for delicious angst with Circle of Love, a short-length drama packed with every melodramatic cliche trope you have ever read about. This is pwp for those who secretly consume bodice ripper novels or shoujo manga, and who have a secret kink for 'alpha males' and 'damsels in distress', conveniently ignoring the modern society warnings about idolising toxic, manipulative, abusive, and possessive characters.

II. Story and Plot

Let's be honest- We are not watching this for any story or plot. The cliches utilised in the story weren't just beaten to a pulp, they were pulverised into subatomic particles. The supporting female lead is predictably stupid in her vindictive mischief, and the glowering male lead's responses served as the inspiration for Katy Perry's 'Hot n Cold'. The female lead catches amnesia the way people caught Covid-19 in 2020. Abortion soup is served like dessert. I'm not even sure when did the female lead get pregnant- or did the male lead impregnate her by shooting lusty gazes at her all while keeping his trousers on?

The plot tropes get wilder and more incredulous with each episode, that by the last episode you're left spinning like a drunk top on crack. The male lead suffers multiple gunshot wounds in places that generally mean quick death even with a single shot, and yet still managed to remain standing, speak for 10 minutes, crawl multiple times, be hurled six feet away (not once but twice!), be trampled on, wrestle with the villain, shoot the villain, and not die. The female lead similarly has some kind of hero's halo, as she shoots herself in the head, but in the last 2 minutes of the episode, can be seen reuniting with the male lead on some battlefield 'two years later'.

III. Characters

We watch this- as PeachBlossomGoddess puts it- for LJL's (ML) smouldering gaze, taut chest, and steamy manhandling of GC (FL). LJL and GC's chemistry is so palpable here, you will beg for them to collaborate on a longer-length drama. LJL delivers a powerhouse performance as a possessive, abusive, amorous, and delicious snack. GC has a quick-witted face, which supports her character as someone trying to outwit the male lead and she manages to restrain herself from overacting in a melodramatic role (falling in love with her abuser in every instance of amnesia). The same can't be said for YZM (2ML) who emotes like he is a GIF or sticker for even the smallest of scenes. Meanwhile WLH (2FL) must have been slapped frozen by the FL's audacity to exist. She steadfastly held the same petulant expression throughout the entire drama, be it happily receiving an expensive gift, viciously planning someone's rape, or being jilted at the eleventh hour.

IV. Production Aspects

Set in the Chinese Republican Era, the set showcased luxurious Western influences, e.g., use of ornate wooden furniture, plush bedding, and art deco architecture. The cinematography repeatedly utilised muted tones and dim lighting to drag audiences into visually seductive scenes. Some of LJL's suits were inaccurately modern for the era, but LJL bore the uniform so well, any young damsel or damned sir would develop a uniform kink. GC's gorgeous OOTDs had her oscillating between sweet-daisy-next-door in one scene and poisonous-rose-assassin in the next. Notably, the song 克萊因與鯨 (some translated it as 'Klein and the Whale'-- who's Klein??) is a poignant song which heightened the emotional impact of the angsty scenes.

V. Conclusion

Circle of Love is not for the progressives. It demands suspension of disbelief and preference for indulging in luscious angst and melodrama (you know who you are). LJL and GC's stellar love-hate performances, the compelling agony, and effective soundtrack elevates this to a 10/10 rewatch value, but its general storyline is so ludicrous, the overall score is brought down to 8/10.

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Recipe For Disappointment: 1x Good OST, 1x Attractive People, 1x Bad Editing, 1x Bad Acting

I. The Ugly
You know it's bad when I start with the ugly. The ending is ugly because (a) no happy ending and (b) did they run out of memory card space? At least let the FL bawl over the ML's body for a bit. Maybe this was the production team's way of baiting for another season, since previous series with good potential failed to get signed for one. There were lavish uses of dog-blood tropes but for what purpose, I do not know because I do not know what were they cooking.

II. The Bad
Where do I start? This series had all the ingredients for a hit, but it's like a 5-year-old was given top-quality ingredients to cook in their little battery-operated play kitchen--the dish served was barely warm, over-flavouring in some parts, and under-flavouring in others.

Again, I'm no stranger to angsty dog-blood melodrama and in fact, I will eat bowls of it. This series dropped steaming piles of it in random places (episode 1 opens with the FL witnessing her father dying/ dead at the ML's feet before the ML carries her off, episode 2 shows how the ML protects the side chick because she supposedly save him and how the FL is betrayed by her father's trusted friend, episode 3 ends with a 'cliffhanger' of the ML potentially sexually assaulting the FL under the influence of drugged incense, etc., etc.). The problem was the lack of commitment to it: Unlike Circle of Love (my go-to platinum-standard angsty dog-blood melodrama), the scenes lacked the hate and passion. I'm not sure if it is due to the editing or acting. Instead of letting the angst build, there were interspersed placid scenes. Even the build up to the ending, where the ML is supposedly not as irredeemable as he appears or how the villainess is more iniquitous than a cockroach that refuses to die, was lacklustre and lacked conviction.

Coming to conviction, I'm more convinced of the chemistry between the ML and the side chick than I was of the ML and FL's. Their acting with each other was atrocious. It was as if they both recognised that the other was an objectively attractive person and... that's it. No sparks. No magnetic force. Not even during the skin-ship scenes. Not even a fart of a fizz.

All 4 of them (CZJ as the ML, JYYR as the FL, YZM as the 2ML, CHY as the 2FL) delivered their lines with as minimal emotion as they could get away with. It was like I had four slices of wild Alaskan salmon flopping around on my lukewarm countertop. The production team tried to use many tropes that only work with full-length dramas because the actors had built chemistry with each other (even between rivals) and background stories. Throwing these cliches out to an underdeveloped story is like burying your tuna poke bowl under sesame seeds when the ahi tuna is missing.

III. The Good
Well, they're good-looking. CZJ reminds me of Aarif Rahman, and he was paid more to bare his chest than he was to act. I'm glad to see that YZM finally has a non-villainous role (he's been so stereotyped, I kept expecting him to do something evil).

The theme songs, costumes, and set were top notch, worthy of a full-length drama. I'm quite amazed at the quality of the theme songs actually. Maybe if they'd taken half the fees for the songs and paid the actors or editing team more, we'd have a much better drama to watch.

IV. Conclusion
Watch if you like sexy skin and chopped up slices of angsty dog-blood melodrama scenes that are so incongruous, fan edits can take those out and nobody would realise the dish is missing anything.

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Model Student for Short-length Dramas

I. Introduction
This is what all short-length/ web dramas should aspire to. The synopsis above is incorrect as this isn't a transmigration story, but a rebirth one. In the first life, the FL married the ML and they were affectionate but not deeply in love (as alluded to in later episodes). However, the ML plotted a rebellion and the couple was granted a peaceful death by poisoned wine. The FL drinks the poisoned wine, but finds herself waking up on the morning the rebellion is scheduled to take place. She manages to knock the ML out, but they are again granted death by poisoned wine when the ML's accomplices proceed with the rebellion in his absence. So the FL drinks the poisoned wine again, and finds herself waking up the day the emperor granted an engagement between the FL and the ML. This time, by hook or by crook, she plans to avoid the ML and all palace intrigues to save her life and her sanity.

The plot device is allowed to flourish at an adequate pace, without random scenes or continuity issues. The performance, while not perfect, still draws you in to believe the characters' feelings and perception. The setting, staging, music, and clean happy ending all come together to create a worthwhile ~4-hour diversion.

II. Storyline/ Plot
I absolutely loved the storyline. Let me count the whys: (1) The FL showed deep character development. She starts off as a 胆小怕死 blasé twit, intent at avoiding the ML at all costs, but grows braver once she understands her feelings for him. (2) There are hints sprinkled throughout the episodes that the ML remembers his first two lives, and the grand reveal in the final episode compelled me to rewatch the series from the start to review the hints. (3) There is subversion of expectations--I expected the ML to be an overbearing twat, but in episode 12 he vehemently argued that even if he was interested in the FL, the FL had to be willing to accept his interests (before he pursued her). Even the timely comedic scenes subverted expectations, e.g., when the FL trusses the ML up like a turkey in episode 1, when the second prince only wants the ML to lose his crown prince position but not his life or his reputation, when the betrothal gifts were pushed back and forth, when they argued in episode 13 and the ML pauses in storming out when he realised he was storming out of his own palace, when the FL's parents leave her at the mercy of the ML, etc. (4) The romance was not forced, and the development of the characters' feelings were paced well. (5) The ending wrapped up loose ends really well, even if there were some openings to keep viewers guessing, just none that were too frustrating.

Points are deducted for the use of modern gaming slang (e.g., 老六, 猪队友), causing confusion that this is a transmigration story instead of a rebirth story, and for the mess that is episode 23. I mean, if he could fling the sword like that, why didn't he do so from the start?

III. Characters
ZJM is a beautiful, mischievous FL trying to get out of the clutches of the ML. LF is better at expressing obstinacy, care, mischief, and cunning here, than he was in My Villain Husband. The chemistry between ZJM and LF is adorable, leaving me gushing and squealing at times. The ML's rivalry and brotherly affection with his brother (the second prince) is humorous and touching-- they are allowed to kick their brother in the nuts but nobody else is allowed to insult (or make use of) their sibling. This drama definitely made good use of the ~4 hours to showcase good character development for the FL and ML, and explore facets of the second prince rather than taking the easy path of making him a one-dimensional villain. The supporting cast did so well in their roles--even the geese in the betrothal gifts were paid actors!

IV. Production Aspects
The drama boasts impressive production value with a well-designed, visually-appealing set. My word, the costumes are gorgeous-- the delicate details that went into the FL's and ML's costumes and makeup! The production team also invested in two songs that elevate the drama to almost full-length drama quality, and are complete ear worms.

V. Conclusion
A must watch and a must rewatch for the times when you need something simple and simply gratifying.

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Light-hearted Comedy, Satisfying Ending

I. Introduction

This is an easy breezy short-length drama with minimal angst and misunderstandings, and a satisfying ending. TYY (FL) meets ZYB (ML) when she tries to brain her ex-fiance for cheating on her with her ex-bestie and her ex-fiance uses ML as a meat shield. ML suffers from a (hand-wavey) chemical reaction that causes him to assume the physical appearances of the person who touches him longer than 5 seconds, but the antidote is found when the FL accidentally face plants on his lips. ML then seeks to keep FL by his side through various ways and means, supposedly because she is his curative. Its simple narrative and opportunistic humour earned it a solid overall 9/10 stars.

II. Story and Plot

Given the whimsical nature of the plot, you must suspend disbelief if you choose to watch this. Don't bother trying to figure out the 'whys'. This also extends to why the FL attempts multiple times to betray the ML's secret transformation disease to her pop idol played by JYT (2ML) since she wasn't being held hostage or blackmailed into remaining by ML's side. There were some other fudging of plot points (the 2ML suddenly being less annoying and the 2FL suddenly being less spiteful), which I deducted points for. But generally the story progressed at a good pace, there were good chuckles to be had, and there was an interesting plot reveal (albeit somewhat expected) towards the end.

III. Characters

TYY and ZYB portrayed their roles well, and I couldn't help but still maintain a liking for the FL even when she attempts to betray the ML. They had an 'older couple' chemistry-- not the hot, steamy chemistry of a young couple in the passionate throes of an early relationship, but more of the comfortable, affectionate chemistry of an older couple who have a deep friendship. Kudos must be given to JYT for being able to distinguish when he was playing himself as the 2ML and when he was playing the ML who had transformed into the 2ML. He had nailed the ML's speech patterns and body language admirably.

IV. Production Aspects

Given that this is a modern day drama, the costumes and set aren't anything to shout about. The soundtrack is predictably sweet to match the tone of the drama.

V. Conclusion

This drama offers a light and breezy escape into a Cinderella-esque world of mistaken identities and sweet romance. It is a worthwhile watch for those seeking a quick and fun romantic escape.

VI. Bonus

1) There is some hilarious BL and GL mischief due to the ML's condition, which will tickle the more deviant of audiences.
2) The 'morning after' scene is word-for-word is exactly the same as the 'morning after' scene in Circle of Love.

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