s_im_
satan's clutches
This review may contain spoilers
Sweet, but not very memorable
*outline*
I really don't know why this drama was hyped up on a few of the YouTube channels I follow, there was honestly nothing much to it and the roles just weren't very convincing... maybe the drama could've been successful if some of the actors changed. However, this is a good drama to watch if you're coming back from a very dramatic plotline (from another drama/movie, I mean).
*analysis*
STORY : One thing I definitely liked from the very beginning was the fact we could jump into the story quickly. There weren't any unnecessary scenes; this immediately caught my interest. This is also what drove me to watch it straight away. The different moods throughout the drama (funny, cute, jealous moments) were evenly proportionate and there weren't any unnecessary scenes or characters either. On the other hand the script was very boring. Yan Ke and Yifan's chemistry was good, I'll give the scriptwriter that... but their lines were very dry. It seemed there was awkward tension between the two rather than a feeling of love? Though, the best scripted scenes were between each family. The parent-child relationships were very realistic in the sense we could see the difference in how different family dynamics are. There are different forms of love for the same relationship, if that makes any sense. The worst part of the script was the denseness of some of the characters. Yifan says somewhere "you can't hide it if you like someone" and here Yan Ke was trying his hardest to hint to her that he doesn't only like her... but even love her maybe. This is the most annoying thing I come across in some asian dramas, they're just so dense (especially the women); it's like a character's denseness has become a genre in itself. Because of this, the confession wasn't exactly amazing either. I'd actually felt grateful that it finally happened because it was just getting lengthy and tiring to keep watching both the main characters hesitating. I do have to admit, the character development after the main couple finally got together was a really nice watch. You could see their affection and love for each other grow consistently. I expected a more awkward relationship, but that wasn't the case. I just ended up shipping them more. And finally, the ending - this is one of very few dramas that actually has a complete and sweet ending.
ACTING / CAST : Hands down, my favourite character was Qi Xiaosong. He wasn't all that special until the end of Episode 12; I only realised 'damn, he's so precious' halfway through the drama. In terms of acting too, love scenes did look quite awkward too (more so before they actually got together). Riley Wang was one of the very few (continuous appearance) characters who continued to stick to his role very well. (Doesn't he sort of look like Eric Nam though? :')) Wan Peng actually came out of her character a few times... And other times her acting just felt either too dramatic/passive. Background characters actually did a little bad. There were a few times I noticed they kept watching the main & supporting characters act when they obviously weren't supposed to; this made them look like the audience rather than actors. One last note: Qi Xiaosong deserved more screen time.
MUSIC : Loud. Very loud. Most of the time I couldn't even hear the lines... It was just so disruptive, and the dynamics continued to change, it's like the editors didn't even cross reference between the scenes to make sure the volume was continuous throughout and low enough so we could actually hear what the actors were saying. This ruined the mood and gave me a bad impression of the music so badly that I ended up not enjoying it at all (even when it finally improved around the end). It doesn't matter if it's good or not, I just didn't bother trying to listen to the music as I tried to concentrate on the scene a little more.
REWATCH VALUE : It's very low, to be honest. No matter how sweet the story was, there wasn't actually much to it. And the characters weren't very memorable either. Though, I may miss Qi Xiaosong despite his very little screen time.
*extra*
1. First thing's first, I have to admit I couldn't stop shipping Qi Xiaosong with Yan Ke continuously, throughout every screentime of theirs (despite Xiong Yifan being there a few times too).
2. Guys, please recommend some dramas where the characters aren't so dense? I've been wanting a good watch since ages...
I really don't know why this drama was hyped up on a few of the YouTube channels I follow, there was honestly nothing much to it and the roles just weren't very convincing... maybe the drama could've been successful if some of the actors changed. However, this is a good drama to watch if you're coming back from a very dramatic plotline (from another drama/movie, I mean).
*analysis*
STORY : One thing I definitely liked from the very beginning was the fact we could jump into the story quickly. There weren't any unnecessary scenes; this immediately caught my interest. This is also what drove me to watch it straight away. The different moods throughout the drama (funny, cute, jealous moments) were evenly proportionate and there weren't any unnecessary scenes or characters either. On the other hand the script was very boring. Yan Ke and Yifan's chemistry was good, I'll give the scriptwriter that... but their lines were very dry. It seemed there was awkward tension between the two rather than a feeling of love? Though, the best scripted scenes were between each family. The parent-child relationships were very realistic in the sense we could see the difference in how different family dynamics are. There are different forms of love for the same relationship, if that makes any sense. The worst part of the script was the denseness of some of the characters. Yifan says somewhere "you can't hide it if you like someone" and here Yan Ke was trying his hardest to hint to her that he doesn't only like her... but even love her maybe. This is the most annoying thing I come across in some asian dramas, they're just so dense (especially the women); it's like a character's denseness has become a genre in itself. Because of this, the confession wasn't exactly amazing either. I'd actually felt grateful that it finally happened because it was just getting lengthy and tiring to keep watching both the main characters hesitating. I do have to admit, the character development after the main couple finally got together was a really nice watch. You could see their affection and love for each other grow consistently. I expected a more awkward relationship, but that wasn't the case. I just ended up shipping them more. And finally, the ending - this is one of very few dramas that actually has a complete and sweet ending.
ACTING / CAST : Hands down, my favourite character was Qi Xiaosong. He wasn't all that special until the end of Episode 12; I only realised 'damn, he's so precious' halfway through the drama. In terms of acting too, love scenes did look quite awkward too (more so before they actually got together). Riley Wang was one of the very few (continuous appearance) characters who continued to stick to his role very well. (Doesn't he sort of look like Eric Nam though? :')) Wan Peng actually came out of her character a few times... And other times her acting just felt either too dramatic/passive. Background characters actually did a little bad. There were a few times I noticed they kept watching the main & supporting characters act when they obviously weren't supposed to; this made them look like the audience rather than actors. One last note: Qi Xiaosong deserved more screen time.
MUSIC : Loud. Very loud. Most of the time I couldn't even hear the lines... It was just so disruptive, and the dynamics continued to change, it's like the editors didn't even cross reference between the scenes to make sure the volume was continuous throughout and low enough so we could actually hear what the actors were saying. This ruined the mood and gave me a bad impression of the music so badly that I ended up not enjoying it at all (even when it finally improved around the end). It doesn't matter if it's good or not, I just didn't bother trying to listen to the music as I tried to concentrate on the scene a little more.
REWATCH VALUE : It's very low, to be honest. No matter how sweet the story was, there wasn't actually much to it. And the characters weren't very memorable either. Though, I may miss Qi Xiaosong despite his very little screen time.
*extra*
1. First thing's first, I have to admit I couldn't stop shipping Qi Xiaosong with Yan Ke continuously, throughout every screentime of theirs (despite Xiong Yifan being there a few times too).
2. Guys, please recommend some dramas where the characters aren't so dense? I've been wanting a good watch since ages...
Was this review helpful to you?
