Liadan
Utah, USA
This review may contain spoilers
The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Like a puzzle or a rich tapestry, the individual pieces may not be exquisite when viewed individually. Put together, they create a stunning picture. General and I is one of these masterpieces where the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts.
Yes, it has flaws. Angelababy's acting, especially the opposite of Sun Yizhou's, is lackluster, and a dead fish could emit more EQ or facial expressions than Angelababy. When paired with Wallace Chung, she can shine like the luminous jade hairpin she wears. The production quality suffered for the CGI budget (which was mediocre at best). The story left something to be desired (especially when it comes to the female cast being suicidal or depressed over misunderstandings or that falling in love with someone you grew up with was the primary way to fall in love in this world). Weave all these imperfect pieces together, and the whole became greater than the sum of its parts.
Wallace Chung (Chu Beijie) shines in every scene he is in. The other actors around him become the scenery to complement him. His ability to shine the spotlight on the other actor or actress when needed makes him one of the acting gods of Chinese filmography.
The Story between Bai Pingting and He Xia at the beginning felt flat. He Xia's feelings for her felt insincere and fleeting at best. His refusal to let go of the past, accept change he doesn't like, and disregard for the feelings of others makes him a perfect villain to Chu Beijie. Add to that Bai Pingting's self-doubt and Beijie's willingness to accept blame for any event that goes wrong, and you have two people who love each other deeply but spend too much of the show separated.
The plots within plots within plots and one-sided love interest stories add to the misunderstandings between the two. The plot arc between Shisan (Thirteenth Lady) and Beijie/PingTing felt unnecessary, especially given that Beijie was more than upfront with her on many occasions, letting her know that she had no chance to weasel her way into his heart and that he would only ever see her as a colleague and friend. Her selfishness cost him several episodes of extra estrangement from the person he loved, and while she eventually rights her wrongs, the story arc could have been that of friendship, not only with Beijie but with PingTing as well. It would have made her actions in episode 61 more meaningful to the story.
Yes, it has flaws. Angelababy's acting, especially the opposite of Sun Yizhou's, is lackluster, and a dead fish could emit more EQ or facial expressions than Angelababy. When paired with Wallace Chung, she can shine like the luminous jade hairpin she wears. The production quality suffered for the CGI budget (which was mediocre at best). The story left something to be desired (especially when it comes to the female cast being suicidal or depressed over misunderstandings or that falling in love with someone you grew up with was the primary way to fall in love in this world). Weave all these imperfect pieces together, and the whole became greater than the sum of its parts.
Wallace Chung (Chu Beijie) shines in every scene he is in. The other actors around him become the scenery to complement him. His ability to shine the spotlight on the other actor or actress when needed makes him one of the acting gods of Chinese filmography.
The Story between Bai Pingting and He Xia at the beginning felt flat. He Xia's feelings for her felt insincere and fleeting at best. His refusal to let go of the past, accept change he doesn't like, and disregard for the feelings of others makes him a perfect villain to Chu Beijie. Add to that Bai Pingting's self-doubt and Beijie's willingness to accept blame for any event that goes wrong, and you have two people who love each other deeply but spend too much of the show separated.
The plots within plots within plots and one-sided love interest stories add to the misunderstandings between the two. The plot arc between Shisan (Thirteenth Lady) and Beijie/PingTing felt unnecessary, especially given that Beijie was more than upfront with her on many occasions, letting her know that she had no chance to weasel her way into his heart and that he would only ever see her as a colleague and friend. Her selfishness cost him several episodes of extra estrangement from the person he loved, and while she eventually rights her wrongs, the story arc could have been that of friendship, not only with Beijie but with PingTing as well. It would have made her actions in episode 61 more meaningful to the story.
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