A drama lack of sense of CP between the male leads

As a two protagonists male leads drama, sadly to say this drama is below my expectation and such a disappointment for a long wait drama. Maybe because one of the main character is unlikeable : Zhang Ping. I can’t bring myself to root for him, he is describe as a genius, a man who use his logic to analize all the things that happen around him but how can sometimes he act so reckless, naive and impulsive ? It’s such a contradictive character. And to make it worst, the actor who portray this role Song Wei Long also has stiff facial expression, his acting skill was so bad that most of the time you will see him stare in a daze, his speech is sluggish and flat and has no emotional of ups and down. Sometimes there is no different between when he is happy, angry or sad. Instead of giving us a feeling of a handsome and frail scholar, what we see is a dumb and rough character from Jianghu.

This show really lack the sense of CP between the leads, maybe because they cut a lot of scenes when these two have interaction, that’s why we can’t feel their chemistry. The scene when both Zhang Ping and Gu Qing Zhang eating vinegar while Lan Jue didn’t realised the situation is quite fun to watch, Wang Duo really nail his character here. It remind me with his character in Ying Yang Master, it also has some similarity : a possessive and insane character

As for Jing Boran, I like the way he portray Lan Jue, kudos to his acting skill, we get to see a noble and elegant Vice Minister of Rites. Jing Boran appearance really pleasing to the eye, his charming sophisticated outlook as a graceful nobleman outside but hiding deep and calculating inside character is praiseworthy and I think he has more sense of CP with Wang Yang. I really love Wang Yang, the way he look at Lan Jue was full of affection and doting gaze and I can’t help myself to not shipping them LOL.

If you have watched “Detective Lee and the Mystery of Phantom Flame” movie, you will find this drama has some similarity with this movie.
1. Empress Dowager who rule the court instead of the emperor (in the movie it was empress Wu Zhetian)
2. To build a statue to proclaim her era
3. Using the statue as a way to execute the revenge plan

As a mystery drama, there are some plot holes that hard to ignores. The way they solve the problem with water illusion trick was kind of unlogic and shortcut solution. The funny thing in this drama is, we get to see Lan Jue ability to make three men fight for his affection : wang Yan a man full of devotion, Zhang Ping an upright scholar and his long lost confidant Shulin aka Gu Qing Zhang but at the end of the story, Lan Jue is a father of a boy name Lan Hui. WTH is going on here, I mean afterall what we’ve been through he is just a normal guy hahaha

The background and detail in this drama is good, the clothes were made according to their characters. Zhang Ping is a poor scholar so his clothes is simple cotton while Lan Jue as an officer has more expensive look with bright colour and shiny material with rich pattern that depict the elegance of the foregone era.

Music, is so so not so memorable or impressive enough to make you want to hear it again

Overall as a mystery drama is quite enjoyable but not a stand out one

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Best Visual Effect this year for Xian Xia Drama

Randomly pick this drama and my first impression from the poster is : oh another Xian Xia Idol drama because it’s only have 36 episodes and have lesser high profile casts. But uh oh… when I watched the first 3 episodes, I’ve changed my mind! It really took me by surprise ! Everything about this drama was so epic : the cinematography, special effect, prop, backsound and what impressed me the most is Dylan Wang’s acting skill! The scenes when he had to swap body with Orchid was very convincing, from his gesture, mimic and reaction it was beyond my expectation. Whether as a Demon King or Orchid in a male body, he really nailed his role and blend well with his characters. All the emotions were perfectly portrayed, from cold and domineering Demon Lord to Timid and cute Orchid. And his dubber voice was perfect, l doubt it will have the same effect if he use his own voice for this drama, his voice is a little bit childish for me lol not suitable for the mighty Demon King. But…. he is slaying hot with his black costume and that magnificent head piece of him. I wonder how many female fans drooling over him now LOL. And for Esther Yu her voice was perfectly fit for her character, cute and bubbly with her pouting mouth LOL

As a xianxia drama lover, what i enjoy the most from this drama is its visual effects and artistic background design. The money really well spent In this aspect, for me it’s useless if you have an A List actor/actress in a drama but the visual effect look cheap. Ofcourse the acting is the key point too, but it will drag a drama down if the visual is bad. The world building in this drama was portrayed so beautiful and mesmerizing with smooth graphics, hands up for the production team to give more attention for this. I hope this will inspire others production house to follow the same road with them.

The story itself is simple and not new for xianxia drama, all the xianxia trope were here : Cold Male Lead, Bubbly Female Lead, one of them sacrificing for others, Hidden Identity of the Female Lead, etc. But what makes it enjoyable to watch is this drama doesn’t have unnecessary filler scenes, except for the twin sister revelation. It feel too rushed and have no point, maybe because the actress who play Dan Yin Role has an issue and all her scenes were deleted from the drama, that’s why we feel it that way.

There is one thing that I think can make this drama more epic : the war scene at the end of the drama, it feels like an anti klimaks for me, it just too low key and quite. Maybe if this drama have more episodes the ending wont feel a little bit rushed. But overall this is a MUST watch drama for Xianxia lover, you will get hooked from the first episodes and get fascinating by it’s visual aspect

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Worth to watch for bl fan

Found this hidden gem 2 days ago and I have to say this drama deserved to get more recognition and popularity.
Set in the Republican-era, this crime thriller drama revolves around the bromance between a hot temper police chief (Jiang Yue Lou) and a kind heart doctor (Chen Yu Zhi). Story about two men with opposite character : one kills, while the other heals, killer and healer.

Mao Zi Jun did a great job portraying Jiang Yue Lou character, he is an uptight police officer in Jing City that hate opium dealer the most because his family was torn apart all thanks to the opium. He has been a loner his entire life and doesn’t trust people easily except for his adoptive father : Commisioner Bai Jin Bo, but Yu Zhi changed it all. He became a happy camper whenever Yu Zhi is around, even his subordinate realize this. All Yue Lou's unbridled desire and affection for Yu Zhi were portrayed well just from the way he look at Yu Zhi, those long gaze and deep yearning when they met again after life and death experience say it all. Chen Yu Zhi as a compassionate doctor who is righteous and kind with his calm and soft demeanor also well portrayed by Ian Yi. Their relationship was so solid and build from a mutual respect and utmost trust for each other thus it make no room for misunderstanding and I think this made the show more likeable to watch.

Well now, let's talk about the second couple. While the main couple was a pure and selfless type relationship that promote a positive vibe , the second couples was a nerve wrecking relationship. I love both actors who play these 2 roles : Chen Yu Cheng as the heartless and ruthless Zhan Jun Bai and Patrick Quan as an elegant and sophistiscated opera singer Boss Yu. Jun Bai was a character that never let anyone to hinders his goal, but unexpectedly he was drawn to Boss Yu kind and caring character. Both of them have hidden agenda when approaching each other, but it develop into a new stage when Boss Yu take the blow for Jun Bai. He takes Boss Yu as the first person whom he consider as his friend, because nobody has ever show this kind of care for him. Their relationship turns toxic when they learn each other’s true identities and both actors did really well when portraying this twist and turn event. I wonder if patrick Quan was really an opera singer, his soft and gentle demeanor with a little bit of feminine touch really made you believe this is his true nature.

All the elements in this drama are perfect : the story, acting, casts, set and musics. The song play in the background was so beautiful and match well with the scenes, that will give you a melancholy feeling upon hearing it. If you can handle the angst and devastating feeling with the ending, then this show should be on your watchlist.

This show must get more recognition and that's why i write this review so you wont miss this hidden gem

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