Under the Power (2019)

I LOVED THIS AND THIS DRAMA HAS CHANGED MY LIFE

Okay, let me just start by saying this is such an amazing drama! The actors tansonyun and renjialun were PERFECT! My mom has grown to be a huge fan of renjialun! This drama is a really great romcom but the storyline is actually really good! The costumes and looks are really great! This drama is also really great cause you never get bored of it! I've watched it at least 3 times and sometimes I just click on random epis to watch when I'm cooking or something! And like i said, this changed my life! i had seen many great drama's before this but this one was one i was actually in love and obsessed with! The chemistry was great too! After watching this I just literally only watched chinese dramas and it's brought me so much joy on days where I'm tired and done with school! I've also gotten so much better at chinese too! Okay anyway, definetely recommend and it's also really funny and great to watch with family and friends!

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Under the Power of Love and Comedy

I actually did not want to watch this drama in the beginning because of the poster of the young-looking lead actors vs. the rather serious synopsis. But someone persuaded me to try to watch first few episodes and eventually I was hooked. This drama has excellent cast, and everyone acted very well, even the extras. I find every episodes to be entertaining, although I admit that I fast-forwarded uninteresting and cringey parts.

The chemistry between Allen Ren (as LuYi) and Seven Tan (as JinXia) was great, and their cute sweet interactions made this drama worth watching. Their character development throughout the series, and their natural well-paced romance made this show really endearing. It did not take long for both of them to fall in love with each other (I am glad the Writers didn't take too long to execute).
Because he is a high ranking bad-ass Embroidered Imperial Guard, he is cold-blooded and heartless while doing his job. But in his private time, he is gentle and warm towards his family and friends, especially to JinXia, who has melt and won his frozen heart by her constant care and attention, her perseverance and charm, and best of all, her personal sacrifice she made for him (see Episodes 22-23). I loved their private moments together where LuYi gets to let his guard down and allow himself to secretly gaze intensely-lovingly at JinXia.

One of my fav episode is Episode 28 where he was poisoned and mentally regressed to an 8 years old kid. He was very cute as a child (mentally) and he called Jin Xia as his "big sister". When it rained heavily that night, he got scared of the loud thunder, ran to and beg his "big sister" to let him sleep with her; when she reluctantly agreed, he immediately jumped into her bed and grabbed her hand for comfort and sleeping. She cannot helped herself but adorably let him do so. Next morning, we see the adorable couple cuddling - only to be discovered by Xie Xiao (her big love admirer) who burst into her bedroom with breakfast. When he saw Lu Yi emerged from the bed cover, he was so shocked that he wanted to punch Lu Yi out, and then several hilarious arguments and scenes followed. The hilarious scenes were so funny that I laughed so much until my stomach ached. In fact, I kept re-watching Episode 28-29.

As for the second lead couple, Yan Yue (by Lu Hong) and Shang GuanXi (by Julia Ye), honestly, I was not really interested in their story; after few episodes of Shang GuanXi still pining for Xie Xiao's lost affection and Yan Yue constantly stalking her like a lovesick puppy, their story got boring really quickly for the viewer. I even fast-forwarded the scenes of them together, and rather just focus on other interesting characters such as the cunning and ruthless villain, Yan Shi Fan (played brilliantly by Han Dong), XieXiao (played hilariously by Ethan Yao), Lan DaoHeng (played by Han ChengYu) and Uncle Gai (played by Li Tin Zhe). The palace politics and power play by various parties were not heavy-handed and used nicely as good entertainment for the drama.

One of my complaints are the poor quality CGI and special effects in the show. For example: the under-water scenes where LuYi and JinXia fell from the ghost ship was poorly made (I laughed so much at this), and the river where they went raft-riding on, and the poisonous snakes on the island of Dr Lin Ling's (the poison-curer expert) were sooo fake, that I just shook my head... Luckily all these bad CGI was made up by the good story-telling and many comedy moments.

My second complaint is the imprisonment of Lu-Yi in the final episode 55, where he offended the Emperor when trying to re-instate Jin-Xia's family in order to atone his father's bad deeds. Come on Writers! Why waste the final episode this way? Even though Lu-Yi was finally set free in the end and he was greeted happily by Jin-Xia outside the prison doors, I felt the Writers should have spent the final episodes showing the Viewers some happy events like the wedding of Lu-Yi and Jin-Xia, how they awesomely spend their married life as a power couple solving crimes, fighting and catching criminals, and finally, seeing cute adorable babies of Lu-Yi and Jin-Xia.

This drama is highly recommended for its big entertainment value, and great acting and writing (except for some dumb silly plots - which were so obvious they're forgettable). To be honest, I enjoyed this drama so much that I wished there is a few more episodes to watch. I wonder if there will be a Season 2.

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Just don’t even try to make any sense

Story: just not sure. Maybe a family wrongly held hostage - power by evil family for decades... sorry I’m still scratching my head.
Acting: FL as childish in eps thru 50; ML - he’s the only reason ton continue. Most nonsensical was the doofus 2nd lead - he should be with the child. The bicolor evil guy was good, his web of evil was tight. He delighted in strange delights.
Music: really?
RW: why?
Overall: some good fight scenes. The story just never got nailed down fully. Revenge, twisted love, classic emperor antics, poor character development. Why 55eps? Skipped half. Better flushed out story and 24eps. Maybe. Not powerful enough to be under anything. Watch at risk& skipping is advised. Good Luck

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Amazing

I put this drama off a lot, I heard there wasn't any major kiss scenes or anything. But after I watched this I realized it didn't matter at all. It was amazing. The chemistry between the main couple were amazing. I just have to say it was a great ending even though the last 5 episodes made me cry my eyes out. This is a great c-drama to watch, especially if you have time. The comedy in this show also made it amazing. I thought it would be dry, but I laughed a lotttt. There was a few episodes where I was just proud. "Women Power". Those episodes made me look at this drama in a whole new light. Having badass females were amazing. Lastly the OST.....THE OST WAS ON TOP. Anyway this is a must watch if you have time to watch.

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After All It Was David Who Beat Goliath

Watching a 2019 show in 2023 just hits differently; especially with 55 episodes lol. I haven't watched a series with that many episodes since 2020. Only reason I watched it is because I wanted a series where Allen Ren actually was convincing in acting, because what I've seen of him thus far wasn't all that great. Other than looking constipated while saying his lines, I wanted more substance and a trusted source recommended this.

Pros: In the very beginning, I wasn't at all sure he could pull it off, but once he fell for FL, I was pleasantly surprised that he was able to emote and really give his all to his character. Seven Tan I really like and think she does a great job when it comes to strong feisty characters be they in costume or modern dramas; though here she too annoyed me a lot in the beginning. But I actually have to say that the character that caught my attention the most was the morally gray Zhan Lanye; many a time these kinds of characters are played by men but here though she was basically obsessed with the main antagonist, killed many people, but still had a soft spot for SX and helped her out as well as get one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle to turn on big bad. It was good when all of the characters evolved because in the beginning you wanted to hit a few with bricks like Xie Xiao (I'll talk more about him below). All of the people the leads met along the way that became their friends or extended family were great. The big bad, Goliath aka Yan Shifan though a vicious, obsessed, greedy killer, was a good villain up until he crossed a few lines, then you just wanted to off him immediately. The storyline actually for the most part was decent until in the late 40s and early 50s of episodes; this series could have done much better with just 40 or 45 episodes. LY really was the David that brought down Goliath, I just wish it was more satisfying. Costumes especially for the embroidered guards were quite rich and beautiful.

Cons: The tired trope of "your father killed my family so I have to take revenge on you even though you were like 10" was first introduced in the late 40s and into the 50s and it was a mess then on out. Killing off a good character essentially without rhyme or reason in the last few episodes was just dumb. As mentioned up top the character XX was essentially a 12 year old in an adult's body. Some people called him comic relief, I considered him fast-forwardable. His crush on the FL going onwards past two rejections was pathetic. The love triangle or quad took like 40 episodes to resolve and had really blockheaded men I wanted to smack. It was just unnecessary from the main plot. The emperor was a very peculiar man; didn't trust anyone supposedly but really let himself be led by the nose by the Yan family for decades, killing innocent people just on words and false evidence. Ironically the actor looked older in this series then in The Blood of Youth where he too played the emperor which was filmed over a year after this was released. Maybe it was the wig.

One concern I had was how they threw rape around with the bad guys like it was nothing. Especially with that one who wanted SX and had 9 lives; stabbing didn't kill him, falling off a cliff didn't either, but some poison in some noodles in a jail cell and adios. Very unbelievable. Big bad was also pro rape and torture but his death was a total copout in the last episode. Beheading? Really? Y'all tortured smaller fries but the one who had orchestrated it all....nothing, zilch? Not to mention his nasty foot fetish and obsession with Dr. Ling plus what he did to Jinxia.

That last episode was taken from some LSD playbook and didn't make any sense. Why would LY act so rashly and out of character? I watched it being very confused. Many of the interior sets looked like they belonged in a carnival funhouse or a Bollywood musical. And lastly, why the closeups of the leads' eyes? That reoccurring theme looked ridiculous and had me laughing; the camera would be so close you could tell Allen Ren was wearing contacts and Seven Tan had an occasional pimple. No one needed that.

Would I recommend it? If you like the leads and good mysteries, then yes. But the fast forward button may be required especially with certain characters and when the plot took a downward turn in the late 40s.

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Under the Power Review and Wish for Season 2

Overall: I finish this TV show on the Ifun.tv website already. I would say that this TV show is one of my favorite. I would recommend this TV show if people are looking for new Chinese drama to watch. Too bad it's over, but the people that were wondering if Under the Power is over on YouTube, it's that it has only 41 episodes out , but still waiting for the other episodes come out. I would say that I love the colors, music, clothing, and the main roles. I wonder what happened to Lu Yi(陆毅)and Jin Xia(今夏) afterwards. Wish that there's season 2 if they decided to make season 2.
Short character details:
Lu Yi (陆毅): 22 years old cold, rude, and obnoxious. He takes his work seriously, and abide by the rules. When he interrogates people he does not hesitate to use any type of force. At home, he rather loves music and spends most of his time reading. He is actually rather warm compared to what others view him as.
Jin Xia (今夏): Obsessed with food and making money, and she is very calculated when it comes to earning and receiving money or bonus. She is good at fighting, and even though she has a side kick right next to her, he always let her do the fighting and the interrogation. She is goofy around her close friends, mother, and master but takes her work seriously when she steps in the field.
The Romance:
The relationship between these two developed really well, and I like the fact that their relationship did not take 40 episodes to realized their feelings. There were small little things and detail from each episode that add up to their relationship, so it does not take long for the romance. I like the way how they took their time to developed their feeling for each other in this drama. I get it when Lu Yi (陆毅) was trying to protect Jin Xia (今夏) from the bad guys trying to hurt her and exposing her identity in the TV show.

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Childish, annoying, no chemistry, plot all over the place… complete disappointment!

I have to be honest, the show I watched was a complete disaster. The plot was unclear until mid-season, there was no chemistry between the lead characters, and the love story didn't even show up until episode 33. The flashbacks became nauseating, and the point of view was used to justify a love that had no foundation. The show had ghosts that were not even ghosts, and zombies that were not even zombies, making it a big mess TV drama created for teenagers. The main heroine's acting was annoying and childish, and her childhood friend was no better. The heroine was almost on the verge of death, and a sip of tea was enough to bring her back to normal within minutes.

The only saving grace of the show was HanDong. Allen's character was annoyingly poker-faced until mid-season, but he had depth, and the actress who played him did a great job. The show was also saved by a few secondary character performances, but HanDong was exceptional in his sadistic villain role.

The leads in that match were terrible. It's unacceptable to portray a 12-year-old love story with a 30-year-old man, and even if the character claims he is 22 and she is 17, it's clear that he looks way older while she looks like a spoiled brat teenager. Such teen romance dramas should be avoided by Allen. The casting was a complete miss, and individually, the actors were good (except Seven Tan in my opinion). However, it's evident that they had to work with a terrible script and directors. It's beyond me why this show is popular, and I have no clue about it.

I cannot help but think chemistry with the main characters would have been way different with Zhao Lusi… such “Love a Thousand Years”.

I really didn't think the casting was good. I also blame Allen for this. It seems like he really dislikes kissing his partners. His acting also seemed very forced and not convincing at all. It almost makes me wonder if his contract specified a minimum number of kisses and hugs. I felt the same way about the drama "One and Only."

The amateurish play from the female lead, abysmal editing, poor casting choices, substandard makeup, gratuitous close-ups to force-feed us the supposed romance, misplaced props, glaring plot holes, lack of on-screen chemistry... One measly kiss accompanied by a one-sided love confession, countless flashbacks, and hand-holding? Are you kidding me? And don't even get me started on the anachronistic music cues that make no sense. Oh, and let's not forget the characters wearing summer clothes during a snowstorm. This is unacceptable.

After reading some top reviews, I can't help but shake my head in disbelief. The childish play between the two main characters completely ruined any chance of enjoyment for me. If you're looking for a teenage drama, be my guest, but if you're an adult, save your time and move on to something better. I won't make the mistake of watching any dramas directed by Yin Tao and Liu Guo Tong again. Did they write the script based on fan feedback? The show was poorly executed, yet somehow it received praise from the public. It seems I must be living in a parallel C-drama world where quality and substance still matter.

The female lead did not make it any better. If the same actress is cast as a main character again, I will make it a priority to remove her from my list. It was an excruciating experience, and I only continued watching to see the Han Dong villain's final moment.

I hate childish play, voices and actresses. Watching her break up with just two sentences was painful and unconvincing. It was a juvenile play, lacking the depth and maturity required to evolve a character through dramatic events. In my opinion, there is a clear difference between youth and innocence and the kind of character development that genuinely captivates an audience.

The movie failed to deliver any romantic moments. Just one kiss on the lips amidst all the drama. It felt like watching a grown man holding a child in his arms, which was quite disturbing. The use of eye drops to show emotions on screen felt fake and forced. Overall, the drama was painful to watch.

Therefore, I cannot recommend this show to anyone looking for quality storytelling.

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Meh drama saved by the leads' acting/chemistry and the OST.

The script and the production value were meh. Your typical period drama with politics and that whole "someone's dad killed someone else's family so the kids can't be together" sort of trope. The CGI was TERRIBLY done. The cases were also pretty meh and didn't have a crime drama thrill to it. The only thing that really kept me going was the leads' chemistry, but I knew this going in anyway (because I read reviews here) so I just soldiered on.

That being said. The leads' acting. Seven Tan IS Jinxia (you'll see the resemblance to her character in Go Ahead), and Allen Ren's versatile acting skills made him the perfect Lu Yi... age 8 to 22 (you'll see what I mean when you get to that arc OMG HIS EYES.)
The leads' chemistry was really A+. Like we almost feel bad for shipping the two because the male lead actor, Allen Ren, is happily married with a kid in real life -- so the bunch of us fangirls are like SHIP THE CHARACTERS, NOT THE ACTORS the whole time. Like there wasn't a lot of real hardcore skinship in the show, but the rumor is that Allen Ren's eyes can make any scene seem like an intimate bed scene. The way Lu Yi looks at Jinxia already makes my heart flutter like crazy. And his lines... he somehow makes very sappy lines sound... sexy?

Let's talk OST -- we got period drama OST god Zhou Shen's opening song, and Allen Ren himself sang the closing song... and Seven Tan also sang one of the insert songs (named after her character, Jinxia/"this summer")
Songs are amazing and worth looping even after the drama ends. Also, I'll be rewatching some of the leads' romantic scenes... my heart <33333

Also, highly recommend watching the behind-the-scenes if you speak Chinese. Lu Yi was dubbed, and Allen Ren's real (younger-sounding) voice gives Lu Yi's lines a whole different *ADORABLE* feel. Oh my god he is so cute.

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Perfect Chemistry Between The Characters

I binge watched this for almost a week and only 3 episodes more to go, I cried and laughed with the characters and I can't wait to see the ending. After this I will wait for the completed English translation of the novel and I'm gonna relive the experience again through another media and perspective. I got so carried away by the actors and actresses' acting that I feel like I was there with them throughout their journey. The characters have depth and not half-hearted in their actions and talk. Now that it's almost ending, I got hit by many emotions and I slightly regretted that I watched this too fast, lol. All the feels are coming to me now and I feel a bit suffocated by the fact that the ending is approaching ahhhh. The posters are very beautiful and picturesque, especially the one where Lu Yi and Jin Xia standing face to face behind a see-through curtain, waking my melancholy cells and making me teary eyed. I'm really glad I chose to watch this during my break because even the very small portion of scenes of a not so good CG effects are bearable and earned me a good laugh. I recommend you to watch this if you're looking for a happy ending drama with just the right amount of happiness, sweetness, angst and suspense in each episode. And let me tell you this, this drama makes me wish for a partner so bad because of the sweetness and straight forward affectionate love.

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Though great acting lacking in story drive.

I find this Drama fight sequence and reason for them are ridiculous. For example Hero team members always fight to disable the opponent where as villein team fight to kill..why??? Dropped @ EP32

I find this Drama fight sequence and reason for them are ridiculous. For example Hero team members always fight to disable the opponent where as villein team fight to kill..why??? Dropped @ EP32


I find this Drama fight sequence and reason for them are ridiculous. For example Hero team members always fight to disable the opponent where as villein team fight to kill..why??? Dropped @ EP32

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Un drama historique qui vaut la peine d'être vu.

Avant de commencer ma critique (une fois n’est pas coutume x’D), je dois dire que j’ai commencé ce drama un peu sur un coup de tête… Je n’apprécie pas vraiment les dramas historiques. Pourquoi ? Car il s’agit souvent de guerre, complot, trahison & j’en passe. (Si je veux déprimer, je le fais très bien toute seule ! Je n’ai pas besoin d’aide x’D)

Vous me direz, pourquoi l’avoir commencé du coup ? Car il s’agit d’une histoire « policière » et que j’ai pu constater au travers de divers critiques qu’il était bien passé auprès du public. (Après ça ne veut rien dire, puisque souvent les critiques trop positives me donnent plus d’apriori & d’attentes… Je suis donc souvent déçue.) Une fois ceci dit, parlons de l’histoire !

L’histoire est en sommes assez classique pour un drama du genre :
• Des complots politiques qui mène à la destruction de plusieurs clans dont celui de l’héroïne…
• Un empereur qui fait trop confiance à ses ministres, ce qui cause de nombreux désastres pour ses sujets… Ne parlons même pas du fait que l’empereur aie conscience de certaines manigances mais qu’il préfère fermer les yeux pour garder le soutien de certaines familles présentent au pouvoir… (Après on se demande pourquoi je déteste tant la politique x’D !!)
• Des croyances taoïstes fort présentent et qui dirigent une partie de l’histoire… (La croyance étant souvent bien établie dans les dramas historiques chinois)
• Oh ! coïncidence (ou pas) l’héroïne est liée par le sang à un clan qui avait du pouvoir mais qui c’est vu anéanti par le GRAND MÈCHANT de l’histoire ! (Bien sûr, elle ne le découvre que vers la fin du drama !) Et pour compléter le tableau, l’homme qu’elle aime est le fils de celui qui a permis au méchant de réaliser son projet ! (Ba oui, vive les mélodrames… Moi qui déteste ça x’D)
• Un héros des plus antipathique au début mais qui se met à s’ouvrir au contact de l’héroïne. (Plus clichés, tu meurs…) De plus, celui-ci décide (vers l’épisode 48 sur 55) pour ne pas la blesser avec son passé de… (Tenez vous bien !) La quitter ! Ba oui… ça ne la BLESSERA pas du tout d’avoir l’impression d’être prise pour une conne… (Non mais je vous jure…) Bien entendu, je n’oserai signaler qu’en plus d’être une décision des plus stupides, celle-ci fait que l’héroïne devient de plus en plus téméraire et risque plus souvent sa vie… Et finalement, c’est le héros qui s’en mord les doigts x’D !

Malgré ces points assez répétitifs du genre nous pouvons découvrir d’autres facettes :
• Une héroïne loin des clichés de ce qu’on attend d’une femme à l’époque ! Elle a du caractère et refuse de se laisser marcher sur les pieds à cause de son sexe.
• Un univers qui nous donne envie de savoir la suite avec des amitiés et couples secondaires qui donnent une autre dynamique à l’histoire. (Xi Shangguan & Yang Yue ont une romance toute mignonne, par contre, il est vrai que je trouve Yang Yue des plus fades !)
• Des enquêtes policières intéressantes même si elles sont souvent liées au GRAND MÉCHANT.
• Des rebondissements et retournements de situations en continu… (Sauf dans la romance principale où on voit venir les évènements)
 
Les personnages sont sûrement ce qui m’a le plus convaincu dans ce drama car je voulais savoir ce qu’il allait leur arriver !
• J’avoue avoir un coup de cœur pour Lu Yi joué par Allen Ren (Bien que certaines de ses décisions m’ont laissé pantoise !). Il est le genre de personnage qu’on voit souvent (c’est-à-dire froid avec une personnalité horrible en apparence mais qui possède beaucoup de blessures -> Bienvenue dans le monde des dramas !), cependant, l’acteur a bien retranscrit les émotions ce qui nous donnerais presqu’envie de rentrer dans l’écran pour le consoler x’D ! (Même si vu le caractère du héros, c’est sans doute risqué pour notre pauvre vie x’D)
• Le GRAND MÉCHANT comme j’aime l’appeler en la personne de Yan Shi Fan (Han Dong) est le 2ème personnage qui m’a le plus intéressé ! L’acteur l’a tellement bien interprété qu’on le déteste du début à la fin ! (On en viendra presqu’à regretter que la doctoresse Lin ne lui ait crevé les 2 yeux… Oui, oui, je suis sadique x’D !) Il est vraiment le personnage qui donne le tempo au drama et qui fait que l’histoire avance car sans ses coups fourrés où en serait les héros ? x’D !

En bref, c’est un drama que j’ai apprécié visionner même si j’ai commencé à grincer des dents à l’épisode 48 ! (J’avais d’ailleurs mis mon visionnage en pause tellement ce genre de décision des plus stupides me tape sur le système x’D).

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