Fall In Love (2021)

Una sola parola: spettacolare!

Che io riesca a guardarmi un'interminabile drama cinese di oltre 30 episodi senza lamentarmi è cosa difficile. Valutarlo 9 stelle abbondanti su 10 è cosa ancora più unica che rara. Questa serie è stata a tutti gli effetti una piacevole sorpresa.
Incuriosita dall'immagine di locandina - più che dalla trama - temevo il solito drama prolisso, ridondante e senza uno sviluppo vero e proprio. Invece ho scoperto una serie che ho divorato, episodio dopo episodio.
Il genere è il mio preferito: una grande storia d'amore inserita in un contesto militare e con un'ambientazione storico recente (inizio-metà XX secolo). Va detto, non sono tantissime le serie che presentano questi requisiti (tanti drama storici sono ambientati in epoche più remote, a volte mescolati col genere fantasy). Alle spade e capigliature chilometriche prediligo personalmente il fascino della divisa e armi a fuoco.
Molti sono gli aspetti che ho apprezzato:
- riprese, ambientazione, cura per i dettagli di un periodo storico che è davvero un piacere guardare;
- i colori e le luci: anche nelle scene più dinamiche e più cupe, c'è come un'aura di luminosità che pervade la scena, come se i protagonisti fossero sempre al centro di un palco. Le tonalità sono spesso calde, la luce diffusa conferisce la sensazione nostalgica di un tempo passato, contrastando splendidamente con le immagini perfettamente nitide, come se stessimo vivendo delle fotografie del passato.
- la storia, complessa e ricca, mai scontata, dove gli intrighi e i personaggi secondari hanno veramente un senso e non sono piazzati lì come figure di contorno
- a differenza di altri drama ambientati nello stesso periodo, in questa serie il romance resta sempre in primo piano, senza lasciarsi inghiottire da mille personaggi secondari e mille questioni militari che rendono la trama difficile da seguire. Il contesto c'è, ma non è prevaricante, insomma.
- la protagonista, determinata e schietta, oltre che intelligente e perspicace, perchè di fanciulle timide e snevevoli ce ne sono in giro fino troppe;
- l'affiatamento nella coppia principale, dove una volta instaurato e consolidato il legame non ci sono triangoli o crolli di fiducia reciproca (anche nel momento più difficile, la fiducia non viene di fatto meno). E' bello vedere come lei, astuta più degli altri ma non tanto quanto lui, sia quasi sempre la prima a capire i veri intenti che Xianlin nasconde dietro ad azioni apparentemente noncuranti.
- ho apprezzato la presenza di altri pairing oltre a quello principale, ben costruiti e a loro volta con ostacoli che si stagliano via via all'orizzonte, in particolare modo quello tra la sorella minore del protagonista e il giovane Pei.
- ma soprattutto i protagonista maschile, semplicemente spettacolare: non conoscevo l'attore, è estremamente carismatico, capace di affascinare e portare in scena un personaggio che sa essere crudo, distaccato, gelido, autorevole ma anche divertente, spavaldo, ironico e irriverente. Ha uno sguardo - quando non è con la protagonista - che inchioda praticamente tutti gli altri. Nel complesso, decisamente accattivante. Xuanlin non è tutto fumo e niente arrosto: fin dal primo episodio la sostanza è palese, quando fredda la spia e si adopera per occultarne il cadavere. I suoi tratti caratteriali risaltano non solo dalle sue parole ma anche dal portamento, dalle espressioni. La determinazione, la sicurezza di sé, la mancanza di paura ma soprattutto l'arguta astuzia che fanno di lui un protagonista stratega, bravo non solo nel combattimento o nella gestione del ruolo di potere ma sempre un passo avanti rispetto agli avvenimenti e alle già calcolate conseguenze. E' il ritratto del vero eroe: un'infanzia sofferta, una determinazione che lo porta ad avere un nutrito seguito, il coraggio di chi è sempre in prima linea, la freddezza con la quale riesce a gestire le situazioni più tese (come quando all'inizio sprona un giovane maresciallo a sparare alla propria sorella, già sicuro che si tratti di una finta minaccia). Tutto questo traspare da una recitazione davvero di alto livello (purtroppo dalla filmografia ho notato che l'attore nella maggior parte dei casi è protagonista di drama di generi che non sono propriamente nelle mie corde... Peccato, mi sarebbe piaciuto rivederlo in un ruolo simile). Forse il mio personaggio maschile preferito, interpretato da un attore performante e perfetto per il ruolo.

Se proprio devo trovare delle pecche...mi sarei aspettata qualcosa di più nelle ultime scene finali, sicuramente, dove invece il romance ha lasciato posto alla chiusura propagandistica. Altra cosa, ho adorato le battute tra i protagonisti quando ancora non erano una coppia, ma paradossalmente a sentimenti dichiarati la verve e la malizia tra i due è andata diminuendo, così come l'intensità delle scene romantiche (capisco la censura, ma dopo la battuta sulle manette in ascensore e la scena di lei che pulisce le ferite di lui a torso nudo - il tutto nei primi episodi - non vedo perchè non sfruttare altri elementi simili quando la coppia finalmente si forma. Purtroppo, a quel punto prendono piede bacetti a stampo e smancerie forse un po' OOC per lui. Avrei preferito qualche battuta maliziosa in più, e qualche abbraccio da orsacchiotto in meno. Ultimo appunto: io capisco che lo spettatore deve comprendere, ma che lui e lei si mettano a disquisire ad alta voce di stratagemmi e pianificazioni in teoria super segrete ovunque capiti - anzi, molte volte dopo che i nemici e loro scagnozzi di turno sono giusto appena usciti dalla stanza - non è forse la scelta più credibile del mondo.

Sono comunque delle pecche più che accettabili in una serie che non presenta sostanzialmente nessuna grande carenza, anzi.
Concludendo: per gli amanti del genere - ma mi sentirei di dire anche i non - è una serie davvero da non perdere!

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Attaccati alla sedia senza scampo!

Un titolo validissimo, con tanti punti di forza e pochissimi deboli.

Partiamo, per una volta, dai punti deboli. E’ vero, i costumi maschili sono piuttosto belli, e gli uomini in divisa sono un vero schianto. Ma sul serio. Però gli abiti femminili sono spesso piuttosto anonimi e cambiati abbastanza raramente, e questo è un peccato, perché si nota tantissimo. D'altronde, probabilmente dipende anche dal periodo storico.

Ci sono, specialmente verso la fine, alcune situazioni piuttosto discutibili, in quanto a logica. E, soprattutto, c’è una pesante propaganda politica, della quale però non dovremmo lamentarci più di tanto, visto che nei film americani ce n’è altrettanta, se non di più (in effetti, mi dà molto fastidio anche quella).

Detto questo, si tratta di una serie che, per una volta, si svolge nella giusta lunghezza, spiegando quello che deve essere spiegato, ma senza dilungarsi in sotto-sotto trame e filler noiosissimi e inutili. E che storia! L’intrigo, i giochi di intelligenza e astuzia e, soprattutto, la tensione, mi hanno tenuta inesorabilmente incollata alla sedia. Ci sono stati un paio di episodi da infarto, ma tutta la serie si mantiene con costanza su un livello molto alto di interesse. Soprattutto, gli attori sono stati magnifici.

La protagonista Zhang Jing Yi è stata veramente brava, considerato poi che è giovanissima e non ha tantissima esperienza sulle spalle. Anche il bellissimo Evan Lin ha dato vita ad un personaggio molto credibile, specie tenendo conto che, anche lui, è molto giovane e non ha ancora partecipato a molte produzioni. I vari personaggi di contorno sono stati efficacemente presentati, compresi i cattivi della situazione. Un piccolo appunto: certe risate falsissime hanno disturbato un po’.

Ma la vera anima della serie non può che essere Chen Xing Xu. Bello, sì, ma questo è decisamente il meno. La parola più adatta a descriverlo è “mattatore”. Complice un personaggio a tutto tondo, tutto sommato facile da amare pur con una partenza piuttosto dubbia, ha saputo interpretare con eccezionali sfumature tutte le sfaccettature del suo carattere complesso, spaziando dal deciso comandante al giovanotto scanzonato, passando per il disperatamente innamorato e l’amico fedele. Soprattutto, il suo personaggio rimane umano pur possedendo un'intelligenza e un'astuzia quasi leggendari. Perché perfino lui, qualche volta, può essere colto di sorpresa e commettere sbagli.

Una serie che probabilmente in futuro riguarderò.

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Drama militare carino ma troppo militare.

Il dramma è ambientato in un periodo storico pieno di guerre e intrighi tra clan e armate perciò per lo più è incentrato su questo con militari comandanti etc etc
Stanca un po' proprio per via di queste strategie militari che sono molto molto presenti forse troppo se non si è appassionati di questo genere.
Poi ci sono anche le storie d'amore che però un po' perdono proprio per via di tutto questo militare. I protagonisti sono un comandante e una donna testarda e molto brava nei suoi affari. La loro storia inizia in opposizione ma poi sboccia un bel amore con parecchie sofferenze tra inganni e conflitti famigliari.Gli attori bravi bravi.
In più ci sono le altre coppie molto carine ma pure per loro le sofferenze non mancheranno.
Bel dramma e se non fosse per tutto così militare sarebbe stato davvero fantastico.

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Characters here are never out of tricks

And finally a great female lead that stands out unique to other female characters strongly…

The female protagonist here Mu Wan Qing (acted by Jingyi Zhang) suggests them ideas, shows bravery when needed & do not hesitates to help or take risks to get something. She's cool, gives answers to insults, not your typical crybaby. Male lead & second male lead are there to help her but she isn't a burden on anyone. She knows many languages, is hardworking & knowledgeable not only for problems in life but also in business. The way she deals with her evil step sister is so pleasing to see like originally female leads must be sobbing in some corner but this female lead makes that evil one cry instead. The way she supports Xuan Lin unconditionally is also amazing.

Male lead — Tan Xuan Lin (played by Chen Xing Xu) is also a good character. He is always cool, fun & cracking jokes. Even when situation is complicated, he has the time to joke around & bicker with other leads. But the deeper part is that he has an emotional side too. He has his own reasons & rules. He is quite intelligent too as he tackels his problems in the best way possible. His relationship with his sister is adorable.

Another Male lead — Xu Guang Yao (played by Evan Lin) my poor boy Evan, it's just his second work as an actor & he has been really acting so well but why you gave him a second lead role. Poor him T_T… then this character Xu Guang Yao is a righteous man who doesn't know much to play tricks but he's still intelligent. He is like the definition of Nice male lead. He's caring, kind & protective towards our female lead, Wan Qing… he has 2 best friends who try their best to support him. I liked their bond too.

The positive part of this drama is that though there's a lot of politics but it's not so boring, I was actually enjoying people tricking each other like that. Every character is important, has their own background story & are clever. No one accepts defeat easily & comes back with new ideas. Overall, the drama gets more interesting as we go ahead… well, everyone wants to save their position but who will save the people? That's a nice point presented here…


MUSIC / OSTs
♪Eyes like star♪ — by Si Nan (the lyrics is beautiful, so is the voice and music. Soothing & slow… it's the opening theme song)
♪Clearly know♪ — Cai Yisheng (I liked this song too)
♪Horse ride♪ — Zhang He Xuan (this is the ending theme song)
♪Your promise♪ — Dai Yutong
♪Swaying♪ — Liu


Rewatch value… No, I am not rewatching this again. Well, I am not a frequent rewatcher and It's kinda lengthy so… though I enjoyed it, its a one time watch drama only.

TO CONCLUDE… it's a 9.5 out of 10 overall. There's politics for getting power, good supporting roles who keep us entertained throughout. Interesting characters with their own story & stuffs to deal with & how the leads make their bond more stronger while sorting out the complications is what the story is about.
Reasonable characters knitting a wonderful story…!!

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A surprising gem that delivers a cohesive story and clever characters

I came out of this pleasantly surprised, intrigued and overall satisfied. Fall in Love manages to humbly balance the light-hearted romance with heavier and darker themes of politics, war and strategy. First and foremost, I’m a sucker for Chinese Republican era drama (see Arsenal Military Academy and Rookie Agent Rouge) and so this naturally fell on my radar. The first few episodes are a bit cringe and feel super staged (and a bit confusing as we work out our bearings), but keep at it and as the story progresses, you’ll soon find how much of a hidden gem this one is.

STORY
The story follows our male lead, Tan Xuan Lin and female lead, Mu Wan Qing who happen to meet under unfortunate circumstances and this leads to a series of misunderstandings. Cleared up quite quick, they appreciate each other’s strengths and wits and from there on out work together as partners (and later on something more) as they navigate through the tumultuous times in Shanghai.

Within 36 episodes, the story is well written, well-rounded and cohesive. I found the episodes breezy to watch, not much filler, but more story progression and kept me wanting to watch the next. The story flows well, divided into three distinct sections: 1) Wan Qing’s internal family drama, 2) Xuan Lin’s political strategy 3) At war. The last section fell away a bit, which is why I can’t give it a perfect rating I’m sorry. The ending episodes felt a bit confuddled (like introducing new villains?), it felt like they were rushing to the finish line but wanted to tie up all these loose ends.

I will flag the story comes front and centre, and the romance sometimes fades to the background, particularly the latter half of the drama. Which is a shame, because I love seeing our two leads get all romantic because the chemistry is so there.

Things I liked within the story:
+ Reference and referral back to key themes, conversations and symbols. See amulet, number switch, this idea of trust/belief in each other
+ The overall craft of constant misdirection and deception. Loved how our characters were three steps ahead of us and everyone gets played. This feeling of being blindsided is such a rush
+ This idea of new vs older generation (the father and son dynamics) leading the future
+ The exploration of each of the character’s history/backstory, uncovering the truth, and setting everything in its rightful place

CHARACTERS and ACTING
Brilliant and again unexpectedly good. Where has Chen Xing Xu been all my life, and how am I just finding out about him? What superb acting, he outshone everyone to be honest. He managed to capture so many complex emotions and feelings within the one expression. His character was flirty and playful, never taking anything serious. But that feels like a façade for what he is: a highly intelligent, cunning and slightly devious, fiercely loyal and courageous, natural born leader. He manages to shift into so many facets of his character effortlessly, from dark, looming and aggressive when he’s threatening someone to super light and jokey when he’s bantering with Wan Qing.

Props to our female lead, she did so well and I loved her characterisation. It’s rare (typically we see naïve and pure female leads as the go to in Chinese dramas), but here Wan Qing is equally intelligent, so switched on, possesses vision and foresight, merciful but not a door mat. I loved how she could hold her own (see ep29 as evidence), was rational and reasonable and unfazed by anyone standing in her way.

Both were complex characters with tragic backstories, and we see how this has shaped who they are. The pair were matched really well, in mind and body, and together were an incomparable force to be reckoned with. Yes they were open with each other and had this unwavering belief in each other. But I did get frustrated when Xuan Lin hid things from her or lied to her in the name of protecting her. She could obviously handle whatever came her way, so I would have liked him to be more truthful with her.

Our array of side characters and their journeys were given enough time to develop alongside the story and worked well. Evan Lin as Xu Guang Yao was your typical supportive second male lead, for me his acting needs a little work, but his character development was on point. We really see him come out from his sheltered father to his own person with will, fighting spirit and new belief. We were also given optimistic and persistent youth’s pursuit of love (Tan Sang Yu) and also a more mature, realistic and accepting blossoming relationship (Gu Yue Shuang).

MUSIC and REWATCH
The music grows on you and fits well with the emotional scenes. Though I usually don’t rewatch dramas, I would actually rewatch this one again. It was filled with surprises and kept me on edge throughout. Like I mentioned, it is well crafted and the story flows on from one episode to the next smoothly.

WATCH FOR:
+ Lead interaction, banter, chemistry and teamwork. They are by far one of most perfectly matched couples that you can’t help but root for. I loved seeing them team up seriously to face challenges, where they lean on and confide in each other, and somehow pick up on these hidden cues they share between them
+ Clever characters. I love how they outsmart everyone, the cons they pull, their ability to predict the future. They know what’s up and more often than not they keep the audience in the dark until their reveal. A lot of ah-ha moments that were like little surprise easter eggs that gave me this feeling of pure delight
+ Tight script writing, witty banter and conversation, cohesive story that delves into the backstories, histories and present lives of our characters. 36 episodes doesn’t feel long, and to be honest thought they should have added some more episodes to the concluding section so it didn’t feel too rushed

WATCH OUT FOR:
- Staged production. I wouldn’t say cheap, but the production does feel unrealistic at times, so I wasn’t entirely immersed into the Republican era world. They definitely fused a lot of contemporary aspects in costume, design, speech and what not.
- The trailer was a bit deceptive in categorising it as a light romantic comedy. In fact, when you actually start to watch, it gets hella serious and dark at times. There’s a lot of war strategising and talk, battle and fighting scenes, a lot of time is given to how the Warlords manage their affairs, soldiers and territories. So the romance and their relationship is neatly interwoven within the story
- The ending 4 or so episodes. It does lose its way, starts to get a bit muddled and messy. They jam packed so many new characters and new plot lines, that it felt a bit unnecessary and unfounded. But I understand they wanted to have this big climax and promote the whole national pride thing, but it meant the romance takes a backburner.


Overall, I’m so glad to have picked this one up and stuck with it. Left me pleasantly surprised and exceeded my expectations. There’s a lot to like with this one, so give it a go and let me know what you think!

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Enjoyed it!

I'm not into Republican Era drama but Chen Xing Xu caught attention. He looked so good in military uniform as did all the supporting male characters did as well. The story is well-paced. Male and female lead is both smart and strategic. They were made for each other. I enjoyed watching male lead scheme to get his way, in a good way of course. He comes off as a jerk but that's just a cover. Female lead is a smart business woman and she knows what she wants, whether in business or love. She doesn't allow male lead to string her along and she stands up for herself. All the supporting cast did well in their roles. There are ones you love and ones you hated so much. I think the only character I found truly annoying is male lead's sister. The music is okay but for this drama, I wouldn't want the music to be the redeeming point. Overall, I'm glad I stumbled on this and gave it a shot!

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BEST CHINESE DRAMA

MUST watch! one of the best china dramas i have ever watched. It is very unique and fl and ml had good chemistry, cute and SMART, very smart. OSTs were very good, usually skip the starting OST but this was hard to skip. MUST watch this drama it is very unique and not like your typical cute fluffy chinese drama. Even myself who likes fluffy dramas, i love this even more. The development of the story is very good, every part is interesting and always makes me look forward to the next week episodes. If you are considering to watch, dont consider it and just WATCH NOW. you won't regret it.

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FL and ML are the best

This is not a masterpiece but it is one of my favorite dramas this year. It's easy to watch, has good pacing, and has a likable main couple. I recommend you watch at least 5 episodes before deciding on whether you'll keep watching or not. The ML doesn't make a good first impression but he is one of the best characters in the drama. Tan Xuan Lin and Mu Wan Qing are underdogs who have their own ambitions and when their paths cross, they soon form a partnership to help each other achieve their goals. Both are intelligent, strategic, and know how to handle their opponents. Their romance is sweet and there's a good amount of romance but the drama doesn't get overtaken by it. Both actors did well in their roles. As for other characters, they all served some purpose in the drama. There aren't any side couple or character that was wasted and the side couples don't take up too much screentime. Some of the villains were slightly annoying but not as annoying as other characters from other dramas.

Honestly, I would not have finished this drama if it wasn't for the consistency of the main characters. The main leads didn't do anything stupid that was out of character or frustrating. It may seem like it in some parts but you're always wondering if it's part of their plan. There is character development for the ML and FL but they already started out pretty great. Yes, ML might not be likable at first but as you see him with his people, you learn to like him because of how loyal his people are to him. And the FL is one of the best Cdrama FL.

I think this drama is a good starter drama for anyone who wants to watch a revolution era drama that involves war and politics. Yes, expect deaths but it's lighter than other dramas from the same genre. I enjoyed it all the way to the end which is rare because I don't often finish cdramas and if I do, it's a chore.

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One of the best CDrama for 2021!

I would say this is one of the best CDrama for this year! Chen Xing Xu carried out his ML role very very well!! And Evan did a very good job too since it's only his second drama. I like the supporting MLs in the show too. The FL and ML chemistry was superb. I like that FL and ML are portrayed as equal and how well they can plan and execute their plans together. Smart and intelligent FL. Since this drama revolves around power struggle among the warlords, there is bound to have strategic scheming and need for reforms.. So if you're watching the drama, you should be expecting twist and turns of events. Overall, I highly recommend this drama for the storyline, the plot & the acting.

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Slow Motion Love Revolution Propaganda

This drama could easily be cut down to 24 episode, or even 12 episodes if they just got rid of the flashbacks, slow motion scenes an extra scenery shots, beautiful as those shots may be they did not really add much more then test my patients.

The female lead is probably the best part of this drama she is smart, not just a little bit smart she is truly smarter than most of the cast, she is also gorgeous, cool, trustworthy... Yep just one of the greatest female leads out there. Not to mention her wardrobe, hairstyle and all round forwardness.

The Male lead and second male lead are both pretty decent too, smart, fun and oddly reasonable even if their emotions do get the best of them from time to time...

Other than that most of the side characters are highly annoying, so much that I had to forward their parts (that also are slow mow) to get true this.

There are some characters that are complex and colourful but most of them are either really, really, really evil or so good so good, so good.. or just used by the evil but actually good deep down inside.

There is also an unreasonable amount of suicides or attempted suiside in this drama as well as interesting (mostly predictable) twist, an enormous amount of explosions, blood, rain and shots that make blood in the rain look like fine art in slow motion of course...

The romance in this drama is great, slightly overshadowed by the politics and evil plots here and there, those guys that ruled China before the revolution were really, really, really selfish, evil, oppressive and also bowed down to foreigners making the Chinese people second class citizens in their own country... Making this a pretty interesting lesson about how history most probably is taught in China and helping me reflect over how I was taught history myself, just kidding I have known that history is very bialy taught depending on who wins/is telling the story. However the way it is made so very obvious in this drama making it vVery interesting indeed.

In numbers:
Main Couple: 9
Annoying characters: Way too many
Bingeabilaty: 2-3 episodes at a time no more
Cinematography: 9
Fashion: 9
Explosions: 9
Propaganda: 10

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When I first watched the trailer for this show I though Evan Lin was going to be playing a sexy bad guy. That is definitely not the case lol. I love the cast chemistry in this drama. Evan is gorgeous as always, Chen Xing Xu is also quite handsome and plays the lead very well, and Zhang Jung Yi is both precious and cunning in her role. The 1920s were such a beautiful and elegant era and it’s really refreshing to see a historical type drama in that setting. The costumes have a classic charm, the music fits perfectly, and the whole production really transports you back in time. Even without watching the last episode, I feel confident in giving this one a re-watchable status.

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