The Captive (2023)

FOR REVENGE- WHATEVER IT TAKES

This is a revenge based drama, with a 80's vibe to it. The heroine is ready to do whatever it takes even if it means seducing and becoming the concubine of the ML's father.

LOW- budget, SHORT, the CHEMISTRY is mind-blowing, the PLOT is phenomenal, OST is quite catchy, NO green tea bitch/2nd female lead drama, surprisingly it is HILARIOUS as well, ENDING is thrilling and dramatic

The chemistry between the main leads is EXPLOSIVE, it oozes SEXUAL TENSION!! I mean when they are in a scene together you sit on the edge of your seat thinking are they gonna kiss? like you cant take your eyes off them!!
Though they just had 1 kiss, i swear i wont be forgetting about it for a long long time.

THEY BOTH HAVE SECRETS AND THEY BOTH SEE BEHIND EACH OTHER'S MASK THE MOMENT THEY MEET!!
The FL is strong, she has her vulnerable moments but its only Infront of the ML, She shows the power and passion for both love and revenge.
Girl didn't come to play, she came to conquer, by whatever means it may take.
The ML, is just PERFECTION in a 3 piece suit. That man is sexy, intelligent and intriguing. Something about his aura pulls you towards him, maybe its the sense of mystery that he has around him or the way he doesn't get fooled!!
From day 1 he knew the FL was unto something, when no one could see past her façade he was the one pulling away her cover.

THE Cinematography, OST, Camera angle is BEAUTIFUL!! I am not kidding when i say it surpasses some of the most high budget chinese drama. The shots taken are beautiful!!

It is SHORT and that's a pity but those 13 minute episode do such wonders in conveying the story that sometimes 40 episode long C-drama cant do. Due to the less time the story FOCUS ONLY ON THE PLOT, no necessary filler, just the main plotline.

OVERALL. IT WAS FANTASTIC and i would really recommend it!! Believe me its worst every minute.

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Agent Provocateur.

Jiang Ying, a bewitching songbird catches the eye of both Du Xunyu and his father, shipping magnate Du Jingchuan. The way she lures and provokes both men with her innocent wiles and wraps them around her finger is riveting. She is clearly up to no good but Du Xunyu has his own agenda and is willing to play along with her. This short drama starts strongly with a predictable but well executed revenge plot. Masterful and nuanced portrayals by the main actors and searing chemistry and palpable tension between the leads elevates the simple plot with well-drawn and resonating characterizations. Li Muchen (as Jiang Ying)in particular delivers a captivating performance as a seductive and manipulative agent provocateur that sows the seeds of discord in the Du household.

This short drama is compelling up to the final five episodes and then it manages to turn into a banal, draggy and somewhat sappy love story. The drama never delivers on the early promise of a very intense and passionate romance; lapsing into a very sweet one instead. The latter part of this drama is an example of how bad things happen when these short dramas end up with more budget and screen time. The ending was the worst - bafflingly attempting unnecessary melodrama when it should have and could have ended with a flourish after all the secrets are revealed. Although I still recommend this as a good short drama to pass time with, I can only rate this 7.5 because of the ending sag.

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An under rated GEM

This show hooked you from get start with a very provocative scene that turned out NOT to be what it seems!
The chemistry between the two leads are phenomenal.

It is more the directing and storytelling and as well as the angle and how the drama is shot that is very engaging and entertaining. There are humorous moments, lots of cranked up tensions some are sexual in nature.
It is those that are left unsaid rather than the explicit that are most engaging.

You can tell the budget is low but is very well directed and produced. As the time investment is not a lot, you will find the time spent very gratifying. I enjoyed this thoroughly and believe I will rewatch if I need a filler drama in future.

If you enjoy “A familiar stranger” and also “the killer is romantic” then you will enjoy this . It is same writer and director team.
Whilst story line can be guessed, it is still entertaining as there are satisfying end to the bad guys and there are no super bitchy 2FL. I loved the OSTs and enjoyed the love scenes between the 2 leads.

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Gorgeous setting, costumes, great chemistry, lovely OST; much better than Maid's Revenge

I've seen two dozen short-length mini dramas this year and more than that last year, and I can safely say this is one of the best ones I've seen -- up there with A Familiar Stranger, Si Shi Hao (Yes, Her Majesty), and The Killer is Also Romantic -- which is no surprise, given it's the same production team for all but Her Majesty. They do a great job building chemistry and tension between the leads with just a few strands of wet hair, a touch, a look. This is clearly still a melodrama -- lots of slow-motion effects, etc. but somehow it all works and doesn't feel ridiculous like Maid's Revenge.

The story isn't overly sophisticated, but it does a nice job with some well-worn tropes (revenge, childhood friends) and the entire supporting cast was also solid. The chemistry between the leads was ??. The lovely Daisy Li Muchen was perfectly cast in a role that required her to be believeable as a school-girl-ingenue-seductress-out-for-revenge and I hope to see her playing more lead characters going forward (Jiang Susu is also quite a contrast from her role as a kick-ass tomboy gamer girl in The King's Avatar). Zhao Yiqin has really matured as an actor as well since Wait, My Youth (which I absolutely loved despite what I thought was only average acting) and My Girl, Fake Princess, etc. and it's great to see him back on screen again.

The costumes for both leads were beautiful as was the setting. I was also impressed with the level of detail incorporated into a short production like this -- at one point, you even see an old, ornate glass bottle of aspirin, for example (I can't speak to the accuracy of the bottle itself, lol). The music also really suited the mood and era; I especially loved Zhi Ru Chu Jian (Only Like Our First Meeting) by Zhou Zhiping.

This relatively new genre of drama is great when you're worried about bingeing on an addictive 40-episode full-length series when life is busy and you need sleep ?, but the quality can be incredibly hit and miss (you know it's bad when you can't even get past a 3-minute episode!). I definitely recommend Provoke to anyone who liked Maid's Revenge -- it's got all the revenge, hot chemistry, and over-the-top melodrama without the excessive physical aggression, and has a much better ending and much stronger cast.

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Insanely Good, but also a Shame...

The chemistry was, and I repeat, OFF THE CHARTS. THE CASTING. I've never seen these actors before, but God, everything was perfect from the cast to the plot. It genuinely, coming from a person who hates repetitive cliche cdrama tropes, had none of that. It was perfect, but I'm very upset that it was so limited in its budget and how short it was - they should have made a full on 16 episode ish thing, because those mini episodes were way too short.

I really enjoyed the plot and the twists and turns and all of the characters. I just wish there was more content and more understanding, which could have been done with a slightly larger budget. Honestly, this is so underrated and I personally enjoyed it way more than My Lethal Man, despite it being slightly similar, and I think this had huge potential to be a massive hit like My Lethal Man and Reset. It's a revenge based plot, and that's all I'll spoil for you! Go watch it yourself: it's very short, but gets across everything. Beautifully executed.

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Finnaly new story

Like i said in title - finally new story. This drama is from historical Chine like Arsenal Millitary Academy or Fall in Love.

I really like these tipe of dramas because they catch your eyes. In this era there were no mobile phones no internet - you could just send letter and this thing everything complicated, but it makes the story more interesting. If I say it in other way they had to rely on inventing the story. I know it's from web novel but still these storyes from this era they are not that "old fashioned".

I really like male and female leads they have so interesting chemistry.
It is about intrigue, who is more smart, about -i can say- deep interesting love, revenge... But even if it in some way harsh it is still a beautiful exciting romance. I want more dramas with them. ? And although I watching also korean series this is really ON MY TOP BEST DRAMAS.

What can we discuss is the lenght. On the one side - yes it is short and it's pitty that it is not more longer.
on the other side i don't really dislike the lenght because it is about the main story. There is NO unnecessary, BORING scene and you can focus on the main story.

If you hesitate to watch this drma please don't! It is short so if you don't like firs ep. you can stop watching it but just try it.
maybe you will like it like me. ???

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A worthy short web drama to watch about love and revenge. Good acting of the entire cast.

Provoke is a short web drama based in the early 20th century about revenge. It is a story of love and vengeance, Du Jing Chuan.

Due to the recommendations of AvenueX and CDrama Invasion, I checked it out. Initially, I was bored by it, but I decided to give it a second chance and binge-watched the entire 25 episodes.

Jiang Ying and Du Xun Yu were childhood friends, and Du Jing Chuan harmed their families. They worked together to find the truth about the death of their parents and eventually got the revenge they needed and fell in love in the process.

It is a decent short drama to binge since each episode only last 15 minutes. I give it a 7.0 rating and recommend checking it out if you want to binge-watch it in one shot.

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Slow Burn-Could this revenge have been better? -2 minutes read.

Hello blushing sweeties!

It was a slow burn drama, lacking in many areas. All the emotions portrayed were in limited scale. The hatred should have been maximum. Romance should have been overflowing. The revenge, the tension between the characters should have given the viewers chills down the spine. It was on the contrary and hence it was lacking.
The cinematography was dramatic and interesting to watch-Better than the typical period Chinese dramas. The costumes, the interiors, crockery and other props used in the drama are a visual feast. The acting was up to the mark. The OSTs elevated the moods. The twists and turns were kicking in smoothly.

But everything could have been better. It's as if the drama makers purposefully wanted it to be a slow burn drama.

The bottom-line is that it was a good watch. I would rate it a 6.5.

Thank you for reading my review.
Have a good day/night!

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It is a novel and refreshing story that fulfills all our expectations.

First, when I heard the plot of the drama, I thought of it as some toxic drama, but I ended up watching it because of some reviews, and now I have watched 18 episodes; let me tell you, this mini-series is too good, it has a good story, and the chemistry between the couples is just too good, and it has the emotional aspect as well, and it also has the humor part,....it's just perfect. Me personally, I have felt the story very new as initially when I got to know the plot, it was kind of weird that ML's dad wants to marry the FL and I thought it was some toxic drama, but let me tell you, you could just watch 3 episodes which takes nearly 40 min and then you will understand why this series is too good .....You can guess how much I liked it so that I am reviewing it even before the series is completed. It's definitely worth your time. Go watch it now

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A Visual Feast and you don't have to worry about long eps

Republican era, Opium dealings.. umm I started watching because I really liked the cinematography from the fan edits on social media.. so I went to watch it in 4K and it's so beautiful trust me.. the scenes are beautifully shot and choreographed.. Even though WeTV is kinda slow in updating the English subs(as it's already finished airing on Tencent). I am patiently waiting for this drama to complete. I don't think the story is something very unique or new but the way the story flows is somehow gives off a webtoon feeling. The ML is handsome and his acting is good most of the time, but sometimes it is not. I'll be honest here. But since he is handsome you can give points for that haha .. oh and yes I felt that sometimes he has voice like an audio drama voice actor, the way he spoke some of the dialogues.. The FL .. she did a better job at acting here. She looked beautiful in those pretty dresses. Overall I have enjoyed this drama so far.

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It's not bad, however not great. Still watchable....

If you are looking for a short drama but I would say 3 hour film then this is definately for you....

I am a big Zhao Yiqin fan, when this guy started out he was a revelation however as a fan I know he has hit limitations to be in that top 10 which gets the best scripts, gets big name female leads.... He will have to compromise for lessor scripts and not high profile female leads ....

I got excited because I have seen Daisy Li in many dramas in the past, mostly as a second Lead rather that first, she to me actually not bad actress and good pairing for ZYQ....

This is a low budget drama/film, good story line but not great, limited film locations but hey story held out....

You will feel the connection between the male and female lead. For something that is about 3 hours long I say give it a try....

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Solid story, acting, cinematography. More PG-rated than the poster indicates

From the director of other strong short dramas "A Familiar Stranger" and "The Killer is Also Romantic," here's another story that delivers incredible visual storytelling with the plot.

It is 20th century Shanghai, meaning this the Chinese Republican era, which is a transition period after the end of the monarchy but before the Cultural Revolution (so around 1910s-1940s). During this time is full of warlords fighting over territories and also the major issue of opium destroying a lot of people. This is the historical setting of the fictional story.

Jiang Ying is a local singer at a club who attempts to get close to Du Jingchuan for revenge. In her way is Jingchuan's son Du Xunyu, who is suspicious of her motives. However, Jiang Ying knows his secret: that the real Du Xunyu is already dead. So who is this man pretending to be Jingchuan's son and what is his end goal? Their entanglement unfolds...

The actors did an incredible job and the two leads have amazing chemistry. I've seen Zhao YiQin in older dramas that I didn't care too much for (I think he doesn't look that good in historical dramas) but he looks incredible here. Daisy Li is also the perfect female lead for this role, to be cunning but also able to play an innocent type. Overall, the whole cast did a great job.

The chemistry is sizzling, but it's definitely more tame than I hoped. Rather than going straight to sex and lust, there is a deep bond between the characters. I think the characters don't ever actually have a real kiss in this drama?? So as you can see, they are playing a deeper relationship than just physical.

About 2/3 of the way, I got a little bored once they knew who each other's true identities. However, I think it's still worth a watch!

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