Sadomasochism drama for you

The only reason I watched this is He Xuanlin. I really hate sadomasochism theme, but I kept holding on, along with any kind of curse words.

As the synopsis written, Lin Wenyu is the FL. Her real name was Su Wenyue, the daughter of Su Mu. Su Mu was the lieutenant of Duan Xunchu's father. Xunchu's parents thought of FL as their own daughter, so she lived in Duan family's house since she was a kid. Bcos of the close relationship between the parents, Wenyue was engaged with Duan family's oldest son, Duan Xunliu. However, one night, enemies barged into Duan family's house and killed everyone. Wenyue and Xunchu managed to escape and lived together. Wenyue lied to Xunchu to make him leave the city. Seven years after they got separated, they reunite. This time, Xunchu's mission is to make Wenyue, now Wenyu, to pay for his family demise. Then, after they resolve their misunderstanding, together they try to find the truth.

MUSIC
Tbh the music is just so-so, not memorable. Sometimes it is too loud. I don't like the opening song too.

CHARACTERS
Lin Wenyu/Su Wenyue
Our FL is a few years older than ML so she sees him as her own didi. She owns a apothecary and known for her beauty and skills as a doctor. An elegant, smart, brave, kind hearted and forgiving woman.

Duan Xunchu
The ML who vowed to make the killer of his family suffer. Therefore, he loves and hates Wenyu. He started to love her when they lived together for a few years after the incident. That's why he was in agony when Wenyu said his family was killed by her and her father. He came back after successfully becoming a general known as Iron Blood. After he comes back, he makes Wenyu lives in hell. He treats all women like trash.

Song Wanzhen
As usual, we have the delusional spoiled rich brat. She is the youngest chikd in Song family, so she acts as she pleases. A perfect match for Xunchu. Anyway her father tries to tie her with Xunchu in marriage, but Xunchu successfully avoids it. She always tries to bully Wenyu and she hates Huaining bcos he is not her real brother.

Song Huaining
The adoptive son of Song family. Somehow he doesn't remember anything before he was saved by his adoptive father. He is kind, gentle, well behaved. Although he is few years older than Xunchu, they became friends. Sometimes he has a severe headache, so Wenyu often comes to treat him.

ACTING
He Xuanlin is undeniably great. She is the reason that kept me watching.
Gao Mingchen got his first lead role, but as a red flag. He did great though. Some of you might think he looks more like an angry teenager. What do you expect? Xunchu lost his childhood and has been hiding from his enemies until he finally gained power. His mind is full of revenge, but he can't help feeling jealous to Huaining. He is conflicted between love and hate to Wenyu.
For the SFL, what kind I say? The easiest role in a drama is playing a spoiled rich brat.
For the SML, he fits his role. A gentle man shrouded in mystery. But sometimes he is lacking in expressions.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS
Tbh, I freaking HATE the ML. He is a disgusting piece of shit. He keeps treating FL like a trash on the first half of the drama! He hates her, but also cares for her. After choking her, then he gives her his coat or treats her wound. He is always jealous everytime Wenyu gets close with another man, then he will drag her along the road. Sometimes she doesn't defend herself and lets him do as he pleases. I think it is bcos she feels guilty for his suffering after they got separated. Once he finds out she is innocent, all he says is "From now on, I will make up for it. I'm sorry". WHAT??? That's it?? Everytime I see him choking her, I always scream "I will fry you, pig!" If I were Wenyu, I will never forgive him, or at least I will make him pay for it until I feel satisfied. I won't get swayed by his gifts, sweet words, etc. But anyway, Wenyu is too kind and forgiving. She accepts him right away.

SUMMARY
Would I recommend this? If you are fine with sadomasochism theme, you might want to try this. The leads have great chemistry. The mystery is predictable, so viewers just have to watch how the story goes and how the leads handle the situations. This is a short drama, only 10 minutes each episode. You can finish binge watching it in less than 3 hours.

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It reminds you of your youth

The story starts in 2002. In a neighborhood of Liuli Hutong there are 5 childhood friends who are enjoying their school life while trying to find their dreams and passions. As time passes, they face heartbreaking situations and reality which change the dynamics and make them grow. Separation can't be avoided as they step into real world. You will laugh and cry together with them. But in the end, they are still the people from Liuli Hutong neighborhood whose bond never cease.

This drama is simple. It shows the realistic side of what people can experience in life and their journey to find happiness as they grow up. Each family has their own color. There's no annoying character, no violence involved, no bully, no overly dramatic situations. The kids face their own problems as they grow up into working adults. Each family has strong bond. The friendship is really strong and genuine, they're not friends with benefit. This drama will remind you of your youth when you were carefree, failed in your exams, argued with your parents, how you disliked going back to countryside, had to chose between dream or reality, experienced first love, separation, career, marriage.

Few people might not like Shao Xue at first, but you will see that she's more than just a tomboy and loud girl. Sunian is the popular boy but only Shao Xue can make him happy. Zhang Qi has a secret crush on Shao Xue, but chooses friendship instead. Shiyin might be annoying, but she dreams big and she's a loyal friend. Wu Huan is obedient and hard working. Don't forget the diversity of parents and the lovely elders who work at the restoration house. This drama is worth to watch especially if you like a daily life drama.

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You either enjoy it or skip it

This is my first ever drama review, although perhaps no one's gonna read it 😅
Negative points:
1. Messy editing, especially the first 5 eps and last 2 eps which is the most important parts of a drama.
2. Bad directing. Long pause, long staring, long standing, slow moving camera.
3. Bad script. The conversation are taking too long, they really talk in details about everything. Some are important, but some are pointless.
4. The battle scenes are cut short bcs they use the screentime for conversations.

Positive points:
1. The characters are likeable. There's no annoying character in the main cast, not even Na Sheng. I hate if one of the main characters is a villain + love rival. Yu Huan is evil, but not a love rival. Zhen Lan is a love rival, but not evil. That's why the story is enjoyable and makes me focus on the characters and their journey. The characters I hate the most are Lang Gan and Yu Huan, the other villains are fine.
2. The chemistry. You either see it or not. I even like Bai Ying and Xi Jing or Yu Huan and Fei Lian together. Su Mo and Bai Ying have chemistry, but sometimes the conversations got too long so it was hard to maintain it.
3. The acting. They did what they had to. They delivered their characters really well based on the character's backstory and personality, and how their characters changed along their journey. The three main cast had the hardest jobs. I applaud them for that.
4. The OST. I love all songs, but half of them are barely played in the drama.
5. The set, cinematography, CGI. I actually like the settings, especially the bamboo river house. Other places are well built too, even the forest. The cinematography is nice, the CGI is acceptable. They could've done better in CGI, but I've seen worse than this.

This drama, you either love it or hate it, enjoy it or skip it, feel attached or disappointed.You can watch the donghua (animation) or read the novel and ditch the drama version. Up to you. For me, I really like it and will rewatch it.

For the ending, I'd like to think it's leaning to HE. That the gods gave him power to be resurrected and permanently stays by her side. For three years, the citizens worship him and pray for him. They came every year to the sea. Those prayers might gave Su Mo power to appear in human form. Also the song played in that scene is the happy one (I'm Your Rain by Rachel).

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Walking on thin ice

The story starts with our cp: Chen Qian and Yu Chunyang stand on different sides. Chen Qian is a military agent, a famous hero with the code name Lu Bu. Yu Chunyang is a member of communist party. Their first meeting leaves deep impression on Chen Qian. Then Chunyang is asked to participate in a rescue mission for Chen Qian bcos her leader values Chen Qian's ability and believes he will be a great help for CCP. The rescue mission goes well, but they have to go separate ways.

After a while, Chen Qian and Chunyang reunite under new identities. They eventually work together to complete their mission: lurking into the Japanese army HQ in Shanghai to eliminate them. Chen Qian decides to join the CCP for two reasons: he wants to be with Chunyang, and believes that the Chinese should help the Chinese.

Besides the Japanese, Chen Qian has another enemy: the military. The military and CCP are enemies. Chen Qian now works as a CCP spy, helps them to escape the military grasp and tries to protect Chongqing.

WARNING: This is NOT a romance drama. If you're looking for some sweet cp moments, you will be disappointed.

Trivia:
Chen Qian > Asai Mitsuo (Japanese envoy disguise) / Qian Jing Guangfu (chinese translation).
Ida Yuutarou > Jing Tian Yutailang
Ida Yukako > Jing Tian Youjiazi (Ida Yuutarou's niece).
Ninomiya > Er Gong (Ida's assistant, the moustache guy).
Watanabe > Du Bian (Ida's right hand man, the glasses one).
Yamaguchi Akiko > Shan Kou Qiuzi (Ida's housekeeper/butler).

Acting:
I watched this for Chen Yuqi and Chen Xiaoyun. This is my first Peng Guanying and Gao Hanyu drama. I must say, none of the actors did bad. They all nailed the characters so well. The tension between Peng Guanying vs Fu Dalong will give you cold sweat. Gao Hanyu serves as a hateful character brilliantly.

Production:
They definitely did a great job capturing all the essence of China in 1940s. The cinematography is beautiful. The styling for both male and female characters are handled with care.

Missing points:
1. The Japanese don't speak Japanese, even during private times. They said less than 10 Japanese words.
2. The writer didn't give depth to Chen Yuqi's character as the FL. She feels more like a cameo than the FL. All the ladies except Chunyang have solid backstory, while her story is told by words.
3. Main cp has sweet moments only on ep 29, 35 and 39. They have mutual understanding as comrades and subtle moments when they stare at each other, but they have no time to talk about love. So their relationship progress feels lacking.

Overall I like this drama for the tension of watching Chen Qian and Yu Chunyang walking on thin ice and how they survive from the sharp eyes of the enemies.

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Watch it raw if you're an adventurer!

I watched this drama for Chen Yuqi. I can't understand about 70% of it, but it's easy to get the point. The acting, OST, editing, CGI, directing and production are amazing. The suspense, mystery, action and romance don't overlap. The drama also adds both manga and cartoon style for cutscene. In short, the drama is divided into 3 parts:
1. Ep 1-19 is the introduction to the characters and set the stage.
2. Ep 20-30 is the first villain arc
3. 3p 31-44 is the second villain arc
MoA3 is not a romance drama, but it is the reason I stick to the end. Some cnetz complained about the amount of romance is too much. I disagree. The romance softens the tension. If it's only about antiques and conspiracy, it will be monotonous bcs not everyone understands about Chinese history and treasures.

Characters/acting.
Main characters: Xu Yicheng, Hai Lanzhu, Fu Gui.
Second leads: Yao Lai, Liu Yiming, Huang Kewu.
Five Meridians: Grandmaster, Yao Shenxing, Huang Dingkun (second master), Thirteenth Aunt
Villains: Wang Yuheng, the Japanese

Fu Gui is a policeman and Yicheng's best friend. He is the big brother to Yicheng and Lan'er. He is hot headed like Yicheng. Values friendship and justice. A capable, reliable man and admired by his men.

Yao Lai is Yao Shenxing's son. The young master of Yao family. He has a drug problem but fighting to get sober. A bit bratty and rebellious. His father is really strict so they're not in harmonious term, but his father really cares for him.

Liu Yiming is raised by Thirteenth Aunt. He is an apprentice in Five Meridians. Extremely talented in paintings and calligraphy but lacks of confidence. Timid, smart and cool headed.

Huang Kewu, the fighter in the group. Reckless and sloppy, but brave and loyal. Son of Huang Dingkun. He, Yiming and Yao Lai are baseball players at their school.

The six of them are like family: Yicheng and Lan'er as the parents, the three musketeers are their sons, Fu Gui as the grandpa 😂 None of the six leads is toxic. The three kids call Yicheng as uncle Xu and Lan'er as aunt Hai.

All actors act so well and natural as if they are THE characters. Every character has their flaws. From all characters I really hate the villains and the Qing royal troupe (that includes Hai Lanzhu's father).

OST.
The OST and BGM are perfect fit for this drama. There are some English songs too. The couple has about 5 theme songs including the ending song. It's easier to search them by song names if you're curious.

Production.
The setting, antiques, lighting, clothes, special effects are expected from Republican drama. It's an amazing production blended with great acting. My problem is the dubbing for the Japanese 🙄 Also except Chen Yuqi, the others use their own voices.

Overall.
This is a great drama, although depicted from the novel (as usual), but it has what a drama needs. Though I want the first villain arc to be longer. It was too short. And the ending, I'll pretend it didn't happen. Other that that, I have no other issues. Just wishing someone will sub this drama 😭

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