An Excellent Side Dish, After the Main Course

MIDNIGHT DINER: TOKYO STORIES was an excellent Japanese side series about the many assorted stories of the eccentric cast of characters who visit a small diner which opens from midnight to seven a.m. in the morning. The diner is visited by all sorts of interesting, bizarre and sometimes even shady characters, all with their own backstories, reasons for visiting the diner, along with special memories associated with their choice of dish. Some are Yakuza, some gay / trans night club workers, some are struggling dancers, but all have stories to share.

Along with the many character's stories that are gradually revealed as the show progresses, this series also features cooking and many different Japanese recipes, making this a unique experience for food enthusiasts, as well as culture aficionados alike. It's a great side series, full of many new stories, if you can't get enough of the original.

This is a very mellow and simplistic series, but one that has a very quiet, heartfelt and thoughtful atmosphere to it. I really enjoyed this and can thoroughly recommend. I must say however, that this show is for adults only as there is some light nudity present and the content can sometimes be risque and emotionally heavy. Overall, this series is a gem and I will be looking forward to watching other related series as well.

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MING DYNASTY 1566: Political Court Factions Drama

MING DYNASTY 1566 is a highly political drama of 46 episodes length. Unlike other dramas, this one focuses far less on inter personal relations, family affairs and characters and more so rather on the political stage of the time, the warring of court factions, and all the intricacies of the delicate balancing act of governance.

The story tells of a Ming Dynasty which is ruled by Emperor Jiajing and his court, over a Ming nation that now has an exploding economy and booming culture, but that golden age comes at a cost, and often times at a cost for the people of the country. It heavily focuses on how the Ming Dynasty courtiers and magistrates strive to produce more silk at behest of the Emperor (as well as tea and other high demand goods) for foreign nations, but must weigh the balance of domestic demands as well, navigating obstacles and disasters along the way. This drama might be incredibly slow to some, but is a very valuable work in terms of historical context, political understanding, and methods of governance. Very fascinating if you are into this sort of thing.

I highly recommend this series to those that value history, specifically Ming Dynasty era history, as well as those that have an intellectual interest in politics, court factions and methods of government. This was a series one must pay great attention in order to really grasp its story, but certainly an excellent one. Worth the watch.

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Anthology of Arthouse Bizarre

PERSONA was a well-made Korean anthology of stories, but due to the one episode length span of each story there is only so much that can be conveyed in terms of character development and depth, and only so much that can take place, per story, so they don't really hit too deep not as other Korean dramas might, but they were still well made and acted, visually stunning and intriguing. In my opinion the writing struggled in these episodes, but do give the viewer pause to think.

Worth the watch mainly for the quality of the production and the acting by Eun-Ji Lee (IU) and Bae Doona, as well as the capable directing and visual effects.

LOVE SET [5/10]
COLLECTOR [7/10]
KISS BURN [8/10]
WALKING AT NIGHT [8/10]

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A Republic Era C-Drama

LOST IN 1949 is a Chinese Historical Drama featuring Communist spy rings, espionage, familial bonds, brotherhood, romance, and slice of life in the Chinese Republican Era, year 1948-1949, building up to the day of reckoning for the country's corrupt elite class.

I should first give a warning here, as the topic of Communism can be generally inflammatory subject here in the West. So be warned that this is a very PRO-Communist drama and obviously going to be biased to that end. Hopefully negative reviews won't be written because of that fact alone. However, I personally feel that regardless of your political stance on the topic of Communism as an effective form of governance or not, the series was a completely engrossing and compelling watch and offers reasonable and understandable causes for the drive of the people's movement towards Communism in those days. This drama portrays a highly romanticized, dramatic and somewhat nationalistic take on political tensions, war and Communism in China in the year of 1949.

"On New Year's Day in 1949, female accountant Huang Liwen returns to her hometown Shanghai in order to commemorate her husband and comrade's death. As a newly turned Communist agent, she is ordered to obtain valuable information for the Communist Party and aid them in their quest for liberation. During her mission, Liwen is reunited with her family members, and becomes acquainted with the savy streetwise Qiao Zhicai(Chen Kun) and his younger twin brother Qiao Lijie, who turns out to be a key player in Huang Liwen's mission."

This series contains two of my favorite Chinese Stars, the infinately captivating Chen Kun (Qiao Zhi Cai & Qiao Li Jie) and the wonderful Regina Wan / Wan Qian (Huang Li Wen), both of whom shine here, though the former really steals the show. Chen Kun is a sheer genius and master of his craft and an absolute joy to watch. And per his usual, he was phenomenal. This review will possibly become a rant now...

This series was highly engrossing after a few episodes it really picked up. There is certainly a lot of world and character building, political intrigue and dialogue, family and romantic tensions and relationship conflicts, misunderstandings, etc, but it still kept me hooked, mainly in part by Chen Kun's ever dynamic presence. It's definitely more of a slow burn drama, rather than a thriller as I had been somewhat expecting based on the description and subject matter. The costumes and production were stunning and really capture the Era well, for what one might expect. The entire cast were excellent really.

I've now watched so many of Chen Kun's projects and am ALWAYS, ALWAYS blown away by his performances. He is an absolute force to reckoned with, a literal genius in my personal and humble opinion. He is on a whole next level than many performing actors these days (compared to many actors both in the East and in the West), and never fails to impress, and not simply because of his gorgeous features, dashing charisma and intense presence. He can make a viewer go from laughing to crying easily within seconds, offering up very effective and memorable performances. I honestly can't praise him enough, as this review probably shows...whoops.

Anyways. In LOST IN 1949, Chen Kun plays two characters, the twin brothers Qiao Zhi Cai and Qiao Li Jie, with absolute skill and genius. His vast range as an actor was really put to the test when the two brothers frequently interact with each other and the world around them. You get to see two really different characters played by a single man and honestly it did feel like watching two separate men in their respective parts. Hmmm...Does he have a real life twin? Or a clone? The point being, he's incredibly believable and deliciously entertaining to watch. And did I mention hilarious? While this isn't listed as a comedy, he is incredibly hilarious here, playing both the quirky and lovable, streetwise Qiao Zhi Cai, as well as the cool and awkward physicist, Qiao Li Jie. Many comedic coincidences ensue.

While the first few episodes might move a bit slowly, this series is a rather short drama in the grand scheme of C-Drama's, lasing only 46 episodes. Typical dramas could range around 80-100 eps. And these 46 episodes blew past me in no time and left me wishing for more.

As for qualms, I have very little for this series. One issue would be the writing / handling of Regina Wan's character, Huang Li Wen, towards the later part of the series. She started off very well balanced. Strong and yet hinting at deeper vulnerability and pain. In the later part, she seemed to become very bland and distant and consumed by her vulnerabilities, loosing some of her previously earned wit and strength of character. I have no doubt that has nothing to do with Regina's acting skill, as she is very talented actress indeed, but rather the writing direction chosen for her character. While her circumstances were understandably difficult, I wish she'd been given a bit more time to shine again before the series had ended. Perhaps this series could have been longer? Or perhaps it has been previously edited down and thus some of her character arc was missing.

Overall, finding this gem was a huge win for me. While not perfect, I can't bear to dock it any points. 10 stars because I was kept highly entertained throughout. When not engrossed in the espionage plots and communist tasks, I was kept amused with wonderful characters developing and interacting. Both Romance and Family were key central elements. Hence, I greatly enjoyed almost everything about this series, the story, the portrayal of the Era, the costumes and settings, the atmosphere, the chemistry between characters, all the cast was excellent, even the main theme song was pretty catchy and likeable. Most of all the masterful Chen Kun and intelligent Regina Wan were a sheer delight to watch onscreen with great chemistry. Really loved this drama and super glad I had stumbled across it free and subbed on Youtube.

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Three Kingdoms Era, Political Romance

SECRET OF THE THREE KINGDOMS was a really wonderful series. There was so much to enjoy, least of all the maturity of the writing (story, dialogue, characters) that felt like a breath of fresh air. This is a strong drama that easily holds its own amongst the floods of historical dramas, very memorable and compelling. While it does start out interesting, the first few episodes can be a bit slow but act as staging for the rest of the series. Perservere and the drama grows into something more epic. There felt to be a little of everything here. Drama, Politics, Mystery, Romance and even a little Action at times.

Everything was simply amazing, from the story premise, to the beautiful costumes, to the excellent casting, to character chemistry, to the stirring music (in later episodes). The writing throughout always felt fresh and never confined by the usual C-Drama tropes. In fact, there were quite a few unusual aspects or at least less common to dramas such as hero POV being male rather than typical "female heroine get sucked into royal politics" trope, the sensitive male hero also (as seen in Liu Ping / Liu Xie) also isn't very common, especially in historical dramas were the typical "strong man" (as well as the warriors, strategists and politicians) reign supreme. Also, his character personality traits emphasize kindness, honesty, morality, mercy, gentleness, forgiveness, patience, tenderness etc...things not usually portayed as qualities in history dramas (and usually not by men). He is often cited negatively by other characters as having too much "womanly benevolence", but this quality indeed makes him strong throughout the series, an admirable aspect, as well as being trope defying. The power dynamics in the couple are also noteworthy as equals, balanced, with strength and weakness well matched.

Ma Tianyu (Ice Fantasy, Vigilantes in Masks) was brilliant as his (dual) role (Commoner Liu Ping / Emperor Liu Xie) and is really great in this series. He has a genuine boyish kindness and sensitivity that shines through, giving his truly noble character more authenticy and his onscreen chemistry with the fiercely intelligent Empress Fu Shou (played by Regina Wan / Wan Qian) was very believable, not to mention the epic bromance shared between he & and his onscreen foster brother, the ever cunning yet charming and charismatic Sima Yi / Zhong Da (played by Elvis Han).

Also, can I just say? The Empress Fu Shou (Regina Wan / Wan Qian) was one of the most powerful and convincing "Empress" characters I've seen to date, brilliant, fierce, cunning, regal, determined, loyal, ruthless when she needed to be, self-restrained but never subdued, an amazing display of badass feminine power and brilliance. Overall such a well-written and wonderfully acted character! And gorgeous to boot.

Also, the character of Sima Yi / Zhong Da (Elvis Han) must be mentioned because he was also another great character giving much to the show, especially in terms of charm, intelligence, sassiness and sarcasm. Always bold and headstrong, but fiercely loyal and entertaining. He was such a well-written and acted character as well. Loved the brother's dynamic. And he was so hilarious at times. Just a natural charmer to be sure!

The list of characters and their wonderful actors goes on and on, but among them
Commoner Liu Ping / Emoeror Liu Xie (Ma Tian Yu), Empress Fu Shou (Wan Qian), Sima Yi / Zhong Da (Elvis Han), Libationer Guo Jia (played by Sunny Wang), Imperial Consort Tang Ying (played by Dong Jie).

Others that are highly memorable are the characters of Lady Ren Hong Chang (Dong Xuan), Cao Pi (Tan Jian Ci), Yang Xiu (Wang Meng), General Cao Cao (Gardner Tse), Xun Yu (Wang Ren Jun), Cao Jie (Wang Yu Wen), Cao Zhi (Liu Yu Han), and Magistrate Man Chong (Tu Yan) and so many others. Really great casting!

In this series there are a lot of moving pieces, political scheming, strategies, hidden motivations, dynamics between characters. It's very engaging and mentally stimulating to follow along and try to read characters intentions. This series has a very strong story plot and cast. There is something to mention about this series, namely that it doesn't seek to emotionally manipulate it's viewers. For hardcore drama fans, that is an aspect that rarely we can escape from in Dramaland and might feel like a bit of change at first. Sometimes soapy melodramatic shows tend to elicit strong reactions initially but can feel manipulative at times. That's not always a bad thing but can feel tiring and under handed.

Therefore, I really loved how this show is not like that at all. It's telling a story and a very good one at that. It doesn't need to rely on half baked, kneejeek manipulative actions to keep viewers hooked. It does it's story telling well. Aside from that, the casting was really great with so many great actors well suited to their roles. I really loved so many of them. Even many of the "bad guys" were relatable and compelling. Everyone has their own motivations, desires, end game. It was great to watch this one!

Overall I definitely recommend viewers give this one a chance! Especially if you are a fan of slow burn Political, Historical, Three Kingdoms Era, C-Drama's. There's a little bit of everything in this one.

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An OK J-Drama

SUPER RICH was an alright J Drama about a business woman named Hyoga Mamoru (Noriko Eguchi) who grew up very wealthy but yet has very little in terms of relationships and family. This is a romance drama but also focuses on business and human nature.

Although the drama was kind of slow, I personally enjoyed the main character. Mamoru was very quirky and confident, a very unique person. Not your typical drama heroine. Even though this drama deals with business and romance, I wish there was more going on besides those two aspects, or at least they could have made the business storyline less repetitive and added more depth. Otherwise it was an interesting watch, but more for casual viewing.

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For Ruby Lin & Wallace Huo

THE GLAMOROUS IMPERIAL CONCUBINE was a fairly entertaining and highly melodramatic show, though I can hardly call it quality. Much of it felt rushed, cliched and predictable. If you watch Chinese dramas then you will recognize many tried and true tropes and cliches. The writing in this series was fairly weak and brought nothing new to the table, so to speak. There wasn't much I didn't see coming. I did enjoy the main leads however, as I am fans of the wonderful actors Wallace Huo and Ruby Lin.

Many of the side characters were pretty over the top, outrageous and flamboyant. Some of the main female protags' family were overly melodramatic, cheesy and comedic. A few of which, die off in the first few episodes, though I won't say which. I feel they were added to lighten the mood, since there are constantly tragic things happening and characters crying.

There's still plenty of crazy emotional characters to go around afterwards though. The royal Eunuch of Chu, forgetting his name, was pretty silly and dramatic and might be offensive to western viewers who don't see the eunuch trope (eunuch, not gay) in dramas very often. As he is a castrated male, he is portrayed as being very feminine and flamboyant (squeely, whiny and peppy) and often used to comediac effect (which is still sad because historically royal eunuchs had VERY difficult lives and I wish a drama some day would truely focus on one of their stories for once, instead of a princess/prince/royalty etc. but I digress.) He was particularly flamboyant and silly, and yet he eventually grew on me and I liked his relationship with Princess Fuya.

TRIGGER WARNING: One of my complaints was concerning the male leads. Both of the male leads were deeply flawed and hard to root for, and many of the men (main leads and side characters) throughout the show force themselves onto women, without much consequence and are often painted in a pitiable light. There are topics such as rape, near rape, sexual violence, coercion, physical abuse, cheating etc. Even perpetrated by the leads. So that was disappointing.

Overall, this was a fun little show, good for casual passive viewing. I can't really recommend to serious drama fans, but it may be good to watch if you are a fan of Ruby Lin or Wallace Huo, as am I. There seriously wasn't enough Wallace Huo for me though. Kinda made the series drag on. This series was not anything overly great for me, but not the worst either. Aside from some of distasteful subject matter, this show had quite a few moments of entertainment.

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Who Rules the World Indeed...

WHO RULES THE WORLD was a top notch, high quality, super fun C-Drama, one I watched with family over the course of a few weeks. It was pretty entertaining, filled with drama, adventure, intrigue, action, mystery, romance and a little comedy. And of course, some outlandishly fantastical wuxia fight scenes as well, because what would a fantasy martial arts drama be without some good wuxia mixed in?

Who Rules the World is the story of two highly cultivated master martial artists, known as Feng Lan Xi and Feng Xi Yun, who join hands together to travel the world and fight off an evil clan that seeks to dominate the world. They are opposites of one another in many ways but work well as a team.

Although this series was a bit slow at times, overall the story was interesting and the cast really likeable. Everything was quality, to the complex plot to the breathtaking background scenery to the intricate indoor settings. Very beautiful and visually stunning. The music was pretty good too. I enjoyed the two main characters and how they interacted with one another. I do feel like more time could have been spent truly developing the characters deeper instead of flirtily eying one another endlessly, but even still, it was a great show and the family enjoyed it. I'm glad we gave it a try. Would probably rewatch down the road.

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A Dark Psychological Crime Thriller

BEYOND EVIL was an insanely good drama. Going into it, I really had no expectations set and so I was very pleased to realize this was going to be a stellar drama. I realized that right off the bat. It wasn’t hard to guess it would turn out to be great, given the super great acting, intriguing storyline and mystery, and awesome music. The first episode was very compelling. There was so much to love about this show. It was very addictive and masterfully executed. This isn’t your run of the mill crime kdrama by far.

Being a psychological thriller, and featuring a lot of crime, involving some gruesome murders and some graphic and highly emotional scenes, this series is rather dark and certainly not for everyone. It has a way of getting in your head and under your skin, without being classified horror. However, the complexity of this drama is pretty mind blowing. Definitely a series to try if you enjoy dark, gritty, psychological crime thrillers.

While there certainly is crime, murder, mystery, intrigue and heavy psychological elements, this drama is wholly original in flavor and it’s hard to peg down why. Certainly the two male leads (Shin Ha-kyun as the jaded and misunderstood Lee Dong Shik, and Yeo Jin-gu as the determined and incorruptible Han Ju Won) are fantastic actors with definite on-screen chemistry. Though the story is non-romantic, and not sexual in nature, the two partners gradually form a deep bond hard to describe. They grow from enemies to partners to true friends, of course, but the platonic bond they later share is something truly powerful. Possibly result of a shared trauma, or a trauma bond. Either way it’s incredibly moving. A Bromance unlike any other, especially in this genre.

The story itself was excellent and kept me on the edge of my seat. The entire drama is a rollercoaster ride, from one thrilling point to the next. The characterizations were great and memorable. There were so many likable characters besides the main leads, and all were so well written and existing in various shades of grey. I really loved the connections and friendships between the people of the small town. Great casting and great acting. On top of all that, the visuals, cinematography, script, music, it was all top notch. This show makes you feel so much. Just prepare for a wild ride. I really hope there will be another season/series soon.

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Heart & Soul

MY MISTER (Naui Ahjusshi) was a k-drama that defied my expectations and left my predictions hanging out to dry. It is deep, layered, and so full of heart. At times it was tragic and heartbreaking, while others it was laugh-out-loud hilarious. It was always quirky and fresh. I can’t begin to express how touching this was. There is something just so beautiful and deep about it. Wonderful acting, brilliant writing, gorgeous music, quirky realistic characters, down to earth vibes, heartfelt plots and themes...everything was so great. This show has so much heart and soul.

The acting was fantastic. The entire cast gave stellar performances and all left lasting impressions. Lee Ji-eun (as Lee Ji-An) and Lee Sun-kyun (as Park Dong-hoon) were both so great and relatable. You truly feel for both of them, as people, and their trials and tragedies impact the viewer deeply. I loved Lee Ji-An’s relationship with her grandmother. I also really loved Park Dong-Hoon’s deep bond with his family and friends, but particularly with his brothers. The trio were so relatable and lovable. The entire side cast was fantastic as well.

This drama is close to real life. It is such a beautifully complex show and all the characters are so well-rounded and realistically portrayed. There are layers of emotion and subtext between the every day lives and events of these characters. There was so much going on that kept me watching, even though the overall pacing was fairly slow and it had an almost dreamy, melancholy vibes going for it.

Some viewers might not like the lack of typical romcom themes (over-the-top-silliness, unrealistic stories and excessive coincidences, mushy-gushy love at first sights, overly perfect looking cast, HEA endings for everyone, where everything is neatly tied up in a bow and everyone unrealistically gets their own sparkly magical happily ever after.) Nah. This drama brings home the feels. It brings home a meaningful story.

There were so many sensitive issues and life lessons learned in this short series, such as seeing the beauty in life and in the little things, the importance of family and friends, empathy for others when we don’t understand their secrets and sorrows, supporting one another through thick and thin. Overall, this was a great series, especially for more mature viewers.

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Dark & Mesmerizing

THE FLOWER OF EVIL. This was such a great show and such a fascinating, compelling story. Having a whole cast of wonderful characters, preformed by great actors and actresses, as well as great music OST and visual cinematography, made it an excellent experience. It is unforgettable and definitely a rewatchable, thrilling show. It takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions from start to finish, and the ending had me choked up. It definitely packs a punch.

First of all, Lee Joon Gi (Baek Hee Sung) and Moon Chae Won (Cha Ji Won) were fantastic in their roles and made the series so believable. Both are superb actors and had such excellent on-screen chemistry, even though this isn't really a romantic drama, their relationship is a key theme throughout. The entire cast was fantastic, even Jang Hee-jin (as Do Hae-soo) and Seo Hyun-woo (as Kim Moo-jin). I found Kim Moo-Jin such a funny, lovable character. The police/detective team were great as well. Also, wow, what an incredible and absolutely adorable child actress Jung Seo-yeon as Baek Eun-ha, is (daughter of Hee-sung and Ji-won)! She was just the cutest, especially when interacting with her father. She lights up every scene that she is in.

Overall, this show is a highly complex story with layers of mystery, dark psychological aspects, intensely thrilling moments, dark secrets of the past coming back to haunt, full of twists and turns and a complete emotional rollercoaster ride that leaves you on the edge of your seat the entire time. The series did such an excellent job of balancing the fine line of being both tender and gritty, beautiful and yet dark. Highly entertaining and beautiful to watch, thought-provoking, memorable and just an overall fantastic series. LOVED IT. (Hoping for a Season 2!)

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Moody Drama

APRIL STAR (Fan Xing Si Yue) was one C-Drama I will never forget. Let me start by saying, I am a huge fan of the actor Nicky Wu, hence why I first decided to give this show a try. This show was fantastic and extremely powerful and completely not what I was expecting. Having completed the show, I will say this. I have no regrets. However, this show contains some very intense themes and difficult content. Even still, it is very meaningful. The importance of family, acceptance, forgiveness, and truth was the moral behind this tale of rejection, lies and revenge.

Ye Fan Xing struggles with dark secrets and painful memories from her past. Stephy Qi is an amazing, moving actress, playing an incredibly strong yet surprisingly vulnerable character. She is extremely convincing in the role of Ye Fan Xing, who appears strong, cool, level-headed, when beneath the surface she is anything but. She is a character of extreme depth and visceral pain, trying to hide it. I think one of the things I loved most was that she was both lovable and hate-able. She was a really well developed character, with so many shades that she felt real.

Xiao Han was amazing, because, well- Nicky Wu. However I wished his character was expanded upon more than he was allowed to, and not left so mysterious towards the end. Nicky Wu is such an amazing actor though, so he really carried the role, at times warming my heart and at others, breaking it. I love all of his characters and have followed many of his previous dramas, and this character was no less fascinating—interesting, strong, intelligent, compassionate, patient and sometimes the only sane character around— a real breath of fresh air. To me, he was a character that I loved straight through the entire drama.

Mi Si Yue was another character that really made a lasting impression. She was completely interesting. The actress, Zuo Hang, was incredibly lovable, funny, and moving. She gave her character so much spark and vibrancy and was so believable in her role. Watching her transformation was nerve racking.

Fu Xia was another interesting character, though one that took me longer to care for than the others. There's no denying he was well-acted by Ming, a unique and quirky person that really suited this role. While I found him to be more bothersome than charming, he did have a funny and amusing persona and I gradually liked him. Not sure the ending suited him though...

I loved Ye Fan Xing's team as well. The villain was also pretty believable and creepy.

Overall, there were so many awesome actors, interesting, developed characters, the plot was really intriguing and touching and the opening credits were Ah-Mazing. I never wanted to skip them...

((TEAM XIAO HAN <3 ))

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Not Bad, But No Competition.

SCARLET HEART 2 (Bu Bu Jing Qing / Startling Love by Each Step) was a very enjoyable series, a loosely based sequel of Scarlet Heart 1, though not canon to the original story based on the novel Bu Bu Jing Xin. This series was very intriguing and definitely a good watch, so long as you can expect it to be only vaguely connected to the original series. Going in with those expectation make the show vastly more entertaining. However, many original characters from SH1 appear throughout, in various incarnations, which was a great bonus.

Zhang Xiao // Ruo Xi (Cecelia Lui / Lui Shi Shi) is a great actress, as ever, but her modern character is far different from the Ruo Xi in SH1. That can either be explained by the fact that she is an incarnated figure, with different personality traits, or perhaps due to how she was changed by the heartbreaking events of SH1. Either way, she lost a lot of her original spunk and boldness and cries quite a bit. I still cared deeply for her as a character; she was still relatable and admirable, sensible and emotional.

Yin Zheng // Yinzhen (Nicky Wu) was as lovable as ever, though his character was indeed altered, perhaps because the incarnation without previous memory of the past was raised very differently than original 4th Prince had been. While still cold and calculating, he is also a veryuu openly passionate character, expressing a wider range of emotion. This incarnation is driven by revenge rather than the strong sense of justice which drove his noble ancestor.

Zhang Xiao and Yin Zheng were both amazing in their roles and, as ever, exhibit a ton of on-screen chemistry. While Yin Zheng repeatedly pushes Zhang Xiao away, it was clear his innate interest, concern and protectiveness for her, even when he acts in terrible ways. And Zhang Xiao, even after memory loss, has a strong attraction and concern for Yin Zheng. It was beautiful to see their love re-develop in this modern era.

Other incarnations were of course Kang Zhentian (Emperor Kang Xi), Jack (10th Prince), Ma Yi Nuo (Ruolan). There were some new characters which were likable such as the quirky cheating ex-bf Huang Di, the protective guardian Kang Si Yu, best friend Meng Xin Yi, the interesting Ling Dang, the mysterious Lan Lan and others. Even Kang Si Han was very interesting and dynamic character.

The story was very emotionally exhausting, honestly, filled with intense twists and turns, some predictable while others not. I felt the plot line could have used move development, for many times it relied on common drama cliche’s and melodrama. Many of the sub plot were unnecessary and ended up convoluting the story excessively. This series had such great potential given the success and popularity of SH1. And while, not a huge let down, it certainly did not live up to such high standards. The last episode especially felt as if the directors were trying to fit every possible ending in, thusly causing it to feel less than thought out.

Overall, this series was worth the watch for me, and perhaps for fans of Ruo Xi and 4th Prince. Fan service and ship sailing. It was an interesting take on future possibilities, in a modern era.

((HEA))

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An Epic Journey to Save a Kingdom....

ICE FANTASY (Huànchéng) is a great epic fantasy C-drama.

Although this story is filled with fantastical realms, characters and creatures, epic storylines, adventure and drama, gorgeous costumes and music, it also revolves around the deep love and loyalty that two brothers share. I find this fact to be very pivotal and moving. Ka Suo and Ying Kong Shi go on an adventure to save the Immortal and Mortal Realms and restore the Ice Tribe. I loved so many characters in this series. They all grow on you and gradually become more complex.

The only reason I'm rating it a little lower is mainly because of some occasional cheesiness (mostly because of the overacting of the Fire King) and because it wasn't the absolute best C-drama series I've watched in my lifetime. It was very good though. No regrets. This series was over all really good, the visuals, costumes and realms were really stunning. I really enjoyed this drama, and so many of the characters, such as Ka Suo, Ying Kong Shi, Li Luo, Yan Da etc. And, an added perk, this series features some really strong female heroines and villains as well. Love. Overall it was a great watch.

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A Must Watch Medical Series

GOOD DOCTOR was such a great show. This was the second K-drama I ever watched, back when it first came out and it got me hooked. I found the concept so touching and accepting, although there are some painful parts in it as well. I absolutely love the concept. There should be many more shows like this one. People with differences, limitations or supposed "disabilities" can achieve great things, help others and change the world. In truth, many are not lacking but gifted. This series tried to make a statement that everyone deserves respect and absolute equality, regardless of their differences and/or medical condition. This show was so well done and very intense. The characters were all so well casted as well. An amazing medical drama with a lot of heart. Loved it! I loved the character of Park Si-on.

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