Karma is a Court Lady.

Billed as a love story between a reformed rake Sheng Chumu and a court lady Fu Rou, this is really an opulent tragicomedy about the succession turmoil that plagued the latter years of Li Shimin/Tang Taizong's reign. It is a surprisingly empathetic and riveting portrayal of the greatest Tang emperor's disappointing and much reviled crown prince Li Chengqian. It strikes me that his story is what the writer really set out to tell; all the other parallel sub-plots are much more indifferently written.

The way the drama is promoted as Fu Rou and Sheng Chumu's love story is misleading and misinforms audience expectations. Yes, I know how adorable they look together but their story is rather pedestrian and is not the main meal so they end up spending an incredible amount of time apart. Neither character has free will and their romance does not drive the narrative; it is in fact subordinated to and frustrated by the main succession plot. That is necessary as these two main parallel, interlocking plots are related primarily from Fu Rou's perspective as a court lady or official 女官 with close access to the workings of the inner palace and the imperial family's private moments.

Although Fu Rou is the eponymous character with the most screen time, this is a cardboard character that is made worse by Li Yitong's anodyne, colourless portrayal. Fu Rou is pretty much superwoman - an incredibly talented, resourceful and daring fixer who finds herself in the middle of every palace conflict large and small. She comes to the aid of anyone that appeals to her bleeding heart, taking on matters well above her pay grade. She has the temerity to lecture and chastise anyone and everyone from lowly palace servants to the emperor himself!  I would have loved this character to death if she had a bit of a dark side, an odd hobby or even some tiny flaw like picking her nose in public or something, anything. But no, Fu Rou is a suffocating paragon of virtue, moral rectitude and forgiveness; who genuinely believes that good deeds begets positive karma that pays off in the long run. But if karma is a bitch, then her title is court lady because there are heinous, irreversible and tragic unintended consequences to Fu Rou's meddling and her indiscriminate assistance to wicked people. Due to editing/censorship issues, we never get see Fu Rou reflect upon the folly and irony of her interventions or experience any sense of remorse or regret. Thus there is no character development and by the end Fu Rou to me is just a vapid, righteous prig of a character that I most resent - poor Chumu is so much better off remaining Changán's most notorious playboy.

In sharp contrast, Xu Kai's Chumu is a much more engaging, funny, relatable and outside of a lapse in the middle; a smart character that undergoes tremendous growth. It is a pity he gets so little screen time because he has a wonderful ability to just casually infuse a moment with comic relief. The comical antics of the gruffly hilarious Sheng Xianjing, Chumu, Chuling (shout out to the very funny Kris Fan), the gamine Princess Xinnan and Prince Han go a long way toward diffusing the dark undertones to the drama. Nothing made me laugh harder than Princess Xinnan balancing those dastardly bowls. Unfortunately the denizens of the inner palace and especially Fu Rou and Prince Zhou are humorlessly written and portrayed, resulting in some stifling and overly angsty inner palace arcs and a notable darkening of the overall mood in the second half.

With five or six couples, there is at surface a lot of romance in this drama but they are mostly flawed, complex and maddening relationships. This is due to the surfeit of unsavory, corrupt and chauvinistic male characters, from stalkers to lechers and murderers who simply cannot take no for an answer and lame brained female characters willing to indulge their flaws. As a result, most of the ships are leaky and not seaworthy enough to survive stormy seas. These messy, disturbing love-hate relationships are not consistently well written and there are arguably too many of them. That said, these characterizations are compatible with the times and the illogical pairings seem to curiously "work". They are certainly far more interesting than the usual lighthearted and fluffy standard fare of secondary romances.

The main appeal of this drama for me is Li Shimin, Tang Taizong's succession story, which I feel is what this drama is really about and it is compellingly portrayed. For a fictionalized account that takes a fair amount of literary license, it captures the essence of the main historical figures and remains astonishingly true to the important events of the day. The one dark stain in Li Shimin's history was the Xuanwu Gate Incident, where he personally killed both his brothers from the same mother and forced his father to abdicate in his favor. He went on to be a benevolent and revered emperor, one of the greatest in history. This drama is set in his twilight years as history appears to be on the brink of repeating itself. It is an intimate, at times a scathing expose on the insufferable privilege of imperialism and at times a compassionate account of how impotent, conflicted and utterly terrified this emperor and his beloved empress must have felt as they watch their sons at each others throats. In all the moments that count within this main arc, the writing holds up although towards the end when everything comes together, it is quite obvious that some scenes were lost to censorship.

The most phenomenal, multi-faceted and evocative performance that stands out among an absolutely fabulous cast is Li Zefeng's portrayal of the crown prince. I find it unfathomable that I have not noticed this actor before. He starts out as the highly regarded crown prince, showing so much promise and closely allied with his brother Prince Han. But he is slowly cracking under the immense pressure of being crown prince under the exacting eye of his father and the court and constantly measured up against his other talented brothers. The acting was so good I could understand why he sought refuge in frivolous pursuits and why he needed Chenji. I was surprised by how openly and sympathetically their taboo relationship is explored. It is the relationship that moved me the most, I grieved with him when it ended and I could see how he unraveled and gave in to his worst instincts. Prince Han is the other well written and well acted role. It is tragically comical how their sibling rivalry blew them up and I love how their bond is depicted with a multitude of emotions and a good dose of irony and humor.

I enjoyed this gorgeous and expensive production quite a bit although the story is quite dark and there are too many distracting sub plots and frustrating characters. Although the writing is at times lazy, fantastic acting by the veteran cast more than makes up for it. But it is definitely not the kind of story most viewers thought they would be watching when they picked this up and it definitely will not appeal to everyone. I enjoyed it enough to give it an 8.0 and would probably rate it quite a bit higher if they had diminished Fu Rou's role.

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A highbrow production with broad appeal.

The Longest Day in Chang'an is an immersive, visually stunning, culturally authentic and thrilling journey back over 1000 years in time to Lantern Festival in Chang'an at the peak of the Tang Dynasty. This is a highbrow and very demanding drama that is immensely enjoyable even if taken simply at face value. The viewer gets to decide how much they wish to invest in it. The production basks in rich historical and cultural detail that marvels over the intellectual, political, legal, administrative, military, cultural and scientific sophistication of Chang'an and the Tang Dynasty more broadly. The faithfulness to historical accuracy and strong edu-drama aspect to this show has history buffs raving with ecstasy. As a layman, the finer nuances would be lost on me were it not for the many knowledgeable insights on this and other sites. That doesn't appeal to everyone and some have remarked on the frequent historical and cultural digressions that interrupt the story-line. My simple take is that "smart fillers" are better than the nonsensical fillers that other dramas spam us with.

The absolutely stunning cinematography is the first and most consistent impression throughout - every frame is beautifully angled to create a visual, vibrant feast for the eyes. Even flames from explosions burst in an artistic pattern of controlled natural assymetry. The production is not shy about indulging in artistic license and is littered with lithe and gorgeously willowy Tang ladies with only one small section acknowledging more ingrained images of the classical, prosperously rotund Tang lady. A number of Chinese manhua worthy characters are almost casually dropped in among the otherwise characteristically Tang dynasty cast including Djimon Hounson's Gao Le, the menacing African slave-trader and lord of Changán's underworld; a deadly female assassin who is fanatically devoted to her radical master; and a wildly improbable Western Persian Prince priest with impressive kung fu and building leaping skills. At the end of the day, this is very much a work of fiction and suspension of disbelief will be required as the lead characters achieve superhuman physical feats and survive certain death. All of which make for gripping, visually compelling and heart stopping action scenes.

The drama is not an easy, light watch. The first season (24 episodes) opens with the intense urgency of a fast moving, action packed thriller as the two leads Zhang Xiaojing (Lei Jia Yun) and Li Bi's (Jackson Yi) race against time to foil a terrorist plot during the Lantern Festival. The constraint of the 24 hour timeline forces the narrative to alternate between the high speed chase, political machinations around a power struggle and flashbacks that set up the backstory; all threads which converge in the unraveling of the conspiracy. The many plot twists interact with an extensive cast of complex characters from various factions with unclear and/or malleable loyalties in the power struggle between Li Bi's patron the Crown Prince and his powerful rival the Right Chancellor. In short, there is already a lot to take in so the occasional non sequitur cultural or historical digression can come off as one thing too many.

It took me a long time to care for any of the main characters in this show. Even relatively "good" characters are flawed, primarily driven by self interests and had questionable loyalties and morals. It wasn't obvious that Li Bi' s cause, the Crown Prince was more worthy than the Right Chancellor. Zhao Xiaojing's dealings with Gao Le alienated me; especially when it appeared his real motive was to protect the reckless and misguided Wen Ran. That episode and short lived character stayed with me for a long time because it is the first of many times that bad things happen to good people. And that is how good people can end up doing bad things. Thus there are no outright good or bad characters in this show, they are all products of events beyond their control. Time and again the drama explores how circumstances can push any character to act against his innate nature and self interest. It is a very realistic portrayal of the complexity of human nature's capacity for both good and evil and was acted out compellingly by a truly superb cast. I started to understand the true spirit of the drama when the plight of the common man of the Peacekeeper Corps moved the phlegmatic Li Bi to tears and made him their reckless champion. The real "heroes" in this drama are the common people; that is why it intentionally neglects the main characters and does not attempt to make you root for them and does not care if they have a happy ending. It celebrates the hardships and unrecognized capabilities of the nameless, faceless, powerless, voiceless man - from the forgotten soldier that gives his life for king and country to the ordinary citizens of Chang'an. It wants you to see them, hear them and care about them.

Season 2 (episodes 25-48) was much more enjoyable for me as the intensity of the chase abates and the narrative focus really zeroes in on the power struggle and the unvieling of the conspiracy and ulitmate mastermind. Finally the lead characters are also allowed to shine and shine they did. Zhao Yi Wei's Long Bo was the most provocative and masterfully portrayed character in the drama. As his path converges with that of Zhao Xiaojing, we see the many parallels between the one who seeks vengence and the one who fights to keep dreams alive.

I was surprised by how much I fun I had unraveling the conspiracy. It was very well done and largely kept to the unspoken bargain of hiding enough clues in plain sight that I was able to figure much of it out on my own. The motives of the ultimate mastermind were not convincing. While I had my eye on him as a suspicous character early on, I assumed he was just a link in the chain but not "the guy". It was a stretch that was probably one plot twist too many. One of the other suspects may have been a more credible choice.

Of course it is a foregone conclusion that the emperor was the ultimate villian. While the power dynamics between a manipulative and insecure emperor and his most trusted advisor and his heir has been done before, it was still extremely very well done here. I was completely satisfied when the son takes a leaf out of his father's book in the ultimate act of emotional manipulation. Checkmate. This was the most satisfaction I got from the ending. The bigger question of whether good things happen to good people is left open.

This is definitely the most epic, most idealistic, substantive and thought provoking drama of 2019. Its biggest flaw is that it is overly ambitious and tries to take on too many themes. That it came together so well is a feat in and of itself but as a result, it was not always easy to watch and certainly not something I wanted to dive right into after a hard day at the office. That said, I truly believe it is a must watch and may even be more enjoyable if taken more simplistically just for its stunning aesthetics, intrigue and action.

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Be the chess player, not the chess piece.

Sword Snow Stride evokes all my best wuxia memories; action, adventure, chivalry, an old murder mystery, political intrigue and a dash of romance and a medley of eccentric surrounding characters with astounding martial arts capabilities.Set in a fantasy world, Xu Fengnian is the son and heir of the fearsome warlord Xu Xiao, king of North Liang, Liyang's largest and most powerful fiefdom. Adapted from 烽火戏诸侯 Feng Huo Xi Zhu Hou's epic 20 volume novel The Snowy Path of the Heroic Blade 雪中悍刀行, this first instalment focuses on the coming of age of main protagonist Xu Fengnian.

Anchored by Zhang Ruoyun and adapted by Wang Juan of Joy of Life fame, this was one of 2021's most anticipated dramas and for me, it did not disappoint. The leisurely pace at which the plot unfolds gives the viewer the time to imbibe the rich complexity of the interplay between characters and their relationship dynamics. Wang Juan has taken his writing to a new level, delivering a crisp dialogue that gives the first impression of wit and occasionally irreverent humour that masks profound layers of hidden meaning, wisdom and emotions in conversations within conversations. This is most evident in Fengnian and Jiang Ni's delicious repartees but it also underlies multiple exchanges between Xu Xiao and Fengnian and belie numerous other superficially adversarial relationships. This requires a level of sophistication and nuance in the portrayals that is only done justice by the more experienced actors.This is unfortunate for Li Gengxi whose lack of experience is evident in her immature and shallow rendition of the marvellously atypical Jiang Ni. Despite some endearing moments, she does not "own" the character quite the same way Zhang Ruoyun is Xu Fengnian but he is a tough act to follow and not a fair comparison for a young actress. She warms to the role considerably in the latter half and I would be happy to see her return for the second season.

Do not be deterred by the fact that this drama did not live up to the high expectations of Chinese viewers, whose main issues are with the slow pace, the choice of female lead and the slo mo action scenes. It is true that the direction of some scenes, in particular action scenes could have been better. While the director wanted viewers to appreciate the grace, artistry and difficulty of the actors movements, the end result is the scenes lack the intensity and thrill of imminent peril. This is understandably a dealbreaker for some hard core wuxia action fans but it didn't really bother me. As the drama progresses, there is some speeding up of the fight scenes that are boosted by Marvel universe like CGI. The final encounter is spectacularly ferocious, thrilling and violent enough to satisfy most critics.

The drama opens with the roguish young Xu Fengnian living in the moment while traipsing the world with his groom Old Huang. He is not comfortable with his father's ruthless tactics and eschews his legacy, one that puts him in the crosshairs of those in the highest circles of power. While Fengnian draws inspiration from many mentors, Xu Xiao and Old Huang are by far his most important early influencers. An unconventional thinker, Fengnian refuses to compromise, strives for win win outcomes but does not hesitate to be ruthless when he needs to be. As he steps up into his role, he starts out as a mere chess piece in a high stakes game where his father Xu Xiao is many steps ahead. Along the way, he grows to be the chess player, not the chess piece. He also better understands his father's choices and become more like his father in some aspects. Zhang Ruoyun and Hu Jun have great chemistry and I found their unorthodox banter and relationship hilarious and moving; we really didn't get enough of them together! This must be Zhang Ruoyun's best role, I enjoyed both his portrayal and Xu Fengnian the character even better than his fabulous Fan Xian in Joy of Life.

While Fengnian starts out protected by his father's retainers, he manages to win hearts and minds using his own unique methods and inducements and finds himself surrounded by a formidable entourage of martial artists, retainers and maids with mysterious pasts; leaving a string of alliances and favours owed in his wake. These are classic wuxia archetype characters that make me shiver with delight at their single minded obsession with the quest for supremacy that comes with inevitable sacrifice and regret; who willingly barter their swords and their lives to advance or to honor past promises or debts. While the story revolves around Xu Fengnian, so many of these surrounding master swordsmen captured my heart and imagination with their prowess and their backstories from the laconic and lethal White Fox, Old Huang, Qing Niao and of course Sword God Li Chungang. The many awe inspiring female swordsman makes it hard for Jiang Ni to really shine and leaves the indelible impression that Fengnian is a man with a fleet of many ships.

It is said that a hero is only as good as its villain and in Zhao Kai, Liu Duanduan explores a deeper villain, a riveting opposite character to Xu Fengnian.and pulls off an oddly empathetic antagonist that practically steals the show. They are both scheming and ruthless characters who attempt to escape their destiny but that is where their similarities end. Zhao Kai is utterly lacking in moral fibre and can only win by foul means ,regardless of consequences or how many must die. He is dangerously and humorously self aware of this and stalks Xu Fengnian looking to exploit a moment of weakness. He won my heart with his unabashed appreciation of Xu Fengnian's brilliance and insight; were their goals not in such conflict, Zhao Kai would be Xu Fengnian's greatest fan. It is a great pity Zhao Kai is not an out of box thinker that could have found a way to align his interest with that of Fengnian. Even though Zhao Kai is far from the most powerful antagonist, a big chunk of the season one plot revolves around his pursuit of Xu Fengnian.

Season one draws to a very satisfying conclusion with an epic and very satisfying showdown and major immediate tasks achieved. It leaves me hungering for more but not in that awful cliffhanger kind of way. It will undoubtedly take a few years for season two to materialise but even if it doesn't, we can still think of this as an immensely enjoyable and very satisfying slice of life kind of drama. This is the second 9.5 from me for 2021 that closes the year on the same high note that Word of Honor started it on.

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Like a mucus bath.

Don't be fooled by this drama's engaging start - a hint of intrigue, the promise of adventure, a powerful secret weapon, political conspiracies aplenty and a heart stopping romance between a intrepid princess and a valiant guard. After about a dozen thrilling episodes this drama turns so icky that it feels like a mucus bath.

Instead of the incomprehensible Rebirth For You, this drama's real title should be The Story of Miaorong. Because over 30 super long episodes (50+ minutes), practically all of the screen time is hijacked by the deranged machinations of the female and male love rejects' pathetic, slimy and absurd schemes. Every time you are about to jump ship out of frustration, they will throw some sugar at you with some sweet scenes between Bao Ning and Li Qian but make no mistake, the very boring actress that plays Miaorong gets MOST of the screentime. The final insult to the injury is this smart couple becomes stupid and their devotion and absolute faith in each other devolves into angsty and immature misunderstandings toward the end. The promising plot threads and interesting antagonists are left largely under exploited while the writers strive to bore us to death with every silly, malicious cat fight and scorned lover trope ever conceived of. This is a total waste of both Ju Jingyi and Zeng Shunxi's acting talent and is little more than a shameless exercise in letting second rate actors get too much exposure.

If you are die hard fans, watch about the first twelve episodes and the last one or two. All the rest can be skipped but my overall recommendation is to save some brain cells and not watch this at all. This is my shortest review ever to avoid wasting any more time on this abomination. Rating 3.5/10.0.

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'Cause I saw the end, before we'd began.

Zhousheng Chen pledged his life to protect the realm with an unbreakable vow to never marry or father children. Cui Shiyi, a peerless beauty 倾国倾城 (qing guo qing cheng) was promised to the Crown Prince from birth. He is her shifu, her master; thus any romantic relationship between them is forbidden. This kind of story never ends well - Zhousheng Chen knew it, Shiyi knew it and I knew it. Yet I fell helplessly down the rabbit hole with them and almost drowned myself with tears. I did not expect to be so moved or so heartbroken 'cause I saw the end, before we'd began. So be warned, this moving, legendary love story between the noble Nanchen wang and Shiyi is sad and unforgettable.

This drama's production values are incredible from the movie aspect ratio, stunning sets, gorgeous costumes drenched in a soft palette that accentuates the beauty and ethos of the unspoken, unspeakable emotions that encompasses every loaded moment. The haunting and poignant OSTs are the only times their feelings and promises are verbalized. The lyrics are layered with meaning that compliments the beautiful prose of Mo Bao Fei Bao's popular novel 一生一世美人骨., that is woven seamlessly into the script.

I love how Mo Bao Fei Bao writes - her composition style is simple and profound at the same time and yet I am unable to finish the novel. It is set in the present, with Shiyi flashing back to their past. I simply can't relate to a docile modern woman with such ancient values, whose whole reason for existence is one man. The drama adaptation that starts with the past makes for far better storytelling as Shiyi is a product of her time, a Northern Wei noblewoman raised to dutifully abide by all the social strictures and expectations of the day. Underlying her gentle, serene expression, she is incredibly single minded ("my heart already belongs to someone, it will not change") and the imperceptible flashes of fury in her magnificent eyes says she is far from docile. Bai Lu interprets Shiyi brilliantly and brings her gentle strength and courage to life in a way that vastly exceeds the novel. 

As for Ren Jialun, he is truly one of those rare actors who says it best when he says nothing at all. He never has to tell Shiyi how he feels about her, it it is evident in all the small gestures and most of all, it is in his eyes, in the sublimely romantic way he eyes her ever so longingly... and so regretfully. It emanates from the core of his being and breaks free from all of the constraints imposed by duty, responsibility and his toxic oath. With this mature, charismatic and substantive performance, Ren Jialun sheds his more youthful persona and proves his ability to compel in more complex roles that require some heft and gravitas. That said, I wish Zhousheng Chen wasn't quite so restrained; that they had given us at least one moment of temptation, where for once if only briefly, he forgets he is Nanchen wang so that they can be just Chen and Shiyi. If I remember correctly it is hinted heavily that there was one such moment in the novel. Nonetheless the palpable chemistry between the leads convinces that while not in deed, they are lovers in every other sense and meaning of the word. This captivating and shattering performance by both leads underpinned by their remarkable chemistry makes this slow burn, tragic romance a must watch.

Even though the drama adaptation attempts to better flesh out the past, the story's focus remains predominantly on the romance and that is where it shines. The external political plot is designed almost solely to either frustrate or facilitate the romance and thus does not bear close scrutiny. It is clear that political plots are not the screenwriter/novelist's forte although she does a credible job pulling together perhaps too many common tropes - rival clans, power struggles, Wu Tzetian-lite (brainless) and thwarted love rival wrapped up in filicide, murder and betrayal. Although all of the supporting roles including the villains are very well acted, there are many side characters who do not advance the plot and the inter-relationships and rivalries among the main clans and the consequent political dynamics are not well explained. And then there are characters like Yang Shao who conveniently pops up as alternately friend or foe as and when required by the plot. His motives and loyalties are not obvious and for such a poorly developed character, he gets to do some pretty important stuff.  Neither villain is that complex and they both seize power without the means to secure the border and thus the empire without Nanchen wang. They are not intelligent or worthy opponents - even when they win, it is by foul means that lead to self destruction. Nonetheless, I watched this with a forgiving eye, mostly because I was too busy emptying my tear ducts to have the emotional energy to be bothered by the logic flaws.

This drama really enraged me at the end. The lovers' fates are well telegraphed from the get go so that is not my issue. My problem is with how Zhousheng Chen the character was mutilated by the writers at the end. The core of what makes Zhousheng Chen noble down to his beautiful bones is the conviction that his sacrifice, their sacrifice is worthy. And it is manifestly not worthy - he makes the same mistake twice of shoring up a ruler who simply cannot hold on to the throne and is bound to be a puppet. What it comes down to is he chose to save his bloodline and a bunch of worthless, doomed ministers at the cost of peace at the border, his beloved Nanchen army and Shiyi; leaving the country defenseless and in the hands of a sociopath. Even though the writers acknowledge they did him dirty when Shiyi piteously comes to the same damning conclusion and it just breaks her, how they wrote themselves into this corner is unforgiveable. It could have been avoided if the external plot were better configured to begin with and if they had the courage to change some aspects of the novel rather than simply writing to back-solve for certain outcomes. In doing so, they made an incredibly compelling case for Zhousheng Chen to just kiss the girl, revolt and seize power or to ride off with her in the sunset and defect to Nanxiao. He would still stay more true to character because that is what would have achieved the greater good instead of simply protecting his brother's legacy at all cost. Thus with regret that oozes from every pore, Zhousheng Chen foolishly forsakes both the common people and his Shiyi for the king and country that forsook him. There is no level on which this is a satisfying outcome and Zhousheng Chen deserves better than that.

Since I am ranting, I would add that I am not in the least consoled by the fact their unfulfilled love even moves the universe to give them another shot in the modern sequel Forever and Ever. First of all, this takes thousands of years. Secondly, if I were Shiyi, I would run, run, run, run, run AWAY from Zhousheng Chen after what he did. And finally, to get my much needed closure, I am really irritated at having to try to watch a darned modern romance, a genre I normally avoid like covid.

I still rate this a 9.0 largely due to mesmerizing performances by both Bail Lu and Ren Jialun, in their rendition of this love story that captured my heart and soul in a stunning depiction of 色授魂与 (se shou hun yu). I don't need to elaborate on what that means, it is there in every glance, every word, every interaction.


Postscript:
For those of you who need closure, there is a very well fan made alternate ending ending produced by industry professionals. I have fan subbed it and hidden it as a spoiler in the comment section of this review.

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We don't need another hero.

This is a dark, intensely melodramatic classic wuxia about heroes. The Chinese title 说英雄谁是英雄 (Speaking of heroes, who is a hero?) asks the question who is a hero 英雄/yīngxióng? What is distinctive about this story is that there is no main protagonist. It is left to the audience to decide which character(s) are heroes. Although novelist Wen Ruian is not considered to be in the same league as Jin Yong or Gu Long, there is a cynical provocativeness that distinguishes this best work of his. The martial artists or 大侠/dàxià, featured in this are swordsman known for their legendary weapons. Despite 江湖/jiānghú lore about their great feats and relative prowess, 一山还有一山高, there is always a higher mountain so the outcome to any encounter between these fighters is not known until actually put to a test.

Li Muge's brilliant camera work evocatively captures the essence of a wuxia from the wild vastness of the terrain, the spirit of adventure, the air of intrigue to finally, the profound sense of fatalism and impermanence. Yet despite the stunning aesthetics, the fast paced and bloody fight scenes are over choreographed and somewhat lacking. The action scenes mostly comprise of discontinuous slasher heavy shots that are stitched together to end in exaggerated fierce posing by the combatants. There seems to be a lot of slashing around without capturing the flinch inducing violence and intensely muscular swordsmanship seen in shows like Lu Yang's Brotherhood of Blades. The two final fight scenes are powerful and much more satisfyingly executed with the right mix of violence, emotion and intensity.

This drama's ensemble cast delivers nuanced and polished portrayals of memorable characters such as Chen Chuhe's charismatic Su Mengzhen and Meng Ziyi's heart rending Lei Chun. The diversity and eccentricity of jianghu's denizens from the flamboyant Fang Yingkan, the staunch and astute Yang Wuxie, the hilariously coquettish Zhao Xiaoyao , the fanatical Lei Mei , the wily Lei Sun and the enigmatic Di Feijing anchors this wuxia. Naturally the performances of the three young idol actors who represent the next generation of martial artists, suffers by comparison in such formidable company. While both Zeng Shunxi's Wang Xiaoshi and Liu Yuning's Bai Choufei struggle visibly in more complicated scenes, they deliver credible performances overall. Besides, Bai Choufei is a difficult role that would challenge many seasoned actors. As for Yang Chaoyue, her acting mantra must be "when in doubt, just pout" because besides crying, that is what she does best in every scene. Even though Wen Rou is a superfluous and archetypal character, she has many well written comedic moments with the advisor that disappointingly fall flat in execution. I won't lie, the idol actors failed to convince me of any of their relationships or make me care much for them. I find Su Mengzhen's bond with Yang Wuxie far more compelling than Wang Xiaoshi's with Bai Choufei.

The story opens with the young and decent Wang Xiaoshi's first foray into jianghu, tasked by his shifu to deliver a mysterious box to Su Mengzhen, the young master of the House of Golden Wind Drizzle (House Drizzle). Along the way he forms a fast friendship with the deadly and ambitious Bai Choufei and the well-born, pouty and marriage evading Wen Rou. Together, they head to the capital, seeking fame, fortune and adventure. Near the city, Wang Xiaoshi and Bai Choufei save Su Mengzhen from an ambush and the three become sworn brothers. Thus they find themselves allied with House Drizzle and pitted against their arch-rivals, the Six-Half Hall. The high-minded and valiant do-gooders are drawn to House Drizzle while the less scrupulous, commercial and profit minded converge at Six-Half Hall. There are formidable martial artists and yes, heroes at both sects; neither is completely good or bad they simply live by different ideologies.

All too soon, it becomes clear that Bai Choufei's unrestrained ambition and world view is incompatible with that of Su Mengzhen and House Drizzle. This man has a massive chip on his shoulder and his ambition tragically exceeds his ability. Thus his bottom line is flexible and he is willing to get what he wants by fair means or foul making him better suited towards Six-Half Hall. His desire for Lei Chun, a woman who only has eyes for Su Mengzhen, further fans the flames of his resentment. It is inevitable that Bai Choufei succumbs to his worst instincts to become the kind villain I love to hate; one that I can ultimately somewhat empathize with and understand. Sadly, this is where the screenwriter inexplicably decides to whitewash Bai Choufei and rob him of his free will. What follows is one of the worst character assassinations ever. Bai Choufei, a strong minded, unapologetically ambitious and arrogant character is reduced to a mentally unstable puppet of a corrupt government official. He becomes so unhinged, despicable and pathetic that he is little more than a rabid dog that has to be put down. What a waste. None of the other villains really step up; both Thirteen Doom and Fang Yingkan had potential but are too cursorily dealt with at the end and their motives and some of their actions not satisfactorily explained. That said, Thirteen Doom will always be a bit of a hero to me just for gagging Wen Rou.

The ending bloodbath between the sworn brothers is predictable and inevitable. At this point, Li Muge gives in to his love for melodrama and sprays dogs blood over everything with wild abandon. I was nonplussed at the tragicomic drawn out twitching after going splat death scene that eventually just made me laugh. I expected Su Mengzhen to play a more active role in the finale but his decision was already foreshadowed. He explains himself with his parting words 独立三边静 轻生一剑知 which Tencent simply translated as "The fearless brings peace for many but dies a death that's lonely." Those are incredibly fitting parting words for Su Mengzhen that those who love him can understand and must accept. It is actually a beautiful, famous ancient Tang poem with deep meaning that I will hide in a spoiler in the comment section of this review. The ending was good albeit overly melodramatic for my taste.

Which comes back to the conversation about heroes or 英雄/yīngxióng. When all is said and done, a hero does not have to fit the conventional wuxia hero in terms of righteousness or chivalry. It is enough that they are true to their own ideals and thus the hero of their own story. For me, Di Feijing is unambiguously the hero of this story. In his own way, he is no less chivalrous than Su Mengzhen and between them, they maintained a stable balance of power in the capital. He is the one character that is consistently true to his ideals and lives to protect those he loves. I find his chemistry with Lei Chun to be the most natural and moving in the drama. He is the only character who truly and only loved Lei Chun. Tragically Su Mengzhen is the only one that Lei Chun loved even though he did not love her quite as intensely or as selflessly as Di Feijing did. They are the three characters I cared the most about in this drama. I still don't forgive Li Muge for short changing me of Di Feijing's and to a lesser extent, Thirteen Doom's ending combat scenes. It is not enough for me to know that justice is served, I wanted to see it happen. As for Wang Xiaoshi, he is at best a work in progress. Even though he did his best to fix things, he also ineptly set in motion many of the events that led to among other things, Lei Sun's downfall which snowballed into this giant, tragic mess. If he is a hero, we don't need another hero. In any case, as Lei Chun discovered, heroes are not there when you most need them. Best be your own hero.

I have very mixed feelings about this drama. I think I am mostly disappointed because it could have been so much more had the scriptwriter and the director stuck with the novel and not succumbed to whitewashing and dogs blood melodrama. Thanks to the substance and depth of the original works however, it still a good watch if for nothing else, the stunning aesthetics. This feels like a 7.5/10 for me but I bumped it up to an 8.0 because Di Feijing (Yang Tong) is such an unforgettable character, he stole the show as far as I am concerned.

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Miss Truth of the Art of Death.

I was excited by this drama because the backstory sounds like a Chinese version of a favorite mystery series "Mistress of the Art of Death" which is also about a medieval female crime solving coroner who teams up with a sexy man to solve cases. Like Miss Truth, the novel is about a strong and smart woman, ahead of her time in both forensic knowledge and life attitude. I was both disappointed and relieved that this drama does not dive into the forensic aspects of the cases with the chillingly thrilling gruesome detail of my beloved novels. Indeed all of the gory props are almost cartoonishly fake and any macarbe detail is rather cursorily handled. While set in Tang dynasty, the story-line barely acknowledges the main historical characters and events of the day. Nonetheless it is a short and very enjoyable watch that really stands out in its repudiation of common tropes. 

The drama is about a talented and adventurous young lady coroner's journey of self discovery. As she helps solve cases, unearths Marquis Sui's legendary pearl and unveils a grand conspiracy; she also finds herself and discovers the truth of her heart's desires. The drama starts with a bang by establishing Ran Yan's credentials as a brilliant forensic analyst as she is extorted to solve a murder by the criminal underworld in exchange for her shifu's gambling debts. This tosses her right into the crosshairs of both Xiao Song, a nobleman and the emperor's trusted investigator and fixer and Su Fu, a mysterious assassin who saves her life. They are both tasked by different masters to recover Marquis Sui's pearl, which is part of a larger conspiracy that is the drama's overarching plot. The drama maintains an exciting pace, with danger and intrigue lurking around every corner and builds to a strong finish on a high note with a surprise reveal. I was only able to identify the ultimate mastermind by elimination; there were not enough clues or hints along the way to figure out their identity or motives.

As a big fan of strong, smart female characters, I was baffled by how difficult I found it initially to like newbie Zhou Jieqiong's Ran Yan. She is almost immediately and recklessly infatuated with the thrillingly inscrutable Su Fu and is unquestioning of his motives. Yet this sharp tongued vixen is distrustful of and lashes out inexplicably and ungratefully at Xiao Song, who appreciates her talents immediately and employs her as his coroner. This gives her the means to escape an unwanted marriage arranged by her indifferent father and cliche evil stepmother and half-sister. She snidely calls him a merman in a tone that implies fish face or worse, dead fish and bristles when he affectionately refers to her as his foxy lady. Nonetheless they companionably squable their way through a number of well constructed cases and become a likable and effective crime solving team. While Ran Yan is the titular character, veteran actor Toby Lee's Xiao Song is the sleuth that puts all of the clues together and truly anchors all of the cases and the drama. His character was well written and masterfully portrayed - between his teasing banter, merciless goading, stern rebukes and unyielding support he managed the prickly Ran Yan perfectly. While he arguably cut her too much slack, he knows exactly how to get under her skin. He is no doormat either and knows when enough is enough. The surrounding characters are cleverly and realistically written in a way that reacts to the other characters' flaws; for example I could totally relate to the shrewd and loyal Bai Yin's dislike and ranchor toward Ran Yan for treating his master Xiao Song so poorly.

For once, I actually enjoyed the dreaded love triangle in this drama, something I normally have zero patience for. Initially I didn't like Ran Yan so I didn't really care if she made a bad decision. Ultimately she is a resilient, strong willed character who knows her own mind, is not just defined by love and can roll with the punches so there is no tragically wrong choice for her. It is completely in character for her to break all the rules, throw caution to the wind and indulge in a dangerous, exciting and most unsuitable man - something hopefully every woman gets to do at least once in a lifetime! So does she stay with the one who loves her or go back to the one she loves? All I will say is that the triangle was fittingly, somewhat poignantly and DECISIVELY resolved. She totally manned up and picked the one with the nicest chest (a purely subjective but well researched opinion)!

While I never got to like Ran Yan (she is deliberately written to be really not that nice) and didn't emphatize with her, I reluctantly admired and respected her. This drama really showed me, someone who pounds on the table for strong female leads, that I may have been more socialized to like and accept the conventional c-drama female lead than I would like to admit.

I think all things considered (production value was not that high) this drama should be a 7.5-8.0 but I gave it a 8.0 for being so different in the best of ways in terms of avoiding most (not all) cliches, very smartly written and unconventional characters, hot male leads, exciting pace and cases and ending at the climax.

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Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

This excellent adaption of one of Gu Long's best known works 绝代双骄 is also known as peerless or legendary twins. The cringey English title is a shameless bid to advertise the main leads as eye candy idol actors. This delightful romp through jianghu is faithful to the original story and checks all the boxes in terms of what a true blue wuxia ought to be.

This is a typical Gu Long plot structured around one overarching conspiracy that comes to light after the main protagonists encounter many adventures and solve a few smaller related mysteries. A woman scorned by unrequited love sets out to extract a terrible vengeance by separating twin brothers at birth and raising them to kill or be killed by each other. As the leader of the powerful Yihua Palace, she raises one of the brothers Hua Wuque (Hu Yitian) to be a stellar martial artist whose mission is to hunt down and personally kill the wicked Jiang Xiaoyu. Wuque is a handsome, refined and righteous but overly naive and reserved young man who is the spitting image of his father Jiang Feng.

Wuque's brother Jiang Xiaoyu (Chen Zheyuan) is rescued by Jiang Feng's sworn brother legendary swordsman Yan Nantian and grows up under the influence of the ten great villains of Wicked Canyon. He is renown for his intelligence (mostly due to self praise) and is a lively, charismatic and healthily skeptical young rogue. Less skilled than Wuque, he relies on his deviousness to squirm out of tight situations. He is a determined bachelor that evades several persistent young women before meeting his match in wit and resourcefulness. This embroils him in several romantic entanglements and triangles. During his many colorful adventures, his path crosses with Wuque and they become friends and allies. Together they tackle their main antagonist, the scheming Jiang Biehe and his son Jiang Yulang. Despite their disparate upbringings and appearing on surface to to be polar opposites, both brothers are innately good natured and have common values that bind them in a deep friendship. Nonetheless in accordance with jianghu code of conduct, they must fulfill their vow to face each other in a predestined duel to the death.

The plot and the many archetypal characters in this well known story may seem tropey and unoriginal but Gu Long was one of the pioneers of the modern wuxia genre. If this feels familiar or like something you have watched before, it is more likely those stories or characters were influenced by this rather than the other way around. It is easy to follow because the audience is usually one step ahead of both protagonists and antagonists and knows the big secret that they are brothers. It is a favorite of mine because the overused revenge trope is handled compassionately and does not devolve into simply just an eye for an eye. All of Gu Long's women are capable of being frighteningly single minded in love, unscrupulous, vindictive and utterly ruthless and unforgiving. One of these bad-ass ladies always gets the guy but this is from the 1950s so while there is romance, it is very chaste by today's standards.

I was really impressed by the cast. Many important roles were played by young and upcoming actors and this was very obvious in the first 4 episodes. After that, almost everyone got into character and it came together quite well. While Chen Zheyuan somewhat overacted Jiang Xiaoyu, he is a very versatile and charismatic young actor. He just needs to not try so hard, be a bit more nuanced and develop his own style. Similarly Hu Yitian's Hua Wuque was a bit too restrained or underacted initially. But they had great chemistry and really excelled at showing us how the brothers grew to become more alike as they got to know each other. I must also mention the awesome cat and mouse encounters between Jiang Yulang and Jiang Xiaoyu - what an excellent villain! I actually found this to be the best acted, most nuanced main role.

Finally in terms of what makes or breaks any wuxia it is the fight scenes. These really knocked the ball out of the park - they were truly awesome - excitingly and powerfully choreographed with the right balance between stills, slow motion and non-stop movement. And naturally it is Gu Long so it is a total feast in terms of the number of heart stopping lethal clashes between some very colorful, slightly eccentric martial arts champions with wildly improbable combat abilities. I love this stuff and immediately rewound and re-watched each epic clash.

What a fun, well paced, light heart-ed and engaging wuxia. I wish all adaptations of the classic, best loved Gu Long and Jin Yong wuxias get this kind of quality remake. Two thumbs up!

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Liar's Poker.

The Ingenious One is part of the new wuxia genre where the main protagonist is an anti-hero by classic wuxia standards. He is so highly evolved that intelligence and cunning rather than superior martial arts is his defining characteristic. Thus the ingenious Yun Xiang is aloof and cynical, he can run but he can't fight, he is righteous in an ends justify the means sense and his main tactical advantage is his big brain. This drama unfolds like a three-dimensional chess game, which can be very interesting or very boring depending on your attention to detail and interest in complex plots. Even though Yun Xiang can't fight, he is surrounded by characters who can so there are well choreographed action scenes to look forward to.

After his village was massacred, Yun Xiang was raised as the sole disciple of the master of the mysterious Yuntai sect. The cerebral and commercial Yuntai and their rival the lethal and rebellious Lingyuan are successors of the legendary Qian sect. At Yuntai, Yun Xiang immerses in qiān shù 千术 or the secret Qian art of scheming and deception. They are sophisticated grifters with a controversial reputation that pay lip service to Taoist principles. One of their core principles is detachment as everyone is a pawn. Attachments and emotions make you vulnerable. This is Yun Xiang's lonely world view as he makes his way down the mountain 15 years later as a brilliant practitioner of qiān shù 千术. Time and all that brain washing did not erase his thirst for vengeance. Against his master's instructions, he makes a beeline for Nandu to uncover the truth behind his village's massacre. Along the way, he is besotted by the formidable and mysterious Shu Yanan. Sparks fly and their objectives appear aligned so they both let their guard down enough to form a wary alliance.

In Nandu, Yun Xiang's first order of business is to finance his mission. This focus on the practical money aspects of everything from running a sect to building influence is fresh and interesting. To achieve his goals, Yun Xiang plays monopoly using qiān shù 千术 or deception to control a bank, a port, a casino and a silk business. As it turns out, this brilliant protege of Yuntai is just a talented con man, a grifter. He boldly plays liar's poker with higher stakes at each turn with the power brokers of Nandu. Everyone is a pawn until they are not and he starts to break Yuntai's core principle of not letting emotions be it love or friendship mess up the con. The drama could have better highlighted how his hidden opponent was plying the same schemes against him. With narrow margins against a hidden foe, does Yun Xiang's growing affection for his pawns become his Archilles heel?

A recurring criticisms of this drama is that Yun Xiang is not that ingenious. The narrative fails to emphasize how under resourced and outnumbered Yun Xiang is. When he shows up in Nandu, he has no allies, no money and only cold clues as to what happened 15 years ago. So it's not fair to expect him to be three steps ahead when he can barely tell friend from foe. We are told he is a complex and morally ambiguous revenge driven character but his backstory is so cursorily shown that he seems like a blank person with no family or friends or history. This impression is amplified when his revenge gets sidelined as he stumbles upon the greater conspiracy and that plot-line takes over the rest of the drama. Similarly Shu Yanan's history is murky until late in the game and her relationship with Wen Cong is never explained. Thus her decisions and priorities are difficult to understand and seem at times inconsistent. Their romance developed too quickly and hiccups at a point the plot should have been building momentum towards a climax rather than digressing into romantic angst. Even though Chen Xiao and Mao Xiaotong did their best, their character designs and relationship evolution did not give them that much to work with.

In sharp contrast, the supporting roles are better written and steal the show. The priorities and drivers of Jin Biao, Mo Bufan, Kang Qiao, the Su family and Liu Gongquan are understandable and empathetic. I was too invested in their well-being and happiness to enjoy the irony of Yun Xiang's role reversal into a puddle of a tropey female lead whose whose life's mission gets hijacked by love. The standout entertaining roles areJin Biao the assassin with a heart of gold and Mo Bufan the money loving banker lured by greed and whipped by fear. Liu Gongquan's entrance also lifts the plot at a point it was sagging. I enjoyed Wang Zirui's chemistry with Chen Xiao better than that of Mao Xiaotong's, which seemed forced. While the role is well acted, Kou Yunjie is the biggest moron in the entire drama. His actions make no sense other than to facilitate plot movements. Only lazy writers take short cuts in plot design by dumbing down characters. The so-called brilliant mastermind and his main dogsbody win more as a result of a huge information and resource advantage rather than exceptional tactics. Their motives for engaging in such a vast and long-dated conspiracy with dire consequences for failure are not compelling. Petty antagonists like Tang Xiao are more believable with their penny-ante tricks and more basic instincts.

The plot picks up into a predictable but overall satisfactory ending after the final conspiracy and mastermind is unveiled. The main antagonist is designed to not show themself or their plans too early. This comes at the cost of making their motive unconvincing and is pointless as their identity quickly becomes obvious anyway. While based on true historical events, the plot design is often used and does not stand out in any unique way. After years of scheming, the mastermind's grand plan is full of holes and overly dependent on single sources of supplies and too few and too unreliable sources of manpower. This kind of shoddy plan would have failed on its own without much help from anyone! But I was too busy enjoying the confiscation of irreplaceable family jewels, a nice end surprise twist and watching villains face gruesome consequences. The message that detachment is a flawed Yuntai mantra; that emotional attachments can swing the odds both negatively and positively is lost in the finale. I enjoyed this drama but recognise there are many holes and unanswered questions, the pacing is not exciting enough and the momentum build disrupted by unnecessary romantic angst. It is a story that had a lot of potential and a wonderful cast but did not come together in the best way. Thus it would not be fair of me to rate this more than an 8.0/10:0 as one of those far from perfect but still highly enjoyable dramas.

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Confucius' last stand.

This drama is about a conspiracy that unfolds during the latter part of the Wanli reign of Ming dynasty, regarded as one of the most prosperous periods in human history. It was the beginning of the end as Wanli's indifference and administrative dysfunction led directly to the downfall of the Ming dynasty. A series of shocking serial killings in Jiangnan has the local Du County yamen scrambling for answers. Each macabrely staged corpse comes with a quote from the Analects of Confucius, a chilling message from the killer.

This is a dark story about just how difficult it is to be a decent person, much less one that lives up to.Confucian standards of morality. In a hierarchical feudal society where a scholar's voice drowns out that of a servant and the justice system takes such long detours that it fails even elite rare talents like Judge Song , many inevitably stray down the slippery path of insidious moral compromise. Most of the characters in this story start out as decent people with relatable goals of wanting to improve their lot in life, to set their one true love free, or to right a wrong. For Qu Sangeng, a young bailiff at the yamen, the killings hit too close to home. Hunting down the killer is personal for him but his investigation is hampered by his low rank and treacherous internal yamen politics. With the help of his friends, he manages to connect the killings to a 20-year old arson case where justice may have been subverted. Like his mentor Captain Leng , Sangeng resorts to somewhat questionable methods against some bad actors over the course of his investigation. He soon discovers that point where the end no longer justifies the means and all too easily that line between justice and vengeance becomes blurred. Will he choose to do what's right or succumb to his own worst instincts?

The narrative alternates between two timelines where Lu Zhi and Qu Sangeng are parallel clever characters who are slightly morally flexible and find themselves privy to secrets. Within their sphere of influence is a strong father figure, a scholarly friend and a simpler one with innately stronger moral conviction. The plot is tight and the dialogue is laced with subtle dark humor that fits well with the serious and suspenseful tone of the story. I really appreciate this as too many productions hire big name comedians with exaggerated delivery styles that are jarringly incompatible with the mood of the story. The humourous mocking of too obvious cross dressing was a 10/10 comedy gold moment for me. Mystery buffs will appreciate how the plot keeps you guessing with credible alternate theories that remain in play into the final reveal. The villains are hidden in plain sight, everyone's actions are in character, there are enough clues along the way, the solution makes sense and the ending surprise twist was long foreshadowed. My only slight criticism is some of the character downfalls occur a bit too abruptly and I think the mastermind did have the means to obtain justice in a different way. Even though the ending is fitting and realistic, none of the truly morally upstanding characters get good outcomes. At least one of the deaths was not deserved and unnecessary.

Ning Li anchors this drama as Song Chen, a dark, tortured character full of remorse; betrayed by the system into betraying himself. His heartbreaking struggle to fight monsters without becoming a monster is like watching Confucius' last stand. This character pays tribute to Tang Yin aka Tang Bohu, a renown Ming Dynasty artists and poet. The young actor Yu Yao makes an impression beyond his age with his nuanced, empathetic and chilling portrayal of the young Lu Zhi. While Qu Sangeng is not Bai Yufan's strongest role, he delivers a credible if at times forced performance. This is a wide cast of superb, non-idol actors who pull off complex and captivating portrayals with limited screen time. The bold decision to film in an ancient city and the stunning cinematographic impact of moss drenched walls and vivid rustic countryside and the authentically styled characters all add to the sense of immersion. The drama's visual composition style conveys a suspenseful ambience, a feeling of subtle decay and an air of injustice that belies the vibrant prosperity of Du County. Overall, a superb debut production by filmmaker and screenwriter Zheng Wang that eschews tired tropes. This is a director that has something to say and he tells a riveting and resonating story about justice and morality that leaves food for thought at the end.

This is one of the best ancient suspense thrillers I have watched in a long time and one that hard core mystery buffs can lose themselves in. A highly recommended 9/10 from me.

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Fresh twists on old cliches.

At first glance, Autumn Ballad looks like just another light historical romance featuring a strong, independent heroine with 21st-century attitudes and aspirations. Yet with a chock full of fresh twists on old cliches, this manages to surprise and delight with an all too familiar tale of a lowly illegitimate daughter who finds love most unexpectedly on her quest for self-determination. This well-told story with an authentic voice is carried by Xu Zhengxi and Qiao Xin's heartfelt performances which make me invested in their characters before I even like them.

What I like most about Qiu Yan is that she is really not that nice or always that smart. Phew, what a welcome relief from the all too common suffocatingly flawless heroines. This is where notably Yu Zheng's recent, much higher budget projects fall way short by comparison despite big-name actresses. Trapped and exploited by her low birth status, Qiu Yan is the anti-Cinderella - her stepmother is her fairy godmother; she gives as good as she gets to her step-sisters and her mysterious prince leaves her a fan at the stroke of midnight. She tries for the best hand from the cards she is dealt and if she has to use a few people or step on toes along the way, so be it. She can be as harsh, selfish, and unforgiving as she is brave, capable, and loyal. She schemes, miscalculates, and makes mistakes with real consequences for herself and for others. I don't always like or agree with her but can understand her desperation and humanity.

Liang Yi is a pretty gray character which makes him my kind of male lead. Beneath his icy, civilized veneer he is a calculating, manipulative, ends-justify-the-means kind of guy with an agenda and he plays a long game. His path crosses with Qiu Yan repeatedly over the course of his investigations as head of the powerful Firewood Bureau. From the get-go, Liang Yi sees through Qiu Yan's machinations with contempt and tries to frustrate her designs on Qin Xuan. But he stops short of throwing her under the bus, perhaps in silent acknowledgment of his own utilitarian nature. When their interest align they agree to collaborate and are unflinchingly honest with each other about what's in it for them. In doing so, they also reveal the better sides of their nature and as they grow on each other, I fall for them. Qiu Yan is no damsel in distress in need of rescuing and Liang Yi can be as much cad as a knight in shining armor. They are kindred spirits and when they join forces, the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. It is inevitable that conflict and antagonism spark mutual awareness and passion. Their repartee is witty and the dialogue humorously highlights universal truths about human nature and the role of women in society. Is it too contemporary to be realistic? Probably but who cares?

This drama ought to be the gold standard for how realistic, believable relationships should be developed and portrayed. Xu Zhengxi really captures the essence of how Liang Yi's feelings for Qiu Yan evolve from dislike and distrust to grudging respect and consternation when it dawns upon him that he added to her burdens. His ironic, disbelieving expression as he comes to terms with his feelings for her kills me every time. This is by far the best-acted, anchor performance in the drama, elevated by the OTP's undeniable screen chemistry. While Qiao Xin stages a convincing, empathetic complimentary act, she falls short in her crying scenes.

The supporting characters are also mostly well-written and I particularly appreciate the balanced point of view with respect to the sibling rivalry between Qiu Min and Qiu Yan. Both Qiu Min and Qin Xuan are less thoughtfully written but despite their character flaws, they both get a pretty raw deal. The writers seem to know how to design layered and interesting characters but don't know how to finish their stories. Too many characters get outcomes (good and bad) that are underserved. There are so many gratuitous deaths I wonder whether they were running out of money.

Though far from a masterpiece of suspense and intrigue, the overarching conspiracy that loosely connects the cases moves at a fast pace and is quite well conceived and not just contrived to allow the couple to discover each other. It is a story that has enough momentum and characters with agency that the ending should write itself. Instead, with about 6 episodes to go, the writing inexplicably deviates into flashbacks, forced angst, melodrama, and excessive plot twists that culminate in a just barely satisfactory ending. If not for the sag towards the end, I would rate this production that shines in spite of its modest budget better than a very enjoyable 8/10.

This is not a fairytale but that is what makes it so much fun. It is well worth watching for the fascinating and hilarious relationship dynamics alone.

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Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.

New Life Begins is a fun and funny satire that mocks ancient Chinese feudal society. It is set in the fictional kingdom of Xinchuan, which presides over eight other provinces or chuans. Xinchuan is the poster child for every deplorable aspect of the feudal patriarchal society that prevailed over most of China's 5000 years of recorded history. Every three years as tribute, eligible young beauties from the provinces are sent for selection as wives or concubines of the Xinchuan princes. As these poor unsuspecting scions pore gleefully over bride portraits, little do they know that the very foundation of their kingdom and beliefs are about to be rocked to its chauvanist core.

As fate would decree, subversive elements infiltrate that year's bride candidates. These elements are woefully untaught and unteachable in the Rules of Reverent Submission for Women. The kind of marriage envisioned by the Xinchaun royalty could not be further from their minds. The ringleader is Li Wei, a deceptively harmless foodie from Jichuan, an inconsequential province where men and women are equal and monogamous. She finds kindred souls in the scheming Hao Jia, the fierce Shangguan Jing and the savvy and ambitious Yuan Ying. Together, they prevail against the suffocating, often life threatening strictures of the Xinchuan inner palace to carve out an existence with some free will. Their brave and hilarious exploits resonate with the oppressed and fuels a fire across the inner palace and then, the capital. As it turns out, behind every great man in Xinchuan is a woman rolling her eyes. Despite the period setting, the ideals in this drama are very modern. It is a very fantastical utopian depiction of the kind of power women can unleash by simply working together instead of turning on one another.

This is not to say that all ten of the Xinchuan princes are bad fellows even though most of them make exceedingly bad husbands. With some, it is simply a matter of training while others need to be kicked to the furthest corners of the empire. The commercially savvy playboy Prince An who thinks he is the sun that the solar system revolves around when he is really the moon is the caricature that made me laugh hardest. That said, the entire ensemble cast delivers rib-tickling and lively comedic sketches that poke fun at the mundane. In a mostly lighthearted and positive but rather cursory manner, the drama evokes many women's themes. Hua Jia's arc is the darkest and most complex one and sounds a dire warning about disgruntled female employees. The sub-plots are short and even though the villains made my blood boil, they are not that smart or complex. That is because the true villain is the tyranny of the patriarchal feudal system and they are all victims of its shortcomings.

All of the sub-plots unfold around the evolution of the relationship between Li Wei and Yin Zheng, the unfavored sixth prince. Hilarity ensues when this woman who lives to eat finds herself shackled to a man who eats to live! With the help of MVP Butler Su, she attempts to tease out the inner fat dude just waiting to burst out of Yin Zheng. In fact, food is her secret weapon; she worms her way into practically everyone's hearts through their stomachs. Both Bai Jingting and Tian Xiwei have good comedic expression and they are fantastic at seamlessly turning funny moments into heart stopping passionate ones. While theirs is a fun, wholesome story, it is too much of a fairy tale. Neither of them have serious flaws and every cloud has a silver lining. In fact Li Wei's perpetual chirpiness grated on me at times. While Yuan Ying is a fabulous and formidable character and I get that one woman's treasure is another's trash, that entire situation is just too good to be true. I also didn't like how their relationship jumps from courtship to the comfortable rhythm of a long married couple, deferring the best romance part till the end. It breaks the natural momentum of a relationship and distracts audience attention from the other arcs. In truth, this drama is a lot more about sisterhood and women's themes than it is about romance. The production should be more confident that these well written, funny, and touching arcs can engage on their own without dragging out the romance to keep viewers invested.

This is one of the rare times that it is the second couple, Shangguan and Yin Qi that stole my heart. I have a weakness for flawed, colorful and unconventional characters like these. Yin Qi's plight is far worst than Yin Zheng's - he is just as unloved and he is no great talent to boot. In the bride lottery, he finds himself sacrificed to the fierce Shangguan, a princess from the powerful and matrilocal Danchuan. But he has a giant heart to go with his big goofy happy-go-lucky smile that makes the fiery Shangguan forgive him for always saying wrong things. Their clashes and banter made my shoulders quiver with laughter as they humorously navigate true challenges and hardships together. Even though they are not perfect and don't have everything, I somehow get the feeling they couldn't be happier.

Overall this is a gorgeous, lighthearted and highly enjoyable story about women's struggles and sisterhood with some romance thrown in. It lacks depth, is slow in places and is far from a masterpiece but the humour is very well done and has mass appeal. A highly recommended watch that I rate 8.5/10.0.

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The Plagiarist Cookbook

Who Rules the World is based on a well-loved, strong female centric novel that is normally my kind of story. However, the drama adaptation was undermined by the mid-production departure of the director and a key scriptwriter in the bitter aftermath of over fraternisation between production staff. It is clear that the drama was salvaged by borrowing heavily from other dramas and accusations of plagiarism have further weighed on the reception. I watched this for lack of anything better but to my surprise, it comes together quite well. It is indubitably the result of The Plagiarist Cookbook and is best enjoyed with a sense of humor for its stirring romance and parody plot.

This drama starts strongly, promising a sensational fusion of romance, wuxia, palace intrigue and art of war. Set in a fictional Dadong empire, the Empyrean Token, which vests the imperial family with the mandate to rule mysteriously disappears, sending the empire onto the brink of war. All six vassal states vie to recover the token and potentially seize power. Longtime friendly rivals and top martial artists Bai Fengxi and Hei Fengxi get dragged into the fray as they stumble across a string of inexplicable killings. Together, they discover a sect with shadowy motives that could be linked to the struggle for control of Dadong. Behind their carefree jianghu personas, they both conceal identities with vested interests in the coming battle to decide who rules the world. Can their romance survive the battle for a new world order?

This drama's strongest selling point is Bai Fengxi and Hei Fengxi; they are simply the most awesome jianghu power couple. I was expecting more of the same old, same old Zhao Lusi. And my first impression of Yang Yang in what looked like Wang Yibo's hand-me-down Legend of Fei wig was meh, just another idol actor with a sharp, useless look about him. So to my surprise and delight, I enjoyed Lusi and Yang Yang's combined chemistry immensely. I love that their romance develops after years of friendly competition, when they are both secure, fully realised beings. Their relationship dynamics are captured in as much in their witty banter as in the nonverbal communication of their eyes, facial expressions and small gestures. They make for such a stunning looking couple with 夫妻相/fū qī xiàng or the look of a couple that it is hard not to root for them. That said, their relationship is mature and already perfect. They are on the same wavelength with mutual understanding that even in the matter of their secret identities, the reveal is in each case rather anti-climatic; an unimportant and unsurprising detail. While they experience many challenges together, most of the time they sail through them so effortlessly that the intensity is diminished. Since the drama is all about this couple, as charming as it is, their relationship after awhile feels static.

I really like how the smart women (to be clear, that means excluding Langhua) are portrayed in this drama. They are clever, independent and capable decision makers who don't succumb to the dumbest and most boring love rival tropes. Yet ultimately this is not the strong female-centric story I was expecting as it is much more Lanxi's story than it is Xiyun's story. Which is a shame because Lusi really takes her acting to another level in her portrayal of an indomitable and powerful character who cries as persuasively as she laughs and whose stomach is a bottomless pit. Her comedic expression remains her forte and in this production, her articulation is more mature and subtle than her earlier works. Hopefully down the road, she gets another shot at playing a strong female lead character and preferably one that drives the plot.

This is my first Yang Yang drama and wow, he is a sight for sore eyes and a much better actor than I guessed. He has incredibly expressive eyes such excellent micro expressions that he pulls off every imaginable romantic expression effortlessly. I can only applaud the neck breaking effort and dedication that goes into presenting his incomparable jawline at the most optimal camera angle at all times. If only we can unlock that frozen shoulder and see more natural body movement. Beyond that, he appears determined to cling to a righteous, gallant and conventional interpretation of his character. But I did not see the greyer, more complex side to Lanxi which I believe is consistent with how the role is actually written. While I enjoyed the slap that reverberated across the Dadong empire, I needed more. Like his father, I wanted to see Lanxi rise to the occasion, get angry, voice his resentment and demand justice. Instead, his brothers stole his lines while Lanxi simply stares down regally at the antagonists, best chin angle forward and nary a hair out of place. So definitely a young actor with lots of potential but Yang Yang's performance overall does not rise to the level of the character's complexity.

If I had to pinpoint where another writing/direction team takes over, it must be in the over extended Yongzhou arc. It is manifestly obvious that the Yongzhou royal family blueprint and at least two sub-plots in that arc are dumbed down knock offs from Royal Nirvana. I could be forgiving if they'd managed to make it better or more interesting than the original but nope, that did not happen. It is baffling how they chose to focus on done before royal succession palace intrigue tropes and less intelligent, archetypal villains at the expense of more compelling plot threads of conspiracies around dark sects committing murder and mayhem, missing tokens with fascinating grey characters like Huang Chao and Yu Wuyuan. There is an entire missing arc that could have better explored their back stories and more interesting dynamics.

The drama ends well after an exciting climax but the final six episodes are rushed and don't quite manage to close all of the open and more interesting plot threads. The war sequences are very well done even though they don't come together that coherently. But I don't like how they kill off good characters. To me, a few side characters I managed to get invested in deserved better deaths than what they got. And as for the final outcome, everyone got what they most wanted. If only Bai Fengxi knew the irony of her insistence that bai (white) precedes hei (black) in all matters.

The problem with using The Plagiarist Cookbook is the end product feels familiar but ultimately lacks substance and definition. I genuinely enjoyed watching this and laughed my way through it but more so because the MDL thread was amazing with many viewers with a great sense of humor and openness to plurality of opinions. I probably would have still enjoyed it but a lot less had I watched it by myself. While this has been my most fun watch of 2022, I can only rate this 8.0/10.0.

As promised for posterity:

Rules of The World:

#1 Falling down a steep cliff does not result in death
#2 Bai always precedes Hei - it is just the natural order of things
#3 Food has no calories and should be consumed at every opportunity
#4 When bad guys try to kill your love rival, let them
#5 Bai Fengxi remembers what she sees
#6 If you are going to dance seductively, wear a red dress
#7 The sleeve and the fan are mightier than the sword
#8 Don't bother with blankets, just use body heat
#9 Hand made noodles will unlock his life story
#10 Must have at least one bad parent and imaginary cousins
#11 The timely ankle twist is a more important skill than showy gravity defying flying kicks
#12 Must have strong piggy back and copious blood factory
#13 Never hold hands with just any girl in the streets, only that one girl
#14 You don't draw that well, she just looks that good
#15 Be greedy when it comes to food and all four elegant gentlemen
#16 Funerals are for dead people and not those you wish dead
#17 To eat or to Hei Fengxi, that is the question?
#18 Heaven hath no thunder greater than that of a long dead queen
#19 Be known by a dark foxy stripper 名号/name
#20 Surprise - they met when they were kids!
#21 Spicy exotic delicacies to ward off black dogs blood is just another excuse to eat
#22 Introducing your girlfriend to the girl who wants to be your girlfriend makes you the third wheel
#23 Don't give your master love advice unless you like memorizing military stratagems
#24 You get better love advice from romance novels than from your inexperienced subordinate
#25 A real hero need not take advantage of a woman to rule the world
#26 I promise to feed her well
#27 Foreshadowing is when her drawings and clay figures of you are all so.... round
#28 Be sure to let the villain and no one else know you are on to him
#29 When in doubt just stab the least likely suspect in the back
#30 The flower medicine kiss is a cure all for inner energy loss to deep stab wounds
#31 Greatest fool theory of sect leadership
#32 Stop dreaming about kissing her and just do it
#33 Two can play hide and seek in closets made for one
#34 Don't: As my most important wife and empress, I will give you the world
#35 Do: Xiyun who? You are my world
#36 Give your treacherous brother the coup de slap that is heard across the Dadong empire
#37 Revenge is a dish best served with a piece of long white cloth
#38 Let me see if you are good looking enough for my daughter?
#39 It is Hei Bai (black and white) that no son of mine should have to marry above him!
#40 Mess with my woman and I will knock the sacred jade out of your moon
#41 Nothing says hands off, he's mine like your bright red lipstick plastered over his cheek
#42 If Mo Yuan and Ye Hua can survive a weapon of mass destruction, so can I... oh... oops... wrong genre...
#43 Honey, 白头偕老/Bái tóu xié lǎo (grow white hair/old together) is not meant to be taken so literally or so independently.

And they lived heavily one decade after. Burp!

The End.

Warning: DO NOT try at home. May result in substantial weight gain, stomach ache, premature greying and/or loss of life and limb. Also, backstabbing and bitch slapping could be offences punishable by law in your jurisdiction.

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Into the wild, wicked West.

The second season of Strange Tales Tang Dynasty sees the team reunite in Chang'an at a time the power struggle is intensifying between Li Longji and Princess Taiping. Su Wuming with his keen survival instincts falls on his sword to get them booted out of Changán into the wild, wicked West. In the blink of an eye, Lu Lingfeng is demoted and banished to Yunding, which is literally at the far corner of the Tang empire! This sets the team on a hazardous journey west along the exotic and magnificent ancient Silk Road, a trip fraught with mysterious and dangerous encounters. The team solves eight zhiguai 志怪 or slightly strange cases in this second season.

In a year where many highly anticipated sequels have disappointed, STOTD2 stands apart by exceeding S1 on practically all fronts. The Journey to the West theme pays tribute to the classic novel about Tang Sanzang's pilgrimage West, battling supernatural forces along the way. This season is a visual feast for the eyes with meticulously crafted sets and costumes rich in historical detail. The changing increasingly exotic landscape and the stunning, remote sense of timelessness and insignificance as the team traverses the Gobi imbues the narrative with a sense of other-worldly adventures. Even though the antagonists are (mostly) ultimately temporal, there is a whisper of other forces at play. Or at the very least, the spirits of the wronged souls are not silent, they have just been waiting for someone to listen.

The team hits the ground running with a familiar rapport, sense of humor and teamwork that developed over the course of Season 1. In a hilarious role reversal, Su Wuming finds himself the subordinate, a lowly secretary to Lu Lingfeng. I was surprised to see Lu Lingfeng take Su Wuming's "betrayal" so casually and how lightly, almost enthusiastically he embraces his assignment in Yunding. It is as if he is secretly relieved to escape the power play in the capital with his beloved team alongside him. Su Wuming plays the assistant with exaggerated wit and perspicacity as he watches with a gleam of pride in his eye as Lu Lingfeng comes into own as a student of Di Renjie. What I always love best about this pair is that it breaks out of that mold of the master sleuth with a dumb sidekick whose role is simply to elevate his genius. Everyone on the team has a role to play; Pei Xijun as a genius sketch artist, Ying Tao taking up some coroner duties and Chicken Fei as their healer and resident alcoholic,...ahem,...wine connoisseur. Their witty bon mots and playful antics lift the tedium of some of the narrative detail and relieves tension that builds up in tragic or dangerous moments.

Even though the team functions seamlessly, this season is not really about them or their development. Both romances are more or less in holding pattern and most of the spotlight is on the characters in the cases; the victims, survivors and even the antagonists. What S2 has done most successfully is to make us truly invested in the cases, to empathize with the victims, their loved ones and at times even the perpetrators. Or in some cases to truly hate the antagonist to the bone. All the important roles in each case are well cast, with recognizable talented actors that convincingly convey their roles. It is a nice touch to bring back Dugu Xiashu, a beloved character that won hearts in S1. The mix of cases is also well balanced; some are more procedural with more action, adventure and mythical beasts; while others unfold as classic Christie-styled whodunits.

I found the first case Mara's Defeat to be the least well paced and it stretched over too many episodes but that was inevitable as it also brought the team back together and set the stage for their departure from Changan. The case that made me laugh hardest was The Snowy Inn with its tongue-in-cheek humor and of course the hottie sheriff Jiang. Even though I was quite impressed with the CGI monsters and action, I found the the linked Old Boat Official and Tongtian Rhino cases to be the weakest, with missed opportunities and loose ends. The Letter from Shangxian Hall was the best written case, one that left me questioning the high price of justice paid to punish a truly despicable human being. I was quite mad at the team for not looking the other way. But it is the final case that truly moved and broke me. I will not forget Doubao's story for a long time. Thus the season comes to an end in an emotional and visual climax at the awe inspiring Mogao Caves in Dunhuang. The best cases don't have to be water tight, they just have to connect us with the victims and make us reflect upon the dark side of human nature and how far short of restitution justice falls. This is where by comparison this year's high budget Judge Dee's Mystery fell down hard.

The season closes with the team being summoned back to Chang'an into what should be the climax of the historic conflict between Princess Taiping and Li Longji. I expect Season 3 to have a heavier focus on Lu Lingfeng and the team again as they navigate perilous times ahead. While I am sorry to leave behind the wild, exotic and mysterious Silk Road, it will be nice to be in the boldly prosperous Chang'an again. This was a fabulous season and a testament to the importance of hiring one helluva scriptwriter. This will be a hard season to top but this production team is not one I would bet against. I very enthusiastically rate this 9.5/10.0 and count the weeks, months but hopefully not years until S3.

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Fake it till you make it.

Regeneration is an excellent short suspense thriller. The narrative opens with a reporter He Shan witnessing the kidnapping of her contact Fei Ke. In classic Christie style, five strangers including He Shan are summoned to an island mansion for the reading of Fei Ke's will. They are each asked to share their memories of Fei Ke before the will is read. As implied by the homonym of his name, Fei Ke was not who he appeared to be; he showed a different self to each of them. As they piece together their memories, a complex, disturbing and moving picture of Fei Ke emerges.

Jing Boran delivers a compelling portrayal of Fei Ke as a charismatic, amoral "fake it till you make it" kind of character. I don't think any other actor could have evoked such complex and contradictory reactions. At many points in the narrative when I wanted to absolutely despise his Fei Ke, I found myself searching for excuses for him. Yet when I could have and should have empathized with him, I found myself judging him. All of the characters have many layers that peel off like an onion. Like Fei Ke, they all have at least one moment of hesitation before they almost willfully make a fatal, life changing decision that takes them down the path of no return. By the end of this web of lies, the only story that moved me was that of the two lovers star crossed who ended up as collateral damage. Everyone else reaped what they sowed; even Fei Ke who believed his own lies to the point he deceived himself more than anyone else.

The plot pulled me in from the start and kept me wanting more with each reveal. However, at the point of reversal, changes were deliberately made to the original novel plot, likely to avoid book spoilers. I think this was big mistake. As a result, plot holes emerged and the final three episodes did not come together as well as they could have. In the novel, the group gathered because the main antagonist wished to make amends. That is simple, straightforward and easy to understand. In the drama, they gather as a result of a convoluted and rather far fetched revenge plot. Some of the character designs and motives were changed in to make this work. Some of it just didn't make sense as those parties could have achieved their objectives in more direct and effective ways. This is made worse by the melodramatic storm at the end where everyone does silly things for some cheap thrills.

Even though the ending was overly dramatic and could have been more tightly written it was dark and consequential. All things considered, this is a suspenseful and thought provoking watch with many unexpected twists and reversals. And If you need a shallow reason to watch it, Jing Boran looks yummy in every scene. My rating 8.0/10.0.

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