3
Zogitt
Australia
Maybe a little less emphasis on strange
I'm late to this series because costume dramas is not my go-to. To be honest, there are more trash than treasure in recent memory. However, they have good reasons to renew this drama for season 2 and 3.
As the show has been out for 2 years, I'm not going to do a detailed review but rather some thoughts and observations.
1) they are all pawns in the game of throne. It is done reasonably well without too much grandstanding.
2) the bromance is real. Yes, one is the brain while the other is the brawn but the junior partner is learning to use more of his brain than his muscles. Their chemistry is a highlight.
3) on the other hand, the real romance storyline is weak. It is all about reaching an understanding. Very prim and proper. There are cute moments but don't expect much in way of skinship. At least there is no second leads to complicate things. BTW, the banter at the end of the last EP between the 2CP is surprisingly wicked. ;)
4) the murder mystery side is decent. There are times when it is intriguing but there won't be any gold star for original writing. At least the A-plot is coherent rather than just a mishmash of random encounters just so that they can stumble on bodies after bodies. However . . .
5) there is an over-reliance on quasi supernatural elements. I understand superstition and folklore plays an important role in ancient China but all the crimes are committed by humans so you quickly learn to see past all the mumble jumble. Giant animals also play too big a role. They pop up whenever the show needs a set piece fight or some smoke and mirrors to distract us from a weak plot point. Which brings us to . . .
6) a heavy use of CGI but not always to good effects. The quality ranges from acceptable to laughable.
7) the River God plot was very impactful and advanced the A-plot on several fronts. Yet it has some of the worse contrivance about crocodiles. It made me facepalm.
8) similarly, the production value is a mixed bag. Most scenes are acceptable if a bit standard issue. They probably didn't invest a lot of money thinking that it will just be another idol drama. Hopefully, S2 and 3 will fair better.
In the end, I enjoyed this drama more than I expected. Even with all its faults, it is still one of the more watchable series to date and I'll definitely check out S2.
As the show has been out for 2 years, I'm not going to do a detailed review but rather some thoughts and observations.
1) they are all pawns in the game of throne. It is done reasonably well without too much grandstanding.
2) the bromance is real. Yes, one is the brain while the other is the brawn but the junior partner is learning to use more of his brain than his muscles. Their chemistry is a highlight.
3) on the other hand, the real romance storyline is weak. It is all about reaching an understanding. Very prim and proper. There are cute moments but don't expect much in way of skinship. At least there is no second leads to complicate things. BTW, the banter at the end of the last EP between the 2CP is surprisingly wicked. ;)
4) the murder mystery side is decent. There are times when it is intriguing but there won't be any gold star for original writing. At least the A-plot is coherent rather than just a mishmash of random encounters just so that they can stumble on bodies after bodies. However . . .
5) there is an over-reliance on quasi supernatural elements. I understand superstition and folklore plays an important role in ancient China but all the crimes are committed by humans so you quickly learn to see past all the mumble jumble. Giant animals also play too big a role. They pop up whenever the show needs a set piece fight or some smoke and mirrors to distract us from a weak plot point. Which brings us to . . .
6) a heavy use of CGI but not always to good effects. The quality ranges from acceptable to laughable.
7) the River God plot was very impactful and advanced the A-plot on several fronts. Yet it has some of the worse contrivance about crocodiles. It made me facepalm.
8) similarly, the production value is a mixed bag. Most scenes are acceptable if a bit standard issue. They probably didn't invest a lot of money thinking that it will just be another idol drama. Hopefully, S2 and 3 will fair better.
In the end, I enjoyed this drama more than I expected. Even with all its faults, it is still one of the more watchable series to date and I'll definitely check out S2.
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