Alegria da Vida (2019)

Best acting i have ever seen.

minus the time travelling part. this has to be one of my favorite dramas of all time. the strongest acting and chemistry i have ever seen. it was like every single person was born to play their part. even the child actor is amazing. there was literally 1 scene in the entire drama i can say the acting was not 100% perfect. the chemistry between all actors is spectacular.

if you have not watch it. DONT, they might film season 2 sometimes in 2021, you will regret every moment after you finished it. took me several days just to cope with the fact this show finished.its that good, here we are 30 dramas after just so i can stop being sad. this is a drama that needs to be binged watched all 3 seasons and all your 1000 questions answered. hopefully the acting will be as strong season two with the same cast.

and for all your king haters. i love this characters. probably my favourite.

Leia Mais

Unexpectedly hilarious royal politics cdrama

Unexpectedly hilarious royal politics cdrama with a sassy, jovial, badass protagonist who aspired to just enjoy life, only to be embroiled in royal politics within and between two warring states (Qing and Qi) as he began to uncover the truth of who wanted him dead, and the truth of the death of his mom. The protagonist Fan Xian sizzles with the veteran co-stars (Qing Emperor, Chen Ping Ping, Wang Qi Nian and Teng Zi Jing) and with not the FL, but the equally badass Haitang Duo Duo.

Joy of Life effortlessly stands out as an enjoyable transition series of the MDL top-ranked costume cdrama trilogy, with a good mix of political scheming seen in Nirvana in Fire and hilarious comedic antics from a sassy, badass, frivolous protagonist with a pure righteous heart, seen in The Untamed.

The sci-fic/time travel elements and cliffhanger ending dent an otherwise brilliant, credible and enjoyable Season 1. A peep at the baidu page on the JOL novel on how the story will continue, especially the Qi King, is kinda wildly absurd plot-wise for me. That said, I’m still eagerly looking forward to Season 2, especially if Xiao Zhan continues as Yan Bing Yun, to see the growth of both Yan Bing Yun’s character and Xiao Zhan’s performance, plus Xiao Zhan’s chemistry with Zhang Ruo Yun’s Fan Xian and the veteran co-stars.

Leia Mais

Low expectation but ended up Jaw dropping

Story
Before i watch this drama, i just finished watching Nirvana in Fire i think NIV is of the best drama that can pair with Game of Thrones in this genre. But after i watch Joy of Life, damn...i find another historical drama with intense political intrigue as good as NIV. The better thing in Joy of Life, there is not only one hella smart person, there are many ! (Fan Xian, Emperor of Qing, Chen Ping Ping, Shen Zong even the unexpected one - the 2nd Prince! ).
I love the ending how Yan Bing Yun choose to kill Fan Xian, it's going to be more intense later when someday he will find the truth about his real identity as Xiao En's grandson and he finds out that Fan Xian has known it for long time and choose to hide it considering this truth will ruin Yan's life.
Finally can't wait to see Fan Xian resurrected and i believe he will get more memories about his past life.

Cast : more than Excellent !
Honestly i dont know much about Zhang Ruo Yun but must admit it..the cast director did a great job to choose him as male lead. He has so many facial expressions and i love it. He can potray Fan Xian very well ! smart, manipulative, deliquent, loyal friend and easy to win people's heart.

Music : overall is good, only there is one part that sound likes Italian modern music which is not suit for historical drama.

Rewatch : Do it if you have spare times. But i prefer to move on to my wishlist drama that i haven't watched yet.

Leia Mais

Dizinin hayranı değilim

Merhabalar Joy of Life dizisini tam 5 kere başlayıp 10, bölümde sıkılarak bırakmıştım bu sefer sebat ederek 1. sezonu bitirebildim.
Hikaye öyle incelemelerde anlatıldığı gibi olağanüstü değildi bazı inceleme yazılarında Nirvana of Fire ile kıyaslanmış Nirvana of Fire'ın yanına bile yaklaşamaz modern çağdan başlayarak tarihi olayların içine geçiş yapan ve sadece sakin ve eğlenceli bir hayat yaşamak isteyen sevdiği ile eğlenmek ve evlenmek arzusu olan bir gencin etrafında dönen entrikalarla ve güç mücadelesinin anlatan bir hikaye hikayede Fan Xian a annesinin yazdığı mektup dışında bilim kurgu dan eser olmayan ama konusu anlatılırken 21.yy anılarıyla doğan cümlesinden dolayı senaristin dizinin içine annesinden mektup sahnesini eklemek zorunda kaldığı bir hikaye olmuş hikaye ye bir sürü 9. seviye de olan ustalar var her ne kadar hikaye bu ustaların üzerine kurulmamış olsa da dövüş sahneleri ni ve ustaların özelliklerini gerektiği gibi izleyemedik yine de tüm olumsuzluklara rağmen diğer diziler gibi severek izlediğim bir dizi oldu bir açıkçası bir İngeneous One ve Nirvana in Fire değildi
Oyuınculara gelecek olursak kadın başrol oyuncusu hariç hemen hepsini sevdim rollerine oldukça yakışmıştı kadın başrol oyuncusunu hiç sevmem senarist kadını son dere naif ve kırılgan göstermiş Fan Xian ın yanında biraz aptal gibi durdu bu kadar entrikalara ve güç savaşının içinde satranç oyunu gibi oyunlar oynayan Fan Xian ın yanına Haitang Doudou daha çok yakıştı
Dizinin müzikleri orta karardı sevdim daha iyi müzikler ve jenerik müzikleri olan dizileri seyrettiğimi hatırlıyorum
Tekrar izlenme değeri bana göre hiç yok bir kere seyredilip geçilecek dizilerden 2. sezon ve 3. sezon konusunun devamı açısından seyredilebilir onları da bir sefer seyredeceğimi düşünüyorum
Genel olarak değerlendirirsek vakit geçirmek için seyredilebilir ben olağanüstü bulmadım
Sonuç olarak yine oyuncusundan yapımcısına ve yönetmenine kadar tüm ekip olarak bir emek verilmiş yayında ve yapımda emeği olan herkese teşekkür ederiz.
2 sezona geçtim onuda tamamlayınca bir inceleme yazısı yazarım umarım 2. sezon birinci sezondan daha olur

Leia Mais

Great Season

This review is based on a re-watch after a long hiatus. I didn't want to review it at the time due to the first season ending on a heavy cliffhanger and was waiting for season 2 to complete. As I'm about to drop season 2, this review will solely be on season 1.

This season is deserving of its fame and there's no need to really go into too much details for the review because of it. The plot flow was great as there are multiple sub-plots that keep the series interesting. This is also one where you'll find yourself having multiple favorite characters. The humorous layer attached to some very serious and intense underlying situations really makes the series shine.

My only qualm is our main ML's love interest. There isn't great chemistry between the two, their romance doesn't feel natural, and the FL is pretty useless. Even during my first watch, I had skipped through most of their interactions as it was quite boring. Fortunately, the romantic scenes between them aren't heavy-handed. If it weren't for this, would have given the series a higher score.

Leia Mais

Court Politics At Its Finest

Joy of Life is a 2019 Chinese wuxia drama that centers around a young man named Fan Xian who was born in ancient imperial China with memories and knowledge of the 21st century. He grows up knowing about a far more advanced society so he has always felt alone and isolated like a fish out of water. That premise alone made me want to watch this drama immediately, but I had to wait years because I found out that it ends in a cliffhanger and there was no confirmed date for a season 2 release. Thankfully, they finally announced the premiere of the second season this year, so I decided to start the first season. I didn't regret it. I was able to finish this 46-episode drama in just 8 days. That rarely happens to me, but when it does, it's usually because the drama is really enjoyable and has gained my full attention.

I'm a sucker for royal court intrigues, and political scheming and plotting, so this captured my undivided attention from the get-go. Not to mention this drama has what I hope most series would have, a very engaging, interesting, and endearing hero that you want to root for and fall in love with. Fan Xian is hands down one of my favorite characters of all time! He is highly intelligent, witty, humorous, crafty, skilled, and relatable in his flawed nature. I haven't laughed so much since I watched Word of Honor. But this drama also made me tear up more than once because of the emotional beats and brilliant acting of Zhang Ruoyun as Fan Xian. Ruoyun really carries this drama and he does it with flying colors. Despite acting alongside some of the best veteran actors in the business, he is, in no way, overshadowed by his more experienced co-stars. I've liked him since I saw him in Under the Microscope and Joy of Life only helped me confirm his undeniable charisma and screen presence. The rest of the cast are fantastic in their own way. My favorite among the supporting characters is Chen Pingping played by Wu Gang, whom I suspect to be a legendary actor in the Chinese entertainment industry. If he isn't, then it's a travesty! He is that good! This drama has such a strong supporting cast that I liked almost everyone, even the villains. I absolutely abhor the Princess Royal, Li Yun Rui, but Li Xiao Ran is so amazing in playing this detestable character that I applaud her for it. Wang Yang is also great in this, as always. He only appears in the first half of the drama but he cemented himself as one of the more unforgettable characters in the series. I also have to specially mention the actor who played young Fan Xian, he does not only look like Zhang Ruoyun but also acts like him. That was such a great casting choice!

The script is one of the best I've seen in any drama. It's what I expect from other dramas of its kind, even better than Nirvana in Fire's in my opinion. The dialogues are remarkably well-written with carefully chosen wording only meant to hint at the true meaning behind the statements. You have to read between the lines, so to speak. And this, coupled with the subtle acting from the cast, brings more tension to the scenes. The script also interweaves beautiful poetry with tragedy and unpredictable plot twists that make you immediately think of plot armor as an excuse. But as things unravel you begin to realize that perhaps the so-called plot armors can be justified by a number of reasons, making you believe in the brilliance of the writing.

As much as I love this drama, I do have some beefs with it, though. As I mentioned, while some turns in the plot can be justified, I do think that there are far too many convenient coincidences for them to be logical. I will not mention those here but if you pay attention to how problems are handled by the characters as things unfold, then you will know what I mean. I also have some issues with the female lead. For the life of me, I cannot understand why they have to continually infantalize women in these dramas. I do not find these women cute whatsoever. It is annoying and tiresome! Lin Wan'er is played by the beautiful Li Qin, but the character is the cookie cutter type of pretty, feminine, and angelic damsel in distress. I do not want all women to be warriors like Haitang Duoduo, but Lin Wan'er acts like a cute little girl who has a penchant for stealing food from the kitchen. What is so amusing about that?! How old is she, 8?! And Fan Xian falling in love with her at first sight is far too cliché for my taste. I don't know why they can't seem to write really good female characters in these dramas. It's probably a culture thing.

Even though it's quite obvious from the cinematography and sets that this drama was not made with a meager budget, the costumes look so out of place and plasticky cheap. I mean, leather belts and leather-like garb? Weird paisely looking patterns in the garments? Did those exist in ancient China? I understand that they probably wanted to bring a more modern feel to the costumes because of the science fiction aspects of the story, but come on! The costumes are hideous! I feel sorry for the actors who had to wear those heavy-looking dreadful garments in the peak of summer! I was also disappointed with the fight choreography. There are far too many cuts that you can barely see what's going on. I expected better. It didn't hinder me from enjoying the action scenes, though. The music is hit or miss. There are some themes that work, some that do not. Whoever thought that latin music would work in a Chinese costume drama is insane! Some are inappropriately used, too. Seriously, why would you put sinister-sounding music when there's no imminent danger?! lol

But my biggest disappointment is how the writers (or original writer of the novels) failed to cleverly incorporate modern elements into the story. Considering that Fan Xian was born with the knowledge of a technologically advanced society, he rarely used that knowledge for his benefit. While he did use his expertise in poetry and literature to help him advance his career in politics, it didn't go beyond that. The drama also barely explores the true nature of Fan Xian's character and that of his mother, who supposedly came from another world. I expected it to be more like the manga/anime Dr. Stone wherein the characters are frozen in time when a second ice age hit the earth and they wake up in another stone age. They help provide the foundations of that world by introducing science, technology, literature, and even modern warfare. But this drama doesn't do anything of the sort. Instead, it focuses on political intrigues and wars of that primitive society with Fan Xian barely putting his knowledge of a futuristic world to use. He rarely even mentions it, which is a total waste of that concept. The science fiction aspects are just cosmetic tools used to make the story seem a little more unique but does not use it to its fullest potential. Shame. This drama could've been way better.

But despite all that, I still give this drama a high rating of 9 out of 10. I recommend this to anyone who wants to watch an intelligently written drama with fleshed out characters and an engaging plot.

Leia Mais

Good concept & great implementation. A MUST WATCH

This series is so worth the time to watch. It is different from typical period story. Actors did excellently and portrayed their characters well. I only wish that they introduced the series with the story of the lead male mother. Interesting to see the development of the story explaining her but it seems lacking and minimized. Although her story seemed she was loved & admired by many men, it didn’t really highlight as to why.
The blind martial arts mentor could be explored more. I love his character. I was wishing for more story on him.
I just realized Xiao zhang is in the cast and missed it in ep 38. I was so engrossed in the story, I glossed over his short appearance.
PLEASE PLEASE RELEASE SEASON 2 SOON!!!
I’m glad there’s a season 2 being prepared for this series.
Ending is now acceptable for me since there is a sequel coming.

7/16/23 - When is the second season coming??? I am anticipating this season 2.

Leia Mais

The drama starts to pick up at around episode 12. The first 10 episodes were slow with Fan Xian and Waner trying to find each other and cancel their engagement until they found out that they were actually engaged to each other. Then, the story starts to pick up with never-ending political intrigue mixed with comedy and drama.

Fan Xian was a complicated character. He comes off as goofy and happy-go-lucky. In reality, he was calculating, manipulative, loyal, and has a strong sense of justice. His goal was to build a better world but outsmarting and getting ahead of the powerhouse that is trying to kill him proved to be harder than he thought. The story did a great job at building up the intrigue and political drama in a very interesting and clever way without being draggy. However, the plot didn't quite explain Fan Xian's visions, where they came from, and his origins. At the beginning it was a rebirth backwards story. But it seemed to be more of a time travel story with Xian's mother traveling back in time bringing future technology, but the writers never truly explained it.

The romance needed work. The first 10 episodes were spent on ML and FL trying to find each other. After they finally figured out that they were actually engaged to each other, the romance fizzled out and FL gradually disappeared. Honestly, Fan Xian had a lot more chemistry with every other woman he interacted with than Waner. The fighting "dance" with the saintress made me question where the writers were going with this and why Fan Xian was even in love with Waner.

One of the best things about this drama was the goofy soundtrack with silly background music during fighting sequences.

Leia Mais

Everyone loves Fan Xian

I’m late to the party and I apologise for this. JoY slipped past me when it was released in 2019. With season 2 coming, I though, it is time to take the plunge.

Seeing that there are dozens of reviews, I don’t see much point in breaking down the series in the usual way. I’ll just shares some thoughts and my expectations for the new season.

I know this will be heresy to some, but the show didn’t hook me at first. I did binge watched it and really enjoyed the series in the end. However, it was more due to perseverance than the classic “unmissable from the first scene!” vibe. In hindsight, I think there are several reasons but chiefly, the show was always meant to have more than 1 season so the first 46 eps are just a long way to set up the overarching main plot. I can see a parallel with The Fellowship of the Ring. That movie was a little unfocused and stilted compared to the rest of the LoTR series too and for a good reason.

Another aspect is that the ML is a bit annoying at first. Those were the days when you are literally asking for a beating just by looking at an official the wrong way and yet the ML is so cocksure that he is thumbing his nose at all and sundry and he gets away with it. It all make sense later on but it didn’t leave a great first impression.

This leads us to the next point; the ML really leads a charmed life. He can pull off crazy stints and “lucky” escapes. It might be fun to watch but when you consider the seriousness of the various plots, it does feel a bit flippant. This also runs contrary to the notion that the ML is smart, resourceful and strong but then he’d get “rescued” repeatedly.

I am happy to see the love line between Xian and Wan’er being so sweet and straightforward. It could have been so messy like in many other costume dramas. Small blessing, I suppose. However, in a nod to the classic martial arts novels of the last century, almost every eligible bachelorette is falling in love with Fan Xian. I can certainly see the attraction and he will need a big stick to fend them off in S2.

The OST is nice, especially the main themes. However, the show does have this habit of using some zany, jazzy music to signal a funny scene. It is a valid technique but it is more suited to a modern sitcom than an historical drama. It can be quite jarring at times.

In the end, there are plots within plots and secrets hiding more secrets so I’m not surprised that it will take over 100 eps to see it to conclusion. It is looking promising for the next season and if the production value and acting is maintained (more likely to be surpassed) then it should be an even bigger hit. The heightened expectations will ensure that.

All in all, it was worth the hype. Not quite the best costume drama I have ever watched but it certainly sets up the next season nicely. The unveiling story left me with more questions than answers. Bring on season 2!

Leia Mais

Beautifully produced, yet couldn't hold my interest . . .

The initial premise is great: what if someone with modern sensibilities, good coping mechanisms, kind, generous and humorous were placed into a traditional wuxia storyline? For the first 10 episodes, you get subversions after subversions of the drama formula, 'misunderstandings' are cleared up, people who are bad turn good and good turn bad etc.

As the novelty wore off, I just didn't care that much about the fates of the characters - I didn't care who won the succession fight, or if the main romance prevailed. There was just so many minor characters and one oversized lead, that it was hard for me to get invested.

This is despite excellent, distinctive acting. This has a huge cast, yet I could keep track of most all the characters and their varying plotlines and was fond of many of them.

I loved the opening credits song, and enjoyed a lot of the music. I wouldn't rewatch - again just wasn't very invested in any particular scene.

I grade on other criteria as well:

Complex Themes - 8
The main theme is having mature coping mechanisms, humor, kindness and generosity will keep you on the right path despite all the wrong around you.
Character Growth - 4
Too many characters to have meaningful character growth, and the main lead is presented as close to perfect as is - just a bit overconfident.
Complex Women Characters/Plotlines - 7
The women are incredibly intriguing with distinct plot lines and characters, but the main lead and his problems and feelings take up so much center stage, there just isn't real space to develop the female characters other then as plot devices to help the male lead.
Production/Cinematography - 10
Really, truly beautiful with lots of interesting scenes shot in different ways, varied sets, lavish costumes. On par with the best aesthetics in C-dramas I've seen.

Leia Mais

Thoroughly enjoyable. After the first episode, totally hooked. Extremely good in every way. The acting was superb from both main and almost all supporting cast. Almost every character were multifaceted and interesting. Wonderfully, unexpectedly humorous. For non-Chinese speaking viewers: watching with a good translator makes will make the experience even better. Unfortunately, I have not found a stand out sub to recommend. Still should be an excellent watch for non-Chinese speaker even though may miss some of the jokes, play on words, and plot subtlety.
Intriguing plot twist and turns, multi-dimensional schemes, philosophical, touching, something to laugh about, cry about, to 'ahhh' about, ponder about, get excited about, to cheer about. There were some moments when things didn't seem to quite make sense, or seemed disappointing. Every time, I just trusted the makers, and the significance was revealed later.
I watched the entire season twice, and it was just as good the second time around in the process of discovering many things I actually missed the first time. Highly recommend watching!!

Leia Mais

Thoroughly entertaining!

I was hesitant in watching this as the synopsis and the poster give an impression that this is a profound political drama. Don't be fooled! I am glad I didn't procrastinate watching it. This is a thoroughly entertaining drama and one of the best I have seen from east Asia not just from China.

This drama has a unique blend of interesting characters, fantastic humor, amazing action and crazy plot twists, all nicely woven together by a great story. I am not exaggerating, trust me. The director did a fantastic job in mixing heavy scenes with light, fun ones. Whenever you start to think the show is getting serious, the next scene will make you laugh. You will also notice that the stunts and all action is general is of high quality.

If I had to nitpick, the only area that was lacking is OST, no song grabbed my attention unlike how other Chinese dramas such as The Untamed have done before. On the other hand they have done a good job with their quirky and modern background music.

What's more you ask? This is just the first season, there is more to come. I can't wait to watch the second season and immerse myself in this magical world again. Till then I can only re-watch this to satiate my hunger.

I can't recommend this enough especially if you enjoy political dramas or humor filled dramas or both ;)

Get some popcorn and start watching now, you won't regret it.

Leia Mais