Excellent ensemble and the acting is super, but it was too long (68 eps)
The Rebel Princess is a costume/historical drama starring Zhang Zi Yi, Zhou Yi Wei, and Tony Yang. It is about politics and power between the Wang and Xie family. Internal turmoil within the imperial family and Princess Wang Xuan's father is the mastermind behind all the disruptions and killing of the Emporer and many innocent people, including her mother.The acting is exceptional in this drama, from the main actors and the entire ensemble. My major complaint was that it was too long, with 68 episodes where it dragged out too long. It could have been excellent with a 9.0 or even 10.0 rating if it was cut short by 10-20 episodes.
It took a while for me to finish the 68 episodes on prime video. It was not realistic to have one prime minister overpower the entire kingdom. Her brother is useless for not standing up against his father even when he was expelled from the imperial palace.
I would be more satisfied if the ending where Princess Wang Xuan is the one to kill her father for his selfishness and power desire without any remorse.
I enjoyed the drama and gave it an 8.0 rating, but it was too long.
Good acting but I found the drama too draggy and boring.
Ripe Town is a historical crime investigation of the Ming Dynasty, where the apprentice Qu San Geng, Judge Song Chen, and Gao Shi Cong tried to find out who murdered San Geng's master, Captain Leng.The first 5 episodes were interesting, and the acting was good, but it got draggy and boring. I have watched 7 episodes but could not find myself to continue. After I listened to the review from the AvenueX YouTuber, she did not give it a high rating. I am dropping this drama and giving it a 6.0 rating because the plot is not interesting, and the scriptwriters and director did not make the drama engaging.
The story got weirder from episodes 18 onward, I am no longer interested and dropped it.
19th Floor is a suspense drama about a group of college students recruited to play a virtual reality game to save lives.The Synopsis:
Unconscious after a car accident, university student Chun Yu and her best friend Qing You mysteriously find themselves inside the dangerous world of a VR game. Several other people have also unwittingly ended up here, and they soon discover they were all involved in the accident - except for substitute teacher Gao Xuan, who claims to have fallen asleep. Seeing no other option than to play the game, they eventually beat the level and wake up ... only to return the next night immediately.
Faced with deadly monsters, puzzles, and mind games, the players must learn to cooperate despite being unsure if they can trust each other. The pressure increases when it turns out that people who die in the game fall into a coma in real life. And then several more students are dragged into the game! The group spends their night.
My Reviews:
1. It is like Squid Game but less gory.
2. It had interesting plots with good thrillers and suspense values in the first 8-10 episodes. Still, as it progressed, it became draggy and boring. It would be better if it finished in 16 episodes instead of 30.
3. It was something different for Miles Wei, unlike his typical rom-com role. I am glad that he is branching out to other genres.
There is no romance between the main CP, even though it is insinuated.
4. It is predictable, and for every challenge they take, I know they do it without sacrificing someone.
5. I have watched 23 episodes and am no longer interested in completing them. I am dropping it.
6. The FL was hypnotized and stuck into a cocoon, and her dad is a chef who sacrificed himself to save her, which was weird.
I am giving a 5.5 rating because the story is getting stupid and draggy from episode 10 onward.
Don't waste your time with this drama. Awful script and onscreen chemistry between YY and WCR,
YY has better onscreen chemistry with ZLS in WRTW and acted better in that drama. I rewatched that drama so many times I lost count. Whereas, his onscreen chemistry with Wang Churan sucks. I would not recommend you watch FWOMH with Yang Yang and Wang Churan. I was frustrated watching this drama because of his awful onscreen chemistry with WCR. I have already watched 20 episodes of this drama, and the pace is so slow, and the script is stupid. I don't like WCR's character in this drama, and YY isn't convincing as a fireman. I think William Chan is a better fireman in ADWTF.Twenty episodes in, they are still not together and bickering, and her overbearing adoptive mother is a hateful woman and a bitch.
WCR's character is weak and annoying to me. She is a strong ER doctor who speaks up about her viewpoints with her superiors but is annoyed and timid when standing up for her relationship with YY's character.
Who at this stage still interferes with their children's love lives. It is unrealistic to have doctors co-exist and perform medical services with firemen. The drama forced their unions to the point that it was ridiculous and unrealistic in real life.
I am dropping this drama. I like YY, but he needs to pair up with a better actress to make him a better actor where he can stretch and grow. I think WCR had better onscreen chemistry with Peng Guan Ying in "Have a Crush on You." Her character in that drama is better; she acted better in that one than in FWOMH.
Let's hope that they will not be paired again in the future. I give it a 4.0 rating, so Don't waste your time with FWOMH.
The kungfu fighting scenes are good, but I didn't like the plot. I am dropping it.
Tiger and Crane is a historical/costume drama about young people fighting demons.The Synopsis: This tells the story of a group of teenagers who, for the sake of their dreams, love, and responsibility, trudge through the gloom of the chaotic world to save the world. The optimistic and cheerful mountain orphan Huzi accidentally swallows a red pearl, a treasure of Yang, and befriends the cold captain, a clean freak, Qi Xiao Xuan, a national demon master. The two young people with very different personalities are forced to go on the road together because of a red pearl, and they make friends with Zhao Xin Tong, Wang Yu Qian, and others.
Each other's differences attract them, and through some adventures, they become life-and-death friends when Qi Xiaoxuan is imprisoned to protect Huzi. To save Qi Xiaoxuan, Huzi, and his partners come together to participate in selecting the national imperial demon master. Still, they uncover the great conspiracy of the national imperial demon master and seek to find the truth about the human-demon war five hundred years ago.
The Kungfu fighting scenes in this drama have some funny moments. I think Jiang Long did a decent job, and I am watching this drama because I like Wang Yu Wen. I was not too fond of the character she played in this drama, and I believe she is better in modern drama than historical one.
Zhang Ling He is popular and has been in many dramas this year; however, I don't particularly like his acting. He is another one-dimensional actor with the same facial expression regardless of joyful or emotional/suspenseful scenes.
I watched 16 episodes already, and I am dropping it because I don't like the plot and am not interested in demons fighting. I give it a 5.0 rating.
A very inspire story of human triumphant post a tragedy event. Definite worth to watch.
Born to Run is a melodrama about life's tragedy and how one overcomes it. The story of two sisters and their daughters after a car accident that left AnXin losing both of her legs and the life of Chen RouXuan.The Synopsis: It tells the inspirational family ethics story of two mothers and daughters who rebuild their souls and ignite their lives through a female perspective after a car accident hit the bottom of their lives.
Xiu Fang and Xiu Li are completely different sisters. Xiu Fang is optimistic and tenacious. After losing her husband, she opened a fried chicken shop for a living, all the while going through depression. Xiu Li is pessimistic, depressed, patriarchal, and has a strong desire to control her two children.
After Xiu Fang's 60th birthday party, a car accident claimed the legs of her daughter, An Xin, and the life of Xiu Li's son. How to start life again has become the biggest problem facing the two families... What would you choose to do when fate made a big joke with you? The future is blocked by resentment, fear, helplessness, hesitation, and despair, so what will you do?
My Reviews:
1. The plot is fantastic. I love stories about life's struggles; we can overcome loss, despair, and triumph as humans.
2. Xu Di, who played AnXn's mother, portrayed an optimistic yet devoted and supportive mother.
3. Chen Xiao Yi did a good job as a pessimistic and love-to-hate mother who had ruined both her son's and daughter's lives because she was verbally abusive and a controller. She refused to listen to her older teacher and wrap her life around her children and, in the process, suffocate them.
4. I love Elaine Zhong; she is a good actress who can play any role, and her acting is so good that it makes me cry in emotional scenes.
5. Yang Chao Yue could be a better actress; I dropped all her dramas where she played the female lead. She did a decent job as the second female lead in this drama.
I love this drama because the plot is good, and so is the acting of the entire cast. I give it an 8.0 rating.
Missing Grandma was fresh idea, initially but gone wrong after episode 7.
"Grandma's New World" is a drama about a grandmother who ran away after the death of her husband and stayed as a widower to support and provide for her daughter and granddaughter.The idea was fresh, like Forrest Gump, where at the start it was interesting, but then it got dull and draggy after that.
She has been gone for 5 years, and her daughter and sister did not bother to look for her. With many things that she did and the internet news broadcasts, the daughter, granddaughter, and sister did not even bother to look for her until she accidentally caught wind of information about her. As such, Dou Qi is accompanied by Grandma's twin sister on a journey to find Grandma.
I was engaged in the drama at first until it reached about episode 6 or 7; it went downhill. I watched episodes 8-17 on high-speed 2.0 to bypass it quickly. I am in the last episode, 18, and it still has not shown whether they are returning her.
It showed that her family did not care about her and was irresponsible. I am disappointed in this drama. I had high hope initially because the idea was fresh, but the director and the script did not do justice to this drama. It could easily be done in 10-12 episodes instead of 18.
I am giving it a 5.0 rating because of the bad script.
OMG - Why the hell this drama was made. STUPID PLOT and Unrealistic. Grr........
"Love Me, Love My Voice" is a rom-com drama, but there was no drama. After I had invested my valuable time in watching 16 episodes, I decided to drop it and not waste any more of my time. I should have dropped it sooner, but I hoped it would improve because it is a slow burn. It turned out to be a big disappointment.Tan Jian Ci played a doctor, Mo Qing Cheng, but in real life, he is a voice teacher named Qiang Qing Ci. None of his students knows what he looks like in real life except for Gu Sheng/Sheng Sheng Man, a voice student played by Zhou Ye.
This drama is so stupid and unrealistic in so many ways:
1. Mo Qing Cheng is a surgeon busy with his medical career, but the drama does not show his job as a doctor.
2. Instead, it showed his hobbies as a voice teacher and a cook.
3. The whole annoying drama is about his voice career and eating.
4. I was not impressed with Zhou Ye's character and the actress who portrayed her.
5. The on-screen chemistry between the main CP was not great. I like the 2nd CP better.
6. There was no drama or conflict between the main CP, which is annoying.
7. Tian Jian Ci is too short as a male lead. I like him better in Lost You Forever.
Why does China even bother to make this kind of trashy drama? I give it a 4.5 rating because of the stupid and unrealistic plot.
The plot is too boring for me, and too much propaganda and nationalism.
Enlighten Your Life is about Yugoslav nuclear power expert Lehmann came to inspect the nuclear power plant in China in 1986.I watched about 12 episodes and lost interest because the drama's subject is not something I am interested in. In addition, it is also so much propaganda about the nationalism of China and wants to do good and proud of building and entering nuclear power plants.
It also shows the dynamic of family conflict between Ye's family, the father and son relationship with his adopted son Lin Qi. It does not have English subtitles either, so I don't think I will finish this drama.
I am dropping it and give it a 6.5 rating.
I maybe a minority in this review, but this Xianxia gone bad from episode 11 onward. Dropping it.
Till the End of the Moon is one of the most anticipated Xianxia Cdrama of 2023, starting with Leo Luo, Bai Lu as the main CP, and Chen Du Ling and Deng Wei as the 2nd CP.Xianxia genre is not my thing, but I like Leo Luo and Bai Lu in Love is Sweet because their onscreen chemistry in that drama was off the chart. I am watching this Xianxia drama because of them. The good things so far about this drama are the production quality is so good, the CGI, and the costumes.
I enjoyed the first 10 episodes, but it went downhill for me from episodes 11-16 because of the fighting scenes and characters of Ming Yi and Sang Jiu. It took f***ing 5 episodes to fight between good and evil. These 5 episodes were confusing and had no linkage to Tantai Jin and Li Su Su characters thus far.
What's up with the asteroids and all the gods? Ultimately, they could not win over the devil, and all the gods and Ming Yi died. It was lame that Sang Jiu located and rescued him by transporting him into a tiny dragon, wtf.
I am so disappointed and unsure if I want to suffocate myself to continue with this drama. It is 40 episodes long and last an hour for each episode. Too much time to be wasted on a horrible script with stupid fillers. Grrr...
In addition, Chen Du Ling is a one-dimensional actress; I wish they would cast someone else better. I watched AvenueX ranting about how bad this drama is, and I agreed with her. I will not waste my precious time with it, even when I like Leo Luo and Bai Lu's acting abilities.
I am giving it a 4.5 rating.
Too draggy and boring to continue after 12 episodes, dropping it.
"Stay Young Stay Passion" is yet another republican era melodrama about three siblings who were separated at young ages after their parents were murdered. They were brought up by 3 different families and tried to find and reunite with each other and avenge their parents' deaths.I watched 12 episodes, and the cinematography is good, but the acting is okay. The storyline is draggy and boring, so I am dropping this drama.
I used to like Zhang Han's acting and dramas, but lately, after Sunshine of My Life, his other dramas were okay and not as good like:
- One Boat, One World
- Farewell to Arm
- Gentlemen of East 8th received a lot of backlash.
I am giving this drama a 5.0 rating.
Bad director who ruined this drama with good acting from Zheng Xin Cheng.
Tender Light is a melodrama about the infatuation of a young boy who falls in love with a domestically abused older woman. The young man even admits to a crime he did not commit to save the woman. I did not like drama at all, even though I liked Zhang Xin Cheng a lot. He is a talented actor, but for some reason, he is not as popular as other Cdrama actors.The scripts and roles he played undervalue his talents, and I am annoyed by the director of this drama.
Synopsis: Zhou Luo, a straight-A student, is the first one from Qingshui Town to enter a prestigious university. However, he returns to his hometown before completing his degree and goes to a cram school to repeat a year of school. His decision causes quite a stir in this small town. Had he not faced criticism, he would never have noticed another talk of the city, Nan Ya. Nan Ya is a very beautiful clothing store owner, and there are always a lot of rumors about her. She travels between the clothing store and home daily, caring for her sick daughter, Wan Wan. As Zhou Luo becomes more acquainted with Nan Ya, he realizes that Nan Ya's marriage is not happy, and her husband, Xu Yi, a businessman, has a brutal side at home. Zhou Luo has witnessed how Nan Ya was assaulted by Xu Yi. Besides, the "Bridge Case" sheds light on several issues regarding Xu Yi's business operations. All this causes Nan Ya's marriage to be in jeopardy.
My Reviews:
1. Too many flashbacks from different viewpoints about the murder from all the supporting casts that were interviewed by the police.
2. The director did a bad job retelling the story, which needed clarification. Still, as the story unfolded, I got more annoyed and frustrated.
3. I watched on high speed and FF because there were too many repetitive scenes that had no new angles as they tried to review who had murdered her abusive husband.
4. It was also too long; it would have been a better story with 12-16 episodes.
I give it a 4.5 rating because the director did a lousy job directing and editing this drama. The only kudos for this drama are the acting talents of Zhang Xin Cheng.
It's great to see a drama that deal with sexual harassment in China. Excellent acting and story.
"Imperfect Victim" is a story about a sexual harassment case that leads to a rape case, further leading to a big corporation, its employees, and different people like lawyers/prosecutors.It stars Zhou Xun as Lin Kan, Liu Yi Jun as Cheng Gong, and Jelly Lin as Zhao Xun. I enjoyed the drama and was frustrated by episodes 1-15 because the imperfect victim did not speak up about being sexually harassed and/or even raped.
The lawyer was not helping Zhao Xun initially because she was defending Cheng Gong; in the latter half of the drama, she leaned toward Zhao Xun and another domestically violated woman whose lover was a whistleblower. He witnessed the sexual harassment that Zhao Xun endured under the control of Cheng Gong.
The entire ensemble acted excellently, particularly Elaine Zhong, who played Detective Yan Ming. She believes in the victim Zhao Xun, whom no one else did.
This drama must be filmed during the Covid Pandemic 2020 because everyone wears masks. Zhao Yun's courage helped Lin Kan face up to her sexual harassment past and works to defend women in sexual harassment and domestic violent cases.
I really enjoy this drama and give it an 8.5 rating. Highly recommended.
Why bother with airing this trashy drama with bad plot and bad acting. Don't waste your time.
"Got a Crush on You" is a rom-com drama, but there was no drama. After I had invested my valuable time in watching 8 episodes, I decided to drop it and not waste any more of my time. I should have dropped it sooner. It is a time killer for me while waiting for The Last Immortal to be broadcast.This drama started by the main CP, Xu Kai Cheng, and Gulnezer Bextiyar, who cannot act imo
1. Who would give up a successful doctor career to own a shop that sells women's lingerie and also work as a doctor in the rescue mission?
2. Xu Kai Cheng's character is a stupid and childish man regarding courtship.
3. I like the 2nd CP better than the main one.
4. All they did was bickering and jealous about stupid things.
Why bother with airing this kind of trashy drama? I give it a 4.5 rating because of the stupid and unrealistic plot.
Another flop Xian Xia drama even though it may have good actors. It was slow and boring.
The Legend of ShenLi is a typical Xian Xia melodrama about the Immortal and mortal worlds. It has fantasy elements with good and evil. It has good actors (Zhao Liying and Lin Geng Xin), but it is a flop (in my opinion) because the storyline is so boring after 12 episodes that I could no longer engage or watch it further.My Reviews:
- Yet another predictable Xian Xia drama about the demons and heavenly realms.
- I love ZLY, but this drama did not lure me. I have watched 12 episodes already and am not convinced I should continue.
- The first 7 episodes were good, but it went downhill when she returned to the demon realm.
I am dropping this drama and giving it a 6.0 rating for a bad script.