An average transmigration fantasy, with decent writing, tied loose ends, and great leads chemistry

Production:
The CGI, along with the set design, looked standard and there was nothing impressive about them nor were they unsatisfactory.

In here, costume design acts as a device to establish who the real main characters are: Miao Miao and Mu Sheng are the leads but have supporting roles inside the series’ novel/game, in which the entire plot is based on.

Miao Miao’s colorful and intricate wardrobe and makeup underlined her bright character, while Mu Sheng’s wardrobe and hair, made him stand out as the pretty male hero and protagonist—these set them apart from the secondary and supporting roles, who had a pretty bland color and wardrobe in contrast.

Storytelling:
The storytelling is not linear, but the transition and pacing still feel natural.

The story is engaging but the plot feels weak.

The writing is not perfect, but I admire the effort to weave together the plot and the different character arcs and connections—this is very tricky because without the consistency, the narrative will be overwhelmingly convoluted.

However, this type of plot leads to non-categorical interpretations, but personally, it’s not an issue since this is a fantasy genre, after all.

Despite this, the message is still pretty straightforward, especially in the first and last episode.

There was also an effort to tie loose ends, and ending does not feel rushed.

The characters are relatable and likeable as well, especially the female lead—this is actually the first time I find a female lead with a “bubbly” and “cute” personality pleasant.

Miao Miao’s character is bright, funny, and cute—typical traits of a female lead—but she was not devoid of thinking, understanding, and the ability of making choices. Personally, it’s has always been a miss for female leads of the same character type, but the writing made a good balance of charm and strength in her.

Mu Sheng, on the other hand, is extremely relatable as well, especially on his journey to learn about what it means to love.

Acting/cast:
Ding Yuxi became my first favorite Chinese actor and is now one of my favorite actors of all time.

He is a natural in using micro expressions and body language when portraying a character, and his eyes speak so loudly that the message has already been sent across even before he delivers his lines. He is also adept in making use of nuances.

This is my third Ding Yuxi series and I think that grumpy, tsundere roles suit him perfectly.

I personally think he is also made for costume dramas—beautiful face and right build (from scrawny Zhou Chuan in Moonlight).

Esther Yu makes a perfect Miao Miao. She was definitely made for the role.

The characters, including the secondary leads and supporting roles, are easy to love and they have good chemistry in general.

Music:
The OSTs are good, with soundtracks done by Ding Yuxi and Esther Yu themselves. The lyrics are very fitting for the both the plot and the genre.

Even with a fairly limited music in the series, the team made a good use of them to enhance the mood of the scenes.

Overall:
The series received polarizing reviews, and understandably so—while the story could appear straightforward to some, different interpretations are inevitable, particularly on the last episode and ending.

While the series offered nothing special, it is still a decent and worthy watch, especially if you are looking for a good binge.

Leia Mais

An almost cathartic masterpiece packed with punches that fell short

Cinematography
The stunning visual style is pivotal in the series, and the bar has already been set with the cinematography alone.

The CGI is of high-quality, and the camera work is very intentional: I have observed the use of motivated camera movements and shot lengths, which were very effective and highly compelling in setting a scene.

They also played with color gradings and lightings that enhanced the visual experience, with many scenes looking like an artwork—clearly, the exceptional cinematography is the strong suit of the series.


Editing
One thing I noticed is that the transition from one scene to the next is not always seamless and the cuts of some scenes are not smooth.

Another thing to note is that while the OST is perfect, the background score is sometimes misplaced.

While these are not entirely major issues, these have affected the mood and the tone of some scenes.


Story
The thing with the genre of fantasy and wuxia is that their realm is so vast, that there are plenty of elements to play with to make a story compelling, cliche or not.

The series started strong; however, I find that something is amiss in the writing, making it and the pacing inconsistent all throughout the show.

The characters are both relatable and likeable, but I feel like they could have been written more with depth.

Case in point: Wen Xiao being identified by the characters as "kind" and "selfless". However, as a viewer, there was no opportunity to establish this because her character was not properly explored. With this, I only associate Wen Xiao to being "kind" because it was what the characters have taught me, and not something that I have determined myself as an audience.

I was only able to identify the characters' traits and understand their motivations because it was what the writers were spoon-feeding me.

A good (or even mid) writing would have explored the characters' backstory so the viewers themselves can see and establish how the characters' actions and decisions are shaped.

On the other hand, I found good quotable quotes in the characters' dialogues so it's not that entirely bad.

I can also detect the presence of some queer undertones in the story. This is especially evident in the relationship and interactions of Zhao Yuan Zhou and Zhuo Yi Chen, making the romance aspect with Wen Xiao secondary to almost non-existent.



Acting/Cast
The entire cast has chemistry, and it shows.

Two actors who stood out for me were Neo Hou and Tian Jia Rui.

Neo is an excellent actor who uses his body language and micro expressions to portray a character. Some expressions are very subtle, making it look so natural.

Tian Jia Rui is very charismatic and has good emotion and energy control when portraying a character. I know that he is destined for big things, and I look forward to his upcoming projects.

Music
The best! The OSTs are a narrative on their own and yet they greatly enhance the mood and emotions of the scenes.

The excellent cinematography of FoF paired with its great OSTs definitely create an immersive experience for the audience.

Overall
This is definitely one of the best series to come out this year. A masterpiece in terms of cinematography and soundtrack.

While the series fell short in writing, the cast did a good performance in character portrayal, making the watch a fairly good experience.

Leia Mais

Promising plot with unique storyline and horrible writing. An OK rom-com, thanks to Wang Hedi

The series nudged on the topic of social roles in ancient and imperial China, with high focus on the oppression and discrimination against women: this is my first time learning about the burial rites in ancient China where (childless) concubines and palace maids were buried alive with the deceased emperor. Aside from Wang Hedi, the unexplored and rarely told story about this funeral custom made me pick up the drama despite the mixed reviews it garnered.

The storyline also explored themes of death, revenge, and domestic abuse, although the narrative did not heavily focus on those.

Comedic bits were inserted in between scenes, which actually worked, and they were neither awkward nor forced. The comedy made the overall tone lighter and digress from the heavier and darker aspect of these subjects.

The first episodes were slower in setting the pace, but this improved in the succeeding episodes. However, a struggle in consistency is notable as the story progresses.

What initially gripped me made me want to skip a few minutes of some episodes because it fails to anchor on the message and theme of the story.

The story lacked depth and the usual revenge and star-crossed lovers tropes did not even allow me to develop a deep emotional investment for the leads and other characters.

It is important to note that a number of scenes, especially the steamy ones, were omitted due to censorships, but upon checking, the said deleted scenes do not hold much significance to the development of the story, unless (steamy) kissing scenes are a prerequisite to your good romance.

For the romance aspect, Wang Hedi delivered. He makes a successful tsundere who’s down bad for the female lead.

This is my second Wang Hedi drama coming from Love Between Fairy and Devil (LBFD) and based from the two series of Wang Hedi I’ve watched so far, I can see that he has the ability to build chemistry with his co-lead. Yes, his handsome face is enough to give you butterflies in the stomach, but he also makes use of facial expressions in conveying emotions that are very effective.

In contrast, I feel Chen Yuqi (as Bu Yinlou) fell short in acting. She was average in some scenes, but overall, I cannot identify the emotions she wanted to convey—by making her eyes appear larger and doing these rapid eye movements, what does she want me to feel exactly? Grief? Joy? Or is there an incoming gag that I need to anticipate so I could break into laughter?

Bu Yinlou is actually a rare female character type who’s clumsy and funny but has a thinking head on her shoulder. Often times, Bu Yinlou is independent and does not need saving when stuck in a dire situation. It's a shame this character was not portrayed better, effectively, and consistently.

The secondary characters have their own story, too, but the narrative did not dwell on these and clearly, the focus of the story was to resolve the conflicts of the main characters.

From a technical standpoint, the writing is definitely askew and the inconsistency is jarring. The plot holes (life of concubines in the inner court, Deer's Reed Residence tunnel, to name a few), though, would not require much effort to ignore.

Wang Hedi’s fight scenes have good choreography and again, to underline his acting skills, he was able to depict the strength and tenacity of his character during these scenes. Some scenes had stunts which were unnecessary (I remember Wang Hedi was just trying to climb into the bed, but he had to flip awkwardly in the air like an acrobat just to do that).

It’s a shame for a drama with unexplored topics like ancient burial customs to make a sharp turn downwards due to horrible writing, but for those looking for an instant fluff, especially Wang Hedi fans who want to admire his good acting (and face), this could pass as an enjoyable watch.

Leia Mais