#and it seems like FL and ML are both just using the rich guy for their own gain

[prncssguya]

well, i foresee this ending badly.

[timingmatters]

Okay I’m on ep 27 of the remarried empress and while i started out HATING Rashta i do have to say i have come to feel bad for her. She was a slave who was used by a rich boy she SERVED to (the power imbalance of it all) and then abandoned with child, then made to believe her child was killed (or maybe sadly it WAS killed). She is clearly uneducated and has suffered a lot. In an empire where it is known nobles take lovers outside of the marriage and its seem as normal, I can’t blame her for using her charms as survival with the emperor. And while to me the issue is not that, but rather that she sees too quick and comfortable putting other women and the empress in harm’s way to get her way (absolutely not justifiable), I do feel like so far as of chap 27 she is clearly super uneducated and being used by all these different men. She took advantage of the emperor’s attention to survive, but it was HIM who constantly disrespected the empress first. The former slave owner (who either had her believe he killed her child or actually did, so absolutely FUCK him) is using her too. And now this other guy seems to be playing with her too but I feel like he might be using her for a bigger plan. She seems younger than the empress too. She is super uneducated, traumatized, young as hell, and out of her depth. Can’t say she is a bad person for trying the only thing she has (her looks) and use them for her own survival. And given that the empire has slavery as legal, I can’t put it on her if she also feels animosity towards nobles and blames the empress too. Like, is not even that she was an illegal slave, she was “legally” abused as a slave. If the empire had slavery as something illegal that would be much different. In her position i would also feel little remorse about what I’m doing in order to survive around people who both legitimize and practice slavery.

All that said, it is clear since the beginning she still takes pleasure on fucking up the empress, which has always been uncalled for. I truly hated her, but the more I see of her background the less i dislike her. I still don’t like her at all, but its silly and blind to treat her as the biggest enemy on the story when it is clear all these men keep using her and that she is a victim of the own system put in place. So far in the story (i keep emphasizing that because I know the story is ongoing on s3 with like 140 eps so things might change drastically) but kinda just want her punishment to be to go away. No physical harm, no jail, no nothing. Her biggest crime has been to break a marriage, which she did as a means of survival. Like, she really didn’t do anything THAT evil. It is horrible but like her own experiences were more horrid and those people bared no punishment because her slavery is legal. Again, can’t blame her for much. I’m sure most women would do the same in her position so far. How could you not? Is literally survival. Surviving vs simply becoming a lover of a marriage between rich people (where taking in lovers is legal) is not the worst crime ever.

I do hope the story demolishes the practice of slavery by the end. To continue to make her a villain and have slavery as a legal and “fair” system would SUCK amongst a story otherwise interesting enough with lovely art would be a waste (and I LOVE when the ML is pathetic and whipped over the FL, so I love how much he blushes).

[skullsandwineglasses]

Arsenal Military Academy (2019) Full Review

My first impressions of episodes 1-13 can be found here. I think I was a little dubious at first, but now that I’ve finished the drama, I have to say that I really enjoyed it. This is going to be a short(ish) review because I just don’t have much to complain about. [SPOILERS AHEAD]

The Leads

Xu Kai shines as Gu Yanzhen. Much more than he did as Mo Qing in The Legends. Gu Yanzhen is just such a fun character. While yes, he is an overgrown and spoiled rich kid, he has a great character arc. He learns how to be responsible, caring, devoted, and considerate. Whether it’s love or serving his country, once he’s devoted to something, he’ll put his whole heart into it, which makes him a great friend and leader. And despite his maturation and all that he’s been through, he still stays cheeky and playful until the end. 

That’s what I really like about this drama. It’s consistent. Both in terms of plot and character. And for cdramas, consistency is something that’s often butchered. This drama is 48 episodes long, which was perfect for developing all the plot points in the story. At first I was worried about the length. But the plot is so well-paced. There was no filler, and if there was, then I didn’t even noticed because I enjoyed all of the scenes and interactions between the characters. 

Bai Lu was great at switching between cross-dressing as her brother, and being her “true” self. She carried off being both masculine and feminine, and I enjoyed seeing these two sides of her character. What I also appreciated about this drama is how even when she is revealed to be a girl, nothing really changes in terms of how she acts or how she’s treated by others. Her classmates still call her by her brother’s name. She wears the same clothes, talks the same, walks the same. Of course, by that point, most people have already found out, but for the characters who haven’t found out yet, they don’t dwell on this revelation. They don’t say sexist things about her appearance or mannerisms. They treat her the same as they always have. At first, I was worried that the drama would have a dramatic plot shift after her identity is officially revealed, but there wasn’t a shift. Her reveal was actually not that big of a plot point. (Yes, she was put in prison and accused of killing the chief, but this was resolved in like 2-3 episodes). It blended in seamless with the rest of the plot, and there were bigger issues in the story to address. 

In my First Impressions review, I complained that Xie Xiang was a bit of a flat character. I still think she’s a little underwhelming in comparison to some of the other characters in the drama, but she was watchable and relatable, and she definitely grew on me more as the drama went on. I also applaud her for recognizing her feelings for Gu Yanzhen (I was worried that the drama would make her be conflicted between them), but she did frustrate me a little with how she couldn’t be upfront with Shen Junshan and just strung him along. 

Again, I liked seeing the different sides of her character. Xie Xiang was never a tomboy growing up. She likes theatre and the arts. She likes acting, dancing, and singing. She likes dressing up and accessorizing (when appropriate). Her best friend, Tan Xiao Jun, acts as a foil and shows us what Xie Xiang is really like (or used to be before joining the academy). But her brother was a huge influence and inspiration for her. She learned how to fight from him. She learned what is means to be righteous and fight for justice from him. But she doesn’t want to become him; she just wants to fulfill his dreams. In the academy, she isn’t the best student, nor does she want to be. She doesn’t want to compete with the others, but she just wants to best the best cadet that she can be. It’s all about challenging herself and pushing her own limits, not comparing herself to everyone else in the class.  

Supporting Characters

All of the secondary characters are great. Side characters and villains all served a unique purpose. Villains, such as Jin Xin Rong and the bully in the academy, were sympathetic characters. They all had their own backstories and development arcs, but they didn’t detract from the focus on the leads. In fact, the drama never strayed from the leads, unlike some cdramas were sometimes the focus would move away from the protagonists as the drama dragged on. Importantly, all the subplots were interwoven, and each mission that they completed progressed the plot and developed character relationships. I had a lot of praise for Qu Manting in my First Impressions review, so I won’t go into it again here, but she was a great second female lead (even though I did wish that she had less scenes with Gu Yanzhen). I was also surprised that she’s my age (and also Xu Kai’s age). She’s such a mature and steady actor. 

Edit: Just found out that Toby Lee who played Shen Junshan was the guy in Soulmate?? Didn’t recognize him at all. 

Plot

I loved the humour in this drama. It was quick, witty, and smart. But the drama did take a serious turn in the last arc where there were deaths of 3 prominent supporting characters, which was really surprising. I thought the drama would be a light-hearted comedy all the way through. So when I saw that it was possible for a prominent supporting character to die, I realized that there could be some real and serious consequences for characters in the drama. 

Speaking of deaths, I was also surprised by the amount of violence and liberal killing in the drama. The cadets at the academy never hesitated to kill, and murdering people never affected them. The writers justified the deaths by dismissing the victims as being traitors to the country, whether they were just a driver or security guard for the Japanese or a Japanese nurse or doctor. If they were affiliated with the Japanese and got in the way of a mission, then the leads would kill them. At times it felt like a video game because the cadets would use so much gunpowder to just plow through anyone who was an inconvenience to the mission. The drama also really advocates revenge, which was also really shocking. Revenge can be engaging to watch when it’s fictional, but I don’t morally agree with revenge, so I was surprised that a drama with so much killing and a revenge fetish was allowed to get past censorship. 

Overall, the plot was really good. The drama rarely ever dragged, except for maybe episodes 22-26 where it felt like Gu Yanzhen didn’t really have anything to do with the main plot, but the drama recovers quickly after that. Episodes 16 and 31 are probably my favourite in terms of interactions between the ML and FL. 17-22 are when they’re separated and bond with the supporting leads instead. That was clearly a purposeful move by the writers. They gave us peak sweetness between the leads and then separated them immediately afterwards. Those episodes made me worry that they would be angst, but there wasn’t. Those episodes showed that even when the leads were separated and went through hardships with someone else, they still thought about each other. Again, another example of how every mission progresses the plot and develops character. 

In terms of the romantic plot, I would say that about three quarters of the drama is about characters liking people who don’t like them back, and what you get is a convoluted love rectangle that expands to a pentagon. What I like about Gu Yanzhen is that while he can be childish and obnoxious, he gives Xie Xiang a lot of space. There were some scenes when either Huang Song or Shen Junshan was trying to pursue her and I was like, why isn’t Gu Yanzhen here to intervene? But then I realize that it’s actually good that he isn’t constantly stalking her. Gu Yanzhen may seem possessive at the academy, but he doesn’t prevent her from doing things either on or off campus. On the other hand, when Shen Junshan figures out Xie Xiang’s true identity, he acts entitled to her to the point where it feels manipulative. He would tell Xie Liang Chen that he’s meeting Xie Xiang for lunch, knowing that this would prompt Xie Xiang to dress up and rush off campus to meet him. He changed her room without asking her first, saying it was for her own good. I might have to rewatch the earlier episodes, but I don’t think Gu Yanzhen ever used her secret to underhandedly leverage power against her like that. I don’t think he ever tried to “test” her. It was only after she found out that he knew when he started to teasingly blackmail her with her secret in order to get her to wash his clothes or be nice to him, but this was done upfront to her face, so she knows what she’s dealing with. And also despite being constantly annoyed by him, Xie Xiang feels very comfortable with him. She trusts him. She knows that no matter what, he would never share her secret, so she was able to be herself with him from the beginning. In contrast, there was always a distance and formality between Xie Xiang and Shen Junshan, even though they went through a lot together.

The bigger question is why Gu Yanzhen fell for Xie Xiang instead of Qu Manting. I think it has to do with how Gu Yanzhen likes who he is whenever he’s with Xie Xiang. Manting is too much like his playboy self, so it always feels like he’s putting on an act or playing a game when he’s with her. They clash too much and both have huge egos, even though Manting has done so much for him and has seen him at his most vulnerable. But Xie Xiang is someone whom he wants to unconditionally protect and support. He teases and flirts with her, knowing that he’ll get a scolding and a beating. He wants to expend energy with Xie Xiang, but is fatigued with Manting. Xie Xiang is simple, down-to-earth, and has a purpose. She’s everything he isn’t. She anchors him, while he gets her to open and loosen up in what is otherwise a threatening and uptight environment. A classic example of how opposites attract. 

The Ending

The main character of this drama is the academy. Go figure since that’s the drama’s name. So it made sense that the final shot would be of the academy. Gu Yanzhen and Xie Xiang are shown walking off into the sunset just before that. And while I was really curious to see what their life would be like beyond the academy (I mean, what skills do they even have besides military prowess? What are they even going to do in terms of careers?), it made sense that the last shot we see of them is them leaving the academy. Their future is left to the imagination, almost like a fairy tale. That’s because their story is only one of many that comes out the academy. Their future is uncertain, but the future of the academy is certain. The academy is like a beacon, and it will continue to be here even long after the leads are gone. 

The deaths of Huang Song and Instructor Guo were just tragic. Huang Song never got to find out Xie Xiang’s true identity despite being her closest friend, and he had such a bright future and so many goals. Instructor Guo, who spent the last 2 decades in depression, never got to have his happily ever after. Li Wen Zhong finally redeemed himself, and yet the writers had him sacrifice himself. I thought their deaths were needless, but I did see how their deaths had narrative purpose. It still really, really sucks though.

I think I’ll give this drama an 8.5/10 if not a 9/10. It’s been a while since I last watched a drama with consistent pacing. Wish I could watch this drama for the first time again. 

Going to end the review with some pictures. 

The worldbuilding was really immersive thanks to the costumes, colour grading, OST, and set designs. 

Look at the power stances of this ensemble cast. They’re unstoppable. 

I can’t get over these two. Such a different dynamic from The Legends, but still so much chemistry. 

And deleted scenes though!! I don’t remember this sit-up scene in the drama. 

[betterin365days]

My Roommate is a Detective (2020) 民国奇探

Overall 7.0

Story 7.5

As a romance fan, I do not like shows based in the Chinese Republican era as they rarely have a happy ending, knowing that there will be a war coming.  However, I’m a fan of detective shows and I liked the cast so I gave episode 1 a shot. The show was giving me Sherlock Holme vibes and I decided to carry on watching it whenever I run out of other dramas to follow. The casts were met with new cases in every/every other episode (23 cases in 36 eps), some of them are quite interesting. Actually, the cases and the bromance are what’s keeping me from dropping the show as the chemistry for the romance between the FL & ML due to their character set is kinda meh. More on that below.

Acting/Cast 8.0

I have seen many comments about the Bai You Ning, the female lead played by Shane Yan being annoying for the viewers. Her actions are sometimes confusing but not to the point of annoying. BYN is a rich man’s only daughter who studied overseas. For someone of her background and resources to turn out rebellious. I’m glad her actions only inconveniences the detectives and is less of a hindrance than she could have been. To me, she is a likable character since her nature is good and she stands by her beliefs. Only because it's her, the ML gets his freedom. Also because it's her, their relationship stood up to his father. Her actions in the show are quite understandable and the constant bickering with the male lead is a common start of a love-hate relationship in Rom-Coms (i.e. I can understand it being a scripted part of the drama).

Hu Yitian played Lu Yao, the male lead. The character is portrayed as a guy who is very materialistic and has loose moral boundaries, where he likes to colour outside the box. He plays a consultant of sorts to the detective but only assists in cases if he gets paid or has something to gain. He has a wide range of interests, appreciates antiques, art, and music and loves collecting novelty items. He steals from one of the suspects (for the item’s monetary value), showing the character’s warped sense of morality, which is a known part of his character that the detective Qiao Chusheng played by Leon Zhang and BYN at one point or another warns him against it. Since he is a very smart character that does not give in to social norms, his action keeps me guessing what is he up to (very much like Sherlock in "Elementary"). 

Qiao Chusheng played by Leon Zhang is a character that seems to have a complicated background.  I have a very vague understanding of the power play (due to my disinterest) and his role in it as a detective who takes orders from BYN’s father. The show has him showing mostly his detective activities which he contributes by using his connections to gather intel and I enjoy the bromance vibes between him and LY.  

[QC comes off as a character who I feel would have better suit BYN with his big brother vibes that is protective over her. In my own imaginary world, he would protect her and she would be her bratty self with LY being a smart sidekick. the chemistry might have been better]  

Despite the lead actors and actress's good job portraying what I believe is how the character is scripted, the relationship development in the story is less than subtle. 

In terms of romance, I can hardly feel the chemistry. LY jokes around with the BYN too much and I can’t take him seriously. Also, because Hu Yitian has played several characters that act kinda cool and doesn’t show much emotion so I feel like he is kind of stuck in that frame. Even when he is showing his affection for BYN, the jump from his goofy character is very stiff.  The relationship between the characters needs a deeper level of analysis to understand. 

SPOILER[ (scroll beyond this paragraph to avoid):

There was a scene where BYN brought up getting married to keep LY in shanghai which has been an on-going topic brought up from time to time in several episodes with both LY and BYN poking the nest and running away.  Due to the pressing situation, BYN suggested they might have to resort to actually getting married and LY says, "If you don't like me, I can marry you." which I see it as him not wanting to lead BYN on. If he doesn't believe that BYN likes him, he could have just agreed, which means at this point he already senses BYN's feelings despite her saying that she doesn't like him. That being said, he just wants to keep things neutral until he can confirm his own feelings.

The rom-com preferring side of me is screaming in pain when I watch the show. The story would probably have suited a platonic relationship structure better but then rom-com lovers would not have watched the show. I couldn't really feel the chemistry between BYN and LY, so the coupling feels quite forced and I am really dissatisfied in this aspect. The pick of actors and actresses were quite fitting for the characters, the playful & strong-headed BYN, suave & loyal QC, smart & egoistic LY. I'd give 8 for that.

Music 7.5

The music, the outfits, and setting are pretty fitting for the era that the drama is set in. Nothing too amazing but it’s a fairly well done. Totally love the opening music though.

Rewatch Value 5.0

The story in respect of the detective genre is interesting but not that impressive and the chemistry for the romance is pretty lacking so I don’t recommend watching it a second time unless you like to analyze their relationships.

[asianhappinesss]

Hua Jai Sila (2019)

Summary

Tor is a love child of a mistress and a wealthy hi-so man. After his mother dies from neglect, Tor is forced to live with his father’s family. Abused by his stepmother and stepbrother, he turns to the girl-next-door, Mingta, who also suffers neglect at the hands of her so called mother and sister.

One night, while being chased by his stepmother, Tor jumps into a river and is presumed dead, though he survives. He is taken under the wing of another prostitute who knew his mother and takes on a new life under the alias, Sila. Years later, he returns as a notorious, rich pimp, with plans to avenge his mother and to get revenge for the torture and pain brought to him by his stepmother and stepbrother.

Sila's main goal is to hurt the people that hurt him as a child, but he never expected to see the only friend he ever had as a child, Mingta. As soon as they see each other, she realizes that he looks familiar to her. She notices a ring he wears around his neck, and immediately comes to the conclusion that he's Tor, her childhood best friend that supposedly died. But he denies it because of his revenge plan.

Review

Finally, I found a drama that suits me..I just knew that this drama is a remake but after 27 episodes, I really loved this version because of the amazing performances from the actors!!!Good job guys!!! 1. The best villain in Thai’s drama land .She never give up to do the bad things until the last moments..That is a good lesson for me!!Whatever we are, we should never give up and “NEVER SAY NEVER” in everything that we do.Whatever it is, I empathize for her.She is another wife that got cheated by their husband. The cause of this post-problem is the effect of her husband’s foolish act. He cheated on his wife and BANF .baby on the way!!If there is a woman can accept that behavior and the child, I think that woman is an angel.Our villain is one of the best villain that I watched in Thai’s drama but her weakness is her son..Isk..isk..If she had a better son, she is the unbeatable villian in this drama. 2. OUR MAIN LEAD..Please give a big clap for Tor Thanaphob. I knew about him because he always pop out in channel GMM25. However, he is amazing and I love how he acts. I’m falling in love once again.But, I just watched Sky Castle (Korean Drama) and I really regret it very much.He is soooooo similar with Chani sf9 and everytime he appears in the screen, my brain redirect my mind to Chani.It is a big spoil for me but don’t worry Tor, your acting is better than Chani. Anyway Chani sf9 (right) and Tor (right) .They quite seem different but when you watch this drama, Tor is like the older, mature, slimmer, taller and sexier version for our 19 years Chani. Along the drama, I wish Tor is Chani because I fall in love with Chani, 3 months earlier than our Tor…huhuhu..If Chani can perform or act like Tor, he will be popular like Im Si Wan..Now, I love both!!! 3. You reap what you sow..First, to all the foolish husbands that responsible to this extreme karma. I don’t want to write my opinion here because I am a WOMAN, so all the wives got my 100% support. Second, to our ML that lack of forgiveness. It is not easy to be a saint if similar circumstances happen to us. Third, Fourth and fifth….you should watch the drama and you’ll find yourself. 4. Beauty + brain .Good but when beauty that has brain but never use it = NO GOOD!!! either the woman or the man, use your brains if you have a brain because when you didn’t use it, the nerves will degenerate..Hahaha…However, to all writers: Can you create beauty + brains in you drama? and please including woman in the tagline. SECOND LEAD SYNDROME Of course…only one for me in this drama .Tor Thanaphob.His visual is best and his act make me his fangirl. His chemy with the FL is superb even her act is not as par as him. In the nutshell, this drama help Tor from a lead of idol drama to a lead of popular drama. He can start a pathway to stardom. About the drama.. I give 9/10 because in the it dragged in the middle of drama. It has all the ingredients of Thai’s drama and luckily the writer/director make it more interesting and refreshing plot. The romance is so sweet like candy and feels new because of casual act of ML. This drama is typical Thai’s drama but don’t worry because it is good for me. That is another reason that I stop here. Not many things to write but the creativity and magic of writer and director help me to finish this 27 episodes without SKIP.Thank you once again for pick Tor as ML and thank you again for recognize his talent. P/S: His popularity is skyrocketing in Thailand now !!!