Truth (Chinese Drama, Viki)

This one is a justice crime thriller where our two leads are prosecutors who rely on the newest tech and their bright minds to uncover the truth behind grizzly crimes.

This show feels pretty polished and the criminal cases are solved layer by layer which helps to keep my interest high. Judging by the tit-for-tat between the two leads I think we can be assured of a solid romance line. My only complaint is that between the crime-solving and the two leads’ romance line, there really is not much time left to develop the other characters in the show so other than the two main characters everyone else feels like they are simply random people showing up at the appropriate scenes to push the story along.

Live Your Life (Chinese Drama, Youtube)

This one has aired for a while but I didn’t see the point of reviewing it until Eng subs were released. I am about four episodes in and thus far I am really liking it especially once we got past the first two set up episodes. The story revolves around four girlfriends’ friendships, careers, and of course, romance.

The first couple of episodes will really only focus on the main pair’s super cute love line which helped to keep the story from feeling scattered like so many other shows with a similar premise fall victim to. I love the heroine’s tenacious personality here…and our hero’s exasperation whenever he is on the receiving end of it. The scriptwriter has done an impressive job in keeping the heroine’s character lovable and charming since I think it would be easy to overdo it and make the character seem overbearing. The chemistry between the two leads is great thus far and I have high hopes that it will eventually turn sizzling.

Star of Ocean (Chinese Drama, Youtube)

I went into this one with a pretty low expectation since I had assumed it would be yet another typical “watch how our ever-optimistic and hard-working heroine found career success and prince charming at the same time” sort of plot. Twelve episodes later… I have to admit that I am hooked along with all the other Chinese viewers who had dissed on this show before it even aired.

The show IS centered on how our heroine, despite her lack of college education, was able to achieve success both in her career and love life. I think what I liked about this show is that while it started out quite a bit darker than I had expected and our heroine will encounter plenty of jerks along the way, but the show managed to give our heroine’s character an optimism and tenacity that garnered my admiration instead of derision. I am also really liking the pacing of our two leads’ romance. Our hero won’t show up until we are a couple of episodes in and even then, the two leads’ interaction will be sparse in the beginning. However, I really quite like the slowish pacing because it really feels like our two leads’ relationship developed at a very realistic pace. By the way, our two leads’ chemistry is awesome! One of those that makes you blush whenever the two leads share a screen and they are not even past the “stealing glances at each other” stage! I like my college romances like everyone else but it is also very nice when one can watch sparks flying between seasoned actors.

Ark Peace (Chinese Drama, Youtube)

For those of you who are following my The Rise of Phoenixes translation then this one should be a treat since the male lead is none other than actor Chen Kun who played Ning Yi. Now, this one is a COMPLETELY different sort of show than Phoenixes which is why I would suggest finding a trailer online so expectations could be adjusted accordingly. 

Chen Kun plays a military doctor aboard a naval medical ship with a humanitarian mission. Our heroine is also a medical doctor who took issues at first with our hero’s tendency to go off the books but will eventually come to appreciate the expertise that his mysterious past has given him. 

I am about three episodes in and the story has been quite engaging thus far. The show is based on some true events so I think that adds to the interest. Chen Kun of course is awesome at playing a gentle doctor who is hunted by dark memories. By the way, the fact that our hero is a gentle doctor doesn’t stop him from being an excellent fighter… a heart skipping combination for sure. 

One thing to be aware of going into a C-drama in any military/police/fireman genre is that the story will usually be mostly inspirational with a heavy focus on helping the audience feel an appreciation for the sacrifices those in these professions have to make. Sometimes corruption will be addressed but the end goal will not change. I am personally fairly forgiving with shows that have a very obvious agenda as long as the storyline is good (…and the leads are good-looking enough) and the show doesn’t try to yell the message at me at every turn.

Novoland: Pearl Eclipse (Chinese Drama)

I was really excited for this one since it had Yang Mi and William Chan in it…until I read the summary of the book the show was based on. Due to evil men’s greed of obtaining the tears of the Merfolk which turns to exquisite pearls once they are shed, our heroine’s village was about to be slaughtered. Saved at the last moment by a masked man, our young heroine readily agrees to become the mystery man’s pupil in exchange of him saving her mother and her village. Trained by her master as a boy, our heroine will eventually become the emperor’s personal guard who then will fall in love with her once he discovers that she is a girl. Since William Chan plays the character of our heroine’s master, it should be easy to guess who our heroine really loves. 

The book’s ending…let’s just say it’s not one I would touch with a ten-foot pole. However, I have great hopes that since the show has changed the story quite a bit (the hero, William Chan’s character should’ve been a eunuch for starters but what sane director would cast William Chan and make him a eunuch?) then perhaps the show will change the ending too? Anyhow, while I liked the first two episodes but out of respect/fear of the book, I am going to wait for this one to end before I decide if I am going to watch it. 

Love at Night (Chinese Drama, iQiyi & Viki)

This one’s setup sounds fairly cliche with our heroine finding out just weeks before her wedding that her boyfriend of ten years cheated on her. Getting drunk in a bar, our heroine wakes up in a hotel room with vague but very embarrassing memories of herself with a certain stranger she has had a few unpleasant run-ins with. Wanting nothing more than to simply forget the whole thing, our heroine walks into work only to discover the stranger from the night before is the new investor boss whom she will have to work closely with for the foreseeable future. 

Obviously, the plot is going to be pretty predictable but I actually liked the first couple of episodes enough that I am willing to keep this one on my watch list for now. The poster and the show’s name really gave this one a sexy vibe…but the story really hasn’t shown anything that’s more than your usual sweet fluffy C-drama…since this is a C-drama after all. 

Fall In Love (Chinese Drama, Viki)

Coming home to Shanghai from overseas with her mother’s ashes, our heroine is determined to uncover some old secrets within her family even if it seems like her father has already moved on with his new wife and daughter. In a time of political unrest and shifting alliances, our heroine finds that in order to elevate her status at home she must find a way to become good friends with two rising young generals. As it happens, one general is her childhood friend (male second lead) and the other general is a reprobate who kidnapped her right after she got off the boat (that’s the hero). 

This one is set in 1920’s Shanghai so that means lots of spies, warlords, and political unrest. The thing that sets this particular show apart from the other dramas set in this time period is that this one has more of a romantic fantasy (fantasy as in romance novel not supernatural) vibe than the heavy epic feel most shows set in this time period are laden with. The show is beautiful to look at…especially when it comes to our two male leads in their military uniform. I do have to warn you though that logic is definitely not something the show is too worried about. But hey, there is a certain charm when the show makes it THAT obvious it is not concerned about being logical and realistic at all. 

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