I may be the only one here, but i don't watch shows just to comment about the acting, visual effects and stuff. Actually I finished this one a time ago now. However i think it deserves some more credit, as i've seen shows with poor acting and terrible visual effects that surprisingly last more than 1 season. While of course, good series (like this or better, i should say) die after 2 seasons.
I may be a simple guy but i know what i want, and it's not about the acting or the script, it's about the story! Creativity, above all. Stargate sg-1 always had terrible actors, even for the 90's, and i don't see anyone complaining. Atlantis was similar, and then stargate universe came, with great production and better cast, and guess what? Ended after season 2. If you ask me, sci-fi is going to hell these days, but at least some shows like this can still make it.
Despite all of that, as i'm not just a stupid fanboy, i will admit the second half of season 5 was horrible, so thank god they finished it there. But i can't complain about the overall story (and acting). I just can't, guys, sorry!
Now that I’ve watched the entire series in literally one sitting, I’m ready to go back and go through it more slowly. Maybe take notes on each ep about the things I love and things that might trigger others.
There is just so much world-building for all that it is set right here and now. The layers of detail and the breadth of the world created is just fascinating.
Each location truly feels separate, probably because they did actually film on location heh. And each culture feels very distinct which creates such a sense of realism.
I am genuinely impressed with the technical aspects of this show: directing, writing, editing, cinematography, etc. But the heart of it is the chemistry between the main cast and how well they demonstrate the sudden intimacy that their new situations create.
Nothing felt inevitable, there was always a sense of risk and possibility. At the same time, the things that do happen feel right and true to the characters and situations. It’s masterful.
I feel so fortunate that this show exists and that I got to see it.
All that said, there are some incredibly intense moments in the show. There is a suicide in the early part of episode one. Later there is various levels of gore and violence. And if you have any bodily issues, the fact that the show in no way ignores the biological issues of cis women’s bodies might shock you.
As far as I can recall, however, there is no animal harm or rape/attempted rape. I specifically recall a scene where I was like, “oh thank fuck! he’s only trying to murder her.”
At the end of the day, the people I cared about survived and/or triumphed enough that the hardships they went through felt worth it. Intensity level-wise (language, sex, violence, plot) I would compare it to Starz’s Spartacus series. Quality-wise too, it’s that good.
So if you’ve seen the comments on any other place about this show, they aren’t wrong. It’s your cliché rom-com that you can most likely predict will happen. REGARDLESS...I did enjoy the show and watched all 20 episodes, sidenote no one cares about but I do plan to watch the second season when it comes out. ==So if you cannot stand watching another basic rom-com, this show may not be for you. ==
Overall the plot is as I said, you’re basic rom-com where this rich man falls for this [not really] poor girl. They end up getting married after forging a contract that benefits not only Xia Lin but also Ling Yizhou. (He gets the wife and relationship without all the drama of dating, and she gets his bone marrow so she can have a life.) However with each passing episode, they do end up falling in love with each other. Yet no drama is complete unless we have the villians, the people who try to keep them apart, the secrets, plus the family and friends.
Pros...
- The cast
Honestly even from the beginning you can tell that all the actors get along and have great chemistry together. Sometimes, regardless of the great acting, you can tell it’s forced but that can’t be said for this show. It was all smooth sailing. I found Wen Li, Jia Fei, and Chu Yan to be very underrated. So definitely look out for them.
P.S. I hope they get more parts in the second season.
- The script.
Even though I have heard literally most of the lines in this show, the writers were still able to pull out some great jokes. There wasn’t a single episode were I wasn’t laughing at least in some part. Wen Li and Ling Yizhou’s dialogues are something all of you should look out for.
- The protagonists and their relationship.
Believe it or not, out of the little research I did, this seems to be the first time the two main leads are playing the leads in a show. I think they did a good job playing the protagonists also because the characters were well written. I do like that they portray (except for one part, and you’ll know what I’m talking if you watch) a healthy relationship. Despite it being a contract marriage, both Xia Lin and Ling Yizhou communicate and grow as a couple, together. Obviously they have their fights, but they portray a realistic and [for the most part] healthy relationship. I will say, I don’t condone or approve of some of the things that were done. But then again this is a drama, there has to be something so people come back for more. Besides the two, I especially like that the female protagonist does stand up for herself and speaks her mind. She isn’t like other female protagonists that stay quiet, endure, are made fun of, always run back to the guy, etc. I’m honestly not a fan of the latter since I feel it’s really demeaning/overplayed.
- Production.
In high school I actually had a TV class where we had to film for the morning announcements. There I ended up learning somewhat about how to shoot. So whenever I see good lighting, the camera angles, etc., it’s always a plus for me.
- The music.
It fit the overall mood of the scene, but it wasn’t overpowering. Pretty cheerful actually....but I don’t speak Chinese so I had no idea what it was saying ^^’
Cons...
- The acting.
Now don’t get me wrong, the acting wasn’t atrocious. I just found some parts to be...awkward?
• The first time where Xia Lin and Ling Yizhou kiss, Ling has to pull Xia by her neck to being her in for a kiss.
• When Xia Lin is drugged and she confuses Chu Yan for Ling Yizhou, she does this puckering face and tries to pull him closer.
• Nan Jintain slamming his hand on the table in front of Xia Lin (to scare her)
Those are just some instances off the top of my head, yet they don’t deter from this show having great quality, etc.
- The villians
Although they had [somewhat] good plans....the villians didn’t inspire fear and were taken down pretty swiftly. So they don’t get a good rating from me.
- Timing.
I actually didn’t have a problem with this at all until the last....3-4 episodes. The way it was portrayed made it seem as if a week had gone by when it was actually a day. That kind of threw me off and confused me. But again, this only happened towards the end for me.
- Some of the audio, especially when Xia Lin talks was so soft spoken and quiet that I had to turn my volume up high to make sure I could hear her.
Started off very good but ending really sucked. There was so much story building of so many characters and they only gave us the main couples getting together in the end. While that's great, I would have loved to know what happened with them after spending so much time with Yoon Ha, Chang Soo and Joon Gi's families. The main couple wasn't really convincing while the second leads really made the show. The acting, chemistry was so on point. I laughed and I cried when they laughed and cried. Their dynamic was something you enjoyed watching. For me, Park Hyung Shik was the best of all four main actors. He is truly a great actor and hope to see more of him in the future. I'll never forget the scene with his mom in episode 14. So intense and so well played with even the tiniest of facial expressions added to the performance. I also liked seeing Sung Joon in a more complicated, twisted role although his performance in Lie to Me was much better than in High Society, even though he didn't have a main role in that one. Overall, I'll give it a 7/10. Good build up, but lacked closure in the end.
THE HIGHEST RATED KDRAMA IN CABLE HISTORY
One of the best kdrama I've watch!
Even if the plot does not really convince you, you should give it a try because it's worth it.
For me this is one of the best kdrama in history not only because they knew how to handle a plot a bit cliche to perfection, but also because the performances were impeccable although I think the stars of the show were Kim Seo Hyung (Coach Kim), Yum Jung Ah (Han Seo Jin), Lee Tae Ran (Lee Soo Im), Kim Bora (Kim Hye Na), Kim Jung Nan (Lee Myung Joo), Song Geon Hee (Young Park Jae), Yoon Se Ah (No Seung Hye) ), Kim Hye Yoon (Kang Ye Seo), Lee Hyun Jin (Cho Tae Jun), Park Yu Na (Cha Se Ri), Cho Mi Nyeo (Key) and last but not least Chani (Hwang Woo Joo), they show off and interpreted their characters to perfection!
The direction by Jo Hyun Tak was really good but the biggest star here was the screenwriter Yoo Hyun Mi, WOW! A perfectly executed script, one of the best without doubts.
The soundtrack was good and the sound editing and mixing were excellent!
In conclusion it is an excellent drama, great performances, a good direction, a perfect script and a lot of drama!
My score is 8.7 / 10
