Under the Power

It is a while long time that I really want to go to write a review for a Chinese drama. Seriously, I know this movie still has a lot of mistakes on it but the acting of the leading roles were impressive me. They makes me believe they are Lu Yi and Yuan Jin Xia from the novel eventhough the film has a lot of changes to compare with novel, however, I love both drama and novel. There are a lot of people criticize that the criminal cases in the drama were not interested at all but this is a wuxia rom-com, the main points focus on the emotional developement of couples. It is a long time I did not see a drama with formula 1-1( there are a lot of drama with 1 man and a lot of women love him or 1 girl but there are many men fall in love with her), no misunderstood between them,... It is what I look for a long time after a lot of complicated dramas.

What could possibly go wrong when you throw a fierce imperial officer and a tiny loud-mouth constable together to form the ultimate crime fighting team? Answer: An action-packed tale full of twists and turns, all stuffed inside a fluffy comedic basket full of nuts.

I picked up this series to help pass time while under voluntary house arrest, all thanks to the infamous COVID-19. Its trailer left me with pretty low expectations from the start: oft-reoccurring tropes of frenemy to lover, angsty love triangle, odd couple romcom, etc...etc.

However, I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent pacing of this odd little story, as well as the casts' ability to add more depths and dimensions to their otherwise stereotypical roles in wuxia series...all with the exception of the impish Constable Yuan, played by the adorable Tan Songyun. This boisterous little oddball is undoubtedly one of the goofiest and funniest female protagonists in Chinese costume dramas to date (although that conniving grandmaster from Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain is not far behind on the list).

You won't be disappointed if you're a sucker for romance. Both the female lead and her dark counter part, imperial officer Lu Yi played by Ren Jia Lun, had great onscreen chemistry that's truly endearing. As expected in a romcom, the two characters ended up falling for each other, but thankfully the script didn't drop the instant-love trope on this odd couple. Instead, there was a decent amount of character development before their slow-burn romance ignites. On the other hand, audiences looking for angsts will definitely not be disappointed in later episodes.

I think "Under the Power" is a drama that contained a variety of elements that will please most viewers; everything from mystery, crime, comedy, to romance...you name it. After all, we can certainly use a bit of mindless entertainment in times like this.

I hope everyone stays healthy!

I almost passed up another good one cuz the title wasn't that interesting. I don't know who comes up with the English titles for Chinese shows/movies, but they need to work on creating better ones. This one turned out to be another binge-worthy series filled with comedy, romance, revenge, brotherhood friendship, family ties, camaraderie, power struggle, cat-and-mouse games, betrayals and double-crosses, mysteries and cases to solve, well choreographed fight scenes, and a ghost ship, to boot. Boasting a wonderful cast who had perfect chemistry with each other, there were no eyesores, even the villain is quite handsome. And the ending, though rushed, was very satisfying.

I took away a star for: 1) the typical unnecessary long drawn out scenes, 2) stupid acts by supposedly very smart people, aka female lead who winds up being a damsel in distress situations simply due to her impulsiveness, 3) repetitive dialogue ( I hate lazy script writing), and 4) the excessive use of closeup shot of eyes to convey emotions...throughout 55 episodes, it really got tiresome and annoying.

I've found another star to love! Ren Jialun, aka Allen Ren, whose portrayal of Lu Yi was simply divine! I can't wait for "Autumn Cicada" to be available. I enjoyed the performance of the female lead, too, but for some reason she didn't seem to embody much star power (although I'm sure she has a huge legion of fans). I just watched her in "Go Ahead" and felt the same. Perhaps, it's the fault of the script writers who made her out to be that way. She's quite effective in these cutsie impish roles, but I hope she'll get opportunities to showcase some more well-rounded acting.

This drama about heartless Field Commander Lu Yi (Ren Jia Lun) and sunny constable Yuan Jinxia (Tan Song Yun) is compelling and enjoyable.

When they first meet while investigating a crime, Lu Yi, the son of the Commander of the prestigious Embroidered Uniform Guards, looks down on lowly constable Yuan Jinxia. However, her intelligence, analytical skills, optimism and warmth impress him. As they keep working together in several more cases, his admiration turns to love.

Aside from the romance, I also love how well the cases are written, eventually showing them to be pieces of a large case involving corruption and treason. The mystery about Jianxia's parentage and the entanglement with Lu Yi's family is fascinating. The camaraderie between the leads and other characters is heartwarming. It is riveting to watch how the protagonists turn the tables on the villains.

The reason I could not give this a 10 is because of fillers that dragged the drama down, such as too many flashbacks; some scenes were even shown several times. Without these fillers, the number of episodes could have been reduced. Also, I really hate the trope where a character denies his feelings just to spare his beloved some anticipated pain in the future, never mind the current pain being wrought.

Over-all, this had been a great watch, totally worth my time.

Still watching this serie and love it! Besides the flying wires which are used from time to time, it has great fight scenes. The characters are great although sometimes a little bit exaggerating in the expression of the lead, Yuan. Nevertheless, looking forward to see the complete serie!