Casting for this show is great. I don't know which of the main actors is more adorable and their acting is fantastic. Doming Sci... Just wow! There is a bit where he is broken hearted and drunk that is Oscar worthy. Also Shazai looking for the necklace... Amazing acting all around.
After trying to watch a few shows from China, etc. and giving up after a few episodes I finally thought I found the one I could enjoy until the end. I loved it, until half way through where I almost felt like someone else was put in charge an the show and direction fell apart. The downfall begins with Caina.
For some reason they decided to give... I think it was five episodes - it felt like forever! - to this side character and her struggle deciding between a much older man (gross) she had a one night stand with and one of the F4 boys. For five episodes I suffered through a billon flashbacks, scenes of her getting drunk, and just absurd behaviors, while all the while I wanted to get back to the two adorable leads. Why? Why go on such a long, uninteresting tangent? Why on Earth should we, the audience, care about a character we barely met? At least if they showed the story from the point of the F4 boy that could have make sense, since the show is about Shanzai and the F4. If they had to do this, they could have done everything within a single, well-plotted episode. However, I would cut the entire section of the plot and burn the evidence. It was terrible. I'm not saying the actors were bad, just that that tangent had no purpose to the overall story.
After that, the show began killing me with flashbacks. I feel that if they removed all the flashbacks they could have cut the show by ten episodes. It's like the creators decided on fifty episodes and then had no ideas after a while. One of the first things I was taught in film was to use flashbacks sparingly. Even the length of the flashbacks! I think half of an episode became a flashback at some point. If used, flashbacks should be a few seconds of the character thinking back at crucial moments in the plot, not entire scene sequences.
After Caina, the plot mostly lost sense and cohesion. I liked that they stretch the reality of the show. It was well done in the beginning. Then it went completely absurd. Culminating in a bizarre wedding scene sequence I could not comprehend. What happened? Was it a dream? Was she kidnapped by 4F? Was it induced by drugs? Did they even get married?
Needless to say, I think I will stay away from Chinese shows for a while and stick to Korean. They have an excellent sense of timing and well-thought out plots.
It's such a shame, because this show had tremendous potential. I do hope to see the actors again, hopefully in a better plotted storyline.
The soundtrack is fantastic. I purchased a copy though I do not speak more than a couple of words of the language. It's a perfect blend of soft pop with a few edges.
After trying to watch a few shows from China, etc. and giving up after a few episodes I finally thought I found the one I could enjoy until the end. I loved it, until half way through where I almost felt like someone else was put in charge an the show and direction fell apart. The downfall begins with Caina.
For some reason they decided to give... I think it was five episodes - it felt like forever! - to this side character and her struggle deciding between a much older man (gross) she had a one night stand with and one of the F4 boys. For five episodes I suffered through a billon flashbacks, scenes of her getting drunk, and just absurd behaviors, while all the while I wanted to get back to the two adorable leads. Why? Why go on such a long, uninteresting tangent? Why on Earth should we, the audience, care about a character we barely met? At least if they showed the story from the point of the F4 boy that could have make sense, since the show is about Shanzai and the F4. If they had to do this, they could have done everything within a single, well-plotted episode. However, I would cut the entire section of the plot and burn the evidence. It was terrible. I'm not saying the actors were bad, just that that tangent had no purpose to the overall story.
After that, the show began killing me with flashbacks. I feel that if they removed all the flashbacks they could have cut the show by ten episodes. It's like the creators decided on fifty episodes and then had no ideas after a while. One of the first things I was taught in film was to use flashbacks sparingly. Even the length of the flashbacks! I think half of an episode became a flashback at some point. If used, flashbacks should be a few seconds of the character thinking back at crucial moments in the plot, not entire scene sequences.
After Caina, the plot mostly lost sense and cohesion. I liked that they stretch the reality of the show. It was well done in the beginning. Then it went completely absurd. Culminating in a bizarre wedding scene sequence I could not comprehend. What happened? Was it a dream? Was she kidnapped by 4F? Was it induced by drugs? Did they even get married?
Needless to say, I think I will stay away from Chinese shows for a while and stick to Korean. They have an excellent sense of timing and well-thought out plots.
It's such a shame, because this show had tremendous potential. I do hope to see the actors again, hopefully in a better plotted storyline.
The soundtrack is fantastic. I purchased a copy though I do not speak more than a couple of words of the language. It's a perfect blend of soft pop with a few edges.