bendashwood Reviews

Insomniacs After School (2023)

Beautifully orchestrated

[9/10 · 6 June 2023]

Ganta and Isaki run into each other sneaking away from school life. Since both of them suffer chronic insomnia at night, the only time they are able to get some shut-eye is at school. Fortunately, they discover the perfect hiding place...

Kimi wa Hokago Insomnia is a beautifully orchestrated romance. The storytelling is coherent, unagitated and full of relatable characters with distinct personalities. The unobstrusive soundtrack is full of wonderful pieces which perfectly accompany the scenes and subtly set the right emotional backdrop. Carefully placed jokes and comic reliefs make sure to provide a change from the deep but (so far, episode 9 as of this review) overwhelmingly wholesome story, without ridiculing itself.

'Insomniacs after school' seems like a wonderful piece of art. I love watching the two protagonists grow, both as individuals and as a couple, and sincerely hope that their story does not take a dark turn at some point. Definite recommendation!

Akebi's Sailor Uniform (2022)

What a wonderful world

[8/10 · 7 October 2022]

Akebi Komichi is a country bumpkin. As the only student in her elementary school her upcoming transfer to the private, elitist Robai Academy is thrillingly exciting - mostly because her mother, who used to attend the same junior high, wore a beautiful sailor school uniform, that Komichi has been dreaming to wear herself. When the fateful day finally arrives, it turns out that she seems to be the only one wearing it... so she's bound to stand out from day one.

Where this setting would provide the perfect pivotal point for a story about mobbing, competition and elitism, "Akebi-chan no Sailor-fuku" takes a different turn entirely. The slightly excentric but always cheerful, outgoing and optimistic protagonist could easily be ostracized - instead all of her classmates greet her with open arms, engage with her and let her bring out the best in them. Where common shows would build a dramatic story full of intrigue and betrayal, this show is full of supportive characters, friendliness and wholesome story arcs. Akebi-chan no Sailor-fuku builds a beautiful world and shows us how wonderful life can be if people were just helpful, understanding and supportive towards each other. It's never overly dramatic and full of emotional story arcs.

A wonderful feelgood show for all ages. I liked it a lot.

Liz and the Blue Bird (2018)

Intimate theatre with a melancholic undertone

[9/10 · 3 October 2022]

Starting to watch this movie I had little idea of it being a spinoff of the vast world built by the anime show "Hibike! Euphonium" which I didn't know at this point. Although its animation style, pace and overall atmosphere is rather different I'm still grateful that it introduced me to this beautiful world.

Contrary to the show this movie is spun off from (or the 3rd corresponding movie that it somehow runs parallel to), "Liz and the blue bird" has an entirely differnt take on the overall recurring theme of the fleeting time of youth and friendship you build in your high school years. This is not only visible in the obiously different artstyle. The movie's rhythm is litteraly set by the music score. Its dynamics are being picked up by the wonderfully fleshed out characters of Mizore and Nozomi, and the perspective of their future relationship after they inevitably have to part ways. The fantastic B-plot explains the setting of the composition and reflects the development between Mizore and Nozomi, who slowly begin to realize the true meaning of the fairy tale.

The music is wonderful, the voiceover cast did a great job transporting the emotions and the overall melancholic ambience throughout this movie is oddly captivating. The fact that it opened the door to the intricate universe of "Hibike! Euphonium" which I probably would not have touched without having seen "Liz and the blue bird" with plenty of interconnections make it easy for me to immerse in this beautiful sea of music and emotions. And I love it!

86 (2021–2022)

Amazing dystopia

[9/10 · 30 June 2022]

In a world torn apart by a neverending war against sentient machines humanity is confronted with its own hubris and complacency while those whose blood is spilt are the ones who have the least reason to do so.

86 follows a unit of juvenile frontline fighters and their commanding officer, whose fight against the mechanized "Legion" takes some turns and twists as the lines between friend and foe begin to blur as the story unfolds and they process their individual reasons to fight. The story is presented at a very digestible pace, taking a lot of time to build an immersive world and to develop the characters into relatable individuals. Intriguing in particular is the fact that while the different 'countries' and their respective value system are portrayed in very distinguished ways, the more of their society is explored, the less different they seem. It's hard to pin down what part of this great show contributes to the emotional display and how it manages to connect to the viewer, but one of its most outstanding traits is definitely the soundtrack.

86 offers a lot. War, sci-fi, shonen, drama, romance, tragedy and comedy. And it connects these elements in a unique, touching and immersive way. It is a great show and a definite recommendation.

A Couple of Cuckoos (2022)

Switched at birth with a romantic twist

[6/10 · 23 May 2022]

Nagi always felt like the odd one in his family, being a diligent and ambitious learner while none of them are particularly studious. Anyway he loves them and therefore has little interest to get to know his biological parents. He gives into meeting them once, but little does he know what they have planned out for him...

"A Couple of Cookoos" constructs a hilarious setting to establish the harem plotline. The show tries to be funny, but fails to be outstandingly witty or hilarious. Its animation style is rather serious and not overly comical, which makes it hard for the show to find its place. It doesn't take itself particularly serious and therefore makes it hard to immerse or relate. It offers a certain share of fanservice while following the protagonist navigating the maze of weirdness his family, biological parents and his own feelings throw him into, but does not manage to connect to the viewer on an emotional level.

Eventually this show seems to be between the chairs. Its style does not really match with the kind of story it tries to tell, and thus fails to excel in either dimension of the romcom genre. It's still 'good' imho, but not more. Watch it if you're a fan of the genre, but leave it be if not since it is unlikely to get you hooked.

Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie (2022)

Feelgood if you don't mind the shallowness

[6/10 · 2 May 2022]

It's waifu season, and this is exactly what "Shikimori-san is not just a cutie" delivers. The protagonist is your regular everyday normal guy haunted by hilarious bad luck where literally everything he does goes wrong in hazardous ways - to an extent where he wouldn't even be survivable on his own.

Fortunately (and miraculously) he landed Shikimori-san who's pretty much awesome in everything she does: cute, kind, athletic, smart and a tiny bit jealous. She's immortally in love with him, goes out of her way to please him and keeps him safe from all kinds of harm.

Seriously, half a season into this show that's all there is. There's a small ensemble of side characters with some exaggerated traits whose purpose so far has only been to make Shikimori-san appear even more awesome and desirable. There is no coherent storytelling, no character development of any kind and generally nothing you need to understand or keep track of. If you're looking for a shallow feelgood story that will cater to your waifu fantasy then you're gonna have a good time with this show. If you're looking for something more serious or deep though, then you aren't missing out on anything here.

Chihayafuru (2011–2020)

Poetic slice of life

[8/10 · 4 April 2022]

I gotta admit that when I started watching Chihayafuru I had no idea what "karuta" even was. It did not really matter though because the show does a good job introducing you into the topic so you will always have a good idea what's going on. It accompanies the main characters over a period of several years, growing and developing their bonds while preparing from one tournament to the next. The competitive setting remains a focal point throughout the show, while the played matches and tournaments are of course very methaphoric in terms of what's happening between the people, their relationships and their lives. The 100 poems which are the baseline for the karuta games the characters compete in serve as a very powerful tool to put emphasis on thought processes, emotions and aspirations - which is used to a certain extent, but not overused to an extent where it becomes cheesy. Not easy to balance, but the show does a good job.

The cast is diverse, with each of the main characters having their unique quirks. The side characters differ a lot in terms of how fleshed out they are - some more than others - so that I remembered some but just as easily forgot about others very fast. The female lead as the air-headed goofball and part-time comic relief did a good job carrying most of the show and its story, although she remains painfully oblivious to the most important things happening around her. Although that might be one of her unique personality traits after all, who knows.

Either way, this is a great show (with three completed seasons to date of this review). Only season two seemed a bit stretched from time to time, with unnecessary flashbacks, review episodes and some obvious 'filling' material that could have been omitted. Fortunately season three focuses more on the show's strenghts and progresses the story in a meaningful pace.

Chihayafuru is captivating, you're cheering for the characters, it has a number of heart-warming moments. Certain episodes feel a little repetitive and dragged out, but eventually it is still a clear recommendation from my end. I enjoyed it so far and hope that once the manga is finished we will get at least one more season that will drive the story to a conclusion.

Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro (2021–2023)

Hilarious and problematic at the same time

[6/10 · 17 March 2022]

Yes, this show is funny. Decent animation, good soundtrack, lots of 'fanservice'... it could be a decent show and I'd be inclined to recommend it, but its main selling point is problematic (to put it mildly).

I don't know what kind of fetish this show is supposed to cater and I'm the last one to kink-shame, but the way the female lead character behaves towards the protagonist, even at a stage where she's clear with herself that she likes him, is straight-out abusive. She consistently insults him, humiliates him both psychically and physically and puts him down in front of her friends. The occasional moments where she does stand up for him or when there is something sweet happening between them are rare and hardly make up for that obnoxious and toxic behaviour that you might expect from an elementary school girl, but not from the age group here. Protagonist-senpai, if you're reading this: haul your butt out of there as long as you can! Nagatoro is an outlier on the hot/crazy scale that is not worth your dignity and sanity!

Otherside Picnic (2021)

A psychedelic odyssee

[6/10 · 14 March 2022]

Sorao meets Toriko when she finds herself stranded and alone in the grotesque and horrendous "Otherworld" and from there on continues on a quest to find Toriko's acquaintance who mysteriously disappeared into that world.

"Otherside Picnic" thows you right into an odd world of madness without explaining much. It is filled with urban legends, horror elements and oddly overconfident main characters with plot armor. The setting is promising and the ambience, to a great extent, really well presented. The show unfortunately fails to capitalize on these good preconditions due to a couple of severe weaknesses. The Otherworld feels like an arbitrary collection of anything that might be scary, without any kind of common plot, interconnection or consistency. The supposedly romantic development between the two main characters is very superficial, hardly touching and the majority of the characters remains, while well designed, unrelatable. The idea of weaving foreigners into the story is well, but when every single soldier in the US batallion barks orders at each other in the worst English with obvious Japanese accent the immersion is entirely broken. A testimony of the studio's laziness to hire native speakers. Finally (and most severely) the story doesn't seem to lead anywhere. Over the course of the first season it achieves very little and leaves you with neither a conclusion nor a cliffhanger.

Watch it if you're bored, but you're not missing out on anything if you don't.

Hi Score Girl (2018–2019)

Hard to get into, worth to stay into

[8/10 · 11 March 2022]

During the first episodes of Hai Sukoa Garu ("Hi Score Girl") I really had to force myself to keep going. The artstyle is really unusual, the main character an obnoxious arcade addict and the story didn't seem to lead anywhere. What kept me going were the meticulously integrated arcade games that couldn't help but wake a sense of nostalgia in me that 80s and 90s kids will likely be able to relate to as well. Translation of the terminology, along with internationalized names and ingame characters, do their best to keep reality justice and manage to do so with few minor adjustments.

Some twelve-ish episodes into this show I noticed that it's no longer just the gaming references why I kept watching. The character development is slow, subtle, and even though the main character remains to be an oblivious simpleton for the most part of the show, I couldn't help but think back and realize that, at that age, I probably wasn't any wiser myself. This painful realization changed the relatability by a great deal and I was surprised by the sweetness of the story that developes around the questionable protagonist. Especially towards the end of the second (and at the time of this review: last) season of the show the storytelling becomes very powerful and the initial superficiality of the show is gone. Yes, it's exaggerated. Yes, it's silly. And yes, it's not necessarily realistic. But Hi Score Girl is nonetheless sweet, full of funny moments and eventually likable characters. In hindsight I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou (2012–2013)

Not too shabby, just a little silly

[7/10 · 9 March 2022]

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo is a kind of odd mix. It's a slice-of-life romcom mixture that wants to be funny pretty much all the time, with a somewhat serious undertone. It has its share of outstanding qualities, but unfortunately fails to keep a healthy balance between silliness and seriousness.

The cast diversity is definitely there. All characters have very individual and unique traits which make you feel that every single one of them, despite their oddness, have their purpose and their right to be. It's making a great case for individualism in the otherwise highly conformist Japanese society. It's just... too much over the top. Many characters are exaggerated to a level where it just seems silly. And so become their interactions.

Another slightly disturbing imbalance is the amount of artificially created 'ecchi' moments and intentional innuendos, while the characters struggle even with the most basic displays of emotions. It is not unusual for this type of show, but the discrepancy in those behaviours was, in my opinion, a little too much.

While the storytelling and the animation itself are nothing out of the ordinary and the exaggerated silliness of the show make it hard to immerse or relate, two qualities struck me as outstanding:

1. The soundtrack. Not too aggressive, subtle and beautiful at the right moments.

2. The localization. I watched the show on Netflix, Japanese audio with German subs. But only the subtitles showed a great attention to detail and use a lot of 'urban' and common language. Also the overlay of textual passages, documents, books right in the video was done with a great attention to detail and seamlessly integrated into the overall frame. Not many Japanese shows put that much effort into making them accessible for foreign audiences.

Tl;dr: An overall good, silly and fun rom-com show with certain strengths and weaknesses. Decent watch but not outstanding imo.

Horimiya (2021)

A wholesome start, but some weird storytelling

[7/10 · 6 March 2022]

This show has romance. It has comedy. And it has several elements that makes it stand out in comparison to other anime romcoms out there:

• The pace of the romantic elements and building of emotional intimacy between the main characters is unusually fast. It focuses less on the curiosity and the first steps towards each other and more on the fostering and maintenance of the relationship.

• The protagonists are initially portrayed in a rather mature way and don't fondle too much in childish silliness.

Artstyle, animation and soundtrack are decent, although not too memorable. The design choice to differentiate the characters mainly by their bright and colourful hair colour is a little lazy. But it illustrates one of the issues this show has quite well: While the first half of the show focuses a great deal on the two main characters and the development of their relationship, storytelling takes a weird turn around the middle of the first season.

• Unrelatable side characters are getting a lot of screentime. Unlike the protagonists, they do not achieve any kind of meaningful character development and their stories seem really inconsequential for the whole picture.

• During the little screen time the main characters get, their relationship takes some weird turns and develops some borderline abusive elements that hardly relate to their personalities. It's being hinted towards this being some kind of fetish or kink, although at this stage of their relationship it seems really awkward - especially being displayed in public.

Fortunately the last two episodes seem to focus more on the original strengths of the show and bring it to a deserved closure. What remains is an impression of a beautiful anime with a wholesome start and a fair share of wasted potential - unfortunately. It is good. But could have been better.

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (2013–2023)

Difficult to digest

[7/10 · 28 February 2022]

This show is a difficult one. While it certainly has a refreshing lineup of protagonists in the familiar high-school setting and manages to display them in a way that is by no means bad in terms of animation or score, the show has some problems.

The majority of the storyline only works because every single character in the setting is lying, secretive, and maintaining a charade that might be, to some extent, typical for Japanese society. It is somewhat painful to watch them trying to keep this masquerade without breaking apart. Hikigaya, the misanthropic protagonist, uses a combination of sociopathic manipulation and self-humiliation to pit the people around him in situations where they can somehow resolve dead-lock situations in this 'game'. These resolutions do not involve closure though, or finally being honest with each other. It allows people to keep moving without having to lift their mask or being true with themselves.

What's most irritating is that the protagonist doesn't seem to have an actual reason to do that. It's not even that he seems to draw some kind of fun or gratification out of it. Until very late in the show he just doesn't seem to care.

The show tries very hard - too hard - to be deep, secretive and mysterious. This does not mean that it is a bad watch. What kept me going was a number of interesting side characters and storylines that sparked enough interest to see where it was going. But make no mistake: while its name might suggest otherwise, neither "comedy" nor "romance" play any major part in this show. With a significant portion of social criticism and cynism in its core it is neither wholesome nor heartwarming.

Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san (2018–2022)

From silly to sweet over several dozens of episodes

[9/10 · 19 February 2022]

Nishikata is a childish, insecure but good-hearted middle-schooler. Being ashamed of his daydreaming and fooling around with his friends, he keeps getting off guard by his classmate, Takagi, who somehow seems to be able to read him like an open book. Turning every encounter into a contest, Nishikata develops new ideas day by day, just to get outsmarted by that girl that manages to best him every time. How does she manage to do that? Next time will be different for sure!

"Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san" takes things very slow. It starts of with a somewhat silly note of childish competitions but doesn't take too long to show the sweetness between the protagonists' teasing. The characters are depicted in a slightly exaggerated way, with Nishikata himself suffering probably the most of it, but it does not make them any less likeable. The episodes are loosely interconnected, there is not too much character development, but when it displays, it is very sweet. It has a fair share funny moments, even the sideshows with Mina, Yukari and Sanae are enjoyable, and enough content (and, a rare trait of animes of that genre: seasons!) to explore.

This review is written before season three is completed and I'm looking forward to each episode's release. A good sign for a good show.

A Town Where You Live (2012– )

Love it or hate it

[4/10 · 30 January 2022]

I guess this is one if these shows that you're prompted to either hate or love. It's hard to find a middle ground. I believe I have to put myself into the former category.

Good things first: + The animation style is decent, setting the stage properly and conveying an adequate amount of emotions + The soundtrack does its job without being outstanding or stealing the show from what's happening on stage + Certain characters of the show are very well designed and memorable, but...

Here we go:

• ...none of the main cast are. There is little to no character development to any of the main cast. Especially the main character's behaviour makes if very hard to develop any kind of sympathy.

• The first half of the show's storyline is somewhat overloaded with overly constructed drama and 'coincidences' that make it hard to immerse or relate
• While the first half of this show begins to tell a beautiful story, the focus dramatically shifts in the second half - and not for the better. It's hard to go into detail without any spoilers, but suffice to say that the protagonists willingly submits himself to a sociopathic manipulation game that in no way correlates to the way his character is supposed to be portrayed.

• Consequently, the finale of the show is very questionable, and puts whatever little character development the creators have granted to its cast aside.

It's a pity really since the setting, the initial storytelling and the animation did have potential. In that state though there are way better options for that genre.

Bloom Into You (2018)

I was not prepared. This is a masterpiece!

[10/10 · 28 January 2022]

Wow... just... wow. I started this show with something like "probably gonna be just another generic, cheesy and silly girly love drama", but boy was I in for a ride. This series does not take long to show its outstanding strengths which I'll try to list without spoilers:

+ The characters are seriously deep, every one being portrayed in a distinctive way, down to earth, with very relatable personality traits and flaws. Even the side characters are very well fleshed out and enthrall you with their own struggles and stories.

+ It is captivating without being overly dramatic at any point.

+ It is fun and humorous without being silly

+ The animation style is calm and very detailed.

+ The soundtrack is very well selected and perfectly applied.

+ The story is way more than 'girls dancing around each other' or the mandatory love triangle. It focuses a lot on one's individual perception and experience of romance. For some people it's easier than for others, some people cannot relate to it at all. And this is fine. It never seems to be displayed as a kind of 'disability' in this show.

+ The fact that the main story revolves around two girls discovering each other seems rather coincidential. It's never about "our secret/forbidden love, fighting against the odds of a society that shuns us" kind of thing. This is indeed rare, as "Bloom into you" is often compared to other Yuri dramas like "Citrus". I believe this is incredibly misleading. Yes, homosexuality is a part of "Bloom into you"'s story. But it's far from being its unique selling point. I'd go as far as saying it would work just as well if either of the main characters was a boy instead.

In terms of criticism, honestly not very much comes to mind.

• Some of the 'zoning out moments' seem to be set up just a tiny bit over the top (i.e. The dramatic train-passage pauses). Not so much that it hurts, but it is notable.

• The show does not capture the entirety of the manga. The anime series aired sometime end of 2018 whereas the manga was only finished in 2020. The anime does by no means have a bad ending, but still feels incomplete as of the time of this review. I have revisited this show many times already and still can't forgive the studio for not finishing the story properly. With four additional mangas as well as three light novels revolving around the somewhat tragic character of Sayaka Saeki there would be more than enough material.

Never in my life have I bought mangas before, but watching this show enticed me to buy the entire series of eight books and the additional three light novels, which give the characters a way better (and well-deserved) closure. And I'm pretty sure that I do not even belong to the target audience of this anime. Manga author Nio Nakatani created nothing short of a masterpiece while the anime interpretation stays very close and honest to the written foundation, enriching it with beautiful animation, emotional (Japanese) voiceover and a soundtrack to remember.

Long story short: Definite recommendation! This is one of the best and down-to-earth series I have ever watched. For people that have been struggling with either love or romantic feelings in general, it might even have therapeutic character. Watch it!

Titans (I) (2018–2023)

Promising setting, lackluster execution

[5/10 · 27 December 2021]

Oh boy, there is so much source material. The obviously questionable casting choices aside (although there are few exceptions, the 2nd Robin for example does an excellent job in delivering the unlikable, troubled brat that he is): there is a curvature in quality within this show. A weak first season with a stronger second one gave me hope, but season three has unfortunately set a new low. Boring and obvious storytelling, irrational behaviour of the characters, cheesy dialogues, cheap action and fighting scenes... seriously, the supposedly "strongest" characters are getting sidelined for no obvious reason besides forcibly giving meaningless characters more screentime. And I'm not talking about the 'whiney sod Batman' display who is obviously not the centerpiece of this show. Superboy gets demoted to a comic relief and backrow love interest of a guest character and cannot be part of the big showdown because... why exactly? There are countless other new 'twists' to storytelling that take the thrill out of the story which would spoil story when mentioned here. So after all, it's a mildly entertaining watch if you don't mind switching off your brain while doing so, but the dark, threatening and serious setting of the DC universe is not reflected at all. Don't expect Christopher Nolan or Zack Snyder's level of interpretation and cinematography here.

Lady Bloodfight (2016)

Delivers exactly what it promises

[6/10 · 7 November 2021]

Nothing more, nothing less. If you liked movies like "Bloodsport" back in the 80s, expect a somewhat modernized, female reimagination. Story is bland, decent choreography and lots of blood. Entertaining enough, but don't expect to be blown away.

Word of Honor (2021)

A friendship beyond understanding

[7/10 · 4 June 2021]

This show is by no means bad. Plenty of characters crossing blades, politics, intrigues and romantic drama. The story is nothing too fancy with lots of familiar elements, but nonetheless an unexpected twist or two. It is not overflown with magical or mythical elements and therefore somewhat more 'mundane', which makes it a little more relatable than comparable shows.

It does, unfortunately, also have some flaws. The relationship between the two main characters is hard to grasp. This "kinship of soulmates" seems supposed to be more than friendship, but even without any graphic innuendos some scenes made me feel like I was watching Chinese Brokeback Mountain. The "lost memory"-reason to explore ones story and history seemed a little uncreative and some of the dramatic turns a tad too artificial. The fact that many of the requisites and backgrounds look obviously painted and lots of the studio settings re-used 1:1 without any rearrangements (i.e. The "plateau") is a little sad, because the rest of the cinematography left a rather decent impression.

Overall I found the show to be decently entertaining, but definitely not as overwhelmingly positive as some of the reviews here might suggest. It's nice to watch, but not memorable enough to revisit again at a later point of time.

Shadow and Bone (2021–2023)

Entertaining show with some flaws

[7/10 · 24 April 2021]

Starting off from the first episode, the show captured me not particularly with its cast, its storytelling or its music score, but with its presentation of the setting. Take a bit of Hunger Games, a bit of Avatar: The Last Airbender, a grain of Jeanne D'Arc and throw it all in a late 19th century colonial Russia and voilà. The storytelling starts of very good, although it takes a while until initially meaningless threads meet the main storyline to finally get meaning. Unfortunately the quality of the storytelling drops over the course of the first season and narrows down to something that we've all seen before one way or another and is therefore sadly pretty predictable. Nonetheless, the setting by itself as well as certain members of the cast keep the show interesting enough to follow through nonetheless.

I'd even be inclined to rate the show 8 stars if it didn't suffer from the premanent Netflix flaws. Can't really tell whether those were already in the books (which I haven't read) or added to comply with the common Netflix tv drama blueprint. I really want to point out that with each individual of these aspects I wouldn't have the slightest issue, if it weren't for the fact that Netflix presents them in a way as if they were trying to fulfill a checklist:

• protagonists suffering under blatant racism - check
• mandatory representation of LGTBQ characters and gay romance - check
• mandatory feminisplaining-talk "girls can do everything men can do, if not better" - check

...

At least the first point seems to have at least some relevance in terms of the story, but the overall representation of all abovementioned aspects comes across as condescending and "educational". If a potential second season of the show can weave those things into its storyline and presentation in a meaningful way and rather focuses on the strengths of its setting and the storytelling of the first couple of episodes, it has a lot of potential.

Princess Agents (2017)

Nice choreography, but abysmal way to and a season

[7/10 · 9 April 2021]

The main reason this show got me hooked within the first couple of episodes. The storytelling is atypical and the visuals unusually brutal for a Chinese TV show. It dives deeply into a world of politics, intrigue, diplomacy and murder, with the main character caught in between with no proper understanding why with, the reason for which being rather uncreative though. Not that it bothers much - the personalities of the Chang'an nobility, their superficial relations and their struggle for power and influence behind the curtain is entertaining enough to spark interest where this is going. The choreography of the fight scenes looks pretty good, which is a quality that remains strong throughout the first season. Unfortunately the storytelling fails to keep its initial depth, though. The strong female lead does her best to carry the tale, but is for the most part only able to retain her standing and importance due to the fact that every noble male of note that she meets immediately and immortally falls in love with her, leaving her in the middle of the romantic hexagon (?) of their power struggle. Animations and CGI appear pretty cheap and outdated, which is unfortunately a common flaw amongst the majority of Chinese TV shows (with a few notable exceptions), but not to an extent that it hurts the numerous martial art scenes too much.

The last and final point I need to mention is the way the creators decided to close the first (and, as the time of this review: only) season. This show is drawn after the story of a book, and in order to avoid spoilers I only can say that the point to end the season was probably the most horrible decision of the entire show. Rumours have it that a second season can possibly be expected - four years after the first season's release this is more than unlikely. While the show itself was, despite its obvious flaws, quite enjoyable for me: prepare for a very unsatisfying conclusion of the season.

The Blessed Girl (2021)

A surprise, for sure, but a welcome one

[8/10 · 24 March 2021]

I started watching the show with my daughter since the first impressions made the show seem like an easily accessible and fantastic 'coming-of-age' story, but boy was I wrong. What starts out like a shallow story with mediorce special effects (which, unfortunately, hardly improve over the course of the season) quickly develops into a complex plot with intrigue, humour and tragedy. Suffice to say that after the first three episodes I continued watching without my daughter since some of the scenes turned out to be somewhat violent and frightening, the story got me hooked pretty quickly. The cast is full of distinguished and memorable characters, some more likable than others, while scenery and attire to their part to create a certain immersion and relatability. The acting of most of the cast is decent, although the range of visible emotions is limited for many of the characters - nothing atypical for Chinese fantastic drama though, as public displays of affection or emotion are unusual and often regarded as inappropriate in the culture pictured in that kind of tv show.

I liked what I saw and binged pretty much the entire show within one week. And, as for good tv shows, I felt that sense of emptiness once it was over, longing to know more about the world and, maybe, a more outlined closure for some of the characters. Not necessarily a bad sign. If you're a fan of either fantasy, ancient Chinese culture or even both, then I definitely recommend this show.

Double World (2020)

Easy entertainment

[7/10 · 27 July 2020]

This movie doesn't waste much time with overly complex story, dialogue or character building. It's an action movie with a fair share of Martial Arts and Wuxia and it means business. Don't expect a Zhang Yimou level cinematography, but switch off your brain and expect to be decently entertained.

Eternal Love (2017)

A far-streched bitter-sweet romantic drama

[7/10 · 15 April 2020]

Netflix runs it in Europe as "Eternal Love", but it's a little more than the mundane westernized title suggests. The story is not trivial and spans over several thousands of millenia, whereas time needs to be put into perspective here since the majority of the story's characters are immortals. The show starts off slamming pretty much all characters in your face right from the start, kind of assuming you already have an idea of the celestial who's who. After a couple of episodes though I found the cast to be diverse and distinguishable, even for foreigners. The acting is pretty broad, from bland, stern and singular face expressions via theatralic over-enthusiasm up to outstanding scenes by certain actors. Like some of the other commentators here I also found Mukdais Qurban's (aka Dai Si's) display of Yan Zhi to be among the more memorable casts.

The story itself is a little irritating, starting in a pretty much epic setting but slowing down significantly and slowly transitioning into a more mundane scenery before it swings back to its epic finale. While the female protagonist character is quite likable and atypical being a kind of drunkard jester who takes time to mature, certain scenes struck me as awfully painful to watch as the characters seem to be entirely oblivious to what's in front of their eyes. A rough understanding of Chinese culture, rules of society, hierarchy and obedience to non-spoken rules is helpful to understand certain characters' behaviour.

The ambience of the stages is adequate to the setting. Character makeup and costumes are very impressive, CGI and effects are just mediocre at best though. The soundtrack is appropriate for the most part, only exception being one pop-song that somehow seems to be part of the recurring theme and oddly out of place a couple of times.

Subsequently, it kind of felt like watching "The Other Boleyn Girl" in a fantastic Wuxia setting and stretched over 58 episodes. Entertaining to watch, but not immersive enough for any tears on my end.

The Legend of White Snake (2019)

A beautiful take on a Chinese fairy tale

[8/10 · 26 March 2020]

The Legend of the White Snake has been motive to a handful of movies and tv shows already, but the fact that this one is available on western streaming platforms with decent subtitles finally makes this story accessible to non-Chinese audience. And it does a good job. The recurring music theme of the characters is fitting, character attires and scenery support the immersion and the character development is, to most extent, convincing. The dramaturgy might seem somewhat cliché and seem overboard from time to time ("I save you!" - "No, I save you!" etc.), but then again, this is also the case with many modern US shows where we're just more used to it. A basic knowledge of Chinese culture helps to understand certain characters' reactions and behaviour, mythology and Buddhism play a significant role as the story develops.

The stern facial expressions of most of the main characters struck me dull from time to time although it probably fits the expected behaviour of "middle-class" characters at that time. The CGI is not exactly state-of-the-art, but it's sufficient to deliver the message. Xiao Yan though delivers an outstanding performance in her role as Xiao Qing. She delivers her character an authentic way, displaying a range of expressions and emotions probably wider than the rest of the cast combined.

One can easily binge-watch this show as a kind of Chinese version of "Charmed". Took me longer than one week-end to finish it, but it was very enjoyable.