Chinese Dramas

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Microsummary: Boy with long hair and girl with long hair touch foreheads. Also, dragons or some shit.

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Microsummary: Boy with long hair and girl with long hair touch foreheads. Also, dragons or some shit.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo We LIVE for the forehead touch!!!!!!!

Excellent micro summary though

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SHOW REC!!! Mysterious Lotus Casebook


Offical Summary: Ten years ago, Li Xiang Yi, the master of the Sigu Sect, dominated with his superior swordsmanship and was a symbol of light in the martial arts world. However, he suddenly disappeared along with Di Fei Sheng, the leader of the Jinyuan Alliance, after they arranged to battle in the East Sea.

Ten years later, Li Lian Hua is a countryside doctor who travels around in the Lotus Tower - which is essentially a Winnebago. He accidentally becomes "famous" and gets pulled into the pugilistic world that he no longer wants to have any connections with. Fang Duo Bing, a passionate youth who dreams of becoming a hero, realizes that Li Lian Hua is not a simple man and vows to find proof that Li Lian Hua has been impersonating a famous doctor. Meanwhile, Di Fei Sheng, who has always regarded Li Xiang Yi as a fierce enemy, has also reemerged in the pugilistic world and recognizes that the unremarkable doctor Li Lian Hua is none other than Li Xiang Yi.

After a series of cases, Li Lian Hua, Di Fei Sheng and Fang Duo Bing gradually come to forge a deep friendship and join hands in solving mysterious cases to uphold justice.

This isn't a bad summary - but for 40 eps it's simplistic.
Li Xiangyi is a martial arts genius being the best in the land and in charge of his sect at 20. Di Feisheng just wants to be #1, so they have it out in a big battle for the top spot but while this is happening other subordinates raid each others sects and cause a lot of damage and casualties. Li Xiangyi and Di Feisheng are both seriously injured: Li Xiangyi finds out that he was lethally poisoned and Di Feisheng needs to retreat into seclusion to heal for 10 years. Li Xiangyi gets assistance from a monk who teaches him a way to suppress the poison but only for 10 years and losing most of his martial arts skills at the same time (also it alters his face so he's not recognizable anymore as his old self - just go with it.)

So this is where the show actually starts. It's mostly Li Lianhua which literally means Li Lotus being pulled into cases by the enthusiastic puppy that is Fang Duobing who wants to be the best detective and hero ever just like his idol and mentor Li Xiangyi. Di Feisheng only pops up 4 eps in and has less screen time but has awhopper of a storyline as he deals withhis own health problems, a legit crazy woman who wants to marry him and won't take no for an answer, a revenge scheme and vaguely helping the main bad guy take over the kingdom. But all he REALLY wants to to fight li Lianhua again for old times sake.


This show was highly entertaining with some REALLY good mysteries, some great humor and fantastic sword fights. The chemistry between the 3 guys was fantastic. But the whole show has a melancholy overtone as we know the hero is quickly running out of time.

TRAILERS: Unfortunately - neither trailer has subs

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Show Rec!!!! Parallel World

Official Summary: Chang Dong, a former desert specialist guide, has been living in seclusion ever since his last group was swept away by a sandstorm, destroying his life and reputation. The appearance of a mysterious young woman with a photo of his fiancée’s corpse, which had never been found, forces him to get back on his feet and retrace his steps to uncover what really happened that day.

My Thoughts: This is not a bad summary but just barely tells you anything. I thought this was going to be another desert adventure murder mystery show - boy was I wrong. The general premise is that in some time in the past, the emperor became distrustful of the sorcerers and their control over the magic beasties and banished all the sorcerer clans/families and the critters into what was essentially a separate dimension with only a special pass able to be navigated by special people or things could get through. Chang Dong had taken his fiance and friends out to have a proposal party and he was the only who lived. The guilt cripples him for years until Ye Liuxi shows up with a photo, a wild story and big case of amnesia.

This was so much fun! Chang Dong is super competent at being a desert guide while being an absolute mess. Ye Liuxi is a prickly badass who will beat you senseless or beat the sense into you depending on how much she likes you. They pick up Fei Tang who's the kinda useless princess sort but he knows the antiquities, Xiao Liu the badass goddaughter of a mobster and her bodyguard. Also we make friends with a down and out sorcerer, a doppleganger beastie and a seriously badass rooster. The love story between Chang Dong and Ye Liuxi was so .......... so adult. So well done! She helped him through his grief, they gave each other space, they talked out their problems, they DIDN'T HIDE shit from each other. It was SO refreshing!!!

Trailers!!!!




https://www.viki.com/tv/40138c-parallel-world

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The love story between Chang Dong and Ye Liuxi was so .......... so adult. So well done! She helped him through his grief, they gave each other space, they talked out their problems, they DIDN'T HIDE shit from each other. It was SO refreshing!!!

How can this actually be called a Chinese drama, or any kind of filmed drama, if it shows people doing adult things? I mean, no one does that with relationships in real life...

(Incidentally, I like her sweater...)

Also, this is now popping up in my YT ads:

Captureboys.PNG

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Okay, apparently that is a Korean show and now I am suitably chastened.

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Show Rec - A Journey To Love

Female assassin Ren Ruyi, the former left envoy of the Scarlet Guards, becomes a member of the Wu's State's escort delegation to save the King of Wu who has been taken hostage by the State of An. Together with Ning Yuanzhou, the leader of the Wu State's Six Realms Hall, the free-spirited Yu Shisan, Princess Yang Ying, clever teen Yuan Lu and the imperial guard Qian Zhao, they experience love, life, death, and grow together.

My Thoughts: This was really a show of two parts. The first was heavy on the comedy with actual slapstick sound effects which sounds cheesy buy was actually delightful and the second half was the hard drama. So the King of Wu was captured by the An (because he was a warmongering jerk) and the Prime Minister blackmails Ning Yuanzhou who really just wants to retire from running the spy agency (that he was recently fired from) into a rescue mission. But the An require the Wu to send a prince and the 2 princes they have are either running the country or crippled. So a forgotten princess dresses as a man and sets off to rescue her brother. They collect Ren Ruyi- formerly the best assassin in the world to teach her what she needs to know. Ren Ruyi was charged by the now deceased Queen of An to retire and have a child. She takes one look at Ning Yuanzhou and says 'you'll do'. Shenanigans ensue.

The characters really make the show - everyone gets a story and stuff to do, even if it's late in the show and I'm always here for the badass fighting especially when it's a woman. Yu Shisan is the comic relief, Yuan Lu is the plucky sidekick, Qian Zhao the cranky silent doctor with the frankly ridiculously big sword, Sun Lang the tank who loves animals Princess Yang Ying who really had the biggest growth journey of them all and Li Tongguang the war hero with the biggest mommy issues.

I really enjoyed everything about this EXCEPT that ONE DUMB DECISION that every show seems to have. ......sigh...

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Show Rec - Blood of Youth


As a disciple of the Lei Clan, Lei Wujie can't wait to prove his worth as a hero, but as a novice who has only just entered the martial arts world, the path to becoming a true hero is difficult, at best. Undeterred by the challenges that lay before him, Wujie makes his way to the great city of Xue Yue, certain that his time there will mould him into the hero he so longs to be. Unfortunately, his trip to Xue Yue is waylaid by an unfortunate mishap at the Villa of Fallen Snow.

As proprietor of the Villa, Xiao Se has all the looks of a wealthy innkeeper, but he can barely afford to keep the inn open. Struggling with his business, Xiao Se is less than pleased when his establishment is damaged by the antics of a young, wannabe hero. Demanding that he make amends for the damage he caused, Wujie can think of only one way to appease the grumpy Xiao Se, and that is to take him with him. With no other options, the two set off together without any idea of what fate has in store for them.

Befriending several people along the way, including Wu Xin, Sikong Qianluo, Tang Lian, and Ye Ruoyi, Xiao Se and Wujie soon find themselves caught up in an adventure far greater than any of them could have imagined. While facing countless dangers, the group stumbles upon a trail of clues that tie one of them to a battle for the throne that took place over a decade ago. The question is, is the intrepid hero ready and willing to take his rightful place as the leader of the people? And where will the brotherhood go from there?

What a set up eh? The first half is mostly quest as we find out that Xiao Se (the lost 3rd prince) has an injury that is killing him and needs to be fixed. Along the way we are dealing with the resurgence of the Assassin clan and the plotting of the other 2 princes as they all try to maneuver into being named Crown Prince/Heir. The plotting really kicks in after Xiao Se is healthy and the politics take hold more BUT this show is full of delightful humor as Lei Wujie is the epitome of the happy puppy and Xiao Se is the king of dry sarcasm. Other than the ONE DUMB DECISION this was great fun with the absolutely absurd sword fighting that really was right out of the Japanese anime style of things.