Good morning, Readers!
Well, I have watched another C-Drama (actually several, because I've been spending far too much time rotting on the couch, sad about the world). I figured that I should do a review, because why the hell not?
First, a note. It has the dumbest title I've ever had the misfortune to read and were it not for the short clip of a battle scene from this one, I would never have watched it. Let's get to the review/thoughts, shall we?
Okay, a further note. I have no idea why I love Chinese costume dramas so damned much. I'm not really a romantic person at all (ignore what Evan May wrote for the blurb of Human). Most romantic movies I've watched (which is to say, Hollywood romances) have the same emotional effect of biting into something sour - I don't like them. I find them goofy, trite, often incredibly stupid and very often quite irritating. I've spent a lot of time thinking about why, when I tend to detest Hollywood romance stories, I adore these Chinese costume dramas, which are almost all uniformly romances.
It has a lot to do with the fact that it is almost always a bunch of wildly beautiful people flouncing around in wildly beautiful clothing; and sometimes the silliness of the fights. The wirework is something else, let me tell you. But that's not really the real reason.
I have hit on an answer, and it relates to what I write, I think. With Hollywood romances, the romance is the point. Whatever else is happening in the world doesn't really matter. In other words, there are no real stakes. What's at stake is whether or not these two people will end up together (spoiler, they will). It's not the same in Chinese costume dramas.
Yes, the romance is central to the plot, but it is placed in time and space, with incredible consequences in which the romance plays a role. Often it's the entire world at stake, not just whether the couple in question falls in love and ends up together. Quite often, despite a deep, profound love for one another, they don't end up together in the end. One or both of them dies. Or one or both of them sacrifice their personal relationships for the good of the world.
And I eat that up.
(Apparently, I judge whether a story is good on how hard, precisely, it makes me sob)
Onto this one specifically. Lords, ladies and other gentlefolk, let me introduce you to Wonderland of Love, a really quite good C-Drama hiding behind a ridiculous as hell title.
It begins, as so many of these do, as something really very cute. The two leads are commanders of two armies with the same goal; fight back against the usurper, who recently murdered the entire imperial family (well... almost) and seized the throne, and restore the Emperor's bloodline to the title. Why do they oppose one another if that's the case? Well, because they both think that the other is going to use the upheaval to place themselves on the throne. The twist is, they're both quite genuine in their goals.
Xu Kai as Commander/Prince Li Ni
Jing Tian as Commandant Ho (or is she? *dramatic sting*)
The chemistry between these two is absolutely stellar. The characters they play are both extremely intelligent, and evenly matched - the best kind of antagonists. There are a whole bunch of shenanigans including mistaken identities, ploys and counter ploys, and a slow burn enemies to lovers story. Much of it is amusing.
But also, there's the very real quest to restore the throne and bring peace to a world torn apart by war and betrayal. Like the best of these dramas, it gets progressively darker as personal ambitions of the people around our two heroes cause all manner of evil. The stakes are high. Good people die.
I can't remember what episode it was (somewhere in the early 30s, I think), but that episode left me an absolute wreck; dehydration was a real threat because I cried so damned hard.
Unlike many of these, the use of magic was quite limited. There was one instance only, and that can easily be explained as a hallucination, rather than any real magic. The battle scenes were less ridiculous than some; with a much more grounded feeling that most dramas I've watched. I very much appreciated that.
The actors were all excellent, and the story really good. I very much appreciated how it went from a light meet-cute (with poison darts!) to a horrifically dark struggle for power.
​Uncharacteristically for me, I loved the happy ending. Both characters got what they wanted; all the suffering and sacrifice paid off. Of course, I wouldn't love it so much if things were perfect. The people who died stayed dead, and there was a slight twinge of sadness to that happy ending. It was very satisfying.
There are now two C-Dramas I would like to own on DVD/Blu-Ray. This list is as follows:
- The Untamed (duh)
- Wonderland of Love
Stupid title, but a damned good drama. I loved it.
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