In Blossom (2024)

In Blossom is a great thriller, romance, fantasy drama written within a historical setting. There are some gory scenes, necessary due to the nature of the female lead’s profession, very detailed and smart murder investigation with logical deductions and conclusions that give us glimpses of the leading couple’s strong and intelligent characters. There are very well done action scenes and bloody tortures coming from the antagonist and his henchmen, mysterious and complex characters that help shaped the validity of the plot, a fantasy element that, although it was interesting and the leading actress tried her best in her characterization of Yang Cai Wei I, it is true that the fantasy element would have worked better if they would have chosen an actress for the real Yang Cai Wei whose body was anatomically closer to Ju Jing Yi. The cinematography was well planned and executed with glimpses of Gothic elements and the cast did a good job bringing their characters to life. In the romance department, it would be right to say that it is more about a soulful than a physical connection. Pan Yue, exceptionally portrayed by Liu Xue Yi, is a man with great moral character, integrity, and above all, a man that steadfastly loved the souls of his woman. Ju Jing Yi did great portraying her character as the infatuated and self-centered Shangguan Zhi and she tried her best portraying Yang Cai Wei, but the Ju Jing Yi, although she captured the awareness and ability to express the intelligence of Yang Cai Wei, she didn’t get the body language right. This might have been due to the fact that the casting director failed to recognize that it was just a face swap, not a whole body swap, and Ju Jing Yi’s body is too frail looking compared to Zheng He Hui Zi’s that played Yang Cai Wei in the first two episodes. Besides this oversight, which was just a bit odd, the drama is an excellent thriller, with a heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking steadfast romance, and a very pleasing intellectual connection between the leading couple. The supporting cast did very well and provided side stories that gave mystery and depth to the story. Enjoy it!

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Face swap success!

Face swapping, changed identity, murder mystery, and a take on child abuse. This drama was interesting from the trailer. The actors were on point and intriguing. I thought the casing was very good and each one fit their part. Although I must admit the initial Yang Cai Wei (woman with the scar) was so good that I did not think the FL Shangguan Zhi would fit the role. I was wrong, she took over immediately and owned the FL role.

This drama had a lot of depth to it in that some of the focus seemed to be on abandonment and child abuse. It becomes sad at times. The detective cases were handled quickly so it was not boring.

I like the production the costumes were great, especially ML who wore something different every time you see him, and it looked good. FL's wardrobe was so, so. In all of the movies I have seen the FL she seems a little anorexic (IMO) so her clothes do not look great.

The soundtrack was good, nothing I remember.

The ending was a little underwhelming but still satisfying as it was a happy one. They left room for a 2nd season but not a watch for me.

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about the series

The best TV series I watched after Ingenious One, the plot, music and casting were amazing, I found it exciting until the last episode. Liu Xue Yi's amazing performance was, in my opinion, the best TV series. Also, I had watched two of Ju Jing Yi's TV series before and found them ordinary, and in this series, her performance was top notch. They have brought it up to the level, and they suit each other very well as a duo. The series will have a second season. If they do not deviate from the subject, it will be watched with the same pleasure. We would like to watch more such series in Chinese historical dramas. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the production and broadcasting.

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A mixed feeling of "ahh!" and "huh?" and "oh.."

This drama gave me a mixed feeling of "ahhh!" and "huh?" and "oh...". While going through the first few episodes, I felt this drama had potential... But as the drama rolled on, I actually took a break from it and came back because I wanted to know what happened to our second lead couple. The drama follows Yang Caiwei (played by Zhang He Hui Zi in the beginning 2 episodes and then Jujin Yi later as the main role), who became a coroner after the downfall of her family. Life was quiet, until Pan Yue ( Liu Xue Yi) popped back into her life to fulfill the engagement promise during their childhood years. Caiwei finally gave into her heart and said yes to Pan Yue, but fate had other plans in store for them. Zealous Shangguan Zhi decided to kidnap Yang Caiwei on the day of her wedding and swapped their faces to marry Pan Yue, but was murdered shortly after. This murder case will eventually pull our main leads together as they find more clues towards a bigger conspiracy.
The storyline was acceptable, but not enough to awe me. I didn't care much about the cases they were solving because it was there mainly to keep the storyline moving for the next clue.
Yang Caiwei's character was a bit confusing for me to accept after the third episode. I believe it would've flow much better if they just use the same actress from the beginning to the end for our female lead. It was a little hard for me to accept Jujin Yi as Yang Caiwei throughout the drama after the first actor because Zhang He Hui Zi was great as Yang Caiwei in the first two episodes and left an strong image of Yang Caiwei's character. When Jujin Yi jumped in to fill the role, she felt like a different Yang Caiwei.
One thing the writers did correctly was Pan Yue. He's character was consistent with the flow of the story and his feelings and actions made sense. One of the many reasons I kept watching was to see Pan Yue's battle with himself trying to understand why he's suddenly falling in love with a woman whom he loathe in the beginning. His arch made me realize that we fall in love with the soul and not the flesh.
Our second lead couple was cute to watch despite the limited screen time they have. One reason I came back to finish the drama. Their love was like a seed that sprouted but didn't end satisfactory.
Overall, this drama is "eh". Will I rewatch it? Nope, once is enough (Not unless they add a new side story of Bai Xiao Shang and Zhuo Lan Jiang .^_^.)

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CSI Meets Crime Solving in 16th Century China

A disfigured woman is shunned by society due to her “ugly” looks and knack for reading the dead becomes a lead investigator in unraveling a myriad of conspiracies in the town of Heyang. The cases and her investigative methods (along with the help of her love interest, the ML) were interesting as were the layers surrounding the crimes that revealed a bigger conspiracy.

Even better was the big conspiracy was simple, yet intriguing. However, in the last 10 episodes the story started to lose steam. The episodes begin to drag and spent too much time on story threads that were boring or made the main story thread more complicated than it needed to be.

Though the leads were passible as a couple, they looked good together. I actually preferred the ML with the original actress who played the FL when she was scarred and “ugly.” They had good chemistry and I liked the idea of the FL not being this raving beauty. When the storyline called for the FL’s face to change it took several episodes for me to warm up to the new actress in the role. Moreover, when I did warm up to her, I begin to find interest in her interactions with the SML. I liked the potential that was their relationship. It was too bad that there was no chance for them to explore a romance considering their natural chemistry, which wasn’t quite there with the ML.

The acting was good from everyone. Both FLs were the strongest actresses out of the younger cast. The actor who played the ML struggled, at times, when he had to get emotional. The “love” story was anemic at best. I think the leads worked best when they were in that mode of distance and “sexual” (though there wasn’t much sexiness going on. lol) tension rather than when they became a couple. Some of their “romantic” interactions were awkward. I think because their chemistry was mediocre at best.

Thankfully the series didn’t spend much time on their “love” as the focus was on solving the conspiracies at hand. The show started off really good but meandered towards the end on unnecessary storylines. The story could’ve been tightened and completed in 18-20 episodes, rather than 32. That said, this was worth watching. Is it worth a rewatch? Maybe.

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Initially, I found myself a bit puzzled by the storyline, prompting me to pause and backtrack to Episode 2 for clarity. Without revealing any spoilers, I must say, it's a series that truly demands to truly focus on the storyline. Ju JingYi delivered a performance that navigated through complexities effortlessly, portraying a role that could easily befuddled. On the other hand, the lead male actor left me indifferent; historically typecast as a villain, Liu Xue Yi surprised me with his adept portrayal of this character. His convincing performance left me eager to see more of him in virtuous roles. The supporting cast, including Li Gi Yang and W Jia Yi, impeccably brought their characters to life. Special mention must go to the writer for skillfully withholding the villain's identity until the final few episodes. Overall, a job well done to the entire crew.

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Great casting for this eye-catching Mystery/romantic series.

PLOT:
Pan Yue, the ML, illegitimate son of a nobleman, goes to Heyang in search of his childhood love Cawei, the FL, whom he has been searching for 10 years. She became a coroner, and they investigated numerous cold cases together, then married. But on the day of the wedding, the ML's one-sided lover switches bodies with Cawei's and throws her off a cliff. Then she herself is killed. Cawei survives (in the other's body) and helps the ML (and Lan Jiang) investigate a large conspiracy (which has been going on for 10 years).

PROS:
+ the storyline is intelligent, the story coherent (if we accept the body swap :)
+ a fast-paced, effective production, which keeps the viewer in flawless suspense.
+ great actors (all) and particulary CL = Liu Xue yi & Ju Jing Yi and Li Ge Yang.
+ well-suited OSTs (not memorable but amplify well emotions).
+ an ending which opens the possibility of a 2nd season.

CONS:
- Sometimes you have to be lenient when faced with obvious coincidences.
- Sorry, I don't really like the 1st Cawei.

=> A very good Mystery series in the historical genre.
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Super casting (CL = Liu Xue yi & Ju Jing Yi + Li Ge Yang) pr cette série Mystery / romantic accrocheuse.

PLOT:
Pan Yue, le ML, fils illégitime d'un noble, part à Heyang à la recherche de son amour d'enfance Cawei, la FL, qu'il cherche depuis 10 ans. Elle est devenue médecin légiste, et ils enquêtent ensemble sur les nombreux cold-cases, puis se marient. Mais le jour du mariage, l'amoureuse à sens unique du ML, échange son corps avec celui de Cawei et la jette d'une falaise. Puis elle est elle-même tuée. Cawei survit (dans le corps de l'autre) et aide le ML (et Lan Jiang) à enquêter sur une large conspiration (qui dure depuis 10 ans).

PROS:
+ la storyline est intelligente, l'histoire cohérente (si on accepte l'échange de corps :)
+ une réalisation rapide, efficace, qui tient le spectateur en haleine avec un suspense sans faille.
+ de super acteurs (tous)
+ des OST bien adaptés (pas mémorables mais amplifient bien les émotions).
+ une fin qui ouvre la possibilité d'une 2e saison.

CONS:
- Il faut parfois être indulgent face à des coïncidences évidentes.
- Dsl, je n'aime pas trop la 1e Cawei.

=> Une très bonne série Mystère dans le genre historique.

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Things doesn't seem to be what most of the watchers think.

At first I also feel flustered when I saw yang cei Wei was played by other actress instead of JJY(in ep1 and 2).
But the think at that time pan yue doesn't have proper feelings for yang cei Wei because they haven't met since 10 years and even if he loves her the most he didn't know how she looks like after 10 years when he saw characteristics of her and token then after he concluded that she is her childhood friend yang cei Wei. After body swapping he really fell in love with yang cei Wei in JJY body(at first he only wants to marry her because she was her best childhood friend and also a marriage contract was also there) so at first he didn't care about looks and wants to marry her(not because of love) but as they spend more time with each other(when JJY plays the role) he really fell for her.
This review is for those who dropped this drama because of body swapping and all.

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I nearly missed out on this drama because of you-know-who

I was here for ML after Blood of Youth and Destined, but I hesitated because of You-know-who, but was assured in the comment section that she's "improved'.
She has indeed improved, but I'm not sure whether is for good or worst.
What I'm trying to say is, this drama is a good one, give it a chance. ML and the rest of the cast really shouldered the show properly.
I wish the original actress was kept instead of.... because that face swap thing doesn't make sense at all, what with body figure (one was obsessed with being thin), voice, height even but we get the reason behind the switch. Hmmm.

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No character consistency

This drama had potential, with a decent plot and the mystery elements but fell short in character consistency.

The Good

The drama started off strong with the 2 leading characters Pan Yue, played by Liu Xueyi, and Yang Cai Wei, played by Zheng He Huizi. The story was intriguing with the crime solving elements and decent chemistry amongst the characters. The acting was strong and made it an interesting watch. We also had Shangguan Zhi, played by Ju Jingyi, introduced as the obsessed 3 wheel who brought a twist to the story. The costumes and visuals were really nice and the OSTs were also good. That’s as about a good as it got and then it went downhill…

The Bad

The main issue was the lack of character consistency after the face swap. Besides her appearance, her character arc/personality completely changed from being either of the 2 characters. On the one hand, we understand that she is pretending to be someone else but at the core she should have pretended to be Shangguan Zhi. Yang Cai Wai was reserved, calm, independent, with her guard up. Shangguan Zhi was possessive, cold, calculating and mean. Introducing Ju Jingyi as the main leads, she was neither of these things. Once the two girls switched, there was a clear difference in the characters and it was hard to connect Ju Jingyi as either Yang Cai Wei or Shangguan Zhi. This further made things unconvincing to know that she was actually the original woman. I’ve seen Ju Jingyi in lots of dramas and have enjoyed some but can’t help but think that her character is a little type cast, in which she is a copy paste version of the same character in every show she is in. I don’t see clear differences in her acting style from one project to the next. The directors should have also known better to make sure that there was consistency with the characters because old habits die hard. No matter if their appearance changed, the underlying essence/nature of that person would not.

Some people or fans of the leads may enjoy this. I myself am a fan of Liu Xueyi as he is an amazing actor but I had to drop this one because even his acting could not keep me interested. Make your own decision on whether to watch. It was a no for me.

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It's a keeper for me

I decided to write a review after a particular scene in episode 8 sparked a cherished memory. It reminded me of the classic film ‘Heaven Can Wait’ (1978, starring Warren Beatty), where a glance into his eyes reveals his true identity to her, despite being in another body. That moment always gives me tingles. Having watched the film countless times growing up, I find this drama evokes similar emotions. It’s a story that celebrates inner beauty and true love, transcending mere physical appearances. The series is not just about laughs—though it certainly has its funny moments—but also mystery, intrigue, and a compelling narrative. I was captivated from the first episode and eagerly anticipate each new one.

Liu Xue Yi is fantastic as always. He's a real star.

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