Jill Simms

"Crash Landing on You" is absolutely stellar Korean modern day drama. It's stacked with the differences between North and South Korea politics, social flow, fashion style, cuisines, and overall culture. Yet, the one undeniable similarity is "love"...for love has no boundaries. The lead male and female performers oooze with the chemistry for one another that is clearly undenial. I noticed a "natural" romantic flow between the lead me to surmizing that they have an off-screen very real relationship! And they do! Actress Son Ye-jin portrays South Korean high society corporation owner and heiress Yoon Se-ri who crash lands into Ri Jeong-hyeok a North Korean military captain portrayed by actor Hyun Bin. The connection conjunction occures when Yoon Se-ri accidentally crosses the North Korean border. Status, material possession, and even marital commitments established when the characterrs were but children, cannot override love. For love is the emotional glue and source of energy and determination that keeps the leading male and female together. Their relational also keeps this production's viewers glued to every episode. The secondary female lead Seo Dan (portrayed by actress Seo Ji-hye and secondary male lead Gu Seung-jun (portrayed by actor Kim Jung-hyun) bat 1,000 is their own right as they display the emotional turmoil experienced by those subjected to unrequited love. Yet, the ENTIRE CAST deliver performances worthy of making a "Crash Landing on You - PART 2." Although I'm a true fan on historic, palace, costume dramas, this modern day drama is worthy of high praise and I would encourage lovers of Asian Dramas, romanticists, comedy lovers, global politic enthusiasts to CHECK-THIS-ONE-OUT...it's truly a winnder! I don't chase after celebrities...that's not my gig, but I discovered the lead actor and actress tied the knot in March 2022 and recently welcome a new edition to their family.

Princess of LanLing King - 2016 I was determined to find “Princess of LanLing King” and oh! I’m so very glad I finally located the 2016 edition on YouTube. Captivating storyline, beautiful wardrobe, quality wuxia segments, and quite a believable-relatable predicament of not being able to decisively select a single love-of-her-life. Yuan Qing Suo / Duan Mu Lian (played by Baby Zhang) continually struggles on who to choose as “the one.” The two male leads: Gao Zhang Gong (play by Andy Chen) and Yu Wen Yong (played by Peng Guan Ying) are simply perplexed due to deception, untruths, and a manipulative momma. Yet, the twists and turns of the plot kept me curious about the ultimate outcome. When all was said and done, I asked “Why?” instead of shouting “Hooray!” Interesting ending, but still very much so worth-the-watch. I’m now searching for this Chinese Costume Drama’s 2013 version.

Don’t be fooled! “Perfect Couple” is definitely worth-the-watch! Although the beginning episodes have elements of quirky slapstick comedy, this Chinese Costume Drama evolves to have an intense storyline of filial piety, love, devotion, and power struggles. The on-again off-again romantic relationship between Yu QiLing (played by Tiffany Tang) and Jin YuanBao (played by Wallace Huo) was reminiscent of so many stormy relationships that I know of. Tiffany and Wallace carried out their roles so well that some viewers might even think this couple was engaged in an off-screen romantic relationship when this CCD was originally produced. If you enjoy music soundtracks as much as the program itself, Perfect Couple has an awesome soundtrack…I didn’t know Wallace Huo had such a great singing voice. However, while watching this CCD, I reflected on the 1973 song “Break Up to Make Up” by the fabulous American soul group “The Stylistics.” Yup! That’s how this story goes. Even the momma’s boy role of Gu ChangFeng (played by Huong You Ming) was quite true-to-life. Wow! I know a few ladies who dated momma’s boys, only to be disappointed that the momma won out over the girlfriend. And the ever-so-patient Jang Xiao Xuan (played by Gong Mi) reminded me of the sweet-polly-pure-bread girls who are patient, kind, long-suffering, gentle, and loving…and eventually win over the hearts of over bearing mother-in-laws. Even the supporting cast members solidly carried their roles extremely well. As you might can tell, I’m a huge fan of great storylines and great performers. I have to admit, I was a little concerned about the final “minutes” of episode 45, but the ending made me quite pleased. So…don’t be fooled, this 2014 CCD is worth-the-watch. Stick out the first few episodes, because if you’re lover of really good relationship storylines, you’re gonna give this production a thumbs up!

Two sisters, two brothers…emersed in ongoing political, romantic and familial struggles. All four leads were well-suited for their roles and effectively carried them through. Supporting cast was solid as well…and quite believable portrayals of scorned women as well as unrequited male lovers. Perhaps the characters were portrayed so effectively, as a viewer I found myself frustrated with their decisions…at one time or another. Funny, real-life situations and decisions cause us to be frustrated as well…so these leads…Meng Ziyi, Aaarif Rahman, Li Yitong, Wang Zhuocheng…and the entire support cast, nailed it! I loved the storyline, although the arch nemesis (Elder Princess Fu Qing, portrayed by Lan Xi) “seemed” to exit too soon. The ending was somewhat “flat”…strange…I was hoping to see at least one child born and papa Xue Wei (portrayed by Fu Jun) remarry. Welp! Wishful thinking…happens in life too. Overall, Legend of Two Sisters in Chaos worth is the watch. Oh, by the way, the wardrobes were FABULOUS!

So I was simply scrolling through my Amazon Prime account and had just enough time to squeeze in a movie and came upon Call of Heroes. I LOVED IT! CALL OF HEROES IS SO WELL-PACKAGED! REALLY GOOD STUFF! My preference is Chinese Costume Dramas (historical, palace genre to be more specific), yet I was pleasantly surprised by Call of Heroes. Wow! The storyline was so very well executed; great acting, and great pace. There were several quite surprising (actually shocking) as well as subtle character twists that made me know this was not a light-weight production. Plus, I’m not a particular fan of wuxia, but the choreography was simply wonderful. The “duels” looked so “real”…perhaps the actors truly know and/or have the skill of fencing/swords play/dueling. And the “flying” was quite good. Again, these remarks are coming from someone whose not particularly into modern-era productions, or wuxia and fantasy productions, but Call of Heroes is quite captivating. Also, it is apparent that the actors are seasoned and skilled at their craft. So believable…from their scripting to the subtleties of their facial expression. This movie, although launched in 2016, made me hopeful there would be a sequel!

“Sword Snow Stride” simply delivers! This well-rounded production kept me engaged in the storyline, scenery, wardrobe, cinematography. There’s never a dull moment. I particularly loved the character development of the male lead Xu Feng Nian (portrayed by Zhang Ruo) and even the support casts. Although the start of this production appears, visually, somewhat lackluster, I actually enjoyed how the storyline and “visual effects” evolved. As with all the Chinese Costume Dramas I watch, I look for character believability and relatability. SSS is packed with “realness” of relationships – parent-child, siblings, friends, mentors, and even adversaries. While some relationships connect for a reason, others for a season, yet others for a lifetime. Quite true how people experience heart ache and heart break, as well as victory, triumph, and defeat. There’s vengeance, betrayal, disappointment; life experiences that are inevitable. Throughout the production, I rooted that the relationship between Xu Feng Nian and Jiang Ni (portrayed by Li Geng Xi – Teresa) would eventually mature. While with time, Xu Feng Nian seemed to “grow,” Jiang Ni seemed to stagnate in development. It’s unclear whether the screen writers intended for Jiang Ni to remain “stuck” as an immature bitter girl, or Li Geng Xi did not know how to grow into her role. But her character did not appear to keep pace with the male lead. While this could be true in real-life relationships, “something” was missing. As a young child she was adopted into the Xu family and even spoke words of wisdom to Xu Feng Nian when he lost his mother. Yet her character showed little-to-no character development. Overall, this production lured me into wanting to know and see more about the characters. So intrigued by this TV drama, I actually went back to replay many of the episodes. SSS is ripe for a second season. If and when the second season will ever hit the screen, is yet to be seen. Nonetheless, it’s worthy of continuation. Team-SSS, you nailed this production!

The IMPERIAL DOCTRESS is a GEM! If you are a fan of Chinese Historical Costume Romance Dramas, you’ll love this one! Particularly if you appreciate productions that contain real and relatable personalities and evolving character development. This TV series has a quality cast that effectively demonstrate the struggles of career, family, romance…and even self-discovery. While some might complain about lenthey TV series, for me, productions with many episodes are my preference. After all, life experiences take time and “seasoning” to develop and evolve character. And, of course, true love will stand the test of time. Great chemistry between the lead couple LIU SHISHI (Tan Yunxian) and WALLACE HUO (Zhu Qizhen). They leave you yearning for a Season 2 Series of this production to fully play out their relationship…but, oh well! I might add that even the secondary coupling of LIU with HUANG XUAN (Zhu Qiyu) and LIU with YUAN WEN KAN (Ye Xian) was quite good. All 3 pairings were realistic and relatable. Yes indeed! Family members do fight over their love interests. [BTW, I saw Wallace Huo in Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace and Huang Xuan in Red Sorghum and thought they were FABULOUS playing opposite ZHOU XUN!!!] The wardrobe and scenery are also note-worthy, and I actually followed-up on the historical connection regarding the real Doctor Tan Yunxian. Athough her romance with the royal brothers fictionalized the production…it was quite nice to see a female be acknowledged for her contributions in the male-dominated medical profession. Thanks cast and crew! Quite well done! A final note: I now see the style elements and cinematography connection between THE IMPERIAL DOCTRESS (2016) and THE IMPERIAL CORONER (2021). I actually liked the cinematography/animation add-ins that appears in both production.

Absolutely STUNNING! Even if you stripped away the exquisitely illustrious wardrobe, wonderfully-detailed set design, fantastically-effective photography, visual effects and camera angles, extraordinary sceneries, THE REBEL PRINCESS would still be an AWARD-WINNING production with a phenomenal storyline! From episode 1 through episode 68 the HIGH-CALIBER screen writing and TOP-TIER cast kept me glued to the screen. The “realistic” chemistry between ZHANG ZIYI (lead female Wang Xuan) and YIWEI ZHOU (male lead Xaio Qi) was undeniable! [Aspiring, and perhaps even accomplished actors should take note of the powerfully effective relationship between these 2 leads. The camera loves this couple-team. And BTW, EVERY pose that Yiwei struck commanded attention – quite a powerful presence!] Being “newer” to the Chinese Costume Drama genre I only recognized ZHANG ZIYI from CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON and MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA; HEWEI YU from THREE KINGDOMS, and YIWEI ZHOU from THE LONGEST DAY IN CHANG’AN. Obviously (for me) this is a POWER-PACKED line-up of performers. When viewing Asian Costume Dramas I typically focus on the storyline, character development, performer effectiveness, believability and relatability. However, with this production the caliber of the camera work truly stands out. It caught my attention, so it’s definitely worth mentioning yet again. I read some information that said when The Rebel Princess was first launched reviewers were complaining that Zhang Ziyi couldn’t pull it off portraying a 16-year old girl. Let me just say this, even if Zhang Ziyi had a 12-inch beard and 3-feet of grey hair while portraying the 16-year-old Wang Xuan, it would not take away even one iota from this program! Yes indeed, a beard and a yard of grey hair would not put a ding in this REMARKABLY EXCEPTIONAL production. Zhang Ziyi is just that powerful and skillful as an actress. This production raises my expectations and even the bar higher for every costume drama I will be watch moving forward! BRAVO CAST, CREW & PRODUCERS!

If you’re a lover of historic/palace/period dramas, watch Empress Ki. Early into this 50-episode costume drama I had to check to see if it was based on truth. Although it’s classified as a fictional costume drama, I discovered that Empress Ki of Goryea was actually Empress Gi of Korea. Apparently the Korean and Chinese/Mongolian records seem to disagree as to whether the Empress should be classified as a skillful shrewd leader or a traitor. [Afterall, fiction is more-often-than-not, rooted in truth and fact.] The storyline has many twists, turns and surprises…and I might add there was more heartache and heartbreak than celebratory encounters. While the story did have me fully-engaged, I yearned to see the a “winning” and loving relationship and happy-go-lucky childhood experience, but that’s life in the palace! Empress Ki is simply a production that is more intense than joyous. Ha Ji-won (Empress Ki), Ji Chang-wook (Emperor Ta), Joo Jin-mo (King Wang Yoo), and the entire cast WORKED THEIR ROLES AND DELIVERED! It can’t go without saying that the wardrobes were absolutely stunning! As the episodes progressed the wardrobes seemed to become increasingly more elaborate…simply beautiful! Although I felt melancholy at the end of episode 51, I still give Empress Ki 2 thumbs up!