Author: Dan Wild

Review of The Untamed – 2019 Chinese fantasy series

陈情令 Chinese fantasy epic drama At first it seems that not much is happening. The show strolls along for a few episodes as we get to know the characters and background. But something is different about this Chinese fantasy. The strength of the cast, the quality of the dialogue and the orchestral soundtrack make The …

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Justice in the City review 庭外和解 Accomplished Malaysian drama

Year: 2012Rating: MEpisodes: 30 x ~42minCountry: Malaysia, Singapore Sometimes translators insist on creativity where none is needed. The direct translation of 庭外和解 (tíng wài héjiě), “Out of Court Settlement”, is a good title. Justice in the City isn’t a bad title, but it’s not as evocative. So folks, the title “Out of Court Settlement” is available, coming …

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Wu Assassins review – Netflix fantasy original

Miniseries started flourishing in the 1950s. Now Netflix is breathing new life into the genre. I’m not a fan of spoilers. But I’ll reveal that this series is 10 episodes. The length of a miniseries generally varies from five to fifteen episodes, 25 to 45 minutes in length. Producers have the flexibility to develop plot and …

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Once upon a time in Lingjian Mountain review

Updated: 16/10/20 It takes a while to say the title (从前有座灵剑山) and this series takes a while to get going, but its quirkiness shines through. So did the warm, interesting characters, and sumptuous scenery and costumes. A big downside is the soundtrack editing and limited music often drowning out dialogue. And the cardinal sin of …

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My first trip to China revisited

The outbreak of the coronavirus has focused the world’s attention on China. Much of the Western media have been well-behaved and have avoided politicising the situation. Not all. Sinophobia is making a comeback, aided and abetted by the usual suspects on the fringes of the political spectrum. I have fond memories of my trip to China …

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Against the Tide review – Singapore drama

Here’s another one that takes a few episodes to find its feet, then you’re sucked in and the next 20 episodes are engaging viewing. I’m not quite sure what the title, Against the Tide, actually means, but then the show is full of enigmas. 逆潮 (nìcháo) could be translated as Counter Current, or as Google …

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Yes we can! review 我们一定行 Singapore drama

The Netflix overview for this show reads, “When a frustrated businessman starts his own firm, it soon morphs into a way to help senior citizens refresh their dying traditional trades.” Who writes these blurbs? This is not what the show is about. Are there any vacancies at Netflix for blurb writers? Indeed, helping senior citizens …

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Mind Game review – Malaysian drama

This 2015 Malaysian production hits all the right buttons. It maintains flow, suspense and plot development over its 30 episode run. I began watching this at the same time as Unriddle, which also features a handsome female cop as the lead. While Unriddle is quite watchable, it does have a few audio problems and isn’t …

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The Oath review 行医 Singaporean medical drama

It would be very hard to make a bad show when the four leads are Christopher Lee, Jesseca Liu, Ix Shen and Ann Kok. I can watch Ann Kok and Christopher Lee all day. Lee has presence, attitude, charisma. Ann Kok is feisty, alluring and vulnerable, capable of playing a conniving witch, as in Bountiful …

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The Legend of the White Snake review (2019 TV series)

I recently watched The Legend of the White Snake and it’s one of the best Chinese fantasies I’ve seen so far. At 36 episodes the length is just about right. It’s one fault – and something has to be done about this as it is also a problem in Ice Fantasy and Ashes of Love – is the …

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