Final review - The Winner is Love (2020)
Final review/ rating: And the Winner is Love (2020) - Aesthetically beautiful but too much talk and not enough action
Final review/ rating: And the Winner is Love (2020) - Aesthetically beautiful but too much talk and not enough action
This is 6.5/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼
Overall rating: 6.5 Stars Plot: 4 Stars Acting/cast: 7 Stars Couple chemistry: 7 stars Music: 7 Stars Re-watch value: 3 Stars Enjoyment factor: 5 Stars |
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| Smiling Leo! Bring it on! 💓 |
Full disclosure: I came for Luo Yun Xi and stayed for Luo Yun Xi...
I was so excited when And the Winner is Love was in the works - finally, a historical wuxia drama in which Luo Yun Xi is the main male lead? No more going through the tortures of the damned as Luo Yun Xi suffers endlessly in heartbreaking scene after heartbreaking scene as the second male lead? (Don't get me wrong, Luo Yun Xi does heartbreak and tragedy gut wrenchingly well. It's just that I want to see a drama where he gets to smile, and flirt, and get the girl for a change). And the Winner is Love ticks all those boxes, so that's a win, but...
SPOILERS AHEAD
A plodding plot and tiresome dialogue...
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| Please sweep me off my feet too, Shangguan Tou (Leo Luo) 💕 |
Luo Yun Xi is absolutely gorgeous and looks like he just stepped out of an ancient painting as Shangguan Tou (more on that later) and Yukee Chen as Chong Xue Zhi is a beautiful heroine. I mean just look at their "meet cute" moment as he swoops in to her rescue and literally sweeps her off her feet... (see right).
However, despite the serious eye candy factor, I have got to say that the plot, dialogue, and pacing were off. For the short Cliff notes version of the plot, see my spoiler free synopsis here.
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| Prince Lu: ps) his fan work isn't as good as Leo's) |
There's way too much talk and way too little action for a wuxia drama.
I can't recall how many times we get the same dialogue pattern of Shangguan Tou discussing his undying love for Chong Xue Zhi but that the timing is not quite right to confess his love for "x,y,z reasons" to [insert here, Chong Xue Zhi's godfather aka "second papa" Lin Chang Rang or his best female friend Qui Hong Xiu or his sister Shangguan Zheng...] and those friends giving him good advice, to just get on with it already. Anyway, you get the picture. There's a lot of angsty introspection over numerous cups of tea and/or wine. And although Luo Yun Xi is gorgeous from every angle, there's only so much tea and introspection one can handle in a wuxia drama😅
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| Shangguan Tou, self sacrifice for heroine, times infinity |
Part of the reason for the snail paced dialogue is that the main characters fall for each other too fast for a 48 episode drama.
So the script just manufactures a lot of misunderstanding and angst to string the viewer along - we get the full panoply of drama land clichés: hero rejects heroine because of unresolved childhood trauma and commitment issues, hero nearly dies to save heroine, hero is ready to love but heroine now running shy, hero and heroine confess undying love but stupid misunderstanding due to obsessed other woman ensues, hero nearly dies to save heroine (again), heroine's turn to be dying, pointless love triangles (neither the stoic Yuwen Mu Yuan nor the besotted Lin Feng Zi, stand a chance with our heroine and hero respectively). It's all a bit tedious and left me longing for some true blue wuxia action.
Picture perfect couple
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| Picture perfect💓 |
All that said, Luo Yun Xi as Shangguan Tou and Yukee Chen as Chong Xue Zhi are a picture perfect couple. The fact that they look so very good together means I'm willing to overlook the aforementioned tedium to enjoy the sweetness of this OTP.
And while I have criticised the script, there are some very nice lines too eg) when Chong Xue Zhi asks Shangguan Tou whether he is afraid that she will transform the Hall of Flames into an evil sect and endanger him by association, and he answers that if she does so and becomes a demoness, then he will accompany her to hell itself. That line, as delivered by the one and only Luo Yun Xi... oh be still my beating heart.💓
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| Yukee Chen as Chong Xue Zhi |
Plucky heroine Chong Xue Zhi
I rather liked Yukee Chen's cute Chong Xue Zhi - it's not really the actress' fault that the script does not give her much to work with and what little there is, she gives it her all.
Chong Xue Zhi may be somewhat naïve, but her nature is open and honest. She is understandably intrigued and charmed by the dashing Shangguan Tou, who always seems to come to her aid when she most needs it. Also, he keeps sending her those oh-so-flirtatious glances... so it's not particularly surprising when she swiftly falls head over heels in love. (I mean, it's Luo Yun Xi, at his best. Enough said😍).
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| Lady in red |
When Shangguan Tou rejects her declaration of love, Chong Xue Zhi displays an admirable dignity and determination not to be one of those annoying clinging ivy types. That contrasted well with her rival for Shangguan Tou's affections, the spoilt and stalker-ish Lin Feng Zi. The drama allows us to see Chong Xue Zhi's heartbreak and fighting spirit, which was a win for me. It's not difficult to understand why both Shangguan Tou and Zhou Ting Wei's Yuwen Mu Yuan love her - she is endearingly plucky. She also looks stunning in red.
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| Shangguan Tou bringing his flirting A-game |
Shangguan Tou - the nonpareil
As for Shangguan Tou... while the character was a bit frustrating, I absolutely love the fact that in And the Winner is Love, Luo Yun Xi can finally show us what he can do as a playful, devastatingly handsome flirt with a fan.😍The first few episodes are a joy to watch for this factor alone - I've never seen Luo Yun Xi quite this flirtatious and happy in a historical drama.
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| Swoon-worthy Shuangguan Tou |
Give us more of this smiling (smirking), happy Luo Yun Xi! It's worth sitting through the lack luster plot and pacing issues, to enjoy the effortless charm that Luo Yun Xi exudes.
Again, it's not his fault that the script makes Shangguan Tou somewhat tedious at times. Luo Yun Xi more than makes up for that with his speaking eyes, his gorgeous smile, and the nuance that he brings to the character - honestly, he can portray everything from heartbreak to happiness convincingly.
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| Zither playing, in a forest of peach blossoms |
Did I mention his way with a fan and that he plays the zither like a pro? And that he moves so gracefully that you wouldn't be surprised to know that he was a professional ballet dancer before becoming an actor? He is so ethereal that I feel a particular strong gust of wind could send him floating to the moon (rather than Moon Valley) and that he needs a few substantial meals. I volunteer!🙋😂
A Gorgeous soundtrack ...
There are also some lovely songs in And the Winner is Love. I particularly liked 缘起 (Fate Begins), sung by Luo Yun Xi (yes, the man can also sing) and 缘落 (Fate Ends), the duet by Lu Hu 陸虎 and Zhou Shen 周深.
And a happily ever after
After 47 episodes, one is more than ready for the happily ever after in episode 48. It's a satisfying one - Luo Yun Xi finally gets the girl!💕
Final thoughts
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| If only they had given me a better plot... |
🐼: And the Winner is Love is something of a slog, but if you are a die hard Luo Yun Xi (or Yukee Chan) fan, then you will enjoy their OTP. I did. The aesthetics are gorgeous and the acting and chemistry is good. If only they had given more thought to the plot and pacing. Feels like a wasted opportunity - this could have been an epic wuxia drama.
6.5/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮
