I write this review as an American after seeing El Dragon's series 1 & 2 on Netflix. This telenovela is a very handsomely-produced and directed romantic thriller similar to the excellent 2016 British romantic thriller "The Night Manager."
The main strength is the actors playing the hero and heroine: Sebastian Rulli (as Miguel Garza) and especially Renata Notni (as Adela Cruz). To say these two actors have chemistry is an understatement. And Ms. Notni is one of the most charismatic actors I have ever seen; and, Mr. Rulli is not far behind. This is what is so great about streaming services: Americans like me can watch excellent tv/theatrical movies and actors from other countries. I think with this production, Mexico has joined South Korea and Spain on that level. And I hope Mr. Rulli and Ms. Notni will get a chance to star or co-star in major Hollywood movies. (I recommend watching their performance with subtitles; not with dubbing.)
Other strengths are the elegant and clever dialogue written for Mr. Rulli and Ms. Notni when they speak to each other, as well as the bad guys' non-politically-correct dialogue. Add to this the excellent cinematography; and, most of the twists are well-thought-out; they do not occur because of contrivances.
There are some flaws. Two irritating ones are the many storylines crisscrossing one another; and, the makeup. The investigative journalism portion is not even needed, distracting from the main story. And making up Mexican actors to look Japanese seemed very amateurish. No money for Japanese actors?
But the major flaw by far in my opinion--and why I selected a spoiler alert with this review--is the fate of one of the principal characters at the end of Series 2. If there is a Series 3, I cannot see how it could remotely be as popular without this character/actor. Possibly a dream sequence added to the beginning of a Series 3, like the famous Bobby-Ewing-return in the popular tv soap opera "Dallas"?
The main strength is the actors playing the hero and heroine: Sebastian Rulli (as Miguel Garza) and especially Renata Notni (as Adela Cruz). To say these two actors have chemistry is an understatement. And Ms. Notni is one of the most charismatic actors I have ever seen; and, Mr. Rulli is not far behind. This is what is so great about streaming services: Americans like me can watch excellent tv/theatrical movies and actors from other countries. I think with this production, Mexico has joined South Korea and Spain on that level. And I hope Mr. Rulli and Ms. Notni will get a chance to star or co-star in major Hollywood movies. (I recommend watching their performance with subtitles; not with dubbing.)
Other strengths are the elegant and clever dialogue written for Mr. Rulli and Ms. Notni when they speak to each other, as well as the bad guys' non-politically-correct dialogue. Add to this the excellent cinematography; and, most of the twists are well-thought-out; they do not occur because of contrivances.
There are some flaws. Two irritating ones are the many storylines crisscrossing one another; and, the makeup. The investigative journalism portion is not even needed, distracting from the main story. And making up Mexican actors to look Japanese seemed very amateurish. No money for Japanese actors?
But the major flaw by far in my opinion--and why I selected a spoiler alert with this review--is the fate of one of the principal characters at the end of Series 2. If there is a Series 3, I cannot see how it could remotely be as popular without this character/actor. Possibly a dream sequence added to the beginning of a Series 3, like the famous Bobby-Ewing-return in the popular tv soap opera "Dallas"?