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The Long Call (2021)
Just a brilliant British drama!
I found this series really engaging and is one of the few dramas I've watched this year that didn't rely on 'subverting expectations' as a plot device or unnecessarily annoying protagonists that do the dumbest things... It just felt like a solid British crime drama! Excellent performances from everyone and some truly beautiful atmospheric shots (helped greatly by the beautiful Devonshire countryside).
Overall, I'd recommend this if you're a fan of British murder mysteries/crime dramas!
Anne Boleyn (2021)
From someone who actually watched the series...
Despite the many bitter and petty reviews complaining about Anne being played by a black woman (most of which are reactionary more than anything and probably haven't even watched the whole series), this was actually a series with brilliant potential. Visually it was beautiful, although I did feel the music left a little to be desired, and certain parts were edited a little strangely.
The main actress captured a sombre and proud version of Anne, forced to navigate the unforgiving landscape of Tudor England. I think the characterisation could have made her more sympathetic, but I felt it was more true to reflect the ruthlessness required for a woman to survive in the Royal Court.
My main critique is the series' portrayal of Henry, who they made out to be weak and undefined. It is funny that I've seen few comments on his poor characterisation in this, despite the fact we know a lot more about him than Anne (since so much of her life was erased from history after her death).
I think the series should have based itself around Anne's time in the Tower, since that was easily the strongest and most emotional part of the series. Having her reflect on her life, her decisions, would have made her a lot more relatable and sympathetic throughout the entire series, and not just in the final episode.
What I'd say is give this series a go, it's by no means the best series telling Anne's story, but it doesn't deserve the dire reviews it has been given.
Chen qing ling (2019)
Amazing series!
I'll admit that I've never read the original story, or seen the animated series, so I was going into this completely blind (basically; all I knew about the series before I watched it was all the guys have long, luxurious hair and fight each other graceful with swords whilst flying through the air... Oh, that and the fact the main two characters are in love...), but I have to say it really exceeded my expectations in many aspects!
I don't think I'm the only one who'll say that the first few episodes are a bit confusing to get into (especially when you're not familiar with the source material) which makes them drag just a little bit. But I'd say if you're feeling this way at the start, definitely try to stick with it! The story continues to get more interesting and intense, as well as things get explained as it goes on! And the characters all go through some really great development through the 50 episodes, which makes them more relatable!
As far as complaints go; my main issue is with some of the ways scenes are filmed and framed, particularly in very emotional scenes... It wasn't necessarily bad or too jarring, but it did pull you away from the immersion a little bit! The cgi isn't the best, but that's to be expected considering this didn't have a massive budget... It wasn't too bad to pull you out of the story, though, so I'd say it wasn't too big of an issue!
The biggest thing I'll commend the series on is something I imagine everyone has already said: that being the handling of the relationship between characters, particularly the main two! It's no secret that this is based on an lgbt ('bl') novel, and that China have strict censorship laws that don't allow depictions of that on screen. However, the producers and scriptwriters really were able to develop a believable and touching dynamic between the two main characters throughout the span of the series in subtle and well done ways! And more than that, the other friendships and relationships of the series were made believable and touching too!
Overall; it's an emotionally invested and well made drama, with some pretty decent acting on the most part and a bunch of really engaging and interesting characters!