Saturday, December 23, 2017

Review: When a Snail Falls in Love

Hey all!

I don't usually watch Chinese dramas, but this one seemed a little shorter so I gave it a try when it was new and trending: When a Snail Falls in Love! 


Interesting story because of all the twists and turns, but it definitely felt... lacking.

The romance wasn't all that, sadly! I know that these are the actors in Ode to Joy and have chemistry, which is evident in this show. They seem subtly attracted to each other in a few cute scenes as the show progresses. But the romance isn't the focal point of the show (even though in my opinion it is advertised to be. I mean, A snail falls in love). The characters are all police officers. 

We get to the action pretty soon when someone I thought would be an important character romance-wise gets brutally murdered. 

But my problem was that even the whole murder action plot-line was relatively predictable and not as exciting. The action scenes were alright, but the overall story was not as exciting.

I will say, the story has a lot of twists and turns, and follows one large narrative of the murder plot and all the dirty business that a corporation is trying to cover up in its wake. One thing leads to another, which leads to another, and perhaps that audience is left hoping the whole thing will end.

And at the end it's hinted they want a sequel... On the bright side, watch it while you're bored and doing something else, it's decent if you watch it occasionally as it plays in the background. Harsh? Maybe... :') 

I commend the show for having rather strong female leads. The main character is a tiny cute sociopath who enjoys drawing, played by Wang Ziwen (who really is so small oh my gosh). She is the department's psychological investigator (think Holmes, but not as well played-out).

She acts well! It's a convincing role as XuXu. She's constantly protected by Ji Bai, though, who is this super macho tough "show no emotion" type of bad boy hero with a conscience, the head of that police squad(?). He's a charming guy played by Wang Kai, and I enjoyed looking at his jawline. However, beyond that slope, his character development was left off at high kicks, judo flips, and being the tough guy. 

There are times of the show when the main character and plot really does impress you. Xuxu is the only one who undergoes any character development, from her reserved shell to doing some pretty daring things that end up saving the day. She doesn't whine or cry a lot despite her "cute" archetype, which is a blessing. 

While the female characters are all strong and hold their own, the friendship between them really isn't developed well... I guess this brings me to a vice of this drama. Other than the female lead I didn't see much character development from anyone. The side relationship was a little forced too, even though it was cute as a crush in the beginning of the show. 

The show really advertises the cute drawings aspect of the show (omg it's like a comic book story of a snail falling in love with a lion!) - that's not the case. The romance can get a bit dry and sudden at the end because they don't really build up to a true romantic relationship. It's more of a mentor-mentee relationship, and that wouldn't have been such a bad thing either, but not what was promised, and not what it becomes. 


It's an interesting story, though! All in all, it's a relatively short drama (21 episodes, 30~ minutes each), so it's not a huge waste of time or anything. Can be a been-there-done-that drama. I've never watched Ode to Joy but it seems well-received, so I'd probably rather watch that. 

The action in this show really gets down in the second half, and I almost wish the whole thing was a nicely made movie. Would've been cute! The character relationships could have been better developed, the lead would have still had her spotlight, and the main pairing might have built more momentum and not been so sudden (or one-sided... we had no clue the guy liked her back for a long time there).

To summarize, it's not what it advertises, so you might be disappointed if you're expecting one thing but getting another. But yea! I'd give it a 2.5/5 rating, so watch it if you really just have that much time to spare :') 

Tell me what you thought about it - whether you agree or disagree! All opinions welcome.

Luv and Hugs,
Ritz

Monday, December 18, 2017

Original Poem: I am Ritika

Preface: The third of my "self-defining" poems. This one is short :)

I am Ritika
by Ritika Roy Choudhury

I am A Speck
Daughter of passion,
Who needs attention and pays little,
Who loves being Hero,
Who sees romance where there is none,
Who hates when others don’t believe in me,
Who fears drowning in mediocrity,
Who dreams of power and a world of sympathy,
Who has found poems to be solace in storms,
Resident of chaos,
Of Stardust.

Original Poem: I'm Still the Same

Preface: We're working on a poetry unit at school right now, and writing a few self-defining poems. I'll likely post three of them. This one was a comic one (because my life is a jOkE hAHA) and because the others were a little more somber.

I'm Still the Same
by Ritika Roy Choudhury

I was 10 years old,
A little naïve
A little too trusting
A little short
A little nice
A little scared
A little excited

I am 17 years old,
Still a little naïve,
Still a little too trusting,
Still a little too short,
Still a little too nice,
Still a little too scared,
Still a little excited,
But now I have boobs.

Original Poem: Who I Am.

This poem I modified from a self-definition poem we were asked to write in class. I tried to be creative.😅 Thoughts?

Who I am.
   by Ritika Roy Choudhury

I am |me, myself, and I|
(Though sometimes I wish I wasn’t)
Daughter of a mother who is a daughter still,
Daughter of a |father, and he himself|; I have his eyes,
Sister of success where I have failed,
But I - am not jealous.

I am a boulder.
I am filled with  feathers  ,
I am a stack of oreos,
blackwhiteblack that somehow go together,
overconfident, crippling self-doubt;
powerful, lazy;
Indian, American;

               I am never me,
                 in my body and head -
               I am tall,
             thin
               graceful,
             I have sparkling eyes
             and a plump cherry smile,
             a funhouse mirror.

I am delusional, I am crazy,
I believe in myself when I guarantee nobody would believe in me,
I hate myself to bits, and I pick up the bits every time,
I am a product of my worlds and I am an upheaval in existence,
And this havoc has
something to prove,
something to show,
something to fight,
something to SAY
I am.

…not sure what I can be -
me?