CGI?
Opinions on the CGI
shareAfter watching the first episode, I've almost skipped this show solely on the effects alone. There is a lot of better TV shows on Netflix in terms of visual effects, I can see just with the bad effects coupled with the cheesy scenes from the first episode turned off many new viewers on Netflix. There are more than a couple of themes/cliches borrowed from the West, I just wish it wasn't so blatant. It detracts from the great ideas and story that I typically enjoy from Asian TV shows. This probably explains the horrible rating (went from 3 stars to 1 in a matter of a week).
With that said, I find the production value, the decor and the makeup/costumes to be excellent. The colour grading also is on point. The actors and actresses perform great and are all beautiful to look at. The visual effects are definitely a hit or miss kind of deal; you see a lot of the green screen bleeding on the characters, the lion is extremely poorly animated, the city looks like a blend of Game of Thrones + Frozen rip-off. The particle effects are ok. The rest are non-immersion breaking enough to not distract from the show itself.
Besides the occasional cheese, I think the show is definitely underrated (on Netflix) and worth a second chance to at least explore it for five episodes to see if you would really like it. I'm currently hooked and already binged to episode 25.
I'm currently on episode 20, and yes the CGI is awful but I have endured that cause I love the story and visuals of costume, hair and makeup. I think I will be finishing this series cause I have invested now on the characters.
Let's see how this goes.
I'm on episode 47 now. Without spoiling anything, I gotta say it still holds up.
Really gotta say that one really strong point about this drama is character development. Pretty much every character is well written and they all have their unique traits, personality and story arc. Even the antagonists are awesome, there are reveals and plenty of surprises even past episode 40.
Negative points remain on below average visual effects. Despite the generally excellent makeup and costumes, there are jarring issues with the wigs. You can clearly see the mesh that connects their skin to the wig; it's especially obvious on the ice princes. The color contact lenses are also taking a toll on the actors, often times exposing blood vessels contrasting their blue and green eyes.
There are also some filler episodes and repetitive themes. Otherwise, I will also complete it and post a final review.