Hi, could I ask what are your opinions on hzgg? Although I do give unfavoured shows a try, your word still has a LOT of weight to me. It seems like a lot of people love the show and I was wondering if you'd recommend it? Thank you so much, I love this blog!!!!
Before anything else, a caveat. I have spent....(how old am I now...) 15 years of my life writing HZGG fix-it fanfic, so I am in no way an objective source on whether you should watch HZGG.
First, I would say, watch the first season to see if it’s to your liking. I feel that HZGG is a show that worked only for the time it was made and stuck around because its audience continued to love it for all these years. Certainly, personally, if I were to watch it for the first time now as an adult, I will be nitpicking the hell of out of it.
Second, the first season, though short and has relatively less production value, is succint and not overly problematic. I liked season 2 for the shippy, emotional connection, but in terms of characterisation, there are problems. In particular, Xiao Yan Zi gets quite annoying at times. Granted, Zhao Wei somehow made it work, and I would not tolerate it so much if it were another actress, but still, season 2 does rely on a lot of Xiao Yan Zi is dumb humour that gets on my nerves now on rewatch. There are other minor issues too but Xiao Yan Zi is the main one.
Third, do not watch the third season. Or, be like me, watch it, become so enraged and spend the next 15 years writing fanfic to fix it.
P.S.: Do not watch the remake. Alternatively, if you watch the remake, do not watch the original. They’re different shows.
-H
