The bags under my eyes are starting to resemble those of veteran actor Ni Dahong!

I’m up to episode 45 (of 60, not 75, it turns out) of Ever Night and my imagination is too filled with it to stop watching at a sensible hour. (By the way, if he looks familiar, he was the Emperor in Rise of the Phoenixes.)

More (non-spoilery) after the break.

While there are sequences that hold less interest for me (the Yan crown prince and his father, blah blah), the majority of the story shows that for once they got the order right when it came to filming. I’ve read that they prioritized writing first and polished the script for about 2 years. They also spent more of their budget on locations than on costumes (some people have relatively few costumes of note), but those are for the good. They also have more than a few well-cast pieces of eye candy to suit both male and female tastes. (Like baddy General Lin and good guy Number One at the Tang Academy, the latter played by Taiwanese actor Marco Chen).

Marco Chen

Baddy General Lin

But I really appreciate the youthfulness that Chen Feiyu (Arthur Chen) brings to the role of Ning Que, because he is age appropriate and natural on camera. His ability to relate with all of his cast-mates, from newcomers to senior talents alike is refreshing, and I especially like his chemistry (at this stage a mix of fraternal/guardian) with Song Yiren as Sang Sang. Their bond really transmits across the screen; he’s the only person in her life and she matters above all in his as they’ve survived so much together.

However, as much as I enjoy their work together, the pairing I have liked the most so far has been that of Chen and veteran Taiwanese actor Chin Shih Chieh, as the wily Divine Talisman expert Yan Se, who becomes Ning Que’s teacher, protector, and father figure. These images in a sequence from a point where they are to part say everything.

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Please don’t tell me that Chin felt nothing but love and admiration for Chen while working together because the twinkle in that old man’s eyes when he interacts with his pupil is so genuine!

I also really like the sincerely loving relationship between the Emperor (Leon Lai) and his Demon Empress (Shi Shi); it looks very convincing, plus he’s a devoted dad too (even when his older son is such a scumbag).

I’ve got just 15 episodes to go (and then I’ll have the long wait for season 2… darn it), and then maybe I can get some sleep!

#arthur-chen, #chen-fei-yu, #chin-shih-chieh, #ever-night, #leon-lai, #marco-chen, #ni-dahong, #shi-shi, #song-yi-ren, #tong-yao