User Reviews

So let me explain a bit. The show is entertaining enough. Easy to watch and enjoy. However, don't expect a show that shows a budget. Its a bit of a telemundo type of show. Over the top characters, over the top acting. In japan, they speak 3 words Japanese, and then everyone speaks spanish fluently. Russians speak better spanish than russian, and except for the asian looking characters, the don't even look the like. Every woman wants to screw the main character (yes, even the bad ass croatian gangster needs to kiss him after being on screen for 5 whole minutes).

So yes, it is an entertaining show, but acting wise (and the likes) it crawls towards a b-class show. All the way to the scene cuts and music.

What initially attracted me to this Series is its reference to Samurai. Having studied Samurai, Buddha and some Ninja (limited), my interest was piqued.

I gave this a rating of 6, but it could as easily have been a five. While the actors did a good job, not a great job, the plots and sub-plots were repetitive and redundant. It is if the script writers wanted to see how many ways they could say or do the same thing.

The Series' reliance on Samurai is loosely knit. I watched the entire two-part Series, finding continued frustration with certain personalities who seemed never to evolve. The level of violence and betrayal is portrayed well. I am pleased that I never have known people such as those portrayed! I also wonder how Mexicans who watched this series reacted to it.

The Series also is quite long, and one wonders if the writers were simply trying to string the Series along until it gasped its last breath. The Samurai Warrior aspect is tokenistic. But. It was worth watching; only once, though.

Actually, watching in OST, I am usually not very keen of watching such Telenovelas, because they tend to become exaggeratingly dramatic and women overact. This is a latin pleasure of telenovelas that we call "culebrones" as well (like snakes, never ending).

But this Telenovela has some good ideas and some budget. Let's say I liked until 36th episode and then got bored... nothing moves much. First, the main role, Miguel Garza, the kakkoi guy... supposingly back from Japan where he grew up after his parents died when he was very young. It's obvious he cannot speak Japanese at all and his best friend there, Tadamichi san I think doesn't give much credibility neither. The topic of Japan is not so much (and not enough) exploited when it should be the "cherry above cake" of that series. Plus, they didn't travel to Japan... budget reasons probably or authorisations... most recordings from Japan outside are blur old recordings taken probably from an old documentary and other scenes, inside are just decorations looking like and Japanese typical houses can be built or maybe they have in Mexico, like gardens. Some incoherences... Japanese Yakuza, when they say a few words in Japanese... arghh... they are probably Koreans, no other explanation, JUN as well.. or Chinese. Please... this could have been much nicer! (For example the Outsider with J. Leto was really well done). Another proof that actions never happen in Japan... cars... steering wheel is on the left and in Japan it's like in UK... first time when we see a Mercedes, it can be as a foreign car, but all cars are with left steering wheel. And they try to make it look like by showing driving left on abandoned roads... well, i am picky there, but the Japanese side was quite disappointing and even more when they spend time there around 34th episode, it gets clear that public places (only what seems to be Shinjuku could look real, when Tadamichi walks on the phone)... Roppongi... no way. And restaurants look very western in anyway... when Yakuza's boss is eating alone... only chopsticks make it look a bit asian. He is not asian even himself. The only guys looking Japanese don't open their mouth. Ok, that's for the "Japanese side" (I got married 12 years to Japanese, so I know a bit). Now... the main character... at beginning, he seems to reflect a bit of Japanese cold behaviour whatever happens, like a samurai... and he does some kendo tricks.. or karaté. But most of the time he is very passive and only smiles... when everything around him happens. When he is into action, nothing special more than any other action movie... We spend like hours expecting him to "show" a bit more about this influence he received from the rising sun country... never happens... maybe later at season 2... To be very honest, the best characters you can have there... like them or not... are Epigmenio (we don't like him, but he is good in acting), Adela depends, but we cannot stop starring at her eyes, Carlos Duarte as politician, Jimena... as a blond attractive lady, but she is a bit too much. Chisca... I don't like her at all and she is the most uncontrollable of the series, but actually, thanks to her, things get messy and remind us about this latin telenovela... but then repeat a bit too much afterwards too... we get tired of her. Dora, the mother is credible in her role. She acts as expected. The journalist is a caricatural person and his personal story is all but interesting... he seems to bring the good "moral" into the story, but nobody believes it. The "Majordome" is very funny actually... At the bottom line, the series is based on Mexican narcos killing each other a lot, many guns and business and sex above it (we never see to much, no worry). It's entertaining during a few hours... but I cannot watch season 2... I hardly ended 1 (38 episodes) by fast forward... still worth to watch.

I write this review as an American after seeing El Dragon's series 1 & 2 on Netflix. This telenovela is a very handsomely-produced and directed romantic thriller similar to the excellent 2016 British romantic thriller "The Night Manager."

The main strength is the actors playing the hero and heroine: Sebastian Rulli (as Miguel Garza) and especially Renata Notni (as Adela Cruz). To say these two actors have chemistry is an understatement. And Ms. Notni is one of the most charismatic actors I have ever seen; and, Mr. Rulli is not far behind. This is what is so great about streaming services: Americans like me can watch excellent tv/theatrical movies and actors from other countries. I think with this production, Mexico has joined South Korea and Spain on that level. And I hope Mr. Rulli and Ms. Notni will get a chance to star or co-star in major Hollywood movies. (I recommend watching their performance with subtitles; not with dubbing.)

Other strengths are the elegant and clever dialogue written for Mr. Rulli and Ms. Notni when they speak to each other, as well as the bad guys' non-politically-correct dialogue. Add to this the excellent cinematography; and, most of the twists are well-thought-out; they do not occur because of contrivances.

There are some flaws. Two irritating ones are the many storylines crisscrossing one another; and, the makeup. The investigative journalism portion is not even needed, distracting from the main story. And making up Mexican actors to look Japanese seemed very amateurish. No money for Japanese actors?

But the major flaw by far in my opinion--and why I selected a spoiler alert with this review--is the fate of one of the principal characters at the end of Series 2. If there is a Series 3, I cannot see how it could remotely be as popular without this character/actor. Possibly a dream sequence added to the beginning of a Series 3, like the famous Bobby-Ewing-return in the popular tv soap opera "Dallas"?

Writers ruin it for everyone by killing the Adela Character? too bad, I like the series. Will not watch again.

What a ludicrous way to start this episode. Not even in a 3rd world country could the boyfriend of the patient do cardiac resuscitation. The acting is wooden at times , but nothing can be done about the +++++++ writing. The only way to explain this is to use it as a dream. a bad one at that. Jack

I can't explain how my wife and I survived 38 episodes of this show. I think it has something to do with the fact, that we just needed to see where it brought us to. And that was to an ending so bad, that you're left with a feeling of......well don't know.

The writer couldn't find a way to stop the show, so it ended up with an explosion that could kill all the characters but two.

Am I going to see season 2 if it appears? Hell no...

You ruined everything with the caracter Adela that she had to be the one that dies in the end! I really loved this tv show.

The characters are entertaining, although sometimes cartoonishly so. The storyline premise is believable in principle, but it's ruined by script writers' lack of knowledge how the real world works. For one example, what United States IRS agent gets to jaunt around on the government dime chasing a foreign national on some wild-a*s hunch (and complete lack of knowledge of income tax law) he owes U.S. income tax? C'mon! And at least have him and his cohorts speak English in the Miami office and dub in for the Latin audience. At least have him chased around by the SEC/FBI for possible insider trading and stock price manipulation, not the IRS and one local cop, neither of whom have any chance of working together on a real world case and neither of whom would have any jurisdictional reason to give to their superiors. Second example, how does Tashco find out everyplace Miguel is going to be in and around Mexico and manages to get there ahead of time ready to shoot him? Third, what tech-savvy crime lord doesn't have security cameras in his house?

I am halfway through season 1, I will stick with it because it is entertaining and I like the protagonist crime boss using brain, not brawn (mostly) and the females are mostly easy on the eyes.....however, I will cringe mightily every time the script travels beyond the city limits of Cuidad Jimenez and basic drug trafficking business.