People's voice
Since I am still learning English, I would like to apologize for any grammatical mistakes.I watched this drama thanks to @ataraxy 's review.
The drama is set among the first of the two periods of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, named "The Spring and Autumn Period".
This period was under the "fengjian" governance system whereby nobles - according to their functions and ranks (Duke is first rank) - , had authority over their states. Therefore, power struggles arose between different states as each of them attempted to defying the state of Zhou (in which the capital is located).
The story revolves around the states of Wei and Chu and follows Wang Chan, a political strategist who serves the people with his unwavering faith, wisdom and sense of justice.
The characters see their lives intertwined in the schemes elaborated either by themselves or others. Driven by their own or their state interests , we'll see how far they can go to fulfill their ambitions. Through friendship, loyalty, betrayal, love… The tight plot keep the viewer focused since the first episode till the end.
When it comes to political strategy, not everything can be told in words, especially when friendly or romantic feelings are involved. However, the actors managed to convey emotions by communicating beyond words, this is why I think the characters are perfectly portrayed. I was moved by all of them since they all have their depth and motives. Besides, the romance (about 20% of the drama) follows the progression of the story without taking over the main plot.
The story is mature, unexpectedly dark, there is violence and torture, but also humor, love and faith. There is no annoying character or illogical decisions taken out of nowhere.
To conclude, I would say that this is the story of people who stand up for each other and fight for what matter. This is also the story of people who fail (in friendship, love, politics...) and pay the price. Finally, this is the story of ordinary people doing something extraordinary : fighting for what is right, no matter the cost.
This drama is phenomenal. What an emotional rollercoaster.
P.S. « Cai ? Cai ! » I cried so much.
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An Actual Hidden Gem
This story was wild, unique, totally unexpected, and filled with twisted relationships. There's so many intensely crazy scenes that it's also really dark and heavy for a CDrama. When you actually stop and think about a lot of things that happen you'll say to yourself wow that's really messed up. There's still some humor in it though whether intentionally or through some of the absurd behavior some characters exhibit at times.Practically every character of note in this drama suffers and is either insane or goes insane at some point. Everyone is flawed. There are some really smart and insightful characters that can scheme well but it's not overly unrealistic. No one is omnipotent even if they're a brilliant strategist. The protagonist is ruthless and the antagonists are actually intelligent.
The acting is really good even though on occasion it can touch on being overly dramatic. The writing is generally great. This production is probably mid tier from the looks of it but it still features some interesting camera work, good use of color, and interesting set design.
This is absolutely worth a watch for anyone that desires "something different" than the typical historical fiction.
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This review may contain spoilers
Heavy
Stumbled across this series after Under the Microscope because of Stephy Qi, and she didn't disappoint.This is a mostly fictionalized story around Guiguzi since there is no hard evidence around these actual ancient texts. This has the highlights and the flaws of how older series were styled. There is a heavy-hand of dramatics but because the actors and dialogue are good, it is successful in drawing you into the story. But with it also comes with some overly drawn out and long-winded scenes. This a heavy plot with an abundance of schemes, politics, and unhappiness but it affirms the beginning turbulence with the warring states. It also shows how generational leadership can cause great downfalls, the reasons for citizens to overthrow rulers, and the difficulties and sacrifices required to implement drastic reforms.
Also as with some older series, wasn't a huge fan of the female characters (not because of their acting skills). Women had limited rights so can't expect a heroine in every drama but the females were hypocritical and just weren't very likeable. The slave woman also irked me quite a bit because she depicted such a realistic side of greed. She was saved from torture and potential death and then was freed by her benefactor but decided to immediately bring her lover into the picture? She would have known her benefactor had more than just a master/slave interest in her. If she remained a slave, she likely would have never been able to marry her lover anyway. But with such a new concept of freedom, she thought it was feasible for her to just pick up and walk off with her fiance unscathed?
The camera work here was a little shaky but the actions scenes are better than most because there's no "slow-motion" or CG work to it. The costumes lean just very slightly toward cheesy in the beginning with the claws and masks. Nevertheless, I think it's still worth a watch if you're in the mood for a more solemn series. Despite the journey of many twists and turns, it was done quite well compared to many others in this genre.
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