I loved how this drama shows that everyone has a past that has turned them into the type of character they were in this drama. No one was truly the most evil. Everyone had a story. This drama showed there is truly no such thing as a truly full good person. Everyone can turn into a bad person. We are all humans. We can be tempted by greed, lust, power, wealth, etc. We will do whatever it takes to survive. I loved that deep meaning shown in this drama.
The cast in this drama blew me away. The actors were all A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Holy crap. They all deserve an award. They brought the characters to life. I loved how the actors did not over exaggerate. Everything seemed truly natural.
Kudos to the director too. Even though Zhen Huan was the main character, I didn't feel like the director was overly focused on her at all. The director really let all the characters get their time to shine. The director also didn't change the setting into like some fantasy love story with tons of over exaggerated corny action scenes or love scenes, etc. just for the main characters also. The director tried to let all viewers see what it was truly like to live in the palace during the Qing Dynasty.
The costumes.were all fucking beautiful. I would love to own any costume shown in this drama. I think the costumes really added life to this drama. Without the colorful costumes, this drama would be truly bland. No colorful costumes giving eye gasms and spazz moments to viewers~
The music was so enchanting to hear for me. Every song suit the scenes in the drama perfectly.
Even though this drama was amazing, I will not rewatch it. The amount of episodes is way too time consuming. I also feel so constrained in feeling stressed out while watching this drama because the drama is mostly focused on everyone fighting for power in the palace, and that gives off a very stressful feeling for me which ends up making me feel so stressed out. It's like I feel trapped in my emotions of stress when I have to to sit through and watch complicated drama with people trying to all harm each other just for power, which can get annoying and tiresome. While watching this drama, I've had my share of irritation and stress... I don't want any more of that, lol. But if you feel like you could rewatch this drama, go ahead! This drama is just not my kind of drama to rewatch.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This drama shows the politics in the harem which leads to the death of the Emperor. The Main Lead starts from being naive and then transforms into tough woman ready to take on the other scheming concubines.I feel bad for two people here - One is Duke Gao(Yunli) who never got to be with his love and the other is Concubine Ning.
While Yunli loved only one woman in his entire life and considered her as his only wife,he suffers a lot because of separation and also drinks poisoned wine to protect his love.
While Concubine Ning always protected what Duke Gao loved -whether it's his love HuanHuan,his twin children,the silk trees he had planted for HuanHuan and also kills his murderer(the Emperor). She commits suicide after accomplishing her mission. Throughput her life she always loved Yunli though it was one sided love. She never wanted to have any children with the emperor and sticks to it.
HuanHuan needs thank her three maids,Duke Gao and Concubine Ning for her survival. Though she is the best and the smartest in the harem,yet these people help her stay alive.
Was this review helpful to you?
Sun Li and the supporting cast acted very well. I liked how Sun Li's character changed from the beginning to end while struggling to survive from all the sabotage. She did a great job displaying various emotions. Even though the drama was very long, but the costumes, prop set up, scenes, etc was jaw dropping - so beautiful! Great drama! Definitely one of my favorites.
Was this review helpful to you?
absolutely AMAZING
this is my first review, and i just HAD to write it about this drama!!! I am a native chinese speaker so it was easier for me to understand, but i do have to make it clear (even though i've never watched it with english subtitles) that people who don't understand chinese will have a harder time really understanding it. that being said, it is a 11/10 type of drama. for me, it holds a special meaning because it is the first drama i've ever watched, and I have watched it over 8 times. Sun li's acting is absolutely incredible, and so is everyone else. My favorite female (besides FL) is definitely jiang xin who played hua fei, the concubine who almost always wears pink and is very sassy (and does some very terrible things). For those of you who have watched Yanxi Palace or Ruyi Palace, it is very similar. The timeline of this drama and Yanxi are the same, and the next generation is Ruyi. However, all three of these dramas are (mostly) historically inaccurate. If you are trying to learn the real history, go search for a textbook or videos online. Although there were some frustrating moments in the drama, it is literally so so good. definitely recommend everyone to watch (native speaker or not) and enjoy!!Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
The pros:
The story is set in the imperial harem and the daily lives of the imperial concubines are imagined, detailed and portrayed in a way that I don't expect to see in any other drama.
Characters are really really good. Especially Consort Hua and the Empress. They were the characters that kept me interested throughout the drama. Their backgrounds, reasons, intentions and feelings give their characters such a charisma that I think I will never forget.
Visually the drama is second to none and acting is outstanding in a way I can't stress enough. Also details in behavior, customs and mindset of the characters are very well done.
The music is wonderful and couldn't be more perfect and appropriate.
The cons:
The beginning of the drama is very slow. It takes a long, long time for something important to happen.
Too many times I felt like the writers were focusing too much on side stories and the main plot was less important and didn't feel as elaborated. I never felt like it was the story of Zhen Huan. I mean, she was there and all but her story was never the focus of the drama, like the title suggests. The writers were too busy with side plots and touched too little on her story. We're talking about a drama that is 76 episodes long, people! And we're also talking about a drama that is called 'The Legend of someone' but that someone doesn't do much??
Before watching this drama I thought Zhen Huan was going to be a badass protagonist but she just happens to do nothing...
One of its mistakes was the weak ending. I was expecting so much more!I never felt like it was actually ending except for the fact of having watched too many episodes. The ending happens out of nowhere. There isn't a strong build up. It just happens out of the blue... I'm not saying the ending doesn't make sense, but you'd never see it coming because there isn't enough build up and you can't guess what the main character's intention is in the first place. Like throughout the drama you can never get a clue of what's she's thinking of doing or planning to do. Is it the best decision when writing a story? The main character should be the one you know best but I guess not here.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This drama is quiet special to me i dont know why. This drama is actually very slow but it makes sense since it started when she was just choosen to be a concubine of the emperor. She is simple,innocent and doesnt want a palace fight. So to make the story short time has come and its her turn to shine she become emperors favorite. Other concubines started to envy her and do some scheming that cause her miscarriage. She become pregnant again but because of empress sheming she was sent to nunnery and there she meet emperors brother and she fall in love. She thought that the one she love yunli already died she go back to palace and gave birth to twins and she let everyone believe that is emperors child. But soon emperor suspect something that they are having an affair so he order her to kill him by letting him drink a wine with poison. He died even though not her intention and that is the reason why she totally hate the emperor she take her revenge by becomming an empress and secure her sons future. Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best historical drama
Oh. My. Gwad. This drama is pure fire! Empresses in the Palace has completely redefined the way I rate historical dramas—it’s that good. If you’ve been craving an intense, angsty, costume drama that leaves you emotionally wrecked (in the best way possible), this is it.The acting? Beyond perfect. Every glance, every tear, every subtle expression hits hard. The costumes and makeup? Absolute perfection—every character feels so alive, and the visuals are nothing short of breathtaking. You can feel the emotions in every episode, like you’re witnessing history unfold right in front of you. And let’s talk about how brilliantly it captures a woman's reality in ancient times—brutal, heartbreaking, but so compelling.
And the chemistry? If you know, you know . The dynamic between Zhen Huan and you-know-who was so beautifully tragic that it shattered my soul into a million pieces. Any drama that can make you feel this much is an undeniable masterpiece.
If you’re into lighthearted, fluffy stories, this might not be for you. But for a true costume drama lover? This is hands-down one of the best out there. I didn’t think I’d have the attention span to get through 76 episodes, but even if I only watched one or two a day, I was hooked. I had to know what would happen to our girly, Zhen Huan. Her character arc is absolutely devastating but also a testament to her strength.
She’s a queen. This drama is a must-watch. Period.
Was this review helpful to you?
With that said, you need to be a person with a certain level of patience to finish this drama. The story is well executed, the actors high caliber and the drama level high... however, it is very slow paced. The focus is on the relationship between the leading ladies, the palace intrigue and the power struggles of the inner palace. There are no gimmicks to entertain the audience. Therefore, if you are someone who needs plot twists and action after every episode to keep you hooked, this drama is not for you.
Personally, I loved watching Zhen Huan. The acting was superb. The costumes so beautiful. It felt like I was watching a Chinese version of a Jane Austin novel played on screen. While Jane Austin's female protagonists can feel a bit vanilla, Zhen Huan was a breath of fresh air. It was a joy watching her change from a doe eyed, somewhat naive yet bright, young girl into a manipulative, jaded and vengeful Queen B. She had the makeup and the acting chops to pull it off. I also learned a lot about Chinese history with this drama. My knowledge of female titles in the inner palace was limited to concubine and empress...who knew there was such a hierarchy?
All in all, this was a very beautifully executed, smart drama that felt real to its time and worth the journey. I highly recommend it.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
still the best cdrama of all time
I have now watched the full 76 episodes no less than four times. This is the only cdrama I have rewatched more than twice. But it's still so good and I discover new details every time.If you're into palace dramas, like me, Zhen Huan Zhuan is just really carefully plotted, shot and acted from beginning to end. Sun Li put on an incredible performance but Jiang Xin (Hua Fei) and Ada Choi (the Empress) are both amazing as well. My only major nitpick is that some of the minor concubines are annoying and simple, but it's balanced by the detailed and complex main characters.
We start off the show when Zhen Huan is just a clever young girl, who has ideals about romance. Coming into the palace, all the concubines want the same thing. However Zhen Huan is an idealist, so she still overcomes the scheming of her rivals and falls for the Emperor. But in the end, the other concubines are not the real enemy.
Zhen Huan's journey from naive girl to the powerful but lonely empress is masterfully depicted by Sun Li, who can convey changes in emotions through the smallest changes in expression. It's really her greatest work. But I am still hoping someone can make another one like this.
Was this review helpful to you?
An absolute masterpiece
This drama is absolutely phenomenal. Excellent pacing, wonderful world-building, complex characters. Over 76 episodes, this story is brewed to perfection. I usually don't like long dramas but this needed every single one of those episodes.We meet and get to know the characters, their world, and their patterns, and begin to see things from their point of view. At every point, we are shown and not told: we see love blossom, we see friends become lovers, we see the subtle suspicions that cause cracks in relationships, and the ways people fall out of love. It is, of course, a drama and therefore heavily fictionalised and not historically accurate, yet somehow it all seems very plausible and almost recognisable as the real world because of how well it does this showing without being overly heavy-handed at any one single point.
It's an amazing story of power, love, favour, joy, freedom, obligation, propriety, conflict and pretense that says to us over and over again "official records in history may not always be what they seem." I liked that the leads are normal people and not anime-style heads and shoulders more intelligent/talented than everyone else. They're normal people who find themselves in positions of history and do the best with what they have.
Another thing is that the characters are built for their context and not to satisfy our 21st century sensibilities and although sometimes frustrated by this, ultimately it made me appreciate this drama more.
Of course, the main plot rises and falls, and within it the arcs of the sub-plots rise and fall, and yet despite that it remains engaging and interesting throughout. Every arc is interesting in its self and not just as build-up for something else and that makes this drama really special.
100/10, would recommend.
Was this review helpful to you?
I made an exception for this though, and I'm glad I did. Its Netflix title is 'Empresses in the Palace' but this is inaccurate. There is only one empress at the start of the story and several concubines of different rankings. It's about the difficult lives of women in the harem. It's about survival, backstabbing and making your way to the top. This was interesting enough to watch (I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan!) as I liked the palace intrigue and maneuverings. The main female character Zhen Huan, starts of as a clever innocent but ends up as a ruthless Empress Dowager - this is not a spoiler since the very first episode already shows her as an old woman. The story is told in flashbacks which may take away a bit of the suspense as you already know she's going to end up fine.
Also, while she does end up ruthless and cynical in the end of the drama, I don't think she ever acted cruelly or unfairly. She never did anyone wrong...unless it was in revenge for a wrong done to her.
The drama is successful in showing how the most manipulative, backstabbing person can actually have a sad backstory...and while you don't justify or make excuses for their actions...when you find out how and why they turned out like that... you actually feel sorry for them O.o It also shows the exact opposite story arc. It shows how characters who appear meek or kindly or honorable are actually cruel or cunning in reality.
Overall, I like it because of the strong female lead (Betty Sun/Sun Li has that Betty Davis thing going on with her eyes) and the good performances given by the entire cast. The costumes looked great, the palace looked grand and the story was fascinating yet depressing at the same time. Looking at these women's lives made me think how horrible it was amidst the grandeur and luxury. They were like pretty animals in cages. This kind of story really isn't my thing (hence the imperfect rating) but it's a really good drama and worth a shot if you want to see a historical based on Chinese dynasties and harems.
Was this review helpful to you?
