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Excellent All Around
This show delivers on most things required of a 45 episode historical series.Story: Clear plot goals. Unexpected plot twists. Closure on subplots. Excellent intrigues with intricate subtleties. The scene editing is brilliant, leaving viewers questioning what they thought was going to happen and what is actually happening.
Acting: Character growth is obvious and distinct per character storyline. Actor chemistry creates the feelings needed in scenes of even little importance. Strong female characters who face and sometimes overcome their flaws. Considerate male characters who maintain patience despite societal norms.
Music: The OST is beautiful throughout the show, fitting each scene so well that it's hardly noticeable as a separate entity.
Rewatch Value: With 45 episodes, I doubt I'll ever watch this show again. However, if there is ever a sequel picking up from the ending, I'd likely watch it.
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Good Casting and Script writing(for novel non readers)
First of all if you dislike the fact that they have massive age gap. Lols. In ancient times thats normal. Even the emperor have plenty of concubines which can even be considered as his children already due to age gap.What I like about this is the chemistry and the cinematography plus the script writing . What really impacts the overall quality of a drama is the director. I like the melo/romcom vibe of this drama. It is wl balanced there are alot of drama with good stories whats lacking is timing, chemistry and good cinematography.
I have been watching dramas for almost a decade now. Same with anime I cant count the movies, series, webtoon, manhwa and anime that I have watched.
What attracts me is the first 10 episodes and this series captured my liking. What i am looking is chemistry, story balance, and cinematography so far this drama has it all. This drama have the Story of minglan vibe for me.
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Do you love to hate treacherous women?
I'm slowly falling in love with the male lead. I find the storyline interesting. Why? The male lead already has several concubines before marrying the second wife (female lead). We already know it will be drama with women sharing the same house and fighting for one man's affection. However, like the series Yanxi Palace, the lead female has a reason to enter the Xu household, and it has nothing to do with the affections of the male lead. That's right; initially, she's not interested in him and speaks her mind freely. There's also a similarity to the Story of Ming Lan, where both females marry a Marquis and live in a house of treacherous scheming women. Yes, I can give more examples, but you get the picture. Actress Seven Tan is adorable and can be considered a serious female lead. Every character she plays is alluring and makes you want to keep watching to the end. The male lead, Wallace Chung, plays the cold Marquis who takes responsibility for his women, especially the main wife. He seems emotionally distant from all of his women yet believes in love but has yet to experience it. Therefore, he only wishes to live amicably while taking care of his responsibilities. This production has a 50/50 chance of ending on a good note.Was this review helpful to you?
What A CHEMISTRY..!!i wanna sue them for making me sleepless and insane?
First of all i am not a fan of chinese historical drama cz they hardly have happy ending or those which has happy ending their FL's maximum r so annoying to watch...But i must say this one is so so so...(sorry my dictionary has no appropriate words for expressing my feelings🤗)CAST:
If i could give 100 then sure i will give it a 100 ratings..
★FL--- Luo Shiyi (Tan song yun,7 tan).. This girl has all the capacity that can attract audience..in "UNDER THE POWER'' she did a splendid job👌,,i have never bored Just by seeing her..her every movements says different things,sure a multitalented actress!! But the role of her in this drama is different(totally)..OMG!! She potrayed the character really well..independent,strong,outstanding looks and attire,,mature acting,,charming eyes to look at the ML(🥰)..everything about her is soo beautiful.. I m gonna be a big fan of her sure..😍
★ML----xu jingli(wallace chung)... I have never seen his drama.i didn’t watch general & i cz i Don't like angela baby's acting..bt heard he did a outstanding job their..same goes in this drama too.his love for his wife is so obvious in his every actions..the affectionate look of his to his wife, my god its really make me replay Again again..Though he potrayed a character of cold general but his some cute action surely make u fall for him..such a charming actors in costume..
Both the leads did a great job in building their relationship..😍
Other cast::
They did also a good job..concubine qiao really did a good job to potray a hateful character..the servants girl and general fu is also catches my attraction..they were pleasant to watch.❤️
★STORY:: I m now in 35 ep.bt i heard this is a happy ending,and saw some ending clips with gorgeous looks of FL&ML walking together..if it's a happy ending that's enough for me..cz their chemistry is enough to overcome any difficulties Before ending..i heard some had prblms with ML having concubines,i mean seriously u want to watch historical & also want to avoid this.it was common in chinese ancient time.bt blv me u Won't feel awkward..its only focus on lead role and secrets among others character.&its based on a Novel,so u can't avoid this..
★MUSIC:: Be together ost--- its just so soothing that i can hear while sleeping..another songs sung by Seven tan (FL) her voice gives a relaxing vibes..i Don't know why..i really enjoyed her singing (specially "" Like a breeze""❤️ from Go ahead)..
★Overall:: i really love the storyline,cinematography,FL+ML attire,looks,stage, direction everything..i have never watched ongoing drama..this is my first time cz really enjoyed their chemistry..although there is so much secrets,and conspiracy..But FL smartness❤️ and ML caring,and smooth voice❤️ to her wife really makes me smile Everytime i saw them..😊i m satisfied..
★Rewatch value:: what to say!! Already i rewatch 3 times from ep 1-30..nd some of their sweet moments i rewatched them again and again..(specially the ML passionate kiss to FL,it was so attracting to watch).& i even can't restrain myself to see their "Behind the scene" in u tube.their chemistry both in onscree and off screen are outstanding..
Lastly,,Where is the age gap?? Where is awkwardness?? Those who said this before releasing the drama i want to say them.."r u kidding me??"i even can't feel 1% of this..they looks like made for each other..❤️🧡❤️
THANKS 💗
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Cannot seem to stop watching it!
Series is still ongoing and just cannot help to write a prelim. review for those looking for new drama to watch. So far it's been an addiction for me.Story line is pretty easy to follow and typical in my opinion but it's written and developed well. Fell a similar vibe as "The reputable family, The merchant, and General & I" thus if you like those series, you should like this one as well. Characters and their relationship developing throughout the episodes...still not sure where the story will go (maybe I should read the novel too lol) but hopefully won't be one of those with many fillers just to extend the series.
There is a separate discussion about the "harem" but don't let this deter you from watching (I almost drop it myself at first).
Cast are seasoned Actors/Actresses, it feels realistic and very believable up to this point.
Overall, I really like the series and cannot seem to stop watching and waiting for the next episode!
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Failed attempt to recreate the magic of Ming Lan
This is a sleep fest. The story if existent is boring . Lady protagonist , although does things behind family’s back , most of the time lying and has hidden agenda, is a very strong ethical character( or so we must assume). It looked like they tried very hard to make it look like Ming Lan . Lost patience after 30 episodes. It has no story . Female lead was a disappointment both in terms of acting and the character. The lead characters have no chemistry. They tried to build up suspense of the female protagonist’s mother’s murder and it was a long stretch. She could put Sherlock Holmes to shame.Well that was my take. See if you like it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Hope there will be happy ending.
Beautiful story , credit to the writer and producer.So far , I am enjoying watching this drama even it was little boring in the first few episodes.
First I didn’t like the male lead has too many wives and he doesn’t smile at all but really glad that he will find some someone to make him falling in true love and smile again . Wallace is so talented , charming and handsome actor who does a great job professionally.
Love how strong, smart and funny the female lead is ...Seven Tan is very cute and adorable, she is such a beautiful actress.
A successful soundtrack can always convince the audiences to look forward to watching the film.
Thank you for English Subtitles.
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This review may contain spoilers
A slow paced, well developed period drama with romance and betrayal within an aristocratic family.
I watched this drama a couple of months ago, and I fell in love with the way that the story was told. I will admit that I didn't think this drama would be good after watching the first episode, but I was wrong! This drama reminds me a lot of the drama The Story of Ming Lan. The only con to this drama, and most Chinese period dramas is the fact that the amount of episodes are more than required. After the male and female lead finally felt secure in their marriage, I lost interest, only because it took almost 30 episodes to get there, and I felt like it could have just ended there. Maybe one day I will pick this drama back up but right now in my mind, this drama is worthy of a 9 for the first 30 episodes.Was this review helpful to you?
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I probably would still give them a perfect score whatever happens in the remaining episodes
First of all I know I'm biased. But Wallace is my favorite actor especially his He Yi Chen portrayal. And Seven is my costume drama fairy because I only enjoy her Yuan Jinxia performance.Second let me discuss what I don't like;
The screenwriter has a really great source material worthy of becoming a classic but decided to take the easy road by writing the popular and overused scenes like the hero saves a lady as the first encounter. I understand they don't want issues with plagiarism because it can bring a lot of problems. But after watching 8 episodes I think no one can say they plagiarized. Imagine characters have different personality ,missing main characters , additional characters and different storyline. Sister Zhen and the Binju are not in the story which is quite surprising because Shiyi easily got foothold of the Xu mansion because of sister Zhen. And Binju is her most loyal maid unlike Donqing. So yes the scriptwriter deserved the criticism.
Then the plot holes which is still due to the screenwriter. Best example would be the concubine Qiao LAN managing the household. I mean Madam Tai is still active, there is still the second lady and the fifth lady. So why does they let a concubine take charge? Wouldn't they be a laughingstock?
What I like
The acting is really great. I've read the novel and I love it but I still enjoy the series because the cast are great.
The costume looks beautiful. I've seen criticism about the costume andn I dont know if they are right but when I checked out the supposed costume I'm glad they didn't use that because I like what they use now.
All the OST sounds great.
The pace is good. It's not dragging and it's not too fast. It's just right.
The voice sounds good to me. Either Seven's real voice or Wallace dubbed voice.
Lastly did I tell you I love the main actors?
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When story is written with with overly victimized lead character that runs 3/4 of episodes long, it gets tiring and exhausting. The romance and triumphs were overshadowed by excessive degradation of the lead character and couple of other female characters.
It would have been nice if there was a balance but mostly the story from beginning evolves around the lead character being put down, degraded, humiliated, hurt, set aside, bullied, plotted against, etc. Gets exhausting to watch something like this even when the ending is in positive good light.
The lead female doesnt seem to fit the character. I was not content with her portrayal of a victimized person that only knows how to be nice and sweet to get through the abuse. There were a few situations wherein by speaking up she could have avoided the chaos but it was written to produce chaos to solve.
The male lead was convincing with his portrayal.
The wardrobe dept did a great job. Production obviously put a lot of work on details.
There's light humor that if you dont pay attention, youll miss. Many scenes that were unnecessary.
All artists were excellent in portraying their roles. Its the way the story was written that exhausted me emotionally.
I am seriously wondering why the writer didnt consider writing this story in a way that showed a much stronger character for the female lead.
At any rate, for me, I prefer to be entertained not be irritated consistently enduing 45 episodes of consecutive bullying, plotting, chaos and problems.
I probably wod have not fast forward a lot if theres a hook of triumps & accomplishment for every 10 degradation, bullying, and abuse but its a continuous negativity and suffering for the female lead and other female characters that i got exhausted and frustrated.
The ending is good but just like anything positive ornrewarding it was short and glossed over.
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This review may contain spoilers
Wallace Chung caught my ?
Can't believe he's 51 years old by the time I finished watching this drama. But phew what a journey. Story is old school theme; belittled concubine daughter turns out very smart, logical, and sensible. She didn't ask to be a marquis' wife, but circumstances put her that way. And unlike the other 3 concubines the marquis already has, she didn't bother to fight for his affection nor favor. She has embroidering skill and wants to do business with brocade while fighting a stereotype of a noble woman shouldn't do any business. She did it in secret. Everything is fine from the beginning, the plot is written with care, the slow burn romance is fun to watch because ML has so little smile but the changes can be seen after he fell in love with his wife. BUT, thing go downhill after episode 38. The repetitive plot (betrayed by her trusted maid, stabbed in the back by jealousy concubines) just to get rid of some ppl so we can get the ending, which is "the husband who is devoted to his wife, he won't take on another concubine". And of course some fight to beat the corrupt minister who wants to take down the marquis. I hope china film industry can fix this kind of plot. I keep watching these kind of series because i want to see the lovely costumes, the acting skill, and the cinematic feels of the environment but the story always threw me off the drain.Was this review helpful to you?
Continuos engaños al espectador en una trama que prometía
La historia empieza bien, con unas bases interesantes, pero a medida que avanza se enreda en trucos de trama que ya no deberían tolerarse hoy en día. La impermeabilidad del algunos personajes (como es el caso de la abuela, utilizada continuamente como antagonista de pocas luces) junto a trucos de melodrama fáciles y recurrentes hace que mi valoración, de un 9,5 casi 10, haya ido bajando hasta un 7. Esto último obedece al buen hacer de sus dos protagonistas sobre todo: buen acting y gran entrega al drama. Por lo demás, si querían tratar el tema de la situación de las mujeres (me parece una idea fantástica) podrían haber trabajado de manera más creativa en vez de ir y volver sobre temas de manera ramplona y maniquea. Una decepción.Was this review helpful to you?
