Stand by Me

I actually don't know where to start from!! Stand by Me was totally my type of costume drama. I loved it from the beginning. The scenery, the martial arts and fighting, dressing and everything else was so beautiful. I would say the storyline was a little different in the sense that the male lead (Qi Yan) was portrayed as the evil king since the start. Personally, I thought that he was really evil but later as the story unfolds, we find out his reasons for everything that happened. Some people may disagree and say that he didn't deserve happiness because a sin is a sin but then he didn't get a happy ending so I guess that was his punishment. He promised peace to his kingdom and kept his word.
The female lead's character was also great. Straightforward and brave. I kind of knew her real identity from the beginning so I was thinking that she would take revenge against the male lead when she finds out he was the one behind her family's tragedy. However to my surprise nothing like that happened. She understood him, stood by him and helped him until the end. This was my first time watching a drama where the female lead doesn't hold a grudge against the male lead after knowing the truth.
At first I really didn't like Qiu YanZhi even though I knew who she was. However after she finds out that Cheng Ruo Yu is her sister, she changes so much. I love the love she had for her younger sister. It was a real heartbreak that Cheng Ruo Yu finds out the truth almost when her sister is about to die. I really wished she didn't die. I love that Qiu YanZhi said in her last moments that her wishes are all about her sister.
I expected a sad ending from the very start but I was still shocked the way they made the ending. I guess the only way for the male lead to make up for everything was his death.
It was a great drama overall so I recommend it to everyone.

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A masterpiece for the eyes

This sent me on a roller coaster of emotions this drama.
At times it may seem like things were dragged on for too long but then they were justified accordingly.
It isn't too heavy on the idea of romance as 80% of the drama was more so focused on the struggles in power.
There were constant plot twists and not a lot of them were predictable so it makes it engaging.
The biggest warning I'll have to give you about this drama is the heartbreak and tragedy that occurs throughout it. Left me needing therapy fr.

Happy Binging! (makee sure to have a tissue box with you)

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Who stands faithful before the emperor?

A good story. The introduction of the story was filmed too short at the beginning of the episode yet it was relayed well.
The casts did their parts well. May it be small or big, there was no waste. Very good actors. Bravo.
The emperor here was named murderer. His people say that he killed innocent people for the throne. He was called a weak emperor, a puppet of eunuchs. Names that he has to bear. The emperor was left alone in the dark enduring all the shame. There was no one to trust and to lean on to. Who would believe him if he says otherwise? Who would believe him if he says he wants to change Chang'an into a better place? Who would stand faithful beside him?
Then, his s sword holder came into the picture that no matter how naive she was yet she has a big heart and a big understanding. This story teaches us loyalty, trust, love and hope.

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Good always triumphs over evil, it's a matter of time. Do you buy this ?

Based on a novel, this drama is one of the most interesting c-drama I have ever watched.
Directors and actors are brilliant ! The production gave it all to offer a high quality drama with wonderfull soundtrack, beautiful scenery and costumes and a very clever storyline.
We are in a chess game. We are not only watchers, we are part of the drama and are with the characters we choose to support. Are you moved by the emperor ? The beautiful piece taker ? The mad eunuch Qiu Ziliang ? The willful Sword Holder ? Any other character ? What are their real story ? Are they the ones we think they are at first ? There are hidden identities, there are secrets, there are plots, there are nice sword fights, there are struggles for power, there are human affections shared or not, there are mentally ill people.. There is amnesia, there is love, there is revenge.
There is no time for getting bored. There is action and emotion. We do understand everyone's point of view and intentions. That's what makes this drama so valuable.
Actors are at their best : they fit so well with their characters ! At first, I was not quite happy with ZhangYuxi's way of acting, but finally she was just astonishing ! Cheng Yi, Xuan Lu and Mickey He were as usual terrific. Michey He gives his all to incarnate a paranoid eunuch with bloodthirsty power. Thumbs up !
I enjoyed watching this show, I really didn't waste my time !

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Fantastic

I LOVED this drama. A definite recommendation from me. 10/10 rating and worthy watch. I am now officially a Cheng Yi fan. The roller-coaster of emotions, heartbreak, suffering, torching love displayed will play with your heartstrings. And Cheng Yi delivers with his top notch acting! The events and situations were similar to playing a chess game - which kept me very interested in the storyline and waiting to watch what is going to happen next. Loved the romance, even though slow paced. From acting from ALL, costumes and to the music - it's a great drama overall. With regards to the ending and the FL big smile when a certain voice requested a bowl of noodles - I am going to assume that they lived happily ever after in a simple life that they both really wanted after all :-)

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Interesting story with great acting but a little slow

The story is very good I enjoyed it very much also the actors did their best ,, I loved every character ,, there were no annoying female lead may be started goofy at first but then she grew up as a character on later episodes ,,, the male lead was the best ,, I loved every scene he was in ,, I did get bored a little in the middle because of some draggy episodes but not too long and there were some missing scenes that got me confused sometimes but overall the drama is really enjoyable to watch
it will get really sad in the second half and painful sometimes but that was the angst of the drama feeling what the male lead is feeling ,,,, I felt so emotional at the last episodes but is was really good
I hoped for more from the male lead's character ,, hoped he would do more to surprise everyone but he didn't not so much
I loved the second female lead more than any character in this drama because she was the best of the best of all of them
when I finished this drama I felt sad that's why I went to rewatch love and redemption again

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Drop after 5 episode

Overall after 5 episodes I found the plot is quite interesting, it's good with hiw the flow of the story goes. I also really like how the second FL written, really smart and calculating. What make me drop this drama is the FL, why her character written so bad. She's supposed to be a person that grow up in the palace or at least very close to the palace, educated to become a guardian with the purpose solely to protect the emperor. But.. FL in these 5 episodes I watched so far, was a very spoiled sheltered girl that doesn't have any basic understanding of what's going on in the palace, like how to behave as an official, who's who in the palace, hell.. she doesn't even know who's the real boss in the palace.

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Beautiful suffering.

Oh boy, I am still reeling from the last few episodes down until the Emperor’s last breath. I honestly lost so much sleep, bingeing this show. I must be a masochist (and more of a Cheng Yi fan now) that while this show no doubt pained me, Qi Yan and Cheng Rouyu brought out the best feels amongst any character pair I have ever watched in any cdrama. Evertime they are on screen, even though you know it’s gonna hurt, you cannot help but watch how every scene will unfold. Alas, their beautiful suffering.

This is a riveting imperial court drama playing a game of thrones. It is very interesting how they used chess as the show’s plot tool. Equally interesting is the menagerie of characters, the plotting, the maneuvering, the twists and the turns. It will keep you hooked or at the very least you wanted to see Qi Yan and Cheng Rouyu together.

I cannot say enough how great Cheng Yi played Qi Yan here. He is a brooding tainted emperor, a loner and a stab-happy brilliant strategist oozing with sensuality. Zhang Yu Xi was beautiful, naive but loyal to a fault. Both devoted to each other.

This show isn’t for the faint of heart. I like to think that at the very end, Qi Yan faked his death and he is the one Cheng Rouyu was smiling at. I also like to think that their next life is portrayed in their modern drama “South Wind Knows My Mood”, but knowing how Cheng Yi chooses his shows, prepare your heart once more, you might be in a for another heartbreak 💔.

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Keep you guessing

Emperor WenZong was locked in a deadly power struggle with the formidable Duke Qiu Zhi Liang, a highly skilled eunuch who had attained great power and dominated the court. The emperor and his ministers started the Dew conspiracy in an attempt to overthrow Qiu Zhi Liang.

Sensing that the Dew conspiracy was unlikely to end well for the imperial family, QiYan the emperor’s younger brother took side with Qiu and assisted in defeating the conspiracy to earn his trust. The Prime Minister Wang and his family, and many who participated were massacred during the turmoil. His two granddaughters escaped severely wounded and were separated.

Years later, WenZong was poisoned and died under house arrest. QiYan, his younger brother ascended the throne with the support of Qiu. Planning another conspiracy, Emperor QiYan schemed to overthrow Qiu – an attempt which his brother had failed. Qiu Zhi Liang was now assisted by Qiu YanZhi, his beautiful foster daughter and a great strategist, was ever more powerful than before.

On the young emperor’s side was the Purple Velvet, a group of female fighters. This group unfortunately was on a decline. The emperor’s new sword holder who was both a bodyguard and potential new head of the Purple Velvet, was a pretty naive young girl by the name Cheng RouYu. Emperor QiYan was rather disappointed.

The relationship and trust between Qiu and QiYan had always been on thin ice. However, it became apparent there was a hidden third party in the game, planning to drive a wedge between them further. Who was this third party and what was their motive? Was romance going to kindle between the young emperor and the beautiful scheming YanZhi or the pretty naive Cheng RouYu? Was QiYan going to succeed with all the odds against him? Was QiYan gong to pay with his life for success?

What I like about this drama?

1. The Cast
The cast was excellent, acted well and very good looking. I could name a long list of outstanding actors/actresses in this drama. But I am going to just pick three.

ChengYi (QiYan) was absolutely outstanding. I was not a fan of his, but I have become one with this drama. In the past, I thought he was rather monotonous and expressionless - very much a single character actor. When he was ‘dying’ in this drama, he told his love one to leave the palace, marry someone else and lead a new live after he was gone but he was going to be so jealous. That scene was heart rending and he carried it through marvellously. His on-screen chemistry with his female lead was great.

Xuan Lu (YanZhi) was stunning and very beautiful in female attire and was excellent as the second lead. (She was the lead actress in Luoyang.) We are seeing the rise of a generation of actresses in their 20s ready to over take the generation of those already into their 30s. When she started playing the harp in glee over her success or impending success, it was quite a sight.

He ChengMing (Qiu Zhi Liang) was the absolute perfect villain. The way he flickered his eyes and flipped his sleeves when he was angry was so iconic. From the YouTube comments, many among the audience were imitating his gestures.

2. The convoluted story
The story was very convoluted – the path to uncovering the third person was quite lengthy. It kept the audience guessing who the third person was and why they were doing what they were doing.

And whether Prince Guang, the emperor’s uncle was a villain and whether his kindness was a hypocritical act was undetermined right to the end – leaving it to everyone’s guess along the way. Guang was portrayed to be undecided and eventually only decided at the last moment. Only then it was clear whether he became a second villain or a hero.

It took 48 episodes of various attempts to contain Qiu, so the audience were kept on edge whether each attempt would succeed and who might be sacrificed along the way. Vicious and brutal retaliation were expected from Qiu if he should discover who were against him.

Aside from fear of Qiu’s retaliation, there were internal discord between the various parties against Qiu. They were not cooperating and not communicating, but instead second guessing each other. YanZhi and RuoYu were pitted against each other while RuoYu was wondering who YanZhi really was.

3. Emotional roller coaster and hygiene factors
Chinese dramas are excellent in tear-jerking and this drama is no exception. There were many opportunities for reaching out for the tissues. But there were moments of humour as well. It brought the audience on an emotional roller-coaster.

The hygiene factors for a successful drama were there: backdrop was beautiful and appropriate, music was good, costume was elegant – all the technical aspects were excellent.

What I dislike about the drama?
1. The villain kept winning and you have 48 episodes of that. The story seemed draggy at parts because of some recurring setbacks. And it went on and on based on the same themes I am elaborating below.

2. The suspense was built on keeping a secret: A lot of the suspense was built on a secret kept from Cheng RouYu. If she had known who was the real enemy and the real friend earlier, the outcome could end a lot better but the drama would be shorter as well. But the unwillingness of YanZhi to tell RuoYu the truth caused a lot of misunderstanding. When they could have cooperated, the strong-headed RouYu chose to fight instead. I really wanted go onscreen to slap some sense into the two stupid girls. Can't you see that honesty here is best. And this fight kept recurring again and again.

3. RuoYu becoming a baggage: To protect her from harm, RuoYu was told to leave several times for her own good. But she kept turning up at the wrong moment and became a baggage QiYan or YanZhi had to deal with. She was smart and yet stupid. I was wondering when QiYan was to come to his senses that she would not leave, started using her effectively and involved her in his plot.

4. Adult acting like kids – appealing? I could also highlight the female lead, Zhang YuXi (Cheng RuoYu) as outstanding. But I do not quite like immature silly girl character, so I discounted her. One of the problems I think is because most actors/actresses acting these characters in Chinese dramas are already mature adults portraying teenage/late teenage characters and somehow, that innocence does not come across realistic – it looks more like adults acting as immature kids, which is not appealing. Perhaps this is part of the appeal for some – exactly as it was – adults acting like kids.

5. QiYan getting stabbed: He either stabbed himself or got stabbed. How many times could a man take that? Somewhat masochistic.

6. Realism: Although very entertaining, the story is a bit short on realism. It was really a complicated way to get rid of a tyrant and certainly sacrificed a lot of innocent people.

However, overall I would give this drama a thumbs-up and recommend it strongly.

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Emperor, I feel you.. It's an emotional ride..

The loneliness of the throne, the solitary struggle when everyone misunderstands you. It's all for a cause, no matter the cost, even if it means sacrificing one's own life. It's deemed worthwhile, for that's how he perceives the world. There's no battle without casualties. However, when one person sees the real you, it shakes their world. It weakens them but also makes them stronger. This is how I view the emperor: a man with a grand purpose, and a heart filled with righteousness.

My comments after completing the drama:

1. Cheng yi is amazing here, I come to truly love him. I like him a bit when I watched Legend of Chusan (he was 2nd lead) long ago. Then I really like him a lot and becomes true fans in Love & Redemption. But now, I am totally in love with him. I think his acting that really finally got me to put him into my top list of the actors I love. And he is super good looking and handsome too. ^^

2. The story is great until... ep 40? (around that) it really getting draggy and really push my patient. I really hate some of the plot esp the aunty decision at the end, the naivety close to stupidity FL and when ML keeps pushing FL away instead of discussing with her, they (ML, SFL and others) keeping secret from her is for me shows that they also feel that FL is immature and not trustworthy. The blame is on the writer. But they get it back on track at last 2 episodes.

3. FL is on and off imo. Sometimes I feel her character sometimes I lost. Though the chemistry with ML is good. But SFL is more outstanding than her. She, imo, outshines the FL.

4. I really love the OST of this drama.

Overall, if we ignore dragging plot, I think this is really a good drama. I don't regret spending my time watching this. As the ending, I take is as a happy ending. I am satisfied with the ending.

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This is a Re-watch Review

I re-watched and understood the movie in July of 2022. I did like the storyline but loved the visuals, especially the underground-type vault. The First time I watched this was Sept 20, 2021. Mickey played one crazy Duke Qiu Zi Liang and was very believable. I just love Cheng Yi... I loved him in The Promise of Chang’an, Love and Redemption, The Lost Tomb 2, Noble Aspirations II, and Noble Aspirations. Can hardly wait for Noble Aspirations III. China Entertainment is stopping and banning a lot of Chinese Dramas. I will feel really sad if they stop Noble Aspirations III. I wasn't crazy about the ending, I cried.

This was very long, I mean long. I took a point off the storyline because I felt bad for the actress Zhang Yu Xi (now I know where they got the name Yu'er)who died, was injured, and got kicked out of the palace so many times. Poor Cheng Yi dying throughout the whole storyline. The way they performed, they did it so well. A lot of martial art is the best for me. Did Cheng Yi lose weight for this drama, he looked really thin. This drama was more of a mystery of who did it which made it interesting. A lot of killing which I did not care for especially of children. The visuals, music, and costumes were okay. Of course like I always say the story couldn't be complete without all the other actors and actresses so I applaud them.

NOTE: Youtube has this Drama which is a similar story but not quite under the same name "The Mortal Samsara", a Chinese Drama starring Zhang Yu Xi. Don't get it confused with the new Fantasy drama The Mortal SamSara- Xianxia Fantasy Drama starring Yangzi

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