A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College

I wish I had that much free time in school.

I don't want to be too harsh on this drama for those people who actually like it. This is the first drama of Zhao Lu Si that I finished watching. I tried watching her dramas in the past, but end up dropping it maybe because of the same concept and character. I mainly watched this for Xu Kai Cheng, but after I saw how well Ren Hao played out his role, I'm just stuck to him. I came in this drama with no expectations at all and I'm so glad I have no expectations because I'll be more disappointed than this.

Story: 6/10 - Literally, episode 5 all the way to episode 11 have no plot whatsoever. A lot of the episodes were fillers and really unnecessary. They could've easily done this in 24 episodes or less. From the title of the drama, I really thought the majority of the episodes will be at the Imperial College, but nope. They weren't in school for more than half the drama. And, I wish I have that much free time during school. Like, go around pranking your classmates, running around campus, and falling in love with the Deputy Chief. Lol. JK. The outfits and styles were really pretty though. AND, can they just punish the aunt a little bit more? Sending her to the Cold Palace is not enough!

Acting/Cast: 7.5/10 - Of course a character like Sang Qi fits Zhao Lu Si well as she has played out these type of roles before. A lot of the comments said her character was stupid and naiive which I disagree with. Her character to me was smart and quick witted like our male lead Yan Yun Zhi. Their misunderstandings were all setup to catch the second male lead, Zhuo Wen Yuan. Zhuo Wen Yuan was manipulated by his aunt or maybe I'm just being bias. Lol. He's done too many evil deeds, so it's impossible to redeem him. Zhuo Wen Yuan and Song Jia Yin were the only couple that I'm looking forward to, but it's so sad that he died and nobody wanted to cremate his ashes except for Song Jia Yin; after all they are husband and wife.

Music: 8/10 - I like the ending theme song and Zhuo Wen Yuan's theme song sung by Ren Hao.

Rewatch Value: 6/10 - Probably not gonna rewatch.

Overall: 6.5/10 - It's pretty funny and the styles are good. :)

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The change of focus halfway through made into something else totally

*“A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College”* starts off as a charming and lighthearted historical drama. The chemistry between the main leads is delightful, with Zhao Lu Si delivering her usual witty, charismatic performance. The concept of the first official female student at the imperial college is fresh and engaging, and the well-developed side characters add depth and entertainment to the story.

However, midway through, the tone shifts dramatically. The focus moves to the second male lead’s darker storyline, which, despite solid acting, made the plot drag and lose its charm. What began as a fun and uplifting drama turned into a somber, less engaging watch.

Ao Rui Peng stood out with his humor and energy, and the cast overall gave strong performances. Unfortunately, the show lost its momentum, and towards the end , when the episodes getting darker, it became hard to stay invested.

If the series had wrapped up around episode 20-22, it could’ve been a 9/10 as it started of as really funny.

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My favorite costume cdrama with good kisses

First of all, my taste is a bit weird. Although I tried watching many costume cdramas this is one of the very few ones I actually finished.
I binged all 30 episodes in 3 days :D

The only thing I regret is reading the comments here before… they made me anticipate for a bad second half but I beg to differ.
The first half was a cute romcom with a unique side to it (first female student), the later half was still good but less comedy - HOWEVER I loved that they never broke up after getting together & that we got lots of kisses and affectionate moments. Rarely do I see dramas where the main leads are together for the entire later half of the drama. GREAT!

It‘s an easy watch and certainly fantasy in many aspects (how easy things are often for FL and that there are no „higher ups“ meddling in everyone’s business especially at the college) but this is exactly what I liked about it. It’s not heavy at all and even if the villain becomes more prominent in the later half, it‘s always one step back & forth. Not too frustrating.

Spoilerrrrr!!!

I would probably rate it a 9/10 if we got more romance in the last 2-3 episodes because I remember at one point we had 4 kisses in a episode and in the finale zero :/
Still - i really liked it and it was a happy ending :))

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Just one big messed up

Ughhh where should I start.... I bored almost reach my dead end. But i've should trust my gut feeling from the first ep watched this, this drama will gonna be b-a-dddddd...

What's ok from all of this drama: the cast. I quite like all the important cast, they play their part good enough. & The soundrack quite enjoyable. The beginning quite funny & enjoyable, that's why i decide to keep watch. But the more toward the end the more messed up this drama become.

All the weird and minus from this drama:
- The attitude of Yan Yun Zhi (YZ) toward Sang Qi (SQ) after he realize his feeling & after they're in relationship his attitude quite unbearable for me. Can't wait to see it end. No i don't find it adorable at all...
- Lian Pian as a maid is very daring if I have to say. The first time she face Yan Xiao Lang is not like maid at all. He is one aristocratic man, but she just like have no manner toward him.
- The last few ep where Zhuo Wen Yuan (WY) infiltrate SQ house in the name 'protect' SQ, her dad already said like he can't protect his own residence... But no... He stil proceed with everything. Hey SQ dad position is far above him, how can he just allowed him to do what he please. Make no sense at all... Yeah2 i know maybe that because of all the plan that SQ & YZ arranged. But still make no sense...
- WY in the last few ep also like all the power, he just recently graduate, recently have position in the kingdom, where all the power come from.... Why he like can control everything, from the academy until the court...
- Maybe there are bunch more. But so far these are that i remember right now

Overall this just one messed up plot, just happy to finished it. They lucky to have Zhao Lu Si & Xu Kai Cheng as the main couple if not maybe they maybe will not gonna have audience to watch

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The Dean who's novice & child-like in terms of Love + The worst 2nd Male lead transformation ever!

There's no such thing as who came first in love - Sang Qi.

I badly wanna talk about how magical and amazing the love story in this drama is, but my eagerness to talk about the moral lessons of this story is much stronger. So let me start this review on how I find this narrative as something very influential and purposeful.

This drama stood out to me not only for its beautiful love story but because of how good they deliver the moral lessons, struggles and challenges they all went through to achieve it. That women rights and equality wasn't achieved in a blink of an eye and it was a cultivation of someone's collective hardwork, bravery and boldness to face and accept the countless indifferent, judgemental and discriminating gazes to prove that she deserves what she's yearning for and achieve whatever she's been working hard on. Although there are flaws in this dramas historical facts, I just admire their guts and proud of them for still making this possible. To see the progress of how women gradually received better treatment and broader opportunities made me ecstatic and warm.

I'm so excited to write my take on the romance side of this story and I'm literally overflowing with admiration and passion for the Main leads. Definitely! the best CP I've watched after a long while. This couple not only made each and every scene extremely fun and colorful but also made sure that we're not gonna suffer any unnecessary clichė drama plots we are all exhausted of. Their unconditional trust, loyalty and love for each other has been challenged and proven multiple times through adversities and I'm just amused that not even once they got affected by it nor submit to any scheming and oppression. Instead, they're always hiding something up their sleeves ready to retaliate and fight back. That's some sturdy foundation right there! Something very difficult to find and see from couples right now because of shallow jealousy, lack of trust and poor communication.

Main Leads - They're just the perfect fit. Yan Yunzhi being the snobbish, intelligent and highly respected deputy chief while Sang Qi as the willful, bold and cheerful maiden who will do everything to achieve whatever she wants. I mean, Opposite do attracts! and what I really adore about Sang Qi is how she never let the circumstances decide for whatever her decision's going to be and will always find logic to resolve and get away from any obstacles infront of her. Yan Yunzhi on the other hand is a smiling-gummy-ball. He's so precious specially when sulking and acting jealous.

2nd Male Lead - Or should I say, the Worst evolution for 2nd ML ever? I swear, I'm utterly disappointed and disgusted on how Zhou Wenyuan has become. I was rooting for him from the very start not until he showed his true motive and color. He's very unexpected all throughout and most of the things he does is something I never imagined coming from him. Like, how did my charming and lovely lover boy turn out be this cruel and hideous asshole? Nonetheless, I still love his character and hate it as well.

P.S. Wanna mention Lian Pian & Yan Yan as well for being one of the most entertaining Supporting pair of this story. They made this drama extra fun and vibrant.

Story - 9.5, It was smooth sailing and I'm really satisfied on how they never added unnecessary drama to this story. + The fact that it has strong women empowering message and overall effective and inspiring moral lesson made this production even more worthy and admireable. P.S. Just watch out for some fictional historical facts and superficial problem solving cases.

Acting/Cast - 10, The glow ZLS brought to any drama she's in is exceptionally blinding—She's so vibrant! and Xu Kaicheng!! I wasn't expecting so much from him but he delivered above and beyond! His every expression is flawless. Like he was carved and molded for this role. He embodied it! Also... Zhang Yue, this is my 3rd drama of her and she's been very consistent and versatile in all of it. Ao Rui Peng & Ren Hao did extremely well to. So satisfied of their acting.

Music - 10, I'm very happy with the choice Music for this drama. Correct and proper placement of songs + They're just beautiful and fits this drama as a whole.

Rewatch Value - 9.5, It worth all the watch it could get and I'm really satisfied about this drama. But something about it just felt rather ordinary/lacking for me. Most probably with how they deal with the antagonists and the investigation segments/cases.

Overall - 9.5, To sum it all up... I really enjoyed this production a lot and would surely recommend it. The only thing that made me feel a bit off about this drama is mainly because of how shallow and abrupt they treat the cases... Like they didn't give much depth to it resulting to it feeling half-assed specially during the 1st half of the story. It lacks the fundamentals to make the investigation scenes plausible and have a proper go-through process . Phasing is overall fine but they kinda neglect lots of the important investigatory crumbs behind.

IF you find review helpful please let me know.

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Easy and Sweet Romance Drama with touches of comedy

I read the reviews when the drama first came out and was on the fence about watching however if you are into light / easy romance dramas this is the one for you.

Some have commented that the plot was lost but I didn't feel that way because the flow of the drama was rather nice with touches of comedic scenes sprinkled not thrown in additionally the minor roles enjoying a small part of having the spotlight with their own fighting scenes and romances.
I have diverted from the tear jerking/soul wrecking drama(s) of Eternal Love and rather enjoy these so called simple romances (no eyes / heart digging or layers upon layers of lovers betrayal with massive murders) also not into the really old man falling for a 15 year old kid which have been overplayed.

I did not see the dean of the college (ML) to be a creepy guy falling for a student. Mind, we can't take the modern rules of hands off student / teacher relationship because the FL is the first female student in that college (happened to be of marriageable age too) and so being simple minded the script is based on guy meets girl, they fall in love at the work place (technically), go through some obstacles of normal lives (of that era) and end up being together.

Another aspect was the fact the FL was the first student into the imperial college and emphasize should be on her being a student and excelling etc however women of that era never went to school so what makes people think she would graduate as a top honor student? She is a 20 year old entering college because of her late brother's wishes it is a feat to be able to read and write during those times let alone go to school for a year and sit for the imperial exams eventually getting on the honor roll.

my criticism is mostly that the production crew were slightly sloppy with the filming - the lighting / angles of shots and certain scenes were poorly done.
another were the costumes - nothing much to fault to a certain degree except maybe the colors/style of the costumes which was selected for the ML (I know he looked terrible in a couple BUT not all).

I noticed too that a scene - ML and FL standing in the snow and the ML fixing the FL cape is missing, that scene was promoted on posters but it's not in the actual drama which is rather disappointing.

Overall, watchable and feel good.

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Honestly not one of the very best dramas. First to begin with the story was pretty fast, everything moved fast, the story took action, and it began right away. We get introduced to what Sang Qi is trying to do, and what Yan Yunzhi is trying to do, which I really like. After the whole beginning with the whole plot, everything is basically solved. The only thing that is left is to find out how Sang Qi's brother died. Which honestly the story could have legit just ended there. But no there's like more to the story which I find unnecessary. We got the whole wedding and Sang Qi's dad getting arrested, Sang Qi seeing heaven for a slip second, like there's no point. Honestly good drama, but after they fall in love the rest of the story is unnecessary.

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a heavy hearted comedy

It started out light hearted and funny, which I enjoyed. Yet, towards the middle, they threw a love triangle into the mix which made me dislike the character when I used to like him. Don’t understand why shows need to have love triangle when he could have made a perfect supportive friend?

Speaking of which, love the friendship between Yan Yan, Lian Pian, Yan Yun Zhi, and Sang Qi!!! They’re super supportive and protective of one another and it’s a friendship i aim to have.

The romance factor of this show is soooo low, maybe till ep 20 only. Tbh, I only enjoyed ep 1-20 then the plot starts to drag. They made it so dramatic and emotional despite us probably already able to guess the ending. ;;

Lusi’s acting is decent though. Honestly, Sang Qi can be an actor considering how she managed to fool Wenyuan so many times with her acting. :/

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this show unless it’s only ep 1-20 for the lightness and then just skip the unnecessary angst part from ep 21-30!

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Really fun drama for light-watching. Simple plot, meaningful message.

This was a really enjoyable and satisfying drama overall. Not too serious, but enough to keep you interested and entertained as a lighthearted drama. Well, at least for me. Loved all the characters, from the leads to the supporting roles. Even the protagonists and antagonists. All of them contributed to the story until the very end. No one was left out.

The message of this drama is really nice. Besides the cute romance, there's also a lot about personal growth, friendship, and fighting for justice and equality. Seeing them fighting for people to receive education and opportunities regardless of gender was really meaningful. Absolutely love the character arcs for these characters. You see them grow and become a better person (or worse), and learn to fight for what they think is right. It's rare to see even supporting characters get their own character arc, and the writer did it really well in this. Each character was used to its full potential instead of just being a foil.

Personally, I think that their romance wasn't the major plot (not that I mind it), but what's really nice is that their love for each other solidified their trust and they became each other's support while getting through those hardships. I like that there weren't overused misunderstandings when there are love triangles. The leads had a happy, healthy, respectful, and supportive relationship. Very mischievous too, lol. Which brings lots of laughter.

None of the characters were dumbed down for dramatic purpose (Yes, not even the female characters). Female lead also wasn't the kind who waits for a knight in shining armour. She is just as intelligent and capable as the male lead, which is SO NICE! Rosy Zhao played this role so, so well. I love it when she plays characters like that. Male lead also wasn't the toxic and disrespectful type. He's probably one of the most respectful, open-minded, and supportive male leads ever. I haven't watched much of Xu Kai Cheng's dramas as I have Lusi's, but I personally think Xu Kai Cheng looks really nice in this drama with the long hair and I like the way he portrayed the role of Yan Yun Zhi.

Overall, I think this is a drama that is worth watching, especially for the laughs (Look out for Sang Qi and Yan Yan's shenanigans!). Though it gets a little more serious in the last few episodes, you'll still find yourself smiling at the very end. I'll definitely rewatch this whenever I need a pick-me-up drama. Great chemistry between the lead couple and second lead couple. Great dynamics between all characters. The plot was simple yet engaging and meaningful. Love the funny and sweet moments, and all the sword fights! I also like that they didn't forget any characters for the ending.

If you're looking for a complicated plot and more mature content and characters, then maybe this isn't your cup of tea. But if you want a light-hearted and fun drama with a little bit of mystery, then you might like this underrated gem.

P.s. I enjoyed this drama so much that I decided to create an MDL account just to leave a review because I felt so bad that this drama received quite some criticism especially from the Chinese audience.

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Dean-Student Love Affair

This is a love story of a strong/witty/pretty/rich woman and his School dean (and BFF of her late brother). The story is very simple yet very sweet... Their love for each other is too strong, no one can stop them till the end. I love the 1st episode, the FL is really strong, (brute), kind and cool girl... Their love story develops beautifully, but!.... The plot essentially fell apart after episode 16.... They could finished the series as early as 20th episode... But because the FL, ML and supporting actors/actress are good... they give me enough reason to continue watching...
If you like simple/light love story... this is for you.
If you like (really sweet) romantic-comedy... this is for you.
If you like watching dramas with good looking cast (almost all of them are good looking), this is for you.

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Disappointed

I think the description of the drama was a bit misleading but let's talk about it.

The drama follows Sang Qi who wants to follow her brother's wishes to attend the Imperial College; I think that's where the drama should have stayed and focused on. The name of the drama is A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College so they should have based the drama on her struggles as a female attending the Imperial College because in that time and place there could have been so many things to address and so many situations to speak about. Like, this could have symbolized that women are capable of learning and aspiring to be more than what society sees them as BUT the whole time she makes trouble, acts stupid, and proves that she does not deserve to be there. I think this was a missed opportunity.

Plot-wise, I did not care about any other character other than Zhuo Wen Yuan, I think he had a solid character from start to finish and I really liked him despite him being portrayed as the "bad guy". Honestly, this dude has been there for Sang Qi since day one, helping her, being by her side, literally doing EVERYTHING for her but you know what she does, throws all that out the window for a dude who did nothing other than being her brother's bestie ... I don't understand, SOMEONE EXPLAIN HOW THIS HAPPENED.

Anyway, this whole drama made me so mad, I literally skipped through the last 15 episodes because they were useless.

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