One and Only

Knowing this was a prequel saved my heart

This story is slow and sweet to start. Our two leads say so much with their actions alone and that carries throughout the drama. A sometimes intense ride of conflict between love, country, and family, this drama makes full use of a relatively limited cast and sets/locations. Its soft and subtle until you realize your heart is being ripped out.

That said, it was beautifully crafted, carefully constructed and fantastically acted. I just needed a tiny bit more for it to hit a 10. I am not likely to watch again only for my heart's sake. Thank goodness for reviews and knowing I had more of their story to watch in "Forever and Ever."

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Awesome drama

I have watch so many Cdrama and one and only make me cry badly. Almost finish the whole tissue box.
Start to cry when CSY talking to her mum where she do not want to marry the crown Prince. All the scenes make me cry non stop. ZSC last words to SY is really touching. He like SY but they cannot be together due to his vows.
Chemistry between Bailu and Allen is so good. Allen look charming in his general suits and he look so cool. The theme song sang by Allen is so nice.
Even do is a sad ending but I totally love this drama . Currently watching forever and ever

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My very first cdrama

This is my first cdrama that i watched, my mon recommended it to me. I used to have this stereotype about cdrama that the acting and transition from one scene to another would be bad, but this drama really broke the stereotype. The acting is good, the cinematography was indeed beautiful and i really ove their wardrobes, i can see that this is a high quality drama. It may be draggy at some episodes but i didn't really mind that, i love the slowburn love that 2 lead characters have.

Overall i enjoyed this drama, EVEN GOT ME CRY A RIVER AT THE END, and leave me with some empty fealing Read More

the Chinese Romeo and Juliet

A love that never fully was, this drama delivers a beautifully tragic, slow-burn romance that lingers long after it ends.

I initially found myself frustrated with the male lead’s stoic demeanor and seemingly limited emotional expression. Yet, as the story unfolded, that restraint revealed itself as part of the emotional depth and complexity of their relationship. His silence spoke volumes in a world where love could not be freely expressed.

What makes this story especially compelling is not just its tragedy, but its incompleteness. The lack of physical intimacy, and more importantly, the absence of true closure after their devastating fate, leaves an intentional void. It’s a bold narrative choice, one that may feel unsatisfying at first, but ultimately serves a greater purpose.

There’s a quiet strength in how the characters’ love transcends a single lifetime, evolving into something more enduring. While it echoes the timeless tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, it goes beyond that, offering not just heartbreak, but the promise of continuation.

I’ll admit, I didn’t fully appreciate it at first. But after watching the follow-up story, everything falls into place. What once felt incomplete becomes part of a much larger, more meaningful love story.

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truly heartbreaking ending.

the drama made full use of 24 episodes without any fillers impressed me much.

from story, acting to its execution and breathtaking cinematography, this gonna be one of my top personal favourite drama that scores high in every level.

the slow burn, unspoken romance was heartfelt and emotional. my first drama from BL, 2nd from RJL, their chemistry was off the chart just by staring at each other, mesmerising!

Nanchen Royal Mansion, it’s army, as time passed, it felt that has become my home and the army, my family. how I felt and connected with the supporting characters and their warmth.

ending wrecked me hard. beautiful tragedy.

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One and Only – Wasn’t Expecting to Love This

To be honest, I only started watching One and Only because I wanted to get to Forever and Ever. I’d heard that this show was the first part of the story, so I thought, “Why not?”

At first, it felt smooth and easy to watch—something I could just coast through. I was enjoying it, but I definitely got too comfortable with the storyline. I thought I knew exactly where it was going.

Spoiler alert: I had no clue what was about to happen.

I really loved how the show explores longing and yearning for a future that may never materialize. That’s probably the best way I can describe it without giving anything away. But fair warning—there will be a lot of crying. I cry pretty easily, so maybe it won’t be heart-wrenching for you… but it really got to me. It might very well be just me.

I think I ended up enjoying this much more than I expected—maybe not entirely because of the ending, since I was already enjoying it quite well before the plot twist. That said, the ending definitely played a big part. I don’t know if I can call it a plot twist exactly, but the way things wrapped up really hit me.

As you can tell, I’m completely avoiding spoiling the plot, because I think this show is best experienced blind. If you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend giving it a chance. Go in with no expectations—you might be surprised.

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Snail Paced Plot

The Junior King of Nanchen, Zhousheng Chen has been in the battlefield since he was 14yo with zero defeat, which earned him a revered reputation throughout the kingdom. When Zhousheng Chen’s elder brother, the emperor, died and empress dowager Gao tried to usurp the throne, he came to the rescue just in time to quell the coup-de-tat, and pledged allegience to his 6yo nephew, with Empress Dowager Qi rising to power. Meanwhile a 14yo Cui Shiyi of the reknowned scholar lineage Cui clan of Qinghe, the supposedly bethrothed crown princess is denied the position as empress by empress dowager Qi, and instead she pushed another prince, Liu Zixing, to step in as the little emperor’s study partner while promising the crown prince position upon him reaching 20yo. Thus to diffuse the Cuis clan’s anger at being sidelined, Cui Shiyi is to take Zhousheng Chen as her teacher, sealing the relationship with the royals before she weds the crown prince later. Having spent significant time in the King of Nanchen palace, Cui Shiyi developed affection for Zhousheng Chen, while Liu Zixing plots in the background to take what he believed rightful to him, a plot that would eventually turn the realm upside down in turmoil.

I seriously think the tag of “slowburn romance” to be misleading, because not only does the romance is slowburn, the whole freaking plot also developed as slow as a snail!

I generally could care less about romance, problem here is the show seem to spend so much time trying to push the mainleads’ idea of attraction for each other and simply dumps the plot’s pacing into the drain. When the plot is put on hold to make way for romance buildup, and yet the romance aint romancing, the show comes off boring and empty instead. If not for Forever and Ever (the modern setting of the novel, which is where the main plot actually is), i honestly wouldve dropped this show before i reach Ep10. The plot only picks up at Episode 18-24, so I’m quite relieved that I stayed on with the loyal company of FF button and 2.0 playback speed.

What’s disappointing is that 18 episodes were used up to build the romance, and yet here I am failing to see or feel the spark. No juice. Dead batteries. Nada. I didnt get any emotional connection for the rest of the characters too - the Cui clan, 10 Zhousheng Chen’s disciple, etc. The first 18 episodes were so bland I couldnt wait to jump straight to the end. I’m glad I didnt though, cuz the plot went into overdrive at Episode 18 onwards.

All the emotion tuggings happened from then on, with the peak happening when Cui Wenjin (Shiyi’s mom) finally managed to see her precious daughter held in the palace. Yep all those characters dying didnt manage to get a reaction from me, until Shiyi met her mom who broke the news. Man, Bai Lu could really cry. Eventhough I didnt feel any chemistry between her and Ren Jialun’s character, i teared up seeing her take the news. She’s really good at this! I liked Shiyi when she was in the palace because that’s when her character took real control and shine, compared to the previous 16 episodes where her character looked bland and one dimensional.

Ren Jialun is great here, he really did pull off the great general role, someone who is too strong with unbendable upright stance that rulers keep seeing him as a threat, so much so he had to take the high road and step away, vowing never to marry and have children so the emperor would be at ease and stop being wary of him. But human being humans, even eunuchs have desire, let alone a powerful man with no physical disability. He could not help but fall for his student, though he is upright enough as not to act according to his feelings and risk turning the world upside down.

A special mention for Wang Xingyue whom I first saw in The Double (which I didnt like) and The Wanted Detective (which I dropped). This time, his performance awed me, and to think that he was a newcomer here at only 19years of age, i am thoroughly impressed. He’s very good at portraying the spare part and later almost discarded prince Liu Zixing. Not only he had to endure emotional and physical torture from the empress dowager growing up as the little emperor’s study companion, he was also slowly poisoned by the same vile woman to make sure he would never become a threat to the throne. The last straw is of course when the emperor was about to have a baby that would mean Liu could kiss his crown prince position good bye. Not only would he lose his promised position and a chance at the throne, he would also lose his bethrothed Cui Shiyi whom he had admired ever since the little emperor promised him of this crown princess. His sadness, angst and regret was remarkably portrayed by Wang Xingyue without flaw. What a talent for such a young man.

I love the addition of Prince of Fengyang, although this character seem pointless (and never even mentioned in the novel), he turned out to be the pivotal role who keeps the Nanchen army whole, especially when their general is gone.

Basically if youre a romance lover, i reckon this would get into your good book. As for me whose interest lies mainly in action/wuxia, it’s pure torture to finish this, and the show only managed to reel in my interest in the last quarter. For the third time, yes I am glad I stayed on long enough to reach Episode 18 where the action really starts, but to say I enjoyed this? Naaahhhh no way. If not for the novel that caught my attention and my curiosity to see how the production expand the little plot of Shiyi’s memory of her previous life, I wouldve dropped this so fast I wouldnt even bother writing a review.

Honestly i hope the sequel would give a different vibe and proper closure to main couple as per the novel.

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Ugh

So I just came across this c-drama, and let me start by saying that even though this series is from 2021, it's still amazing.

I'm only 15 episodes in, and I absolutely despise the empress dowager. At first, I wasn't really drawn to the male lead in the series, but his acting talent is impressive. However, I sense no chemistry between the two main characters.

I already know that this series is going to be heart-wrenching because I accidentally saw a clip from TikTok. However, this series is so remarkable that it cannot be skipped; it's not the kind of series you can fast forward through in a few minutes.

In my opinion, what makes this series so captivating is the range of emotions evoked in each episode as the story unfolds.

Also commending the entire cast. There are both likable and unlikable characters; you'll smile, laugh, cry, and get frustrated. It's a whirlwind of emotions.

I have enjoyed a wide variety of C-dramas over the years, and this is perhaps one of my top 10 favorite Chinese series.

I'm not a big fan of Bai Lu's character. It might just be me, but I find her to be quite stagnant and a bit lacking. I find some of her scenes to be quite boring and frustrating. Like a helpless puppy pitifully waiting for its master, too fixated on the ML with no self-ambition and growth. Ugh. However, I have enjoyed a few of her series like "Kunning Palace," "Till the End of the Moon," "Only for Love," and "Love is Sweet."

Anyway, there are 9 episodes left, and I'm preparing myself because I know there will be more emotional and heartbreaking scenes moving forward.

UPDATE:
Currently on episode 20, with 4 episodes to go. The latter episodes feel rushed and unpolished; some events from the palace were barely discussed properly. There were scenes that I wish were explored more, etc.

I finished it; it was devastating and heartbreaking. However, I felt that it was rushed as I mentioned previouslyIt wasn’t a perfect series; there were still some letdowns. Overall, it’s a tragically beautiful series. Prepare your tissues.

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A slow, deliberate masterpiece that sneaks up on you—until it leaves you unexpectedly heartbroken

✅ What Makes One and Only Special

🔥 A rare kind of storytelling—slow, intentional, and deeply immersive.
• Unlike most dramas that rush into emotions, One and Only builds everything with care.
• It doesn’t waste time on unnecessary scenes, but instead, layers details slowly—so that every moment matters.
• You may not feel its full impact right away, but by the end, it stays with you.

🎭 A Mature, Subtle Love Story
• This is not about grand romantic gestures or fiery passion.
• Instead, it’s about love that exists in unspoken words, in loyalty, in deep trust and sacrifice.
• The chemistry is intensely restrained—which makes every glance, every pause, every decision feel even more powerful.

🎨 Visually Stunning—A Cinematic Experience
• The costuming, color palettes, and cinematography are gorgeous.
• Every frame looks like a painting, rich with detail and elegance.
• If you love the beauty of traditional Chinese aesthetics, this drama is a masterpiece.

❌ Where One and Only Falls Short

🐢 It Starts Slow—Too Slow for Some Viewers
• It takes patience to get fully invested.
• Unlike other dramas where you’re hooked from the beginning, this one creeps up on you.
• If you’re used to fast-paced storytelling, the first few episodes might feel too slow—but once the emotional depth kicks in, it’s completely worth it.

💔 A Heart-Wrenching Ending That Comes Out of Nowhere
• Throughout the drama, you know the story isn’t going to end well.
• But even knowing that, the final blow still hits harder than expected.
• The heartbreak is sudden, shocking, and deeply felt.
• If you’re looking for a feel-good romance, this is NOT it.

👑 A Story That Lingers After It’s Over

💡 Even after finishing, the emotions don’t fade right away.
• While One and Only *didn’t wreck me in the same way as The Story of Pearl Girl or My Dearest, it still lingers in a quiet, lasting way.
• It wasn’t overwhelming at the time, but days later, I still found myself thinking about it.
• The ending leaves a sense of loss, nostalgia, and quiet sorrow that stays with you.

💡 It’s different from most tragic dramas.
• Where Korean historical dramas focus on struggle and survival, this one has an unshakable confidence in battle.
• It doesn’t rely on constant war and hardship—instead, it’s about duty, restraint, and fate.
• That makes the tragedy hit differently.

🚨 Final Verdict: A Quietly Powerful Drama That Builds, Then Breaks You

⭐ Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
✅ One star for the stunning cinematography and costuming.
✅ One star for the rare, mature way it tells its love story.
✅ One star for the emotional impact that sneaks up on you.
✅ One star for the deeply restrained yet powerful acting.
❌ Minus one star for the pacing—some viewers may struggle to get into it.

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I really only have this to say: The actors understood the assignment.

This was so well done. It was honestly one of the most beautiful and well-acted shows I'd ever seen.

The longing, yearning, love, depression, ache . . . everything was acted to perfection.

I cried so much. I've rewatched the ending scene maybe five times now, and I rewatched the scenes with the couple together so many times as well.

I'd seen Bai Lu's other work and I think she has great chemistry with her other co-stars but this was unparalleled. And these two didn't even kiss. Just the tension and deep feeling they had was perfect.

That's all I have to say about this.

Please watch it. You will not be disappointed.

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