A Tale of Three Princes: Betrayal, War, and the Cost of Love
This drama delivers a captivating blend of political intrigue, emotional depth, and standout performances—particularly from Liu Xue Yi and Wu Jin Yan. Their onscreen chemistry anchors the story. Liu Xue Yi truly mesmerises with his extraordinary range. He shifts effortlessly between personas: the unhinged lunatic, the earnest and devoted lover, the proud and calculating prince, and the authoritative general. He looks perfectly cast in every role he embodies, even when flashing a chillingly elegant evil smile. Their interesting performance is backed by a stellar supporting cast that delivers nuance, energy, and emotional depth.The first two-thirds of the drama are its strongest, driven by the fierce and relentless battle between the first and third princes. The third prince fights to expose his brother’s sinister schemes, but the first prince proves to be a formidable force—brilliant, ruthless, and consistently one step ahead with the help of cunning subordinates. These early episodes are charged with tension, strategy, and psychological warfare, making them thoroughly gripping.
After the downfall of the primary villain, the narrative temporarily loses its sharp edge as it shifts into a love triangle involving Jing He (Liu Xue Yi) and the prince of Xiyan. While still emotionally engaging, this middle arc lacks the intensity and high stakes that defined the earlier political conflict.
Fortunately, the momentum returns when war looms between Xiyan and the Yan dynasty. Jing He steps into the role of general, defending a vulnerable border town with only a small, under-equipped defence team against an overwhelming invading force. This part of the drama restores its urgency and strategic depth, showcasing Jing He’s resilience, intelligence, and quiet heroism.
The story as a whole blends tension with poignant, bittersweet moments, especially as characters mourn lost loved ones or grapple with unreciprocated emotions. And the soundtrack ties it all together, a gentle, lingering melody wrapped in lyrics that tug at the heart, echoing every tender moment on screen. Nearly every song is a hit with me.
Like many historical-fantasy dramas, it is not free from quirks—mystical fake-death techniques, impossible poisons, and the occasional head-scratching decision, such as a brilliant character offering himself as a test subject for an antidote on the eve of war. Yet these tropes, while noticeable, do not overshadow the strengths of the narrative.
Overall, this is a drama that is gripping, emotional, and elevated by outstanding acting. Its official rating of 7.9 on Mydramalist.com feels too low. In truth, it deserves a solid **8.5 to 9** on kisskh. A highly recommended watch.
I actually return to change my rating from a 9 to a 9.5.
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Kill me love me
For starters, I actually knew about this drama before it aired. At first I liked it because the genre seemed exciting. Now that I've watched it and it's aired, episode one feels too short, but not long enough, I mean hehehe. Because this drama is addictive, especially the intrigues.I don't know why, but in Chinese dramas with genres like Red Flag guys, the guys are actually really nice, like angels.
After love of Nirvana, the double, princess royal, I really like kill me love me. It is a must watch, because wu jinyan and Liu xueyi's acting is very good and extraordinary.
The story is interesting and not too long-winded, the OST is very appropriate to the nuances of revenge and the action scenes.
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Too Cringy and Over Dramatic.. go for it without expecting anything...
Up until episode 28, Kill Me Love was actually pretty good , it had me hooked with its storyline and solid pacing. But as it approached the ending, things took a nosedive. The last few episodes, especially, were just way too cringy. The ML’s over-the-top reaction when he finds out the FL has "died" was so extra that I couldn’t get through it without cringing hard. It was almost painful to watch, with his acting and the script just becoming way too dramatic.Honestly, it felt like a complete shift from the earlier vibe of the show, and both the ML and FL’s performances started leaning too much into the melodramatic territory. So, after those last few episodes, I'd say this drama ends up being an average watch at best , nothing outstanding, just alright if you’re in the mood to pass the time.
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Better the 2nd time to Rewatch
The first time I watched the series, I didn't like it that much because the story seemed to be jumping everywhere and I had a hard time to follow. However, the superb acting of the ML, FL and the rest of the crews had kept me going to finish. I have since rewatched it more than one time. The small talks are good and touching, which I had missed the first me, but really contribute to the story development.The ML acting is especially on point, his eyes, face and body expression and the tone of voice. He is just the right age, mature, so masculine and good looking in any outfit. He seemed to be deranged in the beginning, but his character evolved due to interactions with FL. He became a really good human being and devoted partner. It really brings up raw emotion knowing he was the one trained and poisoned the FL and after they fell in love all the positive things he did to FL.
The FL acting is also good. She is pretty, agile and a good fighter, also a good communicator, her words are kind and positive. She knows when your act alone is enough and no need to say anything in some touchy moments. I thought she was lucky that the ML loved her very much but it's not that simple. She was also poisoned and lied to by ML, hard to imagine how to get over that, thank goodness ML never gave up on her.
This is one of the greatest love stories known and I recommend to rewatch it.
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Sad But Very Good Storyline Regardless
I finished watching this recently and I was definitely traumatized after 🤣 However, I think it was well worth it.. Its an Enemies to Lovers Trope, Revenge and having True Love and Happiness Blossom in the midst of Chaos... This drama will definitely break your heart but I think it's worth watching regardless.. It was a beautiful story... Their Chemistry was on a different levelSPOILERS: Female lead does die in the last episode However prince Jinghe fulfilled every wish she ever had before she died and they accomplished everything they set out to do.. It's sad but he also ended up dying 10 years after her and his last dying words was
"Mei... Atlast we meet again.".. I think this was a fitting ending in that he restored the peace that was lost for so long and when he was done.. 10 years later he reunited with his wife in death, he was suffering so I was okay with him supposedly going to meet her... He only survived 10 years so he was about 40 when he died...
Kill me love me is a fitting title for this drama
Kill me Love me? He chose to love only her for the rest of his life, when she died he didn't marry again instead he mourned her until he also died.... Its like a Romeo and Juliet kinda vibe.. they couldn't live without each other in the end of this drama... their love was so strong not even death could break their bond...
I think the only reason why he stayed alive for 10 years is because of her, he knew that he promised her to do certain things when he became emperor and so for her I think he tried his best to endure and finally gave out at the end if his 10 year reign....
Despite the sad ending this drama has high rewatch value for me and I don't regret watching it... throughly enjoyed it... 🤍🤍
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Utterly captivating
Jan 2025I absolutely loved this period drama. The episodes flew by and I will definitely watch this again one day. Fab characters, and, what I loved most.... great women!
The main female experiences a tragedy as a child and subsequently becomes an assassin, with the goal of exacting revenge.
The male lead was involved in the same tragedy and the two are fated to forever be around each other's lives.
The very first episode is one of the best ever openers, and had me hooked immediately. There is a bath scene towards the end that is just SO good!
The script is more mature than usual, and this made such a difference.
I realise voices are generally dubbed, but I also didn't notice the 'breathiness' that so often stands out to me, especially with the actresses. What I did notice was how bloody cold many of the sets were, with the steam from their breath often being visible!
I honestly didn't find any parts that dragged. The pace was mixed, from battles, fights, and daily life, to the romantic scenes. Whilst romance was an integral part, it didn't swamp things, or feel out of place; at least not to me.
I had so many favourite characters that I cannot list them all. Some grew, some lost their way, others seemed to lose their senses at times. The character I got most whiplash from was the General of Yan, Luomei. Her character was all over the place, purely to move the story in the right direction, but I could forgive that.
I really like the actress, Wu Jinyan, in the FL part of Meilin. There was nothing childish about her at all. Her expressions were subtle when necessary, with her eyes often conveying incredible fierceness. Her character was driven, tough, stubborn, lacked some of tge finer social skills early on, yet was also incredibly lost in so many ways. I felt she craved love, but even as her circumstances changed, she was never weak.
Now, the ML and his character... I have fallen for both! Liu Xueyi was fabulous as Murong Jinghe. Cold on the surface, playing a part, maniacal at times, and totally captivating. He never lost sight of his aims and was a tactical genius.
Concubine Yan was young, immature in life experiences and used to being admired for her looks, BUT, she grew, was sassy, intelligent and not horribly spoilt. I liked her a lot! The slow build of her love was very realistic.
The 'evil' characters were heinously good too, and well acted.
An excellent cast all round.
However, there were several let-downs...
The assassin side of Meilin was lost in the story. There was an occasion near the end where I felt her attire, for example, was all wrong. Regardless of her strength by then, her look just didn't fit.
It was the same with the General of Yan, whose actions didn't fit her personality and outlook, in terms of where her heart took her. Family honour was everything to that character, until it wasn't.
I also found having a younger version of Meilin in some scenes from the past, but then the adult actress in others, bizarre. Meanwhile, the General was portrayed by the same actor throughout. This was noticably inconsistent.
However, in terms of sheer enjoyment and not wanting it to end, I still think this is amongst the best C-dramas I've watched and would recommend it, especially if you're new to them... you'll be spoilt!
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Progressive descent of hopes
The first few episodes were gold. I mean literally, I'm a digger for strong female lead, not some childish, dumb damsel in distress- so that criteria was fulfilled until i saw Lu Xue Yi, his sexy face and Completely rooted for the drama. (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)The drama progressed nicely, the first few interactions between ML and FL was interesting and things kept happening which i pretty much enjoyed.
⭕Good stuffs-
1. The antagonist (Crown Prince) was strong, and OP at some point. He didnt always fall for JingHe's plan and gave us an enjoyable counter attack or defense.
2. Everyone was given importance. Back stories were shown
3. The villain is not portrayed as a villain only. He is shown as a person, he had his reasons and not just evil for the purpose.
4. The camera angles were on point for me, the lighting, OST, everything was promising.
⭕Bad stuffs-
1. After episode 24, random separation of the main leads. I mean wtf? Why? Nope I'm not crying for it !!
2. Our strong and cold boy becomes a lovesick emotional crybaby after willingly letting his gf go into some other hand.
3. I wasn't okay with a young princess being married to an elderly man. But still told myself, Nah, they're not doing it so it's okay i guess? BUT SHE GETS PREGNANT? BY HIM? SHE'S PROBABLY HALF THE AGE OF HIS SON ????
4. Plenty of plot holes left me with plenty of questions. I cringed sometimes but consoled myself for the sake of prince Jings sexy dimpled face (ー_ー゛)
5. The plot was soooo draggy that i couldn't even finish episode 25
⭕ Acting-
I guess, everyone did good In the bigger picture. I was convinced that General Yi is actually that expressionless and polite person. So everyone else is considerable
⭕ OST is touching.
⭕ Overall-
I'll recommend it. Yup, no one should miss out on Lu Xue Yi's beauty lol. Jokes aside, you can enjoy it. Given it has only 32 episodes and first 24 episodes arent that bad, really I promise u.
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Contains spoilers
It was a beautiful story, but I didn't think it would end like this. The story began with the theme of revenge, which highlighted the prince's ten-year loneliness and sadness. This emotional turmoil eventually led him and Mei Lin to set out on a path of revenge together. During the story, we saw their plans and the mistakes they made along the way. However, once they fell in love, the cold and vindictive prince turned into a loving and emotional person. Tragically, at the end, minor characters and Mei Lin die unexpectedly.Was this review helpful to you?
A List actors with bad directing
This was such a disappointment. The cast and actors are great, how the director wanted them to portray their roles was terrible and even over acted at times where I know it was out of character for them. Cinematography and CGI looked great, scenes and music was enjoyable. Storyline fell flat after the first few episodes and then so much nonsense that didn’t build the plot and predictable scenes after. Hate to rate some of my favorite leads so poorly but this just wasn’t it.Also why is there a 500 character requirement to submit reviews?
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Such a good start ... and such wrong ending
I've started the drama only for he ML, Liu Xue Yi acting skills are amazing, and he did this drama justice.I've enjoyed a lot how they set up the characters originally(ML, FL even CP), especially loved the dark side of ML and the first part of the story but the ending was really disappointing. It felt like the writers hadn't put to much thought and last episodes ere made just to hit a certain number of episodes for a drama.
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Great Start Then Dragged On
The first 10 episodes or so were quite promising. I like my FLs strong and she was until she wasn't. Not sure why they took that away from her. Is it because she was outshining the ML's character in action scenes? Because we got some incredible ones of her. Even General Luo Mei has some great fight scenes and was a strong character with high morals and they ruined that as well. It was just frustrating to watch.The show has love triangles and love squares that get a bit annoying. The anti-hero/villain character of ML's brother was done well however the downright disgusting tactics of him trying to get the general to fall for him were too much for me. The leads' chemistry was good in the first half. Later in the show, I got a bit bored. I liked the second ML as well and his character also got ruined. Still one can understand him even his methods were terrible.
The FL really had 9 lives. And that is a bit funny once you watch it even though it's not supposed to be.
The ending was fairly realistic but to be honest I was already bored of the plot by then so I couldn't even appreciate things I normally do like the action sequences and the romance and some of the emotional scenes. I was too detached to care unfortunately. I just wanted to get over with the series.
There were some plot holes and terribly unrealistic aspects to the show. But it could have been ignored if the show entertained in other ways.
The OST was okay. Not really to my taste. Overall the show is a bit better than average. The actors portrayed their characters well but the plot let them down.
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Squandered potential
This drama could have been so good. It had a strong beginning, interesting characters, good acting. Somewhere around episode 13 it started to weaken. We got loads of filler episodes in which not much happened. It would have been better with only 24 episodes. I don't get why we had to suffer their separation when she became princess and again when she was able to flee but pretended to be someone else. there were too many episodes of the ml just pining for her while she was off baking cakes. only for her to die in the end. annoying, honestly.Was this review helpful to you?
