Pretty Good
For once the characters actually acted in a logical way and it didn't leave you saying "well that was stupid, why didn't they just tell the truth or talk it out." Female Lead was a bit too mousy for me and made Liu Yuning look like a giant. And at times you could see all the makeup everyone was wearing was thick! Loved all the generals and the Lady's maids. The story was good.Was this review helpful to you?
A Delicate Love Amidst the Chaos
Beauty of Resilience (Prisoners of Beauty) is a drama that hooks you from beginning to end. The story is well-written, the characters are engaging, and above all, the acting is outstanding. I highly recommend it!It’s a tale of love blooming amidst hatred — a simple story, but told in such a beautiful way that it works wonderfully. Even with a high episode count, the drama never feels tiresome; it’s easy to watch all the way through.
There are some minor plot flaws introduced to create conflict, but they don’t interfere with the overall experience. The romance unfolds slowly, especially from Wei Shao’s side, but that actually adds to the narrative, showing that real relationships take time to build. And when the couple finally comes together, it’s truly satisfying.
The soundtrack, costumes, and performances are all top-notch. It’s an amazing drama that’s absolutely worth watching.
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More Than Just Romance – A Drama Full of Heart
The Prisoner of Beauty is not just a romance — it's a journey of healing, understanding, and learning to love again. I went into it thinking it would be like many other dramas, but it turned out to be something truly special.This drama shows that love is not just about sweet moments, but about patience, forgiveness, and personal growth. Both main characters carry pain from their past. They start out far apart emotionally, but over time, they build something real, gentle, and strong.
The female lead is simply amazing. She has so much dignity, strength, and kindness. She never lets life break her spirit, even when it gets really hard. The male lead is cold and guarded at first, but he slowly learns to see the truth, and his transformation is one of the best parts of the story.
There are many scenes that quietly touched my heart. Some moments are so honest and raw that I had tears in my eyes — not always from sadness, but from how human and sincere the characters felt. And even when it’s emotional, it never feels too heavy. There’s always hope, warmth, and light.
The pacing is just right — no unnecessary drama, no dragged-out misunderstandings. It respects your time as a viewer. The supporting characters are also well-written, and they all have their own part to play in the story, adding meaning and depth.
The music, visuals, and acting all work together beautifully. But what makes this drama unforgettable is how it makes you feel. It stays with you long after you finish it — like a soft, comforting memory.
If you’re looking for a drama that’s deep, emotional, and full of quiet strength, please give this one a try. It might just heal something in you too.
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Best drama of 2025!!
I randomly decided to watch this while on my school holiday break (i’m a teacher) and I’m so glad I did. This is absolutely hands down the best drama and show in general that I have watched this year. This is joining my top 10 for sure, alongside the Untamed, love between fairy and devil and go ahead. I’m so sad it’s over. I wish it was longer. I really enjoyed the mix of plot alongside details in the main characters relationship, but also how developed the supporting characters were and the friendship/family they created for themselves. Big sucker for found family. I’ll be thinking about this show for months.Was this review helpful to you?
Match made in heaven
This drama is indeed living up to it’s name. You will be imprisoned! Captivating audience with the leads undeniable chemistry. The Enemy to lover, arrange marriage, hurt her and i will kill you trope has been portrayed with conviction! Rewatch value is also very high! (tbh, i’ve unto my 3rd rewatch as write this down) NO REGRETS!LYN the actor that your are! this is the first drama i watch from him and definitely will not be the last. His eye-acting? SUPERB. Voice? Having to act in a drama and singing OST? It’s like hitting 2 birds with 1 stone. I also learned, no one wanted this role before and it was offered to him. The dedication he put through portraying Wei Shao is commendable. He went to filming not a single script on hand cos he learned it and memorize it already. WHAT A HARD WORKING MAN. (I cried reading his looooong weibo about how he started internalized Wei Shao as a character).
SZE - this young lady is a a threat as well! Cant wait to see more of her in the future!
OVERALL 100000/10 for me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟💫✨
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This review may contain spoilers
The prisoner of a beauty is a masterpiece
This a wonderful story about forgiveness and trust between two people from enemy families yet the trust and devotion to each other is shown in the series the acting was wonderful a particularly liked the female lead more than the male lead they are some sad parts but it's mostly happy the ending felt a bit rushed is my only critiques off the drama but overall this is a great watch.Was this review helpful to you?
Amazing plot with amazing acting
My first impression before starting on this drama was that this must have been one of those arranged marriages with a quiet despondent young master who only marry after being forced by the family.I never expected to see an ML who is so ruthless, fierce and full of hatred lord of the clan as portrayed in Episode 1. He didnt even bat an eye to refuse the marriage ordered by the martriach of the family, my fav Lady Xu. It took a battle for him to finally agree to the marriage, and it was only done for his pride and not because he bowed to the family’s wish. He is resolute, he is strict, but has a soft, kind nature that he didnt like to show much outwardly. He held back this nature because he didn't want his hatred and grudge towards the Qiao clan to dissipate hence failing to avenge his grandfather, father and brother’s death due to Qiao’s inaction in a battle 14years prior. I’d say the ML is actually the one who went through a full-fledged character development, from a ruthless, blood-thirsty, power hungry, vengeful warlord into someone filled with love and cherishes a woman born into the enemy’s clan.
Meanwhile, Qiao Man the FL has become one of my favourite FL of all time, despite me always leaning towards physcially strong with martial ability FL all this while. Although the FL here was physically weak and possess no martial prowess at all, I think she still stands with the badass of all badasses FL out there. Her intelligence and strategical prowess is top notch, and she is able to tactically curb any hurdle that came her way with ease, without needing much saving from ML. Her mental strength is even sounder than ML itself. While ML was almost swayed by the silent enemy, it had not been the same with FL. FL is someone who is extremely eloquent with amazing debate ability and extremely calm and coherent composure. She didnt need to raise her voice or snap at people to gain the upper hand. Her arguments are flawlessly calm which can stun even the fiercest lord. She knows when to advance and when to retreat like a true born strategist. I like her character on screen better as she is more fluid and scheming than the book FL. The book FL is just a flat, straight arrow with vision only to capture ML’s heart enough so he would extinguish the hatred towards her clan, nothing more nothing less. There was not much strategizing by her in the book. On a side note, the actress is dang good at crying! All the heaving and sniffling and hiccupping, i’ve never seen a crying scene as convincing as hers! It’s so close to reality. Kudos to song zu er!
I really love the 2nd ML Wei Yan portrayed by Liu Duan Duan. I have seen him in Joy of Life as the Third Prince and The Rebel Princess as General Song. I can see that he has the tendency to adopt weird characters with rather heretic nature. In TPoB he plays the cousin of ML who lusts after FL. Although he was infatuated with her, he knows he cannot move beyond his imagination. He still holds the brotherhood with ML quite dearly, and when he could no longer contain the situation, he immediately retreats to his paternal family to mend his broken heart. All three characters I have seen him play have a certain eerie demeanour with sinister look, as if he had something evil brewing behind the scene. Theyre really interesting characters which add darkish colours to each show. On a side note, the 2D portrait drawn by Wei Yan was the first portrait that i saw bore exact resemblance to the actual person. In other shows I always wonder how the hell do they find people with portrait that looks nothing like the person they were drawn after. 😂
I am happy to say that this is the first tv show that I watch on streaming platform which I never use the fast forward button. Every scene is worth watching and I have no interest at all to skip. I especially love the side couple Wei Liang-Xiao Tao who became most anticipated than even the main couple. Their antics are amusing yet fiery. Usually with goofy side couples like this one i’d just abuse the FF button and skip them all, but not on this show. Unbelievably the FF button stays pristine all throughout the show. What a feat on my part!
If xiao tao-wei liang won my vote as my favourite couple, the four Wei generals - Wei Liang, Wei Qu, Wei Xiao, Wei Dou - won my vote for most favourite side characters. Unexpectedly, they became the source of comic relief for this show in contrast to the fierce and ruthless look they pose in the first 2 episodes. Wei Xiao had been hell bent on killing FL in the first few episodes, eager to shoot her dead with his deadly arrow but at the end he was the one entrusted to escort and protect her to Boya to get reinforcement for ML’s troops. Such an irony and a full swing turn of event indeed.
Another thing that I love about this show is that all misunderstandings or conflicts are resolved in a timely manner with no excessive over-reaction involved. The plot is even more engaging than the actual novel it was after. Events in the book are mostly flat and non-dramatic (other than battle scenes) compared to the adaptation, which is why i totally love the TV FL compared to the book FL. Although I usually dislike adaptations that don't adhere to the novel’s plot, it is not the case for this show. I truly think the adaptation is even better than the novel. Although the novel is filled with spicy, dark and lustful side of the ML, I actually liked the innocence of the couple on screen more. They definitely hired the right people for this production.
The only thing dragging down my rating is the songs. They're not too catchy and memorable. I only have plans to add 1 of the songs into my playlist, the rest are really just so-so.
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A Perfect Story About Enemies To Lovers
The Prisoner of Beauty is not a revenge story, but a romance story focusing on two rivaling clans.The Qiao Clan betrayed the Wei State resulting in the deaths of three generations: The grandfather, father, and older brother of our male lead, Wei Shao.
Wei Shao (Lu YuNing)was introduced into the drama as a very cold, heartless general of the state. He looked like someone who stop at nothing to revenge the tragic loss of his family members. Meanwhile, the female lead from the Qiao Clan, Xiao Qiao aka Man Man (Song Zuer) is more of a neutral bridge between the two families. She heard stories from her grandfather, whom she was extremely close with, and understood his decision. Yet she also understands why Wei Shao is full of hatred for her clan.
i think the character development between the two leads was done wonderfully. Wei Shao learned to let go of hatred when he realizes Manman isn't biased towards her clan, but protective of the people. They value the people and swear to always put them first. Wei Shao slowly grew to love ManMan's strengths and weaknesses. However, despite the prior development he is extremely slow in the romance department. We had two episodes of him being clueless and oblivious towards Manman's hints. It was a major facepalm moment, but hilarious nonetheless.
Man Man's character was a little timid initially because she was marrying into the enemies' territory. However, she is a clever female lead with the ability to strategize to save herself and her family. Granted, it's not always perfect but that just shows no human is perfect. Man Man is able to win people over with her geniunity and that's what I love about her. Despite being hated by the Wei family, the whole state, she still shows kindness and never waver in her intelligence. She's able to prove the Wei Family that they won't regret this marriage by helping Wei Shao in his many military turmoils.
The Secondary couple, Xiao Tan and Wei Liang were very cute together, and I really enjoy watching these two banter back and forth. It's so funny how Wei Liang knew more about romance than Wei Shao. LOL But alas..
Anyways, I think what kept this drama at the top, for me at the very least, is the good pacing throughout the show, the slow but natural development of romantic feelings and care between the leads. The growing support Man Man received from her enemies, and so on. I personally thought the humor was quite hilarious as well. The acting was amazing. This is Song Zu Er second drama since her comeback and boy did she deliver! Many of her microexpressions had me laughing my ass off, I really enjoy watching her act because of how natural she is. Granted, I've been a fan of hers since The Bond. As for Liu Yu Ning, this is my second drama of his, I think he is very charismatic despite the jabs at his appearance. He played his character very well, acting is average, not phenomenal, but not bad. He also displayed some microexpressions, but Song Zu Er just does it better - then again she is very experienced. Overall, the acting was great in this drama; although the grandma had me question why she has a blank face sometimes... lol
Would I recommend this drama? Definitely! If you enjoy romance, a bit of humor, good acting, great character developments, and military tactic dramas, then yes I recommend this drama. Just remember, this is focused mainly on romance, not revenge.
Is there a happy ending? Yes
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A slow romance story
for me ,what set this drama apart, is that it tells the story of the Ladies and the Lords of Chinese dramas when they were young. Usually the story focus on their children. I can totally see, a story line where these two have now a son or a daughter who is going on adventure and people are saying how great their parents where, they meet their cousins who has been estranged due to complicated issues that happened between the older generation. they are besties with other generals sons and daughters, meet their love partners who came from a different region like in new life begins. this a great back story for parents of the main protagonist of a c drama. what's unique is that This back story is about romance. Romance between the Young version of Ladies and Lords. This is refreshing. You can came up with so many plot in this world they built.Was this review helpful to you?
Beneath the Vows, a Nation's Wound
On all the production “hygiene factors,” this drama delivers with flying colours: stunning cinematography, exquisite costuming, a charismatic cast, and convincing chemistry between the leads. Visually, it is a feast. And the performances are solid across the board.Xuan Lu, known for her demure and gentle character from The Untamed, switches gears here to play the villain—and does so with surprising flair. Liu Yu Ning hardly needs an introduction. The soundtrack was absolutely enchanting, especially with Liu Yu Ning lending his rich vocals to the theme song, adding depth and emotion to the drama. Liu Duan Duan, whom many would recognise from Joy of Life, reprises his knack for eccentric roles, injecting a unique flavour to the ensemble.
At the heart of the story is the turbulent union between Wei Shao and Qiao Man—two descendents of rival states brought together by a marriage alliance meant to bury a bloody past. Decades earlier, a promise of military support between their grandfathers was broken, leading to the annihilation of Wei Shao’s lineage—his grandfather, father, and brother all perishing in battle. Fourteen years later, with political tensions still simmering, their families attempt to heal old wounds through matrimony.
But Qiao Man’s crossing into enemy territory to become Shao’s wife is anything but romantic. Resentment brews. Political sabotage looms. And soon, romantic rivals enter the fray—from strategic manipulators to sincere admirers and lovelorn relatives.
The premise feels familiar: two enemies forced into an unwanted marriage who slowly grow to love each other. Unfortunately, the execution does not quite live up to its potential. Conflicts arise—wars, betrayals, assassination plots—too many of them and are often resolved far too quickly. Just when the tension should peak, the story takes a soft landing. Emotional sparks that could have been gut-wrenching are instead smoothed over, and the pacing robs key scenes of their full dramatic impact.
Still, the drama offers delightful moments of levity. Wei Shao’s four generals provide much-needed comic relief with their camaraderie and cheeky banter—bringing warmth and humanity to the story.
There are moments of genuine poignancy—self-sacrifice, battlefield loss, and the bittersweet justice of karmic retribution. But for viewers seasoned by countless dramas (like myself), the emotional resonance may not run deep. It is a well-made series, just not a particularly stirring one.
Er Huang’s character (Xuan Lu) serves as a subtle moral reflection—she mourns her misfortunes with intensity, yet remains blind to the love and sacrifices made by the men in her life. Her inability to recognise affection beyond her own suffering becomes a quiet but powerful lesson in gratitude, self-awareness, and emotional maturity.
After listening to the soundtrack again, I return to change my initial rating of 8.5 to 9. It is a polished production with all the right ingredients—while it may not leave a deep emotional imprint, it offers a satisfying and mostly uplifting viewing experience.
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Enemies to Lovers done right
This drama delivers the enemies-to-lovers trope flawlessly—without the usual cliché banter, just mutual respect and understanding. The romance between the leads unfolds naturally, making their connection feel truly organic.Liu Yuning’s portrayal of Lord Wei Shao is nothing short of perfection; it’s as if he was destined for the role. I adore this drama, not just for the main couple but for the supporting cast as well. Special mention to the advisor and the four generals, who added even more depth and enjoyment to the experience.
The one aspect I didn’t connect with was Su E Huang’s character —her motivations for committing those evil acts just didn’t feel convincing. However, this drama absolutely deserves its flowers for the plot, production, cast, the swoony romance, and, most of all, the phenomenal performances of Liu Yuning and Song Zu’er.
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