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Worth watching
thumbs up! so far from the storyline, cast and all. honestly, i didn't even try to fast forward each episodes cause its worth watching, each actors where given their moments to shine. to bring out the best of their characters. good job director. i can say C Drama gives different types of storyline that is not boring for the viewers and this is one of them. fresh in the eyes and acting is not boring but at the same time not too light. it catches all attention. im sure you will get good reviews in the future, keep it up.Was this review helpful to you?
Kindness Always Wins
This was less romance than I expected but a very calm slice of life. Very easy to watch with lovely visuals and rich, relaxing music.The overall theme of no matter male, female, high rank, or commoner kindness matters was nice. But a little overly hammered home with every story for every couple. Being respectful and having integrity is important but did make it feel like only females understand this and men need to be taught. I understand it was pseudo historical and trying to be a sign of the times but it was still a fictional setting so they didn't need to be quite so heavy handed.
People that complain the FL is childish, yes she is because she is practically a child and never had to have city life/rules. She definitely does learn, grow, and mature by the end. The growth of the women was mainly the focus of the story. It was nice to see how all the friendships unfolded.
P.S. I need someone to teach me how to cook everything in this show!
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About Friendship & Female empowerment in Historical drama
This Drama is more of a friendship, historical parody and female empowerment drama than a romantic comedy.It was Okay Drama and 1 time watchable.
I liked the 5th prince couple and their journey; the 3rd prince's comedy was good.
The main couple are cute and has good chemistry, but don't expect much of romance, cause most of it is either in the first 10 episodes or the last few episodes.
Disclaimer:
Don't try to find logic or any bit of Realism.
Will not recommend it for exclusive romance or romantic comedy drama watchers.
Overall rating: 7.5✨
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Underrated
Its a beautiful n a fresh drama. Unlike lots of other c drama this one is unique coz of story line. No typical fights between the main wifes n concubines. Acting is amazing. But kudos to the screenplay.Worth a watch. I couldn't stop once I started. Will rewatch it for sure.
The drama is underrated definitely deserves more.
Special mention on the comic timing of the 3 rd price n his team of women.
This drama talks of women empowerment in a very good way. Women folk here were shown as independent thinkers which was definitely fresh ro see for ancient period dramas.
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10/10 RECOMMEND!!!!!!
OMG! I didn't have that high of hopes to this drama because I thought it was gonna be a typical fighting for power but completely different in the best way possible. So many sweet moments, not only from the main leads but the bond between all the girls was heartwarming. <3Story :
The story was amazing, I love the way the producers did this drama. This drama focuses on the female stereotype back then where they cannot work, cannot interfer with politics basically any job a man can do women were banned from it. The way this drama helped to break the stereotype by not only having each female character to be badass but also working together to make the 9 states a better place for females was amazing. The fact that these females proved that females can do what males can do, maybe even better really made this drama so much more worth watching. Of course there was some fight for power between the male actors but most of them got along well and didn't try to sabotage each other was so different to see. This was a drama done right. A lot of dramas now wants to impose a strong female lead but end up making them weak towards the end which is so irritating, but this drama brought together all the women working together with their own strengths and skills.
CGI:
The wasn't much CGI from what I can tell but the costumes and the backgrounds were gorgeous. I love how each character has outfits that fit their personalities and how they act. Shyer characters were lighter clothing while more outgoing characters were more bright clothes.
Music :
The music was great! Wasn't anything that epic but also provided a sense of comfort while being soothing to the ear. The OST was good given that there were no words but still sounded amazing none the less.
Acting:
The acting was really good by the cast. I haven't seen many of the male or female leads other dramas, but they did great for this one. I heard of the male lead a couple times and he did a really great job performing his role. I love how he embodied his character. The seemingly "weak" prince actually being strong and smart was very well done by his part. The female lead's acting was ok. I liked her acting and she is really cute. Given the fact that she is a newer actress she did amazing. I love all the actors and actresses, especially the third princes wives. They were so funny and they all disliked their husband and wanted to get away from him as much as possible which was really funny to see. Overall, everybody did a great job in embodying their roles. #impressed lol :p
Ending:
The ending was amazing. The fact that the women were able to transform the way people viewed females were amazing. The ending where all the new people came in to interview for jobs(remind you they are all girls) applying for official positions which is normally jobs held by guys and each girl coming from one of the 9 states standing in front of the other girl who came before, emotional. The real definition of feminism and fighting for equality. Which was achieved at the end of the drama and for 40 episodes, nothing felt rushed and it was just perfect!
Amazing drama!! Loved it, will definitely rewatch. The 7th prince and his wife were soo cute. They are the textbook definition of introvert couple.
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Sincerity & Pureness of heart.
I plunged right into the drama without much thought and I’m glad that it turned out all right.What I liked:
- The FL and the ML have good chemistry. I really liked that ML was sincere in his affections and love for the FL right from the start. He wasn’t a player.
- The female characters in this drama are likable. No one is a full on bitch (other than 4th mistress) which is so great. The female characters support one another and help one another.
- I like that this drama focuses on overthrowing dated stereotypes and ridiculous ‘norms’. Eg: women should not show their faces outside. Women should stay home and be dutiful wives and mothers. Women should this. Women shouldn’t this. I, personally, don’t think it’s a woman or a man thing. It’s a person thing. Avoid gender stereotypes and look at a person as a person (not just as female or a male). Don’t have erroneous preconceived notions of what men / women should be like. No such thing! I like that the show tries to overthrow these unreasonable and outdated ‘norms’.
- The drama also talks about post partum depression and about how to take care of an expectant mother. Women don’t have easy lives and it’ll be so much better if women had supportive partners/ men/ family members etc. People should support people. Lift one another up with love and courage and compassion.
- Yuan Ying turned out to be so cute. I loved how she was so capable and so by-the-book. She was so cute!
- I liked the relationship which formed between Yuan Ying and Li Wei. So cute! There was no fighting over the same husband. They became sisters.
- The butler Su Shen and the maids were so cute too. I especially love to see Su Shen fussing over Yin Zheng. He’s earnest and comedic.
What I didn’t like:
- Insecure and crazy and incompetent second master.
- Vicious fourth mistress.
Overall, I enjoyed this ‘feel good’ drama with a happy ending. This moved quickly and issues were resolved pretty fast. The first 20-25 episodes were very interesting but it sort of watered down afterwards. Still a good watch. I loved that Yin Zheng was powerful in terms of his martial arts and he loved his wife so much. Pls watch!
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Good balance of humor and the serious things in life, full of focus on female friendship and family
I love the beginning and ending quarters for sure (the preciousness and wholesomeness and chaos and fun All on Overload and I'm here for it).It's pretty quiet/laid-back/domestic/slice of life, not too intense, and I honestly would have been happier if Li Wei (FL) and Yin Zheng (ML) had more screen time together (yup, especially in that middle section, which felt a bit slower without them ^-^). But, as it is, this is a very female-friendships-centered plot, and not as much on the main couple's romance for most the show.
LOVE the delicacies and foods and aesthetics (so cozy and healing), very cute and sweet main ship, all the side ships are also either sweet or bickery spicy sweet. As far as romances go, it's a bit rare as it focuses on both parties in the relationship pretty much equally, which is lovely to witness.
As far as HEA happy endings go, this deserves a 10/10 for that.
Appreciate the story's main thematic (essentially) commentary on the whole harem/concubines situation - which also enabled me to feel and understand the inner court's women of historical times more. However, the plot felt a bit dragged on as it didn't offer quite as many twists or interesting things as I would have preferred in the middle section especially (who am I kidding though, I was likely suffering from pretty bad hangover from lack of Li Wei+Yin Zheng dose lol).
Also love the VERY diverse set of personalities and ships/couples, as well as their respective developments. I liked all of the (good :D) main AND supporting characters by the end!
Needless to say, all the acting's top notch. I've put more of Tian Xi Wei's and Bai Jing Ting's cdramas on my To Watch list because they're each such great main leads.
Good balance of humor and the serious things in life for sure. =) If you want a comfort watch full of (esp female, but also the brothers/princes/young lords) friendships and family, this is for you.
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Refreshing drama
This drama is really good, very refreshing. It's different than your typical drama with lots of scheming and unnecessary misunderstandings.The characters are all so unique and interesting, even the villains has good sides to them.
The actors portrayed the characters really well, with differing personalities and traits being shown in the drama.
I also feel like the side stories are all meaningful, no boring filler subplots.
They also made it so we are able to savour the happy ending, unlike other dramas where the happy ending is only for the last 15mins of the last episode. The last 3 episodes are making me sooo happy.
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Sincere, Sweet, and Irresistibly Likeable
This drama is like eating a holiday meal of favorite comfort foods. There are no big surprises, but you thoroughly enjoy each dish, and afterwards you feel warm and happy for having eaten well of good foods.That being said, "New Life Begins" was itself a delightful surprise. Given how young the leads looked in promos, I confess to not having expected much from this C-drama. Maybe something light & fun. Which this is! But there's also enough substance to keep it interesting, & the characters are all likeable enough (or insanely hateable enough) that you're invested in their outcomes.
The drama focuses on relationships. Even the political questions or conflicts are really just another way of illustrating the relationships between characters involved. It's slice-of-life set against a fictional, 9-region political backdrop, with the central mechanism being that women are often used to keep the peace via interregional marriages. The questions many of these women come back to asking is: Their lives are used to barter for peace, but *should* they be? Isn't there a better way, one that doesn't sacrifice their own futures & dreams on the altar of politics?
**Mild, baby-sized spoilers below - nothing earth-shattering**
CHARACTERS
I liked pretty much every single character by the end. (The abusive as*h*** of an Eldest Prince excepted...may he meet with misfortune every 30 minutes.) There's growth on everyone's part throughout the story, & the relationships that unfold are a pleasure to observe. You end up rooting for all the couples & most of the characters, as even the annoying ones learn from their mistakes & evolve. The couples (or princes & their harems) are all well-matched. I laughed so hard when the extreme-introvert couple decided to send out gifts instead of hosting a housewarming party for their new home, so that they wouldn't have to converse with anyone. #relateable Even the ML’s second marriage partner in addition to the FL—a woman who, by all the laws of drama-watching, should be loathed—is brilliant & thoughtful & so absolutely cool that she navigates a 3-way marriage with the 2 leads without much conflict at all, & you end up wanting to cheer for her, too. I’ve never admired a forced love “triangle” before, but this…worked, somehow (temporarily).
Both leads (ML & FL) act more maturely than most C-drama protagonists, despite their youthful appearance. They make *good* assumptions about each other & ask questions instead of jumping to the worst conclusion. (Also, the ML’s voice is lovely deep.) The leads are great about communicating with each other & having the other's back. (They do start out a bit rocky & grow into this...please wait for it. :) The ML's manservant is my favorite side character. (I officially petition the Drama Overlords for MORE servants who overshare in order to quickly clear up misunderstandings between protagonists.) Their (ML & FL) relationship progression from strangers in a political "business" marriage, to allies & friends, to lovers at last, is slow, sweet, & natural, so that you actually believe the ML & FL genuinely *like* one another by the time they're confessing. Forget grand, first-sight, "destined" love—give me more couples who sincerely enjoy spending time together day-to-day, who communicate well, who help & support each other, who can tease each other & laugh together, & have all of this seem natural. (That’s far better than “soulmates” who can’t go a 5 minutes without arguing or misunderstanding—you wonder how they’ll survive with each other day-to-day in their “happily ever after.”)
Strong, ambitious, clever women are everywhere. Held down by outdated traditions & pompous men? Yes. But they don't let that stop them from dreaming & scheming anyways. Does their behavior sometimes stretch the bounds of belief around what would actually be allowable in a society such as theirs? Eh, maybe. Just ignore that—enjoy them changing their world single-handedly.
PLOT
There manage to be serious moments throughout the drama without it being very heavy. The two caveats to this lightness are the abusive Crown Prince (who can walk off a cliff already) & the side storyline about his concubine's postpartum depression (with that husband, is there any wonder?!), but these don’t get massive chunks of screen time & are thankfully resolved faster than you'd expect—no dragging it out into the last 5 minutes of the show.
There aren't any massive twists to the plot; its predictability is offset by the character growth you didn't expect, the healthy relationships, & the variety of situations the characters face together. The story could have been a bit more compact, but it still makes you want to keep watching to the end.
Are there tropes & clichés included? Yes—‘twouldn't be a “drama” without them.
--->The FL can be immature sometimes, esp. in the beginning.
--->There's a pouty, childish SFL who is desperate for the ML’s attention for a while.
--->The ML has idiot brothers with hearts of gold & wives who are clearly too good for them, but who they eventually become better men for.
--->Etc.
HOWEVER, these tropes aren't executed annoyingly (for the most part), misunderstandings get resolved quickly, & the overall effect is enjoyable.
This isn't a perfect drama. I could pick apart & criticize a number of details, especially around character idiosyncrasies. For example, the "strong" princess married to her idiot "weak" prince—their relationship, while believable by the end, is borderline abusive for the first 2/3 of the show. Like...ANY effort to show some of the playful warmth that she claims with people in her home province would have helped. But I digress. Main point – it’s imperfect, yet these few irritating details don't detract from the overall enjoyment of the story.
TL;DR - If you want something that isn't too heavy, that holds your attention, & that makes you feel good for watching it—less like you've eaten cotton candy or sweets, more like you've eaten a several-course holiday dinner—then I highly recommend this drama.
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BEAUTIFUL AND UPLIFTING - Nothing Cliche!
This drama was so enjoyable with multiple groundbreaking topics I have not seen in historical dramas. Started light and funny, this drama has humor, romance, warm brotherly relationships, warm friendships, conspiracies, etc. Groundbreaking topics include post-partum depression, domestic violence, and women's rights.What I love:
- the main couple's relationship evolution was gradual but made sense. Not love at first sight and you can see how they slowly fall in love with each other (ok, he fell in love first and much faster, but still).
- loving brotherly relationships between the 3rd, the 5th, and the 6th princes.
- loving friendship and really sisterly between the wives/concubines.
- the topic of domestic violence was uncomfortable but reasonable. Especially when HJ couldn't leave because she was pregnant. That was heartbreaking.
- the topic of post-partum depression was amazing. I only wish they took it further beyond just recognizing it since it wasn't addressed on how women overcome post-partum depression.
- the topic of women's rights in terms of education and working was very well addressed and concluded beautifully though the end was a bit rushed. I wish they would show how the women showed their talents which would then enable them to be selected for particular ministries. It was rushed that made it look like they were selected simply because they were there.
Overall, this was a beautiful drama with a unique storyline and I highly recommend it.
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Feminism done in the right way
I came to watch this drama because I crave dramas that have touching story about friendship. I usually don't watch historical romantic-comedies drama because they tend to be more melodramatic, however, I underestimated this drama before watching it. It has a lot of elements that I love, which are comedy, pure friendship, and admirable love story.Firstly, this drama has a lot of feminism touch which I love. Not going to lie, a lot of Asian dramas tend to portray female characters as a weak individuals, at least to my knowledge. However, this drama portrays women as strong individuals who's equal to men.
The drama tells a story about Xin Chuan state bringing young women from the 9 states and forced them to become princes' concubines. The Female Lead, Li Wei did not want to become a concubine and forced to become one with the 6th prince who everyone thought is the weakest and invincible prince among all the princes in the palace. Meanwhile, Hao Jia is a concubine's child who were forced to climb the ladder by seducing the crown prince due to her situation and greediness. However, along the way, Li Wei got the most sincere and kindest prince among all of them, meanwhile, Hao Jia, who has the most ambition, got the worst, sick and cold-blooded prince who abuse women.
What I love the most in this drama is how the writers did not turn Hao Jia's character to become evil. What I noticed every time I watch Korean&Chinese dramas, when side-female characters got into hardship, they tend to become jealous and evil, so they betrayed their friends or the loved-ones.
What I dislike about this drama is how netizen views this drama. (Please keep in mind, NOT all viewers think this way) I watched this drama on VIKI, and they have a time comments section where viewers can comment while watching this drama. Honestly, it scares me how they always blames female characters no matter what. For example, Yin-An, the 3rd Prince has a legal wife, and 16 unregistered concubines. He lures the 16 concubines by helping them in their lowest moments in exchange for them to become his concubine. However, not only he did not remember their names, he abused them mentally (and kind of physically) by starving them if they gained weight. He's also forcing them to have sexual intercourse and get them pregnant. Then, when the time comes, the 16 concubines and his wife turns their back on him and leave him because they had enough of him.
I thought the viewers would be happy for the concubines because they finally got their freedom, but no, some viewers thought the concubines were ungrateful towards the 3rd Prince - who abuse them.
Moreover, there were a lot of comments who thought the female lead, Li Wei, was ungrateful towards the male lead, YinZheng. They were saying that Li Wei is ungrateful and annoying by denying 6th prince as she wants to leave the palace to reunite with her family. I find the comments who find Li Wei annoying is very shallow and unjustified. I understand her position a lot because she was forced to become someone's concubine/side wife and not a wife to a complete stranger from a young age. Though her life may be grand in economic perspective, there were a lot of strict rules in Xin Chuan, who are unfavored towards women. If she has to choose between life in Xin Chuan and her family, of course she would choose a life with her family.
However, despite all the comments, this drama is worth the watch. I'll probably will watch this drama many times as I love how the writers portray each character.
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Sad now that it's over ...
Ah, now that I finished this drama, saying goodbye is hard 🥹. This show is such a beautiful gem among the C-Dramas that I have watched. I am more and more excited to start historical dramas, and this one made my excitement even bigger. A beautiful and light-hearted show that did not shy away from diving into serious topics such as a woman's independence, domestic/spousal abuse, mental health problems and more.The female relationships in this drama were sooooo great: support and love, and it did not matter whether they were blood related or not. To have such strong relationships was so beautiful to watch. The female characters loved and appreciated each other, supported each other unconditionally, and were true friends. Thank you to the writer for giving us such a show.
The actors did such a good job playing their characters. The comedic timing of the leads and secondary characters was always spot on, thanks to that the show was a delight to watch!
I felt like the show was a little too long, and the leads' relationship seemed to stall for a little bit, but honestly the last 15 episodes were very good and some even made me cry. The emotional attachment to the characters and their fate is veryyyy strong haha!
Li Wei is such a sweet bean, who grew into such a smart and capable woman without losing the essence of who she is. When needed, she was the boss, but with Yin Zheng she always knew how to be her carefree sweet self, and I appreciated that a lot. Seeing Yin Zheng's unconditional love for her was so sweet too, he could be so silly around her. The team work between him and butler Su was always very fun to watch🤭👍🏻
Overall, a very nice show that I thoroughly enjoyed. At first, I didn't think I would rewatch it, but the last episodes made me change my mind. I would probably opt for the latter half for a rewatch, simply because of the lead's relationship progressing a little more, and them committing to their feelings for each other more fearlessly. But the entire show is definitely highly recommended!💗
Rewatch November - December 2024: changed my 9 🌟 rating to a 10 🌟:
Ah, this rewatch was amazing. I cried so many happy tears, and actually loved it even more than my first time seeing the show last year. I just love-love-love the women and their beautiful relationships in the show🥹💗💗. And the romance is fun and so, so sweet 💗 + the OST is just pure magic!!
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