A Dream within a Dream

Liu Yuning is on the roll!!!

First of all, huge shout out to all the supporting actors. They are absolute gems when it comes to showcasing their prowess of acting in a comedy genre. This show is undeniably hilarious (that laughter of 18th Prince is my favourite) and it is even better when the show itself knows about it and doesn't take itself seriously from the get go. From the first episode you will be glued to the screen and binge watch all the episodes.
Li Yitong is simply made for this genre and Liu Yu Ning is in his best. (It is basically his yr.) I just like that guy whatever he does, whatever roles he chooses or whatever song he sings. (Yes, I am totally biased!)
The first ep. explains what the story is all about - a sword triangle *cough* a love triangle that literally raises the storm and the struggle of ML to seize the throne (literally quite a bloody one) and they definitely have a chemistry in this one... literally 'cough'.
Now the best part of it is the music and the lyrics that made me laugh so much which is very unique especially in historical/wuxia dramas. The scenes of FL trying to change the story and repeating the same things over and over again in 2x and 3x speed was really funny (that is some final destination stuff going on with her). I love it how it gets serious when it is required with a perfect blend of comedy that is central to the plot and the production what to say...they have got some big BUDGET. Nothing looks cheap everything is top notch and the fact that they used famous scenes of other popular dramas and reused them in a comedic way is cherry on top. Another commendable thing is the character development of side characters, no matter how small but they tried to evolve all the characters and gave them screentime which I haven't seen in many dramas.
If you are a fan of 'Romance of tiger and rose' and Love game in Eastern Fantasy' and another kdrama 'Extraordinary You' then this show will definitely exceed your expectations because it incorporates everything which the others lacked. Overall it is now one of my favourites of 2025 dramas with a well thought out transmigration plot that I have watched in a while. (Believe me you won't be able to guess the twists and yes it is remarkably done from start to finish so throw your worries of 'rushed ending' out of the window.)
Highly recommended.

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Only if you're a Liu Yu Ning fan

After watching The Prisoner of Beauty I really wanted to love this but it wasn't meant to be. Don't get me wrong Liu Yu Ning was terrific as the male lead Nan Heng / Li Shi Liu unfortunately he couldn't save this drama.

I have never been so angry watching a drama before. But this one managed to piss me off to no end. How could one character (the male lead at that) be so hated. Everyone (aside from his people) were mean, downright cruel to him. And then along comes the female lead and dang if she isn't the worse of the lot (and that includes the emperor and that's saying something)

His own father hated him for something he didn't do. Honestly how could a child be responsible for a grown up's death? And it just went downhill from there.

Every episode seemed to get worse starting from the very first episode. In just a couple of episodes I was actually rooting for Nan Heng to ride off into the sunset and leave the rest to their own fate.

Then around episode 30 the writer decides to change it up and have the emperor realize he'd wronged Nan Heng. And of course the female lead finally comes in with the "White head, same heart" but personally, I felt it was too little too late.

Great happy ending.

Would I recommend it? No. But if you are a Liu Yu Ning fan and you've seen everything else of his then give it a shot, he's the only reason to watch it. However, I'd recommend a rewatch of The Prisoner of Beauty instead.

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