Scent of Time

Lesson Learned: be honest and be courageous; face it head on

This series is surprising. I got lost the moment I thought I understand the story. It was fun, loveable, and painful at the same time. I laughed and cried a lot watching this series. I felt her when she said, "3 times". If I were in her place, I really would have felt lost and unsure of what to do. There were moments where I felt frustrated and didn't agree with their choices, but I guess it is the concept of the drama. It is a drama full of life lessons wrapped with bits of love story. Anyway, the story contains so many twist that you should watch until the end.

The actors did their part so well that I can actually feel the pain that each of them went through. It made me realize that each person has their own situation that led them into making certain choices. The story portrayed life issues more realistic than fictional. There is of course a touch of fiction since it is about going back in time, but the problems and choices that they make is somehow relatable. It makes you think of what if you were in their situation, what would actually be a better choice. Seriously, it puts you in a dilemma. There were so many moments while I was watching that I also had to think of what to do.

I would recommend this drama if you are someone who is open minded because I'm sure it will help you a lot in life. It can help you realize a lot. The most important thing I learned in this drama is to be honest. no matter how bleak the future will be, honestly is still the best choice.

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DREAM, REALITY, REDEMPTION

The story is well filmed and directed. The only problem is that the dream takes too long ... more should be devoted to the ending, which is rushed. More should be shown between the dream and the real world. What the ML said and how the FL responds in the the dream world.

Well, there's enough evidence that it can be a HE ... the script writer has put everything there that shows that they can be together if she accepts and loves him. This is a BIG IF though ... but in the dream she loves him so maybe it will carry through. In her dream she already worked out that she shouldn't hang on to the first love, ZYL, and the imaginary defender, HRZ.

She already knows that she shouldn't hang to HRZ as a self-protector because she knows she is strong enough with ZXW's love.

She went to the coma with the assumption that NO ONE cares and loves her. She wakes up because ZXW shared that he has always loved her for the goodness in her. He gave her motivation that she can do good like sharing the incense with everyone.

So it's a good ending because there's no need to explicitly say everything. BUT it's rushed!
I gave this drama an 8 because I feel the ending is rushed. There are 2 ways to deal with this: either show more interaction between the dream and real life (ie. he talks to her IRL) ... show those interactions or develop the ending more. The ending is rushed so we are left with a few cartoonish abrupt transitions. I think they should show how the ML talks to her during her dream and how she reacts (this is only done at the end).

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Better than most reincarnated drama

Out of the numerous reincarnation storylines I've watched, this particular cdrama nailed it. The exploration of the past and present allowed for the main character, Hua Qian (brilliantly portrayed by Zhou Ye), to undergo significant character development. Hua Qian transforms from a character who has committed evil deeds to someone who rectifies her mistakes upon reincarnation. The portrayal of the internal familial dynamic is heartwarming and stands out as one of the most touching scenes I've seen in recent cdrama.

The characters are beautifully balanced and executed, with a focus on the characters who are relevant to the storyline. I enjoyed all the supporting characters, mainly the females. Except, Hua Rong Zhou a supporting character played by Zhang Yi Jie, who stood out as a character who felt out of place. His presence was disjointed, transitioning from a beggar to an obedient guard to a prodigious martial artist, a short journey of his own cultivation giving no meaning to anyone nor the plot. Including the romance, it was one of the weakest part of the series. It was more placed on the shelf for the last episodes. Other than that, the show is worth watching.

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A relatively well-disguised story that is actually about self-romance (in a kind of loser way)

For the most part this was well-written story, with good themes and a strong logical basis. It was essentially a redemption arc where the protagonist learns from her mistakes and was able to repeat 2 years of her past with wiser decisions to lead to a happier result. However, arcing over the entire plot was a bizarre mechanic that for me ruins the credibility of the entire plot. Without going into too much detail, the story was similar to a time-travel story where the protagonist met a bad end but was able, through some mysterious means, to return to the past and make different decisions that led to different outcomes in terms of love interest and her family's fate. She was originally a villainess that everyone hated, but because of her new choices, became well-respected and even adored, to the point where the original "heroine" of the story turned into a villain in response. This was actually all done very well, but sprinkled throughout the episodes were these hints that something was not quite right with this reality. The FL kept smelling this scent that no one else around her smelled. Spoiler alert, it was all a dream. Everything up to the end of that first timeline was real, but the entire repeat of the past 2 years was completely in her head.

What I really don't like about this kind of mechanic is that everything that occurs within a dream instantly loses its credibility. While realistically as an audience we can believe that good deeds lead to good returns, for example, the fact is that within the dream, every single character is actually a figment of the dreamer's imagination, even if they were based on actual people that the dreamer knew. It doesn't matter how familiar the dreamer might be with the real life counterparts; everything within the dream is still made up. Their reactions and responses, their thoughts and feelings, all of these are actually constructed by the dreamer and part of the dreamer's own self. This drama even doubles up on this insult by adding a third love interest who's completely fictional; he didn't exist in real life and was basically conjured by FL's brain while she was asleep. It's actually kind of hilarious how completely devoted he was to FL once you realize that this was essentially her being in love with herself. Then, at the very last episode, she wakes up briefly from this universe she's created where the entire world was in love with her and realizes the real world isn't like this. I'm also sitting here kind of in disbelief that I watched 29 episodes of a woman essentially romancing herself. At the very end, the series tries to salvage things by indicating that in real life, there are people who actually love FL, so she's not really THAT pathetic, but this is essentially a story about a protagonist with narcissism so severe that their delusion literally wiped out their ability to remain conscious for 2 years. Well, their injuries contributed, but let's face it; physical wounds are physical wounds, but this kind of catatonia is generally mentally-induced. If I had known that THIS was the direction the script was going, honestly, I would not have watched it, but I give it an 8.5/10 because the drama was still constructed well despite this small but somewhat fatal detail. This thing really had me rooting for it until the end of episode 29, when I realized I was NOT watching the kind of story I thought I was. So maybe watch until episode 29 and stop when you see numerous cut scenes of incense. It's such a shame when writers compromise the integrity of their stories by embellishing on such crucial weak points. Maybe the author was trying to do something new, but…this isn't even new, and made the story worse.

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Lost in the aromatic dream | A wake up call that what doesn't kill you make you stronger.

"Don't be afraid. I'm alright. I'll protect you." - Hua Qian

"Don't Worry. Don't be afraid. You have me by your side." - Hua Wen Ang

The above are two (2) of the most heartwarming yet heartbreaking moments and I can still remember how heavy these scenes are for me. The mere thought of my sibling/s catching a sword stab for me and my father taking the blame to cover my shits will be the trigger for me to lose my screws, go mad and never recover ever again; and to think that Hua Qian experienced it twice (2x) just made me realized how gravely injured, badly traumatized and maimed she was all those times yet still managed to pull herself together to redo her life to hopefully rectify the past mistakes she's done during her 'first' attempt of it.

First and foremost, I wanna tell people to just watch it and don't even give a damn about all the negative reviews you may find on MDL. Don't be dissuade by those subjective opinions and never allow them as well to take this opportunity from you to watch such an excellent drama.

This story is like a manual handbook that will teach you how to lookback on your previous actions—what you've done wrong, what are the things you could've dealt with better and actions/mistakes you should never do again. It's a narrative that will make you remember that life is only good for a lifetime, that there's no 2nd life at all. So you must seize the moment, face all your fears, own up to your past mistakes, make ammends by correcting them and live your life better with satisfaction and contentment.

This drama gave me so much life lessons, inspirations and warmth that for some reason I feel like I can handle the situations ahead of me much better now. This show reminded me that "Kindness will never go unnotice and will certainly be rewarded in the most satisfying and unexpected way possible" and I know it may sound exaggerated however this story is truly one of those dramas that will make you look back at your life while thinking to youself...Have I been nice enough?, Have I been appreciative of what I currently have?, Have I ever hurt someone without any valid reason? and so on. This is also one of the major reason why I want people to watch this drama; because I want them to take some moment to ponder on how are they living their lives so far... was it satisfying? is it worth it? and is it something that you can be proud of when you think about all of it decades from now? I hope people can find peace, realization and healing from this wonderful anecdote.

I originally want to talk about the 3 male leads—their difference, what I like about them and which approach I like better; but then, how can I do that when there's 2 different dimensions and one of them which happened to be the main focus of the entire story turned out to be a dream? I myself got flustered after finding out; because I tend to take notes of the scenes I find interesting and want to talk about so that I can use it as a go to guide to write my reviews but how can I use that now knowing that the 98% of the show is actually a dream? I know it sounds dramatic but it really is complicated...since the things I initally observed turned out to be a creation of Hua Qian's dream/imagination only.

Anyways, I just want to say that out of all the 3 ML, I love Hua Rong Zhou the best! It would have been a thrilling moment to see him settle down and live happily ever after with Hua Qian but dang! the plot twist killed that idea for me. I'm sad but not even a bit disappointed about it because I understand that some people, specially those who are going through traumatic experiences may/tend to create an imaginary friend for them to feel secured, protected and loved. I understand that it's Hua Qian's defense mechanism working. Because she needs someone who will be there unconditionally for her. Someone who will always choose her whenever and whatever happens.

Regarding Zhong Xi Wu, I was conflicted of him at first specially on how he acted on Hua Qian's dream. However, when his true intention and feeling were revealed at the final episode, I was like, "Damn! I was wrong all this time. This man is even more devoted and crazy in love more than I thought he originally was." This guy is the sole reason why Hua Qian is even still alive and able to "re-live" her life through her dream. He basically gave her another chance to life, a new direction and a redemption path to take. It was all thanks to him that she was able to deal with her obsession, devious desires, regrets, and her overall inner demons. He made her feel better and in good health (physically) as much as he can and thanks to all that, she stayed breathing and eventually woke up; and although the 1st 'wake up' attempt was a failure because she's still unable to distinguish between the reality and fiction (dream), the 2nd attempt finally turned out to be a successful one. As it served as a conclusion and agreement to herself that she can no longer live in that way—under the spell of her illusions and imaginations; and that sooner or later she'll have to face everything because after all she still has a whole world infront of her to face and conquer—which is the reality she's been escaping all this time, as she was unconcious, greatly harmed and traumatized of what had happened.

More so, I wanna say that this story is all about facing her own fears and mistakes. Owning up, dealing with them and correcting all of them (as much as she can). Not because she needs and is obliged to, but because she has to, as a healing and coping process of all the bruises, pain and sufferings she had inflicted to innocent people as well as to herself. It's a redemption for all the mistakes of her childish and immature self and also a stand that she's ready to move forward, ahead and infront of the excruciating experiences she went through. Which is an indication of growth and maturity.

In terms of overall costume, production set up and editing, I wanna say that it's either this drama received a good amount of budget/funding or the people workong behind the scenes are just truly talented, flexible and resourceful to make it seem like it. Costumes are beautifully chosen and well coordinated and although the households look relatively small and cramped, I was still able to see how nice, huge and grand it actually looks like inside. So I really want to commend the production team/staffs for their hardwork and dedication to make this production look pleasing and convincing.

Lastly, I'm still in awe on how flawlessly they pulled off the story to become just an imagination/dream when all this times I was convinced it's a time travel plot. I felt stupid for believing what they made me believe it was and it's also the reason why the distaste still lingers in my mouth till now. It's like I was played by both the director and writer...and up until this moment I still feel bad because my ship (Hua Qian X Hua Rong Zhou) can never happen.

P.S. Hua Rongzhou picking up slacks the very moment Hua Qian got divorced still amazes and fascinates me. This is probably my top most favorite part of the story + him fighting Zhong Xi Wu's guards perpetually for 26 months to obtain the information regarding Hua Qian's whereabouts. His growth from being a weak boy into a vigorous man deserves so much praise and admiration.

Story - 10, I love everything about this drama. The story itself was nicely written and although the dialogues aren't as complex, poetic and deep in comparison to the typical historical costume dramas, it was able to keep its own uniqueness and identity for being simple yet clear.

Acting/Cast - 10, I want to praise Zhou Ye for her outstanding execution of Hua Qian. She went all out and I can now consider her as one of the actress who can really act whatever role you give to her. Aside from that I'm also satisfied with the whole cast and I just want to mention how I admired Zhang Zheng Yang's acting here. He's unreadable to me and I love that he made me feel that way.

Music - 10, I love the full list of songs used. I feel like they fits the dramas mood/vibe so much and it is simply calming. Listening to the songs put me at ease. Kudos to Music Team.

Rewatch Value - 10, No words can make me turn my back on this masterpiece. Although the plot twist shocked and disarranged me quite a lot I still love this drama so so much!

Overall - 10, Isn't obvious? lol This show is one of those 1 in a million dramas that actually puts value on the story composition itself rather than having it just beautiful and attractive. It is well crafted and delivers a logical and meaningful message that's crucial and timeless for everyone regardless of age and status.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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confused writer

Such a confusing story. I don't know what story the writer want to tell. Instead of focusing on developing the main storyline, the writer chose to throw so many unnecessary filler side story randomly. I wish they'd focused more on the interaction between the mainleads, what a waste of such a good chemistry. What disappointed me the most was episode 28. Suddenly almost 2 years just went by. What happened to the Hua, Mu, Meng, Wu, Zhong Family? The plot was going nowhere. Instead of continuing the plotline, the writer/director chose to throw in so many new characters in the last episodes? What's the purpose? It really felt like cash grabbing/hype seeking on the cameo's name, I mean : Peng Xiao Ran, Sun Yi, Zhang Tian Ai, Yang Xu Wen, all come out just for a few seconds of scene that had nothing to do with the previous plot. I'm sorry episode 28 just dragged the whole drama down for me.

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29 episodes of a dream

*Spoiler alert*

Loved Zhou ye from back from the brink and scent of time didn’t disappoint. While the whole story of it being a dream was interestingly written, I found the ending less than satisfying though.

Summary:
FL (Hua Qian) was misguided while growing up and slowly became somebody that was hateful and would do anything to achieve her objectives. This has led her to all her wrongdoings which eventually led to the downfall of her entire family, including herself. She lost what she had while trying to pursue what she wasn’t meant to have. While growing up, she has always loved ML (Zhong Ye Lan) who didn’t love her back. It was instead the second ML (Zhong Xing Wu) who has loved her since young and has been there silently protecting her. Despite all her misdeeds, he wanted to be with her. She fell into a coma while being pursued by the authorities and in her 26 months of coma, she was having a long dream which is what the 29 episodes are about. The dream shows what she would have done differently if given a second chance as she realises how wrong she has been and regrets all that she has done.

My thoughts:
This drama truly resonates with most as it tells you exactly what life is - that you cannot turn back time to undo what has been done but you can however, keep going forward and change for the better. The drama is more of a growth process for the FL, less of the romance. In fact, I wouldn’t say there’s much romance in it. Just some scenes that imply that and shows the silent love/protection from ZXW. Perhaps, the FL has always knew that ZXW has feelings for her but was clouded by the unrequited love towards ZYL to not “see” it but she must have felt it as seen in her long dream. Through the episodes you can always hear the FL talking about a weird scent which were hints that she did not travel back in time to re-live her life but was in a coma instead. The scent were from a concoction ZXW made to help her wake up. This was interesting and kept me going to want to find out what’s up with this. In all, this drama is worth a watch if you’re not looking for intense swoon worthy romance but more of well paced drama on personal growth and realisation.

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Fantasy steeped in reality, soft angst vibes

Everyone says stop at Ep. 29 if you want the happy ending, but after I got there I was content enough to keep watching until Ep. 30. Honestly, the foreshadowing throughout the episodes were pretty subtle, but it made sense for those who were paying attention so I didn't find the big reveal in the last episode abrupt at all.

[VAGUE SPOILER REFERENCES AHEAD READ AT YOUR OWN RISK]

I really enjoyed watching the series with the villainess main character and how she struggled through her past to change everything. I like how she got everything she wanted to change from Ep. 1 to 29, and how we got more depth into her family. Whether or not they were really as warmhearted as she thought they were, at least her heart believed they were. And there's a pervasive sense of uncertainty throughout the entire story that comes with Hua Qian struggling to walk step-by-step through another day; I think her sense of fear and anxiety is very real, but it's done in the subtle angst way I like that's not in your face. Melodrama frustrates me, but Scent of Time's drama is more like incense: intense but also insubstantial, so that it doesn't hurt as much as it seeps into her pores.

It is definitely a melancholy series with sadness throughout, but I loved the reality she had to face at the end. Maybe it's because I'm older, but that's how life works: it's not perfect, and you have to deal with the consequences of your actions no matter how you regret them. Everything else is escapism.

I agree with Chinese netizens who noted that Mu Yao's acting was a little stiff (her eyes are so blank like omg) but the strength of the story carried the day so I could keep going. The sudden cameos by Sun Yi, Yang Xuwen, and Peng Xiaoran in Ep. 28-29 were hilarious considering how big names they were, but they were still enjoyable. And Zhou Ye had to stretch her acting chops to be tragic so while she's not a stellar actress I still like what she did!

I also like how even though things were tragic in EP. 30, Hua Qian stil gets a chance to be "forgiven" with Zhong and Mu Yao talking to her and Mu Yao apologizing. I like how it's Mu Yao, who's suffered the most, who tells Hua Qian to move on and let bygones be bygones, because I really think it needed to come from her.

You can write so many fanfics from this. Also, don't forget the producer has the animated extra that tells what happened to Hua Qian and Zhong Xiwu after EP. 30!! So you know, it's a happy ending no matter what: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdcOUvoh-k0

Last but not least, a part of me still believes EP. 1-29 really exists in a separate world line. There's no reason for Hua Rongzhu to have such a complex backstory otherwise, is my reasoning. Also, did you know Zhong Xiwu is actually the emperor in the novel version? Might be fun to check out hahaha: https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-scent-of-time/

Anyways this is just me rambling, I'm finishing up EP. 30 as we speak and ahhhh the setup was good, the music is perfect (it's rare for me to hear piano as BGM for a costume drama used so often, feels a bit different but I like it). I was so afraid I'd hate this drama because of the twist ending but what do you know? I eat up this flavor of drama/angst/redemption exactly, and I loved it! So don't base your opinions on dramas on reviews hahaha~

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I loved it, I cried, I binged

Scent of Time (2023) 9/10 -cdrama

Right at start I say I am overpraising this one. Its total soap opera, but I still loved it.

Whole drama would probably have better public rating if it got 29eps rather than 30 eps.
Since last 30th eps :unexpectedly: changes whole story situation of drama.
For me and probably to majority eps 30 changes drama to worse. At other hand it brings little of originality to whole drama which till now was mostly historical costume drama soap opera.

Now why I loved it? After long time first drama which managed to get few tears from me + keep me binge watching till end.[really sleepy right now]

plot - villainous woman which in her ambitions and blind love for one man hurt all around her. Died together with her whole family in bloody revenge. Luckily for her she managed to timetravel back to her wedding day and decided to make amend and set all on right track and that way save herself and her family from certain death.

genre- historical, romance, melodrama

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Decent story with lots of potential, killed by some fatal decisions

Usually these kind of stories starts off with a FL wronged in the prior life and gets a 2nd chance. However in this story, The FL is trying to correct her wrongs.
There's a common theme referring to the scent (hence of scent of time)

The leads Zhou Ye & Wang Xing Yue is a good pairing visually.
Sets/production overall decent although inconsistent. Costume & accessories are beautiful especially for the FL. Then there are props that looks incredibly cheesy fake too.

What killed this drama little by little ...................
1. Poor choice of dubbed voice for the FL. Even when her facial expression is on par with the mood, the voice didn't follow. Actually it sounds like 2 different dubbed voices. One sounded older but either way, it was not good.
2. Mu Yao -- I was wondering how they picked someone who can't act AT ALL. Apparently she's some internet celebrity and end up getting this supporting role with enough lines that can kill a drama. So that happened.
3. OST overkill. It's a nice song but the ONLY song which they play bits of it 10x per episode x 30 episodes ....
4. Over smoothing of people's skin especially of Huan Rong Zhou. He has a wax figure face at times.

Potential not fully realized but not bad overall.

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Made an account to leave a review & recommend this drama!

It’s been a long time since I found a drama that made me want to watch multiple episodes at once, and even think of hacking somewhere to get episodes earlier!

The story is probably nothing new for webnovels, but brought to the small screen, the story was surprisingly engaging, intriguing enough to keep me watching, with a good pace that’s not too fast nor too draggy.

The actors though not A list, are good enough eye candy with sufficient acting skills (is it just me or does everyone look too airbrushed in C dramas nowadays, to the point where I can’t see changes in facial expressions). I’m pleasantly surprised the cast fit each role well and together they managed to carry off the drama as a whole.

*Spoilers ahead*

This is not a sad drama, but damn I cried, from pretty much the start up to ep 11. I really hate the husband Zhong Ye Lan, for being indecisive in love, his cold violence (psychological abuse) of the FL and how he keeps delaying the divorce. I want absolutely zero redemption for him & I hope the divorce happens ASAP so FL can start living her best life.

FL’s showdown with her father/ family was heart breaking, because as someone who knows the future, she realizes that even if she tries to change events, it’s hard to change people’s character.

There are no clear villains yet, as the scheming cousin got dispatched quite easily & quickly. I’m kind of hoping that the “main character” Mu Yao turns out to be evil or at least not as righteous as she appears. Or better yet, let ZYL & MY just get together quick & get out of FL’s hair. She’s got better men to date.

I can’t put my finger on why this drama has me hooked. It’s like one of those not high budget non high expectations drama that unexpectedly just becomes popular because, well, everything just works.

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