This is a masterpiece I’ll return to again I’m sure
I absolutely loved this series! The story is fantastic and the fantasy element was the linchpin of its success. The reincarnation element allowed me to see a wild story of palace intrigue and political machinations from a new and fresh creative perspective.ACTING
The performances by all leads and most supporting actors were outstanding - in particular Zhang Ling He. He delivered a very nuanced performance of a complex character that was mysterious, alluring, intimidating, frightening - and in the end sympathetic. Every important character was able to live more brightly in the shadow of his performance.
In general, I would say the entire cast delivered - even if it was the standard rote character you expect. But a few performances were so brilliantly well done that you can’t imagine anyone else doing better – thank you Bai Lu, Zhang Ling He, Wang Xing Yue.
SOUNDTRACK
The soundtrack is masterfully composed to both complement and amplify the on-screen drama. As soon as you would hear a track begin, the tension was immediately elevated.
SOURCE NOVEL
I felt compelled to read the novel after the first couple episodes, and the additional background added a lot to my understanding of the characters. However – as is almost always the case – the novel is better than the movie. The novel is very long and dense with detail, which left the series feeling a bit choppy with parts unavoidably left out. As a result, the last several episodes felt equally satisfying and weak. Still, I recommend reading the novel if you have time.
Favorite Quote:
(novel)
“A drop of kindness should be repaid by a gushing spring.”
(series)
“A drop of water in need, shall be returned with a spring in deed.”
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Overall, the cinematography was absolutely beautiful in all is meticulous detail, but there were a few creative choices (lighting) that took me out of the story.
RE-WATCH
For me, this drama reinforced the idea that for some very special dramas there’s no such thing as too many episodes. I avoided Chinese dramas for years because I thought they were too long. However, after watching several long series multiple times (Ashes of Love, Love Between Fairy and Devil, Till the End of the Moon, Word of Honor…) I’ve learned not avoid them based on episode numbers. Still, I’ve dropped many series after a dozen episodes because it just wasn’t working - for me.
Finally, I must applaud the insightful examination of moral dilemmas from many different perspectives. It made this drama one that lingers in the mind - and that credit goes to the author of the novel - it was brilliant in its character analysis.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Terrific Actors. Riveting Story.
After watching this, I realized that Bai Lu is actually a good actress. I have watched her in two dramas before this and didn't really think much of her acting skills. Its not that she didn't stand out, she is terrific and charming, but the scripts just weren't right for her. Kunning palace was such a terrific script, with a lot of plot holes and missed potential, regardless it was riveting until the very end.And after watching Zhang Ling He play the role of Xie Wei / Xie Ju'an, I have come to realize that he was made to portray historical characters. He is so unrecognizable from his modern day roles, where he reminds me of a teenager. In his historical roles, he bring us a different aura, just like he did with his role in Love Between Fairy and Devil. I'm going to check out few of his other dramas as well to see more of him. In some scenes in Kunning Palace, he kinda overdid it and we have to ask the directors what were they thinking. For example, the first scene where they introduced him, they gave us a close up of his neck. It just looked so damn funny. But apart from some of these weird instances, he did a phenomenal job with this character.
You'll Keep Guessing Who The FL ends up with until the last few episodes (Spoilers below)
Let's begin with the adorable Yan Lin, he brought light to Ning's life. While she never showed any romantic affection for him, she cherished him a lot.
With Zhang Zhe, the story was so complex that it wasn't fully explored. Even though it seemed slow paced, it felt like there were a lot of missed opportunities to make their story flow. After claiming to like him so much, Ning seem to have given up way too quickly on what could have been between them and so did he. Despite her being a stranger to him, he was attracted to her and we can see in his expression that it was not just because of her looks.
Xie Wei / Xie Ju'an, the reason I was glad that it didn't work out with Zhang Zhe. While Ning would have had a sort of peaceful life with Zhang Zhe, he would never truly have understood Ning as a person. He was a bit too rigid for her, sometimes that makes a good choice but the chemistry between Xie Wei & Ning was just too strong to notice anything else.
What really pissed me off was the story between Jiang Xuehui & Shen Jie. Shen Jie seemed like such a powerless character that it was hard not to feel sad for Jiang Xuehui and kind of curse Shen Jie for not having spine.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Chemistry off the chart
I'm not entirely a fan of this trope, i.e where the audience is taken into a story written in modern times. This part however only had minimal screentime in the beginning and at the end of the actual story so I enjoyed this series ❤️*******SPOILER ALERT********
Story: I'm only giving this a 9 rating as the concept of Ning'er reliving her life to change her destiny was sometimes a bit 'unrealistic', what I mean by this is the fact that she's completely different to what she was in the previous life. Her being a scheming individual that only wanted to be the empress, which is a person with different values. This is my only gripe with the actual story.
Actors did a great job in portraying their respective characters. Special mention to the ML, Zhang Ling He who did an excellent job portraying Xie Wei, he really looked crazed at times, unhinged, obsessed and in love with the FL, Ning'er. Bai Lu did a good job as FL. They had great chemistry. I also enjoyed the acting of the following actors, Wang Xing Yue, Zhou Jun Wei, Liu Xie Ning, Jiang Xiao Lin (bodyguard of Xie Wei), also the other bodyguard of Xie Wei who's name I can't find under the supporting actors.
Other actors that also caught my attention is Zhou Da Wei, Melody Tang, Qin Tian Yu, Yu Zhong Li, Cui Shao Yang(really played the part of a playboy and fake Xue Dingfei well) and Yu Zong Li as 'sister' of Ning'er.
Production and Visual FX : 8.5
Ost: 8.5
Rewatch value : 8 will rewatch if there's nothing better to watch
Was this review helpful to you?
engaging second chance
very pleasant story, never calm. the cast is amazing, I infinitely love Zhang Linghe, who despite having a toxic character, managed to make me fall in love with him. Wang Xingyue and Zhou Junwei was also fantastic and put me in difficulty as well as the protagonist. This is a story of a second chance, to ensure that the protagonist can protect the people dear to her. The tension and chemistry between her and the ML is very enjoyable and this is the reason why I continued to see it until the end... even if it is not the best historical cdrama I absolutely recommend itWas this review helpful to you?
Watch for the engaging story, not the romance
An adaptation of a novel, this was a surprisingly enjoyable drama (ignoring the romances). The politics/story was actually the best part. Consistent characterizations, engaging political intrigue. I enjoyed watching everyone maneuver around each other and the various sideplots.The various romances were however a bit of a mess. It was not clear why she rejected some men, like the young Marquis and Lord Zhang. I had to read summaries of the webnovel to understand their characters and relationships, which is the sign of a poorly written romance. Jiang Xuening's romance with Xie Wei also didn't start till late episode 32 iirc (?) and it was rushed. There was debate about whether Jiang Xuening was being groomed by Xie Wei or she truly loved him. Imo if they had paced it better and developed it better, it would have been more satisfying.
I was however pleasantly surprised that the second half and the ending didn't flop and I didn't have to skip episodes or scenes. I also felt that Zhang Linghe overacted at points but his Xie Wei was consistent. Bailu delivers a reliable performance as usual.
PS check out the As You Wish variety show. That was SO good.
Was this review helpful to you?
somehow its so good,,???
did not expect to be this engaged with SOKP because i dropped it after ep5, but i decided to give it another chance and im so glad i did!!i thought the politics and revenge plot would be boring but it was well written & well paced through out that i actually sat through the whole show without skipping a lot of scenes (even with the supporting roles and im the type to skip a lot of sr scenes when i watch other dramas if they're not interesting). this show rly takes the cake for me bc i cried during the partings and felt frustrated when theres a conflict LOL. i was really genuinely locked in with the show. though the romance between MLs started late it was not a problem at all since the plot was good enough to keep me going. high budget, good castings & great plot from start to end. ZLH's character could be overbearing but its really just how he was build for it lolz everyone in the show had interesting characters
Was this review helpful to you?
Best Characters!
Has an amazing dark, brooding character with schizophrenia. It also had a very funny character. Episodes 3-17 were very slower and somewhat confusing, but don’t give up on it. I liked the atmosphere and tone of the show. Tons of great characters/side characters. Great music. This is one of my favorite shows now!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Started ok, Finished Wonderful
The high score attracted to look into it. Than i saw Bailu and Zhang Ling He and i was convinced to proceed further :). At the beginning i was thinking why is so high rated, yes they play well, yes is filmed nicely, yes to the environment, yes to the music, but i couldn't get that emotions to keep me engaged. Is a lot of Palace dialogues and plans on revenge from different sides of the story. From ep 12 it started to move a little bit, emotions between Ning and Zhang Zhe won me to continue. I felt that love from both sides, the sadness, the helpless, the powerless, the sacrifice - played beautifully.All story goes well, I can't say that it was something really new, but the way story goes along and how is transmitted from flashbacks and back is executed gorgeously.
The last 10 episodes made me stay hooked wholly. The first kiss is absolutely dashing, ohh boy Xie Wei - this is when i said, is all worth watching it - don't get me wrong i am not a pervert :)), but sometimes in the dramas you need this to won the scene. It was rough, craving, longing for it and i could feel his desperation, the strong desire for love and caring.
Overall is a beautiful masterpiece, absolutely all characters played well, the bad ones, the good ones, the passer by's. I loved the many locations and places they used, the decorations, the nature, this gives richness to the drama. A little bit of abuse of camera to go into eyes and see the others, or the faded colours, it didn't spoil too much, but overly done is not good either.
The only thing i didn't like is the sister story - the prince didn't tell her that she is not the chosen one, yes they show at the end as a happy family, but it got me very frustrated (i know on those time that was something ordinary, but i still don't like it :)).
Enjoy!!!
Was this review helpful to you?
An Addictive Historical Drama!
I didn’t expect to enjoy this show as much as I did! I went into it blindly, but I really loved the ride. Normally, I find it hard to finish Chinese historical dramas, but this time, it didn’t bother me at all. There were no cheap plot twists or an overly dragged-out storyline filled with unnecessary filler. In fact, I could’ve watched many more episodes!This is a high-quality drama—there are no awkward cuts or overplayed music. Even though the same songs are used throughout, they are rotated and placed so well that they never feel repetitive or annoying. Everything about the production feels polished and well thought out :)
I highly recommend this drama!
Was this review helpful to you?
You must watch this masterpiece!
*Story of Kunning Palace* is a historical Chinese drama that delves into themes of power, ambition, love, and redemption. It centers around Jiang Xuening, a woman who once became the empress but met a tragic fate due to her pursuit of power and the ensuing political schemes in the palace. After her downfall, Jiang Xuening unexpectedly gets a second chance at life, waking up in the past before her ascent to power.With the opportunity to rewrite her destiny, she decides to take a different path to avoid the mistakes that led to her tragic end. However, this is no easy task as she navigates a web of palace intrigue, dangerous political factions, and personal vendettas. In the midst of all this, she forms complex relationships with key figures in the court, including a conflicted romantic dynamic with the male lead.
The drama blends palace politics with personal transformation, as Jiang Xuening evolves from an ambitious, power-hungry woman to someone more introspective and compassionate. The second-chance element adds tension to her every decision, knowing that one wrong move could lead her down the same tragic path. There's also a balance between romance and palace drama, with the love story subtly woven into the larger narrative of survival and redemption.
*Story of Kunning Palace* offers a mix of suspense, emotional depth, and historical intrigue, making it appealing for viewers who enjoy character-driven stories with a strong focus on personal growth within the perilous world of royal courts.
Was this review helpful to you?
Bad camerawork !!! Bad direction !!!
The number of times I had to turn away from the screen because of very bad camerawork , its incredible I completed this drama.I really must award myself for the immense patience ... lolThe premise really intrigued me , a shrewd empress tries to rectify her mistakes in her second chance and this really had potential for a good series ahead - I dont understand who was behind the camera for this whole series - shitty camerawork making all the actors look bad , making the emotional scenes laughable , it was just a visual torture .
Bai lu , Zhang ling he , wang xing yue are decent enough actors to hook me into this series but it was quite a feat to reach the end of the drama .
I really feel bad for zhang ling he especially in this show - he really had the most unflaterring screen presence inspite of being a good looking guy in real life .
Was this review helpful to you?
Zhang Linghe's best acting happened in this drama
This drama is one of my fav. Not just because of BaiLu but because of Zhang Linghe's character Xie Wei. That possesive and psychotic behaviour in Xie Wei,god how much I love it. And not to forget,his and BaiLu's kissing scenes..I can say I've never seen such passionate kissing scenes in cdrama. MAN WAS EATING HER. THAT JAW CLENCHING 🤌🏻✨ Even after years I still can't get over of Xie Wei daren. This is ZLH's best character out of all the characters he played so far. 10/10 recommended if you like possesive psycho male leads!!Was this review helpful to you?
