This review may contain spoilers
Very entertaining
I watched this drama because of the hype surrounding the drama. I was not disappointed.Zhang Li He's performance in this drama exceeds my expectation. Bai Lu's? She is a good actress and brings value to the drama she stars in.
The story is quite interesting: the main female lead gets a second chance to repent her sins. She seizes the opportunity by ensuring she follows the rules of the game of death closely. This time, she is one step ahead of her enemies or she thinks she is.
At the same time, there is another rival who wants her dead. Will the person succeed?
Will she survive in her second life? Watch it.
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There is no love triangle (or rectangle) but it is the slowest of burns
==Breakdown==Background plot - 55%
Romance - 35%
Misc comedy - 10%
Background plot - Excellent
Romantic chemistry - Excellent
Misc comedy - Good
Production value - Excellent
Dear Romance Fans: don't be discouraged by the early episodes, the love story is a MAJOR part of the show (eventually). This drama is definitely a case study in a slow burn romance leading to an extremely explosive endgame.
Contrary to what some folks might've stated, there is really no love triangle (or rectangle, or hexagon, or whatever). Yeah, the FL has a few storylines with other menfolk, but those only serve to enhance her character development (and the ML's character development later on) as well as drive the plot forward. I despise love triangles, but this didn't bother me one bit.
ABSOLUTELY LOVED this one and will definitely re-watch it again, especially episodes 30-38 :-)
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If only the secondary characters had been allowed more room to bloom.
I almost dropped it at episode 32.I really tried to like this drama but by episode 10+, I realised I was slowly starting to look forward to the secondary characters story and would have stayed if they have been given say...five minutes tops every episode from 10 upwards. And then when episode 32 happened, I just couldn't fake it anymore 😭.
I couldn't pretend even for the dramatics of Dingfei and I really wanted to see more of the Jie-hui and Lu-Yin couple. Oh the story it could have been!
I was highly expectant of cast and story even after the basicality it decided to adhere to right after the sixth episode. That commonly plot vice of going back in time and wondering why the new timeline is not sticking to the script after hijacking it, then scrambling around trying to make it work and causing disastrous results. It ain't that drama for me, but you could enjoy it. Try it.
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Very enjoyable revenge palace drama.
The revenge plot was really well done and overall pacing of the story was great. Watching all the machinations in the imperial palace/harem, secrets slowly coming to light, and plotting of our cunning Male Lead really made this an enjoyable series. We also had a very smart Female Lead who was able to take care of herself no matter where she ended up. She was never a damsel in distress and despite not being physically powerful, she used her smarts, wits, confidence and strong personality to get herelf out of sticky situations. Also, this is one of the few cdramas where the Emperor actually has common sense and isn't immediately influenced by rumors or accusations. Honestly you probably wouldn't think this should matter since the Emperor is not a character we would care about unless they are the main lead, but it does matter when the story revolves around the palace. So I had much less frustrations watching this drama because everybody that mattered in the plot line was actually smart and did their jobs as you would expect them to. This overall made the drama more enjoyable compared to other palace themed dramas. There was just one character death I didn't like, it was so unecessary to the story aside from wanting to make viewers sad, so I didn't appreciate that at all.In terms of romance, even though they I liked the pairing, I found the romance lacking a bit from the main couple imo. I personally felt more romance between the FL, Second Male Lead and even Third Male Lead because we got more healthy moments of affection/love shown between them. We only got to see more romance with the main leads towards the end, but even then it was more of a domineering type of love that could make you feel uncomfortable to watch. So I wish we also got to see more sweet moments between the main couple; or at the very least I would have liked to see FL be more expressive of her love with the ML like she was with TML. Granted the FL and ML's personalities and story lines don't really give off sweet vibes so it also makes sense that their love was more on the intense/obssessive/toxic side.
In addition to having a smart Emperor, other unique things I liked that weren't necessarily present 100% of the time but we did get to see were:
1) Bestest boy ever Second Male Lead who only wants the best for his crush and isn't possessive of her; 2) Non-competitive sibling relationship between the FL and her sister; 3) Healthy friendships between FL and other women; and 4) Parents apologizing to children.
Overall very satisfied with the revenge plot but would have liked to have more romance from the main couple. Bailu acted really well, crying scenes were so emotional. ML needs to work on his expressions but overall great job from him too and the rest of the cast.
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Feeling cheated...
The series started out so fantastic in almost every way: the plot, the characters, the visuals, the pacing, the charisma. It was a strong 9 or 9.5 score for me for the majority of the series until the last 10 episodes or so, where it all went terribly wrong. The downfall was almost predicted as around episode 30, I was wondering how they can possibly wrap up the story in only eight more episodes.However, not only did they completely rush through to its finale, the steady and beloved personalities of the characters declined in such a way that it made all of the prior episodes feel like a bad investment. The plot that was so carefully paced out and so well done... became mush. As just one small example, when the ML sacrificed his precious hand and was stabbed multiple times, apparently it ended up not being a sacrifice at all. His hand was merely wrapped, still usable, and the rest of him just miraculously recovered overnight. This type of nonsense didn't occur previously.
The FL and ML's relationship was developing quite naturally but then devolved into an abusive/victim/guilt-ridden one in the end. Both of their characters were almost unrecognizable from where they started. Let's not forget the scene where they slept together and the ML decides to propose after (as if this is a modern day setting with no consequences for the women). Or how he tripped his own kid multiple times because despite having settled down with the FL, his jealousy is still out of control. What in the world happened? Did a writer just get swapped out towards the end? It really is such a shame. If they hadn't ruined the ending arc with such nonsense, the series would have been on the top of my list.
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BEST Historical Drama
I started watching C-dramas for the wuxia genre, which is still one of my favorites. Still, I have recently been watching more historical dramas, and this drama, by far, is one of the best historical dramas that need to be on everyone's watchlist, the last historical drama that I really loved and would recommend is "Love Like the Galaxy," but that is now number two on my list. For one, ML and FL are two of my favorite actors, and they portrayed their characters perfectly, the chemistry between them was amazing, I also liked how the ML showed his feelings towards the FL towards the ending spoiler it's intense but amazing. The plot from the beginning to the ending is done amazingly, as well as all the characters in the story their actors portray them to great, making the story more emotional in scenes.Was this review helpful to you?
A dream that felt too real
This drama is definitely not the typical historical Chinese drama you would expect. It is based on the story of a strong female lead who wakes up from a dream that felt too real. In that dream, she was a selfish woman who would do anything and use anyone to achieve her ambitions. However, when she wakes up again, we see her character development as she tries to be a better person and make up all the mistakes she made and all those she hurt in her dream.I really enjoyed this drama as it was really realistic and relatable, especially the relationship between the characters. I especially loved the chemistry between the main leads Jiang Xue Ning(Bailu) and Xie Wei(Zhang Linhe) and how they went from enemies to cooperating together to save the Yan family and many more. Jiang Xue Ning was the only light in Xie Wei’s dark view of the world and end up being the most important person and support to eachother.
Acting of the main leads were quite good but I felt like the supporting characters could have a bit more and better changes in their expressions to show their character development.
Music was good and I loved all the songs, Bailu actually sang one of them aswell!
The biggest flaw in this drama for me would be the pacing throughout the episodes. I just felt like the ending felt way too rushed, especially after seeing and getting used to the slow moving plot (up to around ep 33). The female lead only seemed to truly understand the male lead in the last 5 episodes and his intentions behind his decision and only then did she confirm her feelings for Xie Wei (with only 5 episodes to go). I felt like it could’ve been better paced to make the episodes flow more consistently and make it comfortable to watch.
Overall, it was a very unique drama and enjoyable to watch. Recommended.
Ps. This is my first review hahaha
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Bailu and her male entourage
Very much enjoyed this drama!!Story: the trope of going back in time but I still love it lol. Will give 9.5 since it's overused.
Acting: bravo everyone. I liked all three stories with the male leads. I just give 9.5 because everyone could have improvements. Love BL but felt ZLH a bit awkward sometimes. Maybe the camerawork?
Chemistry: Lulu has chemistry with everyone be it males or females. Just love how she gets along with everyone!!
Rewatch: this one I would rewatch for sure.
Music: zhou sheng and Lulu's songs were awesome!! I still listen to them.
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Toxic and obsessive
I liked the beginning initially but along the line, alot of things didn't make sense. The reason why zhang zhe and Xuening could not be together in life 2, i still don't get. ML was a raging red burning forest. The romance scenes were giving abusive and toxic and in real life it wouldn't be encouraged so not sure why this happened.Was this review helpful to you?
Believable up to a point... with side characters carrying this drama
I enjoyed this drama but cannot say that I was captivated by it like everyone else. The story lost me as we approached the end, and the love story between the leads did not have most natural transition or justification."Only them understand each other fully" - ok, and?
The initial premise of getting a second chance was emphasized in the beginning, and almost completely abandoned as the show approached the end. Both Jiang Ning and Xie Wei were not strong enough as leads in my opinion.
Also while we are talking about inconsistencies -- I just did not realize why would Ning liked the partners she did. Like for instance Zhang Zhe... itis beyond my understanding, she liked him because he was a righteous man? Is that it?
As for positives, Yan Lin is definitely my favorite. He was gracious and consistent and brave and courageous, and handsome. Then Xie Wei's retinue: Dao Qin and Jian Shu, Lu Xian and Dingfei.. they were so loyal and faithful that I loved seeing their genuine encounters and friendship. Also princess Le Yang, she did a wonderful job to be impactful in few scenes she had.
Gotta say, a lot of charm of this drama comes from the supporting characters. Watch it if you like historical dramas but it will likely not be your favorite one, like Rise of the Phoenix was for me.
Thank you for reading.
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This review may contain spoilers
Elevator boy on a rampage
I really liked this drama for around 20 episodes - or more? All the characters are well played and the plot wasn't super fast-paced, but engaging, set up well. Characters were well rounded and believable. Plot was coming along nicely.And then the ML transformed into a creepy dude who doesn't care if the FL wants him or not, kisses her without consent, grabs her by the throat multiple times, forces her onto a bed and: she starts catching feelings for him around that time.
Under the guise that "she was misunderstanding his intentions the whole time and now that she knows spoilery stuff about him, she isn't afraid of him anymore and realizes what a great guy he is". Except that he just demonstrated he isn't. He forced a kiss, he didn't stop, he strangled her.
Sure, there should be multifaceted, grey characters, bad guys in a story. This is the ML and this story is set up in a way that shows "hey, just be forceful and persistent and the girl will be yours" and I freakin cannot stand it.
She tells him off after they spent the night together, he asks her to marry him, she needs to think about it and he acts like a four year old who didn't get to keep his favorite toy. But that is the extent of it - after that she's back to liking him.
There's imo nothing steamy about their interactions, because they are all forced - from kiss one onwards. I despise this kind of narrative. I don't even want to give it one point, if it wasn't for all the stuff that they did great on before that.
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Confusion and Disappointment
From Jiang Xue Ning being the main focus and driving force of the story, she somehow turned into a side character in her own narrative, constantly needing to be saved. After just a few episodes, it became clear that Xie Wei had taken over as the true focus, which felt strange, considering it was Jiang Xue Ning who was supposed to be reliving her life and changing her fate. Instead, she ended up as a puppet, repeatedly rescued and used by Xie Wei.Both Jiang Xue Ning and Xie Wei were repeatedly labeled as “evil,” yet that never truly showed in their actions or personalities. It’s a classic case of inconsistent characterization, where the audience is expected to simply accept what they’re told without actually seeing it play out.
Jiang Xue Ning had genuinely great options when it came to her love interests, but sadly, she chose the worst one, the manchild who believes he can control a woman. If I had to sum up how I felt about Xie Wei, it would be: The Ick. If the word “Ew” were a person, it would be him. Forcing her to kiss him, kicking his own son when he doesn’t get what he wants… but hey, not evil, right? Haha.
The villain was painfully one-dimensional and practically nonexistent for the first 30 episodes, which completely deflated any sense of tension from the start. There was never a real sense of danger for the main characters either, since Xie Wei was portrayed as this overly competent lead who could survive anything. The other villains never felt like an actual threat.
Side characters like Zhang Zhe, Yan Li, You Fangyin, and Jiang Xue Hui were the true highlights of this drama for me. Honestly, I wish they had been the leads, but I guess we can’t have everything we want, right?
I didn’t feel much chemistry between Jiang Xue Ning and Xie Wei either, probably because their romance only started developing after episode 30—and with Xie Wei being the definition of a manchild, it didn’t help. Why do writers keep doing this?
The concept and premise of the drama are fine, but the execution fell flat. Right from the start, we’re told that this is a fictional story being rewritten, which immediately removes all tension. On top of that, introducing us to Jiang Xue Ning as someone who had already gone through her toughest times as an empress and made countless mistakes made it difficult to emotionally connect with her. How are we supposed to empathize with a character whose past we only see through brief snippets? The same goes for Xie Wei; by the time I actually started to understand their backgrounds and motivations, the drama was already nearing its end.
The pacing was also questionable. The last ten episodes were the only truly important ones. Honestly, you could have skipped everything before episode 30 and still followed along just fine, and that’s truly disappointing.
The OSTs were the saving grace of this drama. Other than that, it didn’t have much going for it. The casting didn’t convince me either. I’m not sure Bai Lu can handle these kinds of complex lead roles, and the same goes for Zhang Linghe.
Last but not least, I genuinely don’t understand how this drama is being called the best of 2023. It’s disappointing and confusing at the same time.
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