Love Like the Galaxy: Part 2

Different Tone from Part 1 - Court Politics, Revenge, Romance and Angst

Completed - 8/21/2022

Part 2 has a different tone and feels like a completely different drama. While Part 1 sets things up and gives us an introduction to all the characters, it has a focus on family and friendship with a dash of romance. Part 2 on the other hand focuses on court politics, revenge and our main romance. We have a more serious drama that’s full of angst and sadness with a dash of sweetness and comedy.

What I Like:

Cheng Shao Shang (FL) - I like that she is true to herself throughout the drama. Because of her childhood, she has abandonment issues. You can say that she has a lot to learn to be someone’s partner or wife, and has to learn how to love and trust ML. Yet, she is quite a feminist. She believes in her ability, and that she doesn’t have to follow the traditional footsteps of women to get married and be defined as someone’s wife. I like her revengeful attitude and her protectiveness of those who treat her well. I tend to like strong and badass female leads, but I have grown to like Cheng Shao Shang and she has become one of my favorite female leads.

Acting - I was not impressed with Leo Wu’s acting in Part 1, so I am very happy to see that his character is giving him more to showcase his ability in Part 2. He is excellent in all his emotional scenes, and he melts my heart when he smiles at FL. I really do feel his pain and internal struggles. This might be the best role I’ve seen Zhao LuSi in. She’s known for her cute and outgoing roles, and then she branches out to a more conservative role in “The Long Ballad”. But in “Love Like the Galaxy”, her role as CSS really allows her to flex her acting chops and to show how much she has grown as an actress. From being the naughty and petty 15 year-old, to becoming a mature and strong woman at the end of the drama, Zhao LuSi is the star of the show. Leo Wu and Zhao LuSi are still so young. They really have a bright future ahead of them. Supporting these two young leads is a very experienced supporting cast. I love the royal family - the emperor, empress and consort Yu.

Emperor/Empress/Consort Yu - What a lovely trio we have in this drama. Where else can you find a trio like this in a historical drama? The Emperor is hilarious and he’s the biggest fan of ML and doesn't hide his partiality. He also is the biggest cheerleader and matchmaker of the leads. I love all his funny moments, especially the last scene. I am so glad that CSS found the mother that she always wanted in the Empress. Under her love and care, CSS is able to grow and learn to love, and be the best person she could be. The sisterhood between the Empress and Consort Yu is lovely to see as well. This drama has a different type of harem, even if the princes and princesses do not always get along with each other, we also do have people killing each other for the throne. Maybe this has something to do with the awesome parents that they have. Lastly, my new favorite character, Consort Yu. I love her sassy retort. I look forward to all her scenes and want to hear what she has to say each time. No one dares mess with her and it’s fun to see her interaction with the Emperor. They are a match made in heaven. It would be interesting to get a side story of when they were younger.


What I have Mixed Feelings about:

Main Romance - I am very glad to finally see their romance begin in Part 2. However, the early development is what I have mixed feelings about. I feel that they have more chemistry when they are bickering and arguing with each other, than when they are speaking sweetly. I already know ML is deeply in love, but the way FL falls in love is quite a mystery. One episode she is still hesitating whether to marry or not, then in the next episode or two, she’s already very in love. I want to see the slow development as this feels pretty abrupt and unbelievable. However, once I got past this initial stage, I got what I wanted - the love, the sweetness, getting to know each other, angst, and understanding. I am also glad that the angst is not due to misunderstandings, but it’s actually because they understand each other too well due to their different upbringing and thoughts of the same situation.

Battle/Fight scenes - I applaud Leo Wu for his effort in all the fight scenes. You can see him and others are not just swinging their swords aimlessly. These are hard fought battles and the drama doesn’t shy away from some of the more torturous and bloody scenes. But what I don’t like is the slow motion. This is not a wuxia drama and doesn’t have continuous fight scenes. You really don’t need to slow down a slash or a jump. This makes the exciting fight sequence less exciting.


What I Don’t Like:

Uneven Pacing/Weird or underdeveloped plots:
I find it hard to follow all the characters involved in ML’s revenge plot. In the middle episodes of Part 2, I became quite confused about all the names mentioned. Some characters appeared in Part 1 and I sort of forgot their names or what happened. But the drama name drops all those involved, I had to pause and think who these people are. Eventually, I figured it all out, but those episodes have a lot of talking and court politics, thus, also slowing down the pacing of the drama. Some minor supporting characters disappeared for most of the drama, and then popped up again at the end to seek revenge. They seem to have come out of nowhere. So much happened in the last 5-7 episodes that it feels rushed. I am not sure if it’s because of the editing or the writing.

A few other weirdness:
1. What happened between Cheng Shao Shang and Yuan Shen after they visited CSS’s home?
2. When did FL’s 2nd brother and XiXi become so close that there are talks of marriage? Didn’t they only have one kiss?
3. I needed more scenes between 3rd Prince and ML to justify the behind-the-scenes happenings
4. Well, the rebel leader also seems to have come out of nowhere.
5. The way that our smart FL got in trouble in the end by falling into the schemes of the two female supporting characters is repetitive and underdeveloped.


Other Random Observations:
1. Leo Wu frowns a lot when he does his serious General face.
2. Impeccable hair even after fire/explosion/battles
3. Enjoy the background music and songs are not overplayed (actually I don’t notice them much).
4. So glad Yuan Shen is not an annoying high school boy anymore. He’s matured to be a good support for FL.
5. *SPOILER*

Waited this long and I didn't see the wedding???? It’s been talked about for 29 episodes.

Read More

Heads Above Part 1---Greatness Begins in the Stars

Pros: This is an entire planet above part 1. It's like watching a different drama with the same characters and theme. WL really showed his acting skills in this part be they for being so on point with each battle to the gut wrenching emotions. Absolutely extraordinary given he's only 22 years old; if this and TLB were his first foray into serious acting as an adult as opposed to just a child star, he's making tremendous strides in a wonderful direction. Literally the sky is the only limit for this young man.

He was able to play a highly complicated character with only revenge on his mind for a whole decade, everyone who crosses him or harms those he loves be damned. Then he falls in love and plans to wed but that vengeance is never far behind. Every step he takes before and after what I call the "red wedding" scene, is either calculated to the inch or completely muddled when it comes to NN. He owed her a lot, but he paid for it, and the reconciliation was priceless as well as funny.

ZLS who is known more for her comedy roles which was also well executed here, was able to play a tunnel visioned confused girl with how she grew up and only relying on herself even when that proves to be harmful time and time again until she realizes she's got to put more thought into the consequences of her actions not just the revenge; who has to have her heart shattered in order to mature and she played the role very convincingly.

Other favorite characters were the Empress (until her last breath, she was the mother to NN, her own mother forgot to be), Emperor, Consort Yue, NN's brothers, cousin, Qiqi, HBY's sidekicks (and the rest of the elite Black Armed Guards), the eunuch, 3rd and the original crown prince (though he was a wuss), there were a few others whose names I've forgotten but they were on the side of justice.

Costumes, OSTs, sets, and production in general were all gorgeous. Comedy was absolutely well placed and the Emperor being the biggest shipper of our leads along with the Eunach was always absolutely hysterical. Even the most serious scenes were sprinkled with the proper humor and it made things easier and better to watch. Quite a lot of very comedic scenes which were much needed; especially anytime Consort Yue entered the room and read it to filth; woman deserves a standing ovation!

Love, love, love, love all of HBY's battle scenes, wish we had more of that final battle with Tian Shuo or whatever his name was (also wish they had explained how he ended up being the last villain in the first place; he was just chucked in there to round out the batch, I guess); that seemed rather rushed and lackluster with a lot of talking and declarations in contrast to all of his previous ones which were just spectacular. HBY was an absolute machine and I loved every moment of it.

The leads chemistry was awesome; though FL had three men pining after her and she got engaged or semi engaged to all 3, only with our Superman HBY (shoot him, stab him, harpoon him, throw him off a cliff, or blow him up, he'll return in one piece still, looking fierce and immortal almost lol) was the chemistry palpable from nearly the beginning. Was it the most hot and heavy from all the costume c-dramas I've watched? No. But it was enough that you knew, no matter what, once they acknowledged their love for each other, even with the revenge and abandonment, it wasn't going to be over for them. Not by a long shot.

Cons: Took way too long on the constant bullying of NN. Too many princesses, too much time. That should have all been nipped in the bud a lot faster. I felt like way too many episodes were wasted on that. People claim many were critical of NN, but we were only watching the truth; she was a bit too self-absorbed many times and blamed LBY/HBY for stuff he had no control over and couldn't stop and sometimes she didn't even bother telling him like the river snake incident; often felt she took one step forward and two back. But spending the five years heartbroken and apart, actually matured her properly finally.

What happened in the last few episodes where mommy dearest and Jabba da hut aka grandmother all of a sudden had a change in conscience and became good? They spent most of the series hating on NN or severely punishing her both physically and psychologically and then out of nowhere in a fraction of one episode they were doting on her and to be completely honest, it was like a creepy whiplash. Mommy dearest even whined that she had no idea how to raise a lady which was a total copout because when they returned from the battlefield, NN was still a teen and could have been doted on instead of ignored and the cousin chosen because she was meek and feeble. The inconsistency was beyond staggering. Even chicken feather duster dude was all mellow after he was more or less a total shit to NN the entire series (his version of showing he liked her; total moron); but his mellowing out was thankfully a lot more subtle then the other two which made me cringe. Points came off for that.

And what in the heck was that last episode? Ok, HBY and NN hit two different fronts to protect and save, got it! They trust each other totally and completely finally, awesome! But her parents and entire family save jabba da hut riding in from out of the blue made me pause the drama to double check I wasn't watching something else. It was the most twilight zone-ish experience of the entire thing. How did they know? Did NN send a letter or a pigeon before leaving Hua county? I doubt it because she looked stunned to see them as the rest of us were. And why bring family with no fighting experience like the cousin and her husband? Plus she's giving her parents and the rest of them orders on what to do, even though her dad is a general? Like make it make sense please, except it doesn't. Very disappointing after so much great material.

I wish HBY and NN got more time alone to really talk and a wedding would have been nice. But we can take what we can get, I suppose. If it weren't for the very obvious flaws, this drama would have gotten a higher rating. I do hope people in the comments are correct that the director is editing for more cohesion, because a lot is needed here and it's lacking.

Would I recommend it? I absolutely would. Part 1 can be browsed as it's really a one track style, but all the goodies lay here in part 2. This is maybe my second or third costume/Republican drama getting a 9 or 9.5 this year and it certainly earns it. So definitely check it out; you'll laugh, cry, be unhappy, and root for all of the good characters as they go through life.

Read More

Interesting BUT where is the eldest son of the Cheng family?

well...about the story... the characters are not complex and they are not deep. From start to finish they are the same. With the exception of Consort Yue and Lou Yao's wife (He Zhao Jun). Overall, it's a predictable drama, but that doesn't make it bad. It's a great drama, just not deep. There are some well-executed and written secrets and plot twists. Some dialogues are excessively long (to try to bring out a "depth" of the characters' thoughts). It seems like a "cake recipe" story to me, but as it was well written and executed, it was a great result. It is worth mentioning that the emperor's humor part is something really interesting in this drama. Now, a question, where is the eldest son of the Cheng family?

Read More

I think I was watching a different drama

How and why all the high ratings? First I will say I do no believe making the FL 15yo (year old) being played by a 20+ old was a good idea. Why not bump the age to 18? I am supposed to believe a 21yo general is in love with an immature 15yo and she is the only woman for him. Why just why? She is a child. This is silly. As much as I have enjoyed ZLS other projects I hope she does not ever take another role that forces her to play a child. In fact I hope for her own growth she takes more challenging roles so I do not see the same rinse repeat of comedy, hysterical crying, and then self confidents when it suits the writers.

They made ZLS 15 yo character so capable she had more intelligence than the adults when figuring out crimes and she helped her Uncle restore peace and provided aid to his governing town? Even though she was not well read she created inventions to the precise measurement to be useful. I guess she was a prodigy? While I enjoyed most of the story I didn't understand why we had to go through a roller coaster of suspense just for the ML to end it in a sorted way with his father. The FL leads family was confusing. Her mother did not want her to marry ZiSheng initially in fear he may be a target and she may suffer for it. Then on the other hand when he commits a hyaenas crime for revenge her family rallies up to help him escape. smh. Where was this Older brother of hers we never see although the ML helped him with military feats. He wasn't even in the end scene when the entire family gathered.

Brief call out to the emperor and his 2 women. I enjoyed the comedy bits and how they handled him. I was happy cousin Yang Yang found happiness. FL twin although not a lot of screen time I enjoyed his attempt at fortune telling made for good humor at times. The ML was okay. He seems to have that same stern face I saw in TLB. I enjoyed him more when he was with his subordinates on screen. When he was chasing after his 15yo woman love not so much. The ML and FL had their moments but once again this drama did not need to be 56 episodes. The law should be 40 episode max for the entire scope of a project.

Not 1 memorable song for this OST. Was there really a break out song?

Three men in love with this 15 yo FL for very little unfounded reasons. The same old princess and noble born females fighting over the ML when he has no interest in them. They get mad at the FL like its her fault. That story is getting old in all of these dramas. I think its time these writers stop being lazy and come up with another drama formula. Another idea start being original for once.

Read More

Thus far, it seems like part 2 is better than part 1.

Review for part 2 [My final rating is a 9.8]:
One thing that I forgot to mention about this drama in my review for my part 1, was the fact that I love the introduction video to this drama. The reason why is because unlike most Chinese-dramas it doesn't spoil the whole drama for me, by showing spoilers of what will happen. I like to be surprised when watching dramas, instead of seeing what will happen in the introduction (e.g. like knowing that the two leads will end up getting married because of seeing their wedding in the introduction video). Thus far, I like season 2 better because the male lead character storyline is finally starting to make sense. Also, I like that the female and male lead didn't fall in love at first sight but grew to love one another. This drama kind of reminds me of The Story of Minglan. Not having the characters fall in love at first sight, also, makes the drama and characters more realistic!

Omg, episode 5 is the first time that I like the male lead character, while being annoyed with the female lead character lol. She is being selfish, and immature. After watching episode 6, I raised my rating from 8.5 to 9.5! Around episode 8, I feel like the drama is dragging quite a bit. Also, I keep thinking about the female lead ex-teacher (the one who is against marriage) and his storyline. Why do they keep showing glimpses of him, without including him in the overall picture? I like the fact that the female lead character didn't want to completely loose herself (good qualities) for the sake of her fiancé.

The ending (episodes 52-56) was bitter sweet. I love the fact that during the 5 years later, they showed clips of how everyones life changed. I usually don't like when movies or shows just write [X amount of time later], without showing us how the characters changed and grown. I wish they wouldn't have included an additional conflict in episodes 52-53 and 55, it dragged out the conclusion.

Overall part 2 is much better!
▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎
Review for part 1 [My final rating was a 8.5]:
Although, I genuinely like the male lead actor, I was disappointed to see him play the male lead character. To be honest, as of episode 3 I don't think he is doing as good of a job as he did in his prior historical dramas. Not bad, but not great either. I believe this drama would have been better if they casted an actor between the ages of 30-45 (this doesn't mean the character has to be the same age), with phenomenal acting experience in political based historical dramas.

While the storyline is good, the script and production is lacking. What I mean is, in episode 1 the male lead and the army won a war and the first thing he does after returning home (well, waiting outside of the gate) was to leave and investigate a case. The political plot in the first 10 episodes, felt rushed, and unrealistic; it was as if they were looking for a way to find a quick way for the female and male lead to link up with one another. Also, there was no significant moment shown to us to explain why the male lead character liked the female lead character.

Next, the female lead characters mom, hadn't seen her daughter since she was a baby, and instead of embracing her with love, she embraced her with rules that could have waited until she started spending good quality time with her daughter. For goodness sake, she heard that her daughter often was starved by her grandmother and aunt. Additionally, at one point, she was left to die outside of their town. The mother's behavior is not endearing but it seems very cold, and harsh. Her character is enough to make me want to drop this drama. I'm hoping that the writer allow her character to develop.

If the script, acting, and mothers' character doesn't improve by episode 6, I'm going to drop this drama! Note: The mom's character doesn't become tolerable until episode 20.

Update:
You will start to like this drama by episode 6. Things definitely make a turn for the better. However, I still don't like the male lead character storyline. It seems unrealistic. Additionally, the actor is overacting.

My favorite episode was episode 15. I hate the political plot because it's not logical nor is it well written. However, the female lead character storyline is pretty good. Additionally, the female lead actress did a phenomenal job acting, as well as the actor who plays Yao. Kudos!

I'm currently watching episode 21, and when I see the male lead character, I sigh due to disappointment. UGHHHHH WHYYYYY I don't know if it is because of his character, or the actor, or both! Btw, who else is sobbing after watching episode 21? Where's my tissue? Also, episode 24 (towards the end) is the only time that I liked the male lead actor and character in this drama. Unfortunately, the mom in this drama reminds me of the relationship that I had with my mom. My mom has narcissistic personality disorder, and used to belittle me in front of others. So the end of episode 24, definitely was a trigger.

After watching episode 25, I realized that part 1 was focused on the female leads family and part 2 will be focused on the male leads family, and their marriage. I LOVE how the male lead rides (supports) the female lead at Yao's wedding (the end of episode 25). By episode 26, I finally start liking the male lead character (although, I think the actor could have done a better job acting).

The flashbacks at the end of episode 27 was much needed (I forgot how much the leads interacted with one another), and was a perfect way to end season 1.

Read More

Just ok

This drama is about a girl (cheng shaoshang) who never experienced true love and always feel abandoned turns out to be an extremely smart, sassy, stubborn, seek revenge when others betrays/messes with her, heroic individual. She has grown to be more mature through time. To elaborate on how unique she is, they have somehow got her engaged 3 times in the story. The first half of the story shows how her life is at home, 2nd half is her being involved in the imperial palace.

I have watched this drama because of the high rating 9/10. I honestly think this is an average drama. I enjoyed the first half of the drama but towards the end around 45 is when I just skipped through scenes. I think Leo Wu is an exceptional good actor, Zhao Lu Si is better than most average actors but I don't think she's the best (her heroic scenes are a bit laughable, she should just stick to comedy, she did great in emotional scenes though). There are various flaws in the drama, Lou Ben is a smart manipulative guy but how did he managed to accidentally spill that the other family died when he ran away with shaoshang's dad? When Lou Ben's wife trapped everyone in the dungeon, can't someone just go knock her down, while shes going through her lifestory of sorrows? esp when they know shes going to start a fire, instead everyone just watch her burn down the place. Everyone's wardrobe during the fire scenes are intacted and brand new except a few black smudges on their face. I do not believe Buyi can escape that fire in a few seconds. Important scenes are not shown of how Shaoshang's father was found, they spent like a few eps showing everyone finding him thats the least they could've done show how he was found in at least a few mins. They are so focused on making Shaoshang look heroic that they have her order her family around during the fire scene which is disrespectful esp her parents! I know Shaoshang suffered through 5 years of sadness for feeling betrayed, but why must all of us suffer through 5 extra eps of boredom from bringing back unnecessary villiams like Jitiang and Lou ben's wife? If this drama wraps up nicely and stops at around 45, I would've enjoyed it better. I think the ending should've been when shaoshang's family all got married, leaving one final eps after that for shaoshang to be married to Buyi and CUT!

Read More

An expedition to become You! ( Love like galaxy part 1 and 2)

I have finished ' love like the galaxy' with profound smile on my face and tears in my eyes.
This has been a long journey of parenting, of trust, of belief, and a journey of love.
Characters grew from the best to the very best. Well though everyone had their own flaws, they executed their characters very well...
Zhao lusi has done the best job and she is one of the best actresses out there of her age imo. I have been loving her acting for a while so I am familiar with that, yet still she surprises me with those purest eyes, and warmest smile every time I see her.
Still her characters has it's own flaws and i didn't like it entirely yet I'm satisfied.


Leo wu did his best and i loved his
character the most in entire show... This drama does not explore his background too much otherwise this would have been the one In my ATF list....
Still I will not forget this since this has already been carved into my heart....
Please give it a go if you are into such historical dramas with profound meaning of love...

Thanks for coming here...
Happy watching....

Read More

Just Watch It, Trust Me!

Love Like Galaxy
This series is just one hell of a masterpiece. Legit will hook you till the end. This drama made me laugh, cry, and swoon and just made me feel so much emotion. The acting and the way the plot was written are just top-notch. Shout-out to the writers, they really did a fantastic job. Also, I love the way the action scenes are executed. Like I've seen some cdramas with obvious CGI, so this one's are such a treat for my eyes. I love the good old physical action scenes with gore stuff, hehehe.

I legit never skipped an episode because there's no over the top draggy arc. I'm really fussy when I watch a series, I tend to just usually skim through some scenes if I find them redundant and draggy to the obvious point of just making the series longer. However, with this one, the love story of the main lead is perfectly written and interlaced with all the happenings of the series. There's no all of a sudden sub-plot out of nowhere. The disappearance and reappearance of characters are justified, and their thoughts that lead them to do certain actions are perfectly executed, too.

Trust me with this, all of the actors are phenomenal. They gave one hell of justice to the characters they portrayed. Aside from the chemistry with the main couple, this drama is full of chemistry with other actors, too. It showed all sorts of love like platonic, family, love for a country, friendship, and even deep passion for achieving one's goal!

Lemme just tell you my faves pair-ups:
Qiqi and Shaoshang??? Chaotic! The 2 cutie loyal bodyguards stressing about Ling Buyi's Love Life??? Cuties, but def a massive headache, too! Yuan Shen and Ling Buyi ganging up on Lou Yao??? Chef's Kiss! EMPEROR AND THE TWO EMPRESS??? Iconic! GRANDMA CHENG AND HER BETROTHAL GIFTS??? Immaculate! Emperor stressing about Ling Buyi's love life (again)??? WILL NEVER NOT BE FUNNY!

Zhao Lusi will never fail to get me to start to watch her dramas. So far, this is my 6th series of hers. (whether or not I've watched those series from beginning to end is a discussion for another time, all I can say is I've religiously watched 4 out of 6 of her series from start to end) She's just so talented and will always have a chemistry with her co-actors. With this series, Zhao Lusi yet again delivered. She perfectly executed her role of Cheng Shaoshang. The playful and cute acting of hers will never fail to give me uwu she's just genuinely adorable. I don't find her acting as an immature kid and playful character, annoying or cringy at all. And trust me when I say she can be with anyone. Her chemistry with those 3 boys is just amazing! Damn I think she can be shipped with a wall, and I'll still swoon.

Leo Wu just captured my eye with his role in this series. Fyi, I watched him for the first time with this series, and I'm hooked. (Spoilers) The way his eyes change to a complete madman when he tortured Prince Yong and Marquis Ling are just crazy and his fighting scenes damn he hottie. I got chills watching those scenes. It gave me the anti-hero/psycho man vibe, and instead of being turned off, I actually love his character more. His character as Ling Buyi is so complex and yet well-written. I love how he stayed true to himself and was still goal-driven despite the consequences. His love for Shaoshang didn't change his aspirations, and that just didn't even disappoint me for one bit, I think it's really attractive. I love a goal driven man. (Nvm, the fact that I bawled my eyes during that cliff scene)

I super love how the love story of Shaoshang and Ling Buyi was a slow burn. Well I guess more on Niao Niao part but it actually made sense given her personality and girl even had a previous fiancee (though I think it's more platonic the way it ended scarred her still.) And damn I'm whipped for a simp man aka General Ling. I just love how he's just been there since day 1 for her??? Like when he backed out when she was already betrothed but still went out of his way to give her a comfortable life like (SPOILER) when he requested the Emperor to acknowledge Shaoshang to not be looked down on by his rival's family??? Damn son I need you in my life! And when he got his chance, he immediately grabbed it and worked his way to enter Shaoshang's heart. Boi was so patient and understanding. Never once did he use the guilt tripping card on Niao Niao to earn her affection. If not for the chubby right-hand man of his, Niao Niao would never know man's sacrifices. Although he did really make a big mistake of underestimating Shaoshang's love for him. I know he doesn't want Shaoshang and her family to suffer but our girl did try her best too, to communicate that she is willing to go to hell with him no matter what and make sacrifices too.

I think the time skip was necessary since Shaoshang needs the time to grow up and discover herself. I understand her with that decision, too. Like gurl legit builds high walls to defend her heart but Ling Buyi was persistent (I ain't complain abt that)… A lot of dramas for her to finally understand how to love and trust Ling Buyi…A lot of self-realization to finally accept that being one minded with future husband doesn't mean she's restricted of freedom…She actually grew up a lot and learned so much, she listened to all the advice about love just to be left once again when she tried her best. That's just sad knowing her background and insecurities. That's legit her childhood trauma all over again. The only difference is this time. She did her best to make him stay with her and begged not to be abandoned. So yeah, all I want to say is back off haters! Those dumb ppl who hate on my poor baby girl saying her decision to break off isn't necessary. Just don't understand her character at all.

Anyways, moving on. The comedic scenes in this series are very much appreciated and are very needed since I've started episode 1. The first few episodes got me hooked cause of Shaohang antics and the drama of her family just made me howl in laughter. It well-balanced the amount of tears I've shed when I watched how the relationship between Shaoshang and her mother started. Mommy issues just never fail to make my heartache, maybe since it strikes close to home.
Cheng grandma, General Cheng, Cheng Bros, Qiqi, 15 years old mischievous Shaoshang, Concubine Yu, and of course my ult fave the Emperor just never fails to throw me into fits of laughter.

The emperor is such a mood and will never not be funny. His bickering scenes with Concubine Yue just stole the scenes every time. Massive respect, too, for Concubine Yue. She's such a badass character and in a way similar to Shaoshang, seeing an actually contented and chill Concubine is so refreshing. Anyways, back to the emperor cause he deserves a whole novel. I just want to know his reaction to our main couple all the time. He's so invested in them more than running the country, and honestly, who can blame him??? I badly love how he just overreacts to anything related to Ling Buyi, and that's just gold since Ling Buyi deserves all the love he can get. (Spoilers) Although, I have the same sentiment as the Emperor. He deserved to be there at their wedding , but him making a whole tantrum about missing it is also such a golden moment.

The only thing I kinda wish this series explored more is showing Shaoshang's intelligence and talents and how it can actually help the new Empire they're building. And of course, I NEED A DAMN SCENE OF THEM, HAPPILY MARRIED!!! I felt so robbed with that one. Like, I don't mind that there are times that I want to nudge their head to give me a cute kiss scene, but I can guess I can still live with it. But omg, they dare not to give me a grand wedding scene! Like after all those preparations, struggles, and time wasted!!!!! Emperor, please make a decree of their wedding so you and I can witness it!!!

So yeah, I guess that's all. I don't really want to occupy the whole comment section, so all I can say is watch this masterpiece and see for yourself!
Final Verdict/Rank: Beloved Series, Ultimate Favourite (Worthy to Rewatch for nth times)

Read More

In the domestic sphere it rocks, in the palace environment it rolls - right under the bus…

I watched both parts together and will only write one review. The score I gave to part one is 8.5, but I can’t get anywhere near that for the second half.

Let’s start with the positives, because there are a plenty of them. The so-called “good” characters are both varied and interesting and some of them have interesting character arcs. However, the “bad” characters were unfortunately all cookies cut from the same bitter, extreme and bitchy dough and were interchangeable and forgettable, which rendered parts of the rambling plot incomprehensible. But let’s not get to that yet. Continuing on the good things.

The wonderful humour in part one that was such a delight. The writer excelled in bringing out the nuances within the everyday interactions. As social commentary it is second only to “Heard it Through the Grapevine”. It provided a balance and a foil for the more serious scenes. But alas, where was it in the second half. It died a death along with numberless others, who were victim to the bloodlust of Zi Sheng. In the second half, it felt as though the writer was really our of their depth.

There were some excellent performances from a very large cast. In particular I would single out, Zeng Li as Xiao Yuan Yi (Shao Shang’s mother), Cao Xi Wen as Consort Yue Fei, and in the latter stages Leo Wu stepped up as Zi Sheng.

I liked the costuming for the show. Particularly the military uniforms. And the fact that the early period meant simpler fabrics and elegant lines. The setting too was a great backdrop for the drama, with its huge barren landscapes and harsh realities, in which small oceans of comfort and civilisation nestled.

Okay, I’m going to leave the good there. There’s plenty of reviews that drool over Leo Wu on a horse and such similar attractions. Let’s get out the scalpel.

Save the best to last. There’s a reason this is said. It’s great advice: build, retreat, build higher, rest, build higher, hold, then run vertically to your epic killer blow. Unfortunately the second part of this drama completed the whole course in the first third and then had nowhere to go except repeat until the end. That’s partly the difficulty of writing a 40-hour drama. That’s a lot of story to weave together using original ideas. Okay, to be fair, they split it down the middle, so 20 hours of drama. But, how many times can you watch Leo Wu leap from his horse to save the day/girl at the last possible second. Once at the end would have been impressive, twice would be forgivable, three times unfortunate, but five-plus times? Tbh you’ve seen it all before and there’s no tension only predictability. It was a cast of thousands and fairly minor characters kept blowing up along the route to provide a foil and yet another opportunity for our knight in leather armour. There were so many of them, that I had difficulty remembering what their story arc had been (twenty episodes earlier) that was causing them to seek revenge at this point.

This is a drama built on backstory. Now backstory is never easy to handle. You are in with a chance if it’s the backstory of one of the main characters. But when you are asked to get invested in the backstory of people who either don’t appear in the drama, or who are minor characters overall, and on top of that, you are not even “shown” it, but “told” it in unlikely monologues and stilted “conversations”, then you’re really wading through porridge. Not only was it confusing just to have names without faces half the time, but it was boring too. There was nothing much to generate emotional investment and Leo Wu was on his own boiling up all that vitriol. Admittedly, the scenes when it spilled out were chillingly good and really showcased his acting chops.

To sum up plot-wise, as this rambling, fragmented plot played out I felt incredulity leaking from the pot until I was up to my knees in it, then at some point the swirling waters closed over my nose and mouth and I had to force myself to float on it to the end as I was in danger of drowning in the underground tomb and burning village.

In terms of the characters, the arcs for the male and female leads were largely unconvincing. I was willing to go along with Shao Shang learning to trust Zi Sheng, although the set-up for the punishment scene that clinched the deal was pretty unbelievable. But the changes in the later stages in their relationship had no real credible basis to them. Tbh, the character of Zi Sheng had so many red flags that to me he was unredeemable. The writer was trying to meld together two stubborn and flawed characters by melting them in the forge of saccharine romance tropes. It didn’t work.

Read More

Great show!

Once in awhile there’s a show really captivates the audience. Last time I had this feeling I was watching nirvana in fire. Although different end goals both have great actors, production etc.
I really enjoyed this drama. Prob one of the few I didn’t feel the need to skip scenes and episodes. The story might move slower than most ppl want but it captivates the viewer with smart comedic scenes etc. The story is also complicated in order to fully explain and accomplish Ling buyi goals there needed to be that many arcs. Each puzzle piece slowly getting put together resulting in a beautiful masterpiece

Read More

Timeless historical

A lot has been said by others about their viewing experience, good or bad depends on each other’s subjective preference. As far as I am concern, this show has touched me like nothing else. From the plot, story, directing, acting, cinematography and realistic characters, it is a breath of fresh air. Cheng Shaoshang’s journey from an abandoned, unloved and uneducated child will take you to a poignant journey of angst, sadnesses, laughter, redemptions of the human spirit, with splendid character developments, to finding her true love after so many heartbreaks . Ling Buyi on the other hand, is my type of hero with morally gray character, but did not lose his original intention of loving and protecting our heroine. Because of their deep love, this two broken souls found each other and became whole again~ amidst the revenge, bloodshed and tremendous sacrifices and love of others, not necessarily their family. Zhao Lusi and Wu Lei has finally found their career breakthrough and I am glad to support them in their future . Just FYI, this is foremost a family drama with slooooow burn romance. So worth the time !!!

Read More

in my opinion - The BEST historical drama I have ever watched (and it isn't exaggerated)

I admit I came to this drama because I have nothing else to watch over the holidays. I finished most of the Korean and Chinese dramas. My go-to dramas are usually heavily comedic that don't have complicated storyline nor melodramatic elements. However, for the rarest time, I went out of my comfort zone and actually tried watching this drama.

I came for nothing but I was actually surprised of how good this drama is. If I could give this drama a 12, I would.
A little introduction on the FL and ML:
- Cheng Shao Shang (Nai Nai) was abandoned by her parents from an infant. Her parents fought in the war leaving Nai Nai alone and she was (technically) raised by her evil grandmother and aunt where she was sent to a village faraway alone and often starved.
- Ling Bu Yi (Zi Sheng) was raised by an emperor. His only reason of living was revenge and hatred. When he was a child, he saw his clan got massacred - including his uncle. He swore by living alone and remained unwed - until he came across Nai Nai coincidentally.

What I like about this drama is how intelligent FL is and able to stand by herself without expecting help from anyone. When she got bullied by people who has higher status than her, she always have ways to bring revenge, whether it's little tricks or straight up shamming them.
I also love how ML always comes to rescue to help and support FL. In the story, FL was illiterate and doesn't know manners because she grew up by herself over the past 15 years. Everyone looks down on her including her own mother, but I love how ML loves her for who she is and how she is.

The scene-stealer for this drama is the royal trio (which are: Emperor, Empress, and Imperial Consort). I love how the emperor is very comedic and wise at the same time. He genuinely cares for ML, maybe more than his own children. I also love the empress, who I think is the kindest character throughout the drama. Apart from all, I think my favourite character in the drama is the imperial consort. Her badass character is actually one of the best supporting character I've seen so far in dramas.

I used to think that Mr.Queen was the best historical drama I've ever watched, however, my opinion changed after watching this drama. I usually dislike dramas that have more than 35 episodes because I thought dramas that comes with that many episodes usually have many unnecessary plots. However, this drama is worth all the 56 episodes (and I actually watch all of them without skipping).

For the rewatch value, I watch this drama 2 times non-stop (I finished all 56 episode and rewatch it again the next day because I couldn't find any decent drama after watching this). Thus, I give this drama a 10 for rewatch value.

Read More