Such a Satisfying Drama!!!!
Li Yun Rui and Meng Zi Yi were GOLD in this drama. After Pursuit of Jade, this pairing truly exceeded expectations.
The chemistry between them is fantastic, both tall, stunning, and effortlessly captivating. Every shared moment feels magical, and their connection keeps you hooked.
The plot revolves around second chances in life and the desire to change one’s fate and honestly, it’s executed beautifully. The first episode is especially powerful. On a cold, snowy night, our silver-haired hero rescues the heroine from a crashing carriage, setting the tone for their intertwined destiny. The visuals are breathtaking and easily one of the best opening episodes I’ve ever seen.
This is a beautifully paced slow-burn romance, done right. I loved every episode.
The highlight for me is the female lead, Dou Zhao. She’s incredibly smart, savvy, and resourceful, literally minting money and handling every challenge with brilliance. I absolutely love strong female characters, and she never disappoints.
The couple is adorable, with sizzling chemistry that makes their journey even more engaging. The friendships and betrayals feel deeply personal, adding emotional depth to the story. The drama is neatly wrapped up in 34 episodes, and the OST is so good you’ll want to keep it on loop.
The story just keeps getting better and crazier, with not a single scene wasted. The director does an excellent job showcasing each character’s growth and development.
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. This is definitely one I’ll rewatch every year.
Was this review helpful to you?
not sure why it got an 8.9...feels like it ends at episode 19
to be honest the drama is neat and filmed well, but the plot is not super interesting. Maybe i've seen too many cdrama. They get married in 19 then the plot kinda fizzles out. The only thing left would be for him to find out what his evil dad did, but i don't even care lol. Also, the crown princes aren't super important in these 19 episodes.The biggest fault of the drama is not creating a major enemy in the beginning (besides ML's dad vaguely).
Got annoyed by FL playing hard to get halfway in the drama. Reiterating, you feel like there's no pressing hooks to the plot to keep you wanting to watch.
I'll give it a 6.5 even though i dropped it, maybe other people would like it. But it's the same plot of minister wanting power, king not trusting his subjects.. By IMDB standards this drama is no way worth a 7.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I guess this is the future of Cdramas…?
This drama follows the recent (and probably permanent) trend of the advent of the western “girl boss.” Gone seem to be the days where you could see a stoic and somehow always capable manly ml who always beats the overwhelming odds while sacrificing his body to defend the fl and her honor. Now, we have the sort-of-semi-capable ml who is always dependent on the fl’s consistently superior brain (and many times brawn…?🤦🏻♀️). She will always be there to rescue him and tell him how he’s wrong and what to do next, which is nice, since he will make it clear many times throughout that he would be nothing without her there to give him her guidance and protection. Sigh. This drama does not disappoint in this aspect, for sure.That said, the casting was well done, though I did think that the ml didn’t quite carry off when he was supposed to have “ice in his eyes,” and brutal hatred in his gaze, etc. He just looks too nice for that, in general. That was minor, though, and I thought the casting was good.
The music was….ok….not terrible, also nothing I’d listen to separately for enjoyment.
The storyline was not too bad, though a few really major holes were left in the plot. Example: ml’s brother had a bit of a twisted childhood that he didn’t even know was twisted until he was almost an adult. What happened to make him such a sadistic and evil person? He had a good mother figure, and a happy enough childhood….that was never explained. Other than a few things like that, though, the story kept my attention.
The ending. Hmmm. Well, I will say I’m a fan of a happy ending. I’m so glad this had one. It was like a drama full of heartbreak, betrayal and angst, then the very last episode, with very little fanfare or emotion, things just….worked out. Everything slipped gently into its own little slot, and then it was over. It was kind of weird to me. But I’ll take that over a depressing ending any day.
All in all, it was a good watch. Personally for me it was really a wasted opportunity for a great series because of the “female empowerment” garbage, but I guess I’m in the minority since they still continue to make them like this as of late. As someone from the US, I stopped watching our entertainment in disgust and boredom years ago. I switched to Asian dramas precisely because they still made theirs free of this woke garbage that has ruined our entertainment industry. I wish they would see how much of the US can’t stand its own entertainment and take a cue from that to save them from the western pitfalls, but, now I’m opining on a different topic than a simple show review. Either way, give this one a try, you’ll probably like it!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
must watch
this drama has many good things1) beautiful cinematography and beautifully shot (the fighting scenes, in the first ep the arrow scenes before they go back, the dream scenes, the shots with the petals, etc….). Well directed
2) acting was good from the leads. They did well for emotional scenes too. Also the supporting and older cast, I really like the portrayal of the emperor, I think the actor was great. Also other cast from the families of the leads.
3) the romance : it flowed nicely. them slowly falling in love, mature romance, trust, supporting each other. would do anything for each other and so much love. Good chemistry. I think compared to other cdrama, we got plenty of romance and cute moments. Also feeling confessed by ep 18 and married by ep 19 out of ep 34, I think that was very good. Less slow burn than many dramas this year. Absolutely no break or misunderstanding, strong couple till the end.
4) the transmigration/time travel was well written. I think « the dream » idea was very smart to pass censorship and very minimal since it was still obvious for us viewers that it was not a dream and they really went back in time. and only mentioned at the beginning of the story. I hate it when they do something like it was a novel or something, they add that at the very end to pass censorship.
5) I think the drama was well written in general, the plot was good, pretty fast pace, everything was going smoothly. as the story progressed, we were learning more about the villains, getting clues, etc… We got a bit of everything, some comedy, romance, action and more sad/emotional moments. ML and his uncle, mother (the pain from the deaths and seeing the flashbacks). When ML was dying, our sad couples moments, there was a pretty emotional ep, I don’t remember the number ahah but I was sad with the leads, they love each other so much. I think all the villains and their motive made senses. Like the 5th uncles who wanted his higher title (but still cared about the Dou family and his brother. I actually liked his death and I was almost sad. I think it was the scenes, the contexte and his brother/« lover » present. in the end, decided to do one last thing to protect his younger brother). The empress and her son, etc.. I actually enjoyed the political plot, I think it was interesting and I also think the villains were interesting.
6) great fighting scenes
7) Friendship. Between the girls, even the maids. ML and his guys, etc…
8) The character development of FL dad. how their story progressed and their reconciliation. He grow some bones, finally defending his daughter, standing up for his son-in-law (the drums moment), etc…
9) we got some diverse side arc/romance :
a)the sister and husband from the first life : I was feeling sad for Dou Ming. she was an asshole in her first life, but kind and gentle in her second life, she never did her sister wrong. But falling in love with the wrong guy. Not a complete trash in this life, but still a coward, a bad husband and a useless guy. Not gonna lie, they were kinda cute. She suffered a lot and her death was a bit infuriating. Dying like that and seeing her trash husband from afar drinking. Dying alone on the floor when she could have been saved. Anyway, I said KARMA when it happened, their bad deed in their first life and her mother sins. It was satisfying, the mom reaction and everything, learning she caused her own daughter’s dead. It was good how her dad didn’t even want to save her and she should be punished for her crimes. I laughed when he slapped her. Speaking of slapped, there was so many throughout the drama, that was hilarious to me.
b) An Su and Song Han : that arc made me mad. I was very mad at her for choosing/siding with the guy she barely knows against her friends for years. She was very stupid and easily manipulated at first. Their story was not interesting and making her a princess made no sense as she was literally a nobody/commoner. At last, it was satisfying when she learned the truth and killed him herself.
c) Chen Jia and Zhao Zhang Ru (FL’s cousin) : brief interactions, but they were very cute. They got their happy ending
d) the little past with the princess (sister of the emperor) and 5th uncle
e) the crown prince and crown princess. brief interactions too, but they were kinda funny at time and seemed like a good match. That was funny when they were the 4 of them and she mentioned the idea of betrothal between their unborn child, CP and ML reaction.
f)…maybe there is more ahaha
10) plot twist :
a) the fact that the dad (ML’s dad had an affair and switched the babies), didn’t saw that coming. How they explained he never loved his wife and the son they had, why he preferred Song Han. It was sad when he said those things to Song Mu. The sister was actually dead it seems, I was waiting for some plot twist and she’s alive + plus reunion, but that never happened. Anyway I think we had enough things going on ahaha
b) Ji Yong who was actually not with Prince Qing, all of this was a plan from the beginning with the emperor
c) the nephew of the empress who didn’t betrayed them
d) even the thing with the cat with Song Han, I think it was good that he was actually keeping the cat because he was using it for testing poison. I didn’t thought of that
e) the scenes when they were searching for the letter with the girl who was the maid, the flashbacks and reliving the scene and the letter that was hiding so close to them.
f) all the villains who were working together
11) villains getting what they deserved and punishment.
12) ending : great and satisfying ending. Closure for everyone and happy ending of course. Cute together and happy couple moments. Dad with his promotion, grandma being happy and travelling, them with the leads daughter was cute. Crown prince ascending the throne and the little monologue about the politics. Chen Jia and the cousin married couple. An Su doing her things and « looking for a husband ». Ji Young who will become a monk in this life too. Even them showing the kid of ML’s uncle
13 : no love triangle. We can say some side guys on liked FL, but that was very minimal, that’s not considered a love triangle. FL only has eyes for ML from beginning to end.
But, I think the kissing scenes weren’t great. I don’t know if it was a director’s choice, censorship or because the kisses were not so good (so they made it that way), but they were somehow disappointing for most of them. Pretty much cut short or we see nothing. The lips touched and them it’s all these camera angles and editing. Anyway just an observation, I wouldn’t call this an issue, I’ve seen way worst.
Also, the character of Mu (I don’t even remember if that’s the good name, but the guy at the beginning who liked FL). I think this character and arc was just completely useless and non interesting. Why did we need this useless side guy who had unrequited love. He personally annoyed me. At least, his presence was short. Even when it seemed like Ji Young liked FL, that was very annoying, can’t they just be friend?
So, to conclude, I would recommend, I think it’s a good watch, filled with romance, actions, intelligent leads, interesting plot and characters
Was this review helpful to you?
How do we get Li Yun Rui in more ML romance roles?!?!!?!!!!
==Breakdown==Background plot - 60%
Romance - 35%
Misc comedy - 5%
Background plot - Pretty good
Romantic chemistry - Outstanding
Misc comedy - fine
Production value - Good
Wow. Li Yun Rui should only be allowed to be the ML in romance dramas from now on. HE WAS AMAZING!!!
I also have to give credit to Meng Zi Yi for her layered portrayal of the FL. The story mainly revolves around her character and she carried the show beautifully.
My only gripe is that I wish they had more scenes together, but this is because I watch CDramas for the romance... so that's a "me problem."
Was this review helpful to you?
spoiler
overhyped , the story is boring . not enough curious for me to binge watch. is the fl tries to build relationships with the ml ? I’m still mad she can’t help her mom even though she already knows it will happen . she doesn’t try to help like where is she that moment? the fl helps the ml , I understand she wants to help the right person but she makes it obvious and that lead to build their relationship which he doesn’t know it but it seems like it’s her plan for them to be together or she already falls for him in her dream ( previous life )Was this review helpful to you?
1Revenge is a Dish Best Served by Two Attractive, Intelligent People
It's blissful to view a drama with two intelligent, loving leads. It took them awhile to get to that point, but that was understandable considering they seemed to be on opposing sides in the beginning. And they did have a rather violent introduction to one another. Their slow journey toward each another was rewarding to watch. Great chemistry between the leads.During their romance, there was revenge and political court intrigue all about them, which gave many opportunities for individual stories of love and betrayal. Dou Ming's story arc gutted me; Miao An Su's surprised me; and Wang Ge's infuriated, then pleased me.
Fun fact: both leads had twin guards. ML had two males; the actors are twin brothers in real life. FL had two females; the actresses are twin sisters in real life.
Thanks to no 1 dou zhao defender for the recommendation! I truly enjoyed this.
An extra half star is awarded for bright characters, a refreshing change from the insipid FLs I've endured lately.
Was this review helpful to you?
Beautiful women and great scenes.
For this couple Lin Yun Rui (Song Mo) was Yuan Shen in Love Like the Galaxy (my favorite drama! He was 2ML) and Meng Ziyi is super pretty. I was excited because this drama had good potential.The good
- beautiful actors/actresses (omg I cant beileve how pretty some of the girls were!)
- cinematography
- slow mo scenes & long stares w/ main couple
- some great lines/nuances
- costume design/outfits
The bad
- storyline & pacing
Overall, I thought the cinematography was very beautiful and creative. The fight scenes had good details and interesting styles. Most of the women in the series were incredibly believable and captured their respective characters. I liked how shy Dou Zhao was, her role is a bit more subtle and I appreciate it. Song Mo did have a piercing gaze and some longing scenes too although I admit I wasnt as touched. The storyline wasnt for me. Some of it didnt make sense. Like over complicate things, because! I did like the 2nd ML and I wish there was more of him. This drama does make me appreciate changes and perspective. Like watching the changes with Dou Zhao and her sister, but also Dou Zhao and her father's relationship was incredibly touching.
Was this review helpful to you?
Excellent screenwriting, strong direction, solid casting.... a super satisfying watch.
It's odd because the plot isn't exactly original, the chemistry between ML and FL isn't much more than passable, the romance is really a side-dish to the story, the direction and costumes and backdrops were very good but not top-tier.... and yet it's on my short-short list of best things I've seen all year.It's the screenwriting. It's just excellent. And then all the other parts come together to support that script in a weird undefinable synergy that creates the most amazing final product. It's so addictive.
And then the ending is exactly what the viewer would have wanted. IMO, it needed more romance and fire, so I knocked one full point off for non-stellar ML/FL chemistry. But honestly, I'd rather watch 7/10 chemistry relationships that have a really good HE, than watch a 10/10 chemistry pair that has a horrible SE.
Standing ovation to everyone involved in this, it was absolutely amazing.
Was this review helpful to you?
A second chance in life.
A second chance in life seems to be the recent popular theme in dramas, be it a rebirth, reincarnate or time reversal. This was the fourth drama I watched over the last 12 months that features a second chance in life. The others were Story of Kunning Palace, Reborn Rich (Korean), The Princess Royal, Marry my Husband - they were all very good. I was wondering if this drama would measure up to the same standards.As it turns out, this drama was very good and had all the hygiene factors: most importantly an interesting storyline with a mystery to uncover. This was supported by a good cast, excellent chemistry between the leads, fast-pace, lovely costumes and excellent backdrop.
Dou Zhao was married to Marquis Wei Ting Yu in an arrangement marriage. She discovered to her horror that he was having an affair with her sister, Dou Ming, and was hoping that she would die soon as she was in poor health. Leaving the Marquis residence in disgust, she ran into General Song Mo who was infamous for his cruelty and ruthlessness. Song Mo wanted to avenge the death of his uncle, General Jiang, a loyal capable close friend of the emperor, and to track down the person behind the conspiracy.
Setup by Prince Qing who succeeded in rising a rebellion and Marquis Wei, they were both accused of adultery and killed by the same single arrow. Prior to this, the monk Yuan Tong handled Dou Zhao a Book of Truth and told her that her fate was intertwined with Song Mo.
Both Dou Zhao and Song Mo woke up to their childhood years. Song Mo could only vaguely remember segments of his previous life and thought it was a dream. Dou Zhao on the other hand was fully aware that she had re-tracked to her past and had the chance to change her fate, and assumed the maturity of an adult.
In the new life, Dou Zhao witnessed the suicide of her mother and was concerned that she might be unable to change the future. Much worse, she was forced to honour her engagement to Marquis Wei again and failed to free herself from the arranged marriage. For an intelligent woman, Dou Zhao's plot to escape the marriage seemed very silly.
I was glad to see Meng Zi Yi in a lead role of a successful drama. Since her appearance in the outstanding drama, The Untamed, she seemed to have not landed any significant lead roles and had not benefited from the success of this drama like Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo had. She is one of the best looking female Chinese actresses, aside from her good performance.
However, the death of General Jiang was not so much of a mystery to us, the audience. We knew from the first episode that Prince Qing who had made use of Song Mo in rising the rebellion was very likely behind this. Song Mo had no memory of how his previous life ended and was therefore clueless. But as the audience, we could pretty much guessed. It was just a matter of finding out how it all happened.
It was very trying to watch this drama as the bad guys seemed always to be ahead of Song Mo and Dou Zhao with their sabotage. In this new life, the personality of some people and their lives turned out quite differently due to Dou Zhao's interference. It was also sad to see how the evil ones who now turned out good died due to the evil deeds of others. And the good ones turned bad. As always, people were not what they appeared to be.
For me who had watched a lot of Chinese dramas, the theme of a fight over the throne was a bit stale.
For 34 episodes, this drama was not as long as many Chinese dramas and the pace of progress was good.
The English titles of Chinese dramas need a lot of working on. This drama's title could be more interesting and closer to the Chinese title like 'Purple Blossom', than a plain 'Blossom'. Often, the poetic sentiments of the Chinese titles were adulterated.
These days were a major departure from a few years ago when every other Chinese dramas had a tragic ending. In recent Chinese dramas, it is the fashion to have loving couples giving birth to offsprings as a show of happy ending. Almost like an echo of the government who now wants the people to have more kids.
Overall, I highly recommend this drama. Its rating of 8.9 on mydramalist, which is a very high rating, is well deserved.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
My April 2025 recommendations challenge
Watch this for my April 2025 recommendations challenge by 𝑰𝑼 𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏. Quite a unique story about Reborn for Second Chance that is quite different from other similar stories.Story about Dou Zhao (DZ), who at the start of the drama as the wife of Jining’s Marquis [Wei Ting Yu (TY)] and Song Mo (SM), a rebel who demanded the emperor to find the one who was responsible for his uncle's death. On the same day SM started his rampage in the capital, DZ also finds her husband having an affair with her step sister, Dou Ming (DM). Trying to break from the marriage, DZ instead finds herself entangled by SM, because her husband (TY) pinned herself for having an affair with SM. With that excuse, TY and the man behind the mask had the reason to exterminate SM & DZ.
When everything was so chaotic & the evil plan to exterminate SM & DZ seemed successful; DZ woke up and found herself back to her childhood (around age 10). Shocked by the fact but happy because she can meet her mother again. DZ also finds out, she brought the book of prophecies from the previous life to this new life. With this knowledge ahead, DZ plans to change something for the future. So, she started to live her life again as a kid.
But before she could truly grasp the reality, she found herself having to mourn for her mother’s death again. But this time, she is well aware of the reason for her mother’s death & plans carefully about her steps to make a difference to the cause of her mother’s death, her father’s concubine, Wang Ying Xue (YX). Oh and a big difference indeed she made to YX & her daughter, DM, life.
In the previous life, YX & DM had a happy life by gaining all the support they needed from their father [Dou Shi Ying (SY)] & Dou’s family. But this time, DZ made sure it didn’t happen like before, DZ made SY feel guilty for her mother’s death & made the marriage life between SY & YX quite unhappy. And another difference this time, DM wasn't raised by YX herself & that’s really made the DM’s personality quite a big difference. This is important for later.
And after this we jump to the main event, where DZ starts to live her life in the countryside guarded by her grandma. In the countryside, with the knowledge of important future events & the help from the book of prophecies, DZ starts to plan her future & her wealth. DZ gets quite a name for herself in the countryside. And she just lived freely in her youth, until the day came that she must come to the capital…
In the capital, she once again entangled herself to SM & TY. And it’s all stretched all the way to the messed up political chaos. So, how in the end SM & DZ manage to get away from all of that…? Will what happened in the future last time also happen this time…? Or will DZ manage to change all of it…?
That's pretty much the story without giving the spoiler. Now what I like and don't.
What I like:
+ Quite an interesting story that is quite different from other similar tropes. Although ML also returned to his childhood, he didn’t really remember much & just lived his life to the fullest.
+ Some people's personalities are really changing, and the biggest change is DM. She’s changed from a green tea girl to a kind but weak girl. Really talk about the butterfly effect & how the environment you grow up in really affects you.
+ How DZ & SM support each other
+ All the support DZ & SM get from their friends
What I don’t like:
- Although it is an interesting story, unfortunately not so much in the overall story. They overcomplicated the plot with all the entangled chess play. I mean in the end it’s all just one man’s plan, that in the end I really don't know should be praise or just condemn it because it's just a messed for me
- FL & ML are not as smart as I hope
Overall this is quite a good story. But if you want to watch a more interesting and better story about changing the future, just look for another title.
Was this review helpful to you?
"The Ballad of Horrible Families, Take Two".
If it was up to me, I would rename this show: "The Ballad of Horrible Families, Take Two".This is a reincarnation tale, where the protagonist Dou Zhao gets a do-over in life. Armed with the knowledge of her last life, she awakens as a young girl and dedicates herself to changing fate. Her destiny, however, is tied to that of Song Mo, who died by her side in the previous life and seems doomed to experience the same betrayals and heartaches in this one.
This may sound silly, but going in, I didn't realize how politically heavy this drama would become. The previews made me think it would be more action and fighting with some politics sprinkled in for good measure. This is not the case. If you are looking for an action packed story--without the political backstabbing and family bickering--this may not be the drama you're looking for.
The acting is spot on. The connection between the male and female leads was fantastic, and even the characters we hate are played convincingly enough to truly despise them. So, why only a seven?
1. The first episode was amazing, but episodes 2-17 were very rather tedious. I get that there was a lot of things to go through--betrayals of both familial and imperial natures--but I nearly dropped the show so many times. How much time does it take to point out that her step-mother is evil, his uncle was innocent, her father is purposefully blind to the injustices around him, and his father wants to kill his own son?
2. Once the two leads are finally together, the show picks up, but it didn't leave much time to explore what the two of them would be like romantically. We get to see very little of their love life. They are either planning strategy, fighting injustice, or being ignored for minor characters. For characters that actually get together rather early for a c-drama, we are permitted very little insight into that. The little we could see was constantly interrupted. Some of this was humorous. Song Mo’s soldiers were fantastic, but Duo Zhao’s cousin literally interrupting their wedding night to talk about her own romantic issues? Wow.
3. I personally feel there were too many characters for the allotted time. The story around Song Mo and Duo Zhao was great, but their friends, cousins, siblings, uncles, parents… Trying to get through plots and endings for each character left the last bit of the story too stretched. The main duo was barely in the last six episodes and they had some serious complications going on! Less time about her friend marrying a psychologically damaged man and more about how they are doing with one of them slowly dying from poison, please. I realize this is following a book, but the extra plot lines were just too much.
4. Also, on a personal note, this show may me very angry at times. As shown in the previews, both of the main leads have truly horrible families. From parents to in-laws, and half-siblings to step mothers--it's worse than a harem. Selfishness, cowardice, 'justified' cruelty--you name it, it happens. Neglect, miscarriages, characters who are harmed (even killed) simply out of carelessness. People who crave nothing but power and those who stand by and do nothing while those they love are abused and mistreated. Meaningless punishments and pointless justifications—truly horrible things happen and the perpetrators have the audacity to claim innocence, hiding behind tradition and family loyalty like that excuses their behavior. It has been a long time since I watched something where people die for no reason and scapegoats are created simply to appease someone's pride. The number of people consumed by greed and selfishness was off the charts. Even the Emperor was shocked that Song Mo resented him for betraying his uncle—the emperor’s best friend since childhood and the only parental character shown in a good light.
If you can watch that sort of thing without getting really worked up, it is a good tale. There is no doubt the actors all put their hearts and souls into their performances, and there were some truly beautiful moments. For my own blood pressure, I think I’ll be taking a break from something with this much corruption. Otherwise, I’m likely to jump through the screen and take out the evil doers myself!
Was this review helpful to you?
