Poor writing and sloppy
I don't know how this show got their 10* rating from many reviews while it had so many problems. The actors and actresses has good acting, but the writers, directors, producers decided to put them in bad drama as this. It started good and proper. An abandoned and abused daughter has to come back to her house because she has nowhere to go but she has other intention, for a revenge and for a sentimental feelings called family (who had abandoned her and left her to die). It's a good 10 episodes when the daughter finally met her real mother who holds power in the house but still chose to kick her out. I thought the next arc would be about mending their broken relationship, a redemption of a mother. But instead it went downhill. The ML fell flat, the FL is too busybody, going into everybody's business. And i snapped when they finally chose to leave the family, the mother got her divorce, only to be killed. I can't no longer continue with this ridiculous plot.Was this review helpful to you?
Personagens complexos ✨️
Eu gostei de assistir o drama, porém eu não sei se é intencional, mas eu percebi que nos dramas históricos chineses que assisti até o momento, as personagens femininas principais tem uma cara meio blaze atuando, o que me incomoda um pouco, pois acaba não entregando muitas expressões em momentos que está pedindo, sabe?**spoilers**
Eu gostei da história ter esse ritmo e transformação de enredo, indo de esperança, para vingança, para dar tudo errado e perder tudo, e ter que lutar novamente. Porém, chega uma hora que parece que acabaram as ideias. Por exemplo, os episódios 21, 22 e 23 são completamente fillers, os personagens principais mal aparecerem. E o pior de tudo: O último episódio pareceu completamente um filler. Eu fiquei muito decepcionada com isso.
Eu gostei da tensão entre o casal principal, porém, era para ela ter 17 anos?? Ela não parece ter 17 anos, e acho que poderiam ter muito bem escrito a história com ela sendo mais velha. Será que é por isso que não teve absolutamente nenhum beijo entre o casal principal?(Eu não aceito considerar aquele "beijo" mixuruca, faltando 2 minutos para acabar o drama). Sei lá, eles já tinham essa dinâmica de não confiar um no outro, aí fazem a menina mais nova, e acabam não podendo explorar essa relação dos dois. Eu agradeço de não ter aquelas cenas em que a mulher fica falando igual criança com os homens, mas acho que poderia ter um desenvolvimento muito melhor entre os personagens se ela fosse uma personagem mais velha. Ainda mais por quererem mostrar uma garota super inteligente e estrategista.
Apesar de tudo. foi uma história legal, personagens bem complexos, você não sabe em quem confiar, muitos plotwists, adoro. Um destaque para a atriz que interpreta a mãe da personagem principal.
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Started good and..
The storyline started with potential but quickly became predictable and repetitive. Character development felt shallow, and many emotional scenes lacked impact due to forced dialogue. The pacing dragged in several episodes, making it hard to stay engaged. Overall, it felt like a missed opportunity.Visually, the costumes and sets were appealing, but the script failed to capture the depth and complexity of the period. The plot relied too heavily on clichés in the end, and some historical details felt inaccurate or oversimplified. Performances were uneven, with certain roles coming across as one-dimensional.
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it leaves such an impression you only need to watch once
best show ever. go watch it. ur so lucky if you havent. i cant rewatch it bc its so memerable. the most femenist and groundbreaking drama. i dont want to spolit but its perfect mix of independence and a guy who will like do anything to have u, also the tears preperare urself. the cinematogtaphy was the bbest. this drama will leave a hole in ur heart i promise/Was this review helpful to you?
A Worthy Match for Nirvana in Fire – And a Villain Who Refuses to Fall
This drama is a gem. I rate it a solid 10/10 for its gripping story, compelling characters, and flawless execution. It has everything – an intricate and layered plot, electrifying on-screen chemistry between the leads, a truly formidable villain, an outstanding cast, stunning costumes, breathtaking cinematography, lively set designs, and a beautifully composed soundtrack.Chen Du Ling and Xin Yun Lai shine as the lead couple. Chen brings depth and vulnerability to Zhuang Han Yan, a girl wrongfully branded as the “barefoot devil” after a dubious Taoist priest blamed her for her grandfather’s death. Sent away to live with her father’s friend, she endures mistreatment at the hands of a mentally unstable guardian before finding her way back home. Yet her return is far from peaceful – her biological mother, the legitimate wife, wants her gone, and the priest resurfaces, threatening her life once again.
Enter Fu Yun Xi, deputy minister at the feared Investigation Bureau – an institution notorious for extracting confessions through torture. He pressures Han Yan to reveal the truth about her foster parents’ deaths, threatening to expose her involvement if she refuses. Throughout the series, he straddles the line between foe and ally – investigating her while secretly helping her. The tension between them is electric, their past shrouded in complexity. Is Fu Yun Xi truly her enemy, or is he the only one she can trust?
Once you press play, it is almost impossible to stop. At first, the villains seem clear – scheming concubines and their children – but soon, deeper layers unravel. The true mastermind is revealed as the adopted son of Pei, a once-powerful eunuch rumored to have hidden a vast fortune that vanished with his death. Tracking him down, gathering evidence, and bringing him to justice is no easy feat. He is one of the most challenging villains to defeat, and taking him down risks implicating many innocent lives.
This is what makes the drama so compelling – the moral dilemmas, the complexity of justice, and the sense that every decision comes at a cost.
I absolutely recommend this drama. Its current 8.3 rating on kisskh feels far too low for a production of this calibre – a score closer to 8.7 or even 9 would be much more fitting.
However, I find the English title 'The Glory' rather irrelevant and lacking the poetic resonance of the original. It feels somewhat disconnected from the essence of the story, as if chosen mainly to echo the success of other popular dramas. A title like 'The Return' would be far more fitting and much closer in spirit to the original Chinese title.
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one need hella strong stomach to watch dis........
well i won’t talk about acting or music. i am sure the ones who chose were wiser than me, but as an ordinary viewer i would like to say some things.warning: this review contains no explicit spoilers. however, if you’re perceptive enough, you can still spoil yourself. oh, RANT warning.
so
1. age gap and remarriage.
well okay, we live in the 21st century and we can accept and be more open-minded. but since you’re doing it, idk, at least show some experience. ik he can be justified as traumatized and suffering from PTSD or whatnot, but since you are actively pursuing FL, show some responsibility. he be like police showing up when everything is over.
2. fl is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy (put many y’s for effect) overconfident.
she is 17, came to the capital. i mean she’s smart, so she should know that everyone here knows everything more than her. i mean there is an information gap of about 17 years. gather the information. know thy enemy, know thy self—this is the oldest quotation of smart ppl. and it’s not like there are no hints. i mean when ML first warns her, that is a hugeeee red flag. something is wrong.
3. put aside fl overconfidence.
fl is supposed to be smart. throughout the drama i couldn’t bear to see her being outsmarted. ok, to be fair, i have no problem with her being outsmarted—OP ML or OP FL is so last century—but why the whiny route? i would like to quote some examples, but to avoid spoilers i would say: carefully observe demeanor of her father since the temple where there is a red light on the statue.
4. overall
i just noticed that in 2 and 3 i ranted about FML being dumb, so to correct myself: fl’s head is better than most ppl’s. she’s about top 20% in intelligence. but she lacks information and power and is overconfident. this is a major turn-off.
5. oh and last thing about fl
she is not cruel and cold. ik it doesn’t sound bad, but watch the drama—if she were 50% more cold and cruel and less confident, well let’s just say the drama would be more dramatic. i have more to rant about fl, but more on it later.
6. father.
let’s just say i saw many ppl hating him and i say: well well well, mission accomplished. he is a true politician to the core, the ones we read about in history. i have no complaints about the character. he’s a b**ch as he’s supposed to be. again, i blame fl for being an overconfident ignorant fire.
7. mother
good, typical bipolar and depressed housewife. liked her both ways. got the vibe of that game meme that goes:
the final boss when i fight him: godzilla roaring
the final boss as a playable character: chrome dino
8. ml.
let’s say nice assist. writing about him would reveal spoilers, so just say that he is not useless—it’s our fl that is useless.
9. and i just remembered from 8
WHY DA FAQ DOES FL HAVE AN ISSUE WITH PEI DAFU’S ADOPTED CHILDREN. DID THEY KISS YOUR MAMA AND RUN OFF? why you be hating him—you never saw him, he never harmed you, or had any karma with you. you be against his literal deadass as if he be your mortal enemy.
and that’s all for today. ik this has many holes and i would be happy to rant longer with examples, but it’ll spoil the fun. so if it suits your cup of tea, go ahead. it certainly didn’t suit mine, but i finished it cuz i was 20 eps in and chose to tough it out for 10 more.
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A train wreck from the get go
The inconsistency in the story makes it so cringe to continue watching. The plot is full of holes from the get go. The FL doesn’t know martial arts but managed to kill three males from the beginning of the story. She’s tiny but could endure all the beating and torture without proper medical care. The ML has only one expression. Anyone, literally any male can just go into the place where women live without any restrictions. It’s such a challenge for any seasoned drama watcher’s intelligence. If this kind of drma is considered one of the best for 2025, god help us all.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Unimpressive female lead
The story initially started off with promise but the character of the female lead started to increasingly decline. Unfortunately, unlike the women in the Story of Ming Lan or The Double, the one in this series just seems hypocritical and lacking in moral. I wouldn't have minded the morality aspect as much if that's how the character is supposed to be but her core personality is just all over the place. One minute she's totally fine with arson and potentially killing off an entire household and the next minute, she's playing nice to the child she almost killed - then tries to blame her "assassin" companion for not telling her there were kids in the house. She's not one who is capable of relying on herself and this odd companion of hers is just a really awkward add to the cast.However, it was still a decent plot and I kept watching... until the scene where a group walked in and the male lead pulled her to the side while covering her mouth to stay hidden. Instead of ascertaining the situation appropriately and using common sense, she decide to stomp on his feet and bite his hand? For what? For both of them to get caught? Meh.
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very corrupt
The idea is that she got a fabricated bad reputation at birth but it finally proved to be true, as if one always comes with the other, a dark fatalist interpretation of fate.Brutal and vicious, she truly brings havoc to her family who is very conveniently a bunch of retarded crooks so easy to push to their fall in 'all good consciousness'. Flanked by a female assassin, a kind of double always ready to kill for her, she thinks herself rightfully above all because her youth was very hard and painful. No, revenge is not the ultimate right to break all the rules. What kind of shameless anti-morality is this ? completely corrupt !
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Age related confusion
Why does Chinese drama insist on casting someone in their 30s to play a 17 year old? It's so incredibly annoying to try to force my brain to accept something that is so visibly untrue. FL is pretty, a good actress - and obviously not a teenager. I don't think it's enough to make me stop watching but it ruins the overall feeling.But...a new favorite actor! How is it that in all my years of watching C-dramas I have never before encountered Yu En Tai? The man has a face like a rubber mask, emotions changing quickly and effortlessly. And the subtle crazy look was terrifying! I am in awe.
An earlier review stated this needed more episodes and I agree. It felt very rushed in the last five or so episodes and the ending was unsatisfying. Would I watch again? Except for a couple of exceptional actors, I doubt it. But I don't feel I wasted my time.
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This review may contain spoilers
O drama não é ruim, mas o roteiro desafia a paciência daqueles que não suportam um vilão que consegue se dar bem do começo ao fim. Foi uma espera imensa e cansativa pra ver Zhuang Shi Yang se dar mal. Os personagens foram criados com personalidades questionáveis, não há personagens virtuosos, alguns buscam justiça e, para isso, cometem atos cruéis e, personagens sem caráter, que, em alguns momentos, fazem ações justas. É difícil desenvolver empatia com os personagens, no início alguns são cativantes, mas no decorrer da trama se tornam asquerosos, outros são desagradáveis no início, mas depois mostram que são apenas lastimáveis. O drama está recheado de vingança, intrigas familiares e conspirações de oficiais imperiais. Não tem muitas cenas de ação, mas as poucas que têm, são boas. Não há romance, apenas um ameaço, mas, infelizmente, não senti qualquer 'química' entre o casal protagonista. Nas cenas em que eles se odeiam, é possível sentir esse sentimento transmitido pela atriz protagonista, mas o ator protagonista tem uma atuação tão mecânica que parece um boneco de cera, onde é impossível distinguir qualquer sentimento no personagem (diferente da atuação que mostrou em Desidere Catcher, The Legend of Shen Li ou Mr. Honesty), talvez, essa fosse a característica do personagem ou a orientação do diretor, mas não conseguiu me cativar esse tipo de atuação.
A edição do drama é boa, mas a voz não colaborou, são muitos personagens em que a voz e a expressão do ator não batem.
O figurino é muito bonito e a trilha sonora (apesar de não ter nenhuma música que seja, realmente, marcante), é agradável.
A finalização, em relação ao enredo, nem é ruim, mas não me agrada a mistura de vivos e mortos festejando (mesmo que eu saiba que é uma imagem do imaginário dela).
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Clichê bem temperado ainda é um banquete
Num mar de produções que repetem os mesmos padrões — reencarnações, adultérios, viagens no tempo que não acabam mais —, às vezes emerge uma série que, mesmo cheia de clichês, consegue se destacar pela forma como os entrega. E este drama fez exatamente isso: foram 30 episódios que flertam com o lugar-comum, mas com uma execução tão redonda, um texto tão ágil e envolvente, que fica fácil relevar a fórmula. A protagonista HanYan, inclusive, é um sopro de novidade: nada de mulher frágil que sofre calada — ela manipula, articula, ataca, e não perde o sono por isso. A cereja do bolo, aliás, é o vilão Shi Yang, interpretado com uma sutileza ameaçadora rara: ele se disfarça de burocrata patético, mas age com frieza de executor.Claro que tem tropeços. O último episódio é praticamente um TED Talk sobre o óbvio, repetindo o que o público já entendeu há 15 capítulos. E o protagonista masculino... bom, ele parece um avatar bugado: não importa a emoção da cena, o rosto permanece imóvel, como se o Botox tivesse vencido o prazo de validade. A pasmaceira facial não é só dele, mas aqui ela ganha um destaque incômodo. Ainda assim, o conjunto da obra funciona bem e, para quem anda cansado de ganchos artificiais para temporada dois, o final fechado é um alívio. Ou seja: clichê, sim. Mas do jeito certo.
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