Fated Hearts

-Solid plot, weak romance-

As a picky c-drama watcher "Fated hearts" has everything I look for in a historical Chinese drama with its great production considering the costumes and settings, and -most importantly- a mentally and physically strong female lead (FL) who seeks justice for herself and prioritises what matters most to her above everything else.

In terms of the general plot, it is pretty intriguing and fast-paced, keeping you eager for the next episode.
What surprised me the most positively, was the importance put on the exploration of the dynamics between the characters (mostly in the first half), contrary to most dramas in which political schemes take over making the story draggy and boring.

Talking about the romance, at first the enemies-to-lovers premise was really well written and I genuinely found myself excited about the development expecting a slow burn.
Unfortunately, I ultimately did find the romance very lacking. Firstly, the relationship developed too suddenly, changing completely the intense and well thought dynamic of the first episodes. Secondly, even though I find the actress playing the FL fitting for the role of the strong heroine, her delivery felt too stoic and inevitably lacking in terms of showing affection towards her love interests.
Overall the chemistry was very weak and the kisses were truly a huge letdown accompanied by the same 3 OSTs each and every time which did not help.

Overall I do recommend "Fated hearts" to historical drama lovers as it excels where many other dramas fall short.
Nevertheless, I rated this drama a 7.5 mostly for the disappointing romance and the overcomplicated plot of the last 10 episodes (which I ended up skipping through) .
All in all, these elements made it hard for me to really get emotionally engaged and I ended up finishing it just to see how the dynamics between the secondary characters would change.

Read More

Badass Female General meets Badass First Prince and their shared Badassery???

Oooh How I’m already missing Fu YiXiao and Feng SuiGe😭😭😭this drama was everything and then sum. The enemy plot was enemying but how they turned to lover was just chefs kiss. I absolutely give the writers their flowers for how each character evolves but their essence remained. I love the pacing of the plot, the unfolding of the story, the chemistry was chemistrying and the visual interms of production were just🔥🤌🏾 My second favorite pair is the crazy emperor and the crazy princess…their chemistry of going off each others madness added so much color and comedic relief. All in all this show is amazing and I’ll be rewatching it over and over😌

Read More

A fantastic enemies to lovers spectacle and experience

Some spoilers within, although I'm trying not to just say outright huge plot points. I don't normally write reviews for c-dramas. Look, this year has spoiled us. The Prisoner of Beauty is my number one historical of the year. The First Frost my number one modern, and When Destiny Brings the Demon my number one fantasy, just to give you an idea of where I'm at. I wouldn't say Fated Hearts unseats Prisoner of Beauty because that drama is pretty much perfection in my eyes....but Fated Hearts belongs in almost its own category. If I could give this show an 11/10, I would. When I see "enemies to lovers" I want REAL enemies to lovers, and this show has that. But what elevates it seriously above SO many other dramas are these things: 1. the acting, 2. the visuals, ie costumes/sets/cinematography, 3. avoiding some tired cliches 4. an unexpectedly fantastic B storyline with the second leads

First of all, THE ACTING. This was my first drama with Li Qin and she was AMAZING. We've had three recent dramas with "female generals" and as much as I enjoyed Shadow Love for what it was, Fu Yixiao absolutely blows the other two female generals out of the water. I BELIEVED FYX was a bad*** as general. And Chen Zheyuan as Feng Suige??? OMG. I need him in like so many more historical dramas now. The two of them together? I was sold on this couple in episode 1-3 when they still hated each other but the hate banter - which you believe they mean! - somehow manages to feel like they are one short step away from having hate s**. Okay, but the romance isn't even the best part of the acting in this! The scenes with the ML and his sister? Fantastic. SO many other scenes that have to do with the plot and the betrayals and everything are just so. FREAKING. Fantastic.

And let's talk about the second lead couple....triangle? Whatever we're calling it. MY GOD. I'll be honest. I really didn't like the princess for a long time. And kudos to the actress for that because the princess isn't likable. She spoiled, sheltered, naive, and entitled. But once she gets to the enemy country? Once that starts unfolding and the amazing, AMAZING Qin Tianyu comes in as Emperor Xia Jingyan? All I'm saying is, QTY threw everything into that role like he was playing the ML and it was FANTASTIC. He's not a good character. He's not. He's done terrible things. He's a sociopath. But holy heck, did QTY ever bring his A-game and give that character so much depth and nuance. The confrontation at the end of ep 35 with his mother?? Just amazing writing and acting. Wow. And let me tell you, these second lead characters made me cry. Like, a lot. I cried several times in this drama, from just tearing up for our leads in emotionally weighty and heartbreaking moments, to actual real crying where I needed a kleenex. I don't know how else to say it, but the acting and directing in this drama paired with the music was just on another level.

And then let's talk about the visuals. Every single frame is so beautiful. The COSTUMES. The rich colors. The tea set the main couple uses! Every single thing is just an amazing attention to detail and so stunning. And yes, the actors look amazing, too. I'm just saying, the visuals combined with the acting, stellar writing, and music? This drama is 100% an experience. To me, this is an S+, top tier production. I know the same director did Moonlight Mystique, and I enjoyed that drama and it was also stunningly beautiful with equally beautiful music - I sought out and bought the entire OST for that one. I'll b watching for dramas from this director in the future.

As for avoiding tired cliches....this one DOES have a SML who is so in love with the FL he can't move on, and NORMALLY this is my LEAST favorite of all SML storylines. I'm so over it. BUT. This drama did it really well. Because his motivations ARE NOT all about the FL. Arguably, this story happens in part because his driving goal means he will sacrifice anyone and anything to get it, and that includes the people closest to him. It makes him a much better character than the SML's who "become evil" because they "love" the FL. This guy was already there. And the ML's siblings! For once, neither of them hate him, and they all love and trust one another! How REFRESHING for a c-drama!

So yeah, that's my review. This show was absolutely an amazing watch. I loved it. Cannot recommend it enough. But if you ask me to rec you only ONE enemies to lovers this year, it's still going to be Prisoner of Beauty, because that show was just absolutely the perfect enemies to lovers from beginning to end and is my benchmark now. So don't just watch one - watch two. That one and this one.

Read More

The best Enemies-to-lovers ever

I put this drama on a back burner for way too long. I started watching the first episode, decided it was nothing for me, watched two other dramas and came back to it. And boy am I glad I did!

The reason I was hesitant at first was Chen Zhe Yuan. Up until Fated Hearts I had only seen him in cuty-pie roles or the charming sweetheart. I could not see past his lanky frame while he had to portray this beast of a man. But he managed to captivate me anyway.

We get into the story by following him and his Feng Battalion as they besiege a city currently in Jinxiu territory, wanting to take it back for Susha, their homeland. They are desperate to win the fight but Suige takes an arrow to the chest by the Red-Clad female general of Jinxiu and the battalion has to pull back in order to save his life.
When this general eventually ends up almost dead herself, Suige and her meet. They become dependant on one another due to circumstances. Someone wants the both of them dead, but who? This is where their uneasy alliance begins. They do not trust each other and spend their time trying to threaten the other but when they get closer to the answers they need they find themselves protecting the other.

It's the best way an enemy-to-lover story has been told, in my opinion. In the beginning they really do torture the other with no remorse. Eventhough Yixiao doesn't remember most of her life, she knows Suige isn't to be trusted. But he helps her through the worst of her nightmares and manages to get most of her memories back. They gradually go from hurting one another to protecting each other.

Another reason I love this drama so much is because it gave such a refreshing look on palace politics when it comes to becoming emperor. Usually the prince brothers are spiteful to each other, wanting to kill the other at an attempt to become crown prince. But these brothers were actually brotherly. They cared for each other and never wanted to harm the other. It was a very different take on becoming crown prince than I had seen before. Both princes didn't care what happened to the throne. It made the manipulation around Chengyang that much more painful. I really felt for him when he discovered what his family had done without even asking what he wanted.

The only thing I didn't really like about the drama was the split palace drama. We had Susha and Jinxiu to deal with. Feng Suige was fighting for his life in Susha. Meanwhile we were following the fight between Xia Jingshi and his tyrant brother Xia Jingyan. I understood why it was part of the story but it made the ending a little wonky. Things in Susha were calming down but we had to watch Suige go to Jinxiu to deal with matters there and it felt a little out of place.

Positives:
- The design of the costumes was beyond amazing. I really loved them.
- The OST is really good.
- The enemies-to-lovers made me weak in the knees with how perfect they've done it.
- Red flag villain remains red flag. I hated Xia Jingshi to the core. There was no redemption for him and, no matter how harsh it may sound, I was glad for it.
- The character growth for Xingyan was something I did not see coming. She annoyed me in the beginning to the point that I did not care for her scenes at all, but the way she manipulated the Jinxiu's court and managed to change the emperor was well done.
- I loved how they brought back certain important moments but in a different way. Like history repeating itself but mirrored. It's a nice touch.
- THAT PLOTTWIST WITH THE EMPEROR!! I am still shook about that. Did not see that coming at all!
- The brotherhood of the Feng Battalion and the loyalty towards Suige when everyone else in his life had either betrayed him or tried to kill him made me emotional. It was beautiful to watch.

Negatives:
- The amnesia trope..... It's been overused. I hate it. And no.. I'm not talking about Yixiao's memory loss at the beginning.
- The amount of times death came knocking at someone's door but they managed to save the person anyway was ridiculous.

I really do recommend watching this drama. It's one of the best 2025 has to offer with great storytelling and lots of cool swordfights and battles.

Read More

A very good rendition of our favourite tropes and genres

Love this. Can't help but to compare it to Prisoner of Beauty (which was a total let down for me).

Here, you have :
- a very good rendition of enemies to lovers (leads are perfectly match in strengths and wits and learn to work together from the start) ;
- a very rare step-siblings bond (fraternal love is thicker than blood, only apply to Susha though) ;
- villains are true to their beliefs, some even have family members that care for each other and "legitimate" reasons in their own right to want to kill the leads ;
- a WONDERFUL dark romance, very well executed, so much that the title "fated hearts" also apply to the second lead couple ;
- at the end of the show, almost every characters have a closure being happy, bittersweet, sad or deserved.

There are so many thing I want to say about this drama... I strongly encourage you to watch it for yourself. I know that many viewers are or will be annoyed by the princess. Yet, her character was perfectly written from her naive-self (she was love and shelter by everyone, even by her step-mother) to the brazen girl she became. She learned that love is fickle, the one you wish gone may be the one you will forever missed, whereas the one you dream to marry may be the one you really want dead). The actress did a fabulous job playing that character.

Finally, I wish to give a standing ovation to the scriptwriters ("chapeaux bas!" like we say in my country"). The amnesia plot (used twice or thrice to different characters) was never use to weaken, dumb down the characters or their relationships but it either show their strength, their intelligence or how much of a bond their share. Dialogue were iconics (aka "my condolences") and revenge was served by mirroring actions : "oeil pour oeil, dent pour dent".

Overall, very well executed.

Read More

A good take on revenge and romance

Positive

1. Strong character writing and relationship dynamics
This is the series’ strongest point.

- Fu Yi Xiao
She’s the most convincing female general I’ve seen. A traumatized girl who grew up strong and wise to survive—that’s it. No personality shifts when she’s with the ML.

- Fu Yi Xiao and Feng Sui Ge
This is a textbook enemies-to-lovers arc.

They were literally at each other’s throats and began with a transactional relationship. While the transition to romance is weak, their dynamic as a couple is healthy, marked by boundaries, trust, and good communication.

- Fu Yi Xiao and Xia Jing Shi
I’m glad they didn’t push the ex-lover trope with lingering, unexplored feelings. When they reunited, there was no confusion.

Xia Jing Shi was still caught up in the past, trying to resolve it, but Fu Yi Xiao was firm. No emotional ambiguity. She was sure of her feelings and stood by Feng Sui Ge.

- Feng Xi Yang and Xia Jing Yan
A transactional relationship that tipped into unrequited love.

I appreciate how they handled this without the “I can change this person” or “I’ll change for love” cliches. Realistically, not everyone falls in love just because the story demands it.

Xia Jing Yan stayed true to his archetype: a foolish, selfish, ruthless emperor who simply fell in love. No transformation arc, no redemption fluff. He just fell.

Similarly, Feng Xi Yang didn’t return his feelings, but she didn’t act out of character. She showed care, without romantic undertones.

2. Revenge is revenge
As mentioned, the leads were genuinely at odds. They physically hurt and plotted against each other, and this is definitely one of the most convincing revenge plots I’ve seen.

The angst is definitely present, but it’s not exhausting for viewers, which I really like.

3. Fu Yi Xiao’s amnesia arc
I love how this arc didn’t drag. It was straightforward. The FL and ML were enemies, and the resolution reflected that. No convoluted relationship threads or unnecessary drama.

4. Consistent, straightforward writing
This may seem minor, but it’s worth celebrating. Many recent dramas struggle with consistency, and this one mostly delivers.

5. Cast
The entire cast (major and minor roles) did a great job portraying their characters.

6. OST
There aren’t many tracks, but the OST is strong. I don’t mind the lack of variety. Personally, I’d rather have a few emotionally resonant songs than a dozen forgettable ones.

Middle

1. Feng Sui Ge’s Casting
I wasn’t sure about Chen Zhe Yuan at first. His acting is good, but I questioned the casting choice. Eventually, though, he grows on you.

2. Lead Chemistry
While I praised their relationship dynamic, their chemistry is unfortunately lacking. Personally, I didn’t feel any romantic spark between Li Qin and Chen Zhe Yuan.

Individually, they performed well, but together they felt more platonic, like two people bonded by trauma, hardship, and memory loss.

3. Lighting
Some scenes are well-edited, but others are visually distracting, especially due to lighting.

I’m not a fan of spotlight-style lighting against characters. While it works in some scenes, it’s overused and often unnecessary.

4. Fight Choreography
Inconsistent. Some scenes are strong, others fall flat and feel unconvincing.

Negative

1. Unnecessary arcs
The series started strong but dipped in the middle due to unnecessary arcs: the Storm Alliance and Feng Sui Ge’s amnesia arc.

Yes, there are two amnesia arcs. I was on the fence about the trope, but the first one worked well. The second, involving the ML, added no value.

The Storm Alliance subplot also felt irrelevant. I skipped those scenes and still understood the overall plot.

2. Murong Zhong’s corpse
I can’t believe I have to dedicate a bullet to this, but there’s one ridiculous scene where Murong Yao lays his father’s corpse aside to confront Feng Sui Ge.

In the middle of their fight, Murong Yao is thrown toward his father and suddenly, the corpse is sitting upright. What in the horror-movie editing lapse was that?

The positives definitely outweigh the negatives, though. So while it’s not a personal favorite, it’s still objectively a solid drama.

Read More

The Tale of Two Princes: Love, Power, and Betrayal in Fated Hearts

Fated Hearts tells the story of two princes — one born to rule but lacking ambition, and the other destined to live in his brother’s shadow, consumed by envy and a thirst for power. Adding to the complexity is a female general, a potentially powerful character, whose life and heart become deeply intertwined with theirs.

At first, the enemies-to-lovers setup was beautifully written, and I was genuinely excited for a slow-burn romance. However, as the story progressed, the relationship felt rushed, losing the tension and emotional depth built in the early episodes. While the actress suited her role as a strong heroine, her performance sometimes felt too restrained, making it hard to sense real affection toward her love interests. Unfortunately, the weak chemistry even the kiss scenes felt underwhelming.

On a brighter note, my second favorite pairing was the delightfully unhinged emperor and princess — their chaotic chemistry and shared madness brought much-needed humor and spark to the series. I also really enjoyed the bond between the Feng siblings; it was heartwarming to see royal siblings who genuinely care for one another.

What didn’t work for me was the overuse of the amnesia trope (twice!) and some of the political storylines, which felt unnecessarily stretched.

Despite its flaws, Fated Hearts still managed to keep me engaged, thanks to its complex characters and unexpected emotional moments — especially Emperor Jingyan, who turned out to be one of the most compelling characters of all.

Read More

Best of 2025 (to me at least haha)

I LOVE ENEMIES TO LOVERS! Feng Suige (ML) and Fu Yixiao (FL) were actually enemies at first, actually trying to kill each other, actually hating each other, but working together because they were both being targeted by (possibly) a similar enemy. Then they got to know each other, each other's pain, trauma, fears, each others strengths despite all that. They fell in love. Their relationship was so healthy, with so much trust and protection between them.
I LOVED Fu Yixiao, she's so strong, intelligent, beautiful, loyal and more, plus she looks super 帅 ("handsome") in all her fighting scenes. I like how she remained a strong female lead through and through (or ven stronger), instead of becoming weak beside ML. I LOVED Feng Suige, he has been through so much yet remained a good first prince all the way and finally found love. Of course, loved his loyal soldiers who were one of the rare few good ones all the way. Oh, and Lord Ling, he's so funny haha...
This drama had so many betrayals, so many "villians" but honestly I feel for most of them because they had reasons, they all need therapy. (My favourite villain was probably Xia JIngshi idk why lol, and even though Feng Xiyand was not a villain, for most of the drama I disliked her the most JUST MY OPINION THO).

Only downside was that even though I like the ending scenes, it felt kind of rushed and I wished it followed the novel a bit more and shared more about thier life together after, but that's just my perference. BUT IM BIASED SO ITS A 10 ANYWAYS HEHE

Read More

A bit long winded but ok. Not much romance

I remember thinking the male lead was incredibly boring when I first watched "Hidden Love"—but in this drama, I actually quite like his portrayal of the Crown Prince.
I had to tell my brain to forget the first episodes where both leads tortured each other bloody. How could a relationship start from that? Well, that is drama logic.

But I do feel like I've seen these "female general" dramas countless times. And why do they always spend half the show seriously injured, disabled, and in need of help? Surprisingly, her arm surgery this time successfully restored her strength. At least, I think she's portrayed one of the better female generals.

I think the biggest problem so far is that the plot has dragged on too long. She spent several episodes questioning her ex-lover about why he wanted to kill her, before finally giving up.

The show also gives us a sneak peek into the internal struggle between the King of Jinxiu Kingdom and his brother—but gets pushed to the back if your mind for a while.

As a result, many of the villains' motivations have become vague or even forgotten (for example, the death of the Prime Minister's son is only briefly mentioned in the first few episodes).

Read More

did not expect to like it this much

I randomly came across this show and started watching it because Chen zheyuan was the main lead. went in with zero expectations but I was pleasantly surprised. the pacing of the story was very well done. usually in period dramas some episodes get a little slow, but it was not the case with this show. the storyline was also pretty good with no unnecessary plots. and the acting was very well done and the emotions of every scene were excellently portrayed by everyone. I would have liked to see a more intense battle scene at the climax, but other than that it was a pretty amazing show. definitely worth watching.❤️

Read More

I Have So Many Things To Say.....

Fated Hearts started with some real good promises. A warrior prince got wounded by the arrow of his mortal enemy and when he got his consciousness, he eventually found out the woman that almost killed him is somehow got into a worst position than him,injured, lost her abilty to fight and also her memory is gone. I was sitted cause it was a really interesting way to start.

As the story progressed, the bond between the two strengthened....it was not forced,there wasn’t anything clingy, it was mutual,mature and was really enjoyable to see.

But.....everything started to fall apart in the midway when lots of new characters were introduced.Their motives,actions, consequences..many things didn’t make sense. The story introduced Storm sect or something when Susha Prince almost died and the prison where FL and her brothers were tortured when they were child..... that added nothing to the story. The main couple got sided and the side stories took the main plot.


Prince of Susha and Fu Yi Xiao:
CZY is a really good actor he again proved that. A child who lost his mother in front of his eyes and later became the warrior prince who wants to avenge his mother who later found comfort and love in a enemy... Everything was good.

Li qin as Fu YiXiao was terrific.The cold hearted general who go betrayed by someone she trusted the most and later again found her strength... Loved her character arc. She was always strong willed,cautious of her surrounding, smart. The bond between these two clicked cause they trusted each other and communicated which i loved the most. Till the end,they fought beside each other,protected as shield like real power couple.

Princess of Susha and Emperor Xia ZingYan: This is where my headache started. Still trying to find a reason why they made their love story in such a bizzar way. Princess Susha got on my nerves so many times cause of her irresponsible decisions and tantrums.... When her brother assured her she doesn’t have to marry, she still did when Xia Zingshi clealrly told her he's not interested in her. When her family tried to protect her, she eloped with her husband and later got betrayed by him. After that so many things happened, she divorced her husband and got with that douchbag of an emperror Xia Zingyan only for her own benefit,used him for everything .... and lastly when the emperor actually fell for her,she was like nah I'm leaving!!!!
Xia ZingYan as an Emperror was nothing but a menace. A womanizer,good for nothing. But later when they revealed how much he cared for princess of susha and the way he was always ready to be used by her and the reason behind it.... Can't believe I was actually feeling bad for him. They could become a good couple if the story-writer was not in the mood for killing every character. If only the princess stopped throwing tantrums in everything, she probably could get a family with someone that loves her and build a whole empire with him.

Also...what was Feng Suige thinking while making his sister the empress??????She didn’t take a single good decision in the whole series... She is impulsive,never thinks about whats good for everyone,often acts as a childish brat....she is the worst choice to be an empress.

Emperor and Empress of Susha:
Well... I find the emperor a selfish father who never understood his own child. Idk how could he think after everything the prince went through,he would still agree to follow the same path as his father. Boy saw his mother dying in front of his eyes and his father did nothing. Even in the end time of his life,he just sat there,doing nothing.
The Empress was just a beneficiary of the whole situation. I felt like she actually cared about the Emperor but lost her path while trying to secure the future of herself and her son. And that younger prince of susha became victim of this power battle. But he was still a breath of fresh air,he took such a mature decision at such a young age after so many traumatic incidents.

Murong Family :
Another piece of headache. Even if i sympathise with Murong son for his hatred towards the imperial family.... Never understood how someone like Papa Murong who fought and sacrificed for the imperial family his whole life,was a man of honor and moral.... How can he suddenly become a dark character overnight?? What his son did,deserved punishment,but still the emperor already pardoned him. Idk what he thought,why he thought.

Xia Zingshi:
The biggest culprit I guess. His obsession with Fu Yixiao was the reason of his doom. Yeah he was mistreated,abused, neglected..... But still couldn’t sympathise with him,sorry.


The set designs and costumes were gorgeous. Fight scenes were done good. There wasn’t many ost's i guess,only two or three.

Overall it was a good one time watch drama. I enjoyed many parts but also wanted to skip many,Those who want to watch a badass pretty couple will definitely enjoy it.

Read More

Greed , betrayal and a game of thrones

from the start you think this one is just another enemies to lovers drama but it is not that simple , the more you watch it's not just about romance , this drama has it all greed , betrayal , brotherhood and family issues .

loved how they turned from enemies to lovers , it took time to build their trust and to understand one another , they went through life and death together which made it more enjoyable to watch .

the emperor of susha is such a complex character you hate him for manipulating suige all his life to make him hate him and overtake the throne which suige never wanted in the first place , but in the end you pity him as he was blinded by power as all emperors 😒 and died all alone and betrayed.

xia jingshi such a despicable and obsessive charater he was also blinded by power and wanted to take the throne from his half brother as he was a playboy who never cared about state affairs , it's his method that makes you hate him he was willing to sacrifice yixiao for the throne yet after she lost her memories of the incident , he was willing to do whatever to get her back although she didn't want to go with him yet you pity him for the treatment he was getting since he was young for being a bastard yet it doesn't justify his actions .

Feng xiyang truly had it the hard way from the spoiled princess of susha who had her father and brother's protection to being all alone in jingxiu , i didn't get how she fell in love with xia jingshi after seeing him once and for sparing life , yet she was so nauve to leave everything behind for him but she got nothing in return except him trying to kill her .

emperor of jingxiu changed for the better after falling in love with xiyang , wished for a better ending for him .

zhang shen and the empress was a well deserved ending .

the murong family, I don't get why general murong tried to kill suige after the emperor spared Yao , like he was obsessed with protecting his son but from whom .

truly a masterpiece yet I think the ending was a bit rushed nevertheless it was great .

Read More