Blazing Elegance (2025)

Apparent default of consent in a good quality forbidden love story.

Story: The poor teacher Zhao Xing Rou falls for the rich warlord Yi Qiu Ting. All seems to be going well until the Male Leads family knows about it.

This is a beautiful and high quality drama. I started watching it and I appreciated it. However the use of violence by the domineering warlord Male Lead to stay with the teacher Female Lead was sometimes hard to stand.
Although I understand that the two of them love each other so basically they would like to remain together. Circumstances make that hard to happen and Male Lead domineering as he is, used all his power to stay with his beloved at any cost, despite their family wishes and even Female Lead's requests at some point.
This is why I was not so happy about seeing him forcing her. But the story line was great and I could understand the dangers they had to face together so I kept watching.
However, When I saw how later in the show, Female Lead behaves toward Male Lead . That was too much for me. She became despicable and to me they destroyed her persona.

But to be fair the drama is beautiful and as much as I was annoyed about those two forcing themself onto each other. It was still a visually beautiful watch.

The plot is simple soI will not indulge in descriptions. I liked everything in this drama except the last part when Female Lead retaliates. She could have done it in a different way.

The two Second Male Leads have what looks like an hidden BL romance.

So, if it doesn't disturb you to see Male Lead forcefully bed Female Lead all the time. Despite her being in love with him. You could appreciate this drama.


Pros :
- Great cinematography and good quality mini drama.
- Good story.
- Fighting scenes are well shot and executed.
- Great acting. They managed to make me cry at some point.
- BL so-called bromance between the two Sooecond Male Lead.
- Fast pacing was pleasing.
- Great character development for Male Lead and Female Lead. They others stay pretty much the same.


Cons :
- Forced love : Male Lead forcefully bedding Female Lead is a little disturbing. Despite the fact that we know that she is in love with him. Is it or not a defaut of consent. I let you judge of that. I don't say more not to spoil.
- A lot of twists and turns, despite the general storyline being simple.

Overall : It woths the watch because of the quality of the drama and the retribution at the end.
I could only recommend this drama if you understand the concept of forbidden love. And Male Lead forcefully bedding Female Lead doesnt shock you.
Watching the drama I understood why Male Lead did all he did and I also understood why Female Lead never really tried to escape him.

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Dark romance in turbulent time

This drama is a typical dark romance that takes place in a turbulent period, the Republican Era in China. It belongs to the slap kissed genre . All kinds of violence are to be expected.

We can't use today's lense to judge the past. We can only accept that things are different back then and this drama gives us a glimpse into that world.

Overall, the production did a great job with the set, the lighting, it has the right mood. All the actors gave it their all. The emotions can be felt across the screen.

The hardest part is the genre itself. Once we accept and get passed this, what happened in the drama becomes more real. One sure thing is the main couple's deep love for each other. His love can be too much sometimes. He suffocated her with his love. It's sad and touching at the same time.

The main actor Wanyan Luo Rong is relatively new. He did a great job this time. He had to cry in so many scenes. It must take a toll on him but he did great. It's time like this that you appreciate what a good actor can do to a role. He becomes the character and we can feel the hurt, the pain.

Initially, I wasn't too impressed with actress Zhong Li Li but she grew on me towards the end. Maybe it's her character or something else, I didn't feel a strong draw. Her chemistry with her costar is just alright. It could be better. I never truly feel her love for him in the drama. Something is missing.

The supporting cast are all great. I like them all. They really elevated the drama. I enjoy watching their scenes. The brotherly bonds are charming. Either way, they left a deep lasting impression.

Even some of the "villains", we can see their true hearts and feel bad for them. Sometimes people just make the wrong choices and had to face consequences.

Even though this is a good drama, it has low re watch value. It's the type that you only watch once. You witness their stories but hope to move on because it's too dark, too painful.

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