1Dumbed down to the point of fatousness.
Let me keep this short to avoid wasting more time on this mind numbingly boring 39-episode revenge drama that was 40 episodes too many. The original works The Emperor's Book 帝皇书 is a dark and complicated tale of a love, duty, revenge and atonement. The adaptation has been dumbed down to the point of fatuousness in a misguided attempt to make the intricate plot more accessible. The broad plot outline is unmistakably Nirvana in Fire lite with swapped gender roles and a ton of romance.The bright, over-lit palette sets the wrong tone for this kind of dark story of betrayal from the get go. The action heavy open sees swashbuckling badass pirate Ren Anle proposing to crown prince Han Ye with her dowry of 30,000 elite sea troops. Despite Dilraba's impressive flirting skills, Anle's shameless pursuit of Han Ye went on for too long and seems heavy handed. There isn't much natural spark between her and Gong Jun even though they look fantastic together. Despite her exquisite beauty and charisma Dilraba's acting in this is disappointing. She comes across as someone who never suffered or experienced profound loss. Her best distressed or traumatized expressions smack of someone whose favorite pair of Jimmy Choos got muddied; a far cry from someone whose entire clan down to nine generations got unjustly wiped out. The collaterally damaged characters Luo Mingxi, An Ning, Lin Lang and even the delusional Chengán are more convincing as deeply scarred and haunted by the Di family massacre. To be fair, the titular role of Anle is not well written. She barely gets to do any of the hard stuff. Everyone from Luo Mingxxi to An Ning steals her thunder in terms of the scheming, making ruthless decisions and even fighting.
"My heart was once stirred by a woman called Ren Anle, but all my life I will protect Di Ziyuan/ 我对一个叫任安乐的女子动过心，但我这一世都会护着帝梓元" is the novel's best line that encapsulates what Han Ye is all about. If Gong Jun had to get one line right, it was this one. His expressionless lacklustre delivery of this line epitomizes his vacuous, uninspired acting throughout. The only characters that made me care are Wen Zhou and Lin Lang. Liu Yuning also does a decent job largely because he dubbed himself. Sadly his character has no development and doesn't do much other than to mope and slouche around plotting with a sinister twisted smile on his face.
There is too much standing around and talking in this drama but there are only a few good lines that are repeated ad nauseum. Of course the Di family army lost 80,000 troops; more than the 70,000 strong Chiyan army! The sheer hubris and audacity of these third tier writers to repeatedly allude to a masterpiece and hint their Di family suffered more is pathetic. They neutered an amazing plot and weighed it down with a pedestrian rendition of the Romeo and Juliet trope. The revenge arc climaxes too early and the showdown lacks intensity. The narrative further devolves into a bunch of silly sub-plots that are just juvenile attempts to squeeze some angst out of viewers by unimaginatively throwing a few characters off a cliff and killing a few others gratuitously. This just made me laugh instead of cry. This drama seems to drag on forever to the point that the hair turning white oddly makes sense! Only watch this if you are die hard Dilraba or Gong Jun fans. I rate this 6.5/10.0.
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Romance Drama Chemistry Is A Must
Unfortunately, they failed to build that chemistry between the main couple. It is mainly because of the male lead poor acting ability and performance. He also doesn’t have the look and charisma on an equal level with the female lead.Chemistry is very important in romance drama.
This is another of those series that I was rooting where the second male lead gets the girl. LMX has that conflicted, dark but oh so sexy. The actor did a good job portraying his character and he is also quite charming.
Disregard the plot holes, it is a decent drama. OST is very nice especially the ending song.
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So much potential!
Legend of Anle was undoubtedly one of my most highly anticipated dramas for this year. I knew I liked Gong Jun after his remarkable performance in WOH, and the accolades surrounding Dilraba also intrigued me. I was eager to witness their talents in this new series. The captivating synopsis and intriguing trailer further fueled my excitement.From the moment the drama premiered, I was religiously invested, watching the episodes daily and meticulously jotting down notes as the story unfolded.
Initially, I must commend the strong start the series had. The first ten episodes were brimming with potential and skillfully set the stage. Ren Anle, the female lead, instantly won my heart as one of my all-time favorite leads. Her wit, charm, strength, and humor had me laughing and thoroughly enjoying every moment. Han Ye, although quite different, proved to be an equally impressive lead, portraying a gentle and kind character whose personality complemented Ren Anle's perfectly, making them an endearing couple. His unwavering loyalty to Di Ziyuan revealed the essence of his character and set the tone for his development.
A notable aspect that pleasantly surprised me was the abundance of strong female characters who were not the main lead. The drama skillfully portrayed numerous women with strength and intelligence, be it in martial arts or other aspects of life. This contrasted with typical cdramas where the focus tends to solely revolve around the female lead's strength, making Legend of Anle stand out in this regard.
The early stages of the drama also excelled in presenting captivating investigations led by Han Ye and Ren Anle, showcasing their intelligence and establishing a profound bond that played a pivotal role in the rest of the story.
Regrettably, my enthusiasm took a hit as we reached episode 12. From that point onward, the plot began to lose its momentum, becoming sluggish and uninteresting. To my disappointment, the main leads received less screen time, while secondary characters dominated the narrative. This shift hindered the story's progression, leaving me feeling like nothing substantial was happening, and even the leads' charisma seemed to wane amidst the prolonged focus on characters like Di Cheng'en, Luo Mingxi, and Anning.
Speaking of secondary characters, Luo Mingxi, the second male lead, failed to resonate with me. Despite his importance to the story, I found his personality dull and unengaging, struggling to form any meaningful attachment. Di Cheng'en, while intentionally unlikable, became an excessively detestable character, though I admit her role served the plot effectively. Anning, initially introduced as a strong and high-ranking general, fell short of her potential, often coming across as dim-witted and uninteresting during the stagnant episodes.
Nevertheless, Wen Shuo's character was a bright spot. His endearing relationship with Han Ye and his developing bond with Ziyuan were a pleasure to watch, though I felt some emotional scenes in the final episodes could have been better portrayed by the actor.
One aspect that disappointed me was how Han Ye discovered Ren Anle's identity. The potential for a profound and emotional revelation was squandered, culminating in a montage of memory scenes and a shocked expression. Similarly, the revelation of Di Ziyuan's true identity diminished the intrigue of her character.
Fortunately, the last ten episodes were better, even managing to make warfare engaging despite it not being my preferred theme. However, the plot involving Luo Mingxi and the loss of Qingnan city felt convoluted and lacked courage to make him actually do something wrong, which made it feel like a missed opportunity for compelling storytelling and cowardly writing.
The final three episodes were strong and provided a satisfying conclusion, though I regret not seeing all the scenes of Di Ziyuan and Han Ye that I knew had been filmed.
On a more technical note, the OST was good, with some tracks earning a place on my playlist. The visuals, while generally appealing, occasionally bordered on being overly exaggerated. The CGI, though, met my expectations.
In conclusion, Legend of Anle possessed considerable potential that remained untapped. While not a terrible drama, it did not live up to its promise. I wouldn't rewatch it, but for those with patience and the willingness to use the skip button occasionally, I recommend giving it a chance.
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Another disconnected dynasty story
This was a filler drama for me. Thirty-nine episodes with filler writing, disjointed plot, plot holes, short cuts, mediocre CGI, good fighting skills, mediocre battle scenes, mediocre villains, grandiose ambitions. Di ZiYuan, Han Ye and Luo Mingxi were obsessed with a decade's old conspiracy that annihilated the Di clan and its 80,000 soldiers.Han Ye
Jing's Crown Prince Charming's countenance was pretty to behold. He seemed to have one pained expression most of the time. He was steadfast, but possessed with the guilt complex of the Di clan massacre, and was obsessed with Di Ziyuan for ten years. His POV or internalizing over Ziyuan was OOTP (obsessive over the top). He loved diving off cliffs, and he survived without a scratch on his face or any broken bones. His red costume made him look regal.
Ren Anle/Di Ziyuan
Ren Anle Pirate Captain of the Anle Abode Navy was OTP. She was touchy feely wiith the Crown Prince, but he was nonplussed. He was too polite to tell her to back off. The People's Princess Di Ziyuan had two mantras, "80,000 soldiers", the #1 song hit of Jing, and "30,000 soldiers", the #2 song hit of Jing. Her heavy black eyebrows and white foundation makeup oveshadowed Dilraba's acting performance. Her red costumes made her look regal.
Luo Mingxi
Luo Mingxi was too mopey. He was always harping about the revenge plan, but we never saw him planning anything. It might have been all in his head. He was obsessed with Ziyuan, because she was his bride -to-be since birth. Meanwhile, he had the dreaded cough. His red costume made him look regal.
Mingxi was Jing's best tactitian, but I would not want him handling my invasion plan. He rerouted a massive Jing army enroute to Qingnan City to Ziyuan 's distant location to rescue her, instead of splitting the army into two rescue units, to assist General Anning and General Ziyuan. That was a waste of manpower because Han Ye had already rescued Ziyuan. The trio did not set out for Qingnan to assist Anning and Qignan. General Anning died, and Qingnan fell into the hands of the enemy Qin. Han Ye, Ziyuan, Mingxi, Anning failed the strategic planning and execution, teamwork and collaboration executive courses.
The acting, BGM and song music were very good. The writing and CGI were subpar. The producing, directing, writing and editing teams failed in teamwork and collaboration.
Overall rating changed to 7.
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80K Di Troops + 30K Naval Forces + "You're the Crown Prince" = Messy Script w/Plot Holes
I go into each drama I watch without any expectations and that makes for shows like this to be a wise decision because then I'm not surprised or disappointed when things go south. In this case the people I watched for were Reba and LYN both of whom did good jobs in their roles as well as some of the side characters which I'll list below. But the storyline was just a mess in a dress; this series is best watched for entertainment purposes only and to suspend all logic possible. Because it's literally 80K Di Troops + 30K Naval Forces + "You're the Crown Prince" on constant repeat.Pros: The revenge plot made the most sense and they should have just stuck with that. As mentioned up top FL and SML were convincing in their characters and as were a few of the side characters like LL, An Ning, and WS. But even with them, this wasn't their strongest drama. I really feel the script failed everyone. Both the empress dowager and the emperor were the best villains given their circumstances with this script. Costumes, sets, OSTs were beautiful. CGI was ok, could have been better.
Cons: The script was just ridiculous, you had the FL for about a dozen episodes act like fake gorilla glue towards ML. People surviving things they could only do in Xianxias; like being pierced with a ton of arrows and sail off a cliff. Cliff diving seemed to be a favorite sport of a lot of the characters because 3 did it after being mortally wounded and survived, ML did it twice. The show dragged a lot for only being 39 episodes and many scenes were very anticlimactic. You were just watching going "that's it?"
This was the first time I had ever seen GJ act in anything and I have to say that HY seemed to have facial paralysis. He said his lines but there was no emotion even when it came to sarcasm or announcing something. I don't know if that's how he always acts or they edited him that way because BTS and interviews, it was like a totally different person. I understand playing aloof characters but you need to be able to emote with your eyes at least and I didn't see any of that. It came off as largely robotic to me. Hopefully it's just because of this drama as even those that I listed in the pros, their characters weren't the strongest they've played or were edited weirdly and if I see him in the future, it'll be different and better. There are extra little clips on Youku of the ML and FL's life together that wasn't shown in the show that seems like a different drama. Their interactions there are way better than in the show. They could have put those clips into the last episode instead of keeping the ML on the mountain for 1.5 episodes refusing to go down without any rhyme or real reason.
MB or LB whatever his name was who also played an antagonist was so much of an afterthought that the character went from loyal to who he really was plus they made him randomly weirdly stalkerish when he revealed his "real self" just made no sense. It felt like that whole war plot was created just to kill off AN and send ML off the cliff going blind. What was the purpose of fake DZY and all of her bathing scenes? To make us roll our eyes more? The revenge plot and war/aftermath plots seemed like they belonged to different shows. And how did DZY's hair turn black again? I can't even count the amount of plot holes; I know I forgot most of them. I'll just say, it had a lot of potential considering what novel readers said, but came up ridiculously short.
Would I recommend it? I'll divide this one; if you're looking at this from a good storyline perspective, then no. But if you're just wanting to be entertained and not think, then sure go for it. Anyways, the choice is yours.
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So boring, there's no way to salvage this drama
What a huge disappointment. You would think having a strong cast would somewhat give you an assurance that the drama will be good. This drama is by far Dilraba's worst. And I don't mean to pinpoint her. It's just that I've been following all her dramas, I thought this would be good but the plot is so disappointing, no great acting can salvage this.The drama is so draggy, I can't even sit through one episode without falling asleep or skipping scenes. To be honest, the plot doesn't make a lot of sense to me either. There is no excitement, very forceful scheming and poorly executed villains.
Anle who meant to be taking revenge, spent most of her time just sitting around waiting for the emperor to apologize. Then you have Han Ye who would follow around Anle like a sad puppy, simply too nice to the point I sometimes forgot his character is meant to be smart. You also see An Ning who is supposed to be this princess-general, spending most of her time drunk and upset instead of battling at the field. The only somewhat acceptable character in this drama is Luo Ming Xi, contributing to 60% of my 7.0 rating for Acting/Cast.
Again, I really can't express enough how disappointed I am with this drama. This was really one of the most highly anticipated drama of the year for me - good summary plot, good cast, good visuals. I honestly do not understand how the screenwriter could mess up this bad.
People please, don't bother wasting your time watching this drama. It's not worth the time.
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No One is Above the Law
"The Legend of Anle" is an engaging drama that centers around Ren Anle, a courageous pirate seeking justice against the Emperor, who falsely accused and executed her entire family, along with 80,000 military men. The story also delves into her complicated romance with the Crown Prince of Great Jing, to whom she was betrothed since birth. Can one truly love someone whose family has caused so much pain and suffering to one? Adapted from Xing Ling's novel "The Emperor's Book," this drama features Dilraba Dilmurat as Ren Anle, portraying her with authenticity and charm.As the playful and forthright Ren Anle, and later as the determined and resolved Di Ziyuan, Dilraba's acting is truly convincing. Alongside her, Gong Jun shines as Han Ye, the virtuous and selfless Crown Prince. Despite some criticism, his performance exhibits good chemistry with Dilraba, showcasing the complex dynamics of their relationship.
The entire cast has been thoughtfully chosen for their respective roles, and the high-quality costumes and props reflect the dedication of the production team. The beautiful and touching OSTs add to the overall appeal of the drama, making it a captivating watch.
However, it's fair to mention some negative aspects of the drama. There are instances of plot holes and childish logic, which might detract from the viewing experience. Additionally, repetitive narratives stretching into many episodes can lead to viewer fatigue (eg. Ren Anle harps about her 30,000 navy force as dowry, Han Ye insists that he would only marry Di Ziyuan, Di Cheng’en laments that she has suffered on the mountain for 10 years, Ren Anle laments of the 80,000 dead Di soldiers, etc.). Nevertheless, the character development remains consistent, even with some changes from the original novel.
My Verdict
While the drama primarily focuses on scheming, revenge, espionage, and war, the last three episodes gracefully shift towards the main couple's romantic journey. Overall, "The Legend of Anle" may not be flawless, but it is still a decent and worthwhile watch. So, if you're a romance fan or a fan of Dilraba or Gong Jun, don't miss out on this one!
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Mature storyline and relationships with smart leads
I have read the novel, so my views may be partially colored by that. The following is about the drama only.Things about me that might be helpful for people to know while reading this review: I've been watching C-dramas (mostly court and wuxia dramas) for 30 years. I work in a field that does a lot of counseling, so recognizing emotions is very important for effectiveness at work. The things I can't stand the most in dramas are:
- unrealistic relationships that just appear out of nowhere
- characters who are supposedly smart but who never actually do anything smart. My expectations for "smart" behavior: in their situation and emotional state with their character personalities, I wouldn't have been able to find a better solution
- characters doing stupid things just to advance the plot...a mark of lazy screenwriting
THE REVIEW:
STORY: 9/10
I think the pacing is good; I enjoy buildup and intrigue, and I also like picking up foreshadowing (of which there's quite a lot). Some scenes with Di Chengen/Mu Qing can probably be skipped without affecting understanding of the plot at all, though. The first half feels like a rom-com, while the second half is an angsty tragedy...so just be prepared for the mood to completely twist when things get serious.
The storyline itself might have been a disaster with a different cast, but I think the actors have successfully saved it. We're invested in the characters, so we keep watching through the "filler" scenes...
None of my pet peeves have appeared, so still a high mark for me.
ACTING: 10/10
One of the saving graces of this drama.
Gong Jun gets an A+ for his depiction of Han Ye. His acting is layered and nuanced, and you can pick out conflicting emotions or when Han Ye knows you're trying to trick him but plays along anyway... Even when most of his face isn't moving much, you can tell from his eyes what he's feeling. Han Ye came out of the book as a flesh and blood person.
Reba also does a great job with her acting, A+. Also layered, subtle. Very realistic. Suitably imposing! I don't think a lot of actresses could play a dual role like this.
Liu Yuning: He's newer to acting, but you can definitely tell what emotions his character is feeling. I think he's overly exaggerated with his facial expressions, but I suspect that's because I'm expecting him to be the reserved, lazy, cool-headed person he is in the book...
Some of the older supporting actors also did an awesome job.
- MAIN CHARACTERS: 10/10. Most characters are 3-dimensional and/or have character development in the course of the story
Anle/Di Ziyuan: Sassy, smart, and strong woman who basically does what she wants and flaunts convention.
Han Ye: Reserved, and like his actor described, like "flowing water beneath the ice." Outwardly, he's a righteous gentleman with high tolerance for hijinks and disrespect, to the point where both viewers and other characters mistakenly think he's "naive" or even "weak." He may look like there's not much going on, but he's actually scary smart and capable of manipulating everything...and hiding it, too.
Luo Mingxi: Smart, cunning, and loyal, with some rather dark edges...
- RELATIONSHIPS: 10/10
Anle/Di Ziyuan and Han Ye: one of the most (if not THE most) mature and believable complicated love relationships I've seen in C-dramas. Very impressed! What I like best about their relationship is how much they respect and admire each other, and even when they're supposedly opponents, it's obvious they still care about and want to protect the other person. If the whole Di family thing hadn't happened, these two would have made an unmatchable dream team.
Di Ziyuan and Luo Mingxi: a lot of affection and trust. They always have each others' backs.
Han family: relationships in the Han family are so touching. While some of them may have...issues...it's obvious (and believable) that they love each other very much.
Han Ye and Wen Shuo: Love their relationship. While he's very reserved with others, Han Ye treats Wen Shuo like an exasperating but much loved little brother/son.
- PRODUCTION: 6.5/10
The CGI is many times sub-par, especially for an S+ drama. Other times it's fine. Watchable, at least.
The cuts are sometimes sloppy--positions, expressions, and people sometimes abruptly change places from one second to the next. This can be distracting if you're a person who notices those things.
I have an inkling that many scenes of secondary characters (new actors and actresses) were added to promote them. Linlang and Di Chengen especially.
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Only watch if u r a fan of both leads! Boring & angsty most of the time…
I finally managed to finish this one accompanied by my friend the FFWD button… 😅 I’m a fan of both of them n watched most of their recent works, but this one was disappointing, especially when it was an awaited drama for me…
What is ok:
- The leads pairing is just a visual feast & their chems is good enough despite how unnecessary angsty their journey till the end of the eps…
- The part at first where FL kept chasing ML while being ignored most of the times was the only enjoyable part for me + the happy ending (eventhough it happens in the last eps!)
- The side casts that’s beside the leads r good loyal people as they should be…
- The bonus scenes from the after they r married story is cute… at least we get to see them together (though no real kiss at all till the end) 🤣
What I dislike:
- I know the main plot is revenge, but somehow for me it’s kinda hard to feel totally sorry for FL after everything that she’s done to ML… yes it’s a tragedy what happened to her fam becoz of his fam, but despite all, ML was the one who helped her from the start, he never stopped protecting her… she keeps blaming him & hurt him like he did the evil deeds! So overall her character is just not a sympathetic one…
- The overall story is just mmeehh… the revenge was done around eps26 I think? After that is just total unnecessary angst till the end… FL was only given a chance to redeem herself from eps36 (last 3-4eps) & that only happened when ML was thought dead… and after all he’s done for her? It’s just not enough…
- FL got more screen time with SML i think? Thankfully SML isn’t a bad person, but still their too many scenes together is just not something I like to watch… and these scenes I also FFWD like crazy… 🫣
- The CGI was bad IMO, looks so fake… and I thought this was a big budget drama, I guess not…
- The last eps reconciliation kinda drama… though actually, they never even get together officially till that last eps… for a 39eps drama that’s just not satisfying…
Overall at least it’s a HE… but I want to rant so much after I kinda forced myself finished this one with the help of FFWD button… for a revenge drama it’s just not that good, but especially if u compare it to The Long Ballad… now that’s for me a good revenge drama for me… anyway, IMO watch only if u r a fan of the leads… 🤷🏻♀️
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Wasted potential
I have not read the source material, but from what I can tell, the drama has been so watered down/altered that it really cannot be considered a faithful adaptation. If you're hoping for a sophisticated, nuanced revenge drama, be prepared to be disappointed. There are some nice moments of drama interspersed throughout, and I did not mind some of the more comedic parts, but the drama as a whole seems disjointed in tone and lacking in a strong backbone of story and character for me to give it more than a 7. Not the worst I have seen, but definitely far from a masterpiece.Was this review helpful to you?
Lesson learned
This drama makes me realize there's a lot more time for revenge and injustice than prioritizing what makes them happy. You thought taking revenge would make you happy, but you never realized the cost of it. Everything is in the past, but what is in the present? Don't live in the past because it will destroy what you have in the present.Once you achieve it, you will realize it's not worth fighting for because you have lost what is more important. You need to give up your selfish desires if necessary in order to be happy. You need to lose your loved ones first in order to realize how important they are to you, because you will regret it at the end of the day. Which is true in life.
What I like about this drama is that it corrects all the wrong decisions they made and has reconciliation moments between Di Ziyuan and Han Ye. Yes, we make mistakes. History must not repeat itself, and we have learned from our past mistakes. Don't let it keep you from being happy. It's all about improving character, but it has a cost (time).
In Han Ye, I don't need a kissing or nudity scene to prove that you like someone; love is different from lust. Lust can't wait to satisfy its selfish desires. Love is an unconditional commitment to loving someone; it's not what you have, but I like the whole of you, even your flaws and scars, thinking what's best for you, even if it costs me much. Promised is a promise. This is the whole motto of Han Ye to Di Ziyuan.
The whole scenario of this drama will help us realize what is more important.
Everyone has a role to play; it helps to shine who is the main character of this story.
I don't like that most viewers jump to conclusions without knowing the ending or understanding the main character's point of view.
How did the drama receive such negative reviews?
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