nauticalsun

i think your comment brings to light a relatively "newer" concept of a romantic love that is all-consuming; and by newer i mean only a couple of centuries old. There have always been people that prioritized birth family/career/duty/whatever over romantic love for as long as there had been people on this earth. And I think it's been sold to everyone that achieving happily ever after with The One is the goal of your whole human experience, and your comment really highlights the expectation that two people should defy other desires or personal responsibilities in order to reach that happily ever after.

Just because media in the last 2 centuries have made it the common aspiration to walk down the aisle wearing white and play house with The One doesn't mean it's the best set up to ensure the health of all kinds of relationships. I mean, there are married people who live together but could not stand each other. This couple spends 300 hours together in one year, but every moment is blissful and fulfilling. In the other times of the year, she kicks ass as one of the most accomplished business moguls in a tiger economy and he gets to make his contributions to the world through his music. Their souls are fed and full. I'm glad it's getting normalized that people don't need to put romantic love at the center of their entire existence. Thanks CLOY for showing that romantic love can blossom independently of the other parts of our lives.

This is perfect as a sort of background noise situation for me. I know the producer is sort of problematic and is always beefing with someone on the internet, but damn this and Yanxi Palace are two of the best shot and best costumed palace dramas I've seen. I feel like the quality of the garments are really just so much more superior than Zhen Huan/Ruyi. The fabrics are just so silky and gauzy, and the embroidery is also done pretty well. I can't attest to historical accuracy but damn, is it lush.

However, i hate the writing. The characters are so one-dimensional, FL is a Mary Sue, secondary leads are uncompelling. The villain is written so poorly and makes such bad decisions. The schemes and the takedowns are not as clever and satisfying as other dramas.

The beautiful visuals are nice to keep on the background though, and the food is stunning

Aww thanks. My account here is new although I've been into period dramas for more than a decade; so this is my first - and so far, only - review. I do consider some bias in favor of War and Beauty because it's the first Chinese palace drama I've seen, and it honestly set the bar for all that followed. I'm watching Royal Feast currently and it's so gorgeously costumed and shot, but the FL is definitely a Mary Sue which is sort of a rehash of her character in Yanxi Palace. So far I haven't seen any palace drama that is at the level of W&B's tight storytelling. Even the villains are all cardboard cutouts in all the other ones I've watched. Yu Fei is truly the only compelling and believable villain I've seen.