AboutTheMessaging

ADWAD stands out from the crowd.

It is a remarkable, creative brilliance, albeit with a few rough edges.

I finished watching this drama not long after it ended, and my conclusion was that it was just about average. Not bad, but okay. And, for me, my initial conclusion was because it started well and later seemed convoluted along the way. Also, I initially found the Female Lead (Song Xiao Yu/Song Yi Meng) to be annoying and frustrating midway through the drama. But somehow, this first impression I had did not sit well with me. It felt like something was off with my impression of the drama, and particularly the FL.

I had initially written an incomplete review. Then I discovered that the drama polarized viewers, although it looked like those who liked it were the majority. So, I decided to rewatch the drama to understand what really went wrong with it. I wanted to figure out what I may have missed that also made me unimpressed, and if it really was as bad as some have said.

Well, here is my final review of the drama. I'll break the ice by saying I went from being unimpressed with ADWAD to LOVING it. I am glad I rewatched it. From the experience I had watching the drama again, I can confidently say that it has a solid rewatch value as the story grows on you and the narrative gets clearer. Many cdramas I have watched have been interesting, but most of them have the problem of plot fillers and holes in their mid-episodes, repetitive subplots, and sad endings, except for a few. For some, their endings, usually from about 5 episodes out, are simply bad because they were unnecessary and poorly written. So, while I liked the dramas, I do not look forward to rewatching them because I know I would have to skip the middle or the end.

But with ADWAD, I know whenever I rewatch the drama in the future, I will never have to worry about skipping any part of it because there are neither any weak links in the 40-episode plotline nor are there plot fillers, holes, or ridiculous repetitive subplots. Every episode made sense, was necessary, and all the episodes were all neatly tied together in a seamless flow with smooth continuity from one to another to make up a FULL story. The final arc of the story, the ending, was the best treat for me. The “enigma wrapped up in the riddle”. And thanks to the SATIRE, there are no dull moments and no slow pacing at any point that require you to tune out. With these, and particularly the substance of the drama, every time you rewatch ADWAD means you get to relive not only a fun but also a meaningful experience. Now, that is something to look forward to!

I’ll move on to details of the review. If you are going to read further, please bear in mind that this is my personal, unbiased opinion. So, do try to respect it.

To start off, this is how I think of ADWAD. It is a masterpiece with some chips around the edges of the frame. But when you see a masterpiece, do you focus on the painting or the tiny chips on the frame? I'd rather focus on the painting and ignore the chips.

ADWAD does have a few downsides, but many, many upsides. The drama is a classic lesson in having a great story and ensuring you tell it well. It is not a bad or good story, but a GREAT one. However, the narrative, that is how it was told, fell short a little, and this occurred only in a few scenes in some episodes. I believe this was what caused the confusion and mixed reactions from viewers. Then there was the gutsy subliminal messaging that probably put some others off.

Nevertheless, like the two perspectives of seeing a cup as either half full or half empty. This story/drama is beyond half full. It is like above three-quarters, with the missing bit being the few issues with the narrative. But, I would rather have ONE drama that has a purposeful and engaging story, a compelling plot, and a lot of positive and meaningful messaging, albeit with a few slips in the narrative. Than SEVERAL dramas that have fantastic narratives, but the story is lacklustre, the plot is weak and ridiculous at best, and the messaging lacks substance, meaning, or is downright negative.

So, what is ADWAD?
It is a mix of genres and tropes. It is mainly a SATIRE and METAFICTION. It has some major elements of romance and politics, a lot of parody of other cdramas (for good reason), and a bit of transmigration and fantasy, all in this order of importance, I believe.

Put simply, ADWAD is a brilliant, eclectic piece of work. Not entirely new, but unconventional and inventive, particularly in its take on a period piece and the transmigration element. However, what I love most about the drama is that it is intentionally purposeful. It has a lot of meaningful and bold messaging that comprise its thematic depth and complexity. The messaging also serves as the essence of the satire and metafiction. But, it seems many viewers missed this as a lot of focus has been on the romance of the Male and Female Leads and how it progressed, the wrongs the Male Lead suffered, as well as the few flaws in the narrative.

ADWAD addresses the subject matter of fate versus faith, mirroring the poem “Invictus” or the Chinese version, “Bùkě zhēngfú de línghún” or “Bùqū de”, in a bid to positively challenge a subtle, prevalent negative in the fictional works of many storytellers. It explores themes of free will, faith, trust, forgiveness, blind-to-dark revenge, thirst for power, the significance of people, and a few others. The idea of free will and the dangers it carries when it is all about self, and devoid of selflessness and a just purpose or cause, is also highlighted.

I say, bravo to the writers of ADWAD! Regardless of its few narrative flaws, I believe ADWAD IS a story, better yet, an allegory, that is needed in this present age of storytelling. Why? Because it holds a big-picture perspective by targeting a major problem in many fictional stories, especially in the cdrama industry. And particularly those about ancient times. There is too much focus on ill fates and tragic endings, not enough on hope and faith, and redemption is selective. Storytellers or writers play demigods over their characters and give them whatever fate they please, no matter how ridiculous or incredible it may be.

Some characters (often the leads) are just fated to succeed, while others are fated to fail. Nothing they can do about it. Some are fated to be good, and others are fated to be evil. Nothing they can do about it. Protagonists are fated to live, and villains are fated to die or vice versa. Or both protagonists and villains are fated to die along with beloved supporting characters. Or the protagonists and villains live, and only beloved supporting characters die, and so on. Nothing all can do about it. The indulgence in varied ways to give characters tragic ends is unimaginable.
And then, some characters are fated to be important, and others are fated to be insignificant nobodies. And still, again, nothing they can do about it; ehm...Passerby A and B, and maids of main characters. No matter what, you cannot escape the fate you are given. Hope, faith, and free will, albeit with a just purpose, are not open to EVERYONE. And redemption? It is also often not for all but a few lucky folks.

Now, what did ADWAD do?
This drama began with the critique of a fictional script and the roasting of the screenwriter. It continues with a constant reference to the absurdity of the script and the callous and merciless attitude of the almighty writer towards the characters. It climaxes with the writer going into the world of his ridiculous script, and we see how far he makes it to survive. It ends with even the almighty writer, too, needing mercy and redemption after all. Ultimately, he is no better or superior to the characters he created. All the characters, except one, end up with owning their free will, changing their ill fates, deciding their own path in life, and having faith for a bright future filled with love. Ehm, the love part was questionable, though, because some characters become nightmares for others!

However, ADWAD, unfortunately, also fell victim to a negative that it seemed to aim to address in its messaging, and this negative is “selective redemption”. (Chu Guihong should have been spared, and I explained this further on.). Still, the drama sends a strong satirical message, which I believe is to implore storytellers/writers to have more heart and be humane in their artistry, particularly in their desire to create dramatic effects to make their stories more engaging, compelling, and memorable. Also, to be more respectful of the characters they design and their lives, and hopefully rethink how they give these characters ill-fates and tragic ends. Otherwise, someday the unexpected may happen as one of their scripts may just develop a life of its own due to a higher power. And then they may find themselves in their own script world and end up not lasting very long in it. A fundamental problem, brilliantly satirized!

While ADWAD parodied other cdramas, The Prisoner of Beauty (TPOB) was undoubtedly at the centre of the parodies. I must say that I liked TPOB and most of its characters, particularly the complicated and principled Wei Shao. The drama was an enjoyable watch, and it has its own merits. But the writing was good until the last four episodes, which, to me, were totally nonsensical and unnecessary, especially with all the deaths that occurred. Also, I don’t know how it could make any sense for a story to ignore the main cause of a problem (Bianzhou), that is, the powers or family that instigated the problem. But it makes another family the primary target of the revenge, yet they had NOTHING to do with the original cause of the problem and were also at the receiving end of its effect. Then there were the plot holes and many repetitive subplots. (Please see the end of my review of TPOB). Nevertheless, at least in the end, TPOB spared its main protagonists, thank goodness. But it still killed some supporting characters, which was really annoying, as one of the deaths heavily projected the selective redemption problem.

As I stated in my review of another period cdrama, I can understand that some writers want their stories to reflect the realities of ancient times portrayed to convey the sincerity in keeping with the facts of those times. But it is imperative that this desire is balanced with positive messaging for the present time and generation, as well as those of the future. Especially in terms of the outcome of the main protagonists’ lives in the stories. Unless period dramas are meant to be nothing but lessons about history, filled with hopelessness and defeat for anyone who champions good causes. Because none of the main protagonists in the dramas live to see the results of their good works, as they always end up tragically or horribly killed in their time. About this subject, some other cdramas parodied in ADWAD come to mind, but I won’t mention them.

If all heroes and protagonists in ancient times had been killed, and horribly so, the world would have been an unlivable dystopia today. A lot of the successful and enduring systems we have today that continue to function to save and benefit many lives across the world were created by protagonists and their supporters who lived in their time and worked purposefully and determinedly to build these systems and protect them. More light should be shone on this truth. It should be promoted much more than clichéd stories about how the lead protagonists and their supporters in ancient times were horribly killed, written for the sake of dramatic effects and artistry. It is because hope, faith, and even love succeeded in the past that the present and future generations can and will hold on to the same principles and continue to strive to live together in peace. Regardless of how much these principles and our peaceful coexistence are challenged every day.

Next, I’ll address the intro of ADWAD.
At this point, let me apologize for spoiling the drama going forward. But, I believe the facts had to be stated IN DETAIL for the drama to receive an unbiased, POSITIVE review as well as rating it deserves, like the many others it already has.

Sincerely, while many viewers were hooked right from the start, or found the beginning episodes captivating, I didn't like the beginning. In fact, I wanted to walk away in episode 4 because I found the melodrama to be excessive even for a satire, and it just didn't quite nail it for me. Especially how the Female Lead (FL) kept snapping her head, dying, and coming back. It was just not believable and almost became annoying. However, the messaging in the drama immediately got my attention right from episode 1 when the FL made some references to the cdrama industry and its entertainment machinery. I knew more of this would come up later, so I kept watching and got past episode 4. But then, bam, midway into the episode, the humour took a turn for the best that I couldn’t stop laughing so hard and loud, and that was it. After rewatching ADWAD, everything (the satire, metafiction, transmigration, and all the thematic elements) now makes sense from episode 1, in terms of the WHY of the drama.

By the way, if you do not enjoy SATIRE and ALLEGORIES, or you do not understand what these mean, THEIR PURPOSE, then you will not understand this drama and will definitely not like it. But if satire and allegories are okay for you, then you will get this drama.

About the cast.
They were all a well-blended ensemble for satire. I have only seen two other works of Liu Yu Ning. His acting skills continue to improve as his emotional expressions have developed into becoming compelling. It is my first time seeing Li Yi Tong in a drama, and I think she did a wonderful job to pull off a convincing satirical act. She is a talented, bona fide actress, and not just some pretty face. No doubt, LYT and LYN have great chemistry for comedy and romance.
All the supporting actors gave a superb performance, and the screen time for everyone was balanced. As for the characters, the Female and Male Leads were well fleshed out, and so were many of the supporting characters, all brilliantly portrayed by their actors. Song Yude and the Emperor were interesting, complex supporting characters to watch, as well as Yao Qian, “the poet” and Chancellor Gao’s political pawn that backfired on him. As for the comedy, the prize for outstanding hilarious performance should be split between Fugui and the 18th Prince, Nan Rui.
The entire cast was so good together that I would love, love to see them again, perhaps in a modern-day romcom.

Production?
One of the best I’ve seen for a cdrama. The directing was remarkable, and the cinematography kept in step with it. The choreography for the fight scenes was very impressive. Especially the fights between the Male Lead (Nan Heng) and the Second Male Lead (Chu Guihong), which were displayed confidently without any cheating camera angles to hide or cut out some parts because the fights were a dodgy job. Per the background music and sounds, they were exact for a satire, incredibly hilarious, and perfectly suited for the multitude of contexts in which they were used in the drama. The top spot goes to the costumes and OSTs, though. The costumes were amazing and, so far, the best in the cdrama industry for me. I loved those of the ML and FL, which were absolutely exquisite. Then the OSTs? They were first-rate. All the artists did a brilliant job, but Hu Yanbin’s song, as well as Liu Yu Ning’s song for the opening montage, were my favourites.
Kudos to the entire production team of ADWAD for a fantastic job well done, and money well spent!

I further explored the main characters due to the negative comments about this drama and the FL. Check the discussion section.

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The Prisoner of 'Inner' Beauty.

The name of the drama should have been "The Prisoner of Inner Beauty.". The leading couple were both good looking and physically attracted to each other. But it was their inner beauty, that is, their love for their people and their selflessness that won them over and endeared them to each other. This was what enabled their eventual love for and complete trust in one another.

The story is compelling. It started off very strong, lost steam a little in the middle and looked like it was going to regain momentum towards ep 30 but plummeted from ep 33. It was interesting up to ep 32 and then poor and rushed to the end. The problem was not about the ending being happy or sad but about it being bad. It would have been better if the last 4 episodes were not included. They were unecessary, poorly written, and executed. The plots in those 4 episodes made no sense and made the main themes of the story pointless. Like doing 180 degrees on the themes. If you must include more episodes, then make sure they are good and they deliver a befitting climax.

I started to watch cdramas beginning of 2024 and have seen several, even some released as far back as 2019. In all the different genres, and including popular ones, only about two had really good and well executed endings. So, I have to agree with those who have said that cdrama writers, and content producers, do not know how to write good endings, especially for their period/historical dramas.

However, for this drama, the work done to create some complex characters and fully develop their arc, especially those of the leading couple and Wei Yan, was brilliant. The characters of the two main antagonists were weak, though. As if they were intentionally made to be dumb. In all, the actors and two directors did a fantastic job. They saved the day for the story! I enjoyed the comedy, too, with the bantering of the four generals of Wei Shao and his adviser. As well as the silly comedic exchanges between the leading couple. I don't think I can get past those hilarious statements like: "Shame on Wei Shao!"; "...Wei Shao, get up!, get up!! get up!!!"; and of course, "...my lord...why can't you say something nice...is your mouth on FIRE.".

As to the romance of the leading couple, it was engaging, and the chemistry between them was undeniably strong. If only they stayed true to it and didn't have to over milk it in ep32 to the point of it becoming too much acting. The way they portrayed the love they shared the first time they wanted to cunsummate their marriage was very real and believable as it revealed their vulnerability and sincerity. It was all about the two of them. But the second time, which was the actual consummation, fell short of these beautiful elements. Are they deeply in love with each other and want to express this for the first time just for the sake of having a child or children? So, will he stop loving her if she is unable to give him a child? The message here is flawed. Then added to this was the over acting, which almost started to feel like a perfume commercial. And oh, those statements just give the cringe, "...how about giving me a child...and I want it now..." He is being intimate with his beloved wife for the first time and what is on his mind is a child and not to simply please her, still?

Though Wei Shao later told his mother that children come by fate. But this only contradicts what he was asking for, as an expression of love, the first time he was going to be physically intimate with his wife whom he loves so much. This contradiction which occured in the next episode is just another one of the reasons why the last 4 episodes were unnecessary. What would have been more realistic was for the consummation of their marriage to happen at the inn. When Wei Shao finally genuinely opened up about his deep hatred for the Qiao clan, which he admitted was still lingering, but then stated his willingness to completely let go of it.

Please do not read further if you don't want major spoilers.

About the plots. There were many repetitive sub-plots, several plot holes, and some plots were inconclusive. Here are some of the repetition:
1. One clan betrayed the same other clan - 2 times.
2. Sabotage in the granary - 2 times.
3. Sick leader dying in one state - 2 times
4. River as trap for military troops - 2 times
5. Take over of one city - 3 times!
6. Woman seeking to be empress and marrying leaders who truly loved her - 3 times! Well, the first one was a betrothal.

Overall, regardless of the minor downsides, this drama deserved an all round 10 only if it had ended in ep 32, or had a few more episodes that were more realistic, convincing, and properly executed.

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Glorifying wrong and polygamy in the 21st Century

The first episode of this drama immediately took my mind to The Prisoner of Beauty. Jiang Tao Hua, the Female Lead of the story, who is a princess/daughter in one country, is being married off to the prince of a neighbouring country. The purpose is for the two countries to make peace and possibly form an alliance. Upon arrival, she is kept outside the city gate and then attacked. Because of how the attack turned out, she could no longer marry the prince and ended up marrying someone else in the city, Chancellor Shen Zai Ye, the Male Lead and protagonist of the story. Shen Zai Ye hates her guts, does not trust her, and wants to kill her, right from their first meeting. Kinda like drawing from the first few episodes of TPOB, so I couldn’t help but compare a bit.

Jiang Tao Hua is smart, quick-witted, manipulative, and adept at lying with ease. Sounds familiar? Her new husband, Shen Zai Ye, is not that different from her either. But regarding good character traits, he did not have the same values, which Wei Shao, the ML character in the TPOB, embodied impeccably. In any case, the story in this drama takes its own course when Jiang Tao Hua arrives at her husband’s harem.

Although the beginning of this drama is somewhat similar to that of TPOB, its main plot and overarching themes are the flip side of those of TPOB. Having the ML in a story seek revenge after growing up and harbouring hatred for 16 years because of a very painful betrayal by a family that was once an ally. And this betrayal costing the lives of three generations of the ML’s elders. This situation is understandable and relatable. But to make the ML of a story repeatedly hurt and plot to kill a helpless woman whose family did him no personal wrong is totally unacceptable. Even if the woman schemes and is not straightforward, which is forgivable given the deathly situation she is in. To have the ML of a story do such is appalling. This latter story is what happened in this drama.

And with TPOB, the ML was always quick to realize his wrong and to make amends. He was principled, had a conscience, and cared about the people. He actually had a soft heart and only needed time and love to get over his hatred. Something his wife initially failed to understand and give him. The times he was vicious were towards those he knew had done wrong.

This is so not the case with the ML character in this drama. The guy, Shen Zai Ye, has no scruples and is ruthless. He is not principled in any way. The essence of being principled is that those principles and values check you when you want to cross the line from good to evil. You cannot have a character who has no scruples and is ruthless (merciless, pitiless), and yet say he is principled at the same time. Those traits just don't go together. And to make things worse, the character with these qualities is the protagonist, who is meant to be the “good guy” in the story. No way I’m buying this.

When supposedly good characters or protagonists in a story lie, are deceptive and manipulative, and even attempt to murder, without the scriptwriters giving any good or sensible reason. Not for the characters’ actions in themselves, or the situations in which they carry out their actions. But for their current lapse in judgment and negative approach to dealing with their problems. And then the scriptwriters make the characters do all these evil deeds to achieve a “good end or cause”. It is just terrible messaging. Do you have to do evil to achieve good? Or better yet, do you have to fight evil with evil? I believe the best way, with wisdom, is to fight evil with good; to overcome evil with good. And this latter way is ALWAYS available.

In my opinion, Shen Zai Ye, the crown prince, and the other prince who was involved with the evil queen in this drama are all the same. But, going back to what Shen Zai Ye and the crown prince did to Jiang Tao Hua at the beginning of the drama, one can say that Shen Zai Ye was worse than the crown prince in terms of how he treated her. When Jiang Tao Hua arrived in their city, the crown prince didn't want to kill her but threw her in the brothel to set her up with Shen Zai Ye. However, Shen Zai Ye went to the brothel of his own free will, although he was later set up as well. When he saw her, she revealed her identity as the princess of Beiyuan and said she had been set up. Rather than help her, knowing she was a victim, he chose to kill her right away instead. His action was illogical and could only be deemed sheer wickedness.

Then, as if that was not bad enough, Shen Zai Ye did not think to use his so-called intelligence to thoroughly investigate Jiang Tao Hua at the beginning to find out what she was bottling up inside and why. But he decides to use his people to kill her, a second time. If not for her wits, he could easily have killed her before knowing the truth about her. So, imagine if she was not quick-witted. That is not a good guy but a cold-hearted killer without a conscience!

It does not matter whether Shen Zai Ye became a better person or not in later episodes. It does not matter whether he investigated Jiang Tao Hua much later. The writers had already made him go too far at the beginning, which portrayed him as a bad character. I can't buy the fact that he later started to care for her. You don’t go from being a cold-hearted killer towards someone to being passionately in love with the same person just like that, even in 10 years. The cold-heartedness of the ML was taken to the extreme, with nothing holding him back except for the wit of the FL. You have already passed judgment and executed the defendant, and then you decide to hear their case in court afterwards, only to discover they were innocent. It is a little too late to make amends with the defendant, isn’t it?

Moving on to the polygamy. I can't stand it when women are made to fight over a man. I get that the story was crafted to be more realistic by adapting the reality of the ancient period it portrayed, when noblemen had harems. However, this was a negative practice or tradition during that period that wreaked a lot of havoc in the lives of people, families, societies, and dynasties. There were always bitter and deadly battles among the wives, concubines, and their families, all vying for position, power, and dominance. The same still happens today in places where polygamy is widespread.

If it is a must to reflect this reality to convey the sincerity of the story in keeping with the facts of the ancient period it portrayed. Then, for the sake of balancing this with positive messaging, it would have been better if characters in the supporting cast, or the villain, were the ones who had harems. While the protagonist eschews such negative practice even in the time he lived. As I am certain that there were some noblemen during that period who did not conform to the tradition and had only one wife. This was an opportunity for strong positive messaging, which this drama missed out on.

Rather, our dear ML, Shen Zai Ye, was someone who not only had a harem but treated it as a status symbol. He couldn’t care less that his wife and concubines fought among themselves to the extent of possibly killing one another. He knew how they were scheming against and harming one another but couldn’t be bothered about it. In doing this, the writers of this drama did not make the story reflect the reality of ancient times but rather gave a nod to and subliminally promoted polygamy in both ancient and modern times. It did not matter if Shen Zai Ye later drove all the women away, except for one. Again, this was a little too late given all that had been allowed to play out in the early episodes of the drama.

To conclude, the messaging of this drama is deeply flawed as it is one anchored on the misconception that 'the end justifies the means'. Regarding production, most period cdramas I have watched have had brilliant production and directing. This is the first that I have found the directing and editing to be sub-par. But the biggest letdown again was the writing. I still can’t comprehend the consistent problem with the technical aspects of cdrama scripts. It looks like it is a prevalent problem in the cdrama industry as it cuts across genres. I don’t want to go into the details of the technical issues again, because viewers and pundits in the field have been providing the same feedback in their reviews about these same issues with the scripts of these dramas. Yet, nothing has changed. Save for a few that dare to break out from the pack, occasionally.

I can’t comprehend how a lot of funds as well as effort are put into the production of cdramas, but obviously not much goes into the scriptwriting, which ironically provides the framework for the whole show. I’m more interested in the subliminal messaging and overarching themes of dramas, as you can see that these have been my primary focus in my review. However, when the script is bad, everything becomes a mess that almost overshadows even the best of productions. Now, imagine when the script and directing are bad. What hope do you have left?

Nevertheless, the actors were really good, and they did their best to deliver even in this drama. The industry undoubtedly has talented actors, both male and female. It is sad that these actors often have to work with poorly written scripts and find ways to stand out despite the numerous flaws in the scripts. I guess you can call it their occupational hazard.

As to recommending this drama? I really wanted to like it, but it just didn’t work for me. And even after watching the numerous teasers of other episodes, which were provided as the first few episodes were being aired, I still ended up dropping out at episode 6. Why? There was too much negative messaging right from the beginning as I have shared above.

So, if you love cdramas generally, perhaps you can go for it. But you may just end up wasting your time.

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