Such a shame that they rushed it. More romantic scenes could have been added in towards the end and the villain was such a charming enigma, until the final episode when they ruined his backstory with a 1-dimensional narative. Also the epic dual between leads and antagonist fell short. Not to mention their promised dual with the other side character that never happened. But compared to other wuxia fantasy c-dramas, this one is the best imo.
Dropping it at episode 27, as I heard it does not get any better.-Too many 1-dimensional, idiotic characters.…
LMAO XDDD your comment is hilarious :v. You made the right decision dropping it, because Xuan Ji becomes more pathetic and useless as the show progresses.
At first ChuChu was my favorite character, but later on she spiraled into something really unconvincing and out of character. The way her sense of morality flips is unjustified. Her backstory is someone ambitious who wished to do good for the people but was always singled out by her mother. That's not a good enough justification for her becoming such a despicable villainess who would stop at nothing to accomplish her goal, even at the expense of people's life. She lost her original purpose, her vision. Her despising her foster mother is understandable, but her turning her back on herself, or her purpose, is not.
Also, the actress who played ChuChu did a bad job in embodying her. She displayed no depth, just a wrathful of unjustified rage, as if she's trying hard to ellicit hatred from the audience in her role as a baddie, which backfired, big time.
I thought this drama started off very powerfully, great chemistry, good acting, rich scenery and costumes, promising…
i did get tired of watching them halfway through too. I actually rooted for ChuChu to win (but then she abandoned morality and became so despicable, which is so out of character, so i stopped rooting for her). And FL character writing is just so annoying. I watched this because of Zhao Lusi's really convincing role in Who Rules the World. Turns out not every drama she plays is good.
I don't agree with the way ML attempted to force himself onto ML though. To me the utmost important thing in a relationship is consent, and i would react that way too if i were FL.
"i feel this was a longer drama, but they cut the begining, the middle and the end" - user BeautyLight below ---So true. The pace felt super rushed. The show could easily extend to 50 eps but they didn't. I laughed so hard on the final ep, when FL woke after and ML had already won the battle between him and the other king, and spent 5 seconds to narate that to FL (as if the writer expected us to digest that info in 5s). And here i am waiting for the epic final dual between them :|. What a shame. Also the entire backstory of the antagonist was explained in less than 30s in the final episode. They did him really dirty. Lol ML was the king of intel and yet, both ML and FL couldn't realize their true foe until the final moment, when everything has already transpired.
Other than that everything else was good. From visual effects to acting to chemistry between leads to plot to dialogue to character development to production, they executed all of them really well. Top respect to the writer, director, actors/actresses, special effect team, and producer of this series. This is totally worth a re-watch.
maybe bcz it's the whole point of the drama I think u missed the point and just went to rage in there U litteraly…
Uhmm, why do you have to drag other cdrama FLs in here? They aren't even related. I'm not pitting them against one another so i hope you can leave Deok Im, Yingluo, or whoever else out of this and talk about LAR alone instead.
As for Red Sleeve's FL, I defended her because you dragged her in and i happen to watch and like that series. You consider her “weak” because she chose friends over lover? I call that courage and resilience considering the social/historical setting and hierarchy she was placed in, in which she wasn't given much choice as a woman and didn't have any power. Her most important asset is her ability to decide for herself, and she would never allow herself to fall into a situation where she would be forced to do others’ biddings, as opposed to XuanJi, as I explained in my previous comment. She would shoulder the hardships of her own, and for another too, never allowing others suffer in her stead, never allowing herself to be a helpless victim, or yield her freedom and agency over to another and become powerless.
She chose liberty and agency over the restraint of being a consort, which would render her a pawn in a political war, strip her off of the freedom to choose her fate and whose only choice was to helplessly wait and pine and vie for her husband all day, everyday, without being able to do pretty much everything else. Who would want to be controlled and forced to do others’ biddings all the time? Who would want their fate to be at the mercy of others all their lives? Who would want to be restricted and monitored in everything they do or say, and to fear for their lives? Sadly that was the fate of concubines at the time, and would have been her "real life" too had she not fought it. Hence, she defied social expectations, refused to conform and be shackled for life. Because "real life" to her would mean the ability to do whatever the hell she wanted, to be the owner of her own fate. This drive clashed with her romance with ML, hence her friends always took precedence over ML. Doesn't mean she denied "real life".
Regarding LAR’s FL, I’m specifically talking about her last life, the 10th life, not talking about her previous ones. Clearly she had superior power compared to all of her peers, seniors, and enemies (and Red Sleeve's FL), but she always ended up being the victim who needed saving all the times because of her poor choice and indecisiveness. The point that i could no longer put up with her is the scene where Sifeng got stabbed because of her (ep 4x), and what did she do? She whined his name. The end. I had to grit and cringe and use all of my willpower to watch that scene because of how pathetic and useless she looked. I got secondhand embarassment thanks to her.
I didn’t count how many times SiFeng had coughed blood and sustained severe injuries for her, but i’m sure it’s over 10 times more than what she did for him. She’s written as a burden, someone who had all the power but could do nothing, someone who allowed herself to be manipulated and let others bear the consequences of her actions. At some scenes she could totally avoid the manipulation with her decision (i.e. the oath she made with her dad to become an enemy against SiFeng), but she allowed herself to be told to do others’ biddings. That’s where i have problem with. And i know SiFeng is the ML, but she is the main character because the story revolves around her. And SiFeng went through all the hardships, not her, as if she were a side character. That’s why i said the story should be about him instead.
FL had all the power but still was a pushover who let herself get dragged into doing other people's biddings over and over again while she could totally decide otherwise. On top of that, she never considered the consequences before taking action, letting other people suffer; and still couldn't learn her lesson and made the same mistake again, jeopardizing people again. She swore an oath to her master to protect the sacred ground and pledged to prioritize her mission before all else, but when the situation called for just that, she never upheld her promise and always put her personal relationships (aka her friends, her boyfriend, and herself) first. She took her oath with a grain of salt, which means her words had no weight. She couldn't make up her mind and could only whine and stare helplessly at ML when he was suffering :/ , and he kept suffering for her over and over again while she helplessly did nothing about it.
Also the problem i have with the plot is that SiFeng always took a knife for her, and the writer never let her take a knife on her own, as if she must always be the victim, the needy, the powerless while she was at the position of power. And more frustratingly, she didn't suffer nearly as much as SiFeng, who was coughing blood and withstanding immense physical pain for her 99% of the time without complaint, which ticks me off to no end because it's so unfair and it renders her in the position of the weak who always needed saving, not to mention the one to blame all the time. The writer always robbed her of the chances to save herself, to prove that she, who is among the most almighty gods, is the master of her own fate and needs not depending on others to survive. This makes me think the main character/ protagonist should be SiFeng instead.
maybe bcz it's the whole point of the drama I think u missed the point and just went to rage in there U litteraly…
well bcz Red Sleeve was based on actual event. Real people. And btw what does that have to do with LAR?
Regarding FLs, Red Sleeve's FL was a smart, strong, resillient, loyal, unflinching, steadfast woman who would never let anyone take her freedom of choice away if she could help it. When she set her mind into doing something, no one could sway her otherwise. She always rose to the occasion, didn't hesitate to protect who she loved and what she believed in. She would think carefully before she acted, taking into consideration how her action would affect others or whether any harm could result from her action/words, because she would never let anyone suffer in her stead. She spoke and did everything with conviction. She fought cleverly, fiercely, and relentlessly to protect her freedom and agency and to remain true to herself until the very end, despite having no power.
On the other hand, LAR's FL had all the power but still was a pushover who let herself get dragged into doing other people's biddings over and over again when she could totally decide otherwise. On top of that, she never considered the consequences before taking action, letting other people suffer; and still couldn't learn her lesson and made the same mistake again, jeopardizing people again. She swore an oath to her master to protect the sacred ground and pledged to prioritize her mission before all else, but when the situation called for just that, she never upheld her promise and always put her personal relationships (aka her friends, her boyfriend, and herself) first. She took her oath with a grain of salt, which means her words had no weight. She couldn't make up her mind and could only whine and stare helplessly at ML when he was suffering :/ , and he kept suffering for her over and over again while she helplessly did nothing about it.
Also the problem i have with the plot is that SiFeng always took a knife for her, and the writer never let her take a knife on her own, as if she must always be the victim, the needy, the powerless while she was at the position of power. And more frustratingly, she didn't suffer nearly as much as SiFeng, who was coughing blood and withstanding immense physical pain for her 99% of the time without complaint, which ticks me off to no end because it's so unfair and it renders her in the position of the weak who always needed saving, not to mention the one to blame all the time. The writer always robbed her of the chances to save herself, to prove that she, who is among the most almighty gods, is the master of her own fate and needs not depending on others to survive. This makes me think the main character/ protagonist should be SiFeng instead.
lmao the gist of the drama is constituted of 50% FL needing saving; 50% ML spitting blood, keeping everything to himself, and suffering while trying to save her, until the very end. I thought FL would turn around and save ML instead for a change. But Nope. Despite having all that power, she still powerlessly needs saving, time and time again, until the very final episode.
lame plot. Especially hate FL. She's such a brazen and self-entitled thief full of lies with no remorse beyond my tolerance. Couldn't stand her. Dropped.
Starting off a really promising romance, the story gradually got bogged down in misunderstandings and thereby sacrificing the characters in it. The way the characters are written is the worst. Them disregarding the consequences when making decisions despite knowing they could possibly involve or harm other innocent people (FL), them making morally stupid decisions without a blink or repentance (MinYan), them sacrificing themselves despite all the risks and bodily harms inflicted (SiFeng), them imposing what they want on others (stupid dad), ... All of them are pushovers, especially FL when she took an oath to appease her dad (ep41).
My overwhelming feeling while watching is frustration, which outweighs the heart-fluttering, roller-coaster moments i had for the romance initially.
Edit: on ep42 now and i'm enraged as to why the fuck SiFeng had to take a knife for ML ev.ry fking single time :| while helpless ML did nothing and only knew how to whine his name. Why tf do they have to write FL as someone helpless who always needs saving in all the historical CDramas? Why do MLs always have to sacrifice? This is so sickening.
Also, the actress who played ChuChu did a bad job in embodying her. She displayed no depth, just a wrathful of unjustified rage, as if she's trying hard to ellicit hatred from the audience in her role as a baddie, which backfired, big time.
I don't agree with the way ML attempted to force himself onto ML though. To me the utmost important thing in a relationship is consent, and i would react that way too if i were FL.
---So true. The pace felt super rushed. The show could easily extend to 50 eps but they didn't.
I laughed so hard on the final ep, when FL woke after and ML had already won the battle between him and the other king, and spent 5 seconds to narate that to FL (as if the writer expected us to digest that info in 5s). And here i am waiting for the epic final dual between them :|. What a shame.
Also the entire backstory of the antagonist was explained in less than 30s in the final episode. They did him really dirty. Lol ML was the king of intel and yet, both ML and FL couldn't realize their true foe until the final moment, when everything has already transpired.
Other than that everything else was good. From visual effects to acting to chemistry between leads to plot to dialogue to character development to production, they executed all of them really well. Top respect to the writer, director, actors/actresses, special effect team, and producer of this series. This is totally worth a re-watch.
As for Red Sleeve's FL, I defended her because you dragged her in and i happen to watch and like that series. You consider her “weak” because she chose friends over lover? I call that courage and resilience considering the social/historical setting and hierarchy she was placed in, in which she wasn't given much choice as a woman and didn't have any power. Her most important asset is her ability to decide for herself, and she would never allow herself to fall into a situation where she would be forced to do others’ biddings, as opposed to XuanJi, as I explained in my previous comment. She would shoulder the hardships of her own, and for another too, never allowing others suffer in her stead, never allowing herself to be a helpless victim, or yield her freedom and agency over to another and become powerless.
She chose liberty and agency over the restraint of being a consort, which would render her a pawn in a political war, strip her off of the freedom to choose her fate and whose only choice was to helplessly wait and pine and vie for her husband all day, everyday, without being able to do pretty much everything else. Who would want to be controlled and forced to do others’ biddings all the time? Who would want their fate to be at the mercy of others all their lives? Who would want to be restricted and monitored in everything they do or say, and to fear for their lives? Sadly that was the fate of concubines at the time, and would have been her "real life" too had she not fought it. Hence, she defied social expectations, refused to conform and be shackled for life. Because "real life" to her would mean the ability to do whatever the hell she wanted, to be the owner of her own fate. This drive clashed with her romance with ML, hence her friends always took precedence over ML. Doesn't mean she denied "real life".
Regarding LAR’s FL, I’m specifically talking about her last life, the 10th life, not talking about her previous ones. Clearly she had superior power compared to all of her peers, seniors, and enemies (and Red Sleeve's FL), but she always ended up being the victim who needed saving all the times because of her poor choice and indecisiveness. The point that i could no longer put up with her is the scene where Sifeng got stabbed because of her (ep 4x), and what did she do? She whined his name. The end. I had to grit and cringe and use all of my willpower to watch that scene because of how pathetic and useless she looked. I got secondhand embarassment thanks to her.
I didn’t count how many times SiFeng had coughed blood and sustained severe injuries for her, but i’m sure it’s over 10 times more than what she did for him. She’s written as a burden, someone who had all the power but could do nothing, someone who allowed herself to be manipulated and let others bear the consequences of her actions. At some scenes she could totally avoid the manipulation with her decision (i.e. the oath she made with her dad to become an enemy against SiFeng), but she allowed herself to be told to do others’ biddings. That’s where i have problem with. And i know SiFeng is the ML, but she is the main character because the story revolves around her. And SiFeng went through all the hardships, not her, as if she were a side character. That’s why i said the story should be about him instead.
Also the problem i have with the plot is that SiFeng always took a knife for her, and the writer never let her take a knife on her own, as if she must always be the victim, the needy, the powerless while she was at the position of power. And more frustratingly, she didn't suffer nearly as much as SiFeng, who was coughing blood and withstanding immense physical pain for her 99% of the time without complaint, which ticks me off to no end because it's so unfair and it renders her in the position of the weak who always needed saving, not to mention the one to blame all the time. The writer always robbed her of the chances to save herself, to prove that she, who is among the most almighty gods, is the master of her own fate and needs not depending on others to survive. This makes me think the main character/ protagonist should be SiFeng instead.
Regarding FLs, Red Sleeve's FL was a smart, strong, resillient, loyal, unflinching, steadfast woman who would never let anyone take her freedom of choice away if she could help it. When she set her mind into doing something, no one could sway her otherwise. She always rose to the occasion, didn't hesitate to protect who she loved and what she believed in. She would think carefully before she acted, taking into consideration how her action would affect others or whether any harm could result from her action/words, because she would never let anyone suffer in her stead. She spoke and did everything with conviction. She fought cleverly, fiercely, and relentlessly to protect her freedom and agency and to remain true to herself until the very end, despite having no power.
On the other hand, LAR's FL had all the power but still was a pushover who let herself get dragged into doing other people's biddings over and over again when she could totally decide otherwise. On top of that, she never considered the consequences before taking action, letting other people suffer; and still couldn't learn her lesson and made the same mistake again, jeopardizing people again. She swore an oath to her master to protect the sacred ground and pledged to prioritize her mission before all else, but when the situation called for just that, she never upheld her promise and always put her personal relationships (aka her friends, her boyfriend, and herself) first. She took her oath with a grain of salt, which means her words had no weight. She couldn't make up her mind and could only whine and stare helplessly at ML when he was suffering :/ , and he kept suffering for her over and over again while she helplessly did nothing about it.
Also the problem i have with the plot is that SiFeng always took a knife for her, and the writer never let her take a knife on her own, as if she must always be the victim, the needy, the powerless while she was at the position of power. And more frustratingly, she didn't suffer nearly as much as SiFeng, who was coughing blood and withstanding immense physical pain for her 99% of the time without complaint, which ticks me off to no end because it's so unfair and it renders her in the position of the weak who always needed saving, not to mention the one to blame all the time. The writer always robbed her of the chances to save herself, to prove that she, who is among the most almighty gods, is the master of her own fate and needs not depending on others to survive. This makes me think the main character/ protagonist should be SiFeng instead.
My overwhelming feeling while watching is frustration, which outweighs the heart-fluttering, roller-coaster moments i had for the romance initially.
Edit: on ep42 now and i'm enraged as to why the fuck SiFeng had to take a knife for ML ev.ry fking single time :| while helpless ML did nothing and only knew how to whine his name. Why tf do they have to write FL as someone helpless who always needs saving in all the historical CDramas? Why do MLs always have to sacrifice? This is so sickening.