A Beautiful Drama to Imprison the Heart
I've been on a Liu Nu Ying binge the past couple of weeks and this drama has been one of the highlights. I may also start to binge Song Zu Er now as well, haha!This drama had some of the healthiest communication I've seen between two leading characters. As someone else said, any misunderstandings or roadblocks placed in their way only brought them closer. UGH! AMAZING. Granted, all of this done while preserving what generally draws me, and others, to dramas like this which is a ruthless male lead. As he grows closer to Qiao Man, that edge is not softened but honed by her own gentleness and cunning.
The real star of the show, I will say, has to be Song Zu Er as Qiao Man. I'm someone that struggles with female leads because their actions are easy to judge (being a woman myself). I feel a lot of dramas reduce women down to their stereotypes (vapid, jealous, flighty, etc) or completely erase their femininity (overly masculine, aggressive, abrasive, etc). Qiao Man is written to be like water, soft, unassuming, but capable of carving through mountains. Her tenacity, intelligence, and wisdom are something I've truly never seen in a drama before (or at least I haven't found a drama like it yet). Actually, all the female roles in this drama are excellently written and portrayed. Even the more villainous women.
The main focus of this drama is the relationship between to the two leads. However, the world building, OST and music score, and cast are fantastic. The villains are also good, though I found them less villains and more victims to the circumstances pushed on them.
All in all, this drama was excellently written, performed, and filmed by all involved. Also, one of the sweetest 'first night' scenes I've ever watched.
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