This review may contain spoilers
"I hope you're hungry... For nothing"
This drama was the biggest let down of the year. From the reviews to the edits, I expected a masterpiece enemies-to-lovers. But instead, I got an arrogant, bare-minimum, (lowkey) narcissistic male lead, and a female lead who (while smart, quick witted, and brave) not only justifies every single thing he does, but accepts his bare minimum acts as if it's out-of-this-world love instead of what it is.
Quick Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! I respect everyone's opinions who liked this show! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕
I had such high hopes walking into this drama because of how many people recommended it and at first, I got the hype. When the female lead, Qiao Man, set the sulfur on fire and then ran to him with a bunch of arrows behind her, I can't tell you how many times I went back. They really set this show up during the beginning. But sadly, as the episodes went on, it quickly went down hill. Let's break this up into "Good" and "Bad" (with subtitles) to keep it organized.
The Good
Qiao Man Really Stepped Up
Qiao Man was such a queen. I love when women in historical shows break the norms and act like a boss. She was so clever and she was guiding armies and slaying the game. Despite the relationship part (that I mention below) she was such a queen.
The Side Characters' Romance Carried
The best part of the show was the side characters' relationship. Wei Liang and Xiotao, and Bi Zhi and Qiao Fan were so cute. I loved watching their scenes and watching their relationships develop. They made the main relationship bareable.
The Bad
I Couldn't Stand Wei Shao
Wei Shao was so annoying, like, 90% of the time. He had such toxic masculinity that it was so hard to like him. I get that back in the day, most men had toxic masculinity, but this is a drama and things can be altered. Plus Wei Liang and Bi Zhi didn't act the way that he did. For example, he's the type of guy who would miss his wife terribly and yet would refuse to go and see her unless she came to him or asked for him. Like just go see your wife, we're tired. He never took the time to truly understand who Qiao Man was and it showed. I get that at first it's the thought that counts, but after a while, it becomes ridiculous.
And he was also incredibly PETTY! I couldn't stand how petty this man was. He was always overly mad at her for no reason and she always either justified it, or apologised (even if it wasn't her fault). It was like he loved a reason to be mad at her. And he'd be mad for so long too-- he'd even go as far as to sleep in the freezing government office because of his pettiness. Like when he read her wish boat and hurt because he thought he loved her more. First off, why does it matter if you love your wife more? And second, why go behind her back to read her note and then randomly be mad at her without even saying anything? It was like walking on eggshells with him and it was so overdone and not even worth it. I think he apologised once the entire show (and that wasn't even when he literally choked her).
I also couldn't stand how he did nothing but the bare minimum the entire show and everyone (in the show) seemed to have eaten it up. I get that he's a war lord and had his issues, but when he fell in love, he didn't do anything that wasn't already expected of a husband. When I watch dramas, I usually like/expect the husband to go above and beyond and do things many husbands/ men wouldn't do in the real world (like Sang Yan in The First Frost). I want to kick my feet and scream in my pillow! So when they not only act like a arrogant jerk the whole time but their redemption ark is just basic level husband things, it fails to land. He didn't bring much in terms of "husband goals" to begin with and what he brought, wasn't good enough. It just wasn't.
SLOWWWW Burn
Now I love a slow burn as much as the next person, but a show still needs to flow. This was much too much of a slow burn that they didn't even kiss until episode 29 (not drunk). Out of 36. This was much too slow and what made it worse is that they gave us nothing to kick our feet at until the near end of the show. And don't get me wrong, I fully understand that love is SOOO much more than intimate moments, but they didn't even give us any cute scenes continually throughout the show. We get like two cute scenes during the whole show up until ep 29..? What even is that? Like with Hidden Love, even though they didn't get together until later in the series, we were given enough cute scenes, full of chemistry, in the episodes leading up to it. And the male lead wasn't overly rude and blind during that time. So while it was also a slow burn, it wasn't the ML fighting his feelings for 60% of the show, then bare minimum effort for the next 20% before they finally kiss (and then some...) from episode 29 and up. It's like, I get slow and steady wins the race but it also doesn't. This didn't. Everyone finished and went home.
Qiao Man Was Too Good for Him
While Qiao Man had plenty of lovely qualities, she was way too lenient and forgiving for this man. Everytime he did something to her, she either justified it or blamed herself. Even when he chocked her, she justified it. It was so annoying watching her try so hard for a man that wasn't giving anything in return. She seemed to love him WAY MORE than he loved her and the writers didn't even bother to hide it.
And on top of that, I never understood when she said "He just seems cold but he's actually super kind and warm <3" Girl What? When? He was always mad and always cold. Once again, he gave her the bare minimum and she confused it for "Warmth and Kindness". I just couldn't wrap my head around their relationship and was way more interested in Bi Zhi and Qiao Fan.
Boya and Bi Zhi
Enough of the relationship, let's get into the storyline now. Anyone else think that Bi Zhi would've become the ruler of Boya and team up with Wei Shao to take control of other states? It was a bit disappointing when Bi Zhi became the Commander and then they just left it there. Like when they put the Qiao flag down, I thought it would've been the beginning of him taking control but they kind of just left it there.
The Ending
The ending was so unfortunately rushed. The show had nothing but filler for most of the middle episodes and when it finally got good, the show was at the end. The huge war and fights were squished into the last episode and the episode wasn't even longer than the rest. Most of the villains' in this show died off... quite pathetically. There was no fight, no intense near-death experiences, nothing. Despite the fact that they made such an uproar and shook the comfort of the Wei State, they died off in the span of 20 minutes. It really looked like the Wei Clan was going to be defeated and yet they won with a couple of speeches and like five really lucky, unkillable men. I wish they had the war brewing through the whole show and didn't wait until the final episode for the showdown. The defeat didn't go the way I expected and that wasn't a good thing. We didn't get enough time to process it and get into it.
I could keep going but this is getting long and you get my point. I really wanted to like this drama but I found it so hard too. I'm a drama reviewer (I have a blog) and I think it's forced me to take off the rose coloured glasses and see all the issues with dramas that I once overlooked. This show was so hard to like that the only reason I finished it was to tick it off my list. I hope no one got offended as that wasn't my intention.
Since everyone loved this drama (based on the reviews), what did you think of my points? Do any of you agree with me?
Quick Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! I respect everyone's opinions who liked this show! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕
I had such high hopes walking into this drama because of how many people recommended it and at first, I got the hype. When the female lead, Qiao Man, set the sulfur on fire and then ran to him with a bunch of arrows behind her, I can't tell you how many times I went back. They really set this show up during the beginning. But sadly, as the episodes went on, it quickly went down hill. Let's break this up into "Good" and "Bad" (with subtitles) to keep it organized.
The Good
Qiao Man Really Stepped Up
Qiao Man was such a queen. I love when women in historical shows break the norms and act like a boss. She was so clever and she was guiding armies and slaying the game. Despite the relationship part (that I mention below) she was such a queen.
The Side Characters' Romance Carried
The best part of the show was the side characters' relationship. Wei Liang and Xiotao, and Bi Zhi and Qiao Fan were so cute. I loved watching their scenes and watching their relationships develop. They made the main relationship bareable.
The Bad
I Couldn't Stand Wei Shao
Wei Shao was so annoying, like, 90% of the time. He had such toxic masculinity that it was so hard to like him. I get that back in the day, most men had toxic masculinity, but this is a drama and things can be altered. Plus Wei Liang and Bi Zhi didn't act the way that he did. For example, he's the type of guy who would miss his wife terribly and yet would refuse to go and see her unless she came to him or asked for him. Like just go see your wife, we're tired. He never took the time to truly understand who Qiao Man was and it showed. I get that at first it's the thought that counts, but after a while, it becomes ridiculous.
And he was also incredibly PETTY! I couldn't stand how petty this man was. He was always overly mad at her for no reason and she always either justified it, or apologised (even if it wasn't her fault). It was like he loved a reason to be mad at her. And he'd be mad for so long too-- he'd even go as far as to sleep in the freezing government office because of his pettiness. Like when he read her wish boat and hurt because he thought he loved her more. First off, why does it matter if you love your wife more? And second, why go behind her back to read her note and then randomly be mad at her without even saying anything? It was like walking on eggshells with him and it was so overdone and not even worth it. I think he apologised once the entire show (and that wasn't even when he literally choked her).
I also couldn't stand how he did nothing but the bare minimum the entire show and everyone (in the show) seemed to have eaten it up. I get that he's a war lord and had his issues, but when he fell in love, he didn't do anything that wasn't already expected of a husband. When I watch dramas, I usually like/expect the husband to go above and beyond and do things many husbands/ men wouldn't do in the real world (like Sang Yan in The First Frost). I want to kick my feet and scream in my pillow! So when they not only act like a arrogant jerk the whole time but their redemption ark is just basic level husband things, it fails to land. He didn't bring much in terms of "husband goals" to begin with and what he brought, wasn't good enough. It just wasn't.
SLOWWWW Burn
Now I love a slow burn as much as the next person, but a show still needs to flow. This was much too much of a slow burn that they didn't even kiss until episode 29 (not drunk). Out of 36. This was much too slow and what made it worse is that they gave us nothing to kick our feet at until the near end of the show. And don't get me wrong, I fully understand that love is SOOO much more than intimate moments, but they didn't even give us any cute scenes continually throughout the show. We get like two cute scenes during the whole show up until ep 29..? What even is that? Like with Hidden Love, even though they didn't get together until later in the series, we were given enough cute scenes, full of chemistry, in the episodes leading up to it. And the male lead wasn't overly rude and blind during that time. So while it was also a slow burn, it wasn't the ML fighting his feelings for 60% of the show, then bare minimum effort for the next 20% before they finally kiss (and then some...) from episode 29 and up. It's like, I get slow and steady wins the race but it also doesn't. This didn't. Everyone finished and went home.
Qiao Man Was Too Good for Him
While Qiao Man had plenty of lovely qualities, she was way too lenient and forgiving for this man. Everytime he did something to her, she either justified it or blamed herself. Even when he chocked her, she justified it. It was so annoying watching her try so hard for a man that wasn't giving anything in return. She seemed to love him WAY MORE than he loved her and the writers didn't even bother to hide it.
And on top of that, I never understood when she said "He just seems cold but he's actually super kind and warm <3" Girl What? When? He was always mad and always cold. Once again, he gave her the bare minimum and she confused it for "Warmth and Kindness". I just couldn't wrap my head around their relationship and was way more interested in Bi Zhi and Qiao Fan.
Boya and Bi Zhi
Enough of the relationship, let's get into the storyline now. Anyone else think that Bi Zhi would've become the ruler of Boya and team up with Wei Shao to take control of other states? It was a bit disappointing when Bi Zhi became the Commander and then they just left it there. Like when they put the Qiao flag down, I thought it would've been the beginning of him taking control but they kind of just left it there.
The Ending
The ending was so unfortunately rushed. The show had nothing but filler for most of the middle episodes and when it finally got good, the show was at the end. The huge war and fights were squished into the last episode and the episode wasn't even longer than the rest. Most of the villains' in this show died off... quite pathetically. There was no fight, no intense near-death experiences, nothing. Despite the fact that they made such an uproar and shook the comfort of the Wei State, they died off in the span of 20 minutes. It really looked like the Wei Clan was going to be defeated and yet they won with a couple of speeches and like five really lucky, unkillable men. I wish they had the war brewing through the whole show and didn't wait until the final episode for the showdown. The defeat didn't go the way I expected and that wasn't a good thing. We didn't get enough time to process it and get into it.
I could keep going but this is getting long and you get my point. I really wanted to like this drama but I found it so hard too. I'm a drama reviewer (I have a blog) and I think it's forced me to take off the rose coloured glasses and see all the issues with dramas that I once overlooked. This show was so hard to like that the only reason I finished it was to tick it off my list. I hope no one got offended as that wasn't my intention.
Since everyone loved this drama (based on the reviews), what did you think of my points? Do any of you agree with me?
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