This review may contain spoilers
Give Us Back the Real Saiunkoku Monogatari
Disclaimer: This review only covers the first 31 episodes as I have no inclination to proceed further + I'm not so patient to wait for the express package to come by in pirating sites.
Back in 2023, I was so exhilarated that Saiunkoku Monogatari would get a live-action adaptation into a C-drama. The synopsis was pretty convincing for me to dive in, plus we were served an assemble of eye-candy actors who could act well. Also a huge bonus for Tian Jiarui's fans because this was the first time he broke through Guo Jingming's shackles and became independent of himself. Nevertheless, this drama faced a huge setback as it was shelved for almost 3 years and served its sentence in iQIYI's dungeon. The reason of the shelving was due to copyright issue against its original author, Yukino Sai. After negotiating back and forth, she finally agreed to its broadcasting and the production team began preparing materials for its upcoming release. However, numerous high-quality dramas keep coming by, and they have to wait for a little while until there's an empty airing slot. And that's how "The Legend of Rosy Clouds" finally airs. Basically, I really hate their new names after the copyright issue because they just sound so fucking cringey to me (I'm going to use their real names here, so please don't get dizzy about who's who).
The story is actually set in a fictional country named Nine Clouds Country, but they decide to change the country into a mere city, and emperor becomes city governor. The protagonists of the story are Fan Yun (Kou Shuurei), a determined and resilient girl from a middle-class family who wants to change her fate through education so that she can help other people in need and restore the rundown Kou Mansion (besides, she also has her clumsy father Kou Shouka (working in the imperial archive's library) and adoptive brother Gao Ran (Shi Seiran) (taken in by Shuurei's parents during his youth and grows protective of Shuurei) to feed) (Shuurei is supposed to take the selection exam and clinches the third position, but the drama makes her into a special probationary official through Ryuuki's implore after she is forbidden to take the exam, which is a heavy disregard against the OG source), and Qi Zheng (Shi Ryuuki), the city governor/emperor (if you prefer it) who has been idling away and living a frivolous life as a guise of his true nature as a lot of officials are coveting his position. The two meet under an unfavorable circumstance where one of the officials/prime ministers (if you prefer it again) makes an offer to the Kou family to let her enter the harem/residence and become Ryuuki's wife in order to help him put things right. Due to the tempting reward, Shuurei can't resist to decline and soon has to put up with Ryuuki's antics as he keeps troubling her to make her go away. However, not only does his method fruitless, but Shuurei also grows more curious of Ryuuki's true self and begins to understand his troubled past behind his carefree persona.
Other characters are:
1. Gao Ran (Shi Seiran), the elder brother of Ryuuki who was exiled back in their teenage years. Seiran was supposed to have died during his journey, but a gang of bandits took him away and taught him some martial art skills. Seiran was nicknamed "Little Whirlwind" back then and befriended Ro Ensei (have been omitted from the drama). Seiran later was adopted by Shuurei's parents and he becomes the affectionate caring brother who loves to dote on Shuurei. Shuurei's parents literally know about Seiran's background, but decide not to pursue it as it may be bring back the unpleasant experiences that Seiran once faced. Seiran isn't supposed to be the second couple with Wei Shisan (Ran Juusan), but the screenwriter felt that both of them are compatible of each other. With Juusan around, Seiran lets down his guard and becomes less stoic as Juusan believes that Seiran also deserves love from other people.
2. Wei Shisan (Ran Juusan), the spoiled yet rebellious daughter of the Ran Family. In the OG source, Juusan is to be paired with other man, but thank goodness she is paired with Seiran here. Juusan is supposed to marry Ryuuki as his concubine, but she falls head over heels instead towards Seiran. Soon, she's going to chase Seiran all over the place even if he acts unbothered and wants to push her away. Juusan is also a loyal and sincere person.
3. Wei Ying (Ran Shuuei), the fourth son of the Ran Family. As one of Ryuuki's most trusted right-hand man, Shuuei is a serious and responsible person when it comes to official business. However, Shuuei is also a womanizer and has a tendency of visiting brothels, much to Kouyuu's displeasure. He has a bad time of disciplining Juusan and Ryuuren too.
4. Yan Jiang (Li Kouyuu), the adopted son of Kou Reishin (Shuurei's uncle) and one of the most remarkable scholars in his era. Reishin took him in after learning that his brother had adopted Seiran, so he wanted to taste what it felt like to have a son. So, Kouyuu was taken in to Reishin's residence and grew up guarded against his adoptive father. Kouyuu also develops a bad sense of direction (presumably because of Lady Yuri's (Shuurei's aunt) tendency to change the residence's formation so that Kouyuu couldn't escape easily). Kouyuu has a bad temper as well, and may blatantly lie to others who remind him of the real direction. However, Kouyuu's background in the drama isn't clearly explained and even his tendency to lose direction is omitted as well.
5. Wei Rong (Ran Ryuuren), the fifth son of the Ran Family. As the most eccentric person in the whole family, nobody can stop Ryuuren's wacky antics and most of them let him have his way. Ryuuren is a prodigy as well, securing the second place in the selection exam to become an official, but doesn't seem to be bothered to attend morning courts (by feigning illness of course). Ryuuren wears an assortment of weird clothing and always takes his flute with him, playing whenever he has the mood. Alas, a lot of people are troubled by this flute the most.
6. Jian Xing (To Eigetsu), a commoner academician and the rakes up the first place of the selection exam. Eigetsu is a kind-hearted and caring person who always supports Shuurei unconditionally as both of them are bullied by other officials. Eigetsu has an alter ego named Yogetsu, who only appears if Eigetsu gets drunk. In the drama, the screenwriter had altered Eigetsu's backstory, to the point of inventing a "nonexistent" cultist sister - as far as I remember, the OG source never mentions any family member related to him (Yong City is not Sa Province, but merely a plot device meant for Eigetsu's growth - as far as I know, the novel never mentions Eigetsu's hometown nor a devastating plague).
7. Su Yin (Kourin), Shuurei's former maid who secretly works for Sakujun's grandpa. Despite her initially ill intentions, Shuurei still forgives her and even lets her go to Sa Province as well. Kourin's love interest is Eigetsu.
8. Zheng Shi/Lou Qiyan (Sa Sakujun), the cunning second young master of the Sa Family. In order to get Deng Wei more screentime, the screenwriter had turned the tables to Sakujun's character. I literally skip all his scenes in the drama, but from what I know, he's obsessively in love with Shuurei and is willing to ride or die for her. Sakujun is a grey character - you can't say he's good, but you can't consider him as evil either. Sakujun is also flirty and his attractiveness has attracted dozens of girls in the Sa Province as well. He only appears when Shuurei and Eigetsu are sent as the joint governor of the province, while in here, Sakujun has appeared from the get go (ep 1). Sakujun also has an avaricious grandpa who stages the most uneventful coup d'état ever happened in the C-drama world. It stretches over several episodes and makes the drama more underbaked, but seriously a frail sickly old grandpa even wants to overthrow the current governor? After the death of grandpa, Sakujun resorts to take up the mantle of Sa Family's leader despite facing insurmountable pressure from other family members who don't approve of him. As the drama nearly comes to an end, they abruptly travel to Sa Province (Jing City) where the Sa Family holds absolute control of it. In order to quell the hidden threat posed by some of the sinister family members, Shuurei and Eigetsu are dispatched to Sa Province as joint-governors, with Seiran and Sakujun escorting them. Come to think of it, I'm not sure how many details the screenwriter is going to cram in this arc, since traveling to Sa Province is partially the second season of Saiunkoku Monogatari. Grandpa also manages to expose Sakujun's second identity as the bearded businessman (I must say grandpa has a pair of keen eyes, even with the moustache stuck on his jawline, grandpa can identify him as his grandson).
In the original story, Saiunkoku Monogatari promises a rich character building, poignant tale of love and duty (Shuurei and Ryuuki's chemistry can be the evidence for that), and the hilarious banters and comedic relief provided by several funny characters, especially Shuuei, Kouyuu, and Ro Ensei (I'm really pissed off of why they omit his character - he has so much history with Seiran in the bandit gang before). However, "The Legend of the Rosy Clouds" provides none of those qualities, and instead transforms a wonderful masterpiece into a trashy garbage that deserves to stay in iQIYI's dungeon as long as possible. If it hadn't been for the second couple and Shuuei-Kouyuu's pair, I would've dropped this long ago from ep 1. I don't really care about Sakujun and his scheming grandpa, I don't even want to see the superficial romance between Fan Yun and Qi Zheng - and she's caught up in a dilemma between love and duty that she can't even reciprocate Qi Zheng's sincere feelings for her. The final straw comes in the form of a severe plague disseminating the entire Yong City aka Sa Province - which I believe never occur in the OG source. What is more incredulous is the Spirit Immortal Cult that appears out of thin air. The whole arc is so badly done that I skip almost all of their scenes except the fighting ones. Not to mention the fake stones and boulders which make it obvious that they're shooting in a little set inside a studio. As the drama unfolds, Seiran-Juusan and Shuuei-Kouyuu pairs get literally minimal screentime, especially during the coup arc. More scenes are dedicated for Shuurei-Ryuuki-Sakujun love triangle trope, which is getting more and more tedious as it goes.
Now, to the acting. I've mixed opinion about Li Yitong's performance in this drama. Firstly, the atrocious dubbing makes her sound like a spoiled little girl. Secondly, she's trying her best to act over-the-top and perform several slapstick comedy scenes, all of which fail horribly. Thirdly, the screenwriter had made her character to be a damsel-in-distress as she needs constant rescuing from both male leads. Joseph Zeng is so-so, if you ask me - I've never been fond of him since "Mysterious Lotus Casebook" and now he's been in a hit-or-miss list for me. But, he does manage to convey the emotional impact of Qi Zheng, which shows how much devoted he is to Fan Yun even when she's in an uncertainty. But then, Qi Zheng grows into a ten-year-old kids begging for candies since he always implores Fan Yun to stay by his side and gets super duper jealous whenever Zheng Shi or Gao Ran speak affectionately of her. You're already a governor bro, so please do know your boundary - you can still have her in your free time. Deng Wei is also so-so to me - come to think of it, I don't see a point of him ruining the city for the sake of business or to make Qi Zheng furious - and I don't like his scholarly vibe as Zheng Shi too. Meanwhile, kudos to Riley Wang and Dai Luwa for being the MVP couple in this drama - their hot-and-cold personality complements each other and I like the way Shisan tries to remind Gao Ran that he can love and be loved too. Their push-and-pull relationship is fun to watch, even when Shisan is on the stalker mode. Special mention to Cheng Hongxin and Tian Jiarui for creating such a strong brotherhood too - if it hadn't been for them, God knows what would happen to this drama. Jerome Deng has less scenes, but he absolutely nails Wei Rong's enigmatic style and even his meh expression is superb to me. For Jian Yuxi (portrays Tian Xing/Tian Yue) and Fan Jingwen (portrays Su Yin), I should say their acting is better than my expectation, given that they play teenage characters. For those old men or grandpa sticking out their noses on others' business, I don't care what you wanna do, your lives is yours to control, thank you.
OSTs are meh as well despite inviting Zhou Shen, Liu Yuning, Huang Xiaoyun, Zhang Zining, Tian Jiarui, and Deng Dian. The costumes look drop-dead gorgeous despite being limited in numbers. Sets are limited as well, with the desert being the fakest of all.
Overall, don't touch this drama unless you want to suffer like me. I'm really fucking disappointed in "The Legend of Rosy Clouds" and hope that more OG sources can get the justice they deserve in the future. Thank you for listening to my yapping again (I'll continue yapping in "The Eternal Fragrance" if I may). Good luck and happy watching!!!
Back in 2023, I was so exhilarated that Saiunkoku Monogatari would get a live-action adaptation into a C-drama. The synopsis was pretty convincing for me to dive in, plus we were served an assemble of eye-candy actors who could act well. Also a huge bonus for Tian Jiarui's fans because this was the first time he broke through Guo Jingming's shackles and became independent of himself. Nevertheless, this drama faced a huge setback as it was shelved for almost 3 years and served its sentence in iQIYI's dungeon. The reason of the shelving was due to copyright issue against its original author, Yukino Sai. After negotiating back and forth, she finally agreed to its broadcasting and the production team began preparing materials for its upcoming release. However, numerous high-quality dramas keep coming by, and they have to wait for a little while until there's an empty airing slot. And that's how "The Legend of Rosy Clouds" finally airs. Basically, I really hate their new names after the copyright issue because they just sound so fucking cringey to me (I'm going to use their real names here, so please don't get dizzy about who's who).
The story is actually set in a fictional country named Nine Clouds Country, but they decide to change the country into a mere city, and emperor becomes city governor. The protagonists of the story are Fan Yun (Kou Shuurei), a determined and resilient girl from a middle-class family who wants to change her fate through education so that she can help other people in need and restore the rundown Kou Mansion (besides, she also has her clumsy father Kou Shouka (working in the imperial archive's library) and adoptive brother Gao Ran (Shi Seiran) (taken in by Shuurei's parents during his youth and grows protective of Shuurei) to feed) (Shuurei is supposed to take the selection exam and clinches the third position, but the drama makes her into a special probationary official through Ryuuki's implore after she is forbidden to take the exam, which is a heavy disregard against the OG source), and Qi Zheng (Shi Ryuuki), the city governor/emperor (if you prefer it) who has been idling away and living a frivolous life as a guise of his true nature as a lot of officials are coveting his position. The two meet under an unfavorable circumstance where one of the officials/prime ministers (if you prefer it again) makes an offer to the Kou family to let her enter the harem/residence and become Ryuuki's wife in order to help him put things right. Due to the tempting reward, Shuurei can't resist to decline and soon has to put up with Ryuuki's antics as he keeps troubling her to make her go away. However, not only does his method fruitless, but Shuurei also grows more curious of Ryuuki's true self and begins to understand his troubled past behind his carefree persona.
Other characters are:
1. Gao Ran (Shi Seiran), the elder brother of Ryuuki who was exiled back in their teenage years. Seiran was supposed to have died during his journey, but a gang of bandits took him away and taught him some martial art skills. Seiran was nicknamed "Little Whirlwind" back then and befriended Ro Ensei (have been omitted from the drama). Seiran later was adopted by Shuurei's parents and he becomes the affectionate caring brother who loves to dote on Shuurei. Shuurei's parents literally know about Seiran's background, but decide not to pursue it as it may be bring back the unpleasant experiences that Seiran once faced. Seiran isn't supposed to be the second couple with Wei Shisan (Ran Juusan), but the screenwriter felt that both of them are compatible of each other. With Juusan around, Seiran lets down his guard and becomes less stoic as Juusan believes that Seiran also deserves love from other people.
2. Wei Shisan (Ran Juusan), the spoiled yet rebellious daughter of the Ran Family. In the OG source, Juusan is to be paired with other man, but thank goodness she is paired with Seiran here. Juusan is supposed to marry Ryuuki as his concubine, but she falls head over heels instead towards Seiran. Soon, she's going to chase Seiran all over the place even if he acts unbothered and wants to push her away. Juusan is also a loyal and sincere person.
3. Wei Ying (Ran Shuuei), the fourth son of the Ran Family. As one of Ryuuki's most trusted right-hand man, Shuuei is a serious and responsible person when it comes to official business. However, Shuuei is also a womanizer and has a tendency of visiting brothels, much to Kouyuu's displeasure. He has a bad time of disciplining Juusan and Ryuuren too.
4. Yan Jiang (Li Kouyuu), the adopted son of Kou Reishin (Shuurei's uncle) and one of the most remarkable scholars in his era. Reishin took him in after learning that his brother had adopted Seiran, so he wanted to taste what it felt like to have a son. So, Kouyuu was taken in to Reishin's residence and grew up guarded against his adoptive father. Kouyuu also develops a bad sense of direction (presumably because of Lady Yuri's (Shuurei's aunt) tendency to change the residence's formation so that Kouyuu couldn't escape easily). Kouyuu has a bad temper as well, and may blatantly lie to others who remind him of the real direction. However, Kouyuu's background in the drama isn't clearly explained and even his tendency to lose direction is omitted as well.
5. Wei Rong (Ran Ryuuren), the fifth son of the Ran Family. As the most eccentric person in the whole family, nobody can stop Ryuuren's wacky antics and most of them let him have his way. Ryuuren is a prodigy as well, securing the second place in the selection exam to become an official, but doesn't seem to be bothered to attend morning courts (by feigning illness of course). Ryuuren wears an assortment of weird clothing and always takes his flute with him, playing whenever he has the mood. Alas, a lot of people are troubled by this flute the most.
6. Jian Xing (To Eigetsu), a commoner academician and the rakes up the first place of the selection exam. Eigetsu is a kind-hearted and caring person who always supports Shuurei unconditionally as both of them are bullied by other officials. Eigetsu has an alter ego named Yogetsu, who only appears if Eigetsu gets drunk. In the drama, the screenwriter had altered Eigetsu's backstory, to the point of inventing a "nonexistent" cultist sister - as far as I remember, the OG source never mentions any family member related to him (Yong City is not Sa Province, but merely a plot device meant for Eigetsu's growth - as far as I know, the novel never mentions Eigetsu's hometown nor a devastating plague).
7. Su Yin (Kourin), Shuurei's former maid who secretly works for Sakujun's grandpa. Despite her initially ill intentions, Shuurei still forgives her and even lets her go to Sa Province as well. Kourin's love interest is Eigetsu.
8. Zheng Shi/Lou Qiyan (Sa Sakujun), the cunning second young master of the Sa Family. In order to get Deng Wei more screentime, the screenwriter had turned the tables to Sakujun's character. I literally skip all his scenes in the drama, but from what I know, he's obsessively in love with Shuurei and is willing to ride or die for her. Sakujun is a grey character - you can't say he's good, but you can't consider him as evil either. Sakujun is also flirty and his attractiveness has attracted dozens of girls in the Sa Province as well. He only appears when Shuurei and Eigetsu are sent as the joint governor of the province, while in here, Sakujun has appeared from the get go (ep 1). Sakujun also has an avaricious grandpa who stages the most uneventful coup d'état ever happened in the C-drama world. It stretches over several episodes and makes the drama more underbaked, but seriously a frail sickly old grandpa even wants to overthrow the current governor? After the death of grandpa, Sakujun resorts to take up the mantle of Sa Family's leader despite facing insurmountable pressure from other family members who don't approve of him. As the drama nearly comes to an end, they abruptly travel to Sa Province (Jing City) where the Sa Family holds absolute control of it. In order to quell the hidden threat posed by some of the sinister family members, Shuurei and Eigetsu are dispatched to Sa Province as joint-governors, with Seiran and Sakujun escorting them. Come to think of it, I'm not sure how many details the screenwriter is going to cram in this arc, since traveling to Sa Province is partially the second season of Saiunkoku Monogatari. Grandpa also manages to expose Sakujun's second identity as the bearded businessman (I must say grandpa has a pair of keen eyes, even with the moustache stuck on his jawline, grandpa can identify him as his grandson).
In the original story, Saiunkoku Monogatari promises a rich character building, poignant tale of love and duty (Shuurei and Ryuuki's chemistry can be the evidence for that), and the hilarious banters and comedic relief provided by several funny characters, especially Shuuei, Kouyuu, and Ro Ensei (I'm really pissed off of why they omit his character - he has so much history with Seiran in the bandit gang before). However, "The Legend of the Rosy Clouds" provides none of those qualities, and instead transforms a wonderful masterpiece into a trashy garbage that deserves to stay in iQIYI's dungeon as long as possible. If it hadn't been for the second couple and Shuuei-Kouyuu's pair, I would've dropped this long ago from ep 1. I don't really care about Sakujun and his scheming grandpa, I don't even want to see the superficial romance between Fan Yun and Qi Zheng - and she's caught up in a dilemma between love and duty that she can't even reciprocate Qi Zheng's sincere feelings for her. The final straw comes in the form of a severe plague disseminating the entire Yong City aka Sa Province - which I believe never occur in the OG source. What is more incredulous is the Spirit Immortal Cult that appears out of thin air. The whole arc is so badly done that I skip almost all of their scenes except the fighting ones. Not to mention the fake stones and boulders which make it obvious that they're shooting in a little set inside a studio. As the drama unfolds, Seiran-Juusan and Shuuei-Kouyuu pairs get literally minimal screentime, especially during the coup arc. More scenes are dedicated for Shuurei-Ryuuki-Sakujun love triangle trope, which is getting more and more tedious as it goes.
Now, to the acting. I've mixed opinion about Li Yitong's performance in this drama. Firstly, the atrocious dubbing makes her sound like a spoiled little girl. Secondly, she's trying her best to act over-the-top and perform several slapstick comedy scenes, all of which fail horribly. Thirdly, the screenwriter had made her character to be a damsel-in-distress as she needs constant rescuing from both male leads. Joseph Zeng is so-so, if you ask me - I've never been fond of him since "Mysterious Lotus Casebook" and now he's been in a hit-or-miss list for me. But, he does manage to convey the emotional impact of Qi Zheng, which shows how much devoted he is to Fan Yun even when she's in an uncertainty. But then, Qi Zheng grows into a ten-year-old kids begging for candies since he always implores Fan Yun to stay by his side and gets super duper jealous whenever Zheng Shi or Gao Ran speak affectionately of her. You're already a governor bro, so please do know your boundary - you can still have her in your free time. Deng Wei is also so-so to me - come to think of it, I don't see a point of him ruining the city for the sake of business or to make Qi Zheng furious - and I don't like his scholarly vibe as Zheng Shi too. Meanwhile, kudos to Riley Wang and Dai Luwa for being the MVP couple in this drama - their hot-and-cold personality complements each other and I like the way Shisan tries to remind Gao Ran that he can love and be loved too. Their push-and-pull relationship is fun to watch, even when Shisan is on the stalker mode. Special mention to Cheng Hongxin and Tian Jiarui for creating such a strong brotherhood too - if it hadn't been for them, God knows what would happen to this drama. Jerome Deng has less scenes, but he absolutely nails Wei Rong's enigmatic style and even his meh expression is superb to me. For Jian Yuxi (portrays Tian Xing/Tian Yue) and Fan Jingwen (portrays Su Yin), I should say their acting is better than my expectation, given that they play teenage characters. For those old men or grandpa sticking out their noses on others' business, I don't care what you wanna do, your lives is yours to control, thank you.
OSTs are meh as well despite inviting Zhou Shen, Liu Yuning, Huang Xiaoyun, Zhang Zining, Tian Jiarui, and Deng Dian. The costumes look drop-dead gorgeous despite being limited in numbers. Sets are limited as well, with the desert being the fakest of all.
Overall, don't touch this drama unless you want to suffer like me. I'm really fucking disappointed in "The Legend of Rosy Clouds" and hope that more OG sources can get the justice they deserve in the future. Thank you for listening to my yapping again (I'll continue yapping in "The Eternal Fragrance" if I may). Good luck and happy watching!!!
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