mhs_09

NOT EVERYONE'S CUP OF TEA.
So this is the first chinese drama that's so different from many other dramas and again, the fictional element is that most highlighted. There's a perfect mix of romance, power struggles, hidden masks and plots and twists. Every episode has its own plot and Tian Xi Wei has portrayed the rags to riches character of Wei Rao beautifully. She knows the hardships of people as she lived among them so she didn't pity them but instead she helped them.
She had her own flaws, her own plans and her ups and downs but she always challenged her fate and no matter how hard her live got, she survived and lived. Her will to live outweighs every difficulty.
One characteristic I really admired but somehow pitied was that her "Moving On" trait. Even when her brother passed away and even when she heard the news of her husband's passing (hedidntdie) she moved on and challenged those who killed them and sought her revenge. And she truly mastered the Art of Perception (but again, it's fiction and no one can be that perceptive and know what the future ultimately holds because if so then in real history, so many legendary people wouldn't have been killed by the hands of traitors).
Tian Xi Wei absolutely killed the roles of Wei Rao and Jun Dai. She played both roles so differently that they didn't feel the same at all.
Jun Dai was truly evil while Wei Rao was raised in a poor household so she had a kind heart but a hardened coating. She didn't trust anyone until people gained her trust and she is truly a different character from what you see in most cdramas.

Yan'An also killed his first major main lead role. He portrayed Lu Zhuo, a battled hardened, forgiving and scheming general perfectly. He always backed his wife and cleaned her messes. He had enough experience and knew how to break Wei Raos tough coat. He trusted her, respected her and loved her while maintaining his loyalty to the throne. He didn't support his wife's schemes but he didn't question them either. Lu Zhuo's fight scenes were awesome.
Though he did not have enough screen time but he proved his worth as a actor and I cannot wait to see more of his future dramas.
Wei Rao and Lu Zhuo portrayed perfectly as to how couples should be.

Now as for our beautiful, handsome and awfully amazing side actors. THEY ABSOLUTELY KILLED IT.
The director, producer and the writers selected amazing actors for this drama.
The side characters were complex and each had their own side story which shaped them into the way they were. I low-key loved Ah Man more than Bi Tao. And Xiao (The guard) I felt so bad for him. He truly deserved Hong Xian but he couldn't have protected her and his priorities were also different. Lady Li was a complex character with ambitions that questioned society norms. She didn't let the death of her first husband sway her. She achieved and when she married the emperor, she still respected him and loved him and she put her whole heart in her decisions and she raised her son diligently.

I want to add in so many things but I'll leave the future viewers to watch this drama instead.

One thing, I didn't like in this drama was the plot inconsistencies. The plot felt inconsistent and many scenes were cut. I wish they could've just made this drama into a 40 episode drama where we could've seen, the mother in law's backstory, Ah Mans backstory as well as Xiaos Backstory and we also could've seen a proper wedding for the main couple.
THE OSTS WERE LOVEEE. The osts had this mysterious vibe that matched the drama theme perfectly.
Many people would not like this drama because it's very different from other chinese dramas and the plot was changing very fast but overall the storyline was very good. I enjoyed the mystery storyline alott.


BEST OF LUCK TO THE CAST OF WHERE THE MASK ENDS!!
THIS DRAMA WAS INDEED A MASTERPIECE.