No Grey, All Glory - Why Si Jin Hits Every Note
Si Jin is pure entertainment - fun, loud, and completely unsubtle. It has no patience for grey characters. People are either good or bad, full stop. Redemption never comes with excuses, and evil is never rationalized. Bad people get what’s coming to them. I love that.
Story
A standard second chance story with a convenient blast to the past. The FL dies tragically at the hands of the ML, who never meant to kill her. She watches her family and love destroyed, then wakes up years earlier to meet him again. Together, they take down the same evil and save the kingdom. Familiar? Yes. Effective? Also yes.
Characters
You can tell this came from a female author. The ML isn’t just a green flag; he’s a whole forest. The FL is no wallflower either. She is spunky, bold, clever, and fully competent. Yu Qi (aka Yu Jin) steals the show. He is smart, brave, deeply in love, mischievous, and refreshingly honest without being a jerk. Premium drama-boyfriend material. Jiang Si holds her own, resourceful and decisive, using future knowledge like a functioning adult. A competent female lead. What a breath of fresh air!
The baddies? Two main psycho cats and a parade of annoying jerks. So unapologetically evil that subtlety left the chat. Their villainy hits like a sledgehammer. Everyone else? Chess pieces on a board while the leads and evil cats run their dramatic, chaotic game.
Acting
This is the real USP of the drama. This is yet another historical for Zhang Wan Yi, and I’ve seen quite a few of them, but somehow, he never blends into the background. Every one of his MLs feels distinct. This one is no exception. And honestly, if he is using his OG voice for dubbing? I’m obsessed. That low pitched, intimate way of speaking is dangerously soothing. The man should seriously consider moonlighting for “Get Sleepy” and narrating bedtime stories. I’d be out in five minutes.
Jing Tian impressed me too. She matches him beat for beat, and her prettiness never overshadows her acting. She fully brings gutsy Jiang Si, who is confident, clever, and unflinching, to life. Hats off.
And the chemistry? Please. It deserves its own chapter. Absolutely sizzling.
The supporting cast splits neatly into goodies and baddies. The goodies, mainly FL’s family, friends, ML’s extended clan, give the drama heart. Special shoutout to Zheng Hung who is so darn noble, he gave me a toothache.
The baddies. Not quite up to the same level. Princess Royal and her bratty daughter are evil, yes, but the performances lack nuance. My hatred came from the script and dialogues, not the acting. One note villains, nothing to write home about compared to the leads.
Weaknesses
Script..No two ways about it. Things conveniently happen to help the leads. It’s like they’re handed a cheat sheet for escaping every problem. Characters who would normally be killed to protect secrets are left alive - only to drop crucial info neatly into our leads’ laps. The leads never lose. Their plans always work. Meanwhile, villains twirl metaphorical moustaches, smirk ominously, and set traps so laughably simple that the leads slip out like bars of soap. It’s not clever plotting. It’s just sloppy writing. Dramatic? Sure. Believable? Not even close.
Oh, so many plot holes. How does Yu Qi resist the Nanwu spy’s drug? Why doesn’t Si obsessively hide the mark? How does the brother swim to shore? Why do the bratty princess’s servants abandon her on her wedding night? And how does the fourth prince somehow divine Yu Qi’s entire plan and show up just in time? The script doesn’t bother explaining. It just hopes we’ll be dazzled by the leads’ chemistry. Spoiler: I was.
Overall
Pure entertainment. Fast paced, glossy, and confident in what it wants to be. The performances carry the weight, covering up the script’s many holes. The humour lands, the chemistry sizzles, you love the goodies, and you loathe the baddies. Just don’t ask too many questions. Turn your brain down, sit back, and enjoy the ride. I did, and it was a blast.
Story
A standard second chance story with a convenient blast to the past. The FL dies tragically at the hands of the ML, who never meant to kill her. She watches her family and love destroyed, then wakes up years earlier to meet him again. Together, they take down the same evil and save the kingdom. Familiar? Yes. Effective? Also yes.
Characters
You can tell this came from a female author. The ML isn’t just a green flag; he’s a whole forest. The FL is no wallflower either. She is spunky, bold, clever, and fully competent. Yu Qi (aka Yu Jin) steals the show. He is smart, brave, deeply in love, mischievous, and refreshingly honest without being a jerk. Premium drama-boyfriend material. Jiang Si holds her own, resourceful and decisive, using future knowledge like a functioning adult. A competent female lead. What a breath of fresh air!
The baddies? Two main psycho cats and a parade of annoying jerks. So unapologetically evil that subtlety left the chat. Their villainy hits like a sledgehammer. Everyone else? Chess pieces on a board while the leads and evil cats run their dramatic, chaotic game.
Acting
This is the real USP of the drama. This is yet another historical for Zhang Wan Yi, and I’ve seen quite a few of them, but somehow, he never blends into the background. Every one of his MLs feels distinct. This one is no exception. And honestly, if he is using his OG voice for dubbing? I’m obsessed. That low pitched, intimate way of speaking is dangerously soothing. The man should seriously consider moonlighting for “Get Sleepy” and narrating bedtime stories. I’d be out in five minutes.
Jing Tian impressed me too. She matches him beat for beat, and her prettiness never overshadows her acting. She fully brings gutsy Jiang Si, who is confident, clever, and unflinching, to life. Hats off.
And the chemistry? Please. It deserves its own chapter. Absolutely sizzling.
The supporting cast splits neatly into goodies and baddies. The goodies, mainly FL’s family, friends, ML’s extended clan, give the drama heart. Special shoutout to Zheng Hung who is so darn noble, he gave me a toothache.
The baddies. Not quite up to the same level. Princess Royal and her bratty daughter are evil, yes, but the performances lack nuance. My hatred came from the script and dialogues, not the acting. One note villains, nothing to write home about compared to the leads.
Weaknesses
Script..No two ways about it. Things conveniently happen to help the leads. It’s like they’re handed a cheat sheet for escaping every problem. Characters who would normally be killed to protect secrets are left alive - only to drop crucial info neatly into our leads’ laps. The leads never lose. Their plans always work. Meanwhile, villains twirl metaphorical moustaches, smirk ominously, and set traps so laughably simple that the leads slip out like bars of soap. It’s not clever plotting. It’s just sloppy writing. Dramatic? Sure. Believable? Not even close.
Oh, so many plot holes. How does Yu Qi resist the Nanwu spy’s drug? Why doesn’t Si obsessively hide the mark? How does the brother swim to shore? Why do the bratty princess’s servants abandon her on her wedding night? And how does the fourth prince somehow divine Yu Qi’s entire plan and show up just in time? The script doesn’t bother explaining. It just hopes we’ll be dazzled by the leads’ chemistry. Spoiler: I was.
Overall
Pure entertainment. Fast paced, glossy, and confident in what it wants to be. The performances carry the weight, covering up the script’s many holes. The humour lands, the chemistry sizzles, you love the goodies, and you loathe the baddies. Just don’t ask too many questions. Turn your brain down, sit back, and enjoy the ride. I did, and it was a blast.
Was this review helpful to you?
