This review may contain spoilers
Childhood friends to lovers to ennemies
When I impulsively decided to watch this "little" drama, I didn't bother to read the drama description as I usually do, so I didn't really know what to expect, other than a simple, historical bl drama with no censorship (what a step forward in the China industry !
This drama can be divided into two parts in terms of the story, but also in terms of the atmosphere and the viewer's feelings.
I had a great time during the first eight episodes, but the last few were really painful to watch. Whether it was the scriptwriting choices or the portrayal of the characters and their mentality.
📜 Overall, the story is very interesting and well put together (without the subtitle problem, I suppose). Between plots, betrayals, family, friendship, love, tenderness, lies, violence, hatred, misunderstanding, PLOT TWIST... we get a bit of everything! Even though the series is quite "short" (12x30 min), I found it quite "long"; the story is really captivating and poignant, and we know from the beginning that the characters are going to suffer (and so are we, for that matter).
✨️🎋 The aesthetics are pretty, the costumes are okay, the wigs... well... we've seen worse (and better), but I love Shu He's style! The OST is really nice... I think the actors are good (it's hard to judge 100% objectively).
🎎 The characters are honestly endearing at first, but very, very difficult to follow psychologically, especially in the "second" part of the drama. And that's what I think disturbed and affected me the most.
Ziang is very emotional, lovable , his devotion. and love for Shue He is so overwhelming that it hurts even through the screen.
On the other hand, I had a lot of trouble with Shu He, who (I don't know if it's because of the character himself or the actor) only shows one or two emotions: he's impenetrable, which makes it very hard to trust him (and I admit that in the end I didn't understand anything he was doing).
Unfortunately, the secondary characters are VERY secondary, between Hao Ying, who is trapped in a toxic relationship, and Shen Song, who is... just there to help everyone without anything in return (frankly, he deserves better).
In reality, my feelings are very much focused on the trope of the series which is typically a lovers-to-enemies. I've always dreamed of trying this kind of trope, but deliberately. But here, I was confronted with it without knowing it. Which is a huge shock, especially with such a sweet, tender, cute, perfect first part of the love story.
The first eight episodes are really good, the atmosphere is pleasant, the romance is so touching, a real 🍬 ! But the twist is very violent. The characters change radically. And it hurts.
Zi'ang's change (a devoted and protective brother and lover, ready to abandon his country for his beloved) is the worst: he loses all his color and literally becomes a tyrant and an obsessive "lover." The way he treated Shuhe was just as disconcerting. This is where I can only confirm my fear of toxic and obsessive romances.
Shuhe is in a way partly to "blame" (even if it's half-way understandable) : his indecision, his blindness, his relentless obstinacy for a kingdom rotten from within played heavily against him.
From the "twist" (the transition from lovers to enemies), we witness a succession of rejections, "betrayals," lies, and plots with a huge lack of communication, which gradually stifles the romance until it reaches a point of no return that makes us want to tear our hair out.
And then comes the worst part for me: the impossibility of trusting the characters. So much so that we no longer know if the scenes unfolding before our eyes are "sincere" or just another plot. It was torture. This drama is a real tragedy; the further we get, the more we know that it can only end badly.
Part 1: 9/10
Part 2: 6/10:
Overall: 7/10
This drama can be divided into two parts in terms of the story, but also in terms of the atmosphere and the viewer's feelings.
I had a great time during the first eight episodes, but the last few were really painful to watch. Whether it was the scriptwriting choices or the portrayal of the characters and their mentality.
📜 Overall, the story is very interesting and well put together (without the subtitle problem, I suppose). Between plots, betrayals, family, friendship, love, tenderness, lies, violence, hatred, misunderstanding, PLOT TWIST... we get a bit of everything! Even though the series is quite "short" (12x30 min), I found it quite "long"; the story is really captivating and poignant, and we know from the beginning that the characters are going to suffer (and so are we, for that matter).
✨️🎋 The aesthetics are pretty, the costumes are okay, the wigs... well... we've seen worse (and better), but I love Shu He's style! The OST is really nice... I think the actors are good (it's hard to judge 100% objectively).
🎎 The characters are honestly endearing at first, but very, very difficult to follow psychologically, especially in the "second" part of the drama. And that's what I think disturbed and affected me the most.
Ziang is very emotional, lovable , his devotion. and love for Shue He is so overwhelming that it hurts even through the screen.
On the other hand, I had a lot of trouble with Shu He, who (I don't know if it's because of the character himself or the actor) only shows one or two emotions: he's impenetrable, which makes it very hard to trust him (and I admit that in the end I didn't understand anything he was doing).
Unfortunately, the secondary characters are VERY secondary, between Hao Ying, who is trapped in a toxic relationship, and Shen Song, who is... just there to help everyone without anything in return (frankly, he deserves better).
In reality, my feelings are very much focused on the trope of the series which is typically a lovers-to-enemies. I've always dreamed of trying this kind of trope, but deliberately. But here, I was confronted with it without knowing it. Which is a huge shock, especially with such a sweet, tender, cute, perfect first part of the love story.
The first eight episodes are really good, the atmosphere is pleasant, the romance is so touching, a real 🍬 ! But the twist is very violent. The characters change radically. And it hurts.
Zi'ang's change (a devoted and protective brother and lover, ready to abandon his country for his beloved) is the worst: he loses all his color and literally becomes a tyrant and an obsessive "lover." The way he treated Shuhe was just as disconcerting. This is where I can only confirm my fear of toxic and obsessive romances.
Shuhe is in a way partly to "blame" (even if it's half-way understandable) : his indecision, his blindness, his relentless obstinacy for a kingdom rotten from within played heavily against him.
From the "twist" (the transition from lovers to enemies), we witness a succession of rejections, "betrayals," lies, and plots with a huge lack of communication, which gradually stifles the romance until it reaches a point of no return that makes us want to tear our hair out.
And then comes the worst part for me: the impossibility of trusting the characters. So much so that we no longer know if the scenes unfolding before our eyes are "sincere" or just another plot. It was torture. This drama is a real tragedy; the further we get, the more we know that it can only end badly.
Part 1: 9/10
Part 2: 6/10:
Overall: 7/10
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