This review may contain spoilers
The best Enemies-to-lovers ever
I put this drama on a back burner for way too long. I started watching the first episode, decided it was nothing for me, watched two other dramas and came back to it. And boy am I glad I did!
The reason I was hesitant at first was Chen Zhe Yuan. Up until Fated Hearts I had only seen him in cuty-pie roles or the charming sweetheart. I could not see past his lanky frame while he had to portray this beast of a man. But he managed to captivate me anyway.
We get into the story by following him and his Feng Battalion as they besiege a city currently in Jinxiu territory, wanting to take it back for Susha, their homeland. They are desperate to win the fight but Suige takes an arrow to the chest by the Red-Clad female general of Jinxiu and the battalion has to pull back in order to save his life.
When this general eventually ends up almost dead herself, Suige and her meet. They become dependant on one another due to circumstances. Someone wants the both of them dead, but who? This is where their uneasy alliance begins. They do not trust each other and spend their time trying to threaten the other but when they get closer to the answers they need they find themselves protecting the other.
It's the best way an enemy-to-lover story has been told, in my opinion. In the beginning they really do torture the other with no remorse. Eventhough Yixiao doesn't remember most of her life, she knows Suige isn't to be trusted. But he helps her through the worst of her nightmares and manages to get most of her memories back. They gradually go from hurting one another to protecting each other.
Another reason I love this drama so much is because it gave such a refreshing look on palace politics when it comes to becoming emperor. Usually the prince brothers are spiteful to each other, wanting to kill the other at an attempt to become crown prince. But these brothers were actually brotherly. They cared for each other and never wanted to harm the other. It was a very different take on becoming crown prince than I had seen before. Both princes didn't care what happened to the throne. It made the manipulation around Chengyang that much more painful. I really felt for him when he discovered what his family had done without even asking what he wanted.
The only thing I didn't really like about the drama was the split palace drama. We had Susha and Jinxiu to deal with. Feng Suige was fighting for his life in Susha. Meanwhile we were following the fight between Xia Jingshi and his tyrant brother Xia Jingyan. I understood why it was part of the story but it made the ending a little wonky. Things in Susha were calming down but we had to watch Suige go to Jinxiu to deal with matters there and it felt a little out of place.
Positives:
- The design of the costumes was beyond amazing. I really loved them.
- The OST is really good.
- The enemies-to-lovers made me weak in the knees with how perfect they've done it.
- Red flag villain remains red flag. I hated Xia Jingshi to the core. There was no redemption for him and, no matter how harsh it may sound, I was glad for it.
- The character growth for Xingyan was something I did not see coming. She annoyed me in the beginning to the point that I did not care for her scenes at all, but the way she manipulated the Jinxiu's court and managed to change the emperor was well done.
- I loved how they brought back certain important moments but in a different way. Like history repeating itself but mirrored. It's a nice touch.
- THAT PLOTTWIST WITH THE EMPEROR!! I am still shook about that. Did not see that coming at all!
- The brotherhood of the Feng Battalion and the loyalty towards Suige when everyone else in his life had either betrayed him or tried to kill him made me emotional. It was beautiful to watch.
Negatives:
- The amnesia trope..... It's been overused. I hate it. And no.. I'm not talking about Yixiao's memory loss at the beginning.
- The amount of times death came knocking at someone's door but they managed to save the person anyway was ridiculous.
I really do recommend watching this drama. It's one of the best 2025 has to offer with great storytelling and lots of cool swordfights and battles.
The reason I was hesitant at first was Chen Zhe Yuan. Up until Fated Hearts I had only seen him in cuty-pie roles or the charming sweetheart. I could not see past his lanky frame while he had to portray this beast of a man. But he managed to captivate me anyway.
We get into the story by following him and his Feng Battalion as they besiege a city currently in Jinxiu territory, wanting to take it back for Susha, their homeland. They are desperate to win the fight but Suige takes an arrow to the chest by the Red-Clad female general of Jinxiu and the battalion has to pull back in order to save his life.
When this general eventually ends up almost dead herself, Suige and her meet. They become dependant on one another due to circumstances. Someone wants the both of them dead, but who? This is where their uneasy alliance begins. They do not trust each other and spend their time trying to threaten the other but when they get closer to the answers they need they find themselves protecting the other.
It's the best way an enemy-to-lover story has been told, in my opinion. In the beginning they really do torture the other with no remorse. Eventhough Yixiao doesn't remember most of her life, she knows Suige isn't to be trusted. But he helps her through the worst of her nightmares and manages to get most of her memories back. They gradually go from hurting one another to protecting each other.
Another reason I love this drama so much is because it gave such a refreshing look on palace politics when it comes to becoming emperor. Usually the prince brothers are spiteful to each other, wanting to kill the other at an attempt to become crown prince. But these brothers were actually brotherly. They cared for each other and never wanted to harm the other. It was a very different take on becoming crown prince than I had seen before. Both princes didn't care what happened to the throne. It made the manipulation around Chengyang that much more painful. I really felt for him when he discovered what his family had done without even asking what he wanted.
The only thing I didn't really like about the drama was the split palace drama. We had Susha and Jinxiu to deal with. Feng Suige was fighting for his life in Susha. Meanwhile we were following the fight between Xia Jingshi and his tyrant brother Xia Jingyan. I understood why it was part of the story but it made the ending a little wonky. Things in Susha were calming down but we had to watch Suige go to Jinxiu to deal with matters there and it felt a little out of place.
Positives:
- The design of the costumes was beyond amazing. I really loved them.
- The OST is really good.
- The enemies-to-lovers made me weak in the knees with how perfect they've done it.
- Red flag villain remains red flag. I hated Xia Jingshi to the core. There was no redemption for him and, no matter how harsh it may sound, I was glad for it.
- The character growth for Xingyan was something I did not see coming. She annoyed me in the beginning to the point that I did not care for her scenes at all, but the way she manipulated the Jinxiu's court and managed to change the emperor was well done.
- I loved how they brought back certain important moments but in a different way. Like history repeating itself but mirrored. It's a nice touch.
- THAT PLOTTWIST WITH THE EMPEROR!! I am still shook about that. Did not see that coming at all!
- The brotherhood of the Feng Battalion and the loyalty towards Suige when everyone else in his life had either betrayed him or tried to kill him made me emotional. It was beautiful to watch.
Negatives:
- The amnesia trope..... It's been overused. I hate it. And no.. I'm not talking about Yixiao's memory loss at the beginning.
- The amount of times death came knocking at someone's door but they managed to save the person anyway was ridiculous.
I really do recommend watching this drama. It's one of the best 2025 has to offer with great storytelling and lots of cool swordfights and battles.
Was this review helpful to you?
