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14
Can love survive when it’s built on lies? Can obsession ever be pure?
I have very mixed feelings about this drama. I like it for the convoluted plot, forbidden romance and a costume BL from China but at the same time it's watching soap opera to pass as Shakespeare! But I do applaud the effort.
First thing first, if you are here for a cookie cutter romance drama, run the other way around because it is anything but that.
The drama doesn’t try to sugarcoat its plot. It’s messy, complicated and at times very frustrating as hell. It is a dark, twisted descent that leaves you with questions on what is love and how love can be anything but also destructive and beautiful! How isn't it just about warmth, gentle touches but also about unhealthy obsession and power struggle! How passion can heal you but also be destructive to shake kingdoms!
It is a story of Duan Zi Ang, an assassin who falls in love with his childhood friend Xiao Shuhe all while plotting to bring the kingdom's downfall and avenge his parents.
What stands out here isn’t sweetness or innocence. It’s the tension. To be completely honest, I do not sympathise with both the characters but the plot was compelling enough for me to want to see how far they both would go!
They are trapped not just by duty or bloodline, but by their own desires and regrets. Very early on it is clear, their love story is fragile, intense but also doomed! Every interaction they share is a question. Are they lovers? Enemies? Pawns of a bigger game? The drama never lets you be sure. Instead, it plays in the gray area where love bleeds into obsession and somehow dedication becomes control. There are moments of tenderness, but they are fleeting and laced with tragedy.
Another thing that I enjoyed was how politics wasn't too overpowering and boring. Somehow I enjoyed the tussle that it brought between personal feelings and political/professional duties! Though the war conflict aspect could have been way better.
Also, I was actually invested in the toxic love story between the Crown Prince and Huo Ying. Almost convinced myself that it was headed somewhere dark and interesting… until it spectacularly crashed. I saw it coming from the synopsis but those two had so much chemistry and you can't just ignore them.
Coming to what I have conflicting feelings about is the overall pacing. While the story before the assassination feels well developed, the second half of it feels a bit dragged. The conflicts were very predictable and somehow monotonous. It was delivered intensely but you could see the trainwreck from afar.
The second glaring issue was the choppy editing. At times, it felt downright confusing, with scenes jumping around so abruptly that making sense of the story became a real challenge. I know it isn't a big production, but I feel this wasn't consistent...few episodes were fine but where there was transition between past and present, that is where the issue was.
The cinematography was pretty and I did like their costumes especially Shuhe's hair accessories. Also, few of the angsty dialogues were really good and hit home.
Acting wise, I found both the actors pretty decent, like they gradually grew on me as the drama progressed. It was hard to get invested with the awkward delivery especially in the first few episodes . However, as the story picked up, so did their acting. Emotions landed more authentically and their interactions started to feel more believable. By the middle and end of the drama, they definitely found their rhythm.
Overall, if you are in the mood for something that messes with your head, leaves you questioning loyalty and makes you root for a love that probably shouldn’t survive… this is exactly what you’ve been looking for. It has its flaws but it is surprisingly enjoyable!
** Fav quotes **
ᡣ𐭩 Between us so much is beyond control. But no matter how chaotic the world gets Shuhe, I am still Duan Zi'ang
ᡣ𐭩 By the end I couldn't tell if I was deceiving him or deceiving myself.
I am going to talk about the ending at the bottom, please do not read/scroll below if you don't want to know.
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The ending ( SPOILERS AHEAD)
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And about the ending… if you were expecting anything even remotely different from what we got, congratulations, you have officially earned the title of my delulu friend because me too. Somehow, I saw it coming, but that doesn’t make it any less of a trauma. Serving such a beautiful episode only to hit us with that tragic ending felt like a cruel joke. Still, I loved Shuhe finally meeting his Gege and clearing out the misunderstanding.
First thing first, if you are here for a cookie cutter romance drama, run the other way around because it is anything but that.
The drama doesn’t try to sugarcoat its plot. It’s messy, complicated and at times very frustrating as hell. It is a dark, twisted descent that leaves you with questions on what is love and how love can be anything but also destructive and beautiful! How isn't it just about warmth, gentle touches but also about unhealthy obsession and power struggle! How passion can heal you but also be destructive to shake kingdoms!
It is a story of Duan Zi Ang, an assassin who falls in love with his childhood friend Xiao Shuhe all while plotting to bring the kingdom's downfall and avenge his parents.
What stands out here isn’t sweetness or innocence. It’s the tension. To be completely honest, I do not sympathise with both the characters but the plot was compelling enough for me to want to see how far they both would go!
They are trapped not just by duty or bloodline, but by their own desires and regrets. Very early on it is clear, their love story is fragile, intense but also doomed! Every interaction they share is a question. Are they lovers? Enemies? Pawns of a bigger game? The drama never lets you be sure. Instead, it plays in the gray area where love bleeds into obsession and somehow dedication becomes control. There are moments of tenderness, but they are fleeting and laced with tragedy.
Another thing that I enjoyed was how politics wasn't too overpowering and boring. Somehow I enjoyed the tussle that it brought between personal feelings and political/professional duties! Though the war conflict aspect could have been way better.
Also, I was actually invested in the toxic love story between the Crown Prince and Huo Ying. Almost convinced myself that it was headed somewhere dark and interesting… until it spectacularly crashed. I saw it coming from the synopsis but those two had so much chemistry and you can't just ignore them.
Coming to what I have conflicting feelings about is the overall pacing. While the story before the assassination feels well developed, the second half of it feels a bit dragged. The conflicts were very predictable and somehow monotonous. It was delivered intensely but you could see the trainwreck from afar.
The second glaring issue was the choppy editing. At times, it felt downright confusing, with scenes jumping around so abruptly that making sense of the story became a real challenge. I know it isn't a big production, but I feel this wasn't consistent...few episodes were fine but where there was transition between past and present, that is where the issue was.
The cinematography was pretty and I did like their costumes especially Shuhe's hair accessories. Also, few of the angsty dialogues were really good and hit home.
Acting wise, I found both the actors pretty decent, like they gradually grew on me as the drama progressed. It was hard to get invested with the awkward delivery especially in the first few episodes . However, as the story picked up, so did their acting. Emotions landed more authentically and their interactions started to feel more believable. By the middle and end of the drama, they definitely found their rhythm.
Overall, if you are in the mood for something that messes with your head, leaves you questioning loyalty and makes you root for a love that probably shouldn’t survive… this is exactly what you’ve been looking for. It has its flaws but it is surprisingly enjoyable!
** Fav quotes **
ᡣ𐭩 Between us so much is beyond control. But no matter how chaotic the world gets Shuhe, I am still Duan Zi'ang
ᡣ𐭩 By the end I couldn't tell if I was deceiving him or deceiving myself.
I am going to talk about the ending at the bottom, please do not read/scroll below if you don't want to know.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The ending ( SPOILERS AHEAD)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
And about the ending… if you were expecting anything even remotely different from what we got, congratulations, you have officially earned the title of my delulu friend because me too. Somehow, I saw it coming, but that doesn’t make it any less of a trauma. Serving such a beautiful episode only to hit us with that tragic ending felt like a cruel joke. Still, I loved Shuhe finally meeting his Gege and clearing out the misunderstanding.
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