This review may contain spoilers
Generic in Disguise
Attracted by the warm glow, the sparkly dresses paired with fairy-like make-up and accessories, and the funny, almost “never-seen-before” atmosphere in a wuxia/xianxia-ish historical Chinese drama, I thought this would be a refreshing take on the transmigration-into-a-novel trope. But I was proven wrong… unfortunately.
Transmigration was merely a backdrop for a straight-up royal political intrigue, and a generic one at that. Your typical struggle for the throne, with revenge turning a supposed male lead into a villain and a greedy queen who just wants power and money.
The villain, Xiahou Bo, is a hell-bent character who wants the throne and hates Dan at every turn. But his hatred doesn’t feel justified. It often comes across as if his actions are driven by whim rather than depth, which makes his character feel flat and underdeveloped.
The Empress is similar, existing mostly for the audience to hate and condemn for her actions toward Dan.
Our male lead, Xiahou Dan, has so much more to his character and story. He represents the darker side of transmigration, different from the glamorous fantasy one might imagine when traveling into a novel. He entered the novel at the age of fifteen and had to endure everything from that young age. The trauma he experienced and the life he lived are deeply tragic. Yet the way other characters reacted to his story felt lacking, almost as if they never truly processed what he had gone through. Had the lens shifted more toward his perspective, it would have been a far more intriguing drama to watch, even if it meant embracing a darker tone.
Our female lead, Yu Wanyin, is head-on and headstrong. However, the way she processes waking up in a fictional novel feels far too quick and almost unrealistic. Her goal is to survive the story, not by trying to escape the novel, but by making sure she is the one who has the last laugh in the end. That, to me, is the entire issue. There is no moment of grief, no confusion, no desperation to return to her original life. It was strange how easily she seemed to throw her previous life away and fully integrate herself into this world. She barely thought about her family, only bringing them up later when convincing Yong-er to side with her. Her attitude did remind me of Ting Yan from When Destiny Brings the Demon, where she accepted her fate and did not care much for her real life because of how overworked she was. But the drama never showed Yu Wanyin or Wang Cuihua having such a difficult life to justify that kind of detachment. Without that foundation, her mindset feels less like strength and more like narrative convenience.
The chemistry between the leads is there. But perhaps the circumstances placed them together too conveniently and too quickly, leaving no real room for proper development. Because of that absence of growth, the chemistry never moved beyond a slight spark. It was not bland or flat. It simply existed. Not the kind of chemistry that makes you swoon or feel something deeper beyond what is shown on screen.
Other characters also felt used for convenience, with little depth to properly sympathize with or feel intrigued about what happens to them.
Overall, the story failed to meet the expectations built from what the trailer teased. It was not a story about a transmigrator finding her way through a pre-written narrative. Instead, it was your usual historical political plot with a dash of sparkly dresses, pretty make-up, and good lighting.
Transmigration was merely a backdrop for a straight-up royal political intrigue, and a generic one at that. Your typical struggle for the throne, with revenge turning a supposed male lead into a villain and a greedy queen who just wants power and money.
The villain, Xiahou Bo, is a hell-bent character who wants the throne and hates Dan at every turn. But his hatred doesn’t feel justified. It often comes across as if his actions are driven by whim rather than depth, which makes his character feel flat and underdeveloped.
The Empress is similar, existing mostly for the audience to hate and condemn for her actions toward Dan.
Our male lead, Xiahou Dan, has so much more to his character and story. He represents the darker side of transmigration, different from the glamorous fantasy one might imagine when traveling into a novel. He entered the novel at the age of fifteen and had to endure everything from that young age. The trauma he experienced and the life he lived are deeply tragic. Yet the way other characters reacted to his story felt lacking, almost as if they never truly processed what he had gone through. Had the lens shifted more toward his perspective, it would have been a far more intriguing drama to watch, even if it meant embracing a darker tone.
Our female lead, Yu Wanyin, is head-on and headstrong. However, the way she processes waking up in a fictional novel feels far too quick and almost unrealistic. Her goal is to survive the story, not by trying to escape the novel, but by making sure she is the one who has the last laugh in the end. That, to me, is the entire issue. There is no moment of grief, no confusion, no desperation to return to her original life. It was strange how easily she seemed to throw her previous life away and fully integrate herself into this world. She barely thought about her family, only bringing them up later when convincing Yong-er to side with her. Her attitude did remind me of Ting Yan from When Destiny Brings the Demon, where she accepted her fate and did not care much for her real life because of how overworked she was. But the drama never showed Yu Wanyin or Wang Cuihua having such a difficult life to justify that kind of detachment. Without that foundation, her mindset feels less like strength and more like narrative convenience.
The chemistry between the leads is there. But perhaps the circumstances placed them together too conveniently and too quickly, leaving no real room for proper development. Because of that absence of growth, the chemistry never moved beyond a slight spark. It was not bland or flat. It simply existed. Not the kind of chemistry that makes you swoon or feel something deeper beyond what is shown on screen.
Other characters also felt used for convenience, with little depth to properly sympathize with or feel intrigued about what happens to them.
Overall, the story failed to meet the expectations built from what the trailer teased. It was not a story about a transmigrator finding her way through a pre-written narrative. Instead, it was your usual historical political plot with a dash of sparkly dresses, pretty make-up, and good lighting.
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