Kasia Krakowianka

typical tear-jerker made in style

There was no synopsis when I started watching (I am on Shen Hao Nan spree) but from the first scene I knew this was going to be about lovers separated but clinging to each other obsessively. And right at ep 2 I realized this could be like The Tale of Love and Loyalty with my favorite Li Fei, but I was in for a great surprise: this is better in quality of script, twists and turns of the plot, more intricate dynamics among the characters that are impeccably developed and a really powerful delivery.

If you wonder: we get 4th prince and his girl of at least 3 years talking marriage while playing as a couple, making promises and tasting each other's lips - only for the girl to be forced into marriage with the Crown Prince while her beloved defends the country. FL does so to save her family from execution by the dying emperor. Thankfully the king dies and the crippled Crown Prince ascends making his wife the empress. Then the 2nd prince stages rebellion and the FL decided to ask her former boyfriend to come to the rescue. And of course, 4th Prince demands "payment" in return for killing the usurper. One can guess what she has to give him but, if you did not see The Tale of Love and Loyalty, unlike in the short drama from the early 2024 almost all the demanding and some taking here is done in front of the emperor (that is ML pushing for intimacy with her) and FL yielding willingly to become his maid/slave- all fervently opposed by the crippled emperor. No need to add that leads still love one another yet have to stay in their roles because of misunderstanding/outright lie and pride/concern. What follows is humiliation and emotional/physical violence toward FL-also by 2FL and the ML's lovely mother (who would want to have a mother-in-law like this?). And then we get more surprises-the emperor is really the good guy and the 4th prince the villain???

The angst of the leads being deeply hurt/cruel/protective/self-sacrificing/tormented/ruthless is superb however while this is definitely more dramatic than in another drama with the same trope, I was particularly irked by the "logic" behind the leads' decisions: the FL lying to ML about not loving him -to protect the lives of her clan-was not convincing. She could have ended her life (and had plenty of opportunities from the moment ML declared he too could blackmail her with the family lives like the emperor did)! And why is she protecting her emperor husband??? ML's emotional thinking included a belief that a man in a wheelchair could actually consummate marriage and that he had to torment his beloved for the sake of the past intimacy that really made them married before she became another man's woman. And risking her well-being for not good reason. What I did like was the whole good guy/gal turning completely nuts/ruthless and doing it in such a believable way!

I usually drop dramas where there is stupid misunderstanding or immaturity of the characters and definitely will not watch mindless humiliation or violence against people both genders, but I did not drop this because the whole thing was staged fantastically and edited with skill (but I will be honest-the last few episodes were choppy). Also, if there is a rape scene in the drama, I am going to give it low rating as a rule but here, well, I actually was impressed with how they framed it and kept watching also because I cared for all the characters from the beginning (well, maybe not the mother-in-law and 2FL, although the latter was really clever and -dare I say? -likable) and even the times them turning evil did not end my interest. This was much more complex than Li Fei's short drama and for VD this was actually filled with variety of unexpected things giving it the feel of at least a short drama and not VD which usually focus just on interactions between the leads.

The costumes and wigs and makeup were OK: non-intrusive and moving the eye to what mattered: the actors delivering dramatic yet realistic emotions, situations and actions that supported their character portrayal (down to a kick of the fainted FL by ML believing she is faking it). I particularly liked that the emasculated emperor actually cared for his wife and showed more emotional maturity than his counterparts in other dramas (and understandably only to a certain point). And I tell you - whoever wrote the dialogues was a literary master. I will go back to it just to savor that part of it.

Also, the version I watched (Daily Motion link curtesy of Jwells ❤️❤️❤️) had really good bgm even though I recognized half a dozen big budget dramas some of it came from.

This was probably the first vertical drama that both distressed me but also delighted me. Altogether a pretty good watch.

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a romance with unusual setting

I am on the Chen Tian Xiang (ML) spree watching everything he played in 2025 and there is a lot! (23 dramas 20 of which he plays as lead). So I have a chance to compare him in different roles (mostly costume) and I am impressed. He is a very good, expressive and natural actor. Here he plays two versions of self: the ruthless regent and meek scholar - both to win the girl he fell in love with.
The premise is simple and plot predictable so -with little surprises - we can indulge in clever moves, growing romance (plenty of kisses! and other intimate moments) and an interesting attitude of the leads.
FL is living her life second time around, so we watch how she sets up her husband and his family into ruin and while she makes choices to accomplish that she is expressing definitely modern ideas about women's rights, needs and independence to choose. The ML somehow follows her lead and so we can enjoy him being almost perfect boyfriend/lover who in the end marries into her family (matrilocal).
This feels completely like Please Come into My Heart (with the same lead actress which I rated 8/10) minus modern transmigrated FL in the plot. ML is a submissive boytoy who only shows his fangs to defend his girl. It was not as much fun as Yun Meng Gui with the same lead actor (which I rated 8/10 as well).
If you have nothing to do and like cute couples with a woman who calls the shots, you can spend 2.5 hours on this.

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Is there even a need for a review on this??? Do not watch beyond ep 41

First 40 episodes contain a seductions fest with funny and cute moments both explicit and suggestive. This deserves 7-7.5 maybe. But....
Next 20 episodes contain mostly dumbassery mixed with humiliation and cruelty toward FL. Not a pretty picture.
Last 20 episodes are regrets, grandiose delusions and attempts to right the wrong otherwise known as boring fest.
I think they came up with the idea of two souls in one body to pay for one less actress. Seriously, there was no earthly reason for putting that idea in the script as it was completely underutilized and could have been done with two actors playing two characters. Why would they do the two souls is beyond my understanding.
I was in the office with so many cancellations that every other hour I was bored to death and started watching it - now regretting not going to a dentist or something, which would have had at least some health value.
I give 1 star to mutants that should not have seen the light of the day and die on its own without anyone witnessing it.
PS
Feel sorry for the actors to have to "play" in something like that.

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Tropey but with solid characters and the story that will keep you watching

Who should not watch this: since this is a transmigration story anyone with aversion to modern people getting into ancient times and trying to be smarter than the history (and failing) will frown upon it. Anyone who is not fond of 'enemies to lovers' stuff particularly when lead couple consummates without even being sure they truly love each other (but there is chemistry and enough to shield your phone if you are watching it on public transportation). Very honest and morally unambivalent people will cringe at FL conspiring against her own father and dynasty (and leading ML on even though she only needs him to accomplish her goal of getting out of there) and ML faking affection to take revenge on Fl's father/family.

On the other hand, FANS OF HEI ZE FLOCK HERE!!! He again delivered his great skill and charm for everybody to savor. This is the right drama for someone who does not mind things not going according to the plan, women having fun with multiple guys and flirting without any thought of commitment (and being the one who initiates!), anyone who loves women's lib topics and watching failures of the leads in trying to go against traditions, circumstances and other people's power.

The story is simple, but the synopsis does not capture the magnitude of the plot: the modern woman is Emperor's beloved daughter who (even if she is capable of taking the throne instead of her brother) is still pushed around by males in her family and experiences what it means to be a woman in those days- even if as a princess. This is not some morality filled boring historical romance, but nicely played, shot and edited story of multiple characters, all with depth and background stories (which is hardly done in short dramas), peppered with profound one-liners of wisdom or fun, and shock from twists and turns that are hard to predict if you don't keep track of all small things, events, tertiary people in the story. Everything counts. Can't watch at 1.25x!

I enjoyed it very much from the start mostly because the current 7.0 rating and some comments posted here made me think that it was not a trendy release. And I love anything off the beaten path. I have to say: for a year and a half old (since release) cdrama I am surprised there was no review, so I am posting this with hope that more people will see it. Like this year's other stories that show couples who work together, communicate openly and plows through obstacles without sacrificing themselves - this was at least 8 for me and given seamless editing and great ending I will probably increase it.

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what a waste of really good idea

I am not happy about this drama because it really did not deliver. The beginning of the story has flashbacks to the modern times and ancient times but that is all. Nothing included in the plot, nothing explained. And the same flashbacks at the end. Like what the fudge??? I like both actors in lead but their story, even though it had a great potential, really was neither here nor there. The FL character was written like an imbecile, which I had a problem with because she could have been a much better one, but alas, this low budget thingy did not give us any chance to really care for the people in it. The villain was wooden and straight from cartoons. The 2ML was such a powerful presence yet completely underutilized. The 2nd couple was actually really cute, but then the whole cat demon thingy was reduced to a caricature. I am not sure if it deserves 7 points but I am writing this because after that bait beginning (with the leads on the motorcycle and in republican China which was awesome) I am left with "really??? what did I just watch???". If this was an inside joke of the makers of previous dramas with these actors, then it was really poorly executed and did not entice me to watch any of them. How would we even know that there were other dramas about this couple???
The screen writer and director need to go back to the drawing board and make it consistent story telling of two lovers across the time who sacrifice themselves for the sake of showing others that love between humans and demons is possible.

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local chronicle of the worst parts of Ming Dynasty living

If you are a survivor of childhood abuse, you may want to skip this or get ready to be triggered.
Historical drama and not a romance, but love is here, left and right, and wrong. And mystery. And frustration.
There are a few ways to describe this show. The most capturing is a great quiet love story between two mature adults who want to be together (long gazes, shy holding hands and trying to be where the other one is) as well as a love story of a rich and handsome guy who is ready to throw away his family honors and fortune to be with the low status woman he adores, and we can see where her heart starts to quicken! On the third hand 😂this is a story of obsession (not love) that schemes, manipulates and abuses in the name of a higher emotional "fate-driven" entitlement! All wrapped in intelligence of the FL, upright nature of a stoic ML, charms of carefree looker boy SML who stands by his lady, while we cringe at the presence and the smirk of the villain with his fingers in everything.
This is also a frustrating investigative drama following minor yamen cases and the past secrets and mysteries of local residents with power struggle amongst prefectural dignitaries with a few of greedy merchants and stuck-up scholars mixed in.

This drama is a spellbinding story of lower- or middle-class people who struggle with maintaining their morality and staying afloat. You get FL who avoids attention and favors, and even love, while using her gender assigned attributes to keep alive, because that gives her a chance to maybe uncover the secret of her parent's death or someone's misery, and to contribute to giving the world a bit of hope and justice because she is a woman who perseveres by bending rather than breaking - without losing her integrity. You get a sobering sense of how little power most people had in setting own life and how much manipulation they endured which yielded sorrow, disappointment and resignation.

I liked how the drama was made - you don't get awesome color palette, breathtaking views, opulent interiors and frilly costumes as life here is harsh in general unless you are nobility or hold higher office. You don't get swooning females, sword-handling cavaliers professing their love with dimples and receiving eye lid flutters with smiled kisses. You don't get larger than life characters fighting with spiritual powers and heroes who save the day.

Really good script not aiming at dazzling us with cleverness of the yamen investigators, solid characters that slowly reveal what their dilemmas are, great camera work around slightly claustrophobic set and good editing (the director used mini-drama tricks to make this full-length series flow almost effortlessly and move us from one part to another without much unnecessary filler delays). Perfect musical framing. Actors picked for their acting styles and ability to embody the characters.
Unfortunately, after watching the whole series I had to keep my rating low because of anticlimactic and underwhelming ending. Something happened after ep 31 where the script and the story line became weak and the explanation behind what happened in ep36 are completely missing.

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Completely silly and fun. An absolute must watch for the fans of Wang Ze Xuan

I really enjoyed the story of a modern spunky girl bumping into the consciousness of a meek ancient boy. The silliness and lightness of the scenes are hard not to enjoy, but you have to watch it tongue in cheek otherwise you will be dropping this. We have a clever girl enjoying the ride while taking charge of the meek massage master at a male bathhouse - you can tell where this is going, right? Well, the twist is: to get back to her life she needs to make the ML marry the princess of whom he has been hopelessly dreaming about. Of course, the things get complicated when the boy and the girl fall in love inside of his mind...
Cheng Fang Tong is a master of comedies, but she is pretty versatile. If you have not had a chance to watch Wang Ze Xuan before -this role was really a showcase of his talents. A Yi Xia although her role was rather poorly written did a marvelous job of being a proud princess. There is some eye candy with bare chests, but I really enjoyed the range of acting by the ML as he went from a pushover awkward boy to a loud and bossy girl, through a man terrified of the things that are happening to him, and recognizing and missing his love, to a man sacrificing himself in the name of that love and his beloved. I watched him in A Familiar Stranger and Hard to Find, and believe he is a great talent worthy of main roles in full length dramas. And even if this was not an ambitious production, I am giving it a high mark for that reason.

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weak character in a gloomy/melancholic story with disappointing ending

Not often do I see ML purposely portrayed as a weak or indecisive benevolent person who is being forced into another person's will but DOES NOT show that heroic determination to overcome his shortcomings. In most cases we see hero's journey from one characteristic to something different, but here ML stays the same.
This was underwhelming overall effort to show something but what - I have hard time to determine
Honestly the best part was ep 1 and 2 where I loved two virgins drugged and intimate and trying to figure out what to do with themselves. But after that - the FL remains the least expressive, which suits her characterization but makes the story boring. Likewise, ML actor did a great job playing wilted flower of disfranchised emperor. The royal brother was played well, but royal uncle meh. I really really liked the side story of the Empress but the ending was bleak and we are left with sad reinforcement of the old feudal rules regarding women, rape, pregnancy, shame and such.
I am moving on to watch Mission of the Heart where Meng En is another lead. Perhaps that one will be better.

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What an incredibly complex story!!!!

I read the synopsis and saw who is playing and that was enough to start watching. But this miniseries was really surprising in what content it offered along with hidden identity characters and ahm... kissing and other hot bodies scenes. I will not try to give you the plot because there would be enough to keep you reading for 20 minutes but believe me - this one has everything and some!
The best parts:
*The actors are very eye catching, playing their hearts out. All of them!
*The plot gets you through a roller coaster of emotions because in 24 episodes you watch all possible options of what could go wrong and right with the revenge plan delivered by at least 3 people. Including brothel performer with zero power becoming royal consort and the prince being dropped from the top place in the royal hierarchy to the position of a slave. Trying to figure out who to root for and what to hope for at whichever point of the drama (given the knowledge of the motives of all characters at that moment) was part of this wild ride.
* Characters as written are in itself a treat. It's hard to tell who the good guy is and why, because all throughout the series you get jaw dropping disclosures and surprises. Heck, even toward the end you still get that sinking feeling in the stomach as the screen writer does not care about our expectations and takes no prisoners (figuratively speaking). The final discovery is not so shocking, but you still feel like it was coming since the beginning and was well hidden even though you get the sense of who the villain could be early on (you just don't know exactly why, and the target shifts a couple of times). But you will get a lovely romance and a couple triangles of love along with second leads. Characters are pretty much set and not changing, just revealing a bit more of their personalities, secrets and hidden agendas.
*OST was fitting the mood and well developed. A few instrumental pieces were actually better than songs.

Shortcomings:
*Honestly, it took me a long time to finish this not only because Mango TV channel was not always tuning in for me and YT version of Mango TV produced really bad translation of the drama with awfully chopped version with no opening or ending credits, but I had to put a lot of energy towards figuring out what is who saying due to delayed/sped up translation not synchronized with the scenes. Hopefully you will watch a better version and rate it higher.
*What I did not appreciate was the ease with which the people in the story were easily fooled, swayed or turned against their loved ones, even if for short period of time, thank God.
*I joked that half of the budget went to the red paint and person splashing it at actors faces.
*Sometimes scenes were mainly for our viewing enjoyment ie kisses, bedroom and bath interludes not really adding to the story or our understanding of the characters. You will see plenty of long loving glances as well as passionate glares and close ups. Chemistry? Ah, not consistent because of the plot, but there is teasing and seduction.
*it got rather tedious with every new turn in the story line after ep 18 - I was getting tired of the ups and downs and just wanted them to be together and happy but must say it kept my interest to the last moment.

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A lovely low budget romance with a great plot and great chemistry, and lot of kisses with OE

Nine Lives Reunion!!! Imagine an orphan raised and trained as an assassin by her godfather who now sets on revenge. In the process she is married off to her childhood friend whom she does not recognize but who still loves her and actually helps her realize the truth behind the events that left her parents dead. But, the villain seems a step ahead of the couple, so no matter how they try to fix the past and how many times they die and loop back to the time of their first encounter as adults - the fate just dishes up surprise after surprise including her killing the man who loves her, her not remembering him at all, her marrying another dude, him abandoning her to fix everything on his own, etc.! You will be amazed by the story and even if overall this is just a cute and simple romance with time loops and limited number of lives of the leads, you are in for a great development of feelings for the characters that are played rather well. This drama reminded me of Reset (and BTW Liu Zhi Li, ML, played support role in it!) but it delivers more sweet moments of getting close and reuniting of the two lovers all dosed in great kissing! Sure, there are some idiotic moments and shortcuts that do not aide anything, plus that open ending yikes! And the translation on IQIYI was rather bad or missing, but you will easily fill in the gaps and enjoy it. AND this is a gem if you are looking for great looking making out scenes, you will not be disappointed - just check out the ep 10. The lead actors have great chemistry and fit together very well. They both have some good performances under their belts at this point (Strange Princess and Echo of her Voice; Startling Love with amazing cross dressing! and even Moonlight Mystique) and I do hope will have more roles that utilize their fresh and natural acting. OST is appropriately placed and adds to the experience. The on-location feel lends itself to making it an 8/10 although open ending and the secondary romance dropped it for me to 7.5

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This could have been so much better but falls flat on its face-this was not Mr. Queen

I was so taken in by the synopsis that says "Modern CEO Lin Yu Hao suddenly finds his consciousness transported into the tea merchant game he developed, now inhabiting the body of Wei Xiao Tang, a new bride of the Li family" and the trailer that shows two modern guys looking at each other lovingly. I surmised that even though a man "becomes" a woman in the game, he will actually fall in love with the ML. And I was not wrong, except...
Both lead actors were playing well as per scripted character roles, but the story was cliche and delivered in such a way that left me scratching my head. I was really, really hoping for openly gay romance, but instead it was ML silently waiting or minimally working on getting FL, who really was not that interested in anything but the game.
The most important part that the makers I think were trying to focus on is that loving someone of the same sex is OK and - given heavy reliance on "fated" connection in cdrama tradition- if we are attracted on someone of the same sex it is probably because we were in the "normal" relationship with them in previous life. Or in a dream. Or in the game. Or some other justification that at this point is needed for CCP and conservative Chinese public that believes in two genders and attraction along these lines.
There was way too many slow mo scenes and repetition of the the same scenes wrapped in music taken from another short drama A Familiar Stranger, which for me ruined the final effect.
And while we get a HE the writing at the end are desperate attempt to put substance in this production regardless of what it really could not accomplish in 25 episodes.
If you like the actors - watch it. If you want Bromance skip it. If you want BL go watch Kill to Love again.

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A predictable plot with okay acting but one hell of the message in ep 18!

I will not give too much of what the story is about because it's nothing new. What I will praise this for (and that is the main reason for giving this 8/10) is the ep 18 handling of incredibly harsh event and its aftermath. Hats off to the screenwriter for creating this powerhouse of an episode. If you don't want to know - skip this, but if you want to check for yourself - just watch ep 18.
As a trauma therapist I can only say that any woman who has been sexually assaulted could benefit from watching it. True, not every woman would have killed her rapist (and I do not condone killing, honorary or for revenge), but I am stressing both the heroine's and her man's reactions to the event. And how they acted it out. Well, maybe if he was less pushing for the kissing at the end, I would have given it 8.5). This is why the weak plot and mediocre acting overall are forgiven. Unlike what we could see in Love and Bid Farewell (where I questioned the fact of having no redeeming value in showing the rape) this gives us something to ponder on.
I liked the colors, costumes and decorations, but like many viewers disliked the face make up of FL. I liked the cute interactions between them although I must say it was typical modern girl with pseudo-historical man and completely goofy dad. We got what the audience likes in these shorter dramas, incl. evil prince, although I believe that there was no resolution of the FL's transmigration in the first place.
And as always with c drama - alas, the title has nothing to do with the plot.
Would I watch it again? If not in the entirety, then just to share the wisdom in ep 18.

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If all emperors were this dumb how would the real China survive 5 thousand years?

I like Patrick Quan. And that is the main reason I wrote this review: to redirect his fans to something better as I had never written a review for something this bad. Do not waste your time on this. The story in itself was a compilation of old used tropes and done in such a way that honestly I played at 1.5x and it was still annoyingly repetitive. I started watching because of Quan Pei Lun who is a decent actor and excels in the roles of villains (most recently in Gemini where he was very, very good). Alas, this production, even though it gave him the lead was so bad - starting with script, pacing, characters, acting and editing- I actually regret the 90 minutes spent on it.
This could have been a decent drama: imagine woman who saves a prince but does not know it's a prince because he lost memories, but stay together for 3 years living great life as married couple. He prepares for taking imperial exam and as soon as he comes to capitol regains memories and is swept into the life of the court, ultimately forsaking the woman after people sent to get her report she disappeared. Years pass and one day capitol is buzzing with a news of someone selling really unique oyster sauce. As now emperor ML tastes it (fond of it as his wife from amnesia times used to cook it for him). So he tries to acquire the person with that unique recipe only to discover it's a kid who is cooking his mother's recipe and his mother has been in a coma for years and looks like an old lady (she was pregnant when emperor left her and she aged unexpectedly during coma). Emperor is impressed with the kid, but due to gluttony develops allergic reaction to the sauce and so the court demands kid's/mother's life for poisoning his majesty. To make things interesting the "wife" or a woman who looks like long lost love of the emperor appears, but is only a substitute provided by the Dowager Empress. Miraculously the woman in the coma wakes up and recognizes her lover only to be ridiculed and repeatedly beaten up for daring to pose as Emperor's love. Needless to say the fake lover is trying hard to kill both the old lady and the kid. The emperor does amazing job to get to the bottom of things and saves both his woman and his son.
Well, if that was the story I may have given it 7.5-8 if played well. But what you will actually see is nothing described above. It is never ending fest of a dumb as a box of rocks emperor moves (summed up by the fake lover as "really useless") and people around him doing the usual rolling of the eyes, tight jaws, frowns and fake crying, with occasional murderous glances and vicious fake laughs (ha ha ha ha ha). Even the cute kid actor could not save it.
Honestly, watch the last 7 minutes and see if it will make you move. If not, skip it.

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Clever, funny, well-acted romance with time travel you will enjoy

I know that there are some people who did not like it because of the ending but let me tell you: you will enjoy this costume drama regardless of what comes in the end!
What I enjoyed was a clever story of time travel with complete reversal of the roles, epochs and such, and an ending that actually makes sense and you will like it too if you pause for a moment and get your breadcrumbs together.

I enjoyed humor, particularly three male concubines in the Cold Palace. I liked the consistency of the personalities and how the actors played them, I loved the scenery - nothing familiar about the vistas, architecture of the main location and decor/costumes/makeup. I really liked the music, the theme sung by the female singer (I have not yet looked it up). Yes, it was smaller budget miniseries, but editing was good as was the artistic concept of this thing.

Now, in all honesty I am not sure how you will interpret the plot but here is what I got out of it.
In the coup staged by the 2nd prince the Emperor of the Southern Kingdom is killed and the Crown Prince framed for it. The Princes, FL, quelches the rebellion, bans CP and takes over the throne because she is a kick ass heroine, and her 2nd brother can't measure up. Unfortunately, during the coup the Princess (now Empress) witnesses the death of a brave warrior who actually dies saving her - in her arms I must add. We see that he gives her a bracelet in some scene so we know that he is someone special but can't really tell how close he is to her. The freshly crowned Empress grieves her father, exiled brother and the man who died in her arms while looking at the bracelet and as the bracelet falls apart, the Empress gets transported into the future.

She ends up 1000 years later with a movie star (who looks just like the guy who died protecting her) and because of a paparazzi taking some compromising pictures, she ends up being shoved into the position of the spoilt brat star's assistant. Luckily, her guard gets transported as well and the two of them get to know the modern times while trying to figure out how to get back to their own time. There is a Fairy Goldfish that reveals to the Empress that she must get the movie star fall in love with her, if she is to go back, so you know what is going to happen next. In the process the Empress encounters a man who reminds her of her 2nd brother, the villain, and she even gets to act with the ML she is falling in love with thus enraging the pouty female lead in the drama they play together. The learning of life in 21st century is not a breeze for an ancient woman also because the guy she works for is a prima donna. But they are getting closer and fonder of each other. There are even sweet moments there. But the Empress is determined to find her way back and her guard works on it too. Finally, when she and the guard are ready to go back, as luck would have it, the ML who is completely head over hills with the Empress (and is now accepting that she is from another time) confesses to her. Alas, Empress really wants to go home and rejects him, but before she does that jealous female movie star rams her car into the garden and ML saves the Empress once again. Unluckily, he dies in Empress' arms after that, and his blood and her tears activate the bracelet that he was just offering her as a proposal token. As a result, she and the guard go back to their times. Luckily, ML goes back unharmed too just because Fairy Goldfish said so.

And now we get to see the Empress in her own element and ML trying to survive in ancient times while trying to get to his love. And he is not having that much fun because the Empress is avoiding him! Why? The first thing that the Empress learns from the Fairy Goldfish upon returning is - the fate of her and ML is set: he will always die protecting her-in any life. The Empress is terrified because she saw him die twice, so now she is staying away and even after ML becomes a harem boy with two other cuties, there is no getting to her. Banned to the Cold Place the three male concubines do a song and dance routine to gain Empress favor. That is interspersed with gross, but funny beating up of the Northern Kingdom Prince who is being pushed as a husband for the Empress. I will spare you the details, there are twists and turns like first Empress declaring that women can sit for imperial examinations and be officials, then that each man can have only one wife and no concubines, then injuring her leg during daily yoga and ML procuring a wheelchair, then ML being poisoned by the 2nd prince who is aware of the Empress fondness of ML (ML again ends up nearly dead in her embrace!) and the Empress facing giving up throne or not getting antidote for the ML's poison. In the end both leads are victorious: he is detoxified, and she catches 2nd prince red-handed in rebellion. When all is done and we are watching them reunite, there is an assassin shooting an arrow at the Empress and - well you guessed it: ML dies protecting his love.
Did you like it? Of course not! How to like watching her holding him dying for the 4th time? Except...
As the snow falls on the Empress holding her dead lover the camera zooms out, director yells, cut and wrap-up and we realize that the Empress never went back to the Southern Kingdom, but stayed and became a movie star acting with the ML and they have their thing going on.
It was a clever story with a HE but not the ending we were expecting and that is why I am giving it 9!

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You know the genius when you see it

A stunningly beautiful production with great idea for the "plot" seamless masterful editing and content that will blow your mind. This short gem tells a "story" of human experience, emotions and entrapment from which we can free ourselves. I found this moving, inspiring and hopeful. Honestly, after seeing another mini drama by this director, I knew this was going to be great, but the final effect was absolutely fantastic.
It is hard to describe what you will get/enjoy about this movie as it all depends on who you are, what is your lifetime experience and level of personal growth/sense of meaning. I have not seen a movie of that magnitude in a while.
You are not losing much by watching - maybe 20 minutes of your 'now', but I guarantee this will stay with you, no matter what you rate it.

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