Kasia Krakowianka

Nice story but nothing to fall in love with

So the general's daughter Bai Chu meets a boy Lin Yu when she is very young. They are sweet on each other, but lost track of one another after boy does not show up for the mutually agreed meeting. Later on, a similar encounter happens between them, but this time the young man is in a predicament - he serves one of royal princes as his double or Shadow (hence the title Substitute). The royal sons Qi and Chen fight for the title of the Crown Prince and Lin Yu's sentiment for Bai Chu and common history is used by his employer to get general's backing via marriage with Bai Chu. Except, the prince is sickly and really not interested in the girl, so he sends his double to act as the prince. Chu and Yu are in love, but the prince knows that he will be assassinated, and Yu will have to pay the ultimate price for having a face identical to the prince. But the prince gives him a choice - marry the girl he likes and become the next Crown Prince or die in prince's place on the wedding day. As Bai Chu interacts with both men, not aware of the truth, she is both puzzled and elated that her childhood sweetheart is so cold and yet marrying her.
The wedding day comes and not only a man wearing the wedding gown is killed by the ruthless villain prince Qi, but also Chu's parents. The question we ask ourselves is: who really died? The prince or his guard? and the consequences are dire as revenge is necessary. What will happen now? The girl goes to train as an assassin for a year in Ghost Valley (not sure why she could not stick with poisons which she already knew), but she sucks at it even though she is sent to gather the evidence to prove the evil deeds of prince Qi, who has been grounded since his brother's wedding by the emperor. Bai Chu knows that a man died in her arms on her wedding day, so she is bewildered by the news that her husband has been recuperating in the palace this past year because his wound festers from the poison. And then she tries to steal the evidence from the man who OMG! looks like her dead husband! Ta-da!

This is a familiar trope of fated relationship and ultimate sacrifice - I am not giving away the ending, so if you are afraid of pain and sorrow, you just have to wait until someone will give away the spoiler. Or watch and have an epiphany.
This title was not on MDL until yesterday and I actually had to add it. After it appeared on IQIYI a few weeks ago I watched it right away because I just wanted to see Liang Xue Feng in another lead role (loved him as Young Master Hua in My Journey to You and was tracking his acting ability in 3 other series this year). While not disappointed with his acting, I thought the script and characters were blah. PLEASE no more villains who laugh like they perform in high school production of Wicked. On the other hand, Wang Ze Xuan, the crazy female-like prince from Hard to Find or the obsessed prince from A Familiar Stranger, is also here! And darn ! he plays well. FL is not bad, I have not seen her in other productions. OST is waltzy, which always lends itself to emotional support.

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The best contemporary story of urban life in China

The best contemporary story of urban life in China. Real characters, adult relationships, lovely music, breathtaking shots of Beijing and an amazing close up of ugliness of business side of life (corporate scheming!). A poignant review of various social issues so common all over the world, incl. gender, economic and generational gaps, with smart, but vulnerable men and women, downplayed in the way that delivers without making you feel like you are watching propaganda. Instead, we get to watch from a hidden place how China has changed in the past 25 years and experience with the characters a small slice of life that this existence carries for us. Excellent casting. Great directing and editing. I loved cinematography as it fed into my longing for the real China, the one I experienced in person and not via silly cdramas. Comparable only to My Liberation Notes and Go Ahead.

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This was released 2 weeks before the murder of Yu Meng Long

I did not know that I am going to see something like that just a month after Yu Meng Long's murder. A story of a lovely actor who faces wrongs done to others (mostly girls) and standing up to big wigs on their behalf. A story of a top idol who does not back away from facing the critique of his fans for getting engaged/married. A man who is humiliated by hateful people but still comes out clean and without losing his integrity, dignity and compassion.

I am not saying this is the story of the murder of a famous actor, but what the life of actors looks like given the industry. And if something like that can be still showed in VD, no wonder CCP is trying to crack up on it.

I appreciated open commentary and showing with accuracy who is doing the wrong thing: starting with big shots, through hateful and morally weak individuals to brainless, media-fed petty mob/general public - all making the life of a star miserable,

While tropey and predictable, this was done wright - with human dignity upheld high and chemistry bubbling, steaming and exploding. I am giving this 8 even though it was nothing new, but like I said - this was done right.

I bet that if you are looking for romance with sexy scenes you would not expect the script this loaded with moral content. And I bet that if you give it a try you will not only enjoy it but also ponder on the cruelty and greed that comes with power - something that 72% of humanity lives under as of today.

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Nice story with a lot of history

I was attracted to the plot not because it was unique- as in time travel- but in how openly the time travel was treated and for what purposes. The idea of two modern people from two different countries meeting up in ancient China WAS novel and the love story even without the intimacy or explicit declaration was very touching. But that was pretty much an excuse to show the history behind traditional process of creating ceramics, which I found infinitely fascinating. This was sort of CCP Ministry of Education student project quality but the idea was brilliant. The length of the whole thing was around an hour so it was still impressive how much was packed into it.
This is NOT traditional c drama but something that only a few folks will like.
Thanks to Arclei for posting the link to YT with this!

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Not what I expected from micro drama (VD) 7.75 for me

I watched the lead actors before (with positive reaction) and so when I came across this, I just had to watch it. To my surprise this was rather good story that consistently showed two people misled by each other's insecurities and stubborn adherence to negative thinking.
What I liked:
FL determined to correct her own mistakes rather than taking a revenge from the first life
ML not torturing or humiliating a woman who shows no interest in him and more self-determination and power than other females there
FL who is smart but also vulnerable (traces of trauma from the first time around make her a real character and not a caricature of a woman)
ML who cherishes his pride with idiotic results, but in the end grows up to try to follow his feelings for the girl he wants
both leads fit the "ancient" role models well and use their assigned roles to their advantage - no stupid modern brains/ideas in historical bodies
character-driven exchanges, crisis and twists in the plot incl. parents who are not self-centered
actors who are very comfortable in their characters where dignity prevails and there is no need for cheap tricks with skin ship and steamy scenes
ending that implies happy resolution, but leaves room for our imagination to create a few other possibilities incl. season 2
What you may not like:
no romance per se where you get frenemies or hate to love or something like that
little of what VD are famous for - provocative bedroom activity or sexual tension
no worthy fight scenes, only a couple satisfying beating the crap out of creeps
no big-time villains and schemers
almost open ending
Alas, the YT version I saw had really no music hence my low score for it (I will be looking for the version in individual episodes with bgm) and eng subs that were either delayed or missing - that is why I am only rating it 7.5 but all things considered - it is an interesting watch.
Also, make sure you watch the version that runs at least 2 hrs 40 min ending in final goodbye.

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Masterfully underplayed heart-felt love with crime investigations and more

Presumably at the behest of Empress Dowager Cixi (who else can China make a scapegoat for the end of Qing dynasty unrest with paranormal elements?) a member of royal lineage of little importance follows a "supernatural" girl and her Big Dipper/Seven Star Lamp that supposedly can grant the E.D. immortal life. Discovering that the prince and the emotionless woman can enter the dreams of dying people to fulfill their final wishes they embark on debunking what looks like the works of ghosts, spirits and demons the pair (and a resident of said lamp that these two can see) move toward the resolution and - their doom. The love is of the melancholy type, but it is not the center of the plot. In fact, neither are the leads. Each case they unravel gives us complex stories - human and societal- with top notch artists playing their hearts out. For some reason there is little info on the supporting actors, but I tell you - each person on screen is embodying their characters and playing to our viewing content. The intrigue is OK, tropes predictable, but the final result is really good. A very good watch and nice directing, editing and music.
This production has very similar mood to Under the Moonlight (but we get much better romance here than in UtM and no stupid ML!) and we get the old c-dramas feel of innocence and propriety with grittiness like that in Riverside Code at Qingming Festival (but with concise, not as rich slice of life as RCaQF delivered).

Call me crazy, but I thought that this ending (like the beautiful one in The Love Story of the Oiled Paper Umbrella with Yu Meng Long) was fitting. Loved to watch them fall in love and if the alternative title was to be bestowed, I would have chosen "Flutter of the heart" for the first love reunited-and proving us and the leads wrong about the supernatural, because after all magic can happen in this world!

PS
Personally, I gave it 9 even though I know most people will be ticked that this is definitely a set up for S2. Which I am counting on!

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Actually a very nice love story.

What a nice love story with good, bad and ugly parts, but for me (who is hunting for perfect villains) the evil prince was the reason for giving the high rating. Yes, he is that good! Everything that other people wrote so far about this is true: horrible Eng
translation, twists and turns of the plot, bizarre elements, chemistry btwn Xiao Mei and Qing Zhu is good and the sad ending turned happy with the reincarnation makes the viewer satisfied. The complaints about the sadistic SML fell on death ears as the production was really nicely balancing the doses of SML's evilness with ML's goodness. So here is what I loved about this mini drama:
I started watching this after I saw that the ML from Love in a Dream (and he was really tugging at my heart there) was co-starring with my favorite heartthrob Li Fei here. In Love in a Dream Zhang Jin Yun was "the man" all gentleness with chivalry, but meant business with enemies. Here, he is a powerhouse of unscrupulous evil. BRAVO Zhang Jin Yun!!! He is playing such a delicious villain who never disappoints no matter how much we want him to show a bit of humanity, he is a psychopath to the brim and has absolutely no feelings for anyone, because he just wants to exercise his power over FL for fun and personal satisfaction. Unlike other bad characters in other dramas this role is magnificently played without overdoing rolling of the eyes, murderous facial expression and jaw like that of a shark. Humiliation score of the evil prince is 10/10. Even in the last scene with him, where he is trying to get Qing Zhu back his "desperation" has nothing to do with love, but mere need of a narcissist to have another person to torture. WOW! He is full of malice in such a chillingly charming way that I am going to watch him in every production available out there with Eng subs!!! Love Li Fei smiling... but the poor guy seems to be the magnet for being a porcupine - meaning being shot by arrows by his opponents. I am loving it even though things got (or should I say goat LOL) nonsensical in ep 15. And let me tell you about the FL lead... Zhu Li Lan sent me looking up her dramas and I am watching out for all 6 (!) new titles she is starring in as a main actress (no release date available yet). Overall this was really well played, interestingly scripted (if a bit excentric at times) decently made and masterfully acted drama.

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Fantastic story great chemistry superb acting

I am in awe of this script-the plot, the characters, the dialogues and the details that are oh so skilled dancing on the edge of impossible and real, horrible and human! Deliciously blood curling with villain hiding in the plain sight!

I am not big on angsty dramas, but this became "bite my nail" show halfway through and I was glued to the screen regardless of
1 really knowing how this is going to end (but staying on the edge of my seat how they are going to pull it off)
2 the poor YT version with little music (borrowed from other shows, but instrumentals with drums were great)
3 violence against women by other females and men who claim they love the victims (but somehow it was done in the watchable way).
I usually pay attention to dramas with these things (and avoid them), but honestly it did not matter here because from the first scene there was enough to grip my attention and keep me watching. Mostly the bad boy first prince 🤣🤣🤣

From the synopsis we know there is a love triangle, but - is there, really? For me there was only one character pairing, and you would have to be blind to not notice how the First Prince and his assassin were intertwining their bodies, emotions and fates.
Pluses:
I loved how the two princes were written and portrayed -they made me feel for them right away and shift my allegiance with the developments in the story.
I loved the FL - the actress did an amazing job to show us the whole ordeal being bread and butter of the women's life in feudal China-her character was real and evoking compassion.
I also loved the chief eunuch - I have no idea how and why such unimportant actor made me remember him. Check him out for yourself!!!
The director zeroed in on the players and the dynamics among them- their background explained sufficiently, their personas very distinctly showcased and the actors overdoing themselves to truly inhabit the roles.
Minuses:
If not for the shortcomings of VD - we get shortcuts to save time and the sound straight from the stage - this would have been an easy 9 for me.

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enjoyable prime example of what VD excels at

Great chemistry underplayed for the purpose of the audience longing for more. FL who is a self-determined power and a ML who is loyal, compassionate for his girl and kicks ass of anybody crossing him, but both smart and open to share intimate moments with abandon and no shame.
A simple story stripped of superfluous subplots and unnecessary explanations presented in a concise (even if at times illogical) manner with just a few characters that exude humanity (the good the bad and the ugly) and actors who embody these characters and give their best to make us care about or hate them. All of that presented in (what I call) VD frames: selective focus on mood with the use of close ups and extreme closeups and chest+head shots interspersed with use of color/lack of it, blurring/fog/muslin cover that take away attention from well-known vistas, locations, exteriors and interiors and make you connect with the feelings on the screen, but with immaculate costumes, hairdo and makeup and occasional artistic detail that is very pleasant to watch. Except the occasional bumming of the shot like the failure to erase the wires from the falling down shot 🤣🤣🤣
I really enjoyed the mature (age and screen work) acting of the leads including almost chuckling moments and since I am not a fan of angst but collaboration of the leads - this was 7.25 for me.

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dubious morals, rotten or ruthless characters, not much steamy romance

I am trying to not die of boredom watching full length c-dramas this week (recently aired ones being just that) and this popped on my IQIYI feed next to Trace the Shadows of Time (could not find it on MDL with Eng title but was changed since) with Zheng Feng, so I watched them back-to-back and here is my impression.
Love of Black Lotus is for folks who like ruthless or rotten (but cute or charming) characters with at least dubious (or no) morals. Here we get a really cute FL who cultivates hatred and scheming attitude (courtesy of scheming and hating environment) and as a result does all kinds of evil deeds without batting an eye. She is trying to manipulate ML who is drop dead gorgeous and somehow adores all her evilness while not being that bad himself. Their interactions are actually not ruthless per se as, apparently, they are really a match made in heaven. The tropes are just mundane and predictable and people who like violence and humiliation will enjoy it.
The benevolence of ML gets stamped with "I don't give a hoot" in the end while FL from "I don't give rat's ass about anybody" grows to semi self-reflective in the end, with happy ending that for me was really a relief that it is over, but here is why I enjoyed watching.
1. Very handsome ML and very pretty FL
2. Waiting around to get yet another joke about ML being a eunuch (incl. his clothing rising upon ingestion of aphrodisiac)
3 Recognizing yet another stereotypical moment from other dramas
4. Identifying OST borrowed from at least 10 full length dramas. Around ep 7 I became acutely aware of the music used in this micro-drama. I recognized tons of songs and bgm and then it became a game - let's name that tune!
I have to say that compared to this the other micro called Trace the Shadows of Time (the FL played in both) had a more interesting plot and FL/ML characters so I hope somebody else will post a raving review about this one as I really cannot

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Mellow, romantic and thought provoking if you watch with open mind

Don't want to put too many details and spoilers so let's just say this is a story of two people who are distrustful of each other, loathe each other's scheming, but make a pact and in the process learn to communicate, express feelings and accept lies, imperfections and betrayal.
What I liked was the script (story and dialogues) delivered by the actors with good skill. Chemistry between the leads is there, but I know that some folks will not like the monotonous face of the ML and animated FL. However, if you watch till the end, you will know why he is depressed and reserved even when knowing his woman loves him and she gains that same mature love expressiveness in the end as well. Secondary actors did a good job embodying their characters, I personally liked FL's father and stepmother.
Music was fitting and lovely. Camera work so so at times, but overall mood created by specific light, angles and closeups was fantastic. It did not have the dramatic feel of Hard to Find, or Money is Coming, but I felt like someone was trying to get us into similar experience as that watching In the Mood for Love. Good editing and for the connoisseurs of kisses the last episode is not to be missed.
Fight scenes or combat was non-existent and thank the heaven no annoying 2FL although there was 2ML budging in.
The most standing out things for me was the (and I apologize for anybody who is not familiar with the Western movies) "gotcha" comment like that in Wag the Dog (what are we paying attention to and why?) and the whole idea of the soul #0598 who gets sent on the mission at different eras. Or at least that is what I got from it.

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Kinda boring at this point ep 15

there are two more episodes to go and I am no longer at the edge of my seat. I admit I was watching this drama at first with some reservation as it seemed like a silly mixed identities plot the first few episodes, but it then got interesting with all the courtroom and palace scheming and political duplicity. At ep 14 I started getting tired of never-ending bombs and dire straits that ML was put through. I am sorry but I am not longer able to care how this is going to be resolved. Most of the reviews before me point out the artistry of the ML, but to me the SML, a very young actor, stole the show. He is most believable, most vulnerable character in the entire series, and he plays it VERY well. I will not comment of the +/- of the various characters in this show, they were written as such and so I can only comment on the mastery of the screenwriter to create roles that are either very rich to start with (and we slowly discover their inner workings) or they develop progressively thus giving us a delicious chance to witness that personal growth. In this case, the script falls short in just revealing details of the story that really does not expand our understanding of the characters. I was able to determine who is a good guy and who is a bad guy already, so even switch in the direction does not prove anything, just mundanely proves the already known truths. I still give it high mark because I usually start with 10 for interesting script, fresh ideas in the plot, characters that are not stereotypes and acting mastery. If the FX or cinematography is something memorable and the OST is a part of the characters/situations, then I can keep the 10. Otherwise, I subtract the points. This one has music that I can't recall after 15 episodes. Mediocre script and characters. Acting is good, but visuals are not that great. Frankly, I am ready to go back to The Double as that keeps me entertained at ep 20.

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Very satisfying watch-taking power back from males

What I liked:
1. The plot per se is not innovative but we get to see how a modern person can make the moves that we all wanted to make when watching c-drama's excruciating scenes of females scheming against females, males being duped by females, males forcing their power on females and males getting their way just because of that small part of anatomy women do not have (and I do not mean brain, of course, because FL here shows her sharpness both mentally and her claws-literally!).
2. Both lead actors were having fun with their roles. It looked and felt like everybody (slapped parties included) liked what the drama was getting at (taking power back from guys)
3. The feel of satisfaction where this story was heading which really helped with suspending the logic of the whole "modern readers getting into a book about ancient times" concept.
What I did not like
not a thing. This was fast paced, engaging, fun, with just a hint of seductive.

Just be prepared for a lot of thoughts voiced over.

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Elements of Legend of Female General the novel

I watched it on a whim not knowing that it will evoke all of my emotional response to reading the novel Legend of the Female General. This drama focuses on the part where fl after being "reborn" goes along with the family wish to marry and stay in the mansion of her insignificant spouse but here they show neither what the novel did, nor what the drama with Cheng Lei did. This version is brutal in showing how former general stripped of her freedom and privileges that came with faking being a man must adapt to being disrespected, humiliated and abused by men just because she is a woman and holds no power other than her husband's heart. She doesn't go back to reclaim her fame and merits stolen by her scumbag brother, nor sits tight in inner chambers until she gets offed by men, women and various others envious of her talents or position or threatened by possibility of being discovered for the fakes they are.
Nothing really earth shattering here, just a nice variation on the same theme. FL is the leader so expect her take bedroom initiative (rather refreshing). 2fl is a transmigrator and gets really nothing, so I count that as a plus.

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surprisingly coherent and fascinating

I finished this as the first vd this year (1.1.2026!) while the page for this title was still not on MDL. I have a private list of all of the VDS that do not have the pages here and I occasionally check if the page was created so I can update my list with comments and rating. So I went back to it within 3 weeks and discovered that someone added this title. As a result I am writing this in response to the second viewing because I wanted to refresh my memory of this drama.
I'm going to start with what I did not like:
1. characterization of the female lead: she was annoying at times with a modern I don't care attitude, although the actress played really well. Her mastery came out in the last 15 or so episodes were the plot changes drastically demanding more artistic license and skillful acting.
2. character of the male lead: somewhat wishy-washy and (while likable) sort of a blockhead type, but just like with female lead he played his role well.
3. this was pretty much two character plot, meaning second female lead and second male lead had very little to do with the change in the course of the story, and the story revolved around relationship between the leads.
4. as with most vertical dramas the budget was small which showed in how the camera had to be positioned, meaning no grand interiors, decorations or vistas, no cinematography to speak of- just the close-ups and 3/4 plan with faces and full body with minimum background in most shots.
5. I watched it on YouTube as one long uninterrupted video, which meant the music was mostly cut out or the voice track was playing without the instrumentals, so I can't comment on the quality of OST. I would have liked it better with the better version of it, I'm sure.
And now on to what I liked:
we got a combination of two unusual characters: a person transmigrated into the book (meaning she knows what the story is about and what is going to happen), and a character from that same book, i. e. the character from the story, being reborn (meaning he has the knowledge of what had gone wrong in the story already and wanting to change it). And the major premise of this drama is: these two personas are mortal enemies: one scheming against the other and the other killing the first one. Of course with such a setup the things are bound to go wrong and of course they may not end well, particularly because both leads make strange errors in judgment thus ending up in precisely same situation that they did not want to be (female lead constantly at risk of dying and male lead being schemed against).
This is not exactly the angst driven plot of "will she love him? will he fall in love with her" but about the consistent distrust and misunderstandings between the two leads. And it is amazing.

The female lead cares only about her own survival and disregards anything emotional in herself and in the male lead. The male lead cares only about not ending up the same way he did the first time around, thus not giving the female lead the benefit of a doubt. For a love story this is contradiction in terms as the leads do not share deep love but merely an attraction. They are just two souls thrown in together and at one point collaborating for mutual benefit. The attachment they form is not the romance, it's understanding of themselves and not necessarily the other person.
The best part of this drama is the ending and watching how happy-go-lucky woman realizes her ultimate doom caused by herself is approaching regardless of all of the scheming she had done to survive, and how the man who feels completely conflicted about her basically because of insisting on his own biases and reactivity to her indifference and rejection of his attempts, tries to save her. And the bickering and verbal exchange between the emperor and the female lead's father in the end is hilarious.The level of emotional tension and expression in the final scenes with the male and female lead and female lead's father was just heartbreaking but awesome. I actually couldn't believe that I cared that much about completely unbelievable story and completely fictional characters. So bravo to the director and the actors for creating such a good illusion of reality and giving such a moving performance and production.
I am recommending it for this story being both typical and yet unusual

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