Jilan

I started this drama with high hopes. The first half was well written, and although the plot was a little tacky at times, it was still engaging enough to keep me interested. The pacing was decent, and the story had momentum.

However, after watching only 17 episodes over the course of six months, I think it's time for me to drop it and invest my time in other dramas. To be honest, whenever I browsed the explore page, this drama and The Legend of Dugu always stood out, and I assumed this would give me a similar experience. Unfortunately, it didn't.

For me, this drama is a bit boring. There's very little gratification or payoff. It feels like the story just keeps moving from one plot point to another without giving me enough reasons to stay emotionally invested. Considering the relatively small cast, weaving a 40-episode story around them is commendable, but I have other dramas waiting that seem far more worthwhile.

In the end, this drama just isn't significant enough for me to continue. It isn't the S+ drama I imagined it would be, though that's partly my own fault for setting those expectations. Still, I can't keep watching something when I no longer have a strong motive or driving force to continue.

The costumes looked good at first glance, but the closer I looked, the cheaper they seemed. I'm not saying they were terrible, but they lacked the level of polish and authenticity.