Don't think he's her father. I think he might have at one point loved her mother, but she is the daughter of the…
OOOOOhhhh okay... yeah definitely missed all that. YouKu's subbing style isn't the easiest for me to keep up. I'm dyslexic so I usually change how the subtitles look so I can read/understand them better/faster but with YouKu not only can you not change the font color there is a blur behind all the English subtitles and if the background has white it becomes white on white subtitles.
There are many female-centered Cdramas to choose from if this doesn't suit your taste. Though I'll say that CW/WB…
Apologies for the essay, but think of it more like I'm also responding to everyone that commented in on place rather than responding to all the back and forth individually. Also I'm dyslexic so sorry for any grammar or spelling errors. Spoiler tag because long comment and again this is all just opinion and I really hope that it doesn't effect those enjoying the show.
I was raised on action movies and procedural dramas. Most of the show runners were men, until I was in my teens. So since I've become an adult I tend to gravitate more toward the female gaze or I should say, media that can center a female protagonist or just simply have a leading female character that doesn't feel like it was written by or for a man. Side tangent: Recently, a show that was based on a novel written by a woman was then directed by a man and he also wrote the script for the adaptation....I DID NOT vibe with the end result and was disappointed at how he lowered the agency of the lead female character even though the whole novel was from her point of view.
So what I mean by not my vibe for shows like 'Blood River' is that I've been there, done that, about 2000x already and it doesn't pull me in like it once did when I was a child. With so many different genres and so many different shows from all around the world if I don't vibe with it by the first few episodes I tend to just let it be and move on. Think of it like my own personal Bechdel test. If i don't see at least two female characters with names talk to each other about anything other than the MMC in the first episode or so I tend to check out.
BTW the WB shows I was talking about were ones that, though female centered, were either very problematic or hyper sexualizing teen girls for no reason. So the reason I tend to seek out FMC centered shows now more so in CDramaland is because the women aren't needlessly hyper sexualized and there is a chance for actual story to happen(most of the time, not always) . It's precisely that the plots and aesthetic are so different from WB/CW shows that I enjoy newer shows from any country more. Shakespeare it was not...no matter how many times they tried to emulate his work.
I was limited to what was available because streaming wasn't really a thing until I was in my very late teens and early twenties. After the internet/streaming it became easier to access media from other countries aka more options to choose from. Prior I was having to request from either my local library or try and find a movie from my local Blockbuster. I've watched a lot of movies from all over the world. So I've seen my fair share of Martial world movies/action movies from China, HK and Japan etc. bad English dubbing and all. (thank god for DVDs and the ability to turn on subtitles instead of the preloaded dubbed) So I do enjoy this genre I think I just prefer it in movie format rather than episodic.
Spoiler tag because it's not really about the show so much as the genre and my own opinions.
Im still not sure that male centered martial shows or IP are for me. I say this as a 35 year old woman who really only had male centered shows to watch other than teen WB/CW type things and even a lot of those were written by men. I like the directing and the actors, but sometimes the story just doesn't keep me seated for long periods of time as there isn't much for me to relate to or gravitate towards. It's more like a passing "oh that's a cool stunt. Oh that's a good shot." So from a technical standpoint these shows are interesting, but yeah....I think I'm just burnt out when it comes to this action genre.
JBZ: To die in a beauty’s arm is romantic Master She’s cringe face after that 🤣🤣🤣It’s even funnier…
Don't think he's her father. I think he might have at one point loved her mother, but she is the daughter of the Emperor. Her master is the only one who knows her connection to the Bo clan though. We never really got to see the Emperor interact with Ming Xian so tbh, I'm not even sure/can't remember if he even knows she's a daughter and not a son. I can't remember why the hid her gender other than girls not suppose to have spiritual veins. I think I just need to rewatch the first episode. So much was being narrated while an action scene was happening as I was trying to see faces etc.... that I must have missed more than I think or the writing just wasn't there.
I am...unwell. Spoilers ahoy for last five episodes in comment below in spoiler tag
Grab those tissues ladies and gents. Wang Ying Lu and Li Yun Rui are seriously some of the best in their age range when it comes to portraying longing and subtle emotion. The way they are able to get across all the emotions their characters have and seeing the change/realization etc. Great work by them. Imma need shows that are being adapted from a novel or other media that have time travel to ADD MORE TO THE END.
I mean this, I don't understand why they can't write an ending in the modern day longer than 20minutes. Shows that know censorship is going to tweak the ending need to have a mid-way point or even just the last act(of 3) be solely dedicated to the romantic leads coming back together in the modern/present day. This Dorothy level epilogue is never going to be enough for me. If the show is 32 episodes 5 episodes could have easily been for just post "wake up" getting back together/getting to know each other again.
I'm pretty sure when the shows were like epic 70ish episodes they would do this with a full full count of episodes in present day. But now that we are 40 or under and no one can die and come back to life without it being a dream....get in the writer's room and workout a different solution other than sad/vague/smiling from a distance/rushed embrace.
There is a very good reason shows are no longer made where a character actually dies and gets a redo at life or stays in the past. Kids were watching these shows and thinking "that could solve all my problems". So I understand redos and timeslips having strict rules, but lets get some creativity back in how to wrap a show up at the end.
Again great performances chemistry is giving slowburn realness. But dear lord the reveal should not have been in episode 29 of 32. Again pacing matters and well...no matter how much I told myself we know they aren't related...THEY DIDN'T KNOW and it was starting to feel incestuous in episode 28 after he believes they are related as well. The actors ability to show longing was the only thing that saved the writing.
I feel like it would have been a lot better had the parents/brothers conflicts not been so repetitive. If we could have gotten more internal growth from them that stuck earlier or not prolonged earlier scenes(if the conflict needed plotwise to end later) of their, downright idiotic behavior/toxic attitudes toward one another. It took way too long for my liking for anyone to realize that Shao Guang was slef harming. & that she was truly struggling with her feelings & place in the world that she's stuck in.(also on her for not communicating but she doesn't really have the best examples of good communication skills.) I will say this. The show does shin a light on how one generation can harm the next by their own example. The father doesn't listen to the mother's needs, their son in turn doesn't pay any attention to his wife or her likes/dislikes. The mother never communicates to the father about how she is struggling to find her place, the daughter bottles up all of her emotions taking on the families burdens and falls to self harming as an emotional regulator. Then poor niece is just getting abandoned left right and center, and yet she still notices that there are fences that need mending & goes about to build bridges for the stubborn adults in her life. marked as spoiler because long & some plot points are mentioned.
spoilerish so tagging let this be a lesson to all men what not to do. dont call your crush ugly to her face multiple times in her formative years. Just some advice.
At this point I couldn't care less about the FL's father or brother. If I have to watch a repeated scene one more time. And by repeated I mean the same selfishness and delusion over and over and over and over again with little to no growth only to backslide again into an ego they have no business having. It's the only part of the whole drama that is making me not only fast forward but skip through parts. It doesn't help that they are the only ones doing slapstick shit. It lost it's charm after the 5th time...and I think it's at like count 40. grow up open the holes on the side of your head and LISTEN. The family would 100% survive without either of them, but it would fall apart without the FL or her mother. The dad doesn't actually bring anything to the table that the mother/daughter can't just teach someone else. I've been trying to find anything redeeming about the father, and haven't really been able to. At this point i'm kind of hoping for him to see his own reflection in a lake and fall in. iykyk
Alright loves, time to start hitting that spoiler tag box/toggle when discussing the final episodes. A lot of people are behind because of the 6 episode express and some not having access to any new episodes for a few days. I know it's exciting to discuss all the things and get your questions asked. But if you have a spoiler question just reply to your own comment with the spoiler question example below.
og comment: "I have a question about ep. x in spoiler tag below..." reply comment with spoiler activated: actual question that spoils plot points/character development etc.
og comment: "My thoughts on episode x" reply comment with spoiler activated: "blah blah....plot twist this; plot twist that...blah"
I still have so many questions tbh. I'm tagging this one as happy for now instead of happily ever after.
To list a few(because my mouth/brain works faster than I can type) Who the hell is currently ruling over the other nation? How many bastard children did the emperor have with his ministers wives/daughters that will now be vying for the thrown? Ten years may seem like a lot, but is a very short period of time to recoup with many variables when it comes to actual leadership. What are those leadership ladders looking like?
Does the main couple even want biological children? If they do, does that mean they have to wait 3 years to have them? Would those children then be in line to rule?
Did YiXiao accentually abandon her disciples to be raised by others?
In three years what is actually going to happen?
Did they actually root out all of the officials that were not good?
Did they "take care of" AALLLLLL of the Murong clan? Cause me thinks leaving any of them alive is just stupidity at this point.
Why did we only get a vague 5 minute epilogue with expounding dialogue when we had to spend roughly 10 each with crazy ass empresses who die? Why the poignant slow-mo and multi angle spinning into madness screaming crying dying etc? I feel like I read an essay at the end of the show instead of being shown what happened with the characters. And with some character names it had been so damn long since we last saw them that it took me waaaayyyy too long to connect the dots. so yeah...questions. there are more but it's time for me to sleep.
I'm referring to Murong Yao for the majority but also the Empress. But mainly the stupidity of the Emperors(yes plural) not putting locks on damn doors.
Despite so many negative comments,it still managed to get an 8.7 . May be I should watch it. ...plzz answer me…
1. yes 2. yes, but you wont care about the love triangles as they are pretty clean cut in who likes whom and who is just living in delulu land. 3. yes...twice....I...yeah there is but both times the people remember in a "believable"/"plausible" way. 4. ep 17 5. Once they are together they remain together, though there is a slight hiccup that gets resolved. see #3
And to make things worse, she's the future empress of Su Sha. Like, seriously??
I think she had the best arc though. From the start to the end she was the only of the one of the "villains" to kind of learn her lesson and still get an appropriate krama. As she will not be able to bear the next ruler. So I believe that there will either be another power vacuum in the future or one of her nieces or nephews will chose to take on the crown prince/princess role. Still not a clue who was left to rule the other nation. Maybe little bro and little sis could help run the country together. As he is kind, and she is cunning. She's shown that she cares about the people even though she was selfish and stupid. I think she was young enough and had a come to jesus moment early enough that she wont repeat her past. I just can't see either the ML or his lil bro taking multiple wives for a balance of power. As one has someone he loves and the other has seen what happens when there is jealousy and betrayal. But either way big bro will protect them and remain loyal. Seriously loved the trust and love the brothers had for each other. Not a moment of doubt in one another.
Very light spoilers ahead. Solid 8. If I would have taken off points every time the writers made a character stupid just to further the plot it would have ended up at 0/10. But writing is only part of my overall score of a drama. The acting 10/10, chemistry 10/10, stunts 10/10, CGI/visual effects 9/10, storyline 9/10, writing 4/10, cinematography 5/10* These are just 7 of the 14 categories I usually rate my shows on.
This is the best depiction of a female general I've ever seen from an idol drama. And I've watched at least 4 within the last like 3 months.
This is also the best enemies to lovers idol drama I've ever seen. They gave back what they got and the writers actually did do a good job at establishing their trust of one another. They never made the leads "stupid in love". They always trusted each other to take care of themselves and then had the other's back once they finished off their "portion" of enemies or if the other was in actual danger/overpowered.
I really wish I could have given it a 10 out of 10 but the logic of some of the supporting characters episode 27 and onward was just....not it.
*Also I have a serious beef with this director and his high key lights, zoom-sweep pans, over echo usage, and the oddest choice of lenses(camera lens) I've seen in an idol dramas. There is a difference between a personal style and being repetitive in one's work. He plagiarized himself a few times in this one.
2 
I was raised on action movies and procedural dramas. Most of the show runners were men, until I was in my teens. So since I've become an adult I tend to gravitate more toward the female gaze or I should say, media that can center a female protagonist or just simply have a leading female character that doesn't feel like it was written by or for a man.
Side tangent: Recently, a show that was based on a novel written by a woman was then directed by a man and he also wrote the script for the adaptation....I DID NOT vibe with the end result and was disappointed at how he lowered the agency of the lead female character even though the whole novel was from her point of view.
So what I mean by not my vibe for shows like 'Blood River' is that I've been there, done that, about 2000x already and it doesn't pull me in like it once did when I was a child. With so many different genres and so many different shows from all around the world if I don't vibe with it by the first few episodes I tend to just let it be and move on. Think of it like my own personal Bechdel test. If i don't see at least two female characters with names talk to each other about anything other than the MMC in the first episode or so I tend to check out.
BTW the WB shows I was talking about were ones that, though female centered, were either very problematic or hyper sexualizing teen girls for no reason. So the reason I tend to seek out FMC centered shows now more so in CDramaland is because the women aren't needlessly hyper sexualized and there is a chance for actual story to happen(most of the time, not always) . It's precisely that the plots and aesthetic are so different from WB/CW shows that I enjoy newer shows from any country more. Shakespeare it was not...no matter how many times they tried to emulate his work.
I was limited to what was available because streaming wasn't really a thing until I was in my very late teens and early twenties. After the internet/streaming it became easier to access media from other countries aka more options to choose from. Prior I was having to request from either my local library or try and find a movie from my local Blockbuster. I've watched a lot of movies from all over the world. So I've seen my fair share of Martial world movies/action movies from China, HK and Japan etc. bad English dubbing and all. (thank god for DVDs and the ability to turn on subtitles instead of the preloaded dubbed) So I do enjoy this genre I think I just prefer it in movie format rather than episodic.
Im still not sure that male centered martial shows or IP are for me. I say this as a 35 year old woman who really only had male centered shows to watch other than teen WB/CW type things and even a lot of those were written by men. I like the directing and the actors, but sometimes the story just doesn't keep me seated for long periods of time as there isn't much for me to relate to or gravitate towards. It's more like a passing "oh that's a cool stunt. Oh that's a good shot." So from a technical standpoint these shows are interesting, but yeah....I think I'm just burnt out when it comes to this action genre.
I mean this, I don't understand why they can't write an ending in the modern day longer than 20minutes. Shows that know censorship is going to tweak the ending need to have a mid-way point or even just the last act(of 3) be solely dedicated to the romantic leads coming back together in the modern/present day. This Dorothy level epilogue is never going to be enough for me. If the show is 32 episodes 5 episodes could have easily been for just post "wake up" getting back together/getting to know each other again.
I'm pretty sure when the shows were like epic 70ish episodes they would do this with a full full count of episodes in present day. But now that we are 40 or under and no one can die and come back to life without it being a dream....get in the writer's room and workout a different solution other than sad/vague/smiling from a distance/rushed embrace.
There is a very good reason shows are no longer made where a character actually dies and gets a redo at life or stays in the past. Kids were watching these shows and thinking "that could solve all my problems". So I understand redos and timeslips having strict rules, but lets get some creativity back in how to wrap a show up at the end.
Again great performances chemistry is giving slowburn realness. But dear lord the reveal should not have been in episode 29 of 32. Again pacing matters and well...no matter how much I told myself we know they aren't related...THEY DIDN'T KNOW and it was starting to feel incestuous in episode 28 after he believes they are related as well. The actors ability to show longing was the only thing that saved the writing.
I will say this. The show does shin a light on how one generation can harm the next by their own example. The father doesn't listen to the mother's needs, their son in turn doesn't pay any attention to his wife or her likes/dislikes. The mother never communicates to the father about how she is struggling to find her place, the daughter bottles up all of her emotions taking on the families burdens and falls to self harming as an emotional regulator. Then poor niece is just getting abandoned left right and center, and yet she still notices that there are fences that need mending & goes about to build bridges for the stubborn adults in her life.
marked as spoiler because long & some plot points are mentioned.
let this be a lesson to all men what not to do. dont call your crush ugly to her face multiple times in her formative years. Just some advice.
og comment: "I have a question about ep. x in spoiler tag below..."
reply comment with spoiler activated: actual question that spoils plot points/character development etc.
og comment: "My thoughts on episode x"
reply comment with spoiler activated: "blah blah....plot twist this; plot twist that...blah"
Who the hell is currently ruling over the other nation?
How many bastard children did the emperor have with his ministers wives/daughters that will now be vying for the thrown?
Ten years may seem like a lot, but is a very short period of time to recoup with many variables when it comes to actual leadership. What are those leadership ladders looking like?
Does the main couple even want biological children? If they do, does that mean they have to wait 3 years to have them? Would those children then be in line to rule?
Did YiXiao accentually abandon her disciples to be raised by others?
In three years what is actually going to happen?
Did they actually root out all of the officials that were not good?
Did they "take care of" AALLLLLL of the Murong clan? Cause me thinks leaving any of them alive is just stupidity at this point.
Why did we only get a vague 5 minute epilogue with expounding dialogue when we had to spend roughly 10 each with crazy ass empresses who die? Why the poignant slow-mo and multi angle spinning into madness screaming crying dying etc?
I feel like I read an essay at the end of the show instead of being shown what happened with the characters. And with some character names it had been so damn long since we last saw them that it took me waaaayyyy too long to connect the dots.
so yeah...questions. there are more but it's time for me to sleep.
2. yes, but you wont care about the love triangles as they are pretty clean cut in who likes whom and who is just living in delulu land.
3. yes...twice....I...yeah there is but both times the people remember in a "believable"/"plausible" way.
4. ep 17
5. Once they are together they remain together, though there is a slight hiccup that gets resolved. see #3
Maybe little bro and little sis could help run the country together. As he is kind, and she is cunning. She's shown that she cares about the people even though she was selfish and stupid. I think she was young enough and had a come to jesus moment early enough that she wont repeat her past.
I just can't see either the ML or his lil bro taking multiple wives for a balance of power. As one has someone he loves and the other has seen what happens when there is jealousy and betrayal. But either way big bro will protect them and remain loyal.
Seriously loved the trust and love the brothers had for each other. Not a moment of doubt in one another.
Solid 8. If I would have taken off points every time the writers made a character stupid just to further the plot it would have ended up at 0/10. But writing is only part of my overall score of a drama. The acting 10/10, chemistry 10/10, stunts 10/10, CGI/visual effects 9/10, storyline 9/10, writing 4/10, cinematography 5/10* These are just 7 of the 14 categories I usually rate my shows on.
This is the best depiction of a female general I've ever seen from an idol drama. And I've watched at least 4 within the last like 3 months.
This is also the best enemies to lovers idol drama I've ever seen. They gave back what they got and the writers actually did do a good job at establishing their trust of one another. They never made the leads "stupid in love". They always trusted each other to take care of themselves and then had the other's back once they finished off their "portion" of enemies or if the other was in actual danger/overpowered.
I really wish I could have given it a 10 out of 10 but the logic of some of the supporting characters episode 27 and onward was just....not it.
*Also I have a serious beef with this director and his high key lights, zoom-sweep pans, over echo usage, and the oddest choice of lenses(camera lens) I've seen in an idol dramas. There is a difference between a personal style and being repetitive in one's work. He plagiarized himself a few times in this one.