This review may contain spoilers
An oath to death | How did we end up with such horrendous FL? /Curses/
"I guess, I am the most incompetent Sword Bearer to date. Your Majesty, I couldn't protect you. Instead, I have to rely on you to protect me." - Cheng Ruoyu / Wang Ruoling
Are you guys ready to dive in as I scrutinize the ultimate plot hole in this story?
Before I start my review, I want to acknowledge every user who left negative feedback and dropped this drama within the first 10 episodes. Their decisions were valid; they weren't wrong, and I can't blame them for doing so since this, truly, has been the most challenging drama for me not to drop in over three years. At this point, I suppose I want to congratulate myself on finishing this arduous task, as well as let everyone know that this drama will certainly make you think countless of times about whether to drop it or not. Thank heavens, I am the type of viewer who almost never drops a show unless every aspect reaches an extremely unbearable point—and here, they simply went extremely overboard with the female lead and nothing more.
Watching this show, I was struck by one specific question that continued to haunt me until the very end:
"What were the writers thinking when they were deciding on the FL's characterization?"
I tried so hard to understand that I started trying to put myself in the writer's shoes. I even reached the point where I had to think objectively and look at the bigger picture. However, despite all that, I still can't comprehend how they came up with such trash Female Lead. I understand that the Violet Bureau are the inferior and less seriously trained guards, which is why the FL's martial arts are mediocre. What I can't accept is how the people around her still keep on calling her "Great" and other synonymous words despite her visibly not being one. Can you imagine how infuriating that is? To watch a person be called and treated as the leader of a team responsible for the Emperor's security, yet exhibit poor and inferior skills? Heck, the Emperor was even more skilled than her!
Imagine protecting a person more capable than you. Isn't that just ridiculous? Isn't she supposedly more skilled and trained? With that, it has become the biggest cliché plot twist of the story. The FL/Personal Guard being protected by the emperor—the person she's supposed to protect—countless times because she's incompetent as hell. It even comes to the point where the emperor has to train her because she's lacking, or should I say, just straight-out bad at her job. Please make it make sense! How the hell was she considered a great protector when she's the one needing saving 99% of the time? SMH.
Imagine getting so tired of a plot that you ask yourself, after seeing it countless of times: How many more times do I need to watch the ML save the FL?
He's always to the rescue and always keeps a contingency plan for her, which is an additional liability. They consistently romanticize him saving her. Gosh! This trope exhausted the hell out of me. It's infuriating how the FL is always getting taken advantage of for being naive, gullible, ignorant, and overly incompetent. What's more hilarious is how the people around her don't even trust her fully in accomplishing a task, as they immediately knew she'll always fuck up one way or another. So, I will never understand the writers' audacity to set her up as a great martial artist, ever! She's a terrible personal guard and an overhyped martial artist, period.
Even after becoming Ling Ling (Wang Rou Ling) and knowing her true identity, she still couldn't grasp the situation. Why is she like a kid that you have to be specific with, carefully spelling each letter of the word for her to understand the plan? (P.S. She remained this dull-witted for like 90%+ of the show). I am not really sure what they were trying to achieve by writing her character like this; regardless, it did not work since she's a truly awful FL.
I would understand it if she had been introduced as a low-ranking member who persistently worked hard to get to her position, but she was not. She was introduced prestigiously—as a great martial artist/swordswoman rightful of the title 'Sword Bearer' and 'Chief of the Violet Bureau,' and personal guard of the emperor—after winning an all-out competition against her peers. Yet, her skills are terrible as fuck and don't measure up to her title.
Not to mention her tactless tendency to display insolence in front of the Emperor multiple times, despite several reminders to act accordingly—especially considering they just met. She talks back, bickers, and argues with him as if they are of the same status. I just couldn't grasp her character entirely, because I could never fathom how she could act this way when she’s just a mere servant. A security guard! Some people view it as a sign of total innocence and purity, and I see why they view it that way. However, at the expense of what? Her impertinence, unruly nature, and impulsive actions? Towards the 'Emperor' himself? Bullshit!
God knows how much emotional endurance and tolerance I had to invest just to get past the most irritating sections of the show—which are mostly about the FL.
Another idea I want to question—because I am completely baffled by—is why they didn't let Qiu Yanzhi/Wang Ruoqing be the female lead instead. She passed all the mark with a whopping A+++ across the board. So, I really don't understand why... She’s the perfect female lead we never had.
To wrap it all up, I want to thank the writers for keeping Prince Guang the kind and pure character that he is. I was thrilled by his character development, and I won’t lie—I wanted to see even more of him! However, I am satisfied that he retained his gentle nature until the end. I’m so glad they didn't ruin his character by making him scheming and/or manipulative. All I want is for him to remain the loving, caring, and family-oriented guy he’s always been. So, knowing that he stayed true to that has put me at ease. I truly want to thank the writers for that.
"The Dragon Throne is here. I can sit on it. And if I do, that is my power. I can sit on it. And if I refuse to sit on it, that's morality. It's easy to give in to power. But dying for morality is a tough decision. No matter how low I stoop, I will never hurt my own family." - Qi Chen / Prince Guang
Story - 7.5, I have no negative reaction or comments about the story itself. The whole plot and the sub-plots are consistent; they make you wonder and leave you in awe every time. The conflicts are straightforward but still keep you on the edge of your seat, waiting to see how they resolve the situation. It was intricately crafted and put together. What impressed me even more was how they kept the characters mysterious—like a double-edged sword, you can never guess who they are truly working for or who their aim is targeted at. It would have been perfect if they hadn't messed up the FL so heavily. Considering how much I suffered through all the FL’s shenanigans, I have decided to give it this rating. If I weren't extremely patient and tolerant, I would have been less than a millimeter away from dropping this drama.
Acting/Cast - 9.5, The execution was impressive! As expected, I can think of only a few who can hold a candle to Cheng Yi in delivering such an emotionally restrained character. He was spectacular and executed his role flawlessly, with precision. However, the people I truly want to commend here are Mickey He (Qiu Zhiliang) and Xuan Lu (Qiu Yanzhi/Wang Ruoqing). They carried this show the same way the ML did—their backs must be hurting from the strain of carrying the burden for the FL! Lol. Han Dong equally did a great job with his portrayal of Prince Guang; I love his character a lot. Anyway, this show made me question Zhang Yuxi's choice of roles. She portrayed the pure and innocent Cheng Ruoyu well. It's a shame the writers did her dirty by assassinating her character (Horrible writing).
Music - 7.0, I failed to appreciate much of the soundtrack in this show due to the extreme anguish I felt during the FL’s unbearable scenes. However, the song placement and harmonization were great—they felt balanced and never bothered me.
Rewatch Value - 1.0, I won't even pretend to be kind toward this show. My consideration was long thrown out of the window despite the considerably excellent story plot. I could never sit through this drama again; watching the female lead was honestly traumatic. I am done with it!
Overall - 7.5, I am giving it this rating in consideration of the impressive storyline and the spectacular execution of the actors and actresses. It may look like I am undermining this drama, but after being heavily exposed to and affected by the FL's character, I don't think I can give it any higher. That being said, I don't recommend this to people who are sensitive, even a little, with foolish characterization. However, if you're like me, who is mentally tough and enduring, then go ahead! Goodluck~ Haha!
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Are you guys ready to dive in as I scrutinize the ultimate plot hole in this story?
Before I start my review, I want to acknowledge every user who left negative feedback and dropped this drama within the first 10 episodes. Their decisions were valid; they weren't wrong, and I can't blame them for doing so since this, truly, has been the most challenging drama for me not to drop in over three years. At this point, I suppose I want to congratulate myself on finishing this arduous task, as well as let everyone know that this drama will certainly make you think countless of times about whether to drop it or not. Thank heavens, I am the type of viewer who almost never drops a show unless every aspect reaches an extremely unbearable point—and here, they simply went extremely overboard with the female lead and nothing more.
Watching this show, I was struck by one specific question that continued to haunt me until the very end:
"What were the writers thinking when they were deciding on the FL's characterization?"
I tried so hard to understand that I started trying to put myself in the writer's shoes. I even reached the point where I had to think objectively and look at the bigger picture. However, despite all that, I still can't comprehend how they came up with such trash Female Lead. I understand that the Violet Bureau are the inferior and less seriously trained guards, which is why the FL's martial arts are mediocre. What I can't accept is how the people around her still keep on calling her "Great" and other synonymous words despite her visibly not being one. Can you imagine how infuriating that is? To watch a person be called and treated as the leader of a team responsible for the Emperor's security, yet exhibit poor and inferior skills? Heck, the Emperor was even more skilled than her!
Imagine protecting a person more capable than you. Isn't that just ridiculous? Isn't she supposedly more skilled and trained? With that, it has become the biggest cliché plot twist of the story. The FL/Personal Guard being protected by the emperor—the person she's supposed to protect—countless times because she's incompetent as hell. It even comes to the point where the emperor has to train her because she's lacking, or should I say, just straight-out bad at her job. Please make it make sense! How the hell was she considered a great protector when she's the one needing saving 99% of the time? SMH.
Imagine getting so tired of a plot that you ask yourself, after seeing it countless of times: How many more times do I need to watch the ML save the FL?
He's always to the rescue and always keeps a contingency plan for her, which is an additional liability. They consistently romanticize him saving her. Gosh! This trope exhausted the hell out of me. It's infuriating how the FL is always getting taken advantage of for being naive, gullible, ignorant, and overly incompetent. What's more hilarious is how the people around her don't even trust her fully in accomplishing a task, as they immediately knew she'll always fuck up one way or another. So, I will never understand the writers' audacity to set her up as a great martial artist, ever! She's a terrible personal guard and an overhyped martial artist, period.
Even after becoming Ling Ling (Wang Rou Ling) and knowing her true identity, she still couldn't grasp the situation. Why is she like a kid that you have to be specific with, carefully spelling each letter of the word for her to understand the plan? (P.S. She remained this dull-witted for like 90%+ of the show). I am not really sure what they were trying to achieve by writing her character like this; regardless, it did not work since she's a truly awful FL.
I would understand it if she had been introduced as a low-ranking member who persistently worked hard to get to her position, but she was not. She was introduced prestigiously—as a great martial artist/swordswoman rightful of the title 'Sword Bearer' and 'Chief of the Violet Bureau,' and personal guard of the emperor—after winning an all-out competition against her peers. Yet, her skills are terrible as fuck and don't measure up to her title.
Not to mention her tactless tendency to display insolence in front of the Emperor multiple times, despite several reminders to act accordingly—especially considering they just met. She talks back, bickers, and argues with him as if they are of the same status. I just couldn't grasp her character entirely, because I could never fathom how she could act this way when she’s just a mere servant. A security guard! Some people view it as a sign of total innocence and purity, and I see why they view it that way. However, at the expense of what? Her impertinence, unruly nature, and impulsive actions? Towards the 'Emperor' himself? Bullshit!
God knows how much emotional endurance and tolerance I had to invest just to get past the most irritating sections of the show—which are mostly about the FL.
Another idea I want to question—because I am completely baffled by—is why they didn't let Qiu Yanzhi/Wang Ruoqing be the female lead instead. She passed all the mark with a whopping A+++ across the board. So, I really don't understand why... She’s the perfect female lead we never had.
To wrap it all up, I want to thank the writers for keeping Prince Guang the kind and pure character that he is. I was thrilled by his character development, and I won’t lie—I wanted to see even more of him! However, I am satisfied that he retained his gentle nature until the end. I’m so glad they didn't ruin his character by making him scheming and/or manipulative. All I want is for him to remain the loving, caring, and family-oriented guy he’s always been. So, knowing that he stayed true to that has put me at ease. I truly want to thank the writers for that.
"The Dragon Throne is here. I can sit on it. And if I do, that is my power. I can sit on it. And if I refuse to sit on it, that's morality. It's easy to give in to power. But dying for morality is a tough decision. No matter how low I stoop, I will never hurt my own family." - Qi Chen / Prince Guang
Story - 7.5, I have no negative reaction or comments about the story itself. The whole plot and the sub-plots are consistent; they make you wonder and leave you in awe every time. The conflicts are straightforward but still keep you on the edge of your seat, waiting to see how they resolve the situation. It was intricately crafted and put together. What impressed me even more was how they kept the characters mysterious—like a double-edged sword, you can never guess who they are truly working for or who their aim is targeted at. It would have been perfect if they hadn't messed up the FL so heavily. Considering how much I suffered through all the FL’s shenanigans, I have decided to give it this rating. If I weren't extremely patient and tolerant, I would have been less than a millimeter away from dropping this drama.
Acting/Cast - 9.5, The execution was impressive! As expected, I can think of only a few who can hold a candle to Cheng Yi in delivering such an emotionally restrained character. He was spectacular and executed his role flawlessly, with precision. However, the people I truly want to commend here are Mickey He (Qiu Zhiliang) and Xuan Lu (Qiu Yanzhi/Wang Ruoqing). They carried this show the same way the ML did—their backs must be hurting from the strain of carrying the burden for the FL! Lol. Han Dong equally did a great job with his portrayal of Prince Guang; I love his character a lot. Anyway, this show made me question Zhang Yuxi's choice of roles. She portrayed the pure and innocent Cheng Ruoyu well. It's a shame the writers did her dirty by assassinating her character (Horrible writing).
Music - 7.0, I failed to appreciate much of the soundtrack in this show due to the extreme anguish I felt during the FL’s unbearable scenes. However, the song placement and harmonization were great—they felt balanced and never bothered me.
Rewatch Value - 1.0, I won't even pretend to be kind toward this show. My consideration was long thrown out of the window despite the considerably excellent story plot. I could never sit through this drama again; watching the female lead was honestly traumatic. I am done with it!
Overall - 7.5, I am giving it this rating in consideration of the impressive storyline and the spectacular execution of the actors and actresses. It may look like I am undermining this drama, but after being heavily exposed to and affected by the FL's character, I don't think I can give it any higher. That being said, I don't recommend this to people who are sensitive, even a little, with foolish characterization. However, if you're like me, who is mentally tough and enduring, then go ahead! Goodluck~ Haha!
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
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