This review may contain spoilers
The most Scarred Female Heroin ever && 2nd CP nearly robbed the show~!
Definitely a Must Watch!Although this drama is not perfect and has its own confusing flow, it surely catered and entertained me all throughout.
Main Flaw - What made it confusing is the fact that the change of reign were mostly off-screened and not all of the characters who were given a title actually appeared on the drama. For example, Prince Qi was never on screen and it took me so much research when the hell did he appeared and what he has done so far for me to know him. Same with how Li Shimin was just a Crown Prince then episodes after he's already the Emperor. Like, How? Where? When? It's very confusing to the point that you'll have to do your research to actually understand what's happening (Because they never explain it properly in the beginning).
Also, I felt so bad for Li Changge/Princess Yongning. It feels like she was there to be hit every episode and most of them are major injuries! Like who the hell survives that? Most of her wound were on her upper body and it made me wonder how did she made it till the end. 😅 Her Stubborness at one point irritated me but I guess this is just how the story goes and those events were necessary for her character growth. At the end, it has proven its worth as she's able to realized her aspirations and was able to free herself from revenge and grudges.
The Sceen stealer of the show!! The greatest CP of all Princess YongAn and Hao Du. Their character development was insane. I started this drama hating on Le Yan for being fragile, weak and a cry baby & Hao Du for being ruthless and unreasonable. But they turned out to be the Dark Horse of this drama. When everything's going north and south, their Couple Scenes stole the viewers interest and they succeeded in literally owning half of the show.
Story - 9.5, IF not only for it's confusing changes of reign this drama is easily a 10 even considering the plot holes and such. Nonetheless, It is a great watch and I truly enjoyed it.
Acting/Cast - 10, Top notched! I mean, Dilraba + Wu Lei + Zhao Lusi is already an all kill for me then they even added Liu YuNing and Alen Fang (Although his character's kind pathetic lol). I only got praises for the actors/actress because they all nailed it. I just wish they didn't use the Kissing Birds for Dilraba and Wu Lei's kissing scenes... Such a waste...
Music - 10, Epic! I love all of it's Soundtracks & BGMs. Like I always says "Ballad will never go wrong". Eargasm and very soothing.
Rewatch Value - 10, IF given a chance I would definitely watch it again and will recommend it to anybody who got interest to such genres. An enjoyable piece.
Overall - 10, despite the plot holes it is an easy 10. No arguments needed. This show just served its purpose and that is to give great entertainment to its viewers. It is indeed a good show to watch.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I was annoyed at Xiao Chun Hua at some point.. SGQY is the MVP~!!
This drama has a clear plan layed out well but I find it irritating at some point. However, I can't discredit it for such petty reasons since I still enjoy it as a whole.The first few episodes made me bored but it was able to pick up it's own pace. Anyways, I think it's also because of my mood that time so I never really treated it as a boring drama at all.
Moving on lemme just pin-point/highlight some things I was particular with this story...
× Love-Hate feelings for the FL for being so idealistic and righteous.
× Shangguan QiuYue's Unconditional, Selfless and genuine love for Chunhua made me go soft all of the time. He got some weird yet straightforward way of showing his affection that made the story extra lovely and fun to watch.
× Xiao Bai exudes so much Papa's boy Vibe for me. His idea always abides to his father/clans teachings and it made me feel sour of his character.
× Leng Ying killing Feng Cai Cai's father could be a great drama twist that I anticipated for it so much but turned out to be a great missed. They really try hard to preserved its light-hearted mood to such extent where plot holes arises.
Anyways, Still a Good drama to watch. I finished it longer than usual because of my crazy schedule but it's still worths it.
Story - 9.0, They tried so hard to keep it light-hearted that it misses some great drama plot opportunities and that leads to some questions and flaws rising one by one. I was never particular of such scenes but I felt disappointed that they didn't fully utilize it considering it has long 40 episodes.
Acting/Cast - 9.5, Acting are really good and convincing same with how the cast executed their characters. It's just I have some distastes towards some characters. Which is something personal.
Music - 10 Great choice of Music. I specifically love the Fun Narration with the opening theme and the insert songs were also good.
Rewatch Value - 9.0, Still deserving of such high score cause It simply showcases a lot of good points as well. I can never mistreat/misjudge a drama just because I hate some pieces of it.
Overall - 9.5, I honestly wanted to give it a 9.0 rating but Shangguan Qiu Yue saved this whole production for me. He's the MVP of this drama as a whole. A male lead who's reasonable, tactical and loving.
IF you find my reviews helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A combo of bad writing & terrible direction + A blatant disregard to basic palace norms & etiquettes
Welcome back to me! Lol. So after a total of 83 days days, I finally completed this one of hell of a ridiculously challenging drama. And I would say "Whoah! That's a LOT". I don't even know where to start at this point.Anyways, let me start this by going through the most problematic aspects of this production as a whole, and that is...the Direction and Writing itself—Dang! I can't even count how many times I complained about how bad both are throughout my entire experience of this drama. It's a combination of bad writing and amateur direction which resulted into a complete chaos. A terrible, ludicrous and disgraceful show to be very honest.
One thing I cannot understand is how are people giving this a Perfect 10 when it doesn't even deserve an 8 or 9, more so a 10!? Like, the heck are those people thinking? This drama feels like a food you want to throw away after taking a big bite of it expecting it to be delicious but turned out to be one of the nastiest food you have ever tried so far. I got fooled so bad by the good reviews and the fact that Jeremy Xu is here. I definitely did not expect him to have this kind of stupidly absurd drama on his arsenal. This production did him dirty! No wonder he's decided to retire. Geez!
The story per se maxed the hell out of my patience and drained every little piece of tolerance I have had stored as a back up. One of the MDL reviews I read stated that they finally matured after the first 10 episode and from then on, has started acting more matured and attentive. BUT I am here to counter that! Like what the hell does that person meant by episode 10? I was on Ep.26 and is still complaining on what is the director and writer thinking while supposedly directing and producing this drama? 85% or more of the events that's transpired does NOT make sense at all. The direction was straight out BAD! It was like a scratch paper of an amateur director trying various things to gain experience. It was not even bare minimum, it was lower than that—a total lackluster and disappointing show.
This drama is in a competition against itself on how ludicrous it is. Each and every episode, something absurd always happen—like several times!! Which never failed to surprise me and got my eyeballs rolling non-stop each time. It's fascinating how can it topple its previous episodes on that specific category every single chance it gets, which made me grief so hard on how ridicuously unrealistic and nonsensical those scenes are! Its consistency on that entire area was bewildering to the point it has become disgusting over time.
Another major aspect I can't bear to overlook because of how deliberate it was are the times they just do not conform to the Palace rules and etiquettes. Few examples are:
× Ye Ning Zhi (FL) arguing with the Empress even when she's just a Maid at that time.
× Not bowing to both the Emperor and Empress as if they're of the same status and even suddenly leaving their presense without proper "Farewell" salute/bow.
× The multiple occasions where she acted on her own whim as if she's not on the palace grounds and many more.
I mean, I understand that they want her to portray this lively, free-spirited and vibrant character but she just went too far that it has become an impertinent and insolent action as time passes by. I am sure all people in their era knows how different the Royal Palace is and how you should be "Treading on thin Ice" while you are there but she's different. She doesn't seems to care about all that and I guess the Director wanted her to appear as someone "Unique" but to me she's more of an ignorant and mischievous person who went to the palace to get killed. She was clumsy, careless and doesn't even follow the common rules. She would have died already if it was on a different "Proper" period drama. Her writing got so exaggerated that I feel frustrated and irritated watching her.
The way it was presented to us/viewers seemed like they meant to do it that way. Maybe to stand out or something? I don't know if it's some kind of marketing strategy and/or promotion to gain publicity but surely they captured my attention...in the most awful way. I mean, I understand negative publicity is still publicity. However, I believe there should be a limitation to that...right?? 1-2 times is alright, 3-4 is fine, 5-6 a bit much, 7-8 excessive, 9-10 overdoing it but 11-20 and even more? Isn't that just straight out being rude and stupid? This drama's such an insult to those intellectually analytic people. It's as if they've abandoned their common sense and have decided to go on with this drama without considering such things, which is techinically the most important basic ethics out there. Oh God!
Lastly, is the incompetent Emperor who never fails to disappoint till the very end. He's such a disgrace that watching him infuriates me. Also, it's funny how Ning Zhi feels like the one running and front lining the palace against the Royal Princess because both the Emperor and Empress are ill-tempered and rashed! Hasty and doesn't do much thinking when they do things.
Overall, I would say that this production meant to showcase the growth of the Female lead—as someone who rises from the lowest rank to become a spectacular figure head; and they accomplished that at the very end but at the expense of ruining the entire context of the show because of the foolish route they've chosen to proceed with to finish this drama.
Story - 5.0, I am still trying to give credits (Happy Ending + the healthy relationship between the Empress Dowager, Empress and Imperial Consort) where it's due at this point. But aside from all that this drama can be categorized as nasty trash. The way it disrupted, disregarded and ruined all the basic common knowledge in the Royal Palace will forever leave a foul taste on my mouth. Unacceptable!!
Acting/Cast - 7.0, I got no issue with the cast, their acting otherwise made me feel some things a lot of times. I do not know if they were merely following the directors guidance and instructions but most of them acted as if this is some kind of a "Role" they're trying hard to play. I mean, the acting was there but the obvious effort to deliver it was very evident all throughout, which threw me off countless of times. P.S. I am not used to Jeremy Xu being all smiley and playful at times so seeing him here brings me utter joy and fascination.
Music - 9.0, Honestly, the only thing I truly love about this drama is the OSTs used. Opening Song is sorrowful which helps set the mood of the drama + the insert music on each scenes are neatly done too. I just want to include this here as well...Dubbing reminded me of Chinese drama's decades ago which are always obviously dubbed.
Rewatch Value - 1.0, NOPE. NEVER! I will never put myself on the same situation again where I would lose my passion and appetite in watching dramas just because I stumbled upon a ridiculous nasty one.
Overall - 5.5, Considering everything, this is the best I could give for this drama as a whole. The story could've been promosing if they didn't incorporated so much nonsense and did not blatantly go against the basic norms. I can never recommend this drama to anyone. This is definitely one of the toughest drama for me to finish. I endured a lot. Geez! Never again.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A nicely written story that stood out from the highly convoluted Xianxia dramas in the C-Dramaland.
I have been reading a lot of reviews stating that you will enjoy this drama if you enjoyed 'Ancient Love Poetry' and I cannot disagree to that. However, I wanna say that this surely has better story flow and certainly lesser complicated, dramatic and problematic love affairs. All things being said, I want to emphatically say that this drama has its own strengths and weaknesses so it should never be compared to any existing dramas out there.Although this drama started on a relatively slow phasing, I'd say that they did a good job in gradually making the future events to be more engrossing and attracting. Honestly, up until now I still feel like this drama lacks some interesting events... It do have some, however, in my opinion those moments aren't remarkable and satisfying enough for me to binge watch it all the time; which is both its advantage and disadvantage... Disadvantage simply because we got so used to Xianxia dramas offering more convoluted story lines that can bring our emotions up and crazy, and since this drama doesn't offer those, it makes it look plain and ordinary in comparison to them. But that is also why I mentioned it is its advantage as well. Because by making the story less complicated, it also makes the viewers easily grasp and comprehend what's going on in the story. Making it an easy to watch and a viewer friendly show.
Next thing I wanna talk about is the nice and comfortable chemistry between the main leads. I love their silly and bickering moments the most and I can honestly watch them going at it non-stop. They give me this refreshing vibe that makes me wanna commend both of them for having such great compatibility. Like, Dang! I know Zhao Lusi will nail it but Wang Anyu just destroyed me on how well he executed his character in this drama. His portrayal is insane! More than convincing. I don't know how to put it into words but I wanna say that he is not acting his character because he 'became' his character. He drawned me to him everytime he's on screen; not only because of his visuals but because of how excellent he is in commanding his facial expression, body language and overall demeanor. Not to mention how his expressive eyes can make you feel different emotions and feelings. What an expressionist!
In regards to Powerscaling, CGI, Costume and Design. I would say that it has its good and not so good but not entirely bad moments. I believe they have established and followed through a good hierarchy when it comes to powerscaling but there are some moments when the show demonstrated some inconsistencies. First is when Hua Yan (Peacock King) mentioned that even Feng Yuan (Heavenly Empress who is a demigod ready to ascend to godhood) is no match with his current power but then get injured and captured by a heavily injured Gu Jin/Yuan Qi who is a God himself! Not to mention how he's getting handled by Hong Yi and Yan Shuang (Which if I'm not mistaken are a Senior and Junior Immortals). Additionally, how is Hua Shu (During her Evil god moments) overpowering Yuan Qi a God of Chaos, Feng Yi a demigod and all the other senior/junior immortals? Haha! I also just want add up how some of the power/magic effects looks way too powerless and unsatisfying in contrast to how it should be. They could've added more power and bigger effects to make it look extra convincing, unfortunately they did not. Like... editing team, Hello? What's Up!? and Oh! Before I even forget, Zhao Lusi suffered 2x from that ugly and horrid 'blood spitting' scenes. Grr!
Lastly, I just wanna mention how satisfied at the same time disappointed I am with Lan Feng & Hua Shu's love story. I know that his death helped Hua Shu's character to remain the villain that she is, but I feel bad that Lan Feng was killed on their most special day and was never resurrected. I mean, he's one of the characters I like and truly look up to, as it's fascinating that he remained pure and untainted until the very end. + I love how his unconditional love and affection has become a tool to make Hua Shu realize things and could have turned her into a new leaf 'sooner' only if he didn't get murdered. Anyways, I also like the redemption moment of Hua Shu. Who would have thought that a character as ambitious and scheming as her can turn into such a loving and devoted person. It only shows that anyone can change as long as they're redirected by a commited person who genuinely cares.
P.S. I hereby proclaim that Gu Jin/Yuan Qi is by far the best Xianxia Male lead character for me. This character is as smooth as butter and will always make sure that A Yin/Feng Yin is always safe and sound.
Story - 9.0, This drama has a good phasing/sequencing and although it started 'slow' I appreciate that it didn't hinder them to mess the story up. Alhough it's undeniable that this story lacks some remarkable moments, I'd say that the smooth narrative helped this show and turned it into an easy to watch drama. + I love how they handled their main Villains (Hua Shu and even Ming Qi (Evil God himself). How I wish they incorporated more satisfying moments into this.
Acting/Cast - 9.5, I don't have any issues with the actors and although I personally like Li Yun Rui, I still wanna say that he needs some more acting lessons. He's really good at playing the playful and silly sides of his character unfortunately something is really off whenever he's trying to act out scenes that requires other emotions. Another person I want to talk about is He Kai Lang, he did fine playing the weak and modest Xiu Yan however his portrayals of Ao Ge isn't convincing enough for me. + On the other note I just wanna say that Wang An Yu's charming point is prominent when he's acting all innocent and free of worries. His clear sparkling eyes along with his bright smile was so enthralling it made me believe him immediately. It also made him very easy and comforting to watch. His smile is like a beam of light that gives me unconditional happiness and positivity. Lol
Music - 9.5, The music used are really good and it blended really well with scenes they are played in. It also never overlapped with any of the sequences and even accentuates the emotions and vibe for each one of them. Maybe the reason why I'm not giving it a perfect score is because it didn't contain a song that truly stands out. A song that will make me LSS.
Rewatch Value - 9.5, It was easy to watch thanks to the light and comfortable vibe established by the Actors and actresses with their roles. I never find this boring... I even binge-watched it and could have finished it 4-5 days early only if it wasn't for my work schedule. I also just can't consider this show to be 'extremely' re-watchable because I feel like I must pick up a new one from my unending list of unwatched dramas instead of re-watching it.
Overall - 9.0, I never disliked this drama and although I was influenced by all the reviews I read that compared this with other Xianxia shows, it didn't become a hindrance for me to appreciate it and see the better side of it that are even better compared to the other Xianxia's I have watched so far. The only thing I found missing here is the binge-worthy satisfying scenes that can make me watch parts of it over and over again. This drama is a whole ride of smooth and nicely put up sequences.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The badass Female assasin & Liu Dao Halls' 5 elite squad assembled!
"I'm not consulting you. I'm informing you." - Ren XinI hereby declare personal grudge against the writer (Zhang Wei) of this story. I want to be impartial and just be nice because this drama has brought me so much happiness and entertainment; but, how can I do that when she turned such a promising and amazing drama into a stupid tragic path? I'm extremely dumbfounded at the same time furious over her disgusting and treacherous act. This drama could have been a happy ending but for some reason her crazy mind went wild and decided to kill the main characters one after another, continously... and even if she implied that Ning Yuan Zhou and Ren Ru Yi magically survived and is alive at the end—through their "kids". I still cannot take that to comfort me and make me feel redemptive over this excellent story that was unfortunately ended tragically. NYZ and RRY is parenting the entire squad like they're their own children and yet she decided to slaughter them one by one. Gosh! My Parents deserves better treatment!
I want to conclude this rant section of my review by saying, I got so much beef with the writer of this drama and I think it will last forever. She excels in making good story unfortunately she also got a strong obsession in turning everything into a tragedy.
Disclaimer: Even after all the things I stated above, I still won't deny how good of a writer she is. The script is exceptionally well written and god knows how blowned away I was watching the exchange of words from the characters of this story.
Moving forward, I want to say how much I enjoyed this drama as a whole. The intro was perfect and so does the suceeding episodes until the tragedy I mentioned above started. I love how their love story started naturally as strangers who accidentally encountered one another but didn't immediately fall in love; rather, they allow us to witness their suspicions that gradually developed into trust to mutual affection then finally, love.
In terms of chemistry, I'd say they're straight out insane! It's crazy how their very first interaction which was an intense scene turned out to be full of sparks and charisma; and don't even let mention how compelling their following future scenes are, because I might spend my entire time fanboying over how perfect they are together. I also want to mention here how Ren Ru Yi's 'I want to have a baby with you' to NYZ has lived and explored entirely free in my mind. My imagination runs wild with this two (NYZ as a surrogate Father lol). Also, their infatuation and indenial moments are the cutest! I cringe so much in a good way because of them.
Next thing I want to talk about are the supporting characters. I don't usually do this, but I feel like each one of them deserves to be acknowledged for their excellent role and portrayal in this story.
"You've trained a sparrow in a royal cage into an Eagle" - Princess Yang Ying
Princess Yang Ying/Prince Li Heng portrayed by He Lan Dou is the MVP of this drama for me. She went from a fragile and docile cub into a full grown tigress. This is one of those times I realized how good the writer is. She transformed the weak and damsel in distress Princess and made her a tough decisive one. Of course, this wouldn't happen without He Lan Dou's acting prowess and versatility. I love her a lot in this show.
Yuan Lu played by Chen You Wei is one of my favorite out of all the characters of this drama. He's cheerful, bright and overall entertaining. I'm so proud of this guy, he's the epitome of positivity and good vibes. I'm the most disheartened when the writer finally decided to kill him. Grr! I guess, I'm just grateful that he died full of pride and valiantly.
Li Tong Guang played by Chang Hua Sen by far is the most overrated character of this story. This man's emotionally unstable and I find it unbelievable how he broke down in the middle of a losing war. I admit that he's good looking and charismatic but his physical appearance alone doesn't fill the gap in his character for me. Chang Hua Sen's acting here is great though. I often find him amusing, specially during his mental breakdown scenes for his Master Ren Xin.
Yu Shi Shan played by Fang Yi Lun - This is my first time to watch him play a lively and carefree role and I must say he nailed it! It feels refreshing to watch him be annoying and mischievous almost all the time compared to the previous roles he's acted on.
Qian Zhao played by Wang Yi Zhe for me is the serious brother of the gang who played the role of a Vice captain whenever NYZ is not around. Wang Yi Zhe impresses me on how he portrayed this character so well.
Sun Lang played by Li Huan is the least favored character for me. I feel like the writer doesn't like him that much base on how little his screentime are the whole show.
Special mention to Zhang Song played by Zhang Lei. His acting on Episode 3 alone made me realized that Vetaran actors are a cut of their own cloth. The lines were written eloquently and provocatively but the way he delivered it gave me real chills. His control and command of his actions and facial expressions hightened the tension of his scenes for me.
I know this is getting lengthy so let me just mention some unpredictable scenes which I have mixed feelings of.
First is the pairings and love teams. It changes so constantly and unexpectedly that I don't know anymore what to expect. This aspect of the storyade me disappointed and dumbounded a lot.
Second is the death of the main cast! Dang! I still can't move on! I know that they all died in a reasonable way and with great valour but then, I still can't let go of my 'supposed' happy ending. (Sighs)
Lastly, I just want to commend this drama for its slick, refined and smooth exhibitions of their fight scenes. Martial arts choreography is Mad! Specially Liu Xi Xi and Liu Yu Ning's. My satisfaction of them is at its peak!
P.S. My favorite moments of this drama is when the Main casts are all together casually hanging out and having fun. + Why do I find them cute when they all finally assembled? Hahaha! What an adorable bunch. <3
Story - 9.5, Although I hate the fact that the entire Main cast was killed; I guess, I'm just glad that it was done in a logical and valorous way. Like I mention above I can never do this drama dirty just because I hate its ending, so I would still give credits where it's due. Also, it's one of those dramas where both leads are cool and highly skilled; and coincidently the two fo them wanted to live peacefully and normally but how dare the Writer give them an actual eternal peace!
Acting/Cast - 10, I believe my above sentiments is enough to explain how satisfied I am with the casting and acting on this drama. So, let me take this time to mention how great of a choice for them to cast both Liu Yu Ning and Liu Shi Shi. First of, I wanna say that I'm mad at those people who are hating on Liu Yu Ning just because he's not handsome enough? when his role doesn't require him to be one! and he's so damn fine from head to toe. So whatdaheck!? Liu Shi Shi on the otherhand is a full package for her role. Beautiful that's goddess-like and a real badass seductress! Her stares hypnotizes me to the point where I'm down on my knees every single time. Lol
Music - 10, I will boldly declare and claim that this drama's Music Team is on the same level of those in K-dramas. All the music used are endearing and perfectly fits each of the scene they're used for. This is also the first time in 2 years? where I literally downloaded and added the songs to my playlist for offline listening (Spotify).
Rewatch Value - 10, Honestly, I would still rewatch and will also highly recommend this to everyone. I mean, the cool and badass scenes each episode are enough to make me rewatch this. Not to mention how entertaining this show is as a whole.
Overall - 9.5, I still feel bad of the tragic ending but this drama is simply not one of those craps out there that I can derate solely for it's ending—because this is more than that! Nonetheless, I would like to encourage everyone to watch this drama to experience the entertainment and pleasure I felt when I was binge watching like crazy.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A goofy and sweet semi-xianxia drama | Healthy love rivalry | Irritating and hateful 2nd FL!!
A piece of advice I want to give to people before watching this is to always remember that this is an Idol drama so keep your expectation for crazy plot twists and character development at bay and make sure that you stock a pile of chill pill because you will need lots of them watching this. Take note that I lost all of mine while on the process. Hahaha!I already expected this drama to be overly clichÄ—-d yet I still found myself cloyed over some of its scenes. Although this show is full of goofy-slapstick comedy skits we often see on a comedy drama; I must say that they did a great job on keeping all those ridiculous stuff in bare minimum that it doesn't made me completely tired of it.
One factor I truly love about this is the healthy love Rivalry between the Male Leads. Each dude sure got their own advantages but I'm just glad that they didn't use it to harm one another and I must say that I truly enjoyed all the jealousy scenes between Chu Ye, Shangguan Ya and Yun Chuan. + I love how both of them are genuinely concern of the FLs welfare and safety above everything else.
The only time I felt sick and tired of the drama is when they introduced Tong Er. She's like that unnecessary pest who suddenly appeared out of nowhere to ruin the show and I must say that she successfully did because my mood turned sour and salty—indifferent, until the end of the drama.
I feel like 24 episodes is even too long for this story. 16-18 would have sufficed and never introducing Tong Er would have made this story even better. I mean, after I accepted that this is a light and sweet idol drama you will suddenly give me a bratty character? Like, who asked for that? This show is better off without her!!
Lastly, I enjoyed Li Fu and A Jing's story a lot. Although their scenes were as short as it can possibly be, I appreciate the fact that they were there to divert and balance the overall mood of the story. I love that they are both childish yet reliable at the same time + I'm also grateful that A-Jing stayed the way she is until the end. About time we let women choose the person they want to be.
Story - 8.5, I love the healthy rivalry and positive vibe the story has shown me and it would have been better if they didn't introduce Tong Er at all. Her role on the drama totally ruined it for me. She's that unwanted guest no one ever wanted to see but still came to wreck the show. A curse!
Acting/Cast - 9.0, I'm fairly contented with the acting, although some of them might have been too much at times but they're still bearable. I'm familiar with almost all of the main cast and it's fun to see them goofing around like that. I'm just glad to see them in a new light portraying a softer character specially Xiao Yu Liang. P.S. I watched this because of Tian Xi Wei! ♡
Music - 9.5, it's nice overall. I love the cute and playful opening theme and I also like all the insert BGMs they used throughout the show. Nothing to hate about it in all honesty.
Rewatch Value - 7.0, I'm still being considerate at this point. This is one of those dramas I am glad I was able to finish. It feels like an achievement for some reason...like I deserve all the bragging rights for bearing all through the shits Tong Er has brought to this show. She spoilt my mood so much It lasts till the very end of the story.
Overall - 8.5, If you are planning to watch this because of one specific actor you are following, then go ahead and do so. However, if it's not, you better be prepared to get irritated to the 2nd FL and how riduculous some of the scenes are. It's nice and decent but finishing this drama was a bit of a challenge for me because the 2nd FL effect has taken over me till the final episode. Lol
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The miserable and melodramatic love affair of the so called Heroes'.
First of all, Welcome back? Hahaha! I can't believe it took me 2 months to finish this drama. It was dragged so much I almost forgot to continue watch it. I seriously got plenty to say, so shall we start?Why is this Wuxia full of unnecessary dramas!? Can we just focus more on Fighting, shall we?
My disappointment and distaste over this show started when they first revealed Nan Lan. Her character introduction was a big turn off and maybe it's my intuition but at that very moment I just knew something eerie is bound to happen and I prove myself right because as the drama goes on the more horrible the story progresses. My expectations gradually getting tarnished and eventually crashed by how they terribly transition the story from all the great Wuxia action into a melodramatic mess they got themselves into. I was dumbfounded on how they took a huge leap from having the best raw and realistic martial arts executions into a brow-raising and overly tiring dramatic display. Like, how am I supposed to digest that?
It felt like the show was suddenly terrorized by some unknown disease that made it heavily focused on Love and Family affair. Even at this point, I still have that lingering irritation from the amount of tolerance I invested to finish all those episodes because I hate fast-forwarding and leaping through scenes and episodes. It's like I paid so much money to watch my favorite show only to be served by some crappy and bland illustrations. Just imagine how disappointing that was! It doesn't even help that Miao Renfang as a Husband is a total red flag. I mean, come on! I understand that it's his greatest mission to find the killer of his sworn brother but man! You got a wife and daughter to take care of. I was so pissed cause he's so irresponsible and selfish that I even find Tian Guinong a better father and husband. Well, he techinically is. He just lacks better opportunity to fully demostrate it as he was consumed by his ambition to be hailed the best.
Moving with our 3 main Leads, I feel like every single build up they did to make their characters romantically connected all went to drain. Hu Fei and Zi Yi's parts were actually great and I enjoyed it a lot but I would lie if I say I hope for them to be together. I feel like Zi Yi's personal dramas exhausted me almost the same as Miao Renfang and Nan Lan's. Her reasons were logical and understandable but she's just too complicated to my liking. Cheng Lingsu on the otherhand is my best pick. Her vibrant and amiable aura automatically made me drawn to her. Not to mention her prominent expertise in both medicine and poison. It's just too bad the script writer hated her so much. They went all out with the 'Love and Family Affair' theme only to destroy it all at the end. How tragically fucked up is that? Unbelievable!!
There are only 2 things I would commend this drama for. First, is their mind blowing martial arts execution for almost all of the fight scenes. It is more Human-like—authentic, raw and realistic. It is very different to all the Wuxia's I have watched all these years who had indescribeable and ridiculous Kung Fu skills. Second, is how satisfying they carried out the deaths of all the major antagonists on the story. I love how Feng Yiming got his death right infront of his father while Feng Tiannan getting slaughtered felt extremely satisfying. But above all, no one can beat Tian Guinong's unuttered defeat. Man was clobbered down, HARD! Incapable of fighting while pierce through by a sword and eventually got pierced again by a spear. Real definition of Vanquish!
P.S. I won't mention those pathetic Disciples of Medicine Valley and the Poison King himself cause I find them irrelevant. I don't even know why they persists till the end when they could've been eliminated much earlier. Honestly, those pathetic fools doesn't deserve recognition. They're like the guinea pig of this story... bunch of sacrificial lambs.
Story - 8.5, I'm being kind and considerate when I decided for this score. Thank god they still got prominent Martial Arts executions to vouch their lack of better decision when it comes to their absurd story progression. + The satisfying deaths of the Antagonists made it bearable and fulfilling.
Acting/Cast - 9.0, I don't really have any specific preferences when it comes to the artists but I must say that I'm quite pleased by the set of actors/actresses of this show. Specially, Xing Fei & Lin Yushen.
Music - 8.0, Among all the music from this drama, I only appreciate the Ballad song they usually use on the sad/tragic scenes. Aside from that everything is non-existent. Well, I can also remember the opening theme. I kinda like the suspense build-up tone to it.
Rewatch Value - 6.0, Sorry not sorry! But I won't watch this again. God knows how this show made me stray away from watching dramas for 2 months simply because I can't just leave a drama hanging and watch another one cause that's not my thing and I take my reviews/commentaries seriously. I guess, I'll just avoid Qing Dynasty dramas since it feels like they're more on the overly dramatic theme I'm not that fond of.
Overall - 8.5, I contemplated quite a bit with this rating but I just realized this is the highest I can go with this drama. The story's sudden transition to the Love and Family affair ruined it for me. It felt like they got no better plot in mind so they've decided to just go all out with it...which is really disappointing for me. I'm not even lying but it feels like this dramas is consist of 15% Wuxia and 85% Love affair. Doesn't that sound crazy and tiring???
IF you find my reviews helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Brilliant but unnecessary ending + Needs better scene arrangement & sequencing.
Just to give a quick insight about this story, I wanna say that It was wonderful yet sorrowful. They did so well in making the plot well-balanced despite their straightforward takes of its unexpected turn of events... however, still managed to make the whole narative look manipulated and misarranged.First of, I wanna commend this production for consistently staying away from clichÄ— plot till the very end. That was very unexpected and satisfying! Just the thought of not having to bear through such ridiculous scenes already made this experience more delightful and light to me. Not to mention how we were given such spectacular and highly intelligent protagonists who were capable of taking absolute control of any situation they were thrown into and overcoming them with outstanding wits and teamwork. Made this drama even more amazing for me.
But!! we must bear in mind that no matter how good something is, It can never be imperfect. This story, in spite of executing most of the scenes in a viewer-friendly manner can never escape some questionable plot holes and glitches that can be found at the most crucial places. The way they dealt with the antagonists felt so wrong... Like you knew it was a bad decision but refused to judge it since you're not even half through the story yet. But as it progresses the more you find your opinions right and reasonable.
After finishing this show, my opinion still stands firm about how Lu Yuan deserves to be the final antagonist. I honestly think that everything went weak and bland right after they've dealt with him. Like he is the truest antagonist there is! so right after he passed away, the other major conflicts on the story has immediately become a child's play. Xie Hao is simply an overconfident official who thought highly of himself by pulling some grand scheme he can never control. While Wang Mian is an old man who's planned on his revenge for more than 2 decades only for it to be trampled right in front of his eyes. No matter how and where I look at it both of these guys just doesn't have it. They have aspiration, will and is bold enough, unfortunately, they're both incapable of pulling it off successfully. And, Oh, Please! Do not let me start with Grand Consort Sun and Shen Leqing! These two deserves to die even before Lu Yuan but they never did and I will never understand why no matter how much anyone try to explain it to me. Cause they may have been useful to create some discords and conflicts but they were never relevant enough to last that long! God, gracious! An utterly bad decision to keep them till the last 10 or so episode of the story.
Lastly, "It's all in the past" is my most hated phrase in this drama. The way they use it as a means to move on from the death of Shen Tingzhang and Shen Zhi gives me so much grief. I know it was wrong to keep yourself caged in the past but I also stand firm that we need to occasionally look back at those events to realize how some people deserves the worst from us.— Never forgive those who're unforgiveable.
P.S. Evil is hard to extinguish. Once an Evil, Always an Evil.
Story - 9.0, Would have given it a 0.5 rating higher only if they gave us a happier ending. I can never accept the fact that they went over tons of clichÄ— plots all throughout the story yet still pull this kind of ending. I have long accepted that they misjudged their plot arrangements and all but I never predicted them to do it once again. Overall, the drama is good. They just tend to eliminate the wrong characters at the wrong time and keep some for longer time for nothing.
Acting/Cast - 9.5, Main CP is good. Although, it took me few episodes to fully absorb their chemistry but right after that it worked out magically. Lu Yuan and Xue Hao have been exemplery all throughout and I've got little to no complain about the side characters. The only thing that probably stood out to me the most is the inconsistency and awkward acting from Herman Li and Deng Ying at times. Specially during the first half of the drama. P.S. Ren Yun Jie is one of my fave character in this drama and hello, there Tian Xi Wei!
Music - 10, I love how it sounded natural and authentic which is very suitable to the time/era the drama's set. + Excellent and I'd say even perfect control and choice of music. I vibed so much on how laid back and comforting it sounded all at the appropriate and accurate moments.
Rewatch Value - 8.0, The overall story is good. Good pacing and character progression but watching it over again will be tough for me. Considering how displeased I am with its ending and the way they eliminate their characters in a wrong time really left a bitter taste in my mouth. I'll forever complain on how they misarranged those events and characters which impacted the story so much. This drama could've honestly been better with proper arrangement and sequencing.
Overall - 9.0, After intensive deliberation and consideration... and even after all my rants and complains. I feel like this drama and production still delivered a good story that can be enjoyed by different types of people. It just that I have my own conclusion and expectation for this story thus it made me feel so many things. All I can say is that bear my words in mind and watch this cautiously with expectation.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The newly married CPs journey to overcome their doubts, worries & insecurities.
Just an early advice to never let the lefthangers at the end of each episode frustrate you because this drama is really good in turning the plot into something light, funny and entertaining. + As much as possible don't take the negative reviews seriously. Just watch and enjoy!
Where to even start? I procrastinated the most watching this drama yet I can't call it bad. It was smooth sailing and simple but I can't claim that it didn't bore me at all. It was a crazy feeling of uncertainties and hesitations whether to like or love it and despite all of my worries, one thing's for sure... and that is, I can never call this bad or even hate it... and let me explain why.
After some deliberation, I can only think of 2 major reasons why I was so frustrated and annoyed of this drama. First is the countless tiring wedding jitters and concerns FL has that lasted for more than 10 episodes which greatly affected my overall mood. Second is the sympathy and consideration 2nd ML has shown to the main antagonist that made the drama unnecessarily longer.
The love-hate emotion I have had for the first 10 episode was insane. I initially love it for their usual lovey-dovey moments only to be interrupted, and later ruined by FLs immature, selfish and foolish issues that will ended up being resolved by the MLs wise and romantic methods. I never thought it would be this crazy. It's like a rollercoaster ride each episode and as time passes by it made me dizzy and exhausted. The Male lead saved me from dropping this show early on, honestly + the fact that I adored them so much during S1.
I was never a fan of showing compassion and sympathy to Villains that's why when the 2nd ML let the main antagonist go, I already knew what's about to come... and I totally hated it. I think its stupid to do it that way cause they just unintentionally revealed what's about to happen even without saying anything, and that ruined the excitement of the story for me. Instantly, it has become an open book... bare and predictable.
Moving to the positive end of the show...
The most important factor I love about this drama is how straightforward, fast moving and uncomplicated the story flow and overall plot is. The main leads got tons of issues and misunderstandings as a newly wedded couple but one thing that surprises me a lot is that they never let an episode end before solving it. It was such a breath of fresh air from the usual overly clichÄ—d idol dramas that will use all possible ridiculous means to make everything worse and dramatic.
Unconditional trust and love from the Main leads. I feel like the main purpose of this story is to show us how strong and impregnable the relationship of the main couple has become. That no matter how huge of an issue or problem anybody throws at them, they'll not—even once! lose their trust and faith to each other. This sequel was created to slap us with the fact that we don't need to worry about the Main leads falling apart because of various problems and misunderstandings cause they simply won't. Like, Never Ever! and this entire S2 is to flex their indestructible love for one another.
Overall peaceful and harmonious set of events. I've got so much to mention but I'll make sure to take my time to enumerate them properly. First, the non-toxic love rivalry and equal exposures of side couples. If all production can just do the way this drama did it, everyone would probably be satisfied. The way they covered every significant character decently and ended the drama without leaving anyone behind felt perfectly satisfying for me. Second goes to not so wicked, even reasonable antagonists and how the Main leads befriend and made peace with them. This is one of the reason why I was never bothered of this drama going downhill... Simply because I know they will never. Onset of the story, this drama already left us an impression and assurance that everything will go accordingly so no need to worry. Just sit back relax and enjoy the show.
Story - 9.0, I would have rated it higher only if they didn't wore out my appetite early on the show. The way they showed the Main CPs unconditional love and understanding for each other is wonderful but also annoying. Specially with how the FL constantly has issues to offer after another is truly exhausting. The rest of the plot is great and I really love the overall message and value this show has for its viewers.
Acting/Cast - 9.0, I was elated to see them keeping the original casts back. The only issue I got is most probably with their overly-cringey acting. I mean, it's understandable cause this is an idol drama. But I felt like they got too comfortable executing their roles and I started feeling vicarious embarassment for them. Don't get me wrong, they acted so well here! but it's just too much for me at times.
Music - 9.0, The opening is really good and I love it! same with the random sound inserts. But it just doesn't make sense to me that they're using such modern funny and comical sounding tunes on a costume drama. I like how they use it but was also flustered to hear them as well.
Rewatch Value - 7.5, Probably not. No matter how good of a story this is overall. I just can't imagine myself watching it again. The amount of time I've spent to finally finish it is enough proof that it would be hard for me to do it again. Ghad, the FLs wedding jitters really ruined it for me.
Overall - 8.5, After thorough deliberation, I feel like this is the best I can give to this drama. Again, the overall story is really good. It exudes positivity, harmony and cringey-adorable love but the way they started it really took a big blow to me. That constant issues the FL has truly made my mood sour and indifferent... thank god they were able to redeem and recover from it very quickly. It was nonetheless a good drama. I recommend everyone to just skip some early parts if you want to avoid those annoying moments.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Once you entered darkness, there's no turning back... No matter how hard you try.
If I were to sum it all up, this story is all about unconditional love and everything grim, dark and tragic all together. It's like a whole 4 tier cake that's fully-structured by prostitution, molestation, suicide, rape, cheating, murder and violence with same-sex romance as its cherry on top to attract its viewers. It may look interesting, exciting and delicious on the outside but once you take a bite you'll be shock on how awfully bad it actually tastes inside.It was a story of everything sinister and ludicrous intertwined to each other and depicts how multiple acts of such brutal action can result to a continuous, moreso, non-stop set of events that only leads to either tragedy or death.
Closely looking at the narrative, I'd say that they successfully made this story as dark and tragedic as they wanted it to be by mercilessly manipulating each and every piece like a puzzle that will only move in accordance to its players wish and desire.
This movie probably has the greatest facade I've ever watched in a long while. The way they've flawlessly hidden the true agenda of this piece by showing us same-sex love story felt like a whole fraud trick to me. It may seem promising and exciting at first but as it progresses you'll realize that it's starting to go deeper and darker... and by the end, you will be perplexed to know that you're only left with nothing but agony, disappointments, and regrets.
There are only 2 positive points I can clearly see from this movie; First is the familial love Mek has shown to his mother and brother. Second is the unconditional and unrestricted mutual love and affection Itt and Mek have for each other. Aside from these, I can't seem to point out anything else that's considerably good or nice.
Lastly, its ending!! I was so mad and heartbroken. I really thought they'd finally live a more peaceful and happy life after all the tragedy they've been through, yet, this story chose to go all out by giving us nothing but another heartache. They killed Mek like it was part of the plot... Expected to happen to conclude the story and pronounce it 'complete'. Where in fact! It was not! Probably the worst decision ever!
P.S. They really love to do the making out/sex scenes outdoor and I got no complains about that. I even love it a lot. Hahaha!
Story - 7.5, Despite all the negative and dark messages this movie has. I'd still say they executed it quite well and it would've been even better only if it wasn't this problematic!! Still can't move on with the tragic ending ><
Acting/Cast - 9.5, I'm surprisingly satisfied with the leads. Specially with how 'A' look convincing, both appearance and acting wise. Same with 'Tob'. The only problem I've had is with Ying. In some instances her line deliberation felt weak and unstable
Music - 9.5, It's nice to hear early 2000s BGMs once in a while. It felt nostalgic and it truly brought me back to those times. Love the Thai song played too. It smoothly conveys and make you feel the raw emotions they all wanted you to experience and go through.
Rewatch Value - 8.5, Even when it ended tragically. I can still see myself watching it in the future. A year or so probably? For some reason, their bittersweet romance still makes me feel butterflies.
Overall - 8.5, No matter how dark and gloomy the whole vibe of the story, I still can't deny how good the delivery of the entire narrative is. It was foul tasting, traumatic yet kinda addicting. Something I can remember for a long time for sure.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Goddess of Corpses & All in one Medical Examiner + Great chemistry from the 3 Main Leads!
"If you love her, why did you give her up?" - Xiao Song's FatherWanna start this review by stating how messy and overly manipulated the entire love and romantic scenes of this story. Honestly speaking, the entire 1st half (Love story part) of this drama was such a trash I wish it never existed or they at least made it less chaotic and irritating. I just hated how they seemed to eagerly push 'Xiao Song' to be the ML where it was supposedly 'Su Fu' in the first place. It's weird how it feels like they're forcing another character to the ML role where it is evident that the original script tells us otherwise.
It was a challenge to watch a love story unfold with such obvious heavy manipulations from the script itself. Like you just immediately knew that something is off... unnatural and fabricated— fake! I feel like I developed anxiety from having to bear through those sequences this whole time.
Moving on, I just wanna dig deeper into this drama by enumerating some of the positive and negative aspects I have observed while watching it.
Romance & Love story - Su Fu was in a tough spot for being an assasin and spy but I just can't comprehend why he didn't even try to explain himself when he loved her so much. Like, where's the sense in that? at the end, he just didn't seize his chances to the very extent. While Xiao Song on the other hand got it all wrong from the very beginning. Forcing and controlling someone you 'supposedly like' to work for you, hurt her physically and emotionally, failling to protect and even bring harm to her and more. God knows how disappointing this guy was (yes 'was' cause he gradually improved).
Unrealistic, absurd and problematic scenes - This drama got it all for you. From the Crown Prince and Princess attending a banquet without much entourage. Followed by the overhyped 'Drunken state' reaction they had for the FL so they try so hard to keep her from drinking alcohol only to be disappointed because she just puked a little and got a bit more aggresive in doing her autopsy. Up until her infuriating father who chose to blame and disown her even when things has been cleared up and more. It was... draining.
Fighting scenes are actually good. Lots of angled cuts just to hype the action scenes but they were still able to execute cool and amazing sword, archery and brawl fights.
Crime scenes and Problem solving cases are very detailed, well thought and satisfying. You'll immediately know how much research they did just to make it fit perfectly to whatever crime they're trying to show and achieve. I also appreciate the crime scene visualizations whenever they're investigating a crime. Made it more easy to understand the whole scenario without having to recollect and remember what actually happened in the past events.
Supporting characters were also interesting. I love the BL touch from Bai Yi and Sang Chen. Hahaha~ + The FLs Master and Maid Servant brought so much content to make the whole story more light, funny and enjoyable. Let's just ignore her entire Ran Family members. They were all trash aside from her biological Mother.
P.S. There was a teaser at the end of the last episode for a possible Season 2 and I hope it would never happen. I just had enough! >_<
Story - 9.0, Would've made it higher if not for the disappointing manipulations they did with the 2 Male characters, cause if ruined the 1st half of the show. Thank god they were able to save it. Problem solving is great so does the mind-boggling crime set ups and preparations.
Acting/Cast - 9.0, I'm quite satisfied with the Main Leads specially Tim Pei (Su Fu) because even when he constantly look grim and serious you can clearly feel and see the emotions from his eyes and movements. Jie Qiong (Ran Yan) and Toby Lee (Xiao Song) executed their characters greatly as well and I just love their lovey-dovey-teasing moments a lot. I just wish some of the Supporting and Side character never existed. They ruined the experience for me.
Music - 9.5, At first, I find the music used as typical and ordinary but as time passes by I was able to fully grasp the emotion and truly enjoy each one of them. + They were all played on the right time and perfect moments. I was never bothered by their placement and usage.
Rewatch Value - 7.5, It was good but I just won't rewatch it again. I'm only being nice by giving it this rating because it wasn't bad but i'd rather watch other shows than to rewatch it. Heck! I don't even want the S2 to be produce no matter what.
Overall - 9.0, Problem solving, Crime cases and Fighting scenes were actually great but beyond that just felt forced and completely fabricated. I also hate how they keep on challenging the Main Leads love and trust by constantly trying to make them misunderstand each other. Huh! That was effin' tiring y'all. Would've been nice if they didn't made the love story look so manipulated. It was still a good watch specially for the crime-investigation parts.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The tragedic prophecy + Banrou & Yuwen Hu was robbed of the Main Lead Role.
Dugu Banrou & Yuwen Hu owned this story.First of, I wanna say that this drama was far more interesting when the focus was still on Dugu Banrou and Yuwen Hu, they were like the pillar and backbone that keeps this drama alive and going— Everytime Yuwen Hu and Banrou's on the screen, I always go insane. The chemistry this two have is crazy. YWHs extremely emotional and expressive eyes always gets me while DGBRs emotionless yet sorrowful expression always left me heartbroken and in pain.
Even at this point, I'm still questioning why they didn't focus and expound on DGBR & YWHs story. All those times I was watching this drama all I think about was how interesting and excting their story is, that I kept on waiting and anticipating for their scenes. I even reach the point where I feel bland and uninterested watching Jialou's and extremely bored and pissed with Mantuo's.
Anyways, let me stray away from these two or this review will surely be full of my rant and disappointment about them not getting the main roles.
I honestly feel like Mantuo's story made this drama boring and really irritating. Her character is like that small nasty cockroach that can't be killed no matter how many times you hit it. That everytime she appears, all you want to do is to eliminate her and see her gone completely. What's more irritating is that she gets away every single time and even lasted till the very end without any proper character development— she retained her delusional, fake and gold digger attitude like it was her religion. Just imagine how tiring it is to watch that!
Next is the Main Leads who I think was very random and a little questionable. I mean, shouldn't be a story more focused on the interesting characters who can make the story more exciting and spicier? So, why did they give it to characters who felt like a supporting ones?— All this time, I tried. Like, TRIED to understand why but still can't believe that they wasted a supposed good story for such characters. Both the Writer and Director need some genuine reflection for this, Seriously.
The Main Leads weren't bad but I think they're lacking. Their character felt like some extremely favoured people who were supported and funded by a powerful personality. They certainly aren't bad but I just feel like they aren't really cut out for it. Their story is good but is lacking— Like something is lost or missing. I guess they just failed to deliver the same impact I got from Banrou and Yuwen Hu.
P.S. Aside from Banrou & Yuwen Hu's disappearance from the story. What makes this drama more frustrating is the constant timeskip during the last 10-15 episodes. It made the story weigh lesser in value and has gradually become tiring and disappointing as it reaches its Finale.
Story - 8.5, Overall drama is good. The lesson and value of the story was well delivered. It's just that I still feel regretful over Banrou, Yuwen Yu and Yuwen Hu's story and completely done and disgusted by Mantou's immortal character. Not to mention the Main leads who felt like someone powerful is backing them and the frequent timeskip that made a lot of things vague and confusing.
Acting/Cast - 9.5, I felt like not giving this section a perfect 10 is an absurd decision and betrayal towards the casts heartfelt and passionate portrayal but I just can't stomach not to mention how unconvincing and lacking Andy Zhang and Hu Bing Qing's acting during the first half of the story. They felt kind of lost and they seemed like an Idol actor while acting their teenage roles. Fortunately they pushed through and delivered better portrayal as the story progresses. P.S. Jeremy Tsui and Ady An are the true MVP of this drama. Their Portrayal is insane and I'm always engrossed whenever they're on screen.
Music - 9.5, BGMs are really good, specially the ballad ones. It's just that for some reason whenever the songs are playing it doesn't really emphasize the emotions on the scenes that much. Like something is missing. But overall Music used were really good.
Rewatch Value - 8.5, Most probably not. Although I don't hate this drama, I just feel like I had enough of Mantuo and would never want to watch it again. + I don't wanna relive my hopes for Banrou and Yuwen Hu.
Overall - 9.0, Seems just right. Something I will never do is to give a story a much lower rating than it deserve. I admit that I was dissatisfied with some aspects of this drama but I also don't want to dismiss the good qualities of this piece as a whole. Even when it failed to fully cater my expectation but it surely served when it comes to a lot of things specially with the acting department.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Appreciating & Loving the Beauty within Yourself + Strong 2nd Male Lead Syndrome <3
Let me just leave one of the best line in this drama."Don't say bad words about yourself, because doing that is equivalent to saying bad words to us (parents) as we raised you" - Sato Ai's Father
A story that truly deserves a loud round of applause!
This drama kept on breaking my premeditated rating as it progresses that I was left without any choice by the time it ended. Like, how am I supposed to give it a rating lower than 10 when It has been nothing but an absolute perfection all throughout?
Honestly, I planned beforehand to give this drama a rating of either 9.0 or 9.5 but how can I do that when it kept on improving each episode and has been exceeding my hopes and expectations as it moves forward?
I never really hate anything about this drama. It's just that I felt bad and disappointed that such strong 2nd ML was treated like that and I felt like he deserves better compared to what the writers has in-stored for him. Well, as a big fan of Akaso Eiji, I guess I should never watch him doing any supporting roles from now on. Hahaha~!!
Aside from that I actually got no other complaints over this drama. Instead, I wanna commend it for having such solid and well-created plot and story progression that never failed me till the very end.
In addition, I really find it smart that they've decided to give us timeskips to better present the outcome of the characters decisions of pursuing their dreams. It was a brilliant idea cause it all goes back to the real ideal and meaning of this drama which is "Loving and accepting the beauty within yourself and use it as an inspiration to achieve your dreams."
No other words needed! This drama maybe an adaptation but the whole production just made it different on its own creative and unique ways.
Story - 10, Brilliant and beyond satisfaction. This story could've setlled for something less but they didn't stop there and was able to give us a better ending by making the last episode of the drama a plot device to finally achieve the purpose and ideals of this show.
Acting/Cast - 10, The stars of this drama delivered their lines and executed their characters in the most enthusiastic and earnest way without any reservations.
Music - 10, Memorable, the intro of the main BGM just left a significant impression to me. Whenever I hear the word "Hydrangea" I would imediately start humming the tune of the song even when I don't know the lyrics.
Rewatch Value - 10, Highly recommended. Specially if you feel so down and low about yourself. This show can certainly help you get the motivation and appreciation you need to look at yourself in a brighter and more beautiful way.
Overall - 10, The entire production shall never settle for anything less. I feel like this drama adaptation even became more significant and unique because it was able to present its true concept and ideals to its viewers without having to ruin or overly do things.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The clever & talented Princess and her 4 husbands + A great and extremely fun drama.
A drama that deserved more episodes compared to what it has right now. 40 episodes is inadequate!!Honestly, I only have good words for this drama. This piece is 1 out of many dramas I dare not slander or complain about in any way or aspect. It is THAT great! So let me start showering this drama review with nothing but positive and brilliant praises. Hahaha!!
First, I would love to commend the story's way of putting the scenes together. it was arranged in the most smartest way possible. Everything felt properly connected and intact and that made it more exciting and interesting to watch. Story build up was excellent and well-structured so it never felt lacking and confusing; Instead it made the drama a lot more easier for the viewers to watch.
Second is their decision to only focus on the Female Leads life and love interest. I was really fascinated by this side of the drama because it shows how they want to present it to people in a smooth and flawless way. Not only it keeps the viewers attention in one place but it also helps to fully indulge and focus themselves on the flow of the story + it made the drama more appealing and less complicated as a whole.
Third is the great synergy and chemistry among all the characters of this production. Just by the looks of it you'll know that they enjoyed filming it. This drama is full of positive energy and bright smiles that became one of the leading factors on why it's more comfortable to watch. I was so engrossed and excited each and every scenes that I was able to finish it in 4 days despite its 40 episodes.
Absolutely one of the best costume drama I watched ever since. It's a complete package of every single thing put all together + it didn't lack on any area which is very amusing for a drama these days. kudos!!
Story - 10, A well-written and excellently created story that shows how much hardwork the script writers must've invested into this to make it as perfect as it is right now. Every piece of it just fits perfectly together. Definitely one of the stories that will be difficult to be criticize by anyone in any possible way.
Acting/Cast - 10, Perfect set of talented and stellar actors and actresses. I was very satisfied of their character execution and their performance is over the top + I just enjoy the positive and radiant vibes they exuded.
Music - 10, Great choice of BGMs overall. I enjoyed and appreciate all of them and how they were picked to match and fit the vibe and mood of the scenes they were used on.
Rewatch Value - 10, The drama I enjoyed watching the most among all the chinese series I have watched since day 1 and I will never hesitate to watch it again.
Overall - 10, Masterpiece!! I will never stop mentioning how well structured, created and written this drama is. I feel like the people who worked on this drama are passionate about it and just decided to put their 101% the entire time they were shooting it. Definitely, a MUST watch!!
IF you find my review helpful please let me know
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Well-built Camaraderie & Cooperation from the MLs + Nothing beats a warm Meal shared w/ Loved ones.
I feel like the real essense of this drama is being united and making sure that you go home at the end of the day to share a warm meal with your loved ones. =)I really regret making it sit on my watch list for such a long time. This drama is such a heartwarming story that I would recommend to anyone who are experiencing different circumstances in life. For some reason it provided me great comfort and inspiration to move forward by looking back at my previous self and so, I hope that it can also help with other people to cope with all the predicaments they're going through with their lives.
This drama unexpectedly stood out to be one of the best Crime-Investigation drama there is. It is completely different from those who provides solid and thrilling action scenes but that what made this drama so unique for me. I love how it focuses on various aspects and views of life as well as providing great amount of family warmth and camaraderie that helps the whole narrative become more fun, enjoyable and interesting to watch.
Also, I might admit that it's not really perfect when it comes to story and the plot it took... More specifically towards the end where I found too much plot holes that was just added maybe because they lack another idea? or they just don't want to make Tang Fan perfect all the time but even with those, you can't just deny that they did extremely greatly with the rest of the story. So I'll just give it to them and consider it as something they overlooked. After all they still did great!
Other things I wanted to highlight is how this drama was presented in a lighter way? Antagonists were really bad but they weren't cruel enough to be considered as evil. That may seem like a bad thing but in all honesty it makes this drama easier to watch cause the protagonists can easily overturn the tides against them and let's all be honest here... Who even like to watch overly dark and heavily plotted drama in this stressful era we're at right now? All I care is to enjoy and have fun~!!
Laslty, Women Empowerment here specially at the end with Consort Wan is truly satisfying!! Like, Let's GO!! We all love authoritative and confident women. — ALSO, The Bromance with Tang Fan and Sui Zhou is something I squeal HARD!! Cause some of their scenes at the latter part of the story can pass as a BL inserts to be very honest. Hahaha.
Story - 10, As mentioned above it wasn't perfect and it definitely has some scenes where you'll find yourself saying "Wait, What? Huh??" but aside from those, the rest of the story do provide great progression and didn't disappoint in executing the highly thrilling and crucial scenes. So overall, it is still a Perfect score for me.
Acting/Cast - 10, Great acting from the Main and Lead Casts. Hell, even the side characters are good in their respective roles. Special mention to the actor of General Gao Yi. His facial expression is perfection. An expert I would say. The rest are really good as well. I love watching dramas without having to cringe over bad acting and this drama 'served' hard!!
Music - 10, Opening is really good and I must say that the inserts are really approriate and well suited as well. Kudos to the editors and music team for choosing the best music fitted for each scenes.
Rewatch Value - 10, I would love to. and I will surely recommend it to people looking for a crime-investigation drama that provides good story as well as positive character relationship and progression.
Overall - 10, Deserved!! I feel like I can never give it a rating lower than this. As stated in my bio, I don't care about other peoples view and opinion. All I care is how the drama performs and delivers its message and values as a whole and this drama surely did not disappoint and executed really well in different aspects.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
