This review may contain spoilers
good but a very slow process
Honestly, I ended up pretty disappointed.I thought it would be something like FOF; where every 2–3 episodes have their own story that ties back into the main plot, but it wasn’t like that at all. The pacing was painfully slow, the side stories barely connected to the main narrative, and they only dropped real hints in the last 4 episodes while wasting the other 34 on filler.
At first, the short mysteries were interesting, but then it just became endless filler. We didn’t even get to see the leads in a proper battle or showcasing their full power. I wanted the mystery to unfold naturally, but instead everything got crammed together and resolved way too fast.
I really wanted the mystery to be solved together but everything wrapped up way too fast. There were so many unnecessary scenes too. I skipped all the parts with that book demon guy in the last episodes, he was super annoying, added nothing to the plot, wasn’t even a proper villain, and in the end he died in such a lame way.
The final arc was boring and rushed. They had so much potential to make it epic, but instead they filled it with so much new information.
My favs were the Snake Lord and the 4th brother. That’s why I hated the last plot twist where he suddenly got mad and threw all those cruel words at her. Like… why ruin my fav character?? Everyone else had growth, but he went downhill. I just decided to ignore that part so he’s still my fave.
The ending overall was way too rushed and confusing. I’d honestly prefer a sad ending over a messy one. So what happened to the ML? Is he a demon now? Half human, half demon? His dad was the cat demon?? Then how come he never knew he was half demon? He was so good at Taoism too, and there was zero hint about this before. Felt lazy and badly written.
That said… the production was INSANE. Cinematography was gorgeous, every frame looked like a painting. Xi Wei absolutely nailed her role, her crying scenes always make me tear up too, she’s just so talented.
At first I was so hyped for this drama, but in the end it let me down. The story was the biggest issue. Everything else was amazing. But half the episodes felt like fillers, and then they crammed all the important stuff into the last 4 eps.
There were definitely some flaws in the acting, certain scenes felt lacking, but on the other hand, there were moments that were absolutely brilliant. Xi Wei did an incredible job, and Wang Jiayi and Yao Da Qian were solid too.
I still don’t get why they had to kill the Snake guy. It honestly felt like they just wanted to throw in some last-minute tragedy, and it wasn’t necessary at all.
The OST was another highlight for me, after Kunning Palace, this is probably my favorite drama soundtrack. It fit the vibe perfectly.
And again, the production was out of this world. The lighting, camerawork, and overall visual direction were stunning. Especially in the early episodes, the camerawork itself added to the comedy, and it was brilliant. The set design was also so creative and charming, almost like watching a musical at times.
My ratings:
Acting: 8(iykyk)
Cinematography/Production: 10
Plot: 4
rewatch value: 3
OST: 10
Overall: 6
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This review may contain spoilers
the plot is a big no
I don't mind wattpad plots and tsundre ml but not this, on the day of their wedding, he told her that she's a replacement of her sister and she basically a hostage until her sister comes back, he gave her a contract full of degrading rules, like what do you mean by saying "you can't get divorce"? isn't this against human right?he hide her for years and mock her visibly and now, on ep10 after she found out that he was in love with her since they were child she told him that I finally found out why you make those rules, you were the one who told my sister that you're not the real baek saon so she ran away and then you get to marry me, so romantic OPPA I want to marry you again and again
????? he literally forced her to a marriage, hide her, mock her, make her life more miserable and now he's like "i do all of this bc I love you and I wanted to protect you" and surprisingly she said "thank you" 😐 girl????
also the 🇵🇸 comment? hell nah, as a country that was colonised and the people that were enslaved and massacre etc there are so many zi0 in Korea, it's kinda terrifying.
if it wasn't for the propaganda I would give it at least 6, I liked the first 6 eps, she was a Badass but after that it was annoying.
some wattpad plots are even beyond incredible, love to hate you is another wattpad plot but it was so good and so funny and so refreshing, all those cringe and cliche parts were actually funny and cute but this one is just 🤢
the acting is good, all of the cast are so good but I don't like yys, he's misogynist and disgusting, seeing his face is annoying for me, i used to like him but after knowing how disgusting he is I can't get away with him also the age gap was to obvious, he was like her father, there were so many good actors younger that yys for this role but yeah, a wasted potential, the plot could be better, they were trying to k-word each other in the first 6 eps then suddenly they act like a REAL married couple😐 you guys used to live like strangers how do you get so close suddenly?
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To be a woman is to perform,
I waited more than two years for this drama, and it did not disappoint me.First of all, the acting:
I honestly don’t think anyone other than Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei could have portrayed these characters so perfectly. From the main leads to the extras, everything was on point, and it was such a satisfying experience to watch.
My only wish is that they had used Zhou Ye’s real voice in some scenes, especially the one where she had a fight with Chu Zhao in front of the court. Her natural voice while acting is so powerful; it gave me chills.
The production:
It wasn’t the most high-end production, obviously, but there wasn’t a single bad shot either. Personally, good production quality is very important to me, and sometimes I watch a drama just for its production value. For this drama, I can’t really say that, it wasn’t bad at all, but there were moments where I felt certain things were lacking. I truly believe they could have made it even better. Still, overall, the production and cinematography were good, not the best, but definitely solid.
That being said, I can confidently say that 90% of the budget went into the war scenes, and you can tell. Those scenes were where the drama truly shined and felt absolutely epic. They were so well done and truly deserving of praise, i watched some of them multiple times because they were just that stunning.
The story:
From what I know, many people were disappointed because the drama didn’t explore He Yan’s backstory and the hardships she went through to become a general. As someone who hasn’t read the novel and only followed the drama, I was satisfied. I think the pacing was smooth and calm. That said, I agree that adding more depth to those parts would have made the story even better.
I can’t blame the writers or the director for this, though. The 40-episode limit for adapting long Chinese novels is honestly such a big issue. You simply can’t condense thousands of chapters into forty 40-minute episodes. I’m glad this limitation is being lifted now so we can get better storytelling and higher-quality dramas in the future.
As for people saying He Yan’s behavior and words were “cringe,” I completely disagree. As a woman living in a patriarchal society, someone who has fought a real gender war for equality with my own life on the line, her words felt authentic to me, not cringey at all. I deeply related to her struggles.
Overall, I liked the way the story unfolded. Even though I didn’t read the novel, based on what others said, I also feel like focusing more on He Yan’s hardships would have made it even more powerful, but again, 40 episodes don’t allow much room for that.
Overall:
I’m just so happy this drama finally aired and I got to watch it. I really loved it and I definitely recommend it to everyone. The story was beautiful, and the dialogues were written so well. When that line came:
“Do you still like the moon?”
“Yes.”
“Then the moon is yours now.”
I was literally screaming from happiness.
He Yan was truly a strong woman, and I love seeing female-led dramas with characters like her. These kinds of stories heal something inside me that I didn’t even know existed.
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RACISM
I guess it's in the first episode where one of the characters says sth like "black people are barbaric and violent".at first I thought the translation was wrong but then i checked some online forums and confirmed that the dialogue was actually like that and no one on that production crew find it racist and problematic.
I could barely watch the first episode bc of that, it's sth you can't simply ignore, I like the cast but racism is a deal breaker for me.
usually when I drop a drama on the first 3 eps I won't write a review but for this one I actually wanted to warn people, also it's the typical innocent fl and spoiled ml drama.
I wanted to give it a 0 but that's not possible so I gave it a ONE.
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