This review may contain spoilers
If this drama deserves a 10, then every other drama rated a 10 is really just a 7
STORY (10/10) [MAJOR SPOILERS!]
Part 1:
I thought of quitting because the first six episodes were A BORE but I'm so glad that I stuck through with it. I think story-wise it was actually a good choice to start slow-paced, introducing the Cheng family and establishing Shaoshang's personality first, before getting into Buyi's shenanigans.
Part 1 is very much centered around Shaoshang and the Cheng family and it takes a bit to get used to the large ensemble of characters (I had a hard time figuring out who was who until around episode 20). The characters are all very humane, and while I hated when her family who hurt Shaoshang, there were times when I couldn't help but understand and empathize with them. Shaoshang resents her mom, but as the audience, we can't help but sympathize with both sides because they each have their relatable and pitiful aspects. The highlight was definitely the character development of Shaoshang—each life-changing event she went through made my heart pound with excitement. She genuinely moved me so much. I usually hate her kind of character—naive, arrogant, childish—but she quickly won me over because she was so much more than that one-dimensional archetype. She resented her family yet also yearned to be accepted by them. At the same time, she was too arrogant to bow her head and compromise her freedom in favor of filial piety. As the audience, we watch her internal struggles as she grows as a person and matures—she may seem unrealistically capable at times, but it doesn't mean that she's always right.
Now onto Buyi, who has a more backseat role in these episodes while Shaoshang figures her life out. He clearly hides many secrets, but as the audience (and from Shaoshang's perspective), we can't help but be attracted to this mystery. He is quite morally gray, only displaying a composed, solemn exterior while falling hard for Shaoshang. One qualm I had about their early love story was how I felt the pursuing part of their relationship (on Buyi's end) felt a bit unnatural. He was subduing his emotions but all of a sudden expresses them very outwardly—its ferocity didn't feel justified enough by the end of Lou Yao and Shaoshang's betrothal (I get how he's like "now's my chance!!" but it felt uncharacteristic of him at the time). But otherwise I actually kind of liked how he just abruptly proposes the be betrothed to Shaoshang without asking her beforehand. I'm soooo sick of a complex ML that falls for the FL and suddenly becomes an obedient puppy with no personality trait except for being down bad for the FL. I'm glad he still retained his traits of being strong-willed and hard-headed although he loved Shaoshang to death. The last episode where Shaoshang realizes her feelings and runs in slow motion down the corridor is soooo touching and doesn't seem forced at all even though it's sudden expression/recognition of her emotions.
Part 2:
Once you get used to the large ensemble of characters, the drama wastes no time and throws you into Part 2, where an even larger ensemble of characters centering around Buyi and the palace people await. Once again, like the beginning of Part 1, Part 2 also starts off slow-paced as the audience is introduced to all the political intrigue and dynamics within the palace. I once again almost quit but had faith and endured the first few episodes, which are all just political intrigue and introduction to a huge ensemble of side characters. The old supporting characters the audience has grown attached to are seemingly getting abandoned/neglected, but thankfully, they're brought back later throughout the story and incorporated naturally throughout. I felt that the character development of all the side characters only centered around the MCs, but I realized that it was quite the opposite. Characters such as Qiqi experience great change off screen, which makes the worldbuilding more believable—the world didn't revolve around the MCs. This is the first time in a drama where I actually like the members of the royal family—they're all hilarious and quickly become as endearing as the Cheng family. The story made me love characters I hate and hate characters I love (so deep). The plot thickens and comes to its climax in the last 15-10 episodes. Compared to the earlier episodes, the vibe is very angstry and dark as Buyi enacts his revenge and his relationship with Shaoshang falls apart. As a fangirl I hated this, but at the same time, I loved this kind of moral dilemma, and how they finally accepted each others' differences and compromised, finding mutual respect and trust in the end. My favorite scenes were definitely the episode 43 fight scene and the episode 48 bloody banquet scene. Just... no words. Episode 51 feels like the end in an alternate, dystopian world and made me feel like I could never last 5 more episodes of this depressing atmosphere. Shaoshang felt like a shell of her former self, but I realized this is just her new self, and it makes sense. It's impossible for someone to go through that much trauma and still be a bubbly teenage girl after all that. Not only does this story have the best character development, but it also doesn't neglect any side plots. The second I wonder about a certain character not appearing for a hot minute/a seemingly neglected side plot, the drama gives the audience closure. Also side note, Yuan Shanjian was suchhhh a gentleman, and although I didn't have SML syndrome, he so deserves someone who loves him back (and I was kinda sad he didn't get his own love).
Some said the ending was unsatisfactory but I think it was actually pretty nice. The last couple episodes quickly pick up the pace and a slow, fulfilling ending (albeit without a wedding which I would have liked to see considering they even filmed it) with the ensemble of characters looking into the galaxy closes off the story well. Those willing to repent undergo repentance while those with unforgivable sins are dealt with a rightful punishment.
Overall:
I've never watched such a long drama but thank god I stuck through with it. There are a lot of episodes that solely serve to flesh out/introduce side characters so I would say when rewatching, certain episodes could be skipped (hence the 8.5/10)—but this only affects the rewatch negatively in my opinion and adds so much depth to the story, so it's definitely worth it. I think it's actually a good thing the rewatch value is lower than the overall value, as then it means the story was an irreplaceable, once-in-a-lifetime journey. I've never particularly felt bothered with spoilers, but when I was accidentally spoiled about certain important scenes, I was DEVASTATED, which truly shows how amazing this story was.
ACTING (10/10)
I watched Zhao Lusi in The Romance of Tiger and Rose, but she just gave off a typical idol actress vibe and didn't deliver anything outstanding. But in this drama, she definitely won me over, my god. She portrayed the character growth of Shaoshang beautifully. The tremble of her lips as she holds back tears was even different when comparing Shaoshang in the earlier episodes (much more of a little girl) to the latter episodes (mature, resolute, solemn). I will definitely keep an eye out for her future works.
Wu Lei wasn't attractive to me, and I felt like he had no charisma (mostly attributed to how I feel like he's too thin/his build doesn't match his supposed macho general character). I also felt that his acting was too stiff and stone-faced—he felt like a pillar at times. At the same time, I had a little faith and wrote that "he might win me over by the end of the series" in my notes. And win me over he did. From his concealed anger to his explosive anger, I realized that Wu Lei's way of acting isn't an accidental flaw, but rather an intentional choice to potray Buyi as such a character.
Each and every actor felt well portrayed. From the older supporting ensemble to even the petty villain mentioned for a few episodes, every single character was fabulously believable and amazing. I did feel Lou Yao's actor felt a little shallow at times but the final couple episodes where his character experiences growth is adequate enough that I have no other complaints.
PRODUCTION & VISUAL FX (10/10)
This drama definitely has the best cinematography I've seen to date. It isn't grandiose like Fangs of Fortune, but rather bordering on the bounds of realism while pushing beauty to its limits. The color temperature of the scene depending on the emotions, with it raining during the empress' death, fire crackling warmly as Buyi and Shaoshang look lovingly at each other, the mysterious blue of the night sky as the stars of the galaxy watch Buyi and Shaoshang's ambiguous, strained relationship, I could go on and on. Sometimes for cdramas, I cringe on how unrealistic and blatant the wirework is, especially for supposed realistic historical dramas, but the directing of all scenes, especially the fight scenes was immaculate. Other than a couple awkward green screen moments all the CGI and directing is amazing, you can def tell this is a high-end production. This is the first drama where I didn't notice much of the choppy slo-mo camerawork. The slow motion of the camera panning out grandly or intimately capturing every microexpression of the actors' was done beautifully.
OST (10/10)
The music is also the best soundtrack I have heard, and it definitely made the drama feel like an epic tale of self discovery and growth. The directing (with a lot of slow motion) was very appropriate for this kind of grand music. The music wasn't repetitive enough that it felt silly, but there were also a few recognizable tracks that gave the drama its special color.
Part 1:
I thought of quitting because the first six episodes were A BORE but I'm so glad that I stuck through with it. I think story-wise it was actually a good choice to start slow-paced, introducing the Cheng family and establishing Shaoshang's personality first, before getting into Buyi's shenanigans.
Part 1 is very much centered around Shaoshang and the Cheng family and it takes a bit to get used to the large ensemble of characters (I had a hard time figuring out who was who until around episode 20). The characters are all very humane, and while I hated when her family who hurt Shaoshang, there were times when I couldn't help but understand and empathize with them. Shaoshang resents her mom, but as the audience, we can't help but sympathize with both sides because they each have their relatable and pitiful aspects. The highlight was definitely the character development of Shaoshang—each life-changing event she went through made my heart pound with excitement. She genuinely moved me so much. I usually hate her kind of character—naive, arrogant, childish—but she quickly won me over because she was so much more than that one-dimensional archetype. She resented her family yet also yearned to be accepted by them. At the same time, she was too arrogant to bow her head and compromise her freedom in favor of filial piety. As the audience, we watch her internal struggles as she grows as a person and matures—she may seem unrealistically capable at times, but it doesn't mean that she's always right.
Now onto Buyi, who has a more backseat role in these episodes while Shaoshang figures her life out. He clearly hides many secrets, but as the audience (and from Shaoshang's perspective), we can't help but be attracted to this mystery. He is quite morally gray, only displaying a composed, solemn exterior while falling hard for Shaoshang. One qualm I had about their early love story was how I felt the pursuing part of their relationship (on Buyi's end) felt a bit unnatural. He was subduing his emotions but all of a sudden expresses them very outwardly—its ferocity didn't feel justified enough by the end of Lou Yao and Shaoshang's betrothal (I get how he's like "now's my chance!!" but it felt uncharacteristic of him at the time). But otherwise I actually kind of liked how he just abruptly proposes the be betrothed to Shaoshang without asking her beforehand. I'm soooo sick of a complex ML that falls for the FL and suddenly becomes an obedient puppy with no personality trait except for being down bad for the FL. I'm glad he still retained his traits of being strong-willed and hard-headed although he loved Shaoshang to death. The last episode where Shaoshang realizes her feelings and runs in slow motion down the corridor is soooo touching and doesn't seem forced at all even though it's sudden expression/recognition of her emotions.
Part 2:
Once you get used to the large ensemble of characters, the drama wastes no time and throws you into Part 2, where an even larger ensemble of characters centering around Buyi and the palace people await. Once again, like the beginning of Part 1, Part 2 also starts off slow-paced as the audience is introduced to all the political intrigue and dynamics within the palace. I once again almost quit but had faith and endured the first few episodes, which are all just political intrigue and introduction to a huge ensemble of side characters. The old supporting characters the audience has grown attached to are seemingly getting abandoned/neglected, but thankfully, they're brought back later throughout the story and incorporated naturally throughout. I felt that the character development of all the side characters only centered around the MCs, but I realized that it was quite the opposite. Characters such as Qiqi experience great change off screen, which makes the worldbuilding more believable—the world didn't revolve around the MCs. This is the first time in a drama where I actually like the members of the royal family—they're all hilarious and quickly become as endearing as the Cheng family. The story made me love characters I hate and hate characters I love (so deep). The plot thickens and comes to its climax in the last 15-10 episodes. Compared to the earlier episodes, the vibe is very angstry and dark as Buyi enacts his revenge and his relationship with Shaoshang falls apart. As a fangirl I hated this, but at the same time, I loved this kind of moral dilemma, and how they finally accepted each others' differences and compromised, finding mutual respect and trust in the end. My favorite scenes were definitely the episode 43 fight scene and the episode 48 bloody banquet scene. Just... no words. Episode 51 feels like the end in an alternate, dystopian world and made me feel like I could never last 5 more episodes of this depressing atmosphere. Shaoshang felt like a shell of her former self, but I realized this is just her new self, and it makes sense. It's impossible for someone to go through that much trauma and still be a bubbly teenage girl after all that. Not only does this story have the best character development, but it also doesn't neglect any side plots. The second I wonder about a certain character not appearing for a hot minute/a seemingly neglected side plot, the drama gives the audience closure. Also side note, Yuan Shanjian was suchhhh a gentleman, and although I didn't have SML syndrome, he so deserves someone who loves him back (and I was kinda sad he didn't get his own love).
Some said the ending was unsatisfactory but I think it was actually pretty nice. The last couple episodes quickly pick up the pace and a slow, fulfilling ending (albeit without a wedding which I would have liked to see considering they even filmed it) with the ensemble of characters looking into the galaxy closes off the story well. Those willing to repent undergo repentance while those with unforgivable sins are dealt with a rightful punishment.
Overall:
I've never watched such a long drama but thank god I stuck through with it. There are a lot of episodes that solely serve to flesh out/introduce side characters so I would say when rewatching, certain episodes could be skipped (hence the 8.5/10)—but this only affects the rewatch negatively in my opinion and adds so much depth to the story, so it's definitely worth it. I think it's actually a good thing the rewatch value is lower than the overall value, as then it means the story was an irreplaceable, once-in-a-lifetime journey. I've never particularly felt bothered with spoilers, but when I was accidentally spoiled about certain important scenes, I was DEVASTATED, which truly shows how amazing this story was.
ACTING (10/10)
I watched Zhao Lusi in The Romance of Tiger and Rose, but she just gave off a typical idol actress vibe and didn't deliver anything outstanding. But in this drama, she definitely won me over, my god. She portrayed the character growth of Shaoshang beautifully. The tremble of her lips as she holds back tears was even different when comparing Shaoshang in the earlier episodes (much more of a little girl) to the latter episodes (mature, resolute, solemn). I will definitely keep an eye out for her future works.
Wu Lei wasn't attractive to me, and I felt like he had no charisma (mostly attributed to how I feel like he's too thin/his build doesn't match his supposed macho general character). I also felt that his acting was too stiff and stone-faced—he felt like a pillar at times. At the same time, I had a little faith and wrote that "he might win me over by the end of the series" in my notes. And win me over he did. From his concealed anger to his explosive anger, I realized that Wu Lei's way of acting isn't an accidental flaw, but rather an intentional choice to potray Buyi as such a character.
Each and every actor felt well portrayed. From the older supporting ensemble to even the petty villain mentioned for a few episodes, every single character was fabulously believable and amazing. I did feel Lou Yao's actor felt a little shallow at times but the final couple episodes where his character experiences growth is adequate enough that I have no other complaints.
PRODUCTION & VISUAL FX (10/10)
This drama definitely has the best cinematography I've seen to date. It isn't grandiose like Fangs of Fortune, but rather bordering on the bounds of realism while pushing beauty to its limits. The color temperature of the scene depending on the emotions, with it raining during the empress' death, fire crackling warmly as Buyi and Shaoshang look lovingly at each other, the mysterious blue of the night sky as the stars of the galaxy watch Buyi and Shaoshang's ambiguous, strained relationship, I could go on and on. Sometimes for cdramas, I cringe on how unrealistic and blatant the wirework is, especially for supposed realistic historical dramas, but the directing of all scenes, especially the fight scenes was immaculate. Other than a couple awkward green screen moments all the CGI and directing is amazing, you can def tell this is a high-end production. This is the first drama where I didn't notice much of the choppy slo-mo camerawork. The slow motion of the camera panning out grandly or intimately capturing every microexpression of the actors' was done beautifully.
OST (10/10)
The music is also the best soundtrack I have heard, and it definitely made the drama feel like an epic tale of self discovery and growth. The directing (with a lot of slow motion) was very appropriate for this kind of grand music. The music wasn't repetitive enough that it felt silly, but there were also a few recognizable tracks that gave the drama its special color.
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