This review may contain spoilers
Pretty Faces, Weak Logic, and Rushed Storytelling
I found the drama becoming more dull and less exciting over time watching up to ep 23.
He Yan’s “male disguise” is unconvincing; her voice, face, and mannerisms remain exactly the same whether she is portraying a man or a woman. This makes her military infiltration hard to believe especially compared to Yang Zi’s convincing boy-disguise in Lost You Forever 1. Xiao Jue, while handsome, plays the same cold, stoic role he’s portrayed in other dramas (My Journey to You), with minimal emotional range. It is one face that he makes, smiles a little bit, and goes back to the cold face.
Logic gaps are everywhere. You’re telling me Xiao Jue, who studied alongside He Yan in the past, can’t recognize her despite her unique sword technique, height difference, and voice? It takes until episode 22 and a random brothel scene for him to “suddenly” piece it together. The story is rushed, with plot points jumping from one scene to the next without explanation like a cup dropping then instantly cutting to He Yan being blinded by poison.
Some scenes are downright illogical. He Yan is supposedly a skilled and powerful fighter, yet she is instantly taken down by her brother’s assassin, falls over a cliff, and somehow survives thanks to a conveniently placed master. The event feels rushed, unearned, and stripped of tension emblematic of the drama’s overall pacing issues.
Character motivations are paper-thin. The He family’s hatred for He Yan is never fleshed out unless you have read the novel. Fight scenes are minimal, replaced with drawn-out romance stares, fake marriage antics, and repetitive “du du du du”. I have to pause and fill in the blanks myself.
What could have been a sharp action driven tale of redemption and strategy is instead a romance heavy drama with pretty faces, plot armor, and underdeveloped storytelling. Unless you are here purely for the lead visuals, you'll likely find yourself frustrated by the wasted potential.
He Yan’s “male disguise” is unconvincing; her voice, face, and mannerisms remain exactly the same whether she is portraying a man or a woman. This makes her military infiltration hard to believe especially compared to Yang Zi’s convincing boy-disguise in Lost You Forever 1. Xiao Jue, while handsome, plays the same cold, stoic role he’s portrayed in other dramas (My Journey to You), with minimal emotional range. It is one face that he makes, smiles a little bit, and goes back to the cold face.
Logic gaps are everywhere. You’re telling me Xiao Jue, who studied alongside He Yan in the past, can’t recognize her despite her unique sword technique, height difference, and voice? It takes until episode 22 and a random brothel scene for him to “suddenly” piece it together. The story is rushed, with plot points jumping from one scene to the next without explanation like a cup dropping then instantly cutting to He Yan being blinded by poison.
Some scenes are downright illogical. He Yan is supposedly a skilled and powerful fighter, yet she is instantly taken down by her brother’s assassin, falls over a cliff, and somehow survives thanks to a conveniently placed master. The event feels rushed, unearned, and stripped of tension emblematic of the drama’s overall pacing issues.
Character motivations are paper-thin. The He family’s hatred for He Yan is never fleshed out unless you have read the novel. Fight scenes are minimal, replaced with drawn-out romance stares, fake marriage antics, and repetitive “du du du du”. I have to pause and fill in the blanks myself.
What could have been a sharp action driven tale of redemption and strategy is instead a romance heavy drama with pretty faces, plot armor, and underdeveloped storytelling. Unless you are here purely for the lead visuals, you'll likely find yourself frustrated by the wasted potential.
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