This review may contain spoilers
Beautifully done
It was beautiful.
Casting was so well done, everyone was absolutely stunningggg. Tian Xi Wei looked divine in Moonlit Reunion and even better here. . I have no words to explain her besides that she looks like an angel and her acting range is insane, can only think of one or two actresses that could pull it off. Nothing felt stiff, from fighting to kissing, everything flowed very naturally and nothing looked toooo absurd. Yes, she killed a general with two strikes but also has anyone complaining about this ever seen an actual PIG? They are huge. If a girl can carry a damn pig like nothing, then she can kill a man with two strikes, it makes sense, you know? Linghe also never, ever looked better and he could do both things he does best: brood and cry, and he did not disappoint. He does yearning very well, he does psycho very well and was able to masterfully navigate between the extremes of hot and cold. Honorable mention that hot scenes were hotting (god bless).
Aside from that, most characters had names, stories and personal motivations. Side stories were not boring, second couple did AMAZING, to the point of being as important to plot as the main couple. It did not have the usual (and useless) sidekicks around leads, with no boring plots or filler episodes, everything had a purpose.
Cinematography was a work of art. Lightning, camera work, angles, composition, and the color graaaaaaading!! There is a video the studio released about the color grading work, it is stunning. Costumes, wigs, scenarios, make up, soundtrack was not groundbreaking, but also very well done. The director has definitely add one more line to his already great record of very well executed projects.
And all of this allowed what I have rarely seen around: beautiful story telling. It allowed feelings to be expressed in actions/images, and avoided overexposure of information to explain events or actions, which is what often creates the sense of disbelief in us as consumers of the final product. This is why we often can’t tolerate some costume dramas: it looks staged, it feels fake. If I can’t connect with the story, characters, scenarios or world, I will lose interest in it, and this was not the case here. We got so many beautiful, unique, well done shots and angles. It was creative sometimes, poetic in others, and even cheesy at some point, but it was so so so pleasing to watch, we were weeeeell served.
Now, I do not ignore that the plot had some issues, but as anyone who knows a bit about how media control works in China, it is nothing new. The limitation of episodes, duration, removal of actors involved in scandal and other cultural requirements often lead to this outcome in this type of media (unfortunately). I also disagree with comments that talk about lack of creativity or absurdity of plot, and I can only presume those watchers have not been around for long, because denying the quality of work and content is absolute blindness or lack of experience.
Of course there is room for improvement, for example, further deepening of the ML feelings would have been great to the overall plot. The strength of the feelings that drove the Sui princes to madness is what made them so magnetic (besides being hot as well). The complex of the relationship between the second couple was soooo well done, it made the conflicts of the main couple seen a bit plain. It was hard to connect to that bone deep solitude that made the Marquis the cold and distant man he is at the begining of the story. We could watch and understand Changyu’s sorrows, but we saw very little of what made Xie Zheng who he was. This is a second strike for Linghe, because his role in Our Generation had the same exact issue. Do better handsome!
Personally, I would also have loved to see more ML fighting scenes. Seeing the FL rock it was great, she is main character after all, but I expected more from the Marquis. It was funny that the only scene he actually fought he was using a mask, which made me wonder if it was a skill issue…however, he did have fighting scenes in other productions, so I prefer to believe it was a very conscious choice. His aura was 1000/10 tho, no comments.
Regarding timeline and pacing, which are also very important for world building, both were great during the first 23 eps, the development of the relationships and plots felt real and solid. Rhythm got a bit wonky after that, but nothing that is not seen in every other production out there. And well, it affected the ending, which felt rushed and shallow when compared to everything else. I must say I would have preferred a single solid ending over the fan service they chose to do, with the random scenes from the alternate ending. But it is a HE and this girl likes a HE, so I will take my win.
Finally, well, I looooved it as the love story it is. It is not a heavy political, vengeance drama. It is not a comedy nor a parody. It is a love story, very sweet and very emotional/highstake, with lots of yearning (and kisses 🙏🏽). It has definitely earned a place within my all time favorites list and I think anyone who likes romance and costume/historial drama should give it a try, I am sure you won’t be disappointed.
Casting was so well done, everyone was absolutely stunningggg. Tian Xi Wei looked divine in Moonlit Reunion and even better here. . I have no words to explain her besides that she looks like an angel and her acting range is insane, can only think of one or two actresses that could pull it off. Nothing felt stiff, from fighting to kissing, everything flowed very naturally and nothing looked toooo absurd. Yes, she killed a general with two strikes but also has anyone complaining about this ever seen an actual PIG? They are huge. If a girl can carry a damn pig like nothing, then she can kill a man with two strikes, it makes sense, you know? Linghe also never, ever looked better and he could do both things he does best: brood and cry, and he did not disappoint. He does yearning very well, he does psycho very well and was able to masterfully navigate between the extremes of hot and cold. Honorable mention that hot scenes were hotting (god bless).
Aside from that, most characters had names, stories and personal motivations. Side stories were not boring, second couple did AMAZING, to the point of being as important to plot as the main couple. It did not have the usual (and useless) sidekicks around leads, with no boring plots or filler episodes, everything had a purpose.
Cinematography was a work of art. Lightning, camera work, angles, composition, and the color graaaaaaading!! There is a video the studio released about the color grading work, it is stunning. Costumes, wigs, scenarios, make up, soundtrack was not groundbreaking, but also very well done. The director has definitely add one more line to his already great record of very well executed projects.
And all of this allowed what I have rarely seen around: beautiful story telling. It allowed feelings to be expressed in actions/images, and avoided overexposure of information to explain events or actions, which is what often creates the sense of disbelief in us as consumers of the final product. This is why we often can’t tolerate some costume dramas: it looks staged, it feels fake. If I can’t connect with the story, characters, scenarios or world, I will lose interest in it, and this was not the case here. We got so many beautiful, unique, well done shots and angles. It was creative sometimes, poetic in others, and even cheesy at some point, but it was so so so pleasing to watch, we were weeeeell served.
Now, I do not ignore that the plot had some issues, but as anyone who knows a bit about how media control works in China, it is nothing new. The limitation of episodes, duration, removal of actors involved in scandal and other cultural requirements often lead to this outcome in this type of media (unfortunately). I also disagree with comments that talk about lack of creativity or absurdity of plot, and I can only presume those watchers have not been around for long, because denying the quality of work and content is absolute blindness or lack of experience.
Of course there is room for improvement, for example, further deepening of the ML feelings would have been great to the overall plot. The strength of the feelings that drove the Sui princes to madness is what made them so magnetic (besides being hot as well). The complex of the relationship between the second couple was soooo well done, it made the conflicts of the main couple seen a bit plain. It was hard to connect to that bone deep solitude that made the Marquis the cold and distant man he is at the begining of the story. We could watch and understand Changyu’s sorrows, but we saw very little of what made Xie Zheng who he was. This is a second strike for Linghe, because his role in Our Generation had the same exact issue. Do better handsome!
Personally, I would also have loved to see more ML fighting scenes. Seeing the FL rock it was great, she is main character after all, but I expected more from the Marquis. It was funny that the only scene he actually fought he was using a mask, which made me wonder if it was a skill issue…however, he did have fighting scenes in other productions, so I prefer to believe it was a very conscious choice. His aura was 1000/10 tho, no comments.
Regarding timeline and pacing, which are also very important for world building, both were great during the first 23 eps, the development of the relationships and plots felt real and solid. Rhythm got a bit wonky after that, but nothing that is not seen in every other production out there. And well, it affected the ending, which felt rushed and shallow when compared to everything else. I must say I would have preferred a single solid ending over the fan service they chose to do, with the random scenes from the alternate ending. But it is a HE and this girl likes a HE, so I will take my win.
Finally, well, I looooved it as the love story it is. It is not a heavy political, vengeance drama. It is not a comedy nor a parody. It is a love story, very sweet and very emotional/highstake, with lots of yearning (and kisses 🙏🏽). It has definitely earned a place within my all time favorites list and I think anyone who likes romance and costume/historial drama should give it a try, I am sure you won’t be disappointed.
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