Wynndzofchange

Brain Cramps, Angst and Nearly Dropped

I’ll start this with this. I hope you are good with puzzles and don’t mind scratch a bald spot on your head trying to figure things out initially.

This story flops around like a fish out of water, and makes you wonder if the script was laced with an illegal substance.

There are 3 different ‘illnesses’ attributed to the ML, and that is probably due to translation issues (at least on the platform I viewed it on.

Lastly - one of the vocalists had serious issues staying on pitch with the music score. It was painful to hear.

BUT…

Stay with it if you can get past every drama trope available to man (except as several have nentioned) twins, and bonding over stray animals.

I watched this to see if the ML was any different in this role than some of the others, and he was. He did a good job despite the script. And be on the lookout for rabbit ears, a bow tie and a fluffy bunny tail. Even that was done well.

The FL did well with her roll, making you appreciate her characters calm behavior but also wanting to smack the snot out of from time to time.

The rest of the cast were good in their role, except for the obsessed female childhood friend who overacted the majority of the time, as did the brother from another mother. And the ML’s sarcastic bitter aunt. She made me wish for a stapler, some super glue and duct tape.

I don’t know what’s up with a lot of C-dramas, but why why why do they wait until they’re almost ready to roll the credits before they get the main couple in a rom-com married? Or destroy the ending with this one with what looks like a forced close just to get out early in the last day of filming?

Overall, this wasn’t a bad drama but it wasn’t great. I gave it a 7.5 as I think everyone deserves some credit and shouldn’t be judged for bad writing.

It’s ot a drama I would rewatch. I can’t take the stress…

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Funny, Sad, Intruguing

First - this is the 2nd drama I have seen with Lee Jong Won, and he has impressed me! His eyes will stop your breath, as his mastery of conveying emotion through them is phenomenal.

Lee Ha Nee was also incredible. Her character was naive, and brave and hopeful. She mastered her character flawlessly.

The rest of the cast was also well chosen. There wasn’t any of the awkward chemistry that is sometimes seen when the villains are overly villainous, and the comedic inserts throughout the episodes made me laugh multiple times.

I felt horrible for the way widows were treated during that time period, and it was refreshing to see that the characters lived within the social boundaries but did not resign themselves to the expectations of seclusion and even ending their lives.

The story was well written and the overall production was amazingly executed. Thenonly thing that left me with a negative impression was the choice of some of the music. While the FL was a force to be reckoned with, the initial song was too abrasive as her character was more than that. Just my personal reaction though.

Tge other tiny disappointment was the ending. It did not end the way it was built up. Not badly, but it was a bit of a disappointment considering all the ML and FL experienced together.

Overall it was a good drama, and I enjoyed every episode. I probably wouldn’t watch it again anytime soon, but it would be a good one to watch again at some point.

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“Its’s all your fault”

This is a running theme throughout this drama - people are either blaming misfortunes on others or assuming responsibility for things they had no control over.

I have to say that excluding the ML, FL, 2nd FL and Old Gao, most of the other characters were not a major contribution to the story. instead they were all pretty annoying characters. The overly exaggerated and dragged out scenes with many of the characters were almost a turn off.

I love Zhang Han’s acting, and the chemistry between him and Janine Chang was palpable. There story could have been all that was needed to give this drama a better rating without any of the side stories which took up more screen time than the leads. And I noticed the repeat jewelry placement of the same pieces to multiple characters.

I watched this previously about 5 years ago, and had the same impression then. Even though I skipped a lot of the side stories this time, and was annoyed with the attempted nobility to take responsibility of every wrong in everyone else’s life and hide to avoid difficult situations, I still enjoyed the story between the ML and FL

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Not A Typical Romance

Before I start, I just have to say that the FL, when dressed in her red and black clothing, reminds me of an anime character. Now that this is off my mind…

Cons:
Some of the characters were overacted to the extreme. The evil stepmother, the evil sister, the self-absorbed sister who wanted to slap everyone, the angry crazy crown prince. Everyone seemed to have a penchant for yelling to prove how angry they were with everyone they encountered. Although their characters were more sinister in nature, they were always angry even when their scheming minds should have led them to a level of calm before the storm.

There was a lot of information the viewer had to put together to make sense of scenes that should have been explained, but probably left on the censors cutting room floor.

The FL’s animosity toward the ML right out after he comes to her home also leaves me scratching my head a bit. If she’s trying to blend into the background why was her character so antagonistic to the law-man?

The 2nd ML gave away the plot to have him fall in love with the FL way too soon. I would say that is the fault partially of the script. There should have been some time for him to struggle with the way his feelings would impact the way people saw him, his ‘sister’ and the family business rather than walking around with puppy dog eyes around her. His role was kinda creepy.

The ML and FL needed to have more time together. One day they were enemies, next day in love. Probably more cut during the review process.

There was no resolution with the evil stepmother. She was a driving force that was put in prison and the poof - she was never mentioned again.

And, while the two evil sisters were living on the streets, there could have been more development of the self-absorbed sister. She’s there, then a brief glimpse of her gathering coins being tossed at her by another angry girl, and then hardly anything after that until the end. More could have been done with her character to contrast her learning about her egotistic behavior in comparison to the middle sister and her constant manipulations and angry outbursts.

Pros:
Once I got past the disjointed and bizarre first few episodes, the drama actually started coming to life. And even though some parts were a bit draggy, the pace was pretty consistent. There were a few holes, but overall it was a good story.

The acting - even the perpetually angry people - was done well.

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Leads Carried The Drama

So many annoying characters. Busy body friends, stalker brother of ML female classmate who had a crush on him (brother/sister manipulators and liars), ML’s mothers voice and dramatics. if it hadn’t been for the M/FL’s, I would have dropped this drama like a hot potato.

The story was good to a point, it was just dragged on to fill in the backstory of why the ML was banned from competing for 4 years.

ML is adorable. Bright, expressive eyes, a smile that is captivating and he is a very good actor. His character was extremely positive, and he portrayed a young man becoming a responsible mature adult in his career and relationship very well.

FL is awesome in everything she does. Her character was spunky and smart - and she played the role of learning how to love someone and being vulnerable in a relationship could make it stronger.

Plot was okay, just an excessive number of plots and side stories. There were a few inconsistencies in the translations from one episode to the next, and as others have said - the actors are not professional swimmers, which, with all of the footage of them swimming became distracting.

Despite all of this, I enjoyed the interaction of the ML and FL and found myself fast forwarding a lot of the secondary storylines just to see their story.

I originally watched this when it was released, but came across it again and remembered why I easnt too impressed with the drama overall. If it had been anyone other than the ML and FL I would not have watched it again.

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Liu Yuning is off the charts

I finished this drama a couple of weeks ago because I wanted to digest everything before I submitted one.

First of all - to all those haters who accused LYN of riding on the coattails of his co-leads, and saying he’s too ugly for costume dramas - you are so wrong and this drama not only proves how wrong you are but shows your inability to observe and make correct observations. LYN is a force to be reconned with and his ability in this drama to play the roles of basically 4 people (NF tge actor, NH the bad version, NH the good version and LSL) proves he is not riding anyone’s success. He is riding that wave because of his dedication to doing a job and doing it well.

With that said, I think that every cast member did an excellent job. From villains to innocent bystanders, every role was well executed.

The scenery was stunning. Costumes were beautiful.
The OSTs were perfect and well chosen. There were characters to love, characters to hate and pity, those who annoyed you half to death until the very end (FL 😂), those you rooted for and those who broke your heart.

The court politics were just frustrating. And the only place this drama fell short for me was the instant flip the emporer did in accepting the son he despised and abused for 10 years. That much hate for that long doesn’t dissipate overnight. It just felt rushed and disingenuous.

The ending was a little cheesey, but after enduring all the emotional rollercoasters and misunderstandings, and the desire to slap the FL until she shut up and let the ML talk, it wasn’t so bad.

If you’re hesitating to watch this because of any of the negative comments or reviews, do yourself a favor and watch it. The story will keep you guessing and the characters will hit all the emotional buttons. It’s very very good.

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Dramatic and Historical

I have seen a lot of negative comments about the focus of the silk and brocade business aspect of this drama, and it saddens me a little.

What people fail to understand is that this drama *is* historical, and is relaying to the audience the great efforts it took by the Chinese to establish what is known as “The Silk Road”. It was then, a trade route that stretched from China to the Mediterranean region spanning over 4,000 miles or 6,400 kilometers. That it itself was astounding.

The Silk Road not only opened up that then monstrous trade route, but it also gave opportunity for cultural as well as goods exchanges through foot traffic. Many of those who traveled the Silk Road after it was established were Chinese merchants and Buddhist monks. It brought trades of silk, spices, metals and a myriad other items to areas that had not been exposed to them previously. Currently, since it has been rediscovered, the Silk Road has been reopened and the United Nations sponsored a trans-Asian motor highway and railroad project, and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to revive and expand the ancient routes through modern infrastructure development.

The history is diverse and rich. If you are only interested in romance then this drama is not for you.

If you drop your expectations and truly watch this drama for what it is, a look back at the establishment of a massive trade route, the often overwhelming and demoralizing structure of family clans, the unjust and often brutal treatment of women and servants with a love story mixed in, then watch and enjoy.

First - just a big shout out to Mr. Beauty ( the nickname for Zheng Yecheng from Love 020). His martial arts are made incredibly beautiful due to his background in theatrical arts and majoring in opera. He is perfect for roles like this. I cannot say enough about his wire stunts or his acting as they are stellar.

Tan Songyun is as usual, fabulous. Fiesty, protective

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Heart and Mind

I am impressed with this drama all the way around. From the OST to the ending is a masterpiece.

The story grabbed my attention immediately and held it until the very end. Every detail, character and scene transition was flawless. The story was captivating, and the filming locations were stunning. The martial arts stunts were executed beautifully and were a visual delight. The cast was incredibly talented down to the smallest role. I am actually at a loss for words as to how impressed I am by this drama. Watch it, you won’t be sorry you did. But be prepared for the ending - have a couple of tissues nearby.

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Wow

I normally don’t watch short dramas because there’s just not enough time to develop the story or the characters and jump over much needed content like the cow jumping over the moon - nice try, but it’s always a miss.

But this one, even though it felt a little disjointed at the beginning grabbed me from about ep 3. And talk about chemistry? I had to open doors and windows for fear of the fire coming off my TV triggering my smoke alarm.

The story was good. Rich heiress finds the man she had a one night stand with 6 years prior, manipulates him a bit by holding money over his head to help his sick mother get the treatment she needs. Little does she know he still harbors feelings for her, and she for him, but her desire to have another child so that the baby can donate bone marrow for the son who has just entered the critical stage of leukemia.

They get married after signing a marriage contract with a 3 month duration.

Enter crazy gossipy neighbor who wants her daughter to be with the ML, but he wants nothing to do with her. The acting from these two is terrible. Alrhough the mother pulled off the vicious gossip harpy to perfection - something that either takes a lot of practice, comes naturally or she’s experienced that in rl. The daughter doesn’t care if the ML is married. She wants what she wants and will do whatever it takes including lying and aiding in kidnapping and putting the ML’s mother in situations that cause her many health related attacks. Nasty family. Their acting was terrible.

The ex boyfriend is one of those characters you hate right away. Anither one of those people who won’t take no for an answer, fabricate situations to achieve his end, and even attempted assault and murder. He’s awkward and creepy.

The ML’s mother is overly dramatic and prone to having fits, feigning illness and screaming to manipulate her son. Some of her antics are understandable based on past events.

Then there’s the crazy doctor who is the FL’s exboyfriend who turns out to be the creepiest stalker and manipulator ever. His acting was okay in some places, but mostly it was like watching a chunk of wood lumber awkwardly around and recite lines.

Then the FL’s jealous and crazy brother. Worst actor ever. He had crazy in his eyes, terrible morals and used his wealth to have goons beat and harass people into submission. His character reminded me of a cornered chihuahua who would bite and snap and attack, then whine and blame his insanity on the FL.

The FL’s best friend was finally one who wasn’t an airhead or bounced around from partner to partner. She spoke her piece and then left it at that. This was a refreshing change of pace.

Two more overacted characters were the FL’s father and the wicked stepmother. Neither were convincable in their roles, and the stepmother wasn’t really needed to make the story better.

I have not seen the ML and FL aim any dramas before, but I was impressed by both of them. Their dialog, interaction as a couple and intimacy screens were spot on.

The FL is not a pushover. She doesn’t buy into lies nor does she fall for manipulations for very long. She’s a protective mother and despite her sharp words to the ML, she loves him as much as he loves her.

The ML was very much a master in his role. Strong, proud, protective and completely dedicated to the FL and has a pretty strong EQ. He risked his life and reputation to help her and protected. And let’s face it. He’s got the visuals. Plus, he knows that a kiss between lovers is not supposed to look like dead fish meeting dead fish.

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Destined for Greatness

I stared watching this drama because of Bai Jing Ting after seeing him in The First Frost. And, I have to say I was not disappointed in any way.

40 episodes might seem like a lot. The ML and FL in constant danger built up anxiety, but never once did I fStfoward through any of the characters.

The cinematography was incredibly well done. There were no mechanical horses, no wobbly swords, no blood flying before a sword came close. Tge scenic sites were selected well and blended into the story well.

The acting was superb. Every characters role was done well and convincing by their portrayal.

The court scenes and fight scenes were flawless, including parts where war machines were involved.

The best part of the series was the interaction betweeen the ML and the FL. They started out disliking each other, but through various circumstances they learned to trust, rely and love each other, even when villains attempted to hurt them or break them apart. They grew closer through their adversities and were able to work together flawlessly.

If you’re looking for fluff, this is not a drama for that purpose. It is gritty, it is filled with angst and non-stop plotting and scheming typical in royal court dramas. But there was never a doubt about the integrity or honesty of the leads.

Tgeres so much that is good about Destined, and I could go on, but it’s better if you watch it yourself; even if you’re not a fan of period drsmas, Destined will win you over.

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Too Sweet

There is not much I can add to the reviews already about this drama, other than it can tug at your heart strings with the story and acting of the ML and FL.

One scene in particular made me cry, not just get teary eyed, but cry to the place where I had to open a box of tissue. Her surprise trip find out if the ML really was seeing someone. Zhso LuSi did this scene so well, Ang it was easy to empathize with her pain and the disappointment she felt.

Big lesson in this drama that they all learned, and was exemplified by the FL parents was to speak about what you’re thinking and your concerns in a gentle, kind and truthful manner. So many misunderstandings in life occur because people try to figure out what someone else is thinking without asking them.

This will be on my list to watch again. Multipl3 times.

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Really Good

Tan Jianci is phenomenal in any role. In this drama he portrays a quirky, overly-thrifty IT genius perfectly. He is funny, smart and a great judge of character. And, a little naive when it comes to human nature because he is a very good person.

I found very little wrong with this drama. I thought the story was very good, and each cast member was perfectly aligned with their character. I really enjoyed the way everyone developed and adjusted with the difficulties and tasks they were given, and grew into a truly unified team battling cyber crime.

I especially liked the protection tips that were presented clearly at the end of each episode. It was a nice touch for those who are unaware of the ability of the technology around us, and the people who use it to defraud and steal from others.

This is a very good drama, and I will be watching again.

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Refreshing

While there were the typical issues with rich girl crushes, snobbery from people with money, self-esteem and reserved personalities, I was very much impressed with the ML and FL and the chemistry and emotional bond they built.

there was of course the tearful break-up and reunion, and even though it was frustrating to watch adults talking over someone and then in turn not feeling heard, this series was actually quite good.

Both leads were insecure, and needed to work on learning how to communicate with each other, even when they were separated.

The support roles were refreshing as they didn’t join forces to separate the leads. Parents mostly kept their manipulations to a light, and almost non-existence level.

Both leads were excellent in portraying angst for feeling responsible to parents and their desire to do what they truly loved, even if that meant disappointing people they cared about.

When the leads finally reunited, there wasn’t s sappy overly cheesey wedding, but there were glimpses of both having finally understood themselves and learned to truly care for another person and express that verbally.

This is worthy of a rewatch for me.

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