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This review may contain spoilers
Bittersweet with a dash of pain
Normally, when there's already a lot of reviews for a show, I don't write one because normally my reviews are to try to convince people to watch. But rarely, there's times where I just need to get my emotions out on the page, regardless of how many people have watched.
This show... is everything and more than I thought it would be. I started watching it thanks to a Tumblr gifset (as one does) and got roped in immediately. The yearning, the chemistry... this show was kryptonite for me.
Duan Zi Ang was my favorite character. So flawed but so devoted to Shu He. It's the kind of love that makes you cry every time you witness it. Shu He, oh Shu He. He also loved Duan Zi Ang but was more devoted to his kingdom than to Duan Zi Ang, which ultimately led to their mutual disaster. Both actors did spectacularly conveying complex emotions, especially as newbies in the industry.
As for the side characters, they were a bit more 2D, but that was partially due to the time constraints of the drama. The "side couple," if you can call it that, was even more messed up than the main couple. (It also depends on who you think Huo Ying's partner actually is).
The story is convoluted and full of drama and plotting, and I couldn't see it ending any other way. Both characters had so much standing in between them that for them to have a happy ending it would have been a stretch. The ending they got fit them very much (and had me bawling). I normally don't go for BEs, but in this case I'll make an exception.
I will say, this story will not be everyone's cup of tea. Some people might say the plot was too weak, or the acting not great. I personally don't know that I could have handled this if I wasn't in a particular mood. But the timing was right and the story was so good that for me it very much was what I needed in this moment. If you're hesitant, I say give it a chance.
One tiny thing that did pull me out of the story almost every time I saw it though: their manicure! Every time they zoomed in on their hands and I saw their (what looked to be acrylic) nails, I almost laughed. There's no way this martial artist has a perfect manicure, and no way that a prisoner would have wonderful looking nails like those. I don't know whose idea it was to give them fake nails, but I think it would have been fine if they just had their regular nails for this, lol. But that's just a tiny thing that I noticed.
ANYWAY! I'm going to go cry some more now. Bye~
This show... is everything and more than I thought it would be. I started watching it thanks to a Tumblr gifset (as one does) and got roped in immediately. The yearning, the chemistry... this show was kryptonite for me.
Duan Zi Ang was my favorite character. So flawed but so devoted to Shu He. It's the kind of love that makes you cry every time you witness it. Shu He, oh Shu He. He also loved Duan Zi Ang but was more devoted to his kingdom than to Duan Zi Ang, which ultimately led to their mutual disaster. Both actors did spectacularly conveying complex emotions, especially as newbies in the industry.
As for the side characters, they were a bit more 2D, but that was partially due to the time constraints of the drama. The "side couple," if you can call it that, was even more messed up than the main couple. (It also depends on who you think Huo Ying's partner actually is).
The story is convoluted and full of drama and plotting, and I couldn't see it ending any other way. Both characters had so much standing in between them that for them to have a happy ending it would have been a stretch. The ending they got fit them very much (and had me bawling). I normally don't go for BEs, but in this case I'll make an exception.
I will say, this story will not be everyone's cup of tea. Some people might say the plot was too weak, or the acting not great. I personally don't know that I could have handled this if I wasn't in a particular mood. But the timing was right and the story was so good that for me it very much was what I needed in this moment. If you're hesitant, I say give it a chance.
One tiny thing that did pull me out of the story almost every time I saw it though: their manicure! Every time they zoomed in on their hands and I saw their (what looked to be acrylic) nails, I almost laughed. There's no way this martial artist has a perfect manicure, and no way that a prisoner would have wonderful looking nails like those. I don't know whose idea it was to give them fake nails, but I think it would have been fine if they just had their regular nails for this, lol. But that's just a tiny thing that I noticed.
ANYWAY! I'm going to go cry some more now. Bye~
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