bullfinch

Aesthetic but loud and unmemorable

I expected way more from a drama starring Zhang Ling He. But surprisingly, two things helped me overcome my skepticism and finish this: the scenery and the supporting characters.

The Visuals
The sets here are so stunning that I actually paused just to examine the details. Nan Yan's home, the whale boat, the markets, the sect courtyards — they are all amazing! The color scheme, the small details, the wide shots — everything creates the perfect atmosphere, ranging from cozy to ostentatiously grand. Visually, it’s a feast.

The Cast
The supporting characters are colorful, vivid, and thankfully not annoying. They brought just the right amount of drama and comedy. Honestly, the main couple was... fine? Cute, funny, dramatic at times. But it’s kind of embarrassing to admit that their storyline didn't hook me at all. Instead, the side characters stole the show. The little Dragon, the Fox and the older generation caused way more worry and emotion than the leads. Especially Chang Long — he turned out to be charismatic and memorable.

The Sound
I really disliked the sound design. There are way too many cartoonish comedic sound effects, which feel strange and completely out of place in a Xanxia. Maybe it's just me, but I hate those loud, goofy noises. The music, in general, is too loud and pompous. It often draws attention to itself instead of emphasizing the emotions of the scene.

Script & Editing
I also had issues with the editing and the rhythm of the narrative. I read that four episodes were cut, and maybe it would have been better with them... but I doubt it. The main problem is that there is too much talking. The characters constantly narrate their thoughts, intentions, and actions (ignoring the "show, don't tell" rule). The final fight isn't a fight at all — it's just a long, pompous conversation with threats. It felt like the script was written by a novice. Overall, the plot is predictable and full of clichés.

Verdict
In general, I thought the drama was mediocre. Only the older generation evoked real emotions, and only the scenery and a couple of supporting characters were memorable. I really expected more from my favorite genre and the magnificent Zhang Ling He. He deserves a better script.

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Wonderful at the beginning and mediocre at the end

This drama for me was wonderful at the beginning and not so good at the end. But no matter how disappointing the final arc was, I really enjoyed watching "The Princess's Gambit".

The first arc about counterfeit money was remarkable. We had just met the characters, and they had just met each other too, so in the beginning everyone just watches each other and is very cautious.

Chancellor Shen Zai Ye, played by Liu Xue Yi, is charismatic, cold-blooded, calculating, cunning, using dirty methods, keeping dark secrets, and he is also a commoner who rose to the highest position. Oh, and he has a wife and two concubines. So chancellor is not at all like the young, virginal, noble ML that are so common in dramas - and that is amazing. By the way, Liu Xue Yi does a great job with characters of this type. Chancellor Sheng is distinguished from other similar characters by his restraint, ability to keep his composure, self-esteem and a little bit of "Marty Stu", which doesn't spoil the character at all.

Princess Jiang Tao Hua, played by Meng Zi Yi, is also cunning, calculating, intelligent, and a spy from a neighboring state where her brother remains a hostage, and is poisoned with a deadly toxin. As a princess, she was supposed to enter into a political marriage with the prince, but due to certain circumstances, she tied her fate to the chancellor (this is not a spoiler, it is clear even from the trailer).

And so began a battle of wits. They worked against each other, and the princess also worked against the chancellor's harem, while the chancellor worked against the local mafia bosses. Then, of course, ML and FL joined forces, but the tension between them didn't disappear. And it was amazing! I watched some scenes without blinking.

The relationship between the main characters developed very gradually and very excitingly. It was hard for them not only fall in love, but even trust each other. Both of them traditionally have very traumatic pasts and presents, which prevent them from seeing the world through the prism of kindness and love.

But when it finally came to love (no spoiler, it's a law of the genre), the clichés and stereotypes poured like rain. And the drama became not exactly boring, but not as interesting to watch as it was at the beginning. Also this was the moment where the plot holes became obvious, because there was nothing to overshadow them.

In the final arc about the search of antidote, there was nothing left of the cold-blooded, calculating, and mean characters. They turned into standard noble lovers who save each other, everyone around them, and the state. This is not bad in general, but in contrast to the first arc, it was disappointing. And the villain of the final arc didn't measure up to the antagonists of the first arc - neither in emotion, motivation, nor logic in general.

In addition to the wonderful main characters, "The Princess's Gambit" has excellent secondary characters. The emperor, the princes, the Meng family represented by the head, son and daughter — all are charismatic, interesting, memorable, and evoke a lot of emotions in viewers (at least in me).

I wouldn't mind if the runtime were increased to reveal more about the second prince, the chancellor's harem, and other mafia clans aka influential families. We were promised mean harem consisting of mafia daughters, spying on chancellor for the sake of their clans. But the confrontations with the FL were shown very little. I want more.
Several influential families were also announced, but only the Meng family was revealed. The rest flashed on the screen a couple of times and that was it. I didn't get enough of the mafia, their secret dealings and their war with the chancellor.

What I also really liked about this drama is the cinematography. A lot of it is based on glances, micro-emotions, and close-ups. In the first arc and in the scenes of romantic suffering, this was very appropriate — the actors shown a whole range of feelings and thoughts with a single glance or a fleeting movement of their lips. And this was beautifully shown to us in close-up, making it clear what a particular character had on their mind.
Another technique I liked was shifting the focus from one face to another. It allows you to focus on one character, understand their feelings, and only then switch to another.
When the romantic suffering began in the middle of the drama, these techniques remained, but they no longer made you stare at the screen without blinking. Just beautiful techniques with beautiful actors.

And all this was accompanied by beautiful music that emphasized the emotions and did not distract from the action.

So, what else... The fights here are quite decent, though not exciting. There is only one bed scene, and it is very short. There are few kisses. As usual in dramas with Liu Xue Yi, attention is focused on emotions and psychology, but not on passion and tactility.

In general, "The Princess's Gambit" is worth watching at least for the exciting first arc and the excellent acting and cinematography. And for Liu Xue Yi, of course.

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From comedy to drama

A wild mix of genres — that's the first and most important thing to say about this mini-series. It swings from absurd comedy to hardcore drama and back again. The comedy here is strange, absurd, and borderline parody, but if you watch it in a lighthearted mood, it's incredibly funny. I laughed out loud through a third of the drama.

Highlight: This is the funniest wedding night I've ever seen.
Highlight: They mercilessly roast the cliché of raining petals during romantic scenes multiple times.

The Cast
It was refreshing to see Yu Xuan Chen in a comedic role. He nailed it (though I admit I'm biased — I love his talent in general).
Rebecca Jin was a revelation for me. She is excellent as the jealous sister in comedic scenes, but she handled the drama just as well.

Plot & Pacing
Surprisingly, there are no obvious logic holes or annoying characters. It was actually interesting to follow the story. Whenever the romance or adventure dragged, the comedy kicked in, so I never felt the urge to fast-forward. Sure, this mini-series can't boast of innovative plot twists. But in these short 10-minute episodes, the creators managed to pack in the impossible — comedy, drama, adventure, and romantic aesthetics accompanied by a beautiful song.

Verdict
Overall, a decent watch. It stands out because of its emotional range and quirky humor. Personally, I got a lot of positive emotions from it.

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Cute, enjoyable, but without a "hook"

Excessive expectations rarely lead to anything good. In the case of this drama, I ended up feeling disappointed rather than satisfied. The first episode set a trap. The ML behaved so unpredictably and made such hilarious faces that I was expecting a ride full of cuteness, cringe, and surprises. Instead, it turned out to be a pretty average mini-series — cute and predictable, but with no outstanding features.

The Characters
The FL is the highlight. She is funny, likable, and confident. She makes full use of her cooking skills and, refreshingly, isn't shy about intimacy. She was never annoying, which is a big plus.
The ML, however, is a letdown. Cui Yu Xin is a good actor capable of range, but here he was forced to stand in front of the camera with a poker face way too often. His character, Chu Jun Yao, is stuck in limbo: he's neither a brave general nor a total mama's boy, although the script hinted at both.
The Older Generation: I loved them. The General's mother cracked me up with her endless soup obsession, while the Empress was so nasty I wanted to strangle her.
The Assistant: He’s cool. Honestly, he often behaved more appropriately and logically than the main character.

Production & Details
Visuals: The wardrobe budget was clearly tight (very few costumes), but at least they looked beautiful.
Food: Since the FL is a cook, there are plenty of beautiful shots of food ("food porn").
Action: The fights are so-so. Nothing impressive.
Romance: The kisses are actually quite good.

Verdict
There don't seem to be any critical plot holes, making it a decent watch. Overall, it’s an enjoyable mini-series with excellent actors, but it lacks that special spark or "hook" to make it memorable.

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Obsessions, Realistic Details, and a "Violet" Hero

There are many moments and details that make this story worth the time spent, despite some plot holes, clichés, and sagging pacing in the second half.

I liked the drama, so I don't want to dwell on minor flaws (honestly, I stretched out the viewing for subjective reasons, so I barely remember them). I am ready to forgive almost anything for realistic details like the long line for the ladies' restroom at the festival. Also, I appreciate that if a hero gets hit hard, he falls. If he gets stabbed, he faints instead of fighting epicly for another half an hour. Speaking of fights: the choreography here isn't a graceful dance. It's blunt murder or attempted murder. Swords swinging with lethal outcomes for a crowd of dumb assassins. Realistic.

What I didn't like:
The Dialogue: Too many lines start with "by the way" after an awkward pause.
The Second Half: It felt slightly less engaging. Maybe it's the genre shift — it started as a mystery/detective story and ended with palace intrigue and espionage. The tension didn't necessarily drop, but the viewing experience changed, perhaps because I'm not a fan of palace politics.

The Plot
We start with Pan Yue, a handsome official from the capital, arriving in a provincial town to work as a magistrate (basically a sheriff). Locals think he's the Princess's fiancé, and rumor has it he might have killed his bride on their wedding day. The town is run by four mafia clans. Pan Yue's predecessor was corrupt, but the new guy is righteous and starts a war on crime. This part is dynamic, interesting, and sometimes epic. Right next to him is Shangguan Zhi — his childhood friend's sister, obsessed with him and her own beauty. No spoilers, but their relationship is dynamic. The romance that follows is quite sweet. The investigation leads the main couple to the Imperial Court, where intrigues and conspiracies begin. The mysteries remain, but the pacing slows down.

The Cast & Characters

Liu Xue Yi fits perfectly as the smart, handsome official. It's a typical role for him, but Pan Yue stands out due to his emotional range and vulnerability. He goes from mocking self-confidence to confusion, fear, and panic. It feels like in the main couple, the guy is the "violet" (damsel in distress), while the girl handles everything. This is plot-justified: he's an aristocrat, while she (after the body swap twist) lived at rock bottom working with corpses.

Ju Jing Yi looks right in place as both Shangguan Zhi and Yang Caiwei. Comments said she looks too doll-like, but that fits the plot: the character was obsessed with beauty.

Li Ge Yang looks excellent in both mafia lord robes and rags. A contradictory character whose story raises the most questions for the writers, but he embodies the moral they tried to convey.

Wu Jia Yi (the FL's friend) evoked mixed feelings. She's a scammer from the black market, so her questionable actions are actually well-written for her character.

Fan Jin Lun as Guard Liu is hilarious! Usually, such minor characters go unnoticed, but he had a great arc, changed a lot, and even voiced one of the drama's morals.

The Vibe & Details

In one episode, Pan Yue dresses as an escort for an undercover mission. They didn't develop the theme (it was funny rather than sexy), which is a shame. Liu Xue Yi isn't known for overt sexuality, but we do get a blindfolded kiss (hello, power play tropes).

We finally see the ML shirtless! A rare treat with LXY. However, I wanted more jokes about his reputation as the "Capital's Most Handsome Man." His talent for painting was shown once and forgotten.

Despite the serious tone, there are funny scenes. Liu Xue Yi turns every comedic moment into something cute. The archive scene in episode 23 is gold! He plays drama and comedy equally well.

I want to note Pan Yue's relationship with his father. The "Father of the Year" who treats his son terribly is a drama classic. I expected nothing else, but was pleasantly surprised. Their final exchange even touched me. Just a few words, but so much meaning!

The Finale
The final episode is dynamic. I didn't like the moral being preached straight to the camera with pathos music (too contrasting with the rest of the show). But everything else was great. All threads came together unexpectedly. Tension was high, and knowing the writers' love for angst, I expected a trap in every scene. The cherry on top was the very last scene — either a setup for season 2 or a hint at an open ending. After that scene, you realize a peaceful life isn't in the cards for the Pan family yet. Usually, open endings annoy me, but I liked the hint of future trouble here.

Just a funny detail — the male characters change outfits way more often than the females. It's plot-justified, but still funny. The guys are such fashionistas!

While writing this, I realized the main theme hidden among intrigues is simple: Obsession is bad. Pan Yue was obsessed with finding his bride. Shangguan Zhi was obsessed with beauty and Pan Yue. Zhuo Lanjiang was obsessed with revenge. The villain was obsessed with power. None of it led to anything good.

Verdict
Tastes differ, but I liked the drama. Some moments caused irritation, but upon reflection, the characters couldn't have acted differently. Their "cockroaches" (inner demons/quirks) differ from our expectations, which makes "In Blossom" unusual and worth watching.

P.S. In ancient China, there really was a poet and official named Pan Yue. Talented and handsome. But he got involved in palace intrigues and was executed. So viewers who googled the name watched "In Blossom" with much more tension than the average Western viewer, expecting a tragic end.

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Cute, funny, philosophical and aesthetic fairytale

This is a charming fairytale — unusual, uneven, philosophical, sometimes funny (even hilarious), sometimes sad, and aesthetically beautiful.

The real kicker here isn't dizzying plot twists, action, or steamy scenes, but psychology. Which, honestly, is quite typical for Xianxia with Liu Xue Yi. Specifically, we’re dealing with family relationships + the results of toxic parenting on all sides. There are even a couple of scenes where the royal parents realize what foolish things they have done and finally have to face the consequences. I haven't watched that many dramas, but this is the first time I've seen something like this. And honestly? Watching them eat dirt gave me way more twisted satisfaction than just seeing a hated emperor get killed.

Family dynamics here are just as interesting as the romance. The Emperor and Empress break all records for being trash. Few candidates for “Father of the Year” make me want to strangle them as much as Yao Tian. And his wife is responsible for one of the heaviest scenes in the entire drama — when she explains to Jin Xiu why she despises him. Right when he was already on the verge of a breakdown!

On the flip side, I absolutely loved the relationship between the brothers. Usually, princes fight for the throne or just quietly hate each other, but here we have a healthy, wholesome bond. Jin Xiu and Kun Lun have each other's backs, despite being total opposites. The older brother was raised like a soldier (no emotions allowed), while the younger one did whatever he wanted because his big bro always covered for him.

The love story is childishly sweet and naive. At first, it seems a bit unhinged because of Hong Ning's obsessive desire to marry Jin Xiu. But in the final episodes, we learn why the FL is so obsessed with the ML, and everything clicks.

Overall, the drama is emotionally uneven, but that’s fine. The first half is hilarious and naive. Then comes the drama and angst. The last two episodes are filled with light sadness and hope. And as a bonus, the three special episodes are pure fluff that absolutely broke my cute meter.

The ML is the Crown Prince of the Heavenly Realm (strict rules, harsh hierarchy). The FL is a camellia spirit from the Demon Realm (fun, equality, total idyll — basically hippies in the best sense). The comedy starts when the naive Camellia lands in the dogmatic Heavenly Kingdom and breaks every rule in the book. What sets this apart is that the ML doesn't try to act like a "cold CEO" or evil overlord, even though he is the Punisher. We immediately see that Jin Xiu is actually a softie, and I loved that. Then comes the classic Xianxia trope — mortal trials. Each new life brought something fresh.
The respected Taoist sect leader chasing ducks for betrothal gifts (hilarious).
The demon-Hong Ning tying up and seducing Jin Xiu (the only "hot" scene in this innocent drama).

The show hooks you with individual scenes, humor, and aesthetics. The humor mostly comes from the contrast between the ML's high status and the mess FL drags him into. Liu Xue Yi is a comedic genius. His helpless, indignant face whenever Camellia did something crazy was gold. Kun Lun and Chrysanthemum (the Historian) also carry the comedy — these two just don't care about the strict rules, which leads to great dialogue.

The moral didn't feel preachy: "The short, intense life of a mortal is more valuable than the long, boring life of a god." Love it.

Visually, it captivated me. The Heavenly Realm is magnificent! Majestic halls, pastel flowers, waterfalls, layered costumes with long trains... I enjoyed every frame. Yes, I know it's a lot of green screens, but the creative vision is impressive. I also liked the costumes: heavy in Heaven, airy on Earth. And the hairpins/accessories are masterpieces!

The Cast is the biggest plus.

Hu Yi Xuan (replaced Yuan Bing Yan) was great. Her Camellia was so silly and straightforward that it was endearing rather than annoying. She nailed the "innocent plant spirit raised by hippies" vibe. In her mortal lives, she showed great range — totally different body language.

Liu Xue Yi played a sweet, bullied, slightly naive prince perfectly. I wanted to hug and protect this cinnamon roll the whole time. I admit, for half the drama I was waiting for Jin Xiu to grow some balls and fight back instead of just admitting guilt. But the finale finally gave him psychological maturity, which was satisfying.

Ao Rui Peng fits the "cheerful goofball" role perfectly. He balances out the ML's angst.

Zhao Zheng Yang (Chrysanthemum) stole the show every time he appeared. The MVP of the Heavenly Realm.

Yang Lin (Villain): At first, I thought he was weak because of his constant "resting aggrieved face." But later, his arrogant glares were top-tier villain material.

It’s not Xianxia without suffering. Jin Xiu gets struck by lightning, loses consciousness — the works. But the focus is on psychology. His mom never loved him, his dad tried to make him a robot, and the result is a sweet guy who blames himself for everything. The scene where he is stripped of his divinity actually upset me — you shouldn't humiliate such cute characters like that!

In general, love, care, and the lack thereof are one of the main themes of “Love Never Fails”.
There is a stunning visual image in one of the last episodes. In the world of dreams, young Jing Xiu covers the camellia from the rain, and adult Jing Xiu covers him. I forgot how to breathe during this scene. Isn't that what a lot of modern trendy training courses are about? About taking care of your inner child and accepting the choices you've made. In one shot, we are shown the connection between time and the essence of the hero's love: he is protecting not just a flower, but the very memory of the birth of this feeling. It is a moment of absolute acceptance of one's fate and infinite tenderness.

The OST
Music is excellent. It doesn't draw attention to itself; it just emphasizes the mood without drowning out the dialogue. And thank god, no silly cartoonish sound effects during the funny scenes. The opening song is gentle and sweet, perfectly reflecting the overall vibe of the drama.

Best Visual Metaphor:
In the dream world, young Jin Xiu shields the camellia from the rain, and adult Jin Xiu holds an umbrella over his younger self. I held my breath during this scene. It’s exactly what modern therapy teaches: taking care of your inner child and accepting your choices. He protects the memory of how his love began. Pure tenderness.

Cons
The Fights: Zero choreography. Characters just stand there shooting energy beams. Given the actors' talent, it's a disappointment. (Though Kun Lun just straight-up punching a guy in the face was funny).
The Pacing/Editing: You can tell it’s an adaptation. Some motives are explained poorly or too fast. A couple of times I felt lost, wondering if I missed a scene or if it was just bad editing.

Verdict
An unusual drama. Too little epic action, too much talking at the end. It feels like they had budget cuts, but it works as a storytelling style if you get used to it. It's very watchable if you don't expect crazy martial arts, smut, or for characters to immediately "use their words" to solve problems.

Worth watching for the acting, the visuals, and to smile.

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