Calla

i love your entire comment, especially your emphasis on this: "Instead of criticizing actual issues like weak writing, poor pacing, or inconsistent characterization, people jump to conclusions over things that are completely expected from the genre and target audience."

for me, this is a beautifully shot drama. the production looks expensive. the cinematography is beautiful. the writing flows smoothly. i find the ml mysterious, and the fl resilient. the drama shouldn't have to spoon feed us everything we expect to see right away. it should make us curious, and it is delivering just that.

for only four episodes, the drama is off to a great start.

so you're saying that people hate women so much that they can't even bear to watch a few episodes where the fl have a little more screentime than the ml?

seeing the fl struggle, watching her lose everything she has ever known and everyone she has ever loved, and then having her meet the ml, having him understand her and protect her and fall in love with her (and having her do the same for him) will only make their romance more sweet. and that is only possible if we witness the events that lead up to their paths intertwining.

women are allowed to take up spaces too. the men will be okay.

i think some people are too used to shallow backstories that get crammed into the first 5 minutes of ep1 that they no longer know how to appreciate when a main character actually gets a fleshed out intro. but this is exactly how writers get us to invest in the characters. how else can we truly root for them if we don't even know the struggles they've had to endure? at the moment, the fl's arc is what's driving the story, so of course the drama will focus on her a little more.

also, this is the director of the prisoner of beauty, which was known for its slowburn and beautiful storytelling. so i trust that he knows what he's doing. it's not favoritism for one main character or neglect of another. it's just we need to see the fl fall from grace first before we can see the ml climb to power. i have no doubt that the director will do ding yuxi's character justice by providing us with an equally compelling backstory for him once it is his turn.

we still have 32 episodes more to go. we just need to have some patience.

damn, i have beef with everyone in this drama besides our leads (and the ml's cutiepie sidekick lol.) all these selfish characters are coming for our girl's throat, and her only crime is being born smart, beautiful, and rich.

i'm almost done with episode 3 and i find the story pretty interesting so far. hope the rest of the drama doesn't disappoint!

omg i just noticed this is the same director as the prisoner of beauty! love him!

well, i am enjoying blossoms of power a lot for what it is, but let's be honest... you are watching an idol drama, so of course, it's not going to be anything groundbreaking. it was made for fast consumption, and it prioritizes visuals first, entertainment second, and everything else after that.

china has many highly complex and well written dramas that are not idol dramas, and those get released yearly. unfortunately, they're just not as popular internationally (popular, but not as popular as idol dramas UNLESS you are a seasoned c-drama watcher and know what to look for.)

if you want some non-idol dramas, check out:
- nirvana in fire
- joy of life
- the story of minglan
- the longest day in chang'an
- strange tales of tang dynasty

ooohhh. you know what? the second explanation you gave made a lot of sense. if she knew that the crown prince was her only real descendant, she would want him to inherit the throne asap. killing the emperor with poison would be the most obvious move for her. she probably just couldn't imagine the emperor feeding the poisoned cherries to the crown prince.

oooh okay, i will add it to my list lol. thank you!

i didn't know this until recently. no wonder prince xin and xihe have so much chemistry.

i read some novel spoilers the other day, and you are correct about this prediction. however, it just leaves me more confused than before lol. from my understanding, the current emperor (the ML's adopted father) was a concubine's son. prince qian was the empress dowager's real son. so if the ML is actually prince qian's real son, that would make him the empress dowager's only real grandson. why would she poison her dead son's only heir, the last of his bloodline?

when destiny brings the demon is a drama and also novel. the ML is more ruthless towards his enemies, but he's just as shameless and sweet towards his FL.

thisss! like our girl is literally the combination of two souls being merged into one.

in one lifetime, she was a helpless woman forced to marry a man she didn't love. she had to watch her entire bloodline get executed while she was the sole survivor. and she ended up committing su!cide herself because of the guilt and grief.

in another lifetime, her mother died giving birth to her because of the evil schemes of others. she was forced to leave her family for a political marriage she did not want. then she was murdered on her way to the capital as a result.

she has double the amount of trauma from these two lifetimes. a normal person wouldn't be able to get over it just like that, so of course it would take a long time for her to trust anyone.

and that is why the slowburn and reluctancy on her part makes so much sense to me. that is also why every single tender kiss, touch, and glance from her towards the ML is such a delight to watch. they feel earned.

i'm so glad we have reached a point in their relationship where they both feel comfortable to openly love each other. i'm eating up their cute and romantic moments, just like their servants are lol.

you guys wouldn't be saying this if the ml was old and ugly lol. but because he is young and conventionally attractive, you guys expect her to love him back immediately. the fact that she isn't easy somehow makes her unlikable. the double standards. 😂

true. it would be nice if she could have a girl talk with a friend, maybe even her maids, so that the audience could see what's on her mind. but tbh, i feel like that's just not the kind of person xihe is anyway. she doesn't like to appear weak and she always have her guards up. it's hard for her to let people in. that's why she gets on some people's nerves, because she takes so long to trust others lol.

we just have to trust the writer to do right by her character. sooner or later, she'll let huayong in and he will be the person she confides in.

huayong knew exactly who xihe was from the very beginning. she is incredibly intelligent. she can be kind, but she is often cold and not physically affectionate. she is not in it for the romance, only mutual benefits. and he *LIKES* all of this about her. when he pursued her and married her, he accepted who she was and agreed to her terms (although he keeps crossing her boundaries, but that is a story for another time.)

i want him to melt her icy exterior as much as the next person, and we can see that slowly but surely happening already, but it's obviously not going to happen over night. i am tired of the narrative that she owes him and must love him back immediately just because he loves her. at the end of the day, love shouldn't be a currency and it definitely shouldn't be shackles. if she decides to never romantically accept him, that is her right. again... he. agreed. to. it!!

i don't understand the people who are upset at her for staying true to the person she told him she was. seeing comments shaming her for not sleeping with huayong and giving him a baby is so weird. women don't owe anyone their bodies, they're not incubators for your offsprings, and they certainly don't owe you their hearts.

I see, I see. that is good then. at least the separation won't be too long and the angst won't be too much. thank you for answering my questions!

does she know that he faked his own death? or does she really think he died?

ohhh i see. i must have missed that info. i kept seeing the subtitles mention the other princes' birth order, but not the crown prince's, so i was confused. thank you for answering!

is the crown prince supposed to be the eldest? he looks younger than most of the other princes lol.

phew, okay. that is a relief. thank you!