Visually beautiful with a good script
Got pulled in because of a friend raving about its visual and efforts in bringing out accurate beauties and customs from the Tang Dynasty. Friend was right.
1. The good:
- Visually stunning. The colour templates. The costumes. The set designs and props. The cinematography.
- Mindful and interesting showcases of some of Tang customs, decorations, etc.
- Well-intended and well-executed female empowerment message.
- The comedy. The goofiness of the two leads.
- The acting.
- The flowers.
2. The divisive:
- I think Wu Niang's arc was one of the best in this series. [SPOILERS] For me, her storyline can be a representative to traumatised victims in abusive relationships. She could be saved but decided to burned everything, including herself, to the ground. It's poignant. It's also realistic how victims can be turned into abusers/criminals. I so wanted her to live a good life with Mu Dan. But the vicious cycle didn't spare her. This can serve as a cautionary tale. On the other hand, it could have been a tale of raising above all else. This series decided on the former.
3. The eh...?
- Tang Dynasty was one of the most prosperous eras in Chinese history with open commerce and trading. The series tries to have diversity. But it didn't feel that diverse... just yet.
- I'm all for feminism and female empowerment. But the effort in female cross-dressing in this series is low. [SPOILERS] I can see drawn-on mustaches on cross-dressing female background characters quite blatantly. Like, what's the point?
4. The potentials:
- Since this is the first part. I think it will be interesting to see what the ML actually does in court and the court war in the following season.
- I'd love for the ex-husband character to have more storylines too. Not just him whining and being hopeless and delusional about his imaginary connection with the FL. I want to see him turn evil and wreck havoc for the leads, the county princess and her asshole father. This series is too calm. It desparately needs proper tensions.
Conclusion: Commendable costume series with potentials for an even better second season.
1. The good:
- Visually stunning. The colour templates. The costumes. The set designs and props. The cinematography.
- Mindful and interesting showcases of some of Tang customs, decorations, etc.
- Well-intended and well-executed female empowerment message.
- The comedy. The goofiness of the two leads.
- The acting.
- The flowers.
2. The divisive:
- I think Wu Niang's arc was one of the best in this series. [SPOILERS] For me, her storyline can be a representative to traumatised victims in abusive relationships. She could be saved but decided to burned everything, including herself, to the ground. It's poignant. It's also realistic how victims can be turned into abusers/criminals. I so wanted her to live a good life with Mu Dan. But the vicious cycle didn't spare her. This can serve as a cautionary tale. On the other hand, it could have been a tale of raising above all else. This series decided on the former.
3. The eh...?
- Tang Dynasty was one of the most prosperous eras in Chinese history with open commerce and trading. The series tries to have diversity. But it didn't feel that diverse... just yet.
- I'm all for feminism and female empowerment. But the effort in female cross-dressing in this series is low. [SPOILERS] I can see drawn-on mustaches on cross-dressing female background characters quite blatantly. Like, what's the point?
4. The potentials:
- Since this is the first part. I think it will be interesting to see what the ML actually does in court and the court war in the following season.
- I'd love for the ex-husband character to have more storylines too. Not just him whining and being hopeless and delusional about his imaginary connection with the FL. I want to see him turn evil and wreck havoc for the leads, the county princess and her asshole father. This series is too calm. It desparately needs proper tensions.
Conclusion: Commendable costume series with potentials for an even better second season.
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