-Solid plot, weak romance-
As a picky c-drama watcher "Fated hearts" has everything I look for in a historical Chinese drama with its great production considering the costumes and settings, and -most importantly- a mentally and physically strong female lead (FL) who seeks justice for herself and prioritises what matters most to her above everything else.In terms of the general plot, it is pretty intriguing and fast-paced, keeping you eager for the next episode.
What surprised me the most positively, was the importance put on the exploration of the dynamics between the characters (mostly in the first half), contrary to most dramas in which political schemes take over making the story draggy and boring.
Talking about the romance, at first the enemies-to-lovers premise was really well written and I genuinely found myself excited about the development expecting a slow burn.
Unfortunately, I ultimately did find the romance very lacking. Firstly, the relationship developed too suddenly, changing completely the intense and well thought dynamic of the first episodes. Secondly, even though I find the actress playing the FL fitting for the role of the strong heroine, her delivery felt too stoic and inevitably lacking in terms of showing affection towards her love interests.
Overall the chemistry was very weak and the kisses were truly a huge letdown accompanied by the same 3 OSTs each and every time which did not help.
Overall I do recommend "Fated hearts" to historical drama lovers as it excels where many other dramas fall short.
Nevertheless, I rated this drama a 7.5 mostly for the disappointing romance and the overcomplicated plot of the last 10 episodes (which I ended up skipping through) .
All in all, these elements made it hard for me to really get emotionally engaged and I ended up finishing it just to see how the dynamics between the secondary characters would change.
Was this review helpful to you?
