A good drama about learning to be your best self and striving for goodness
Finally got around to finishing this one after a semi-hiatus (just got a little too political for my taste towards the middle-end). Overall it was an enjoyable/entertaining watch, though not super memorable. I would also want to mention the middle-last parts in the palace dragged on quite a bit. This was the first drama I saw BJT in, and the second one with SY (the first one being Luoyang, which tbh her constant "Erlang" annoyed me quite a bit lol). Their chemistry was amazing! I really felt the emotional moments and also it was very natural how they grew to understand and love each other.
As for the rest of the cast and characters - everyone did a great job per usual, in particular the actress that played Gu Jiusi's mother! I also have a soft spot for Liu Xueyi and of course he excels at these types of roles. Music was good, and the songs weren't overplayed. The emotional scenes were very well done, whether it's the deaths of characters we got to know and love earlier or a reunion scene between characters who haven't seen each other in a long time. I also loved that the growth of the main characters felt very natural - Gu Jiusi growing from a spoiled rich kid (though a little crass, he was never malicious so we could see that he could grow to be a good man) to a good man who can protect his loved ones, and Liu Yuru from a girl who believed there was only way to save her family to realizing her business acumen and that she had more to offer than just marrying into a good family.
As for the romance, it was definitely a slow burn though the kisses we did get were quite sweet.
Now for the bad - One other fault I would mention is that while I liked the dynamic of the main couple, I thought the FL was a little whiny and a little preachy in the beginning, though this definitely improved as the series went on. I also felt like the characters were a little too Mary Sue at some points, where other characters are just constantly praising them to the point that it got a little annoying. One other critique I had (as already mentioned by other reviewers) was that Luo Zishang's motives for what he did were pretty weak, and the endings for the villains didn't feel as satisfying. Especially in regards to a character who was very annoying (**SPOILER: crown prince**)...where it felt like all the bad stuff they did were just brushed under the rug. But Liu Xueyi is such a charismatic actor that I could overlook his character's weak motives lol
Overall though I do think this drama could have been done in about 32 episodes, especially because towards the end it got a little draggy.
As for the rest of the cast and characters - everyone did a great job per usual, in particular the actress that played Gu Jiusi's mother! I also have a soft spot for Liu Xueyi and of course he excels at these types of roles. Music was good, and the songs weren't overplayed. The emotional scenes were very well done, whether it's the deaths of characters we got to know and love earlier or a reunion scene between characters who haven't seen each other in a long time. I also loved that the growth of the main characters felt very natural - Gu Jiusi growing from a spoiled rich kid (though a little crass, he was never malicious so we could see that he could grow to be a good man) to a good man who can protect his loved ones, and Liu Yuru from a girl who believed there was only way to save her family to realizing her business acumen and that she had more to offer than just marrying into a good family.
As for the romance, it was definitely a slow burn though the kisses we did get were quite sweet.
Now for the bad - One other fault I would mention is that while I liked the dynamic of the main couple, I thought the FL was a little whiny and a little preachy in the beginning, though this definitely improved as the series went on. I also felt like the characters were a little too Mary Sue at some points, where other characters are just constantly praising them to the point that it got a little annoying. One other critique I had (as already mentioned by other reviewers) was that Luo Zishang's motives for what he did were pretty weak, and the endings for the villains didn't feel as satisfying. Especially in regards to a character who was very annoying (**SPOILER: crown prince**)...where it felt like all the bad stuff they did were just brushed under the rug. But Liu Xueyi is such a charismatic actor that I could overlook his character's weak motives lol
Overall though I do think this drama could have been done in about 32 episodes, especially because towards the end it got a little draggy.
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