iateapanda

The first episode was confusing; it was abrupt and the script writer tried to cramp in too many details without pacing it out nicely. But it gets better after a few episodes until everyone moves back to the capital (about halfway through the drama). It started to be really draggy and annoying, especially for the lead couple.

I like Alan Yu, but his acting here is disappointing. I'm not sure if such roles (i.e. MLs that are seemingly cold outside and warm on the inside) are hard to portray (LOY's ML looks like a scared squirrel throughout the series) but Alan Yu was really stiff here, which is a bummer because I enjoyed watching him as Bai Zhen in Eternal Love (how I wished he had appeared in the second one too, the new Bai Zhen doesn't fit the bill at all).

I've seen Yukee Chan in AOL and TPWY. She was good for her roles in those shows but I'm not too keen on her being the FL here; she doesn't seem to suit the FL role here. I only thought she was okay after she decided to (momentarily) severe ties with Jing Ci after the pavilion incident, which was pretty late in the drama.

The main plot was not too bad, but the execution of it wasn't good. There were abrupt transitions between scenes and the romance/character development of the leads weren't very consistent. The romance development really got to me; while I understand that ML did everything to protect the FL, having the FL misunderstand him and pushing him away continuously throughout the series made it really draggy and boring.

The ending... was another issue for me. The script writer tried to cramp so many events in the last few episodes, especially during episodes 34 to 36. FL gets framed for murder and her innocence was proven, FL and ML finally makes up (FL finally regains her lost memories)... Then the emperor is murdered and there's a mutiny. The second prince is soon defeated before the neighbouring Zhao country attacks, to which the ML, FL and FL's twin sister (who appeared out of nowhere) saves the day. Most of these happened in 3 episodes. They'd have more time to pace these events properly if they cut on their countless flashbacks and scenes that are done in slow motion (it's so slow and they repeat it in from least 3 different angles that it's ridiculous).

Other than the leads, I didn't know anybody else except for Wang Yu (Xiao Lu). I like her character and the scene of her death was probably the most impressionable. However, the drama didn't really do a good job of wrapping things up after because no matter how sad FL was over her death in jail, Xiao Lu seems to be forgotten once FL pursued revenge after she got out of jail. There wasn't any more mention of Xiao Lu (or her body, funeral).

As for the other characters, Zhi Xia and Wang Ze Sheng was really annoying because the former was too obsessive about her hatred towards FL which prevented any possible character development, until suddenly she dies while trying to protect FL right at the end. Also, as much as it was a nice gesture for Zhuo Yan Xi to have romantic feelings with Jiang Tan, I thought that most of their scenes together felt forced and awkward. It might have been better off without having so many and instead use those air time to properly develop the main plot.

Heard that it was good so gave it a shot. Drama started off strong and interesting but it got draggy and boring for me in the middle. Thankfully, the ending was wrapped up nicely.

I love Park Sae Ro Yi as a character, he's a real good and strong one; I love him more each time I see the way he deals with a situation or people's nasty behaviour towards him. He's a gem and the one thing that was holding up the drama.

Although Jo Yi Seo is a strong and badass FM, she unfortunately gets on my nerve from time to time. I get that there's a 10 year age gap between the leads, but she's just a rude and conceited brat; albeit a capable one. Also, no offence but I didn't quite like Kim Da Mi as the FL; she doesn't really appeal to me and her chemistry with Park Seo Joon isn't there as a romantic couple (she's more of a friendship vibe and PSJ has more romantic feels with Oh Soo Ah). She'd be better suited if she didn't have romantic links with Sae Ro Yi.

Best part of the drama: Park Bo Gum's cameo in the last episode. The best surprise.

Thanks for the links, but it's made unavailable for me :'(

From your description, I think I've watched the happy ending? Because Fei Ye was seen hugging her, that's why I was confused about Yun Xi's being dead/alive. Okay, I'm just gonna assume she came back to life then. Thanks!

I saw other comments about there being 2 endings, but wasn't sure which I watched because someone did come to take her bangle from GQS. Is this the sad one?

Hi, I watched the raw version, sorry.

Hi, the series doesn't show them having children. As for your other question, sorry but I don't really remember.

Only the start of the drama was good, the rest was pretty much... The middle part was very draggy, losing my interest. Finished the drama just to see where the story goes.

Comments
1. ML looks like he's a squirrel in shock... all the time. I'm guessing it's him trying to look stern, but the actor only loosens up during the last few episodes (around 45 - 48). The only main characters with decent acting for me was Ju Jing Yi (HYX), Merxat (Gu Qi Shao).

2. No offence, but I don't think the cast was well selected. The one that got to me most was Tian Ning's emperor (TNE). Granted, I get that he has to look about the same age as Long Fei Ye, but he's too young to have so many grown up up children (the crown prince, second prince & Chang Bing). Also, isn't the second prince's mother too old for such dressing (and to be paired with such a young looking TNE)?

3. The role of the TNE itself is boring. He's a not a good ruler (but not a good villain either), and all he says is LFY's name... repeatedly. His unhealthy obsession with LFY is too much for me.

4. The love story between Han Yun Xi & LFY is weird and inconsistent. I get that you need a buildup but it doesn't make sense that they keep going back to the starting point, even with their circumstances. Just when they're good, they split up again because of minor things (even if it's to protect the other) - I just think that it's a poor execution. They didn't get to grow as a couple, what a waste.

5. They've divorced, but what comes out of their mouths don't tally all the time. Sometimes they're divorced and at other times, he's her husband. Consistency is important.

6. One of the biggest letdowns was probably HYX as a character. She was so strong; good family and is skilled in poisons. But gradually, it seems like these traits were stripped from her and she was just the usual damsel in distress. At times, I also wonder about her stupidity.

7. Really hated Bai Li Ming Xiang. I get that she has to play the role of a jealous girl, vying for the ML but... enough is enough. I think the scrip writer overdid it, because BLMX didn't know where to stop (still doing the same thing at the ending as when she was first introduced). She didn't grow as a character and she really deserves her death (I rejoiced when I didn't have to see her face anymore).

8. GQS was a rare and good SML that didn't do anything too drastic to HYX. At times, he seems too good to be true, except when HYX was going to die at the end.

9. I don't understand the ending: did HYX die? LFY was able to hug (touch) her; usually hallucinations disappear when you approach them. However, HYX wouldn't not find LFY if she were alive. Also, GQS was mourning her death.

10. The only character I really liked from start to end was Ning Jing. She was constant and she's really lovable.

I just wasn't expecting the sad ending, with how the plot unravelled.

I love the cast and the unexpected twists. Had a really good laugh!

Hi, I think you should mark your comment as a spoiler.

It was, until FKA's plot for revenge was introduced. Then, he seemed more like Yuan Chun Wang to me.

I was hesitant if I should watch because the drama version's (With You) ending wasn't satisfying and of course, usually movie versions of dramas don't really do them justice. But... It's Arthur Chen, so why not?

AC has a similar vibe as the ML from With You (Turbo Liu), which made his version of Yu Huai easier to accept. However, he just wasn't as charming as TL and I prefer him in Ever Night better (still wondering why he didn't want to continue in Ever Night 2).

Haha He on the other hand is a completely different Geng Geng. She's okay but her Geng Geng wasn't really to my liking as she was a bit too cute? Geng Geng was someone honest and down to earth. This Geng Geng lacked the latter trait.

In terms of storyline, I guess it's not bad for a movie version. The ending is slightly better executed than the drama's super brief ending and I'm thankful for that. It was still short, but there was better pacing.

This drama is truly one of a kind. It was weird at first, but it keeps pulling me in. The last few episodes were the best and I can't wait for season 2.

What captivated me the most was the friendship between Seo Hwi and Nam Seon Ho. Although they've had conflicts and fought, it was heartwarming to see them standing side by side in the end - usually once friends choose different sides, they'll stay that way until one regrets on their deathbed.

However, I can't help but be disappointed by how the drama was wrapped up. Though I didn't expect both friends to pass away, the ending wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be. I get that Hwi's death meant peace for his friends but the last scene seemed too brief and nonchalant.

Also, the romantic development between SH & Han Hee Jae was lacking. It was pretty strong in the beginning, pretty much absent in the middle portion and comes back to give the drama a bittersweet ending for the pair - which is just inconsistent. I understand that the main focus isn't on this, so its absence was okay until the writers decided they wanted to add some "romantic" scenes between the pair at the end. So it's weird. To add on to that, the ML and FL don't have much chemistry together... So there's that.

A friend told me that in the novel, WWX's soul was summoned into MX's body, so he has MX's appearance. But to prevent a probable change in actor in the drama version, WWX gets to retain his appearance.

The plot was good, until it got kinda draggy at certain parts (i.e. after the attack on Yunmeng Jiang Sect and the last few episodes at the temple). But Wei Wu Xian and Lan Wang Ji made it up for everything.

Although I was a fan of Vic Zhou's Meteor Garden when I was much younger, I was pretty skeptical of his pairing with Dilreba as she's much younger. However, my doubts quickly faded away as Vic brought Yin Xue to life. It was still weird to see him in a period drama, but I love his scenes with Dilraba and I grew to appreciate Yin Xue.

Reba was brilliant here, although Lie Ru Ge reminds me of her role in Eternal Love. Still, she was stunning in red. I think red really suits her. I haven't seen many of her shows, but the only one that I didn't really like was The King's Woman. It was also nice to see other familiar faces from Eternal Love here - Vin Zhang, Wayne Liu and Daisy Dai (this makes me wonder if it's a mini EL reunion).

I love everything about this drama, but the only question being: how did Yin Xue figure out Ru Ge's his lover from 100 years ago? Even if I can guess she's a reincarnation, it'll still be nice to see how Yin Xue survived from then until the time he figures out about Ru Ge. Also, I get that the flashback in the last episode was necessary, but it was a bit long (as we've seen it before) so I thought it'll be nice if their actual reunion was longer. Other than these, I thought the ending was nicely wrapped up as most Chinese dramas have a rushed and brief ending.

There's a love triangle for the main couple and they'll have a happy ending.

I started this with some expectations. Although the first few episodes were a bit peculiar for a Chinese period drama, things started picking up. There were many instances whereby I thought the drama would get better but sadly, it just ended up being a disappointment.

1. "Part 1" and "part 2" of the drama seems like entirely different lives for the main couple. Because of the short storyteller scene in-between, I had been second-guessing myself throughout most of "part 2" about whether they were related. The setting seemed entirely different (from Liu Song to Wei) and only the main characters were consistent. It seemed all the others were just written off.

2. The main couple had their memories wiped at the end of part 1, but there was no closure about this AT ALL (was waiting for this right till the last episode). Neither regained their memories, BUT Rong Zhi appeared at Chu Yu's princess mansion in Liu Song at the end, adorned with Rong Zhi's fashion style in part 1 - so this makes it very confusing. Still, no mention that they knew each other in part 1. This means that Liu Chu Yu's real identity as Liu Chu Xiu was written off as well.

3. All couples have at least a kiss scene, except for the main couple. This is weird, because I've never come across anything like this. If the main couple has no kiss scene, so does the other couples. But it's really odd how only the main couple doesn't have any. Tuo Ba Yun had quite a few with his concubine.

4. Song Wei Long is pretty to look at but he can't act, try as he might. It wasn't that bad in part 1, but his bad acting was really noticeable in part 2 (probably because Rong Zhi here had more emotions to be expressed).

5. Whiny FL. Chu Yu was a haughty, arrogant princess in part 1 and a witty and naive princess in part 2. But towards the end, she just became one of those whiny FL that I can't stand who whines about the same thing repeatedly. This whining air time could have been better utilized on building her character and her and Rong Zhi's growth as a couple. This whiny FL appeared nearing the end of the series, which really gave no chance for the main couple to grow as a couple - if you're not gonna show us audience a romance that blossomed, then it's better if it was omitted altogether.

6. Huo Xuan was a character I liked, before she was changed into the typical SFL who vies for the ML's attention. It was a waste, because she was such a strong and inspiring person. Making her into a typical SFL just killed the essence of who Huo Xuan is. She just became another Ma Xue Yun who was not evil.

7. Really dislike the emperors, but the actors did a good job in portraying such barbaric and ruthless Liu Song emperors. The Liu emperor's pattern of getting schemed by others before Rong Zhi saves him and then the big reveal whereby it was actually part of his plan was endless and tiring to watch. Once was enough but the writers made this cycle repeat a few times that made the drama draggy and boring. Although, I have to admit, the twist at the end whereby the Empress Dowager was behind everything was brilliant. This might have been the only thing that really stood out to me.

This drama had potential, it's really a waste (the feeling got stronger after I saw the cast in part 2).

Probably an unpopular opinion, but the TLBH just reminded me of The Eternal Love (plot wise and the main couple's romantic development) with a hint from amnesia from Goodbye My Princess. Not saying that I didn't enjoy this, but it was just too similar to TEL in too many ways - the many kiss scenes, the way the main couple fell in love and the plot development. It just felt like I was watching another version of TEL.

Also, even though the main couple made up for almost everything, there were many awkward and abrupt transitions between scenes, especially in the initial episodes. Lastly, the ending was too brief to be satisfying. Essentially, it was just everyone waiting for the FL to wake up - a wasted potential, because the drama's plot development has been pretty good for the latter half of the drama.

Gong Hyo Jin and Kang Ha Neul has once again exceeded my already pretty high expectations. It gave me warm and fuzzy feelings from the start till the end. The last two episodes were really well done. I'm gonna miss my weekly dose of the Ongsan people.