kelsikelsi

Fated Hearts was… a bit of a rollercoaster for me, and not always the smooth kind. So buckle up for my long ass rant for an overall pretty okay drama. Also, sorry for the person I will become when I reach the rant part of this review.

Was it very enjoyable? Yes. Did it have flaws? MANY. Would I still recommend it for a good time? Absolutely. I find the drama world is filled with so many bs shows and it's becoming increasingly difficult for a drama to keep me engaged enough to want to finish it, so for that reason, this drama deserves its flowers.

I have to preface this by saying that I started this drama MONTHS ago and dropped it after the first 2 episodes until last week.

Now as I mentioned, going in, the first couple of episodes had me doubting my choice and the good reviews. The battle scenes especially felt underwhelming, and the whole thing looked like it wanted to be epic but kept getting stuck in beauty commercial mode. The colors, the shots, it just didn’t do the story justice. This frustrated me to no end because even within the first 2 episodes I SAW THE POTENTIAL. Add in some very questionable editing choices that completely kill the momentum of scenes, and I was already side eyeing by episode 2. It genuinely felt like a drama stuck a few years in the past in terms of execution. This desperately needed the director of Blossom. Now THAT was art.

That said, I’m really glad I gave it another shot because it did get significantly better. The fight scenes improved, the story picked up, and I found myself way more invested than I expected.

Li Qin as Fu Yixiao was a major win for me. I wasn't familiar with her acting so I didn't know what to expect going in, however if I were to choose within a sea of female generals we have seen these past few years, she is by far the most believable. She felt strong both physically and emotionally and THANK GOD the amnesia didn’t wipe her personality like some other dramas (looking at you "Are You the One"). She stayed consistent, capable, and believable and her decisions always aligned with who she was. Her stunt work was also genuinely convincing, you could tell she took those martial arts classes seriously.

Chen Zheyuan also surprised me in a good way. I was skeptical about the casting, but he delivered. Although I could never truly buy him as the cruel "Killer God" they tried to pass him off as. When he embraced his softer side was when his character truly came alive for me. His fight scenes were also pretty solid, even though I always found him a bit skinny to play a battle strong general, the period clothes helped him out a lot and I could gaslight myself long enough to get through the fight scenes.

The chemistry between the leads was also pretty solid. Their dynamic felt balanced, like actual partners rather than one carrying the other (I found the balance similar to Blossom), and the enemies-to-lovers progression was paced well, even if it started off a bit toxic (as it should). Their romantic scenes were also well done, I actually wish we got more, not intricate ones but small light moments here and there towards the end. I actually would have been even happier with the romantic scenes if it weren't for that BIG ASS LIGHT that appeared each time. Was this the directors attempt to strategically blind the censorship committee so they couldn’t see the scenes? Because if the committee can’t see it, guess what, NEITHER CAN I. I was fighting for my life trying to see what was happening.

Also… Chen Zheyuan, respectfully my dude, why are your eyes WIDE open when going in for a kiss? Please.

Now, production choices. The music...why is it so LOUD. Trying to hear the dialogue required actual labor. Also… why the aggressive face smoothing? Everyone is out here blending into the background. The cast is already attractive, we didn’t need this.

Also, the story split into two locations after the halfway point, namely Susha and Jinxiu, and at times it genuinely felt like I was watching two completely different dramas.

The Jinxiu storyline was so lucky to have Chen He Yi’s face because he carried. I know his acting got some lukewarm feedback but I personally couldn't care less because....pretty boy. Call me shallow, I've made my peace with it. The character he plays, Xia Jingshi though? Dogshit. What he did at the end to Xiyang… truly despicable. He bid his time for the throne and acted strategically but my god he has NO heart, at all. This was telling from the start, but it was incredible to see there was no saving grace for him, even for a moment. He was going off of just bad vibes and horrible decisions. My dude literally said "I SHALL NOT BE REDEEMED!" Well, consider your wish granted pretty boy.

Xiyang, on the other hand, was one of the more interesting arcs for me. I found her smart, strategic, and adaptable. Her growth felt earned to me, and I appreciated how she made the most out of her situation. She actively matured and grew a lot in Jinxiu and her motivations, while driven by petty emotion, still made sense to me considering her background and upbringing. Watching her manipulate the Jinxiu emperor was also SO nice. Women in male dominated fields. Honestly, Xia Jingshi was pretty shortsighted for not seeing her value. I'll talk more on my thoughts on her ending in a little bit, so hold off on the pitchforks, I do have some criticism for her.

However, I still don't think her character really deserved the amount of hate she got online. I thought Xiyang was pretty smart and made the best out of the situation she was in, especially as someone who grew up sheltered and not really involved in palace drama, she held herself very well. I began indifferent towards her but after her resolve in regards to Xia Jingshi, she became a very interesting person and I loved her scenes. Obviously, her hatred for Xia Jingshi was unreasonable in some places because yes, he did say time and time again he did not reciprocate her feelings and never will, but I understood her frustration and her reaction felt true to her character and upbringing. She was a beloved princess who was naive enough to believe that her sincerity would make her a small path to Xia Jingshi’s heart. I can't fault her for trying, while holding onto her feelings from years ago built on a fleeting moment of a random act of kindness from Xia Jingshi. Was this stupid? Yes. But does it also kinda make sense for her character? Yeah, kinda. Also when she was pleading with Feng Suige to marry Xia Jingshi and said “I can change him”……Xiyang, I'm going to hold your hand when I say this, no you can’t babe.

The bigger issue lies in the writing for me so... welcome to my descent into madness.

Character development was all over the place so the character shifts felt very abrupt. Murong Yao’s dad? Random personality switch with zero groundwork, not to mention for this character it would have been sooo easy... Also, Suige's little brother Changyang? Went from sheltered teen to master strategist in what felt like one episode. I was genuinely like “did I miss something?” The issue isn’t the arcs themselves but the lack of buildup. Sprinkle in some early hints, some internal conflict, anything! These weren’t bad ideas, they were just poorly set up.

The antagonists also suffered from the same fate. I just thought they weren't very well done. I really like morally grey characters and through decent backstory and motivation I can at least see things from their perspective. I don't have to agree with them but it humanizes them, makes them real instead of just characters which keeps me engaged in the plot. In Fated Hearts however, I found each antagonist undercooked and lacking proper motive. Like “When I was 5 years old the soldiers saved the future emperor instead of me and I.FELT. SAD” like… okay???… nothing else?? REALLY? Even Xia Jingshi, who had EVERY reason to plot a hostile takeover of the court, felt off. His past wasn’t laid out well for the audience and we weren't given enough to connect to him and his sufferings. By the end, he just felt like an obsessive villain and his little rampage felt jarring because it didn't really fit with his character, which was such a waste. I would have wanted to feel torn over his ascend to the throne, but instead it felt unearned. His cruelty was unnecessary and badly explained. I understood him keeping his composure all these years after suffering humiliation and having your life threatened consistently, however, I think if we saw some cracks in his composure leading up to the finale instead of this serene but hypocritical person, I could have understood his actions a bit better and him losing control and going full out lunatic mode wouldn't have felt so jarring.

The show overall felt like it was trying to do a lot within 38 episodes, and while parts of it worked, the pacing for key plot points was a bit off. It’s very much a case of strong leads carrying an undercooked script. If I’m being honest, I stayed for Li Qin, Chen Zheyuan, and their relationship dynamic, not the plot. I'm a sucker for strong leads and mature relationships. And when it came to the Jinxiu plotline, it was Chen He Yi’s face and Xia Meng’s presence doing the heavy lifting. Which… is still an achievement I guess, because I didn’t skip their scenes.

Now, the ending…

Why is Changyang not the emperor? Not to mention Suige talking about the throne like it’s a part time job saying “Xiyang can try it for a few years and if she likes it she can keep it" EXCUSE ME? You did all that for Susha to take the matter of leading it so lightly? I understand that he didn’t want to be emperor himself but my dude...

And Xiyang as empress… I like her, but where was the groundwork for that? I’m all for female rulers, give me that ANY day, but you have to build it. I fear the writers wanted it to be a girl power moment but forgot to establish this within the script. While I did applaud Xiyang for holding her own in the Jinxiu court, she is far from being a leader herself. You can't deny that her motivations were still heavily driven by emotion, pride, and petty revenge. I did not see a leader there, mainly because she wasn’t mature enough.

Meanwhile, Changyang, despite being younger, actually felt calm, strategic, and fit for the role by the end. I really wish we got a proper conversation between the siblings about what they wanted, instead of the script forcing a “he didn’t want it anyway” narrative just to justify the outcome. Did they ever show us in any part of the story that Xiyang had an ambition like this? No. Was it even hinted that she would make a good ruler? No. Like… lay the groundwork and I’ll take a female leader ANY DAY. But you have to do the work!!

That said… I did enjoy this. It gave me:

- a genuinely strong female lead (yay)
- believable chemistry
- a solid enemies to lovers plot
- eye candy second male lead
- not super boring plot that kept me watching

Am I happy I gave it another shot? Yes.
Am I still side eyeing the director for those first two episodes and the big light? Also yes.

Random note: Feng Suige’s brother is adorable and the actor lowkey looks like Rowoon.