The Princess’ Gambit isn't a bad show. So if you're coming to scroll on the forum to decide whether you want to watch it I do reccomend watching a few of the first episodes to see if you like it. The thing is I've watched other cdramas that are so glaringly better that it can be frustrating when it doesn't measure up. Especially when it's a drama I was highly anticipating. For context about 90% of the shows I watch are period dramas. And I started off watching period dramas like Brigderton, The Gilded Age, Belgravia, Marie Anotinette (TV series). Most of the period dramas I've seen are very slice of life, low stakes, romantic and even quite boring at times. And to be fair I mainly watch them for the costumes and to gaze at the opulence, my expectations for Western period dramas are low. The main reason I successfully finish them is because they are very short at 6-8 episodes and if I'm lucky I'll get another season so they are very easy to watch. Discovering costume cdramas was like discovering a goldmine because I get gorgeous costumes and an interesting plot. The only caveat is the number of episodes. If a drama has a very strong script it doesn't matter how many episodes it is I will fly through the show (for example Joy of Life), but if the script is weak I really struggle to pull through, no matter how pretty everything looks. A drama like The Princess’ Gambit, if it was like 8-15 eps I would watch it anyways even if there are flaws (like the choppy sound editing, or filming through beaded curtains) but to watch it for 30 episodes straight 😬. Its a shame bc I really think Liu Xue Yi is a terrific actor and I've been meaning to watch one of his dramas but they're just not the best. I hope to see him do a more serious type of historical drama in the future maybe. I've seen clips of Against the current and it looks quite good…
The ml is a great actor but he keeps starring in dramas that almost always start with a BANG only to fizzled out…
I agree, I really like his visual and presence but the dramas he picks just aren't it...I'd love to see him in a more serious historical drama, with a thoughtful script (and better sound mixing!)