It starts big, it remains strong and it ends big! Consistently perfect!
From the very first episode, the scene is set. We meet characters and we know who's gonna be nice, who's gonna cause trouble and who we are to dislike forever. There are twists and turns obviously and there are surprises and shocks. But no one acts out of character, no one does things just for the plot going against their characterization.An exceedingly well-written drama, beautifully shot and excellently well acted. There are no flaws, there are no lulls, there is no weak arc or filler episodes. I didn't like all the storylines, unfortunately, but this is where the lead couple shine. Even in the most frustrating moments the lead couple keep the viewers engaged in their personal and marital journey. I could not have loved this drama had I not fallen in love with the Lord and Lady of Wei.
I just wish there was one more episode, the last one seemed a bit rushed and a bit incomplete. We need reunions, we need funerals, we need celebrations, we need apologies and reconciliations. There are plenty of conversations that I needed to see.
Alas this is the issue with writing and directing an amazing story- the readers are often left wanting for more.
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Brilliant- from Ep1 to Ep24 absolute brilliance
The most important thing- an ending done right. This was no open ending, no 5 second glimpse of happiness. THIS was a clear, concrete, loving portrayal of a happy ending. Other cdrama writers/directors- TAKE. NOTES.The acting was amazing, from leads to support everybody did a good job. The story was good, not too unique but brilliantly showcased. The characterization was consistent, there was development and there were plot twists. Pacing was good, dialogues were realistic.
For once, all the bad guys get what they deserve. I especially loved the King's end- oof chef's kiss karma there. Xue Chuyun you are worthy of being an Empress (be my empress please <3)
The romance? Oh they served plenty. They had tension, they had antics, they had angst, they had love. There was enough shown on screen, enough alluded to and enough implied off screen. The kissing scenes were so good, the chemistry all throughout was delicious.
In short, a must must MUST WATCH. We need to show more love and support to such shows so they know what we want more of.
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A Guide To Happy Endings
Anyone who watches historical/xianxia/wuxia dramas knows that while they are excellent dramas more often that not they fall short of happy endings.In this one, however, we have a full episode dedicated to just that- a nice, warm happy ending. 45 minutes of love and joy and friendships and marriage and kids. I was very pleased with that. Pleased enough, in fact, to forget all the minor issues I had with the show and give it a near perfect rating.
The story has some flaws, the writing is not perfect, the acting is mostly good but lacks a bit here and there. The music was amazing. The costuming/styling however felt off in a lot of scenes- especially for the lead guy Jiang Xu. The cut and silhouette of the robes paired with the full tied up hair looked awkward across various scenes of multiple episodes.
This is a good drama for anyone who wants more romance than political conspiracy, more 'moments' than strategies and more fun than stress. A sweet drama that suffers from the limitations of its genre and succeeds in a way none have before- by focusing more on the heroes than villains especially in the last two episodes.
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If you want romance, watch till EP23 only
I finished it out of spite and thanks to the 2x speed and multiple fast forwards.It started strong. The storyline was slightly ridiculous, I kept waiting for her to sue the company for discrimination and wrongful punishment lol, but at least it had merit. It was fun to watch.
Then the Lanshan last morning incident happened and things really went downhill. I wish writers would rely on actual character personality traits to manufacture plot and conflict and not just use the same old tropes.
EP 38 was proof that if the love Ni-Gu love rival shit wasn't there we still could've had a beautiful, hesitant love relationship without needless conflict.
Also Ni never apologized for his shameful accusations to Gu did he?
The drama would have benefitted had there been no romance or better/more romance. This proportions of rom and drama were off here. Also the workplace conflicts were too much. In 2ish years Cheng got on news what 4-5 times? Ridiculous.
The last work conflict and its resolution was so needless and made no sense what so ever. All in all, waste of time to watch the whole show. Just watch yt compilation videos
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Quick, satisfying and easy to watch
Have you been watching historical/wuxia/xianxia dramas and been disappointed in how they finish off the villains? Perhaps they don't show them being punished, perhaps the punishment is too light or perhaps, and I hate this the most, they give them a redemption arc and a happy-esque ending?Well worry not because this 21 episode mini-series has handled all the villains perfectly. Short on time they could not really show long torture sessions but they did the next best thing <3
The writing was good, they did stumble once in the end but then again as a mini-series they did not have much time to continue blundering so that saved it. The acting was good enough. The FMC has the chops for long series heavy screentime characters. The MMC however needs either more acting lessons or a different character- his expressions were too smiley (?) for this role. The side characters were good too.
All in all, for a short drama, this is worth your time and I would definitely recommend it
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A Must-Watch for fans of the genre
1. For Dylan I decided to do something I never do (watch an incomplete drama) and I am glad I took the risk. While the wait for next season might just kill me, this show was so perfect I will die a happy fan. It was hilarious, it was heartbreaking, it was stressful and it was rejuvenating.2. I might have started this show for Xu Qi'an and his glorious hair (seriously why was his hair so perfect) but someone else caught my eye in the very first episode (sorry DiDi 😜). The hair, the smirk, the expressions, the sass, the gold earrings and the fan- y'all know exactly who I'm talking about.
Gold Gong Guardian Yang Yan this is my formal proposal to marry you 🙇♀️
3. Coming back to the drama, I enjoyed all that was shown, and the way it was shown. There were a few icks (I don't like seeing good people being tortured so graphically) but it was sorted out soon (I like seeing the torturers get tortured and die painful deaths). There are obviously a lot of questions unanswered and I hope the next season comes soon.
On that note, not really sure how I feel knowing the next content is based on the faceless guy but we'll see.
4. Dear GOTD drama overloads- please get the same cast for everyone for the next season but especially Dylan and Fan Shiqi (and let their looks be the same too hehe)
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Perfect as a beginner and palette-cleanser
Are you new to cdramas and need an easy one to get into the rhythm?Are you a veteran who has watched heavy in the feels dramas recently and want something warm, cozy and comforting?
Are you just not in the mood for caricature sml/sfl who are evil just for the sake of it?
If you answer yes then you absolutely must watch this drama!!! It is slow but fun, simple but enjoyable. You get to watch three separate couple with three different love stories, friendships, family, and lots of character growth.
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If you watch only one cdrama in your life, let this be it!
I have to applaud the writers for the beautiful, sensible plot- not once did I think they were writing just for the sake of episode numbers.The acting is phenomenal. Special mention to Princess Wanning, oh lord I hated her in every single scene and that's a compliment. Shen Yurong was so pathetic it was annoying (compliment!). Duke Su, I will be looking out for your future works. A Li, you carried the show well, both in plot and acting!!!
The ending was imperfect, better than most cdramas but I really hope the industry starts recognizing the importance of a good, well-rounded ending. A romance drama can not give 3 seconds of a romance ending and call it. The 5 min special is a treat but should've been part of the show.
But overall, it still has tremendous merit. Commendable job, to the whole cast and crew!! Hope the industry learns from you <3
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A good drama isn't just by goof actors
I like Lin Yi and Esther. I have seen many of their dramas and I loved some and hated some. So I can say that my dislike for this drama does not stem from the actors, I think they did their jobs well.The writers and director, however, could've been a lot better. The repeated comments on body, weight, body-shaming were too much to tolerate, let alone ignore. You can't really show a person thinner than a pole and just go on and on about how fat they are, its disingenuous as well as problematic.
I'm also quite tired of the trope where people force a person to go back to doing something they did before an accident/near death incident. I never finished the show so I don't know what SC did but the way Dou and the coach kept harping on him got on my nerve.
Almost in the same vein, Wei Zhi and her dismissive attitude towards the scandal annoyed me too, it reeked of money and privilege. I can't understand how an artist would let themselves be blamed for AI, lose their life's work, find out their friend/assistant is still profiting off and then do nothing?? Yeah right
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A Backgroundesque Drama
1. StoryPerhaps the weakest part of the drama was the story. I think the writers and directors were not on the same page for what they wanted to show us. I heard there was some drama b/w them which is why the drama was cut to 12 and it is quite evident.
The PPL was absurd. Really really unnatural and took you away from what little grip the story had on you. If the drama had either focused less on comedy and more on law or not shown such heavy handed topics (like ML's backstory) then the drama would have been much better. Trying to do both, comedy and grave legal incidents, didn't work out at all.
2. Acting/Cast
The acting was good, they did amazing with what they were given. The problem lied with what they were given. The characterizations were weak for all characters, main and background. The backstory didn't make sense, the setting didn't make sense, the reason behind the way the characters interacted was never shown so their interactions never made sense.
ML did absolutely amazing as both the goofy guy and the witty lawyer, FL had little space to shine but I think she did well, most supporting characters were run-of-the-mill and acted as such.
I enjoyed Yejin's character a lot and Minhyuk was a waste of screentime.
3. Music
Meh
4. Rewatch Value
If you are reeeeeally desperate and have literally nothing else to watch, you can rewatch it to pass hours but I did watch half the show on 1.5x so maybe not even that.
5. Overall
It was a waste of an amazing concept. They took a character with incredible potential and turned him into a running gag.
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Imagination is indeed better than reality- Third time is not always the charm.
I remember eagerly awaiting this drama, checking and rechecking when it will be released week after week. Back then, this drama was perfect in my mind. Back then, I was better off.The drama can eb easily divided in 2 parts-:
Part 1. Before The HK arc
-> A few flaws but I will ignore/forgive them, close to perfection
Part 2. HK arc and after
-> Absolute shitshow, all those bearable flaws are now glaring issues I can't look past
While I have a *lot* to say about all that happened, all that went wrong and all that should've been shown all I will say here is this- I am happy this came out last so I watched HL and WIFTY with all the love in my heart and I will go back to that perfect world where this didn't exist yet <3
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She's a tactical genius, She's a woman in love
TL;DR--Watch it for romance, chemistry, fun times and little emotional investment in politics/bloodshed
1. Plot
I have not read the novel so this was a blank slate, so to speak. In that aspect, this was pretty good. Most of it made complete sense, had logical flows and were digestible in there outlandishness.
I liked that the story was hers mostly. The ML had his own story and struggles, yes, but in the end, it was she who was most highlighted by the plot--and by the ML too! This was in-line with the drama title so I appreciate that.
2. Characterization
Huaijing has always been quiet and reserved, the tragedy at Mingshui only made it worse with bitterness in the mix. In that lens, all his actions and reactions make complete sense. And then, when the air is cleared and we see their history, his emotions and feelings make sense too.
Yan was not explored well emotionally. She had a very unique upbringing, trauma after trauma. We don't get much in terms of her coming to terms with her lot in life emotionally. It could partially be because of the actor (no hate to her but she doesn't do complex emotional depth well), it could be on the editing (perhaps the episodes were cut so it was edited out) or it could be a directorial choice.
It wasn't too bad, as you can see from my rating, but it could have been better with that.
Chu Zhao, what can I say. I hated him from his first moment on the screen and I wished him all things bad. His ending was a mercy and in my world, he lives a horrible life and dies a horrible death <3
The King, probably the stupidest one there ever has been. No wonder Wutou keeps invading, the Wei King makes it too easy. The King has never seen a selfish minister he didn't listen to, never heard harmful advice he didn't immediately implement. Xu was almost, almost, right in that last shenanigan of his.
3. The Ending
This ending was interesting. It wasn't a failure, definitely. It did fall into the trap of 'must-kill-someone-for-the-genre' and I think it did so terribly--just like Yan's emotional depth they chose to take the easy way out and kill the easiest to kill. But, we live in delululand, so I don't care much about that.
Other than that, 10/10 ending.
4. Chemistry
Whew. Guys, such chemistry. If you are here for romance, definitely watch this. If you want little and easy to watch political intrigue with heavy focus on building the main relationship, watch this. If you want to watch a second lead being put in his place, repeatedly explicitly and thoroughly? WATCH THIS. Some of the best developed lead couple relationship, in fact the main selling point of this drama is the two general's love triumphing all.
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Must Watch: A True Gem with a HE
Why should you watch this drama?Story: The plot is interesting, captivating and satisfying. It has, at its core, revenge. The setup, the betrayal, the aftermath, the return, the revenge and the conclusion- they are all executed perfectly. A tightly packed sequence of events that were logical and reasonable, a cast of characters that all had their own goals and motivations; this drama serves it all and does it quick and efficient.
Acting: Phenomenal acting by main and support cast alike. A character like General Mo Qingchuan requires detailed emotional performance- subtle expressions that convey more than the words do. Cristy has done an amazing job. As Qiguang, Zhou Zhan has shown the character's growth, the emotional scenes were done well.
The romance elements were carried mostly by Qiguang, as per the story's needs, and the actor did an amazing job at it. Qingchuan had a lot on her mind, too much going on to think about love, and yet you could see embers of a future flame. Even in present, the trust, hope and affection were evident.
I would love to see more from these actors
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Lighthearted fun times ahead!!
I loved it, no notes. Except perhaps that i really NEED Season 2. And I need that to have HosPlay cameos too please <33My main two reasons for watching this drama were- HosPlay sequel and Go Youn Jung and it delivered spectacularly on both accounts. Go Youn Jung is such a good actress, I love her facial expressions. But I was also really impressed by everyone else's acting, our other three first year residents had their own journeys to go through and they were fantastic.
The story was well-wrapped with just enough threads lose for a S2 renewal and I really need that to happen.
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Short and Sweet
The romance was beautiful, the banter was well-timed. Unlike most of the long-form dramas they did a good happy ending.The acting was brilliant and the chemistry was on-point. I wish it was slightly longer, with just a little more scenes in the demon realm in the beginning and more suffering sequences for the villains
(-0.5 because I wanted to see more badass action scenes from the female lead
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