A lighthearted romantic story.
Considering the main premise in this script (dissosiative order), it could have been heavy to consume.I would rather say it is not very serious, but more of a light-hearted take on it.
There are some funny scenes, and some sweet moments, but it isn't a very memorable series.
A few holes in the story, or just poor translation (English) - especially in the second last episode (I watched this on Viki).
Was this review helpful to you?
Strong start
The show started off really good - the first episode was very strong, and the second was also quite good. Then it became a bit more "mediocre"; still OK, but a bit more stereotypical and predictable.I believe they could have built a strong story around ML and the backstory without the extra plots.
Was this review helpful to you?
Overall enjoyable to watch, charming leads
This was SO much better than "Got a crush on you", which has a very similar storyline.Some clichés, but far from as many as some other shows.
A bit predictable, but overall enjoyable to watch.
In retrospect, it is especially the FL that I remember as very sweet and charming.
And TBH: I don't really remember the soundtrack ...
Was this review helpful to you?
Could have been so much better
Unfortunately, the sloppy/rushed script kind of ruined this for me.The acting is in my opinion what kind of saves this, and is why I didn't abandon it. So if you like the cast and this genre, and think you can overlook a bit of a rushed script, then go for it.
This show has similarities to some other Cdramas, like Bright Eyes in the dark, You are my hero, Operation Special Warfare, and more. This veers more and more away from their daily work, maybe to try differentiate itself, but this is where I find the script to become really sloppy, and more unrealistic/extreme towards the end.
- It feels like a lot is left out / the story progresses very abruptly sometimes. It's OK if the story jumps forward, but I wish there was clearer indication of it. Sometimes it feels like they have cut scenes and not adjusted the following script properly.
- Several details annoy me a bit, for example when another rescue worker comes and says a person is trapped, and then they have to search for the person – wouldn't the original rescue workers know the location? And very obvious staged sets sometimes (stones blocking the road on a straight line on top of a line of some sort, and no one apparently thought about carrying supplies over the rocks?), there are never people in the so-called hospital, and so on.
My main impression is that this production was a bit rushed. Mostly because of smaller issues - some mentioned above, but also instances where dialogue suddenly sounds like it is spoken inside a box, too obvious use of green screen, and some more.
Was this review helpful to you?
Revenge, slowburn romance, and power struggles
I was wavering between 7,5 and 8 on this. Ended up giving it 8 stars as it was well-made.It is long; 40 episodes of 45-50 minutes is a lot of time to fill.
When I started watching it, I binged quite a lot of the episodes, but then I started to feel I needed some breaks.
The story has good drive, gives you breathers and climaxes, and even with side-stories and sub-plots the main story is driven forward. It is just that there is a lot happening.
The story follows Xue Fang Fei, who was in a happy marriage with a top scholar (Ye Shi Jie), until the Princess falls for her husband. The powerful Princess sets her up to discredit her name, and forces her husband to kill her. She survives, and is saved by Jiang Li, who has been living apart from her family since she was young after being set up by her step-mother. Jiang Li dies, Xue Fang Fei takes on her identity and promises to bring justice not only to Jiang Li, but also to get revenge for herself.
Back in the capital and the Jiang Li family, she meets several obstacles, but she also finds some true friends and supporters. One of them is the powerful Duke Xiao Heng, who also works with the Emperor to reveal power plays.
The cast is great, and acting is strong too. I do like both Wang Xing Yue in the role of Xiao Heng and Chen Xin Hai as Ye Shi Jie. Both of them deliver convincing performances in their roles. As for the FL played by Wu Jin Yan, she is also a strong actress. It is just that her looks don't sit right with me...I am sorry! The combination of the makeup and her thin, bony features just makes her look unhealthy for me, to the extent that I didn't manage to ignore it. This is my problem, and I haven't really let it affect my rating. Li Meng who starred as Princess Wan Ning delivered a very strong performance.
I found the ending to be a bit weak, but at the same time I am glad they didn't drag it out for another two or three episodes.
Watch this if you like strong female characters, revenge stories and epic tales in a historical setting, with some slow burn romance.
Was this review helpful to you?
This could have been longer
I watched this on Viki. I did not read the comments until after I finished it, but some said, and others agreed, that you might want to watch the last episode (10) first, if you want the events in chronological order.First of all: This had potential to be a great series. It is good in it's own way as it is, but I have a feeling it would have been even better if it was a little bit longer; maybe 12-14 episodes. I don't often say "longer" for C-dramas, lol, it is more often the other way around.
The two leading actors (ML & FL) were both good, and I liked their chemistry.
Second ML (the emperor) didn't quite sit right with me, but that was partly due to his appearance, which again was partly due to his hair and makeup.
Other than his, I found the costumes and such to be nice as well.
The series had a concistent overall almost "steamy" vibe to it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Enjoyable romcom
This was an enjoyable romantic and humouristic series that I binged.Even though it was kind of light-hearted, it did touch upon a more serious theme as well.
The casting was good - I like both the ML and the FL. They had good chemistry, but I felt he was the one carrying it the most.
He gave me butterflies in some scenes, and I felt sad with them in some others.
Some typical scenes could have been avoided.
The sound was quite bad in some episodes (I watched it on Viki), but I'm not letting that affect my rating.
Was this review helpful to you?
Romance with a different vibe
A romantic Cdrama with a bit of a bit different vibe than many of the others I have seen. It did manage to stir my emotions in several scenes.They didn’t steer away from all the clichés (like woman tripping and being saved by man), and the female characters in many Cdramas that are too childish and whiny (that I personally find quite annoying) was reduced to a smaller one.
I liked that the FL had a “spunky” personality, and I thought the granddad was a cool character.
The show made me feel everything from the heartaches and despair to attraction and desire, especially from the ML.
What stops me from giving full score is the rushed ending, and the fact that some scenes felt too much like a promotional video for Chinas tech sphere.
Was this review helpful to you?
