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It's ok
i wanted to support kong xue er so i watched purely because of her, and the end product is very meh; not eggregiously bad but also nothing to write home about.the story is the cliche we all know: treason, a crazy crown prince, scheming ministers, and a semi-villaneous king. what i liked about it was how short and concise it is; 18 episodes leave almost no room for huge misunderstandings or stupid acts, which gives you the vibe and drama the bigger productions have without stringing you along for 32-36 episodes.
the main couple really surprised me when the start of their "relationship" was purely transactional and very sexual, giving you the impression they will dive into an interesting perspective about the arranged marriage troupe. unfortunetely, they butchered it as soon as it started; the main couple fell in love super quickly (just to keep pushing and pulling in every other episode), and we found out she has been privately divorced since her wedding night... what a waste.
but again, to be short and concise means cutting the boring but also the interesting but complicated ideas too; you win some, you lose some i guess.
everyone else beyond the princes, the main couple, and the princess's consort is background noise.
overall it was ok to watch between lunch breaks, but it isn't that entertaining, and i don't see any rewatchability value for the future.
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This review may contain spoilers
Strong start with a weak ending
loved this one quite a lot.i try to watch whatever meng ziyi is in because i love the characters she is kind of typecast in, and this was a hit for me (for the most part).
the first 10-15 episodes were the strongest part, and we go slowly but surely into shallow waters after a certain point, mainly after their marriage, and yet it was ok enough to keep me hooked until the end.
he yu needs to do more characters like this; his physical comedy is great, and he looks insanely good as hua yong; i would audibly swoon whenever he was on screen.
the princes were definitely there, very annoying and boring, with little to almost no life beyond liking xi he-trying to win her hand-being in a terrible relationship with someone else. lai wei ming probably sensed how tired i was of his character, and he became less and less present in the story; i hated to see him go but was glad for not having to deal with chang ying.
the fifth prince got into my nerves, and i wish they hadn't given him that redemption arc. honestly, they shouldn't even let the "my wife died and i think xi he is her reincarnated" plotline go as far as it did.
the second couple was everything; i saw right through the cross-dressing when bu shu lin first appeared, but it was super convincing and well done. the forbidden love between her and cui jin bai was incredible and helped a lot with the romance aspect of the drama since the main couple were stuck pretending they wouldn't get together for quite a while.
after the main couple's marriage, it got boring. they were sickly sweet with each other, and it got to the point where i was wondering when hua yong was going to die so we could get the story moving forward. don't get me wrong, i love romance, but it was way too much.
the ending was ok; the coup was resolved, and the heir was guaranteed, but unless i missed something, they never explained how hua yong was alive? oh well, i was happy for them regardless.
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