In retrospect, there wasn't much going on with the overall plot. Good one and done watch.
I think "The Double" is my personal favorite example of a slow burn CDRAMA which has a plot that makes you want to keep watching aside from the romance.
Sometimes the flirting and emotional development between the leads in Prisoner of Beauty can feel a bit awkward, even childish. For example, the male lead doesn’t go talk to the female lead himself but sends his guards to deliver messages — you kind of have to be mentally prepared for that kind of setup. When the screentime is just the two of them, it is a lot of back-and-forth obliviousness between them. And this is a majority of the screentime for the show.
The strength of this drama is the character building it goes through with the main leads. It's also not a typical palace drama. It’s set in a fantasy world with no emperor, just different territories vying for power, so the political dynamics have a different flavor. The male lead’s goal is to unify the kingdoms by building water canals and improving people’s lives. But this really didn't need 36 episodes.
As for the romance between the leads —The female lead doesn’t really start to fall for him & trust him until after episode 20. After all, they were from enemy clans to begin with. I think if you are watching this for romance only, it takes too long to get to the better parts, and otherwise the overarching plot is drawn out too long.
Wei Yan(actor Liu Duan Duan from Joy of Life !) was an interesting character who had plot twists I never thought would happen, but he felt under-utilized altogether.
Sometimes the flirting and emotional development between the leads in Prisoner of Beauty can feel a bit awkward, even childish. For example, the male lead doesn’t go talk to the female lead himself but sends his guards to deliver messages — you kind of have to be mentally prepared for that kind of setup. When the screentime is just the two of them, it is a lot of back-and-forth obliviousness between them. And this is a majority of the screentime for the show.
The strength of this drama is the character building it goes through with the main leads. It's also not a typical palace drama. It’s set in a fantasy world with no emperor, just different territories vying for power, so the political dynamics have a different flavor. The male lead’s goal is to unify the kingdoms by building water canals and improving people’s lives. But this really didn't need 36 episodes.
As for the romance between the leads —The female lead doesn’t really start to fall for him & trust him until after episode 20. After all, they were from enemy clans to begin with. I think if you are watching this for romance only, it takes too long to get to the better parts, and otherwise the overarching plot is drawn out too long.
Wei Yan(actor Liu Duan Duan from Joy of Life !) was an interesting character who had plot twists I never thought would happen, but he felt under-utilized altogether.
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