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This review may contain spoilers
Disappointing.
Despite the interesting premise, the execution did not work for me. The pacing was too rushed, and because of this, many character actions seemed inconsistent, and the emotional moments didn’t have enough time to develop properly. Scenes moved from one plot point to another very quickly, so the relationships and motivations often felt unfinished.
What bothered me the most was Xiao Shuhe and the way his character was written. It felt like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to use Duan Zi Ang or not, or if he wanted to take part in politics or stay away from it. Then his brother killed their father and even tried to kill him, but Shuhe still acted upset when Duan Zi Ang killed the brother. And also, Duan Zi Ang killed the only other heir, and then expected Shuhe to just leave the kingdom and be with him?!
Shuhe's brother also behaved in a very strange way. Maybe with better development his actions would make more sense, but because everything happened so fast, his outbursts looked sudden and cringey. The acting of his guard didn’t help either, so those scenes became even more awkward.
The Prime Minister's character was all over the place too. What did that man even want???
When Duan Zi Ang took Shuhe back to his kingdom, the story flow became a little better, and I could finally see the direction the drama wanted to take. However, the final dinner scene was really confusing. Suddenly they all sat together like friends, even though just one day earlier they were scheming against each other, and even afterward they still continued to work against each other. It was so weird and unfitting.
Overall, I think the drama has a good concept, and with more time or stronger character development it could be much more engaging. But because of the rushed storytelling, inconsistent character behavior, and some very odd plot-points, I couldn’t connect with it as much as I hoped.
If this wasn't BL people would tear it apart with criticism, but I personally cannot force myself to appreciate it the way it is. The main leads looked good together and their acting was alright, and it was visually pretty, but that's it.
Still hoping that one day we'll get a proper costume BL with satisfying and well developed story.
What bothered me the most was Xiao Shuhe and the way his character was written. It felt like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to use Duan Zi Ang or not, or if he wanted to take part in politics or stay away from it. Then his brother killed their father and even tried to kill him, but Shuhe still acted upset when Duan Zi Ang killed the brother. And also, Duan Zi Ang killed the only other heir, and then expected Shuhe to just leave the kingdom and be with him?!
Shuhe's brother also behaved in a very strange way. Maybe with better development his actions would make more sense, but because everything happened so fast, his outbursts looked sudden and cringey. The acting of his guard didn’t help either, so those scenes became even more awkward.
The Prime Minister's character was all over the place too. What did that man even want???
When Duan Zi Ang took Shuhe back to his kingdom, the story flow became a little better, and I could finally see the direction the drama wanted to take. However, the final dinner scene was really confusing. Suddenly they all sat together like friends, even though just one day earlier they were scheming against each other, and even afterward they still continued to work against each other. It was so weird and unfitting.
Overall, I think the drama has a good concept, and with more time or stronger character development it could be much more engaging. But because of the rushed storytelling, inconsistent character behavior, and some very odd plot-points, I couldn’t connect with it as much as I hoped.
If this wasn't BL people would tear it apart with criticism, but I personally cannot force myself to appreciate it the way it is. The main leads looked good together and their acting was alright, and it was visually pretty, but that's it.
Still hoping that one day we'll get a proper costume BL with satisfying and well developed story.
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