204
552
121
9
4
7
4
3
9
7
4
7
1
2
4
7
4
2
2
2
1
1
1
2
2
11
They went: what can we do? Without thinking: can we deliver?
I don’t think I have ever seen a drama more dramatic, but also one with the least amount of any real stakes. Nothing had any consequences. And at some point it killed all my enjoyment.
You can kill your political opponents in a shady manner and no one cares, there is no investigation, everyone just accepts “it is what it is”. The most important tournament for the whole country had either no rules or the rules were not enforced at all - both cases make no sense. They kept having obstacles presented to them, things they could not do… and they did them anyway… and nothing. Nothing followed, no long lasting consequences, barely any short term consequences.
I think one of the most frustrating aspects was the complete incompetence of the King of Beixuan and how throughout the show no one tried to assassinate his dumb ass, and they even protected him. I cannot be pro leads, when they are pro trash. Truly impressed how the writers managed to make me hate the male lead literally 15 minutes before the drama ended. Just kill the King of Beixuan and let the King of Yannan rule both countries, he is obviously far better for the job.
Overall, the villains and antagonists were painfully poorly written idiots who managed to get/stay in power by pure luck and the lack of investigation and interest from leads to find out what is even happening behind the scenes. None of their plans were smart, the fight between them and the leads were always ridiculous, especially everything that has been happening in Yanna.
Now to the main course: the romance. The way they baited me with enemies to lovers, to deliver almost none of that. They move from enemies to partners in love way too fast. It does not mean there were no conflicts between them, but they were all based on mostly external issues and conflicting priorities. The best part of the enemies to lovers trope is the gradual change of heart, slow burn warming up to each other, pretending like you don’t care, when you do and the soft angst that comes with it.
I also honestly hated how both characters lacked growth and personal development - both as individuals and as a couple. They both loved to set rules for the other, but did not want to follow them themselves. Qi Luo can hide facts and lie, but Xuan Lie has to be truthful on every occasion. Xuan Lie can break premises coz of the “greater good”, but Qi Luo has to keep her word no matter the circumstances. They lacked communication skills and it feels like they never learned from any of their mistakes.
Qi Luo's conviction was protecting her family, but not really, because no one was as good at finding excuses for their questionable choices as she was. Xuan Lie was basically an amoral character. He had no individual moral opinions. He just did what was asked of him - no thought in that brain. The only times when he stood up to dumb ideas was when they concerned Qi Luo, but even then it was never a full defiance.
Qi Min and Qing Kou was a full on clownery that led to nowhere, but at least they were entertaining. To be honest, Qi Min was easily my favorite character. If he was the main lead,the drama would end on episode 2-3 - he was the man of action and convictions and no bullshit (well, there was some bullshit, still he felt like the most decisive character of them all, one that actually made some plans and put work into investigation).
Acting wise it was all over the place. Angelababy delivered one of the most underwhelming performances. There was barely any muscle moving on her face. Song Wei Long tried, but since the writing was not the greatest, him trying was not enough to save the drama.
Production was fine. I like the different styling for the characters that set this drama apart from other costume shows. Wanted to see a bit more desert setting scenes and less palace shenanigans.
Overall, I would not recommend it. It’s not actually good for an enjoyable watch, and not bad/trashy enough for a fun entertainment. It’s just painfully mediocre with a lack of smarts and wits.
You can kill your political opponents in a shady manner and no one cares, there is no investigation, everyone just accepts “it is what it is”. The most important tournament for the whole country had either no rules or the rules were not enforced at all - both cases make no sense. They kept having obstacles presented to them, things they could not do… and they did them anyway… and nothing. Nothing followed, no long lasting consequences, barely any short term consequences.
I think one of the most frustrating aspects was the complete incompetence of the King of Beixuan and how throughout the show no one tried to assassinate his dumb ass, and they even protected him. I cannot be pro leads, when they are pro trash. Truly impressed how the writers managed to make me hate the male lead literally 15 minutes before the drama ended. Just kill the King of Beixuan and let the King of Yannan rule both countries, he is obviously far better for the job.
Overall, the villains and antagonists were painfully poorly written idiots who managed to get/stay in power by pure luck and the lack of investigation and interest from leads to find out what is even happening behind the scenes. None of their plans were smart, the fight between them and the leads were always ridiculous, especially everything that has been happening in Yanna.
Now to the main course: the romance. The way they baited me with enemies to lovers, to deliver almost none of that. They move from enemies to partners in love way too fast. It does not mean there were no conflicts between them, but they were all based on mostly external issues and conflicting priorities. The best part of the enemies to lovers trope is the gradual change of heart, slow burn warming up to each other, pretending like you don’t care, when you do and the soft angst that comes with it.
I also honestly hated how both characters lacked growth and personal development - both as individuals and as a couple. They both loved to set rules for the other, but did not want to follow them themselves. Qi Luo can hide facts and lie, but Xuan Lie has to be truthful on every occasion. Xuan Lie can break premises coz of the “greater good”, but Qi Luo has to keep her word no matter the circumstances. They lacked communication skills and it feels like they never learned from any of their mistakes.
Qi Luo's conviction was protecting her family, but not really, because no one was as good at finding excuses for their questionable choices as she was. Xuan Lie was basically an amoral character. He had no individual moral opinions. He just did what was asked of him - no thought in that brain. The only times when he stood up to dumb ideas was when they concerned Qi Luo, but even then it was never a full defiance.
Qi Min and Qing Kou was a full on clownery that led to nowhere, but at least they were entertaining. To be honest, Qi Min was easily my favorite character. If he was the main lead,the drama would end on episode 2-3 - he was the man of action and convictions and no bullshit (well, there was some bullshit, still he felt like the most decisive character of them all, one that actually made some plans and put work into investigation).
Acting wise it was all over the place. Angelababy delivered one of the most underwhelming performances. There was barely any muscle moving on her face. Song Wei Long tried, but since the writing was not the greatest, him trying was not enough to save the drama.
Production was fine. I like the different styling for the characters that set this drama apart from other costume shows. Wanted to see a bit more desert setting scenes and less palace shenanigans.
Overall, I would not recommend it. It’s not actually good for an enjoyable watch, and not bad/trashy enough for a fun entertainment. It’s just painfully mediocre with a lack of smarts and wits.
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