Reviews

The masquerades of A Chou

Almost ten episodes in, and I’m beginning to wonder… is A Chou really overcoming adversity, or are the writers simply creating adversity to show us how clever she is? Practically everyone wants to see her fall, from the nobility to her own spying maid, and even her husband doesn’t trust her. Yet she manages to outsmart everyone almost single-handedly, without making a serious mistake.It reminds me of Fan Chang Yu in POJ, whose superhuman strength helped her overcome practically every challenge. One heroine uses brute strength, the other her intelligence, but both seem almost invincible. I don’t mind a strong heroine, but where’s her vulnerability? Where’s the suspense when we already know she’ll win? I admire A Chou’s determination, but I struggle to feel any emotional attachment to her. I don’t need my heroine to be weak… I just need her to be human.And what about that OST? Such a hauntingly beautiful melody, sung with so much emotion. It has that eerie, melancholic quality I often associate with mystery and murder dramas. Almost as if the music knows there’s something sinister hiding beneath all those beautiful faces. In fact, the OST creates more mystery and emotional tension than some of the scenes themselves.And what about these two women who may be separated twins? Together they could be far stronger than apart. Will the writers follow Alexandre Dumas’ The Man in the Iron Mask, where identity becomes a struggle for power, or The Parent Trap, where two sisters discover they’re stronger together? Or perhaps they’ll surprise me completely.So when does this masquerade finally end? Not just the deception of identity, but the mask of a heroine who seems incapable of failure. And when it does… will there be a human A Chou beneath it, or another predictable ending we’ve already seen a hundred times?

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Good girl, no money, school girl dared to make a deal with bad boy warlord son

Pingjun is actually quite daring! She even dares to make a deal with the bad boy Changxuan, and he seems genuinely surprised that she has the courage to negotiate with him. I love this side of her!Pingjun may be innocent and kind-hearted, but she's definitely not someone without courage. What's even more touching is that she actually feels sorry for the girl who framed her. OMG, this girl has such a soft heart! She knows who the real culprit is, yet she chooses to let them go because she understands what they've been through.She's truly too kind for her own good! I love that she's gentle and forgiving, but still has the courage to stand up for herself when needed.

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am happy this got a 2nd season & that's…

am happy this got a 2nd season & that's saying a lot cause even thought i enjoyed the start of the 1st season, somewhere along the way, i lost interest by the end & watched the special eps just out of curiosity - but it made up for the lack-lusterness of the 1st season. so i remember it fondly & was happy to hear there was gonna be a 2nd season. now fingers crossed this doesn't gone along the same lines & is fun/interesting from start to finish. the other thing/character that made me smile - as i am so freakin happy to see more of him, is Tsujitani (he totally the MVP of this ep IMO & i loved him in the 1st season too & was bummed there wasn't more of him there). *******************************************************************************************regarding the mains, cute as i remembered, even though i wonder what exactly has made Watarai this insecure, his need to be with Hioki 24/7 is unreasonable & his obsessiveness is borderline coo coo.. also i don't really like him saying "cause he's Hioki's bf, he can do whatever he wants with him" that's a very weird statement - just cause u r in a relationship with someone, doesn't mean they own u body & soul - u still gotta ask for consent! --- idk Watarai's too intense & if i was Hioki, i would be running in the other direction, especially at that age - as u don't have the tools or the experience to deal with all those volatile/intense feelings/emotions & i get that Watarai's in the same boat, but as he is the aggressor - i can't empathize with him, as i do with Hioki.

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Good drama that teaches a lesson not only to the bullies of this story

Somehow the finale felt weaker than the rest of the series, but nonetheless, I still enjoyed it plenty. The way they brought it full circle with Gyucheol stabbing Hwajin the exact same way he did Gayun was very well done. Luckily, he didn't die! 👏😌Hanrim and Bong were so cute and adorable as always with their shyness and sweet, awkward feelings towards each other... 🤗🥰And of course, all the villains got their punishment, which I didn't expect to go any other way, really. 🙂‍↕️Overall, a very good drama that teaches a lesson not only to the bullies of this story, but also to its viewers—because despite it being fictional and adapted from a webtoon, some of the cases, if not all of them, are based on real stories... 😌

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Leaving on your own terms

LanXiang picked a very jarring way to make her point to LanXiang. This play was all about a favored general who then became an irritant and was finally killed off by the emperor he served and thought so well of. She literally had JinQi out of his seat watching in shock as he realized it was pointed directly at his chosen career and how it plays out over time. With the chatting of Eunuchs later it does make you think when rather than if history repeats itself. Here we see JinLan’s passing. He was surrounded by all he loved most and the way he wanted tho not the time he wanted. He saw his son born and thriving, he received promises from JinQi and LanXiang that his wife and daughter would be looked after and he could rest easy. He did not get to say a proper goodbye to his mother, but he got to live freely in the capital with no hovering parent making him feel trapped in a gilded cage. He got to be his own man and leave on his own terms. He was willing to take the risk he might not get to see his mother again to get that free time with his wife. The gma also passing was a surprise because she had the reboots of health after stroke. This sometimes happens and then they are gone when things seemed most promising. Since his promotion, the military has been downsized and the emperor will not give him leave to go home since it is so distant. It would require a minimum of three months travel time and his gpa fears he will be replaced. His career is heading to the later half of the play where the dominant general is no longer required and the loyalty of so many troops considered a danger rather than defense. LanXiang offers to take JinLan’s wife and child and XiuWan home because they truly want to be with family now. Unfortunately we do not get to see the homecoming or LanXiang reuniting with her parents and sharing where there missing family is buried. There is a two year time jump and JinQi is finally allowed to come home. We get glimpses of the children growing up and plans for the third daughter’s wedding. I am hoping she sees the wisdom and use LanXiang’s law books can provide. Leave it to the youngest son to have his wife present a cricket as a wedding gift. I’m sure this story will be passed down far longer than they will want to hear it.🤣😂🫣😝 This episode has JinQi and LanXiang finally consummating their marriage. He has come to her so he is not as concerned of his post. We did not get to hear any correspondence while they were separated or what finally won her heart making her anticipate his return. This was indeed a misstep since they are the main couple, but I wasn’t really annoyed by it. Once she saw him as the one who gave her family a resting place and honored her bday that she had forgotten, he was finding a place in her heart. This separation gave him time to learn what was important and be reminded that loyalty to the emperor did not guarantee peace or longevity. I think he is coming around to living a simpler life. I also noted Scholar Lu’s grin at JinQi’s entrance. I think he knows what JinQi did for the Shens and has forgiven him. He was still more child than man at the time and not equipped to disregard his parents and Zhaos. I enjoyed this episode and thought it continued well with the exception of not enough insight into the budding romance of the leads. It should have been allowed the same impact on audience as the decree.

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Family matters

Jin Lai was not inclined to accept the position to run household and took much persuasion. But LanXiang helped her be pragmatic about her role as mother and daughter in the Lin house. As a single mom she had responsibilities and was more than capable of running a home. This could be used as service to the family and as income for hers. It would also set a good example for her children that it was better to earn for yourself than simply indefinitely accepting the benevolence of others with no effort to provide for yourself. 🤣😂 JinLan making XiuWan nervous about returning to JinLing to get married. The emperor has given JinQi and LanXiang titles and rewards for thwarting the rebellion. He is a Marquis and she Marchioness. A new title for the Lin family. The youngest brother is soon to be a father and with all this news gma was a bit overwhelmed and a stroke resulted. This is why XiuWan’s mother was unable to come visit. I could not blame the girl for cheering about that while simultaneously being upset about her gma. JinLan did remind XiuWan that if she didn’t want forced into a disagreeable match via her mother she needed to plan ahead and start making her own plans. Jinqi took her to meet his old friend and found herself at the burial site if her family. The woman they met in the way was a servant still alive from the Shen house. She was touched that JinQi recalled her bday when even she had forgotten. He told her the story of what happened to them and how the Lin family harmed them. He admitted he had never met his betrothed but that he had never let it go how much he had been a disappointment to her and an unworthy husband. He was the one that had purchased the land and the last two servants to help tend it and keep it from becoming a wild wasteland. The marriage vows said while they bowed was quite moving. Here at last Qia Lan could remember who she was and the vow she had made for the one that gave her family a resting place. I am sure she never expected it to be JinQi. This was the point she recognized him as truly being an honorable man even with his flaws. She is now going to respond to his question when he doesn’t see them on different paths. It is also to be noted that Nanke and JiuGao were also nicely rewarded for their efforts during the rebellion. This should help both young men set up a home with the one they care about. 🥰 I am happy for all of them. Even with this most bittersweet moment for LanXiang, she could see that the one she was betrothed to was indeed a worthy man and here I think she let herself start feeling for him as one she truly cared about.🥰🌹

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