Reviews

Don’t Judge a Drama by Its Title

At first glance, the title The Prisoner of Beauty made me skip this drama entirely. It sounded trivial, but thankfully, I gave it a chance, and I’m so glad I did. What I discovered was a powerful, emotional, and deeply inspiring story that completely defied my expectations.

The female lead is an extraordinary character—intelligent, resourceful, patient, and strong in the face of complex challenges. She's not manipulative, but rather cautious and guarded at first. After all, the male lead comes from a rival clan. Yet as the story unfolds, her true character shines: she is kind, wise, and committed to justice. Her strategic thinking and compassion guide her actions as she works tirelessly for the greater good of the people.

To my surprise and delight, the male lead is just as remarkable. He’s dignified, honorable, and deeply kind—a true gentleman who treats the female lead with fairness and respect, despite the deep-seated hatred between their families. As they slowly come to understand one another, their arranged political marriage—set up by their wise grandfathers—blossoms into a genuine and heartfelt love.

Their bond grows through mutual respect and shared ideals. They admire each other’s strengths, support one another through adversity, and heal old wounds together. One of the refreshing aspects of this drama is how maturely the couple communicates. When issues arise, they face them together—openly and honestly. It’s incredibly satisfying to see a relationship built on trust and clear communication.

This drama is a gem full of life lessons on how forgiveness, love, trust, family unity, and integrity can overcome hatred and adversities. It shows what people can achieve when they choose to listen, to grow, and to stand together with sincerity.

I truly enjoyed this drama a lot. It’s moving, empowering, heartwarming, funny, sad, and ultimately full of hope with a happy ending.

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the tropes were just too much.

revenge is always good. but it can be executed in different ways. to me the best revenge k-drama is easily the glory. this one, just had too many familiar and annoying tropes. first was the completely separate set of legal rules for good people versus bad people. example: on a couple of occasions the bad people confessed, but the law could do nothing because there was no evidence. In the last couple of episodes a good person was locked up because of a forced confession, and the evidence was irrelevant. second trope, the ridiculous amount of exposition. In other words, taking four minutes to show something that could have been done 30 seconds. as I said I understand these tropes and put up with them because I love k-dramas so much, but for me it was just too much in this one. they were more examples but you get my drift.

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Bad concept... Great execution

See, I was excited for this. In fact, I was rooting for this to be one of the greatest Kdramas of 2025. 2025 has had a very promising lineup of kdramas and this one's plot sounded very unique. However, I just could not be bothered to follow up on every episode. In fact, it took me almost a month to finish the Kdrama. We had a good FL, a very cute ML, but sometimes, it felt like everyone was losing the plot. I would be watching and then tell myself: Do the writers even know what they are currently doing? Some things were said but not shown, creating a few plot holes. Additionally, the firing plot... yeah miss me with that BS thank you so much. The couple itself and their chemistry was amazing, but idk not my cup of tea

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Main couple got destiny. Backup lovers got doom and maybe food poisoning

I usually stay away from dramas where the Female chases the Male first, (thanks to the ISWAK series), but I forgot to check the tag this time. After all, it’s a delicate balance between the annoyingly aggressive FL reeking with desperation, versus the beguilingly belligerent FL filled with enthusiasm. Especially if the FL does not have a lot to offer, is clueless about her shortcomings, and is clingy to boot.  

But this show escapes that trope by presenting the Female Lead as a go-getter, who despite her naivete with romance, puts her faith in a younger man whom she fell in love with because of his looks. She shows her innocence by taking guidance from her equally clueless secretary or from reading manga, surely abundant with sage advice.  

Their intertwined business rivalry and familial connections illustrate the “small world” theme common in dramas. The overuse of a common trope to create a “fated destiny” romance unexpectedly worked for the main couple, but the secondary pairing failed to benefit from this approach. Despite having quirky interactions, the fate of the second couple seems doomed from the beginning.

Despite its low budget and short length, this drama’s production team made the most of their resources, and I was pleasantly surprised by the cast’s performance, particularly Yang Ze’s. So I would look forward to his other works.

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They don't make 'em like that anymore.

Firstly - I appreciate that this comes from a time before ubiquitous CG use - it's really quite minimal here.
It's shot quite nicely on real sets, real locations, with real stunt people etc.
Compared to the overpolished airbrushed wuxia these days, it's more gritty and closer to realism - people get sweaty, dirty and bloody and not everyone is young and conventionally attractive.

I also have to say that this is probably one of my favourite, if not the favourite Jin Yong story and adaptation. There's no courtly intrigue, no annoying patriotism. Yes, the main theme is of course strife in the jianghu, but that's fine.
It's, in fact, surprisingly anarchistic even - no martial move, no countermove. No party, no enemies.
It heavily explores the idea of transgressing boundaries - there's the (fairly common) theme of orthodox parties vs. "evil cults" and what it really means to be/do evil. There's some queer subtext in the concept of male soulmates from opposing factions leaving society altogether and living together in seclusion. (they "play music together", sure they do. :))
And the main McGuffin of the whole story - the Purity Skill Book/ Mallow Journal (or Sunflower Manual as translated elsewhere) - is all about crossing the boundaries of gender. I appreciate that despite a lot of visible disgust over the "self-castrated" villains, Dongfang Bubai is actually portrayed by a woman and it's made quite clear she's different to the others.
(I'm using "she/her", because in my mind she's clearly a trans woman - at least in this adaptation. "I'd rather be a woman than the emperor." and so on.)
Unlike Yue Buchun who transgressed for power and prestige, and Lin Pingzhi who does it for revenge, she seemingly just...transitions. Girl really just wanted to leave the jianghu behind and spend her days doing embroidery. (and spoiling her scheming mediocre boyfriend)
Ultimately even in defeat she's shown sympathy and we understand her love was real, and her end tragic.

Finally - I'm glad that while sympathetic characters die, it's not a complete tragedy in the end. (as is so common in wuxia and Jin Yong stories.)
Oh and the music is an absolute banger.
I'm glad to have this on DVD, it's worth revisiting.

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Nothing extraordinary but a decent watch

Started out pretty solid but sadly at abt the midpoint (?) it loses in plot quality; it gets more fast paced, some scene cuts are obviously poorly executed, the plotting and characters are //so// overly simplified that some characters made no sense at all for how they did a 180° flip in character. It's a pity because it really had potential. There is nothing extraordinary about it tbh but it's not bad either, it's somewhere in between.
Actors are pretty but again, no one that popped with ther skills; the music was fine but it's not the kind of OSTs that stick with you even once the drama is finished.

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Wasn't super good, but wasn't super bad either

This review is mostly going to be me complaining, so I want to emphasize up front that this series does have good parts to it. The acting is solid and the cinematography is gorgeous. I loved the costumes as well. There are good scenes and initially the pacing of the story is good. The premise is interesting and it remains intriguing through part of the show. But it starts to fall apart near the end, could've been helped by being a bit longer, and the story is a bit messy in parts.

For me, the romance plot isn't great. It's a bit rushed, like a switch was flipped and suddenly they're madly in love with each other. I also didn't really feel much chemistry between the leads. It's weird, because the actors are both solid, but yeah, I just didn't feel that spark between them. I also think "fakecest" just isn't my thing so it could be that the very premise of their romance was never going to work for me.

The plot was a bit messy and occasionally a bit of a letdown, including the resolution of the mysteries. There are a couple of mysteries ongoing, and I really didn't like how the show handed you the answers super easily. It was just a letdown and a waste of all that dramatic buildup. There are times when backstory information seems to contradict each other. The plot towards the end is a bit rushed as well, which unfortunately isn't too uncommon these days with shorter kdramas instead of the 16- or 20-episode long ones that we used to get. There are a couple of things that didn't make sense to me about the ending, but whatever.

Tbh I'm not sure why I finished this show. It certainly was intriguing in parts, but towards the end I just felt obligated to finish it since I had made it so far. Once again, I think the actors did an admirable job, but this wasn't remotely a standout drama or one that I'll remember.

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As A Couple Should Be!

I was fortunate enough to not have to wait 2 or 3 years for this drama to release due to the delay. I don't know what my expectations would have been due to the anticipation so this is my review based on watching an unexpected drama a few days after it was released.


What made me decide to watch this drama?

A tiktok edit of when the two leads met each other the first time. I was hooked.


Was the plot good?

Let's get the obvious fact out of the way. So the leads' clans became enemies and we all understand this is an enemies to lovers trope drama and we all expected them to fall for each other no doubt. Cliche but we all wanted it right? What I truly like about it was how the relationship of the couple grew and they built trust over time and not over night or within a few days. It took them a whole freaking year to 101% trust each other gradually. This to me represents reality. If it was any quicker, it wouldn't be so enjoyable for me as much since it may have seemed rushed just to please fans. The overall plot may be predictable for most but it was a great journey.


My beloved 2nd couple:

When life happens, not everything goes your way all the time. I'm sad about Wei Liang's death but I'm also glad that Xiaotao has his brothers their for her support - lifelong. Like I said, life happens but that doesn't make you stop loving people.


Was the HE rushed?

I think it was okay. Not brilliantly great but not bad either. It was just enough. Usually cdramas cram in happiness in the last 5 mins of a baby being born etc and all that but the only thing stopping me giving it a full 10 stars is I wanted to see Wei Shao's reaction on meeting his baby for the first time and possibly an extra scene or two with the new family of three.


Overall thoughts:

I give 9.5 stars to this beautiful drama telling a story of growth and trust between a couple - loyalty, faith and love are great contributions towards peace. Some characters definitely deserved to die and they did. Some deserved to live as a worse punishment than death but unfortunately that didn't happen. Some didn't deserve what happened to them at all and some did their most to maintain relationships as best as they could.

Life is a rollercoaster.

Give this drama a chance but be prepared with a box of tissues for the last few episodes.

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do NAWT hesitate to watch this show. WATCH IT

it was a really great drama😛🤞!!! IM REALLY IMPRESSED, THEY SERVED US A GOOD ENEMIES TO LOVERS. THE PLOT WAS PLOTTING. NOT A SINGLE EPISODE WHERE I GOT BORED (but i did skip some scnees that included ANNOYING people) i love all the good characters especially the FL, the 4 generals and the grandma. i also like the character development of the mother throughout the end. as for the cousin, he pmo at first but gradually i liked him. THISSSS IS MY TYPE OF FEMALE LEAD. song zuer played Qiao Man so well. shes strong(not physically), cunning, smart and mature. shes not a baby childish FL🙏 SHES A BADDIE. in some scenes i fr thought shes playing an empress. for the ML, i liked him too! I like LYN character here as Wei Shao/ZL compared to in story of pearl girl. Im not rly a fan of the ost tho! i would rewatch this maybe when im old old bc i tend to rewatch dramas these days🌚🌚 this drama is a masterpiece. glazing or not i think it is. GREAT chemistry, plot, writing, visuals, cinematography, fighting scenes. i rarely write reviews so basically this drama, i zont regret watching it. if you love a calculating female lead and strong male lead, PICK THIS SHOW UP RN. anywayz LOVEDDD IT!😼

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Cinematically gorgeous and a heartwarming story

Nothing much happens in this drama but it is so engaging and lovely to look at that you really don't mind.

It is a simple story well told. The depictions of nomad Kazakh life set 20+ years ago are obviously appealing to jaded viewers like me, fed up with typical recycled C-dramas. There is a slight discomfort about the political implications of Chinese incursions into this region but it doesn't detract from the strong performances, beautiful scenery, and hankering for a simpler life based around community and tradition.

Let's face it, these sorts of dramas are bound to appeal to city dwellers like me. If I were actually transplanted there I would no doubt find it uncomfortable and unpleasant but on screen it looks inviting even despite the hardship.

The cast is great, the budding romance and first love theme is touching and the ending entirely fitting.

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Not my cup of tea :(

Short-length series about love and struggles for power

PLOT: The FL, Princess of a small neighbor's kingdom, and the 2nd Prince, ran away to live out their love in seclusion. They had a child, but in the Prince's absence, assassins killed the Princess's mother and her child (blaming the 2nd prince). The Princess then married the Crown Prince (so she could kill the 2nd Prince who had betrayed her), but the CP died a few days later. The two leads encounter each other in an intense and ferocious fight, all while trying to survive the cruel and violent rules of the Palace.

+++ Good actors, convincing in conveying the tension, the intensity of emotions, and the violence.
+++ Great OSTs

### Casting error: the Dowager Empress looks 18!! The situation isn't believable. Too many obvious twists in a short time.
### Really low-budget production, and some scenes (hate-love scenes within the CL) are too repetitive.

=> The format doesn't help the actors (even good ones) convince in such a rushed series.

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Short-length series about love and struggles for power

PLOT: La FL, princesse d'1 petit voisin, et le ML, 2nd prince, s'étaient enfui pr vivre leur amour en réclusion. Ils ont eu un enfant, mais en l'absence du ML, des assassins ont tué la mère de la FL et son enfant (en accusant le 2nd Prince). La FL a alors épousé le Prince héritier (pr pouvoir tuer le ML), mais celui-ci meurt qq jours + tard. Les 2 leads se côtoient ds 1 lutte intense et féroce, tt en essayant de survivre au fonctt cruel et violent du Palais.

+++ Bons acteurs, convaincants pr montrer la tension, l'intensité des émotions, la violence.
+++ TB OSTs

### Erreur de casting : l'impératrice douairière a l'air d'avoir 18 ans !! La situation n'est pas crédible. Bcp (trop) de twists grossiers.
### Really low budget production et certaines scènes (hate-love au sein du CL) sont trop répétitives.

=> Le format n'est pas favorable aux acteurs (même bons) pr convaincre dans une série aussi rushed.

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Best Romance BL all time !

I'm finally here to leave my comment🥰 I'm very proud of myself I trended a series for the first time and had a blast doing it! I learned to know a lot of great people thanks to it and my country was also nr 1 trending, wich I would have never expected in my wildest dreams. I'm gonna frame that 1.5+M trend and hang it in my room because it's HISTORY!!!

Please forgive me if there are too many typos in this, because after this I'm gonna sleep need to rest, I'm tired!

LET ME TELL YOU GUYS, I HAVE WATCHED A LOT OF BL BUT THIS IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE, THIS PERFECTLY IMPERFECT SERIES IS MY NUMBER ONE ✨✨✨

My Golden Blood is a very low budget project and we can really feel it, it's really a shame 😭 (there was not even a workshop for it!!!!!) so due to that the editing is pretty bad, there are some plotholes in the vampire story and sometimes the audio is also not great 😭 The editing also made it cringy several times. THOSE ARE THE BAD THINGS 😭😭

NOW THE GOOD STUFF: I have never seen such a romantic BL before and I have watched a lot of BL trust me!! The romantic moments are absolutly perfect, I loved it so much. I was also stunned by the cinematography, the way it's filmed with the sceneries and the lightnings I found that so beautiful. I could really feel it was made with love and passion !! And the chemistry between Joss and Gawin is something out of this world, just WOAW every romantic and passionate moment looks so natural OMG they're so real for that 😱❤️

Now the acting, all the actors are insane, they really delivered!! I saw a lot of comments saying they were annoyed by Gawin's acting, I don't understand them. It was the first time Gawin played such a comedic-dramatic character and I could immediately feel that he was having a blast and playing the role of his life, I could feel it beaming out of my screen 😆 and I was right, he said in his interviews that he really loves to be a kid, being his fan for years I'm so proud that I understand his acting performances 😁 And Gawin is the best in dramatic moments, in the last episodes this man is ACTING ✨❤️‍🔥IT'S MAGICAL

Joss is also a great actor, I was never his fan but I saw him in a several shows (he slayed his role in The Player! Go watch it if you haven't yet) I must say he plays a perfect romantic, never expected to love him that much in his role.

The other side character, are also great, I mean Um is a Queen and she shows it. Neo also played well, I like him when he plays more seriously. And Mond I enjoyed him playing, slaying as always as the bad guy.

SO if you're looking for a vampire story, I'm sorry but the show is mainly focused on the LOVE story. Showing the HUMAN feelings was one of the main ingredients for this show, the director made a point on that!!

Now let me tell you a bit of the kind off love that was portrayed, a very healty one that is 💕 both green flags, they talk to each other, no misunderstandings because the problems are solved pretty quickly thanks to their communication, they can't bear to see the other one suffer or in pain and they would do anything for each other ❤️💕

For me each episode was better than the previous one, and that's what a show has to do.
I'm sorry that my comment to be so long 🙏🙏

I have one more thing to say but that's a spoiler, something that rarely happens in Gmmtv shows.
SPOILERS:

People die in this show, Tonkla the best friend and brother dies. I loved his death so much, he died so peacefully with no regrets and a smile on his face. That's reason Tong could move on from his death, he wanted to respect Tonkla's sacrifice and last words.
Thara dying, oh yes!!! She so deserved it!!
And I was surprise by Nakan's death, he died the same way as Tonkla. A shame we didn't get his backstory, that would have been very interesting.

Also if you watch this series and you SHIP Nakan with Tonkla, sorry but you haven't understand how this show goes. That never occured to me but a lot of people did ship them.

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The Prisoner of Beauty – A Journey of Healing and Growth

The Prisoner of Beauty may seem like a typical romance or political drama, but for me, it’s more about personal growth and emotional healing. The story revolves around two people with very different childhoods, and how love and emotional safety can transform them.

The male lead (ML) starts his journey consumed by hatred and the scars of a traumatic past. However, his relationship with the female lead (FL), who was raised in a loving and supportive family, becomes the catalyst for his growth. She is kind, grounded, and emotionally intelligent, much like her father. Through her strength and compassion, the ML begins to heal and face his past. Their relationship is one of the most satisfying arcs, not because of romance or drama, but because it feels earned and real.

The contrast between the FL and her female cousin presents an interesting dynamic: some people are driven by a desire to protect others, while others want a simple, peaceful life. The show doesn’t judge these choices but rather explores them in a nuanced way.

The cinematography is beautiful, the direction is sharp, and the acting is stellar. The OST perfectly complements the emotional weight of key moments, while the fight scenes, tragedies, and moments of happiness keep the pacing engaging. One of the show's strongest points is its complexity— everyone’s choices are influenced by their past and circumstances.

The female antagonist, who endured her own traumatic childhood, embarks on a self-destructive path, in stark contrast to the ML’s healing journey. It’s a poignant reminder of how different people cope with pain.

In the end, The Prisoner of Beauty is about breaking generational cycles, finding emotional safety, and becoming a better person—not alone, but through meaningful connections. It’s a show with great rewatch value, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys slow-burn character development and emotional depth.

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