This review may contain spoilers
For a Hammer, everything looks like a Nail!
I think that saying fits this Series quite well. Our Female Lead is good with Poisons, so everything becomes somehow Poison related, sometimes to the point of hilariously, comically contrived and laughable.This series tries to commit every possible Sin dramas can commit. Tropes, Cliches, BS Devices, generating Drama out of thin Air etc. etc. you name it and it probably does it.
Lets do it Morricone Style with Good, Bad and Ugly:
the Good:
It starts quite well and has some things going for it. I mainly stuck to it because at first I thought that this was a lighthearted Drama that didnt take itself too seriously (what with all that Poison gimmicky stuff like a literal Poison Wall). I expected a Mix of Drama, Comedy and Parody which I like a lot. At first it looked like it and some of the Side Characters started quite goofy and entertaining like the side couple that always fights. It was those Elements that were Entertaining and about the best thing in this Drama.
the Bad:
Acting is overall mostly on the mediocre side. The ML is too wooden, the FL is too boring, the 2ML is too flamboyant and the 2FL (if it can be called that) is ....words fail me but more on her in the Ugly Section.
The Story is all over the Place. I found myself asking "what was the Story again?". The FL is good with Poisons....and thats the Story right there. I had the feeling that the Writer just had this one Idea to make an FL that is good with Poisons and then simply made up everything else from that point. The FL is good with Poisons so everything that happens has some connection to Poisons even if it makes no sense whatsoever. Barbarians attack the Nation? it turns out they are "poisonous Barbarians", a Meteorite hits the Palace? it turns out its a "poisonous Meteorite", Godzilla comes out of the Ocean? well you guessed it, it actually turns out to be not Godzilla but Godzillas Chinese Cousin who conveniently is also poisonous, you get the Point! It becomes really tiresome after a while.
The CGI is worse than a joke. Seriously, with CGI this bad, it would have been better to use practical effects. Even some guy in a Costume would have been better than what they tried to pass for a "monster".
the Ugly:
Flashbacks, lots and lots of Flashbacks. Deus Ex Machinas, lots and lots of Deus Ex Machinas. BS Devices, lots and lots of BS Devices (super effective magical Poison Powders in this case that work better than Gasses in the first World War...or any Gasses even today). As I already said, the amount of tropes and cliches in this Drama is quite critical. I am aware that Dramas like this utilize such "gimmicks" and have to utilize them but there are differences of what is useful and necessary and what is lazy and cheap. How many times can you see the mains get rescued "last second" before realizing that they are never really in danger? When I dropped this Series I had lost ALL Interest in any of the Characters. I couldnt care whether they lived or died or loved or hated or whatever, they bored me out of the series with constant repetition of the same "dramas" over and over and over again.
The 2FL has a special place in my heart as the most idiotic, stupid and utterly retarded villain in any Drama of all time. She has triggered me more than any Character in any other Drama I watched and not for lack of competition mind you, she is just that worse! What was her plan again? to DIE for the ML so he can "fall in love" with her Corpse? now there is a "great plan" if I ever heard one. She starts crazy evolves into psycho and ends a complete lunatic and none of it in a good way. This Character harms the Series in a serious way and I would deduct at least two Stars just for this Character alone. Very annoying.
Summary:
Its not completely bad and has its upsides but cutting it down to at least half the Episodes would have improved it a lot. This Series was clearly artificially kept running for 50 Episodes to make Money, avoid Taxes, pay Bribes/the Mafia or whatever and it shows.
I had the time to waste so it was not that big a loss for me but those who dont should check twice before committing.
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As for the cast, mostly everyone did a good job portraying their characters. I mainly watch this for Ju Jing Yi (her pretty face and cute expressions are what kept me going all the way til the end). So if you're a Ju Jing Yi fan, then this is a must-watch.
Overall, it's an ok series to watch (once), especially if you're a Ju Jing Yi fan. But definitely has a very low rewatch value because of how boring it gets.
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its ok but..
i totally wasted my time. the story is kinda slow-paced. on the first few episodes it was fine but towards the finale it just became bland. i found myself skipping scenes in a few episodes. the acting well... uhmm definitely needs a lot more esp the female lead. if it wasnt for the male lead's cuteness i i would definitely drop this drama. the second male lead.. well aside from the looks he cant act. the female lead does have a lot of impressive skills... a lot that i became bored towards the end. this drama is a total waste of time unlike cdramas of the same genre ive watched before.Was this review helpful to you?
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The story moves swiftly with only a few slow points. The overarching mystery plot helps to keep things moving.
The lead actress is quite capable, but her character is a total Mary Sue and sometimes I really wanted her to get angry or refuse to be such a doormat. The main lead male is another stone-faced character, but his range is so limited it feels like there’s a mannequin in lots of the scenes. Ugh! He really needed to add some subtle touches to make this character come alive. He/this character is my biggest disappointment about this series and it’s a big one.
The supporting cast and characters are all fine. The ending is a bit unsatisfactory since they leave it open for a sequel and something a bit ambiguous so the overall impact of this drama is less enjoyable. So some definite drawbacks to watch out for something that had the potential for more.
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Worth watching
Watching Chinese historical drama after long time. Enjoyed it even though it is not exactly same as boon.Story:
Captivating story line that get you keep going with next episode. There so many factors that will you feel of love, sacrifice, friendship, betrayal and ao on. It's not difficult to imagine the love between main characters as they portrayed it very well.
Acting/cast:
Good casting. Even though I don't like few character but it's ok as the main characters are worth.
Music:
Good intro and outro song that includes main scene.
Overall good drama with good storyline and good actors.
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When I first started drama. Coming into it, I thought I wouldn't like it because I'm a picky person (generally) and I never finish the historical drams I watch or I would just skip a bunch of the episodes and only watch the parts that interest me but the first episode surprised me and I decide to continue to watch it.
First Episode Impression: I like how it was straight to the point. The main female lead Yunxi ( played by Ju Jingyi), I love how bold she is and she never doubts herself. I like how it was a cliff hanger type of first episode where it keeps you guesting "what happen?" or "why is it like this?". It keeps you on your feet.
- Later on all the questions you had about episode one, would be answered in episode two and three.
Chemistry: I LOVE LOVE the two main leads. Prince Qin (as known as Long Feiye), he portrays a cold hearted prince who all cared about revenging for Qinxi kingdom and finding the Poison Master to cure his Gu Abette poison that is in his system. But I love how he slowly starts to open up to Yunxi and suddenly you see that this cold heart prince, has a soft side and also love that every time she is in trouble or a dangerous situation, he is there to be the first one to help her. Yunxi, I love how devoted she is to Feiye. She never once told the Queen Mother about Prince Qin and despite the threats the Queen Mother would give her about her mother (Yunxi's mother), Yunxi would still never tell the Queen Mother about it.
This drama is the first Chinese historical I felt different about and the first drama where I'm willing to sit down and rematch it. The emperor throne story is still very similar to other historical dramas but the love interest was different. It was just like a simple love story it was a lot more. It was about a kid who was tested and forced to be a Gu Abette person and the arrange marriage between those two (Long Feiye and Han Yunxi) was more complex than most historical dramas. It was a arrange marriage assigned to Han Yunxi to spy on Prince Qin but later finds out she has fallen in love with him. I don't know but this drama will forever be in my heart, I love the two main leads so much, I hope to see them in a future drama together!! ❤️
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the writer really like that the FL is ignored and that boring love triangle the story too unbearable for me I won't not recommend this if you don't like politics and wars and that fuse of who will win the throne.
after ep 15 it felt the story was being dragged . was boring and my heart ached that even being princes wife , she was only liked by one person deeply that was too annoying.
in starting the FL was strong and daring but as episodes went it was becoming very sloppy .
and in the last without getting any respect and love from ML the FL dies for him with!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Watch for CP and romance!!
It’s a typical historical romance drama with court politics. In terms of the plot, there is nothing special. I think the later half dragged unnecessarily and especially the last 8 episodes were angsty and draggy at the same time. The ending is indeed confusing - they should have given us a more straightforward happy ending..Characters:
I loved both male lead and female lead. They are both smart although there are moments where FL did stupid things that are so out of her character. Their CP worked really well.
At first, I had some prejudice against Ju Jingyi because the vibe she gives out and her voice are usually not my cup of tea. But, surprisingly it worked well for this character. Her acting is also good enough.
LFY really loves HYX and protected her since the beginning even when he knew she could be a spy. But, also too protective sometimes. I really want more of the CP working together against their enemies, instead of LFY hiding everything from HYX. Zhang Zhehan really has that domineering charisma as a general or a king.
Gu Qishao is a bit of a grey character. He did use her in the beginning to get the information although he never really hurt her. He redeemed himself in the later episodes when he got freedom to do what he wants to do.
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This review may contain spoilers
Absolutely amazing drama... the story and acting were almost perfect, am saying almost because of the editing style that seems to cut at weird places as well as not explaining certain points plus the some what not completed ending , it just felt short... so am hoping for a season 2 to explain the rest of the story.As for the cast, let's just say that Ju Jingyi has gained a fan, cause this girl is just too precious not to fall in love with.... looking forward to watching more of her work.
Zhang Zhehan also managed to capture my eyes, his character Long Feiye was your typical male with a heart breaking story that forced him to close his heart off in order to protect everyone till Yunxi came along and breaks all of his walls..... Zhehan acting was really good and convincing even though i kinda wished he smiled more and that the couple had more sweet moments than sad ones... but that also made these moments really sweet and precious * always end up giggling while watching them*
can't wait for his next work which is "Zhaoge" as well as for Ju jingyi "Mr. Swimmer" and i do hope they get to film another drama together.
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I love this show.
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Soul Stirring
This DRAMA... It has Action, Humour, Emotion, Love and what not?! The story is good and the cast really did a great job. "It is a soul stirring drama", definitely worth watching. The OSTs are amazing, sung by 'Ju Jing Yi' who played 'Han Yun xi' and her voice is so magical. They have a lot of depth and are full of content, especially 'Sigh by Ju Jing Yi'. I'm so in Love with the main leads(characters), the music (OSTs) and the drama itself. I surely want to re-watch it, hope this is helpful. I really recommend watching it.Was this review helpful to you?
