Jun Jiu Ling (2021)

What I like about this drama that is different from other chinese romance drama i ever seen

First of All, we have this adorable and cute female lead. her acts are amazing and display her emotion thoroughly in the story especially her love for the main lead. She is brave and never gave up even after losing her best friends and family. She always put herself in front to help those in needs. Being a wonderful physicians she had cure many diseases and illness showing her generous personality. However, she is way different from the female lead of other drama for one she doesn't act weak nor helpless as she act like one of those who takes on the role of mans being brave and doing what other women can't do normally. This is a wonderful model for what a typical Female lead should be like. The Male lead is alright. He is funny and displays characteristic of true man nature. He put himself in front of his love ones. He is always the one getting hurt(mostly) which is different from other Chinese drama where it is the female lead get hurts. This drama is typically unique. Also I don't like the other female leader's love relationship partner. Lu yun qi is just too obsessive with himself and want to get everything he want for himself under any circumstance yet he is protective of those he love. Ning Yun Zhao, a typical historical scholar, gentle, respectful and have a calm personality. He doesn't force her to love him. Fang Cheng Yu is just too childish to understand romance and love yet he know he does know that she is deep in his heart.

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4 EXES...IS THE BEST OF STORY

Alright, I admire this girl, she's married twice (going on 3) and has 4 handsome exes....that's an achievement especially for a girl from many century ago...a busy girl. She's beautiful, poise, kind, intelligent, strong will, determine, mature thinking, and has mind of brilliant strategist. BUT the story line was suck...badly. 1st & 2nd episode didn't make sense, she married with full blessing of Emperor but she tried to kill the Emperor with accusation of him murdered her father, in to jail she went for attempted murder, and her friend save her. Friend sacrificed herself in replace her burn to dead. Then, her friend's dad the genius doctor took her out of town - done up her face and voice cord, she miraculously changed into her friend's identity (Hmmm...modern genius surgeon won't able to do all that miracle just for one night) The writer(s) has done terrible job in writing a scrip for this drama; lazy writing full of short cut - not making sense - uninteresting dialog - a lot of plot holes.

But again I like every men she's with, they're special in their own way but who I like the most is Ning Yun Zhao (Wang You Shuo) he's polite, handsome, smart, dignify, well dressed, scholarly and kind. We don't get that kind of guy nowadays. The ML Zhu Zan (Jin Han) is kind of hot headed, loyal, martial artist, a prince, playful...he stick his face too close to the FL. They're child sweetheart but get separated, he loves her and thinking about love declaration when she reach 15. He blame himself for coming late to the capital after the dead of Princess Jun Jiu Ling on her marital ceremony to the trusted imperial guard Lu YunQi (Du Ya Fei) who had loved FL with mix of gratitude, admiration, obsession, love, respect and sacrifice. He's misunderstood, he came out wrong in his action, no body seems to understand his good intention - the dead wife treated him as a step stone although he laid his heart down...he remarried to the oldest sister with the intention to protect his in-laws family for the Emperor. His love to Jun Ling is boundless...

Fang ChengYu, 2nd husband is 15 years old boy who's sick and disable - she married him using her Bf's name (Jun ZhenZhen) for the reason of treatment option that requires intimate (medicated bathing) that only a wife can perform. He's a young cute rich boy, very delicate, smart, dedicated cousin as " ex-husband" out of respect, trust, young love and gratitude. She cures his illness and he's able to walk again. He divorced her after knowing the truth about their marriage but keep supporting and waiting for her. His young love is kind of innocent and always thinking the best for FL and Fang's family,

Her medical expertise is well-known and famous as a miracle doctor in which this story's making a detour to focus on rather her intention to take on revenge. The Emperor more interested in killing her and husband Lu YunQi had to deliver the order. The hatred she has to the current Emperor wasn't a big deal when she has 4 guys to mingle - she especially has a problem with Lu YunQi but to me he has the most legal authority to claim her - she married him using her legal status and name although she presumably dead on the day of their marriage - by right he's still her husband. Ok, she changed her identity and name a lot, can't keep up..Stuck on ep 20 as I started to get bore of the story line...

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Female lead absolutely carried this series

As the title suggests, this female lead which I had enjoyed when she was in Goodbye my princess, absolutely carried this series on her back.

Alot of the situations, scenarios and lines are cringe worthy but FL always looks perfect with her expressions and acting. I mean there are so many shows already with the small pox angles.

Its a pity the Male support casts and male lead doesnt match up to her abilities as compared to her ML in goodbye my princess. The chemistry between her male casts are average at best, while the chemistry with male lead seems so forced and fake from the male lead end too. So it was hard to ship or root for them as a couple. Hopefully she gets more series and gets matched with better male leads, as it was such a waste of her abilities. This got me thinking if the male lead was someone like Wang Anyu, this would have been a much better pairing and series.

This series when live was a drag to watch just because it got delayed for a week during the cliff hangers. But for the binge watchers this will be a worthy and enjoyable watch.

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Everybody Marries Jiu Ling!

Completed - 11/20/2021

"Jun Jiu Ling" seems to be a pretty controversial drama - either you love it or you hate it. I am in the former and quite enjoy watching this drama. The pacing is good for a 40-episode drama with a good mix of romance, politics, medical practices and battles, to keep me engaged. This is no small feat, as I do get bored usually in the middle of a Chinese historical drama.

Plot - If you can get over the ridiculousness of the first episode - a bad attempted murder, incredible prison break and face/voice changing, then you will be rewarded with a good and fun drama. The general plot is pretty typical - a revenge drama to expose the wrongdoings of the antagonists with the support of your friends. As I mentioned, this drama has many different elements. I am glad that it's not about a bunch of princes fighting for the throne. There's enough romance to go around for the romance lovers (like myself), a little bit of martial arts, some evil court ministers and battle scenes to save the country. This is by no means a perfect drama with a perfect plot. There are some scenes that I did do some eye-rolling, but I enjoy the drama for the most part.

Jin Han/Zhu Zan/ML - Jin Han received many negative reviews for his role as Zhu Zan because he's deemed not "handsome" enough. He might not be your typical, idol-looking ML, but I am very impressed with his acting. I think he fits very well into the character of Zhu Zan - a fun, loyal, upright, hopeless romantic. I hope netizens won't give up on this drama because they don't like Jin Han.

Peng Xiao Ran/Jiu Ling/FL - This is my first drama of Peng Xiao Ran. I avoided watching "Goodbye My Princess" but I heard she was great in it. I can see why everyone praised her as she did a fantastic job as our FL, Jiu Ling. She's beautiful with porcelain-looking skin, and her eyes can convey so much emotions. She has enough acting chops to carry this show on her back, if needed. However, I do think the character of Jiu Ling seems to be a little too perfect. She is so smart in every way possible, brave and beautiful. There doesn't seem to be a flaw in her.

Main Romance - I love the main romance here between Zhu Zan and Jiu Ling. I think it could be considered a slow-burn romance as it took a very long time for them to be officially together. However, you cannot miss the chemistry between them. There's so much emotional and funny moments between the leads. Even with 3 other love interests appearing, there's no reason to doubt the love they have for each other. There's no misunderstanding and they are honest and communicate with each other. When they do get together, there are many sweet and cute moments between them. When Jiu Ling is with Zhu Zan, that's when we see a different side of her... a fun and mischievous side that she rarely shows to others.

Other Men - The other 3 men really have no chance in being with our FL. She's honest and straightforward with them, and never leads them on. With such a perfect woman in front of them, it's no wonder they would do anything to support her. Aside from one psycho obsessive admirer, the other two are considerate and supportive. However, they are not good enough for me to have second-lead syndrome. I am Zhu Zan all the way!

Supporting Cast - There is a pretty decent sized supporting cast. It's a given that the veteran actors did a good job. But even the younger actors and actresses acted well. I was glad that there's no truly annoying character. You know who the villains are, though they aren't the most despicable I've seen.

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Watching this drama is absolutely worth your time.

After taking a step back and looking at the big picture, I can confidently say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Unlike most long dramas that tend to drag on and become redundant, this one managed to keep me engaged throughout. The plot was well thought out and each episode contributed something meaningful to the story. Although the main male lead's overacting and the annoying maid did get on my nerves at times, they were minor issues that did not significantly impact my overall enjoyment of the drama. Despite some inconsistencies, I can say without a doubt that I liked this drama.

The love story in this drama was an absolute letdown. Despite the obvious chemistry between the lead characters, the revelation of the FL's true identity was unnecessarily delayed until the very end of the show. Not even a single romantic moment happened before episode 33 out of 40, and to make matters worse, the one potential kiss they had was interrupted by a child. The late addition of the love story was a completely ridiculous move by the scriptwriters or director. The fact that she kept her identity a secret from the male lead, who had been mourning her loss for years, only to reveal it at the last moment, was utterly nonsensical.

I have to say, I was not impressed with the female lead. While she may be a talented actress, her character left a lot to be desired. Though she was often attractive, her stubborn insistence on keeping her identity a secret made her quite dull to watch. Frankly, there were many times when she came across as a cold and callous individual. For example, I found it quite distasteful when she showed no respect for the 15-year-old boy who simply wanted to have some privacy. Additionally, her rejection of the young villain who only showed affection to her, only further cemented my negative opinion of her. All in all, I did not care for her character at all.

The female lead had three suitors, and I won't count the fourth one as he was more like a little brother to her, which was clearly acknowledged in the epilogue. She ultimately ended up with the ML. The other two were the young villain and a scholar, and it was captivating to witness the three different types of love they all had for her and how their feelings unfolded. In my opinion, the female lead was not impressive. She relied too heavily on her tears (courtesy of the eye drops) and made empty promises (such as revealing her identity if the male lead survived). I found it hard to connect with her character and felt that something was missing.

The choreography was at times predictable and amateurish, leaving much to be desired. Additionally, I wasn't entirely satisfied with all of the casting choices - more seasoned actors could have added depth to the story. The big reveal in episode 40 came across as immature, not quite living up to its hype.

I detest disrespectful and completely unrealistic maid characters from historical dramas. They grate on my nerves so much that I have to fast-forward through their scenes every time. However, the happy ending did provide some small satisfaction. I also found myself growing increasingly bored and frustrated with the fact that she continued to keep her true identity a secret from the ML. It was an unnecessary and redundant issue that only served to create extra and unnecessary episodes.

Despite these criticisms, the drama kept me engaged throughout, but it didn't leave me breathless like the truly great ones. It seemed to be stuck in the middle, not childish, but not quite a masterpiece either. Hence, my opinion of the drama falls somewhere between like and love. The drama had its fair share of funny moments, which played a huge role in keeping me engaged throughout.

I think the primary problem I had with the drama was that the main male lead didn't quite align with my personal preferences in terms of physical appearance. Additionally, I found his acting skills to be unimpressive and lacking in authenticity. In the production, the use of eye drops seemed to be overdone. The main characters had big tears rolling down their eyes and cheeks, but the frequency with which it was done made it look exaggerated and unconvincing.

The other characters in the drama were intriguing and the actors portrayed their roles with talent. I was particularly drawn to the young villain who fell in love with the female lead when he was a victim of bullying as a child and carried his love for her into adulthood. He was cruel and obsessive but somehow his love redeemed himself. He was undoubtedly the most intriguing character to me. So was he a villain to survive? I have a soft spot for villains who are madly in love, but the scriptwriters put him in the villain category which I found hard to believe.

Overall, I would still recommend giving it a watch. Perhaps I'll revisit it someday to see if my opinion changes, as it did provide me with a good time.

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Good, but can be better

I like PengXiaoRan from Goodbye My Princess, and her acting is good so I enjoy her acting here too. The plot center on PXR's character, JiuLing, and how she changes her identity to revenge against her uncle; aka the King. FL's uncle murdered her father, and on her wedding day; she tries to kill him but didn't succeed. The King throws her into jail and wants to kill her. As the plot thicken, FL came into contact with her childhood friend, the ML. ML and FL eventually team up and went on a quest to fight against the King. FL also has some admirers that help her along the way. One of the admirers was YunQi, the crazy obsessed ex-husband that FL was forced to marry at the beginning of the drama. Chile Ning, her maid's longtime engagement that she ended up being tangle with when she took on the identity of her maid (her maid sacrificed herself so that FL can get her face and get revenge). In the end, FL succeeds in overthrowing her uncle, and everyone has a happy ending.

Plotwise, it was a predictable plot. The acting was good. The beginning was good towards the middle but got a little draggy towards the end. Overall, a good watch and an interesting unfolding plot.

Would recommend it if you want to watch a strong female lead center drama, and she is not stupid.

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Good enough, just need a little perseverance to finish it. Lol

Just finished watching this after maybe about a month? Lol

Tbh, i’ve dropped this maybe around 10-ish episodes? But then, decided to pick it up again as i think it’s not that i absolutely hate the story that i decided to drop this initially, it is just veryyyy sloww for me in the first quarter episodes 😅. So after watching another drama, i came back to this.

First of all, you need to forgo logic in order to enjoy the FL comeback. Dont think too much. Just accept it. Lol. FL is portrayed as a strong character, wise and sharp minded. And PXR definitely ace the role. Just sometimes, in order to make the FL appears strong, the ML appears to be slightly downgraded by the plot to reduce his importance.

One thing i definitely noticed about this drama is that, it appears to be very monotonous in pace/plot-wise. Everything just felt like go-with-the-flow kind of feelings to me. I dont have any qualm to stop at any given episode for the day, it is definitely not a drama that had me needing to click the next episode as soon as i finished the current ones like some other dramas did. Not much cliffhanger was used to bait viewers at the end of the episodes.

However, i must say i was quite impressed with the large fighting scale shoot they came up with at the end. Not that shabby as compared to a few war depiction dramas i’ve watched recently.

Costumes are as usual very nice. It was always such an eyecandy watching all these costumes being worn in ancient dramas setting 😍

Jin Han as Zhu Zan has his own charm and downside. Not gonna comment much on him though. Not sure why. Lol

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Too late to the party but oh well i waited out the torturous release phase

A well executed revenge plot drama some politics, lots of cute and funny moments, a harem of nice mls, a really amazing fl- overall a perfect mix of romance, politics and revenge. Though must say that although it is primarily revenge plot, it is not suffocatingly angsty . It focuses on family and romance a lot.

It is honestly not at all as awful as some reviews and comments say. I really liked it very much. Some people don't like the show for the ml because he played villains in some other popular shows, but it's my first time watching him and he is fine to me.

Let me start by saying that the only thing that sticks out like a sore thumb here is the production. Though it's not disastrous, it's watchable, but just doesn't match the level of the acting and story, which are its best ingredients to hold someone's attention.

Now onto what I love the most- it's the FL's character.. I've been watching cdramas for almost 2 yrs now, and I've been used to the typical airhead FLs that always cause trouble and need saving. But here the FL is incredibly intelligent, mature and calculating, which is very rare for cdramas to have. She is far from a reckless, impulsive, dumb and stupid girl, she is cautious, always analysing everything around and carefully planning her next actions, which is very appealing to me.
Next, it is her harem- 4 very different men are interested in her romantically. Her primary love interest general Zhu Zan, a duke's son and her childhood sweetheart, is investigating his lover's death, unbeknownst to him that Dr Jun is indeed her. However, he stays around her because she intrigues him with some of her actions that are similar to his lost lover, and gradually starts liking her. They have a nice chemistry and their scenes are sometimes very funny with his hilarious actions. Needless to say they are very free around each other. Next is Ning Yun Zhao, a noble scholar, as smart and able as the fl, was engaged to Jun Zhenzhen before birth. He falls in love with Jiuling as Zhenzhen primarily due to her wits and such qualities. They are too formal and courteous to each other, and treat each other with respect, because firstly she has long been in love with Zhu Zan, and secondly, she can't steal Zhenzhen's fiance. Their scenes are somewhat painful to watch because his heart breaks repeatedly. Next up is Lu Yun Qi, a creepy palace guard head obsessed with princess Jiuling who had saved him once in childhood, and her ex husband and currently married to her sister. His scenes really gave me the creeps with his disgusting actions. I don't like him at all. Now onto the sweetest kid, Fang Cheng Yu, Zhenzhen's cousin, who Jiuling marries to cure his illness and also to root out the evils in the Fang family and then divorces. Jiuling clearly saw him as her brother, but it was his first time liking someone and it was sweet watching a sick young man irritated by everything, gradually warming up and falling in love as he regained his health.

Story: The story is very interesting though the plot isn't exactly very uncommon- the fl wants to avenge her father's death and I've watched quite a few similar dramas, but this has to be the one of the best. Chu Jiuling's father was killed by her uncle and she failed in her revenge for the first time and averted death at the cost of her co-disciple Zhenzhen and teacher's life. She came back with her face to survive and pave her path towards the murderer, the greedy and evil emperor, for revenge. From eliminating the evils in Zhenzhen's maternal family to uncovering the old conspiracies involved in her father's death to facing the enemies on the battlefield and saving people as a talented doctor, and in the process reuniting with her loved one, the main plot has several subplots that drive the story without once being draggy and hold the viewer's attention.
Also it has a nice satisfying happy ending, so that just makes it all the more fun.

Characters and acting: I've already described the main characters above, so now I'll say about some side characters. That damn maid didn't know her place, kept making trouble for the fl, and was terrible at her job, she got on my nerves every freaking time. She was the definition of useless. Why the hell didn't Jiuling get rid of her? I loved Zhenzhen's family, they were so good. ZZ's parents made a very nice family, just opposite to the mother and sister of NYZ, who were just as irritating as other small time villains. Chu Rang, the emperor and his prime minister were very evil. Even being the emperor couldn't satiate his greed.
PXR's acting was on point, she did amazing with the various sides of her character, JH did really very well too in his character, his emotions were very well portrayed. WYS gave off tranquil vibes for his noble character, he was just as good as a gentle and heartbroken lover. DYF really made my skin crawl with his crazy behavior sometimes, so his acting fit his character well. Both Ning and Yunqi were pitiful characters when it came to love. ZZ also played the "arrogant teen in love for first time so now im all sweet and caring" part well. Others did a good job too.

Production: The makeup and costumes were just not good enough for the backgrounds of the characters. The makeup team did a really bad job. Almost all of them were rich and nobility, but the costumes felt kind of cheap and not good. Especially PXR's makeup.. they could've done it a lot better. No offense, but her makeup made her look much older and her hairstlye made her forehead look bigger. She is very beautiful, but they found a way to pull her beauty down.

Overall, I've loved it watching once, I'd definitely come back to rewatch it once i get time. I admit it isn't totally perfect, has some flaws and plot holes, some things weren't quite explained, but what even is perfect? Also i obviously recommend watching it. (I actually made my friend start cdrama with this and he actually really liked it so I'm extra glad).

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Best until the 22nd Episodes

Summary: enjoy about the first 20 episodes. The plot has unique fresh take on face-change type of story. After that, it’s really the same predictable plot as before. Honestly, I prefer the antagonist passion with main lead. Overall, politics of the same old plot is on the last part.
Pro:
-some cool Fresh plots in the first few episodes.

Cons:
- the pairing is with a guy with a funny smirk with less passion in his eyes.
-main lady acts like a robot especially in the first 30 episodes. Someone must have told her not to tilt her head like a robot so I didn’t see anymore after some episodes.
- one of the drama that I wish the build up pf romance is with main actress and antagonist. Antagonist has more expression of passion. Then again, the main actress has a good poker face. She has less passion coming out of her so she is a good with an equally lukewarm guy.
-many fillers later on

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