Reviews

Intriguing story with a touch of romance & passionate kisses!

I liked this unique storyline where the FL goes back in time and tries to undo all her previous mistakes. And for some events, no matter how much she tries to change it, it still happens anyway. But with perseverance, she continues to work against fate and changes the outcome of the people she cares about.

Towards the end, it was no longer about her undoing her past misdeeds so the story fell flat for me. And when the ML and FL started to acknowledge their feelings for each other, it was very stingy on the romance but instead gives us some passionate kisses and even a bedroom scene before marriage.

Overall, it was entertaining if you don’t expect too much. Thankfully, the ending was an happy one.

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Not my cup of tea despite interesting premise

This BL movie follows the story of one North Korean deserter as he escapes to South Korea and settles there, facing quite a lot of difficulties. The premise of this picture was very interesting but unfortunately I had some trouble appreciating the scenario overall. I usually like love triangle, but it missed the mark for me here because I was not able to empathize with the characters and found some of their actions not sensible.

It is a very raw, brutal as well as surprisingly graphic movie. I think the shock factor was priviledged by the director and screenwriter rather than the likeability (or at least just building) of the characters. It was not a boring watch at all but I would have preferred the plot to focus more on characterization as well as making the protagonists' choices be more reasonable and understandable for the viewer.

The acting was overall okay. The actors had really intense sex scenes and gave it their best. As the relationships evolve and get more intertwinkled, as well as the situation the characters live through gets more difficut, the acting remains all along pretty strong with good portray of the most emotional scenes. I think where it was lacking was mostly relating to the chemistry : I felt the passion and rage, but I had trouble believing in the love and romance...I think it might be again more due to a directing/screenwriter choices but I would have preferred the film to take another approach.

I would not recommend this to people because I cannot say that I enjoyed the movie. As it is quite short ans has an interesting and original premise, so you might want to give it a go if you are looking for a pretty raw BL. It leans strongly into the melodramatic genre which I would have appreciated more with a better characterization and storylines. Be aware that this movie can be very triggering: it is graphic, violent and depicts very toxic relationships.

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interesting premise undercut by misogynistic narrative

I have not interacted with any of the source material, so this is purely based on the film as its own artistic work.

This movie was cute and had some fun ideas, but ultimately felt very hollow. I wish women weren't accessories in the film, and the characters had some sort of nuance. Miyo has no discernable traits and is a clear self-insert for the audience. This movie is a poster child for the Madonna-Whore complex, where women are either virginal, naive, and moral or selfish, vapid, and evil. Miyo's entire characterization is based on things that happen to her instead of any sort of internal journey. At the beginning of the film, she has no confidence and is willing to give all of herself to the point of self-harm. At the end of the film, she is slightly more confident (not because of any intrinsic motivation, but because a man loves her) and is still willing to give all of herself to the point of self-harm.

Kiyoka says that looks and gifts don't mean anything to him, but the audience will never know if that is true because Miyo is both beautiful and gifted. I wonder what would happen if, once she healed from her abuse, she began to act more morally grey. Would he still love her if he couldn't project perfect morality onto her? I have no clue why Kiyoka loves Miyo. Not because she doesn't deserve to be loved, but because we, as the audience, know nothing about who she is or her values.

Miyo is by far the most interesting character in the film, yet her character is not explored at all. All we know about her is that her mother died, as we are reminded every five minutes with a "We Bought A Zoo" - level flashback to her perfect, beautiful mother who is entirely moral and could never do wrong. Does she seriously hold 0 resentments for her family? Does Miyo seriously not care about how her partner treats her? Their love story is cute, but seeing as she is deeply traumatized, the fact that Kiyoka keeps their dynamic so ambiguous feels almost cruel. In addition, the fact that Kiyoka is the one who is interested in her gifts instead of her felt ridiculous. Why was she not asking questions about her past? Why did she get 0 say in where she would be living? Kiyoka gets manipulated by her cousin, but also this 100% would not have happened had he just asked her what she wanted and communicated effectively. Kiyoka has 0 incentive to be toxic towards her after she has made it abundantly clear she has no power and no ulterior motives.

What's really sad is the plot of this film can not happen without the subjugation of women. I was somewhat alarmed at the lack of female soldiers and villains (other than the stepmom and sister, who are otherwise useless to the main plot). However, I realized there could never be large amounts of women fighting with men because that would mean that women were treated as equals with any sense of autonomy. Given that the catalyst for this story is Miyo being sold off to marry a stranger, it is clear that women are pressed in this universe. The narrative never says that this is wrong. In fact, Kiyoka is a hero for caring for her even though she has no autonomy in his household. He hurls abuse towards innocent women who are sent to marry him, likely with similar levels of autonomy to Miyo, but it's treated as some quirk of his. I don't think we ever find out why he is so awful to those women. Kiyoka controls how Miyo is introduced to her gifts, and even after realising something is wrong, he doesn't bother to tell her he thinks she has powers. The whole movie is filled with Kiyoka actively participating in patriarchal behaviours, and he is treated as a hero for it.

Overall, the premise is kind of interesting, but the film shoots itself in the foot for bad character writing, particularly regarding its female characters. I wish Miyo drove the plot, instead of being used as a plot device to move Kiyoka. She's literally the main character.

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What societal or political messages are expressed in "Arthdal Chronicles"?

Firstly, you must know that the writers built different societies that don’t exist in our natural world for Arthdal Chronicles. These societies have totally different belief systems. One has an unusual language (Think Klingon), and each of these societies have different religions, hierarchies, customs, and metric systems for success. When I say that the writers have built these societies from the ground up, I mean it. Thus, you will have to think to watch Arthdal Chronicles, because the action is presented from the point of view of the new societies. What these new societies would think and how they would react to each situation is how the action is driven. This is not your regular Joseon adventure fantasy. Secondly, if you don’t like to think when you watch a Korean Drama, you want a simple format served in a simple way, then you need to skip this one. Thirdly, Arthdal Chronicles has a very interesting storyline.

What many of the different Clans mirror from our society in this drama is prejudice, and a readiness to destroy persons they don’t understand. Ambition is in any society, because you can’t get rid of competition. Also, what is mirrored is that technological advances give some societies greater advantages over other societies. This mirrors real life. Are you going to choose to be benevolent or do you seize the opportunity to subdue and rule? The need for land expansion is always a cause for war, historically. This is a political message presented in Arthdal Chronicles.

Let me associate some of the societies with things we might know and understand.


Nweantal Clan—A Clan with persons of extraordinary strength and speed. One Nweantal can take down 15 men. This clan is peaceable and just wants to be left alone. You don’t bother them and they won’t bother you. They have blue blood thus their mouths are blue. They have cat eyes and are born with a funny scar on their backs. Their language sounded like they weren’t speaking Korean. It sounded like a made up language similar to Klingon. If I were to associate this Clan with something I know, it would be the Klingons from Star Trek.

Arthdal Clan—From what I could see, the Arthdal Clans (Saenyeok Tribe, Hae Tribe, and Hwinsan Tribe) are the more advanced Clans. In espisode 1, these Clans commits genocide of the Nweantal Clan after a failed alliance. They are aggressive people and use their power to wield authority to achieve submission. If I would associate these Clans to something I know, it would be Mongols or (with great sensitivity meant) Caucasian conquest of new worlds.

Yiareukeu (Wahan Tribe)—These are people of the earth, who are not looking for a fight. They just want to observe their ways, express their religion, and stay away from trouble. A very superstitious lot, these are a less developed people. The Yiareukeu thought it strange when someone thought to learn to use a horse for riding. This was something they did not do. If I were to associate them with something I know, think early American Native Indians, with their closeness to the soil and the natural earth.

Our main protagonist is Eun-Sum (Song Jong-Ki). He is half Nweantal and half Arthdal. His blood is purplish blue as a half-bred. Separated from his mother early on, Eun-Sum is raised by the Yiareukeu Clan (Wahan Tribe). One interesting scene is when he came up with the idea to ride a horse. Horses weren’t used like that. Eun-Sum has a twin brother (Saya) who was stolen by a warrior of the Saenyeok Tribe. He lives among the Saenyeok Tribe. Amazingly, Joong-ki plays twin 20 year olds, Eun-Sum and Saya, and he is pulling it off, even in his late thirties.

I love this storyline in Arthdal Chronicles, as it dares to be totally different from what I have ever experienced before in Korean Dramas. If you are adventurous, like puzzles, don’t mind thinking deeply, you might enjoy Arthdal Chronicles.

Side Bar—If you are not a Star Trek Fan, you won’t know what a Klingon is, so Google search it.

Arthdal Chronicles is a great Action Historical Fantasy Drama.

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Women, are we looking in the mirror?

‘Nevertheless’ is one of the dramas, Asian or otherwise, that makes women take a good look at themselves. You have one job. Just assess if this guy is for real or not. And he just gives you that certain glance, and all common sense goes out of the window. I am viewing ‘Nevertheless’. I am use to siting on the edge of my seat for a Thriller, but for a Romance Drama?

Standing ovation for Song Kang’s performance of the mysterious lady’s man Park Jae-eon, who at this point knows all of the girl lead’s (Nabi) weaknesses. I have seen the main Lead actor, Song Kang, graduate from playing a High School heartthrob in Love Alarm to a bonafide Leading Man in ‘Nevertheless’. Song Kang even has the sense to lower the register of his voice to a sultry level. (Ah Yeah, I am paying attention)

When the series has the entry of the Second Lead, that face off stare down between the First and Second Lead is beyond classic. I feel for you Nabi. The left side of the brain, the logically side, is telling you all the ways this relationship with Park Jae-eon is going to go south. Grab the Second Lead and run with Steady and Ready. Then the right side or creative sensitive side of your brain just tells you . . . Nevertheless.

Female Lead— (Nabi played by Han So Hee)

Male Lead—(Park Jae-eon played by Sang Kang)

Second Lead— (Yang Do-Hyeok, played by Chae Jong-Hyeop)

Great cast, great script, and great acting


Pretty soon, you will look up the word swoon and see as a definition Song Kang.

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Great watch! Will not disappoint

I'm not someone that likes action that much, nor do I like gore, but this series deserves a good review.

Things that especially deserve praise:
First of all, the fighting sequences were top class ? amazingly executed, they'll keep you on edge. You just cannot deny how good those scenes were.
Second, the acting. The main leads were amazing, the bromance between them was very natural. The actor that plays Geonhoo has such delicate expressions, you can see the happiness, fear, anger, passion – everything clearly in his eyes. The other actors were good too.

Things that I personally don't like:
1. Quite a lot of gore. Sometimes it even felt like it was too much for no reason lol like they even showed little things like drawing blood during a blood donation very graphically. And obviously everything else was much worse, I couldn't watch. So yeah very graphic display of blood and injuries, be warned.
2. Since this isn't a favoured genre of mine, I was pretty distracted during most of the discussion scenes. I'm not very good at paying attention to those long serious talks and discussion of plans by the good guys and the bad guys. And there's quite a lot of that in this series so I was often lost on the plot and just let myself figure out what's going on as it went on. I actually thought I wouldn't like this series for that reason, but the story and acting kept me hooked later on.

It's not a series that one would re-watch though, although I can see people rewatching just the fighting scenes haha

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wtf was that ?

watching each episode barely 1 hour long is a pain.
Story inconsistent, and the writing are fucked up, no setting no confrontation, no problem in the story whatsoever. shit plot ,shit climax , no resolution.
the only problem in the story is these new characters are idiots that don't even know what they are doing. i miss that glasses dude in season 1, he make sure the whole group has a decent certain goals.
why bother finding a cure to a disease that the cause are unknown yet ?, you call yourself researcher ?. "understanding the problems are half of the solution" - Einstein
why use guns and rifles when you know those shit are ineffective ?, just use flamethrowers and molotovs god damnit, those can be made easier with less resources than c4 bombs. fuckin idiot soldiers.

Characters ?. start from the old ones.
mc are confused, fmc grows brother complex, the bassist girl that fought hard in season 1. gave up easily and getting ridiculous death, i dont even care to the rest of them.
new characters. researchers and soldiers are idiots , just what do stadium people want ? freedom ? decent shelter ? handsome dudes to get laid ? just wtf ?. i dont think these characters barely needs acting at all you can just put anyone and tell them to read a script.

production quality maybe decent low, considering season 1 and 2 has about the same budget. season 1 has good monster to monster and human to monster battle, so much unique ability monster. this shit ? mother and son lizard are the only new one, we got some stone monsters and zombies out of nowhere yay!, and dont forget the eggs!, guess what ? more eggs yay!!.

at least music doesnt get worse than the first season, not better but at least not worse.

do they even do some research for this ?, at least ask the webtoon writer opinion. and there is a season 3! wow even better. silver lining of the series the main cast will get easy money.

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my new favourite!

Im really happy i came across this drama... It literally has got everything! A lot of handsome guys - in a totally innocent way i'd say - but also with huge talent. The plot is entertaining, side action is too. Nothing too dark nothing too shallow. The chemistry of both couples is unbelievable! I dont know who to praise more... the mature teen falling for the gangster, the gangster whos a math prodigy, the short guy acting like a rag doll when drunk, the introvert young gangster... So heartwarming and serene. Im totally in awe!
Also, it's so beautifully filmed, but in a discreet, nothing-too-obvious manner, and dialogues are not too much, not too little!
Masterpiece if you ask me!
Taiwanese cinematography doesnt cease to amaze me.
Rewatch? You bet!

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Better than Season 1!

Likes:
1) They really upped the ante for the CGI. It was a little fake for me in S1, but now it's high quality and believable. Easy now to get immersed into the world of monsters and humans.

2) Faster pace: S2 was edited well and I never got bored unlike S1

3) The addition of all the military scenes: I don't know if it's because I'm such a fan of the IRON SQUAD, but I really liked all the military scenes esp since some of my fav UDT guys from Iron Squad played minor roles. It added more action and intensity imo plus all the soldiers had such manly charisma that I admit I'm guilty of sometimes focusing more on their broad shoulders and sexy arms as opposed to the story ( 미안해 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) .

4) Better acting: Every single character was believable. Go Min Si did really well with reflecting her toughness and longing pain for her brother. Jin Young did a great job showing the duality of toughness and tenderness with his character. Oh Jung Se nailed his role as the weird crazy scientist. Choi Go was impressive for someone so young being able to reflect devastation and bitterness so well. Lee Si Young 's agony looked so real. The military guys all delivered.

5) Jin Young's bulked up body. Those shoulders! Don't pretend you didn't notice!

6) A whole lotta naked butts

7) The world building: S1 felt a bit stagnant at times being in one apt building, but here we get to see more of the outside world. Glimpses of the monsters and nature. The movement helps the flow of the story imo

MINOR DISLIKES:

1) Too little screen time for Song Kang. I wanted to see more of his character as he was so central in S1. This season focused more on the other characters which I didn't mind as Min Si, Jin Young , and the military guys were fun to watch, but I wished there was a bit more time focused on the character of Hyun Soo.

2) Too little screen time for Lee Si Young. I just love her. I mean who can forget that back scene in S1 when she lifted herself up in the vent. She's the only actress that can literally fight and go head to head with guys. So I was kind of disappointed that she didn't have a bigger part in S2, esp in regards to action. She does have a memorable ending scene, but it wasn't enough for me. I wanted to see more!

3) I have to say that not a lot of answers were given and everything is still unresolved. You get a lot of new characters, but don't really understand their deal yet. Even so, I got hooked on the whole mysteriousness of it all. I'm assuming S3 will explain a lot of things so I can't wait!

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Spies and Assassins Amidst Perfidious Imperials.

This is not a simple love story but a dark complex world of court politics, power hungry Monarchs, treacherous relationship in imperial family amidst revenge, strategies and plots.

:::::::::::INTRODUCTION:::::::::::::

Since the fall of the previous dynasty there have been nearly a century of chaos, constant friction between Northern Province(Beipan) and Central Plains.

The nine kingdoms of Central Plains each hold their own territories but they have been in constant conflict for many years.

Among them, States of An and Wu are the most powerful. The Emperor of An - Li Zhun loves war and is greedy, he has annexed countless cities from neighbouring territories. The Sate of Wu is rich and people are strong. The Emperor of An covets States of Wu.

In the sixth year of Yongyou the Emperor of An launched a military campaign to seize the GOLD MINE in the West of Wu. The Emperor of Wu - Yang Xingyuan welcomed the battle South of (Tianmenguan) Tianmen Pass.

The army of Wu faced a major defeat at Tianmen Pass, they lost three cities(Xu, Cai and Jing). The Emperor of Wu believed in slander and underestimated the enemy. The Emperor of Wu has been captured and taken hostage by the State of An.

With the news of the Emperor's defeat, there is a major upheaval in the state of Wu and struggle for power has started. Prince Danyang the acting regent and brother of the emperor wants the throne, The Empress declares she is pregnant and may give birth to the future heir, The Prime Minister - Zhang Song doesn't care who sits on the throne as long as he can control them and retains his power.

Marquis Changqing of the State of An, Li Tongguang {Chang Hua Sen} sends a messenger on behalf of the State of An demanding a ransom of 100,000 teals of gold to be delivered by a person of The Imperial Prince Status in order to release the Emperor of Wu.

The ignored sheltered Princess Yang Ying {He Lan Dou} volunteers to go as The Imperial Prince Li, fourth son of the former Emperor Jin with the envoy in return of Money and Status conferred, that it would give her some independence upon returning back. She naively ignores the dangers of posing as a male prince, if discovered she is a fake, the consequences will be dire for her. Chief Clerk Du is the person responsible for negotiations, he is a loyal but inflexible person, later proves to be a knowledgeable and compassionate person.

The special team to join the delegation/envoy is formed of the few guards of The Heaven Path including Ding Hui and others as mentioned below:

1.Ning Yuanzhou(Hell path){Liu YuNing} : the former deputy chief of the Liudao Hall. His mind is full of brilliant strategies and unparalleled tactics. Now wants to lead a peaceful life away from court politics, agrees to join the convoy to protect princess Yang Ying and also to clear the good names of The Heaven Path men who were branded as traitors.

2.Qian Zhao(Heaven Path) {Wang Yi Zhe}used to be a former member of Heaven path was transferred to Yulin Army by special order due to his meritorious service. He is now the commandant of Yulin Army. Is very good at medicines and life saving skills. He is versatile. He appears stoic but is most invested in clearing the names of fallen soldiers of The Heaven path especially Chai Ming.

3.Yu Shisan (Asura Path) {Alen Fang}: former commandant of Asura path,who had been imprisoned for abduction of minister Liu's daughter, he seems frivolous and a person only interested in pursuit of pleasure and beauty but is the most emotional, caring member of the group.

4.Yuan Lu {Chen Youwei}, the greatest genius of hungry ghost path whose martial arts skill is average but is great in building mechanical devices useful is spying and warfare. Due to a congenital illness, it is predicted that he will have a short life. He believes in living his life in a carefree manner without worrying about his sickness.

5.Sun Lang {Li Huan} of Human Path is great at defense. A person with tough exterior but abundant love for furry creatures like rabbits, dogs and cats.

**6.Ren Ruyi/Ren Xin{Liu Shishi} - former top assassin of State of An, now a discarded piece on the chessboard, considered dead and believed to be a traitor of Scarlet Guards. She was directly promoted to Purple Emissary from a mere guard, later his Majesty personally named her Left Emissary of the headquarters. She is trying to find the killer of Empress Zhaojie of the State of An of whose assassination Ruyi was accused of 5 years ago. Ren Ruyi joins this delegation group to teach Princess Yang Ying all about the State of An in exchange for Ning Yuanzhou's help to find the real assassin of Empress Zhaojie and on a personal level to conceive a baby with him.



Along the way the group has to face many obstacles & treacheries. Their bonds are tested and new alliances are formed. The weak people have to become strong and The Strong people find others on whom they can lean on. New promises are made and some promises are broken.

**************************************************

::::::::::::::Review:::::::::::::::

Each person going on this journey is on a QUEST. This is a journey of finding love, getting exoneration for the fallen comrades of Heaven Path of Liudao Hall who are accused of betrayal, hope for a better future and most importantly discovering Self-worth and Self-love.

This series seems so much different than others because all flawed characters are learning to embrace the reality and their shortcomings, all the while striving to live their life to it's fullest potential.
As per my perception, the story can be divided into three major storylines, the main love story, growth & development of Ren Ruyi's disciples and Internal Political struggle within the Sate of An and state of Wu.

The main love story of Ning Yuanzhou(Liu Yu Ning) and Ren Ruyi (Liu Shi Shi) is handled in a very mature manner. Both the protagonists' age in the series is about 30 years and they have been in a prominent position in their respective Spy organization for a very long time and are now tired as well as disillusioned by power hungry Emperors' using their organizations' members as disposable pawns in their political ambition. They find solace and companionship in each other. In spite of their contradictory future plans they respect the other's choice, endeavouring to find a common ground acceptable to both. Their love story is a perfect standard of mutual love and respect in a healthy relationship. Other minor love stories are also quite engaging, there is brief connection between Yang Ying and Yuan Lu; Chu Yue and Yu Shisan.

The other major story arc is the growth and development of two disciples of Ren Ruyi, A shrinking violet, Princess Yang Ying who had initially agreed to be the head of this rescue envoy to free The Emperor of Wu for some wealth and recognition in the court, during the journey under the tutelage of Ruyi gains confidence in her ability, discovers her self-esteem and wants power and glory instead of being happy with her previous mundane existence. Even though she realises the path to acquire glory and fame is fraught with dangers, she chooses to go out with a bang not a whimper if and when her death comes. First disciple, of Ren Ruyi was Li Tongguang. The story also focuses on his rise to power, surrounded by ambitious, duplicitous royals. Li Tongguang is depicted as a peace loving person wanting stability for the country, also is more efficient and capable than the two royal princes.There is brief sub-plot of Li Tongguang transferring his gratitude and affection for Ren Ruyi into obsession to possess. However Ren Ruyi wishes both her disciples' success and happiness like a true mentor.

Final and the most interesting aspect of this story for me was the jostling for power and the depiction of ruthless power hungry Emperors. The Emperor of Wu whose reckless personal expedition ended in the loss of three cities of State of Wu. Due to Emperor's gullibility a hundred thousand people died in the war. The original journey was undertaken to pay the ransom for the Emperor of Wu, however none of the teams members are keen on The Emperor returning back to the power the only thing that is keeping them in the righteous path of saving their Emperor is their honour and hope for the Emperor to exonerate their fallen companions of Liudao Hall. The Emperor of Wu is a selfish, greedy, tantrum throwing grown adult without any sense of responsibility. If the Emperor of Wu would be out of the way; the current acting Regent, Prince Danyang Or the Grand Secretary, Zhang Song would be better ruler for the state. On the other hand there is The Emperor of An who is scheming, plotting, manipulate individual whose soul is as dark as Erebus. He colluded with the Beipan people that led to the heart break of Empress Zhoajie who chose death in face of betrayal from her loved ones. The Emperor of An is a devious ruler who knows his two sons are incompetent and continuously balances power in his court to maintain his position. The only capable person to take on the future leadership is Li Tongguan but the Emperor keeps his ambitions in check by limiting his authority. Both the State of An and Sate of Wu would benefit from change in leadership.

Will the Central Plains get a stable ruler? Will the whole team survive the journey and live to tell the tale?...... That is for the viewers to find out. (If anyone is interested in end spoilers, see my post for episode 35 to 40summary and key points written as comment to THIS review)


Overall: A solid series with a good cast of actors, a minor criticism that I have is for the series is the unexplored direction of both the spy organizations. They were outlined in such detail that I was looking forward to their operations. However the spy organizations faded in the background giving way to the political intrigue.


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:::TWO spy organizations of States of An and Wu:::

FIRST SPY ORGANIZATION:
SCARLET (Vermilion) GUARDS of State of An

The recruited white sparrow members are controlled by the organization through poison, the members have to take an antidote every six months so escaping is not easy. The Scarlet Guards are called by their code names instead of their real names. Their structure seems more Hierarchical Organisational. Their tasks and roles are not quite clear.
_____________________
Hierarchical Structure

*Commander Deng Hui(ep 9)
*Left Emissary - (Ren Ruyi/Ren Xin), Chen Gui(ep4)
*Right Emissary- Jia Ling(ep9)
*Scarlet Emissary
*Red Emissary - Zhu Ji( Jia Ling's trusted) (ep9)
*Purple Emissary - Yue Sanniang (ep1 to 4)
* Flying Flower Formation - assassins (ep 20), According to Liu Li their south west position is the weakest.
*White sparrow(Baique) - adept at seduction and investigation. Ling Long (ep1) , Ren Ruyi/Ren Xin
*Shadow Scouts -
______________________
Organisational Structure(Branches/Departments)

*Head quarter
*Yuheng Branch to investigate police officers and Yue Sanniang's death (ep9)
*Kaiyang Branch (ep 4) sends messages through pigeons. (Has a secret chamber.)
*Tianji Branch (ep3) -
*Guideyuan Branch (ep 22) to carry out the order of murdering Ruyi and to inform Wu's delegation gas arrived in Guideyuan.
*Wu Capital Branch- (ep22) Guideyuan Branch received a message, Ruyi was a traitor from Wu Capital Branch.

1.Jumen and Lianzhen department - investigation of Wu delegation's background. (ep9)


XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXX


SECOND SPY ORGANIZATION:
Six Daoists, LIUDAO HALL - Wudu Six Hall(Six Realms Hall) of State of Wu

It was created by Taizu, it specializes in investigation and espionage. A total of SIX factions are there, THREE considered Good/Virtue Paths, their members called calvaries and THREE Evil Paths, their members called Scouts (chazi) .

:::::Good/Virtue Paths:::::
* Heaven(God) Path ; in charge of protecting Royal family.
* Human Path; monitors officials at all levels.
*Asura (Demigod) Path; engages in bribery and seduction.

:::::::Evil Paths::::::
* (The Way of Aguis) The Hungry Ghost Path ; creates mechanisms
* Animal Path; specialises in espionage.
* Hell Path; is known for assassination. {Ning Yuanzhou has turned this into an intelligence gathering unit, Palace of Hell(Senluo Hall).}





PS: If interested in more details, check out below mentioned posts:
1.Adding general information about the State of An political Scenario as a comment to this review.

2.Also included in the comment section of this review are the Clickable links to SOME of my comments for this drama, if anyone is interested they can read those as well.

3.For End spoilers of episodes 35 to 40, see the comment to THIS review.

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Started ok, Finished Wonderful

The high score attracted to look into it. Than i saw Bailu and Zhang Ling He and i was convinced to proceed further :). At the beginning i was thinking why is so high rated, yes they play well, yes is filmed nicely, yes to the environment, yes to the music, but i couldn't get that emotions to keep me engaged. Is a lot of Palace dialogues and plans on revenge from different sides of the story. From ep 12 it started to move a little bit, emotions between Ning and Zhang Zhe won me to continue. I felt that love from both sides, the sadness, the helpless, the powerless, the sacrifice - played beautifully.
All story goes well, I can't say that it was something really new, but the way story goes along and how is transmitted from flashbacks and back is executed gorgeously.
The last 10 episodes made me stay hooked wholly. The first kiss is absolutely dashing, ohh boy Xie Wei - this is when i said, is all worth watching it - don't get me wrong i am not a pervert :)), but sometimes in the dramas you need this to won the scene. It was rough, craving, longing for it and i could feel his desperation, the strong desire for love and caring.
Overall is a beautiful masterpiece, absolutely all characters played well, the bad ones, the good ones, the passer by's. I loved the many locations and places they used, the decorations, the nature, this gives richness to the drama. A little bit of abuse of camera to go into eyes and see the others, or the faded colours, it didn't spoil too much, but overly done is not good either.
The only thing i didn't like is the sister story - the prince didn't tell her that she is not the chosen one, yes they show at the end as a happy family, but it got me very frustrated (i know on those time that was something ordinary, but i still don't like it :)).
Enjoy!!!

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what an mess 1st episode was

First DYING king was jerk,
everyone started as do not trust YUNG for no reason
Yung spear his brother in first ep was his biggest mistake
then he hear his step mother teach traitorous thoughts to young prince, He should have beheaded both mother and son right at that moment
at the end romantic music is playing when a adult male meet a teenager girl, WHAT director was thinking that his pedophilic vibes will add fun to the show ?

we all can understand this is a history written by the killer who kill his own Brother of throne and then made stories about him being a tranny
Yeok was a traitor and killer
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