Reviews

SOKP: Where Royal Intrigues Are More Complicated Than Your Ex's New Relationship Status

HOLD ON TO YOUR IMPERIAL HATS, DRAMA ENTHUSIASTS!!!
Because "Story of Kunning Palace" is the kind of show that's more addictive than a caffeine IV drip. SOKP is not your typical tea-sipping, romance-infused drama—it's a captivating enigma wrapped in a historical conundrum, with more plot twists than a labyrinth. Imagine a tale where reverse harem meets mystery, and every character is so swoon-worthy, even the palace walls are blushing.

Bai Lu, our badass heroine, here as Jiang Xue Ning isn't just conquering hearts; she's slaying political foes and looking fabulous doing it. But hold on—enter Zhang Zhe and Yan Lin, both vying for her attention like contestants in a royal reality show. It's a reverse harem showdown, and Jiang Xue Ning is the unwitting queen bee, swatting away admirers like they're pesky palace mosquitoes. Jiang Xue Ning's heart is like a Rubik's Cube, and the poor guys—Yan Lin, Zhang Zhe, and Xie Wei—are all trying to crack the code. Basically It's a love triangle turned hexagon.

Now, our man Zhang Ling He as Xie Wei—handsome as a Greek god and jaw sharper than a ninja throwing star (HAD TO MENTION THAT LMFAO)—isn't just part of the harem circus. He's the unsung hero, & a guardian angel silently dropping nuggets of wisdom and occasionally facepalming at the chaos around him. He is the guy secretly supporting Jiang Xue Ning like a love-struck ninja in the shadows. Beneath his sarcastic remarks & harsh words, lies a love so deep it makes Titanic's Jack and Rose look like they had a casual fling. It felt as if watching a superhero show where the hero doesn't realize he's the hero, and the audience is collectively screaming, "Dude, she's right there!"

The Xie Wei Men's Trio, they are real comedy gem in this drama. The hilarious sidekicks, the MVPs of comedic relief, and the reason you'll be snorting your tea while trying to keep up with palace politics.

But let's talk plot! Jiang Xue Ning, after a bad ending in her past life, is back in the same palace, courtesy of fate's twisted sense of humor, i guess. Its as if someone hit the "replay" button (quite literally) on her royal misadventures, and she's trying to navigate the maze of intrigue with the grace of a cat on roller skates.

Xie Wei, our handsome hero, is so oblivious to his own feelings, it's like watching a rom-com where the main character doesn't realize they're in love. Jiang Xue Ning is the oblivious queen, Zhang Zhe and Yan Lin are the competing court jesters, and Xie Wei is the dashing hero with a heart so hidden even he can't find it. Jiang Xue Ning remains blissfully unaware of the love vibes radiating from him, and Xie Wei himself is probably wondering why his heart does the cha-cha every time she's in the room.

Enter Xue Shu, the queen of making you simultaneously root against her. She's got more schemes than a Bond villain. Is she the villain, the anti-hero, or just a girl boss ahead of her time? The plot is so mysterious and intriguing that an award winning storywriter would be taking notes.

Now, let's talk about the cast—stellar performances that could make a stone statue emote. It's like watching a masterclass in acting, with every eyebrow raise and dramatic pause deserving an award.

"Story of Kunning Palace" isn't just a drama; it's a royal rollercoaster of emotions, a comedy of errors, and a mystery that'll have you yelling. Seriously, the chemistry is so palpable; I'm surprised the screen hasn't caught fire yet. This drama isn't just good; it's so good it's suspicious. like finding a four-leaf clover in a field of dandelions—rare and borderline unbelievable.

As the grand tradition of slow burns, 'Story Of Kunning Palace' leaves us with a burning desire for more—more romance, more drama, and definitely more Zhang Ling He & Bai Lu moments that have us reaching for fire extinguishers. If you're not watching this drama, you're missing out on a hilarious, heart-throbbing, and mysteriously addictive masterpiece. Grab your popcorn and prepare for a journey so entertaining, even Shakespeare would've been jealous

Signing off
Thanks for reading the review <3
Yours, Cheez Pizza

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good drama but wants alot patience

__*Rattan (2021)*__ - 8/10 cdrama

very nice and good drama, but with :very steep learning curve:[probably used it wrong way].
I mean whole drama got 30 eps and for me first 20 eps was like hell of boredom, aside of few nice scenes I was totally uninterested in that bring out mystery thing.
At other hand last 10-11 eps made up for it, but cant score it higher cause 2/3 of whole drama was hell.

__*plot*__ - FL is some kind of mutant between aliens DNA and rattan. She managed to look and live as human.At other hand between humans existed clans hunting these aliens. In 1939 she was killed and buried in woods. One day ML now in year 2020 ended up in car accident and made bloody mess on her grave. His blood managed to revive FL and :connect: FL and ML into kinda symbiotic relationship. FL wants find out how she died and what happened to her killer. Meanwhile ML becomes kinda buttler for Fl since he can leave far from her.

__*genre*__ - fantasy, romance, mystery

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What I like about Chinese costume drama (xian xia specifically) is that it defies the standard of good and evil. Black is not always evil and white is not always good. In many cases, the “good” one can be more villain than the villain itself, just covering themselves with white colored clothes that are usually associated with good. While the ones who wore all black clothes can be a good person. They are just assumed evil because they wear all black clothes.

Okay, back to the drama. This is a good forbidden love story. I was initially annoyed with Esther Yu because she sounded like those annoying female that is weak, needy and clingy. But she’s proven her acting throughout the drama. She can be serious, she can be fierce; she just has that annoying tone of voice, but she’s okay. Dylan Wang is excellent in this drama. I’ve become a hardcore fans of Dylan. I thought he portrayed Dong Fang Qing Cang really well. I can see his emotions and feel his pain and sorrow (and joy too). The character is a conflicted soul and he played that well. The series I thought have minimal boring moments. The pace is well and I enjoyed the story of the different supporting characters as well. There are also some funny moments between the two main characters. The OST is great! I love most of the songs in this drama and immediately added them to my listening rotation.

If you like Xian Xia, I would definitely recommend you to watch this drama. Hopefully you will end up liking this as much as I do. This is one of the ones where moving on from the main characters are difficult for me. This is definitely on my rewatch list if time permits. God knows i have a long to watch list that just gets longer and longer :)

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This is a hidden gem! I actually watched the movie version first on United Airlines and it’s the sequel as the timeline starts after the series ends. So I kinda already know who the characters ended up with in the series. I liked the movie so I quickly looked for the series and started watching. This is an easy watch, only 20 episodes and each episode is only about 30-35 minutes, some are even only 25 minutes (i’m not counting the ending theme which runs for close to 3 minutes). This is a story about life, about family, friendship and career. This is a breath of fresh air for me. The title has romance on it but this is not your typical romance story. If you’re expecting something sweet and romance-y, i would suggest you turn your attention elsewhere. This is not your cup of tea. The romance is more “real”, not fairytale kinda romance What i like about this drama is that it depicts real life and the characters deal with daily problems that we all face. The female characters are strong, even the weakest one (Fang Xin) is in my opinion a somewhat strong female character. I am a fan of these kinds of drama, and really enjoyed it.

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WHAT A GREAT POTENTIAL FILM

The Plot: the way they portray an anti-hero is so well done, it made me feel sympathy and that's what ppl who have gone through many injustices should do to protect themself and their family, but disagree with it at the same time because violent is not a great choice.
I'm impressed by NJH's acting in this drama, there are some moments lacking expression but in conclusion, he still makes an effort to play a complex character and makes it more charismatic. I appreciate every actor who has always tried to improve their ability in their work. Besides, other char is so interesting to watch the writer did not let any char less important although they're just side char, they have their own path and choice.
In conclusion, NJH made me look at him from a different perspective now

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This mainland China version is also a great rendition of the original “Fated To Love You” drama. Even though the drama has some minor differences that make the story a little bit distinctive, the main plot remains the same. This adaptation doesn’t have the farce characterization with absurd type comedy. The actors did a great job bringing their characters to life and the leading couple has very good and credible chemistry. The leading couple brought about a good range of emotions and really tugged at the heartstrings with their melodramatic rendition of a couple that went through immense loss and suffering. Overall, this drama is very entertaining. Enjoy it!

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One of the Best Chinese Dramas 2023

I really like the drama. Really deserves to be one of my favorite dramas this year!

It's slow going at first, but I advise you to be patient and pay close attention to the storyline. The more you watch, the more addictive you will become.

Even though there are flaws in the editing, I like the action scenes in this drama. The prison scenes at episode 20 and at the Shangqing Temple just amazing.

The chemistry between Bai Lu and Zhang Linghe is also great. Their acting is perfect and makes this drama even more worth watching.

I also love all the OST. Just amazing
Solid 10/10

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Where are my anti-colonial babes at??

Given there are already 100+ reviews of Empress Ki, I'll focus on the colonial power politics of the show, as that's what drew me in. But like, did no one else watch this show because of it's anti-colonial themes??

This Kdrama is the first historical one I've watched in a long time. Usually, I watch Chinese palace dramas, but dealing with Chinese censorship rules limits the exploration of history and I don't enjoy analysing propaganda that much. In contrast, Empress Ki is unfettered.

toxicbybritneyspears's review mentioned "national identity" as a key theme of Empress Ki. I agree but would extend that further by arguing that the drama examines the complexities of national identity as it intersects with colonial politics. While watching Empress Ki, I automatically started comparing it to Mr. Sunshine (South Korea, 2018), which features anti-colonial resistance during Japan's colonisation of Korea. Mr. Sunshine attempts to grapple with classism clashing with resistance efforts led by nobility and aristocracy, but ultimately fails. Empress Ki, despite also falling short in a similar grappling, does provide a wider range of characters portraying the difficulties of unified anti-colonial resistance.

For context, the drama is set during the 1300s when Korea (then known as Goryeo) is under Yuan dynasty rule (Mongol empire). From the drama's start, Goryean characters have starkly different experiences of colonization. There's a king (Wang Yoo) dealing with powerlessness. A surviving daughter (Seung Nyang) navigating the death of her mother at Yuan hands. An ambitious man of poor background (Byung Soo) betraying Goryeo for survival. Other Goryeo citizens live in Yuan, either in the Goryeo ghetto or in the Yuan Imperial Palace as staff. These experiences result in a wide range of actions, from outright defiance of Yuan rule to willing collusion with the Yuan regime.

Circumstances suggest there's no hope for Goryeo to achieve complete autonomy from the Yuan empire (or so the drama implies). Wang Yoo's ambition is to reclaim his throne, implying that under his control, collusion with the Yuan dynasty can end, and he will strengthen the country for the sake of his people. Seung Nyang takes a different approach: high-level infiltration. Climbing the ranks, she eventually becomes Yuan Empress with considerable political influence, claiming to use it for the benefit of the Yuan people and those from Goryeo living in Yuan. They both execute these strategies better than expected given the stakes.

However, my main frustration is that while these characters make grandiose statements about improving the lives of ordinary citizens, these everyday folks are given meagre screen time. We don't see much of everyday Goryeo people beyond Seung Nyang's early gang days. The people in the Goryeo ghetto seem to lack agency, relying on the whims of Seung Nyang or Wang Yoo. The drama even depicts the villagers as ungrateful when Wang Yoo visits the town (for his own political aims). Palace staff who won't support Seung Nyang's schemes receive similar dismissive treatment.

And that brings me to Byung Soo. Early on, he explains his betrayal of Goryeo, stating Goryeo did nothing to protect him as his family struggled to survive in a poverty-stricken country. Someone, perhaps one of Wang Yoo's men (or Wang Yoo himself, I can't remember), remarks that the Yuan dynasty is to blame. True, but not the whole story. Byung Soo articulates the struggle of the working class and poor who can't afford to think beyond day-to-day survival. What's the point in fighting for a kingdom that forces its people to serve another nation and rejects those who manage to return to Goryeo soil?

For me, that should have been the crux of the drama. Yet, it's not until the final few episodes that Empress Ki turns its attention in that direction. Seung Nyang and Eunuch Dok Man express their internal conflict of national identity, suspended between Yuan and Goryeo. Seung Nyang, focused on personal revenge, hasn't grappled with this conflict until then. Dok Man must choose who to back, his choice bound up in which nation he wants to support. Yet, his character isn't fleshed out to bring that discussion to the fore, and he is seemingly rewarded for choosing to back Seung Nyang, while Byung Soo is killed for betraying her.

I wonder whether Byung Soo's character represents some laziness from the writers, perhaps due to the drama biting off more than it can chew. When Seung Nyang looks down on Byung Soo's corpse and expresses remorse for how Goryeo's abandonment of him led to his actions, one wonders why he was condemned for actions seemingly deterministic.

And on a similar note, why aren't the villagers given their own chance to contribute to resistance? Surely, they have the ability to organise collectively and take some power, even if small, into their own hands?

In the end, I think Empress Ki was onto something by drawing out ambiguities. Initially, I worried it might end up oversimplified like Mr. Sunshine or with a Stockholm syndrome-y assimilationist tale, as in The King's Woman (Chinese, 2017). However, given the extensive screen-time, there was a missed opportunity to delve into the trickier elements of colonial power politics.

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Product of horrific writing ✍️

Plot spun in circles for episodes on end. Villains were non-factors. Characters were never in danger which kills the drama for me. Comedy was hit and miss. Rules change at the drop of the hat to fit the story the main character Mun was too naive to be the leader and he had a horrific case of white knight syndrome. It was a shallow story that started out interesting enough with evil spirits eating and obtaining powers of counters however they quickly became a non-issue by episode 4ish when he bodied the main bad guy with little to no difficulty. The use of telekinesis was extreme but the lack of use to prevent someone from getting away bothered me a lot which pulled my enjoyment out of the show by episode 9 I was watch purely to finish the show so I could give it a proper review.

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Good wuxia drama

I'm not sure why this drama rates so highly. I like that it's a wuxia rather than xianxia as I prefer the former genre. The story was very fast moving and interesting initially. There was mystery and a whodunnit (or rather who's the real assassin) in the first 10 episodes However, it became really slow moving and draggy in the middle when they were expounding the love stories and back stories of each character.

Since I was already halfway through, I gritted my teeth to finish it. The fact that the show only has 24 episodes in total is the reason that I gave it a better rating - at least I didn't feel that I was (overly) wasting my life watching this! All the main characters were also eye candy - that certainly helped.

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WTF Did I Just Watch?

Wow! I have been watching K-dramas since 2010 and NEVER have I seen one like this. I went into this drama completely blind and what a find! I love dramas that flow from episode to episode (as they should) and this one was seamless. There are only eight episodes which was the perfect number to tell the well-written, cohesive story with great characters while maintaining INTENSITY throughout. I gave it 9.5/10 only because of the violence. This is the most violent K-drama that I have ever seen bar none and those scenes are quite graphic so be forewarned. Squid Game has NOTHING on this. I had to look away several times. It's not a criticism per se, but I had never seen a K-drama get down like that, so it was shocking. Excellent acting all around. Loved it!

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Heartwarming and Funny

Watched this show with little background and no expectations, only that one of my favourite C-actor BJT had a special guest role.

Glad that I did, love our 2 ladies Xiao Jiang and Wu Ayi, they had a heartwarming relationship, the progress and dynamics made sense and were precious to see and experience with them. The acting for all characters seemed natural and grounded. I really loved Xiao Jiang's dad.

Of course the story could have been better i.e. more tightly written with some plot lines reduced/removed and others expanded and shown more closure.

Nonetheless, I had a great time watching this and it will definitely be my comfort rewatch.

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Watch this for Rowoon

Subjective Gut Rating - 7.75 rounding up to 8.0 for Rowoon

This is a show about Rowoon. I started watching “Destined with You” for him and I stayed for him. His visuals are without a doubt great. But his acting has also improved. It’s nice seeing him play a more mature and serious lawyer, instead of a young rom-com fluffy cute loverboy. Granted, he is very smitten with FL and is a loverboy for some episodes and some scenes, but for the most part, he plays a sensible and not over-the-top lawyer. He was absolutely hilarious when he’s under the spell.

The same cannot be said for the female lead, Lee Hong Jo, played by Jo Bo Ah. I liked her ok in the beginning though I did not like her being a doormat at work. But I can sympathize with the work culture and it’s not easy. However, I dislike her the most and the main critique of “Destine with You” is her constantly making dumb decisions, disregarding her safety, thus putting others and herself in danger. Once or twice, I can understand. But after you were being stalked, harassed multiple times and assaulted, you gotta act smarter. Just because your boyfriend bought you pepper spray, doesn’t mean you are invincible. How about using your brain and not opening the door to strangers after being stalked/harassed? Or call the cops for help and backup, before walking into danger thinking you are smarter than everyone? Additionally, why would you tell your boyfriend’s secret illness to others without his permission? He didn’t even tell his mom!! Lee Hong Jo also keeps on believing 2FL’s lies even when she knew what an evil mean girl 2FL was in high school.

I actually quite like the setup with destiny and spells and all the flashbacks. But I don’t think the storytelling was smooth enough to keep me engaged. It would be nice to tie the stalker plot with what happened 300 years ago. It’s not convincing enough that all the stalker did was because of possible mental illness, when he was trying to place a curse on someone.

The romance is pretty good but frustrating at times. Jang Shin Yu (ML) is definitely two-timing for a while and the lack of communication frustrates me. Rowwon and Jo Bo Ah have decent chemistry in some of the cute scenes. The kisses are good but I would have liked to see a few more passionate ones. But because I disliked how the dumb the female lead is, it affects my liking of the romance as well.

Moreover, I find all the coworkers annoying. Those men-obsessed girls are especially worse and super loud. The older couple is a little cringe. Second male lead is fine. He’s now showing a lot of personality and when standing next to a fine specimen like Rowoon, Ha Joon pales in comparison.

Overall, I would recommend this drama if you are a fan of Rowoon or the fantasy element. The female characters in this show annoy me. But the male characters aren’t bad (except for the FL’s boss). I am giving this a round-up 8.0 all because of Rowoon and his very kissable, puckered up lips.



Completed: 11/24/2023 - Review #380

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