Untouchable Lovers (2018)

I honestly don't know where to begin... (Also this is a bit long/rambling because I JUST finished the last episode, so I have a lot of emotions)

STORY:
The first 16 episodes were great - so much going on, but it was all so entertaining. But then come episode 17 and it was a completely different story with somewhat different people - even though it was all the same people. Even so, I kept going. Episodes 17-53 though not as great as the first chunk of the drama were still decently entertaining to watch. Especially between the first two parts of the drama, there were just so many discrepancies about what was going on that they never resolved because it really felt like two completely different stories at times. And then somehow the final episode, ep 54 - my mind just went blank and I'm still not sure what I was watching... So I'm gonna rate this as 3 different parts.

A) Ep 1-16
B) Ep 17-53
C) Final ep 54

A) 9/10 - The first few episodes were so great. There was plotting and manipulation but it felt somewhat new and refreshing. Rong Zhi and Chu Yu's relationship was angsty but amazingly enticing to watch. The other characters at the Princess' manor were equally entertaining. It was a constant - what's going to happen next? What is Tian Ji Pavilion going to do? What is Chu Yu going to do? What is Rong Zhi going to do? Really fun to watch and definitely the best part of the drama.

B) 7/10 - the main core of the drama. The majority of the drama was focused on this part of the story - though it really makes viewers question why the drama was written to essentially be 2 different stories. Aside from the two main characters being the same people - though arguably their personalities were a bit warped - the rest of the drama was completely different. The setting moves out of Liu Song and into the kingdom of Wei (where Rong Zhi is now the Prince Regent leading the government for his nephew, the emperor) and Chu Yu is sent from Liu Song with the intention of peace through marriage. While this was the main core of the drama, it was definitely outshined by the first section of the drama, but nonetheless it was still an interesting watch.

There was a lot of framing and manipulation, which comes standard with these types of dramas, but honestly it was made a bit worse because there were SO MANY different people scheming that by the end it just feels like everyone was against everyone. Really it was hard to root for anyone just because of how much manipulation was going on.

Secondly, while miscommunication between the main pair is always a given, it was just a bit much sometimes. You have two very stubborn personalities, with one also constantly scheming to obtain power, but of course neither of them were willing to talk things out and would just essentially give up when the other was upset. It made it really hard to ship the main pair sometimes because it seemed like they were never going to be able to communicate well and understand the other person's feelings.

Lastly, between the second female lead actually playing two different characters there was WAY too much screen time attributed to her (specifically as General Huo Xuan) and honestly it got way too overbearing and annoying that I (and as I've read many others) pretty much skipped through all of her scenes. The writing really made it seem as if they wanted the second lead actress to be the main actress. Between the war zone story lines, to her story lines with Rong Zhi, to her story lines with Gu Huan - it was just way too much time focused on her and not enough on the main actors.

C) 5/10 - The final episode. There are literally very few dramas that have me honestly lost about what the hell happened by the end. Even this drama, everything seemingly went together up until the final episode. Maybe it was because they rushed the ending? Which is ridiculous because they had 54 episodes to work out this whole story, but the last episode was just super weirdly paced and there was so much going on. I honestly don't know if it was a happy or sad ending just because it depends on how you look at it, I suppose. By the end of it, I really just want to know who the writers were supporting this whole time because the way this ended - unless they're planning a sequel - just didn't make sense to me. In 40 minutes time, they crammed in so much stuff with no explanation and they were just like "Welp, that's it." Such a let down.

ACTING/CAST:

Song Wei Long (Rong Zhi) - As the male lead, I feel like SWL did a pretty decent job carrying such a weighty drama. He is definitely a young actor, so hopefully he will progress over the next few years, but even so I think he did a good job. Many people criticize him for not showing emotion very well, which I agree with to an extent. If it was any other character, I'd wholeheartedly agree that he was bad in that regard, but for this drama and this character, I think it still worked out well. Rong Zhi from the beginning was a very complex character who was very reserved, meticulous, and brilliant. For someone who is a genius at manipulation and scheming, I appreciated the fact that he was terrible at expressing himself and his feelings because it showed some kind of weakness in his personality. If he was great at everything, it would have made me dislike him honestly because no one can be perfect at everything.

Guan Xiao Tong (Liu Chu Yu) - A lot of my feelings about her probably come down more to script than it does to her actual acting, so it's hard to give her a fair review. In the first part of the drama, she was portraying Zhu Que of Tian Ji pavilion who took over the life of Liu Chu Yu to complete a mission. This character was smart and cunning, but had compassion and morals. Her character and acting were very entertaining as she portrayed the cunning Zhu Que but also the murderous/lustful Liu Chu Yu.
In the second half, it gets more confusing because you have the real (but not real) Liu Chu Yu and Zhu Que completely disappears (though it's the actually the same character). By now she's just a fairly basic female character. She's still smart (or just really lucky) as she gets herself out of trouble (with tons of help, of course), but she now harbors this idealized sense of morality - even though she is also a part of an imperial family and should be used to the scheming by now. And yet at every turn, she criticizes Rong Zhi and the others for fighting for power, even though it is something to be expected of people in power.
Again, these are all issues I have more with the writing for the character, more so than with Guan Xiao Tong's acting abilities. I think for what she was given, she did a good job - but nothing mind blowing.

Bai Lu (Huo Xuan) - I'm giving her a shout out mostly because I actually REALLY enjoyed General Huo at the very beginning and thought she was really entertaining, but eventually I just stopped watching most of her scenes because there was just way too much focus on her and it got annoying. She honestly did a really good job though (from what I didn't skip xD)

REWATCH/OVERALL:

I'll honestly probably watch this drama again some time in the future because even though there was a lot of stuff I didn't like about it, overall I still enjoyed it as a drama (aside from that last episode). It was nothing groundbreaking or particularly memorable, but for some reason, I was still really intrigued watching it and still felt it was fairly entertaining.

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I really need to write this review.. In a drama there should be conrinuity of the story. Like waater in a stream.. first few episodes are really great and it entertains me one.. thunbs up with that.. but when the story flipped and then all the characters act differentlly I just dont get it.. I waited for the part that they will regain their memories but no they dont.. the remaining episodes up to the end are all doomed.. whatever cuteness they will show I dont feel it because as a whole I DONT UNDERSTAND IT ALL..NO CONTINUITY LIKE A TOTAL SHUT DOWN.. this is the first time I waatched a compleete disorganize film..and it has so many episodes!!are u kidding me!! Sorry I just caught up with my feelings.. I dont recommend this to my friends.. it sucks!!

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To begin this review, I'd like to preface it by saying that although I am not usually one to take upon 52 episodes lightly, Untouchable Lovers was worth every minute I spent watching it.

To me, this story never has a dull moment. Which for some is either good or bad. It doesn't stop the drama for filler material much and is consistently delivering the plot. Chuyu and Rong Zhi are fated yet also star-crossed with each other. As the initial story takes place, you're wrapped around their relationship and how it develops so deeply in their initial meeting. The thing about Untouchable Lovers is that it's almost two plots wrapped in one. Due to their fate, they end up separated from each other, left with no memories of the other person. It's also this same fate that brings them back together and dictates their ending. At one point, I found myself slightly confused on what had happened as the plot shifted until I realized that their story is never ending. It's the complexity of their relationship and their history together that really draws you into their story. The story doesn't just focus on their love but also the enemies and allies they encounter in their lives throughout the plot. It depicts a brutal picture of what lies and backstabbing you encounter in such a place, the royal palace. You fall in love with almost every character and you hate a bunch of them also. It's a rollercoaster ride that doesn't stop until the very last minute of the drama and in my opinion, one of the best plots I've watched in a while. The one thing I did dislike was how the stories of some characters ended, from both the initial story and the secondary story (I prefer to break them up). However, I did like how cohesive the picture came to and how well produced this drama was in the end.

The actors/actresses were amazing in this drama. Some of them even played various roles that are completely opposite to the other. It's truly an amazing cast that makes you fall in love with both their role and the actor/actress themselves. I personally enjoyed the performance by Guan Gabrielle and Song Wei Long. To play the roles of Chuyu and Rong Zhi is no easy thing in my opinion, especially with how detailed this drama is. I will also admit that I was the person who watched Oh! My Emperor before Untouchable Lovers so to see Zhao Lusi in another historical drama with such an opposite role to Oh! My Emperor was refreshing. I will definitely be on the look out for more works from the cast of Untouchable Lovers after their impactful performance that I witnessed throughout the drama.

(Oh! My Emperor is another good drama that I recommend. It has slight holes and such but it's overall well done.)

It's been a while since I've said anything about music in dramas. That's mainly because to me, they're neither good nor bad most of the time. Untouchable Lovers, however, has such an amazing soundtrack that I couldn't help myself. Please note that taste in music may differ but in my honest opinion, the selection for the songs at the beginning and end was one of the best. The music really applies to the story itself and invokes this feeling that pairs well with the plot. I recommend that you check them out.

Finally, I would surely watch this drama again if you asked me to. It's one of those dramas that you just can't forget easily and you don't want to so you therefore watch it again to make sure you don't. If that doesn't make sense, then maybe you haven't found a drama that's worth the rewatch.

That is why I recommend this drama to anyone who is a fan of the genre. You don't have to though, it's a drama made for anyone that wants to watch it, which you should. This is all based on my opinion of the drama so it may differ from any opinions you have, watch it and find out.

This has been Untouchable Lovers.

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I am currently watching this drama and I love it. I really love the main characters in the drama. Out of the two places that the story takes place, my favourite is Liu Song. Every single event that happened is so good, the only thing was the ending. Thankfully the story continued. I was hoping that they remembered each other when she went to marry the Northern Wei Prince Regent, but didn’t. I also really love Liu Chuyu maid. She was such a cute character, she was definitely one of my favourite character. All the characters played their rolls so well, that it was so hard for me to wait for the next episode. I will definitely watch this drama again in the future.

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Okay so this is the very first review I have ever done and honestly, it's more about me venting than anything else. I would firstly like to mention that for anybody who liked this drama, please respect my opinions. If you are planning to watch this then by all means still go ahead but I would recommended you don't get too invested like I did. Like what a lot of other users have found, ep 1-16 were actually very very well written. It was not by any means perfect but it is better than the next 46 episodes. The only reason why I stuck with it to the end was because of the main actors and actresses. But even they could not save this drama from the train wreck that it became.

Story - For a drama that has 52 episodes, the story had soooo many wtf moments that I actually can't believe I did not drop it. It was complicated, overly dramatic and at most times way too predictable. There was literally two drama's within the one. Even the characters seemed to be completely different but with the same name and faces. There was no connection apart from one minor object which was a scent pouch that conjoined these two story arcs together. I kept hoping and praying that the link would appear but obviously the writer gods did not listen. To top off all of this craziness, the ending left so much to be desired that it was the biggest slap in the face. So many questions and so many loose ends that it makes you regret staying up to 6am to finish it.

Characters - Like what I mentioned earlier, characters in this drama were very confusing as after ep 16, they basically became different characters all together. These poor actors and actresses did not have any chance of character development because of this. Furthermore we didn't really get a chance to see the origins of the main characters in detail apart from a few flash backs of the female one at the beginning. I feel as though they plunged us in the very middle of the story and never really gave us a beginning or an end.

Acting - This was the first time seeing all the actors and actresses in action and to be fair they did very well with what they were given. I think that Song Wei Long pulled off the serious and cunning Rong Zhi from ep 1-16 very very well considering he is only 19! Guam Xiao Tong did exceptionally well too especially in the emotional scenes where she cried very genuinly. Bai Lu who played the female general has to be my favourite though. Her fighting scenes were kickass and she played two characters brilliantly. I feel that the main lead couple was too young which is why there was no intimate scenes apart from a few forehead kisses here and there. This aging was a massive let down since the couple became husband and wife very early on in the show.

There were some very meaningful quotes in this drama that encourages self love so even when you loose the one you love, you can keep pushing forward. There was also a very strong undercurrent of feminism in the drama which is right up my alley but the execution and overall thought process behind was soooo poorly done that it ended up being the biggest let down. What makes me angrier is that the ratings are so high that its actually deceiving. This drama is a solid 6 in my opinion and that's basically all down to the acting and the first 16 episodes. It's worth a watch but don't get your hopes up after episode 16. Just enjoy the ride but know that you will be left with alittle more than confusion after the final scene.

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There's a lot of things about the drama that I really enjoyed but I think it ended with some loose bits of plot still hanging around. The story was solid but honestly you could completely separate the first half from the second and it would make no difference to the ending. This was the first Chinese drama I've been able to complete and I'm proud of myself for finishing 53 episodes. I can't really tell if what kept me going was the determination to finish the drama or the drama itself.

*Potential spoilers from here on out*

I loved Song Weilong in this, and I've seen many people complaining about his lack of expressions but considering the closed off, character he plays, I think it's quite fitting. Also, I never once believed Rong Zhi would be killed because he's just too smart to let himself be killed, this guy pulled more fake deaths or moments of weaknesses that I really never felt any anxiety because I knew he'd come out of it relatively unscathed.

When it came to the female lead, I didn't understand her actions toward the end of the drama but I guess that's down to writing rather than Guan Xiaotong herself. I will say that the show had an amazing ability to make me feel sympathy for certain characters such as Liu Ziye or even Prince Kang meanwhile, other characters I completely detested throughout the show such as the Imperial Astrologer.

I feel as though the show did a better job with the side romances (Gu Huan and Huo Xuan, Prince Kang and Huo Xuan's lookalike) than with the main romance cus the side were way easier to follow and didn't feel convoluted just for the sake of plot.

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Story:
Honestly, I find it hard to give a proper review of this drama. The first part of the drama started off pretty good, the story was interesting and it followed the original story of the novel. But then they suddenly started a completely new story in the second part of the drama. Although the first part of the second story was pretty entertaining as well, the second part and the ending was quite disappointing. It just seems the writers and director didn't really know what they wanted to deliver, which ended in a messy ending of the story. For example the role and purpose of the guy (Tian Ru Jing) in the story seems a bit forced. Since he played a big part in the novel, it seems the writers were forced to put him in the second part of the story as well, but weren't bothered to come up with a better story/role for him. He just comes up out of the blue during the story a couple of times.

I wanted to give a higher overall rating, but the last couple episodes just ruined the drama for me. In my opinion, the writers wanted to end the drama in line with the novel, which resulted in a messy and confusing ending. It would've been better if they just chose to either follow the original story of the novel or change up the story instead. Overall, it was a light and entertaining drama to watch, I would rate the first story and first part of the second story a 8,5 and the last couple of episodes a 6,5-7.

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It's a good drama overall, but not the best and most productive use of time

So at the beginning of this drama, I'm talking the first 15 or so episodes, it was certainly a drama that any historical-drama lovers would want to binge. The plot, romance and setting was fresh in its own little way which made it easy to watch. With the addition of an amazing cast, it really incited the "butterflies in stomach" feel.
The reason as to why I am rating this show as only 4 stars is simply because of the noticeable discrepancies within the series. The biggest one of note is the inconsistency of the romantic relationship between the leads and their sudden change in personalities after the city setting switched from Song to Wei. After the setting was switched, it felt like the series was split into 2 separate storylines and the memories of the both the male and female lead were wiped or something even though there were no signs of such a thing ever happening. Whatever romance occurred between the two leads seemed to have disappeared entirely, making the second part of the drama difficult to comprehend since they had to rebuild their romantic interest for each other from rock bottom.
Furthermore, the series was dragged on for a tad bit too long. Stopping the series around the 30 episode mark would have been perfectly fine because everything from there onwards was repetitive scheming formed from greed and political power struggles from the antagonist and male lead.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this drama if you're looking for one that's worth your time and if you're looking for a fluffy, romance-fileld drama, because unfortunately, this drama won't be able to provide that. However if you're still interested in this drama even after reading this review and other reviews, I suggest watching the episodes before the setting changes from Song to Wei (you'll understand what I mean when you get there ?) coz those were really good.

Happy Binging!!

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I have no words to express my views towards this drama .....What am I thinking to watch drama completely different from what was it?
First of all too much conspiracy starting to end then too much misunderstanding starting to end and which create too much confusion starting to end for the viewer (talking about me).....It took starting 6 episodes to get understanding the theme of the drama .. then drama goes in a flow till 18th episode but increasing too many "WH " questions in my head and I think this the reason I had completely watched this drama so I can get my answers but nothing happened my questions remain as it is in the end with again WH question that is What is this ?This is ending.....What ..... My question arises with this question that is 1.where is the other queen went to whom led actress replaced (duplicate character) ,what had happened to her ,is she died ?Is she captured ? What is her story .Then lead actor make his fake dead scene in front of heroine to make her realized that how much he loved her and left her in guilt,grieved as well as he wanted her to remembered him forever while the time his trust worthy person who knew everything about him.By cheating inject him some type of drugs which make him forget all his past story because that person following the instructions of his sister who want him back to their reign . Then 2nd part of the drama start where both actor and actress get married we know that he forget his past but how she forget about her past ,know again question s 1.at the end of drama he said to her that he always wanted an empire but after she come in his life ,he wanted to live with her . But at the starting part of second part showed that he love other girl wholeheartedly and ready to leave the empire for her ...But how come he using every person for his profit ...2 .I am waiting for the scenes when both of them come to know about their past and secondly there is not much romantic scenes between them because he starting take first step towards her and she push him away from her and when she tried so he push her away from him... 3.the person who make him consumed the drug(medicine) to forget his past would reveal the truth between them but instead of revealing the truth he never seen in 2nd part of the drama.
By watching this drama I thought that director finished up the drama so fast with no sense ending...
All I can say starting 15 episodes of the drama is good but after 15th episode .......

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Loved it. Chinese Game of Thrones

I usually don't pay attention to reviews before I watch a shows because it's just opinions. Everyone's tastes are different. I'm usually drawn to shows that have low ratings. Most people just watch for their favs not really the plot or story anyway so I'd rather watch for myself. The show was very entertaining. It showed how ruthless people are for power. Everyone had evil intentions that's what made it so entertaining. You didn't know who was really good or bad. They all had villain tendacys. The plot twists were everything. I know people didn't understand the first half but just look at it showing how Song lived, their version of the situation and the rest was Wei's story. It was like Game of thrones so to speak. I loved it. I'd watch it again.

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