The entire acting was pretty good to me as it felt real and had managed to bring me into the drama since i was quite hesitant to watch it at first, but the entire cast had me hooked!
Music was fit nicely as it played appropriately and had no weird 'mis-match' of it in each scene.
Re-watching it won't be a problem but the large amount of episode can be quite hindering but if to really re-watch it, it would be an amazing dream again.
Overall, it was really good and it had many sweet and tearful moments.
I recommend everyone to watch it!
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This review may contain spoilers
So I had a lot of high hopes for this drama going into it. It had a lot of potential to be a really good drama for the time period, but overall the drama had weird pacing issues and so much story to tell/characters to develop that even though it was 50 episodes, it felt lacking in some places, and overstuffed in others. STORY: Story pacing and being able to develop a full and intriguing plot with a good flow are the most important thing to a drama - second only to the skills of the actors involved. You can have the strongest actors, but if there are pacing and development issues within the plot, the drama is doomed. Like most people, I had an issue with the drama beginning in media res. The first episode begins with the assassination of a key military strategist for the Yi family military (I'm not going to consider this a spoiler because it's literally in the first 10 minutes). That's all fine and dandy, but because the story begins two years into the marriage of the main couple - it just already sets things up badly. Supposedly the main couple at the beginning have a very strained relationship - but why does it make sense then for our female lead to be rushing to death to be with the husband she doesn't actually have feelings for? If the drama was filmed chronologically then maybe we could see what was going through our female's mind when she rushed up to certain dangers to be with her husband, but we are thrown into the middle of the story and it really makes me agree with the thoughts of others (that she's only doing it to pretend to be a loyal and loving wife).
Literally just within the first episode, I already had issues with the story - but I kept persevering through.
The rest of the drama then had its ups and downs. I was still pretty hooked watching the drama - there were a decent amount of exciting "omg" scenes to keep you invested, but then it was also partially because if you missed even a small chunk of the drama it was easy to get lost completely. There is so much political/military plot going on with very little explanation as to who the characters are or how they are related. (Ex. I didn't know how the Yi Family and Mu Rong family were related for the longest time - so didn't understand why Qin Sang was allowed to pass up the mountain, etc. until it was later explained that the eldest daughter-in-law was from the Mu Rong family - which isn't until a few episodes into the drama). There's a brief explanation at the beginning about the various militaries that are at war with each other (Yi Family, Mu Rong Family, Li Chong Nian's army, and Jiang Shuang Xi's army) but again there's just so much going on that it's hard to remember who's fighting who at this point.
Romance wise - also weirdly paced for me. They have a strained relationship at the beginning - and there's understandable love triangles/side lovers, etc. going on, but once they actually work out their issues with each other - things are heated for a moment, and then really die down after that. From the moment they reconcile through the rest of the drama - they're supposedly now very in love with each other and actually care for one another; however, it felt like there was more heat/chemistry between them when they were estranged from one another. Maybe just a personal opinion.
ACTING:
I think it was more of who the actual characters were that I kind of got annoyed with.
Qin Sang - stubborn, loyal, strong-willed, but fairly bull headed. She was logical and understanding at certain points, but at other times she was unreasonable and caused trouble. I appreciate that she wasn't quite a Mary Sue character, but for someone who was fairly well educated and cultured, she was just bleh and kind of stupid at other points. That being said, I think Sun Yi did a decent job portraying this character. She pulled off the cold, unfeeling character fairly well, but I was hoping she'd bring in a bit more of her cutesy-ness (a la Because of You) once the relationship between the two was better - but it was still just a bit lacking.
Yi Lian Kai - I actually really enjoyed Elvis Han's portrayal of this character - and the character overall. He pulled off the arrogant, playboy, young master very well - but was also believably mature and logical when needed. You could see the changes in his personality when he was happy, angry, sad, etc. and overall I have a decent impression of his acting after this drama.
Pan Jian Chi - Another actor who I think did a fairly decent job in this portrayal. As I was watching, I actually felt like PJC cared for Qin Sang and believed that his feelings were real. You could also see the struggle between love and duty in his face and could understand why he made the choices he did. Overall good job.
REWATCH VALUE: I'm not really jumping to rewatch this any time soon. If I did, it would mostly be to understand better what is going on politically since I know who everyone is and what relationships are already established. It is another drama that I was hoping would be a new favorite, but kind of falls just slightly above memorable.
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Cons:
The story starts two years into the marriage and the pacing is off so that the flashbacks explaining the set up are too late in the drama.
The dysfunction between the couple is very repetitive and eventually annoying. When I see the same scenario 10 plus times, it gets old.
Once the relationship is more settled, it loses a lot of its sizzle in a common way seen in many Asian dramas.
This author writes complex books, and I think they try to do too much in the adaptation. They should narrow the focus more as it sounds like both the screenwriter and an actor or two weren't happy with how this turned out. I understand wanting to do the novel justice, but this was a very talky drama talk talk talk talk and at 50 episodes, if you can't get it done, the writer has to be brutal in the story being told and how to do that often means leaving things out.
Pros:
Actors are solid.
Initial story being told and laying the foundation of the characters was done well though took too long.
Production value as good as expected for this genre.
I just think they tried to do too much and I feel like it lost its emotional oooomph at a certain point with characters doing things for no rhyme or reason (again maybe an issue with the editing). So unless you love an actor or this genre, I'd give it a pass. I do want to say that I appreciate the production toning down some of the overbearing going into abusive behavior that this author has in her books regarding the lead romance. They come up to the line and try not to cross it compared to some of the other things I've seen from this writer.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama started out to be very annoying, boring and confused because of it's political issues, connections and the amount of unnecessary character you have to remember but later become irrelevant to the story. This could be one of the many reasons many of you had dropped this drama, BUT, this drama turns out to be really great.First, the costumes in this drama are amazing. Usually, there is more historical period drama compared to this time period type of drama, therefore the costumes presented in here are relatively simple, but they are very beautiful and elegant. It straight out defines the status of a person depends on each character are dressed.
Second, I've read most comments and a lot of people are saying the female lead, Sun Yi was annoying. At first, I agreed with this statement, because the male lead Lian Kai had loved her for a long time, and he's been patiently waiting for her to reply back to his love but she just seems arrogantly ignored him because of her ex-boyfriend. Then her side of the story was told, and I came to understand her character a little better. She was practically being pushed into an unwanted marriage for her parent benefit, and toward the man that is known as a playboy, therefore she just sees herself as a tool for other's happiness, but she doesn't know that Lian Kai was already in love with her.
Lastly, I just want to say there will be dramas that will be in a tragedy like this one and that will be completely normal because not every ending has to be happy, plus this author is known for her heartbreaking novel, but still being able to captivate the audience's attention. I hope you guys would give this drama a chance, putting the expectation that you had on other drama and put it on here, watch it with a refreshing mindset, skip the political issues if you want to, but honestly the developmental of the character and the progress of their love is truly beautiful.
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Plot:
It starts in media res. Which some don’t like, but I think it sets a very good framework for the story. Even if I was really confused in the beginning (I actually rewatched the first 4 episodes to take screenshots and make sure I understood what was happening), it does a good job of illustrating that this is a turning point in history and that what is about to unfold is that turning point. I don’t care how we got there. It doesn’t actually matter. If it started earlier in the story people would probably complain about how it didn’t get to the point till way later.
Do I care how LianKai and QinSang got together? No. It doesn’t matter. All we need to know is that they’re married and that there’s not a whole lot of love in that relationship to start. I admit, LianKai has a very physical way of “showing affection,” but it’s not unusual to anything we’ve ever seen in other dramas before. It’s just surprising cause most of the drama doesn’t carry that tone. Their love isn’t the primary driving vehicle of the story, so when their relationship stops being quite as sizzling (ie physical) people are disappointed. But I feel that their relationship was always like that. They are supporting and caring for the other, even if they didn’t necessarily like the other person. It’s not passionate love. It’s the good and lasting kind. They are incredibly ride or die for each other, even when they don’t even like each other very much, and that’s so much fun to see.
Plus, this drama is NOT about LianKai and QinSang’s relationship. It’s about the Yi family and these absolutely fantastic brothers that will do everything and anything for each other. They are beautifully supportive of each other from start to finish. The occasional fights get resolved quickly and we’re constantly reminded of their love for each other. In a time where I expect that brothers being seen in a drama at close age are gonna be vicious romantic and power rivals, this was a breath of fresh air. You’re constantly cheering for the Yi brothers and their relationship, even when everyone around them is determined to put them against each other.
The story also very clearly sets up that it’s not about the rise of something but the fall of something. This is the fall of the house of Yi. What’s next after this historically? Communism. Pan JianChi is clearly representing some sort of early communist mindset and the Yi family is the horrible previous regime. Did I find some of the military and politics stuff confusing at times? Definitely. But for the most part I still followed it well. I couldn’t do ANYTHING ELSE when I was watching this drama because if I looked away for one second something was being told and I’d be hella confused as to what was happening. Contrary to other reviews, I thought this was some VERY TIGHT writing for a military and politics drama. I could easily see it be broken up into 3 or 4 seasons like a western TV show, and I personally really liked that. There are nice cycles of what is happening and it resolves conflicts quickly and thoroughly before moving on to other conflicts. It reminds me of a high quality nordic crime noir (in that it's all about the talking over the action), or an FX show (The Americans comes to mind in it's relationship of supportive circumstance) in pacing and tone. I love that kind of thing, but it is definitely not for everyone.
Acting:
Superb all around from the smallest to the biggest characters. Everyone played their part really well, even if I wasn’t a fan of some of the characters. YanYun is definitely the most annoying and classically “drama” character of the bunch, but even she managed to be tampered at times. My one complaint is that some of the voice acting wasn’t quite as strong. The voice actor for Elvis Han (who does a fantastic job in this role and casting him was a fantastic decision) is clearly a bit older than he is, or his voice is significantly lower than his, and that does break the realism of the story sometimes. YanYun is also not the best voice actor, but her kinda annoying higher pitch does match the rather annoying traits of the character herself. I love Elvis Han and have seen a couple of his other works before (WuXin and CP5), and I was very pleased with his performance here as well. I'm a big fan of his, and he fits this period and role very well. Zhou Ting Wei I also have seen before (Ashes of Love) and he does a great job as the brother who never quite knows how he stands in the family and in love.
Costume Design & Sets:
These costumes. Holy hells these costumes. I restarted it after 4 episodes not because I couldn’t understand, but because I wanted to take screenshots of all these costumes. LianKai is by far the best dressed brother of the bunch (befitting his status as the wild partying one), but they’re all so superbly outfitted. This is a period which I enjoy watching, cause the juxtaposition of old and new is so interesting and fun to see, and the costume design does a great job with this. Embroidered suits. They gorgeous. The sets were mostly really well done, although some of the outside facades were questionable.
Music:
I wasn’t in love with the OST. I think I just enjoyed it at the end from sheer exposure. But it wasn’t so bad that I wanted to complain about it. Subtle and mostly understated music, which I appreciate.
Rewatch Value:
I’d totally rewatch this. Partly because not everything is very clear, so it would be interesting to rewatch knowing what I know and having a better understanding of the playing field. Not that I wanted it in the setup of the drama. Just that I was lazy and didn’t necessarily care to keep track of who was who in the beginning when I probably should have. But mostly I’d rewatch it because it was an enjoyable story that was well executed. I’d love to come back to these characters and this family and experience their trials all over again. Yes, it’s a lot of talking. It’s mostly talking about what is happening, but as a military strategy drama that makes sense and I’d much rather hear about most of these battles than watch them.
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Unfortunately, this good plot was squandered by the writers. The hatred between the husband and wife didn't make a lot of sense, with the wife constantly pushing him away without explanation, and the husband constantly acting like a douchebag for no reason. There was always chemistry between them, but it was jarring when all of a sudden the wife decided she was in love with the husband. As for the plot outside of the relationship, it started off strong but later dissolved and didn't make any sense. There were different families involved and lots of secrets that ultimately don't make a dent in the storyline. And the ending! It was very, very disappointing and almost made me regret watching the whole thing. Honestly, if you have some time it is worth the watch, but maybe speed it up while watching and prepare yourself for the plot to crash and burn in the last episodes.
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But I dont like the ending, is a really sad ending, I think if can be happy ending, the story is perfecto????
I always hope for a happy ending story because I think the story of Qin Sang and Yi Lian Kai is still very short.
but overall, I really like this drama, I really like the role of Elvis Han who cares and loves his wife and is jealous with Qin Sang's first love.
their family relationships are also very interesting, from brothers who support each other to become enemies because of jealousy.
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This review may contain spoilers
For those who don't know, this drama is adapted from a novel by Fei Wo Si Chun, a popular Chinese author known for her bittersweet romance novels. Expect a fearless love portrayed by two amazing lead actors.I think many might abandon this drama midway because of the numerous BORING political discussion scenes. My advice is to skip those since many are between the support roles, and we are mostly here for the romance and family drama anyway! You can save a lot of time and effort by doing so.
Other than romance, this drama reflects on the turbulent times during the Warlord Era in China, family ties, and political struggle. This made the drama very all-rounded and not solely concentrated on the love between two people.
In the first 20eps, the couple do not seem to understand each other nor correctly show affection for each other. Yet, they go through their first life-and-death situation together somewhere near the 20th ep - their relationship becomes much better after that. So don't give up before that! Both leads love each other tremendously and are selfless for each other. Sweet and tear-shedding moments? This drama has it all.
The main group of actors fitted and played their roles well, special kudos to Elvis Han for bringing such a tough character to life! Lead actress Sun Yi is sooooooo pretty too! Would definitely rewatch because I wanna see their sweet moments again!!
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I really like the chemistry of both main leads and it was so lovely yet so cruel. i would given 10/10 to both main leads, as their face expression and body language are just immaculate! The romance between Lan Po and Qing Shang were so heart wrenching and yet so expecting them can eventually understand each other feeling and love......
Like it so much!
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Too Foggy To See It Through
I have not tried to stretch a 50 episode drama, but I tried to do it for main lead actor Elvis Han. He did such a good job, though he was 24 years old at that time of shooting.However, the character of the wife Qin Sang (Sun Yi) really killed my interest totally. I have not seen a more somewhat emotionally dis-engaged wife to a husband who loves her with care and all his heart, like this character Qin Sang. Even when she shows her love, she still does not look like she loves him. Well, I did try my best, up until episode 31! and my white flags are up. Giving up.
The acting overall by the cast members were really good and can feel the commitment. But maybe this role of Qin Sang did not work out well for Sun Yi, then at 23 years old. Such a cold, aloof and sticky character. Given her age at that time, she was not able to show the vulnerability which was required of her role, to help us warm and embrace her character. However, I guess it did not hurt her career as she is today, one of the highest paid actress in China.
This melo-dramatic family relationships and love painful struggle drama is truly not advised for those who are not committed to see it through the 50 slow paced episodes. Even the schemes and fight to control territories by the rich and powerful Yi Family with others went to and fro, lacked suspense for me. Like I mentioned, one has to be truly committed to watch it through.
Calling it a day, I am moving on.... Cheers!
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Story: A man fell in love with a woman at first sight and married her, but their marriage is cold and more than a little dysfunctional. The way the story is framed, the audience starts when they're married. I think as a viewer it's important that we know he's in love with her, even if she doesn't, but I never once felt that. Even selfish characters need to to have something that keep me watching, and this drama just didn't. The pacing was slow, and I was supremely uninterested in everything that was going on outside of the main couple. Decisions that they made had no logic to them, and I think I was supposed to feel bad for the main lead. However, I cheered every single attempt the female lead tried to get out of their relationship.
The drama itself is shot beautifully. The individual actors are really good. I especially liked how the main actress played her character. The way the story played out, though, erased any pleasure I got, making it impossible to finish.
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Beautiful and touching story
I really like this drama very much. The love story of the main lead couple are special. True love, unselfish love, sacrifices, confident and trust of the main lead couple. I like the siblings love as well. Even they are cold towards each other because of power struggle but they care for their siblings too.All the actors and actresses acted very well especially Sun Yi and Han Dong Jun. I really like their chemistry in the drama. So natural and real. To watch this drama, you cannot skip any episode or else you will be lost. If this drama has a happy ending I believe it will be a heat.
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