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Amazing acting, terrible writing
i am full of so much mixed feelings after this. i had to binge-read fix-it fics. i deeply loved this but also hated parts of itThe bad:
- incredibly slow pace. I had to watch this on 1.5x speed, and even then most episodes were slow
- THE LAST FIFTEEN TO TWENTY EPISODES WERE BULLSHIT. as most of the reviewers here say, it was incredibly rushed. i lost all emotional investment and started skipping chunks of scenes because everything was so abrupt, and characters started acting out of character. the ending was also really terrible. i didn't even feel anything, i was just like, 'what the fuck'
- Feng Zhiwei's character suffered from poor writing although Ni Ni (the actress) tried her best and did a fantastic job. whenever she was dressed as a man, she was a delight to watch and her scenes were incredibly fun. the minute she returns to being a woman, she gets forced into that really annoying trope that female protagonists get in cdramas - the passive, mary sue-ish, suffering, easily manipulated woman. it almost felt like watching two separate people and it was really frustrating
The good:
- the chemistry between the two main leads!! their banter was so good. i was so delighted by their constant back-and-forth, the way they snarked at each other, the way they came to each other's rescue, the way they understood each other, and especially the way Ning Yi would start smiling/laughing involuntarily whenever he was around Feng Zhiwei. it is so rare that the male and female leads can go toe-to-toe. i haven't shipped a couple on tv so hard in years
- the acting by the two main leads. it was absolutely amazing. Chen Kun played Ning Yi and i loved his range. he would go from a mocking and overwrought 'poor me' persona to a badass, 'two steps ahead of everyone while smiling threateningly' persona. it was awesome. Ni Ni played Feng Zhiwei and she brought a lot of emotional depth to her role. Feng Zhiwei was incredbily passionate and bold. i really felt for her and cried with her every time she cried
- the sets were absolutely beautiful, and the court etiquette seemed to have been deeply researched
i really loved this but god i wished it had not been such a dumpster fire for the last twenty episodes.
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Complicated impression …
Complicated impression …So amazing costumes! The designing team is really professional and capable!
So amazing acting!
Chen Kun is definitely one of the most talanted chinese actors. Top world level. Above and beyond all cliches. With such huge charisma, incredible gaze and facial expressions - he is the core of the story. The sixth prince Ning Yi is amazing and distinctive from "hero" type man. WOW!
Ni Ni - the best chinese actress, I've seen so far. Beautiful herself with good acting skills. She does not have typical over-acting, inadequate immature expressions and silly annoying behaviour as most of the "famous" chinese female stars have. Her performance was on point. I like her more as Wei Zhi, but as Zhiwei she was also good.
The Emperor and his first eunuch, Xin ZiYan, Gu NanYi, Ning Cheng, Chang ZhongXin and the Lord of Minhai - all of them were soo impressive!
However the plot is a mess with a lot of holes. Without such incredible actors the drama would be a disaster with this plot.
The drama is too long and slow with many unrealistic scenes, that could be cut. The drama would be very good 40-45 episodes instead of 70. Also there were a lot of minor characters, who do not bring value and quality, but only confusion - thus they could be cut at all too.
The end has some ambiguity. The female lead looks too lively vital and energetic to commit suicide. And also ... after so many people sacrificing themselves for her such end looks a bit unbalanced.
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This review may contain spoilers
I personally found this drama quite enjoyable but would have loved it more I think if it was 20 or so episodes less. The filming was beautiful. The music was enjoyable but nothing really catchy. This drama is so long and never really has a lot of scenes that I would be dying to watch again. I really only wanted to watch scenes with the main leads. They are what made me enjoy this drama. This is the 1st drama I can say where while I was dying to see them together I also was very much so enjoying what they were doing apart Usually in dramas the couples become "a couple" and I just want seems of them together. However the leads in this drama held onto being themselves the whole time.,,maybe because of spoiler reasons... Both were so smart and witty and I will miss them both since the drama is over. I enjoyed the Emperor a lot as well as Gu Nan Yi. The story was okay but there were lots of parts I felt were dragging and I did not find any satisfaction with the ending. I recommend though just because of the leads! They are phenomenal and I look forward to watching other dramas they star in. Was this review helpful to you?
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The Rise of Phoenixes is a hunger games of the royal family.
I put off watching this for 2 years and finally I got the courage to watch this. 70 episodes?? tai duo le!! The story begins light heartedly, your everyday gender bender period drama mixed with politics and palace schemes. But over the length of the drama it transformed into many forms taking us through an emotional roller-coaster. Its hard to describe in one words, the emotional turmoil this makes you go through. The story is not perfect, its boring at times and interesting in another.The acting is the most noteworthy in this drama. The main leads deliver us an unforgettable version of the broken Zhi wei and Ning Yi.
From the very beginning the drama hinted the possibility of tragic romance.
This drama has many flaws but I think its yet worth watching. I believe 70 episodes it too draggy. They dragged the story for 60 episodes and then fast forwarded the last 10. I pretty much skipped most of the first 20 episodes or so and the last few. But the middle part of it is interesting
In the span of 70 episodes Feng Zhi wei went from Zhi wei to Wei zhi to Ultimate scholar to Director Wei back to feng zhi wei then to Zhangsun Zhi wei to royal inspector wei and finally Queen of Jinshi. Which shows how much changes the story goes through over its course.
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A long palace drama with a sad ending. , character development,
When I started this 70 episodes drama, it was without english subtitles. It was too difficult for me to continue even as I understand 50% spoken Mandarin. The English subtitles, though about 80% accurate, it helped me complete the drama.1. The story evolved around palace politics, involving fight for power among princes to ascend to the throne. involves the harem characters and politicians.
2. Emotions such as love, hate, jealousy, kinship, revenge, regret, compassion, greed, justice, rightuosness drives the actions of the characters.
3. The acting is great as it can make me sympatise and understand the actions, even though I don't agree with some of the decisions made by the characters.
4. Technical production quality is good, with good music.
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Brilliant actings of all the main leads, especially Chen kun
This drama is all hail 10 stars for the plot & acting..No cheesy stuff, no useless misunderstandings, no lags..
ni ni could well keep up with Chen kun’s captivating acting skills. I cried too much in the last 8 episodes 😭
I wish it would be a happy ending at least our hearts are less pained .. but well sad ending can make u feel more heartfelt.. whooooshhh... off to Chen kun’s all dramas & movies which have eng subtitles.. how can he be so good in acting?? I would watch anything in as long as he acts
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This review may contain spoilers
The series, drama, plots and subplots are outstanding up to episode 50. Afterwards it goes down hill down to the apparent suicide of the main character which is completely off character for being the Ultimate Scholar she would have come up with a plan like the one I have read about in the novels translation. The series is worth watching by the settings and clothing alone but is quite weird that Ning Yi's obsession with silk is downplayed as well as the quality of their plans at some point as well as most characters by the end it feels extremely rushed or PowerPoint Dune feeling like. The chemistry between the characters is great and there is more romance in there than in any Hollywood Romance flicks which makes the ending inconsistent.
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Great Premise, Builds Addictively, But then . .
How can you tell the difference between true justice and unjustified revenge? When is it OK to forgive?The Rise of Phoenixes stays strong for the first 40 to 50 episodes or so...so many hours of entertainment that I can forgive the show for boxing itself into a corner and then spinning its wheels on how to finish. The premise is so intriguing, and so puzzling (how can they pull this off?) that it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The characters are compelling, though there are far fewer characters than other historical dramas. The main characters are great. Ning Yi does mildly overact/do an eccentric sort of Johnny Depp type performance. Feng Zhiwei has plenty of personality and backstory, and the actress brings it to life. There is a lot of electricity between the two main leads in small gestures and looks, which had a really nice build. The friendship between Ning Yi and Xin Ziyan is also very well done.
The music works with the show, and there are definitely scenes that I will rewatch, though I'm not sure about watching it straight from beginning to end. There are many scenes that I like to revisit again.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 9
(The main theme of the show is forgiveness, justice and revenge. When do ends justify the means? When is forgiving someone betraying other principles?)
Character Growth -9
(The great tension of the show is how the characters rise to the challenge at first, how they become better coordinated, better leaders, smarter and more calculating, and then how they hit walls that cause their faith to shatter. Unfortunately, the show ends up getting stuck far before the finale and the growth stops)
Nuanced Women -6
(Feng Zhiwei is a great role - but she is it. There are very little other women in the show that act as more than plot devices or have much screen time).
Cinematography/Production Values - 10
(The costumes are really innovative, use beautiful textiles and fabrics, the sets are lavish, and there are some good exterior shots as well. There isn't as much martial arts as some, more army movements/storming a building/special effects of collapsing buildings)
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This review may contain spoilers
My Opinion on The Rise of Phoenixes
*May contain SPOILERS*What an intense & heart breaking drama. The story is about the ML Ning Yi (played by Chen Kun) is the 6th prince who was wrongfully accused of a crime that he did not commit. His aim is to establish peace & stability as well as clear his dead brother, the 3rd prince and his mother's names.
While the FL is Feng Zhiwei (played by Ni Ni) who is the unflavoured daughter of the Qiu household and has to flee due to circumstances. She is being protected by Ning Yi and cross dresses as a Wei Zhi.
The entire drama is full of palace politics schemes, lies and betrayal. The ML and FL have to deal with the various plots that are being schemed against them. Despite the conditions they end up falling in love with each other but are drawn apart due to the political schemes.
The entire drama is full of palace politics schemes, lies and betrayal. The ML and FL have to deal with the various plots that are being schemed against them. Despite the conditions they end up falling in love with each other but are drawn apart due to the political schemes.
Apart from the roles played by the lead actors Chen Kun and Ni Ni, I also liked the roles of Bai Jingting who plays the role of Gu Nanyi, Feng Zhi Wei's loyal bodyguard, Zhao Li Xin who plays the role of Xin Zi Yan, Ning Yi's friend and advisor and Edward Zhang who plays the role of Helian Zheng, The King of Jinshi and Feng Zhi Wei's husband.
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I HATED THE ENDING
I honestly found the the story very interesting and i binge watched it for 3 days. But it got quite confusing so, i started to skip part on from ep50 (also i watched every ep at x2.50 speed) ;) which is the only reason i finished in in 3 days. I cant explain how my heart was utterly stolen by the Gu Nanyi the bodyguard of the main lead, but also i loved Helian Zheng, defs my fav characters. But i could not stand the main leads relationship, highly flawed would not be an exaggeration of it. Honestly the ending not only confused me, it mad me quite angry, but atleast i had no emotion attachment to any on the main leads of the story.Would i recommend it? Yes. Only cause it was amazing even if i thought it was very annoying
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Love blossomed between between political conflict
The story of the show is common like any other Historical political drama but what makes this Drama DIFFERENT from others is solely bcoz of How Alloy Chen and NiNi put their soul while portraying their characters as Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei, it felt so alive like everything is happening in front of me.There are parts which felt a bit draggy and similar, i wish they could have merged the Ning Shen and Ning Qi part together rather than showing them separately.
I truly adored the relationship between Headmaster Xin and Ning Yi, they had that brotherly friendship bond between them which is quite rare to see. The time Ning Yi reunited with his Mother while Headmaster Xin lost someone precious it was really hard to see him, Headmaster Xin was in pain and had a lot to say but Ning Yi didn't realised also, the time when Ning Yi became the emperor and asked Headmaster Xin to become his minister but he denied to make him understand how he felt back then was just so sad.
The Love Story between Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei is really like a treasure, though i knew may be they won't be together but still i was hoping for them to end up together. Sometimes i also wished if Zhiwei mom had taken back her Oath in respect of not letting her marry Ning Yi since, both deserve to be Together. The way Ning Yi said that he wants Zhiwei not only in this lifetime but in every lifetime ..awwwww that so sweet and melting 🥰🥰 it really shows how true his love is.
The ending was really sad and i wish there can be a SEASON 2 about Feng Zhiwei is alive and finally reunits with Ning Yi.
Nanyi was so cool, i really loved how he always says "Wherever you go, i will follow you".
Things i find a bit weird is:
1. Headmaster Xin is such a reasonable man i didn't expected him to kill Lady Wang.
2. Fine that Nanyi was trying to avenge Master Zhong death and he wouldn't in any case will hurt Consort Yale but who keeps the carriage on the edge of the clif ???
3. Why Ning Yi didn't realised what Ning Qi is trying to achieve ?? Ning Qi was the one who wanted the Feng Hao and Qiu Mingying identity to be revealed so he can also get rid of Feng Zhiwei.
4. Helian Zhang was so stupid to kill himself so he can make Zhi wei hate Ning Yi🙄
Acting Skills
Aloy Chen: I m so in love with his acting, he literally brought life to Ning Yi's character ❤️
NiNi: She did an excellent job in portraying as Feng Zhewei, her expression were on the spot and dialogues delivery were so bang on ...I just loved her 🥰
Rest of the Cast also did an excellent job in conveying their character.
I gave it 9/10, deducted 1 point for repetitive parts and not ending it properly.
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This is epic with lots of drama and interesting characters. Thankfully this isn’t about scheming mistresses so it’s a welcome break from those plots. The focus is the fight for the throne and it’s prince vs prince for the vast majority of the conflict.
The problem is the writing which introduces a lot of small plots that go to a climax and then disappear as if they never happened. Lots of unresolved issues which is unsatisfactory. There’s also the big ill-fated which is so freaking tortured, it’s hard to keep track of the current reason why they are pushing each other away. 70 episodes is a LOT to fill and there were just too many low points.
Overall, it’s lovely to watch and some great plot bits, but there are definitely some weak points.
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