Scarlet Heart (2011)

Really a tearjerker

Where to begin... this was an awesome drama. I watched it online and quality may not have been
good but overall the story was pretty good. This is a grand narrative about a modern women stuck
in centuries old aristocratic society. WIll her heart which leans towards modern values of friendship
and monogamy win against dogmatic aristocratic rules and hierarchy?
She was liked by most of the princes, became sweetheart of two of them but they were not able to
let go of their obsession with the throne and mutual hatred it bred.
The 4th prince who was supposed to be the fated suitor for Ruo Xi (lead female character) made a small
mistake due to his deep seated haterd and missed the chance of his last good bye with Ruo Xi.

Ruo Xi also suffers from curse of Omniscience. She is anxious most of the time knowing
the bloody fate which awaits most of the princes. It makes her sick.
Towards the end of the story however she discovers that it was infact her involvement with the 8th prince
which had a cascading effect and resulted the history as she knew it (weird time paradox)

The drama is kind of dark. All the actors have done a brilliant job. Cecilia Liu was fabulous as Ruo Xi.
Nicky Wu was excellant as 4th Prince. Their chemistry was impeccable.
Their sad scenes made me jerk tears. Lots of longing and regrets.

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Good time travel drama

I didn't like to watch this drama at first, because I didn't really like the bald styling of this era. I ended up watching the korean version first, but dropped that because I didn't enjoy it for some reason. The korean version had young, good looking actors "with hair", but the acting just didn't do it for me and it had way more drama e.g. ML with mask/scar w/c I felt was unnecessary. Here, the acting was on point and the storytelling was well executed and made sense. The ending was satisfying, and to be expected from this genre.

The beginning soundtrack is great, and good to listen to over and over.

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A series that makes you keep reliving the different aspects of the drama over and over again while listening to the songs. After watching this series like a good book I didn't know what to do with myself, just kept on thinking of everything that I've just watched. I loved the characters and fell in love with the 4th prince immediately. Loved 13th Prince's attitude and 14th Prince's loyalty. I did for a little while like 8th Prince and how he was but the longer that I watched the more annoying he became. I felt that towards the end some of the things that he did really was quite cruel. This series really tugged on the heartstrings and made me cry for most of it.  

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The visual effects and the costumes were great. I'm glad that the women's hair was not out there, I mean OUT THERE! Thank you for that! A lot of sons for sure and most fell in love with (Cecilia Liu) Ma'ertai Ruo Xi . She only loved one but I think she teased a few! I feel that all the cast did great telling this story. I'm just glad there was not any catfighting concubines in this story. If me being born back in that time, I would be more scared of the concubines, consorts, Empress and so forth then the men! Those women were d a n g e r o u s! Overall, it was okay!

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This is one of the best period dramas I have ever watched (and I've watched a lot of period dramas) and, in my opinion, it's up there with Princess Pearl and Nirvana in Fire. It was so moving, heartwarming, sad, and all around an amazing drama that I would recommend to anyone.

Characters:
Character development is where this drama really excels. None of the characters were solely good or evil--they were gray characters, developed to perfection, with backstories and individual motivations/goals/desires that supported their actions in the drama. I LOVED seeing the characters change, grow (albeit sometimes negatively). This drama could have easily been overwhelming, seeing as how there are just so many characters and all the major princes (2nd, 4th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 14th) aren't referred to by name but by number. But the characters are all so well-developed that I was never confused. I empathized, I hated, I loved, and even after the end of the drama, I still cannot decide between Ruoxi's love interests, 4th and 8th prince, because they are so flawed, yet both so admirable, sympathetic, and real.

The friendships in this drama were so deep and moving that I thought they were more interesting than the romantic relationships. Two of my favorite relationships in this drama were the friendships between Ruoxi and 13th, and between Ruoxi and 14th. Key word: friendship. Despite how both 13th and 14th prince were both handsome and charming (and very much husband material), I never felt like romance was lacking in their relationships with Ruoxi. That's what was so beautiful about their relationships. And especially with 13th prince, the friendship was filled with trust and loyalty, steady throughout all the 35 episodes. Ruoxi and 13th prince profoundly changed each other's life, not through romance, but through a platonic love and desire that the other would find happiness.

Ruoxi herself was a strong, female character who steadfastly held onto her beliefs and didn't let her romantic relationships change who she was. Ruoxi's character development was very well done, stretched out throughout the course of the drama (which spanned for decades) so that it was believable. She matured both emotionally and intellectually, though her physical appearance was unrealistically the same throughout the drama. One thing that I would say, however, is that I wish this drama delved deeper into her modern life and ideals and then showed more of how her 21st century life influenced her actions/perceptions in ancient China.

Plot:
What I found refreshing about this drama was that almost every scene was necessary in advancing the plot. Very rarely did I fast forward to the interesting parts like I've had to do for most of the Korean dramas I've watched. The plot also felt cohesive, not a string of little episodes of conflict and resolution like many long period dramas. It started off lighthearted, but became more serious and sad as the drama progressed. It felt like I was watching life progress--starting off innocent, then encountering more obstacles and hardships along the way.

My only major complaint about the plot was that romance between Ruoxi and 4th prince, which was mostly interesting, bordered on sappy and overwhelmed the drama. The weakest scenes in the drama were the classic, cliched romantic scenes in which Ruoxi is walking, staring at flowers or the sky, then 4th prince steps out of the blue and staring longingly at her from behind. The drama could have been tighter if these scenes were cut, but that's just my non-filmmaker opinion.

Acting:
Liu Shi Shi (who plays Ruoxi) is a phenomenal actress and did a good job of showing Ruoxi's development from a naive, immature 16 yr old girl to a mature, elegant, strong woman. Nicky Wu did a good job of portraying 4th prince as stoic and silent on the outside, but filled with emotions within. My favorite actor and character, however, was Yuan Hong, who played the dashing, loyal, free-thinking 13th prince. He was downright perfect for the role. In fact, all the actors/actresses were perfect for their roles. Everyone in this drama knew how to actually cry in this drama (which I'm starting to think is a hallmark of good acting, especially in the asian drama realm). More importantly, they made me care about their characters and love this drama.


This drama blew up in China and it's easy to see why. I'd highly, highly recommend this to everyone, especially those who love a deep, complex series and who aren't afraid to cry, laugh, and fall in love with the characters.

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Amazing ! Intense ! Breathtaking ! Torturing ! Beautiful !

This drama is a masterpiece in dramaland.
It is a must watch for many reasons :
- Incredible acting (especially for a cdrama).
- Beautiful, realistic and well developped story.
- Amazing work from the makeup and costume artists, very good OST.

Cecilia Lui really outdid herself in this drama, and the other actors didn't fall short.

There is only one main character for me, that is her Maertai Ruoxi. Although in many scenes, we see things from the eyes of other characters, that is mainly to allow us to watch in an entertaining way what she will hear or read from others.
Because of this, we don't know more than Ruoxi and I could empathize completely with her thanks to this setting.

Every character is somewhat realistic and consistent, I really liked that.

The evolution of Ruoxi was very well described. After being uprooted from her modern day life, she valued relationships even more that in her past life because that was the only way to take roots in her new life.
Thanks to this drama everyone living in a socio-liberal democracy can fully appreciate the benefits of a modern society.

The tragedy for Ruoxi then began when she entered the Palace, putting her in the eye of the maelstrom, where she could only anxiously wait for the events she knew would happen.
Although the tragedy began then, Ruoxi cannot fully realize it, and blooms like a magnificent flower surrounded by her friends and loved ones.
But the Palace is the Palace, and history cannot be prevented, so Ruoxi still feels a veil is between her and the world. And the fear of the inevitable is already poking at her heart.

During her stay in the Palace, she could never fully realise her love, and eventually lost almost every root she had taken in this new life.
The agony of it is portayed so well that your heart will also bleed. At the same time, the watcher can predict the end, and let go, like Ruoxi.

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I was disappointed by the ending. The last few episodes really ramped up thee water works in me. I didn't know I was capable of crying so much. But yeah, overall it was a good story. I was afraid that it would have an awful ending. In the end it was just meh... I would have done it differently if I made the show, but I didn't so... eh. I'd recommend you watch if you like to cry and if you like sappy dramas.

The music was ok. The cinematic stuff was ok. I mostly just enjoyed the story. I'm just disappointed that it took such a melodramatic turn towards the last 15 episodes. It took me down a dark path that I wasn't prepared for. Yes, I was prepared to watch the emperor murder all his brothers, and even to watch their relationships all fall apart because of scheming and plotting. But, that's not what I got. Watching Ruo Xi Suffer was the hardest part in all this. Some warning would have been nice.

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Though I hate the fashion during the Qing dynasty, specifically the men's hairdo but this drama allowed me to overcome that hurdle. Absolutely amazing story and great choice of cast with exception of the 4th Prince. I didn't warm towards him and I find him too wooden with his acting. I understand that the character being portrayed is supposed to be cold-hearted in appearance. However instead he appeared to be robot-like.

I like the romance between Ruxi and the 8th Prince. I was heart-broken when it ended. How I wish they ended being together. He was still the virtuous prince in the end.

This is a heart-warming drama. The beginning was such a delight to witness how the female lead discovered that she had time-travelled and occupied inside a 16 year old body. Plot wise and how the story progressed was great, the same thing with the character development. It's such a heart-wrenching show that dramatizes a woman's life living inside the Forbidden City. Once you're in there's no way out unless you're dead or you've been disgraced. That's why I always love the Western civilization for giving us democracy. Thanks to Greece the birthplace of so called democracy. Women in the olden days were treated more like of an object instead of as a person.

I've also seen the Korean version and it was also a tear-jerker. But this original version has more depth and development of the story.

Critique: What I hate about Chinese dramas is it's always infested with fillers though this one is not. Bur how I wish when it comes to performance like singing of an actor or actress in a drama they should perform it live to make it appear believable. It shouldn't be lip-sync or dub.

Overall I was satisfied and in fact I've already watch this twice.

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I was highly recommended to watch Scarlet Heart by my brother. At first, I tried the first 2 or 3 episodes but feel like the story is quite boring and dropped it for a while. At that time, I don’t know any of the casts.Later, I started to like Liu Shi Shi and began watching again. Though the first episodes were indeed a little boring, as the story continues ,I started to see myself in the place of Ruoxi, imagined her sufferings and even started to hate 4 th prince and 8 th prince. At the last episodes, I was totally immersed in the storyline and my tears unconsciously dropped to my face. I even started to dream Ruoxi, 13 th prince and 14 prince.

What I like about this drama is that it is a history based time-travel drama. And I really praise the director for being able to make such a detailed ending.Happy or sad ending doesn’t matter at all, as long as it is detailed, it is really worth watching .

This is indeed one of the best dramas I have watched ...

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Competent historical drama, well-plotted and executed

Our modern main character, Zhang Xiao is no match for the crushing weight of the institution of the imperial palace. At first spirited and challenging, she comes to dread the inevitable and it taints her ability to connect in her relationships. Unfortunately, she comes to this realization in the first 1/3 of the show, which makes the remaining 2/3s a bit plodding and onenote.

[Comparison to the K Drama adaptation at the end]

The acting here is very good and despite numerous 'brothers' you are able to distinctly identify with them all. There's enough episodes to develop the main 5 or so brothers into complex characters. The music and production values are very high for the time period, and still stand up to the present day.

In comparing to Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Scarlet Heart Ryeo has a few cinematic scenes that really stand out and a more emotionally complex last few episodes. Our main modern character in the K Drama is much less spirited and more sweet and charming. The K drama, overall, however is very choppy and inconsistent with the plot, characters appear and disappear, act very inconsistently. I also found the side story with the mask, and the mask itself a bit ridiculous. Also, the K drama feels less grounded in politics and history.

Despite this mess, if I had to choose to watch one, I would watch the K Drama. Those 5 or so incredibly strong scenes have really stuck with me.

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Beautiful

the best word to describe this would be beautiful, theres nothing to not love about this except for the fact that chinese dramas are always so sad :( also i love that they didn't use filters and makeup to cover up liu shi shi's skin when she had a bit of acne, it looks way more natural like that. i love the music too!!! still listen to it 10 years later hahaha, im obsessed with angsty stories like this but most of the plot and people's motives seemed very reasonable and logical to me compared to a lot of the other dumb time travel dramas i've seen recently. i like how they placed lots of emphasis on the ancient societal views and maertai ruoxi's unique beliefs and values in that setting.

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