This is a must-see! I loved the visuals and as always Leon Lai displayed his Martial Arts capabilities, wish I knew if he really is trained in Martial Arts. Every time I see his acting, he shows great Martial Art skills. The visuals were good, costume designs were good.... Thanking all the other than one main actor I did not mention and cast, without them the story wouldn't have worked. The only thing I didn't like was that competition of one woman who is so in love and doing drastic things to snatch that man while he loves another... same story in most of these dramas.
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Love the actors
The plot got draggy towards the end but it was interesting. I would have rated it more if they taked more about the traumas of the leads. The 2ndfl was really annoying.The leads sweet romance made me fall in love with the characters. I love bai lu(the fl) and was really excited to watch this drama. About yan li ( ml) he is underrated they should give him more chance.
The suspence in the plot made it more interesting.
All over it is a good drama to watch. I binged it in two days so yea❤️
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This is a good drama to watch while waiting for a great one. It is a fictional historical with some nice action scenes, good camaraderie, melodrama, comedic moments, and a light romance that started too late into the drama. There’s also some mystery. Although the leading couple has good chemistry, their romantic scenes were playful and cute but not exciting. The leading character was written to show a cold facial expression for most of the show’s duration and it became tedious. The female lead’s character was fun and nice to watch but the character’s delivery felt off on the romantic scenes. Overall, it is a nice drama and it delivers entertainment. Enjoy it! Was this review helpful to you?
It was good, but not quite
I totally understand where the writer was going for this drama, however it wasn't well arranged which made half of the drama seem really boring and the other half confusing.STORY: I totally understand what they were trying to achieve, but the packaging was not suitable for the parcel, which is why it broke on the way to it’s destination. This means that the story could have been portrayed better than this, but it is still a good story.
ACTING: despite his obvious fate as a supporting character in every other drama, Lai yi really outdid himself, he did a good job. Bai Lu never disappoints so we don't even need to stress. All the actors were splendid. All the servants were attractive which was quite refreshing and the villains did a splendid job being evil.
All in all, it was a good drama, I recommend you watch it but I wouldn't settle for a re-watch.
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* I always say "IF ITS BAI LU, IT MUST BE GOOD" and yes indeed!!! The flow of the Plot is well arrange... a lot of twist & revelations.... there were part that u cant help but CRY... it is a good story of LOVE and FRIENDSHIP...
* Actor/Actress did well.. never doubt Bai Lu's acting...i did not see Jiang Jun here... she really played well.... the ML Leon Lai, im still urging to see more of expression.... & Alen Feng... OMG....his emotion in every scene is on point, he is really good, & as a Bai Lu fan.. hope to see him with her in a modern Series... they have Chemistry... during the 36 eps.. im always looking forward to see both them in 1 frame...
DISLIKE:
* Just 1 thing... I cant understand why they did not make the FL a good fighter since she is the leader of a gang, it did not go inside with the character... it could have been more exciting if she know how to fight...
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Lai Yi and Bai Lu - They were the reason I watched this
I like Lai Yi, and I like Bai Lu. Their chemistry in this was ok - not sizzling, and there wasn't enough PDA for me. The second couple were too playful for my, but they also had ok chemistry and their story should have been developed more. Overall, the storyline was pretty solid and well-played. The actors did a good job. You liked the characters who were good, you despised the villains. However, the measure of Karma was not suitable to the evil deeds they got away with. Love me some good payback, and this one was underwhelming.Allen Feng's character was pitiful - I wish he could have gotten a better ending since he really wasn't the 'bad guy' after all, and his sidekick. What a heartbreak.
I was shouting at the screen in many parts of this drama - cussing the stupidity of the characters. Reached for the fast-forwards button a couple of times, especially when the scene dragged out or something repetitious was going on.
OST was disappointing.
Rewatch? Hmmmm - maybe if I couldn't find anything else and needed some weekend watching.
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Fluffy romance, Comedic; Slow paced
I only watch all the way up from 13 episode, which I am planning on finishing the drama and re-editing my review if my thoughts change. But, I wanted to share my thoughts on this drama since I am more than 10 episodes in.Storyline/Plot: A lot of people felt like this drama was very slow paced and took so long to develop the romance between the main leads. I disagreed, you could tell Li Qing Liu (ML) was falling in love with or having an interest in Long Ao Yi since episode 1. As the story progressed, they slowly started hanging out more and getting to know each other. I didn't care about the cliques since of course this is a drama, so cliques are what to be expected. Furthermore, for this to be a 36 episode I don't think it would be reasonable for the plot to be rushed since everything needs to be well balanced and paced. On a higher note, I like the comedic and detective side of things since it added another layer for the plot. I don't a problem with them having Qing Liu as a long lost prince since he was able to compete with the prince Li Zhao (SML). Moreover, I didn't even really care since it wasn't a major hit to his character. Their was a few issues that I had while watching this on YouTube and reading the comments:
1. People wanted Ao Yi to give the prince, Li Zhao a chance because of Second male syndrome and it was obvious she was going to end up with Qing Liu. Which was not only annoying but disgusting because Li Zhao ended up being toxic and selfish. I don't understand and will never understand why is it that Second male leads can get away with nasty behaviors in the name of second male lead syndrome but the second female lead cant??? I don't hear nobody saying "I am having second female lead syndrome, the male lead should end up with her and give her a chance." I feel like the romance between two individuals or characters needs to be mutual on both sides not just one. Also, I don't even think that logic or mindset is even realistic. Because, I wouldn't date someone because they like me yet I don't like them.
2. Yes! Ms. Du was very annoying as a second female lead, but as a character she needs to be held accountable for her own behavior. I don't feel as if Qing Liu was responsible for how Ms. Du acted. He never gave her any incentives that he had any feelings for her. Moreover, she was his employee so it would have been a bit weird. She helped him based off her own free will, so he didn't owe her anything. Especially since she tried to belittle Ao Yi for being a lower class beggar.
Acting/Cast: I love both actors/actresses, Bai Lu and Leon Lai. I watched Bai Lu in Untouchable Lovers, while I watched Leon Lai in the ten miles of cherry blossom series and Ancient love poetry. Bai Lu, she tends to play tomboy or non-stereotypical women roles good. I am so used to it since she played a general in Untouchable Lovers. Leon Lai, I first watched him in Ancient Love Poetry which he played Gu jun. Leon Lai, he has a presence about himself that captivated the whole drama. Its sad that this man doesn't have much to his name as a main lead which is sad and a waste of talent.
Music: I hated the opening Ost since it sounds like something that would come out of a drama like Empress in the palace. However, the other songs were well fitted and personally liked.
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If you like Bai Lu/Lai Yi, this is a must watch romance comedy with twist and turns
This drama is one of the very few drama that Lai Yi took a lead role. He didn't disappoint me at all. I truly enjoyed his acting with his handsome looks. And the chemistry with Bai Lu was amazing. If you are fan of them, you really need to watch it. I actually watched it three time and I know what is the outcome, but I still enjoyed watching , laughing and crying.First half is a typical romance comedy. Until the half way, there isn't much of romance between two leads, but it was necessary to establish their relationship to develop stronger bonds as lovers. Then story line suddenly had unexpected twists and turns. I also liked the acting by all of the support roles and they have done a wonderful job making this drama for perfect 10. Some may think it was a weak plot, but it was good enough for me to enjoy the entire episodes.
If you like romance comedy, this is one of the drama you will really enjoy watching.
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Historic Drama with Fresh Story
Pleasantly surprised with this drama due to its solid storyline. I feel that many historical dramas have very similar storylines - either love story between a prince and commoner/outsider, uncovering court intrigue, or power struggle to inherit or usurp the throne. This drama had a fresh spin on these storylines. You can get a sense of where the story is heading, but can't really predict the details. There was also a solid ending, which I feel like I can't say for many historic dramas. There aren't many loose strings, and I feel like almost every character gets a satisfactory ending (note - I'm not implying happy or sad with satisfactory. I mean that I feel that the ending does the characters and story justice). Highly recommend this drama.Strengths:
1. Storyline - see above. Also, I don't think drama is super draggy either. I did skip through a lot of the antagonists' scheming, but mostly because I really wanted to know what twists they were going to put in the story.
2. Bai Lu's acting - she does an amazing job balancing serious vs light-hearted matters.
3. Secondary characters' acting - Zhao Wang, Xiao Qin, Yan Bin, Tai Hou, etc are all really good. They're pretty funny and lovable.
Some aspects that I would warn about:
1. Male lead's acting (Lai Yi) takes a little getting used to...he's a good actor, don't get me wrong, but I don't think he's used to having a lead role. Bai Lu is such a strong actress, that when his acting is juxtaposed with her's, it falls a little short. I do think his acting is a lot better the second half of the drama, where his character becomes more open and less rigid. I know some people are turned off by his acting, but I would encourage you to give this drama a try. I do think it's worth it.
2. Music is subpar. I think I've been spoiled by beautiful OSTs from this year's dramas (e.g., Go Ahead, Love & Redemption, Eternal Love of Dreams/ Pillow Book). The music that do have is pretty good, but I think there are only ~3 songs
3. Not exactly related to the drama, but I would NOT recommend watching episode previews (especially the ones from Tencent). They totally give away the entire story...grrr regret watching those.
TLDR: highly recommend this drama because of its fresh storyline and lighthearted, comedic nature.Please don't be dissuaded with an 8.0 rating...I'm pretty conservative with ratings. 10.0 is Nirvana in Fire level, 9.0 is anything close to NIF but a bit short.
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A basic romcom with strong women
First of all I loved the female lead. She was strong and independent. I loved how she was not afraid to be herself. Especially i loved how Bai Lu portrayed her. I honestly liked the whole cast. My favorite character has to be Xiao Qin. She was super cute and her romance with Yan Bin was absolutely adorable!The story was alright from what I remember. Not bad. I watched this when it came out but I barely remember the story so i think its safe to say that for me this dramas story was not very memorable. The love triangle was also pretty annoying in my opinion. I could not get what was going on in there. But overall I recommend this series for all the cdrama fans who have not still seen this.
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average low-budget drama
Story/Production:I'm actually a fan for historical comedy dramas. This one couldn't win me over. The problem wasn't it's low budget, but it's script-writing. The comedy wasn't my taste either. The stronger point is that it stays most time on the comedy route til the end unlike some other production.
Actors/Characters:
All the characters are very flat and stereotypical imo. The actors are trying their best and I would say they actually fit their roles. But at the end the average to good acting couldn't rescue the drama. Bai Lu is actually very suited to act in such historical comedy dramas. Imo her potential got wasted here.
Overall:
An very average low-budget historical comedy drama. Bai Lu fans can have a try.
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A classic series, nice, even if it is not the drama of the century.
A good historical-romantic drama with Bai Lu (in FL, always excellent) and Lay Yi (in ML for once, not in an evil or supporting role).Plot: meeting between a noble and rich silk merchant & the leader of one of the 9 gangs. They will confront each other, get to know each other and do business together, then fall in love (despite the tricks of a persistent love rival, helped by his corrupt & ambitious father). The continuation of their adventures will lead them to the imperial court.
PROS:
+ well-written, coherent story (a bit "dramaland" though :)
+ Very good actors, including the secondary characters.
+ a strong, independent and intelligent FL
+ good chemistry in the CL
+ well-suited OST
CONS:
- lots of cliches: stubborn-obsessive rival, unwanted arranged marriage, court plots, corruption, poisoning, etc.
- lengths in the narration (2nd part)
I watched the 2nd half of this series at speed 1,5, thus i don't think that I would rewatch it one day.
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Bon drama historico-romantique avec Bai Lu (en FL, toujours excellente) et Lay Yi (en ML pour une fois, pas dans un rôle de evil ou support).
Plot : rencontre entre un noble et riche marchand de soie & la dirigeante d'un des 9 gangs. Ils vont s'affronter, apprendre à se connaître et à faire des affaires ensemble, puis s'aimer (malgré les tricks d'1 love rival persistante, aidée par son père, corrompu & ambitieux). La suite de leurs aventures les conduira à la cour.
PROS :
+ histoire bien écrite, cohérente (un peu dramaland quand même :)
+ De très bons acteurs, y compris les personnages 2aires.
+ une FL strong, indépendante et intelligente
+ bonne alchimie dans le CL
+ OST bien adaptées
CONS :
- beaucoup de clichés : rivale obstinée-obsessionnelle, mariage arrangé indésiré, complots de cour, corruption, empoisonnement, etc.
- des longueurs dans la narration (2eme partie)
=> Une série classique, sympa, même si ce n'est pas le drama du siècle.
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