I saw a clip for this drama because I liked the FL and thought I’d give it a shot to see if there was such a thing as a sweet historical romantic comedy. And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! There wasn’t much to the plot and there were some cliches, but I liked how things were resolved fairly quickly. It was a light and easy watch... exactly what I was looking for. The FL and ML’s chemistry was so sweet and believable ... I wondered too at times (like I’m sure many did), if they actually liked each other in real life! The friendship amongst the 5 friends was also fun to watch and I loved how they all stayed loyal to one another to the very end.
I’m definitely more open to watching more historical dramas after this one, although I still don’t know if I can handle the more traditional tragic ones where it takes them 30 years to reunite and only after 50 episodes ( if one of them doesn’t die first!) ?
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This review may contain spoilers
At first I quite like this drama. So long not see the ML that flirting with our FL in historical drama. But due to one illogical plot I have to reduce the score.What I like:
+ FL smart, brave, adorable sometimes. Well what not too like about this FL... Haha...
+ ML handsome, smart, not so cold & kinda flirty with our FL... Haha...
+ The chemistry between our lead couple. Even though it's not the best chemistry, but I can feel their feeling for each other.
+ How Pei Zhao / Prince Qi (PQ) respect Su Ci (SC) opinion & her job. PQ never use his position as a prince to make things easier for SC at her job. Even when she compete for her promotion, PQ only teach her & do his best to assist her in her lesson.
+ Adorable second couple. The stupid Xie Bei Ming & smart Dong Ru Shuang at the first look not so match, but in the end their the perfect fit for each other.
+ The unusual brotherhood of Prince Qi & Emperor. Usually brother of empire like to stab each other, but here see how trust emperor with his brother is really comforting.
+ The good choice that Xie Bei Ming (BM) pick. We can see the struggle BM when he has to choose between the right thing to do and his adopted father. Even though still he kinda stupid to try avoid everyone in the process....
The minus:
- Once more all the case kinda force to be there. To make this drama still about investigation upon all the story.
Ok the illogical plot that I meant. Don't read if you don't want to get spoiler
Maybe it's only me but I really feel this kinda strange. The incident where SC try to stab PQ. She said it's because she recognize his voice as the mastermind behind the massacre of her family, but hello... Aren't you supposed already know PQ voice from the beginning.... How can you just identify him as the murderer now.... For me it's doesn't make sense, because for me his voice is no different from the beginning. And that whole 'incident' or story just for they can make the thing happen later kinda make sense or feel more tense....
Overall this quite good story for you to watch.
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The romance arc is great. Cute and fun.
I loved just about everything about it. I'm not even going to pretend that my favorite element wasn't Pei Zhao, cause it was! I loved his self-deprecating, way of looking at the world, very down to earth and resourceful.Pei Zhao is an awesome hero, and Su Ci is an equally awesome heroine. She is gutsy, intelligent, and sweet. She never gave me the urge to ignore her and focus on the hero because I didn't like her.
My one complaint was detective aspect. Riddles and mystery. No, no and no. They were not fully developed and were boring.
That being said, I was invested in what happened between Pei Zhao and Su Ci.
I'm glad I watched this series.
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This review may contain spoilers
This was such a great series, one of the best Cdramas I've seen so far. The characters were great, the relationships touching, the cases they solved always interesting and the main arc so well-plotted!What I adored was that both Su Ci and Prince Qi were smart! They were intelligent and cunning and resourceful and lovely, kind people. But mainly, they were Smart(TM)! Both of them! And it was perfectly portrayed in how they both solved the final case, the main arc case, though they approached it from different sides: Su Ci by following clues, Prince Qi by trusting and working with people, winning them over.
Another thing that I loved was that Prince Qi suffered from PTSD caused by that one disastrous battle where he lost all the men under his command for which he never forgave himself even though it was not his fault but the work of a traitor.
Another thing that I loved #2 was how how much everyone loved Prince Qi: his brother (the Emperor himself), the Empress Dowager (even though Prince Qi was the son of her husband's concubine), all the prince's men (every single one of them would've died for him)... Because he was honest to gosh good people and everyone knew it.
I also loved how the relationship between Su Ci and Prince Qi developed, that he always supported her and ever since he found out that she was a woman, he did all that was in his power to change the laws so that she could officially work as an official. That was simply amazing.
Oh, and the ending was perfect. I loved it when found families stick together!
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This review may contain spoilers
One of the best cdramas I've watched
This drama involves 5 young people working together to solve crimes and uncover conspiracies. they seem to specialise in crimes which people think are committed by ghosts or angry gods, but are actually done by real people. The group is made out of Su Ci, a girl who cross dresses as a man to work at the investigation bureau and who is especially talented at noticing small minute details and logical thinking which are often is the key to the case. she is also the remaining survivor of her tribe that was accused of treason, and her goal is to prove the innocence of her people. Pei Zhao is a prince who is set on proving that there were traitors who sold out their army during war, and he has especially good sense of smell and hearing due to eye problems. Xie Bei Ming is a skilled fighter but not very smart, but he is loyal and has a good heart. Ru Shuang is a brilliant doctor and master of poison and she is often key in developing poison antidotes and saving lives. Fei Yue is Pei Zhao's servant and he is a good cook and very loyal to his master. The group solves a series of crimes together, ultimately all pointing to one mastermind, who is revealed early on in the series and is always trying to foil the group's plans. All the crimes end up being part of a big plan by the main villain, including both cases involving the leads.I especially liked the fact that there were no misunderstandings or drawn out conflicts within the group itself. the main couple each hid things from each other at the start but when they came to light the couple was able to work out their issues and distrust and eventually emerged stronger. the group dynamics were funny at times but I could also see the genuine trust and love they all had for each other and how they supported each other through their lowest times.
The plot of this show is not too confusing or convoluted, but not so simple that the cases are too easily or simplistic, I found it to be a good balance between being an easy watch while keeping me entertained and waiting for the 'reveal'. there is minimal angst throughout the show and enough comedic moments to balance out all the dying and plotting that is going on. the chemistry between the couples is realistic and believable and their growth was very satisfying to watch. Highly recommend this show if you're looking for something easy to watch but not stupid or over the top. Bonus plus point that both females are equally talented and bring their own unique strengths to the group and are important members as without both of them, the cases would not be able to be solved. The cross dressing trope was well used and I thought the FL was one of the more convincing cross dressing actresses I've seen.
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Highly recommend
This drama has exceeded my expectations in many ways.1. The storyline was well written, nothing was rushed or overly extended. Which i find is a rare gem when watching cdramas. It focuses on the goals that the couple is trying to reach all while they develop their relationship.
2. You can see a clear development of their relationship and how there were always helping each other on the sidelines. Also, be warned your expectations for a S.O will be so high after this drama.
3. You see how beautiful friendship can be.
4. The chemistry of the lead couple really took me away (especially how passionate their kisses were!) Which surprised me when i found out that it is the ML first drama
Overall i highly recommend this drama and it will be one that i will go back too if i don't get too carried away by all the other dramas out there.
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This review may contain spoilers
If only more dramas were like this
I never write reviews. Partly due to laziness and partly because there will be plenty who are better at writing reviews. However I am writing a review now because I was so impressed with this drama. First drama where I didn’t skip scenes or cringe at silly antics by the characters particularly female characters. It was overall a well written and well executed drama. Great mixture of romance, mystery, action and humour. It was pure enjoyment with minimal frustrations or disbelief at ridiculous actions or plot (except for one scene out of 32 episodes).What I loved about this drama:
* Great chemistry between the OTP. Beautiful couple who compliment each other. Except for the one scene where the FL thought the ML was responsible for the massacre of her clan which was quickly resolved anyway there was no unnecessary misunderstandings or conflicts. They trust, respect and support each other from beginning to end.
*Kissing scenes between OTP ... omg hot! None of those motionless eyes open kisses that are so common in c dramas. I liked how the FL also initiated many of their kisses.
*Not only is the FL strong, intelligent and independent but all the female characters are strong in this drama. No silly, bratty, airhead females with whiny voices (my pet peeve). Even the foreign Princess showed her strength of character when she confessed her feelings to the guard but didn’t expect anything in return.
*Handsome ML (pure eye candy) who isn’t your typical stoic, stern hero. He is calm , easy going and cheeky which compliments the FL more reserved personality. He gives FL the space she needs, trust in her ability and judgment even though she is a female. The actor although new did a great job portraying this character.
*No love rivals! So refreshing. Just wholesome healthy relationships.
*The strong bond and trust between the 5 friends and the royal brothers.
*It didn’t take long for the ML to realise FL was a female. Which meant there was sufficient time for the romance and relationship to develop.
*The villainous uncle although evil was also comical at times (talking to the parrot, his facial expressions like rolling his eyes) which was fun to watch.
*Great pace. Plot moved along nicely with no drawn out misunderstandings or angst. Mysteries weren’t that difficult to solve but still entertaining and each mystery was solved within a couple of episodes.
*The ending. Everything is resolved. The bad guys are killed, the good guys get their happy ending. No one had to die unnecessarily. Script writers take note... this is how you write an ending.
This is a light hearted drama that has a tight plot with interesting characters and relationships that remain consistent throughout the drama. It goes to show you don’t need the typical annoying tropes to create an entertaining drama.
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Highly recommended to watch?
Overall this series for me is 8.8/10. I love everything from story down to the characters. The characters of this series is really great love them. They selected them really well. There investigative cases in the series were great. It will leave you guessing who is the suspect. So its good for me. ? the flow of the story was not fast so it was really good. Unlike some series, they went to fast or there is something missing in the story. And the main actors are handsome.?? especially the prince. And his right hand man is also handsome.Was this review helpful to you?
Top 3 in my Cdrama list! A definite must watch!! :)
I would rate this the top 3 in my C- drama list!! Follow my Instagram acc Cykodramaqueen for snippets.Storyline is excellent! It was paced well, every episode was interesting. Another reviewer said it was 60% romance, 30% crime solving and 10% political intrigue. I would say the romance and love story is underlying throughout the whole drama. From how they met, finding out each other’s secrets, going through difficulties and falling in love- the development was fantastic, sincere and their chemistry was pretty good! Quite a few kissing scenes and lots of sweet touching moments<3 There are also some funny moments- second couple were cute. It’s Zhang Linghe’s first drama, and his voice was dubbed by another actor, so I would say not bad for his first work. I do like the voice actor’s voice though... it sounded like the same voice for A Girl Like Me :3
The crime solving plots and the political struggle for power are somewhat connected, together with both the leads’ past history. She’s basically like a woman Sherlock Holmes (thus the title) and her friend Rushuang is like a poison specialist, pretty much like CSI :) They will seek evidence and clues to solve the crime and determine who is the culprit.
I thought this was better than The Romance of Tiger and Rose (although I do like the actors in that drama. But the storyline and development in this is way better). All in all, I really enjoyed this, especially the last few episodes which was intense! A definite recommended watch <3<3<3
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Calm watch! Nothing too exciting
an easy and cute watch! there was something so calming about this drama. all characters were lovable and misunderstandings were solved quickly. there was no stupid headless chicken running around instead of communication between the leads. the kisses were STEAMY (other cdrama actors need to take note hehe).the acting was incredible from the whole cast, esp considering it was the ML’s first drama?! he did so well. i wouldn’t mind another drama with sebrina and ZLH as the leads again (or even the secondary couple being leads) ;) they all have such great chemistry.
there were some minor plot holes, like how SC just forgets that Prince Qi saved her but it’s a not a big deal and doesn’t ruin the drama. it is also a little bit slow paced, but not draggy. i felt there was a good balance between mystery and romance, but romance does overtake a little so if you like romance then this is very much for you. overall, i highly recommend!!
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Simple one!!
Maiden Holmes is simple in terms of story.The female lead trying to get justice for her wiped out clan unjustly.The male lead trying to know the villain who wants to bring him down.Both Zhang Linghe and Sabrina Chen were good as ml and fl.
The other actors were good in their roles.
The plot is mainly based on investigation,which I thought could be much more focused upon.
Friendship part was shown good,but lacks a bit intensity.
Overall this drama is a simple one yet worth trying for a one time watch, without many twists and turns.
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There is no tension in this drama. The main couple always do the right thing, and a lot of the teasing and tension of the first 10 episodes disappears. What kept me watching was the fun chemistry of the second couple, sweet and full of hijinks all the way through.
The music is decent with a wistful hint. There is no reason to rewatch.
I grade by other criteria:
Complex Themes - 3
I have nothing except stick to the righteous path. Friends are important.
Character Development - 5
Characters are roughy the same at the beginning as the end, though our 'Maiden Holmes' becomes a little lighter hearted and at ease.
Complex roles/relationships for women - 7
There were two female roles here, who were genuine friends, competent and professional. They did not just talk about their romantic relationships with men.
Production Design/Budget - 8
For being on the lower budget side, this is well put together with flattering costumes and sets and a decent amount of outdoor shots.
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