Love & the Emperor (2020)

This drama is a pretty solid drama for me.

The female lead works at a VR gaming company. She is very ordinary and has a crush on her boss. However her boss doesn't like her. She ends up being the first person to try out this game created about falling in love with an emperor. Inside she is an ugly maid . She also chose the setting of most difficult level , therefore she encounters a lot of difficulties happen to her.

I like the female lead and her acting. Her character is cute , likable and quirky. She has one speciality which is cooking. She works her way up from being a maid to a palace chef. She tries to find the button to save her progress during the game, and that's were she ends up meeting the male lead.

The male lead is the emperor. He is a very smart , caring loving guy. The female and male leads encounters are funny and their romance which blossoms is cute and enjoyable. They have really good chemistry. Lol a good number of kissing scenes for you fans out there ;)

The storyline flowed really well and eventually back to the reality. It goes back full circle .

If you like drama genre "reality to game ", then this is the right drama for you.

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Devoted Emperor - An Extinct Species

I have really enjoyed this short series despite many viewers claim the story being unoriginal with an expected outcome. This is an Isekai story whereby the female lead is transported to a parallel universe in the ancient times through virtual gaming. The story may not be original for many viewers, but I still find it sweet and relaxing. 

I love the performances of the two main leads Li Xia (Camille Hua) and Emperor Yang Mo (Alan Luo), Though this is my first time watching their drama, I find them authentic and lovable, and the couple has great dynamics together. Apart from their good look, I really enjoy the story of an emperor who truly loves a woman and is devoted to her even when she is of a low social status and not attractive; I like watching the emperor for valuing a person from the inside rather than from the outside. It's nice to imagine that somewhere out there, such characters do exist. Alan Luo has successfully portrayed his longing for Li Xia even when their relationship is prohibited. It is interesting to watch Li Xia managing an historical character with contemporary etiquettes and Camille Hua plays the role beautifully with her beautiful sweet smile.

I also love the side couple here, Jie Qing Shu (Joseph Wen) and Fan Ru Wiang (Li Hai Shan). Both generals, Jie Qing Shu is serious, quiet and calculative but Fan Ru Wiang is totally the opposite of him. Being outspoken, rash and impatient, Fan Ru Wiang always takes the lead towards Jie Qing Shu. Their dynamics are sweet and warm.

I like the narrative at the end of each episode. It reflects the thoughts of the writer, what the journey brings to him/her, and the lessons learned. The narratives are philosophical and provide deeper searches within the viewers' hearts.

The only issue I have is how the story does not even attempt to reconcile the sudden come and go of Li Xia. There is a lot of unanswered questions for the Emperor and the Generals (and people around them) regarding Li Xia, but these are not explained to them convincingly and they simply accept Li Xia as if she is normal like them. I guess, these are just characters from a video game that don't need to make sense of anything.

The low rating here (7.2 at this moment) is not justifiable and should not be taken seriously as it is only rated by very few viewers, hence does not represent the true value of the drama. This is a short and light romance drama that may bring good entertainment value to the viewers. Worth a try.

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