Zhao Lusi carries this show
Cdramas always have this problem whereby the ending is such a mess. That aside, Leo Wu and Zhao Lusi (and many other side characters) were very good in this one. I started watching this to fill the huge hole Alchemy of Souls Part 1 left in me (Mu Deok 😭😭😭) and Zhao Lusi's hilarious and lively Shaosheng and Leo Wu's taciturn and competent General Ling Zisheng (he has the most expressive eyes) left me a bit obsessed and I binged it in 3 days.Part 1 focuses on the troubled mother and daughter relationship between Shaosheng and her badass and tough mother. Part 2 focuses on court intrigue as Shaosheng settles into life in the palace.
As much as Shaosheng and Zisheng's storyline is romantic, sweet, heartbreaking, (frustrating), and poignant, equally as moving and precious to me is Shaosheng's relationships with the mother figures in her life, and the complex and quiet background triad of the Emperor, Consort Yue and Empress Xuan. Empress Xuan's love for Shaosheng and Shaosheng's joy in this newfound nurturing mother-mentor figure is so touching. Shaosheng blossoms in this relationship, learning to understand her complicated relationship with her own prickly and harsh mother a lot more. The complex triad of the Emperor, Empress Xuan and Consort Yue is as fascinating and subtle as any main romance. There is jealousy and resentment, but mainly there is camaraderie, companionship, and love. (Also I love Consort Yue).
I enjoy complex character dramas and I liked that most characters are finely drawn, with complexity and nuance. Shaosheng is her own worst enemy in relationships and constantly acts out; Ling Zisheng is not much better and compartmentalizes the different parts of his personality. Both live under the long-reaching arm of childhood trauma. Somehow two damaged people come together to form a healthy (codependent?) love lol.
Poor scriptwriting is still obvious (and becomes more obvious the closer we get to the finale lol) and characters started acting stupid and the plot starts to flipflop between ridiculous exaggeration or melodrama lol.
Anyway, this was not bad and I'm quite sold on Leo Wu's performance (was kinda meh about his character in The Long Ballad). Zhao Lusi continues to bring that special liveliness to her roles.
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what it means to love and be loved
while watching part 1 I kept thinking how much it reminded me of the story of minglan. lo and behold I come to find the author of the novel this drama is based on is the same as that of the story of minglan. so so if you liked that, you'll like this and vice versa.that being said, this drama is a slice of life with a government plot line in a romance story. I say slice of life because its a really good view on what it meant to walk through life in the period the story takes place. as such it takes on a thicker overall tone compared to many other Chinese dramas.
this is only the first half of the drama, and it beautifully shows you these characters who - even if they aren't shown frequently - all clearly have a rich history in their life that have contributed to how they become as individuals. the overall theme is essentially love. both having it and the lack thereof; both giving it and withholding it.
the characters develope with every anecdote, every family crisis, and every national event and the changes are subtle but of have weight. what I appreciate is that even though the characters change and grow, they don't feel as though they have become different people - they are still very much themselves.
while our main character is "not like other girls" she is still clearly flawed. and no, not flawed because she's uneducated and basically illiterate. even with an education she would probably still be a trouble maker, as its clear she has a perfect blend of both her parents traits. it's a good contrast to minglan, who was docile and secretly a genius at scheming. niao niao is quite intelligent herself, but extremely outspoken and quite ill mannered.
yall just gotta watch this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
❤️?
Love like a galaxy for me is one of the greatest cdramas I have ever watched. Wu Lei and Zhao Lusi have amazing chemistry. Initially the reason I watched this cdrama was caused by Zhao Lusi. I adored her since 2018 🥹 but then I discovered WuLei who plays Ling Buyi. Her character as Ling Buyi suits him perfectly. I'm surprised he's younger than Lusi🤣 but he can play as gege(?) very well. The plot and acting of all the characters are also really good. but unfortunately there are not many OSTs.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Really good
Season 1 (episodes 1-27) had slow start. It took a whopping six episodes for Shaoshang and Ling Buyi to finally meet face to face. Before that, nothing was happening aside from Shaoshang showing absolute disdain towards everything and acting like a spoiled brat. She was supposed to be a neglected and abused teenager who was left as a baby with her relatives while her parents served in a war. The writers didn't do a really good job flushing her out her character at the beginning. She stumbled between being portrayed as a neglected teen to acting very whiny and entitled. In every scene she would go out of her way to act out and complain about everything, instead of trying to reconnect with her parents. Fortunately, the writers didn't let her fester into an unlikable shrew and her character development picked up nicely. It turned out she loved to learn about how things worked. She was very sympathetic to other people problems. And she was a great problem solver.Her mother's actions were very confusing. For someone who was a seasoned general, mom showed extreme shortsightedness when it came to parenting. She knew very well about her daughter's accomplishments, but instead of looking at the big picture and appreciating the fact that Shaoshang did not grow up to be shallow and spoiled, mom always fixated on her daughter's smaller problems - a lack of education and etiquette. Mom's inconsistency showed even more during Shaoshang's engagement. She did not want the marriage with Lou Yao because he was unintelligent, weak, and wasn't able to protect Shaoshang. Mom also picked up on the fact that Ling Buyi liked her daughter. However, when Ling Buyi proposed, mom immediately put her daughter down to be some awful and unintelligent simpleton who was unworthy of anything. It was no wonder Shaoshang wanted to get away from that house. The icing on the cake was mom's favoritism towards the cousin, instead of trying to reconnect with her daughter.
I really wanted to see the mom and daughter's relationship grow where Shaoshang realized that her mom wanted to prepare her for the adult life and teach her how to navigate society. In return, mom would realize that Shaoshang was a very special and beautiful person and finally got over her fixation on Shaoshang's upbringing. There were some very good moments where I thought mom and daughter would finally grow close - the one where mom slapped one of the ladies at Lou Yao's house. But then there was the scene with Lin Buyi's proposal where mom was a total let down.
The way the Cheng family was portrayed as a "military" family was odd. General Cheng was a general, just like Ling Buyi. But General Cheng didn't seem to have any kind of influence or power at all. At 21, Ling Buyi had an awful lot of power and influence, and even an army to command. General Cheng was nowhere on that level even thought he spent his entire life fighting and was at least twice as old as Ling Buyi. The only person who seemed to have any kind of military discipline in the Cheng family was mom. The two brothers, who were with the parents when they were away, acted like spoiled and pampered aristocrats, instead of military children. They also looked like they never handled a weapon in their lives.
Some storylines needed serious cropping, like the very long engagement to Lou Yao that wasn't going to work out anyway. Shaoshang and Ling Buyi playing catch up with each other could've been sped up a little bit too. I wanted to see more of them hang off the roof together instead of watching Lou Yao bringing her snacks.
There were also some very great scenes showing the build-up of Shaoshang and Ling Buyi relationship. The scene where she pulled an arrow out of his chest was hot and very intimate.
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A bundle of Joy
I liked that this one did not have backstabbing and betrayal by family members. I felt there might be the typical cousin lover fight but there wasn't and the Cheng Family were very good to each other and entertaining to watch. I was damn impressed with Old lady Cheng, she cracked me up each time :) and there was a lot of cunning schemes and revenge done by the FL which gave me story of minglan vibe and the ML quest to uncover the truth of his _____ death was a long journey of 15 yrs it reminded me of yanxi palace in which FL goes from simple servant in the palace to imperial consort with tons of scheming to finally avenge her sisters rape and murder. Overall it's a good watch the only thing I felt it missed was not seeing them having a family of their own. A scene of them living Shang's dream of simple village kinda life or maybe a scene of Qiqi and Song's kids playing around with their Uncle Zisheng (ML). Ah it would have been a perfect ending. We also missed out on their wedding and the rest of the siblings. Those scenes would have made this the best of the best drama IMO.Was this review helpful to you?
zhao Lusi slays once again
Came for Zhao Lusi's wonderful acting.Stayed for the romance.
It's quite a riveting story.
Cons:
The fourth consort's daughter's husband's nephew's wife, prince of X, and cousin on the maternal side, who is the assistant to the Marquis. That's pretty much one character out of the 50 they reference. Could NOT keep them straight. ERgo, couldn't follow the mystery and deep secret part. Like it anyway but it was exhausting trying to pay attention, stop to google the character names only to come up empty handed. Still enjoyed it.
Note;
These are not discreet war scenes. there is quite a bit of gore. Be prepared if you don't like that stuff.
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Not what I expected (in a good way)
I've never read the original novel, so I thought it's going to be a romance drama between FL & ML with some palace politics here and there. I never imagine that in the 27 episodes, is more about family conflict, FL-ML close interaction (romance) is almost non existent LOL. But what surprised me more, is how much I enjoy this drama. I like how the story focused on the development of the FL and her interaction with her family, the mother-daughter conflict, surprisingly, quite realistic. I love all the elders character, the senior actors are all very good, especially the grandmother, LOL, the grandmother is really something, so funny. I like how the FL slowly learn about relationships and grow to be more mature. Nothing is rushed, just the right pace. The director really make good story flow. Can't wait for the second part of the series.Was this review helpful to you?
Can't move on
It is one of my hang out with with friends and neighbors to watch all Zhao Lusi's drama. She portrayed her part in this drama amazingly. and all her dramas, I could say that I started being addicted of C-dramas because of her but only her drama that we watch. and take note, we are adults and mothers and we watch as family and as friendly bonding with friends.I see many haters of Zhao Lusi but this makes her loyal fans love her more. She's a versatile actress and beautiful. I could say she's the only Chinese actress whom I like watching.
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Most underwhelming series, after The Story of Minglan
This one and The Story of Minglan, of 2018, have the same original author. However, what a huge difference screenwriters and directors make ... The Story of Minglan was a rich tapestry of characters and story lines that put that production in a class of its own. Superb! 'while this Love like the Galaxy, of 2022, was one is a pain to watch. Other than superb acting, everything was underwhelming. Soooo, so lacking. Sooo, so schematic that it was painful to watch the poor actors delivering so well on skinny characters which had nothing to deliver other than cheesy monologues; horibile sound track, with tunes which sounded like free downloads from the Internet, and the list can go on. I give a ten for perfect make up. And a 20, again, to the wonderful Chinese actos. But other than that: a pain to watch and see what botched job poor screenwriters and directors can do from work originally created by a very good writer.Was this review helpful to you?
Masterpiece. Period.
I could write so many things about this Cdrama, acting, costumes, sceneries, the amazing storytelling. It make your heart beat like crazy in every single episode, to the point I don't get that its not rated with a 10 ⭐ with white flags already.!!! The only negative is the release of the episodes... so slow, not enough. Leading actors absolutely mesmerising and with a huge chemistry between them. I'm currently in episode 12 and I can tell that my heart will break with this love story before we witness the happy ending of their story. Overall I think its a masterpiece of its kind.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Update: It gets better starting with episode 6. At first, it was bad!
Although, I genuinely like the male lead actor, I was disappointed to see him play the male lead character. To be honest, as of episode 3 I don't think he is doing as good of a job as he did in his prior historical dramas. Not bad, but not great either. I believe this drama would have been better if they casted an actor between the ages of 30-45 (this doesn't mean the character has to be the same age), with phenomenal acting experience in political based historical dramas.While the storyline is good, the script and production is lacking. What I mean is, in episode 1 the male lead and the army won a war and the first thing he does after returning home (well, waiting outside of the gate) was to leave and investigate a case. The political plot in the first 10 episodes, felt rushed, and unrealistic; it was as if they were looking for a way to find a quick way for the female and male lead to link up with one another. Also, there was no significant moment shown to us to explain why the male lead character liked the female lead character.
Next, the female lead characters mom, hadn't seen her daughter since she was a baby, and instead of embracing her with love, she embraced her with rules that could have waited until she started spending good quality time with her daughter. For goodness sake, she heard that her daughter often was starved by her grandmother and aunt. Additionally, at one point, she was left to die outside of their town. The mother's behavior is not endearing but it seems very cold, and harsh. Her character is enough to make me want to drop this drama. I'm hoping that the writer allow her character to develop.
If the script, acting, and mothers' character doesn't improve by episode 6, I'm going to drop this drama! Note: The mom's character doesn't become tolerable until episode 20.
Update:
You will start to like this drama by episode 6. Things definitely make a turn for the better. However, I still don't like the male lead character storyline. It seems unrealistic. Additionally, the actor is overacting.
My favorite episode was episode 15. I hate the political plot because it's not logical nor is it well written. However, the female lead character storyline is pretty good. Additionally, the female lead actress did a phenomenal job acting, as well as the actor who plays Yao. Kudos!
I'm currently watching episode 21, and when I see the male lead character, I sigh due to disappointment. UGHHHHH WHYYYYY I don't know if it is because of his character, or the actor, or both! Btw, who else is sobbing after watching episode 21? Where's my tissue? Also, episode 24 (towards the end) is the only time that I liked the male lead actor and character in this drama. Unfortunately, the mom in this drama reminds me of the relationship that I had with my mom. My mom has narcissistic personality disorder, and used to belittle me in front of others. So the end of episode 24, definitely was a trigger.
After watching episode 25, I realized that part 1 was focused on the female leads family and part 2 will be focused on the male leads family, and their marriage. I LOVE how the male lead rides (supports) the female lead at Yao's wedding (the end of episode 25). By episode 26, I finally start liking the male lead character (although, I think the actor could have done a better job acting).
The flashbacks at the end of episode 27 was much needed (I forgot how much the leads interacted with one another), and was a perfect way to end season 1. After watching episode 27, I raised my rating from 8.0 to 8.5.
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This is the best drama I have watched in a while!
I am only on episode 12 and will allow that I am checking two or three times daily for previews or further episodes. It is that good. It has everything. A very good story line, a female lead who is more than 2 dimensional and men who are also more sensitive than usual. It has humor, which makes some of the harder themes bearable. The secondary women are also interesting. The mother is a hard ass, not lambastic at all. (The Grandmother and one aunt fill that role..neither will appear in any further episodes as their roles where filling in the backstory. ) The cousin is a wet noodle but good hearted, I think it is the third aunt who plays the role of a kind hearted mother figure to the MF. So, I guess what I am trying to say is that all the main women in this show dominate the screen and is worth watching if for no other reason than that. I am not good at writing reviews, but this show is so good it is a shame no one has done so as yet.Was this review helpful to you?
