Wonderland of Love (2023)

Must watch 2023 drama..

This time tencent has done a great work with production of wonderland of love. WOL can fulfill any type of thirst of a viewer.... The pacing of show is fast and what I like most is how male leads have most screen time that s why there is not boring moments.

The acting and chemistry is on point between leads. Although this is a quite tragic story because of many deaths but it has a happy ending and little comedy to lighten up overall story...

In terms of story, acting, cinematography and from every aspect this drama exceeds my expectation.
I hope upcoming project of Xu kai are as great as this is...

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Good storyline and a must watch drama .

Let's first talk about its storyline It is definitely not boring, and it Keeps going better and better after every episode . Story is about Emperor's grandson who doesnt want to fight for throne but because of special circumstances And because of peace of nation he has to fight for it And in the process, he fell in love with the female lead . His father and brothers, who want the throne, are all useless , And for the throne, he wanted to kill li ni and in process many of his beloved one dies so he finally become crown prince ....

If we talk about actors they are really showing a very good chemistry . There are many few dramas every year who has such kind of great chemistry and they both are very strong and independent . Main lead very smart although all of the empire thinks that female leaders is a male But by first seeing her, he knows that she is a girl, which is quite interesting .

Music is also a very great and exciting which suits the war dramas and some osts are very relaxing I quite like them.

There are many few historical drama this year that I like most but I definitely know. This is one of them.

After completing this drama , i am feeling very happy because this is a epic drama ...

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How a leader of men becomes a follower of a woman.

Li Ni is too good to be true: a brave, patriotic, upstanding and brilliant young general who safeguards the border at the kingdom's farthest reaches with his Zhenxi army. He aspires to live a carefree, adventurous life at his beloved Laolan Pass with his found family of merry men, steering clear of his imperial roots. And no wonder; his royal father and two half-brothers are cowardly, venal, ambitious, duplicitous and so dumb they test the limits of the word. But destiny intervenes when a military governor Sun Jing seizes the capital, holds Li Ni's witless father hostage and the imperial grandson and rightful successor goes missing. As the kingdom descends into civil war, Li Ni leads the intrepid Zhenxi army to try to save the day. He encounters the bold and audacious A Ying, a lieutenant at the helm of the formidable Cui family army. At first glance, A'Ying is an awesome character; strong, independent, daring, ambitious and cunning. While they have different visions of the future, they are aligned in the immediate purpose of defeating Sun Jing. They join hands in an alliance that has each trying to out do the other in terms of being the one to seize victory. Sparks fly between them, suggesting a broader and more permanent union could be in the cards.

The political plot is very loosely based on the history of the founding of the Tang dynasty. The writing reflects a shallow understanding of politics and historical reality and just plain laziness. The writer clearly didn't know what to do with the one interesting and smart villain and thus quickly kills them off. We are then bamboozled with a bunch of very tired one-note villain archetypes who are surprisingly difficult to kill dead despite their limited brain cells. They are so done before too many times villains that they are not worthy of mention. The only good thing about the battle for the throne arcs are the action scenes; they are exciting and bloody. Xu Kai always delivers incredibly agile and powerful fight scenes and with a good action director like this, he really shines. The drama peaks at an epic and consequential battle around episode 32 and that is probably the best place to stop. It took me a long time to get through the final 8 episodes that were unnecessary and as bland as tofu.

In terms of the romance, this drama is anchored by good chemistry and flawless portrayals by Xu Kai and Jing Tian. It errs on the side of being overly generous with the fan service sweet scenes, which I only mildly enjoyed. I may have been more convinced had I not just come off watchingJing Tian beam beatifically up at Feng Shaofeng (Legend of Zhuohua) with that exact same limpid, adoring expressions. The bigger issue is that A Ying as a character is incredibly difficult to like. She is strong willed, reckless and has a most unbecoming need to win all the time and especially when she is wrong. She doesn't even "win" with any great, glorious or brilliant schemes; her kisses are essentially Kryptonite as far as Li Ni is concerned. It is beyond infantile that he would cede an entire city for a kiss! Li Ni's wants are mallaeble as far as she is concerned and she takes it upon herself to meddle in high power politics to achieve the outcomes she wants. When she doesn't like the consequences of her schemes, it is inevitably Li Ni's fault. The "dealbreaker" conflict between them never gets solved; their relationship is bailed out by events, which is an anti-climatic writing cop out that left me convinced they will surely end up divorced. She does not communicate with Li Ni, overestimates her ability to handle problems on her own and is oblivious to the fact that a deranged lunatic is after her even though he captures her many times. To my dismay, each of her near death experiences are just near. We are told this is a smart and independent character but we are shown she is not smart and constantly needs rescuing from her own hubris. Their love story is an utterly soul destroying tale of how a leader of men becomes a follower of a woman. The only love story in this drama that actually moved me was that of Consort Xiao.

This is Xu Kai's best recent drama after a string of disappointments and he does a really good job here playing a character with massive hero complex. As for Jing Tian, I didn't love her character but I am sure a less charming actress would have frustrated me into dropping this. Despite the good acting, the many logic holes, pedestrian sub-plots and cardboard characters make for a smooth but bland cocktail. I can only rate it 7.0. Overall it is not a bad watch for the fantastic fight scenes and squeal-worthy flirty moments.

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Choice between Wonderland and A Cage named 'Royal Palace'

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Plot:
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The plot looks promising and lived upto it.....

There's a kingdom named DaYu ruled by Li Family. The kingdom has three Great Generals: Sun Jing, Pei Xian and Cui Yi. Sun Jing rebelled against emperor and massacred Royal Family, Pei Xian is loyal to emperor, and Cui Yi is loyal to himself and country but not to emperor. All of them have their own army.

The story follows the seventeenth grandson of emperor LiNi (Xu Kai), who was nowhere near to become a heir for throne, and Cui Lin (Jing Tian), the sole daughter of Cui Yi.

LiNi lost his mother just after his birth, despised by his own father and grandfather because of his mother's humble background and exiled to borders to guard the country.

Cui Lin is a lieutenant in Cui Army renowned as 'Lieutenant He' and lost her mother while she was young in a war as her mother sacrificed herself while guarding the city with bravery.

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Characters:
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LiNi (Xu Kai): Also known as 'Shiqi Lang'. A clever, loyal, brave and free-spirited person. He is a kind, warm-hearted and emotional young man. He lead Zhenxi army to quell the rebellion of Sun Jing and intended to make world at peace by assigning throne to its real heir. Not an ambitious person and never wanted to return to the palace, let alone to be emperor. He just wanted a peaceful life (as he never had a loving and peaceful family) with his brothers in army, his wife and children, far away from royal court and politics. His intelligence, capabilities and war strategies are second to none. He loves Cui Lin with his whole heart and wishes to travel the Wonderland after marrying her.
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Cui Lin (Jing Tian): Also known as 'Lieutenant He' and A'Ying. A cunning, strong, prideful, ruthless but a practical and warm-hearted lady. She is ambitious and wanted to rule the kingdom if there is not any suitable person to rule in the royal family. Her cunningness could be considered as a cut above LiNi's 'cause she knows how to manipulate someone and make use of them. As she lost her mother in war so her motivation of life is to make world at peace by stabilizing the court and end the sufferings of common people caused by continuous wars. One of the best female leads I've seen in dramas so far. The only person who can match upto her is LiNi and she loves him but wanted him to shoulder the responsibility of throne to make peace to the world.
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Liu Chengfeng (Gao Han): An orphan, raised by Cui Yi as his own son with the identity of Cui Lin (means he is the fake Cui Lin) to deceive the court (as he only has a daughter and court would not accept his daughter as leader of Cui Army). He grew up with Cui Lin and was obsessed with her. He wanted her to be by his side all the time. He turned into a toxic person and I lost all the sympathy I once had for him.... I wanted him dead throughout the drama.
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Gu Wan'Niang (Zhao Jia Min): She is a shrewd lady, wants power and a powerful husband i.e., LiNi. I would have admired her character if she loved LiNi sincerely but she is on verge of becoming a toxic person who just wants her own good.
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Other support characters like Xie Chang'er, TaoZi, Lao Bao and the people in Zhenxi army are decent characters, not very interesting but good ones. I hated LiNi's father the most.... He is the most stupid person in whole drama. LiNi's elder brothers are greedy and after their father and Liu ChangFang, they are the ones I hated.

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Acting and Chemistry:
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Xu Kai is great as always... He did exceptionally beautiful job portraying his character. It's my first time watching Jing Tian's work and I'm impressed with her acting.... Their chemistry is on fire....the flirting and fighting, their bickering with support & love.... though it sometimes feel boring whenever they meet in Wonderland.

It's a long since I feel Xu Kai get a great deal. Their characters are a perfect match to each other in terms of intelligence and capabilities and as actors they also made a perfect match in appearance, acting abilities and everything else. There are a lot of sweet moments when you can't help yourself feeling butterflies in your stomach.... and emotional moments when you can't hold your tears back.

Other actors also did good job especially the old actors and I'm impressed with the actors who played Sun Jing and LiNi's father.

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OSTs and Costumes:
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OSTs are good. I loved the costumes and armors of main leads when they are in army but the womanly costumes for female lead... I didn't like it much. Designers could have done more better in costumes of other actors too.

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Pace of Story:
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It starts with an engaging plot and keep its pace maintained. Story drags a little in the midway but pick up the pace again after few episodes. The thing I have complain about is, makers made Cui Lin as a weak and dumb lady while dealing with Liu ChangFang and her actions didn't make sense despite her being a cunning person.

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Ending and Recommendation:
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After a lot of ups and downs its finally a happy ending. If you're considering to watch it then go for it without a second thought.... It's not perfect but definitely an amazing one....

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A MUST WATCH!! ??????

Okay!! First of all... i love Xu Kai. I'm not being biased now, I'm going to be straight with you. This is one of the best dramas so far. The chemistry between Li Ni and Cui Lin is WOW!!..FABULOUS!!!!. You'd think they're a real couple outside the drama. The story line was straight to the point, no unnecessary stretchs and their love was so mature and sweet, you'd want to get into a relationship because of them. And the song was beautiful.. perfect for the drama.. i don't know the director or writer but God bless you for this masterpiece!!!.. I can't wait to see what Xu Kai has in store for us next. Oh! And the bromance in the group. ... FABULOUS!! You would feel every emotion, both the sad, happy and even jealousy. It was amazing!!!!

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I like WOL a lot more upon its completion! Definitely, a must watch drama series for all seasons!

While I typically steer clear of costume dramas (not really my cup of tea), this particular WOL series has managed to captivate me in ways I didn't anticipate. It effortlessly earns its spot on the "must-watch" list with a compelling storyline that keeps viewers hooked to their seats. The pacing is well executed, complemented by breathtaking cinematography that adds an extra layer of richness to the story. For someone who's used to Kdramas 16 eps, finishing WOL's 40 eps is a personal feat to me now. Can't help it, I was hooked!

The leads as well as the rest of the cast have delivered great performances. Each actor brought depth and authenticity to their characters. The chemistry between Xu Kai and Jing Tian is definitely excellent with energy that enhances both the dramatic and romantic elements of the drama. In fact, what sets this drama apart is the clever and often humorous banter exchanged between them which is truly delightful to watch. The wit, fun, romance, clashes of ideas, and political interplay keep me eagerly anticipating each new episode installment. And Xu Kai's natural yet deeply heartfelt acting especially in eps 30, 31, 38 & 39 is highly commendable. This gentleman is truly a versatile and top-notch artist, in a league of his own. I am so glad they gave us a very satisfying and worthy ending! It's definitely a super feel-good ending to me!

A huge thank you goes to the creators and actors for delivering such quality entertainment. Kudos for crafting a series that not only breaks the mold but also leaves viewers yearning for more. May the success of WOL lead to even more exceptional dramas especially for Xu Kai and Jing Tian in the future.

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A great historical drama for watch

For me this is the Best drama of 2023 so far .
Although Xu kai s last few dramas are quite bad scripted but this drama shows his full potential . As his fan I am quite happy for him.

If we talk about a story it starts with the Emperor grandson who has no desire for throne, but because of external situations and piece of nation he has to fight for it .

The chemistry between main lead at the best part of this drama you will feel never boring with this couple. This is my one of the favorite 2023 couple.

This drama has a great rewatch value, because you will never feel bore even though you are watching it second time . .

I wish that Xu kai next Dramas are as great as this is . ......

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A drama with an engaging storyline, good production quality and enticing romance.

When I first saw the trailer for Wonderland of Love, I was intrigued because it looks impressive and grand. It generally received good reviews, so I decided to watch it as soon as I finish another series, and I’m glad I did!

What I like:
1) It's a fictional historical drama with romance, which is one of my favorite genres. The story is grand – there's romance, friendship, politics, intrigue, strategizing, battles – but it also has humor and it's not too heavy, so there is a right balance. The pacing is just right, so it's not boring. I especially like episodes 30 to 40!

2) The ML (Li Ni/Shi Qi Lang) and FL (Cui Lin/A Ying) are both smart, charming, strategic, and very skilled in martial arts and military tactics. Both are strong-willed, which is a double-edged sword. They are not one-dimensional characters, so there are layers and depth to their personalities, partly influenced by their backgrounds and upbringing.

3) Great chemistry between Xu Kai (Li Ni) and Jing Tian (Cui Lin)! I like their banter from the start, and their chemistry grows stronger as I continued watching the drama; it gets better as the story unfolds (I didn’t feel it strongly in the beginning). I’m so glad the production team is not stingy with the sweet and romantic scenes! They definitely enhanced my watch experience.

4) Xu Kai as Li Ni / Shi Qi Lang – He is a great leader, commander, friend and lover. He's also strategic, principled, prioritizes relationships (重感情), values his freedom and is not interested in palace intrigues, though circumstances forced him to be involved. He doesn't like infighting and competing for the throne. I think Xu Kai played this role quite well.

5) Jing Tian as Cui Lin / A Ying – She is a brave, smart (sometimes even cunning), strategic and independent woman. She is beautiful but not in the traditionally expected sort of way. I may not agree with some of her actions, but I do understand her motivations, where she's coming from. Right now, I couldn't think of anyone other than Jing Tian who could pull off her character.

6) Interesting supporting characters who add spice and flavor to the story, such as Tao Zi, Chang Er, Pei Yuan, Lao Bao, and the other soldiers in the Zhen Xi army. Even the SML (Liu Cheng Feng) and SFL (Gu Wan Niang), both of whom I dislike especially the delusional/obsessed and ungrateful SML, were good in their portrayal. I also like how the romance between Tao Zi and Chang Er developed; it's sweet and they look cute together.

7) I'm smitten by the costume design! They're generally beautiful and elegant, fits the scenes, and have good color combinations. I need to mention that their wedding clothes are just so beautifully designed and matched. I also like the colors and interiors of the Eastern Palace. It's serene and so calming to the senses.

8) The fight/battle scenes were well-executed. Nothing looked fake.

9) Good choice of songs for the OST! I especially like the opening theme “Wonderland of Land” sung by Curley Gao, which is quite upbeat and has rock elements, and the ending theme “If Love Still Remembers” sung by Liu Yu Ning, which is more mellow.

10) The ending is great! Love how they showed many happy, sweet and endearing moments, mended relationship, and the characters got what they deserved. Basically, it's a nice wrap-up for the drama, and they dedicated one episode to it, which I really appreciate :).

Other comments:
1) The emperor is such a lousy father – he's biased and played favorites, and he's partly to blame for how his 2 older sons turned out. It’s good that both sons got their just ends. He's also an incompetent ruler – unable to make sound judgments, and easily swayed by the advice of his ministers, some of whom have their own agenda to push. Good thing he got some redemption towards the end. I think Gao Shu Guang was able to play the character convincingly.

2) The SML, Liu Cheng Feng (Gao Han), may look frail and sickly, but I find him somewhat shady from the start. And when he tricked the Zhen Xi army (who had rescued them), it showed his true colors. The SFL, Gu Wan Niang (Zhao Jia Min), is actually smart and seemed nice in the beginning, but it wasn’t long before she showed her scheming side.

3) At some point in the drama, the ML and FL seemed to be in a deadlock, unable to move forward because of their opposing views. They would disagree, have a fight then make up, then repeat the cycle a few more times. I got a bit frustrated with some of the back-and-forth arguments.

4) I wished they had shown that Cui Lin eventually found out about what Li Ni went through just to clear General Cui Yi’s name, so the outcome was a good compromise already. I don’t know if it’s in the novel, but it was not shown in the drama.

Final Verdict: I really enjoyed this drama, it’s interesting, entertaining and a good watch, so I would gladly recommend it!

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"Xu Kai performed magnificently in his role!"

Honestly, it ranks among the top spectacles of the year that I have seen.
It is impossible to express how much I adored the main characters. Simply put, their rapport is phenomenal. I fervently desire to see them co-star in another film.
I admire the female protagonist's intelligence and strength; we desperately need more FLs like her. Not only is she capable of combat, but she is also exceptionally astute and can match his lead precisely, as opposed to constantly relying on him for assistance and leaching off of him. Certain dramas portray the fl as "smart" only to have her do the most irrational thing possible. This does not occur in this case; as evidenced by the plot, she is in fact intelligent, while maintaining her humorous and compassionate nature. Furthermore, without appearing excessively frigid or arrogant, she exudes an ideal amount of authority. Overall, Jing Tian deserves praise for her outstanding performance.

Xu Kai, like Jing Tian, performed magnificently in his role. In all honesty, I believed that his acting had even further developed, and he appeared to be the ideal King Qin. I adore the fact that he was intelligent and potent, yet he was also affable, trustworthy, and devoted. Clearly, both main characters looked utterly Stunning; I fervently hope they do dramas together again soon.

Notwithstanding their ups and downs, the primary characters never ceased to be in love with one another. Their tale is absolutely breathtaking. Possibly, the narrative could have been concluded earlier and required fewer episodes, but as an admirer of both Xu Kai and Jing Tian, it is truly a pleasure to see them both on screen.

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best historical drama of 2023 .

in terms of story , acting , cinematography and from every aspect this drama completely exceeds my expectation . Although last dramas of Xu kai are really not great but i know he just needs an opportunity for a bounce back in career . This is my first drama of jing tian but she is really a great actor .

story is about how a emperor's grandson who do not want to fight for throne has to fight for it because of special circumstances and peace of nation .

Drama always maintains a great pace and storytelling is really great with no misunderstanding from aspect of a viewer .

Music really suits every scene and there is a great sword dance in a episode .

I hope Xu kai ' s next dramas are all so good as this is . .

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Very Good. Highly recommend

Xu Kai to me has been a very interesting case study. He went on a string of bad dramas which some might disagree and that's fine....
Falling into your Smile.... She and Her Perfect Husband.... Royal Feast.... Lost in Kunlun Mountains....

My opinion is you need to play actors of high profile to their strengths.... Perfect example now, Wang Hedi in 'Only for Love' not played to his strength and drama was total disaster....

Credit to Xu Kai's management lately for 3 things.... (1) getting him back to his strengths.... (2) finding good scripts to compliment his strengths & (3) finding excellent female leads to compliment the scripts & his strengths....
- Gulnezer in Snow Lord Eagle I felt was amazing alongside Xu Kai, really enjoyed their drama but didn't receive good reviews....

Jing Tian seriously exceptional alongside Xu Kai.... When I think of her I think of consistency and charm, I wonder why she is not of status of a Yang Mi or Yang Zi at times but glad both her management and Xu Kai management see her as a perfect match....

The support characters just ok, it's really something both leads excelled in this drama....

Do recommend as again we are seeing 2 leads at their best....

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Beautiful cinematography, lacklustre last quarter

Wonderland of Love was a show I started watching while waiting for SOKP’s new episodes. I did not expect much from WoL- the title suggested a focus on romance and I had little interest in picking up a Xu Kai show as I hadn’t enjoyed any of his last performances.

However, I would say that up till episode 32, this was a solid show. The characters are interesting, particularly Li Ni (Xu Kai), and the veteran actors particularly elevated this show. The show had some of the best cinematography I’ve seen this year - like this director’s other works (The Untamed and even Legends) there are lovely shots of characters standing on rocks. The scene with Ciu Lin and Li Ni in the grass was lovely.

When it started, Wonderland of Love was a story about doing what’s right over what one desires out of life. For Shiqi what he truly desired was to be free. Yet Ciu Lin pushed him to be the crown prince, and he was so determined not to tread this path that he even broke up with her for that. In a way theirs was a deep love that goes beyond separation and insignificant matters. They each stand for what they believe them and defend those beliefs even if it meant to separate from each other. Love should not demand the sacrifice of one’s true self, and despite their love for each other, I liked that they respected each other, even if different values guided them.

The best episodes on the show were definitely episode 30 and 31. 30 was heartbreaking- the camaraderie and affection between Shiqi and the other guys makes this episode both shocking as well as tragic. None of the deaths are just for shock value - the friends say their farewells to Shiqi in a dream sequence in episode 31 complemented by Chen Xueran’s beautiful song. This is the best I have seen of Xu Kai- his restrained grief was very well done, and his scene with Jing Tian as he recuperated was really heartbreaking, as was his memorial for his friends. The scene was beautiful - Xu Kai (Li Ni) spitting blood after taking a sip of the wine, and the bamboo grasshoppers falling from the sky.

The cinematography was spectacular, really. At least until episode 31.

I wouldn't say that the beginning episodes were perfect - they were plenty of choppy moments - the editing was simply off for a long time, but still one tried to piece everything together. It made sense to some extent. Then came the best episodes: 30 and 31. Then, the show went in another direction. There were unnecessary villains - very annoying, clingy characters that never get a hint. I started forwarding the remaining episodes.

Anyway I hung on till episode 40, which was actually better than the episodes preceding it. The moment between the father and son in episode 40 was touching, but it did not really allow Shiqi the opportunity to heal those childhood wounds from the lack of love he received from his father.

I think Xu Kai did the best he could with whatever he had - this role suited him well. Jing Tian was good too, although I did not enjoy her character's trajectory from a cool woman to crown princess/empress. Somewhere along the line I’m not sure what the show really was about.

Is it worth watching? I think so - particularly for the first 31 episodes, for the beautiful cinematography and for the performances overall. I enjoyed many of the supporting characters- Consort Xiao’s love story was lovely, and the bond between the imperial grandson and Han was touching too. There were certainly many solid moments. If only this script matched up to some of the cinematography then perhaps it would have made for a better show.

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