CHINESE DRAMAS (HISTORICAL)

THIS IS A DIAMOND.

If you're into something that is rather very worthy of your time, this is for you. The story depicts the life of Ming Lan, who is rather the least favorite member of a noble family. She is literate in many things but had to hide it to avoid a chaotic life. The whole drama tackles reality, perfectly portraying the life and hardships of the characters. It is not a series that will make you cringe at the turn of events or the lines and acting of each cast member. I shed a lot of tears and screamed often from irritation towards the villains. This made me hate their custom of having concubines. I swear, harem fights are the most frustrating.

I am a SIMP for the male lead. He's the best, though I hated him in the first parts. He's so naive about his first love interest. Anyway, I ship the main characters the most. They deserve each other. They even got married in real life, and I literally cried when I discovered that they divorced afterward.

I cannot be biased nor have favorites since dramas differ in genre and cinematography, but this drama stands at the top of everything for me. I watch my favorite episodes of this thrice a week. This is really making me want to suffer from amnesia so that I could watch and be excited again by the scenes.

I am mainly not a fan of fantasy-related series, so it took me months to convince myself to watch this. After all those hesitations, I am glad I didn't regret my decision. The drama is a gem. I have to vouch for the cast's acting and characterization. The plot was very unique. 

As someone who is a fan of Marvel movies, I am not satisfied with the CGI effects in the series. They did just enough, but not well. The plot was so packed that I found it hard to follow, although there were times when it kind of slowed down. In simpler words, it is inconsistent.  

I'll still put this on my recommendation list. It is a must-watch if you want something that is going to take a lot of your time and be worthwhile.

This is my other favorite harem drama. I knew the actor who played the male lead in "General and I," and I hated the drama because the female lead sucked so badly that she even dragged the whole drama and the male lead down. So when I discovered that the male lead in this drama was the same as the general and I, I decided not to watch it. Which I later came to regret. 

Please, he's so much better here. The female lead was also a perfect match. She's similar to Ming Lan in some traits, so I have to love her.

The story is not the typical harem fight since it is not in the palace. The setting is that of the Marquis family. The plot is not also cringey. The characters make mistakes and reflect on them. The love between the leads was developed in a very pleasant way that made my single self envious. The antagonists are also really good, so my blood did boil from them.

You have to watch this if you like the plot of love after marriage. The marriage might seem forced, but the love was surely not.

It's a fact for everyone that you will rarely see a drama with a good plot from 2010–2013. But this one is a huge EXCEPTION.

This stands out from every other drama that is based on Emperor Kang Xi's reign and the Nine Lords' War. Of course, I had seen almost everything, so I can confidently say this. The characters are like a chef's kiss. Everything that they did and gave in this drama is commendable.  But I mostly love the female lead. She is my current favorite actress. 

Everyone at the beginning is carefree. The vibe is rather humorous and light, so you could enjoy them. But as the episode passes, the episodes and the events turn heavy. I know it is hard to control the transition of the situations, but this drama did it very well. You will not be confused and left out. The only sad part is that the romance was all tragic. You'll realize that although love is there and it is unconditional, it is still not stable because of the unavoidable circumstances. You'll sympathize with the characters' hardships.

I love the drama, and I sincerely hope you'll like it too. This has a season 2, but I didn't finish watching it because it is not as good as the first season. It was indeed a not so very happy ending, but the main leads did have a happy ending in real life. They've been married for years now, and I cannot be more than happy.