The importance of family when everything is lost

I was hesitant to watch any more historical dramas because they had been quite repetitious and uninteresting. However, I was hooked on this drama since it was quite good! The cast, including Zhang Jing Yi and Hu Yi Tian, is fantastic as always, and the plot is excellent. It was well worth seeing! I love how this isn't a typical female lead who suddenly knows everything and knows how to solve everything but there was a story behind why she is different from others.

I am so glad that Lu Yu Xiao is getting the recognition she's getting because that girl can act! She is always enjoyable in every drama I have watched her in and I'm glad she's getting more main roles because she deserves it!

The plot revolves around Hua Zhi, a girl in the Hua family who is viewed as nothing more than a disappointment for failing to follow her "female duties," and how she is the main reason for the family's survival when all of the male family members are deported. One of the reasons I loved this drama was that it portrayed the reality of families; sometimes people would just worry about themselves. One of the reasons I enjoyed this drama was because it depicted the truth of families; sometimes people would just think of themselves and spite each other to obtain what they want. The fact that no one got along well with each other, blamed each other and were distrustful of each other, and having Hua Zhi there to bring the family back together while they were going through difficulties, was extremely great to see. Typically, having family members in c-drama assumes there are nasty parents or aunts, but there was none of that. I was initially terrified of Madam Xia since she appeared to be a typical wicked aunt (maybe I had watched too many cdramas), but she was actually very nice and was simply trying to keep the family together. Even the daughters were close by the end, though I was saddened that some of them had passed. I was worried when one of the daughters married Sun Xiang, who had about 8 concubines, but it was incredibly satisfying to watch how such a little girl controlled the entire family and even the guy was afraid of her lol.

The plot flowed incredibly nicely, and these cases fit flawlessly, providing a really wonderful build up. This drama isn't about discovering one actual villain; instead, it's about the Hua family working hard to acquire enough money to reunite their family as the male lead assists her along the way. It is an excellent drama that I would highly suggest to anyone! (There's a happy ending, which is definitely a positive.)

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An Emotional Rollercoaster

The drama was exceptional, excelling in plot, acting, and music. It stands out particularly for its realistic fighting scenes, a refreshing departure from other dramas with awkward CGI. The music, while great overall, occasionally veered into being overly loud during battle scenes, making it hard to hear dialogue without adjusting the volume frequently. Despite this, the acting was top-notch, which was expected given the talented lineup. Watching the main leads for the first time was a pleasant surprise, especially in how they conveyed emotions that many other dramas fail to capture. Both actors are seasoned professionals, adept at drawing out genuine feelings from their characters.

One minor critique is that at times, Mo Fang's acting felt slightly awkward, particularly towards the end of the series. Nevertheless, it didn't detract significantly from the overall experience. Another highlight was the portrayal of the female lead as a relatable character rather than an all-powerful figure constantly reliant on the male lead. The dynamic between the leads was well-written, showcasing effective communication and mutual reliance.

I highly recommend this drama to fans of epic battle scenes and nuanced performances, as it delivers both with finesse.

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Mysterious Lotus Case Book but Romance Version

I watched this because both main leads are popular and it looked interesting when people were telling me about it. It was good, but not the best and was boring at times. If you like something like Mysterious Lotus Case Book but with romance, this is the show for you! There are spoilers in this review so if you don't want to look at the spoiler, I suggest you do not read this.

STORY
The story was okay but there were lots of mini-cases that ended within 1 episode, which you can imagine how many there are when there are 32 episodes. I get that it was for the build-up to find who the real villain is but it would've been much better if they had dived deeper into the episodes because the cases were kind of generic. Also, after a few episodes, you'll realize that you will know what will happen in every case because it's always the same outcome, death. They should have made it a little different because seeing everyone dying for every single case made it look repetitive.

This is also a drama with the typical "know-it-all" female lead who apparently can solve everything while the male lead just stands there staring at her. Also, I understand that Shangguan Zhi (SSZ) switched body with Yang Cai Wei (YCW) but YCW in SSZ's body seems like a whole new character. In the beginning, you can see that YCW was a little timid with others as well as a little mysterious, which was what drove me to watch this drama but when YCW was in SSZ's body, she became so jolly like where even did this character come from?

The romance between SSZ and PY as well as Bai Xiao Sheng (BXS) and Zhuo Lan Jiang (ZLJ) felt kind of rushed. Especially for BXS and ZLJ, I don't think that the romance was there even though there were romance scenes, which was kind of disappointing. It felt like ZLJ went for a second option because YCW was with PY instead of him getting to know and liking BXS but it's probably because there are only 32 episodes so there wasn't enough time to build it up. SSZ and PY's romance was okay, but the connection wasn't that good either like it's good but not the best.

Therefore, I think that the cases were a little boring, the build-up wasn't that good either as it was predictable but all-in-all it was an okay drama, not even on the same level as Mysterious Lotus Case Book but this is good for something with romance and cases. I wish they would have gone in an alternative route than doing all these mini cases with all of them dying because it does get a little boring.

ACTING/CAST
The acting was okay, Xue Yi's and Jing Yi's acting was a little awkward at times but it was fine. I feel like for both, there has to be more depth, especially the female lead to bring out YCW's character. It doesn't seem like YCW in SSZ's body, it felt like someone else in SSZ's body, which doesn't align. Unfortunately, halfway through the show, I don't know what happened with the makeup but you can see the wig hairline, which wasn't the actor's fault but it was kind of funny to see that.

MUSIC
The music was good, there weren't any memorable songs but I might have to relisten all of those OSTs to give better feedback on them.

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