Drama Addict
New Zealand
This review may contain spoilers
I would have given it a 10 if not for the depressing ending commentary
Very well produced drama - no drag, paced along very well and keep you glued to the screen. Gao WeiGuang is tall and very handsome - he looked good with this rugged look just as he was in the Pillow Book with his scholarly look. The acting and screenplay were great. But the ending was a let down and the ending commentary was lame - about Hong dying in an epidemic, ZheGu failing in his mission, losing his arm and leaving for America. What's so great about leaving for America - place for the disillusioned? Someone explained on YouTube that there is a sequel in the story but there is not even a sequel announced - and who cares if his granddaughter eventually found the magic orb to save his tribe in the next sequel. It would be better to just leave the story with Hong promising to wait for Shao's return and the parting - better still if she left with him to accompany him on his quests. The script writer is sadistic.Chinese writers still have not got it - tragic endings take points off audience rating because it leaves a bad feeling.
The introduction was repeated over and over again 21 times - should just stop after the second episode.
I thought I was going to post a recommendation on Facebook and I changed my mind after the commentary. I am not going to make my friends more depressed in this Covid-19 pandemic.
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This review may contain spoilers
Interesting twists in story
Overall, a very good drama with good acting, backdrop and costumes. What I really like about the story is how it depicted different individuals responding to being wronged. The empress sought to destroy, Fu Chou chose to right the wrong, Rong Le chose to sacrifice etc. In some ways it is like the real world with great variability in different personalities. The commentary at the end of the story on how we respond to circumstances is up to us is interesting but so true. There are some interesting twists in the story; a couple was unexpected surprises but a couple was obvious before it was unraveled. The ending is gut wrenching.The drama has a great start but unfortunately got draggy and slow - I was impatiently waiting for the mystery to unravel. The 58 episodes could easily be shortened by 10 and the faster pace could make it more interesting. As with a lot of Chinese wuxia and fantasy dramas, the medical side of things is obviously fictitious and ridiculous. The romance scenes between Rong Le and Wu You were a little lacking, although the actor and actress were both trying very hard - not quite sure what that is - music? chemistry? I am inclined to think it is the music. Interestingly, I find the scene when Fu Chou saved Rong Le at the river the most romantic, in spite of the numerous save the damsel in distress scenes in the story. Luo Yunxi's acting did not disappoint as usual. He has a nice smile and it would be nice to see him do so more often in other drama characters.
Having watched many Chinese wuxia and fantasy dramas, I see the same themes and tricks used again and again - hair turning white at distress, twin separated at birth to be brought up as enemies - it is getting boring. Hope directors and script writers could come up with something a bit more original and creative, or I may take a break from these dramas.
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Enjoyable but more of the same
I am attracted to this drama because Xiao Zhan is the male lead. And certainly the second male lead Fang YiLun does very well too. Their performance is stellar. A number of other cast are very good too but their parts are of lesser weight. I would sum up to say an excellent cast, beautiful CGI, lovely costume and melodious music especially the ending theme song.The 5 male leads are handsome and the second female lead is very good looking. As for the main female lead, she acts well but is frequently caught in the wrong angle - I could not help but think a nose job could perfect her look. Acting alongside the handsome Xiao Zhan, her look is lacklustre - and they not seem quite compatible. In the entertainment industry, good looks certainly help.
China has a lot of acting talents and musicians. But creativity in story writing seems a bit lacking. All these dramas seem to use the similar themes. When watching this drama, many of the sub plots feel very familiar - I can almost identify in which drama I had seen a similar sub plot. And the ending sucks. I think the drama should end with Yuan destroying the God of Destruction together with Shi Ying and Zhu Yan, and not have dragged on. As commonly happen in Chinese dramas, this drama tries to come up with a clever and impressive ending but ends up with a lousy one.
Dying and resurrection, walking a path of torture to exit a chosen path, misunderstanding because the lovers are not communicating properly, keeping too many secrets and lying for the good of each other, couples fighting each other to the end (as in Fu Yao), a petulant female lead character - do these sound familiar to you? Fantasy dramas should have the most leeway for creativity; it is a shame not to capitalise on it.
So I would conclude: a great production but a rather cliche story.
But nevertheless worth watching if you have the spare time or have not watched much Chinese fantasy dramas in the past to spot more of the same.
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Not all lives are equal
As you can guess, the seven times were in seven lives, although there was a double counting. In one of the lives, they retained their memories and knew each other. Still, you watched seven stories, each different. And all the stories were interesting.Xiang Yun was a cloud which became a fairy with the help of the Marriage Pavillion Master. She was tasked to find a marriage partner for the God of War Chu Kong, but instead she was chosen to become his partner for tribulation, against her will.
The God of War had his primordial spirit damaged as he fought the demonic Cang Hai 30,000 years ago. A heavenly prophesy said that Cang Hai was going to be resurrected soon. It was therefore dire that the God of War repaired his spirit asap to fight the powerful demon monarch. The only way for him to repair it was to reincarnate several times in tribulation. Each tribulation would be successful if the partner would sacrifice herself for him in the reincarnation.
What I like about this drama?
1. Each life was an interesting story. The first reincarnation was funny and three were tragedies. So you would experience a range of diverse emotions.
2. Overall, the drama scored well on the hygiene factors. The cast performed well. The costumes were lovely and the CGI was beautiful. The music was pretty good too.
3. Ding Yu Xi looked his best as the cat demon with his heavy fur coat. But period drama hairdos did not suit him and he did not look good in them. While as the cat demon, his hairdo suited him best.
What I do not like about this drama?
1. The theme of loving someone over a several lifetimes has become quite cliche beginning with Ten Mile of Peach Blossom (3 lifetimes), Love and Redemption (10 lifetimes), Love and Destiny (over 2 lifetimes) and more if I care to check out.
2. The chemistry between the male and female leads was a little lacklustre. So it did not quite bring out the romantic feeling.
3. While all the stories in this drama were interesting, the story when their fate began was a yawn as the drama dwelled on a lot of trivials. The director was trying to create these lovey-dovey moments when their romance began and their lives became intertwined into the future. But it ended up becoming quite boring. Somehow the two leads did not have the chemistry to pull this off .
Overall, this drama is entertaining and worth watching. However, I won't rate it among the highest league.
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Korean Rambo?
Yes, there were the underground boxing scenes - that was the only thing similar to the movie Rambo. But the story was far from it and much more meaningful.The story centred around a 20-year autistic old boy whose father died suddenly and his guardianship was passed to his estranged uncle. The father and son ran a cleaning service for the deceased. As the story unfolds, the reasons behind how the differences between his uncle and father happened are revealed, and so was the true relationship between the autistic boy and the father. The unwilling uncle took on the guardianship with his eyes on the only property the father had left behind but much more developed after.
While this was interesting, what was more heart-rending was each of the stories behind each deceased and how the boy insisted on carrying on his father's tradition of helping the deceased fulfilled their most important wishes. This drama helped those who thought they were the most unfortunate people in the world realised that they were often not - in the same way as had happened to the uncle.
The acting is superb especially the 3 main leads. No beautiful costumes and dresses - just simple casual clothes and boring uniforms. No glamourous princes and princesses but the average lower middle class and lower decile individuals. The music only just meet the mark, suited to the story. And I might not watch this again. But I enjoyed this drama tremendously - it was more meaningful than a lot of other highly rated drama I had watched and therefore I decided to give it a full 10.
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Romance story
Cheng Shi and Xiao YuanYi left their youngest daughter Cheng ShaoShang (pet name Niao Niao) to the care of her gender-bias grandmother and wicked Aunt Ge when they went to war. She was ill-treated and grew up uneducated, uncouth, rebellious, scheming, distrustful and insecure - all the negatives you could think of for a young girl. But it also trained her to be very independent; by nature she was precocious, intelligent, and kind-hearted.In this part 1 of the drama, her parents finally returned and her father was awarded the title Marquis. Her mother realised the ultimate nightmare any parent could have with their young daughter and tried to trained her but was met with great resentment and resistance.
Finding it difficult to educate her, the mother sent her away with her paternal uncle and wife as they travelled to Hua County to take up his governor position. This aunt doted on her and the love-deprived Niao Niao was more receptive to learning from her than her strict and military-style mother. Along the way, she developed a very cosy relationship with Lou Yao from a complicated aristocratic family, who pandered to her wishes and spoiled her. Breaking from an engagement to his spoiled temperamental fiancee, he proposed marriage to Niao Niao who was happy to be leaving her family and Yao was keen to leave his as well.
Earlier on, Niao Niao had caught the eyes of the highly educated and talented Yuan Shen and the emperor's adopted son Ling BuYi , a fearless general known for his ruthlessness. Both were handsome, highly accomplished and very popular with the aristocratic and high society ladies. The former was impressed by her intelligence and the latter for her 'righteous' help to arrest her maternal granduncle.
As with a lot of dramas, the story went through numerous twist and turns. At the end of Part I, Niao Niao was eventually engaged to one but she resented the marriage proposal imposed on her. What is going to happen?
What I like about this drama?
- The one thing that made the audiences very happy in this story was the righteous always win and it had no hang-ups on replacing the incapable for the capable.
- Of course, the two main leads - Leo Wu (Wu Lei) and Zhao Lusi - their on-screen chemistry was amazing.
- All the hygiene factors - excellent cast, lovely costume, backdrop, cinematography.
- The grandmother who was both annoying and funny.
- The rivalry for Niao Niao was heart-breaking as well as interesting to watch.
What I do not like about this drama?
- Most of what I do not like about this drama was in Part two, which I will cover next.
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Special effects, fantasy and fairytale
This is a fantasy story set in a place called Douluo Continent. Here each martial art expert has a personal ability called martial spirit which enables them to display special powers. The story is more in the genre of Harry Porter although the story and setting are entirely different. I think this drama would appeal to the young adults and children as it has a fairytale setting and is filled with special effects and actions.The backdrop is that of an academy struggling to survive financially while it takes in some of the most outstanding martial students and trains them to become masters. They are invited to a competition hosted by the continent's most powerful martial spirit academy. Conspiracies loom and hidden secrets are brought to light.
Like a lot of dramas, there is a mystery leading you on. It is quite clear from early in the drama that there are hidden secrets that the lead characters set out to investigate, so there is not much twists in the story.
Xiao Zhan is the main lead and his fans are likely thrilled. His acting is superb but I think it is still short of his performance in the Untamed which is a tough record to beat.
If you are into action oriented fantasy and fairytale, this is an excellent drama to spend your spare time on.
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The true hero is the loser in the love triangle
Amazingly good. This drama is underrated on Mydramalist. I watched a lot of dramas - this is the first that made me stayed until 3 am - I am usually quite disciplined in managing my screen hours. This drama appears to be an entertaining light-weight comedy during the early part of the series but gradually reveals heavy weight corrupt politicians and evil-masterminds, and the mood become sober.What I commonly observed of dramas produced in China over the last decade are good looking cast with excellent acting skills, beautiful cinematography and lovely costumes - the 'technical' aspects. There are so many outstanding good-looking acting talents in China. Lovely theme songs are common among the better produced. Although there are a lot of good creative stories among Chinese dramas, realism is often lacking. Stories development still tends to be the weakest link with a lot of weak spots, influenced by strange old school martial art ideas like flying swordsman, energy transfer, strange cures etc. These are stuff that I accept and appreciate in fantasy dramas but not in realism dramas. And it is always convenient the hero always suddenly appears from nowhere to save the damsel in distress - there should be a reason the hero is there.
What I like about this drama is it does not have flying swordsman, energy transfer and quite realistic in its setting. The closing theme song is lovely. It has two gorgeously handsome male leads - Leon Lai (Yi) and Allen Fang (Yi Lun) - and pretty actresses. Hope to see Leon and Allen more often as leads. A triangle love story is a major part of the drama - with the true hero being the loser in the love story. The cinematography and costumes are good. What is obviously badly managed is the cut - there is an obvious disruption in the series which suggests some censorship had happened.
For a country with heavy censorship, the film industry has obviously depended on other creative factors to produce successful dramas, other than using sex to sell, and has done well. It is a renaissance in recent film-making Chinese history
It is worth watching and I may watch it again later.
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I watched it a second time and enjoyed it better initially. I thought I would come back and improve my ratings but changed my mind during the last one-third of the drama. The pace slowed, and became very verbose and draggy. As most of the mysteries were already uncovered, there were not much holding my attention. Although there was an unexpected revelation towards the end, it did not add to the suspense during the drama. As it proceed further, it felt even boring as events were more of the same.
I am not impressed with the female characters - pretty but mostly dumb - not the type I am impressed with.
The story was haphazard with a lot of contradictions, many times within the same episode. It almost seemed like the story was made up as the drama was produced and moved along. However, it would still keep you captivated as you want to know what is going on.
There was a lot of crying and tantrums as each character insisted on doing things their way to the extend I find it tiring to watch - just want to slap them. The drama had failed to stir any emotion in me.
Characters in the story are suicidal and masochistic - not healthy mental states.
The heavenly emperors are so bureaucratic that at times I sympathise with the demon king.
I heard this so many times in the drama - 'you go; no, we go together' - just to create some suspense as danger was imminent and the characters are engaged in this tag-of-war. It was so cliche.
If you make season 2, please improve the script.
Overall, not too impressed with how the story is put together but I am giving it an 8 for the strong cast.
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The scheming good-looking prince was a key attraction to the drama but it ends there. As usual, there is a love triangle but the chemistry between the lead actress and her assistant was quite poor.
How the girl was lured to becoming an assassin and who was behind the assassin cult were interesting. But how her lover turned out to be yet another prince and how he conducted the affairs of a battle were a little lame - almost a case of a lose-lose situation.
If the story was better developed, it could have been a great drama.
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It is the on-screen chemistry between Liu YuNing and Dilraba that shines through
There are a lot of negative reviews about this drama on mydramalist.com, which is a surprise to me. I think this period drama is underrated here. I thoroughly enjoy the drama and think that it is very well produced, although I must say there are some sub-plots that could have been better. Part of the reason I am able to accept the drama better is I have not read the original novel and do not have the loyalty baggage to the original story.What I like about this drama:
1. The initial few episodes are hilarious as Ren Anle (Dilraba) flirts shamelessly with the Crown Prince in a bid to get his attention and to get close to him. Her boldness is really humorous.
2. The story keeps you in suspense: will the fake Ziyuan succeed in marrying the Crown Prince? Will the Ziyuan camp succeed in getting justice for the Di family? Is the enemy Qin infiltrator going to undermine the defence of the Jing? Of course, I already know some parts of the story from the trailers released. But it is more of how the story would develop and whether the good guys would be hurt before they win.
3. I am one who have been quite hardened by the emotional tricks used in dramas, as I watched too many of them and mostly the good ones. But when MingXi (Liu YuNing), the second male lead, is executed because of diverting the army to save ZiYuan (Dilraba) and violating the military order, it really rend my heart. The chemistry between Liu YuNing and Dilraba really shines through. Dilraba does marvellously well as she weeps over MingXi's death. This scene manages to stir up my rather stagnated emotions.
4. In dramas I had watched earlier of Liu are he was always acting the bad guy. But this time, he is an upright capable but sickly man holding onto what he is entrusted with. I hope this drama is going to elevate his acting career further. He wins my sympathy and this is one drama where I would have been quite happy for the lead female character to marry the second male lead instead, because he deserves it for all he has done for her.
5. The ending theme song is rhythmic and melodious and the lyrics are beautiful and Liu has a beautiful voice. It is also very apt that Liu sings the ending theme song - the lyrics seem to be singing about MingXi's dedication to ZiYuan rather than the Crown Prince's dedication to her.
6. LinLang's dancing, particularly of the initial few episodes is very well choreographed, instead of some lame duck dances I see in many dramas.
7. Seeing the emperor as a loving father (although not a terrific emperor) - is a refreshing break from the usual story of a emperor father suspicious of his crown prince son.
8. Of course, the other hygiene factors are also present: the CGI, and the costumes, and a good looking cast who acts their part well.
What I think are a bit lacklustre in this drama:
1. Gong Jun acts the Crown Prince whose character is a bit uptight, so it hinders the on-screen chemistry between him and Dilraba, the female lead. He is always playing the dodge with her. When situation like this happens, it always compromise the on-screen chemistry. But they both act their part very well.
2. I nearly stop watching the drama after the episode when ZiYuan presents the case of the Di family's innocence as it seems the climax is over. Then the start of the war when the enemy is attacking after thoroughly infiltrated the Jing's defence begins a new chapter.
3. However, from the point when Han Ye, the Crown Prince, takes over the defence pushing ZiYuan away, the story become quite stupid. As a rather meticulous and clever man, he chooses to fatalistically stand alone against the on-slaughter of the massive Qin army. He could have plan better: save the people he cares for and wins the war. And cliches after cliches happens: falling off the cliff and goes missing, becoming blind and then regain the sight. What really trips me is the hair turning white: a fashion returning this year. I call these cheap thrills - conveniently added to dramatise the story but with very little new creativity.
4. There are more insults to the intelligence of the audience: pretending to be marrying someone else to draw out the true lover - surely this is the best way to push away someone who is already keeping away; hiding away ignoring that they might be hurting the people including the father, who care about them.
5. And then there is this: keep the truth from the person they most care for, when they have done so much for them. When there is credit, claim it for goodness sake. When the credit is not yours, don't.
6. The ending trailer gives too much of the story away. So when it happens in the drama, it dampens the effects.
7. At MingXi's death amidst fireworks in the background, there could be more to stir up the emotions - opportunity missed.
But overall, it is a lovely romance and suspense story. So watch it and enjoy. I am debating whether it should be a 9 or 9.5. Well, 9.5 wins.
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Secrets keep unraveling...
If you are reading this review to figure out whether you should watch this period drama, I say I highly recommend it. It had all the hygiene factors of an excellent drama - interesting story, excellent acting, handsome lead actors, pretty actresses, lovely costumes, beautiful cinematography and melodious theme songs - elements that many contemporary Chinese dramas exhibit. The story around the lead character was mysterious. Things were always not what it seemed to be. Just as the story unveiled a perpetrator behind the assassination of Fan Xian, another revelation was uncovered. This is only season 1, and the story ended at less than the mid-point of the story.However, if you are watching this because of Xiao Zhan, then you might be disappointed. He only appeared towards the last few episodes and he was a far cry from his outstanding performance in the Untamed. The role in this story did not suit him at all. The character was like a block of wood and did not give him the chance to perform his best. It is likely he would appear in future seasons and I hope he does better.
Chinese dramas can be very creative but in general tend to demonstrate a lot of weaknesses in the stories. In this drama, the link of the past to the present was rather weak. Even if this link was removed, the drama could have proceeded well, so creating this link seemed redundant.
The actress playing the part of Fan Xiao's mother was a rather poor fit. When the episode showed her coming out of the mysterious temple, I was expecting the dramatic appearance of someone exceptionally beautiful and intelligent, but was rather disappointed to find a seemingly silly teenage girl with crooked teeth. She might have done well in a role of a bubbly teenage girl but did not fit the important role of Fan Xian's mum who was to have an immense impact on the politics and a highly successful business woman. Since it was a very short appearance, it seemed like she was just conveniently roped in - perhaps the more established actresses do not want the role.
I think details in the stories are something that Chinese dramas need to work on to perfect their dramas. Even successful epics often demonstrate illogical bits, highly stretched parts that do not gel together well or scenes conveniently thrown together to make the story progress as desired. Someone needs to fine-combed through the scripts to sieve out these bits without dampening the story, or better still, enhance it.
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If we have a chance to relive our lives, can we change our lives? Or is it all fated?
Wow... completely mesmerised.Jiang Xue Ning was an unscrupulous woman who schemed and plotted her way to the position of empress. But her reign was short-lived as Xie Wei, someone she had once saved, rebelled and seized the capital together with Yan Lin, her childhood sweetheart. As Xie Wei stormed her palace, she pleaded with him to spare the life of Zhang Zhe, a righteous man who had loved, pitied and helped her, but was sentenced to death as a result. She regretted her evil ways and offered her life for his.
She fell to her death, but to her surprise , she woke up as her 18 year old self. Armed with the knowledge of the 'future', she set to right the wrongs she had done. But along the way, things started to happen again as what she had experienced in her 'previous' life. She wondered whether it was all fated. Were things going to turn out differently for her? Would all the tragedies happen all over again?
What I like about this drama?
1. The story was very interesting. Although there had been a lot of back to the past type of dramas and movies, what made this interesting was someone had the opportunity to redress her wrongs. So you would be wondering how things is going to turn out for her this time. The previous and the current lives were very well intertwined.
2. The chemistry between Bai Lu and Zhang Ling He, the two main leads, was amazing. More accurately, the chemistry between Bai Lu and all the three male leads were amazing. What made it more interesting was that it was difficult to tell in the earlier two thirds of the story who she would choose among her 3 suitors, or would she somehow end up with Prince Linzi again, this time against her will? Even though she said to Yan Lin she only treated him as a good friend, but would his sincerity changed that? Would the stern and scary Xie Wei win her heart? And when she and Prince Lanzi ran into each other again, would Prince Lanzi mistook her for his love and rekindled feelings for her? Would she and Zhang Zhe whom she felt so indebted be together in this life?
3. Zhang Ling He was an amazing actor. He portrayed such a diverse set of emotions so well - the evil traitor, the psychotic, the stern dignified teacher, the jealous lover and the emotional nephew when he saw his uncle. He is one of the few actors who looks handsome when stern. And of course Bai Lu was very good too: the nasty resentful teenage girl, an empress full of regrets and the determined girl fighting for the people she cared for.
4. The overall cast did very well with very little shortcomings among them.
5. The costumes were beautiful and the backdrop was good.
6. The drama started with the scriptwriter not wanting to end the story as a tragedy was interesting: a departure from a scriptwriter drawn into the story as one of the characters. Also, this hit a note with me as I dislike tragedies which left me unhappy.
7. Although an intense drama, there were light-hearted and seriously humorous moments, for example when the carriage driver flipped the carriage curtains only to revealed Xie Wei kissing XueNing, to her stunned father, in old conservative China. And the way the fake Dingfei made fun of his 'father' was rather amusing. When his annoyed 'father' told him he was a disgrace to the family, he gleefully offered to change his surname to Yan (the rival family), and I burst into laughter.
8. There were touching memorable moments, for example the series of events leading to Yan Lin going into exile - Xie Wei recited a poem at Yan Lin's coming-of-age ceremony - the poems were all hinting at what was to come - and his playing the qin at the city gate when he was exiled.
8. This was one of the few occasions when I actually liked the ending. There were the last moment twists.
What I dislike about this drama?
1. There were some comments on Mydramalist about flashing bright light in the background but I was so engrossed in the story that I did not notice.
2. Music was generally good and two of the theme songs were melodious, but not outstanding. I must say music standards seemed to have deteriorated in dramas released since the pandemic. I did not come across many outstanding pieces that left a lasting impression except for those in Till the End of the Moon.
3. A couple of scenes were rather contrived, for example the two scenes that Xie Wei ended up in bed with XueNing.
What I liked about this drama largely outweighed what I do not like. You can therefore understand why I gave this drama a rating of 10.
This time I made an effort to check on the director and screenwriter as well. The director is Chu Yui Bun whose accolades include Starry Love, The Blue Whisper, The Long Ballad, Skate into Love, Eternal Love of Dream, Ashes of Love. Success of a drama production depends a lot on the teamwork: excellent cast, director and script are the obvious, then there is the editing, makeup artist and more.
To add an advice: don't watch any trailer on how the drama would end. Let it hold you in suspense until the end. Then the twist and turns would be less predictable and more striking.
Finally, it would be great if there could be a prequel to this drama. I was wondering how XueNing became the empress given a domineering Dowager who had someone else in mind for the position, and a scheming rival who more than matched her wit. But the main cast for the prequel must match this drama. Of course, this would be a tall order as I had not seen many sequel successfully completed or had seen sequels which were disappointing flops.
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An Epic Production in the same league as Nirvana in Fire
This drama is under rated on mydramalist. I say it is in the same league as Nirvana in Fire and a similar genre.It is a rarity to see Zhang Zi Yi in a drama. For those of you who have watched Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon which is an international success, she acted the rebellious girl who ran away from a marriage.
This drama is very well produced. The story is convoluted and captivating, and the cinematography is fantastic, with costumes and a good looking cast to match. The acting is excellent and the chemistry (or animosity) of the various couples are impressive. There are many sub-plots, each with suspense and mysteries that keep you glued to your seat to find out what is going to happen next. The ending theme song is melodious. The backdrop is beautiful and the battle scenes are very well choreographed.
It talks about Princess ShangYang who is the daughter of the Prime Minister Wang Lin. She is in love with the Third Prince and aspires to marry him. They are forced apart by the Prime Minister who wants to strengthen his power and she is betrothed to a outstanding general from a commoner background, Xiao Qi. She is forsaken on the wedding day as Xiao Qi leaves her behind in the capital. Xiao Qi is in a bid to avoid being roped into the political side of the Prime Minister although he has become rather fond of her after a couple of encounters. Being captured by Helan Zhen who is exacting a revenge on Xiao Qi is the start of their adventure and the Princess shifts her affection to him when he risks his life to rescue her.
I feel a bit sorry for the main villain in the story. He is overly ambitious, very cunning and ruthless. Yet he has this soft side to him as a father. He is a capable person but unfortunately has set his eyes on the wrong goal.
I think this drama is almost perfect. There only two things I do not like about this drama. The first is the length - it is too long. With 68 episodes, you can expect some draggy moments. But overall, it is well paced. The second is the ending. I think the ending is a very weak - the choice of the eventual emperor to ascend the throne is too cliche, perhaps influenced by the last dynasty. I do not think there are many of such emperors in history. With no strong empress dowager behind them, they would all be overthrown by their imperial relatives.
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Excellent for most part except the end
This drama was excellent for the first 42 episodes. In my mind then, I was going to rate it a full 10. On the positive aspects, the lead actress was stunningly pretty and the lead actor very handsome, and they had amazing on-screen chemistry which made their flirting scenes very romantic and sometimes amusing. The story was interesting, romantic and full of suspense, characters were complex and the cinematography was great. If there had been a tightening of the plot, this drama could have rivaled some of the other top drama productions.But after the 42nd episode, it started going downhill, the plot weakened and it ended with a ridiculous ending. It was melodramatic. Xiao Feng spent a lot of time with Gu Jian but the two did not have much on-screen chemistry. There was a lot of screaming and shouting at each other. The three lead characters were going absolutely crazy, each insisting on getting ahead with their own ways and refusing any compromise. The ending was meant to be dramatic but it ended up as an anti-climax. After all that ChengYin did for her, I was expecting Xiao Feng would eventually be won over. It reminded me of the ending in 'The Rise of Phoenixes' - a let-down.
The christian teaching of forgive and forget could give the characters a life. The princess was so driven by hatred, she did not know how to love properly. The crown prince was so possessive and vindictive. Had he cut some slack, the princess might have been won over.
If you absorbed by the tearjerking you may overlook some of the flaws in the plot.
Chinese dramas always mixes in some ridiculous wuxia medical methods which always mysteriously cure someone of severe injuries. And this drama is no exception. I can accept this in a fantasy (xianxia) story. For a supposedly historical romance epic, it spoils the realism of it. And the 'forget thy love' ravine was a further strain on this.
Additionally, there was some major illogical views - the crown prince pretended to be nasty to the crown princess in order to keep her from harm. I do not understand this logic as no one was planning to harm her. In fact, it made the empress more angry with his concubine and made enemies out of the princess and the concubine.
There were a lot of stupidity in the story. The crown prince was plotting for the empress to fall into his trap of trying to assassinate him. Yet there were no hidden bodyguards near enough to protect him and he ended up severely injured.
A weak script spoiled it for the production team. However, it is still worth watching if you are not too critical.
I thought I was going to re-watch it but after the ridiculous ending, I decided not to because it had spoiled my mood and impression of the drama.
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