Not perfect but acceptable.
As a reader of the manhwa, this falls short to the original source but an acceptable adaptation for me. As a movie, details surely will fall short from expectations specially when it comes to the characters, it would have been resolved if it were a 6 or 8 episode drama series. But what I really appreciate is that they really stick to the original story or atleast 80-90% of it as they removed 10-20% to squeeze into a 2 hour movie. If this have a sequel then I would surely watch it.Was this review helpful to you?
A Journey which must be seen till the end.
I've read people describe their experiences when watching this drama as assembling a puzzle. Which is true, but I can also describe it as analyzing a painting. Its like when you go to a gallery and see a beautiful painting hanging on the wall. You automatically create this story in your head, your own analysis. But even with all those, you will only fully understand it when the creator him/herself tell you its story.Story: You will never understand it if you do not watch the whole drama. Because the story itself is the process. At the very beginning, there is only one goal, one villain, but what you're seeing is the journey to reach that. Every scene shown in the drama has it's purpose. No fillers and unnecessary scenes which will make you wonder what that scene is for because as you continue watching, you'll slowly understand what that was all about.
Romance: we have 2 couples so 2 romance in this drama. The mature type where communication and trust is key. And the first love type which leans more on their loyalty to each other. I really like how both relationship was shown. No unnecessary drama included.
Acting: Not gonna lie, I watched this because I want to see Dudu and Joseph as couples again. Both of them acted their characters well specially when its just their scenes. But I would say JJY and TJR is just soooo good in this drama. This is my first JJY and TJR drama and I would say both did really good. Great even. JJY, whether emotional, acting clueless, happy, or flirting did so good at portraying her character as Lu Wuyi. TJR, with his many characters, did great showing their individuality.
Music: great OSTs too and I really appreciate that most of the casts sang their own ost for their own scenes because the experience just became even more emotional.
Rewatch: yeahhhhh, I've already rewatched a lot of it specially with my favorite scenes (ep 17, 39:46; ep 29, 12:30)🤭
Overall, this drama is the BEST. Definitely adding it to my fave list.
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One of my rare watch
this is a rare drama that i don't think(and I'm already dreading) i will see on any other drama. there were a lot of characters that they were only given a few scenes but I'm honestly surprised that their characters have their time to shine and was given their own character development. You wont see this kind of thing in many dramas. Another one is how the leads communicate. FL don't let her emotions cloud her judgement when it comes to the ML. They talk. Although I was lost when she can't do the same in front of the emperor😅 she did talk but she let her emotions win when facing the emperor. Although it ended well, I can't help but feel like they could've avoided this or that if she just stayed 😶. The music is good and is well placed. The atmosphere is good and all, although one scen made me laugh. The one and only kiss scene should've been romantic but I can't help but laugh out loud when they showed it in that hole in the tree. I don't see why they need to do that. For me, that's not romantic at all😅 well aside from that and other scenes, it was a great watch. I haven't been this hooked in a drama not after AJTL. So ❤️❤️❤️Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A lighthearted watch with a bit of heartache
My first drama this year and my first watch after a long drama slump.- worth the wait? For me yes as it just falls right to my expectations.
- worth watching? Yes for someone who's looking for a light watch with slight drama, pleasing visuals and a happy ending.
- any cons? At first I found the dubbing unusual as it doesn't fit Wang Churan's face but I did get used to it.
Comedy:
I can't say it's humorous enough because as hard as they tried to make it look comedic, it wasn't funny and just looks like they're roleplaying a comedy script. It doesn't look natural. I did smile though but the LOL is not there😅 mind you I have a very shallow sense of humor.
Visuals:
I really like how they styled Cheng Lei's hair here. It suits him better than what they did in TFJ 😅
And Hu Yi Xuan is stunning. STUNNING!
Ending:
Happy ending. Yay 🎉. But the tidbit they showed after that HE in the fantasy world... Nahh. Only novel readers will know what that scene means but as for those who haven't read the novel like me, it's just so random 😅 I only understood it after I heard that there was supposedly more to their ending in the fantasy world like there was supposed to be a child between them and they even casted him but the end result was much different. The ML died then the FL was the one who ruled the empire until their son succeeded and then she dies and tada, went back to the modern world where FL and ML meet again with memories intact. But the final drama ending??? Nahh 😅
Anyways, that's as much as I can type from what I can still remember as I write this review months after I watched the drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
Politics first, Romance later
To be honest, 23 episodes in and I was sure I was giving this an 8. But this one has a satisfying happy ending I don't see in most of the dramas with this kind of genre so I added half a point.Romance:
Like many other watchers, I started this hoping to see romance but it's mainly more on politics.
- Was I rooting for them? Yes obviously because they're the main CP that I started getting annoyed when they have so little screen time together than apart from each other and that I see FL have more tension with the other leads than the main ML.
- Is the romance good? Not the best but it's not bad. For someone who watched this for the romance, it's good enough but falls below my expectations.
Female Lead:
People got to understand that the FL went back 3 years before she died. She wasn't that scheming in the original timeline and she's full of hatred in the current one. She was sheltered and was kept in the dark most of the time in the last life so expecting her to know everything and have control over all the situation in the current life is not in line with her character. Getting a second chance doesn't mean you immediately get the higher ground to challenge those who have schemed all their lives. She can handle the situation but what she can't control is the people, especially when they're smarter than her and more experienced. So people getting annoyed and dropping this because FL is always losing after she got another chance is not thinking about the character at all.
Male Lead:
I haven't read the novel so I don't know what the ML is supposed to be like. But in the drama version, they put a mystery on the ML's background that got resolved without the watchers knowing. I mean thay made a big deal out of it but the conclusion we get is just meh. Anyways, ML has too little presence but that presence is what makes the FL feel more in control. She found out too late that she can trust him during the last life and the current one, she trusts him fully that the betrayal she felt when she found out his connection with her father's health is understandable and when she thought he died which made us see her character lose control.
Former Husband:
Stunning performance 👏🏼 and a very satisfying end for him too.
Grand Tutor:
Still confused here. Still don't know what the child companion is for.
Emperor's Uncle:
I love him but why does he always have to be so good playing the villain 😅
Other characters:
Mostly non-existing and the few that was introduced was discarded with their ending only described in words. (chu tang😅 has a great potential and have a great purpose in the novel)
Anyways, not a favorite of mine but I still think this deserves an 8.
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