This review may contain spoilers
A soothing & frankly beautiful love story!
As a big Ai Mi fan, this drama was highly anticipated for me, and boy, it DID NOT disappoint!
The story is about the witty & genius (albeit naive) inventor of a girl, who meets the “evil villain” of a general. It just so happened that she found herself in the position of having to marry said general, and all the schemes were engineered by no less than… her own father.
This series was truly brilliant. From the visuals to the music to the acting, it was all very moving and amazing. There was many a plot twists, and everytime you think you know where it’s headed, you don’t! My absolute favourite thing about this show was the love story (can’t blame me, I am a romance fiend) and how both the main characters grew with their love.
Ai Mi (AM) plays Xie Jiayu, the young, smart girl who thrives from independence. She was initially mutually in love with our second ML, Li Mao. However, her and our ML Xiao Wuyi bonded as unlikely friends, which sneaked its way into a love where they would willingly die for each other. I adored AM’s acting in this. Even though she was only 17 when this was filmed, she carried this first role as a FL effortlessly. Her acting is amazing for her age, and the range of emotions she can display is just *chefs kiss*. Watching XJY mature into this capable woman was a joy.
Hou Minghao (HMH) plays Xiao Wuyi, villain to everyone but those closest to him. He is smart, calculating, yet giving (perhaps too giving), big-hearted and truly- just one big beautiful badass softie. XWY has had a burden he never asked for on his shoulders since he was young, and never thought about much else apart from politics and serving his country. Meeting Jiayu was wildly out of his plans or expectations, and I don’t think he could ever truly believe his luck for getting a wife that not only demands that he stays alive, but will walk beside him no matter what path he walks on. HMH is beyond incredible in this role, the skill, the acting, the fight scenes - and most of all I love the look on his face when he’s in love - like a puppy you just can’t help but love!
All the side characters were great, even the truly villainous ones. Every single person had depth and wasn’t just purely good or bad. You can easily go from hating someone one minute to feeling sorry for them the next. Like Li Mao’s younger sister for example. She did something really terrible, but the way her story ended was nothing short of sad.
The only slightly negative I could say for this show is that the pacing is sometimes a little fast. It seems that a lot happens in a short space of time, and some things are explained veeeery quickly. But, everything makes sense, and the relationship developments are very natural. You can understand why each character makes the choices they make. This drama also had a very fresh take on the whole revenge-arc, which made it very refreshing to watch.
As with many c-dramas, the OST is beautiful, obviously including the TWO that Neo (HMH) sing! Also the ending was so nicely done. It wasn’t just a quick hug-reunion-show finished. There was a full circle episode and a very loud, heartfelt display of love. I liked that they respected that AM was not yet an adult and therefore no kissing scenes, but honestly, you didn’t feel their love for each other any less.
All in all, a show well worth watching, and I really hope to see this pairing again in the future!
The story is about the witty & genius (albeit naive) inventor of a girl, who meets the “evil villain” of a general. It just so happened that she found herself in the position of having to marry said general, and all the schemes were engineered by no less than… her own father.
This series was truly brilliant. From the visuals to the music to the acting, it was all very moving and amazing. There was many a plot twists, and everytime you think you know where it’s headed, you don’t! My absolute favourite thing about this show was the love story (can’t blame me, I am a romance fiend) and how both the main characters grew with their love.
Ai Mi (AM) plays Xie Jiayu, the young, smart girl who thrives from independence. She was initially mutually in love with our second ML, Li Mao. However, her and our ML Xiao Wuyi bonded as unlikely friends, which sneaked its way into a love where they would willingly die for each other. I adored AM’s acting in this. Even though she was only 17 when this was filmed, she carried this first role as a FL effortlessly. Her acting is amazing for her age, and the range of emotions she can display is just *chefs kiss*. Watching XJY mature into this capable woman was a joy.
Hou Minghao (HMH) plays Xiao Wuyi, villain to everyone but those closest to him. He is smart, calculating, yet giving (perhaps too giving), big-hearted and truly- just one big beautiful badass softie. XWY has had a burden he never asked for on his shoulders since he was young, and never thought about much else apart from politics and serving his country. Meeting Jiayu was wildly out of his plans or expectations, and I don’t think he could ever truly believe his luck for getting a wife that not only demands that he stays alive, but will walk beside him no matter what path he walks on. HMH is beyond incredible in this role, the skill, the acting, the fight scenes - and most of all I love the look on his face when he’s in love - like a puppy you just can’t help but love!
All the side characters were great, even the truly villainous ones. Every single person had depth and wasn’t just purely good or bad. You can easily go from hating someone one minute to feeling sorry for them the next. Like Li Mao’s younger sister for example. She did something really terrible, but the way her story ended was nothing short of sad.
The only slightly negative I could say for this show is that the pacing is sometimes a little fast. It seems that a lot happens in a short space of time, and some things are explained veeeery quickly. But, everything makes sense, and the relationship developments are very natural. You can understand why each character makes the choices they make. This drama also had a very fresh take on the whole revenge-arc, which made it very refreshing to watch.
As with many c-dramas, the OST is beautiful, obviously including the TWO that Neo (HMH) sing! Also the ending was so nicely done. It wasn’t just a quick hug-reunion-show finished. There was a full circle episode and a very loud, heartfelt display of love. I liked that they respected that AM was not yet an adult and therefore no kissing scenes, but honestly, you didn’t feel their love for each other any less.
All in all, a show well worth watching, and I really hope to see this pairing again in the future!
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