This review may contain spoilers
Came for He Yu
I went into Blossom of Power mainly because of He Yu, and honestly, He Yu alone was worth the watch. He was adorable, playful, sincere, and then suddenly dangerous when the situation called for it. His expressions and eyes continue to be one of my favorite things about him, and I loved watching his character fall so completely in love with the Crown Princess. He Yu is easily my 100000/10 for this drama.
The romance took a while to win me over. I found the Crown Princess too cold and couldn't initially understand why so many princes were falling for her, especially the Crown Prince who seemed completely smitten almost immediately. I personally prefer female leads who are brighter, more expressive, charming and playful, so Meng Ziyi's restrained portrayal wasn't immediately my cup of tea.
But as the story progressed, I came to understand that her coldness was actually an important part of the character. When the other characters noticed that the Crown Princess was smiling more, I realized, yes, me too! Her gradual acceptance of the Crown Prince's sincerity and her eventual ability to let her guard down made much more sense to me.
Ironically, the character also made me reflect on myself. I'm not naturally very affectionate either, and watching her made me realize how easily being reserved can be perceived as coldness, even when there is love underneath. So unexpectedly, the drama gave me a little personal wake-up call.
Episode 32 absolutely broke me. I knew from the beginning that this was supposed to have a happy ending, but that didn't make the heartbreak any easier. The dream sequence where she believed the Crown Prince was still alive had me crying. I had to finish the drama that night because there was no way I was going to sleep without knowing that it would end happily. I may or may not have watched Episode 35 at 2x speed because I desperately needed the reunion.
My biggest complaint is the ending. Episode 36 felt rushed, especially the lack of an explanation for how the Crown Prince came back. I appreciated the epilogue, though. Those extra moments were exactly what I needed after all that emotional trauma.
Overall, I enjoyed the drama and especially appreciated the themes of trust, sincerity, resilience, love and learning to open yourself up to someone. The chemistry between the leads worked for me, although it wasn't quite at the level of my favorite C-drama couples. Overall rating 8.8/10
The romance took a while to win me over. I found the Crown Princess too cold and couldn't initially understand why so many princes were falling for her, especially the Crown Prince who seemed completely smitten almost immediately. I personally prefer female leads who are brighter, more expressive, charming and playful, so Meng Ziyi's restrained portrayal wasn't immediately my cup of tea.
But as the story progressed, I came to understand that her coldness was actually an important part of the character. When the other characters noticed that the Crown Princess was smiling more, I realized, yes, me too! Her gradual acceptance of the Crown Prince's sincerity and her eventual ability to let her guard down made much more sense to me.
Ironically, the character also made me reflect on myself. I'm not naturally very affectionate either, and watching her made me realize how easily being reserved can be perceived as coldness, even when there is love underneath. So unexpectedly, the drama gave me a little personal wake-up call.
Episode 32 absolutely broke me. I knew from the beginning that this was supposed to have a happy ending, but that didn't make the heartbreak any easier. The dream sequence where she believed the Crown Prince was still alive had me crying. I had to finish the drama that night because there was no way I was going to sleep without knowing that it would end happily. I may or may not have watched Episode 35 at 2x speed because I desperately needed the reunion.
My biggest complaint is the ending. Episode 36 felt rushed, especially the lack of an explanation for how the Crown Prince came back. I appreciated the epilogue, though. Those extra moments were exactly what I needed after all that emotional trauma.
Overall, I enjoyed the drama and especially appreciated the themes of trust, sincerity, resilience, love and learning to open yourself up to someone. The chemistry between the leads worked for me, although it wasn't quite at the level of my favorite C-drama couples. Overall rating 8.8/10
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