LittlePari
The overly dramatic scenes ruined it!
Thrillers, mystery and crime shows are my kind of thing. I think I have watched so many of this genre that I could always guess whodunit. I am always excited to watch these type of shows. Flower of Evil was quite interesting at first. It had a nice atmosphere and storyline. I was so into it up until the last few episodes. The overly dramatic scenes ruined it for me. It was just unnecessary and felt so contrived. I guess the writers wanted the audience to sympathize with the lead actors so badly. They were trying too hard! I know this is a melodrama but some of the scenes didn't go well with the initial vibe of this show. It didn't flow smoothly with this crime, whodunnit plot. The writing got lazy and it feels like they just threw all this heavy, crying scenes out of nowhere. This could have been one of my favorite asian mystery thriller. If only the writers were just consistent.Was this review helpful to you?
One of best asian drama
During the earlier episodes, I thought Wallace was underwhelming but oh boy, I changed my mind when he started his "I am the selfish emperor mode". He was a really effective villain. I hated his character. I don't understand those who didn't like his acting. He did a good job as a depressed, confused, lonely, abusive, selfish emperor. The best actor awards for me would go to the actors playing Jia and Yan Wan. They are amazing! In fact, all of them are amazing. What an outstanding cast! Everyone played their role perfectly. Ruyi, Rong Pei, Dowager, Consort Hui, the villain eunuch, etc - all of them are memorable. It's a beautiful drama albeit depressing. This perfectly showcases the emotions and life of a woman inside the palace of that era - empty and all consuming. I enjoyed Yanxi because of the lighter and comedic tones but in terms of quality and cast, I'd say Ruyi's Royal Love in the palace wins. Yay! I finished the 87 episodes! What a journey! ;)Was this review helpful to you?
A good story ruined by poor execution!
I am sure I heard this was a big hit in its country of origin. So, I got curious and had quite a bit of an expectation. After completing the drama, I am just utterly disappointed. I almost dropped this because of the poor casting choices. They could have chosen better actors in the leading role. I guess they went after who is popular at the moment. The actor playing the King is so wooden and uninspiring. I can't believe they got him to play the famous Qin Shi Huang. He was supposed to be an authoritarian tyrant. He exuded so much power and vitality in him but I couldn't feel it with this actor. He had almost the same expressions all throughout the entire drama. He looked and acted weak. Gongsun Li's character was supposed to be vibrant, smart and outstanding. Again, I couldn't feel it with this actress. She was bland. I like the actors playing Jing Ke and Madam Chu. I like her little facial expressions and the way she talks. She had this irritating persona and therefore, was a really effective character. I prefer Han Shen over everyone on this drama. You could feel his suppressed emotions. He portrayed the character of a man in love with a woman he could never have well. As for the visual effects, they looked like it was done by amateurs. Lastly, there were so many plot holes and inconsistencies with the characters. I really wanted to like The King's Woman but I just can't. It is a good story but ruined by poor execution.Was this review helpful to you?
Zhao Lusi is the star of the show!
I initially wanted to give this show a below than average rating but Zhao Lusi saved it for me. She was amazing! This is my first time seeing her and I am so impressed by her acting talent. She is so young but she's got so much potential to be one of the best asian actresses of today. In contrast to the first female lead, she is not convincing at all as Changge. She's a poor casting choice in my opinion. There were many scenes of her that were really questionable. The actor playing Sun is quite good but it's the Yueyan and Hao Du storyline that kept me from dropping this show. They need to do another drama together! Amazing chemistry! Overall, it's a mediocre drama with mediocre storyline and mediocre actors except for Zhao Lusi and Liu Yining.Was this review helpful to you?
Nie Yuan is the star of the show!
Story of Yanxi Palace is my very first chinese drama and I must say this is one of my favorite asian dramas. The cast is superb! There were two actors that stood out for me. First is the actress playing Empress Nala. She was amazing. You can feel her frustrations and sadness from unrequited love. She nailed it! The star of the show for me is Nie Yuan. He had amazing chemistry with every single character on the show. I mean, seriously? Even his scenes with Li Yu were as memorable as his scenes with his concubines. I didn't see him as an actor or a character. I see him as "The Emperor". Excellent acting skills! Wu jinyan isn't so bad but she still needs to improve in my opinion. Some of her scenes are not doing it for me and seemed a bit over done. All in all, great script, good plot and outstanding performance from the actors. It was fun watching this drama. I enjoyed it!Was this review helpful to you?
Dragged me to disappointment
Definitely one of the most disappointing asian dramas I have watched. I waited and waited for it to pick up but it kept dragging and instead, it became ridiculous. The story went all over the place and every single character turns out to be the worst version of themselves. I didn't like how they turned into cry babies. It felt like I was watching a mexican telenovela where there's a crying scene for every two minutes. Too much victim mentality and wallowing in self pity. The two lead actors did have chemistry but the writers build tension with so much teasing and bantering that when they finally got together, it felt really underwhelming. Now, one of the few good things of this show is the actor playing emperor. He was outstanding! His facial expressions, his hand gestures, his voice - all of it was on point. Everything is what I imagined an emperor would be like. That is some top notch acting right there! Ning Qi is also good. He was a really effective villain. Ning Yi had his moments but some scenes seemed a bit over done. Feng Zhiwei could be played by any other actress and I couldn't care less. Nothing remarkable about the actor. The set is well-produced. Cinematography is good. Poor writing ruined it. It was quite obvious that the writers were in a hurry towards the end. They kept dragging the story only to rush it towards the last 10 episodes. I usually like sad films and shows (Ruyi and Mr. Sunshine) but this one is such a letdown.Was this review helpful to you?
