Mangoberrie
This review may contain spoilers
A Journey to be Remembered
"A Journey to Love" is an impressive story that effortlessly weaves threads of romance, character development, and self-discovery into an emotional entanglement where you, the viewer, journey along 40 episodes to fall in love with the characters.While the backdrop is the political struggles between An and Wu, with the intrusive final invasion of the BeiPan army, it is the journeying clan that, in my opinion, captivates audiences. Liu Shishi plays the strong female lead, an assassin perfectly. However, I did find her obsession to seek revenge for the empress a tad forced in scripting.
The camaraderie between the Liu Dao Tang brothers was the true highlight for me. Each was such a round character, but it was YSS who made the episodes extra delightful.
The martial arts choreography is probably some of the best, if not the best, I've ever seen in c-drama. And while the BGM is overused and did get a tad annoying, it nevertheless served its purpose and accentuated the action scenes perfectly.
The ending, while not for everyone, I guess was tragically fitting, Although, I do wish they spared YSS, but that would perhaps make it too complete. At least YSS and YL live on, by name, in the form of Ning Shi San and his sister Ren Lu.
Definitely a drama worth watching and will, without doubt, be remembered as one of the best offered in 2023.
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A Journey to be Remembered
From the beginning, this drama is different. The storyline is like a labyrinth. It takes you down the winding paths of scheming and deceit, and keeps you guessing at every turn if reality meets appearance. As the viewer, you sometimes wish you were perched up high upon the maze, so you can figure out the fate of those lost within it, yet you are made to walk alongside the characters until they reach the exit.The dark hues of the lens, the riveting storyline, the elaborate costumes, the perfectly matched music and the daily dose of cliffhanger brings together a story that may not be perfectly executed, but is close enough.
The characters in this drama are multifaceted and the cast who play both the main and supporting roles all skilfully portray their respective parts with depth.
With much gratitude to the director, cast and staff for bringing its viewers on a very memorable journey.
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This review may contain spoilers
A "Dream" Not for the Faint Hearted
As a novel fan anticipating this drama, and waiting out those extra months for SoKP to air, I was worried at various points that this adaptation won't meet viewers' expectations. And whilst I felt that it started a tad slow, the momentum picked up and soon turned into a wild rollercoaster ride.This isn't your typical palace love story. Therefore, you need to be ready for the heart-tugging tears, the constant bloodshed and the playing of your emotions as if you were a Chinese zither in Xie Wei's hands. Add in political palace intrigues and you have a story that keeps you wanting to watch on.
The storyline was always going to be solid. What took it to another level was the cast and their perfect articulation of their characters. Zhang Linghe's Xie Wei is a dark character that screams red flags, but you can't help rooting for him and Bai Lu's Jiang Xuening. They share so much in common and in essence, need each other to heal, to complete each other's lives.
A special mention needs to go to Wang Xinyue's Zhang Zhe. For the first half of the show, I wished that it would be a happy ending for him with JXN, all the whilst knowing it wouldn't be. I am hoping for a third collaboration between him and BL, where he finally gets the girl!
And most importantly, after so many c-drama's awful endings, SoKP gives us the perfect wrap-up. XW and his interactions with his children are one of the cutest scenes in C-drama history.
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