I've heard many people mention that if you are really interested in the three kingdoms period, you are better off watching "The Advisors Alliance", as that is a more gritty, realistic series than this one, and the secondary characters of this drama are the primary characters of that one.

However, this is an excellent drama on its own merits, and whilst I really tried to figure out who everyone was in TAA, I just couldn't grasp it within the first two episodes, and it bothers me a lot if I can't figure out who the characters are and which one is which (same reason I dropped Nirvana in Fire, because I couldn't get my head around it, but I will definitely try again). This drama takes you by the hand and introduces you to each character slowly, one at a time, and this is how it avoids character confusion, which I really appreciate.

This is a thriller about political intrigue, war and conspiracy. It's been a couple of years since I watched it, but what I remember of it is that it had beautiful cinematography, interesting characters, and the story itself was extremely engaging. The acting was very good, no annoying characters, and the episodes breezed by with little to no dragginess.

If I remember correctly, there wasn't even an evil antagonist, as every character was complex in their allegiances to their state. Even Cao Cao was human and had his reasons for what he did.

Yes, I liked this drama very much. Not as gritty and raw, somewhat more romantic in cinematography and tone than TAA, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you are looking for a simpler, less raw, bloody, and gritty Three Kingdoms costume drama, then I highly recommend this one.