I'm conflicted
I'm being so serious, THIS is the best thing I have watched in MONTHS.
It is flawed, but it's still incredibly enjoyable.
The Good Stuff
The cast is absolutely phenomenal. Gulnezer Bextiyar's Rong Shan Bao is definitely one of my favorite female leads now. Her character was so shrewd and cunning, and I must admit that's she is so glamorous and gorgeous. Sometimes it's nice to see beautiful people do their jobs well.
Hou Ming Hao is an actor that I haven't payed much attention to at all… I was definitely fond of him in Back from the Brink but that drama left some things to be desired. I haven't been avoiding him but he was never a reason for me to watch a show.
That has changed.
Hou Ming Hao's performance was so good that he was basically word for word repeating lines that earlier (and creepier) characters had said and had me eating out of the palm of his hand. He was a perfect match for Rong Shang Bao.
I dislike when you have two leads who are supposed to be equal in wit but one is always outsmarted the other.
Jiang Lai and Shang Bao were pretty evenly matched in most parts of the story. Sometimes he takes the leads but she never falls behind. Other parts have her at the forefront while he supports, it's just really satisfying.
This couple was the main thing that kept me watching, I was so invested in their story and wanted to see them achieve happiness together.
I also want to praise the technical aspects. This show LOOKS REALLY GOOD. The lighting and contrast were pretty consistently good. It's been a while since I watched editing that actually made me happy. Everyone and everything was really filmed to their best advantage. So many shots had me in awe of the presentation.
Th action choreography was enjoyable and the music was superb as well, cannot remember the last time I liked an OST this much! The more I think about it… the more I like what I liked.
The problem comes with everything else.
There is a huge pacing issue with this drama and for once I don't think it can be resolved by just making the drama longer. There's plenty of runtime the creators just choose to use (my) that precious time on dumb stuff.
Her family carries the bulk of this show.
I hate the Rong clan so much. They are supposed to be a subversion of traditional gender roles, so women are in power. Yet all these girls are STILL just as easily deceived, manipulated and corrupt as D list side characters in other dramas.
Every sister or cousin makes the dumbest decisions on multiple occasions, and despite them all supposedly being in competition with each other, NOT a single one could match Shang Bao in wits for more than a couple episodes. One cousin manages to get a leg up… but then she messes up anyways.
The grandmother was insufferable, its crazy that we have a whole section of the story dedicated to her needing to change her ways and she does and learns NOTHING.
The suitor selection goes on for wayyyy too long, and the final arc is out of nowhere with no preamble.
The cases were fine, but some twists were so predictable still enjoyable in its own way regardless.
The biggest disappointment for me was definitely the lack of build up for the affection between Shang Bao and Jiang Lai.
One moment you're under the impression that they're essentially strangers and suddenly they're worrying for each other and sharing romantic tension in the first handful of episodes.
I can't help but feel that something fundamental has been glossed over here. That missing piece was always hanging over my head the entire time I watched the show…
Regardless I had fun and could recommend this show to some who want something simple that focuses mostly on interpersonal drama, even with all its flaws I still see a little diamond in the rough.
It's overall a bit closer to a 6.5.... but I really liked it personally... so Imma rank it a lil higher.
It is flawed, but it's still incredibly enjoyable.
The Good Stuff
The cast is absolutely phenomenal. Gulnezer Bextiyar's Rong Shan Bao is definitely one of my favorite female leads now. Her character was so shrewd and cunning, and I must admit that's she is so glamorous and gorgeous. Sometimes it's nice to see beautiful people do their jobs well.
Hou Ming Hao is an actor that I haven't payed much attention to at all… I was definitely fond of him in Back from the Brink but that drama left some things to be desired. I haven't been avoiding him but he was never a reason for me to watch a show.
That has changed.
Hou Ming Hao's performance was so good that he was basically word for word repeating lines that earlier (and creepier) characters had said and had me eating out of the palm of his hand. He was a perfect match for Rong Shang Bao.
I dislike when you have two leads who are supposed to be equal in wit but one is always outsmarted the other.
Jiang Lai and Shang Bao were pretty evenly matched in most parts of the story. Sometimes he takes the leads but she never falls behind. Other parts have her at the forefront while he supports, it's just really satisfying.
This couple was the main thing that kept me watching, I was so invested in their story and wanted to see them achieve happiness together.
I also want to praise the technical aspects. This show LOOKS REALLY GOOD. The lighting and contrast were pretty consistently good. It's been a while since I watched editing that actually made me happy. Everyone and everything was really filmed to their best advantage. So many shots had me in awe of the presentation.
Th action choreography was enjoyable and the music was superb as well, cannot remember the last time I liked an OST this much! The more I think about it… the more I like what I liked.
The problem comes with everything else.
There is a huge pacing issue with this drama and for once I don't think it can be resolved by just making the drama longer. There's plenty of runtime the creators just choose to use (my) that precious time on dumb stuff.
Her family carries the bulk of this show.
I hate the Rong clan so much. They are supposed to be a subversion of traditional gender roles, so women are in power. Yet all these girls are STILL just as easily deceived, manipulated and corrupt as D list side characters in other dramas.
Every sister or cousin makes the dumbest decisions on multiple occasions, and despite them all supposedly being in competition with each other, NOT a single one could match Shang Bao in wits for more than a couple episodes. One cousin manages to get a leg up… but then she messes up anyways.
The grandmother was insufferable, its crazy that we have a whole section of the story dedicated to her needing to change her ways and she does and learns NOTHING.
The suitor selection goes on for wayyyy too long, and the final arc is out of nowhere with no preamble.
The cases were fine, but some twists were so predictable still enjoyable in its own way regardless.
The biggest disappointment for me was definitely the lack of build up for the affection between Shang Bao and Jiang Lai.
One moment you're under the impression that they're essentially strangers and suddenly they're worrying for each other and sharing romantic tension in the first handful of episodes.
I can't help but feel that something fundamental has been glossed over here. That missing piece was always hanging over my head the entire time I watched the show…
Regardless I had fun and could recommend this show to some who want something simple that focuses mostly on interpersonal drama, even with all its flaws I still see a little diamond in the rough.
It's overall a bit closer to a 6.5.... but I really liked it personally... so Imma rank it a lil higher.
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