I think what makes me sad about SuNian's mom's death is the fact that not only he and his father are not living a proper life, but also the people around them.
I know how painful it is to lose someone that you love so much...someone who is such an important, kind, and warm figure in their lives. It saddens me knowing how much JinNing means to the people around her, to the point that her absence has left a huge hole in their lives.
But at the same time, it kinda saddens me how these students are throwing away their "lifetime" tickets like that. I know that everyone has different thoughts, emotions, and goals in life. But knowing how hard they're working for it, only for them to throw their opportunities away like that, makes me feel so sad and irritated at the same time.
I really hope they find their answers without having any regrets later on. I'm not in a place to judge their emotions or how they grieve, because their emotions are valid.
If only I could say something to them (their characters), I'd say: grief is inevitable. It's always there, no matter how time might "lessen" or "fade" your sadness away. That sadness and grief will always be there. But life must go on. The living must carry on with their lives, survive, and live out the passions of the people we've lost. It will be hard. It's hard. But the fact that you're not giving up is already a success. I believe that our loved ones who are no longer with us would also want us to live our lives to the fullest.
The character that constantly pisses me off is ShiYin. I don't understand how they put up with her attitude. She's super rude, bossy, spoiled, and treats the people around her badly. She keeps on being that annoying spoiled brat. She could've redeemed her actions, or at least realized how bad her attitude is, but she just ignores it.
I've actually been wanting to watch this drama because I really really love the OST (title: 你是我的星空 by 刘宇宁). The song has been on my playlist for so long, but I've never watched the drama until this year.
For the very first two episodes, I like it! I love how they live in this lovely neighborhood and are all friends with each other (not only the kids, but also their parents). I think what surprised me the most is the contrast between the opening credit scene and the ending credit scene. The opening credits feel so warm, yet the ending credits feel cold/lonely/angsty, like they're missing their youth.
Then it makes me think: will the story get SOOOOO angsty to the point where they have such a "sad" ending credit? Also, it makes so much sense why the OST is so sad lmaoooo.
*Please don't spoil me* but it's funny how the drama itself is SOOOO WARM, funny, and silly, to the point where I think there won't be too much sadness in it. BUT then I realized why the OST (你是我的星空) feels so sad, and boom, when I saw the ending credits... damnnnn, NOW I FEEL LIKE IT'S GONNA BE SO ANGSTY/SAD!
I'm on episode 27, and it's SO MUCH FUN! Honestly, I love the plot. The story itself is deep, but the way they make it comedic makes it easy to watch. There are lots of characters, but surprisingly, it's not confusing at all.
𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐀 𝐎𝐌𝐆...super fun!!!!!!!! ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE'S STILL A PLOT TWIST EVEN AFTER THE LAST EP CREDITS LMAO.
˖᯽ ݁˖ P.S. The first 3 episodes might be a little confusing. I just think there's a problem with the directing in the first 3 episodes, but it gets SO much better 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟒!
𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚:
⤷ First of all, I'm glad that I decided to watch this drama despite how people have been talking about the "age gap" on the internet. When the production team said 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀, I knew I had to give this drama a try, especially considering this amazing cast lineup! ⤷ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. I noticed there was huge potential for the story, and they utilized it really well. Also, they really do play with the viewers' emotions. ⤷ The writer is smart about keeping the plot interesting. 𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵. There is romance here and there, but not too much, which I love. (I don't think every romance drama has to use intimate scenes, but here, they portray the husband-and-wife relationship in a very cute and interesting way.) ⤷𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟴-𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁. I just wish there were more scenes after the final episode. (I'm not talking about the after-credit scene; I wouldn't mind if they just added a few more minutes to the last episode.) Honestly, a special episode or even just several extra minutes would have been amazing. ⤷The directing and cinematography aren't my favorite, especially in the first three episodes and in several other scenes. I kinda disliked the cinematography in the last scene of the final episode (this specific scene with too much unnatural light), 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁.
For the acting, I feel like 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐒𝐎 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋 with how they portrayed their characters. Sadness, anger, madness, craziness, evil...they did it all so well!!!!
⬩➤ Aimi is very versatile despite her young age. I hope to see more of her work. She portrayed childishness, selfishness, maturity, and softness really well. You can see that Xie Jiayu is an "explosive" character. She's smart, but not completely mature. Later on, we can see how her character progresses as the story gets deeper. ⬩➤ Hou Minghao is an amazing actor, so I don't have any complaints about his performance. He portrayed Xiao Wuyi so well. I need to praise him specifically for a scene from Episode 27 (31:50), when he turns around and smiles at his opponent. That specific scene shows that he IS Xiao Wuyi!! He's forever that smart, cunning general. ⬩➤ I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE VILLAINS IN THIS DRAMA OMG. They did sooooooooo well. It's been a while since I've genuinely hated villain characters and been this emotionally invested in their downfall lol. I want to praise Wang Yilun, Peter Ho, and Ma Qiu Yuan for how well they managed to piss the audience off. ⬩➤ All the side characters (especially everyone in the Xiao family household, the soldiers, guards, child actors, etc.) did an amazing job and played important roles in building up the story.
𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟰–𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟰 (𝗶𝗺𝗼). Meanwhile, you need to prepare yourself for the emotional roller coaster from Episodes 23–25. My personal favorite is actually Episodes 23–28.
To sum it up, the drama itself is 𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐒. When I say plot twists, I don't mean just one or two. It's a series of plot twists from the beginning all the way to the end. Even after you finish this drama, make sure to watch the after-credit scene!
I started watching this drama because I'm excited about the pairing, the director, and the screenwriter. I saw the trailer, but I haven't read the novel, so my opinion is based solely on the drama itself.
I've finished the first episode of this drama. It took me quite a long time to finish the very first episode since there were so many characters introduced at the same time, and I needed to process the opening story and understand how they're related to each other. The pacing of the first episode is quite slow since there are a lot of dialogues (which I kind of expected since it looks like a political harem?).
My thoughts: ╰┈➤I think what amazed me the most so far is the cinematography. Omg... the whole aesthetic, colors, angles, and the way they capture every scene are beautiful. ╰┈➤Talking about the acting, I can see strong performances from each character, and I find them all very unique. ╰┈➤The story has so much potential, but I really hope they maintain a good pace throughout the 36 episodes because I found the very first episode quite complex. (So I assume the story itself will be very complex.)
Overall: Huge potential for the plot, amazing cinematography, and good acting, but it can be quite heavy for viewers considering all the dialogue.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I HATED A CHARACTER SO BAD. IDC WANT TO SEE PRINCE QI DOWNFALL.
YESSSS!!! No matter how I look at it, it's just too much of a burden for Jiayu and Wuyi. Although in this case, I felt so frustrated for her. The amount of grief she's gone through from Episode 1 to Episode 26 is insane. I'm mentally not built for this kind of tragedy after tragedy in my life. Realistically, she's mentally too strong for this.
I guess what makes me even more frustrated is the fact that both the ML and FL are super kind and very tolerant in so many ways. Also, without Xiao Wuyi, I'm 90% sure the nation wouldn't survive the war.
As for the plot twists, I think this is one of the most plot-twist-heavy dramas I've ever watched...
The plot twists are super fun but emotionally exhausting at the same time. Ngl, I got emotionally drained from Episodes 23–25. The emotional roller coaster is insane, but I hope it'll be worth it in the end. I'm on the first half of Episode 26, and it's super fun!
IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I HATED A CHARACTER SO BAD. IDC WANT TO SEE PRINCE QI DOWNFALL.
I actually started watching again this morning HAHAHA. I'm on episode 26! The adrenaline rush from episodes 23–25 was insane. I'm so invested in the story, and it's been a while since I've gotten this angry at a character lol. It's super fun indeed.
Also, thank you for not giving me any spoilers! (I prefer not to see any spoilers whenever I watch a show)
IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I HATED A CHARACTER SO BAD. IDC WANT TO SEE PRINCE QI DOWNFALL.
Nah, I need to pause watching. I feel betrayed. The writer is definitely playing with the viewers' feelings (my emotions to be specific), cz WTF is this?!
Idc if there's another plot twist at this point, I just hate Prince Qi so much. There have been too many sacrifices…
The thing that haunts me is that Xiao Wuyi already said something like "I've already chosen someone to play the good guy." IF, at the end of the day, Prince Qi really turns out to be the good guy... idk if I'll ever forgive him lol...
Idc if there's another plot twist at this point, I just hate Prince Qi so much. There have been too many sacrifices and too much injustice with him as the regent. The moment he thought killing innocent people for his goals was the right thing to do, or defended his sister by saying, "She was only trying to protect me," I already knew there was no way I could ever forgive him, even IF there's a plot twist or a redemption arc later on.
1 
I know how painful it is to lose someone that you love so much...someone who is such an important, kind, and warm figure in their lives. It saddens me knowing how much JinNing means to the people around her, to the point that her absence has left a huge hole in their lives.
But at the same time, it kinda saddens me how these students are throwing away their "lifetime" tickets like that. I know that everyone has different thoughts, emotions, and goals in life. But knowing how hard they're working for it, only for them to throw their opportunities away like that, makes me feel so sad and irritated at the same time.
I really hope they find their answers without having any regrets later on. I'm not in a place to judge their emotions or how they grieve, because their emotions are valid.
If only I could say something to them (their characters), I'd say: grief is inevitable. It's always there, no matter how time might "lessen" or "fade" your sadness away. That sadness and grief will always be there. But life must go on. The living must carry on with their lives, survive, and live out the passions of the people we've lost. It will be hard. It's hard. But the fact that you're not giving up is already a success. I believe that our loved ones who are no longer with us would also want us to live our lives to the fullest.
I hope she takes this life lesson well!
For the very first two episodes, I like it! I love how they live in this lovely neighborhood and are all friends with each other (not only the kids, but also their parents). I think what surprised me the most is the contrast between the opening credit scene and the ending credit scene. The opening credits feel so warm, yet the ending credits feel cold/lonely/angsty, like they're missing their youth.
Then it makes me think: will the story get SOOOOO angsty to the point where they have such a "sad" ending credit? Also, it makes so much sense why the OST is so sad lmaoooo.
*Please don't spoil me* but it's funny how the drama itself is SOOOO WARM, funny, and silly, to the point where I think there won't be too much sadness in it. BUT then I realized why the OST (你是我的星空) feels so sad, and boom, when I saw the ending credits... damnnnn, NOW I FEEL LIKE IT'S GONNA BE SO ANGSTY/SAD!
I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE'S STILL A PLOT TWIST EVEN AFTER THE LAST EP CREDITS LMAO.
˖᯽ ݁˖ P.S. The first 3 episodes might be a little confusing. I just think there's a problem with the directing in the first 3 episodes, but it gets SO much better 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟒!
𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚:
⤷ First of all, I'm glad that I decided to watch this drama despite how people have been talking about the "age gap" on the internet. When the production team said 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀, I knew I had to give this drama a try, especially considering this amazing cast lineup!
⤷ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. I noticed there was huge potential for the story, and they utilized it really well. Also, they really do play with the viewers' emotions.
⤷ The writer is smart about keeping the plot interesting. 𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵. There is romance here and there, but not too much, which I love. (I don't think every romance drama has to use intimate scenes, but here, they portray the husband-and-wife relationship in a very cute and interesting way.)
⤷𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟴-𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁. I just wish there were more scenes after the final episode. (I'm not talking about the after-credit scene; I wouldn't mind if they just added a few more minutes to the last episode.) Honestly, a special episode or even just several extra minutes would have been amazing.
⤷The directing and cinematography aren't my favorite, especially in the first three episodes and in several other scenes. I kinda disliked the cinematography in the last scene of the final episode (this specific scene with too much unnatural light), 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁.
For the acting, I feel like 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐒𝐎 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋 with how they portrayed their characters. Sadness, anger, madness, craziness, evil...they did it all so well!!!!
⬩➤ Aimi is very versatile despite her young age. I hope to see more of her work. She portrayed childishness, selfishness, maturity, and softness really well. You can see that Xie Jiayu is an "explosive" character. She's smart, but not completely mature. Later on, we can see how her character progresses as the story gets deeper.
⬩➤ Hou Minghao is an amazing actor, so I don't have any complaints about his performance. He portrayed Xiao Wuyi so well. I need to praise him specifically for a scene from Episode 27 (31:50), when he turns around and smiles at his opponent. That specific scene shows that he IS Xiao Wuyi!! He's forever that smart, cunning general.
⬩➤ I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE VILLAINS IN THIS DRAMA OMG. They did sooooooooo well. It's been a while since I've genuinely hated villain characters and been this emotionally invested in their downfall lol. I want to praise Wang Yilun, Peter Ho, and Ma Qiu Yuan for how well they managed to piss the audience off.
⬩➤ All the side characters (especially everyone in the Xiao family household, the soldiers, guards, child actors, etc.) did an amazing job and played important roles in building up the story.
𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟰–𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟰 (𝗶𝗺𝗼). Meanwhile, you need to prepare yourself for the emotional roller coaster from Episodes 23–25. My personal favorite is actually Episodes 23–28.
To sum it up, the drama itself is 𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐒. When I say plot twists, I don't mean just one or two. It's a series of plot twists from the beginning all the way to the end. Even after you finish this drama, make sure to watch the after-credit scene!
I've finished the first episode of this drama. It took me quite a long time to finish the very first episode since there were so many characters introduced at the same time, and I needed to process the opening story and understand how they're related to each other. The pacing of the first episode is quite slow since there are a lot of dialogues (which I kind of expected since it looks like a political harem?).
My thoughts:
╰┈➤I think what amazed me the most so far is the cinematography. Omg... the whole aesthetic, colors, angles, and the way they capture every scene are beautiful.
╰┈➤Talking about the acting, I can see strong performances from each character, and I find them all very unique.
╰┈➤The story has so much potential, but I really hope they maintain a good pace throughout the 36 episodes because I found the very first episode quite complex. (So I assume the story itself will be very complex.)
Overall: Huge potential for the plot, amazing cinematography, and good acting, but it can be quite heavy for viewers considering all the dialogue.
I guess what makes me even more frustrated is the fact that both the ML and FL are super kind and very tolerant in so many ways. Also, without Xiao Wuyi, I'm 90% sure the nation wouldn't survive the war.
As for the plot twists, I think this is one of the most plot-twist-heavy dramas I've ever watched...
The plot twists are super fun but emotionally exhausting at the same time. Ngl, I got emotionally drained from Episodes 23–25. The emotional roller coaster is insane, but I hope it'll be worth it in the end. I'm on the first half of Episode 26, and it's super fun!
Also, thank you for not giving me any spoilers! (I prefer not to see any spoilers whenever I watch a show)