Episode 14 was a very strong start! I really love the emotions, and Yi Ran’s silent yet deeply emotional support. It also has to be said that the directors seem to love seeing him tortured and miserable in the series
Episode 12: The ending was particularly moving, thanks to Yi Ran and the beautiful soundtrack accompanying the scene. Y Ning's voice added a genuine emotional depth that elevated the moment. While the composition itself wasn't original, it was used effectively and perfectly.
Episode 13: A very dynamic episode, and at times even grandiose. The action sequences were ambitious, and several scenes were good. Unfortunately, the editing suffered from quite a few flaws, which undermined the overall flow and impact. My biggest issue, however, remains the Princess!! . Her character reaches its paroxysm here: she is seemingly capable of everything and excels at absolutely everything, to the point where it becomes difficult to believe. Her presence dominates so much of the episode that it distracts from other scenes that could have been fantastic on their own without her oresence. For example, her mother was far more convincing, and her scenes were among the highlights of the episode. The battle itself was beautifully staged and felt surprisingly credible. Sadly, the Princess's presence weakened much of that impact for me. I can easily accept her abilities as a strategist, but portraying her as an exceptional general and unstoppable warrior is a step too far. Watching her stride through a battlefield in a magnificent hanfu with long flowing sleeves, right in the middle of a massacre, requires a level of suspension of disbelief that my brain simply isn't ready to grant... even for Yi Ran! Haha.
Yun Rui: absolutely adorable!! As a solo actor, he's becoming more and more confident, and his screen presence has grown noticeably. Compared to where he was three years ago, the improvement is genuinely impressive. And let's be honest, he's getting more handsome by the day, lol.
The drama itself is enjoyable, although in my opinion it's a bit too stretched out. Not a whole lot happens, and despite its simplicity, it lacks the poetic quality that dramas like *Meet Yourself* had. The dialogues there were beautiful, and the characters were much more thoughtfully developed.
Here, everything remains rather superficial. Help 😆, but I find the mother character quite unlikeable. I can't tell whether it's the writing or the performance, but I constantly get the feeling that she herself doesn't know what she's supposed to do or how she's supposed to behave (and she's only a cameo 😆).
I feel the same way about the female lead. The transition between her "before" and "after" selves is not very convincing, and her personality before and after the change never feels fully developed.
That said, the young cast keeps the drama charming. Guan Xiaotong does a ok job in her role. Tian Yang is very charming too, but he's basically playing the exact same character he played in *When I Fly Towards You*. Overall, it feels like the director was trying to capture the vibe of that drama, except the problem is that *When I Fly Towards You* was already a very successful and well-rounded project on its own.
So... overall, it's a mixed bag ❤️💔 and I'm still watching. But honestly, I can't wait for these characters to finally be allowed to grow up. I've officially had an overdose of high-school romances. 😂
why does popularity ranking even matter lolthere is no need for an actor to be big to play a warrior, but the…
As for commercial success, I agree that business plays a crucial role. After all, we're talking about an industry—and that word itself implies commerce, investment, financial returns, and profitability. Studios and investors need returns on their investments if they want to fund future projects.
However, commercial success is not necessarily a measure of artistic quality. As Martin Scorsese has often pointed out, one of the major problems today is that investors are increasingly unwilling to take risks because so much money is at stake. As a result, they tend to favor safe, proven formulas rather than original ideas. This often leads to a flood of derivative content built around familiar clichés rather than genuine creative experimentation.
Scorsese also noted that, in the past, the industry operated differently. A studio might have one or two massive box-office successes that generated enough profit to cover the losses of several less successful films. That model gave filmmakers more freedom to experiment, take creative risks, and develop new artistic voices. In other words, commercial hits helped finance innovation rather than replace it.
why does popularity ranking even matter lolthere is no need for an actor to be big to play a warrior, but the…
I agree with you overall. I think it's perfectly possible to love a work while still recognizing and criticizing some of its flaws. Appreciating something doesn't mean believing it's perfect. After all, art isn't an exact science. It can't be reduced to formulas, checklists, or purely technical measurements. There's always a subjective element that makes the idea of a completely objective 10/10 difficult to defend.
A film can deserve a 10/10 not because it's flawless—because almost no film truly is—but because it resonates deeply with us. It can evoke emotions, memories, ideas, or connect with our personal experiences, cultural background, and sensitivity at a particular moment in our lives. Sometimes a work earns a perfect score because it teaches us something, changes our perspective, or simply stays with us long after it's over.
And conversely, afilm can be incredibly polished from a technical standpoint and still leave us emotionally untouched.... It may be brilliantly designed, expertly written, and exceptionally crafted, yet fail to create any meaningful connection. Technical excellence and emotional impact are not always the same thing.
That said, I think there's an important distinction to make between evaluating the quality of a work and evaluating what it means to us personally. Technical criteria can help us discuss a work in a more objective way, while emotional resonance is inevitably subjective.
In other words, a film might be an 8/10 if we're judging its filmmaking, writing, pacing, or execution, but still be a 10/10 for us personally because of the impact it had on us. Likewise, there are works I can recognize as masterpieces without necessarily loving them.
I think the value of art comes from both sides: what the work objectively achieves, and what it awakens in the person experiencing it. Neither perspective is wrong—they're just measuring different things.
Bravo, excellent comment! Yiran is one of the best young Chinese actors today. His performance is remarkably nuanced,…
In any case, he really carried the project on his shoulders, with harisma. Their chemistry was indeed sparkling and refreshing. Here, the chemistry is different—more nuanced and deeper.
Bravo, excellent comment! Yiran is one of the best young Chinese actors today. His performance is remarkably nuanced,…
I would also add that he is incredibly versatile and willing to take risks with his roles. Just look at Generation to Generation—he embodies a completely different type of character there. And in this wuxia drama, his portrayal is very refreshing, even if it may not appeal to audiences who prefer more conventional or clichéd performances.
As for his next project, if I'm not mistaken, he'll be moving on to a medical drama, which is something completely different again. He seems to choose his projects carefully and is always looking to challenge himself with diverse roles.
I notice some comments pretending to like this drama and have similar way in expressing themselves.➡️ I like....…
Bravo, excellent comment! Yiran is one of the best young Chinese actors today. His performance is remarkably nuanced, and he portrays his character perfectly.
Could you please confirm whether 10k means a hit target or an average? Could you also explain this system a little? Each time I'm not exactly sure how it should be interpreted
A new gem in the Chinese industry! ✨ There aren't many like him, and for his age, he's truly the only one !…
I think this is mainly due to the story setup. For now, the female character is the only real lead, and you can also notice that she is surrounded by men, with hardly any other women around her.
I see Yi Ran more as a hero who supports the story while also giving space to the female lead. That being said, he is far from being overshadowed. On the contrary, whenever he appears on screen, he immediately captures everyone's attention, even though he has fewer lines than the other male characters, whose presence is often driven more by dialogue.
As for his physique, I can imagine a young martial artist who is agile, with elegant movements and precise techniques, without necessarily being heavily muscular. In a martial arts setting, that doesn't bother me at all. As a warrior, however, it might be better if he gradually gains more muscle in the future, similar to how Chen Zheyuan has transformed little by little over the years.
What I particularly like is that there is something innocent and genuine about him, especially in his eyes, which fits the character perfectly in my opinion.
I also appreciate the fact that he is not the main lead from the very beginning. He starts out as a man in the shadows, someone seemingly insignificant, who will eventually become an important figure. I imagine the second part of the story will be much more focused on him once he becomes a powerful general. If I were the director, that's probably the direction I would have taken.......... However, I imagine that the main focus here is the princess, so the series is more female-centered, with a man by her side who supports and understands her.
In fact, the story is showing his rise: starting from nothing and gradually becoming powerful, while also highlighting how the princess helps him along the way. She will be the source of power within the court, while he, as he himself said, will be willing to "die for her" and become a powerful man through his army and military achievements.
So we'll have to wait and see how his journey unfolds.
A new gem in the Chinese industry! ✨ There aren't many like him, and for his age, he's truly the only one !…
I don't think Lai Weiming has enough charisma yet. He still has room to grow and needs to keep developing as an actor. The others definitely have potential as well.
As for Wang Xingyue, it's true that he's probably the biggest star among all the names mentioned. He has charm, screen presence, and he's undeniably handsome. However, to me, he still feels more like an idol actor. Despite his charisma, I don't think his acting skills are on the same level as Zhou Yiran's for now.
Zhou Yiran has the ability to carry truly complex roles and could easily shine in serious big-screen productions. For example, that scene in 12 Letters where he portrays a man sitting alone in a cemetery 30 old years man, later was incredibly moving and cinematic. It felt like the kind of performance you would expect from a film actor rather than someone confined to the usual idol-drama or Netflix-style productions. That scene, in particular, showed a level of emotional depth and maturity that convinced me he has the potential for much more ambitious roles in the future.
2 
1 
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and Yi Ran’s silent yet deeply emotional support.
It also has to be said that the directors seem to love seeing him tortured and miserable in the series
Episode 13: A very dynamic episode, and at times even grandiose. The action sequences were ambitious, and several scenes were good. Unfortunately, the editing suffered from quite a few flaws, which undermined the overall flow and impact.
My biggest issue, however, remains the Princess!! . Her character reaches its paroxysm here: she is seemingly capable of everything and excels at absolutely everything, to the point where it becomes difficult to believe. Her presence dominates so much of the episode that it distracts from other scenes that could have been fantastic on their own without her oresence. For example, her mother was far more convincing, and her scenes were among the highlights of the episode. The battle itself was beautifully staged and felt surprisingly credible.
Sadly, the Princess's presence weakened much of that impact for me. I can easily accept her abilities as a strategist, but portraying her as an exceptional general and unstoppable warrior is a step too far. Watching her stride through a battlefield in a magnificent hanfu with long flowing sleeves, right in the middle of a massacre, requires a level of suspension of disbelief that my brain simply isn't ready to grant... even for Yi Ran! Haha.
The drama itself is enjoyable, although in my opinion it's a bit too stretched out. Not a whole lot happens, and despite its simplicity, it lacks the poetic quality that dramas like *Meet Yourself* had. The dialogues there were beautiful, and the characters were much more thoughtfully developed.
Here, everything remains rather superficial. Help 😆, but I find the mother character quite unlikeable. I can't tell whether it's the writing or the performance, but I constantly get the feeling that she herself doesn't know what she's supposed to do or how she's supposed to behave (and she's only a cameo 😆).
I feel the same way about the female lead. The transition between her "before" and "after" selves is not very convincing, and her personality before and after the change never feels fully developed.
That said, the young cast keeps the drama charming. Guan Xiaotong does a ok job in her role. Tian Yang is very charming too, but he's basically playing the exact same character he played in *When I Fly Towards You*. Overall, it feels like the director was trying to capture the vibe of that drama, except the problem is that *When I Fly Towards You* was already a very successful and well-rounded project on its own.
So... overall, it's a mixed bag ❤️💔 and I'm still watching. But honestly, I can't wait for these characters to finally be allowed to grow up. I've officially had an overdose of high-school romances. 😂
However, commercial success is not necessarily a measure of artistic quality. As Martin Scorsese has often pointed out, one of the major problems today is that investors are increasingly unwilling to take risks because so much money is at stake. As a result, they tend to favor safe, proven formulas rather than original ideas. This often leads to a flood of derivative content built around familiar clichés rather than genuine creative experimentation.
Scorsese also noted that, in the past, the industry operated differently. A studio might have one or two massive box-office successes that generated enough profit to cover the losses of several less successful films. That model gave filmmakers more freedom to experiment, take creative risks, and develop new artistic voices. In other words, commercial hits helped finance innovation rather than replace it.
I think it's perfectly possible to love a work while still recognizing and criticizing some of its flaws.
Appreciating something doesn't mean believing it's perfect. After all, art isn't an exact science. It can't be reduced to formulas, checklists, or purely technical measurements. There's always a subjective element that makes the idea of a completely objective 10/10 difficult to defend.
A film can deserve a 10/10 not because it's flawless—because almost no film truly is—but because it resonates deeply with us. It can evoke emotions, memories, ideas, or connect with our personal experiences, cultural background, and sensitivity at a particular moment in our lives. Sometimes a work earns a perfect score because it teaches us something, changes our perspective, or simply stays with us long after it's over.
And conversely, afilm can be incredibly polished from a technical standpoint and still leave us emotionally untouched.... It may be brilliantly designed, expertly written, and exceptionally crafted, yet fail to create any meaningful connection. Technical excellence and emotional impact are not always the same thing.
That said, I think there's an important distinction to make between evaluating the quality of a work and evaluating what it means to us personally. Technical criteria can help us discuss a work in a more objective way, while emotional resonance is inevitably subjective.
In other words, a film might be an 8/10 if we're judging its filmmaking, writing, pacing, or execution, but still be a 10/10 for us personally because of the impact it had on us. Likewise, there are works I can recognize as masterpieces without necessarily loving them.
I think the value of art comes from both sides: what the work objectively achieves, and what it awakens in the person experiencing it. Neither perspective is wrong—they're just measuring different things.
As for his next project, if I'm not mistaken, he'll be moving on to a medical drama, which is something completely different again. He seems to choose his projects carefully and is always looking to challenge himself with diverse roles.
I see Yi Ran more as a hero who supports the story while also giving space to the female lead. That being said, he is far from being overshadowed. On the contrary, whenever he appears on screen, he immediately captures everyone's attention, even though he has fewer lines than the other male characters, whose presence is often driven more by dialogue.
As for his physique, I can imagine a young martial artist who is agile, with elegant movements and precise techniques, without necessarily being heavily muscular. In a martial arts setting, that doesn't bother me at all. As a warrior, however, it might be better if he gradually gains more muscle in the future, similar to how Chen Zheyuan has transformed little by little over the years.
What I particularly like is that there is something innocent and genuine about him, especially in his eyes, which fits the character perfectly in my opinion.
I also appreciate the fact that he is not the main lead from the very beginning. He starts out as a man in the shadows, someone seemingly insignificant, who will eventually become an important figure. I imagine the second part of the story will be much more focused on him once he becomes a powerful general. If I were the director, that's probably the direction I would have taken.......... However, I imagine that the main focus here is the princess, so the series is more female-centered, with a man by her side who supports and understands her.
In fact, the story is showing his rise: starting from nothing and gradually becoming powerful, while also highlighting how the princess helps him along the way. She will be the source of power within the court, while he, as he himself said, will be willing to "die for her" and become a powerful man through his army and military achievements.
So we'll have to wait and see how his journey unfolds.
As for Wang Xingyue, it's true that he's probably the biggest star among all the names mentioned. He has charm, screen presence, and he's undeniably handsome. However, to me, he still feels more like an idol actor. Despite his charisma, I don't think his acting skills are on the same level as Zhou Yiran's for now.
Zhou Yiran has the ability to carry truly complex roles and could easily shine in serious big-screen productions. For example, that scene in 12 Letters where he portrays a man sitting alone in a cemetery 30 old years man, later was incredibly moving and cinematic. It felt like the kind of performance you would expect from a film actor rather than someone confined to the usual idol-drama or Netflix-style productions. That scene, in particular, showed a level of emotional depth and maturity that convinced me he has the potential for much more ambitious roles in the future.