I watched this once when it originally came out, and although I found it a little bewildering I generally enjoyed it. Watching it again 4 years later, I gotta say. I genuinely really enjoy this movie. It's ridiculous and fun and there's serious chemistry between SJH and JJ.
Finding out he's the one in Herb, and that he's in Time Between Dog and Wolf... he's in so many things that I've watched before I even really noticed him in Cruel City.
These two together again? Ooh, I might just watch this. My only qualm is that Korean dramas with 30+ episodes don't tend to fare as well as, say, Chinese dramas that are 30+ episodes. At least in my books. Does this get snoozy?
Whenever Meiniang and Shimin fought, it was w/e. But when Zhinu and Meiniang fight it's so stressful and sad omg. A sad Zhinu is a sad me. But yay, preggo Meiniang!
Okay, edit: I'm near the end now, and the Crown Prince died. The rift between them is killing me. They were my OTP. Minyue needs to die!
EDIT EDIT; THEY'RE OLD AND IN A MARRIAGE WHERE THEY DON'T TRUST EACH OTHER AND HES ON HIS DEATHBED AND THEIR CHILDREN ARE TERRIBLE PEOPLE THIS ISN'T THE REALITY I WANTED AHHHH
Edit x3; "But all I ever wanted was to watch the fireworks with you..."
I hate everything this is so sad my heart hurts... Zhinu was such a sweetheart;;;
Agh, this is why I love Chinese dramas SO SO much. They always go really in depth with the important times of the protagonist when they're young, but then as they get older each important event is quickly covered and glossed over- really symbolizing how far above everything the protagonist has found herself. The last 15 years of Empress Wu's life seem to be covered in the last 15 MINUTES of this drama, and every moment just fills you with a wistful melancholic bittersweet feeling. She had been such a badass all her life, and she still was, but she had seen so much, and she was tired. Seeing her don those golden robes and ask her lifelong servant; "Where are my enemies? Where are my friends? Where is my husband, my children?" Dead, dead, dead... The most powerful woman, the most powerful person, and she was all alone.
Really REALLY liking this so far. I can already tell that this drama is gonna emotionally ruin me. I love the couple already as well~
I don't know, people are saying that the first episode is confusing, but I disagree. Maybe I just trust the drama makers more than those people? Lol. I always find it funny when people are asking boatloads of questions and having doubts about first episodes because they don't hand every single detail of the story to you on a silver platter. Sometimes you gotta let things play out~
Not great. Not even good, really. It was one of those movies that you hope will at least be worth the time it took to watch it, but it was barely that.
When that thing hit President Hwang's car I couldn't close my mouth for a minute. I was too busy thinking…
Yeah, I was legit shocked as well! It was one of those like, "shit just got real" moments. Also, I've ventured too far into the internet before and seen real footage of those kinds of accidents, so it was particularly gruesome for me. The blood spatter really cemented the disturbing element of it.
I AM LOVING THE HECK OUT OF THIS DRAMA. It's like a cross between Lost, White Christmas, and something else I can't quite put my finger on. I'm loving it to bits and pieces.
Oh my god! How have I not seen so many of these!!?!?!?
On the other hand, I said before I read the article that if Tatta Hitotsu no Koi wasn't on here, I'd definitely have to go on a mini rant about how good it is in the comments section, so ~whew~. Thank goodness I don't have to do that ;)
Either way, definitely adding some of these to my plan to watch list.
Oh my god. Okay. I'm just gonna post all my thoughts on the last couple episodes in one comment so I don't spam it (anymore than I already have, doh) I hope this doesn't come off as review-y.
CHENGLE IS SO HATEABLE. IT'S RIDICULOUS. From her dumb eyebrows to her duck lips to her insistence that her love for Tuoba Jun was 'pure' and that she was never anything but faithful to him. Like. Hon. Please. You killed his fucking mother, like?? Seriously? How can you STILL play the victim in these circumstances? I feel like they were trying to play her off as the tragic ambitious character. but she just seemed like a fool. If I were Weiyoung, there's NO way I'd be able to resist punching her in the face more than a couple times.
Chang Ru was much more tolerable. She at least seemed reasonable. I felt for her at the end.
I was thoroughly impressed with the cast! I'd heard some bad things about Vaness Wu in the past regarding the quality of his character, but he was such a believably despicable badass that you just LOVE to hate in this, I'm tempted to give him another chance. He was just always so exasperated and arrogant, it was great. Also, great eyebrows on that one.
The side couples were way cuter than side couples have any right to be.
As for the main couple.... sigh. Sigh sigh sigh. They were so good. Never seen either of them in anything before, but my god! They're both so beautiful! Their chemistry was off the charts as well, and it's *no* surprise to me that they're together IRL.
Chinese dramas have a way of making me more emotional than any other dramas do. I theorise that this is for several reasons, one of which being the fact that they're usually longer, and the struggles that our characters have to go through are always extremely tough, are eventually surmounted, and are then topped with an even GREATER struggle, all up until the end where a final struggle is introduced, and it can't be surmounted. The character can only learn to deal with it and make the best of the situation ahead of them. There's a peaceful yet heartbreaking type of sorrow that always seems to present itself at the end of historical Chinese dramas, and it's in full force here. This one is ALMOST on the level of the original Scarlet Heart with it's ending, guys. That's pretty serious.
When the lead couple is happy, it's like everything is right in the world. When something bad is happening to them, I can't help but feel genuine heartbreak over it. And maaannnn do I love heartbreak. Bittersweet endings like this one are right up my alley. Wei Young being the one to survive alone hurts, but it's an empowering sort of hurt, because you know that it won't defeat her. I live for that sort of tragedy.
I'm so glad I watched this drama. It's definitely in my top 3 for Chinese historicals.
Okay, edit: I'm near the end now, and the Crown Prince died. The rift between them is killing me. They were my OTP. Minyue needs to die!
EDIT EDIT; THEY'RE OLD AND IN A MARRIAGE WHERE THEY DON'T TRUST EACH OTHER AND HES ON HIS DEATHBED AND THEIR CHILDREN ARE TERRIBLE PEOPLE THIS ISN'T THE REALITY I WANTED AHHHH
Edit x3; "But all I ever wanted was to watch the fireworks with you..."
I hate everything this is so sad my heart hurts... Zhinu was such a sweetheart;;;
Agh, this is why I love Chinese dramas SO SO much. They always go really in depth with the important times of the protagonist when they're young, but then as they get older each important event is quickly covered and glossed over- really symbolizing how far above everything the protagonist has found herself. The last 15 years of Empress Wu's life seem to be covered in the last 15 MINUTES of this drama, and every moment just fills you with a wistful melancholic bittersweet feeling. She had been such a badass all her life, and she still was, but she had seen so much, and she was tired. Seeing her don those golden robes and ask her lifelong servant; "Where are my enemies? Where are my friends? Where is my husband, my children?" Dead, dead, dead... The most powerful woman, the most powerful person, and she was all alone.
I don't know, people are saying that the first episode is confusing, but I disagree. Maybe I just trust the drama makers more than those people? Lol. I always find it funny when people are asking boatloads of questions and having doubts about first episodes because they don't hand every single detail of the story to you on a silver platter. Sometimes you gotta let things play out~
On the other hand, I said before I read the article that if Tatta Hitotsu no Koi wasn't on here, I'd definitely have to go on a mini rant about how good it is in the comments section, so ~whew~. Thank goodness I don't have to do that ;)
Either way, definitely adding some of these to my plan to watch list.
CHENGLE IS SO HATEABLE. IT'S RIDICULOUS. From her dumb eyebrows to her duck lips to her insistence that her love for Tuoba Jun was 'pure' and that she was never anything but faithful to him. Like. Hon. Please. You killed his fucking mother, like?? Seriously? How can you STILL play the victim in these circumstances? I feel like they were trying to play her off as the tragic ambitious character. but she just seemed like a fool. If I were Weiyoung, there's NO way I'd be able to resist punching her in the face more than a couple times.
Chang Ru was much more tolerable. She at least seemed reasonable. I felt for her at the end.
I was thoroughly impressed with the cast! I'd heard some bad things about Vaness Wu in the past regarding the quality of his character, but he was such a believably despicable badass that you just LOVE to hate in this, I'm tempted to give him another chance. He was just always so exasperated and arrogant, it was great. Also, great eyebrows on that one.
The side couples were way cuter than side couples have any right to be.
As for the main couple.... sigh. Sigh sigh sigh. They were so good. Never seen either of them in anything before, but my god! They're both so beautiful! Their chemistry was off the charts as well, and it's *no* surprise to me that they're together IRL.
Chinese dramas have a way of making me more emotional than any other dramas do. I theorise that this is for several reasons, one of which being the fact that they're usually longer, and the struggles that our characters have to go through are always extremely tough, are eventually surmounted, and are then topped with an even GREATER struggle, all up until the end where a final struggle is introduced, and it can't be surmounted. The character can only learn to deal with it and make the best of the situation ahead of them. There's a peaceful yet heartbreaking type of sorrow that always seems to present itself at the end of historical Chinese dramas, and it's in full force here. This one is ALMOST on the level of the original Scarlet Heart with it's ending, guys. That's pretty serious.
When the lead couple is happy, it's like everything is right in the world. When something bad is happening to them, I can't help but feel genuine heartbreak over it. And maaannnn do I love heartbreak. Bittersweet endings like this one are right up my alley. Wei Young being the one to survive alone hurts, but it's an empowering sort of hurt, because you know that it won't defeat her. I live for that sort of tragedy.
I'm so glad I watched this drama. It's definitely in my top 3 for Chinese historicals.
-It's Wei Young-
The Emperor's just like "What the hell? AGAIN?"