FDiyF

I just can’t stand the trope of dumbing down and weakening a female character just so the male lead would outshine her. In the novel, Chu Zhao could almost stand side by side with Chu Qiao from Princess Agent (the novel, not the tv adaptation), somebody who is forged with blood and sweat with an exceptional mind of a strategist. Chu Zhao learned her lesson from her past life, and put extra effort to relive her life so the past tragedy won’t ever take place. She doesnt flinch at the sight of blood, and she definitely doesnt shudder when holding the sword. She is the daughter of a frontier general who had seen enough blood on the battlefield before she made the mistake of abandoning her father for a luxury life in the capital in her past life. As for Xie Yanlai, he too shouldve worked on his own merits through blood and sweat that eventually became the shield for the current reborn Chu Zhao. The novel had been a female centric piece where Chu Zhao never needed much saving from the ML (heck the ML is mostly away from her 80% of the time), plus even as a spoiled brat of her past life, Chu Zhao had rode and killed the enemy alongside her father, so why the heck would she need swordsmanship lessons from Xie Yanlai? Like, seriously Mr Screenwriter? 😒 That sword lesson scene that turned into quite a sexual tension is too laughable. And excuse me, Chu Zhao went into shock just because she stabbed someone to death? OMG I was so mad to see that. That is not Chu Zhao at all! It is so funny (and particularly annoying) that the screenwriter just had to put down the FL so the ML could make his own mark, while desperately try to build up the romance between them.

The way FL would huff and puff at every crisis also made my eyes roll. The actress definitely went a little extra on that part. She’s also lousy at trying to look bold and fearless, let alone to embody the conniving aura that novel Chu Zhao has. I especially cant stand FL’s bewildered expression whenever her plans is foiled. It’s just too bad, i was looking forward to see another badass FL after Tian Xiwei’s phenomenal portrayal of Fan Changyu. Honestly Chen Duling’s Chu Zhao went off track so bad I cant even force myself to watch on just for the plot. And i just can’t stand it when they push the romance onscreen so desperately. Chu Zhao is the only reason I even wanted to watch the show, and for them to turn this character into an unrecognizable one is just too disheartening.

I was so excited for the adaptation after reading the novel, too bad it did not only fell short, it actually stumbled right into the mudpit. Instead of focusing on court politics plot and FL’s military merit, they went on full blown romance buildup right off the start, when it was the very last thing to happen in the novel. To make matters worse, I failed to feel the couple’s chemistry even when they try so hard on that part. What a total disappointment after so much hype about the series. This is what you get when you try to cramp up 390+ chapters into 24 episodes.