Great cast but depressing and ultimately terrible story
For my review I'll start with the positives. Acting, setting, and time period are all compelling and well done. The general time period circa 1875-1900 is incredibly interesting and it tackles a lot of interesting issues regarding industrialization, nationalism, and the issues regarding China in the time period. Unlike other periods this can be portrayed relatively innocently in the context that it doesn't feel like the censorship board impacted the dialogue or plot much. The female lead is great and viewers will be able to enjoy the arcs of other main characters.That being said this story is way too long and has such a disappointing pay-off. Let alone a happy ending, practically every character arc and story is completely depressing and ends with tragedy. I've watched and read a lot of "dark" books and shows and this one was one of the few where I felt disgusted about the complete lack of joy and hope within the story. Every single romance and plot line is an unmitigated disaster due to outside interference or external circumstance. How they handled the relationship between the two main characters is just unforgivable for this format. To watch 74 episodes (I mostly watched at 1.5x-2x due to how slow-paced much of it was) and end in that fashion is just not good television. Having a tragic ending with only the smallest remnants of positivity and happiness is fine for a movie, mini series, or play. In those formats you spend ~3 hours watching. For something with a view time around 65 hours it is unacceptable imo.
If you like the time period and are interested in a tragic romance/revenge show with financial elements you'll probably enjoy it. If you want any form of a happy ending this show is not for you!
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Incredible historical show
An absolutely fantastic show. One of the most historically faithful shows I've seen and it covers a fascinating point in Chinese history. While confusing at first, if you continue watching everything comes together nicely. Fantastic cast and great story. Practically no romance but many emotional scenes. The growth of certain characters and the bonds between them is incredible. Production wise the show is strong but don't expect much high quality action scenes. There are some elements of action but this show is overwhelmingly about the plot and characters.Really can't recommend it enough. Stylistically it feels more western in terms of substance and style in that it is darker, grittier, and less romantic than the vast majority of Chinese shows. Highly recommend it if you're looking for something more akin to a traditional drama or historical piece in the western sense
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Overall a very good show but with some very questionable scenes.
I really enjoyed this show. It has a fantastic cast and I really appreciate the ensemble nature of it. It is a bit weird in that at each character featured plays progressively a smaller role the farther the story goes, but I do enjoy that it isn't the typical 2 main characters with comic relief side characters. Most plot lines are good and each of the men and woman are different enough and have distinct dynamics that make them enjoyable.The main negatives for me is that there is a lot of just artificially placed issues with many of the romances. Obviously you don't want smooth sailing but for me personally there are too many issues caused by complete failure in communication and unreasonable assumptions / idealism.
There are also 4 or 5 five scenes that are really despicable but played off as lighthearted or reasonable. They are minor enough in plot relevance which makes it annoying that they were even included. Examples include prolonging a forced abduction for brownie points, insane gaslighting, and just weird and callous behavior between family members.
Overall the show is very enjoyable, mostly due to the cast and production. The characters all have their unique elements and likeable. While some are close to being Mary Sues, most of them are more nuanced than a lot of other main roles portrayed in Chinese dramas.
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