old review made as of ep 12:

I like it! After reading the reviews, I have been enlightened that since I don't typically watch "princess revenge" dramas, I'm not the most experienced to talk about this. But want a fresh opinion...? I like this show so far :]

1. Complaints were made that Dilraba looks like Leo's older sis next to him, and to that I say go off? To me they look fine, and honestly, I dont think making complaints about the actor's appearance is ever really a valid argument, especially the kind I saw...? such as "she seems to have gained weight" or "makeup makes her look old" Maybe it might bother you when you watch, but I didn't really find any issues with it! If anything, I think it just has to do with the fact that while Leo is handsome, he does still look a little boyish in the face department, and does still register as being like....young XD I have to cover my eyes for the shirtless scenes. he's older than me but it feels like I'm doing something wrong, lmao.

That aside, dilraba looking "old(???)" has literally never bothered me. That's way harsh, and im a little sus abt comments like that :eye: I kind of focus on the characters and what they ARE in their role, (because the actors have done a good job of portraying it so I forget) and less so on the actors themselves, but I guess not everyone is as good at giving the benefit of the doubt? Not that it really needs to be given, but help yourself? Dilraba looks fine *shrugs* Watch for yourself and see how you feel about it?

2. Good acting. The actors can only do so much as they're given with the role. As for Lu Si's role in this as Princess Yongan, I think the performance became a little one-note, but maybe that's the fault of the role, and also Lu Si needing to find the right footing? The overall cast is pretty good I would say, not STELLAR OMFG AWARDS ACROSS THE BOARD, but good :)

3. Idk bout yall but I like the score. Maybe it's the normal siren-like sounds that literally any drama has, but I think the music in this is very good, and sets the stakes very well. 10/10 for that (except I don't ever give 10s, lmao).

4. I'm kind of neutral to the constant use of manhua drawings at key points of the story. Many viewers seem to find it jarring, and I agree to some extent. I would like to see more intense scenes that aren't interrupted by comic drawings. But I can also accept that it's just what production decided, and there's no helping it. I can only hope as the series goes on we can get to see more scenes that are actually filmed and done with cgi. It does break immersion. whenever an animation scenes comes on im kinda just like "ah shit here we go again" TT but what can we do :/

tl;dr this is a good show so far, and I'm hoping it doesnt go downhill. Hopefully, I will come back and edit this once i've either finished it, or dropped it altogether.

If you don't see an edit from me, know what the latter happened 👀

[after finishing]:


Edit: I've watched all 49 episodes now. overall, the long ballad, as a standalone, and ignoring any external, real world factors that may have affected minor things like more romance scenes and a more satisfying ending, ignoring all of that which we cannot change now, is a good drama.

It's not flawless or a masterpiece, but, I would most definitely recommend it to others, because it is a GOOD DRAMA! It has its own short-comings, times when the drama seems to flatline, times it picks up tempo, times of absolutely amazing cinematography, a consistently amazing OST (omg its so good), and varying levels of satisfaction with the romance, times it drags, times its just regualr, times its a little dumb in the logic, but nothing that detracts greatly from the show, and nothing I want to deliberately fault it, or the actors for, either. (wu lei at the time of filming this, had just turned 19, i read from a comment, so stop complaining abt no kiss scenes lol)

i'm genuinely using the mere fact that i have completed all 49, episodes, all at around 42 minutes long, WHILE airing. That is a testament alone to how addicting this drama is, (especially in comparison to the dramas that have been airing rn).

the opening episodes for the long ballad are stellar, and while I can understand why not every single episode could have been held to the same quality (they very obviously went all out on those first 3 or so eps), the episodes that follow are well choreographed for fight scenes, (for the ones that are not left to aniimations- :side eyes:) and there are always stakes, even if sometimes things are predictable or drawn out.

this show overall has been a fun experience for me. I have definitely found actors to keep on my radar going forward, such as Liu Yu Ning, and im definitely gonna go watch Ultimate Note since it has him AND wu lei 😳:flushed:

Anyways, that's my two cents. This show isn;t perfect, it has faults, but it's worth your time. I hope you can enjoy it as i have.