swish vanilla

I'm trying to watch more mystery-romance costume dramas since that's my go-to, so this was a must-watch for me. After finishing it, I think it was good, but not as good as the praise suggests. I found the characters to be cookie-cutter, probably 'cause there was little room for characterisation, with people becoming best friends and lovers left and right, like the opposite of a slowburn 😅 The mystery-solving was also repetitive till the change of pace upon the final arc. But at least the story was properly thought of.

Will I watch Season 2 if they ever make one? Maybe, maybe not.

Youku app subs were bad, but the third link (Youtube/SMG) had good subs.

Happy first anniversary to this drama!! 🥰

Just finished this! I've been wanting to watch a historical/costume drama in a school setting and finally found one! 🥹 But, it's not just a school drama, it also has romance and revenge, plus a moral theme, too.

Out of all the idol cdrama released from 2019-2025 that I’ve seen, the ML and FL pairing in this one has been the cutest and most wholesome (especially the scene of their first kiss). Steadfast and loyal. Unwavering. Second couple were really cute, too, though their development felt a bit “0 to 100” for me.

The action scenes were also surprisingly and consistently good here, and there were a lot of them.

Sadly the subs available to me (third link above: MQ Media on YouTube) weren't the best so a lot of the poems spoken here were lost in translation—a huge loss since I really wanted to appreciate the poetry aspects—but the story was charming in itself that I continued and finished it happily enough (warning: the final arc, like eps 36-39 had poor writing in general).

P.S. Even if this wasn't the most original in terms of plot/characters, the emperor will leave an impression! 😁

holy shii i spoke too soon like wHYYY do cdramas like to crash out after the first half and tone down the humour for the sake of "plot" which relies on tropes anyways 😭🥴

I usually comment on MDL only after I've either finished or dropped a series but this got me mad cackling so far! I love the editing, too, like the little add ons they add (blushes, emojis, caricatures in between scenes).

I had no idea who they were until I read the article but there's just a certain warmth I feel when a young celeb couple choose to get married in their 20s-early 30s. Think Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin.

Wishing Tao and XYY nothing but the best!

This was an interesting watch. Enough has been said about the couples and villains (I thought they all did well, but I think the looks of some cast members didn’t match their age or seniority).

I just want to shout out the creative team for the prison mechanisms. I couldn’t understand whatever the hell the FL was doing to solve most puzzles but I appreciate the creative effort.

Also there were 2 character reveals that I did not expect at all but made sense.

Thanks for clarifying! I’m sorry and hope I didn’t come off as too aggressive in my reply.

I haven’t encountered a lot of comments from people who are there to hate even without having watched the show they’re attacking. I think most of the comments I’ve seen on various dramas that tick me off have been comments from people who easily put down FLs, which I just think is unfair. A lot of recent dramas are trying to showcase capable women characters, and it gives reason for some to hate on FLs from older series where the FLs aren’t as calm and collected and capable as recent ones, and that’s the trend I don’t really appreciate. I don’t want to hate on FLs just cause they’re more childish or dumb or physically weak—they’re still FLs who have their own roles in the stories they’re part of. So yeah, that’s where I was coming from.

Happy watching!

There’s a reverse harem tag. Are there side characters who have feelings for the FL/ML?

Don't get me wrong—I am still very much interested in Coroner’s Diary since mystery+romance costume dramas are my cup of tea and I’ll be judging it for its own merit. It’s just that there’s a bar set.

“ I don't understand why stepping on someone or something else just to lift the other is unwise.” - Not sure what you mean by this?? Are you saying it’s okay to put one down to lift another up? Or do you mean the opposite? Either way, comparisons are meant to happen between dramas when there are similar elements, but for me, it shouldn’t mean they should be pit against each other. But if people want to pit them against each other for whatever competitive reasons, I think the natural response would be to pick a side, especially if the fandom of the other is off-putting.

So, it’s unwise because if they’re not exactly direct competitors, there’s no benefit to putting one down to raise the other up. Both can be enjoyed.

I was more entertained by the first half (cause plot, pacing, and comedy were better) but I powered through the second half cause of the emperor and empress 😭 wish we had like a five year timeskip at the end to see a little crown prince/princess 🥺

If I see any more nasty comments here about this drama (and the FL) from people who came from Coroner's Diary, I swear I'm never watching that show. #RespectTheOG

I miss those days when MDL didn't have flocks of commenters hating on FLs cause of cultural differences in depictions of FLs

This was a welcome change from all the historical dramas I’ve seen set in the capital featuring a plot with rebellion against the emperor, since this was neither of those as it set in the province (?) of Yunyao and there was no court intrigue involved, although I watched on x1.5 or x2 speed cause I wanted to binge watch it and get to the parts where the FL finally reciprocated the ML’s feelings. Wanted to see how their rocky start would eventually be a more trust-based relationship. It delivered.

The rest of the family dynamics of the Li Manor is also satisfying to see, especially the ML’s kind parents.

I’m just happy I encountered a cdrama with a pet pig~ #ShenOinkLivesForever

Yes, there are kisses and hugs. FL’s actress is young and inexperienced with onscreen kisses though so don’t expect steamy kisses

Always thought the FL looked really cute and distinct in the poster. Gave it a shot cause I'm also a sucker for protective MLs who can wield a mean sword. (From watching the action scenes you could tell the ML knew martial arts in real life; I'd consider some of the hand to hand fights pretty hype 👍)

I dunno if I'm the only one who felt this way but there was something fresh about the relationship between the leads, particularly at the start?? Probably cause the FL's standards for a husband were sky-high, and she was just so unashamed about what she wanted in a man, and the ML was pretty chill about fulfilling those standards 🤣　The progression of their romance was also cute, it had a slowburn feel to it while not really being slowburn?? (idk how to explain it, like it was a non-toxic arranged marriage setup where they weren't enemies so they just had to treat each other nicely whilst feeling contractual until it wasn't contractual anymore)

The other couples were cute, too. I genuinely rooted for the second and third couples, which I don't usually feel with most of the other dramas I've seen so far.

Unpopular opinion but I liked the costumes here cause they seemed kinda retro/funky? Not as restrictive, some colours and fabrics looked all over the place, and I liked it precisely cause of it

I started watching this based on recos and am on ep 3 but I didn't realise it was a harem drama. I was looking for a slow burn romance, and I heard this one had a good one, but is the slow burn romance worth going through a harem plot if you're not a fan of harem/love triangles at all? Has anyone had this dilemma and can vouch for saying it was worth it? I just don't wanna end up hate watching for the sake of excellent slow burn when there are other slow burn pairings out there in non-harem plots.

What ep was this?? Why don’t I remember this scene lol

Thanks for the reply! I didn’t read either of the novels—I was just curious as to what types of stories Zhi Zhi writes (particularly how she tackles romance). I did end up watching the first 2 eps of The Sword and The Brocade, and yes, it’s a diff. story from Blossom. Romance-wise I can’t tell yet if I’ll enjoy the romance better in TSATB than Blossom since I’m not a fan of harem dramas and don’t know if I’ll continue it 😓 that’s 2 Zhi Zhi IP dramas put on hold for me already 😶

For Blossom I actually shipped An Su and Mu Yu the most but read spoilers saying Mu Yu stays evil so they don’t end up together ☹️

No, but I ended up watching Melody of [the] Golden Age which has the same ML actor, and it’s now one of my fave dramas ever 😆

(Whew it took me 6 months to reply cause I forgot about this reco)