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One and Only chinese drama review
Completed
One and Only
1 people found this review helpful
by whiteybao
Sep 16, 2021
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.5
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Beautiful love story

A must watch. It's a good blend between romance and the palace politics genre.

Non-Spoiler Section:

Slow paced at the start but with many little sweets. Things start to pick up from around episode 10 onwards. Best part? It’s only 24 episodes long. Right at a sweet spot without being draggy with fillers again like all other shows.

Story-wise, It’s not just all romance but also royal schemes and politics. In fact, the royal schemes form the backbone of this show. Super exciting and ruthless! I really liked how intense the schemes were (even if it tore our couple apart). It's nowhere near Nirvana in Fire, but it did remind me of NOF.

We can’t possibly do this review without talking about the leads. This is my first Allen Ren show. Bai Lu didn’t impress me much previously (from The Legends) but their chemistry and relationship in this show is 200%. They are so respectful and subtly sweet towards each other. I particularly love the flashbacks where they remember small little sweet moments like waiting to have a meal or drink tea together. It’s not sizzling romance but respectful love. The gazes that Allen Ren gives are so indescribable... they're just very comforting eyes.

All the supporting characters are also very good. I’ve never seen any of them before in other shows yet they all act so well and have really nice chemistries with each other.

Special mention to Shiyi’s mother. She is such an upright family-name-first yet loving mother.

The production/edits are also very good. Everything flows beautifully in order, there are no unnecessary and repetitive flashbacks. No long stares. Quite perfectly done. Except some battles which were a little odd if you look closely but if you don't pay attention, they're perfectly fine. The ending felt a bit rushed to me considering how slow-paced the first few episodes were but I suppose this is normal in c-dramas.

Just gonna end this with some self-absorbed awards I’m giving to the characters lol.

Uncle of the Year - Zhou Shengchen!
Wingman of the Year - The Monk
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SPOILER SECTION:
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I’m just glad his death wasn’t so graphic and it was a lot more acceptable for me. Shiyi's death on the other hand was tragic and hard for me.

And yes, I see the Game of Thrones references. Zhou Shengchen dressing up like a Night’s Watch and the Red Wedding massacre.
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