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This review may contain spoilers
Heavy but worth it
A splendid watch. This 34 episodic drama really has it all.
Starting with the story - time travel plus heavy on politics and power struggles. It begins within the family and grows all the way to national level. Conspiracies, hidden agendas and motives, murders for having your way. The story is well paced for most of the parts, except it does become sort of slow when it's highlighting political aspects and abusive authorities. Overall, I think the story unfolded very beautifully, adding unexpected twists. One can never know who turns good or bad, who is friend or foe. Characters had good developments; their stories having a lot of substance and depth. They all pull you in, whether you hate them or love them. That being said, the negative characters really get on your nerve 😬 I could find myself getting extremely worked up over a few! But I prefer that over feeling disconnected. It showed that I was truly invested in the story. Even if I am not a big fan of these heavy power struggles, it's truly a good story. A scene that really stood out and blew my mind was discovering the letter at the Duke's house. Honestly, it was because of that scene, I realised the letter had so much significance. Because other than that, I'm not sure if that letter moved mountains. It did help, I agree. But that scene? Mind-blowing! The anticipation was well built and you'll find your heart racing! Beautiful!
The cast was definitely a great selection. Meng Ziyi (love her from 'The Untamed!') and Li Yunrui as the main leads make a wonderful onscreen pair, standing out for their portrayal of such strong characters. You would basically become a family member of theirs, hoping just good happens to them. Both actors do an amazing job. Their chemistry was good too. Other than the main leads, I'd say the most iconic of all the cast would be the antagonists. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM! Such talent to get on your nerves 😂 I seriously won't forget Wang Yingxue played by Zhang Meng, Wei Tingzhen played by Bai Qinglin, Song Han played by Yan An, and Su Yan played by Shangqi for a long time. They have pissed me off that much 🙄 Next would be the emperor potrayed by Tan Kai and Jiang Meisun potrayed by Zhang Chenghe. They really stood out and touched my heart. Their brotherhood and the constant clips of their bond in the past, I found myself moved to tears every now and then. The eunuch Wang too, I loved that guy too. Dou Zhao's father was honestly a very fickle person, but you could sympathize with him. It was well potrayed by Ji Chenmu. Really loved the Dou Zhao's grandma; she's a true anchor, a very consistent loving character. I really loved the letter scene. Even if a small role, Zeng Ziye potrayed Qi Xia so well 👍 Finally, Little Song Mo's actor Shi Hengyi was a really good and most importantly an adorable one.
Music wise, I don't think there's too much standing out, but osts and background music were good.
Drawbacks wise, it's maybe the same as the plus points. The heavy political background and constant power dynamics run the story as much as it pulls it down. If you are a fan of these topics, you would love this. Since I can't digest too much of it, it felt just a bit dragged sometimes, especially the scenes of Dou Ming at her in laws. Then I'd say, it's closer to an ick than boring. So many characters were inconsistent, you could never tell who was going to turn bad. And once they do, from then till the leads realise they are negative, uhh! The frustration of their pretence pisses you off. This drama is an emotional rollercoaster! Another thing I'd say, I wanted more fight scenes or martial arts. I felt it lacked that, the adrenaline of blades.
Rewatch wise, I wouldn't rewatch. Not because it's bad. But it's too long and as much as I was involved in the story, I am not attached to any character. I just wanted the dust to settle so I could get out. They deserve happiness and so do I 😂 so I don't want to see them struggle again. Betrayals and injustice were all too heavy on me! But this is what happens with all the heavy stories I feel. The story might be good and you would want to rewatch, but it's all the same torture and pain again. And this drama doesn't have THAT big of an impact on me, enough to push me into going through all of the pain again. But yes! I would surely recommend it for a good, long watch. It's worth watching! Hope you like it as much as I did & maybe even more!
Starting with the story - time travel plus heavy on politics and power struggles. It begins within the family and grows all the way to national level. Conspiracies, hidden agendas and motives, murders for having your way. The story is well paced for most of the parts, except it does become sort of slow when it's highlighting political aspects and abusive authorities. Overall, I think the story unfolded very beautifully, adding unexpected twists. One can never know who turns good or bad, who is friend or foe. Characters had good developments; their stories having a lot of substance and depth. They all pull you in, whether you hate them or love them. That being said, the negative characters really get on your nerve 😬 I could find myself getting extremely worked up over a few! But I prefer that over feeling disconnected. It showed that I was truly invested in the story. Even if I am not a big fan of these heavy power struggles, it's truly a good story. A scene that really stood out and blew my mind was discovering the letter at the Duke's house. Honestly, it was because of that scene, I realised the letter had so much significance. Because other than that, I'm not sure if that letter moved mountains. It did help, I agree. But that scene? Mind-blowing! The anticipation was well built and you'll find your heart racing! Beautiful!
The cast was definitely a great selection. Meng Ziyi (love her from 'The Untamed!') and Li Yunrui as the main leads make a wonderful onscreen pair, standing out for their portrayal of such strong characters. You would basically become a family member of theirs, hoping just good happens to them. Both actors do an amazing job. Their chemistry was good too. Other than the main leads, I'd say the most iconic of all the cast would be the antagonists. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM! Such talent to get on your nerves 😂 I seriously won't forget Wang Yingxue played by Zhang Meng, Wei Tingzhen played by Bai Qinglin, Song Han played by Yan An, and Su Yan played by Shangqi for a long time. They have pissed me off that much 🙄 Next would be the emperor potrayed by Tan Kai and Jiang Meisun potrayed by Zhang Chenghe. They really stood out and touched my heart. Their brotherhood and the constant clips of their bond in the past, I found myself moved to tears every now and then. The eunuch Wang too, I loved that guy too. Dou Zhao's father was honestly a very fickle person, but you could sympathize with him. It was well potrayed by Ji Chenmu. Really loved the Dou Zhao's grandma; she's a true anchor, a very consistent loving character. I really loved the letter scene. Even if a small role, Zeng Ziye potrayed Qi Xia so well 👍 Finally, Little Song Mo's actor Shi Hengyi was a really good and most importantly an adorable one.
Music wise, I don't think there's too much standing out, but osts and background music were good.
Drawbacks wise, it's maybe the same as the plus points. The heavy political background and constant power dynamics run the story as much as it pulls it down. If you are a fan of these topics, you would love this. Since I can't digest too much of it, it felt just a bit dragged sometimes, especially the scenes of Dou Ming at her in laws. Then I'd say, it's closer to an ick than boring. So many characters were inconsistent, you could never tell who was going to turn bad. And once they do, from then till the leads realise they are negative, uhh! The frustration of their pretence pisses you off. This drama is an emotional rollercoaster! Another thing I'd say, I wanted more fight scenes or martial arts. I felt it lacked that, the adrenaline of blades.
Rewatch wise, I wouldn't rewatch. Not because it's bad. But it's too long and as much as I was involved in the story, I am not attached to any character. I just wanted the dust to settle so I could get out. They deserve happiness and so do I 😂 so I don't want to see them struggle again. Betrayals and injustice were all too heavy on me! But this is what happens with all the heavy stories I feel. The story might be good and you would want to rewatch, but it's all the same torture and pain again. And this drama doesn't have THAT big of an impact on me, enough to push me into going through all of the pain again. But yes! I would surely recommend it for a good, long watch. It's worth watching! Hope you like it as much as I did & maybe even more!
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