Shang Shi (2022)

I can’t with MDL

Sometimes I just go here to support my theory that most ppl in MDL is gonna dislike a good drama. For some odd reasons, the viewers here, 90% of the time, never gets in line with my thoughts. But that’s just probably me. ? Often times I wonder if I even watched the same drama as everyone else. But enough of that…

I’d like to start with the general theme of the drama, coming from its title itself “Royal Feast”, obviously it’s gonna be about food. For the scriptwriters to incorporate that in all issue throughout the drama is already amazing. It introduced us to Chinese cuisines and their way of cooking from back then and showed us the importance of the food department in every kingdom (as opposed to the less attention it gets in most historical dramas Chinese or Korean). And it’s true that they can be so easily implicated just by what they serve on the table as those food goes in the body of the royalties.

Zhu Zhanjin - calm, collected and wise character even from the time he was the Grand Imperial Grandson, he was more like his grandfather than his father was (hence he was the favorite). He posed as a threat to his own father after he took over the throne and it was perfectly portrayed and set by the earlier scenes. He knows his duties as an heir and duties to his wives. He sincerely wanted to create a good relationship with his consort but she didn’t want it hence his heart drifted away and found comfort in the presence of Zijin. Xu Kai did well in this character and he portrayed the three stages that he went thru from grandson to the emperor. However, if I may say so myself (someone who watched everything he had done), this is one of his easiest role. ? But Xu kai is Xu kai and I’m proud of him.

Yao Zijin - classy, wise, talented and just the perfect Empress material. Her character has always been composed and just (maybe except for herself, too selfless). Her love for Zhanjin is real but she’s been brought up as an Empress would be and thus how she acts. She knows he duties first as a concubine and then a noble consort, she doe what she can in her power but never goes beyond what the preceding authority before her. She knows the limitations that entails her title and have never asked for more. And when she was given power, she knows when to push through and when to fall back. She’s not frustrating, she’s wise and calculating; just like the Empress Dowager had always been beside Zhanjin’s father. She speaks forward for his sake, for the sake of others but not for her own sake for she does not want to abuse the attention she’s receiving (however, it’s one of her flaws for she has taken it quite far before she lost her voice). In this case neither her nor Zhanjin were free from blame; they both were in the wrong. Nothing to say but perfect Empress material. The actress was perfect for the role, even her facial structure is fit for the role.

There’s so many characters that I can talk about but my willpower to write about each one of them is not enough so I’ll just pass on that.

I enjoyed it a lot and is the only Chinese historical drama ever that I didn’t skip through. Tbh I started this expecting to skip around Episode 17 as I usually do but I actually watched through the whole thing.

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Exquisite Costumes, Mouth-Watering Culinary, Cat Fights from Royal Harem to Royal Kitchen

Royal Feast is a story of Zhu Zhanji (Xu Kai), the Ming Dynasty Emperor Xuande (reigned 1425 to 1435) and his fictionalized romance with the woman he loves, who later becomes his empress, Empress Xiaogongzhang (Wu Jinyan) of the Sun clan, and (not shown in this drama) bares him his successor, Zhu Qizhen (Emperor Yingzong). Apart from the very authentic looking exquisite costumes of Ming Dynasty and mouth-watering culinary, the whole script is poor with very little substance and it is frustrating to watch. In fact while watching the emperors and their harem enjoy laboriously prepared culinary to fill their stomachs, I'm filled with a stomach full of “qi” (anger).

More than 50% of the time is spent on food - cuisine preparation and presentation, food tasting, picky mouths, food wasting etc. Granted. The title of the drama is also named Royal Feast, so food is to be expected. But I've never expected to watch a drama that focuses so much on deliciously looking cuisines with tons of boring cat fights from the royal harem to the kitchen. Each episode, especially for the first 30 episodes, gives me a full stomach of fire. (I know I keep referring to my own stomach, well, you get what I mean.)

Here we have a prince who is groomed to be an emperor (Xu Kai) since he was born because his grandfather, the Emperor, favors him. He is powerful, and yet what he says doesn’t match with what he wants, especially when dealing with his relationship, be it with the woman he loves or with his friend and subordinates, and this has created a lot of misunderstandings that make him brood. Then we have a palace chef that turns empress who plays hard-to-catch with the broody prince all the time.

The plot is a mix of real and fictional events with real and fictional historical figures. Many of the fictional events are illogical with overdone plot twists. None of the characters are impressive and likable except only, perhaps for me, the eunuch, Chen Wu (Zhu Zhi Ling) who is a very small side character (you can see how poor the overall character development is for everyone).

By episode 29, the plot thickens slightly when Zhu Zhanji becomes the Emperor, and the romance improves after episode 33 when the main couple comes closer together, and there are fewer kitchen and food preparation scenes though many bad logics still remain. The whole drama doesn't show much what Zhu Zhanji has done politically and in running the country or defending his throne from his uncles, though briefly shown he does visit the farmers in plain clothes and puts down a revolt by one of his uncles.

Xu Kai’s acting is decent here. We know he broods because he shows it on his face and in his body language. But the female lead character is quite another thing. I really don’t like Wu Jinyan’s acting here. She looks pretentious and her acting is confusing. Maybe that's how her character is being written. There are so many ironies and inconsistencies with this character. She is initially the chosen one for Zhu Zhanji as his Empress. After years of grooming, she is being replaced by another girl who is said to be very auspicious. She is bitter, so she changes her name to Yao Zijin (Wu Jinyan) and enters the palace as a royal cook (what the heck for?). As a kitchen chef, Yao Zijin is kind and cheery, and yet at the same time, secretly schemy. How can a person be still cheery when a friend she trusts attempts to kill her? Seemingly innocent, she also schemes to plot against her main competitor in the kitchen. She says she doesn’t want to be married to Zhu Zhanji and wants to stay in the kitchen to do what she loves. Then, immediately, to attract the prince’s attention, she purposely falls in front of him (roll eyes). Time and time again, those who try to murder her escape with impunity and continue to live normal lives. And in the kitchen, when the emperors hate everyone’s cooking, she’s the one who always saves the day. There are always incidence happening at the elaborate royal feasts -- assassinations, poisoning, allergies, deaths etc. Yes, you get the gist, an utterly ridiculous script and terrible plotline. Oh, have I mentioned Wang Yizhe’s acting as You Yifan, head of the Imperial Guard? His portrayal is really poor – stiff and awkward, and constantly showing a sulky face doesn’t pass as a cold and bitter man as the character is supposed to possess.

My Verdict

At the beginning, many viewers claim Royal Feast is similar to the Korean drama, Jewel In the Palace (Dae Janggeum, 2003). Far from it. A bad script and shitty plot can hardly save a drama despite its exquisite costumes, culinary arts and big-name actors. In fact I continue watching because of Xu Kai and I like the concept of “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” which is quite elaborately displayed here, explaining how each cuisine is being made and its medicinal benefits for the body. Apart from these, there is very little meat, and I’m sorry for spoiling the soup.

The drama stops short before the Empress bares Zhu Zhanji his first son, and the Emperor’s untimely death at 38, so this may have saved a lot of broken hearts. Historically, Emperor Xuande (Zhu Zhanji) had many consorts and at least 10 died with him under the Ming’s royal house tradition when he died. He also didn’t dispose of his first Empress the way it is shown in the drama, and the revolt from his uncle is a joke here.

Overall, I am neutral on this drama. My score here is all awarded to the costumes, food and official sound tracks only, and zero to the story and the script.

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Only the cast, costumes, and food earn this drama 5.5 out of 10. Otherwise, a waste of time!

Royal Feast was one of the most anticipated dramas of 2022, mainly because of its star-studded cast. I believe the majority of the "Yanxi Palace victims" have come to see this to heal their broken hearts. I, too, came with high expectations, only to be disappointed by the poor screenplay and writers.

From my point of view, the entire show was about some people cooking and delivering food, jealousy, plotting, stupid cooking competitions, characters being stupid, and so on. To be honest, this drama doesn't deserve to be classified as a romance because the leads had so little screen time together. Most of the time, one would be resisting the other's love, and when they finally get together, they would either quarrel or become sassy. They don't understand each other, and I'm not sure how they fell in love!

Let's move to the characters. The character of the FL, Yao Zi Jin, irritated me the most. She's far too nice for her own good. She got herself into trouble most of the time because of her annoyingly forgiving nature. I sometimes wonder why she did this or why she did that. I agree that this is most likely due to the fact that this drama is based on true events and real people, which cannot be changed at will, but I couldn't stand her.

When it came to the ML, he was more tolerable. But,  I got annoyed with him from time to time because of his lack of tact and his treatment of his cocubines. When his father became Emperor, I burst out laughing. How could a king behave in such a way? He was a complete moron.

Except for Meng Shang Shi, most people in the food bureau were annoying as well. I believe she and the ML's grandfather were the only two rational characters in the entire show. Su Ye Hua and Yin Zi Ping were complete idiots, constantly quarrelling, plotting, and gossiping behind each other's backs.

In short, this drama is full of idiotic, annoying, and stupid characters.

Of course, the acting was superb. The performances of Xu Kai and Wu Jin Yan, as well as the supporting cast, were outstanding. However, believe me when I say that this drama plot does not deserve their acting abilities. What a waste of talent!

The only things that I believe the production team put a lot of effort into were the costumes and the food. I'm sure the actors ate well while they were filming. The food items looked delicious, and I think I was drooling over the food they were eating. (I'm not sure because I was sleepy most of the time.) The costumes were stunning. I particularly liked the war costume that ML wore in the final episodes.

This appears to be a large-budget drama. It's a shame it goes to waste. I think I would have liked this drama a lot more if the writers hadn't been so confused most of the time. I'm giving this drama a 5.5 just for the cast, costumes, OSTs, and, of course, the food. This drama is nothing more than pleasing to the eyes and stomach. If you like any of the actors, this could be a good drama, but if you came here for the plot, don't waste your time.

P.S. I think this is the first time I'm using this much 'annoyed's, 'stupid's and 'moron's in a review.

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Royal Feast is a good drama

After watching this drama for a while, I must admit it is a good drama. I didn't like it that much in the beginning but continued watching it because of Xu Kai. Over time as I watched more and more, I got the theme of the drama and I started really liking it. This drama gets better and better. In the middle it was kind of frustrating on the interaction between the leads; but after episode 32 or so, things smoothed up. I think it's because the drama is supposed to follow a history line and one must have some background on what went on behind the characters or real people portrayed by the FL and ML. Now, it does requires a good understanding of Chinese, I felt it uses a very highly complicated language in the beginning of the drama. I think not having a good translation may have had added the frustration of some audiences. On my own, I'll give it a 9.9 :D

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Enjoy the Heartwarming Journey

Not sure why ratings are so low. Personally I really enjoyed this drama and found it refreshing. The whole story exudes a sense of calm, despite the conflicts and evil. It talks about a woman who acts intelligently but also with equal amount of kindness and consideration. She has independent thought and wants to help other women. She doesn't want to be lead by a destined path and does not want other women to be trapped by their situation. Especially the example of her wanting to eventually overthrow the tradition burying (living) concubines with their dead emperors. She cared deeply for other women and their situations. Everyone has flaws but everyone also has their reasons and their own logic; she acknowledges that and does not begrudge anyone. It teaches us that not everything in life will go as planned, and you just have to approach it with optimism and care. She melted many hearts. I enjoyed the uplifting message. I liked the dialogue the most. It added to the authenticity of the interactions between characters. I would definitely watch this again, since it doesn't matter the ending, it's all about her journey and her choices. There isn't a point in the story where I need a conclusion or a grand reveal. It feels like watching someone grow up in their own time.

The music is nothing crazy stunning but it fits the show well. Very spring, bright with a hint of bittersweet. The costume colors are wonderful. The sets are aesthetically pleasing and not ostentatious. THE FOOD LOOKS DELICIOUS. The camera work for the cooking and the meal prep was documentary level. It made me very hungry. The best part is that the dishes were realistic! Based on actual recipes and didn't seem too implausible for that dynasty.

They include some fun historical facts like the different viewpoints of the emperors of each reign. They incorporate ML's love of painting, when that emperor is know to created many famous paintings. They include key historical reasons for each of the emperor's deaths and the courts.

Possible Spoilers: I really didn't like Su Yue Hua's character. She was probably the one who sank the furthest into evil. You can tell from the first few episodes and she just sinks further and further and it gets kind of frustrating to hear her delusions. You Yi Fan's character had a reasonable storyline as an antagonist and I think his ending justified his journey.

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I held on till the end mainly bec of xu kai

I find it interesting..indulging but some scenes are not continious..i feel that there are gaps in the story..i feel that some scenes jumps making me crave for answers to some events..or i think its the editing from 50 episodes down to 40? I dont know if its just me...but some scenes left me hanging for answers..craving for explaination to why stotyline became boring at times and though it seems a bad review but overall royal feast is actually worth watching..
Xu kai delivers it with passion, he portray every single details perfectly..such a versatile actor..

..#xukai

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Royal Feast-no feast at all

(1) Very poor script and worse still the deliverance of bad writing and directing
(2) Ghastly make-up - looks like morgue make-up especially for the actresses
(3) Zero chemistry between the leads
(4) No main plot-the story jumps from here to everywhere as if the writers didn't know whether to concentrate on the leads' romance/story, palace food during the Ming dynasty, palace machinations or historical presentation, and at the end shows a bit of everything.
(5) Poor acting from the lead actress (Wu Jinyan). Her acting is crude even in Story of Yanxi Palace and in Royal Feast, she's like a moving stone. She looks as if she was forced to be there, never "belonging" to any scenes or parts of the story". I even find there are lots of scene of her looking arrogant and "higher than thou" although the scenes are totally unrelated to her expressions.
(6) It's about "Royal Feast" but the drama doesn't dwell too much on that - shows mainly the aesthetically pleasing food, the cutting and a bit of cooking but no more about the nature of the ingredients, the food itself, etc. It's like watching "A Bite of China". The production also skimmed on ingredients (never seen such a bare kitchen, what more a royal kitchen!)
(7) The good things - the props and designs are gorgeous. The costumes look stunning although there are (being a Yu Zheng's production) a few irregularities. Xu Kai looks very good in Ming costume.

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Love Hist. drama+ Xukai, great cast, deep FL, reflection on women goals/position in soc.

Historic drama are really my favorite. The plot around life choices, personal fulfillment, duty over your country, consistency/legitimacy of ancient rules, was thriving and ML and FL acting skills among the best. Really interesting to get to know better the 3r/4th/5th Ming dynasty emperor, personalities, humanity, talents. Emperess fighting for righteousness and people’s better life and peace while others in the palace are intriguing for personal benefits. Really interesting also that she lost her voice when she feels she is not allowed to say what she thinks, eventually getting more respect from Tianhou. The relationship between grand-father/father and son, with their very different personalities, the choices they make for their country, protecting borders or saving money for the people and the culture emphasis how leaders decision and goal impact the whole people’s life.
Thank-you for this beautiful love story where consent is delay until the last episode when love and respect is fully acknowledged.
Tribute also to Wang Yi Zhe for his amazing acting skills, both good either for villain or loyal friend role. Zhang Nan’s performance also match perfectly this young but already sick and desabuse empress, willing to be a doctor but forced to get married. Wang Chu ran role was not easy but she illustrates well where wrong choices will definitely lead you. I also like He Rui Xian mimics and pugnacity.
After watching 3 poor modern drama only focusing on childish love story and smiles and kisses…, Royal feats was so deep and so fulfilling. I will definitely watch and rewatch to improve my Chinese and know more about Chinese cooking.
Thank-you Xu Kai for this beautiful young emperor interpretation. Keeping your good humour and face expression when looking for A Lee. Take care of your health, you are working so hard, hope you exercise everyday and your back is getting better, yoga is great to help strengthen your skeleton, hope you can play basketball and danse, we love you xukai, we love you so much because you care about others, you are so sensitive and so involved in your acting.

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It's okay to watch.

Overview:
_ The story line is normal, slow, not too special nor too boring, sometimes a bit confusing due to being cut or if not paying attention. Also easy to predict, I already knew how this movie would end with only the first few episodes.
_ I love Yao Zijin but I must say "Royal Feast" has no good in developing characters, the male lead - female lead aura too strong and easy to see throughout the drama, too perfect and lucky... imbalance. Character's painful past is normal, "Story of Yanxi Palace" did these two things better tbh.
_ Beautiful visuals, beautiful costumes: Plus points. When I was hungry in the middle of the night, but seeing the scene of food, I cried to death because I couldn't taste it.
_ Good music, very good.
_ The actors and actresses' acting were good, sometimes still a bit stiff but overall they tried their best.

Bad point:
_ "Royal Feast" is a compensation for the couple Fuca Fuheng and Wei Yingluo from "Story of Yanxi Palace". It's not because I hate Fuheng x Yingluo cp that I hate Zhanji x Zijin cp but it's because heavy fanservice. It's like the screenwriter and director intentionally wrote so much for them that it's overwhelming.

Offset:
_ Maybe they have a passion for crackship and girl-girl so somehow, Yao Zijin is written quite well and naturally when comes into contact with other characters than Zhu Zhanji. For example: Yao Zijin with Yin Zi Ping and their close relationship, Yao Zijin with Meng Shangshi - Hu Huanghou - Wu Miao Xian - Queen Mother - ..., the relationship between You Yi Fan and Yao Zijin,.... Definitely all of these are better than the main couple's interactions.

Should you rewatch:
_ Not recommended. Even I love Wu Jin Yan and her character in this drama, I still won't recommed you to watch this again unless you forgot all of the story or want to watch foods.

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A beautiful story, acting, cinematography

I had no idea that I would like this drama and gave it an 8.

I've been wanting to watch this drama for a long time because it talks about cooking, but I'm still hesitant because I watched Xukai's drama Snow Eagle Lord, his performance in that drama was not satisfactory.

Last week I tried watching episode 1 and it turned out to be interesting. I really liked it since episode 1.

the visuals in the drama are very beautiful. What I mean by visual is not about beauty or good looks the casts, but about cinematography, color tones, props in drama, editing, acting and other things.

I also really like the storyline which is built strongly in the first episode, very sequential and even though the story development is slow, it is orderly and clear.

The actors' acting is also good, from the main players to the small roles, it feels like they can describe the content of the drama. I like Xukai in this drama, he is very good at playing his role. I think this is the best drama of his that I have watched. His aura as a prince, crown prince and then emperor was very palpable.

Wu Jin Yan's acting is also good, I can feel her emotions and how her chemistry with Xukai is even though in the first episode they never even met. but the drama makes the chemistry between the two very beautiful. Unfortunately, the make up she puts on makes her look older than Xukai, who in the drama is older than her.

Wu Jin Yan's make-up just felt right when she wore her appointment clothes as grand concubine. I like her make-up there because it's beautiful and makes her look fresh.

The ending of the story is also beautiful and logical, to the point where I don't feel willing to part with this drama because it is beautiful in all aspects.

but I don't think I can watch this drama again. because it doesn't make the impression that you have to watch this drama again. As for the music, I don't remember the ost, but I enjoyed the traditional music played in the drama

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What a waste of time!

I really don't know what were the scriptwriters doing when they were writing drama. It's so horribly written, so boring, so banal, there weren't any plot in this drama that have not already appeared in another drama.

Despite all the investment they made in the costume and the set, the editing team managed to make this drama look cheapskate by forcing irrelevant scenes (that show off palace dresses/embroidery of the Ming dynasty) into the drama. I am not saying the dresses or the embroidery weren't pretty. They looked nice. But it shouldn't be forced into our views with specific scenes. It's such an unelegant way to present pretty things, like hey-look-we-splurged-so-much-money-on-costume-but-couldn't-pay-more-for-decent-scriptwriting.

The only thing which I found was OK was probably the efforts they made in showing us so many different dishes.

I started watching this drama because of XuKai. He is able to make half the women population drool. But even with his dashing look, I can't bring myself to finish this senseless drama.

Will be dropping it.

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