My first review for my top drama

Seriously the best Chinese drama I have seen so far. All dramas I watch will be compared to this one. I never rewatch dramas but I made an exception for this one. And after all these years it’s still awesome.

Story
Enjoyable story keeps you hooked till the end. There could have been a little bit more romance, not necessarily for the ML but in general. The story is not too complicated but very interesting and well written. I didn’t find any unnecessary plotlines rather I want to know more about what happened before the drama starts and what happens after it. Season 2 sadly doesn’t really connect to the end of season 1.

Acting/Cast
Top notch acting and very well-chosen cast. The characters in general are a joy to watch and unique in their own way. You can tell it’s a veteran cast with lots of experience.

Music
I personally don’t pay much attention to music/OST so I can’t really judge but I certainly can’t complain about it.

Rewatch Value
First drama I have ever rewatched and will probably rewatch in the future.

Overall
A must watch for “historic/costume drama”-lovers and if not, should at least give it a chance in my opinion.

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Annoying psycho-jealous-evil-mastermind-character alert! You have been warned.

Way too many ridiculous lies drag this drama to 56 episodes. If you don’t like the annoying psycho-jealous-evil-mastermind-character who get their way too often, don’t watch... Don't get baited by the high ratings. I have no idea why it’s so high.

Story
This drama started interesting, and I was hoping it would be like “The Story of Ming Lan”, where the story starts in their childhood, continues in their teenage years, and finally finishes in their adult years. And it is basically the same structure but with no character growth, no satisfying scenes, not enough screentime for the main couple and way too much screentime for the annoying psycho-jealous-evil-mastermind-character.
The “evil” character is way too much in the focus of the story. Even towards the end when she gets “defeated” and we would normally be able to finally enjoy some sweet romance or closure of some storylines, she gets so many scenes where we see her “sadness”. Its like the drama wants you to feel sorry for her, but you just can’t after 50+ episodes of her jealous-BS.

Acting/Cast
It’s a good cast but wasted completely in this drama. The “evil” character overshadows (not in a good way) everyone, and it is the only performance I remember after the last episode, except maybe the aunt.

Music
I personally don’t pay much attention to music/OST so I can’t really judge but I certainly can’t complain about it.

Rewatch Value
Nope

Overall
I have no idea how I made it to the end of this drama.

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Palace-drama done right, beautiful and well acted

First of all, this drama looks amazing. The sets, the costumes and the acting are awesome. There is no evil psycho-jealous-type character in 70 episodes and that is really rare for a palace-drama which has quite a focus on romance. This drama will have a special place in my heart because it jump-started my interest in Chinese dramas.

Story
It starts phenomenal as the storyline gets unravelled and you get sucked into the story. The characters are very interesting, especially the 6th prince Ning Yi. The scheming and the intrigues in the palace are very entertaining because of Ning Yi who adjusts to the situation at hand and controls how people see him and the emperor who is not an idiot (which is very rare in my opinion lol).
The ending was not bad, but I guess after all the episodes I just started to expect way too much.

Acting/Cast
The cast did an amazing job, especially Chen Kun as Ning Yi (6th prince) and Ni Da Hong as Ning Shi Zhen (emperor). I loved their interactions with each other the most. The rest of the cast also did an amazing job, but these 2 just stood out for me.

Music
I personally don’t pay much attention to music/OST so I can’t really judge but I certainly can’t complain about it.

Rewatch Value
I don’t really rewatch dramas. But looking at 70 episodes à 45 min, the drama being an eye candy and the amazing acting, I guess it’s worth a rewatch because you will probably miss a few things and you get to enjoy a fantastic show.

Overall
This drama has sweet and mature romance, cross-dressing, hidden identity, revenge plot, power struggle and palace/political intrigue. For me its basically a palace drama done right without the annoying psycho-jealous-evil-mastermind-character and the female-lead character being thrown into the cold-palace/hard-labour-department because of a misunderstanding.
I would suggest to at least watch the first few episodes to get a feeling for the drama and of course to be amazed by the costumes and the acting.

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The kind of revenge I like

Occasionally, a drama pushes me to come back here and write a review to process what I watched. This is one of them.

This is the kind of revenge story I like and want to see more of. Sadly, a lot of revenge dramas end in “John Wick”-style fashion (meaning lots of shootings, deaths, etc.), getting ridiculous or the one who seeks revenge just doesn’t care about revenge anymore because he/she found a greater good. This drama stayed true to its beginning, which is seduction, manipulation and dedication to the revenge itself.

In a lot of revenge dramas, the main character just loses himself/herself midway and kind of forgets why he/she started it in the first place even though he/she planned it or was consumed by it for years (or at least that’s how I feel). Here, the main character stays dedicated to the revenge and manipulation to the bitter end. She doesn’t get distracted and suddenly wants to life a happy life, wants to do good or something in that direction.

The main actress Seo Yea Ji does a great job and became my favourite Korean actress after “It’s okay to be not okay” and now “Eve”. And I have to say that didn’t really have any favourite Korean actors/actresses up till now to be honest. It’s just special for me if an actor/actress can play multiple moods so perfectly and smile ear to ear if needed. A lot of actors/actresses try to look “beautiful” while laughing/smiling so they look good for the camera I feel, and rarely do you see one who just smiles ear to ear in the right situations (I don’t know if people will get that, but I don’t know how to describe it better).

The rest of the cast was also great with interesting backgrounds. Sadly 16 episodes are just not enough to give every background the time it deserves, but it’s just enough to understand most characters. But I have to say, one character is a little to psycho for my taste.

All in all, it’s a mature revenge drama with no fairy tales. Seeing the other reviews here, I guess it’s a hit or miss drama for a lot of people. If the description of the drama intrigues you, definitely watch the first episode.

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