1This review may contain spoilers
Following History While Telling A Completely Different Story. Brilliant Script All Around.
Great story with great acting. Chinese small screen has really gone a long way. The cinematography is beautiful and the battle scenes are shot like it were for movies. The magnitude of quality offered in this drama is simply breathtaking. I really enjoyed the political schemes and plots since the story is full of intelligent people with their own hidden agendas. The level of Chinese political mind games are in different levels when compared to Japan or Korea.The title is exactly what the drama is about. We all know the history of the 3 kingdoms from the Four Great Classic Novels but this drama told the 'secret' behind the 3 kingdoms' stories but with a twist. For history buff like me, I enjoyed it a lot as it followed the real historical events with real historical figures. The so called 'secret' and how the writer incorporate it to the real historical events are what make the this drama really interesting and great.
I think many people misunderstood the so called 'weak' main character. The Emperor is by no mean 'weak' but he wins battles with wit and intelligence. His kindness and benevolent characteristics are always at odd with the viewers but many failed to see the brilliance behind his decisions. Many times his kindness save them from enemies' traps and never once he was caught red-handed by the enemies. Everytime when he compromised with his enemies, he got more advantages in return -- just by giving something small, he achieved something bigger in return. He won the hearts of his enemies and supporters and they call him a great and a wise king. He strike fears in the heart of his enemies just by being kind -- I find it really brilliant how his kindness is the reason why he managed to turn around the weak Han Imperial Family name into something that the people respect and love.
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This review may contain spoilers
The drama delivers a great story of brotherhood and politics. It's not a very emotional drama, so maybe you will not cry watching this, but it delivers a great message of friendship, sacrifice for greater good, and idealism.IMHO, because the drama is loosely based on real history (which they turned into a fiction), you don't see much of character development, but more into how the characters from two factions use tactics to fight one another. Not much character development means that the personality and the ideas of every character in the beginning stays the same until the final episode (except for the Empress'!).
Some people got disappointed on the ending, but I'm rather satisfied as it shows how the main character's heart and priority never changes. From the very beginning he knows that peace is the most important thing, and peace does not lie only in one family name. His determination and personality never changes until the very end.
I love how Regina Wan played the empress role. Very elegant, especially the way she speaks.
I also love the opening and ending music. Perfectly matches the drama.
To sum up, the series is worth watching if you're not looking for a too emotional drama, or wanting a good politics drama.
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Sleeping with the enemy.
This drama weaves some of the most prominent historical figures of China's Three Kingdoms period into a fabulous and exciting tale of intrigue, adventure, and romance reminiscent of a Dumas plot. This is a highly fictionalized yet disarmingly convincing exploration of the motives and relationships of the key figures of the day that manages to stay broadly true to history.The last Han emperor has a secret that could shake the foundations of the empire and shatter his tenuous hold on power. Aided by a small intimate circle that includes the empress, his boyhood friend Sima Yi and a dwindling number of old Han ministers, he embarks on a desperate quest to escape the clutches of Cao Cao and restore the glory and power of the Han empire. But the cruel strategies and sacrifices needed are at odds with his benevolent nature and inclination to show mercy to his enemies. Ma Tianyu impressively pulls off a complex portrayal of this seemingly weak and powerless emperor who frustratingly sticks to his guns against all odds to ultimately succeed in winning the hearts and minds of his enemies with his enlightenment and magnanimity. It is very clear that the emperor and the notorious Cao Cao have very similar world visions and goals but their methods are extreme opposites - one rules by fear and sheer brute force while the other kills you with his kindness. Both are pragmatic and when the rubber meets the road, have little choice but to sleep with the enemy in order to achieve the outcomes they are after. We get to decide for ourselves who was more effective, who really won their epic struggle for power and whether it was worth it.
There are no real villains in this drama - even the emperor's enemies are portrayed in a very balanced manner though it is fair to say that the so called villains out-acted the heroes. Guo Jia is my favorite character in the drama - I often found myself rooting for him and oddly moved by his and Cao Cao's loyalty and affection for each other. And Tse Kwanho's Cao Cao must be by far the best Cao Cao I have ever seen - so cunning, powerful and menacing I was actually scared of him. Some of the most gripping and intense scenes in this drama are when Cao Cao and the emperor go toe to toe. My one big criticism of this drama is Han Dongjun's Sima Yi is shallow, boastful and unemphatic. For a highly rated actor to miss the mark on such a key character is just not acceptable. While some of the bromance moments with the emperor are decent, most of the time he is not in character and does not convincingly pull off the legendary strategist. Cao Pi is also extremely well acted but overshadowed by all the other outstanding performances. There is quite a bit of sizzling romance this drama, notably that of the emperor and empress as well as Guo Jia's but Sima Yi's was just kind of flat.
This drama is full of suspenseful moments and action as danger lurks around every corner. The second arc however is a bit draggy and requires some suspension of disbelief but that is also where the awesome Guo Jia emerges so don't abandon it there.
I will stop here and keep this short as it would be a crying shame to spoil this one. I highly recommend this very enjoyable and under appreciated drama that I would rate higher if not for Sima Yi
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I dont recognised the actors well. I never knew Ma Tian Yu and Wan Qian before.
So, they arent my bias
I came to watch because they deserve to be watched!
First drama that i never skip even one single scene.
Love the leading couple and love the antagonist cast, too.
Everything went as purposely.
No dragging story eventhough it has 54 episodes. Love the plot and its pace.
Love the opening and the ending music plus song. They dont put any scene for opening instead of picture with black and white colour. So does for ending. They put picture of the cast. And it made the drama looked elegant.
This is drama that i watch raw and subs and rewatch before it come to an end.
Drama that will be kept in my memory.
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I don't believe there has ever been anything like Secrets of the Three Kingdom on TV. The sheer amount of quality and talent in this series is staggering. The actors (and I mean really ALL the actors), the costumes, the visual effects, the make-up: everybody working on this show seems to have wanted to make Television-history. And the writing is just phenomenal.
Watching the whole episode in one sitting blows most comparative movies out of the water, this is masterful cinema at it's finest.
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Reasons to watch:
THE BROMANCE is strong between the Emperor and Sima Yi. With so much dreary, backstabbing, & gloomy palace politics going on, it’s so refreshing to have them both bring joy to the screen when we need a break from all the serious stuff. Like seriously, it’s soooo cute how they interact with one another! (P.S. This is the first drama where “consummation” is so openly mentioned multiple times between two characters. And it was hilarious!)
ELVIS HAN. Wonderful actor! He played Sima Yi as if he was Sima Yi. He literally was the savior of this show. Most of the times, characters tend to be one-dimensional. They’re either intelligent/good or manipulative/evil. But Sima Yi was intelligent and manipulative as hell. He was the wild card where you never knew what move he was going to pull next. HE KEPT THE SHOW GOING. I seriously don’t know how many times I almost quit on this drama but kept going because of Elvis Han’s portrayal of Sima Yi. His love story was refreshing as well! Much more interesting than the Empress and Emporer imo.
CAO CAO. I know this sounds crazy but he’s literally the perfect villain. He doesn’t show up until the latter half of the story but that’s what makes it work so well. You hear about his cruelty and his ruthlessness but you can’t put a face on it till later. Empresses and commoners literally all shake in fear at his name. And when you do finally meet him, it’s like facing Thanos from Avengers. Every time Cao Cao was on screen, it felt like the world was on a ledge and all it needed was his push to fall and crumble. He’s literally the epitome of what and how a villain should be written and portrayed!
CAO PI. A tragic character that happens to be one of my favorite. The actor did such a great job on honing this character and launching it into the tragedy it became. He was a joy to witness on screen. Especially early on when he was still just an innocent, young, and pretty boy. I looked forward most to his scenes actually. The actor really draws you in on who and how Cao Pi came to be.
However the cons of this drama are:
1) TOO MANY CHARACTERS INTRODUCED AT ONCE. I’ve lost track on who was who so many times. The politics got messy and so did the writing, it made me confused at times on what was going on. I began to lose interest and was only looking forward to my fav characters to pop up on screen. That’s never a good sign.
2) SLOW-PACED. The first 20 episodes were agonizing as the emporer kept committing the same mistakes just to get yelled at again and again over the same things. It was like running in a circle. A cycle of stupidity. Which means that there was no character growth from him. It got very annoying at various points that I almost stopped watching.
3) BORING. Most of the court politics were boring. Each problematic arc was extremely dreary most of the time. Maybe one or two situations really drew me in. But there was never really a shocking moment that was done well. The tension wasn’t built well enough that when the truth came out, it was kinda like “Eh, ok.” I never really received the “OMG” moment in full. The only time I felt that way was when one of the female character’s true identity was revealed and I didn’t see it coming.
4) CHARACTER USAGE. Sometimes characters are introduced and forgotten. And then they pop up later and you’re like “I forgot you existed.” I don’t know why you would put a character into a story just to throw them in the background. I feel like there was so much potential for growth for all the people in this story and at times, it was wasted.
OVERALL:
The most beautiful moments of this drama were the funny and light-hearted scenes. Every time I wanted to quit watching because of the boring court politics, one of these silly scenes would come on and pull at my heart-strings. Then I’d be like “IM BACK IN THE GAME!” It seriously contains some of the sweetest yet heart-wrenching scenes ever. I love how many of the characters in this story are super witty, smart, and intelligent. Many of the good guys AND the bad guys see through everything and no one is dumbed-down just to keep the mystery going. That’s sometimes rare in these kind of drama to see the bad guys prevail or to see them on par with the good guys in terms of intellegience. BUT this drama does have many things it could’ve worked on like pace & story-telling, in general. It drove me away and pulled me back many times so I guess it’s worth the watch.
PSS. The romance factor really pops in this. There’s no shy, maiden-like love. Characters who are in love, plunge into it completely. No hiding or acting shy from it. They legitimately express their love openly and willingly. No one fights their feelings. The kisses are as real as it can get. No fake flat lip to lip. Expect some tongue action in here. (:
The ENDING: ended like how it should have. You have to remember this is based on historical truths. It was bittersweet but it honored the reality in which these people existed in.
Overall Grade: C++
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The Best Chemistry Casting and Eloquent Storytelling
Empress and ‘Emperor’ these two is a match. They fulfill each other’s character in the most lovingly intense just by the drawn of their eyes. It is so raw and yet solid.How they moves with each other is so organic. Their story is impossible and yet they’ve kept us hopes.
I must spoke for the Empress’s poise features. She nailed it all the time. I praise both actors for their impeccable performance.
Second Leads has their fair share of stories. Beautiful and daunting and funny and brilliant all at once. Patience yet fierce.
I’d hails them The Mighty Four...
I must say, this is how stories should have been told. With grace and strength aligned. Each episode gives splendid rendition. If only I spoke Mandarin, I’d borrowed dozens of their extraordinary vocabulary to express my admiration.
Music and Costumes are my all time favorite. Enough and not too much but classy and timeless. Han and Ming Dinasty has always been my cup of tea.
The costumes in this production substantiated each scene with enchantments.
And the gorgeous set just took us back in time like a time machine.
I’ve been rewatching it more then 10 times and maybe more cause it is that amazing ?
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This review may contain spoilers
The emperor makes a difference
This drama has been one of the best I’ve seen so far. Kept me interested during the whole story and had so many plot twists even I was content. From the very beginning it was obvious that there couldn’t be a perfect solution for everybody; the main character’s ever forgiveness had to bring trouble over his friends’ or someone else’s heads. Still, the cruel way to fight for the throne and power shown in the very first episodes would also be meaningless if one really strives to save and unite the people of the suffering and crumbling country. The dark times consist of many doomed destinies and the whole story has this scent of finality.Still, the creators of this series did manage to confuse the audience (and when I say it, I really mean we’re good at predicting plot twists and making up ‘oh, these motivations are surely way better’ solutions). True, I guessed how it all would end but it was closer to the final episodes. In the progress of the story, I just kept praying the emperor would survive and did not hold much hope for anyone else due to the plot’s violence. Still, the script writers were a bit more generous and spared more than one character, what I’m really grateful for.
The events in-betweens of the series aren’t that predictable. The obvious mistakes not always result in a defeat. Not all schemes are welcomed even by one’s supporters. You can see more than just two parties or sides fighting; that’s the conflict of interests of many-many people with different mindsets. Only those who are wise and able to see the broader picture or who are close enough to try and understand the reasons that initially differ from their ‘best strategy’ can gain the real grandeur and – suffer all the same. Moreover, even the best ones are tied by the limitations their time dictates: the way one should act, be or not be trusting and humane. Only the emperor himself seems to cut away these limitations being ahead of his time, which is so true for the stark reality of life; even provided that people have the chance for salvation they are likely to misinterpret it and set the new chain of historical mistakes because of their greed or fear.
I was really lucky to find this series since not only the main leads are interesting to watch. The story looks multi-faceted and yet holistic. When you finally learn to tell one face from the other (I have to admit I’m really bad at doing so – especially when watching Chinese dramas), the story gets really intriguing. The characters are alive and able to change. You learn to sympathize those you initially didn’t like or vice versa. You really see how the main character matures and how the empress gradually progresses (although she may also be seen as gaining vulnerability). Ma Tian Yu is really great in a role of Liu Xie as we see a really different emperor here; he’s smart but not violent, independent but as gentle and meek as a lamb. I felt like he would break or learn to be cruel; however, he is true to himself but his image is still believable. He’s is easily understandable as the people of the twenty-first century have different standards but he strikingly differs from the people of the other epoch portrayed in the series. I really enjoyed his slowly developing relationship with the empress – he’s so cute when he always apologizes without having made a mistake and gets embarrassed when he shows his love to the empress. This romance isn’t lighthearted at all; it’s really touching and fascinating to watch how they struggle to survive and protect their love. Liu Xie is definitely stronger than he looks; not crushing under the pressure of pretending to be another man, participating in a war while believing any life is untouchable, following his beliefs when others set a more obvious path for him. In fact, he’s the only main character for a long time of watching different series who hasn’t even fainted or got ill. How come he’s so strong? I really admire him. The empress gives the feeling of an ice queen at first; so dedicated to the previous emperor, so cunning and ruthless… and yet starting to develop a feeling towards a human being, for the first time in forever. She’s the one who changes a lot, and this is one of Liu Xie’s victories nobody except few ones would ever know.
Zhong Da is a great hero, too; you can feel how delusive the balance of good and evil in him is. The outstanding mind he has, the great will to reach power and yet some principles and affections which can be seen as both weakness and salvation. It’s really a pleasure to see him plotting and untangling someone else’s plots. If I were him, I would feel awful at this ‘you’re clever, settle this or that dreadful situation for us’. But his only problem is his family that could suffer; he is generally eager to outsmart everybody and seems so mischievous and boyish and cunning at the same time! The side that claims him probably wins (and he knows it oh so well). As he says, he joins the side of the winners but it is clear that he is the one who creates the right conditions for one side to thrive.
The most intriguing one is Cao Pi, who seems trapped between the powers of light and darkness. It’s been funny when he took up his training as a Sith (sorry, I can’t unsee this parallel). His emotions are so boiling, twisting and turning that he’s probably unaware of where and why he’s supposed to come in the end. I was watching with the certain impression he would die having committed a crime and regretting this but I was only partly right. He’s the most ill-fated character who would be hurt, emotionally and physically, almost killed and spared by almost everybody, friends and foes. And he also gave me the impression he would harm either his friends (are they really?) or his father he is devoted to (is he?). His relationship is bittersweet since he was deprived of unconditional love and never seen as a person with his own perspective of life. He paid with his vitality for the opportunity to prove his father that he was a worthy son – was it really beneficial? Did he even want to follow this course in the end? As many others, he created (due to his deeds and the flow of merciless dark epoch) a certain future he had to reach no matter what. The moment when he – for once – feels his father’s (maybe even misinterpreted) concern is so emotional! This is when you understand how broken and lost this character is. Actually, he is a kind of a villain that would be awful in reality but inspires sympathy within the fictional work.
Some other characters also arose my interest and I felt sorry for them. They mostly were on the opposite side – how ironical, many clever and talented people could be emperor’s supporters but the sides were decided before he even had a chance to step into the palace (not to say to free himself out of it and gain the chance to act on his own will). At the same time, many supporters appear certain fools and give their lives for nothing. The emperor is left alone – such an impossible scene for the watcher who is used to mostly European tales when the mighty king decides everything and doesn’t have to fight for his life and a bit of respect towards him.
I really enjoyed the setting, the costumes, music (especially the ending song) and the way the story flows. I feel that the few years the story skips could also be interesting but it’s the character development we’re interested in, so it’s been probably right to shorten the narrative. I just mean the whole story is very engaging and I would watch on if there were more episodes.
The end of the story is tragic at least for one of the characters I liked (actually more than one, but they died sooner) and yet it’s influential. I also like the circular composition of the series; we compare the first and the last chapter and see that somehow life is very logical. We could feel the echoes of their future when we met the characters for the first time. I think the emperor has made the best decision in order to prevent the darkest times of chaos and the characters got what they were destined to. I really liked the line about how differently historical records would save that story - future generations would learn the sadder one. If only in reality it happened in the same way!
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Hopes dashed, again
The euphoria I felt whilst watching the first dozen episodes is indescribable. Finally, I said, finally I found an intelligent series with strong characters and an intriguing plot that was truly riveting; however, by episode 20 the story and characters moved from the palace location to the barracks where we were then introduced to the other players in the game. Thereon, it appears characters that were previously intelligent became stupid, and certain plot points that had seemed inviolable at the beginning were no longer so.How do the writers explain the Emperor and Empress sneaking out of the capital dressed as guards when the audience had been told previously that they were mostly grounded and rarely ventured outside of the palace grounds without permission? On the other end of the plot advance was Sima Yi who seemed clairvoyant and could deduce future events with almost no clues just because he was supposed to be the intelligent one. In a way the writers were their own worst enemy...they actually thought giving Sima Yi ( and to an extent, Guo Jia) all the clues without us seeing him(them) work through it themselves would make the characters seem smart. They were mistaken. It was lazy and unimaginative.
Enough about the screenplay, let's talk about the actors.
Wan Qian was the MVP of this series. She more than carried the show and had the most realistic character arc of the lot of them. She portrayed an Empress that was at the end of her tether and unwilling to go down with the ship but would rather find a way to right the rudder come hell or high water. Even I was on a knife's edge whenever she came on screen. All I can say is I hope she won an award for this series. Next is Ma Tian Yu. Sigh, I'm not sure I have anything nice to say about his acting skills. His face was either set at "resting stupid" or "slightly less resting stupid". His character was one-dimensioned to within an inch. There was nowhere for him to go so they made him run around in circles for the entirety of the series.
Then there were Cao Cao, Guo Jia, Man Chong, and the lot of them who were all caricatures of beard-twirling villains. If you want to see villains done right then watch Joy of Life or The Rebel Princess where even though you know these guys will kill their unborn babies to advance their positions, they could still evoke pity and even support from the audience. Objectively, I know these issues if isolated are not dealbreakers but combined, everything dragged. The pacing, the story, the characters, everything suffered.
While we're on this subject, did anyone notice when Sima and the Princess Consort fell in love? As in why and how? Lmao, theirs was the most boring and laziest "falling in love" I'd ever seen to the point I wish the writers had just left it out cos Elvis and Dong Jie had NO chemistry whatsoever.
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As for Sima Yi he was not allowed to show his talent through out reign of Cao cao to Cao pi. But still manage to take throne for his family and established a new dynasty. He must have been a genius for doing so. It was intresting to see three kingdoms from his eyes.
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Three Kingdoms Thriller
I've heard many people mention that if you are really interested in the three kingdoms period, you are better off watching "The Advisors Alliance", as that is a more gritty, realistic series than this one, and the secondary characters of this drama are the primary characters of that one.However, this is an excellent drama on its own merits, and whilst I really tried to figure out who everyone was in TAA, I just couldn't grasp it within the first two episodes, and it bothers me a lot if I can't figure out who the characters are and which one is which (same reason I dropped Nirvana in Fire, because I couldn't get my head around it, but I will definitely try again). This drama takes you by the hand and introduces you to each character slowly, one at a time, and this is how it avoids character confusion, which I really appreciate.
This is a thriller about political intrigue, war and conspiracy. It's been a couple of years since I watched it, but what I remember of it is that it had beautiful cinematography, interesting characters, and the story itself was extremely engaging. The acting was very good, no annoying characters, and the episodes breezed by with little to no dragginess.
If I remember correctly, there wasn't even an evil antagonist, as every character was complex in their allegiances to their state. Even Cao Cao was human and had his reasons for what he did.
Yes, I liked this drama very much. Not as gritty and raw, somewhat more romantic in cinematography and tone than TAA, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you are looking for a simpler, less raw, bloody, and gritty Three Kingdoms costume drama, then I highly recommend this one.
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