Good Bones, Happy Ending.

If you’ve watched One and Only (周生如故), then it’ll be pretty easy for you to be love swept in this drama. Forever and Ever is the sequel set in a modern time period with indications that the female lead, Shi Yi has ‘dreams’ or memories of her past life without stating the obvious due to China’s reincarnation censorships. The drama follows their commitment and mutual understanding to overcome multiple challenges in their careers and families so they can pursue the love they both yearn for. 

Though I haven’t read the novel, I’m sure many who have would vouch that they did try and follow the book very closely and it was definitely evident in the first few episodes. Do you need to watch O&O or read the novel to be able to understand this show? In some ways, yes? I think without the understanding of O&O, I don’t think you’d be able to understand why it was so heart wrenching and why we viewers have such strong emotions for the characters. So I’d highly recommend you watch the prequel first! But be prepared to be broken, and then come back to watch O&O to get mentally fixed up on love. :P

So instead of doing the usual break down, I thought, why not do 11 things I liked or disliked about the show, in tribute for (十一/时宜):

1. I think it goes without saying, what kind of an actor Bai Lu and Allen Ren are. The chemistry on-screen and off-screen are both fantastic. Considering that Forever and Ever was filmed prior to One and Only, you can definitely see in all the BTS clips how their friendship grows and how comfortable the two become with each other. 

I loved ZSC’s character in this series, I loved how aloof and innocent he initially was. SO different to how he was in O&O and it was albeit quite refreshing! I couldn’t help but giggle when he was all shy around SY. That said, realistically, in a modern day setting, if someone were to get engaged over the phone, I can’t imagine anyone who would have said yes willingly after only meeting 3 times in person and emailing for 6 months. LOL. 

Reality aside, the two made you root for them like they did in O&O and I think fan’s would be happy to know that they got the ending they deserved, FINALLY.

I do admit, after say a whopping 15 episodes+ in you’d think the aloofness would subside, but it didn’t and it was starting to get a bit old and too cringey for me.

2. I loved all the Easter eggs they had. Here are just a few of my fave: 

- Shi Yi dropping her surname ‘Cui’ as a continuation from the last episode of O&O where she denounces her family name before she jumps off and request that she only be ‘Shi Yi, of the Nanchen Royal Mansion’.

- The fact that she was a voice actor for ‘O&O’ in this drama.

- The hints about the library comment in episode 8.

- When she sleep talks about pomegranates and ZSC goes out to find some for her.

- When Mei Xing says “I feel like I owed him in my past life” in episode 24, because word is he’s technically the reincarnation of the crown prince in O&O.

- The Fu in Imperial Park poem that she wrote on the wall and that ZCS finished for her

3. I loved that they kept the same songs, especially the opening credits, and there were clips of Allen’s song in the instrumental version.

But god damn, give me Mao Bu Yi any day! He’s got a way with creating such beautiful hits for dramas, the melody is so haunting and beautiful. His single “Give you, Give me/ 给你给我” is such a beautiful track. Even Bai Lu commented on it on her Weibo.

4. I loved the way it was post edited. Most scenes flowed so smoothly and didn’t feel rushed. The first 1-10 episodes were done very well. 


5. I think if anything it was the storyline overall that felt rushed, but that’s just basing it off the novel. The first 1-6 episodes moved so quickly. The production setup in itself, was great! With the exclusion that there were maybe 1/2 scenes that could have been filmed better, some poor choices of scripts or words (scroll through comments) and some scenes that felt ‘lazy’. I think it’s noted that some scenes did get cut, we’re unsure why or which to be exact. I think him piggybacking her in Bremen early on was one of them.

I think the conversations about them deciding to have kids and choosing the words ‘I’m ready’ before sex scenes just felt awkward to me. Episode 27 was a bit cringey to watch. I said it in the comments, but I stand with the fact that there are so many diff ways of creating a scene that’s supposed to be meaningful yet not overdone or uncomfortable. I think even Bai Lu made a comment on it in the BTS videos.


6. I didn’t like that there really wasn’t a proper introduction to ZSC family. Without reading all the comments here, I probably wouldn’t have known the family tree and what the relations are with all the ‘siblings’ and why it’s so complicated and why there’s so much issues and dramas arising within the family. At the very least iQiyi could have done like a diagram for us like how some dramas do.


7. Episodes 23 onwards were such a breath of fresh air! There was so much more punch to it! Lots of emotions and it was definitely a whirlwind of a rollercoaster ride we all were hoping to see. Episode 24 had me like a mess! Despite all the hurdles the family threw at Shiyi, I loved that she didn’t blame anyone for all the mishaps, she stood by ZSC when he just needed space and time to overcome his loss. But I felt these episodes really showed them coming closer together and it wasn’t as awkward and you could tell, he was becoming more and more comfortable around her—which he should be by now!


8. LOVED her outfits, I thought they were great! Bai Lu looked amazing in everything they had on her.


9. Side characters I did enjoy would have to be Xiao Ren and the driver, Uncle Lin. Both like a real brother and father figure to both SZC and Shi Yi.


10. I wasn’t sure if I liked the old and new mixing, like the idea that this was a modern day drama but that Zhou family house gave me the creeps a little. That and the mixing of modern vs the old Qi Pao’s the Wan’s made. It grew on me, and I like that it was heavy of tradition but I guess still acknowledging the current period they were in and that they did things out of the ordinary like obtaining their marriage certificate before the actually ceremony.
 The excessive poetry was beautiful but I wish I understood it.

11. Lastly, episode 29 probably hit me the most. I feel this is where we really get to see ZSC and his commitment for Shi Yi. Dealing with in-laws is always a hard and troublesome task. What he did and what he was willing to say to her parents at the hospital and his actions clearly showed that he wasn’t going to waiver and proved to her parents that he was worthy of her love. This really hit hard for me dealing with my own personal experience of something similar. The scene where he submits and finally bows in front of his ancestors just proves that nothing is bigger than his love for her and omg I couldn’t stop the waterworks!

Overall, I think it was a beautiful drama, albeit slow, but so deserving. I think the last few episodes picked up and I really enjoyed watching them get closer. Would I watch it again anytime soon? Probably not. But I’m so so happy they got the happy ending they deserved.

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A realistic modern love story

AHHH, I can't believe this is over. There are love stories, and then there's You are My Glory. Where do I start?

THE STORY
Absolutely love that the storyline was more mature and more realistic. The story of unrequited love in high school and then the chances of meeting again years later, it's not new, but it's realistic which therefore makes it more relatable. The debate of having to choose your dream career or choosing a path that earns you stability is also another great and relatable side story. But overall, I love that it wasn't all about the female lead, in fact, I love that they put more focus on the ML and it was about his career path and journey and she was really his support. I'm not saying he wasn't there for her either especially during the initial gaming sessions and following her on those work trips, but it was definitely a lot more to do with her belief in him since in high school and helping him realise that which I love! They say "behind a great man is always a greater woman" and this was exactly what I felt in this story.

THEIR CHARACTERS
I loved all the small details about their relationship, like how witty she is and how attentive he was. There are full of CP moments in this. It was the small details like the way he hugs her and embraces her with his hands holding her head, like OMG, my heart couldn't stop fluttering. All the forehead kisses and actual kisses — there was no shortage of that. It just showed how much care went into filming these scenes. But I love how frank QJJ was, she wasn't always afraid to say what she felt and wasn't afraid of what others would think. Even in real life, I think YY and DR had such good off-screen chemistry which is what made their relationship on-screen that much more desirable. You can't help but ship them!

THE PRODUCTION
Superb production! The scenes flowed really well and I heard even Yang Yang directed a few of those scenes. You can tell they put a lot of effort and thought into putting this film together.

Overall it's a great story, Funnily enough, my favourite scenes aren't all the sweet CP moments, it would have to be Episode 15 - when QJJ professes her love again and gets rejected and 16 - when Yu Tu finally realises he made the mistake of letting her go and they way he breaks down and tells Zhai Liang 'not to blame her, cause it was his fault', ohhh that pulled my heart strings. But Episode 30 when he re-proposes to her and episode 32 when he calls her at the end to say thank you for all her sacrifices—you can see so much heart and soul go into his words. I think Yang Yang is a great actor and I must say I absolutely loved Dilireba in this, it was far beyond her kid-like, squeaky voiced characters she'd play in the past. I think from her roles in The Long Ballad and now this, has really shown what she's capable of.

Would definitely recommend it!

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A good lead-up to Forever and Ever

"A good bone structure,
what's so special about these bones?
Even the royal family fears them,
and all the people in the land praise them."

I, like most people, awaited episode 16 knowing episodes 17-24 were coming out on the same night. I said "I'll pace myself..." Needless to say it was impossible for me to last more than these last two days! HAH. So here's my honest review on this.

STORY:
The early synopsis description of the show actually stated that ZSC 'died'. It didn't state that he was 'injured', I read that on a few fan sites, drama review sites including My Drama List. I think they changed it after a while realising that it might have been too detailed. I remember reading it thinking.. "Great, so I know what happens to him". I don't even think they should have mentioned that he got injured. So if you think about it, the storyline was already quite predictable. But like most period dramas, there's a lot of plotting, scheming, killing, heartbreak and love. I think in that sense, it's like any other drama within this genre.

PRODUCTION:
I think it's safe to say episode 1 was a real slow burner, so if you're struggling to get past it like I was (I watched it in 10 min intervals because I was loosing concentration), just know, you'll eventually get past it! It definitely picks up around episode 2-5 and by then if you're not hooked, then maybe it's not the show for you, but come back and try again!

I love that they filmed in real climates. All the snow scenes were beautiful! I also loved the way they edited the scenes. The cue's for all the music were just spot on. The library setup was my fave. I also like that all the action shots were up to parr, and not fake-looking or exaggerated.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of voiceovers. I see the need for it sometimes and I get why some directors/writers/producers might opt for it, but personally, I feel that this is a discredit to the actors who already put so much time and effort trying to memorise lines and act the scenes. I honestly couldn't get Shawn Dou's image out of my head every time Allen Ren spoke, but that's also because Bian Jiang voiced him in 'Tears in Heaven' too. It didn't ruin the show for me, but it made it really hard for me to be fully into Allen Ren. I know what Allen Ren actually sounds like—honestly, he doesn't sound that bad! He's a singer, like.. ???

Same with Bai Lu, I loved her in 'Love is Sweet' and thought she was already amazing as an actress, but I hadn't seen her in a period drama setting and I didn't think her actual voice was going to ruin the image of Shi Yi and I was curious about her portrayal. But all things considered, I was pleased with who they got as the voiceover actors and think they suited what a 'ZSC' and a 'ShiYi' should sound like. I love that the two of them are actually really great off-screen too. They're both just such extroverted people and you can tell they've got good chemistry!

CHARACTERS:
Shi Yi's inability to speak did drive me nuts in the earlier episodes and I was almost convinced she was going to speak like this the whole way through. Thankfully that stopped early on. I love the way Bai Lu portrayed her. Her smile made 16 year old Shi Yi look so innocent and it was great to see her character's growth through her change of looks. From the change of hair styles and even clothing colours.

Considering ZSC is supposed to be 25, I thought Allen played a rather convincing and matured ZSC, I almost wasn't sure about what their age gaps were which could make you believe that their relationship felt inappropriate (I know I did) but I love that they weren't too heavy on the romance for that very reason. I read a few comments below about people asking if he was going to kiss her and I can't believe that that's all some people look for. Cause can you imagine? 16's technically not a legal age! LOL.

I'm not saying there aren't plenty of CP moments (episodes 13-15 have plenty), but if you look past the need for any physical romance, there was such a deep and profound love between the two characters that didn't need to be publicly or verbally voiced out. There were many many things he did to show how much he cared for her and likewise with her—the writing of her name as their 'secret' in episode 17 was my fave because it was basically his declaration of his love for her. Shi Yi even says in episode 16, "I never had any wild thoughts, I really just want to be with him, and stay by his side, that's enough". You can definitely see that they could never have been anything more than the master/disciple relationship. *cue Forever and Ever.

PS - episodes 15-17, 23-24 will possibly require you to have tissues handy.

MUSIC:
I could instantly recognise Zhang BiChen's voice the minute her song played, I loved that they got her to sing the theme song for this. BUT my favourite would have to be Vanessa Lin's 'Ruo'. If this doesn't scream ShiYi, I don't know what else does.
"My obsession is silent,
I use all my life to guard only one person
I say nothing, only hoping to spend my life with you
I'm full of love for you
Waiting to unlock the years of time
Our eyes willl still be full of stars when we reunite"

<3

Overall, I still think they did an amazing job, and it's unlike any other Chinese Drama production that has thought to split their story in two timelines like this. I think that's a great idea and I wouldn't be surprise if we start to see more shows follow the same suite. Like many others, I'm awaiting to see what 'Forever and Ever' will hold for ZSC and ShiYi, because let's be real, that ending gave us all a heartache and we can't wait to see them finally have the ending they deserved.

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Enjoyed it more than I thought I would

To be honest, the main reason I wanted to watch this was only because of the Yao Chi. I was merely drawn by the looks of this character and was intrigued to watch it. I didn't understand the trailer very much and was a little confused about what this show was really about. But after watching it, I have to say, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and it's sitting quite high on my list for this year following Ancient Love Poetry and One and Only for me. I found it entertaining and so different to some of the modern dramas I've been watching this year.

What starts out a little confusing with the introduction of the Peking Opera scenes to introduce Yu Fei's character soon turns into an art piece and a story about two people finding themselves as individuals as well as each other; and respecting traditional art forms - chasing dreams and settling with reality. I particularly loved that the main characters complimented each other both on screen and off-screen. I loved how true to their characters they looked and portrayed. I'm not familiar with the Chinese opera scenes and I'll admit, it was a little cringey to watch given I'm not a fan of dubbed voices and I'm well aware that their voices were likely dubbed in this show. But otherwise, I loved that the plot didn't involve a whole lot of misunderstandings between the leads that would carry on with unnecessary drama dragging on episodes. I loved that they were both respective of each other's careers and were quick to resolve whatever issues they had.

I absolutely loved the monologue scene that BFL does at the end in episode 27 (or was it 28?) and how it was carried out like a stage scene - it was almost like you were there watching the stage play. Same goes with the end scene of their play in episode 29. I LOVED it. I'm one who enjoys watching plays and theatre shows so this was so entertaining to watch.

Most importantly, I loved how gentle they were with each other and BFL's grandparents were so cute to watch. I particularly loved that the best friend (though portrayed to be a bit mean at the end) was actually looking out for her all along and was respective of YF and BFL's relationship in the end (typical 2nd lead ending).

Wasn't too hot on the 2nd relationship of Hao Shi and Guanjiu but I guess a show needed some fillers.

Their theme song suited everything about them and the scenes it was played it, loved it. The cinematography was grate and I loved the colour grading on this. I thought they did the mix of old vs new very well.

Overall, I understand why people might say that there wasn't a storyline to it, but personally I thought it was very evident what the show was about and it's the realities of juggling choices and dreams and being content and responsible for them as well as never loosing faith for the things and people you love.

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An impressive Xanxia drama

Let’s start with personally - I think the drama surpassed my expectations. I remembered very clearly watching the trailer and being uninterested when the hype was all over social media. I honestly didn’t think much of it.

I decided to give it a try to humour my love for Xanxia dramas, it was after all, my very first genre I started with to get into C-dramas. ALP gave me the same feels I felt watching things like Ashes of Love and Ten Miles of Peach Blossom which was what started my love for C-dramas. I can safely say, I wasn’t disappointed at all.

The Story:
Though the storyline did feel like they dragged it between episodes 1-15 (to me), I think to some degree it was necessary to show the backstory of each character. But that in itself resulted with the show getting its initial low ratings. Having said that, it’s not long until it picks up and I can reassure you, if you’ve stayed past episode 15-20, then you’re good!

I especially liked episodes 47-49 because you finally see everything coming together and all the emotions coming into play. Bai Jue and Yuanqi’s rekindled relationship was so sweet to watch, watching Bai Jue tear up at the sound of Yuanqi calling him “father” was pulling on my heart strings.

I personally felt they rushed episode 49 to try and wrap things up and to personally explain what everyone’s ending would be, and if you’ve already watched spoilers (like I did) you would know what the outcome and endings were, so there wasn’t much surprise but I wished they didn’t rush it so much. I would have loved more of the ending of Bai Jue and Shanggu’s reunion.

The Cast:
Firstly, I think the negative comments about Dong Yu were uncalled for. I personally felt her character suited her. She was after all meant to play the youngest out of 3 ‘siblings’, naive and carefree, she had to learn to bear the responsibilities of the Three Realms—she had to portray a child that had to learn to grow up quickly and I think she played that so well. You could tell her physical transformation aided in her ‘growth’, I loved watching her looks change and evolve as she matured i.e. with her fringe down vs her hair back. You could also tell by the colour of her clothing changing.

Very similarly with Bai Jue’s and Tianqi’s characters having to evolve. You see their personal character develop as well as their relationship with others. Though I admit, there were scenes which I felt could have evoked more emotion i.e. when Bai Jue was watching Shanggu be blown into pieces during her tribulation, I expected the level of emotion of Fengran crying as Jing Jian sacrificed himself in episode 47.

BUT I think as an actor having to play 3 different characters and be able to tell them apart for the viewers let alone themselves, is amazing. I don’t doubt that there would obviously be set backs or things that they could have ‘done better’ or ‘said differently’. But for what it was, I think Xu Kai and Dong Yu played their characters so well being able to differentiate between Bai Jue, Bo Xuan, Qingmu, Shanggu and Hou Chi. This was my first drama watching Xu Kai and it’s what made me watch ‘Falling into your smile’ as well. You can clearly see his different acting skills in both.

As much as I hated watching Wu Xuan, I think her character development deserved it just as much as the rest. If she was able to make you feel annoyed and angry, then I think she portrayed her character well. Same goes with Jing Zhao. You will always have one of those in every Xanxia drama. But I must say, her acting was great, I didn’t feel like she was having to fake much (except her evil laugh), she was mean when she needed to be and she was honest and raw especially in her final days.

I think you’ll hear a lot of people say that they cherished Qingmu’s and Hou Chi’s relationship most, because it was the sweetest. But I beg to differ. I thought Bai Jue’s and Shanggu’s love was so honest and raw. It wasn’t without effort that the two developed their relationship. They were the real MVP’s in my opinion for having to learn about friendship, then love, then sacrifice and then having to relive that over again. Can you imagine how difficult it must be, to have to push the one you love and not be able to tell her that EVERYTHING you did in the last 60,000 years was actually for her wellbeing? Like, how can you say that wasn’t the sweetest love. Just because he didn’t give her as much forehead kisses or hugs and wasn’t sweet with his words, I thought Bai Jue’s love for Shanggu was so beautiful. I mean, without Bai Jue and Shanggu, you wouldn’t have had Qingmu and Hou Chi.

Also! Much admiration for the child actor that played Yuanqi, I find some child actors to come across really fake especially with subbed voice overs that make them sound really high pitched. I think he played his role so professionally.

The Production:
For the level of CGI that was in this, I think it was spectacular. I can imagine the amount of post production work this took. As a fellow creative (for context, I’m a graphic designer by trade), it’s so easy to point fingers and say some things could have been done better. But I don’t think you understand the amount of work it probably took them. I could say that this was just on parr with Ashes of Love and Ten Miles. There wasn’t anything too cringey watching, I thought the monsters were going to look a bit fake, but they didn’t. The part that amazed me was the overview of each palace that they displayed to show you where things were taking place. You can clearly differentiate all of them and the props, colouring and decor of each palace internally was taken into consideration. So much thought process! I loved it.

The costumes were fantastic. I really liked most of Shanggu’s and Yuemi’s wardrobe! You can tell there were so much detail in it. Can’t forget Wu Huan’s extravagant display as well, I actually liked her with white hair and her appearance as a devil was actually quite stunning all in black.

The Soundtrack:
I HAVE to make mention of this. They literally pulled all the big names in C-drama artists to sing in this drama. I love all the tracks—they’ve all got their own vibe but overall has the general theme of like ‘chasing one’s destiny’ (to me at least).

I can’t remember which episode it was, but definitely somewhere between 1-5 where I think they first played Mao Bu Yi’s “Yearning” in a sad/emotional scene and I had goosebumps. I still to this day, get goosebumps every time I hear it.

I honestly think that the soundtracks in this drama made the conversations and scenes so much better and much more convincing. I really think that’s what made me cry in the scene with Qingmu being replaced by Bai Jue’s awakening. Mao Bu Yi’s track is my favourite out of the lot— there’s something so haunting but comforting about the melody and lyrics. SO SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN.

Zhou Shen’s track “Penannular Love’ also has very notable scenes attached to that song, which to me gives out that affectionate and fleeting vibe. The kind you find in a Disney movie. Hah! But his humming version which is in the intro is just as beautiful. It really gives you that period drama feel.

Overall, I think this was a beautiful drama. I think it’ll be hard to top this for a while. I think it’s important to watch the show with an open mind and have patience. Considering this was only 49 episodes and shorter than some if not most Chinese dramas, it does pick up it’s pace and you won’t be disappointed! I’m going to miss watching this!

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A great light hearted show!

This was my first drama with the introduction to Cheng Xiao and though at first she came across as sulky to me, I slowly warmed up to her and thought for Xu Kai’s first modern drama, he did pretty well.

The overall storyline was what I found interesting, the visual effects was amazing! I absolutely loved watching the scenes of the game fight scenes in full mode, that was a great touch! I did like that the tone of the production was fairly light hearted, there were some comical scenes in there and also some emotional ones which was a nice balance. I loved the chemistry of all the actors in the group together. You can definitely tell that they get along on and off screen. That was another thing that I liked, watching the BTS videos of CX and XK often made me smile. I actually thought he had a much better off-screen relationship with CX than he did with Dong Yu in Ancient Love Poetry.

But you can appreciate the CP moments in this drama, sometimes a bit cringey as I thought there were more than the necessary kissing scenes but I can appreciate that some people look for that kind of stuff. I bag on the emotional conversations they had and how protective he was over her without actually wanting to let go of his cold hard demeanour.

Though there were some minor setbacks. I felt the coldness Lu Si Cheng displayed almost came across as too narcissistic and was a real put off for me to watch at the beginning. I get that it was his character trait - but it seems to be his character trait in almost all his shows. But the moment that melted the ice for me was when he covered Tong Yao’s eyes after she stayed up all night practicing after her defeat with (whatever his name was). I liked that he withdrew his defensive walls for her then. The other setback I felt was the Korean subbing - Xu Kai’s Korean subbing was a little out of sync, and you can tell he didn’t really say the words properly. Not as well as Wang Yi Jun and Didi’s subbing.

The production was great, from the filming, lighting and editing. A job well done! I was especially happy that they had so many cat scenes in this, I thought it was bloody cute!

Overall, I did enjoy it. It’s a nice short and light hearted drama which is such a contrast to ALP which I was watching at the same time. So, I enjoyed it!

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A good period drama to end the year

Like many, this show sat on my anticipated shows list of the year and I wasn't disappointed. I've heard of dramas adapting the 'novoland' theme but this would be the first series I've seen and though I was a bit confused at the start due to the lack of introduction on the merfolk story, that picked up towards the mid-end of the show but I admit, I still don't fully understand why it was titled 'novoland pearl eclipse'.

As far as the show goes, you can tell the show had a relatively high budget, so the post production wasn't disappointing—though not completely up to parr with TMOPB, but it sits very high on the list. Nothing looked too out of place and the props and lighting were great! The theme song blew me away. I love that they got Zhou Shen to sing in this as their ballad, and it's so fitting. Honestly, get him or Mao Bu Yi for me and I think that alone would have roped me into watching any period drama.

Yang Mi wasn't disappointing in my opinion. I love that she wasn't dubbed. I've seen her in all her other shows and reality tv shows and she's a very capable actress who I really think carried the show so well. In times of her sadness, bravery and passion—you saw it all and she wasn't too fake. The whole cross dressing thing didn't surprise me but I did find it obviously unbelievable (I mean, which man could pull off long fake eyelashes back then, haha). I was a little annoyed they had to drag that out till episode 36 but other than that, she did well. I hadn't watched anything with William Chan before so this was a first for me. Admittingly, his two hair strand hairstyle was a bit weird (I much preferred it when he had it all up) and am so glad (for once) that his voice got dubbed as I think hearing how he really speaks would have thrown that whole cold and serious demeanour he had going on. But man that last episode where he talks to Haishi about what it would have been like if they had met sooner, his emotions in his acting was beautiful. You could sense the hesitation and exhaustion he was feeling but also the anxiety he had about not fulfilling their future together. <3

I love the poem she repeated about them-again the small details that fitted them so well:
"high are the mountains, and small is the moon
small but shining pure,
my mind goes far away to someone
A day without him
would upset me so"

Overall, this was a show about love, sacrifices, loyalty and how they're shown in different forms (like others have said and I strongly agree) — from Tilan and the Emperor, Zhouying and Zhe Liu and especially Haishi and FJM. In the end, though it might not have been the ending we all wanted, I thought it was fitting. Haishi and FJM have always been faithful to each other but knew that the country and people were always meant to be put first. Though their wishes of being able to fulfil a long married life (with kids—I found it funny she kept repeating this), I like that she was made the 'mother' of the young emperor and that FJM was still there to mentor him like he did with Haishi.

Would definitely watch this again —and I don't say this often. It sits very close to how much I loved ALP.

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If you're tired of heart wrenching dramas, this one is a great follow up!

If you're after something light hearted, this show is pretty good. I enjoyed the comedy and the easy going plot. I found myself laughing at a lot of the earlier episodes. Some may argue that the acting isn't great, and there were some moments that could have been filmed better, but I enjoyed the chemistry the actors had. I think Zhao Lusi has that charisma even off-screen that you can see which makes the relationships on-screen bearable to watch. The overall storyline was better than I expected, it dragged on a bit towards the end with the whole chase around to catch ZWY and the ending was a little anticlimactic.

What I wasn't a fan of was the hair and makeup in this show, her hair isn't half brown 'from being in the sunlight' that some may suggest. It's clear it's faded from the roots. the most they could have done was just spray it or something. Who would have the ability to die their hair back in the day? that part seemed a little unbelievable. Some parts of the editing were a bit cringey to watch as well.

I enjoyed the CP moments between the leads and I most enjoyed her relationship with Yan Yan who really turned out to be more of her best friend than ZWY was. I didn't mind the soundtracks either, was very fitting to the show and scenes.

Overall, don't expect much. I watched it after watching Forever and Ever & One and Only and wanted something easy to pass the time and it did the job. But I doubt I'd rewatch it again.

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Your typical family vs power plot show

I jumped onto this series pretty late, more to fill my time while I wait for other dramas, and for that, I admit, it was a great time filler! But like most of the comments in here, I understand where everyone was coming from and I'll admit, I was skipping a lot towards the mid-end half of the show. The only reason I stayed was because I was curious to find out what the ending was.

Here's what I did like:
Though quite predictable of a family vs power plot, I liked the maturity in the acting. You hated all the evil characters and rooted for the ones you loved. I especially liked that the storyline does put more emphasis on female roles in the family and they made the FL lead look incredibly witty and cunning. I loved that she wasn't weak all the time. I loved that the FL and ML had that mutual understanding and were great offsets to each other and their plans. Unlike the late Matron who you could tell, was so hell bent on scheming like her Mother. I almost felt sorry for the ML to have been married to her for as long as they were.

Loved all the soundtracks to this series! Jin Wen Qi's was my favourite.

Here's what I didn't like:
It was incredibly slow! The series could have easily been a 30-35 pt series and it would have been fine. There was sooo much scheming, plotting, revenge between all the concubines that it was starting to irritate me. But without it, I guess you could say there wouldn't be much to the storyline then.

I'm not a huge fan of voice subbing, so I was a little disappointed that they had Wallace subbed in. But that's just a very personal opinion. I find it a huge discredit to the actors who already put so much effort in memorising lines and acting it out.

I also wasn't a huge fan at the production. Don't get me wrong, the sets were beautiful, outfits were nice too! But the way they cut scenes and faded it out sometimes felt like it was done so hastily and abruptly, I almost wondered whether I was missing scenes or if it got cut for censorship reasons. They could have done the transitions a lot more smoothly I felt.

And lastly, I wished that there were more romance between the FL and ML. Not necessarily physical scenes, but more on the expressing their feelings. I didn't see why they had to wait nearly 35 episodes in before she could have done that. The only moment I really felt the love between the two was at the ending when Shi Yi was going get beheaded and he comes to talk to her in her cell. Though I understand the age gaps that was portrayed in the show, I did feel a disconnect between them and felt their relationship felt more like a business partners than they did as a married couple.

Would I watch it again? Probably not. Would I recommend it? If you have nothing else to watch, yes. :)

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Nevertheless, I watched it anyway.

Saw the hype on social media for this and thought why not jump onto the same bandwagon.

The show starts off quite rapidly (in my opinion), you get the whole backstory to Na-bi's past, her traumatic relationship and then how she meets Park Jae Eon and then how they become each other's muse. In some ways, it's quite predictable. Though I wasn't really sure why they rated it R-19 given there wasn't anything too racy about those scenes which didn't last more than 3-4 episodes and that was it. I guess for Korean censorships, I get it. But honestly I was expecting more sexual chemistry between the two leads.

But their relationship soon takes a turn and then Na-bi has enough of his playboy like behaviour and our ML finally brings his walls down to acknowledge that he can actually have feelings for someone.

What I did like - was the songs in it, I thought it fitted nicely. I also liked the way this was produced. I thought it was so well shot. I didn't mind the monologue. I quite liked it, made it feel like a visual diary of some sort. I did like that they encapsulated a lot of modern day scenarios and real-life problems.

What I didn't like - how toxic their relationship actually was and how they made it seem like it was totally ok. I get that it was the premise of the whole show, and if people are saying it's realistic, sure.. but it's not the case for everyone. I also don't think it's something worth applauding. So, you're basically telling everyone "hey, don't worry, you might totally get screwed over by a guy but he'll finally realise your worth after a long while of cheating and denial." Like, I was actually routing for Yang Do Hyuk. You could clearly see that he made her feel so happy and safe.

I didn't like how long the episodes were given the content was basically going around in circles with the ML and FL. I wish they developed more of a storyline. Like, did she ever find out who Seoul-a was to him? Even I wanted to know! How about more on the ML and what happened in his past to make him do the things/feel the way he does.

The first half of the series was definitely the better half. I must also say that from a visual perspective, the two leads definitely were great to look at.

But glad I got to cross that off my list. In a way, it gave me the same vibes as watching 'Skins' - the UK drama show, but without all the drugs. lol.

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No shortage of CP moments

Just finished watching these and dang, I renewed my IQIYI subscription just so I could fast track all 24 episodes, and I don't regret it one bit!

Overall, it's a light-hearted drama full of cute CP moments between the two leads. I love that the storyline was a little different and that they were all about inclusivity, e.g. addressing being blind, autistic, depression etc. I'm glad they were addressing some real situations. Not forgetting, the issues that most youngster's face these days about chasing your dream vs finding a stable job, the hardships in relationships and families.

I did think for a second that his possessiveness over her became a little creepy at some points (I mean, who expects to always pick up their phone calls) and that her temper was starting to be a little annoying for me (I don't know how Nian Qin did it), but I think it suited the show quite well given their chemistry and characters. Though I must say I was a little annoyed they didn't make her pregnancy more realistic, I mean when she says "he just rolled around inside" and they show a side view of her and there's barely any bump, it just didn't help with the imagination and visualisation of the situation.

But apart that, the music scores were great and I think the show lived up to it's hype!

Definitely recommend it if you're looking for something relatively quick and easy to watch!

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