In the first half, I felt while there were some flaws to the writing (like it wasn't as neat or as clever as it could be and there were some plot holes in character's personalities and events that happened), but I could definitely brush it off because it's a drama so whatever and in comparison to a lot of others that I'd seen, its quality is really quite high. If this had been my first historical drama, I probably would've been completely satisfied.
I was impressed with the leads acting, especially as I've always heard great things about Luo Jin and he was really really good, almost to the point i didn't want him acting this tiresome plot anymore, because I feel it to be such a waste. The chemistry was also evident and very natural which is I guess why they became a real life couple XD
However, the plot revolved around WeiYoung and Prince Jun being extremely clever and using their wits to escape all kinds of situations, and yet, half the time they'd do really REALLY dumb things, which would get them into trouble and it wasn't consistent at all. Another thing to add is when they were being "clever", scheming and creating these master plans that would afterwards be praised by everyone around them, they'd honestly not even be that smart and sometimes didn't even make sense and it felt like they were treating the audience like they were dumb enough to not comprehend logic . I couldn't help but compare every scheme to the likes of MingLan's in The Story of Minglan, which follows a very similar story. Her scheming, cleverness and how far ahead she could plan was on another level and the writing was just so much more advanced that I wasn't impressed by anything Weiyoung did. To add to this further, the Prince in Goodbye My Princess, who was in a very similar position to Prince Jun, is honestly the biggest mastermind schemer I've yet to watch in any cdramaland, and the way he manipulated situations was on another level, so I could just not be impressed at all with any of the writing in this show.
But still. Most historical dramas turn into garbage when they get stretched to a million episodes, so this is still one of the better ones out there.
But just to be more difficult, once I reached about 2/3rds of the way in, I really couldn't take the dragging and consistent rehashing of the same conflicts and same obsessive evil people that just wouldn't die. Every event would turn into a mystery case that would always end up with the Emperor being involved, which honestly lowered his status a lot, because the randomest of people would just be allowed to walk in and argue with him with 0 consequences. Ranks and titles of people would get thrown around and removed all of the time, so every time someone was demoted or promoted, it just felt like whatever. Still those ranks were used to threaten people, somehow, so it felt like consequences weren't taken seriously and people could get away with anything. Also, just for drama/plot, the same evil people were trusted again and again even though everyone had already established their crimes and they should've been outcasted by the main cast a long time ago. This made everyone have 0 personality because they didn't stick to any type of morals and seemed to have a memory that couldn't last long enough to remember the people who betrayed them. All of these issues are mostly caused by poor writing and stretching the plot to a huge 54 episodes.
Finally I'd like to make a comment on its genre of "big female role" which means the entire plot and characters all focus around the leading female character. I personally, just cannot handle shows like this because in reality, the whole world does not revolve around one person, so to watch every single male character fall for her and to watch every female character despise and plot against her, is honestly, soooo tiring, especially when the writing is poor and the schemes aren't actually very "clever" and you wonder why all these people even LIKE her or are ENVIOUS of her. This is my own opinion of course and I am sure there are many who enjoy these types of shows, I just for one, cannot stand watching the almost mindless devotion that every supporting character seems to have for this one person, it is too fake for me. But I would also like to add that this show's version of it didn't really annoy me till the very end.
To sum up, while this seems like a negative review, its the 4th best historical drama I've actually seen, so anyone who's new to this genre would probably enjoy it. I am aware that the two dramas I mentioned, GBMP and Story of Minglan, came out after this one, so if anything, they have actually taken inspiration from this, but all i can say is both far surpass this one in every way so you may as well just watch those two first and then this one XD
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the scenes are beautiful but the clothes and hair accessories were kinda weird esp the ones for weiyoungs wedding and queen headdress, also i didn't like some of the actors, they just didn't fit some of their roles. love the songs they were so beautiful too
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over used scenarios, too much loopholes, noob writer
seriously, the story goes on like going to a climax then downwards (bec of too much repetition of scheming that does not makes sense anymore), geez that weiyoung shows up to his majesty's doorstep every freaking scheme is just too much! the king's fondness to wei young was not properly developed. in normal dramas, even the FL cannot be spared of more than 2 instances of death granted by king but the FL keeps getting chances over chances which defies all sensible reasoning. chang ru's schemes are just too many it doesnt make sense. even in scheming dramas i watched, the schemes are not all done by 1 antagonist continuously. also, they should have at least made the FL appreciate or show mercy to the 2nd lead but they just made the FL feel a complete aversion. it also became too predictable, every time the FL gets away from the scheme, they will ask how she did it, not just one 1-2 scenes, i lost count actually. for me, i quite enjoyed it but i skipped many scenes. just too much repetition,.. the writer just destroyed what should have been a good drama with good actorsWas this review helpful to you?
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The Princess Frame-up
Using my personal rating system of "loved," "liked," "meh," & "nah," this rates a “meh”—which is kind of surprising since I actually got all the way through it (albeit with a lot of fast-forwarding). There are way better dramas out there I have on my on-hold list, so I’m not entirely sure what the appeal was here.Things I liked:
The leads’ interactions were cute and there was no forced chemistry between them (which I guess makes sense since this is apparently where the two actors met & fell in love?). I liked the grandmother of the Li family who always stuck by LW no matter what—and, of course, her “mother” who unconditionally loved LW even when she knew she was not her daughter. I also liked that LW’s character had a great deal of loyalty and affection towards her adopted family—she never tried to use them to get meet her goals. I also liked her cousin, his crush on her was cute, but I did FF through all his interactions with the 9th princess—yawn.
Things I did not like:
To be fair, this is a classic telenovela-type drama where characters make decisions to further the drama of the plot and logic never really comes into play. So to criticize its lack of logic is like criticizing rain for being wet. ;P
I (personally) do not like inaccurate historical settings/stories. If you’re going to go so far off the reality that you’re basically only using the names of real historical figures then just make up a fake dynasty, country, world, whatever, if you need to instead. That’s just a personal preference.
Like any good telenovela, most of the characters were two-dimensional. And one bat-$*** crazy jealous woman trope per drama, please, it was a bit exhausting to have two of them in this one. All the ‘bad’/’evil’ characters’ obsession with LW was tiring after a while. She’s literally ONE woman, a minor member of a noble family with ZERO power and yet everyone thought that killing her was the solution to all the world’s problems. The cycle of crime, frame LW, LW exonerated was so boring. Once or twice, sure, but constantly!? And each time, everyone took the frame-up seriously until LW proved her innocence. Seriously, if she’s innocent EVERY TIME, surely we should start believing her!? That or acknowledge that she’s just a really clever serial killer and have her executed.
This probably says something about my personality, but my favorite character was Tuoba Yu, the main antagonist. He was probably the most “three-dimensional” of the characters, but he was also written to make decisions based on drama and letting the good guys win, rather than what someone with his planning and scheming ability was actually capable of—in real life, I’m sure he would have won if he was as clever as he was initially portrayed. Though, SERIOUSLY, wtf with the hair style!?
And it was a toss-up as to who would make the better emperor. To the common people of the day, as long as there was no war—or if they were at least winning any wars they fought—I doubt they particularly cared. And corruption and incompetence was such a foundational part of the government systems, that not even a ‘good’ emperor would be able to do much about it. I would have been equally satisfied with an ending not based on historical events (however loosely) where TY gets to be emperor and TJ & LW elope to go live as commoners somewhere.
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I think I really enjoyed the first half of the story, and the battle of her just wanting to do everything for her own kingdom. But then after a while I think the story got a little lost, and then it was just all very messy near the end.
I think I ended up just skipping to see what happens near the end! - Soo much drama going on as well, it was really confusing to keep up after a while, and a little draggy. So I wouldn't say I enjoyed this a lot.
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Strong female leads, Re-watch value, great relationship dynamics
I loved it and have re-watched it several times. Its memorable, interesting relationship development, great, believable acting, the girls of the Li clan are resourceful, cunning yet also extremely pretty- kinda makes it feel unrealistic but I suppose helps make the show more memorable. I actually liked the development of the antagonist's relationship with Tiffany Tang's character Li Weiyoung. I thought Vanness Wu did an amazing job for his antagonistic portrayal of Tuoba Yu. Although towards the end you start to think "why does he like Weiyoung again?". I felt that some of the minor characters relationships seemed a bit much- such as Cheng De and Jun Tao's there was nothing there, like someone had just gone "oh yeah lets have them do that." However I did like the developments for Tuoba Di and Li Minde's relationship- it began one-sided, but became real- it felt like there could have been more to offer. In terms of the story, I thought it was interesting, although you start to get a bit tired with the repeated tricks of framing the lead female etc. I thought the costumes and the setting were spot-on. Its definitely a classic and something of a landmark for historical dramas. High re-watch value for sure, don't miss it!Was this review helpful to you?
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True Romance and Chemistry
The main reason many love this drama was because of the romance and chemistry between the main leads -- Princess Weiyoung and Tuo Ba Jun. What makes the story better is knowing Tang Yan and Luo Jin's relationship became more serious after this series and eventually lead to their real life marriage.Besides, the supporting casts were very likeable and all of the music was exceptional.
1. Story
Centers around Li Weiyoung and you will catch on quickly since its quite straightforward. Although it does become repetitive towards the middle-end portion, there are enough surprises and intricacies to keep you enticed. Moreover, the supporting cast does wonderfully to keep you engaged.
2. Characters
Li Weiyoung (Liang Xin Er) -- grows within the series and she has to overcome many challenges through using her intuition and wit, which made viewers connect and root for her.
Tuoba Jun -- Prince Gaoyang also has his mysteries to solve and his character is intertwined with Weiyoung, and makes a complementary balance. Entirely likeable and Luo Jin's acting is very natural.
Li Minde -- Another strong character who might be overlooked but his role was essential. He also has to make his sacrifices in this story so viewers can definitely relate to him. I also really admire his acting, he might be under Luo Jin's agency since he also worked with Luo Jin in Investiture of the Gods.
Jun Tao -- She brought in the much needed martial arts and fight scenes, cause without her character, this drama might have entirely lacked that action. She did not do much but her loyalty was strong and a very likeable character.
3. Romance/Love
Undoubtedly many watch this drama for the main leads since they are both very beautiful and handsome. The chemistry, you can see is very natural and realistic. The romance between them was entirely appropriate and very sweet. Coupled with the outstanding music, their story is a real tear-jerker and heartbreaking.
There's also many other types of love exhibited in this drama - sisterly, motherly, and also hidden love. The relationship Weiyoung had between Jun Tao, Bai Zhi, Real Li Weiyoung, Li Chang Ru, and Princess Di would be considered sisterly love. The loyalty that Jun Tao and Bai Zhi exhibited was very touching. Family or motherly love was also present and self explanatory.
Though the evil supporting casts were sinister, they also did it out of love so you could sympathize with them eventually though they did many despicable things. Mainly speaking of Tuoba Yu, Li Chang Ru, and Li Chang Le.
4. Costume/Scenery
Beautiful costumes, they made Tang Yan really beautiful, definitely have crush on her after this. The males also were wonderfully dressed like Li Minde, Tuoba Jun and Tuoba Yu.
Not much scenery, since I believe they only filmed within a defined area. There were not many scenes from faraway places. And if there were CGI, they were subtle and very appropriate, none were silly.
5. Music
In my opinion, it was a perfect soundtrack to go along with this drama. The ending theme to each episode was sung by Tang Yan (Weiyoung) and Luo Jin (Tuoba Jun) themselves! Also another song that was played during sad moments between Weiyoung and Prince Gaoyang was actually sung by Chiyun Nan (Jin Han)! Link below
Fate Because of Me - Jin Han
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWkuLgyOmeA
6. Ending
The story is well paced and the ending is considered tragic and sad but for me it felt rushed. After all Weiyoung and Prince Gaoyang have been through, I would have desired a bit longer end to celebrate their happiness or achievement. The end was not entirely sad because of what occurred but IMO more so that they did not show us more story about the lead couple.
I would have also loved if Princess Jingmu, Tuoba Jun's mother and the Emperor was there to witness the end.
Overall entirely re-watchable and a good story with exceptional casts, all played their roles very well and though at some times it gets repetitive and maybe some elements were annoying such as the face masks being used or how they rushed a bit at the end, its still worth watching for the cast, acting, music, and romance.
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The show is one of those fast ones. It starts off sort of fast and is also very interesting. Princess Weiyoung is interesting to watch and it is really easy to understand and keep up with the show. I also like how the show doesn't always have the main leads winning. Like usually in other dramas, the main leads get everything and win, whereas in this drama lots of things go down for Touba Jun and Weiyoung. Honestly, Touba Jun shouldn't have married Li Changle, because even if it was a deal with Touba Yu, he still shouldn't have done it, because I feel like Touba Yu would have saved Weiyoung even if Touba Jun didn't agree. As for the 9th princess, I don't even know if she knows what's going on in the palace. Because she been sick and injured. And I feel like Li Changru has always been evil since the beginning.Almost every person in this show is destroyed by love and hate. Like Touba Yu and Touba Jun both like Li Weiyoung so Changle and Changru become evil. But the ninth princess, however, didn't become evil after knowing that Li Minde likes Weiyoung, that's why her life can't be destroyed by love and hatred.
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Story: 9.0/10
The story takes you on a journey of a girl and how she deals with trials and errors. And also meets a lover on the way. In all honesty, the only problem I had with the drama was that it was repetitive. To the point I had to skip some scenes because things kept on repeating. And I'm usually not the type of person to skip scenes. Other than that, it was very interesting and a thing I kept in mind was I had to remember new characters that were added to the story.
Acting/Cast: First impression was why did they choose this girl as the main lead? Well, after finishing every episode, I realized why. She was just amazing. That goes the same for Luo Jin and all the other actors in this show. Everyone played their role amazingly. And props to the villains in this drama because they did a good job for making me hate them so much.
Music: 8.5/10
I did not really pay attention to the music but hearing the opening song 54 times, it's pretty good. And they also played the songs at the right times in the drama.
Rewatch value:5.0/10
Mainly because there are so many episodes but I will probably go on youtube to go watch the cute little
clips that I liked in the drama :)
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Everyone Frames WeiYoung + Beautiful Shades of Blue
8/22/2021I really want to like this drama more and I am rounding this up to 8.5 (I debated to keep it at an 8). However, the repeated framing and dragging of the show prevented me from doing so. If this drama is about 40-45 episodes long instead of 54, the pacing would be a lot better. It has all the right ingredients: good general plot, great acting and characters (love strong, smart leads), beautiful costumes, decent background music and songs.
Negatives:
1 . Repeated Framing - The show is basically someone framed WeiYoung and tried to kill her, then she got out of the crisis due to her own wit or saving from others, then repeat again and again. I was bored from Ep 20-30 and lost my attention. It's so predictable that it's not fun anymore. It's unfortunate because I really like the general plot of the drama, but the pacing was off. This is my biggest critique of the show and why I did not rate it an 8.5, since I am judging it against other big historical drama.
2. Plot Holes/Plot - The writing is not very tight. There are also lots of convenient eaves dropping throughout the show by the villains. There are also some illogical/impractical plot holes and I noted down two incidents but there are more: 1) ChangLe tried to burn down the lantern shop but how could she walk in without anyone noticing? Where's the shop owner? Was TuoBaJun (ML) really so far away that he didn't notice anything until the store was half-way burnt down? 2) When WeiYoung (FL) and TaoBaoYu (2ML) were stuck in the secret room, why didn't FL shout out the location of the secret ring to open the door to ML? They apparently could listen through the wall/door with no problem. 3) How come all the doors of the rooms in the Li family are see through? Everyone can hear your secrets!! There's no privacy!!!
Positives:
1. Acting - I enjoy the acting by all cast members. Our main leads and secondary leads are great. You can feel their love and obsession, their pain and evilness. This drama has a large supporting cast and no matter they are veterans or the younger actors, they are did a pretty good job.
2. Romance - One minor criticism I have is that I want to see more scenes and romantic development between ML and FL before they officially fall in love. Their love story is so strong, romantic and heartbreaking that I wanted a stronger foundation or evidence. Having said that, I love their relationship - their undying love and trust. I love seeing their banter and their open communication. I was pleasantly surprised that ML is quite funny and outgoing, and not the cold-on-the-outside-but-warm-on-the-inside type. You can feel the chemistry between the two leads and believe in their romance. The other romance/obsession storylines are pretty well-developed (though a little draggy). It's so sad that in a way, none of the significant relationships ended well. I am not as interested in the romance between the Little Princess+Prince and the two bodyguards.
3. Costumes - Blue is one of my favorite colors and I LOVE the different shades of blue in the costumes. You see light blue, royal blue, navy blue, indigo, dark blue, etc. Most of the time, Chinese dramas are dominated in gold/red/white in the palace, and blue/yellow/pink for the ladies. I am so happy to see that it's different here. Aside from that, their costumes, jewelry and head pieces are elaborate. Not only does the royal family have elaborate head pieces, but the ladies have beautiful hairpins and flower arrangements that match each of their outfits. I love seeing the different designs and patterns on the male characters outfits. The ladies dresses are all beautiful and multi-layered. Aside from the color palette that I enjoy in "Legend of FuYao", this is the only drama that I am so obsessed with the costumes and really pay special attention to each outfit.
4. Music - I would like to praise the use of background music in this drama that did not overpower the drama itself. I've seen too many C-dramas where the music is so loud that I couldn't hear the dialogue, or the songs are played over and over again when a romantic scene occurs. The music in this drama complements the scenes and let the acting speaks for itself without the use of music to manipulate viewers' emotions.
Overall, I like this drama. I wish it had a happier ending after what the leads have gone through, but I am satisfied with it. If I watched this drama before the many historical dramas I've watched, I might have given it a solid 8.5 or higher and be less critical.
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