Acting/Cast: If you want to know what is professional, solid, honest-to-goodness acting, watch this. The actors and actresses will make you feel as if you are watching history unfold before your screen. They will put all those idol actors to complete shame! Everything was to the dot - from settings, costumes, etiquette to speech...they all accurately depicted the correct era in Chinese history.
Music: If you are expecting great OSTs, you will be disappointed. But if you are expecting music that accurately reflects the music of the era in the 'Three Kingdoms', you will be delighted. During those days, ppl compose music to be sung as a poem with accompaniments from traditional Chinese musical instruments. The words sung are very meaningful. Even the OST at the start of each episode adequately summed the entire novel in eloquent words. This is a story about war, the end of a dynasty, ambitious men, heroism, political plots and personal struggles set in an era known as one of the bloodiest in Chinese history.
Rewatch value: I set the re-watch value as low because of the 95 episodes. However, most ppl I know who had watched this series would usually re-watch the parts they like; eg: Diaochan's plot to bring down Dong Zhuo through Lu Bu, the appearance of Zhuge Liang (Kongming), the battle of the Red Cliff, Liu Bei's marriage to Sun XiaoMei and the ensuing struggle to establish his own hegemony at the south, Zhuge Liang vs. Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang vs. Sima Yi etc. It also helps that wikipedia breaks down the series' episode based on the book chapters it covers - making selective re-watching easier.
Overall: A perfect series with perfect actors and actresses. A must watch for lovers of chinese history and literature. The only complain I have is the length but then again, it cannot be helped considering how this series follows the novel closely.
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Actors - Excellent acting from all including the main characters.
Production - for such an epic story the production, direction of story and actors were first class.
Skipping scenes - nearly 100 episodes of history and I didn’t skip any scenes.
Overall - if anyone has an interest in Chinese history, then this is a must watch. You will start googling about the major characters to understand what they did in real life.
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15/10
Hnn what even was that TT. Its based on the epic Chinese classic, Romance of the three kingdoms so if u have read it, u know what to expect. 95 episodes weren't enough to contain all the contents so some characters and events got cut off which is honestly a pity coz I could watch 90 more episodes easily given how good it was. Knowing that these people actually existed and is based on actual history makes it both extremely exciting and enjoyable and also depressing. How I wish some of the characters could know how their lives and ambitions went down in history and how much they are admired, respected and loved even after 1800 years for their loyalty and all the struggles they went through. Can't believe it was made 11 years ago coz it's very well done. No extra drama or romantic bs here, which is just what I like. If u are looking for good guys going up against bad guys or pretty casts being pretty and can't digest, appreciate or get hyped about pure complicated politics, war and grey morality then go away coz it ain't for u. Otherwise just shut up nd watch it.Was this review helpful to you?
Easily one of the best Asian dramas of all time
The acting is A+ especially Cao Cao character. In episode 3, the acting after the village massacre was exceptional. There is a dark humor about the scenes that always bring me back to watch the show again. The acting, storyline, and directing definitely sets this drama apart. I know most people are into romance but if you are looking a super great drama which is worth your time, then this drama is it. Everything is well put together and the journey is an enjoyable one.I watched all 95 episodes and have watched the show several times. I would say this drama is in my top 3 dramas out of several hundreds.
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What an adventure!
This is the first Chinese show that I have watched and since then it still remains my favourite. It is not only entertaining, but also educational: the characters depicted are historic figures and after watching their adventures, as presented in this partly fictitious show, you cannot stop yourself from learning more about their real lives. This series inspired me to find out more about Chinese culture and learn Mandarin. "Three Kingdoms" has it all: witty dialogues, loveable / hateable characters, political scheming, cruel warfare, brotherhood. OK, not much in terms of romance, but other shows tend to place romance in the focus, so it might be refreshing to see a show, which focuses on history and politics more.Was this review helpful to you?
This should be the top chinese drama in list
this is the best chinese tv drama ever, nothing beats it so far not even nirvana in fire, which should be 2nd. the cast, the depth of acting and emotions, the story, the scenes, the actions and costumes are all phenomenal down to the tiniest detail. the execution of the historic classic is almost flawless, quite a number of the scenes were indeed emotional. fair rating of this should be 9.5-10 out of 10, a 8.2 rating is totally underrated. the only downside to this is this misses some of the minor battles, or perhaps some foreigners dun fully understand the story with bad translation could be the reason this is so underrated.Was this review helpful to you?
Three Kingdoms 2010 review
I cannot describe how much i love thisStory: simply phenomenal, the story of Three Kingdoms is already iconic, my only downside for this is that there are some kinda important characters who get little to no story in here, but everything that matters is here and its amazing
Acting/Cast: this series doesnt even feel like a tv show, acting is immaculate, casting is literal perfection, you have a feeling like you are actually there with them, its like the actors are actually the characters they portray
Music: the intro is great, it captures the feeling of the era very well, but other than maybe 2 osts, the music is just fine
Rewatch value: will watch it till i die
Overall: best tv show i ever saw
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An absolute masterpiece, here to last
I watched this series for the first time in 2024. As I am hooked for the past two years or so to binge watching Chinese dramas, I have to say that this 14 year old series is the absolute best. It lands on you like a ton of bricks. Perfection, perfection, perfection! Naming a few would not do justice to the rest, who moved as one to deliver this story. Superb work went into the translation too. That did justice to the scriptwriter and to the actors delivering the lines, because it let us, the non Chinese, fully enjoy this masterpiece too. I saw comments from people yearning for more, and hoping for remakes. That would not do. A masterpiece is a masterpiece. One cannot conceive of a second "Casablanca", or a second "Rashomon". One can only watch the original, again and again and again.Was this review helpful to you?
A must-watch show for history buffs!
DISCLAIMER: This review was written in two parts. Scroll down for my second half of the review under the "Edit" subtitle.--------------------------------------------------------------
I have only seen 45 episodes so far (which is about half of the series). I might change my opinions later. But here are my thoughts at the moment:
Chen Jianbin as Cao Cao is amazing. I think, if the whole show was about him, I would've probably given it a 10. Then again, I do appreciate that it shows us all sides of the conflict. When it comes to the story, I think the worst thing about this show is that they didn't make me care enough about Liu Bei and Zhou Yu, who are seen as the leaders of the factions that oppose Cao Cao. I think, a show like this must make every side look equally interesting. But, unfortunately, to me Liu Bei looks ingenuine and pretentious, while Zhou Yu looks narrow-minded and immature. Zhang Fei is probably the character I dislike the most, which also makes me dislike Liu Bei even more for employing him and treating him like a brother. I feel like, in real life, Liu Bei would be the one person I'd identify with the most, but in this show I root for Cao Cao. So, as a result, every episode that is focused on the character of Cao Cao feels like a great episode. Whereas episodes about his enemies can be somewhat boring. However, even at its worst, the show is still pretty good.
When the show shines though, it REALLY shines. Some of the dialogue and monologue can be not only exciting to watch but also genuinely enlightening. I have not read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, so I assume a lot of that comes from the book. But the way it was integrated in the show was brilliant and seamless. Also the show features A LOT of characters. It introduces everyone with a subtitle, which at first I didn't like. Then I realized, you can just not pay attention to most of them on your first watch, because the most important characters you will remember anyway. But the presence of all these additional characters makes the show that much more rewatchable.
Another gripe I have with the show is the color palette. Everything is so blue and grey. I know they're trying to go for realism, but it results with even sunny days looking kinda depressing. It also causes a lot of confusion in the battle scenes, as you don't know which troops fight for who. In the Story of Han Dynasty every faction was distinctly colored in their clothing and banners. This may not be the most realistic approach, but it works. I wish Three Kingdoms did the same.
And for my final note, I wanna praise the music. While the intro theme might feel a bit out of place at first with its heavy opera-style singing, the rest of the score is so god damn beautiful. There is a couple of compositions that, whenever they come by, touch me deeply in my heart. Needless to say, this serves perfectly to enhance the emotion conveyed brilliantly by the actors (Chen Jianbin especially!).
In conclusion: I have not seen that many historical shows. But among the ones I've seen, this might just be the best one. Most historical shows tend to be rather mediocre. As a history buff I cut them some slack. This one does not need any slack, it's a great show. I will absolutely be watching it to the end. I doubt I will have to edit this review though, I think the issues I have with the show will not be suddenly resolved, but the level of brilliance is not likely to fall either.
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EDIT: I have completed the show, and now I will leave a comment on the second half of it.
I was correct in saying that neither the show's drawbacks nor its brilliance would change in the second half. However, I still felt the need to address the remaining episodes. Because, while my rating still stands, the story structure undergoes some massive changes. I must admit that, after most of the original characters die off, the show becomes pretty lonely.
On the Wu side, after Zhou Yu dies, no interesting characters are left, except for a brief appearance of Lu Xun, which was a pleasant surprise. After that, Wu is completely out of the picture, and we only hear about it in third person. In Shu-Han we are left with only Zhuge Liang, as the single character that's a delight to follow. And as for Wei, with the death of Cao Pi, Sima Yi emerges as the main force driving the story forward (and as my new personal favorite).
So, as the ending draws nearer, the show becomes almost entirely about the struggle between two characters: Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang. While it might feel a bit of a downgrade from the way the show started with a multitude of characters, it also means we get to see only the most exciting parts, and none of the boring or annoying ones. The show suddenly becomes more suspensful and less "fun" (in a good way). This change of pace also feels very appropriate. As it takes a long time to watch the show, as you progress, you feel the time pass. As you see characters you've grown to love get old and die, you reflect on where you started from and where you are now. And the show reacts accordingly. We can see Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi constantly refer to the past and have flashbacks right to the very end. Which makes the last episode incredibly impactful.
The ending of the show is executed PERFECTLY! I honestly could not imagine a better ending. It puts to shame most other shows I have seen. It carries all the weight of the entire show on its back, and that gives way for a cathartic conclusion that pretty much wraps up all the storylines with a series of twists and some gorgeous metaphors. And although in a way I'm glad to finally have finished this massive epic of a series, it is a bittersweet feeling, as I'm sure I am gonna miss it a bunch. How am I gonna go about my life without the daily wisdom of these military masterminds? I have no idea. But oh well, just as the Han Dynasty had to collapse and the Sima-Jin Dynasty had to emerge (only to collapse soon-after) I must move onto the next show until I also find my way to the oblivion.
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