Usually I start scrolling on my mobile phone, when I lose interest during episodes, but this drama had me hooked until the last episode. The strong acting (I love a strong and smart female lead and strong and stubborn male lead), the cleverness with which the palace game was played….sigh…. and I was even impressed by the acting skills of that crazy eunuch! Oh Eunuch...;) you had 'The Shining' written all over you....you dog you....
The villains in my opinion where formidable. Yes.....villains...as in multiple. The amazing thing was that every so-called 'villain' had u humanizing aspect to them, which made me understand were they were coming from. In some cases I rooted for the villain, but when it came to moment of truth I rooted for the leads more.
I also love how the female lead doesn't take bullshit from anyone. She fights for the ones she cares about and eliminates those who did her wrong. I'm easily annoyed by underwhelming female leads who waste my time with their almost saint-like attitude. I'm not vengeful and i believe in forgiveness, but continuously turning the other cheek to keep a female lead a pure and angel-like character, is plain boring. Nobody likes a goody two-shoes. I mean i certainly don't. I like women with integrity, good morals, passion and fighting spirit when the situation asks for it. I just like leads who play dirty, when the other side just doesn't want to back off. That's why i loved Wei Ying Luo and the actress who played her. I don't understand the crap they gave her for being an unexperienced actress. I thought she was perfect!
And Yuan Nie.......What can I say? I'm a sucker for older men of his kind. They just don't make them that way anymore…
I loved him as the emperor. He was a perfect asshole, with a bit of self-indulgence, intelligent but oblivious and lovable at the same time.
In short: Normally the Manchu style of the Qing Dynasty bothers me, but this time it totally didn't! It actually has grown on me in this drama! Don't want to spoil to much, but if you:
- can overlook the peculiar hairstyle;
- love a good historical c-drama's;
- enjoy engaging in palace politics and intrigues;
- are into love games (u know, the cat-and-mouse kind);
- love a-totally-in-denial , a somewhat childish, but somewhat adorable-at-times, unreasonably-stubborn and amazing acting Yuan Nie;
- are in need of a sometimes silly and going-overboard, but strong-and-kick-ass female lead;
than this is the one for you! Just press the button...don't hesitate….go on...you won't regret…go watch it and thank me later! ….You're welcome...;)
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What I love the most from this drama is how smart the plot is. The clever plot, interesting story line, and beautiful scene. It really is a must watch for all drama lover.
Story wise, the FL is so smart and witty, I am always being surprised. From the first episode to the last, there isn't any plot that I don't like. It is also very rare to have the kind of story where FL is this strong.
As for the casts, they are amazing. They really act well, nothing chessy, nothing too much, and less. They are perfect! I love the female lead, the emperor (even more when he acted childish around the FL), I even love the second male lead (ok, i kinda wish to find a guy like him in real life, although I ship the FL with emperor in the drama)
Music part is interesting, I won't spoil much, but you will be suprised the first moment you listen to the music choice for this drama's opening. And for this, I appreciate the music choice and varieties.
My rewatch value will be high, as I will only write lengthy review for drama I will re-watch (lol!) anyway, i will just say, watch this drama and prepare to be suprised of how well written it is. (not to forget, smart!)
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This review may contain spoilers
Enjoyable revenge drama with strong female lead
Unexpectedly, I enjoyed this drama. For me, episodes 1-10 and 40-49 were my favourite. I watched this in 2024 on YouTube after reading fan reviews. I heard that this drama was heavily censored in China and you can tell that some scenes were cut out. I would've loved to see the uncensored version.Acting:- All the ladies in this drama did a fantastic job, especially Consort Gao, Consort Xian and Er Qing. The emperor was also amazing in acting. I also cannot forget Li Yu (Emperor's eunuch) - his micro-expressions were always fun to watch! The only one who disappointed me was Fucha, the actor does not have a wide range of expressions.. sometimes his acting made me laugh, but he has a nice smile.
Characters:- I loved the FL, Ying Lou. I think she's my girl crush. I also liked her chemistry and witty banter with the Emperor. They were a pleasure to watch on the screen. If you liked the FL in 'The Double', then you will like her here. My favourite side-characters were Li Yu, Ye Tianshi (the only doctor who can treat diseases lol) and Xiao Quanzi.
Plot:- I think the revenge part is true and done well. The FL is an "eye for an eye" kinda character, so it is satisfying to watch. This is not a romance show, so don't expect that. It's a slow burn for sure. But it shows platonic love very well - friendship and sisterhood especially. The pace of the show varies and drags sometimes, so I found myself fast-forwarding especially when they discussed palace or war politics. This is the reason I deduct one star.
Rewatch value:- I very rarely rewatch shows. Since this is very long, I will rewatch my favourite episodes. I think you will like this show if you like smart female leads.
I rate it 9/10
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Don't let episode count scare you
honestly this drama was amazing. I typically don't like harem dramas and usually skip all the ladies fighting in other dramas but this one was just too good. It kept me invested. I could not put it down. Yinglou is an amazing female character, she's smart, stubborn and not willing to bend for anyone. There are twists and turns I didn't see coming. Most of the side characters are fairly flushed out. I would defintely recommend watching this drama, even if you usually don't like palace dramas, this one is amazing.Was this review helpful to you?
Unforgettable!
I originally entered this world through Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures, which was also a part of my introduction to historical Chinese dramas. My interest was peaked because I first recognized Nie Yuan and Wu Jin Yan, who have become some of my favorite actors. When I realized this was the original story I was overjoyed and so glad I finally set aside time to dive into it! At this point i pretty much watch anything that Wu Jin Yan leads because her acting is so versatile and always pulls me in.I absolutely love this story. From all the ups and downs to the great chemistry between all the actors. I love it much more than Legend of Haolan, but both stories captivated me nonetheless. Even though there are so many episodes I would eagerly rewatch anytime I want to take a trip back to the Forbidden City!
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Story
The story is about a strong who enters the palace to investigate and avenge her sister’s death. I was always a fan of strong female lead dramas, and this one was no exception. Seeing Wei Yingluo so mentally strong and her way of solving things are indeed very interesting.
The story is very tight and the costumes are very colourful as well.
I can’t find any loopholes but seeing irritating characters such as Erqing is such a pain in my ass.
Cast
Wu Jin Yan was very impressive in her role of Wei Yingluo. She was not very beautiful but her way of acting was very good. Fuca Fuhen and the Empress both did a pretty good job. The empress was my favorite character in my Yanxi Palace.
They all left a good impression in my heart.
Music
The songs and osts are just average
Rewatch
I would definitely watch it again as I will miss Wu Jin Yan
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this drama is definitely a must watch for anyone
hello, everyone, this is my honest review about this drama story of yanxi palace coming from a person who has watched 100+ cdramas and 100+ kdrama no kidding I stopped watching cdramas as frequently as I used to in 2021 and became a die heart kdrama fan only becoz cdramas are way to cliche and drag nowadays and I already watched the best of the best in cdrama but I still try to come back and try one out and this is the drama I saw in 2023 that brought the teenager who loved cdramas in me back hehejust finished this drama btw so a bit biased rn so bear with me
I personally really appreciate this drama first of all I have to say they did the best job at casting and OST it's so perfect, I can't even imagine other actors in the main role. Also, there is something about the ost from the intro its exciting and builds up nostalgia in a way, overall the actors are super iconic but the king sometimes(rarely)does cringe in my opinion. the story itself is made up so beautifully with the history itself as a base It is interesting. the strong female lead gives relief from the desperate, always in misery female lead in most period dramas, it's quite refreshing and satisfying to see a strong-willed character always getting her revenge and making the villains come down call me petty lol but I'm so sick of seeing fml always so miserable and just idk helpless and they do unbelievable bs stuff out of nowhere if u look at most period dramas this is common also the beauty of this drama is just pure eye candy you can just melt away looking at the attire, As someone who has seen my share of traditional clothing in dramas this one did stood out a lot in the traditional cdrama world. this drama gives you the enemies-to-lovers romance effect and also a big 2nd lead syndrome don't want to spoil but it gets interesting and as the story goes on you develop a lot of character attachments get ready to ball your eyes out! the only annoying part I feel is the feeling of a jump cut or that some more story is missing from the drama, I felt like I missed something for sure, As in they should've added a bit more info on some characters to build more character info for the viewers.
As this drama is based on history we can assume they did not want to over-fictionalize the actual history, you need to be a bit mature to understand this drama. overall this drama is better than most of the weird overly dramatic and dragged period dramas today and one of the few traditional clothing non-fantasy drama that any type of viewers can enjoy (coming from someone who hates political dramas)
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This review may contain spoilers
I was very reluctant to watch this show because Harem/Palace settings are not at all my "thing"...But as soon as it started, itdived me in completly!.
- Characters, historical attention to details (Qing dinastie), Ost, plot, ...everything got me in just within few minutes and I didnt care anymore for those 70 episode lenght :D...
Every single character is deeply portraited, and even the evil ones are so well written , acted, that you simply sympathize, and are fully driven to understand with each of them :
Each woman has it's own tool to outshine others, and none are stupid-like or meaningless. They all have something very personnal to express ( my favorites are Empress Fuca Rongyin and Gao Ning Xin ). The main female lead is a pure joy to watch dealing with each impossible situation she was forced to step in. While never forgetting neither herself or her goals. While always progressing.
-Wang Mao Lei who is portraiting Yuan Chun Wang is so subtil that whenever I see again this actor in other drama, I just cheer to see him again...
I Gave it not a full 10 just because I wanted her to - after all she have been trought - end up with her first and protective love, rather than the Emperor.
But trust me...this historical drama can be taken as an exellent farandolle of 70 cup of tea !
Enjoy :)
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Main characters are memorable, even though the story seems highly fictional.
It is unclear if Wei Ying Luo had true affections for Emperor QianLong. Personally, I'm not convinced. There seems to be too much at stake between them, always trying to outwit the other person.... Ying Luo's true affections for FuHeng and Fucha Empress are real and deep.
This drama is a refreshing take on the usual palace drama plot. Music, costumes, and sets are beautifully executed.
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This review may contain spoilers
Tear jerker have some tissues ready
Updating my review as I have now finished. The middle of this drama was a real tear jerker. I couldn'tbring myself to like the male lead and the last few episodes felt uneccessary.I've had to press pause on this show because I've only gone and done the worst thing you can do when watching a drama. Yes i have fallen for the second male lead. I know he won't get the girl. Infact I suspect he will probably die.
The story is a bit of a slow start. A lot of uneccessary storylines in the beginning but I guess its to set up the characters and show us thier personalities.
The empress and our female lead have a very strong relationship so i am quite interested to see how she ends up falling in love with the emperor, its kinda like falling for your older sisters ex-husband which is a bit icky.
I am getting a bit tired of the continuous power struggles between the harem, the story of so many women fighting over one man does kind of make you want to smash your head in, yes i get his the king but surely there are other men out there. In fact I'd love to see a drama where at least one or two of the harem have no interest in the king what so ever. You know just tp change it up.
Sighs let me unpause and watch my guy not get the girl.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is an epic drama worth watching more than once
This drama even though is it 70 episodes is just epic. I JA e actually watched this drama 3 times and don’t get tired of it . It has everything intrigue, romance, sadness and happiness. It reminds of like a Gone with the Wind type epic The entire drama keeps you watching with is ever evolving storyline. Just remember bring out the tissues towards. The end that scene between the female lead and XuKai where she tells him I will be your love on the next life is just Get the tissues out 100% worth watchingWas this review helpful to you?
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A Must Watch Series
Chinese historical dramas are not my cup of tea as they tend to cover more on xianxia. But this series blew my mind. The cast and acting. The plot. The music. Everything was so well-thought and detailed.Wei Yinglou's mc shield is strong but aside from that, everything was so good and realistic. It's not slow and I have been binged watching for a week now. None stop. I just couldn't help myself to see what will happen next. The plot of internal palace harem schemes and drama is expected. But because of her personality, you'd always wonder what will she do next.
I love how they expressed each character. I want to hate them but I can't, they have reasons why they just used the wrong method and got the best of themselves as any normal person would. From Noble Consort Gao, Empress Hoifa-Nara, Noble Consort Chun. The only one I truly loathe would probably the emperor.
Everything was just a roller-coaster ride of emotions, especially on the Fuca Siblings. The love and devotion Yinglou has for the two was probably the only strong emotion she has given to anyone other than her sister. The strong bond she had with empress Fuca was breathless. She sacrifices herself, for her. She let go of the only man who she truly loved just to give the empress the justice she deserves. This is one of the highlights for me. It didn't focus on (OTP) romance it showed that it's not only romantic love that exists.
But what was the saddest for me was the love Wei Yinglou and Fuca FuHeng had. Yinglou isn't the type of person who falls in love or even thinks of that. She's independent and strong. While Fu Heng had long been used to women flocking over him and is neither interested. I think was they had was true and pure love. They loved each other through their best and worst. He loved even every evil thing she did. And she still loved him even though she swore to forget him and she never did. This kind of love is hard and rare to find. And with their type of personality, they're the kind of people who only love once. They're each other's the one that got away.
Even though she ended up with the emperor, I never think she loved him even a bit. Emperor fell in love with her. But she stayed just to do her role and respect to the late empress to take care of him. I felt that she still has Fu Heng in the back of her mind. And the emperor knows that. I still question his love for her tho. If he loves her. or he loves her because she reminds him of the empress Fuca.
It felt like the series is trying to convey that even though you're meant to be. Reality still slaps. We're humans tend to be vulnerable. Easily to get the best of our emotions. Example: the emperor's selfishness, the harems jealousy, and fu heng's selflessness.
Kudos to the director. Because even though I'm watching beautiful scenes of Fu Heng and Yinglou, the emperor and empress Fuca. I feel so much joy but still ended up crying to such beautiful scenes knowing everything in the palace is short-lived.
The series doesn't need a sequel. And I'm okay with the ending though a very depressing one. It will always be in my heart that Fuca FuHeng and Wei Yinglou, Emperor Qianlong and Empress Fuca Rongyin are the ones made for each other.
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