This review may contain spoilers
At first glance, there was nothing interesting about this series. It was just another period romance with a political angle. There was the time travelling, which was totally random and made no sense in the context of the theme. But somehow, halfway through, the series turned into something special. Liu Shi Shi’s Ruoxi was the reason why the first part of the series was so bad. She was also the reason why the second part was so good. Ruoxi took up about 99% of the screen time, a huge burden for any actress to carry. Liu Shi Shi did not have a good grasp of her character in the beginning. She played a modern woman transported into the body of a sixteen-years-old girl, then proceeded to act cute, childish, and completely unlike her real 20-something self. She didn’t give the impression of someone lost in time, trying to a survive in a completely new world. Her worst scenes were the lighthearted ones, like when she was bickering with Mingyu or teasing the princes. Liu just didn’t have that sparkle. She was very pretty, but once she smiled and showed her teeth, the magic was lost. It wasn’t until the second half that you start to appreciate her. She was at her best in scenes that called for anguish and tears. There was a restrained, elegant quality to her acting that fit with the pensive mood of the series. Most importantly, she finally clicked with Nicky Wu’s 4th prince.
The show was excellent in showing the slow and painful breakdown of Ruoxi and the 4th prince’s relationship. There was no stupid misunderstanding, no disapproving parents, no evil people to split them up. These were two people who loved each other deeply, but can’t bring themselves to accept each other’s failings and flaws. It was achingly sad and beautifully acted.
The whole time travel thing was just a gimmick and a really bad one. This was a story about relationships and how love was not always as simple as we wished it to be. Love was not ideal, but still beautiful nonetheless.
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Really a tearjerker
Where to begin... this was an awesome drama. I watched it online and quality may not have beengood but overall the story was pretty good. This is a grand narrative about a modern women stuck
in centuries old aristocratic society. WIll her heart which leans towards modern values of friendship
and monogamy win against dogmatic aristocratic rules and hierarchy?
She was liked by most of the princes, became sweetheart of two of them but they were not able to
let go of their obsession with the throne and mutual hatred it bred.
The 4th prince who was supposed to be the fated suitor for Ruo Xi (lead female character) made a small
mistake due to his deep seated haterd and missed the chance of his last good bye with Ruo Xi.
Ruo Xi also suffers from curse of Omniscience. She is anxious most of the time knowing
the bloody fate which awaits most of the princes. It makes her sick.
Towards the end of the story however she discovers that it was infact her involvement with the 8th prince
which had a cascading effect and resulted the history as she knew it (weird time paradox)
The drama is kind of dark. All the actors have done a brilliant job. Cecilia Liu was fabulous as Ruo Xi.
Nicky Wu was excellant as 4th Prince. Their chemistry was impeccable.
Their sad scenes made me jerk tears. Lots of longing and regrets.
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Good time travel drama
I didn't like to watch this drama at first, because I didn't really like the bald styling of this era. I ended up watching the korean version first, but dropped that because I didn't enjoy it for some reason. The korean version had young, good looking actors "with hair", but the acting just didn't do it for me and it had way more drama e.g. ML with mask/scar w/c I felt was unnecessary. Here, the acting was on point and the storytelling was well executed and made sense. The ending was satisfying, and to be expected from this genre.The beginning soundtrack is great, and good to listen to over and over.
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In the end you cannot help but wonder if she should have a stronger personality. After all she is from the modern times and should not have put up so much shit.
I have seen many of these Kangzi Dynasty drama and the fight between all the princes always left me mesmerized.
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Characters:
Character development is where this drama really excels. None of the characters were solely good or evil--they were gray characters, developed to perfection, with backstories and individual motivations/goals/desires that supported their actions in the drama. I LOVED seeing the characters change, grow (albeit sometimes negatively). This drama could have easily been overwhelming, seeing as how there are just so many characters and all the major princes (2nd, 4th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 14th) aren't referred to by name but by number. But the characters are all so well-developed that I was never confused. I empathized, I hated, I loved, and even after the end of the drama, I still cannot decide between Ruoxi's love interests, 4th and 8th prince, because they are so flawed, yet both so admirable, sympathetic, and real.
The friendships in this drama were so deep and moving that I thought they were more interesting than the romantic relationships. Two of my favorite relationships in this drama were the friendships between Ruoxi and 13th, and between Ruoxi and 14th. Key word: friendship. Despite how both 13th and 14th prince were both handsome and charming (and very much husband material), I never felt like romance was lacking in their relationships with Ruoxi. That's what was so beautiful about their relationships. And especially with 13th prince, the friendship was filled with trust and loyalty, steady throughout all the 35 episodes. Ruoxi and 13th prince profoundly changed each other's life, not through romance, but through a platonic love and desire that the other would find happiness.
Ruoxi herself was a strong, female character who steadfastly held onto her beliefs and didn't let her romantic relationships change who she was. Ruoxi's character development was very well done, stretched out throughout the course of the drama (which spanned for decades) so that it was believable. She matured both emotionally and intellectually, though her physical appearance was unrealistically the same throughout the drama. One thing that I would say, however, is that I wish this drama delved deeper into her modern life and ideals and then showed more of how her 21st century life influenced her actions/perceptions in ancient China.
Plot:
What I found refreshing about this drama was that almost every scene was necessary in advancing the plot. Very rarely did I fast forward to the interesting parts like I've had to do for most of the Korean dramas I've watched. The plot also felt cohesive, not a string of little episodes of conflict and resolution like many long period dramas. It started off lighthearted, but became more serious and sad as the drama progressed. It felt like I was watching life progress--starting off innocent, then encountering more obstacles and hardships along the way.
My only major complaint about the plot was that romance between Ruoxi and 4th prince, which was mostly interesting, bordered on sappy and overwhelmed the drama. The weakest scenes in the drama were the classic, cliched romantic scenes in which Ruoxi is walking, staring at flowers or the sky, then 4th prince steps out of the blue and staring longingly at her from behind. The drama could have been tighter if these scenes were cut, but that's just my non-filmmaker opinion.
Acting:
Liu Shi Shi (who plays Ruoxi) is a phenomenal actress and did a good job of showing Ruoxi's development from a naive, immature 16 yr old girl to a mature, elegant, strong woman. Nicky Wu did a good job of portraying 4th prince as stoic and silent on the outside, but filled with emotions within. My favorite actor and character, however, was Yuan Hong, who played the dashing, loyal, free-thinking 13th prince. He was downright perfect for the role. In fact, all the actors/actresses were perfect for their roles. Everyone in this drama knew how to actually cry in this drama (which I'm starting to think is a hallmark of good acting, especially in the asian drama realm). More importantly, they made me care about their characters and love this drama.
This drama blew up in China and it's easy to see why. I'd highly, highly recommend this to everyone, especially those who love a deep, complex series and who aren't afraid to cry, laugh, and fall in love with the characters.
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This drama is a masterpiece in dramaland.
It is a must watch for many reasons :
- Incredible acting (especially for a cdrama).
- Beautiful, realistic and well developped story.
- Amazing work from the makeup and costume artists, very good OST.
Cecilia Lui really outdid herself in this drama, and the other actors didn't fall short.
There is only one main character for me, that is her Maertai Ruoxi. Although in many scenes, we see things from the eyes of other characters, that is mainly to allow us to watch in an entertaining way what she will hear or read from others.
Because of this, we don't know more than Ruoxi and I could empathize completely with her thanks to this setting.
Every character is somewhat realistic and consistent, I really liked that.
The evolution of Ruoxi was very well described. After being uprooted from her modern day life, she valued relationships even more that in her past life because that was the only way to take roots in her new life.
Thanks to this drama everyone living in a socio-liberal democracy can fully appreciate the benefits of a modern society.
The tragedy for Ruoxi then began when she entered the Palace, putting her in the eye of the maelstrom, where she could only anxiously wait for the events she knew would happen.
Although the tragedy began then, Ruoxi cannot fully realize it, and blooms like a magnificent flower surrounded by her friends and loved ones.
But the Palace is the Palace, and history cannot be prevented, so Ruoxi still feels a veil is between her and the world. And the fear of the inevitable is already poking at her heart.
During her stay in the Palace, she could never fully realise her love, and eventually lost almost every root she had taken in this new life.
The agony of it is portayed so well that your heart will also bleed. At the same time, the watcher can predict the end, and let go, like Ruoxi.
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The music was ok. The cinematic stuff was ok. I mostly just enjoyed the story. I'm just disappointed that it took such a melodramatic turn towards the last 15 episodes. It took me down a dark path that I wasn't prepared for. Yes, I was prepared to watch the emperor murder all his brothers, and even to watch their relationships all fall apart because of scheming and plotting. But, that's not what I got. Watching Ruo Xi Suffer was the hardest part in all this. Some warning would have been nice.
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I like the romance between Ruxi and the 8th Prince. I was heart-broken when it ended. How I wish they ended being together. He was still the virtuous prince in the end.
This is a heart-warming drama. The beginning was such a delight to witness how the female lead discovered that she had time-travelled and occupied inside a 16 year old body. Plot wise and how the story progressed was great, the same thing with the character development. It's such a heart-wrenching show that dramatizes a woman's life living inside the Forbidden City. Once you're in there's no way out unless you're dead or you've been disgraced. That's why I always love the Western civilization for giving us democracy. Thanks to Greece the birthplace of so called democracy. Women in the olden days were treated more like of an object instead of as a person.
I've also seen the Korean version and it was also a tear-jerker. But this original version has more depth and development of the story.
Critique: What I hate about Chinese dramas is it's always infested with fillers though this one is not. Bur how I wish when it comes to performance like singing of an actor or actress in a drama they should perform it live to make it appear believable. It shouldn't be lip-sync or dub.
Overall I was satisfied and in fact I've already watch this twice.
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Pretty sad love story
I had just finished Legend of Shen Li, and was curious about Lin Geng Xin’s performance in Scarlet Heart as people had been writing good things about it. I have been putting this off for quite a while (actually ever since I finished Princess Agents in 2020) because I am not fond of palace drama, but i decided to give it a go after his stellar performance in LoSL.Oh well, I was right all along, palace love drama is just not my thing. It was an ordeal to get through the episodes, they were so draggy with longwinded love triangles and political conspiracy drama(well its more to a picky father who is constantly angry at his sons, and of a brother who is constantly suspicious and angry at his brothers, a vast contrast from the true palace political drama like Joy of Life etc), especially when i dislike the ultimate love interest of the FL. The only consolation is seeing the development of 14th Prince friendship with FL even though I knew it had never been about love. Its her friendship with the princes that was beautiful, although I have always wondered how come such energetic and interesting character didnt have a single friend among the princesses. But hey I’m fine with that because if they were to add princess characters then the show might have to drag the episodes out over 50 to include more female drama. Still didnt stop me from wondering.
Anyway, I think it’s quite boring with FL’s inner battles and constant love conflicts. The brotherly love of the princes towards her is super sweet though, and that was among the things that kept me going. As I said, the genre isnt my cup of tea as I am more of wuxia/xianxia/action fan with strong FL characters who are not damsels in distress.
I dislike the ML right from the start, though, even when I didnt know he was the ML. I think Nicky Wu doesnt look good as a half bald man with pigtail, he looks weird and extremely unapealing. All the other princes look waaaaaay better than him and more handsome. As the show progressed, I fail to see any spark between FL and ML even as they were developing feelings for each other. It looked much too sudden that the FL would shift her love interest to the least caring prince among all, especially when she knew he would become the emperor which would mean a whole life of her tip-toeing around the volatile figure. Maybe it is just me, I just couldn’t see the the chemistry and explanation of how she would suddenly fall in love with him, especially when he forced himself on her the first time. Just because she didnt want to become Crown Prince’s consort so she suddenly asks to marry 4th prince? Damn thats too weak of a turning point.
I kinda gotten tired of how she would cry at everything too. She cries when she’s happy, she cries when she’s afraid and she obviously cries when she’s sad. She also has this one kind of expression on her face and that is what she wore throughout the show. I am not fond of her looks too, but hey, it kinda grows on you as the show goes on. It still didnt stop me from fast forwarding all those draggy love scenes though, especially the love scenes between the two (those after ML ascended the throne are even more cringier than others, thank god they were not many), I honestly enjoyed the arch on the 8th prince and 10th prince with their consorts and 13th prince with his mistress. Those felt more genuine than the main love story. 8th Prince story was the most devastating while 10th prince was the only one with a happy ending.
Even though I got tired of FL crying, I must admit there are scenes that moved me, like the one of her begging for 13th prince, the pure friendship turmoil between the princes and FL, and the one where she begged for 8th prince to divorce her sister who was in the verge of death. So much unrequited love in this show, it’s so tiring to feel for every one of them. They were all pitiful. Oh I think the one playing Ma’ertai Roulan is the most beautiful of all, she had the perfect look for ancient costume. Her character’s love story is so pitiful I couldnt help but feel her pain.
Despite the boring storyline and the excessive crying of the FL, one thing I really commend this show is how closely accurate to the history this show was. Between the plot of 4th prince usurping the throne and the emperor passing it to him, of course they would have to choose the more conflicting plot. The cast did a stellar job. And I’m soooo glad it had been only 35 episodes to endure compared to more than 50 episodes of other palace shows out there. Wished it was less. The first 10 episodes were soooo dragy it was such a pain to go through. But the last 5 episodes were golddddd! I never expected the surprise in Ep 33. 14th prince definitely became the star role in the last 3 episodes, he was practically the knight in shining armour whisking the maiden away to safety. No wonder people had been praising of LGX’s performance here. Before watching, I thought his role was a passing small role with little significance, which was also one of the reasons I kept putting off to watch the show.
I think the ending never bothered me because I never shipped the MC love story. It was an apt ending for both and everyone involved. Am so glad she died in 14th prince arms instead. The bosom childhood friend that she used to quarrel with and afraid of, but in the end became her saviour from the Forbidden City prison.
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What I like about this drama is that it is a history based time-travel drama. And I really praise the director for being able to make such a detailed ending.Happy or sad ending doesn’t matter at all, as long as it is detailed, it is really worth watching .
This is indeed one of the best dramas I have watched ...
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Our modern main character, Zhang Xiao is no match for the crushing weight of the institution of the imperial palace. At first spirited and challenging, she comes to dread the inevitable and it taints her ability to connect in her relationships. Unfortunately, she comes to this realization in the first 1/3 of the show, which makes the remaining 2/3s a bit plodding and onenote.
[Comparison to the K Drama adaptation at the end]
The acting here is very good and despite numerous 'brothers' you are able to distinctly identify with them all. There's enough episodes to develop the main 5 or so brothers into complex characters. The music and production values are very high for the time period, and still stand up to the present day.
In comparing to Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Scarlet Heart Ryeo has a few cinematic scenes that really stand out and a more emotionally complex last few episodes. Our main modern character in the K Drama is much less spirited and more sweet and charming. The K drama, overall, however is very choppy and inconsistent with the plot, characters appear and disappear, act very inconsistently. I also found the side story with the mask, and the mask itself a bit ridiculous. Also, the K drama feels less grounded in politics and history.
Despite this mess, if I had to choose to watch one, I would watch the K Drama. Those 5 or so incredibly strong scenes have really stuck with me.
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