Novoland: Pearl Eclipse (2021)

Not What We Expected...?

The Master Seamstress...her character was steadfast and resolute. All of which was beautifully packaged. I truly thought she would come off like a maid but she became a Madam and it fit her well. I also love that they didn't fix her most powerful story arc. If you reached the end you know why.

The Khan...strong and lovable fit him the best. Where can you find a guy with such a beautiful heart? Totally free of corruption combined with extraordinary intelligence. He was a bird kicked out of the nest and it broke my heart to see the look of fear on his face. Not because of the mission ...because he realized he was never coming home. However, he feared disappointing his master the most...so he went. There he found as a child of two worlds...he became his own master.

The Empress...The Consort...I've stated why I hate doppelganger love stories in a rant. So I'll take the other side in the review. Cdramas usually have true love stories in regards to looking within...seeing a person's soul. So if you truly love someone...their exterior may initially attract you but their soul is what keeps you. This storyline was believable in the end. It was done well.

The Emperor...I stopped watching initially because I was like... what is he supposed to add to this story? However, I pushed through and came back. I wanted to hate him...we all wanted to hate him. But...How can you possibly hate the ONLY voice of reason in Fan Jianming's head? Fan Jianming was intractable in the worst and best of ways. The Emperor was the only one to truly get through to him. He was also the biggest advocate for Fan Hiashi...her greatest fan outside of her brother...so I needed him here. Otherwise I would have hated Fan Jianming...

Fan Hiashi...It's been awhile since I've detested a couple being together. I literally wanted her to walk and never look back. I was in turmoil over this. Last time was "Royal Nirvana"....good watch btw. I was in disbelief of how out of sync she was with her "shifu". She didn't understand him or know what he was doing. She didn't even know he was rich...but she loved him. Why? Sure...he's beautiful but if you speak to him over a period of time...his condescension was overbearing. She acknowledged this in the end and grew from it...but it was like being raked over the coals for 35 episodes. Did I ever come to love them as a couple?...No. Until, the end I felt they were out of sync.

Fan Jianming...sigh. Truthfully...this drama seemed to be his story. He also tested the limits of overbearing for me. He never yelled...he barely fought. He was just a mountain...quiet, looming and immovable. His worst quote for me was..."Go rest now." If he didn't want to talk about it ...he would tell people to go to sleep. Everytime he said it ...I wanted to slap him. This was the height of his condescending attitude. Gotta love William Chan...it's also the first time I've hated his character ...until episode 47. I also have to love William Chan for barely using Hiashi name in dialoge...unlike Yang Mi and "shifu". I do not want to hear that word for a long while...I mean it. He did end up growing emotionally at least...because he was too young to be this way.

I honestly couldn't wait for this drama to end. There was no mystery...no surprises. We knew where this was going...plus I wanted a resolution to their character development. However...when Fan Jianming sat quietly with a pleading look in his eyes at Fan Hiashi waiting for her to make the decision that would ultimately change their life forever...I was moved truly moved. He didn't command or entrap her. He waited. It's also the moment I was breathlessly waiting for without realizing it. His acknowledgment of Fan Hiashi...as an equal.

I am a true fan of William Chan and Yang Mi. I've seen many of their works. I would recommend seeing their other works if this is a first for you. See you then...

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i never felt that all dramas should have a happy ending,but this drama deserves a better ending

this drama makes me so... hard to say

alot of episode i watch with speed up, 1.3x (still normal) and when scene of haishi and qinghai llord 2x-30x aand1.3x again in scene of shurong consort

at the beginning of the episode I thought it was quite interesting, maybe it deserves a rating of 90, after episode 15 I thought 80, until eps 40+ I thought 70 but after eps 48 I'm not sure 75 or 80


from eps 1 - 15 the drama has pretty good detail but after that there are a lot of stories that don't have a clear purpose and are very chaotic because there are lots of spies from many parties, but it's not explained from where they are

plus, the time setting is not clear, things that just happened, but it's said as if it's been a long time, and people who have never met before seem to have met ,because this is a drama it should be shown to know the story


CASTING? CASTING ?CASTING
I see there are 3 couples, but! argggggggg!

from the start what made me notsure to start watching this drama was the cast, it didn't really match CP

1. lead FL AND ML
are a couple that I really don't like, I never felt they are matched, not until the end,
>>>never felt that Yangmi was suitable for playing a childish character since she played Fuyao,,

>>>william chan, i also doubt his acting, so i'm not sure to start watching this drama

because they are the lead then their scene is very much, but honestly very boring, many scenes are not important, and most of them are flashbacks that have been aired many times

but apart from when they were a couple,scene when they are alone THEIR ACTING was VERY GOOD! ESPECIALLY WHEN YANGMI BECOME A GENERAL IS VERY MIGHTY

2. king and consort shu rong
>>> I never think that one of the actress that made me not want to watch this drama was the CAST that I VERY like , she is fully immersed in her acting, if people who have never heard of her negative scandals (just rumour)will drift into his acting, Shurong妃 character can be said to be very close to real life of the actress who which is rumored to be very cruel to herself, SHE TRULY! AMAZING , 可惜了 ,,,

>>> the king , he is the source of all the trouble in this drama, a arrogant dumb king!渣男 always tormenting people around him,and always cry for the thing he do lolss,, not completely a useless king but, he is the source of the problem, especially at the end of the episode, desperate to make a decision that he already knows the consequences, lowering the price of gold so that it makes envoys come, and even deliberately invites other envoys, but instead fears there will be a war


3. zhe liu and zuoying
I quite like this couple, but I think the actress is still too new to about acting, just cry and sadly expression

the actor amazed me,the character is not a useless person, he is fully capable of being the lead in his next drama ,,the one who watches and protects love silently

even though their love story is not very detailed because they only support, but what can I do,, fine
‎


1. I thought Chen he ran was the spy, but the one who was killed was the coachman zhao
2. ‎xiu feng said he owed someone a life so he had to assassin qinghai lord but who was that person? it is not explained who
3. ‎eps 15,, who told right huku king about the real identity of fang haishi? I'm sure it's ju qiqi, but why is the embroidery code given to right huku king even in ju qiqi? , then there is 1 more spy who kidnapped saliya ,mr su person? but i think the spy sent by "that guy" ,,,,and there is also spy right huku king in huangquan pass, but not told who it is
4. ‎Since the beginning, mermaids and Haishi have never introduce each other, how they know the real name of the mermaid?

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Started out as creepy, and ended up as not so creepy, and through no fault of the story really, but I blame the production company on this.

First, why didn’t they cast an appropriately-aged actor to portray ML’s teenage self, when they did so for the FL and 2nd ML? All those screaming “Pedo” would have no grounds to stand on, if this was done, and frankly, not as disturbing to watch a 12 yr old smiling infatuatedly at a 35 yr old at the start of the drama.

Second, why they didn’t dub Yang Mi’s voice so it doesn’t come across as whiny and annoying throughout the show?

Third, why do production companies insist on casting actresses who cannot even clearly pass as a guy unless you are totally daft and oblivious? There are probably more androgynous-looking actors out there that they could have chosen.

I continued watching anyway, as I love a forbidden romance between Master and Disciple, but man, was it ever frustrating! By the nth time Jian Ming pushed Hai Shi away, I was actually rooting for her to end up with someone else and I would have been happy. You would have thought that Jian Ming was a green flag due to all his self-sacrificing intentions, trying to put Hai Shi out of harm’s way, but he is not doing her any favors as she keeps coming back. Why would she be hopelessly clinging onto somebody who doesn’t prioritize your happiness, but would always choose the country over you?

And don’t get me started on the emperor! Tilan clearly has a case of Stockholm syndrome! Actually Di Xu’s bromance with Fang Zhu looks more sus with all those half-naked, pact-making rituals and fussing over their bestie’s pale-looking lips.

The third coupling may seem the least toxic of all the pairings here, even though Zhou Ying was prone to peeping over the courtyard where Zhe Liu was working. Stalking seems to be the least of all evil here, so the show gave it a pass.

The drama also throws in half-baked villains with some half-baked back stories, expecting you the swallow the Kool-aid that they only did what they did. To watch this show to completion, you need to suspend your disbelief, and throw away logic, or better yet, hang on to that remote control. You need that FFWD button.

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Naga pearls to Lady Pearl!!

Haishi,a young girl from a coastal town,is taken to collect Naga Pearls and is rescued by Fang Zhu,the male lead and from then,their tale of love and destiny starts.
Both Yang Mi and William Chan,who played the lead roles were impressive in their acting skills.
I liked the role and acting of Xu Kaicheng the most in this drama.I felt he was natural in his acting.He plays the role of emperor who is emotional,sentimental, loving, caring,values relations and is also a good ruler but unfortunately ends tragically.
The story and premise is relatively new and the way it was handled is also good.All the actors were good.Everything else is also good.
Overall it is a good watch.

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Don't watch if you are looking for a happy ending

I really enjoyed this story enough to binge watch it until episode 46 starting that was the ending I liked and just dropping it without watching the last two episodes.

Characters: Emperor Di Xu hated him! I hated the way he treated Tilan! I'm sorry but just because you're bitter and resentful that your old love was killed and that your new wife looks like her because they're sisters doesn't give you the right to verbally emotionally and physically abuse her oh and sexually abused her as well! And then force her to take contraceptives and then when she actually gets sick from it realize that you've made a huge mistake! because the concoction actually makes her severely ill and you should be treating her nicer because somebody talked to you about it doesn't change that you're an abusive a******. I read that they eventually fixed their relationship it made me so angry. The only thing I liked about him was the banter between him and his best friend and advisor Jiangnan. Cuz of the Biaxi bond he had with his friend I felt like that spoiled him because anything that happened didn't happen to him it happened to his friend so he never made precautions to protect himself. Even though he constantly maintained that he didn't want his friend to be his Biaxi so didn't go out if it was the way to protect him either. To me this is such a lack of self awareness that it made me feel sorry for on his friends behalf.

Jiangnan I actually kind of like the super smart stoic types so the way William Chan portrayed him I actually didn't mind that. What I did mind is that he had Haishi believing that she had more control over her life as a boy then she would have had as a woman. Truth is she never had control of her life because he made all the decisions for her. He had a habit of keeping her in the dark about everything under the guise of protecting her, it's no wonder that she would get angry about not having all the facts when it came to her life. Even when the enemy found out that she was a woman instead of telling her what he had planned he just took action. No wonder that she felt betrayed and angry about having to be forced into being a consort of the emperor. I found it super amusing that when she was confronting the emperor and attacked him not only with a sword cutting his cheek but once he took that away and she ended up biting him the wounds didn't go to him they went to Jiangnan. But you totally deserve that you ass lol.

Haishi I had trouble getting into her character at first I think mostly because she was played by yangmi who's in her mid 30s and is playing someone in their late teenage years. So that threw me off for quite a while really didn't start getting into her character until she was older and more mature.

The ending : so to be honest I've stopped watching it episode 46 because to me that's when they should have ended the story everyone had their happy ending. No they had to continue on for two more episodes and then nobody got their happy ending well except Zhouying and Zhouli. But to be honest instead of the side characters getting a happy ending I'd rather have had the main couple get a happy ending. But no instead because the emperor was an idiot and rushed off to save his consort without planning anything because his friend always planned everything he ended up getting killed and his consort who in the stress of the situation after being kidnapped by her own brother who ended up being the mastermind behind the whole thing ended up going into preterm labor and then decided that she didn't want to live anymore without the emperor and killed herself. Like excuse me what about your baby like how selfish is that! Because they chose this the main characters couldn't have their happy ending because now they're separated through duty Haishi she now has to go back to the palace as a consort in order to raise their son and the Biaxi bond which was broken now has to be reformed with the child who was born with ill health. So again Jiangnan has to sacrifice his health, happiness and relationship for the emperor. Because both he and his consort are selfish people. Probably another reason why I don't like him.

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I’m completely hooked!

The drama give out an entirely different energy compared to other ones I have seen before. I actually love how the director keep the pace slow yet fresh and intriguing, it is almost like solving a puzzle. When I started watching historical Chinese dramas, I remembered it’s always been fun and exciting at the beginnings, but also a bit unrealistic. The pace of this one on the other hand gave me more mature vibe, very distinguished. Each frame was caught perfectly, from the beginning out in the middle of the sea to the many scenes showing the emperor’s court. The emotional flow was also very reasonable, very pleasing and easy to keep up. I have known the ending through book version and truely hope for a less mournful ending in film version. I guess I will have to wait and see. Fingers crossed!

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If only my tears can turned into real pearls after finishing this drama, I'll be loaded!

Fang Jian Ming to Fang Hai Shi: "Sorry to not have found you earlier."


Aside that this drama  is far from being real and realistic, with all the mermaid thingy, some witchcraft/black magic practices, and beyond it's ridiculousness, far-fetched logic and too many loop holes. For me, it is still one of the best beautifully written drama which will be on my favourite dramas list.

I was too apprehensive to start watching this drama as I am afraid of BE as it will takes a toll on my mental health, so I always opted for HE. But, the trailer is sooo  beautifully convincing and tempting plus Willian Chan is soooo handsome! So I braved and tested the waters and here I am, after several weeks invested in the show, left in a puddle of tears.

The drama, for me is beautifully made, written and well-acted. With all the breath-taking scenes, the CG/effects are all convincing and well-made. The actors portrayed their roles well and it is just remarkable and unforgettable story for me.

Their fight scenes are all nicely executed and you'll feel and see the actors/actress hard work in order to perform those scenes and to convinced us that they're really into their roles.

I just love the scenes in Jifeng Pavilion, especially when the tree is always shown in the scene, it is so breathtaking, even though it's just computer graphics, still it always amaze me to watch it.

Also, the OST of this drama is beautifully written and are all giving you all the feels you need in each scenes. My most favourite song is the ending song, which I always play on loop every night.

I know some people has complained of how toxic FJM and HS's relationship with each other, but for me it is justified and will always have room for understanding Shifu's selfish actions and decisions. I appreciate and loves all the interactions between Jian Ming and Hai Shi, may it be short, long, small or big moments. They are all too precious for me.

I have favourite characters, especially FJM, HS and  Zhuo Ying. I love the sibling relationship between ZY and HS, ZY reminded me of my dead older brother. He is sweet, protective, supportive, loves to bully his younger siblings and will nag you to death if he knew you're doing something wrong.

I also love Mu De Qing and Shao Zi.

Emperor and Tilan's relationship is complex and I just hope for them to be happy with each other, but still...

The ending is expected, but I was still hoping for a happy ending, as I believe our Shifu and Hai Shi deserve to live a peaceful, happy and safe life.

But then, it was asking too much for that, as the theme of the drama is melodrama if not tragic ending.

So the ending is justifiable, and the writer left it as an open-ended. It is for our own imagination, what happens between Shifu and Hai Shi, if they live happy ending but in secret or just live separately and mind their own lives.

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Good drama for the end of the year 2021!!!!

I like to say that I enjoyed this drama from beginning to end. There were never a bore moments, and I enjoyed seeing the different relationships between all the main lead couples; from our main OTP Hashi and Shifu to Tilan and the Emperor, and ZhouYing and Zhoulu :), every one of these characters brings their charms and beauty to the drama.

Characters: Hashi-I love how Hashi is stubborn, but she never lies about her love towards her Shifu and she always wants to protect him and love him. I love how Hashi can fight as a woman and is seen as a strong woman.
Shifu: He is very prideful, loyal, and confident. He is truly someone that a King can rely on in times of war and support. I think he is somewhat of a complex character because he is conflicted between his love for Hashi and his loyalty to the country, and the king.
Ah-Xu aka the king: I think he is one of the best kings in Chinese dramaland lol. I love his friendship with FXM and his love for his first late wife and Tilan. He is a capable King that has a love for his people, and in the end; he surprises me when he went into battle himself and tries to save his beloved wife Tilan :).
Tilan: She was married to the King and she grew to love him after she bravely call the king out for mistreating her!! You go, girl!!!! I love how Tilan is sweet, kind, and never suspects anyone of bad intentions.
ZhouYing: He's a silly brother that you love to adore, and I didn't know that Hashi was older than him lol. He is good-natured, loyal to Shifu, and a good sibling to Hashi. I love watching his relationship with ZhouLu; how he cares deeply for her safety and well-being.
ZhouLu: She is just so sweet and kind.

Plot/Writing/Martial Arts: It was a predictable plot somewhat, but I love that it was not boring. The writing was good and it sets the tone for the drama. Wow, the fighting scenes were very good in this drama, I love how Shifu fights and the flying scenes were executed so well!!! A+ to the director, martial arts masters, etc. I really enjoyed the fighting scenes, especially when Shifu does his smooth transitions fighting :)!!!! Love Hashi's fighting skills too!!!!

Overall: I had really enjoyed watching this drama from start to end, and the osts on here were very nice to listen too; like always Chinese music is poetic and really speaks to the heart and soul.

So sad it ended, I feel like I just saw epi1 yesterday!!! Ciao and have fun watching :)!!!!!

Edit: We Deqing, the eunuch of the king is the sweetest old man!! I love his scenes with the king, and they make me laugh every time they are together. He will be a memorable eunuch in years to come :), cannot remember any other memorable eunuch like him :).

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A slowburn worth watching

Needless to say that I’ve re-watched this drama for a ridiculous amount of times. It’s a slowburn drama of a love so selfless, I’m rather surprised that many of the reviews seemed to hate the ending to this really beautiful story. A warning though that this review will contain mostly specific rants on specific characters. I may sound biased of course but at least you know that I am so take everything with a bit of salt of you will.

Let’s get one thing straight though, the story is also flawed especially one of the characters. I specifically felt little empathy for the role of the Emperor for his atrocious behavior towards Tilan. You may defend him all you want saying he’s just really heartbroken and traumatized because of what happened in the past but that it is of no excuse whatsoever to treat Tilan the way he did and you can’t convince me otherwise. It left my tongue a bitter taste when they gradually had a better relationship but I’ll never forgive him for the things he’s done to this poor girl who was most likely forced to be his consort for political reasons and was caught in the middle of every problem towards the story. I’m not saying he’s not someone to forgive but tbh, if I were in Tilan’s shoes, I would have just killed myself rather than suffer the way she did. She didn’t deserve any of it really.

But anyhow, I’m glad their’s is not the main focus of the story though they played a big part in the decision making of our main couple. I read a lot of comments saying they dropped this drama because they felt frustrated especially towards the latter episodes. Let me give my two cents about this though: I think the frustration we felt is only natural and I would like to explain why I think it is starting with the character of Fang Jianming.

Fang Jianming has spent most of his life being right hand man and bestfriend of the Emperor. He’s his best man and he shared almost all his life serving him not only as an official but as his closest confidante. Hence, it’s not farfetched to say that he hadn’t taken any considerable amount of thought for other relationships especially with girls though he has been promised to one by his parents. He was young and with a promising career as the then potential Emperor’s right hand. He also cared deeply for Emperor Xu since they grew up together. And so when the time comes when he felt attracted to a girl he really likes, it’s only natural to see him struggle between wanting to be with her and maintaining the quality of service he’s always given his bestfriend. I honeslty only saw his seemingly selfless attitude as him being very calculating as he has always done his entire life. He’s one of the highest ranking officials in the country mainly responsible for the military since they had to go to war very often to protect their territories. I doubt intimate and serious relationships will be something he’s up to par with while he battles state enemies and rebelling tribes. Ergo, when he found himself falling for his disciple and her reciprocating his affections, it’s bound to be a really difficult journey for the both of them. As for his condescending attitude towards people, well please remember that the story is done in a traditional setting hence as a master of his own pavillion and a high ranking official from an affluent family, he would have been raised with a temperament of a man who can have anything he wants and not be questioned for it. He is arrogant yes but he backs it up with great combat skills and dignified and fair leadership. He enforces discipline towards his subordinates as one would expect from a high ranking military officer.

On the other hand, there is Haishi and her passionate attitude towards people she really cares about. I really like her character as she’s so honest with her thoughts and feelings which poor Jianming probably envied a little since he’s never been given such liberties. Many wanted her to just leave Jianming since he seems to only play with her feelings and always has an ulterior motive in every decision he makes towards their relationship. But I don’t think she’s exactly clueless about those motives though. She’s of a quick mind but she’s also very biased so she tends to assume things, getting ahead of herself more often that she cares to admit. Since she’s grown up treating Jianming as her master, I didn’t really expect her to have full confidence in making him fall for her charms. He also didn’t fully really realize his own feelings until he sees Haishi getting attention from another man. I oddly find it cute that they both share the same trait when it comes to dating lol.

In any case, this is actually the first time I felt truly understanding of a drama’s ending. It concluded the whole plot really well and to the best it can be. Selfless but still relying on each other till the end. I would be honest though and say that I would rather they end up together but I don’t think making them selfish towards the end would be the right way to go. They had to do what they had to do. They chose to do it because they know that many lives depend on it. They both share a passion of caring for people and they fit each other well because of it. And so I say, it’s a fitting ending for a selfless love.

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The most mysterious yet heart-breaking story plotted in the Novoland.

This is my first review as I was strongly determined to write for this excellent drama that had me in tears, laughter and surprised.

Each and every character in this story has a unique personality and the best part is that everyone of them had depth in their character. Right from how they were laid out, the dialogues, the actors and everything was up to mark. We had a lot of predictions discussed in the comment section but only 10 percent of them came true. So you can say that this is not a drama where u would know what would happen next without any suspense and this is exactly what keeps you engaged all throughout the 48-episodes of this drama.

Every little detail in the drama has been attended to. Haishi’s sword is rather special. Her weapon adopts characters of her birthplace and her background or geographical elements. That’s how the sword is made. It’s handle is inlaid with sea shells to connect with her birthplace. Everything had reference to their personalities, the place where they grew up and so on.

Since this was a high budget drama, the action scenes were of high class. You could feel the goose bumps and your fingers on the rewind button. Scenic sets and the beautiful scenery laid out in the Hengdian World Studios would stun you.

This drama has a set of heartbreaking and touching ost’s from some of our favourite singers - Zhou Shen, Zhang Bichen, Jane Zhang, Zhang lei, Shuang Sheng and Li Qi , who are also known for the emotions in their voice which can nevertheless make you tear up…….

The drama kick starts with a mysterious and a beautiful mermaid saving our female lead when she was young. The CGI will absolutely stun you. The female lead - Haishi is someone who has grown up by watching the back of our male lead - Fang jianming. She admires him and her perspective of the world was acquired through him which makes him very special and important to her. Once haishi confesses her love to her shifu (master), he is taken aback by her action and starts to avoid her. He slowly realises that the care he has for his favourite disciple (who has been disguised as a male) is not something a master and a disciple share but instead it was something more….

It is a pity that fate has planned a cruel life ahead of them where each of them are held back by their responsibilities. Fang jianming has been loyal to the emperor his whole life which resulted in the slaughter of officials and people who stood as obstacles for their plan to balance the power in the court.

His only desire in his life was to protect the hard earned peace and protect the emperor, who was his very dear friend. But everything changed when Haishi appeared in his life. He now has someone whom he desires to protect. But he has sinned too much to have a happy ending with his beloved….

The tragic fate that life plays, hard earned affection, unyielding love, impenetrable souls that don’t waver even for a second, to protect the people from misery that war causes
They are all ready to sacrifice.

It would be great if only they shown up in their best years.

The Executive producer of this drama told something that I very much agree with -
''It has a unique worldview. This TV story is sad but a beautiful love story that resonates more with female viewers. The love in this series is actually tormenting. We often use the words tormenting and tormenting love.'' Gao chen (Executive producer)

‘’ Over a decade of compromise only leads to desperation. I want nothing more than to see my love ……… lead a normal and happy life’’
NOVOLAND: PEARL ECLIPSE

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A tormented love between the main leads

First thing, the synopsis in MDL is not quite accurate. Haishi did not have conflicting feelings between her shifu (Fang Jian Ming) and the Emperor (Di Xu). This did not happen in the drama at least and Haishi did not vow revenge towards the imperial court after her father was killed by sharks in a fishing trip to gather pearls.

Having read the synopsis, I went watching the drama thinking that it would be the usual revenge plot and love triangle, but it actually wasn't the case in the drama at all.

Haishi is a young girl who grew up in a costal village where fishermen used the ruse of killing their children to make mermaids cry and gather the shed tears which turn into luminous pearls to pay for taxes.
Fang Jian Ming saved her from the village and together with another disciple (Zhuo Ying), raised and taught them from academics to martial arts, archery, etc. from then on.

As the years went by, Haishi fell in love with her shifu and shifu also grew to love her, but due to the fact that he was a baixi for the Emperor, meaning he was bonded to the Emperor in blood, he felt all the pain and physical injuries on behalf of the Emperor, he knew he had no future with Haishi as he was someone who would die anytime, he chose to hide his love for Haishi.

What I liked about this drama was this tormented, forbidden love between the two leads. Haishi was very forthright with her feelings throughout, but shifu would always act nonchalant in front of her, most times pushing her away, but actually deep down in his heart, loved and cared for her as much as she did for him, always making sure that she was safe and always the first to save her in the event of dangers. I was touched when he once said to himself, "how can I not like you (=Haishi)? Nobody knows, how much I cherish and love you." I was really touched by the way he said it. So tormented, so heartbreaking, so painful yet so beautiful.

As some viewers have pointed out, the Emperor's acting was a little over in the first few episodes and I didn't enjoy watching him.
He acted like crazy mainly due to the sorrow he was suffering from the death of his loved one. I do agree there was overacting on the part of the actor. However, he became much better later, more toned down. As many others have agreed, I also liked the strong friendship between shifu and Emperor. I thought that Tilan, his concubine, would have some hidden agenda when she married the Emperor, but turned out she was just a kind girl.

I also liked the third couple, Zhuo Ying and Zheliu, a girl in the embroidery department. In the initial stages, when Zhuo Ying was still secretly in love with her, I thought it was kind of sweet that he always hid on the rooftop to watch her and secretly did things for her like gifting her a bracelet or a rabbit, etc. As they were just the third couple in the drama, I guess their ending was kind of not fully shown to audience, just showing them on a horseback together to show that they had a happy ending, which was still okay to me, though I would have liked to see a little more of their reunion at the end.

I have mixed feelings for the ending on the main leads. I am totally glad that shifu didn't die and together with Haishi, they ended up teaching and raising the crown prince (son of the Emperor and Tilan who both died in the end). However, shifu became the baixi again for the crown prince and again they were bonded and again he and Haishi could not be together. I would not consider this a sad ending, at least shifu didn't die, but it is like country above all else and all love, not a happily ever after live together, but perhaps in the very far future, this may be possible when the crown prince grew up.

The cinematography was very good. I especially liked the Ji feng tree, the Ji feng pavilion and Zhao Ming palace where shifu, zhuo ying and haishi and the secret force lived. The place was dreamy especially when the leaves from the Ji feng tree fell.

The OST was good overall, I especially liked the songs sang by Zhou Shen, Kiss without distraction, it was just so heartbreaking and the other song was Li Qi, Revel in Flower Room.

Overall, the acting was good for all the cast, with the exception of the Emperor's acting in the beginning, but as mentioned, he toned down a lot and was much better later. I have seen William Chan in 'lost love in times' drama, I think he's a rather professional and diligent actor, basically an actor who really uses his heart to think through about the role and act out, from all the BTS and previous interviews I watched about him and personally, I think he's rather good in doing kiss scenes. Therefore, based on his off-screen personality which is supposedly quite bubbly, cheerful and a little playful?, I think he did well in his role in this drama. Yang Mi, of course, did well as usual, though I did agree a little with others that her own voice was a little on the high side in the drama. I wonder would it really have been better if she had someone to dub her in the drama? I also thought that the actor Wang Sen who acted Zhuo Ying, Duo Han and Duo Luo, was really good. There was contrast in the personalities between Duo Han and his twin brother Duo Luo. It was not easy feat, but he did well.

I enjoyed this drama very much, so much that this was one of those dramas that I really listened hard to all the dialogues and of course especially the ones between the main leads.

Never regretted watching this drama and I would re-watch the parts by the main leads in future too.

Fully vested in such tormented and forbidden love, yes, it is painful to watch, but precisely because it is painful to watch, all the more you want to watch whether shifu will slowly open up, for how long he is going to torment himself and haishi, how long more the leads will confess their love for each other, every step towards confession, towards getting closer to each other and finally whether they will abandon all cares and worries to be together.

Thoroughly enjoyed it!

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Rewatching because it’s so good

ML & FL have strong beautiful chemistry. They should do a modern drama together as a couple. This drama gives you so many emotions. I love how their relationship develops and how ML is over protective of FL. ML is faithful to his friend, the Emperor. However, he is over protective of FL, Yang Mi. I am rewatching for the third time. I love that the ML is clear about his feelings for only her even when he tries to fight his feelings but gets jealous of her easily. Especially, when others pay attention to her. He is attracted to her especially when she dresses as the female she is instead of his student. All characters are good in their roles though some are hard to like because of the things they do.

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