Blooming Days (2023)

Choppy editing meets unfinished arcs

Wow, where do I begin?

This drama had so much potential, especially with all the veteran actors in this. But the way the editing was and the way the arcs were as well as character introductions is where this show falls very short.

There are several characters that are introduced and then we never see them again. There are important characters that the main character LQL has a relationship with that we barely see their ending/know what happens to them. It's like they disappear from thin air which makes no sense given the length of time they have spent with them.

Then we spend much of the show watching the prince have no faith or confidence in any of his son and their ability to help him keep the promise he made to the emperor only for him to now magically have faith in HL, who is the prince's 3rd son.

We watch the villains seemingly get away with everything despite the evidence against them simply because it would "break" the prince's heart to have to kill his evil children and because of one woman who is literally behind every single plot yet somehow she doesn't meet her compupence until the end.

It was just all very frustrating. Also, the random arc they threw in towards the end of ep 36 and we see the main characters standing together as if they are Avengers.

I'm sorry. But I'm just so disappointed because again, this is a stacked cast. Many of these actors and actresses I've seen elsewhere and they have proven their acting ability. Additionally, the ost was nice. So it just feels like their talent as well as the musical talent in the osts was wasted.

Would I recommend watching this? Maybe if you need something as background noise while you are doing some other task or if you just need something to pass the time but as a good stand-alone? No.

Side note, I will say this review is harsher than the reviews I typically give idol dramas but that's because the expectations were different.

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A mixed bag

Filmed several years ago, this drama bears an air of nostalgia of past harem/palace dramas, especially in this first 1/3. Luo Qinglian unexpectedly finds herself forced in a position to become a servant-concubine of the third son of Prince An, and her story of surviving the treacherous life in He Lianxin's household thus begins.

Unfortunately, her story never really soars as those of other strong female leads in other past palace/harem dramas such as Story of Yanxi Palace or The Sword and the Brocade. The drama tries to involve too much story - brothers fighting for the title of Prince, Qinglian's former lover Lv Beiyi's story, and the 11th hour secret oath our ML's father made to the Emperor to rescue him are just some of the other story lines. However, due to so much being edited out, the story is choppy and does not flow together well. It may have been better to end the drama around episode 30 when our ML achieves the title of Prince and focus on building the characters' relationships better.

What I am left with are some very nice moments of dramatic performances from a seasoned cast but an overall disappointing story structure, making it difficult to give this any more than a 7.5. It is perhaps higher than it should be, but I guess I do miss how dramas were shot in the past - a lot less crazy camera work and more focus on lighting and allowing the performances to breathe and speak for themselves. My favorite parts were the quieter scenes when the actors just are speaking/performing to each other.

If palace/harem dramas are your thing, you may want to check this out casually, but there are likely far better ones out there more worth your time.

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Resting Tragic Face

In no particular order:
- the split screen close ups. Why?
- just randomly everyone got over the fact the ML SA’d the FL because it was, idk, convenient for the story?
- fairly significant characters just drop off and never return.
- exactly how many wives does the ML have and was it just me or did he keep adding them after declaring himself totally devoted to FL?
- costumes: women are giving Qing, court headwear is giving Ming (?) and men’s’ daily headwear is giving early dynasties. I’m so confused.
- the thing where age is shown by creepy thin mustaches
- should have been 20 eps
- did they even move the fam into the lord’s residence? Everything looks the same.
- why is a prince giving edicts? Why does he have eunuchs?
- lingwei goes and marries what seems to be a decent khan who has no other wives and mom just lays down and does? Why tho? This seemed like a decent outcome considering the local male supply.
- what was the damage with not lifting doctor martial arts aide’s pariah status for so long? Ffs women literally killed children and went about their lives.
- Jirou (mysterious sister wife that went from enemy to friend after Mu Hai You went to the farm) was easily a top 5 character and we saw so little. I’d have preferred the story of Jirou.
- best characters: lord grandpa, fourth madam, Jirou, the two dudes at the farm and dong li. Dong li was a rider
- when dad was named as the rice hull bandit i groaned. I groaned.

Tl:dr - this was too long and made no sense but was entertaining in part. FL had stinky sad face on constantly. Looking like something smells on set is not acting.

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Not your "typical" love story, but a really good harem drama that's told in an interesting way

Before starting this show, I saw a lot of people on here complaining about the ML looks, the age difference (in the show), the many concubines etc etc. I almost didn't watch because of this. But then I decided to give it a try and see for myself. I'M GLAD I DID!

The FL is one of the best written (imo) FL in harem drama for a while. She's smart, but not too smart for her own good. She knows when to play dumb, but not so "dumb" that others take massive advantage of her. I will not even describe her as stubborn, as her actions/reactions don't come off as that. I describe her as determined. But at the same time, she knows when to give in and bide her time. Even though the other concubines (save for one so far) are always scheming against her, they actually admire her and knows she's a worthy opponent. I really hope they don't mess up her character.

This is an amazing drama that deals with palace intrigue and harem fighting. It's quite interesting how all the characters are portrayed and the decisions they make and the consequences of it all. Even the evil characters have a reason for doing what they do, not just because they evil for evil sake. Though I hate concubine Yao, I can see why she does what she does. Props to the writers! So far, nobody is overacting and everything is going seamlessly. Props to the director.

Some on here are saying the ML and FL don't have chemistry. I respectfully disagree. The leads definitely have chemistry. This is not a "pure" romance story so people can't project their fantasies on it, so they are turned off. I think most of you are biased because the ML is not your ideal young idol ML and there's no unnecessary filter on him to make him look otherworldly. I think this is unfair.

I read some comments on here saying the story is too fast paced and there's no time to process. I respectfully disagree. I think it's moving at the right pace. If it was any slower, it will be boring. If yall are really paying attention, you will notice from episode 6 to the current ep 12 we are still dealing with the death of the son. Every scheme, plan and actions taken were all to oust concubine Yao for her crime. Everything that you think that happened "too fast" or not given too much attention was all in the plan to deal with that woman. Didn't you guys notice, even the emperor had a plan. It all adds up. So while it may seem things are moving too fast, it's actually slowed down in the sense that every reaction was because of that one incident. So, the pacing is quite well.

I think the first arc is over for now. (we might come back to it because the main wife is using the death of her son to guilt ML). Episode 14 just brought us into a new one. Now lets wait and see how all the other concubines are going to deal with the FL pregnancy. Will the FL still leave? And how that new scheming concubine will be dealt with.

I'm excited to see how all this plays out and how the ML and FL end up!!

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Harem Drama

*The time I am giving this review, the series is still ongoing so I might edit this after the series ends.*
Nothing typical with this series

This is a story of a lady who is carefree and vibrant, who has a doctor beau and then got entered by her mother in selection for a concubine for the Prince. Now, it is not typical young prince. He is an older prince with many adult sons who are mostly married and have numerous concubines.

The FL looks so much like the consort of this prince who died 30 years ago giving birth to the now heir and the selection is for a consort who looks like this dead consort for this aging prince.

This is where the drama starts that changed a carefree and vibrant lady into a woman trying to get out of a mess consistently.

There is not a lot of martial arts here, only one doing any is Huang You Ming who played the part of Lu Bei Yi (the doctor ex-beau of FL). Its very minimal martial arts.

As so the casts, I have seen ML Peter Ho in a lot of period series, and most times, he played a role of a carefree support character. I find his roles quite fitting for him. He seems to be a natural when it comes to those kind of roles. It closely resembles his role here but not to the full extent. I am actually confuse sometimes as to why his character was written to be a man who plays dumb but sometimes smart, and emotionally responds to certain situation in a way one would not expect or confusing. One sample is his son with his first wife being killed and he went berserk towards FL Lou Qing Lian but when his son with FL was miscarried at 8 months, he didnt investigate nor did he react anywhere like he did with 1st son (when this happens he was already in love with FL). When he found out his brother, the heir has something to do with it, he didn’t react towards his brother and was more focused that the 4th brother setting up this heir brother. Mind you, this heir brother did a lot of nasty things towards him. This made me confuse as to the way this chatacter was written. He even spent and risked a lot to keep this brother as the heir.

The rest of the story revolves around the harem, plots, tricks, friendship, enemies etc.

The rest of the characters and story is alright. It is interesting enough for me to keep watching. I love the first wife of ML. I think her character is the best in this series.



As to the artists playing the roles, I find nothing wrong with it. Most viewers are so used to seeing beautiful, young actors in a drama that when someone like Peter Ho plays the part, theres criticism bound to come up. I think he is a good actor and played his character well. Chemistry wise, its not exploding in chemistry but it is good enough.

The production part as in wardrobe and sets, all I have are positive words and compliments. One thing tho personally, I am not digging the FL's hairstyle by episode 15 (hehee its just my own taste). Don't expect grand palaces and sprawling mansions. But all the same, you can tell the sets in each scenes were done very creatively and efficiently.
One other odd thingbis the appearance of Madam De - the mother of ML who never appeared nor had a say before when FL was jnitially brought in the mansion then midway of the series was the hating on FL for lookingnlike thebold consort who she blames for the prince not visiting her anymore.

The background scene music is not that great for me. The credit music is alright but could have been better.

It is worth the watch I think. At least try 6 episodes and you can decide if it is for you.

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The ending was not what I wanted it to be but it was fine. I wish they could put more screen time to other supporting role like Prince Lianzuo and Madam Ruo as a prop to them for being helpful. The Main Leads should know their contributions.

The production of this drama.... There was weird sound in the background for first few episodes which thankfully disappeared as the shows went on. There was other review that this drama was filmed in 2019 but only get to be released this year bcs some parts had to be cut. Well it showed.

The romance kind of awkward at the start because FL loved 2ndML but later had to accept she was the only one who fought for the relationship (although 2ndML fools actions to save her didn't really help lmao) whereas ML didn't care about FL and didn't trust her at the start but soon developed feelings for her as she support and help him that showed her to be a kind and smart woman. But he was annoying too when he spent time(not sleep) with other woman after they fought. Their love story wasn't all that to me bcs he still slept with other women (which I get it) when they separated for a while. FL was smart but at the end I think she was more toned down?

The OST part in the intro of the song.... I am not fond of it.

Now for the second couple, which was 2ndML and the ML's younger sister, yunxue. I want them to hv happy ending so bad ? they had been together through tough times as friends and yunxue's unwavering support toward 2ndML made him opened his heart to her but it just so sad for 2ndML that their HEA was soooo close but tragedy happened.

Maybe it's just me but it kinda bugged me that FL resting face look so sullen, I would say. Myb bcs of the hairstyle (before she changed it to one like the coin on the forehead) contributed to it.

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Blooming Days was one of the best historical dramas I have ever watched. It had everything you could expect from such a genre. The story starts with the introduction of a girl who lived life on her own terms. She loved a boy and was about to marry him, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she had to marry the prince, who was over 50 years old, because her face resembled his deceased princess.However, she was framed by someone and punished for a crime she didn't commit. As a punishment, she had to serve one of the prince's sons, marking the beginning of her journey. She faced all sorts of problems and troubles, being framed multiple times. In the end, her honesty and kind heart helped her overcome all the hurdles in her life.What I liked the most in the drama was the positive character of the king. All the actors were good. Although some episodes were dull, the story was interesting. However, I didn't like the plot involving murder of the king's daughter. After a long period of suffering, patience, and endurance, she was finally about to marry the one she loved the most.

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How can you watch a drama with the ML being a rapist?

I watched 14 episodes, there are some inconsistencies. Like her old love suddenly stopping to care about her or even FL forgetting that those people in the palace who destroyed her life and her marriage, I still liked the actress' performance though and I was hoping that the story would get better. But from episode 14 onwards, ML's actions are no longer forgivable, he is an abuser and disgusting. He forced her to spend the night with him even though he knew she still loved someone else. They could have made a good revenge story but they did it, I wish I hadn't wasted my time watching 14 episodes. So don't watch it if you don't want to be traumatized.

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Another ML hypnotized by... who knows what

Dropped the drama but not because of the male lead casting choice (I acctualy like the variety in the cast, the good story and acting are not determined by the age or beauty). I am more dissapointed by the story which is, once again, concentrated on the female lead bewiched by an one-moment-adoring-and-another-moment-abusive male lead. Not that she does not hate him; but she at the same time embroiders flowers for him, navigates him in political fights and saves him from stupid decisions.
Perfectly normal woman with a functional brain goes back time and again to the guy who kills the whole family of her ex, blackmails her, r**es her, not to mention has s** with another woman while she's in labor. Which is even worse, I cannnot find any reason why would she be attached to him. I hope from the bottom of my heart that the reason behind her love for him is not the r**e, or 'being branded' for life with her first (and only, in many years to come) se**al encounter.
I understand there could be more explanation in the episodes I missed because I dropped the drama half-way, but I lost the patience to wait.
And I sincerely hope that young people (of either gender) do not look at this kind of plot for a role model to their relationships; being too patient with abusive partners brings only more and more misery.

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Disgrace

I forced myself to watch the series several times. Because there were so many mistakes and wrong editing, scenes, the absurdity of what the scriptwriter wrote, that I could not hold myself back until the 31st episode. There, the role assigned to a woman whose child is attempted to be murdered is to forgive the person who wants to kill her. The reason is that his son is crushed under the responsibility of this. A woman who committed a crime that should have caused death is pardoned, but this time the same evil woman burns the dress of one of the prince's wives. So he continues his evil deeds. Anyway, nothing happens to me. In fact, the ignorant person who calls himself a screenwriter for doing this wrote such a thing that Prince An tells his son what a brave woman she is, and says things like, "If you were as good as this, you would get this title after me." Shame on you, screenwriter. In that era, no person, mother or father, would say to a person who wants to kill his son, "don't kill him, my child will be crushed under this." They won't let you say it anyway. He is instantly beheaded. It's not even asked. Especially if the person committing the crime is a woman, there is no judgment. Women were irrelevant in that era. How can such a punishment be forgiven, but the same woman is not given any punishment and continues her evil deeds? It's not mind-boggling. It's like the scriptwriter is smart and the audience is stupid. Such a scenario. Such a writing. The one who shot it didn't say, brother, what is this, please fix it. Isn't anyone reading these posts? Doesn't it pass through a filter? Isn't it a shame for the actors who play these? The series, which would get 9 points if it was done properly, drops to 6 points to 5 points due to these nonsense. I left it at the 31st episode. I couldn't stand it anymore. I watched it well, though. The actors were good. I felt sorry for them. I condemn the scriptwriter. I wouldn't tell anyone to watch it. Your nerves will be disturbed. It wouldn't suit me to tell you to watch this nonsense. What a pity.

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What is going on??

I thought these type of totally senseless dramas only happened in the past and on less prominent platforms.

Episode 1 started off very shaky but I persevered thinking the story might improve but it becomes more and more absurd as I reached Episode 3. The ministers are behaving like children demanding for the execution of the FL just because their daughters’ faces were injured using water from the the FL’s basin. (The basins of water was by the palace servants and each maiden had their own basin of water but a funny wind blew leaves into the other basins and only the FL’s water basin was unaffected and she kindly offered the other maidens the use of her water) Even common sense dictates an investigation but nope, this drama paints the ministers as imbeciles who need immediate action without any concrete proof.

This requirement for the maidens to wash their faces in the courtyard just before meeting the Prince in itself is very odd as I have never seen this in any other drama. Not to mention that the Prince is old around 50 and looking for a concubine just because he cannot forget his wife who died 30 years ago after giving birth to his heir. He didn’t look for a concubine earlier? Then where did his younger sons come from? Another possible plot loophole as it looks like he has remained single after the death of his wife… if this doesn’t get explained, it will be totally ridiculous.

Can it get better? I’ll try it out for a bit longer… one good thing about this drama is I am not sleeping late as I have no desire to binge watch!

Update: For the next episodes, the story moved on to the harem and becomes the typical so-so drama with lots of back stabbing and plotting. Thankfully not as senseless as Episode 2 & 3, but the story is choppy and I am not feeling it with the ML, FL or SML even after 5 more episodes so it’s time to drop it.

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