This review may contain spoilers
It is worth watching for the comedy and cute romance. Chemistry was great with the leads. Plus, no Face Tune blur of the faces that leave actors looking like they are wearing smeared masks. Imagine seeing a pimple, a few or chicken pox marks in a new Chinese drama! The actors look natural. Their makeup actually matched the skin tones which is rare to find these days! Budget was low, but, it did not detract from the story or the comedy. You will notice the costumes are not custom made to each actor or may be a bit wrinkled from multiple uses. There are fewer extras, soldiers and court nobles. These do not detract from the entertainment value.
Story
The base story is the standard palace drama where power struggles and back hall machinations take place daily. The young emperor has to establish his leadership against the typical power hungry competitors. He is supported by a girl dressed as a eunuch. This is no earth shattering epic drama. The story is light hearted and very funny at times. There are enough dramatic episodes to add variation and closure. No frustrating cliff hangers in a drama that is half the length of typical dramas and succeeds in bringing the drama to a satisfying end.
Acting/Cast
I was pleasantly surprised the male lead was ruggedly handsome and not a typical idol. He played his character well. He was a good match for the female lead. They had very good chemistry. Their comedic timing was also good. The emperor was straight faced and stoic but isolated from the real world. The girl was bubbly and streetwise. Their interactions seemed natural. I would like to see these actors paired in a modern romantic comedy.
The supporting characters were good. They enhanced the entertainment value of the drama.
Music
The music is not bad at all. This is a rom-com and not a documentary or historical heavy drama. The popular music that is the introduction to every episode has a touch of rock. It shows up again when the king makes a big entrance. It was the first sign this drama is more comedy than drama and viewers should not take it too seriously. Most of these palace dramas get boring when they try too hard to be authentic and overly dramatic.
Rewatch
I would not rewatch from start to finish. But, I will definitely rewatch the cute parts between the leads and the funny parts of the supporting casts.
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First off, it's a low budget production but I never let the budget stop me watching any drama. I simply mentioned this to help people tempered expectation on what this drama is. Also, I'm not sure if it's a budget issue or writing issue but its budget production hinder the drama from being better than it is.
Story
Based on synopsis the story reminds me of Love in the Moonlight but nowhere as good. However it's very different if you look past the concept of a girl pretending to be an eunuch to enter the royal palace. So half of the story is about the romance between the ML and FL and the other half is about his political struggle to go from a puppet king to an actual king in control of his own destiny. What made me decided to keep on watching in the beginning is the ML protraying of a king. Early on, I think the very first episode, the FL disguised as a eunuch straight up told the ML that he looks a guy with power but is powerless to do anything...and that a stab in the ML's heart is exactly the situation he's in. The emotion that he display, the emptiness of his crown, the loneliness and hopelessness...I thought is done well.
He's a young king and the Empress ruled on his behalf as a regent the court is divided into Empress's side which wants to hold power and the loyalist side which want the king to rule on his own. He seems to useless puppet king but is actually really intelligent. So part of the early intrigue for this drama is his struggle to and when he slowly falls in love with the FL, the emotion that he display and hopelessly he has knowing the situation he's in and his inablity to protect people close to him.
Acting/Cast
Ash Zhu (ML - king) - Young king of Dong Cheng kingdom, Empress (not blood related) rule as a regent on his behalf. He has no actual power in the beginning and Empress side is doing everything to withhold power from him. Ran into FL in the beginning and befriended the FL because he found her interesting especially since she didn't realize he's the king. She was unruly but frank with her words, a level of honesty hard for him to see in the palace so he decided to keep her by his side and eventually found out "she" is in fact a women. Despite the fact he's being controlled by the Empress, he secretly building a plan to eventually rule on his own. He's very intelligent at times and very stupid at other times...especially when it's related to the FL. Yea...one of those character.
Ash Zhu not the best looking guy in cdramaland but I thought he did well in the drama. He displayed a wide range of emotion in the drama and his acting in very convincing for the role he's playing. I thought he did well.
Ma Meng Wei (FL who pretends to be a eunuch) - The daughter of a Shangshu (尚书). Her mother is comes from a lowly background so she wasn't raised as a noble lady. Instead she on the street smart side. Came disguised in eunuch to chase after a debt owed by one of the eunuch but instead ran into the king. Initially the she doesn't know he's the king. Despite the fact she's supposed to be street smart...she's the type of character that made a lot of mistakes that gets her into trouble. Now part of it is just the king withholding his plan to her. But other time it's totally her fault. For a person that snuck into the palace pretending to be a women, a crime punishable by death that could even affect her family. She sure act super reckless some of the time.
Now she fells in love with the king...sometimes she's seems very understanding of the situation. In other time, was so reckless she put herself in danger and ML.
She's ok I think. However, my view on her is tinted by the type of character she's playing. Needless to say, I'm not a fan of this type of character.
Lin Yan Qing (second male lead, fiancé of the FL) - He's in love with the female lead. He plays a very righteous character who came from noble family loyal to the crown. He's a noble fool...righteous to a fault. He's deeply in love with the FL but she never reciprocated her love. I know he's playing the tragic 2nd ML with the unrequited love. But I just never care to deeply about him. The tragic part about him is he has to struggle with his loyalty to the king despite the fact the king is essentially stealing his fiance. I thought the actor did well for what he's given. I'm just not too fond of his character.
Gong Zhi Yue (second female lead) - Childhood friend of the king and deeply in love with him. Unfortunately she's the daughter of the general, which is one of Empress's side. She is playing essential the same character as the 2nd ML. Like they're just mirrored image of each other. She's simply more tragic because she's literally in the middle of the power struggle. So she has to deal with her love and loyalty to the king vs her family. She did ok but at times she's just doesn't have a look of a daughter of a military family that's supposedly good at martial art and fought in war. She's more lady-like that the FL.
Empress - Token evil queen mother who desperately want to hold power from the king who's not her blood-related son. Nothing else to say. The problem I have with this character it's a shallow antagonist.
General - He's more interesting in the he's part of the Empress side but has his own agenda and ambition. Beyond that, he's also another shallow, token antagonist. In fact, he's friction and plan for his own ambition and what gave way for the king to take back his power.
Other characters - There are two guards (mainly comic relief) that know the FL and helps her when they found out she came to the royal palace. A 3rd FL (bratty princess of the king, in love with FL's fiance) and 3rd ML (king of nomadic enemy state, in love with the 2nd FL). FL's mother and father...also comic relief. FL's gangs of hoodlums...lol...but they're terribly underused and barely in the drama. An eunuch loyal to the Empress. All actor/actress are just...ok...The most compelling is probably the two guards...they played a pretty dynamic duo but strictly for comic relief
Music
Modern music in a historic drama...ugh. Nothing compelling. Weak overall. I hated the alt rock music that constantly played when the king did something "epic". You'll know what I'm talking about when you watch the drama. I thought some of the music that played in the romantic scenes are nice but it's nothing memorable. So music is lacking
Rewatch Value
Really no reason to rewatch.
Final Thought
Would I recommend it? It seems like I have a lot of negative and very few positive. One thing I like is that some of the voice is not dub. Like ML is original voice but FL is dubbed. Again despite it lousy writing and token character, it is decently enjoyable the first half. I thought second half as pretty lousy. There's a certain mystique to the character when you don't know what's going to happen to them. However, once it's fully reveal...you're like....hmmm that's it. Meh
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Don’t expect it to impress you with a well-written script and an outstanding OST. It is something to satisfy drama addicts who like the elements that the show throws together to make the drama (or at least that is what they appeared to have done).
The ML and FL carried the show so romance addicts will like it. I like the facial expressions of the ML better, I felt it brought some nuance to his acting and the character in general. I would not mind watching him in something else.
The other characters are pretty much cliché as in devices to move the romance forward. At times you may think this drama is trying to be a parody or be tongue-in-cheek. But, he attempts at a serious political intrigue and plotting suggest otherwise.
I would say just approach it as a “not-well-done” historical rom-com quite appropriate for when your brain cells need break with a tub of ice cream curled up on the couch. Don't take it too seriously. No rewatch value for me.
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A story with a twist. Hush..it's a happy ending?
I love the storyline of this drama. The whole 24 episodes gave me a heart satisfaction.The drama showcased three love teams and those three ended well.
I did watch this drama because its trailer caught my attention.
I dare you all to watch this drama because it will give a love genre, wuxia, revenge, comedy and some twists that will keep you on track.
Please don't leave each episode because it was really nice.
Mind you...the kiss scenes were real hahaha (I think so).
It was first time for me to watch in the series both the main leads. The female lead looked like a korean artist named Park Shin hye.
My overall rating for this drama is 10/10.
Please watch and support.
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Surprisingly Delighted
Well I was delighted when I watched this series a week ago. I find it cute and funny. I normally don't get pleased watching teeny bopper shows but hey I liked it. Alright the female lead is slightly awkward. Another reason why I wanted to watch this was probably due to the main lead. I was curious. He portrayed Lao 'Ai in The Legend of Haolan and I found him great there - though short screen time.This is a very light-hearted series that focuses on the story of a lady who became a eunuch. Eventually directly serving the emperor. And obviously the emperor found out and fell in love with the female lead.
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This review may contain spoilers
The beginning reminds me of Love In The Moonlight, with the female lead being a eunuch and the Emperor male lead. But in all, it's a different story.Most of the story is about the leads romance. It started out cute, a bit interesting, and then it flatlined. I start to lose interest once the rebellion arc become the main plot.
I like how they actually give everyone an ending. No one's forgotten in the end, even the side characters. That is really rare to see.
But the very last scene really bother me.
It would've been better if it's just the main leads. But no, they add other 2 couples. The other 2 couples doesn't even have that much interaction, so it feels like it's out of nowhere.
The leads chemistry was nice.
The acting was okay, you can see some actor's awkward acting, but it doesn't really bother.
The songs used were good, but one's was overplayed that made me felt bored and skipped the scenes with that song in background.
Other thing i noticed is they didn't use much facetune filter. So the actors skin look natural.
I like the comedy, but I don't think I'd be rewatching it just for that.
Overall:
It's a light hearted drama and it's living up to that.
If you're on the mood to shut off your brain or if you like the actors, I'd recommend this.
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Don’t judge a drama based on its Male Lead XD
I was super biased against this show and have been putting off watching it because, let’s be honest, the ML Ash Zhu (Emperor Yan Jin) is not that good looking as compared to Dylan Wang, Zhang Ze Han, Simon Gong, etc. Add to the fact that Ma Meng Wei is not your typical fairy female lead, so if you are looking for just visuals as hook then you will never touch this drama.But maybe if you’re bored enough and finally decide to watch this just to see what’s it all about, you will binge watch this show until the last episode. After you get past episode 1 and just enjoy the show based on the plot and cinematography, you will see the unique charm of this show.
|GOOD PACING, UNCOMPLICATED, BUT STILL FULFILLING STORY|
This is probably the most well written period drama in 24 eps that balances romances, hijinks, court politics, and character development and relationships. The story is predictable but the way the director tried earnestly to use unconventional shots and editing to pack in as much emotion as position per scene is so refreshing. It may be a low budget drama with mostly controlled tight shots but the director did try to deliver shots filled with double meanings. Reminded me a lot of the beautiful shots of Tang Dynasty tour but with less budget and fewer episode counts. And I also want to commend that though the villains were not that scary, they did their part but not in an illogical way. Also even if w shed a few tears near the end, the show did give us 3x happiness for romance and nice ending for some of the supporting characters.
|GREAT CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THE CAST, OK ROMANCE|
Don’t expect the same level of chemistry as The Eternal Love or Love Better than Immortality, because the romance between Emperor Yan Jin and Sanbao is very PG13 with implied boat romance. Their romance is more like a warm bowl of congee rather than fireworks.
But what really works for me is that even though there are a lot of characters for this short drama, the writer was able to give proper connections and character development for the supporting cast. Even the most hopeless dad even got a redemption arc. Also I don’t think there’s any other 24ep period Cdrama that was able to give not one but 3 couples.
So to those who want a period drama that is short but still has substance, do watch Oops, The King is in Love and you will love it.
PS. Don’t expect The Eternal Love level of chemistry. It’s more like a warm congee feeling with some kiss scenes.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama is honestly a very casual drama with a simple story. After finishing it, the drama is very similar to the Korean drama, Love In the Moonlight. The relationship between the main male and female lead is easy to follow and lovely. However, sometimes the male actor seems awkward and the dictation isn't really audible. But Ma Meng Wei really saves this drama. She makes this drama hilarious and believable. She sneaks into the palace to earn some money but ends up falling in love with the emperor. I truly wish she had a bigger role when shes in the palace, where she is able to help the emperor. But she is mostly a damsel in distress. Ma Meng Wei's interactions with other characters, especially the two palace guards is honestly one of the best aspects about this show. They are funny and actually showed chemistry on the show. By episode 5, I got really tired of the theme song. Every time the Emperor shows up and saves the day, the song plays in the background. Don't get me wrong. The song is not bad, but they clearly overplay it.
In this drama, only the relationship between the Emperor and San Bao, the female lead, is believable. The other two relationships, Yelu Ming/Gong Zhiyue and Princess Anle/Lin Yan Qing are very bad and super rushed. They have no character development throughout the entire drama, and in the very last scene of the last episode, we see them together. Those characters were essential to the plot, yet I barely know why they love their respective partners. Zhiyue despises Yelu Ming since they have been fighting wars in the border. But I am supposed to believe that she eventually falls in love with him because the Emperor does not accept her love and Yelu Ming's constant love letters? This causes the relationship to be forced and just awkward at the end of the drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
I actually really liked this drama! I saw a trailer of it and was drawn to the ML. He’s not the typical “pretty” lead who has better skin and features than the FL!! But I liked that he was more masculine and handsome in a rugged and “cool” way. The chemistry between the leads was convincing and the romance was sweet and sincere. I was impressed by the ML’s acting skills and liked that the ML realized FL was a female early on, as opposed to other dramas where the FL’s identity drags on forever. The comedy in this drama was well done and the funny moments were enhanced by the OST and special effects. Who knew rock music in a historical drama could work so well... it was awesome and made me laugh every time!
This drama may not be for everyone. I think you have to like the slapstick type of comedy but I thought it was a fun and very easy watch. I’d definitely love to see more of the ML!!
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Adaptation from Love in the Moonlight
This drama is Chinese version of Park BoGum K-drama "Love in the Moonlight' which was a good original drama. When I first knew this drama from promotional preview and thinking this might be as good like 'LitM'. Not so much comedy as I first thought. Ash Zhu did good for an emperor; confident, smart, manipulative, secretive, tried to prove himself as a worthy emperor instead of being a puppet for dowager Empress. Fu Wei Lun, Tang Xiao Fan need acting class badly, I think they butchered the characters. The end of story didn't sit well for me, why..oh why...three pairs of brides/grooms met and rode horses together on the beach? Didn't symbolize of anything besides identifying who married to whom. But I like the relationship between Ma Meng Wei and Ash Zhu. I like best was Meng Wei's mom...I think she's a better actress than any actresses in this drama. The adaptation didn't do as well as Korean counterpart, disappointing and cheap.Was this review helpful to you?
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What love? What King?
This was such a downer. Watching it felt like I was drowning in a syrupy pool of despair and dissatisfaction. Apparently, this was meant to be the Chinese version of Love in the Moonlight but I can categorically say that this was a rather poor facsimile. Ultimately, the Korean version is far superior in both plot and casting. The story didn't know if it wanted to be a comedy, melodrama, or serious political suspense; so it ended up being a superficial mishmash of the most common palace tropes.A girl who grew up as a boy went into the palace to collect a debt and ended up being appointed as the King's chief eunuch except the king is a mere puppet who's controlled by both his stepmother-the Empress Dowager- and the top general. The King desires to be a good ruler but in order to do that he must unseat the Dowager's camp. Both teams thrust and parry without actually landing any major blows. In the midst of the power struggle, the King falls in love with the FL and they work together to achieve said goal.
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