Maiden Holmes (2020)

Strong Female Lead From Beginning to The End

I loved this drama mainly because its rare to hahe a strong female lead, who scrually stays strong throughout the drama. The FL here, she was great, acting as both a male and female, she did such a greta job. Her acting was great, she sold me with her detective role and loved it. From beginning to the end, she just got better.

I loved how the ML and FL didn't clash with there roles, though the FL was smart and witty, the ML was great as well truly a great team and we cannot forget the friends/secondary characters everyone's role blended well together and created a beautiful drama. I usually get annoyed with most second couple, but i wasn't with this one, especially the SCFL she was so adorable, loved her.

The story is oretty great, it stuck up until the end, solving one crime after another, its truly entertaining. The MC whenever there were issues they solved it right away, it was great to see that without waiting 10 episodes for issues to be realised, the most you waited was 1.

You should pick this drama up, its nice and lighthearted, if you love mysteries, you'll love this one, and the romance is pretty sweet.

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Love and friendship anchor you and make life beautiful!

I am so sad that this story has come to and end, to put it simply, I loved it. The length of it was perfect even though i'm sad that its ended. It wasn't so short that it felt rushed and they way the plot carried out, they paced it very well so that it was able to fit into a shorter number of episodes and not go on forever. This has become one of my favorite drama's to watch and I could never wait for the next episode to come out. This last one i didn't want to watch because I knew that as soon as I watched it, it would be over. I have never seen these actors in any other dramas before, but they were brilliant, all of the main characters had a connection that shined through and they worked together so well. The two leads each had their own stories and characters which were equally as strong and worked so well, their stories didn't rely on each other, the chemistry between them was almost tangible as well. Their relationship developed throughout the series and yet they were together quite soon and not taking a whole drama to work out their troubles, so you actually got to see how their relationship and lives grow after they are with each other. I love how this story was so different, every romance has it's clichés or stems from them, but this one had so much more to offer. Both of the romances were exciting and sweet, and each of them developed in a realistic way. This drama encompassed everything I love about a drama; a storyline that is well thought out and links things from every episode right through to the end where the mysteries are solved, and lives are connected, it has those twists that you aren't expecting that take several episodes to build up and not just a brief two or three. It has many relationships which are built and showed and not just the main one or two, it would be nice to see a bit more of these relationships building or more memories of how they came about, but I feel like that would have made the drama much longer, I also liked how it had more than one romance, both with clear endings. This drama also had its many comedic moments and was so lighthearted despite the heavy storyline, it was cheerful and there were many smiles as well as tears but not so that it would be anything near a tragedy. I loved that there were many climax's and not just one, this allowed the story to flow easier and seem more realistic. This drama also had its mystery, it's secrets and its action, and I love a good mystery as well as an action with romance and a bit of comedy, and a lighthearted movie with deep moments and tragedy, but to balance them out is usually difficult. Now the only thing I wonder, is if we will see more of these actors brilliant acting in a season two!?! I definitely need more of these sweet and silly scenes in my life, though I do think it will be difficult to top this as the mystery and plot was something that was developed over many years in these characters lives, maybe we can have a bit more of the princess of Beirong? Thank-you all!!!

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Nice story, nice acting, BAD EDITING AND CUTTING SCENE

quite worthy of watching for romance and case solving case lovers


the film scene that is shown is edited and cut too much, the scene seems very suddenly

the matching of the words in the dialogue is also very careless


most scenes are whispered but some have no clear purpose
Ep 5, what fei yuan tell to pei zhao?28:30


extra clips in some episodes feel very wasteful because they only repeat the episodes that have been aired


Most of the edited scenes at the beginning of the film are cut,
but the storyline in the middle is clearer, because there are not many cut scenes and what is shown is quite clear,,, but starting from the bailiang case to the xu family silk,, cut scenes were getting worse, most of the scenes were not added so the scenes were really skipping


for this film besides the bad editing and cutting of the scene,, romance, case and the comedy quite entertaining compared to other 30++ episode films,,, at least the plot is clear and the problem is solved,,, because most films now always don't solve the problem in the story, making it just a waste of time watching endless films


for acting each actor is quite good, entertaining, and not excessive

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It's elementary my dear Watson

Somehow this drama did not pull me in as much as I had hoped, but it was mildly entertaining. Everything felt too simple or "elementary", i.e., the romances between the 1st/2nd ML/FL resolved quickly, the cases were easily solved through discussion and observation, "evidences" presented to the high court were mostly written confessions and wrapped up neatly, etc.

Though the FL was supposed to have been brought up like a boy, she didn't really exude confidence and strength in her abilities. Even when trying to solve the cases, though she was certainly observant and an expert in her field, she seemed hesitant and weak as the detective. Maybe she was stronger in the first couple of episodes, but by the end of the drama, that was not my view of her. Perhaps the FL's acting was not as strong as it could have been or maybe the passion didn't come through as well as it could have. The 2nd FL seemed like she had more passion and strength.

I mainly kept watching because of ZLH. He impressed me in Love Between Fairy and Devil, so I wanted to watch more of his dramas. He did well as a newcomer in this drama, but thought his performance in LBFaD was more forceful and emotionally stirring.

The positives
- the camaraderie between the group of friends
- the budding romance between Commander Fu and the Beirong Princess (I wish they had continued this because they had this solid/believable tension before a romance resolves that draws me in - not to mention the actor/actress playing this role were both cute)
- ZLH

The negatives
- story dragged with each case; it could have been sped up
- there was no mystery nor tension for the romances to develop...it was just expected that they would and they did, easily
- evidence for the cases did not seem all that strong; though it was a lot of observation, it was mostly seeing powders or residues or scents on clothes; deductive reasoning was not complicated

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This was such a cute periodical police procedural + love story.
The main villains are political bad guys (like they usually are in palace stories involving emperors and stuff), but the main leads stay pretty level-headed the entire time and don't do stupid stuff that get them in terribly scary situations.
Watching them solve different crimes leading up to the one big bad guy was also super satisfying and added to the rom com experience.

Now that love story -- omg the chemistry is <333
Both couples had so much going on and like I was super sold shipping them together
Also apparently this is the male lead's debut? Excuse me? His romantic male lead act was A+ and I was truly in love.
I had watched his Sparkle Love before but this drama tops it in the non-romantic plot and in the romantic chemistry.

Would watch again for allll those satisfying kiss scenes.

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Who wants to watch another Gender-bender drama? Me, that's who! Although I keep thinking how in the world do the females they cast pass as males is beyond me, but I digress. I admit I watched this show mainly for Zhang Ling He as he was really good in LBFAD. I've seen Sebrina before in "My Unicorn Girl" and she is definitely better here, as in she shows a little bit more personality.

Drama-wise, I must say that I liked the mystery-solving here so much better than the forced romance. Although there's a lot of skinship between the ML & FL, I didn't feel their chemistry. It looks like they are just going through the motions (especially on the FL's part). The secondary couple was worse and their acting quite atrocious. But aside from this, the plot isn't that convoluted and easy to follow (so easy in fact to guess who the suspects are right from the get-go).

The drama also tries to convince you that the evidence they produce aren't purposefully planted that only their merry band of investigators could find them. You would have to suspend your disbelief as well that the Prince walking around as freely as he pleases without much anyone recognizing him is possible. Aside from these convenient loop holes, this drama was a decent watch.

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true to its title

Crossdressing trope isn't new, but chen yao as male su ci is definitely one of the few very convincing female to male crossdressing characters I've seen. This drama has a lot going on but what stuck the most in my mind is how consistent our fl is as a detective. I actually enjoyed her investigation scenes which says a lot since I'm not a fan of mystery genre.

Story: Our fl is on a 7 years-long quest to clear her clan's name which was annihilated due to alleged rebellion against the former emperor while our ml is set on solving the case of his crushing defeat in battle. I really loved the start of the drama, everything was well-paced and the plot is intriguing to me. Unfortunately, somewhere in the middle there are a few inconsistencies that made me mellow a bit. It seemed that visually impaired ML was so much better in battle than his healed version. I actually expected more action since he's known as a formidable warrior on the battlefield but it left me wanting especially at the throne room scene at the end part. This scene was a bit disappointing to me, they should've picked better actors for the soldiers since it was a mess. It really took so much away from the immersive experience when the soldiers were clumsily sliding across the floor ? The ending tho is very heart-warming and a bit cheesy but I'm not complaining lol.

Acting: I was surprised when I learned this was ZLH's debut role. His acting isn't the best here of course and yet notably still better than some other actors I've seen. I can see he prepared a lot for this role and it shows. Chen Yao is also a delight to watch, she really made a convincing male here. Commendable performance from the villain tho, Prince Yun. He's very committed to his role and embodied a regal aura of a royalty but also of a serial schemer.

Music: OSTs are good, especially the one sebrina sang. I also love how it's inserted into scenes, I think they're very nicely done.

Rewatch value: We have a lot of dramas of a similar trope so personally I'm not itching to rewatch this, but it's something I would think of when I'm out of dramas to watch/rewatch.

Overall it's a nice drama. It has its upsides and downsides of course but I enjoyed it.

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i love this drama!

i’ve watched many many chinese dramas and this is one of my favorites! i love how they are always honest with eachother and they don’t reveal everything at the end. i also love how the FL and ML confessed to eachother in the first ten episodes. they had amazing chemistry and i fell in love with every character. all the characters had amazing acting skills and they really made this drama ten times better. i would usually skip most of the scenes without the main leads but the support leads also have amazing chemistry and i love them. if you’re looking for a drama with a good story line, good acting, mysterious but also intriguing, and a nice emperor that doesn’t go against the main leads, then this is one of the best dramas. this drama is short and simple but it’s perfect. i finished this drama in less than 24 hours and i would definitely rewatch it. i really hope there is a season 2!!

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A wholesome group combined with a compelling detective story

First, I want to thank the tumblr user "belsmultifandommess" for bringing my attention to this drama via their Q&A post (belsmultifandommess.tumblr.com/post/629385192518434816).

It was well worth the watch and this user summed it very well, which I will copy and paste here. If you like these kinds of tropes/storylines, you'll enjoy Maiden Holmes.

✓ Cross-dressing woman detective
✓ Prince-who’s also a god of war-disguised as a commoner trope
✓ A HIMBO hero
✓ A poison-wielding doctress who also heals
✓ A cute sidekick/chef
✓ Destiny we-met-as-kids trope
✓ Oh-no-main-couple-cuffed-together trope
✓ Only ONE BED omg (lmao but not what you think)
✓ Underwater I’m-just-giving-you-air kiss
✓ Trapped-in-a-hole SO close proximity
✓ Horny drug! lmao (this seems prevalent to costume dramas)
✓ Sole survivor of a clan annihilation
✓ You killed my family now get ready to die
✓ Marry a foreign princess to save beloved
✓ Mystery-solving FOUND FAMILY!!!

To add on to this list, there is also "devoted to my love and do everything in my power to help them." Also, even though there's a "marry a foreign princess to save beloved" mini-plot...don't stress about this part too much lol. It has a wholesome finish.
Also, HAPPY ENDING! Considering that there's been some really great romcom dramas recently but have sad or ambiguous endings...that's not Maiden Holmes!! Maiden Holmes gives our characters what they deserve.

THE STORY:
I don't know what's up with the synopsis of this drama, but thank goodness I didn't read that because I would've been very confused. That info is part of Prince Pei's background, but since the drama begins with Su Ci and Su Ci's story is the bigger plot thread....yeah.
So, the story is about the gathering of evidences and uncovering of the truths behind not only the battle that Pei Zhao lost but also the truth behind Su Ci's exterminated clan. They make friends who become part of their found family. It's wholesome and great.

THE CHARACTERS:
I love everyone. The main four characters (+ adorable Fei Yuan!) are endearing and have their own depth and complexities. Love them. I also care about the supporting cast too, especially Beirong's princess and commander Fu.

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Romance that kills a drama.

I like the first 2 minutes into the series, when it shows how the lead female character Su Ci's observant character is displayed through animated scripts on every object she observes, based on which she deducts her conclusion as part of the investigation. It looks awesome and sophisticated. It would have been amazing if this feature continues in the entire movie, especially when she does her job observing and analyzing a crime scene.

The story still looks promising at the earlier parts of the drama, where a female detective cross-dresses as a male detective, investigates crime scenes and catches criminals. Unfortunately the good storyline rather drifts away after a while. The turning point, as usual, is when Su Ci met Prince Qi, the the lead male character, and start to fall for each other. Romance is okay, but for a supposedly a crime-fighting movie, the romance between Su Ci, who is a smart female detective, and Prince Qi, a war hero, is too dominating and physical. The holding hands, kissing, staring and glazing, etc., is kind of too much, and to some extent, disturbing. The romance is so lame that it kills their characters as a detective who fight crimes, and a war hero prince who had shed a lot of blood during the war time. On the other hand, the relationship between Bei Ming and Ru Shuang, though, is notably more natural, seamless, and somewhat believable. In fact, Ru Shuang is my favorite character.

I was a bit excited with hope, when Prince Qi, who has an eyesight problem, showed a great and fierce martial arts skill and managed to beat up a bunch of soldiers who wanted to captivate him. I thought his eyesight problem and this martial art skills were going to be explored and to take a big part of the storyline. Unfortunately that was not the case.

Nonetheless, taking the romance out, the overarching storyline is good - with several twists here and there, added by a bit of complexity at the end. For this reason I watched till the end.

If you are into cinematography and seek for a drama with creative camera angles and lighting effects, etc., this may not be the one for you. If you are into wuxia movies, this is also not for you. But if you just want to sit, relax and enjoy an overwhelming romance, this could be for you :)

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