This review may contain spoilers
Not what I expected, but I loved it
I went into this show knowing nothing about it other than having seen some promo photos of the two leads. It's been a while since I've watched a female-centric drama, and overall they're not usually my thing, but I love the heck out of this one.Both actresses are adorable, well written and well developed. The storyline has a few interesting twists, but nothing really stays unresolved for too long. My absolute favourite thing about the whole show is Detective Jiang, who clearly knows what's going on, but can't prove it. And the women know that he knows, and just continue to wind him up. It makes for a really fun almost!friendship between them and him. I hated Zhou Heng with all of my heart, but I'm pretty sure I was supposed to.
From what I've read, there was originally a simple happy ending for the two leads, but this got changed when a season two was agreed. The second half of the last episode is clearly a set-up for season two - if you want to just accept the happy ever after, stop after the first half of that episode.
I don't hate the ending at all - in fact I'm really intrigued by it, and am anticipating a lot of good things from season two (if it ever happens).
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Highly Recommended!
I have watched this drama twice already and will definitely watch this again before season 2 starts.. I love the plot, the actresses are so good that i started to stan them both. I was already familiar with Yihan through Meteor Garden and I was only introduced to Zhang Nan through here (Couple of Mirrors) since I only occasionally watch CDramas. Zhang Nan's beauty is so striking and I love how she portrays Xu You Yi, she definitely showed her pureness and innocence. Yihan on the other hand really fits the role of Yan Wei, she's very handsome.. and I love how her precious smiles are only for You Yi.. I rated the story as only 8.5 because I would love to know Yan Wei's back story which i will anticipate in Season 2.. I am excited and will definitely wait for it.Was this review helpful to you?
Surprisingly good and beyond!
It is official.This was my first GL.Well actually not a real Gl due to censorship but it doesn't matter.I came here for the Girl's Love and stayed for everything else.Iam not yet too familiar with Chinese dramas/actors but i already know iam fascinated by Chinese Republican Era.And iam so glad this series gave me Killer & Healer vibes!(still one of my top 3 Bls)So let's dive into this underrated gem!
Acting/cast: I don't know any of the actors but i will definetely follow their work in the future if the genre is right for me.I gave acting a 9 because nothing felt off.
Music:Emblematic!Amazing!Dressed all the scenes so beautifully.I loved intro and outro and never skipped(i usually do skip)
Loved both visuals and songs alhough i didn't understand a word!
Production:High valued.Costumes,hair,makeup,props,scenery.Everything nicely done.
Cinematography: The main reason this series gets a 10 from me.
The Director of Photography did an AMAZING job.I searched but i couldn't find his/her name.But still Cudos!You have my endless admiration for your work.
The rotation of the camera,the angles,the frames,the colors like an old painting.The slow-motion scenes!The zoom in's and out's..Fantastic.Just a fantastic job!Even if the story was a mediocre (which is NOT) i still would give a 10 because of the cinematography alone.This series was a pure pleasure to my eyes.Iam not an expert obviously but as a viewer i was more than satisfied!The artistic part was perfect!
Story/plot.An easy to follow story,Never get bored.I wanted more episodes though.12 werent enough to me!There were few gaps in the background stories of our MFLs.They could develop it more.Still story was very interesting.
You watch one episode and you think this is how the story goes so far.You watch the scenes only to find out that those scenes were actually incomplete,and you will discover this in a latter episode.So you realize the story wasn't complete either!So surreal!You have to watch to fully understand the magic behind this.And all due to the cinematography!I know i repeat myself!
Characters:An evil husband.A snake friend.I will not get into those 2 chars but both were very interesting and contributed to the story the best.
A detective.He is such a sweet person.Smart,hard-working,dedicated to his job.Good looking too!He figured all out but couldn't prove anything due to lack of evidence.I sympathized him and although he is messing with my beloved girls i can't hate him!
Xu You Yi:One of our main leads.She looks delicate,fragile,naive and weak.Like a porcelaine doll.She is beautiful too.
But underneath she is nothing like this.She is a strong,stubborn,smart and independent woman with high values and sense of justice.She didnt let herself to be under her husband's power.A well written character, especially for that era she was kinda a rebel!Lol.
Yan Wei:The 2nd main lead.The character i loved the most.Actually i loved everything about her.How someone with such an angelic face can be such a badass?She is lethal.Capable with guns.A skilled assassin.Her past is shady,dark and troubled.
I loved how she acts when she is around You Yi.Overprotective towards her.Jealous,sweet,shy,clumsy.Liked her social awkwardness.Loved all the sweet and funny moments they shared.I can't imagine how much funnier and interesting it could be if not censored.
I didn't expect to fall inlove with this series.I want,i need,i demand and i wish for a second season and soon!
Please give it a try.And feel free to comment and tell me if you liked it or not.I wanna know if iam the only one who got hyped!
Thank you for reading my review!
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This review may contain spoilers
Ik this was censored was you really wouldn't be able to tell if they were just friends or they were dating if they never said anything. The cast also fits the characters so well. The storyline is pretty good too. I found it a little boring in the beginning but it started getting more interesting after episode 4 or 5 (probably because we got to see Yan Wei and You Yi together more). The fact that You Yi is going to have a baby and we get to see them take care of it together is so nice. Not to mention, the opening and closing themes are so addicting. I usually hate historical dramas but this is the first one I watched that I didn't drop in the middle. If you like crime and GL, you should definetly watch. Was this review helpful to you?
it is a great watch
I actually really enjoyed this one. I did not know what I was getting into but the journey was good. i was gasping and talking to the people like i was there and like I knew them. lol. I actually recommend this to people. I normally can never get into period pieces set in the early 1900s or even in the 1800s for some reason, but this somehow was different for me. Maybe it's also because its only 12 episodes. yea, I think that has a lot to do with it.it is a good watch right before the holiday to carry you to the festivities indeed.
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Surprisingly good if you squint
I came at this drama with some misgivings, knowing it would be a muted affair thanks to censorship laws. Perhaps not shockingly, the writers/directors still managed to get around that. (Censorship has a way of making artists get creative, so sorry, it'll just never fully win HAH).Couple of Mirrors deftly weaves a limited narrative between You Yi (and her relationships) and Yan Wei who comes in to foil the plans of Men and save the heroine! Okay, that's a slight slight exaggeration but also it's not far off the mark. Where it works is that You Yi strikes a character you yearn to root for, and her acknowledgment of another young woman and the bonds between them is this series' greatest asset. There is delicious chemistry, because no you can't even mute that. There is friendship. There is loyalty. And, there is just the tiniest hit of pure, unadorned crazy. It's a magical combination.
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a wonderful little show
will return to add onto this review once i’ve finished seeing all 12 episodes! just want to get some thoughts down first.trying so hard not to burst through all the episodes released in one go. let’s start with casting. so…casting is perfect, it is! there’s such good chemistry between both women leads, that should go without saying. people have criticized sun yihan’s acting before, but i think she’s wonderful here. the styling for both women is amazing. sun yihan is boyish and mysterious; zhang nan has this mature elegance that she takes on especially well after you-know-what happens early on and her character is forced to grow and evolve some.
the mystery that the plot explores is pretty fun too. there’s some stakes involved, and the story focuses heavily enough on love between the women and mystery and suspense and it doesn’t really talk a lot about misogyny and gendered violence. that’s a plus for me. i’ve been waiting to get into a story about women with some murder mystery/suspense tossed in but without emphasizing any misery about being a woman.
production value shows in the editing, which sometimes was a bit funny. the show makes up for it in a lot of ways, that is in the love and care they’ve put into everything else—the writing and the acting most significantly. there is an overall warm and melancholy mood all over the show and the tone is decently consistent. no weird unexpected turns and twists (like killer healer), angst is written in but it’s not excessive (…killer healer)… just a great and well-balanced program. i really hope that there will be more gl shows like this from china in the future. everything was done right and pleasantly, and it’s exactly what i’ve been waiting for at least.
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It was a really nice story
The storyline is super good i love the plot, storylines and twists!I love the acting and the characters personality, I just love love loved you yi and weiwei's relationship the fact that they trusts each other and how they protect each other.
I also love the intense part of this series and sometimes there's a part where i wanted to throw hands because of those parts huhu!! anyways even the chemistry sound tracks plot twist and storyline. Again i love it so i give this a 10 out of 10 Thank you!
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The story was also nice - it wasn't just a romance but also mystery and thriller stuff thrown into it so it was really interesting to watch. The end was such a cliffhanger but there should be a 2nd season so I'm eagerly awaiting it. 🤞
10/10 rating for me. I'm just a sucker for a good GL and this one definitely was despite the censorship.
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I don't hate the ending at all but I hope for a better one in a new season.
everything was done right and pleasantly, and it’s exactly what i’ve been waiting for at least. I really love the songs in this drama including the ost and the other side songs.The songs are all very nice and fit to the mysterious theme of this drama.
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Couple of mirrors the best C-drama !
So far the cdrama i already watched this year really so so, but after i watch 'COUPLE OF MIRRORS' Dangggg !!! It was really the best cdrama for me in this year. The acting of main role really absolutely AMAZING! Every characters on this drama really stunning me so much. They play the role really on the point. Don't freaking skip the story, if y'all skip, u will don't know how the story are going .. Firstly, I love how the main role play their acting, eventhough they censor and almost no skin ship but still make me smiling like crazy ! this is the best c-drama i've ever seen in this year ! hoping for Season 2 and more screen time of main role #YiWei. Yall better watch this drama ! REALLY RECOMMENDED !Was this review helpful to you?
Sit Quietly and Look Pretty
A beautiful drama in appearance. I've never seen a Cdrama set in the Old Republic time era so this was first. Everything looked beautiful. From the costumes, hair & makeup, set designs, and props. However, the drama feels mostly empty. And it's a short drama too. That's crazy to feel like the story is dragging on when there are only 12 episodes.I will say that there are moments when the gentlewoman says something or does something profound and I'm proud of her for that. Those moments are far too few though.
The best chemistry was between the Detective and Yan Wei. Surprisingly, the actress that portrayed the gentlewoman in the drama was perfect for the part. The Detective too. The scenes where there was action were the best parts in my opinion.
The enemies in this fic were society and the gentlewoman's husband. (Who, I've learned from reading the first few chapters in the webcomic was a royal piece of garbage and the author didn't bother to hide it with a charming artifice and deadly, undiscovered threat like they did in the TV show.) Too much screen time went to the male characters too by the way. As if they want you to feel pity for why these male characters are so vile and oppressing to the FL and other females. Pity? Not here!
The ending is confusing and I don't want to think about it much because I'm sure the answer will upset me because it seems like all the trouble of getting the two female leads together was for nothing.
Pretty looking drama though. That's it.
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