Great drama amazing chemistry
It's honestly one of the best dramas I've watched this year, unfortunately towards the end it got a little draggy, though it could've been the fact that a lot of footage was supposedlycut off ( I rwad somewhere that10 episodes were cut off).I cannot put to words how much I loved the main leads. Their chemistry is simply magnificent. I really wish to see them in more projects starring together in the future. Everything felt really natural between them. Plus I feel like they complimented each other's acting. There wasn't any over the top acting (like extreme unrealistic and overly animated reactions from them). Both of their portrayals were REALLY natural and I love how they had their performances perfected down to their micro expressions (which was absolutely needed for their roles as they both acted as very intelligent and multidimensional characters).
I absolutely adore how smart and strong the female lead is, we really need more FLs like her. Not only can she fight but she's also really intelligent and can match the main lead perfectly, instead of leaching off of him and waiting for him to save her every time. Some dramas say that the fl is "smart" but then she goes ahead and does the most stupid thing. This does not happen here, she's legitimately intelligent, strategic, powerful, knows her shortcomings and doesn't fear to be cunning when she needs to win (which obviously suits her character as she is a woman general in the ancient times). All that without losing her funny and humane side. Also she does not come off overly cold or arrogant. She seems just the right amount of imposing. Overall kudos to Jing Tian for her excellent portrayal.
Just like Jing Tian, Xu Kai did AMAZING in his role. To be completely honest I felt like he improved even more in his acting and seemed like the perfect King Qin. I love how intelligent and powerful, but at the same time playful, honest and loyal his character was. Moreover his character was also quite shrew at times and knew when to retreat and when to advance, even if he put emotion above logic at times.
I also really liked the cast's costumes. Obviously both main leads looked absolutely STUNNING, gosh I really wish to see them in drama together again soon.
Although the main leads had their ups and downs, they never stopped loving each other. I find their story really beautiful. Maybe the story didn't need that many episodes and could have ended earlier, as it gets a bit draggy towards the end, but tbh watching both Xu Kai and Jing Tian on screen, as a fan of both is a delight. All in all it still is a great watch because of the chemistry of the main leads, their acting and the quality of the production, which seemed good (not necessarily excellent but good).
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"Production house did justice to xukai "
Chemistry, acting ,ost ,visuals- perfectFight scenes - not that great ..
Plot- family feud,treason,love interest square
So to be frank it had everthing for a period drama,
If you ask me the main leads had too much Chemistry.. i haven't seen this much of a chemistry for a period drama in recent times. The opening and ending osts were great. Acting was great from both the leads , so being a drama were both the leads are capable on the field and of the field ?.. that was actually great... The chess game between the main leads were awesome..so overall its a quality drama with great chemistry and story line.. but not much of great fight scenes.. you know what i mean right.. it's surely better than his previous 3 dramas.. so go for it...
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This review may contain spoilers
Brace yourselves
This has to be one of the most heart breaking episodes. All his close friends and nanny GONE. And to face the fact that his brothers were not anything but garbage. This is what he wanted to avoid and escape far away from court palace. The loyalty of his friends to protect him and the way his brother was seeking his distruction, the rain and gray day, it all sums up to a very sad long scene. Great performances, a lot of sadness indeed.Here we can see how the king is really just a clown. He is so darn scared, in the end he only cared about himself. Uncapable of being a good father for all his children, he now just shows what a big coward he is. Comming episodes will start closing this story, but this episode is truly sad among many other shows.
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Frustratingly, the political plot is full of flaws: tedious, goes around in circles, cartoon villains, and full of nonsensical story. Just lots of evil, greedy one note characters that pop up again and again. But, the romance plot is so good, that I finished this drama anyways. In some ways, the political plot is so clearly bad that it's easy to skip through the political parts and just watch the romantic scenes.
This has everything you could want in a romance: a Romeo and Juliet forbidden romance, a man head over heals for a woman who is his equal, tons of rescuing and protectiveness, and putting each other first. It will go down as one of my favorite romantic couples, and this drama reminded me of Xu Kai's excellent acting and romance in Story of Yanxi Palace.
The production values and direction are also extremely good. The costumes are very original and beautifully designed. There's a lot of excellent choices with camera angles, and music. The action scenes are thrilling and don't use much CGI.
This drama is so uneven it's hard to recommend. But, I must say I was deeply touched, and the romance will stick with me. It may be worth a try to see if this love story sticks with you.
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A must watch cdrama!
Adding a 40 episodes long cdrama to my cw list wasn’t on my plans, but the promos of Wonderland of Love seemed really interesting. I also fully blame XuKai and his undeniable charm. I am glad I watched this drama because it's definitely a must if you enjoy historical romances interconnected with war and court politics.This drama knows what it’s doing. Half of it was about defeating the throne usurper. The next 10 episodes about court chess play to decide who will be the next Crown Prince and Princess. The final 10 episodes are all about trying to gain political stability and finishing off old enemies.
The development of each arc, with its respective main conflict, was amazing. I am content with how they handled every storyline. There are no victories without risks and some loses. Both leads’s journey is really well done, cohesive, grounded and coherent to their respective personalities and wishes. Even a bigger bathtub... iyyk.
On this note, I have to thank whoever decided to cast Xu Kai and Jing Tian together because their chemistry is electrifying. There was never a doubt of my mind that their characters were meant for each other and would get their way. I also love to see a happy and affectionate couple that’s not shy to show their love… or how hot they are for each other!
This is how I like my leads: two equals working together and communicating properly in order to achieve a common goal, while also learning from each other and growing as people together. They are also badass military savants, masters of the art of war, fearless and kind leaders. They have my loyalty and respect.
The secondary characters were equally endearing and interesting. I particularly appreciate the nuance of the former Crown Princess, forever torn between duty and what her heart wants. A wonderful performance by Zeng Li. The comedic timing and cool presence of performances from Jiang Kai, He Feng Tian and Zhu Hong Jia were a breath of fresh air.
I truly enjoyed this drama from beginning to end. I can't recommend it enough.
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Great drama but went downhill in the last 9 episodes (the final conflict)
The drama tells the love story of a General and Lady Lieutenant who, despite being part of different armies, fall in love. Both of them have hidden identities, him being the Emperor’s grandson and her being the daughter of the commander. Though walking on different paths, their goal of restoring peace in the court is the same.The love story (which for me is the best part of the drama) is the main focus and the war is a subplot. The romance is Mr. & Mrs. Smith merged with Romeo & Juliette vibes.
WHAT WENT WRONG FOR ME:
I enjoyed the drama very much until the last 9 episodes. Episode 30 is the most intense and impressive episode in the whole drama (and generally in cdramas) so I feel it should have been the final conflict in order to make the drama more impactful for me. The writers could have put 1-2 episodes afterwards to wrap up the story like they did in episode 40. However instead of that the plot was dragged with unnecessary and pointless drama that added absolutely nothing to the story. Boring villains that nobody cared about were introduced and the actual final fight scene was extremely underwhelming (like watching a child’s play in comparison to episode 30 fight scene). I never felt like the stakes were high in the final conflict thus had no emotional reaction when the bad guys were defeated.
POSITIVE:
- Hot chemistry between the main leads!!! Their chemistry felt natural and organic, like the actors were indeed a couple in real life.
- Xu Kai (male lead) is brilliant. Seriously, even just for him it’s worth watching this.
- Feels like a high budget production. Cinematography is movie-like with beautiful visuals.
- Fantastic cast. I loved all the actors and their performances, especially the main leads.
- Realistic war/fight scenes that were done really well.
- Smart and cunning female lead.
- The whole final episode is seeing the main leads happy together which was super satisfying to watch especially as it’s rare in cdramas these days who love their open endings or 2 second reunions.
NEGATIVE:
- Annoying second male lead and second female lead with the cliche and extremely overused unrequited, obsessive love plotline that needs to be banned in cdramas for real. It added nothing to the story.
- A lot of back and forth and repetition in terms of plot. The female lead was always getting kidnapped, someone was always getting poisoned or there was always an ambush.
- Filler episodes. Throughout the drama, there would always be 1-2 episodes that literally felt like fillers in between great episodes.
- As mentioned above, the last 9 episodes (final conflict) were extremely pointless and underwhelming to watch.
OVERALL:
Watch this if you love a couple who tries to kill each other one moment but the next are passionately kissing.
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This review may contain spoilers
Not my Wonderland
Wonderland was too fake for me to buy into their heart-to-heart talks there. And unfortunately, the tear jerker scene there just didn’t do it for me - firstly because the whole wonderland setting looked so artificial and secondly because there were too many flashback scenes. The last few episodes were too draggy.This drama was really generous with the kissing scenes but unfortunately, some of them felt forced and out of place. Sometimes, all it takes is a hug or a loving peck on the forehead to have a more impactful, romantic atmosphere.
Parts of the story just didn’t sit well with me. A good guy turned bad just because he saw the FL in a romantic moment with the ML and he even tried to kill the man who raised him just to force the FL to be with him. Was he driven insane by his desire for the FL?
This drama likes making people go insane so it also made the FL’s father go mad and his hair turned grey overnight. And how the ML found someone who could do “magic” to cure the FL’s father took this drama away from reality.
And just when you thought the insanity cards were all played out, another character was written to go insane as well.
What I did like were their costumes and fighting scenes. The beginning storyline was interesting as well to see how the FL and ML strategised and tried to one-up the other person. Thankfully, there was a happy ending.
Random note: Is there a product placement advertising in the drama for Tang Confectionery? The way they kept talking about it and all the dried fruit and nut made it look like it was an advertisement…
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A Must Watch Drama!
Classy Scenes:1. First Fight between Cui Lin & Li Ni (Underwater fight and Backyard fight)
2. Li Ni hitting fire arrows with Style
3. Li Ni's Sword Dance
4. Li Ni and Cui Lin's Post-Wedding Fight
Emotion-Filled Scene: Episodes 29-30 depicted an intense scene involving Old Bao, Bandits like Zhao Youde, You Yi, and others deeply moved me. Witnessing their sacrifice to save Li Ni and the emotional weight of the moment brought tears to my eyes.
As everybody talked about the Plot, I wanted to share more about the scenes, impressions, and characters.
First Impression: Li Ni - His character: Down to Earth, Charismatic, Skilled, and Peace-Keeper. You will understand his character in the first few episodes. I loved his interaction with Bao, Chang Er, and Pei Yuan the most.
You won't be bored at all. Each episode unfolds with a distinctive challenge as Li Ni journeys through various cities en route to the capital, striving to restore their kingdom.
Overall, I loved IT!
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An amazing military/palace story told through the journey of a general and a Lieutenant
Okay, I just finished watching all four episodes and I gotta say, the story so far is really good. The storytelling is quite amazing. The pacing from scene to scene flows really well and makes the characters interaction natural. Everything is seamless so far. So props to the writers and director.I really love Xu kai portrayal of this role. His character is quite believable and fun to watch. After his last role in Snow Eagle Lord, he's finally have a FL that can match him wit for wit, scheme for scheme, and It's exciting to watch him and the FL interact trying to see who will one up the other. Jing Tian is really holding her own. They complement eachother well. Their fight scenes (when they fight each other) reminds of of Yang Mi and Ethan Juan in Legend of Fuyao. The fughts feel like they are making love.
I have so many favorite scenes already. But one I want to mention is when ML and FL were on the mountain with the bandits and they were all walking outside singing and dancing and being happy. I love that whole sequence. lol I really love our mountain bandits. Also when they were in the tent and FL was tied up and her and ML were fighting with the soldiers, that scene was amazing. The whole thing with the old couple... omg...
The story reminds me a little bit of WRTW, but this is told more properly and the writing seems to be better than WRTW. I am excited to see how all this plays out and what's in store for them. Can't wait for the next episodes! If you are thinking of watching this, definetely give it a go!!!
I will update as the story progess
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when a bad character ruins it all
To be honest I had high expectations for this drama! started out strong and then went flat really fast. I like the parts of the fighting but not the politics and all the scheming.Male lead is the third son, not highly looked at due to his mother being a lowly servant. He is a general and has his own clan/army. He fights and try to establish/regain cities. He meets the female lead who is a bad ass assistant general to the Cui Army. She has the wits and the brain, her character definitely carried throughout the drama.
Its your typical drama about fighting and re-conquering the cities so that they are under control. There is also annoying royal palace schemes, like the brothers hating the male lead and trying to fight for the throne. Of course the king is stupid and useless, his character is a waste of time lol
One of the most annoying characters came from the Cui army. He was the god son, which the outside world knew as the Cui's son. The Cui army is very strong, they didnt want others to find out that they actually had a daughter so they used the godson to fake the Cui's having a son. The female lead is the daughter. But basically the fake son is obsess with the female lead and wants to marry her at all cost, even if it means to betray the Cui's. His part took so much time and so not needed.
Romance... what do i say... The leads dont have any chemistry. Sure they might be cute together but their kissing scenes lack a little chemistry. They actually have quite a few kissing scenes but not which gave me the tingle in my heart. Its mostly the female lead initiating the kiss lol
I felt like they could of stuck it at 30 episodes and it would of been decent... I prefer the drama with bailu, Kunning palace a lot better.
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Finally a drama and role for a more mature and experienced Xu Kai
Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25“Wonderland of Love” features two intelligent leads who always try to outsmart each other. That should be a pretty attractive premise to attract a wide audience. However, it doesn’t seem to be as popular as “The Story of Kunning Palace” which was broadcasted at about the same time. I guess a vampire gege is more attractive than a war hero Mr. Green flag. LOL There are many things I liked about this drama, but I do agree with many reviewers that the last arc wasn’t quite as exciting.
What I Like:
1. Xu Kai - I’m so glad I finally get to see Xu Kai in another drama worthy of his popularity and star power. His last few projects have been duds. I have liked him best as the more animated lead in “Arsenal Military Academy” and also his more subtle emotional acting in “Ancient Love Poetry”. But here in “Wonderland of Love”, I see the best of both worlds. I am thankful that he’s not another emotionless cold-on-the-outside character, but one that is mature and gives him the ability to showcase his acting range. If you are a Xu Kai fan, this is a must-watch.
2. Li Ni (ML) - Li Ni is a historical Mr. Green flag. He’s loyal, respectful, communicative, honest, courageous, selfless, can fight, can scheme (but not wicked and cunning). He’s a good son, a good brother, a good comrade, a good lover. He’s almost Mr. Perfect. His one flaw (if you can call it a flaw), is that he’s so in love with A Ying (FL) that it might have clouded his judgment and conceding to A Ying. He just can’t say No. But, as a romance-lover, he’s the perfect boyfriend.
3. Cui Lin/A Ying (FL) - On paper as a female character in a historical war and political drama, it’s nice to see a smart female lead who can fight and can think. She is as smart as Li Ni, and sometimes actually outsmarts him. She is independent, stubborn, and loyal to the Cui Army. She also has strong beliefs in bringing peace to all.
4. Fight and Battle Choreography - First of all, I am going to criticize the occasional slow-motion fights, and spinning/twirling to create a romantic effect. Having said that, “Wonderland of Love” has some of the more impressive fight choreography for close-combat fight and war/battle scenes. The drama started off with the leads fighting each other. There are a few sword fighting scenes throughout the drama that are pretty good, especially when this is a historical, political drama, and not a wuxia/xianxia drama. As other reviewers mentioned, the battle in episode 30 was well shot and hardcore. It was a bloody battle and many died in different ways. When the Laolan song is played, it breaks my heart. There are only a few other dramas (e.g. The Rebel Princess and Love Like the Galaxy) that I can think of with similar impressive battle scenes.
5. OST - There are several songs in the soundtrack and they all sound lovely and complementary to the scenes.
6. Acting - Xu Kai and Jian Tian both acted well and did not disappoint. The veteran supporting cast definitely outshines the younger supporting cast. I don’t think the younger cast is horrible, but no one shines through either.
7. Ending - No rush ending, in a way. The last episode is dedicated to show how everyone’s doing.
What I have Mixed Feelings:
1. Lead Romance - As I mentioned, I like Xu Kai and Jiang Tian’s acting. But for whatever reason, I am not feeling their chemistry as a couple, especially during the cute and fluffy scenes. I can’t get it out of my head that Jiang Tian is 7 years older than Xu Kai. I don’t feel this way when Jiang Tian is paired up with Timmy Xu or Vin Zhan. It’s probably because Xu Kai has somewhat of a baby face. I don’t think this is supposed to be an older sis/younger bro romance either. A Ying is a strong female lead, but not necessarily an easy-to-like female lead in a romance. There are plenty of kisses in the drama, yet none of them seems passionate to me. I also think the directing of the kisses is a little off. But if you look at the romance objectively, it’s a good one. They are both smart, have the same goal in mind, courageous and for the most part when there are issues, they communicate with each other. They might not take the same road to achieve their goals and disagree on principle, but they understand each other’s circumstances. I love their love letter correspondence during war time. All the good elements of a great romance, but I am just not feeling it.
2. Secondary Romance - I don’t particularly like or dislike it. It’s like every other secondary romance in many dramas. They’re cute and all, but don’t add much to the drama itself. I much rather learn more of Consort Xiao and the General love story.
3. Liu Cheng Feng (2ML) - I don’t believe his love and obsession for FL justify his actions. The way he seeks revenge seems way over-the-top when it comes to a country’s safety. I pity him when he was weak and then I just didn't care for him much when he turned to the dark side.
4. Final Arc (last 9 episodes) - I have to agree with others that the last arc of the drama isn’t written well. This part of the drama was draggy and anti-climatic after the big battle in episode 30. All that could be told in half the time. With the initial cold war between the leads, I find it somewhat annoying that our supposedly smart FL hasn’t thought of the consequence of the Cui army when she tried to push ML to be the crown prince. She should have calculated all of that politics, and not been surprised by the king’s decision to disband them. We wasted a couple episodes on this cold war. The villain tried to scheme and set up the general as a traitor. It was brought up without much info, and was resolved without much fanfare either. I thought it would be some elaborate plan but in the end it was just he said she said. The invasion was done half-heartedly. These foreigners were used by others for most of the drama. And when it came down to business, they were taken out easily and anti-climatically.
5. Production Quality - I don’t believe this is a big budget production. The green screen used during the leads’ horseback riding was hilariously fake. The wonderland scenery also seems fake to me. The set design, costumes and props seem OK. I am disappointed that almost everyone is dubbed. I find the dubbed voice for A Ying doesn’t quite match the face of Jiang Tian. And what is up with the pale faces of Xu Kai and Jiang Tian when they are soldiers, living under the sun and dust all the time. I think they could have darkened their skin tone a little. They definitely look too white, clean and pretty to be general/commander.
6. The King - He’s annoying as heck! I know he’s not the smartest cookie, but I can’t believe we need to tolerate his dumbness and ignorance for 40 episodes.
Overall, this is a decent drama to watch. I will recommend this if you are a fan of Xu Kai and Jiang Tan. I am rounding my rating up for Xu Kai, as I think this is his best role yet. I realize my criticisms are very personal and somewhat petty. LOL.
Other Random Observations:
1. The band of brothers are fun but way too loud.
2. I love the scene of the grass dragonflies when ML was sad.
3. I am glad Gu Wang Niang is not the typical evil 2FL. She technically didn’t do anything too evil, but this actress portrayed the character so well that I really dislike her! She gives off this cunning aura, without doing anything evil. Is it good acting?
Completed: 12/17/2023 - Review #383
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Don't watch with high expectations
Don’t watch with high expectations like I did. My initial high rating kept dropping episode after episode because:- The ML has a moron-cartoon-like-villain father (plus 2 stupid step brothers), and I think that even cartoons might not have such unrealistic characterization. This destroyed the credibility of the plot (for me) as his decisions' were absurd, causing silly predictable collateral damages.
- The ML is a smart, strategic thinker, but he is a beta hero, a beta lover, and a beta, insecure son who suffers the mistreatments (and murder attempts) from his cartoon-like-father, without protesting the whole drama with a moronic forgiveness at the end.
- Although the ‘know-it-all’ female lead character becomes less irritating with time, the leads’ love story becomes bland after the first half of the drama.
My 6 rating is for XU Kai acting, plus the effort that went into the set/art production and special effects.
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