Wonderland of Love (2023)

THIS is romance done right!

OVERALL
Watch this drama if you 1) are looking for a series that actually gives enough screentime to the love story, 2) want a FL who can think for herself and knows how to fight, 3) crave a fast-paced series, with plenty of action/adventure. If you are prone to ML bias, though, I guess you should skip. Your loss!

THE STORY
I have to say my expectations were quite low for this drama because on a cinematographic level, it's nothing great. Really basic shots, bright filters, quirky BGM, and the CGI *eyeroll* BUT BUT BUT...as it turns out, I LOVED it! Let's begin with the good stuff:
- Absolute #1 for me is the perfect balance of action/adventure and romance. 90% of Chinese dramas seriously have no clue what a romance drama is supposed to be like. They're always 85% palace (or work) drama and 10-15% love story. For once, here, we have a solid 50/50 (maybe even 60/40 sometimes) and that alone makes it an above-average drama for me!
- I loved FL because yes, she knows how to fight and she is pretty smart, but she is also a bit of a trickster. Nowadays, so many dramas give you a "strong" FL but they're all the same. At least she has something different!
- The relationship between ML and FL is cute and fun. Their arguments are sad and frustrating, but realistic and (for the most part) understandable. I really appreciated how they never really broke up due to cliché misunderstandings (or maybe just once)
- The drama is also pretty well-paced. Especially at the beginning, you always feel like the characters get out of one situation to jump right into another. It's a good change, compared to dramas that drag. At some point (starting ep 25 or 26), you have a couple of episodes that feel slower, but it doesn't last very long.
- The ending is satisfying

Now, the drama is definitely not perfect. It does have its flaws:
- While I liked the pace of the show (with lots of action/adventure), I have to say the action/adventure plot got kind of repetitive. Lots of poisoning and kidnapping. It also was pretty predictable.
- Ironically, they did well with the fresh and fun romance, but SO bad with their third wheels. You can't get more cliché, obsessed unrequited lovers than the ones in this drama. This probably was the most infuriating part.
- Finally, I appreciated the fact that the relationship drama was understandable (and not random, plot devices just to separate the main leads), okay, I did...but I have to say it was kind of tiring how, for about 6-8 eps, the main couple just goes from one argument to another. You just want the drama to end and for them to be happy together (or fighting evil together)! haha

The bad is not enough to ruin the drama, so I'd still give it a try, but it's good to keep in mind!


THE ACTING
Stellar cast, nothing else to say. Pretty good chemistry between the main leads and they both did well on their own too (Xu Kai probably a bit more, he really was great!). Some side characters sometimes stole the show (eg. Crown Princess) too. All good!

THE MUSIC
Don't remember much...I guess it was fine?

REWATCH VALUE
Very high.

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The war was won, but at what cost

Man this was a very frustrating show.

I enjoyed this a lot more during the early episodes; watching Shi Qi and Cui Lin steadily fall for each other while being badasses in their respective armies. It was so fun watching their antics and seeing them come up with strategies to one up each other. When things were calm and quiet, their love was really sweet to watch too with all the loving gazes they would always give each other, abundant kisses, and nose rubs.

However, there were just too many problems with this drama that made it unbearable to watch from the halfway mark. Main issues were the poorly developed villains and inconsistent writing of character personalities. The only villain worthy of being a villain was really only from the early episodes, thereafter we got stuck with such poor excuses for villains it was seriously embarasssing to watch. The villains made it hard for me to believe the story cos of how inept they were, I just kept wondering how any of the characters beside them were taking them seriously. At least, if you're going to have dumb villains, balance it out by making the people around them either recognize how dumb they are, call them out for being dumb or try to get them to be better. (I'm looking at you Liu Cheng Feng and subordinate / Emperor Li and Ministers). When the villains are dumb and no one seems to have a problem with that, it just makes the writing and plot look weak. And that is no fun to watch.

Also, another thing I didn't like was that our main couple weren't steadfast in their love for each other. Whenever crisis hit, they'd have a dramatic blowout and then reunite a couple days later. But then this kept repeating and it was dissapointing to see. After all the difficulties SQ and CL went through together, it would have been better to see them gradually become more trusting of each other and communicating with one another rather than the whole hot/cold treatment they'd give each other at every adversity that rose up.

I'm happy we got a fleshed out visual of the happy ending of SQ and CL's story, but I can't help but feel unsatisfied. Despite everything ending happily, it just feels so sad because of how much was lost to get to that happy ending. I can't help but think, "was it all worth it?"

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To 10 of 2023

First, let me say I have watched about EVER SINGLE XU KAI DRAMA....

*Slaps and rubs hands together*

This is a very smart and emotional drama to watch. Character growth and emotional vulnerability are all there. Xu Kai plays an extremely smart and honest character while Jian Tian plays the main female lead who possesses the same traits. She is very witty and a quick thinker.

Im so bad at writing reviews but let me say this. If you liked any of Xu Kai dramas then I can promise you this one will not disappoint. The story is very cleanly written without too many fillers. Its worth the watch.

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Entertaining

I like the plot and pace of the story; it’s engaging, has a romantic twist to it, thrill and adventure. The chemistry of the main leads are awesome and they are fun to watch especially their friendly banter and schemes against each other. Jing Tian and Xu Kai's are on point in portraying their characters. It seems like Xu Kai has improved as an actor in this drama, while Jing Tian’s really brilliant in every role she played.

I like the character development of the main leads as the story progresses. Li Ni and Cui Lin have profound love, and understanding for each other, and it showed in the whole series; they argue, they have misunderstandings and have conflict but they were able to work out their differences. They are both independent, smart, selfless, have great conviction in their beliefs, and willing to give their lives to protect the ones they love. Li Ni's and Cui Lin's different background and upbringing reflect their personality and behavior when making important decisions in their lives; it showed their differences towards their views when it comes to politics and saving the common people, but their common hope and goal is to give peace to all.

Overall, I like the story, it's not perfect and some scenes are redundant but I really enjoyed watching the series. Xu Kai and Jing Tian's chemistry are great and heartwarming; it makes the whole series worth watching.

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Hop on to a journey of Love and Loyalty amidst a land of chaos.

First, I would just like to say how beautiful the leads look together.
The chemistry between Xu Kai and Jing Tian itself will make you fall in love with drama.
This is one of the few dramas that has ticked every possible box a viewer expects while watching a drama.
There was action(that too equally by both the leads) and romance and a perfect storyline to fit it all.
For me this was a drama that shouldn't be missed.

I would like to talk about how great Xu Kai is in all his dramas be it modern or costume dramas. He showed how experienced he is in this field and the way he is in portraying the emotions of the character. I literally cried when he cried and seeing his character in struggling moments made me feel sad for him and seeing him happy brought me joy. His visuals and acting are just to good and his commitment to the scene is commendable.

I first saw Jing Tian in the drama 'Rattan' and loved how she brought life to that character and even though one might wonder she acted a bit stiff in the drama but honestly, I felt that it was how that character had to be played to show her being different from humans. In this drama she played her so gracefully that one might fall in love with Cui Lin. A character who is funny, strong, pretty, just, smart and what not. Having so many traits in a single character and for an artist to show all those sides and bringing the character to life is not easy but Jing Tian accomplished it.

Gao Han did a great job in playing a person obsessed with Cui Lin and the different sides of his character her were shown really well. He played a really good role of an antagonist creating problems for the leads in the drama. I really liked the effort he put into playing such a role. I pitied him at times and felt angry on his actions in the next second.

Tao Zi was such a great character in the show. A perfect subordinate to a general. She was smart, joyous and lovable. Seeing the actress play her character made me want to be friends with her in real life. Such a loving personality was written for Tao Zi.

Xie Chang was also a great subordinate to Li Ni. He too was an adorable character. Showing him dumb when it came to love was really adorable. Seeing him besides Xu Kai was a delight.

I would really like to compliment Zeng Li on her role in the drama. She is such an exceptional actress. Even though she plays mostly support roles in recent times but her experience just glows in her acting. Every drama she works in, she brings a different spark to it. Her emotions can be felt by everyone.

All characters played a great role in this drama. No one seemed to have fallen short in any way. Even the negative roles were played brilliantly to the way that one might actually feel unhappy by their actions.

The story flew like a river flowing into the sea. It started very well and the first encounter of the leads just stole my heart. Their interactions from then were so enjoyable. Both planned against each other and kept falling in each others trap. Even their fights showed us how great their chemistry was. The understanding between them without talking a lot just gives the viewers goals as to how a relationship should be. Even though being from different armies their love did not need to be compromised. They stayed true to each other and did not favor even a single time.
The first 10 episodes were a great build up as to how the leads build their relationship with various encounters on different occasions. Both help each other get through difficulties and get to know each other. There were many fun moments in this span which made the start of the drama more enjoyable and the cuteness in their interactions was on another level. There was planning and plotting going on between the two armies to take down certain cities and both wanted to be better than the other.
The next 10 episodes are also similar except some grieving for the FL and also because of it she distances herself a bit from the ML but it was always clear that their love would not waver. The ML's side brothers face pressure because of the ML's success in wars and his capability and their father also fears the same so they try creating problems for him. The ML meets the FL's father and things start getting interesting here. One interesting character introduce here is Prime Minister Gu's daughter, she is a well written smart and cunning character.
In 20-30 episodes there is a lot happening, the antagonist returns and plots with the ML's enemies since he wants revenge and wants FL by his side. The ML and FL's father get to know each other and new bonds form. The second leads also develop a great relationship by now. The antagonist does play dirty tricks to get back at ML some of which one wouldn't imagine. There is one part in this arc though that would make viewers feel that the ML lost trust in the FL which also may be justified by his actions but I felt he had his reasons which some might agree to. Here the ML's brothers start plotting against each other that too in a harsher way. Even people in the ML's court join the enemies. In this part Prime Minister Gu's daughter also starts playing her tricks.
In the final 10 episodes there is a rollercoaster of emotions waiting. So much is happening that you wouldn't want to stop watching. There is an incident with the ML's close group of soldiers which will leave the ML in shatters where the FL is always by his side. Then comes an incident with the FL and a great plot twist. In this while the people with evil intentions will be revealed. Coming out of it becomes a question for viewers and the ending episodes reveals things that one would expect yet not believe in that expectation.

The OST was also very good especially the songs are written beautifully. I myself wanted to read Chinese poems because of this cause they have such beautiful lines. The song of the brothers(the ML and his close group of soldiers) was also a great addition to the music of the drama.

The production was very goof. All costumes and sets were beautiful. It was visible that this was a drama where the heart of the people was poured into.

I honestly write some negatives/improvements I feel in the drama towards the end but this one just has my heart and I have no such comments this time. It was a great journey of two people shown such beautifully that one might wonder if they could have been in that place.

P.S. Feel free to tag me or message me if you want spoilers as I tend to avoid giving spoilers in my reviews.

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What a wonderful drama

I haven't watched historical dramas in months because none of them pleased me, but Wonderland of Love
It really got me, this drama is simply INCREDIBLE. Seriously, it's a good drama, and the actors are also doing very well in their characters. I especially liked the female Prota Cui Lin.
I've never seen a woman as incredible as her in a drama, and I really like the way she interacts with Li ni, she's always up to their antics, I don't really like it when they fight, but I know that's part of the story. And these fights have to happen because that's what makes their relationship change.

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THE 1ST CHINESE COLOSSAL DRAMA THAT I’M FOND OF

Very good storyline, the plot is really unexpected and surprising yet it is very well organized.

Typical chinese colossal drama is actually not my cup of tea. I have watched several CN colossal drama yet i felt really bored w the storyline, it felt so ancient. when I 1st watch ep 1&2, I have no interest to watch it further; i started playing w my phone while the drama is still playing on my ipad. however, starting from ep3 is really what got me here.

the plot is very well organized, unexpected conflicts, unexpected result, & very good acting! a lot of scheming which remind me to my fave west TV show (GossipGirl!?)

DEF RECOMMENDED <3

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Match made in heaven

When script is destined to you, it always find its way to you.........the script realised the full potential of the cast or maybe Actor/Actress saved the day.

The drama took off pretty well with brilliant strategies of main leads and their chemistry.

Supporting Characters played so well.......But after finishing the half of the drama, the whole story was dominated by politics and internal fights for power. It drifted from main cause ...it showed the dark side of palace life ......But still the supporting Characters will entertain you till the end and the chemistry of leads will keep you on hook.

Yes, It is worth watching.
It is just my opinion that 40 episodes were bit long and if you like short dramas then you have to be patient and hang on as ending is worth it.

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An idol drama that punches above its weight

First, this is an excerpt from my long-ass post about Wonderland of Love, which includes and episode watch log: https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2023/12/02/wonderland-of-love-review/

To read my FULL thoughts on it, head to the blog. Here's my short review:

What I liked

- Great chemistry between Jing Tian and Xu Kai and I really enjoyed how evenly matched they were in terms of power dynamics, especially in the first few episodes.
- The brotherhood story took a while to build up, but when it did, the impact of the angsty episodes really hit hard!
- I like that every episode moved the story forward. There were hardly any filters.
- Episode 30 and 31 really elevated the drama to fascinating heights. On the one hand, it was a very typical idol historical romance drama, and those episodes had Ripe Town vibes.
- It has a wonderfully long happy ending. I'm a softie for those and we have precious few dramas that end so happily these days.

What I didn't like

- While Ah-Ying is written as a kickass female heroine, and she was in the first few episodes, she needed to be rescued way too much, which undermines her kickass status.
- The pathetic villains with poor motivation. Young Master and Lady Gu are not that much of an antagonistic challenge to our leads and are mere annoyances. I found Sun Jing a more effective bad guy but when he left the stage, our new antogonists could not pick up the slack. It didn't help that the acting was not fantastic either. I found our two Li princes a little better in the villain department but they were also not very bright villains and never felt like a real threat either.
- Episodes 30 and 31 showed that the writers and production could elevate the drama to become something so much more, so it's a pity they never went there completely or reached those heights again.
- The political intrigue/palace drama bits were not, er, sophisticated. It was silly and simplistic at times and probably would not fly in the real world.
- I really wished they had made Xu Kai and Jing Tian less pretty in the drama. For goodness sakes, at least tan Xu Kai a bit so that I could believe that he spent a decade in a deserted border outpost. In a sea of scruffy and dusty soldiers, Shiqi and Ah-Ying's unreal beauty and polished looks stood out like a sore thumb. For the first few episodes, I couldn't stop wondering if someone had slapped crazy filters on Xu Kai because he looked an anime character.
- The drama had a "too clean" look. The sets were too polished and so obviously shot at Hengdian it took me out of the show sometimes. The streets were too clean, the soldiers' uniform was looked too new, bright and shiny ... I felt that this drama needed a liberal layer of dirt so that I could buy that it is real.

Seeing how long the "What I didn't like" list is, you are probably wondering, oh noes, she doesn't like this drama! Bu no, I really enjoyed the heck out of it. It's the rare drama that I will rewatch on a moody day when I need cheering up. There are precious few of them.

I mean, it is certainly no Ripe Town or even Dream of Splendor, so lower your expectations. It is a typical idol drama with many spinning, hair-and-cloak-flying shots of our couple looking gorgeous as they stare into each other's eyes.

However, it was very entertaining, fluffy, feel-good and romantic. And yet, it had surprising moments of depth that took me by surprise. It is just a pity that it wasn't sustained throughout its 40-episode run, but I enjoyed Show for what it was: Pure entertainment.

The pathetic villains, plot holes, convenient solutions definitely diminished what could've been a really, really good show. But I laughed, teared up with this couple and it cheered me up immensely at a time when I needed it. ? When I watched the show, I just had my first bout of COVID after avoiding it the entire pandemic, my sense of taste and smell was gone and I was miserable. On top of that I was dealing with adulting issues. I desperately wanted something happy to watch and Wonderland was what I needed.

Whether you will enjoy Wonderland of Love depends on how far you can ignore its flaws and go along with the story. It is also best for people who like the drama's tropes: brotherhood and star-crossed lovers.

If you can't do both you will probably not enjoy it at all ? I am a sucker for bromance and will watch any drama with that trope.

All in all, Wonderland helped me turn off my brain and have a good time. ? And I love it for that.

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Wonderland Power Couple

Finally a good series for XK. I've watched two misses he was in and knew if only the story was good enough, he could have a better shot at winning. Though far from perfect, the story did carry itself and our leads had wonderful chemistry hence I dubbed them the Wonderland Power Couple.

Pros: I think XK is one of those actors that can have chemistry with a pet rock. Not to take away from JT as she nailed her character as well. But XK has the ability to go from deadly to smoldering gaze in a heartbeat. Their love story was epic because it began from competitors to confidants to lovers and the transitions were nice. I also loved their sidekicks Taozi, Ear, PY, the brothers in arms, her dad, Consort Xiao, the kid, general Han (another immortal that got sent off a cliff harpooned but reappeared to save the day) and even LYN with his guest magician appearance.

The only real villain was Sun Jiang; once his arc ended it was only dumb villains. The ending was overly dramatic but nicely done. I love all of the fight scenes. Fight scenes for me, make a show extra special and this one had plenty. The ultimate "big bad" was nothing to cry home about. But what was done extremely well were the deaths of ML's brothers in arms; that was prolonged agony on the audience as well as the FL's fake death as both sets took at least two episodes. Those two moments in the drama broke your heart and made you cry but they were done exceptionally well and made for the ending that much sweeter. Sets, costumes, and a few OSTs were memorable.

Cons: The father and brothers were dumb villains as well as Ms. Gu and batshit crazy LCF. I ffw'd them as much as possible. I also didn't like how the FL threw tantrums and blamed ML for shit that wasn't his fault even when he came up with solutions to help matters. It made her seem like a child. She and her father pushed him to be CP; but she still wanted to marry him, keep the Cui army from disbanding, etc, as they were knowing full well what the dumb as nails king was like. Even in the second to last episode before her miraculous revival, the king was willing to believe the corrupt minister over his own son that had been instrumental in every war and strategy success for the kingdom. It hurt my head watching that stupidity.

This series would have been much better if it was only 25 or 30 episodes long, where you didn't have to deal with the stupidity of the useless loser villains that just made a mess of virtually everything. ML could be CP and marry FL and not have the rest of that garbage happen. It's like logic fell apart after the real villain was killed. Even father and son reconciling felt off because father was a hot mess. I spent a lot of time ffwing and just watching for the leads and the good guys.

Would I recommend? Despite the second later half being a mess; the leads and most of their friends pulled off a very watchable series. I hope XK gets even better scripts in the future as do the others.

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Scriptwriter

The series is finally over. It was one of the most flawed and wrong scripts of the TV series I've watched recently. I mentioned this frequently in my comments. But I watched it until the end. It ended well. It's all over. Those who made mistakes, those who did wrong, and the traitors were punished. Of course, Li Ni became emperor, but since he did not want to be, he left the throne to the son of the previous Crown Princess, even though he was his son. This is not a very common behavior. If I were emperor and I had a son, I would leave the empire to my son. This is normal. However, there was a show of heroism here, an event rarely seen in history, and the throne was left to one of the grandsons of the previous emperor. Let's call this a utopia. It could be. Because empire is not a job that can be done very well. It may be better to stay in a more comfortable area. Li Ni preferred this. In fact, according to the role assigned by the scriptwriter, he became responsible for the security of the border. Sounds like a simple job? Does he sleep until the evening? It's nothing like that. But he was shown as living like a commoner. They are happy. I guess this is what is meant.
The scriptwriter may have made mistakes in editing. He may not have been able to make the desired transitions and mannerisms correctly, but he was successful in love games. He painted a beautiful image of love. Although the sickly stepchild had a lot of love. He also helped in the last moment, but apart from these, the love between Li Ni and Cui Lin was handled well. The love between Taozi and Chang Er was also depicted very humorously and sincerely. In that respect, I congratulate the screenwriter. I think he should write scripts for Romance TV series. He should never engage in TV series that involve such strategic, game, cheating, political, or activation activities. Don't say that my series was watched well or got ratings or anything like that. Not because of him. Let him pray for the actors and the director. The cast was very good. The actors played incredibly well. Let's not violate their rights. Our director was excellent. The scene where Gu Wan Niang wandered around the city and said "I am the Crown Princess" in the last scenes, out of her mind, was very, very good. Our actress, Jia Min, did this beautifully, just as she portrayed the traitor under her pure, innocent beauty. I wouldn't expect it from him. I say well done. I show him as one of the best in the series. I want to see him as the lead. It is announced to the directors.
As for the script, as I said, it was below par. I got very angry while watching it. Although the series should have been rated 8-9, I gave it a lower score for that reason.

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Xu Kai

I really loved this drama ,this is my best Chinese drama for this year after this is Hidden Love and best couple for this year ,I love Xu Kia he's such a good actor,the actress was beautiful and amazing,I loved their chemistry it also had good osts ,I really thought she died I was scared for a minute there ,I can't believe it took the useless father 40 episodes to realize what a filial son he had ,Anyway I really loved everything about this drama ,the ending was great too ,I recommend this to everyone ,I don't usually watch 40 episodes drama but this is just amazing,Xu Kai my favorite Chinese actor love you man ?.

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