Dark and mysterious series with high budget and great casting
Series with great casting & CL = Zhang Ling He & Bai Lu ( ＾◡＾)っ✂❤PLOT: The FL, ambitious and cunning, managed to become empress, but hated and abandoned by everyone, she ended up to commit suicide. But she wakes up in her 18-year-old body, just as she is due to enter the palace. She decides to do everything to avoid the same events. The ML, Imperial teacher & advisor to the emperor, is threatening, but will provide her with valuable help.
+++ Addictive, mysterious series where the suspense is well done.
+++ Super CL (OK, I was allready a fan of the 2 leads before watching the series) but they bring to life these tormented, complex, calculating, ... and touching characters, with so much talent! And their alchemy is the screen is explosive!
+++ a grandiose OVERALL casting: Wang Xing Yue, Zhou Jun Wei, etc.
+++ OST very suited to the atmosphere
+++ Effective production, with sumptuous settings and costumes, credible fight and battle scenes. The quality matches the budget :)
### Quite dark tone
### Some length at the end (but the extra episode is cute :)
Very personal question: I read comments on the 2 ML, where some deplored that the FL did not end with Zhang Ze. For me, this upright, rigorous, even rigid character (magnificently played by Wang Xing Yue) lacks charisma and humanity. I have to prefer the Bad Guys :)
=> High quality historical/romantic/mystery drama.
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Drama avec un super casting & CL = Zhang Ling He & Bai Lu
PLOT : La FL, ambitieuse et rusée, a réussi à devenir impératrice, mais détestée et abandonnée par tous, elle se suicide. Mais se réveille dans son corps de 18 ans, au moment où elle doit entrer au palais. Elle décide de tout faire pour éviter les mêmes évènements. Le ML, Impérial teacher & conseiller de l'empereur, est menaçant, mais va lui apporter une aide précieuse.
+++ Série addictive, mystérieuse où le suspense est bien mené.
+++ Super CL (OK, j'étais une fan des 2 leads avant de regarder la série) mais ils donnent vie à ces personnages tourmentés, complexes, calculateurs, ... et touchants, avec tellement de talent ! Et leur alchimie à l'écran est explosive !
+++ un casting GLOBAL grandiose : Wang Xing Yue, Zhou Jun Wei, etc.
+++ OST très adaptés à l'ambiance
+++ Réalisation efficace, avec de somptueux décors et costumes, des scènes de fight et de batailles crédibles. La qualité est à la hauteur du budget :)
### Ton assez sombre
### Quelques lenteurs sur la fin (mais l'épisode spécial est cute :)
Rq très personnelle : j'ai lu des comments sur les 2 ML, où certains déploraient que la FL ne finisse pas avec Zhang Ze. Pour moi, ce personnage droit, rigoureux, même rigide (magnifiquement interprété par Wang Xing Yue) manque de charisme, d'humanité. Je dois préférer les Bad Guys :)
=> Drama historique / romantique / mystère de grande qualité.
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Impeccable story from beginning to end
WHAT A WONDERFUL DORAMA! ♥️If there's a dorama that will hold you in a way, it's "Story of Kunning Palace". I was completely enchanted from beginning to end! The story is simply perfect, full of twists and turns that leave us with our mouths open. Each scene is a slap of emotion and surprise.
What about the chemistry between the characters? My God, what a surreal thing! It's really creepy. And those kisses? I swear, it's to make the screen catch fire! It's that kind of romance that makes the heart beat harder and the eyes shine. What about that love triangle, or rather, love square? What about the jealousy scenes? Hahaha I loved it!
The characters are very well built, each with their story, their conflicts, and all are played by incredible actors and actresses. The protagonist is strong and determined, without a shred of songuice!
And the end? It's VERY happy! It's that kind of ending that we want in every dorama, but rarely see. I left with a warm heart, very satisfied, and wanting to watch everything again. Seriously, it's an ending that makes us sigh and thank you for watching it.
It's a masterpiece that you can't miss. This dorama is all we ask for and a little more - intelligent, exciting, with a breathtaking romance and an ending that leaves us in the clouds.
Unmissable! ♥️
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The best political drama
I just love this drama so much. The story is good, the actors are great and their chemistry, the best! The main characters are smart with good context. Xie Wei and Jiang Xuenings chemistry is really 🔥 and they are perfect for each other.I've watched it three times. The kissing scene, OMG, it's really 🔥. Lol . Needless to say, I enjoyed it so much.
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this drama is all worth your time . Its a rollercoaster of emotions.
the script, directing ,acting of this drama is amazing ,its a piece of art overall. the male lead acting was very good ,you could feel all the emotions from his acting specially in the last 10 episode .the story is full of twist .you will never feel bored . a minus in this drama is the FL even after reincarnation she is a little confused and very hesitant towards the ml. I understand why she was hesitant the first 20 episodes but after that she started to act a little too confusing (?), and frustating.BUT overall i have never watch a drama like this .I recommend this to everyone including the one that watches rom com.Was this review helpful to you?
Watch it for the love of Zhang Linghe if nothing else
Let me first write why everyone should watch the drama: Zhang Linghe looks absolutely gorgeous as angsty angry ML.I'm not a fan of Bai lu but she acted so well. Their relationship will forever be iconic.
The story was fast paced unlike most of c-dramas (I'm used to watching k-dramas so no offense here to c-drama lovers as I'm used to series ending around 16 episodes).
The bad parts: badly edited and directed. It gets confusing at times. wasted enough time on Consort Shu character which was not necessary.
All in all this drama is a treat and one of the best to come out in recent years. A must watch.
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Mixed Feelings
I'm at a loss to explain it but I want to express my opinion. the overall story of this drama is mixed, it can be either framed or trapped, and it has many twists and turns but a happy ending. because this drama based on a novel has a dark story. I don't think it's a wuxia(?) but a political conflict without any spirituality.But I hope BL and ZLH can act together again in a wuxia/xianxia/xuanhuan drama, I love their chemistry.
and I'm here to express my frustration, I commented on this SOKP page they attacked me, then I better delete my comment. what's wrong with the fans of this SOKP drama attacking me so much? is it because this SOKP drama is overrated? this makes me afraid to comment again and the fans of this SOKP drama are so terrible.
It's different when I commented on Tiger and Crane page, no one attacked me.
even though my favorites are ZLH and BL but why are SOKP drama fans so horrible?
I hope SOKP drama fans don't become horrible.
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The romance part was more of an aside for me, as I wasn't really buying it between the ML and FL. The side characters were constantly mentioning how the ML and FL acted differently towards the other and how they must love the other, that the whole thing just felt forced, as if they were trying to convince the audience of this fact rather than letting their actions speak for themselves.
I probably wouldn't ever rewatch this but this was an enjoyable drama. If you like palace politics, you'll probably like this as well! Nice OST, good acting, and satisfying ending.
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Overcoming the Past is An Uphill Battle
The cast did a great job with this show. The first few arcs learning about each character was great and enjoyable but towards the end though the final arc had some pacing issues. Some people said they were bored with the beginning arc but imo it gave us much needed character development and world building. I wish this show had at least 5 to 10 more episodes because the developments were rushed especially for the main couple.Our FL was in constant inner turmoil for her past life actions for good reason but I also pitied her for it because for the longest time she punished herself for it. Even when she has fixed all her past life wrongdoings she always blamed herself for it even for the stuff she had no control over. For the ML the past was just as traumatic if not more. He was forced to mature too quickly and survive through any means. It caused misunderstandings between the two of them which took a while. they both needed a lot of healing and made love a bit twisted and difficult for them two.
I know a lot of people will probably hate the ML because the other two supporting leads were such green flags. Still if you think about everything they've gone through it just shows how they are the best fit for each other as their connection and love runs the deepest. ( It also helps watching the mini episode of their wedding because they were so darn cute.) Keep an open mind when watching this drama and looking forward to watching more of these actors.
Warning: kinda red flag ML but honestly my biggest complaint is the lighting and filters at some points lol
Faves: The ost of this show and the whole cast main leads and supporting cast did a great job
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GREAT PLOT AND STORYLINE
Love Bailu. i really like her character and the plot of the seriesalthough there are some parts that made me cringe. i really enjoyed the series as a whole and the side characters as well.
kinda wish there was more on you fang ning and lyu xian though. but really enjoyable. 38 episodes went by relatively quickly without dragging too much.
interesting redemption arc for the female lead. trying to find her way back away from destruction. taking the whole “if only i could do it all over again” into play.
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Acting, storyline, development are all good story of the kunning palace is amazing!!
Ah! I really enjoyed watching the story of the kunning Palace. The story, acting, visuals were all magnificent! It is definitely one of the bests cdramas to come out this year. Moreover, the characters especially xie wei who was played by the actor Zhang Ling He, gave such a phenomenal performance. I was really impressed with how he protrayed Xie Wei as a man who has been thorough so much hardship thus devloping a cold and shrewd personality. He is someone that I am looking forward to seeing more of his works and how his acting can further progress. However, I would also like to mention that at some points during the drama i did feel like he over dramatised xie wei’s character a little bit which came as kind of scary? But nonetheless he put on a good performance! As for Bai Lu, I am pleased with how she presented ning’er as a character. I think she did a wondeful job in showcasing her fragile side and how strong and smart she is. I want to give an overwhelming praise to yan lin’s actor as his character development really warmed my heart with how the actor managed to show just how much of a silly but really sweet boy he was. (i fell so hard when he was fighting in last few episodes, he looked so badass 😭) and ofc the actor who played zhang he i love you such a handsome man but his acting was really flawless i really think he put on a good performance in showcasing how self righteous. zhang he’s character was. Furtheremore, I think the story for kunning palace was executed pretty well but towards the ends it felt a bit rushed like the pace was inconsistent, so that kind of took the ratings down. Additonally, i felt like towards the end the director could’ve made the character’s deaths more vile because truly makes no sense how them being killed of just like that was a “satisfactory” ending for the viewers. Anyways i really did enjoy this cdrama and heavily reccomend for anyone who wants to watch. :)Was this review helpful to you?
The man with a double life, and the woman with a second chance at it.
Admittedly, I was surprised to have missed Kunning Palace in 2023 - having only heard of the show in early December. Usually, period romance is right up my alley, but given a few disappointing dramas still in my recent memory it's been a while since I've watched anything of that genre. On this front, Kunning Palace succeeds.From a period drama, this is exactly what we would expect; the domestic intrigue, the court intrigue, the 'hidden' past of the male lead. And, although nothing is particularly unexpected, the tropes don't necessarily grow wearisome. In particular, the relationships the female lead has with her other love interests are far from the usual "second lead syndrome" or "bothersome and obsessive reject who works to make her final relationship miserable". All of the stereotypically annoying clichés were toned down, which is a credit to the writers.
Yet, I do feel that this drama suffers from pacing and time delegation issues. Although we, as viewers, guess at the emotions of both love interests and see how they develop throughout the story - the realisation for both of the characters feels somewhat rushed. In the end, more time is spent on palace politics and battle scenes than on seeing them together as a couple. Unfortunate, given the emphasis that the drama clearly tries to place upon "love" and "loyalty".
Regardless, the stories outside of the main characters were gripping enough that I rarely skipped over them; particularly with regards to the princess, Xuehui and Fangyin. All of their characters were layered and interesting, and although I found the initial set up of the Jiang family relationship odd and forced; I liked how the tension between the family members resolved itself. It felt naturalistic and feasible.
However, the one cliché I cannot forgive is the set up for the entire 'rebirth' itself. It was superficial and poorly executed; feeling only like a weak attempt at trying to copy Joy of Life or Scarlet Heart (who at least had a purpose behind the usage which was relevant to the plot).
Ultimately, the drama is gripping and enjoyable. There is not really any criticism which can be thrown to the acting or the costume design, and the chemistry (both romantic and non-romantic) between all of the characters is palpable and poignant. It's unfortunate then, that they failed either to extend the drama, or to spend less time on its more superficial elements in order to focus on the relationships and plot that actually mattered.
Watch it though. I only have so many criticisms because it was so nearly perfect.
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You will cry and laugh
This drama is about the FL, who went back in time to redo all her wrongs in her first life. The FL has three main guys in her life. One is her best friend, the other one is her first love, and the last one is her one true love.This drama is also a kind of harem, in the sense that there is harem drama with the queen dowager. Anyways, the FL tries to redo all her wrongs and finds out the truth to save the people in her life.
I enjoyed this drama, and really like the ML. Love the ost, and cinematography in this drama.
I would watch it again :). 8.5/10.
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