PikaChu
This review may contain spoilers
Gold Standard for C-Dramas
Its 2023, years since NIF has been out and I STILL have friends who have not watched despite hearing rave reviews. Please give this drama a chance. At first glance it might not have the pretty young faces of idol dramas but what it does have is a deep and intricate plot, good overall pacing and a stellar cast.
Story - It might start a bit slow as it lays down the groundwork and setting for the story, but quickly gets more interesting after 6th or 7th episode after you get a feel for the context of the story. Its a battle of wits and smarts, righting old wrongs, enduring friendships, and betrayals by those you thought could be trusted. And its about an unfavored prince who, with the right advisor, grows the motivation to also fight for the throne with his brothers.
Acting/Cast - Wang Kai and Hu Ge were amazing as the main characters. Wang Kai as that unfavored prince who transformed in the story from someone resigned to being unfavored with no shot at the throne, to someone who is determined to fight for it for the sake of the people and for the sake of those wronged in the past. Hu Ge did great as that mastermind manipulator navigating all the political schemes like a chess grandmaster, while at times showing some regret/sorrow for who he needs to manipulate to accomplish his plan. I also loved the supporting cast, especially Liu Min Tao's character as Jing Yan's mother. There really was not a single character from the main leads to the minor characters that I was disappointed with. Even supporting characters who only showed up in a few episodes a small handful of times, I remember their backstory well and what their role was and was invested in what happened to them--even the supporting cast was memorable. I wish I could thank the entire cast and crew for creating this wonderful drama.
I've rewatched this drama a couple times already and while I don't usually enjoy stories with power scheming and the backstabbing/cunning of harem politics as much, I really loved this drama. As far as pacing and storytelling, fleshing out the characters, finding the right cast for the roles INCLUDING the supporting characters, I hold this drama up as the gold standard for other dramas to aim for.
Story - It might start a bit slow as it lays down the groundwork and setting for the story, but quickly gets more interesting after 6th or 7th episode after you get a feel for the context of the story. Its a battle of wits and smarts, righting old wrongs, enduring friendships, and betrayals by those you thought could be trusted. And its about an unfavored prince who, with the right advisor, grows the motivation to also fight for the throne with his brothers.
Acting/Cast - Wang Kai and Hu Ge were amazing as the main characters. Wang Kai as that unfavored prince who transformed in the story from someone resigned to being unfavored with no shot at the throne, to someone who is determined to fight for it for the sake of the people and for the sake of those wronged in the past. Hu Ge did great as that mastermind manipulator navigating all the political schemes like a chess grandmaster, while at times showing some regret/sorrow for who he needs to manipulate to accomplish his plan. I also loved the supporting cast, especially Liu Min Tao's character as Jing Yan's mother. There really was not a single character from the main leads to the minor characters that I was disappointed with. Even supporting characters who only showed up in a few episodes a small handful of times, I remember their backstory well and what their role was and was invested in what happened to them--even the supporting cast was memorable. I wish I could thank the entire cast and crew for creating this wonderful drama.
I've rewatched this drama a couple times already and while I don't usually enjoy stories with power scheming and the backstabbing/cunning of harem politics as much, I really loved this drama. As far as pacing and storytelling, fleshing out the characters, finding the right cast for the roles INCLUDING the supporting characters, I hold this drama up as the gold standard for other dramas to aim for.
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