Have you seen Scarlet Heart (BBJX) and want to watch something similar? This isn't it! Palace: The Lock Heart Jade has the exact same plot but the genre leans more towards comedy than BBJX and gives this series a completely different feel. If you want stellar writing, brilliant performances, and an unforgettable story full of love and betrayals... watch BBJX. BUT if you've had your fill of melos and want a fun, historical Chinese drama with a plot that's comfortable that you can marathon on a lazy weekend, then please give Palace a try.
Story: Modern day girl time travels to the era of Emperor Kang Xi of the Qing dynasty and finds herself in a love triangle with the 4th and 8th brothers in line for the throne. Its nothing new as far as the historical dramas I've seen, but there is such a light feel to how everything unfolds (for the most part) that I don''t think I'll get tired of it anytime soon.
Acting/Cast: I didn't find any of the characters particularly annoying as far as the acting choices go. I know some people (especially after watching BBJX) think that the acting is way over the top and uninspiring, but I enjoyed it.
Music: Solid
Retch Value: Sure. If you enjoyed it the first time around, then watching it again (and skipping some more boring parts) isn't unheard of.
Overall: I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others, but you have to be in the right mindset to watch it. Palace is simply a fun, weekend drama. Nothing more. I wish it had a better score but it can't help but be compared to Scarlet Heart, so it will always be inferior in that way. But given a chance to stand on its own I think more people would enjoy it and rate it a bit higher.
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