A goofy and sweet semi-xianxia drama | Healthy love rivalry | Irritating and hateful 2nd FL!!

A piece of advice I want to give to people before watching this is to always remember that this is an Idol drama so keep your expectation for crazy plot twists and character development at bay and make sure that you stock a pile of chill pill because you will need lots of them watching this. Take note that I lost all of mine while on the process. Hahaha!

I already expected this drama to be overly clichė-d yet I still found myself cloyed over some of its scenes. Although this show is full of goofy-slapstick comedy skits we often see on a comedy drama; I must say that they did a great job on keeping all those ridiculous stuff in bare minimum that it doesn't made me completely tired of it.

One factor I truly love about this is the healthy love Rivalry between the Male Leads. Each dude sure got their own advantages but I'm just glad that they didn't use it to harm one another and I must say that I truly enjoyed all the jealousy scenes between Chu Ye, Shangguan Ya and Yun Chuan. + I love how both of them are genuinely concern of the FLs welfare and safety above everything else.

The only time I felt sick and tired of the drama is when they introduced Tong Er. She's like that unnecessary pest who suddenly appeared out of nowhere to ruin the show and I must say that she successfully did because my mood turned sour and salty—indifferent, until the end of the drama.

I feel like 24 episodes is even too long for this story. 16-18 would have sufficed and never introducing Tong Er would have made this story even better. I mean, after I accepted that this is a light and sweet idol drama you will suddenly give me a bratty character? Like, who asked for that? This show is better off without her!!

Lastly, I enjoyed Li Fu and A Jing's story a lot. Although their scenes were as short as it can possibly be, I appreciate the fact that they were there to divert and balance the overall mood of the story. I love that they are both childish yet reliable at the same time + I'm also grateful that A-Jing stayed the way she is until the end. About time we let women choose the person they want to be.

Story - 8.5, I love the healthy rivalry and positive vibe the story has shown me and it would have been better if they didn't introduce Tong Er at all. Her role on the drama totally ruined it for me. She's that unwanted guest no one ever wanted to see but still came to wreck the show. A curse!

Acting/Cast - 9.0, I'm fairly contented with the acting, although some of them might have been too much at times but they're still bearable. I'm familiar with almost all of the main cast and it's fun to see them goofing around like that. I'm just glad to see them in a new light portraying a softer character specially Xiao Yu Liang. P.S. I watched this because of Tian Xi Wei! ♡

Music - 9.5, it's nice overall. I love the cute and playful opening theme and I also like all the insert BGMs they used throughout the show. Nothing to hate about it in all honesty.

Rewatch Value - 7.0, I'm still being considerate at this point. This is one of those dramas I am glad I was able to finish. It feels like an achievement for some reason...like I deserve all the bragging rights for bearing all through the shits Tong Er has brought to this show. She spoilt my mood so much It lasts till the very end of the story.

Overall - 8.5, If you are planning to watch this because of one specific actor you are following, then go ahead and do so. However, if it's not, you better be prepared to get irritated to the 2nd FL and how riduculous some of the scenes are. It's nice and decent but finishing this drama was a bit of a challenge for me because the 2nd FL effect has taken over me till the final episode. Lol

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The miserable and melodramatic love affair of the so called Heroes'.

First of all, Welcome back? Hahaha! I can't believe it took me 2 months to finish this drama. It was dragged so much I almost forgot to continue watch it. I seriously got plenty to say, so shall we start?

Why is this Wuxia full of unnecessary dramas!? Can we just focus more on Fighting, shall we?

My disappointment and distaste over this show started when they first revealed Nan Lan. Her character introduction was a big turn off and maybe it's my intuition but at that very moment I just knew something eerie is bound to happen and I prove myself right because as the drama goes on the more horrible the story progresses. My expectations gradually getting tarnished and eventually crashed by how they terribly transition the story from all the great Wuxia action into a melodramatic mess they got themselves into. I was dumbfounded on how they took a huge leap from having the best raw and realistic martial arts executions into a brow-raising and overly tiring dramatic display. Like, how am I supposed to digest that?

It felt like the show was suddenly terrorized by some unknown disease that made it heavily focused on Love and Family affair. Even at this point, I still have that lingering irritation from the amount of tolerance I invested to finish all those episodes because I hate fast-forwarding and leaping through scenes and episodes. It's like I paid so much money to watch my favorite show only to be served by some crappy and bland illustrations. Just imagine how disappointing that was! It doesn't even help that Miao Renfang as a Husband is a total red flag. I mean, come on! I understand that it's his greatest mission to find the killer of his sworn brother but man! You got a wife and daughter to take care of. I was so pissed cause he's so irresponsible and selfish that I even find Tian Guinong a better father and husband. Well, he techinically is. He just lacks better opportunity to fully demostrate it as he was consumed by his ambition to be hailed the best.

Moving with our 3 main Leads, I feel like every single build up they did to make their characters romantically connected all went to drain. Hu Fei and Zi Yi's parts were actually great and I enjoyed it a lot but I would lie if I say I hope for them to be together. I feel like Zi Yi's personal dramas exhausted me almost the same as Miao Renfang and Nan Lan's. Her reasons were logical and understandable but she's just too complicated to my liking. Cheng Lingsu on the otherhand is my best pick. Her vibrant and amiable aura automatically made me drawn to her. Not to mention her prominent expertise in both medicine and poison. It's just too bad the script writer hated her so much. They went all out with the 'Love and Family Affair' theme only to destroy it all at the end. How tragically fucked up is that? Unbelievable!!

There are only 2 things I would commend this drama for. First, is their mind blowing martial arts execution for almost all of the fight scenes. It is more Human-like—authentic, raw and realistic. It is very different to all the Wuxia's I have watched all these years who had indescribeable and ridiculous Kung Fu skills. Second, is how satisfying they carried out the deaths of all the major antagonists on the story. I love how Feng Yiming got his death right infront of his father while Feng Tiannan getting slaughtered felt extremely satisfying. But above all, no one can beat Tian Guinong's unuttered defeat. Man was clobbered down, HARD! Incapable of fighting while pierce through by a sword and eventually got pierced again by a spear. Real definition of Vanquish!

P.S. I won't mention those pathetic Disciples of Medicine Valley and the Poison King himself cause I find them irrelevant. I don't even know why they persists till the end when they could've been eliminated much earlier. Honestly, those pathetic fools doesn't deserve recognition. They're like the guinea pig of this story... bunch of sacrificial lambs.

Story - 8.5, I'm being kind and considerate when I decided for this score. Thank god they still got prominent Martial Arts executions to vouch their lack of better decision when it comes to their absurd story progression. + The satisfying deaths of the Antagonists made it bearable and fulfilling.

Acting/Cast - 9.0, I don't really have any specific preferences when it comes to the artists but I must say that I'm quite pleased by the set of actors/actresses of this show. Specially, Xing Fei & Lin Yushen.

Music - 8.0, Among all the music from this drama, I only appreciate the Ballad song they usually use on the sad/tragic scenes. Aside from that everything is non-existent. Well, I can also remember the opening theme. I kinda like the suspense build-up tone to it.

Rewatch Value - 6.0, Sorry not sorry! But I won't watch this again. God knows how this show made me stray away from watching dramas for 2 months simply because I can't just leave a drama hanging and watch another one cause that's not my thing and I take my reviews/commentaries seriously. I guess, I'll just avoid Qing Dynasty dramas since it feels like they're more on the overly dramatic theme I'm not that fond of.

Overall - 8.5, I contemplated quite a bit with this rating but I just realized this is the highest I can go with this drama. The story's sudden transition to the Love and Family affair ruined it for me. It felt like they got no better plot in mind so they've decided to just go all out with it...which is really disappointing for me. I'm not even lying but it feels like this dramas is consist of 15% Wuxia and 85% Love affair. Doesn't that sound crazy and tiring???

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Brilliant but unnecessary ending + Needs better scene arrangement & sequencing.

Just to give a quick insight about this story, I wanna say that It was wonderful yet sorrowful. They did so well in making the plot well-balanced despite their straightforward takes of its unexpected turn of events... however, still managed to make the whole narative look manipulated and misarranged.

First of, I wanna commend this production for consistently staying away from clichė plot till the very end. That was very unexpected and satisfying! Just the thought of not having to bear through such ridiculous scenes already made this experience more delightful and light to me. Not to mention how we were given such spectacular and highly intelligent protagonists who were capable of taking absolute control of any situation they were thrown into and overcoming them with outstanding wits and teamwork. Made this drama even more amazing for me.

But!! we must bear in mind that no matter how good something is, It can never be imperfect. This story, in spite of executing most of the scenes in a viewer-friendly manner can never escape some questionable plot holes and glitches that can be found at the most crucial places. The way they dealt with the antagonists felt so wrong... Like you knew it was a bad decision but refused to judge it since you're not even half through the story yet. But as it progresses the more you find your opinions right and reasonable.

After finishing this show, my opinion still stands firm about how Lu Yuan deserves to be the final antagonist. I honestly think that everything went weak and bland right after they've dealt with him. Like he is the truest antagonist there is! so right after he passed away, the other major conflicts on the story has immediately become a child's play. Xie Hao is simply an overconfident official who thought highly of himself by pulling some grand scheme he can never control. While Wang Mian is an old man who's planned on his revenge for more than 2 decades only for it to be trampled right in front of his eyes. No matter how and where I look at it both of these guys just doesn't have it. They have aspiration, will and is bold enough, unfortunately, they're both incapable of pulling it off successfully. And, Oh, Please! Do not let me start with Grand Consort Sun and Shen Leqing! These two deserves to die even before Lu Yuan but they never did and I will never understand why no matter how much anyone try to explain it to me. Cause they may have been useful to create some discords and conflicts but they were never relevant enough to last that long! God, gracious! An utterly bad decision to keep them till the last 10 or so episode of the story.

Lastly, "It's all in the past" is my most hated phrase in this drama. The way they use it as a means to move on from the death of Shen Tingzhang and Shen Zhi gives me so much grief. I know it was wrong to keep yourself caged in the past but I also stand firm that we need to occasionally look back at those events to realize how some people deserves the worst from us.— Never forgive those who're unforgiveable.

P.S. Evil is hard to extinguish. Once an Evil, Always an Evil.

Story - 9.0, Would have given it a 0.5 rating higher only if they gave us a happier ending. I can never accept the fact that they went over tons of clichė plots all throughout the story yet still pull this kind of ending. I have long accepted that they misjudged their plot arrangements and all but I never predicted them to do it once again. Overall, the drama is good. They just tend to eliminate the wrong characters at the wrong time and keep some for longer time for nothing.

Acting/Cast - 9.5, Main CP is good. Although, it took me few episodes to fully absorb their chemistry but right after that it worked out magically. Lu Yuan and Xue Hao have been exemplery all throughout and I've got little to no complain about the side characters. The only thing that probably stood out to me the most is the inconsistency and awkward acting from Herman Li and Deng Ying at times. Specially during the first half of the drama. P.S. Ren Yun Jie is one of my fave character in this drama and hello, there Tian Xi Wei!

Music - 10, I love how it sounded natural and authentic which is very suitable to the time/era the drama's set. + Excellent and I'd say even perfect control and choice of music. I vibed so much on how laid back and comforting it sounded all at the appropriate and accurate moments.

Rewatch Value - 8.0, The overall story is good. Good pacing and character progression but watching it over again will be tough for me. Considering how displeased I am with its ending and the way they eliminate their characters in a wrong time really left a bitter taste in my mouth. I'll forever complain on how they misarranged those events and characters which impacted the story so much. This drama could've honestly been better with proper arrangement and sequencing.

Overall - 9.0, After intensive deliberation and consideration... and even after all my rants and complains. I feel like this drama and production still delivered a good story that can be enjoyed by different types of people. It just that I have my own conclusion and expectation for this story thus it made me feel so many things. All I can say is that bear my words in mind and watch this cautiously with expectation.

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The newly married CPs journey to overcome their doubts, worries & insecurities.

Just an early advice to never let the lefthangers at the end of each episode frustrate you because this drama is really good in turning the plot into something light, funny and entertaining. + As much as possible don't take the negative reviews seriously. Just watch and enjoy!

Where to even start? I procrastinated the most watching this drama yet I can't call it bad. It was smooth sailing and simple but I can't claim that it didn't bore me at all. It was a crazy feeling of uncertainties and hesitations whether to like or love it and despite all of my worries, one thing's for sure... and that is, I can never call this bad or even hate it... and let me explain why.

After some deliberation, I can only think of 2 major reasons why I was so frustrated and annoyed of this drama. First is the countless tiring wedding jitters and concerns FL has that lasted for more than 10 episodes which greatly affected my overall mood. Second is the sympathy and consideration 2nd ML has shown to the main antagonist that made the drama unnecessarily longer.

The love-hate emotion I have had for the first 10 episode was insane. I initially love it for their usual lovey-dovey moments only to be interrupted, and later ruined by FLs immature, selfish and foolish issues that will ended up being resolved by the MLs wise and romantic methods. I never thought it would be this crazy. It's like a rollercoaster ride each episode and as time passes by it made me dizzy and exhausted. The Male lead saved me from dropping this show early on, honestly + the fact that I adored them so much during S1.

I was never a fan of showing compassion and sympathy to Villains that's why when the 2nd ML let the main antagonist go, I already knew what's about to come... and I totally hated it. I think its stupid to do it that way cause they just unintentionally revealed what's about to happen even without saying anything, and that ruined the excitement of the story for me. Instantly, it has become an open book... bare and predictable.

Moving to the positive end of the show...

The most important factor I love about this drama is how straightforward, fast moving and uncomplicated the story flow and overall plot is. The main leads got tons of issues and misunderstandings as a newly wedded couple but one thing that surprises me a lot is that they never let an episode end before solving it. It was such a breath of fresh air from the usual overly clichėd idol dramas that will use all possible ridiculous means to make everything worse and dramatic.

Unconditional trust and love from the Main leads. I feel like the main purpose of this story is to show us how strong and impregnable the relationship of the main couple has become. That no matter how huge of an issue or problem anybody throws at them, they'll not—even once! lose their trust and faith to each other. This sequel was created to slap us with the fact that we don't need to worry about the Main leads falling apart because of various problems and misunderstandings cause they simply won't. Like, Never Ever! and this entire S2 is to flex their indestructible love for one another.

Overall peaceful and harmonious set of events. I've got so much to mention but I'll make sure to take my time to enumerate them properly. First, the non-toxic love rivalry and equal exposures of side couples. If all production can just do the way this drama did it, everyone would probably be satisfied. The way they covered every significant character decently and ended the drama without leaving anyone behind felt perfectly satisfying for me. Second goes to not so wicked, even reasonable antagonists and how the Main leads befriend and made peace with them. This is one of the reason why I was never bothered of this drama going downhill... Simply because I know they will never. Onset of the story, this drama already left us an impression and assurance that everything will go accordingly so no need to worry. Just sit back relax and enjoy the show.

Story - 9.0, I would have rated it higher only if they didn't wore out my appetite early on the show. The way they showed the Main CPs unconditional love and understanding for each other is wonderful but also annoying. Specially with how the FL constantly has issues to offer after another is truly exhausting. The rest of the plot is great and I really love the overall message and value this show has for its viewers.

Acting/Cast - 9.0, I was elated to see them keeping the original casts back. The only issue I got is most probably with their overly-cringey acting. I mean, it's understandable cause this is an idol drama. But I felt like they got too comfortable executing their roles and I started feeling vicarious embarassment for them. Don't get me wrong, they acted so well here! but it's just too much for me at times.

Music - 9.0, The opening is really good and I love it! same with the random sound inserts. But it just doesn't make sense to me that they're using such modern funny and comical sounding tunes on a costume drama. I like how they use it but was also flustered to hear them as well.

Rewatch Value - 7.5, Probably not. No matter how good of a story this is overall. I just can't imagine myself watching it again. The amount of time I've spent to finally finish it is enough proof that it would be hard for me to do it again. Ghad, the FLs wedding jitters really ruined it for me.

Overall - 8.5, After thorough deliberation, I feel like this is the best I can give to this drama. Again, the overall story is really good. It exudes positivity, harmony and cringey-adorable love but the way they started it really took a big blow to me. That constant issues the FL has truly made my mood sour and indifferent... thank god they were able to redeem and recover from it very quickly. It was nonetheless a good drama. I recommend everyone to just skip some early parts if you want to avoid those annoying moments.

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Once you entered darkness, there's no turning back... No matter how hard you try.

If I were to sum it all up, this story is all about unconditional love and everything grim, dark and tragic all together. It's like a whole 4 tier cake that's fully-structured by prostitution, molestation, suicide, rape, cheating, murder and violence with same-sex romance as its cherry on top to attract its viewers. It may look interesting, exciting and delicious on the outside but once you take a bite you'll be shock on how awfully bad it actually tastes inside.

It was a story of everything sinister and ludicrous intertwined to each other and depicts how multiple acts of such brutal action can result to a continuous, moreso, non-stop set of events that only leads to either tragedy or death.

Closely looking at the narrative, I'd say that they successfully made this story as dark and tragedic as they wanted it to be by mercilessly manipulating each and every piece like a puzzle that will only move in accordance to its players wish and desire.

This movie probably has the greatest facade I've ever watched in a long while. The way they've flawlessly hidden the true agenda of this piece by showing us same-sex love story felt like a whole fraud trick to me. It may seem promising and exciting at first but as it progresses you'll realize that it's starting to go deeper and darker... and by the end, you will be perplexed to know that you're only left with nothing but agony, disappointments, and regrets.

There are only 2 positive points I can clearly see from this movie; First is the familial love Mek has shown to his mother and brother. Second is the unconditional and unrestricted mutual love and affection Itt and Mek have for each other. Aside from these, I can't seem to point out anything else that's considerably good or nice.

Lastly, its ending!! I was so mad and heartbroken. I really thought they'd finally live a more peaceful and happy life after all the tragedy they've been through, yet, this story chose to go all out by giving us nothing but another heartache. They killed Mek like it was part of the plot... Expected to happen to conclude the story and pronounce it 'complete'. Where in fact! It was not! Probably the worst decision ever!

P.S. They really love to do the making out/sex scenes outdoor and I got no complains about that. I even love it a lot. Hahaha!

Story - 7.5, Despite all the negative and dark messages this movie has. I'd still say they executed it quite well and it would've been even better only if it wasn't this problematic!! Still can't move on with the tragic ending ><

Acting/Cast - 9.5, I'm surprisingly satisfied with the leads. Specially with how 'A' look convincing, both appearance and acting wise. Same with 'Tob'. The only problem I've had is with Ying. In some instances her line deliberation felt weak and unstable

Music - 9.5, It's nice to hear early 2000s BGMs once in a while. It felt nostalgic and it truly brought me back to those times. Love the Thai song played too. It smoothly conveys and make you feel the raw emotions they all wanted you to experience and go through.

Rewatch Value - 8.5, Even when it ended tragically. I can still see myself watching it in the future. A year or so probably? For some reason, their bittersweet romance still makes me feel butterflies.

Overall - 8.5, No matter how dark and gloomy the whole vibe of the story, I still can't deny how good the delivery of the entire narrative is. It was foul tasting, traumatic yet kinda addicting. Something I can remember for a long time for sure.

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Goddess of Corpses & All in one Medical Examiner + Great chemistry from the 3 Main Leads!

"If you love her, why did you give her up?" - Xiao Song's Father

Wanna start this review by stating how messy and overly manipulated the entire love and romantic scenes of this story. Honestly speaking, the entire 1st half (Love story part) of this drama was such a trash I wish it never existed or they at least made it less chaotic and irritating. I just hated how they seemed to eagerly push 'Xiao Song' to be the ML where it was supposedly 'Su Fu' in the first place. It's weird how it feels like they're forcing another character to the ML role where it is evident that the original script tells us otherwise.

It was a challenge to watch a love story unfold with such obvious heavy manipulations from the script itself. Like you just immediately knew that something is off... unnatural and fabricated— fake! I feel like I developed anxiety from having to bear through those sequences this whole time.

Moving on, I just wanna dig deeper into this drama by enumerating some of the positive and negative aspects I have observed while watching it.

Romance & Love story - Su Fu was in a tough spot for being an assasin and spy but I just can't comprehend why he didn't even try to explain himself when he loved her so much. Like, where's the sense in that? at the end, he just didn't seize his chances to the very extent. While Xiao Song on the other hand got it all wrong from the very beginning. Forcing and controlling someone you 'supposedly like' to work for you, hurt her physically and emotionally, failling to protect and even bring harm to her and more. God knows how disappointing this guy was (yes 'was' cause he gradually improved).

Unrealistic, absurd and problematic scenes - This drama got it all for you. From the Crown Prince and Princess attending a banquet without much entourage. Followed by the overhyped 'Drunken state' reaction they had for the FL so they try so hard to keep her from drinking alcohol only to be disappointed because she just puked a little and got a bit more aggresive in doing her autopsy. Up until her infuriating father who chose to blame and disown her even when things has been cleared up and more. It was... draining.

Fighting scenes are actually good. Lots of angled cuts just to hype the action scenes but they were still able to execute cool and amazing sword, archery and brawl fights.

Crime scenes and Problem solving cases are very detailed, well thought and satisfying. You'll immediately know how much research they did just to make it fit perfectly to whatever crime they're trying to show and achieve. I also appreciate the crime scene visualizations whenever they're investigating a crime. Made it more easy to understand the whole scenario without having to recollect and remember what actually happened in the past events.

Supporting characters were also interesting. I love the BL touch from Bai Yi and Sang Chen. Hahaha~ + The FLs Master and Maid Servant brought so much content to make the whole story more light, funny and enjoyable. Let's just ignore her entire Ran Family members. They were all trash aside from her biological Mother.

P.S. There was a teaser at the end of the last episode for a possible Season 2 and I hope it would never happen. I just had enough! >_<

Story - 9.0, Would've made it higher if not for the disappointing manipulations they did with the 2 Male characters, cause if ruined the 1st half of the show. Thank god they were able to save it. Problem solving is great so does the mind-boggling crime set ups and preparations.

Acting/Cast - 9.0, I'm quite satisfied with the Main Leads specially Tim Pei (Su Fu) because even when he constantly look grim and serious you can clearly feel and see the emotions from his eyes and movements. Jie Qiong (Ran Yan) and Toby Lee (Xiao Song) executed their characters greatly as well and I just love their lovey-dovey-teasing moments a lot. I just wish some of the Supporting and Side character never existed. They ruined the experience for me.

Music - 9.5, At first, I find the music used as typical and ordinary but as time passes by I was able to fully grasp the emotion and truly enjoy each one of them. + They were all played on the right time and perfect moments. I was never bothered by their placement and usage.

Rewatch Value - 7.5, It was good but I just won't rewatch it again. I'm only being nice by giving it this rating because it wasn't bad but i'd rather watch other shows than to rewatch it. Heck! I don't even want the S2 to be produce no matter what.

Overall - 9.0, Problem solving, Crime cases and Fighting scenes were actually great but beyond that just felt forced and completely fabricated. I also hate how they keep on challenging the Main Leads love and trust by constantly trying to make them misunderstand each other. Huh! That was effin' tiring y'all. Would've been nice if they didn't made the love story look so manipulated. It was still a good watch specially for the crime-investigation parts.

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The tragedic prophecy + Banrou & Yuwen Hu was robbed of the Main Lead Role.

Dugu Banrou & Yuwen Hu owned this story.

First of, I wanna say that this drama was far more interesting when the focus was still on Dugu Banrou and Yuwen Hu, they were like the pillar and backbone that keeps this drama alive and going— Everytime Yuwen Hu and Banrou's on the screen, I always go insane. The chemistry this two have is crazy. YWHs extremely emotional and expressive eyes always gets me while DGBRs emotionless yet sorrowful expression always left me heartbroken and in pain.

Even at this point, I'm still questioning why they didn't focus and expound on DGBR & YWHs story. All those times I was watching this drama all I think about was how interesting and excting their story is, that I kept on waiting and anticipating for their scenes. I even reach the point where I feel bland and uninterested watching Jialou's and extremely bored and pissed with Mantuo's.

Anyways, let me stray away from these two or this review will surely be full of my rant and disappointment about them not getting the main roles.

I honestly feel like Mantuo's story made this drama boring and really irritating. Her character is like that small nasty cockroach that can't be killed no matter how many times you hit it. That everytime she appears, all you want to do is to eliminate her and see her gone completely. What's more irritating is that she gets away every single time and even lasted till the very end without any proper character development— she retained her delusional, fake and gold digger attitude like it was her religion. Just imagine how tiring it is to watch that!

Next is the Main Leads who I think was very random and a little questionable. I mean, shouldn't be a story more focused on the interesting characters who can make the story more exciting and spicier? So, why did they give it to characters who felt like a supporting ones?— All this time, I tried. Like, TRIED to understand why but still can't believe that they wasted a supposed good story for such characters. Both the Writer and Director need some genuine reflection for this, Seriously.

The Main Leads weren't bad but I think they're lacking. Their character felt like some extremely favoured people who were supported and funded by a powerful personality. They certainly aren't bad but I just feel like they aren't really cut out for it. Their story is good but is lacking— Like something is lost or missing. I guess they just failed to deliver the same impact I got from Banrou and Yuwen Hu.

P.S. Aside from Banrou & Yuwen Hu's disappearance from the story. What makes this drama more frustrating is the constant timeskip during the last 10-15 episodes. It made the story weigh lesser in value and has gradually become tiring and disappointing as it reaches its Finale.

Story - 8.5, Overall drama is good. The lesson and value of the story was well delivered. It's just that I still feel regretful over Banrou, Yuwen Yu and Yuwen Hu's story and completely done and disgusted by Mantou's immortal character. Not to mention the Main leads who felt like someone powerful is backing them and the frequent timeskip that made a lot of things vague and confusing.

Acting/Cast - 9.5, I felt like not giving this section a perfect 10 is an absurd decision and betrayal towards the casts heartfelt and passionate portrayal but I just can't stomach not to mention how unconvincing and lacking Andy Zhang and Hu Bing Qing's acting during the first half of the story. They felt kind of lost and they seemed like an Idol actor while acting their teenage roles. Fortunately they pushed through and delivered better portrayal as the story progresses. P.S. Jeremy Tsui and Ady An are the true MVP of this drama. Their Portrayal is insane and I'm always engrossed whenever they're on screen.

Music - 9.5, BGMs are really good, specially the ballad ones. It's just that for some reason whenever the songs are playing it doesn't really emphasize the emotions on the scenes that much. Like something is missing. But overall Music used were really good.

Rewatch Value - 8.5, Most probably not. Although I don't hate this drama, I just feel like I had enough of Mantuo and would never want to watch it again. + I don't wanna relive my hopes for Banrou and Yuwen Hu.

Overall - 9.0, Seems just right. Something I will never do is to give a story a much lower rating than it deserve. I admit that I was dissatisfied with some aspects of this drama but I also don't want to dismiss the good qualities of this piece as a whole. Even when it failed to fully cater my expectation but it surely served when it comes to a lot of things specially with the acting department.

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Appreciating & Loving the Beauty within Yourself + Strong 2nd Male Lead Syndrome <3

Let me just leave one of the best line in this drama.

"Don't say bad words about yourself, because doing that is equivalent to saying bad words to us (parents) as we raised you" - Sato Ai's Father

A story that truly deserves a loud round of applause!

This drama kept on breaking my premeditated rating as it progresses that I was left without any choice by the time it ended. Like, how am I supposed to give it a rating lower than 10 when It has been nothing but an absolute perfection all throughout?

Honestly, I planned beforehand to give this drama a rating of either 9.0 or 9.5 but how can I do that when it kept on improving each episode and has been exceeding my hopes and expectations as it moves forward?

I never really hate anything about this drama. It's just that I felt bad and disappointed that such strong 2nd ML was treated like that and I felt like he deserves better compared to what the writers has in-stored for him. Well, as a big fan of Akaso Eiji, I guess I should never watch him doing any supporting roles from now on. Hahaha~!!

Aside from that I actually got no other complaints over this drama. Instead, I wanna commend it for having such solid and well-created plot and story progression that never failed me till the very end.

In addition, I really find it smart that they've decided to give us timeskips to better present the outcome of the characters decisions of pursuing their dreams. It was a brilliant idea cause it all goes back to the real ideal and meaning of this drama which is "Loving and accepting the beauty within yourself and use it as an inspiration to achieve your dreams."

No other words needed! This drama maybe an adaptation but the whole production just made it different on its own creative and unique ways.

Story - 10, Brilliant and beyond satisfaction. This story could've setlled for something less but they didn't stop there and was able to give us a better ending by making the last episode of the drama a plot device to finally achieve the purpose and ideals of this show.

Acting/Cast - 10, The stars of this drama delivered their lines and executed their characters in the most enthusiastic and earnest way without any reservations.

Music - 10, Memorable, the intro of the main BGM just left a significant impression to me. Whenever I hear the word "Hydrangea" I would imediately start humming the tune of the song even when I don't know the lyrics.

Rewatch Value - 10, Highly recommended. Specially if you feel so down and low about yourself. This show can certainly help you get the motivation and appreciation you need to look at yourself in a brighter and more beautiful way.

Overall - 10, The entire production shall never settle for anything less. I feel like this drama adaptation even became more significant and unique because it was able to present its true concept and ideals to its viewers without having to ruin or overly do things.

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The clever & talented Princess and her 4 husbands + A great and extremely fun drama.

A drama that deserved more episodes compared to what it has right now. 40 episodes is inadequate!!

Honestly, I only have good words for this drama. This piece is 1 out of many dramas I dare not slander or complain about in any way or aspect. It is THAT great! So let me start showering this drama review with nothing but positive and brilliant praises. Hahaha!!

First, I would love to commend the story's way of putting the scenes together. it was arranged in the most smartest way possible. Everything felt properly connected and intact and that made it more exciting and interesting to watch. Story build up was excellent and well-structured so it never felt lacking and confusing; Instead it made the drama a lot more easier for the viewers to watch.

Second is their decision to only focus on the Female Leads life and love interest. I was really fascinated by this side of the drama because it shows how they want to present it to people in a smooth and flawless way. Not only it keeps the viewers attention in one place but it also helps to fully indulge and focus themselves on the flow of the story + it made the drama more appealing and less complicated as a whole.

Third is the great synergy and chemistry among all the characters of this production. Just by the looks of it you'll know that they enjoyed filming it. This drama is full of positive energy and bright smiles that became one of the leading factors on why it's more comfortable to watch. I was so engrossed and excited each and every scenes that I was able to finish it in 4 days despite its 40 episodes.

Absolutely one of the best costume drama I watched ever since. It's a complete package of every single thing put all together + it didn't lack on any area which is very amusing for a drama these days. kudos!!

Story - 10, A well-written and excellently created story that shows how much hardwork the script writers must've invested into this to make it as perfect as it is right now. Every piece of it just fits perfectly together. Definitely one of the stories that will be difficult to be criticize by anyone in any possible way.

Acting/Cast - 10, Perfect set of talented and stellar actors and actresses. I was very satisfied of their character execution and their performance is over the top + I just enjoy the positive and radiant vibes they exuded.

Music - 10, Great choice of BGMs overall. I enjoyed and appreciate all of them and how they were picked to match and fit the vibe and mood of the scenes they were used on.

Rewatch Value - 10, The drama I enjoyed watching the most among all the chinese series I have watched since day 1 and I will never hesitate to watch it again.

Overall - 10, Masterpiece!! I will never stop mentioning how well structured, created and written this drama is. I feel like the people who worked on this drama are passionate about it and just decided to put their 101% the entire time they were shooting it. Definitely, a MUST watch!!

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Well-built Camaraderie & Cooperation from the MLs + Nothing beats a warm Meal shared w/ Loved ones.

I feel like the real essense of this drama is being united and making sure that you go home at the end of the day to share a warm meal with your loved ones. =)

I really regret making it sit on my watch list for such a long time. This drama is such a heartwarming story that I would recommend to anyone who are experiencing different circumstances in life. For some reason it provided me great comfort and inspiration to move forward by looking back at my previous self and so, I hope that it can also help with other people to cope with all the predicaments they're going through with their lives.

This drama unexpectedly stood out to be one of the best Crime-Investigation drama there is. It is completely different from those who provides solid and thrilling action scenes but that what made this drama so unique for me. I love how it focuses on various aspects and views of life as well as providing great amount of family warmth and camaraderie that helps the whole narrative become more fun, enjoyable and interesting to watch.

Also, I might admit that it's not really perfect when it comes to story and the plot it took... More specifically towards the end where I found too much plot holes that was just added maybe because they lack another idea? or they just don't want to make Tang Fan perfect all the time but even with those, you can't just deny that they did extremely greatly with the rest of the story. So I'll just give it to them and consider it as something they overlooked. After all they still did great!

Other things I wanted to highlight is how this drama was presented in a lighter way? Antagonists were really bad but they weren't cruel enough to be considered as evil. That may seem like a bad thing but in all honesty it makes this drama easier to watch cause the protagonists can easily overturn the tides against them and let's all be honest here... Who even like to watch overly dark and heavily plotted drama in this stressful era we're at right now? All I care is to enjoy and have fun~!!

Laslty, Women Empowerment here specially at the end with Consort Wan is truly satisfying!! Like, Let's GO!! We all love authoritative and confident women. — ALSO, The Bromance with Tang Fan and Sui Zhou is something I squeal HARD!! Cause some of their scenes at the latter part of the story can pass as a BL inserts to be very honest. Hahaha.

Story - 10, As mentioned above it wasn't perfect and it definitely has some scenes where you'll find yourself saying "Wait, What? Huh??" but aside from those, the rest of the story do provide great progression and didn't disappoint in executing the highly thrilling and crucial scenes. So overall, it is still a Perfect score for me.

Acting/Cast - 10, Great acting from the Main and Lead Casts. Hell, even the side characters are good in their respective roles. Special mention to the actor of General Gao Yi. His facial expression is perfection. An expert I would say. The rest are really good as well. I love watching dramas without having to cringe over bad acting and this drama 'served' hard!!

Music - 10, Opening is really good and I must say that the inserts are really approriate and well suited as well. Kudos to the editors and music team for choosing the best music fitted for each scenes.

Rewatch Value - 10, I would love to. and I will surely recommend it to people looking for a crime-investigation drama that provides good story as well as positive character relationship and progression.

Overall - 10, Deserved!! I feel like I can never give it a rating lower than this. As stated in my bio, I don't care about other peoples view and opinion. All I care is how the drama performs and delivers its message and values as a whole and this drama surely did not disappoint and executed really well in different aspects.

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Unending Sacrifice, Torment, Agony and Selflessness.

Whooah! This drama's so much for my heart. ><"

- Naive ZhaiXing who infuriates me the most throughout this drama for being gullible, stupid and blind for love.

- Stubborn Prince Bo for being the most stubborn and heartless to her 'supposed' only love. Like how? How can you treat a woman like that given any circumstances, his reasons just didn't sit well to me.

- Selfless Ji Chong whom I hoped to be more selfish at times. I pity his loving and quirky character the most. He deserved better treatment but his ending with Bao Na wasn't bad at all and that unexpectedly satisfies me.

- Mischievous Bao Na. I've got so much to say about this character but one thing is for sure and most of them are me singing infinite praises.

First and foremost, I wanna say that this drama is epic and is truly blessed with such great actors and good budget.

Lemme go all over these informations one by one cause I wanna emphasize and point out a lot of things. So, shall we get started?

First are the Actors. Like WOW! I'm totally impressed on how good the acting was specially with Xiao Zhan, Shu Yao and Li Qin. The immense portrayal of their characters made the show even more entertaining and lively to watch. Hmm, In terms of Darren Wang's acting... I don't know why but during his 'Wolf Boy' scenes I can vividly appreciate and see his pure and peaceful yet strong acting aura but most of his 'Prince Bo' scenes made me felt like he didn't know how to express it well or something. I know that the character was made to be like that but he just look dead/soulless to me 90% of his time playing that character.

Second is Kissing Scenes, God! One of the most terrible kissing shots I've watched eversince. I don't know if they received restrictions with it or what but all of their kissing scenes made me disappointed.

Third is Budget, This drama managed to shoot using the same location as Nirvana in Fire and that alone speaks volume. Anyways, I wanna commend a lot of things about this and one of them is the Great CGI that truly impressed me and even made me believe that they were for real. Followed by the set of costume that totally complements each of the artists.

Fourth is Fighting Scenes. I never intend to include this here but Zhai Xing's amazing fight scenes on the Final Episode made me go insane. It was so good and that really awakened my adrenaline from possible slumber. Hahaha~! P.S. Darren Wang and Xiaon Zhan's fighting scenes were totally insane!!

This is a good and entertaining drama overall but I must warn people that they might get irritated with the Main Leads at times. Hehe

Story - 8.5, Wanna give it a higher rating than this but I just don't know where the hell should I get them. This is most probably one of the greatest let down of this entire production. Everything was doing great but suddenly the story decided not to fully cooperate.

Acting/Cast - 10, Well Deserved! Although I was quite indifferent towards Darren Wang's acting but I simply can't overlook how incredible the other actors are. They supported and made this drama reach a completely different level.

Music - 10, I'm speechless. Everything about this dramas Music is PERFECTION! Probably the BEST OST/BGMs out of all the dramas I've watched so far.

Rewatch Value - 9.5, It's a worth watch overall but I would never forget the frustrations this drama gave me whenever the ML is mistreating and hurting the FL. That's unjustifiable for me no matter which view I try to look at.

Overall - 9.0, This drama may not have the best Story but the production covered most of its flaws &mishaps and replaced them with such satisfying results.

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Reputable, Brave & Lovely Main Leads + Severe Polygamy delineation~!

This drama got me so whipped the entire time and put me in quite a few mood swings during its duration.

A well planned, produced and written story that will surely touch you in every corner there is. I expected it to be Good but not THIS 'GOOD'. An example of a Solid drama that surpasses the Great tier and should be lined up along the BEST OF BEST!

I've got so much to say but lemme just summarize it to the best way I can cause this will be endless for sure IF i don't limit myself. Hahaha~

×× Things I LIKE and/or Love.
+ The characters are well-versed and truly showcases different views, situations and emotions that are relatable to probably anyone who would watch it.

+ Smart Story and Plot, It feels so surreal to be able to watch such production who's incorporated with proper planning and thinking after a long time. This drama provided it all beyond my expectation and truly nailed it.

+ Refreshing character development and world building. Something that is rarely seen these days due to 'recycling-whats-popular' trend nowadays. A breath of fresh air I must say.

+ The EVER reliable Main Leads who're always there to help nonetheless of the situation and is always ready to take charge and resolve things. Both of them are brave and responsible individials whose sense of responsibilty and understanding is beyond and above the normal/standard.

×× Things I Dislike and/or Hate.
+ Terrible presentation of Polygamy. I always hated the Idea of having more than 1 Wife and this show just infuriated me for doing so.

+ This is more like a compliment but I hate the villains here more than I do to other dramas antagonists I've ever watched.

Story - 10, Story & Plot wise it's top notch. No words needed. A story that is highly and worth recommending to almost everyone. This production won't disappoint one way or another.

Acting/Cast - 10, Oh God! Phenomenal set of Actors. ? All of them nailed it and it's really rare for a drama to do that. Their way of executing emotions and reaching out to their viewers is something to take note of. One of a kind.

Music - 10, I honestly didn't focused much on the music side cause I was so engrossed on how the story unfolds but simply base on the BGMs and insert music I've listened to, I can say that it's decent, Good even. No complaints at all

Rewatch Value - 9, For me, It is on the level of 'Nirvana in Fire'. A drama I wouldn't get tired watching of no matter how many times I watch it. It will always has that multiple spark that will glued your eyes on the screen gradually and consistently.

Overall - 10, This shouldn't even be a question at this point. This drama deserves more than what it has achieved. The way it's produced and presented to viewers felt so refreshing and relatively new. I can assure anyone that this drama will never disappoint.

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An Intelligent, Captivating, Direct and Smooth Sailing Drama~!!

I'm full of Adjective and Praises. But let me use those 4 as my main subject to elaborate and discuss how spectacular this production is.

Honorable Mention!! I specifically love the little black and white imaginary space Chu Chu and Jinyu's creating whenever they're to re-enact and solve the case. Most of the time it provides the most skinship and romantic interaction from the both of them. Love it so much. <3

Intelligent - This show just kept on showing and shoving things right into your face. The cases and mysteries that are being handled were all complex and tricky but that didn't stop them from presenting us with such high accuracy explanation but also kept ME, personally, in awe at how splendid and well-constructive they were. A true Masterpiece!!

Captivating - The main leads and their chracters visuals might have been the expected icon when I mentioned the word 'Captivating' but that's not just that; The real reason why I love this drama so much is how the Characters behave and display their characteristics in a clever yet silly, sassy and entertaining way. I'm glad that they all have their own distinctive roles to show and they all nailed it. Wanna give credits to all the actors and actresses for doing a magnificent job. <3

Direct - Most of the dramas are flooded with bunch of plots and twist before going into the main hurdle just to show the heaviness and complexity of the final disaster the Protagonists have to went through; yet this drama chose the completely same plot but made it more direct and straightforward. They focused on 1 definitive subject then provided clues that will eventually gathered all the other hidden tricks and flaws and finally ended it with a Marvelous series of mind-blowing strategies and scheme to finally finish the main antagonist.

Smooth Sailing - Honestly, this is base on how I was shock to know that I'm passed the 3/4 of the drama even before I realized it. It completely caught me off guard on how smooth yet entertaining the whole drama is. Not even once this drama made me felt bored or tired of watching it. It always offers new, unique and interesting set of topics to watch and never failed in making them great. Hahaha~ This sound so biased but I'm just really in awe on how well-made and produced this drama is.

Story - 10, Story is a cut from the most excellent script there is and it never failed to showcase how good it is. I wanna commend the writer, producer and everyone who worked behind the camera to make this drama as great as it is right now.

Acting/Cast - 10, They portrayed their characters the best and even owned all of them. I enjoyed it so much thanks to their neat and clever execution of their scenes. I got nothing to say but words of love, adoration and praises.


Music - 10, Honestly, Music and BGM is the least focus of this drama but i'm quite satisified on how they didn't overly rely on BGMs and Music to set the mood. I also love the mysteric and quite thrilling opening instrumental of the drama. It reminded me a lot of those times I was watching The Lost Tomb Series and I just love it a lot.

Rewatch Value - 10, I would watch it again for sure. No words and flowery words needed. This drama will remain special and memorable on its own. I highly recommend this drama to everyone regardless of the genres they like.

Overall - 10, Perfection and Impressive. I honestly got no comaplaints and was extremely satisfied on how things went through. It was an easy drama to watch that will surely satisify anyone without any doubt.

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A Spiral downfall—It was promising but the plot ruined it. Lack of Competent 2nd ML~!!

This drama went from extremely good to gradually going bland and plain.

I honestly started this drama by reading a lot of reviews from people and I've contemplated a lot (more than 10 times) before I give it a go. I even told myself to completely break that 'common-cliche-story' feeeback but I never expected myself going that path as well.

I'm a sucker of Cliche Love Stories so much but this drama is either overflowing or insufficient of something or more. It is imbalanced overall and as much as I wanna give it a higher feedback out of consideration, I can only give it a 'So-So Rating' (See my bio to find out how I rate things) after all my contemplation and sincere consideration.

This drama could've been magnificent only IF they didn't overly played the characters and purposely added so much twists and turns that eventually ruined and made the story go astray from it's main plot. The story seemed to be all over the place and some of the 'supposedly' main plot were left hanging in the air and magically got resolved/conquered without proper explanation and presentation.

Anyways, I don't wanna keep it that long cause I don't wanna slander it that much but lemme just give some of the favorite stuff I like about this drama before I completely move on.

First, is the cinematography and lighting. Everything is so vibrant and sweet looking and it truly complements the actors and actresses. Second, The OST and the BGMs. I learned to love them so much throughout the show and wanna give a big thumbs up to people handling the editing; since they did great with sound placements & accompaniments and lastly, for keeping the story a little more mature in contrast to how immature the characters are.

P.S. I felt like I was watching a Teenage Love Story than a Young Adult ones and that bothered me a lot.

Story - 7.5, A Passsing Grade. Like what I mentioned above. The story went downhill as early as Episode 10 and from that point moving forward I've felt like a slump was placed within the veins in my heart. It made my mood a little off and even causes me heartache at some point. Not to mention the characters, specially the ML who is more Young-Minded/immature several times and how bothered I was on how we're lacking a more competent 2nd ML.

Cast/Artist - 8.5, Overall they're good but I feel like they could've done better. Most of the time I was seeing them as an Actor themselves more than the characters they're playing. I know that I shouldn't be too hard on them and should give consideration on how the character is written and portrayed to be that way but I can honestly see through their innerselves trying to squeeze the emotions in just to deliver some of their lines out.

Music - 10, The only Exception. I really wanna commend the Sound Team who made most of the scenes a lot more interesting and fun to watch. I love all of the songs and I'm ready to add them to my playlist.

Rewatch Value - 7.5, I don't want to give them a savagely low grade since I still enjoy this drama halfway but I would never watch this drama the 2nd time around. But I can always recommend it to some people who are interested with the same genre.

Overall - 8, It is BARELY Passing. It is Good but It was also bad and got so tiring and boring 2/3 of it's entire run. Something I wouldn't be tired saying is how they could've have made it better by sticking to their main story plot.

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Extreme and Flawless Deceit with Unpredictable Twists, Turns and Tumbles ~!!

A Masterpiece covered by it's great scheme and some irritating and useless characters.

Lemme start my review by praising how Patriotic and Genuinely compassionate Zhang Xiao Jing (Lei Jia Yin) is and despite his shortcomings he's able to pull it through without tainting himself against his own conscience. A well written character, 100% ~!!

Next is how utterly useless Li Bi (Jackson Yee) is and how his Ignorance and obliviousness always gives the people around him so much disadvantage. He's the greatest flaw of this entire story honestly. At the Finale, I was even glad that Xu Bin (Zhao Wei) was the one getting the spotlight. Such a dissapointing character.

The "MVP" of this drama would be Xu Bin (Zhao Wei) like damn, this man hid himself so well and was able to create those extravagant scheme without getting discovered. I don't find him relevant till the last 20+ episodes but he's surely the Most Well Played character in here.

Something I like about this drama is how they're able to squeeze the entire 48 episode into a 24 hours period of time without making it feel dragging and purposedly slow paced. They did great in putting up each pieces into the puzzle one by one.

Although the Ending is totally unclear when it comes to how they end the war of throwns. You can still get a quick glimps of how it actually went through just with them showing the littlest act needed. Nonetheless it was satisfying and absolutely deserving of high praises.

Story - 10, Story can be kinda confusing at first (that's how it usually is watching Period Dramas) but it'll eventually show you how the story goes and will keep you on your seat the entire time. As I mentioned above, the story has the most unexpected twist, turns and tumbles that will surely blow everyones mind. Satisfactory level is 100.

Acting/Cast - 10, This drama is fully-loaded with such great actors. Everyone has performed beyond expectation and was able to highlight their characters in each scenes. The characters made me feel so much and was able to sway me till the last moments and that is only possible because of it's performing actors.

Music - 10, Honestly, IDK. I tend to skip the ending credits because of the excitement to watch the following episodes but the insert songs specially the sorrow sounding ones do provide the color and mood to the scenes. Still a perfect 10 since it never bothers me.

Rewatch Value - 10, This is such a masterpiece that I would recommend to anybody who love such genres of drama. A Great and Must watch!!

Overall - 10, Despite my negative feedback towards some characters, It won't hide the fact that the story is well written, with high budget, A+ acting and satisfying production and overall display. So I would never take away it's well deserved acknowledgement and praises.

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