TangYan
This review may contain spoilers
Justice, Revenge, and Lasting Friendships
A well planned and executed scheme to shed light on past injustices.
Watch this for the well written script, seasoned acting, and virtuous friendships.
1. Story
Certainly a drama where watching a second time would make things more clear. I admit the first 10 episodes were slightly dull to me being that it is more heavily on script than others. Though the story actually builds momentum gradually throughout and never slips until the ending, which is how dramas should be.
Its definitely not everyone's cup of tea but besides the exceptional leads and supporting cast, it also had some of the best war scenes without too much CGI used I have ever seen.
2. Characters
Mei Chang Su's chemistry with all of the cast was outstanding but the obvious is with Prince Jing. They shared an authentic connection and engaged viewers through their relationship.
Princess Ni Huang (Tamia Liu) also had fantastic chemistry with Hu Ge but it wasn't the main focal point, though I wish somehow they would have allowed more moments between them cause the chemistry could have rivaled other romantic dramas.
There were many supporting characters to like in this drama so its too much to list them all, however there were a few intriguing characters that maybe you could have sympathized with.
(1) The Emperor -- towards the end where Xiao Shu entered the palace to plead the Emperor to re-investigate the case, they shared a moment which I thought was very interesting. Their relationship seems to be complicated.
(2) Prince Yu -- once you learned about his story then its entirely appropriate to sympathize with him. He was another actor who played his role perfectly.
(3) Xia Jiang -- one of the main culprits in this drama yet you could find reasons to sympathize with him. The scene when his Son was revealed to him as still alive was very touching.
3. Romance
More friendship than romance but again, if this story had been a romantic drama between Xiao Shu and Princess Mu Ni Huang, then no question their chemistry would have been off the charts.
4. Costume / Music
An exceptionally moving soundtrack yet was only sparingly played throughout. Its one of those times where I felt the soundtrack actually did not play enough but when it did, it made an impact. Costume and wardrobes were average, the drama had an old feeling about it, also not to mention this drama is very hard to find to watch in HD.
Soundtrack -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4US7gLYPEJk&list=PLA-Ut9mBTLeIM4dJIeSvpT5m6sbaUHm5X
5. Ending
Very tragic ending though lightened by the directors by not directly showing the tragedy, it was a fairly quick wrap up. Perhaps they felt it was unnecessary to extend such a sad moment.
However, one thing that lacked was the explanation or showing of what happened to the other supporting casts. Though the story was based on Mei Chang Su, I was very curious about the other characters and how they ended up.
A drama that deserves a re-watch to fully grasp indeed for some.
Watch this for the well written script, seasoned acting, and virtuous friendships.
1. Story
Certainly a drama where watching a second time would make things more clear. I admit the first 10 episodes were slightly dull to me being that it is more heavily on script than others. Though the story actually builds momentum gradually throughout and never slips until the ending, which is how dramas should be.
Its definitely not everyone's cup of tea but besides the exceptional leads and supporting cast, it also had some of the best war scenes without too much CGI used I have ever seen.
2. Characters
Mei Chang Su's chemistry with all of the cast was outstanding but the obvious is with Prince Jing. They shared an authentic connection and engaged viewers through their relationship.
Princess Ni Huang (Tamia Liu) also had fantastic chemistry with Hu Ge but it wasn't the main focal point, though I wish somehow they would have allowed more moments between them cause the chemistry could have rivaled other romantic dramas.
There were many supporting characters to like in this drama so its too much to list them all, however there were a few intriguing characters that maybe you could have sympathized with.
(1) The Emperor -- towards the end where Xiao Shu entered the palace to plead the Emperor to re-investigate the case, they shared a moment which I thought was very interesting. Their relationship seems to be complicated.
(2) Prince Yu -- once you learned about his story then its entirely appropriate to sympathize with him. He was another actor who played his role perfectly.
(3) Xia Jiang -- one of the main culprits in this drama yet you could find reasons to sympathize with him. The scene when his Son was revealed to him as still alive was very touching.
3. Romance
More friendship than romance but again, if this story had been a romantic drama between Xiao Shu and Princess Mu Ni Huang, then no question their chemistry would have been off the charts.
4. Costume / Music
An exceptionally moving soundtrack yet was only sparingly played throughout. Its one of those times where I felt the soundtrack actually did not play enough but when it did, it made an impact. Costume and wardrobes were average, the drama had an old feeling about it, also not to mention this drama is very hard to find to watch in HD.
Soundtrack -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4US7gLYPEJk&list=PLA-Ut9mBTLeIM4dJIeSvpT5m6sbaUHm5X
5. Ending
Very tragic ending though lightened by the directors by not directly showing the tragedy, it was a fairly quick wrap up. Perhaps they felt it was unnecessary to extend such a sad moment.
However, one thing that lacked was the explanation or showing of what happened to the other supporting casts. Though the story was based on Mei Chang Su, I was very curious about the other characters and how they ended up.
A drama that deserves a re-watch to fully grasp indeed for some.
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