TheTallGirl
Surprising Gem
Story
I have seen a number of ‘rebirth’ stories but this one is the most compelling and realistic of this genre IMO. In addition to the effort to inject realism the story creates a surprisingly human and well acted female lead. Although she does fall into the ‘bodhisattva’ category in her determination to seek justice for others she is not insufferable nor is she overly calculating to the point that one thinks ‘well of course she is going to win’. Her enemies are for the most part fair matches but for different reasons: some are physically strong, some are greedy, others are extremely selfish and bitter.
The male lead is well acted and supports the female lead, respecting her intelligence as their love blossoms slowly.
The story itself is not super unique but its execution is what I think makes it a great show: the good acting, attention to detail, effects, and chemistry with characters.
What I liked the most:
While some of the villains were a little flat I extremely liked the effort put into creating some of the more realistic villains for a costume drama. Princes Wanning especially had a very interesting backstory that is slowly revealed over the course of the show. Several characters are foils for other characters and showcase one of the major themes of the drama which is we are all responsible for our choices in spite of the hardships faced. Sometimes people are strong enough to make better choices and sometimes others are so scarred by what happened to them that they become terrible people and can never get away from the trauma.
Final thoughts:
Any person who researches China will understand that their media industry places several requirements on content creators that emphasizes morality, serving the nation, and evil doers never winning. That being said, I think the creators of this show did a great job of working around these rules. I have no clue if the version I watched in America is the same version that aired in China but the version I saw in America was pretty solid.
I did not give the show a perfect 10 because it isn’t the kind of show I would likely rewatch.
I have seen a number of ‘rebirth’ stories but this one is the most compelling and realistic of this genre IMO. In addition to the effort to inject realism the story creates a surprisingly human and well acted female lead. Although she does fall into the ‘bodhisattva’ category in her determination to seek justice for others she is not insufferable nor is she overly calculating to the point that one thinks ‘well of course she is going to win’. Her enemies are for the most part fair matches but for different reasons: some are physically strong, some are greedy, others are extremely selfish and bitter.
The male lead is well acted and supports the female lead, respecting her intelligence as their love blossoms slowly.
The story itself is not super unique but its execution is what I think makes it a great show: the good acting, attention to detail, effects, and chemistry with characters.
What I liked the most:
While some of the villains were a little flat I extremely liked the effort put into creating some of the more realistic villains for a costume drama. Princes Wanning especially had a very interesting backstory that is slowly revealed over the course of the show. Several characters are foils for other characters and showcase one of the major themes of the drama which is we are all responsible for our choices in spite of the hardships faced. Sometimes people are strong enough to make better choices and sometimes others are so scarred by what happened to them that they become terrible people and can never get away from the trauma.
Final thoughts:
Any person who researches China will understand that their media industry places several requirements on content creators that emphasizes morality, serving the nation, and evil doers never winning. That being said, I think the creators of this show did a great job of working around these rules. I have no clue if the version I watched in America is the same version that aired in China but the version I saw in America was pretty solid.
I did not give the show a perfect 10 because it isn’t the kind of show I would likely rewatch.
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