4
KingC
A Deadly Game of Emotions.
It's strange that this drama didn't manage to capture me. While I immensely enjoyed the journey, I felt that there was something just "missing".
--- The plot, though popular as romance, has more than it seems. The political part of the drama was rushed, particularly at the beginning and I had to ask around to clear up some questions regarding that. (I try to skip palace politics and have watched only countable number of such shows.) I also had the drama on hold for two weeks, which might have affected the flow. But, I was able to sweep through the remaining few episodes and connected more to the characters. Majority of the plot, keeping aside the romance, revolves around power struggle between various states and princes. (I still don't know who Yang Shou was, even though I liked his character.) The leads themselves put their nation and family before everyone else.
--- In terms of acting, everyone delivered excellent performances. Ren Jia Lun was always a skilled actor for me, ever since I saw him in Under the Power and he lived upto my expectations as the Junior Prince of Nan Cheng. Shi Yi is one of the most convincing performances by Bai Lu, whose dramas have all unfortunately ended up in my dropped list due to various reasons. Even minor characters such as the four generals from the Western State; Li Zi Xing and Prince of Pingyin; were really memorable. (It was also a delight to see so many cast members from Under the Power together. Whenever Cui Feng payed respects to Zhou Shengcheng, I remembered Lu Yi and Xie Xiaoxiao from UTP bickering.)
--- The romance is one of the most impactful ones I've seen to date. Both Shiyi and Shifu knew what was going on even when neither of them openly acknowledged it. Their relationship was beautiful and painful to watch. No sweet words were exchanged, rather their subtle gestures and actions completely managed to melt the hearts of many viewers. I hope future CDramas can make more dramas with such relationships.
--- The costumes were really detailed. I loved everyone's outfits. One thing I felt odd was how tiny Taiji Palace looked, particularly when there were women dancing. It looked unexpectedly cramped. But, this doesn't look like a high budget project, but I can see that the production team did their best to make it look exquisite and beautiful.
--- The OST, unfortunately, completely went over my head. I noticed that two BGMs in particular were the same ones I had heard in Love and Redemption (2020).
I can say that it really is far better than a lot of short dramas I've seen from China and would recommend this to anyone looking for a short, beautiful drama with some good substance and characters. The trouble was, I just couldn't enjoy it as much as the others did.
--- The plot, though popular as romance, has more than it seems. The political part of the drama was rushed, particularly at the beginning and I had to ask around to clear up some questions regarding that. (I try to skip palace politics and have watched only countable number of such shows.) I also had the drama on hold for two weeks, which might have affected the flow. But, I was able to sweep through the remaining few episodes and connected more to the characters. Majority of the plot, keeping aside the romance, revolves around power struggle between various states and princes. (I still don't know who Yang Shou was, even though I liked his character.) The leads themselves put their nation and family before everyone else.
--- In terms of acting, everyone delivered excellent performances. Ren Jia Lun was always a skilled actor for me, ever since I saw him in Under the Power and he lived upto my expectations as the Junior Prince of Nan Cheng. Shi Yi is one of the most convincing performances by Bai Lu, whose dramas have all unfortunately ended up in my dropped list due to various reasons. Even minor characters such as the four generals from the Western State; Li Zi Xing and Prince of Pingyin; were really memorable. (It was also a delight to see so many cast members from Under the Power together. Whenever Cui Feng payed respects to Zhou Shengcheng, I remembered Lu Yi and Xie Xiaoxiao from UTP bickering.)
--- The romance is one of the most impactful ones I've seen to date. Both Shiyi and Shifu knew what was going on even when neither of them openly acknowledged it. Their relationship was beautiful and painful to watch. No sweet words were exchanged, rather their subtle gestures and actions completely managed to melt the hearts of many viewers. I hope future CDramas can make more dramas with such relationships.
--- The costumes were really detailed. I loved everyone's outfits. One thing I felt odd was how tiny Taiji Palace looked, particularly when there were women dancing. It looked unexpectedly cramped. But, this doesn't look like a high budget project, but I can see that the production team did their best to make it look exquisite and beautiful.
--- The OST, unfortunately, completely went over my head. I noticed that two BGMs in particular were the same ones I had heard in Love and Redemption (2020).
I can say that it really is far better than a lot of short dramas I've seen from China and would recommend this to anyone looking for a short, beautiful drama with some good substance and characters. The trouble was, I just couldn't enjoy it as much as the others did.
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