I quite enjoyed this show. A typical Chinese-drama story line, the main couple Wan Mei and Chang An gradually fall in love only to face several tragic obstacles to their relationship.

In my opinion, the two leads acted very well. There were no kiss scenes in the show, but it was at the level of chemistry where you could tell they loved each other simply from the looks and occasional hugs they shared with one another. I am also very picky with background music, but Bloody Romance really nailed it - Especially with tragic/heart-wrenching scenes. The music really drives up the sad factor, loved it!

I didn't read the novel so I can't comment on what's different, but from the perspective of someone who's watched only the drama, my main gripe is that while the story started off great, it felt a little rushed and slightly unbelievable towards the end. It also felt as if the relationship of the main couple wasn't happy for that long. In fact, they suffered from misunderstandings more often than not. It got to a point where I was just sick and tired of the continuous tension in their relationship (I was also sick and tired of crying..... my heart hurt so bad seeing them suffer). But nonetheless, the romantic tension is so strong in some scenes you can almost taste it.

Ultimately.. this is not the drama you wanna watch for a fluffy and lighthearted romance. But if you're in a masochistic, ugh-pls-just-let-them-be-happy kinda mood with a craving for good acting, you've come to the right place. I would definitely rewatch this drama, if only to see the main couple together again!

P.S. The male lead actor Qu Chu Xiao gets hotter the more you see him *squeal*