If you're not a fan of any of the actors in the drama, then it's probably not worthwhile to watch. I'm very sorry to say this, but the drama left me quite disappointed. Maybe, after having seen The King's Woman, my expectations were a little bit too high. The actors seemed interesting and the trailer looked neat, too, so I was really looking forward to watch it. Although it's an okay drama, it could have been so much better. (If you still want to watch it, then don't read further.)

Overall, it felt that the whole story was kind of stretched-out, some scenes were so empty and slow-paced, I even thought about skipping the drama. I had the impression that the producers struggled to find a clear storyline, the series was like a long debate what the story is about than actually something happening. Moreover, I think the production quality is rather inconsistent. For example, sometimes fighting scenes were top notch (e.g. Zhanfeng vs. Daowuxia), whereas other scenes looked like they wanted to do more than they were actually able to (e.g. the Chinese boxing scene between Zhanfeng and Liemingjing and especially the flying scenes).

Digging into the story, I don't really see the connection between Yinxue's story and the story around Liehuoshan. The only real connection is the character of Ruge. Ruge is some kind of a reincarnation of Yinxue's former love, but you hardly get any info about their past relationship. The circumstance that this reincarnation is exactly Anyeming's daughter who happens to grow up in Liehuoshan for protection seems to be rather random. Thus, I feel like these two storylines are somehow seperate and do not really go together in the drama. Another thing about the story which bothers me is the overly self-destructive and self-sacrificing attitude of Yinxue and Yuzihan. I think at some point it's not credible anymore and the characters become too predictable.

Getting to the characters, Ruge is the main girl who holds the whole story together. She is described as "lively and passionate", but I cannot really see this in the drama. To me, "lively" is not the same as being childishly overenthusiastic which I saw instead. In addition, I rather see the opposite of "passionate" - her expressions seem rather stiff and forced. The fire element doesn't suit her at all. Anyways, Ruge is supposed to undergo a change from a rather lighthearted girl to a strong woman, which I can see to some extent. Yet, it is not pronounced enough. She seems too dependent on Yinxue to actually get to that state of being strong on her own.

Yinxue is a character which I cannot understand at all. First, I cannot see how this character fits into the story except that he has the job of saving everyone (not without a purpose in his mind though). That he has no clear place in the story is supposed to make him mysterious, yet I have the impression that he is "just there" and rather annoying. Yinxue has his darker past behind him and is portrayed as a spiritually and culturally versed character. However, his behavior towards Ruge does not reflect that at all. Starting with Yinxue trying to make a move on her when she just dissolved her engagement with Zhanfeng, he is continuously nagging her to give in to his approaches. His behavior is often over the top - for example, him being pouty because Ruge treats him coldly in the context of Yuzihan almost dying which requires her full attention. Yinxue's rather selfish behavior is quite appalling. Especially him playfully asking for a kiss in exchange for men's lives - exactly, how much is a life worth?! Later, he makes her temporarily lose her memory through his powers, and by this almost got to marry her. Although the underlying reasoning is to protect her from painful memory and to help her recover, that undertaking leaves a rather unpleasant "aftertaste". But I'm even more shocked with Ruge's behavior, because no matter how he behaves, she either seems to be just ok with that or she endures everything obediently. Nothing from which Yinxue had suffered in the past justifies his behavior. In his equation, saving someone for the sake of Ruge means he deserves her love. But love cannot be "earned". Clearly, I cannot see anything sweet in that "love story". It even makes it worse that there is basically no chemistry between the actors at all - even the tacky ending cannot save this.

Yuzihan is probably the most likeable character in this drama. Despite everything he went through, he is not hateful and doesn't even want to become heir to the throne. In later episodes he gives up everything for Ruge and is not greedy for her love. Even a healthy body cannot corrupt him. Is he human at all? Still, his character has the most depth, and his expressions are on point. It's interesting to watch his character developing and see him making use of his cleverness.

Zhanfeng's character gives me the impression that there is something missing, like that the character is not really fleshed out. You can hardly understand why he believes the lie about the death of his parents "just like that". You can see him suffering, but you cannot emphatize with him. The lie about his parents is the basic foundation of the whole story, but it didn't seem to be treated with great care by the producers. Precisely, the way how he was tricked into believing this lie should have gotten more attention. What is missing is basically seeing the exact scene how he got tricked, him trying to make own investigations in which he learns about buried (fake) evidence and finding out other people's lies which slowly feeds into his distrust, something like that. Watching the series gave me the impression that he trusts other people too easily (by the way, how does Yilang know about this "top" secret?). What is even more annoying, is Zhanfeng saying nothing in so many scenes. Although this is intended, it clearly feels that the dialogue part is missing. Weirdly, when Liemingjing and even Ruge learn about Zhanfeng believing that lie, they do not try to talk with him about that. If you see a person close to you suffer that much, in Ruge's case they even dissolved their engagement because of that, why don't you address it? Why doesn't Liemingjing tell Zhanfeng the truth to protect Ruge together but instead just waits until everything is messed up (even if he didn't see the benefit or need to prepare him and work on a plan together, he should have done so at the latest when he learned about Zhanfeng's Anhegong martial art skills)? What if Anyeluo accidentially meets Ruge who looks exactly like her mother, then the whole "masterplan" would be in vain? Furthermore, I don't understand why Zhanfeng humiliates Ruge in the beginning, it feels that this behavior is not really necessary for the story, and it doesn't explain his later actions when he is actually trying to be nice to her. Nevertheless, with regard to the acting, Zhang Binbin's portrayal of emotions is the benchmark for any other actor in the drama.

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Enjoyable and light drama, yet too dominant office plot and near too perfect main characters

I came across this drama on Netflix and found it quite enjoyable to watch. Yet, it didn’t fully convince me or intrigue me with anything unparalleled, it was a rather smooth storyline so you could already expect where things will lead to.

Aspects which I liked:

For people who just started their career or are within the midst of it, there will be something in the drama you can relate to. Whether it’s obstacles in women’s careers, financial independency, pursuing a stable job vs a career path with more uncertainty or not knowing what you want in life, you can find all those topics in the drama. The main messages are also linked to this, as in Ziyan’s story: she got lost and forgot about what she truly wants but eventually gets back her self-esteem and path in life (“At our age, we should understand that not everyone can see the view at the top. What if we’re the ship that ran aground? Then we just rest until the next wave comes.”) Or Su Yang who believes you can only be happy and live life when you’re established, but then realizes that having the support of people you can trust actually makes you stronger and helps you to believe in yourself. Of course, there’s also the “pride from the achievements of your own honest hard work and growth” aspect. In the end, Ruoxin earns her spot at the top without playing dirty tactics and not ridiculing those losing their power. In addition, though related to societal norms, I liked the way the mothers analyze how they raised their children and what matters to them as mothers. The friendship between the mothers was a nice side benefit. And overall, I liked that the relationships between the main characters were supportive and sincere, everyone was pulling in the same direction. Also, all the couples were very likable.

Aspects I didn’t like:

I think the central character, Ruoxin, is lacking a bit human touch. Of course, she has some setbacks, but they are mainly related to bad luck, stress and office politics than something that can be traced back to her. Other than that, she always does a fantastic job, always has a diplomatic and sharp answer at hand, gives precise commands in a blink, and always has a solution to tackle things efficiently. I cannot count how many times she was praised as capable and outstanding in the series. Why does a strong female character need to be presented like an iron lady? I cannot help but compare her to the female lead in “Find yourself”, which I found way more believable. I think it’s only natural that you doubt yourself sometimes and that you don’t always know what’s right (at least from my understanding, perfectionist people doubt themselves the most). There will also be days when you can’t work that productively, a task you’re not good at, or a situation that renders you dumbfounded. In the end, Ruoxin learns how to open up a little, but other than that, she remains stiff, not only in terms of personality but also in her body language. And it’s not only her, Xu Minjie, Lisa and Qi Xiao are equally near too perfect characters. I get that Qi Xiao is determined, hard-working and reliable. But isn’t he like the perfect boyfriend – smart, handsome, always caring, always doing his utmost and succeeding in it, and always understanding how other people feel? He’s even that good at cooking and diversified in his recipes that he can make dishes reminding Ruoxin of her childhood. Well, it’s a drama series after all.

Another aspect I didn’t like was that the office plot was too dominant. I get that the main stage of the series is the office and that it’s about a career-driven woman. But watching the trailer didn’t give me the impression that it’s a series about office work on electric cars. I almost felt like I was working there. And is it really necessary to constantly work overtime and be available 24/7 for your boss to deserve to be called capable and hard-working? Apart from eating out and Ruoxin’s fascination about astronomy, what else have we learned about the private life of the main characters? I think that “Find yourself” was more multi-dimensional in this aspect and outlines the societal linkages of the characters in a more holistic way. And while the characters in “Find yourself” were going through understandable struggles of a relationship with an age gap (family, colleagues, neighbors etc), in “The Rational Life” you’re left with a happily ever after and never get to the point where they need to work on their relationship (it only gives a glimpse when Qi Xiao prepares for the design contest). Moreover, the kissing scenes in “The Rational Life” felt unnatural – a little bit more passion wouldn’t have hurt the drama. And finally, something which I normally wouldn’t bother to point out, but I found it funny that they were emphasizing so much the environmental aspect of their electric cars, while neglecting that the product life cycle of electric cars isn’t 100% clean (and it depends on the energy source) plus they were always carrying around plastic bags and take away in plastic packaging.

All in all, the series is sweet and enjoyable, maybe it even motivates you to work harder for your career since it was almost like an advertisement for hard work, but other than that, there’s not more to it.

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Gosh, this is an intense and nerve-wracking drama – but worth it. It is exciting, maybe even restless, from the beginning to the end. The drama captivates you with intriguing characters, incredible acting performance and stunning cinematography. Yes, it is heavy, so you need to know for yourself if you’re ready for this blow of emotions.

The title already sets the tone for this story – a war of different beliefs of the meaning what is “my country”. Two childhood friends – willingly or unwillingly – are caught in the middle of it. Although the fight about the throne is somewhat prevalent, the story centers on the childhood friends and their different paths. It is set right from the start that they will eventually face each other as adversaries. You’ll find yourself anxiously awaiting whether these two will reconcile at some stage. It’s nice that the story overall follows a continuous path forward, without too many dragging side stories or unnecessary events. Yet, the leaps of time in the latter part of the drama came rather abrupt for me – it made me wonder what the main characters were doing all this time (especially Hwi and Hee-jae seemed further apart). On another note, it is interesting that they revived some scenes, for example Seon-ho waiting for Bang-won in the palace, and conversely Bang-won waiting for Seon-ho at a later point in time (“Is this a coincidence?” – “No, I was waiting for you.”). This gives an opportunity to reflect upon the course of events and how the characters have changed so far.

Regarding the ending: I kind of expected Hwi and Seon-ho to die at the end but I didn’t like the decisions leading to their deaths. Hwi has experienced it multiple times – his father killed himself honorably and yet his children were treated like they weren’t legitimate, Nam Jeon promised that Yeon would be safe if Hwi killed himself but he still gave the order to kill Yeon. Now, when it is evident that Bang-won has just broken his promise to Hwi because he sent his men after them, why try to seek out Bang-won which is your sure death, only to make a new promise with an uncertain outcome? After everything that has happened, is being at the mercy of those in power the lesson learned? Why not retreat and make a move out of strength later on, rather than a move out of desperation? I can understand that the writers wanted to bring it to an end and present us the grand finale. Hwi and Seon-ho die a martyr’s death and Bang-won is lonely and remorseful (though this remorse will probably fade away after some time). Surely, Bang-won manages to keep the final promise, otherwise the story wouldn’t be able to justify Hwi and Seon-ho’s death.
On the positive side, Hwi and Seon-ho don't die as enemies. Eventually, they are able to find each other and re-establish their friendship. I like the message Seon-ho gives in his final hour: that he was too greedy to change his status and the world around him that he harmed and neglected what was really important to him. Also, Hwi realizes that he was so blinded by revenge and drawn into Bang-wons struggle for power that he overlooked that his friend was alone in his darkest hours. Their friendship is the most precious relationship in the drama. Sadly, their reunion only lasts for a short time, I hoped that we could see a few more moments in which they would talk about everything that has happened, their feelings and thoughts. As this series is one huge bloodbath and political battleground, the human aspect would always come a bit short.

Regarding the characters, most of them are unique and have their own story to tell. I particularly like the ambiguous characters because they are the most interesting ones (especially Seon-ho and Bang-won). Depending on the perspective from which you look, the enemy will change, which makes the story multilayered. The boundaries between good and evil are generally blurred, only Nam Jeon appears as a clear evildoer because he has no bad conscience at all. He is the most difficult opponent because he is the father of one of the core characters, Seon-ho. Hence, Seon-ho can’t help but have mixed feelings about him (until Yeon dies), he hates his actions but it also feels good to get recognition from him and be accepted as his son.

Hwi is the clear hero of the story - he is caring, loyal, sincere and righteous. He suffers from injustice and has to endure the worst. From mere survival to avenging his sister and fighting for the “country of the abandoned”, he has come a long way. At some point, rage was eating away at him so that he would become emotionally numb, only Nam Jeon’s death could serve as salvation. Although he realized that he is only a tool for Bang-won, he still trusted him. This rendered a situation in which he and his friend had to die. Although it’s a good thing to have faith in people, it was still somewhat foolish, considering what he had to experience. Not sure what to finally think of him, seems like he is one of those too-good-for-this-world characters after all. Acting-wise, Hwi is played with devotion, you can feel his pain and desperation as well as his enormous willpower. Yang Se-jong portrays Hwi very naturally and with ease. His chemistry with Woo Do-hwan is undeniable – Hwi and Seon-ho’s bond always seems strong, whether they are together or apart.

Seon-ho is sharp-witted, determined and audacious. Similar to Hwi, he has to carry a heavy emotional burden at young age (his mother’s and half-brother’s death and not being officially accepted into the family). He is ambitious and wants to grow his power to change his status and that of others suffering from the same discrimination of being a love child. When Seong-gye receives the information that his father Nam Jeon bribed the examiner, Seon-ho has to make a decision: Turning your back on your family and the prospects that come with it or turning your back on your friend. Due to his aspiration, he chooses to become complicit in his father’s crimes and sends Hwi off to military service. After Hwi’s return, even though Seon-ho wants to protect Hwi and his sister, he still makes use of them for his own purposes. Yeon’s death is a major turning point which irreparably damages his relationship to his father. It’s also an incident from which he cannot recover as it destroyed the only pure thing in his life. Being left alone in his crisis, he becomes even more cold and ruthless in his actions. He comes to understand the selfishness of those who have power and that to them, others are just pawns who can be used and readily discarded (his father serves as the best example). With his father’s death, his world is shattered into pieces, with nothing left but self-doubt and resignation. Due to the humiliation by Bang-won, Seon-ho prepares for a desperate last battle. When Hwi reaches out to him and includes him into his world, he is willing to follow Hwi wherever it will lead him, even death. Although he has always felt that his place is alongside Hwi and Yeon, he has suppressed it the whole time. He has finally come to this realization and is able to change his path. Sun-ho is probably the most tragic character who also undergoes the largest character development. Woo Do-hwan is amazing in portraying this torn and lonesome character. This is truly a role in which he can shine. No matter what kind of emotion and its gradation – subtle or pronounced – he nails it all. Moreover, he is able to show off a dark vibe that captivates the viewer.

Hee-jae is an intelligent and courageous girl who shares a similar sense of righteousness like Hwi. However, her actions don’t always seem so intelligent, most strikingly is her letter in the second episode which leads to the informational leak of Nam Jeon’s bribe and eventually to a disastrous outcome. Furthermore, she tells the queen that Ihwaru doesn’t take sides but she readily sides with Bang-won to pursue her personal revenge goals. Although she marks those actions as “in private”, it still affects those working at Ihwaru. It seems that she actually wasn’t ready for the responsibility given to her. Her desire for revenge also makes the story appear bloodier than is good, I think it would have been better if she acted as a counterpole (probably the writers wanted to make her look “strong”). Maybe because of this pervasive thirst for revenge, the relationship between her and Hwi seems rather like a military alliance than a love relationship. Both of them would follow their own goals and occasionally help each other. Due to a connection that leads to the past (Hwi’s father protecting her of assassins), Hee-jae is convinced right from the start that Hwi is the love of her life (the love triangle dies early, but at least they didn’t make Sun-ho pursue her unreasonably). Yet, I felt that there wasn’t a large enough emotional foundation for that and even in the course of the series I couldn’t really see this relationship growing. Compared to Yeon and Seon-ho’s relationship with Hwi, her relationship with him was rather weak. In the end, her character could only watch from the sidelines as she wasn’t able to attain the influence she maybe wanted to have both in politics and in her relationship to Hwi. Regarding the acting, I think it was adequate given the limitations of her role.

Bang-won’s character is strong-minded, ambitious and wary, and he has his principles he abides to. Similar to Seon-ho, he has an ambivalent relationship with his father. His father uses him to kill his opponents and pave the way to the crown, yet his father doesn’t acknowledge his efforts and reward him the way he thinks he deserves. Instead, his father brushes him off and treats him as one of his subjects who have to serve him contently. Slowly, Bang-won comes to the bitter realization that he is not only unable to attain the fatherly affection he longs for but that he is also not part of his father’s vision of the future kingdom. Driven by political survival and his aspiration to gain his “rightful place”, he decides to go against the king and his allies. Due to his vision of the “country of the abandoned” and his sympathetic manner, he is able to win Hwi over to his side and puts him under his protection. When he realizes that he cannot fully control Hwi, he is willing to discard and even kill him. In the end, he proves to be ruthless and to fight solely for his own ambition to become king. It didn’t surprise me that he was responsible for Hwi's father's death (even though he might have been a bit too young at that time to scheme it?) as he was a potential adversary of his father, yet it did surprise me that he didn’t trust Hwi anymore and readily abandoned him despite what was connecting them. Jang Hyuk does a brilliant job in portraying Bang-won. He displays Bang-won’s merciless and playful sides extremely well and his charisma makes you root for him in the drama.

Regarding the cinematography, it is stunning and you can see the effort put into it. From the happy moments to the desperation of war, everything was shot very well. Surely, the amount of blood being spilt and the fast recovery from stabbing wounds was kind of unrealistic, but you’re willing to accept it for drama purposes. The music was ok and generally suited the drama well. Interestingly, one song is in German, its melody is very sad but the words sound so weird that it is irritating (even though I’m German myself I had to look up the lyrics to understand what she was singing).

That was one long review, but sometimes you need to write it down to be able to process it ;)

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