Part 1:
This "2 part" drama, I'm going to review separately on here because I feel part 1 is different from part 2. Watching it solely for Wu Lei as he's one of the people I follow. I love him in these commander roles plus the man can have chemistry with a pet rock at only 22 years old. I never read the source material so I'm sure many of the novel readers will disagree with me and that's ok.
Pros: LBY played by WL never disappointed when he hit the screen for the very short amount of time he was in this part. Not only was he lethal and ruthless but he also knew who he wanted from nearly the first episode and was just bidding his time for the sake of the familial politics working around him. He however was also not without flaws and that showed a lot at the end of part 1. CSS/NN played by ZLS was always on her game though also a flawed character. I really appreciated how smart she was without the need of traditional learning. With so many odds against her, she still not only managed to survive but make something of herself.
Other favorite characters included NN's brothers, third uncle and aunt, LBY's guards, Yang Yang, QiQi, emperor and empress. All were very helpful and caring where most of NN's family fell short. Ah Yao was alright but just a sweet kid and I'm glad he was maneuvered accordingly out of her life. Music, costumes, scenery, and that part of production was quite beautiful and I enjoyed that very much. Also the comedic elements helped move many of the slower scenes along.
Cons: This part of the story was slow; like snail paced slow to the point where it was very draggy. I ffw a lot of NN's family drama in the beginning episodes because it was legit yawnsville. I get that they were trying to show how hard she had it and all but it was just too much. The only bright spots were when LBY came into the picture or she traveled to Hua County. Otherwise, it was all very similar and lackluster.
Really poor characters were all the Princesses especially princess seaweed who's whining made you ears hurt. All they did was bully NN and with the same old tired crap, like ladies can y'all sing a different tune? You're all boring. Mommy dearest took the cake and the award for worst mother of the year and I couldn't deal with her; dear lord what a horrible woman. I'd say she was the main antagonist of part one. Dad was ok but essentially had no spine. YS aka chicken feather duster dude didn't need any scenes. He is a contender for NN's heart but each of his scenes were just of him being an idiot to the woman he liked.
Just a lot of unnecessary tropes and cliches, in this first one. I know all of the meat and potatoes will be in the second one but I do wish that the first part had an even backstory on the ML not just a rinse and repeat of FL's crappy home life dynamic, it would have helped a lot with what's coming and made the first portion more even keeled.
Would I recommend it? It's beautiful and if you're a fan of any of the leads or support and are ok with a really slow start, then sure, I would. Because I'm looking forward to part 2 and what it has to deliver.
Part 2:
Pros: This is an entire planet above part 1. It's like watching a different drama with the same characters and theme. WL really showed his acting skills in this part be they for being so on point with each battle to the gut wrenching emotions. Absolutely extraordinary given he's only 22 years old; if this and TLB were his first foray into serious acting as an adult as opposed to just a child star, he's making tremendous strides in a wonderful direction. Literally the sky is the only limit for this young man.
He was able to play a highly complicated character with only revenge on his mind for a whole decade, everyone who crosses him or harms those he loves be damned. Then he falls in love and plans to wed but that vengeance is never far behind. Every step he takes before and after what I call the "red wedding" scene, is either calculated to the inch or completely muddled when it comes to NN. He owed her a lot, but he paid for it, and the reconciliation was priceless as well as funny.
ZLS who is known more for her comedy roles which was also well executed here, was able to play a tunnel visioned confused girl with how she grew up and only relying on herself even when that proves to be harmful time and time again until she realizes she's got to put more thought into the consequences of her actions not just the revenge; who has to have her heart shattered in order to mature and she played the role very convincingly.
Other favorite characters were the Empress (until her last breath, she was the mother to NN, her own mother forgot to be), Emperor, Consort Yue, NN's brothers, cousin, Qiqi, HBY's sidekicks (and the rest of the elite Black Armed Guards), the eunuch, 3rd and the original crown prince (though he was a wuss), there were a few others whose names I've forgotten but they were on the side of justice.
Costumes, OSTs, sets, and production in general were all gorgeous. Comedy was absolutely well placed and the Emperor being the biggest shipper of our leads along with the Eunach was always absolutely hysterical. Even the most serious scenes were sprinkled with the proper humor and it made things easier and better to watch. Quite a lot of very comedic scenes which were much needed; especially anytime Consort Yue entered the room and read it to filth; woman deserves a standing ovation!
Love, love, love, love all of HBY's battle scenes, wish we had more of that final battle with Tian Shuo or whatever his name was (also wish they had explained how he ended up being the last villain in the first place; he was just chucked in there to round out the batch, I guess); that seemed rather rushed and lackluster with a lot of talking and declarations in contrast to all of his previous ones which were just spectacular. HBY was an absolute machine and I loved every moment of it.
The leads chemistry was awesome; though FL had three men pining after her and she got engaged or semi engaged to all 3, only with our Superman HBY (shoot him, stab him, harpoon him, throw him off a cliff, or blow him up, he'll return in one piece still, looking fierce and immortal almost lol) was the chemistry palpable from nearly the beginning. Was it the most hot and heavy from all the costume c-dramas I've watched? No. But it was enough that you knew, no matter what, once they acknowledged their love for each other, even with the revenge and abandonment, it wasn't going to be over for them. Not by a long shot.
Cons: Took way too long on the constant bullying of NN. Too many princesses, too much time. That should have all been nipped in the bud a lot faster. I felt like way too many episodes were wasted on that. People claim many were critical of NN, but we were only watching the truth; she was a bit too self-absorbed many times and blamed LBY/HBY for stuff he had no control over and couldn't stop and sometimes she didn't even bother telling him like the river snake incident; often felt she took one step forward and two back. But spending the five years heartbroken and apart, actually matured her properly finally.
What happened in the last few episodes where mommy dearest and Jabba da hut aka grandmother all of a sudden had a change in conscience and became good? They spent most of the series hating on NN or severely punishing her both physically and psychologically and then out of nowhere in a fraction of one episode they were doting on her and to be completely honest, it was like a creepy whiplash. Mommy dearest even whined that she had no idea how to raise a lady which was a total copout because when they returned from the battlefield, NN was still a teen and could have been doted on instead of ignored and the cousin chosen because she was meek and feeble. The inconsistency was beyond staggering. Even chicken feather duster dude was all mellow after he was more or less a bully to NN the entire series (his version of showing he liked her; total moron); but his mellowing out was thankfully a lot more subtle then the other two which made me cringe. Points came off for that.
And what in the heck was that last episode? Ok, HBY and NN hit two different fronts to protect and save, got it! They trust each other totally and completely finally, awesome! But her parents and entire family save jabba da hut riding in from out of the blue made me pause the drama to double check I wasn't watching something else. It was the most twilight zone-ish experience of the entire thing. How did they know? Did NN send a letter or a pigeon before leaving Hua county? I doubt it because she looked stunned to see them as the rest of us were. And why bring family with no fighting experience like the cousin and her husband? Plus she's giving her parents and the rest of them orders on what to do, even though her dad is a general? Like make it make sense please, except it doesn't. Very disappointing after so much great material.
I wish HBY and NN got more time alone to really talk and a wedding would have been nice. But we can take what we can get, I suppose. If it weren't for the very obvious flaws, this drama would have gotten a higher rating. I do hope people in the comments are correct that the director is editing for more cohesion, because a lot is needed here and it's lacking.
Would I recommend it? I absolutely would. Part 1 can be browsed as it's really a one track style, but all the goodies lay here in part 2. This is maybe my second or third costume/Republican drama getting a 9 or 9.5 this year and it certainly earns it. So definitely check it out; you'll laugh, cry, be unhappy, and root for all of the good characters as they go through life.
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