Unchained Love (2022)

Cruel and sadistic at times but a great watch for lovers of forbidden romance . . .

A thrilling story of two people following their hearts in a dangerous, toxic imperial palace. The first episodes are violent, overacted and aesthetically ugly, but these issues mostly resolve and settle in.
The plot is unique, you are dropped right into the middle of the conflict and the characters have to fight hard for control over their fates. The ultimate strength of the drama is both people in the romance are skilled and strategic, personable, and have great chemistry.

Dylan Wang from Love between Fairy and Devil continues excellence at conveying menacing, brooding protectiveness. He also succeeds this time in softening and adding some humor and teasing. Chen Yu Qi excels at moving between humor and pranks, to righteous anger, to deep sadness. I was really cheering for them to overcome the odds.

The music is fairly one note, and some of the romance scenes may be worth a rewatch.

I grade on other criteria as well:

Complex Themes: 8.5
Obsession and jealousy are soul destroying - healthy love is completely different. Holding firm to simple principles avoids corruption. Fighting for what you want leads to less regret. Being unafraid of death provides courage and a life with dignity.

Complex Characters/Growth: 7.0
The emperor is a simplistic fool who lets his irrational fantasies and desires run wild. While not a complex characterisation the character is welcome: more dramas should explore obsession v. care and love. Similarly, I liked how the main characters leaned in to stereotypes and tropes to deceive and trick their way to freedom. It was a refreshing take on what is considered a moral and dignified way of life when you have no power and it worked for me: what is crying, faking illness, lying etc. compared to protecting the people you love?

Complex Women/Interactions Between Women: 7.5
Chen Yu Qi is complex: while she desires a simple and carefree life, she is fully capable of initiating her own strategies and power plays. She is making a conscious, active choice to not lead a life full of power struggle - not because she couldn't hack it, but because it's not what she wants. Besides her though, the other women characters are simple and mostly discuss the male characters.

Cinematography/Production Values: 7.5
On one hand, the fight scenes are well done, and there are a few cinematic moments. On the other hand, it really is shot like a drama from 5 - 10 years ago.

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Go in with no expectations

I have been waiting for this drama forever. So, when IQIYI announced that it was to be released on 27th December 2022 I was euphoric. Special mention to all the trailers, they were just amazing.

It is the story of Xiao Duo a eunuch who works for the emperor and Bu Yin Luo the concubine whom the emperor loves. Their relationship is forbidden (Hence the name), so the problems they discover form the story.

Characters:

Xiao Duo played by Dylan Wang. I must say that I expected a lot after LBFaD but he was not up to the mark. Mostly he did a fair job, but he fails to show emotions through certain scenes. Especially some emotional scenes between Yukee and him. The lack of chemistry between him and Yukee was showing through. He looks amazing as always with the beautiful and intricate wardrobe, especially the Black ones. Dylan has few but some excellent fight scenes, which I absolutely love. Also, his general controlling, stern and clever attitude is noteworthy.

Bu Yin Luo played by Yukee Chen. Yukee Chen was not bad but one could not help but see a lot of recycled actions across different emotions. She is wide-eyed in several scenes which feels out of place. Most emotional scenes could not be related to. She not only lacks chemistry with Xiao Duo but also with Li Ping Ru and Tong Yun. There is a lack of build-up between her and Li Ping Ru, which makes the emotional scenes just so-so. At times one cannot help but question if she has any feelings for Xiao Duo or if she is okay with spending time holding hands with Fu Wang. She also has a good wardrobe.

Murong Gao Gong/Fu Wang played by Peter Ho. He does a good job of a know-nothing, want-nothing prince who by chance became an emperor. His love for Yin Luo is blind and selfish. The character build-up is fair.

So Far:
If you have time and want to binge-watch a costume drama or miss Dylan after LBFaD you can watch it. The drama is one-time watchable with some amazing shots and beautiful costumes. It lacks some character build-ups, story build-ups and lead pair chemistry. The first few episodes lack the charm but as you go on the story does become quite interesting. If you can bear with the problems do give it a try.

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Don't have high expectations

This was what I've told myself several times when I watched this drama. Now, I know my limit, that is don't watch forbidden love type of story because I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop the entire time. I actually stopped watching after 29th ep and proceeded to read the remainders episodes' spoilers so I kind of finish it but not really. I definitely will try to watch this drama till the end.

ML, Xiao Duo was intimidating, ruthless and clever head chief of eunuch in Zhaoding Bureau/Sect. He was definitely good at finding solution for difficult situations.

FL, Bu Yinluo, the Consort Duan, was playful, smart and ruthless when the time needed her to be. I definitely admired her brazen behaviour when she slapped the Empress(the villainess) back and hold her as a hostage. Like I need to see more of that move from Female Lead.

I definitely agree when PeachBlossom's review mentioned how they flaunted their affair with recklessness.

Now let me gush about the ML's outfits. Definitely love love how he looks so royally and the person with authority better than the emperor. I love this one outfit of him, there were gold patterns on his shoulders and on the skirts beneath the see-through first layer of the skirt. Idk why but most of the time, his eyes looks like it was so natural for him to have his eyes lined with black eyeliners. Looks more edgy and dangerous.

I am really rooting for Princess Hede and Prince Liangxu's love. Cao Chung'an and Tongyun too.

I cannot believe that I hv to put this drama on hold bcs I'm afraid to watch it till the end. This review is not finished yet, will come back, conclude it once and for all.

- 29122023

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It's great so far!

Many people rate everything Dylan Wang does as a 10. While I'm loving the story line the FL should have been someone else. Her acting is sub par for me. Dylan actually keeps the show interesting. I'm no Dylan groupie but I actually think his acting in this drama is excellent. The king...Man what a change from how he was in the beginning. Power really did go to his head. That stupid eunuch is the one that made him that way imo. It was clear the FL never loved the king but that bloody eunuch had to make it seem like she was infatuated with the king. I'm nervous how he will react when he finds out his love is with chief Xiao ?. He's so hot headed lately it is going to be a disaster!

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NO CHEMISTRY

Probably, I am against the popular opinion here. The MLs didn't have chemistry together, no intertwine background story to get them relate to each other, supposedly has comedy element which none shown. By a chance they met and together, YuQi as her usual acting didn't deliver her best skill.....annoying and uninteresting. She's been in the business for a while, big eyes and smooth skin beautifully, but she's an average actress no matter who she's with.
Beautiful setting and costumes, natural make up.

The Story
Very different and interesting... a promising line of story. The drama is based on the novel of the same name by You Si Jie, which tells the story of Xiao Duo, the leader of the powerful Zhao Ding Division, and Bu Yin Lou, a concubine of the previous emperor, who bravely defy fate and feudal rituals, and support each other through life and death to win their freedom. By the death of Emperor, there're selected childless concubines that has to serve accompany death Emperor to nether world, Bu YinLou was one of them although she's never met the Emperor and tried to get herself out of situation. Murong Gao Gong, a lowly surviving prince loved her and asked Xiao Dua a favor to save her for such terrible fate, he did with demand a favor in return.

Dylan Wang (Xiao Duo)
Xiao Duo's twin brother was killed by Yu Wen Liang Shi when he entered the palace for a livelihood. Although Xiao Duo had risked to try to assassinate, but ended up in failure, and finally had to take a risky move to infiltrate the palace in place of his brother, all the way to promotion, in order to have the opportunity to avenge his family. When he agreed to help Bu YinLou, he had his own agenda for personal vantage against people who killed his brother. Dylan Wang was melancholic when he's alone, powerful at work, confuse about his own feeling, available for YinLou. Up to ep 8 nothing but boring scenes about feeling, actually...... no action worth mentioned.

Chen YuQi/Bu Yin Lou
Bu Yin Lou has lived a miserable life since she was a child, and later entered the palace in place of her sister, but she has never even seen the emperor. Bu Yin Lou was not originally forced to the extreme, her father was a high official in the court, but her mother, in order to make the family get a reward, even by offering bribes, to make Bu Yin Lou go to death smoothly. To sacrifice one person in exchange for the promotion of other officials in the family. As a character, although very observant, she's naive and annoying, love to play card and no other activity to show her worthiness.

Zeng Li/Empress Rong An
If she played super strict mean mother in LLtG, here she played a cougar cruel Empress which none were likable characters. Don't like her acting here though; she chopped dialog (per syllable), with oversize robe/gown she looked shorter - dragged down by her costume and hairdo, as a cougar she's interested sexually in Xiao Duo (older woman initiating physical love is gross) so I don't think she'll win any award for her part here.

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Better than I expected but still not great

This series is very divisive: people love it or hate it/couldn't even get through it. After watching it I can see exactly why. If it was entirely bad or mid, that's one thing, but there is so much potential and there are genuinely good aspects that kept me hanging on. Each time I wanted to drop it for one of the negatives, there was still enough positives that I was intrigued enough to watch a little more, then a little more.

Negatives:
-Cut scenes not only took out some of the kissy-face stuff we craved but it also made the story hard to follow at times or just made moments we were really looking forward to fall flat (like a key scene we've been waiting for so long to see got cut and only part of it is shown via a freaking FLASHBACK). The ending sucked, thank goodness they gave us the extra episode (that was actually filmed and not just a voiceover reusing old scenes!)
-Tonal shifts felt like whiplash. They may have been able to spin it as a dark comedy but the comedic parts were too slapstick and the dark parts were really too brutal.
-Yukee Chen's acting was better than I expected but still needs work. You can read other reviews, I won't dogpile on her.

Positives:
-The story was actually quite intriguing; not just the premise but enough of the story through the whole series has just enough interesting aspects that as I said above, kept me curious and wanting to see it through, despite the negatives. I wish someday we could see the whole thing uncut.
-The FL is not stupid and the couple trust each other. Obviously the plot needed there to be a few times where ML rushes to her aid but that's mainly early on when he doesn't realize she's capable of handling herself. As things go on they trust each other; there's even one time when she's captured as a trap for him but he doesn't go rescue her, assuring his aide that she can figure out the situation herself. There's other times when he had to act out but she trusted him to not hurt her. Other than one instance of noble idiocy, they're mostly pretty understanding of each other.
-Dylan's acting was good, he could do both the cold smoulder as well as convincingly play a man who isn't actually cold at heart but is tired of putting on the facade. Some people didn't like that he fell for the girl early but I think it made sense in this way. Usually the cold ML is truly cold but melts for just the ML, who then changes him; in this, he's never actually cold at heart but has had to pretend for so long that he's tired of it and found refuge in being able to lower his guard with her.
-Yukee Chen's acting was better than expected. She was funny and devious but in some serious moments she actually was quite chilling.
-Peter Ho's acting was very convincing, a bit too convincing in fact, it was honestly frightening

I rated the rewatch a bit higher because I think after watching, you can then know where to skip to watch the good parts. You can also find most of the cut scenes on YouTube to fill in gaps.

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Wooden actors with no chemistry

After Dylan Wang ruined Evernight 2 with his bad acting, jumping around and waving a sword without any real martial art, runing an excellent performance by a great actress (Ireine Song) we vowed never to watch him again. However, having run out of series to watch, we gave Unchained Love a chance.

After 8 episodes we have given up. There is no chemistry between Dylan Wang and Chen Yu Qi and apart from Zeng Li, the remaining cast can only be considered class C actors and actresses.

How anyone can rate Dylan Wang as a good actor is beyond me. He has no character and does not connect with his lead actress.

Save some time and give this series a miss.

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This is not a final review/rating

Looks like a low-budget series that was done on the cuff. Notwithstanding, Dylan's performance alone is enough to keep me glued to the screen.

(During the reign of Long Hua, Xiao Duo, a powerful eunuch in charge of the imperial court, plans a palace mutiny with Prince Fu to help him ascend to the throne. Bu Yinlou, a tribute lady that was supposed to be hanged as a tribute to the late emperor was saved by Xiao Duo as Prince Fu fancies her. The two of them spend a lot of time with each other and develop feelings for each other, but due to their status, they have to hide their feelings. Xiao Duo goes to Jiangnan to supervise a silk trade with a foreign country, and Yinlou accompanies him to visit his relatives in the south, during which they fall in love and finally reveal their hearts. But the road ahead is full of obstacles, Xiao Duo's true identity, the threat of the King of South Court, and the suppression of the emperor in the palace. The two of them have to sacrifice themselves for the greater good and decide to enter the palace, but Xiao Duo misunderstands her. What is the fate between the two?)

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Bellissimo

Lui è assolutamente meraviglioso, Xiao Duo è un personaggio bene definito che non può essere visto solo come il duro della situazione, è sicuramente calcolatore e spietato ma sa essere anche morbido con le persone a cui si sente legato.
Adoro lui e Yukee, insieme hanno una vena comica che mi piace molto. L' importante è che mi trasmettano qualcosa non per forza ho necessità del romanticismo assoluto, nelle loro scene vedo complicità e supporto reciproco e questa cosa mi piace davvero molto.
Le ambientazioni, i costumi e le acconciature sono convincenti , il cast è interessante ma il punto focale rimane Dylan Wang che è veramente un grande attore, ha un' espressività che pochi hanno, credo davvero che sia uno dei più bravi in circolazione.
POV: chi dice che il miglior lavoro di Dylan Wang è Meteor Garden dal mio punto di vista capisce veramente poco, è sicuramente un bel drama ma non il suo lavoro migliore.

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Sorry but this drama is a flop for me - It did not lure or make me engage into the story.

Unchained Love - I watched 3 episodes already and can't see myself continuing with this drama. Too boring, and I am not a big fan of Dylan Wang or Yukee Chen.

I watched Dylan Wang and Yukee Chen separately in their other dramas, and in my opinion, their acting abilities are mediocre. Perhaps it is too early to tell, but their onscreen chemistry was not great. I liked Dylan Wang in Meteor Garden with Shen Yue, but anything after that drama was not good.

Yukee Chen is being typed cast for the same type of role.

I tried, but the ensemble's plot and acting did not engage me. I understand that many people like drama, and I am the exception. I am giving it a 4.0 rating.

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