Ning An Ru Meng (2023)

somehow its so good,,???

did not expect to be this engaged with SOKP because i dropped it after ep5, but i decided to give it another chance and im so glad i did!!

i thought the politics and revenge plot would be boring but it was well written & well paced through out that i actually sat through the whole show without skipping a lot of scenes (even with the supporting roles and im the type to skip a lot of sr scenes when i watch other dramas if they're not interesting). this show rly takes the cake for me bc i cried during the partings and felt frustrated when theres a conflict LOL. i was really genuinely locked in with the show. though the romance between MLs started late it was not a problem at all since the plot was good enough to keep me going. high budget, good castings & great plot from start to end. ZLH's character could be overbearing but its really just how he was build for it lolz everyone in the show had interesting characters

Leia Mais

Feeling cheated...

The series started out so fantastic in almost every way: the plot, the characters, the visuals, the pacing, the charisma. It was a strong 9 or 9.5 score for me for the majority of the series until the last 10 episodes or so, where it all went terribly wrong. The downfall was almost predicted as around episode 30, I was wondering how they can possibly wrap up the story in only eight more episodes.

However, not only did they completely rush through to its finale, the steady and beloved personalities of the characters declined in such a way that it made all of the prior episodes feel like a bad investment. The plot that was so carefully paced out and so well done... became mush. As just one small example, when the ML sacrificed his precious hand and was stabbed multiple times, apparently it ended up not being a sacrifice at all. His hand was merely wrapped, still usable, and the rest of him just miraculously recovered overnight. This type of nonsense didn't occur previously.

The FL and ML's relationship was developing quite naturally but then devolved into an abusive/victim/guilt-ridden one in the end. Both of their characters were almost unrecognizable from where they started. Let's not forget the scene where they slept together and the ML decides to propose after (as if this is a modern day setting with no consequences for the women). Or how he tripped his own kid multiple times because despite having settled down with the FL, his jealousy is still out of control. What in the world happened? Did a writer just get swapped out towards the end? It really is such a shame. If they hadn't ruined the ending arc with such nonsense, the series would have been on the top of my list.

Leia Mais

Started ok, Finished Wonderful

The high score attracted to look into it. Than i saw Bailu and Zhang Ling He and i was convinced to proceed further :). At the beginning i was thinking why is so high rated, yes they play well, yes is filmed nicely, yes to the environment, yes to the music, but i couldn't get that emotions to keep me engaged. Is a lot of Palace dialogues and plans on revenge from different sides of the story. From ep 12 it started to move a little bit, emotions between Ning and Zhang Zhe won me to continue. I felt that love from both sides, the sadness, the helpless, the powerless, the sacrifice - played beautifully.
All story goes well, I can't say that it was something really new, but the way story goes along and how is transmitted from flashbacks and back is executed gorgeously.
The last 10 episodes made me stay hooked wholly. The first kiss is absolutely dashing, ohh boy Xie Wei - this is when i said, is all worth watching it - don't get me wrong i am not a pervert :)), but sometimes in the dramas you need this to won the scene. It was rough, craving, longing for it and i could feel his desperation, the strong desire for love and caring.
Overall is a beautiful masterpiece, absolutely all characters played well, the bad ones, the good ones, the passer by's. I loved the many locations and places they used, the decorations, the nature, this gives richness to the drama. A little bit of abuse of camera to go into eyes and see the others, or the faded colours, it didn't spoil too much, but overly done is not good either.
The only thing i didn't like is the sister story - the prince didn't tell her that she is not the chosen one, yes they show at the end as a happy family, but it got me very frustrated (i know on those time that was something ordinary, but i still don't like it :)).
Enjoy!!!

Leia Mais

Good but overhyped

You have a great cast and an intriguing plot, and yet it was harder and harder to get through each episode the longer it went on.

The whole going back in time and redoing things plot device was good at first but its usefulness runs out early on. I honestly forgot about it half way through because it doesnt matter much to the story anymore. Not that it mattered any way since the entire story is a novel the author wants to re-write to have a less tragic outcome for her leads.

Palace intrigue is the focus here. The FL is eager to take herself out of the messy equation but shes drawn in anyway, so she changes her part in it.

The romamce is extreme slow burn. So slow that its hard to believe when it finally happens in the last handful of episodes. The ML clearly likes the FL for quite some time but it feels like the FL is simply giving in and settling because she cant get away from their fate and be with the one she really wantes. By her actions its clear she cares about ML but romantically she's cold and resigned. It was very underwhelming. There are 2 impassioned forced kisses by the ML and 1 consensual bed scene all toward the end.
I suppose it would be more believable that she fell in love with him if there was more screen time between them but there really isnt room for it with the many, many moving parts of all the plots. The story was just too complex with all the schemeing and backstabbing to thread in a satisfying love line.

The end is cute enough to satisfy most romance fans who hold out for all the episodes. At least there is that.

Leia Mais

When you get the chance to do over

The chance to right your mistakes is one of the top wishful thinkings that never loses its charm.

By right, the premise for Story of Kunning Palace (SoKP) already makes for a great start … By left though, SoKP falls through in the genre of reborn stories with poor camera angles and lighting, story execution and okay-ish actor / actress caliber.

Director Chu is infamous in the industry for his weird camera angles and inappropriate lighting position - so I will not delve deep into this. As a general viewer, I don’t have the professional knowledge to critique this constructively. The only thing I would say is it indeed cut down my viewing experience by a fair bit.

Onto the story. Jiang Xuening was the evil, alluring empress that was given the chance to redo life when she found she was back to her 18-year old self.

First things first, like any idol drama, I think evil can and should be contested. She was morally flexible and selfish in her first life, but to emphasise she was evil and thus, felt this deep regret to redeem her past actions to Yan Lin and Zhang Zhe was a bit lost on me. I felt that this may be due to the lost of translation from the original novel to drama adaptation.

This leads to the second, related point. The director and editors presented the story such that flashbacks of 1st life would play out right before the big event happened in 2nd life, and then we would watch how Xuening did differently after. On one hand, it made the story less draggy. On the other, it made me feel less engaged with Xuening’s motivation because I didn’t get enough context on why she felt a certain way with some characters in the scene. Like why she is so afraid of Xie Wei. Or why is she so grateful towards Fangyin. I mean they did mention why with the brief flashbacks, but the impact wasn’t deep enough for me to truly grasp the full picture of Xuening’s feelings. Not to mention, some of the flashbacks felt disjointed too.

Xie Wei should be an intriguing male lead - with his obvious backstory that closely mirror of Mei Chang Su story from Nirvana in Fire. Alas, while one may be able to copy the surface level stuff, the spirit or essence of classics is not as easily replicated. Maybe it’s the screenwriter. Maybe it’s the actor. To be fair, I think Zhang Ling He did good enough for his age. His Xie Wei just doesn’t have that charisma or charm for me, for now. Quite a lot of things were diluted to me in SoKP - I couldn’t feel that Xie Wei is was that smart to be able to fool the emperor, ministers, and rebels. There were more questions about how he survived his ordeal as a kid then and the resources he was able to amass at his disposal as an adult now to be able to do what he wanted. Similar to Xuening character, I felt this is also another lost in translation case. I shall stand corrected if I ever find the time to read the novel.

The funny thing was I got more intrigued by the side characters stories more than our main leads. One was Xue Hui’s arc, Xuening’s sister who was wise and truly just wanted to live her life peacefully but was misunderstood by Xuening for her indifference, in the 1st life. As Xuening chose differently this time, she came to better understand the person beneath the protective shell Xue Hui’s has built. Pity that Xue Hui didn’t even appear much on screen. Another one was Yan Lin’s, and I was rather satisfy with his arc. Fangyin’s arc was enjoyable too.

Overall, SoKP is a good enough reborn story that’s not for the nitpicky. It has a good enough storyline that sadly wasn’t translated as robustly on screen.

Leia Mais

Overrated, pretty design but a flat dead world.

TLDR: I really wanted to love this one but it let me down in the second half. Plot hits all the points it should, the actors are alright but the cinematography, lighting, lack of lived in feel and direction to overact drag this drama down to a 7 for me. It's alright but I won't be rewatching.

Ratings: So there's a lot of hype for this show especially coming off the success of Til the End of the Moon. Bai Lu is a beloved actress and there was much disappointment when this show's release was delayed. I feel like the eventual score for this show will settle down somewhere in the 7s but in the meantime most reviews are either going to be extremely positive or extremely negative.

Plot:
I found the first half of the show enjoyable and fairly interesting although there was the occasional tedious bit. Personally I love rebirth revenge stories so I felt like this was going to be the show for me. The build up was good, I was enjoying it and then although there were plot points happening the desire to watch and see what happened next disappeared. It really began to drag once they left the capital.

If you read out the main story the plot would be solid. There's a lot happening, you've got a palace intrigue part, a mystery, battles, festivals - truly a little bit of everything and the heroine is involved in all of the above (no pining away at home while the love interest is off to fight!) However the problem is that however dark and edgy they want to make the story they just never follow through. It's obvious from the start that the two main villians of the show aren't going to be on par with the lead couple. The tone is set that no matter how bad the stakes get the leads will find a way to make it through without major pain.

I think there's more to it than that but for me there was so much happening but there was no emotion to it, the story felt dead towards the end.

Acting:
The acting was fine, nothing outstanding, nothing obviously terrible. I don't know whether it was post production, the writing, or the direction that the killed the story so badly.

I think that the actor who plays the male lead has a fair bit of room to improve his acting. He's also fairly young and did a good job in a role that would probably normally be given to an older actor. He potrays a fairly dark character and does a good job of showing the crazy/calculating side he is lacking in being able to bring all his character's traits together into someone who feels like a real person. I felt this a bit with the Bai Lu's character too - she can act fairly well but for some reason it just felt like she was doing what was required rather than putting in an outstanding performance. I felt like it was standard across the whole drama that the actors overacted which makes me think that this was a direction problem more than an acting problem.

Production:
The sets, the clothing, the world were gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. Then they served a shit sandwitch when it came to lighting and cinematography. The lighting is horrendous - characters in bright daylight but they're using a white light instead of a warm sunlight light. It being noon but the shadows are all wrong. If the sets and the clothing were low budget I think it would have been less of a problem, but when the sets are so gorgeous the drama would have been on a whole different level if they did things like use real candle light, real sunlight etc. This exacerbated the issues with the plot - if the world doesn't feel alive and lived in then it's only going to provide a pretty backdrop and not give the actors a lot to work with. The other issue was that the sets, although gorgeous, were too perfect and didn't give the vibe that they were lived in. The character's clothes are always clean, there's not a hair out of place etc. No dirt, no dust, if a character gets whipped then they add in most of the blood on the clothes afterwards etc.

Music:
Nothing memorable, nothing jarring but nothing particularily good.

Some people might say that I'm expecting too much from this kind of drama. I would have agreed, especially as I'm cocurrently watching Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace again. However, I have enjoyed shows like Romance of Tiger and Rose and Love like the Galaxy (LLTG). I wouldn't normally make a comparison between two different shows but the difference for me is glaring. In LLTG I cared what happened to the characters, the world and people felt like they could exist somewhere, although I felt like the main couple would make it through it felt like there were real stakes, it was emotional. It had dimension where this show is pretty but completely flat for me. I'm sad because this show had the potential to be everything that I've been looking for in a show but instead I'm struggling to finish.

Leia Mais

Reverse Fate | To discover the unnotice feelings of the Insecure (ML) for the Conflicted (FL)

"Not to mention Qin, the world, revenge, nothing in this world can compate to her" - Xie Wei

After looking back and analyzing the whole story, I believe this drama's main theme is "Finding and fulfilling the unnoticed and overlooked love" more than "Reversing life and fate" that most people perceived it is due to how the story was being told.

More so, finishing this drama made me realized that Jiang Xue Ning's journey to relive her life was not only to correct her past mistakes but mainly to discover the feelings of the man truly meant for her. Because her selfish desire and ambition in the past led her astray and made her the evil she has become and the only way to possibly reverse it is being with the man destined for her. Someone that can control and pacify her, in order to keep her from going the same path again.

Additionally, I enjoy the idea of the Main leads trying to rediscover and understand each other's real personality— Xie Wei finding out that JXN remained the same unyielding and compassionate person he unconciously fell in love with and Jiang Xue Ning comprehending XWs true intention and knowing the real reason why he's done the rebellion and all of the events that happened in the past.

In terms of how their love and affection was presented...I would say, I love and hate it at the same time. XWs assertiveness in expressing his love showed both dominance and savagery to me, which I find surprising and shocking even up until now. Those times he grabbed JXN by the neck will never ever sit properly to me. I feel like he's too fierce at times that it seemed like he's forcing himself to her (which is half meant) even when I know that JXN came to like him the more she understand and stay by his side. Nonetheless, that characteristic of his is one of the things I despise the most with other dramas and it feels like the writer is trying to get a way with it using his traumas and sickness which doesn't sit well to me at all no matter how they put it. And love it in the sense that XW is always ready to sacrifice himself for JXN. Like, man! He's too passionate and devoted to her that he's willing to be stabbed and killed by her... What an intense and tough love. I guess I am just glad as well that JXN reciprocated his love at the end because I am so sure he might self-destruct in no time.

Note: This made me recall of the time when JXN remembered XW giving her a knife assuming that it is to kill herself only for her to realize that it might actually given to her for protection and that she may have misunderstood him all those times. Another thing is her dream at the last episode when it is showed that XW trying to kill somebody which I think is, himself...because he's regretful and cannot accept the fact that his loved one killed herself right infront of him with another man in mind.

Love rivalry and Jealousy - I find enjoyment and satisfaction whenever Xie Wei is jealous of Zhang Zhe because he always go all out in throwing attitude all over the place showing his dissatisfaction and unamusement. While being extremely tolerant, understanding and been trying his best not to show jealousy when it comes to Yan Lin. What a double standard! Hahaha! One of my favorite Jealous scenes is on Ep. 33 when he cooked all those aweful tasting yet visually pleasing dishes because he's jealous of Yan Lin eating out with JXN. It's funny but why is he taking it out on the female lead? Seriously that man.

I also just wanna mention how I feel mad that it took them 10 episodes before the 2nd ML/Zhang Zhe finally appeared. I believe we could've gotten more delightful ZZ & JXN moments if he was introduced sooner. But then I kinda understand the reason and intention behind it as well. Because man could jave stolen the show if he's given more screen time than he has. 2nd ML syndrome is strong in this drama!

In addition to the 2nd ML... I do feel bad that he was set up to be emotionally distress when her Mother died because if that didn't occured he could've been the perfect fit for the FL. However, I am also glad that FL got to end up with the ML because I feel like he 'need' her to his life or else he's gonna be lost and caged again in his own traumatic experiences.

Lastly, the Kissing scenes were passionate, intense and sensual. I love how Zhang Ling He seemed to be enjoying every second of their savory kiss to the point where it looks like he's devouring Bai Lu's lips. *Grins*

"There's only victory or defeat in this world. There's no right or wrong." - Xue Shu

Story - 10, I honestly want to rate it lower due to the "Red Flags" I noticed but then, this is a drama after all and I will accept the fact that it's the writers imagination working to make his/her story more flavorful and interesting. The story is nicely written and I wouldn't mind it being a little longer, 38 episodes are inadequate. P.S. I'm glad that they didn't kill Princess Le Yang but I never expect them to kill You Fan Yin!!

Acting/Cast - 9.5, I love the cast and I truly enjoy each one of them. The only thing I have problems with is with Zhang Ling He's facial expressions...I find some of his expressions to be awkward and specially when he trying to act some big emotional (angry, traumatizing and agonizing) scenes. And thank heaves Hu Yun Hao/Emperor Shen Lang's acting improved as time went by because his acting at first wasn't giving/convincing.

Music - 10, I can vouch that all the music used here were good and they were all used accordingly to match the scenes. I also just want to commend the Music Dept/Team for using such 'realistic' sounds whenever they're playing the Qin. I really appreciate them for doing that.

Rewatch Value - 10, I'm not even thinking twice about this drama. Every episode is satisfying and I never really got bored while watching it. Highly recommend!

Overall - 10, I initially wanted to give it a 9.5 because of all the ratings people are giving it. However, I am really the type of person who give dramas I enjoyed and like their deserving mark no matter what other people says. So Here I am giving it a perfect score. Hahaha! Gonna stand on my own judgement and customs.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

Leia Mais

cliche c-drama "do over" story

Despite its cliche premise, this drama is very promising at the beginning when heroine Jiang Xuening first resurrects into her younger self. Armed with knowledge of the future, she can gleefully manipulate the situation to her will and the first ten ish episodes are enjoyable if you don't squint too hard.

However knowledge from the future is not the same as intelligence, despite the writers' attempt to equate the two. As the plot becomes more muddled somewhere past the halfway mark it becomes clear that neither Jiang Xuening or Xie Wei are very rational or smart. The "politics" makes little sense and moves forward through the help of deus ex machina.

Furthermore the romance is filled with all sorts of strange baggage which is meant to be romantic but gets increasingly odd and kind of unpleasant. To make the ML more "dominant" and edgy, his personality has a definite violent and stalkerish tendency which is meant to be explained away by his dark past. I guess this is what market research shows girls are into in Asia.

One can give credit to the staff for doing a good job of putting the production together, but it can only be considered a polished c- drama and unfortunately not a top tier one.

Leia Mais

Dark and mysterious series with high budget and great casting

Series with great casting & CL = Zhang Ling He & Bai Lu ( ＾◡＾)っ✂❤

PLOT: The FL, ambitious and cunning, managed to become empress, but hated and abandoned by everyone, she ended up to commit suicide. But she wakes up in her 18-year-old body, just as she is due to enter the palace. She decides to do everything to avoid the same events. The ML, Imperial teacher & advisor to the emperor, is threatening, but will provide her with valuable help.

+++ Addictive, mysterious series where the suspense is well done.
+++ Super CL (OK, I was allready a fan of the 2 leads before watching the series) but they bring to life these tormented, complex, calculating, ... and touching characters, with so much talent! And their alchemy is the screen is explosive!
+++ a grandiose OVERALL casting: Wang Xing Yue, Zhou Jun Wei, etc.
+++ OST very suited to the atmosphere
+++ Effective production, with sumptuous settings and costumes, credible fight and battle scenes. The quality matches the budget :)

### Quite dark tone
### Some length at the end (but the extra episode is cute :)

Very personal question: I read comments on the 2 ML, where some deplored that the FL did not end with Zhang Ze. For me, this upright, rigorous, even rigid character (magnificently played by Wang Xing Yue) lacks charisma and humanity. I have to prefer the Bad Guys :)

=> High quality historical/romantic/mystery drama.
***********************************************************************
Drama avec un super casting & CL = Zhang Ling He & Bai Lu

PLOT : La FL, ambitieuse et rusée, a réussi à devenir impératrice, mais détestée et abandonnée par tous, elle se suicide. Mais se réveille dans son corps de 18 ans, au moment où elle doit entrer au palais. Elle décide de tout faire pour éviter les mêmes évènements. Le ML, Impérial teacher & conseiller de l'empereur, est menaçant, mais va lui apporter une aide précieuse.

+++ Série addictive, mystérieuse où le suspense est bien mené.
+++ Super CL (OK, j'étais une fan des 2 leads avant de regarder la série) mais ils donnent vie à ces personnages tourmentés, complexes, calculateurs, ... et touchants, avec tellement de talent ! Et leur alchimie à l'écran est explosive !
+++ un casting GLOBAL grandiose : Wang Xing Yue, Zhou Jun Wei, etc.
+++ OST très adaptés à l'ambiance
+++ Réalisation efficace, avec de somptueux décors et costumes, des scènes de fight et de batailles crédibles. La qualité est à la hauteur du budget :)

### Ton assez sombre
### Quelques lenteurs sur la fin (mais l'épisode spécial est cute :)

Rq très personnelle : j'ai lu des comments sur les 2 ML, où certains déploraient que la FL ne finisse pas avec Zhang Ze. Pour moi, ce personnage droit, rigoureux, même rigide (magnifiquement interprété par Wang Xing Yue) manque de charisme, d'humanité. Je dois préférer les Bad Guys :)

=> Drama historique / romantique / mystère de grande qualité.

Leia Mais