(Standard warning: Likely spoilers below, read at your own risk).

This was my gateway drug into Asian dramas. I have rewatched this one enough times that I have now set a limit on when I can watch it again, lest I get tired of it.

ML & FL probably have one of the healthiest relationships ever portrayed in Asian drama land. They always support each other's goals and achievements. They communicate, they do not manipulate (though ML tried it a little during the Deep Water arc). ML was never threatened by FL's abilities, never put her down, and was so proud of her when her true identity (in her birth country) was discovered rather than threatened.

The ending was a bit of a let-down. There appears to be debate as to what it actually represented. In my opinion, it shows them in Megrez, but others would likely disagree. I would have liked to have seen an epilogue that wrapped everything up better. There are some dramas that never seem to end and others that could use a bit more explanation.

I did not really ship the SML and SFL. She's sweet but this super crazy stalker-type and he clearly denigrates her intelligence (tells his mother so directly). I actually think the character portrayed by the same actress in "Ancient Love Poetry" was a far better fit for Ven Gao's character than the one she played of LofFY). At the least the love triangle was half-hearted at best and never a cause for angst.

There were some periods of illogic. Such as, why wouldn't they have disguised Fu Yao better as a man (like they disguised her as another person in Deep Water). I hate when the girl crossdressing is soooooooo obviously still a girl, especially when in a made up, magic kingdom you have plenty of options to make it work in a logical way. The show drags in the middle with an unnecessary drama over bandits in the desert, then it picks back up again.

There were some amazing fight scenes. Perhaps the most romantic (?) fight scene ever in the royal bath at Deep Water and then the most amazing fight for survival when she's kidnapped by Prince Assist in Megrez. The first arc and the Deep Water arc are my two favorites--my third is perhaps the arc in the country run by women.

I recommend this one if you like the fantasy genre (my personal favorite) or are just getting started with Asian dramas. I apologize in advance for any lost sleep and lost study time. :D