This is an absolutely breathtakingly beautiful drama and it totally took me by surprise of how good it was. Story: Not the most original story but, the execution was perfect. This was my first Chinese historical drama but the amazing thing was that, I got sucked into it from the first episode. Somehow, it didn't feel foreign at all. Scarlet Heart deals with a throne succession and the complex political factions within the royal family. However, this drama is more about the people and their relationships. I think this was the reason why it was so addictive and compelling. Acting/Cast: Most of the cast portrayed their characters brilliantly. I've never cried as much as I did watching this drama. The actors were so good that whenever they cried, I cried with them. I know that often dramas use many tactics to make the audience cry but at no point did I feel like I was being manipulated into crying. Writing: Gosh, this is one drama I wished that I could understand Chinese. Even though I watched it with subtitles, the dialogues were simply beautiful. I can only imagine how much was lost in translation. I often teared up just from the things that the characters said. The characters were developed really well and so none of them were just good or bad. They were more like people who made bad choices sometimes due to circumstances or misunderstandings. I found this drama to be incredible moving, because I could actually feel the love and the warm friendships between the characters.