Romance and Jing Boran could only keep my interest for so long.

More time was spent on propaganda and off-screen dramatic character changes than on even-paced writing. Significant character personality shifts made little sense because all major conflict resolutions happened off-screen. I didn't care for the drawn-out military montages of our ML being a super badass and the long-winded explanations of "sacrifice for the motherland." It felt on-the-nose and unnatural to say to another person when there were no cameras around. On the plus, the drama is a visual feast for the eyes with overviews of isolated, snow-covered towns, prairies of ice and trees, and Jing Boran's perfectly placed eye mole.

I'm excited to continue watching Jing Boran in future dramas, but this one was hard to like after a while. The pacing was too slow, conflicts weren't fully fleshed out on-screen, and I hoped to feel a broader emotional spectrum to match the 30-episode watch duration. Still, there was no talent shortage from every actor (including the child actor). I'd blame my dislikes for the drama on writing and pacing more than anything else because, at the end of the day, if you're looking for a drama that's a feast for the eyes without much to sate your hunger, you'll leave satisfied anyway.