Storyline gets better & better ~ FL Not “sweet/dumb/klutzy” etc! Yaaah!
Not familiar with the main leads, the synopsis intrigued me to watch this series. I enjoyed the storyline right away, as I love strong, independent FLs over the so-called “sweet/dumb/innocent/klutzy” types.As the story progressed, I found myself alternately getting trusfrated or laughing as the characters drew me in. A few veteran actors also worked as great finishing touches to keep my attention glued enough~ to binge-watch.
All three couples were entertaining enough and different, so their stories weren’t boring for me.
Other than the Main Leads, played by Zhang Wan Yi and Wang Chu Ran, the character who I liked the most is the young Empress played by Yuan Yu Xuan! She’s absolutely adorable, more sensible than me?, and down-to-earth.
Shoutout to the entire cast! They were awesome!
I would definitely recommend!
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Documentation
Wow, took me long enough to finish the last two episodes lol. Kinda got distracted by another cdrama. First thing is the leads are legit perfect, sure the ML lied, but like legit nothing else is lacking from them. They remind me of modern drama's where the leads are perfect. Still I think they had to be perfect for this plot to work. What I am talking about is that they had a lot of bs moments where everything is solved by leads no matter what. But hey it's a drama so whatever, but they did a great job shaping the characters up as competent people. Second, the couples are amazing, all three of them were enjoyable. Especially the empress and the emperor they were a suprise to me, they were the most interesting at the end, the dynamic they had was unique compared to the other two. The empress also became my favourite character by the end. She was graceful and true to herself, she felt like a legit person compared to others. My favourite arc was when the FL knew she was lied to and split up with the ML and the ML still tried to be with her. That is when I realised how good the leads were at acting. Especially that scene where the FL stabbed the ML near the heart. The biggest weakness to this was the fact that they didn't finish the main problem and waited until the last episode to get rid of the villain. In return we only get to see the peaceful and happy ending for like 10 minutes. I think they ran out of budget lol. Overall very enjoyable, cam be recommended to people, and it can be rewatched, honestly every romance drama with a happy ending can be rewatched.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
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Slow slow slow
A testament of a good drama is one that can keep me awake into the wee hours of morning to chase down the end. Unfortunately, this one didn’t.What was good were the sets, cinematography and good looking actors. I can’t believe how they lost an opportunity to create a wow reveal by having the synopsis state upfront that FL was the leader of Yang Shang so you already knew she was Lu Wen from episode 1.
I like the meaning behind the crab roe rice and how it pops up in various parts of the drama. I like how the FL didn’t cling to the ML and she was her own strong person. I like how she spotted the people around her that were planted by the ML. I am confused by the 2 waterfall scenes that seem to pop up in the drama without revealing how they got to that place. The first one was more out of place as it suddenly talked about her not wanting to hear the truth from the ML…
Too much slow motion to create romantic moments especially during the episodes when he was at war. Also during this time, the FL became uncharacteristically less intuitive. How can a first timer soldier have access to a horse to break away from the main marching unit, just to ride back and meet up with the FL who was following them?
What was a nice surprise was the Empress - loved seeing her as a foodie and how tactful she was in conveying her point of view to the Emperor. The double meaning behind gifting a bird to the Empress Dowager was very nicely done. I am happy to see her and the Emperor have their happy ending as well.
If I didn’t think too much, I could have enjoyed this more but since the pacing was slow, I found it draggy instead. The last episode took me more than an hour to finish as I had to keep rewinding it as I fell asleep many times. And it wasn’t even very late into the night, just barely past midnight. An interesting drama can keep me going till 3am.
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Tudo começa com um enigmático ataque do bandido Lu Wen ao duque HuaiYang e depois o duque encontrando uma jovem ferida e sem memória que o confunde como marido. O duque resolve então continuar a farsa para usá-la como isca e capturar o bandido Lu Wen, que ele acredita ser o esposo de Miangtang. Porém, conforme a convivência com Miangtang vai se estreitando, o duque começa a se apaixonar por ela.
Os primeiros quinze episódios do drama podem ser considerados mais lentos em termos do desenrolar da história política, pois é mais focado na convivência doméstica de Miangtang com o duque, com muitas cenas engraçadas com ele tentando fingir ser um homem comum que depende financeiramente de sua querida esposa. E ao mesmo tempo que vamos nos apaixonado pelo casal fofo também há um certo incômodo pelo fato dele estar enganando ela sobre o casamento, embora ele a respeite e nunca tenha ultrapassado o limite enquanto ela não lembra do passado.
Depois da fase de "lua de mel", por volta do episódio dezoito, Miangtang começa a recuperar as memórias e algumas outras revelações importantes acerca do enredo político começam a ser desveladas e também começa a era "gato e rato" entre Miangtang e o Duque, que agora tentam fingir que não estão cientes da verdadeira identidade um do outro.
Logo depois acompanhamos a saga do Duque em tentar provar seu amor de todas as formas mais humilhantes possíveis e o elemento da comédia volta para aliviar as tensões da drama política com o novo imperador, recém coroado, tentando garantir sua frágil posição como líder político em um ambiente cheio de corruptos.
Aliás, com relação ao imperador, minha parte favorita era sua relação com Xueji. Uma personagem oprimida pela família que ascendeu a imperatriz através da reviravolta política e que apesar de sua aparência modesta se mostra ser uma parceira inteligente e desempenha um importante papel na batalha pela permanência do imperador no trono. Com certeza uma das personagens mais legais do drama. Inclusive, nos episódios finais na cena do envenenamento eu fiquei muito triste a princípio, mas no fim tudo termina bem.
O final é satisfatório e feliz para os protagonistas e também para os casais secundários. Mas apesar de ter gostado bastante do drama, senti que algumas coisas poderiam ter sido abreviadas. Um drama de 30 episódio ou menos talvez conseguisse manter a integridade da história sem cenas desnecessárias. Apesar disso, um bom drama com uma história legal e um casal fofo com química.
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Rambling Thoughts & Nit Pickings on Are You the One?
Here’s my essay review on the drama. Grab a cup of tea or coffee, because it’s long and full of spoilers if you venture into the later parts of this essay.To briefly give a synopsis of the drama, Lu Wen, a bandit leader who upholds justice and helps the poor has been at odds against Cui Xingzhou, also known as Prince Huaiyang (think a feudal lord) for quite some time. The two are equal in combat skills, cunning wit, and strategies, running laps around each other. The bandit leader fights to help the poor, and the prince fights to protect his lands and people. But one day, at the base of a mountain called Mount Yang, Cui Xingzhou (Prince Huaiyang) and his soldiers find an unconscious woman named Liu Miantang, on death’s door with her tendons severed, floating in a pool of her own blood. Believing her to be the beloved concubine of Lu Wen, his rival, Prince Huaiyang does everything to save Liu Miantang’s life to lure out Lu Wen. However when Miantang wakes from her coma, having suffered from her injuries, she has lost 3 years worth of memories and mistakens Xingzhou as her husband. Miantang affectionately calls him Cui Jiu, believing this to be the man she married 3 years ago. Cui Xingzhou (Prince Huaiyang) seizes the opportunity to assume the identity of “Cui Jiu” and plays husband to the amnesic Miantang hoping to catch Lu Wen once and for all. The deeper Xingzhou plays into this fake marriage, the more he begins to fall for Miantang. As Miantang regains her memory, and Xingzhou’s feelings grow, can their love prevail against the betrayal and deception?
This is my short review, which is spoiler-free:
After watching 40 episodes of this drama, I would rate this an 8.5/10. If you’re a fan of the classic movie, Overboard starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, you probably will enjoy this drama. The 8.5 score from me stems from really enjoying the fake marriage trope and chemistry between our leads, and Zhang Wanyi nailing his performance. However, there were several missed opportunities in the drama that could have made this a much stronger story.
The drama makes it a point to let us know that Cui Xingzhou/Prince Huaiyang has a rivalry with Lu Wen. Once Lu Wen’s identity is revealed, they failed to show how these two opponents are of equal footing, and I felt they forgot about this story. At the same time, the female lead, Liu Miantang, who was found injured and lost her memory, had made it a point to seek revenge for what had happened to her, amongst other things. But then the drama also seemed to forget this arc and she became a supporting player in her role in exacting her revenge. She was relegated to helping the 2nd male lead instead.
Overall, I enjoyed the drama, but I lament how much better this could have been with tighter storytelling. There are times when I felt the drama struggled with what vibe they were going for: slow pace, serious, comedic, deeper impact on storytelling? There were moments throughout the drama that felt like it dragged, which they could have utilized the pacing better to show a proper reconciliation between Miantang, our female lead, and Xingzhou, the male lead. Then have the two actually work together in a revenge arc.
If you’ve not watched the drama and don’t want spoilers, please stop reading here. Otherwise, you can find the rest of my lengthy review here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v5qDdwFiLcxvOmpbqx05gF4wOdSh8O3CRJXgu2fzdos/edit
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Pleasantly Surprised
Started this drama with zero expectations and I'm quite surprised that I finished it and didn't skip any scenes. I tend to drop dramas that don't hold my interest, especially at the half way point when the plot tends to go down the drain. For some reason, the plot kept me interested as I wanted to find out how the ML and FL will end up back together considering he really messed up in the beginning. Once she recovered her memories, it was the ultimate betrayal for her. This man who she thought she loved, kept her like a caged bird for a whole year "playing house" while her real personality is a care free adventurer. The moment when the ML got drunk back at his home after realizing he lost her as his "wife" really resonated how he fudged it up with her. There was definitely some groveling for him to do in order to win her back. The first half of the drama was the set up and the funny scenes and home life and the second half was him trying to win her back along with royal politics at play. I also liked that there were subtle moments of female empowerment weaved into the drama between all the female characters, from the FL to her friend, He Zhen, the empress and even to ML's sister. These ladies wanted to control their own destinies the best way they knew how in a world where they had no say over their own lives compared to their male counterpart. I thought it was interesting as well that the second ML had other love interests. It made it seem more realistic, especially when having multiple wives back then, was the norm. Didn't think I was going to enjoy this drama as well as watching all 40 episodes.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
secret identities ?!
"Are You the One" centers on a love story between a clever and beautiful woman, Liu Mian Tang, who suffers from amnesia and a royal, morally grey but secretly soft-hearted man, Cui Xing Zhou. The twist is that the male lead pretends to be her loser husband to help him in his schemes to capture a bandit.The drama kicks off with a lot of promise. The first half is solid, giving us a good balance of romance, humor, and character development. You really feel the cute "hubby and wifey" vibes, and there’s a nice blend of everyday moments mixed with tension from their hidden motives. But, as the plot progresses, especially in the second half, things start to drag. The pacing slows down, and the excitement from the earlier episodes fizzles out.
But overall, I think I would recommend this. If you’re someone who enjoys light romance with a touch of mystery, you'll find it enjoyable. I really loved the wedding scene haha <3
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My feedback
I watched this completely.ML: Like the acting of ML. He was good in Lost you forever also..
FL: First time I watched FL. She looks good but need to improve her acting skill. I felt like she is acting artificially, I mean doesn't seem natural when she gets close to male lead. There is a scene when she hugs him. Typically in a hug your hands go inwards but her hands were outwards and felt like she doesn't want to hug at all. She can improve over the time if she puts some effort in assimilating the character she is playing.
Other characters worth to mention
Empress Shi: I like her a lot. She is so good in her acting. She did really well. Wish to see her more in dramas.
ML friend: He is good too.
Story: Liked it. Worth to watch at least one time.
Costumes/Sets: Well balanced.
Music: No Comments. The BG scores were good.
If you want to pass your time during a long weekend just watch this. I would recommend it.
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Great OTP chemistry and intriguing secondary couples/characters
This was an enjoyable period drama with a great OTP and intriguing secondary characters and couples. Execution and casting helped elevate an otherwise standard battle for the throne palace intrigue.The chemistry between Zhang Wanyi and Wang Churan was great and their Mr & Mrs Smith dynamics were fun to watch. The romance could have been even swoonier and more passionate, however, had they not tried to inject as much romcom throughout.
CASTING THOUGHTS:
Wang Churan was ethereal when her character had amnesia and was not burdened by difficult memories, but also strong and formidable when Liu Miantang finally remembered those missing years. She was great as both types of characters but struggled a bit reconciling the two personalities into one.
While I enjoyed Zhang Wanyi's overall portrayal and acting, I found his rather distinctive voice and delivery very reminiscent of Luo Jin's style, which was somewhat distracting throughout.
I kept waiting for Shi Xueji to suddenly reveal herself as a scheming villainess and was thankfully proven wrong. Yuan Yuxuan and the writers did a lovely job with her character despite her relatively limited screen time. Some of my favourite scenes were the ones where she found such joy and delight in eating; and for a character with an uncomplicated mind and personality, she showed wisdom that was fitting for an Empress and partner to Zuyi -- who was a solid emperor, yet not quite worthy enough for Shi Xueji as a husband, in my view.
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I'd heard this was originally meant to be a two-parter like Lost You Forever, but the powers that be changed their minds given the requisite extended pause between Part 1 and 2. If more than a dozen episodes worth of material were indeed filmed and then cut, they did a pretty decent editing job with the overall story flow and importantly, they actually stuck the landing with a satisfying conclusion. (We've all seen how these things can be butchered, and even the most solid dramas have flailed at the ending.)
My overall 9/10 rating is perhaps somewhat inflated -- I would rate it higher than 8.5 but lower than 9 if I could, so for now, I have rounded up instead.
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jianghuthemartialartswor
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this drama knows itself
"I dont want you to forget that worry and toil are not what we are after. We should enjoy our lives." - Liu Mian Tangthis drama does not lose identity, it is consistent in tone all throughout, does not get lost in complicated plots that lead to nowhere, does not bother with unimportant characters. it knows the story it wants to tell and took time and care to tell it. the little moments are more important than the big emotional empire encompassing complications.
the female protagonist reminds her male counterpart of this while approaching the political climax of the drama. do not get lost in the trouble, focus on living a happy life. so the drama diverted to a beautiful little date, showing that happiness is found even in dire circumstances. it is a simple but powerful reminder.
needless to say, i love this drama
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A definite gem
This one will definitely keep you on the seat. An absolute must watch. Not sure why the rating dropped below nine but I couldn’t wait for the next episodes. You’ll feel the angst, the frustration, discussed, rage, love, and the need for redemption. Overall, the series offers everything you can for, including the action, chemistry, romance, and one must not forget some of the fighting scenes are amazing.The relationship between Cui and his friend will leave you laughing so hard. They are both hilarious but they are always on cue to fake it whenever they need to get out of some mess and you’ll want to hit repeat.
If you’re hesitant because of the amnesia troupe, don’t be. Once it’s out in the open, it’s all is fair in love and war. During the beginning you get to see how things got to where they were and also any misunderstandings that exist are also revealed. The later part is beautiful redemption, action and love.
One of the things that I enjoyed most is that the characters stayed true to themselves. In addition we finally got a queen who was deserving, smart, humble, loyal and patient. One could only hope that her home was filled with nothing but beauty.
By the end of the series, you absolutely love the entire household of the CUI.
Absolutely loved the ending. No lose ends.
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Very interesting drama.
I love when a drama has both leads who are naturally super good looking. the storyline is good. wish there was more lovey dovey scenes between ML and FL though. so far the story has captivated me that I don’t even fast forward. it’s a little bit comedic and very entertaining too. Can’t wait to see the end. The costumes are really good. they should really incorporate more black with red customes. The male lead would look so stunning in it. with a story as good as this I really hoped there would be more episodes. 40 episodes are not enough. I hope to see the leads married life too. It would really be a dream come true for me.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
