hollijolli
Very good, but also a lot of missed potential
I will go straight into the parts that I felt detracted from this drama since other reviews have said plenty about the pros such as acting, characterization, music etc.
-Cons-
Weird camera work:
There is an overuse of extreme closeups to characters' faces and characters speaking or looking directly into the camera. This technique is usually used for emphatic moments and stylistic storytelling, but because it's being used everywhere, it undermines the dramaticism of the moments that actually uses it well. Or else it feels like it's trying too hard to make suspense happen even when it doesn't feel organic in that moment.
Plot/logic holes:
The FL is quite smart and capable, but also things go her way a little TOO well. Everything is, or is set up to be, in her favour, even uncontrollable and highly variable elements (like human nature or... life happening). Her enemies are supposed to be smart cunning individuals, but it seems while she grows stronger with every victory, the villains never grow to keep up and will keep bashing their heads on the wall hoping to succeed where they've failed before. And even when they DO seem to have an upper hand they're always quickly brought back to just a step below her, because apparently fate just doesn't want them to win, or something. This is a glaring issue for me because there are plenty of moments where the FL's success is fully earned by her abilities so these handwaving moments on the writers' part is obvious and irritating.
Inclusion of overused C-drama tropes:
Cue the classic "FL laughing and twirling in the rain while ML falls in love with her", or "ML watches calmly, with zero expression, as the blade pass over him by a hair" (used at least once in every fight scene and breaks tension every time), or "FL and ML have a slow-mo romantic moment while physically in the middle of a major conflict and somehow everyone around them, friends and foes alike, just stares at them like the NPCs they are and let them have it". There's also a downright bizarre moment in one of the episodes where the shows turns into a magical CG-filled Xianxia for 10 minutes because I guess there was really no other way to show how OP the FL was? I was speechless.
Trying to bite off more than it can chew:
Without any spoilers, I think it became WAY too ambitious near the end, as if they suddenly realized they haven't had enough of the universe and was scrambling to fit literally everything under the sun into its last moments. Messed up the pacing, even kind of messed up the focus of the plot due to how certain characters' story arcs resolved [spoilers].
FL and ML don't fully mesh well:
This one is very subjective, so only speaking for myself here. The actors are very good at their roles and have done everything right, but I could never fully invest in them as much as I tried. I think the reason might be that the FL's actress, Wu Jinyan, just inherently exudes a more mature air than the ML's actor Wang Xingyue. I do not get the same feeling when the FL is in scenes with her ex-husband, who are much closer together in age to each other in real life. I do not care about age differences when it's between two consenting adults, but that doesn't mean I don't see differences in maturity or mindset in couples that have them, and it isn't inherently bad, only that I prefer very well-meshed chemistry in my fictional romances so this isn't my preferred vibe.
-Overall-
I think this drama had the potential to be among the greats of costume c-dramas, but there are many small things that adds up to hold itself back from its full potential. My overall impression of these fumbles is that the team could not fully commit to whatever ambitious vision they had and took a short cut by including things that were "audience pleasers" when it wasn't necessary at all, and instead undermined itself.
I highly recommend this drama If you're looking for a revenge power fantasy. The FL is capable, and where she falls short the plot will bend itself to her will, so there's an infallible sense of reassurance that everything will be alright. But if you're looking for a drama that will stand up to scrutiny, then it's best to keep your expectations in check.
-Cons-
Weird camera work:
There is an overuse of extreme closeups to characters' faces and characters speaking or looking directly into the camera. This technique is usually used for emphatic moments and stylistic storytelling, but because it's being used everywhere, it undermines the dramaticism of the moments that actually uses it well. Or else it feels like it's trying too hard to make suspense happen even when it doesn't feel organic in that moment.
Plot/logic holes:
The FL is quite smart and capable, but also things go her way a little TOO well. Everything is, or is set up to be, in her favour, even uncontrollable and highly variable elements (like human nature or... life happening). Her enemies are supposed to be smart cunning individuals, but it seems while she grows stronger with every victory, the villains never grow to keep up and will keep bashing their heads on the wall hoping to succeed where they've failed before. And even when they DO seem to have an upper hand they're always quickly brought back to just a step below her, because apparently fate just doesn't want them to win, or something. This is a glaring issue for me because there are plenty of moments where the FL's success is fully earned by her abilities so these handwaving moments on the writers' part is obvious and irritating.
Inclusion of overused C-drama tropes:
Cue the classic "FL laughing and twirling in the rain while ML falls in love with her", or "ML watches calmly, with zero expression, as the blade pass over him by a hair" (used at least once in every fight scene and breaks tension every time), or "FL and ML have a slow-mo romantic moment while physically in the middle of a major conflict and somehow everyone around them, friends and foes alike, just stares at them like the NPCs they are and let them have it". There's also a downright bizarre moment in one of the episodes where the shows turns into a magical CG-filled Xianxia for 10 minutes because I guess there was really no other way to show how OP the FL was? I was speechless.
Trying to bite off more than it can chew:
Without any spoilers, I think it became WAY too ambitious near the end, as if they suddenly realized they haven't had enough of the universe and was scrambling to fit literally everything under the sun into its last moments. Messed up the pacing, even kind of messed up the focus of the plot due to how certain characters' story arcs resolved [spoilers].
FL and ML don't fully mesh well:
This one is very subjective, so only speaking for myself here. The actors are very good at their roles and have done everything right, but I could never fully invest in them as much as I tried. I think the reason might be that the FL's actress, Wu Jinyan, just inherently exudes a more mature air than the ML's actor Wang Xingyue. I do not get the same feeling when the FL is in scenes with her ex-husband, who are much closer together in age to each other in real life. I do not care about age differences when it's between two consenting adults, but that doesn't mean I don't see differences in maturity or mindset in couples that have them, and it isn't inherently bad, only that I prefer very well-meshed chemistry in my fictional romances so this isn't my preferred vibe.
-Overall-
I think this drama had the potential to be among the greats of costume c-dramas, but there are many small things that adds up to hold itself back from its full potential. My overall impression of these fumbles is that the team could not fully commit to whatever ambitious vision they had and took a short cut by including things that were "audience pleasers" when it wasn't necessary at all, and instead undermined itself.
I highly recommend this drama If you're looking for a revenge power fantasy. The FL is capable, and where she falls short the plot will bend itself to her will, so there's an infallible sense of reassurance that everything will be alright. But if you're looking for a drama that will stand up to scrutiny, then it's best to keep your expectations in check.
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