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I was very reluctant to watch this show because Harem/Palace settings are not at all my "thing"...But as soon as it started, itdived me in completly!.
- Characters, historical attention to details (Qing dinastie), Ost, plot, ...everything got me in just within few minutes and I didnt care anymore for those 70 episode lenght :D...
Every single character is deeply portraited, and even the evil ones are so well written , acted, that you simply sympathize, and are fully driven to understand with each of them :
Each woman has it's own tool to outshine others, and none are stupid-like or meaningless. They all have something very personnal to express ( my favorites are Empress Fuca Rongyin and Gao Ning Xin ). The main female lead is a pure joy to watch dealing with each impossible situation she was forced to step in. While never forgetting neither herself or her goals. While always progressing.
-Wang Mao Lei who is portraiting Yuan Chun Wang is so subtil that whenever I see again this actor in other drama, I just cheer to see him again...
I Gave it not a full 10 just because I wanted her to - after all she have been trought - end up with her first and protective love, rather than the Emperor.
But trust me...this historical drama can be taken as an exellent farandolle of 70 cup of tea !
Enjoy :)
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Main characters are memorable, even though the story seems highly fictional.
It is unclear if Wei Ying Luo had true affections for Emperor QianLong. Personally, I'm not convinced. There seems to be too much at stake between them, always trying to outwit the other person.... Ying Luo's true affections for FuHeng and Fucha Empress are real and deep.
This drama is a refreshing take on the usual palace drama plot. Music, costumes, and sets are beautifully executed.
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Tear jerker have some tissues ready
Updating my review as I have now finished. The middle of this drama was a real tear jerker. I couldn'tbring myself to like the male lead and the last few episodes felt uneccessary.I've had to press pause on this show because I've only gone and done the worst thing you can do when watching a drama. Yes i have fallen for the second male lead. I know he won't get the girl. Infact I suspect he will probably die.
The story is a bit of a slow start. A lot of uneccessary storylines in the beginning but I guess its to set up the characters and show us thier personalities.
The empress and our female lead have a very strong relationship so i am quite interested to see how she ends up falling in love with the emperor, its kinda like falling for your older sisters ex-husband which is a bit icky.
I am getting a bit tired of the continuous power struggles between the harem, the story of so many women fighting over one man does kind of make you want to smash your head in, yes i get his the king but surely there are other men out there. In fact I'd love to see a drama where at least one or two of the harem have no interest in the king what so ever. You know just tp change it up.
Sighs let me unpause and watch my guy not get the girl.
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Truly a masterpiece!! Must watch
Hello everyone this drama made me fall in love with Chinese dramas again. From the setting, costumes to the storyline every episode keeps you wanting more. The main actress plays a servant in the palace seeking revenge for the death of her sister and she slowly becomes the most powerful woman in the palace. Unlike many dramas the female lead isn’t a soft weak lead who cries at every obstacle. She’s smart and clever and able to navigate the palace and become on top. Xu Kai is the male lead at first but there’s a twist with her love interest which I loved! The costumes and cinematography are stunning and very accurate for the times. It’s a tale of revenge, romance, redemption and sisterhood. If you love revenge tales or historical dramas especially set in Qing Dynasty this is a must watch you will not regret!Was this review helpful to you?
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This is an epic drama worth watching more than once
This drama even though is it 70 episodes is just epic. I JA e actually watched this drama 3 times and don’t get tired of it . It has everything intrigue, romance, sadness and happiness. It reminds of like a Gone with the Wind type epic The entire drama keeps you watching with is ever evolving storyline. Just remember bring out the tissues towards. The end that scene between the female lead and XuKai where she tells him I will be your love on the next life is just Get the tissues out 100% worth watchingWas this review helpful to you?
Story: Not new - Qing era - power - harem & survival- politics- love- abuse of powers - loyalty. The writers & production team brought us into the Forbidden city, behind the doors and inside the lives of the women & men who are simply wanting to live - some greedily others - some for revenge - some just for love.
Actors/Cast: YL & the Emperor were MAGNIFICENT with screen chemistry rivaling any modern drama. They both portrayed their roles with grace, power and depth. There were so many moving parts(cast members) that performed brilliantly, all the while convincing us the power & survival within - surrounding the harem life. Not one terrible actor!
Music: the score was PERFECT for the drama, while the opening soundtrack of the opera singing set the tone for the entire drama.
ReWatch: at 70 ep, may come back after I get some rest. Worthy of re-watch - REALLY!
Overall: Costumes, scenes and actors delivered a compelling drama riddle with logic, philosophy and relevance to survival & love, period! The final ep of the dialog with YL and Chun is the final learning offered to us as to survival in the forbidden domain of love. Watch if your are serious about Cdramas. Brilliant!
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One of the finest Chinese court dramas ever written.
The TV series "Yanxi Palace Sketch" tells the story of a woman who stands up for herself no matter where she is. In the royal land, it's hard to do what you want to do. It's almost impossible to "be yourself."In "Yanxi Palace Sketch," the actress portrays the young woman Wei Ying Luo, who enters the royal land to avenge the death of her sister, the most loved and important person in her life. At first, she is just a palace maid, and everyone advises her against investigating her sister's affairs as it might put her in danger. Even though she knows it will be dangerous for her, she still pursues her own goals. In the process, she makes some true friends. She does not give up despite warnings of the dangers involved in finding the real killer. She believes that she will be able to find the real culprit, and in the end, through her efforts, she finally discovers the person behind her sister's murder and avenges her death.
Throughout the process, Wei Ying Luo does not expect to meet people she can trust completely, especially in the palace. She meets the Empress, who is very kind to her, teaching her to read and write, patiently guiding her through her mistakes, and finding ways to help her if she is intentionally harmed as punishment. The Empress loves her as if she were her own relative. Due to this love, Wei Ying Luo eventually treats the Empress as her own sister. Once, when the Empress was almost trapped in danger by other concubines, Wei Ying Luo protects her in her own way, even though doing so exposes her to dangerous forbidden places. She acts according to what she believes is right. After careful judgment, she rationally decides not to trust people so easily, regardless of what they say. In the end, she not only successfully protects the Empress but also becomes a respected figure in the palace.
At the last moment when Wei Ying Luo is about to leave the palace due to the expiration of her service years, something unexpected happens. She must leave the palace to visit her sick family. Unfortunately, while she is away visiting her family, the queen is murdered. When she returns, it is too late to save the queen. She faces a life-changing decision: to stay in the palace to find the Empress' murderer while becoming the emperor’s consort to better investigate. Though her approach to becoming a consort was initially driven by a purpose, she always acts according to her own will. After much hard work, she finally uncovers the truth behind the Empress's death.
To many people, Wei Ying Luo is a unique character in the royal land because it is impossible for anyone to "be themselves" in such an environment. In the royal land, many people are forced to abandon their true selves for various reasons, and doing whatever they want is considered a luxury and an impossibility. However, Wei Ying Luo has always followed her heart in everything she does.
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This is a very good period drama. Although it is a solid drama for content and performances, and the actors did a great job bringing these characters to life, the romance lacks energy. If you are looking for romance, this is not the drama that will satisfy that genre. The story is about Wei Yingluo and her journey from palace embroiderer to Imperial Noble Consort. The drama explores the dynamics within the Emperor’s harem and how everything is related to the never-ending schemes to gain the Emperor’s favor. Although Yingluo, through a series of unfortunate events, becomes one of the Emperor’s women and eventually falls in love with him, she buried her true love, Fuca Fuheng, in the most inner part of her heart to pursue justice for his sister, Empress Fuca Rongyin, whom she regarded and loved as her mentor and sister. Was this review helpful to you?
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Saw the final episode's ending credits not more than 15 minutes ago, and I told myself I'll write a review the moment I finished this mammoth of a series.Wanted to give this a 10 (I wanted to. Really did): music overall was timely, tastefully placed. Acting was believable. The story was great .... for the first half.
Two different roles Wu Jinyan had to play (Ying Luo the servant, avenging her sister. And Ying Luo the consort). She played the first exceptionally well, but I found the second role (and not just the acting and fit, but the storyline) lacking. Wanted to love this with all my heart.
Having said that, it was still a gripping plot. The first half (and I still stand by this) was solid.
C-dramas are unique in a sense that things normally only start gaining momentum around episode 10 or so. For this, I found the first episode to completely demand your attention; it was so well done, details executed to perfection.
While I wish I could say the same for the second half, I still love the thought put in the last episodes. They didn't have to wrap things up the way they did, but it was reqlly generous of them to.
Overall, I give this a 9. Well deserving of the hype.
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What exactly do the women of the inner palace do all day?
In many big epic historical dramas, the pettiness, boredom and despair hinted at by the inner palace is never truly explored. This explores the characters of various women in the inner palace, with beautiful design, costumes and cinematography, and a nuanced, take on many different types of romance to boot.
The true strength of the series is that it's all about the characters and their relationships - how they all struggle to keep some sense of self-worth whilst competing for the attention of a very impatient and somewhat distant emperor and the current harem favorite.
The weakness is the plot points can get repetitive (multiple poisonings, very important things mysteriously disappearing, at least two women do the evil cackling going mad thing), but I kept a high score because I never felt the need to skip - the dialogue, acting and character revelations made me want to watch every minute.
The acting is generally extremely good. The opening credits are the most beautiful, haunting TV credits I think I've seen in my life. There are many scenes that I like to revisit again, but due to the repetitiveness of the plot points, I don't know if I'd ever watch the series again from start to finish.
I will note that this series does feature many petty/cruel/torturous acts.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 9
(The series does not jump from random plot element to plot element, but actually builds on concepts regarding patriarchy, revenge/justice, trying to live above the fight vs. engaging with it, and different types of romantic love and love between friends)
Character Growth - 7
(Characters do not undergo huge changes but they do exhibit full ranges of emotions - it's not just angry, serious all the time, but there are lots of moments of sillyness, joy and tearful gratitude as well.)
Nuanced Women -10
(Women everywhere! Esp. liked the characterisations of the main character - Wei Yingluo, the empress Fuca Rongyin, and Mingyu. Even the straightforward characters, would show surprising strengths or weaknesses).
Cinematography/Production Values - 10
(Just incredibly gorgeous and beautiful. Lovely colour combinations and interiors - whilst not too many exterior sweeping shots - the ones that did happen were very well done.)
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Wonderful drama that is worth your time
Story:(+) Though it is 70 episodes it didn't drag. Sure, there were some slow parts but almost all dramas have slow/boring moments. I'm glad I stuck with it because of the satisfying ending.
(+) FL who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She isn't the typical sweet FL who wouldn't hurt a fly. She is out for revenge and is willing to fight back
(+) FL having a great character arc.
(+) Wholesome relationship between the FL and the empress.
(+) Some good plot twists
(-) The time skips were confusing but not unbearable
Acting: I've been watching a lot of idol dramas which don't always have the best acting. I've forgotten what real good acting looks like and all the actors are wonderful. In particular the best performances are from Nie Yuan (the emperor) and Qin Lan (the empress). Two amazing actors playing two fantastic characters.
Overall: I initially put off this drama because I didn't like the aesthetic of the Qing Dynasty. However after a few episodes I got use to it and ended up even liking it. So if that is what is putting you off I encourage you to still give it a chance because this is one of the best cdrama out there!
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