The beautiful Angelababy...

It won't be fair that the beautiful Angelababy was stumbled on the acting because of her breathtaking beauty < female genius military strategist. She's more up to modern setting FL than centuries ago heroine...but here I am apparently stereotyping or even misogynistic although can't help it when concerning show business - all about acting, presentation and appearance. Anyway, her delicate beauty appearance might not be representing rashness reality of 'Military. Strategist' which predominantly men....at front line of war(s). Imagine if you will, the beautiful Angelababy in a war with her glamorous delicate white or pastel flowing gown tell bloody-slashed exhausted soldiers what to do, I couldn't take her part convincing enough. She might be genius, brilliant, but rival General Chu BeiJie wasn't a fool either. He retreated and lost soldiers but came back strong, he knew what he's up against. The little boy (General) Chu fallen in and promised himself to marry a little girl when she helped him and Mom, way back then. Luckily, he recognized in adulthood and pursued her...took her as a wife. Her loyalty laid to someone else...divided between a husband (from opponent kingdom) and where she's from (sweetheart). Heart wrenching scenes supposedly but...I waited and did not drop a single tear...what's going on??? No...it's not about Bai PingTing....I don't know I didn't finish the drama...62 episodes was way too long and by episode 19 I lost interest.

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GOOD LOOKING CASTS

Only 4 episodes that I watch his drama, not so much opinion but I notice few things that make this drama stand out. All the cast are so good looking, easy on the eyes. Esther Yu looks like her real age, could see clearly Zhang LingHi was a much younger man. Only the oldest JieJie that's light (although she's suck in dancing), setting and costumes are beautiful, too much dialogue exchange without story progress: dramatic monologue. No much entertainment..

1. Background music / Ambient
Over dramatized background music. Simple scene accompanied with music that focus to create a certain atmosphere or state of mind, a dark edgy one, intended as cinematic thriller background. Everybody talk alot; scheming, explaining, threat, smirking, intimidation, all done in talking. Appeared there's none of happiness or cheerful on the scenes.
2. Denigrated Women
Survival fight on the mud (ep2), selecting a bride from 10 women and when they don't get selected they'd be killed - women tried to win favors from the male counterparts - to be the bride of Gong family she needs to be in perfect health like weekly health check up or something; felt like worst selection of a Queen (oh...but whatever). Hmmm...not a great,

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BIG SIGH......

Zhang ZiYi might be famous and the best actress back then but still she couldn't transform herself into 15 years old princess. Unfortunately, the whole actor cast for age appropriation to the main actress, everyone looked too mature for the roles, we could even see the wrinkles or creases. But hey...who am I to say? Was the acting good? No matter how good the make up was, 40 something age woman couldn't cover her maturity into a teenage girl - so for acting ZiYi didn't pull it off so was Tony Yang. Well, actually the entire team was a joke. Make up done horribly wrong....older actors can't disguise into younger versions no matter how thick the make up was. No one can disguise life experience-contained in someone's eyes into an innocent youthful person. But again, why was too emphasis on the younger self of characters? When they all know they have all mature actors? They could have hired young actors to play part of younger-selves.

The set was beautiful though...beautiful clothing (too overboard with coming-out age party)...but story was outdated. Tired of typical story line 'imperial intrigues, jealousy, power hungry, greed.' nothing different from thousands other dramas. None of those interesting new idea of story that will get us hook on. So, I sighed and moved on especially when there were others coming more interesting story lines....Word of Honor anyone? With so much talents and money the production company invested in this project, it went flat and not interesting. Big name like Zhang ZiYi didn't make impression...

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ACTORS

Things that I like about the synopsis is that no connection to Emperor or any Emperial family which rarely in costume C-drama. It just about dirt in Luo family, which about petty family dispute that we got a lot from C-drama; over jealous, rivalry, status, denigrating, incapacitate family members, treat each other with disdain. Pretty standard & common synopsis. So, why is this drama stand out? Timing & Male Leads.

ZHANG WAN YI (Luo Shen Yuan)
Zhang Wan Yi, he's getting better with his craft, he's sometime has empty eyes but most of the time he's doing great. a illegitimate abandon son whose rise to the well-rounded minister, a scholar that know how to fight. Attentiveness, indulgence smiles, great stature, soft persuading voice, costumes that enhance his persona, great intonation. Wan Yi is good in retorting dialog; friendly battering to his attendant Shao'An.

REN MIN (Luo YiNing)
Has the annoying voice like Dilraba & Yang Mi, high pitch squeaky short breath voice that has no spirit. I think she's better couple up with Zhang Wan Yi rather than Xiao Zhan (in Longest Promise) as Xiao Zhan has exceeding look than any females. Maybe Ren Min needs a voice trainer to help with vocalization. Her acting is like a weak delicate feeble girl which supposedly appropriate with her character. For an experience actress, I think her acting isn't much noted. An average looking, nothing special girl that got so lucky with 2 men fighting over her (sigh!).

CI SHA (Marquis Lu Jia Xue)
He's the testosterone element in this drama. Very intense, male dominant, yet has charming smiles. I like him in the Legend of Heroes and this too. When he grab someone roughly, I can also see his vein shows he might really hurt somebody (wondering that), his face can transform from cynical to sweet. I hate he has to acted upon as a maniac lover, that has to force an average girl to be with him although he's been rejected many times over (let it go already!). I am rooting for him to have better roles in the future but please do not pick feminine male-roles because that's going to ruin his male charm.

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HIGH EXPECTATION WITH LOW OUTCOME

Alright, I haven't watch much of episodes so there isn't much of impression I get from only watching 5 episodes. But so far, fighting/action is pretty good - the story though kind of choppy - don't know the background story/character of Fang Zhu (William Chan), the Emperor (Xu KaiCheng) who madly/obsessively in love with the wife, Fang HaiShi (Yang Mi) a girl that pretended to be a boy to have better opportunity and became a student of Fang Zhu. Alright these are our main character; Fang Zhe is so blah expressionless like an empty shell, the Emperor ballistic over the death of beloved queen - his favorite word choice is 'boring' KaiCheng is like forcing his face to appear angry, So far, the relationship between the Emperor and everyone else is nothing but aggravation, that's what I don't understand. Yang Mi acts the same as she was Bai Qian/Fu Yao - her mesmerism is not far from her last dramas - nothing is new about her. Ep 4, Fang Zhu fainted in Hai Shi annd they sit still all night long under the rain, ok under circumstances she can actually move him to warmer & dryer place to get him safe (not getting infected for his back injuries) but no she stupidly stay that way hold him. The next morning, Fang Zhu fall into the ground and she scream for help and people run toward them to help. Where those people the night before? Can she yell for help the night before? No...no...doesn't make sense. Ep 5 she said she's going to kill Emperor to help her teacher? Lol..wasn't she the one who start it all to get her brother and teacher punish??

Typical C-drama, a girl who pretended to be a boy is usually appear more girly; shorter than average men height that she surrounded herself with, delicate posture and has lovely face, soft feminine voice, and likes girls stuff. I don't know why all the men around so gullible to accept this feminine boy is genuinely a man (soldier on top of that!) even MuLan has to change her behavior and voice to be accepted to the Army. Another Typical is a reserved man Fang Zhu as appear to be an emotionless man where there isn't emotion in his eyes like giving up on life, Mark Chao/Wang Duo/Shaw Qu has way better acting skill in word 'Reserved' because they could convincingly deliver their character. Haiyo, tired with Angry Emperor, madness that I believe such annoyance just because of a woman? Move on already, man.

All in all it isn't good. The theme of love relation between teacher-student is on the range and kind of tiring; One and Only (Allen Ren/Bai Lu), Female Student at the Imperial Collage (Zhao LuSi/Xu KaiCheng), The Longest Promise (Xiao Zhan/Ren Min), 10 miles of Peach Blossom (Yang Mi/Mark Chao). As many say to hold on till ep 10-12 to watch improve scenes, do I have patient to wait that far? Finally decided to drop it....story is choppy, William Chan wooden, Yang Mi unimproved, characters are lame, Xu KaiCheng 'boring', OST so so, rewatch value 2-3, nothing to hold me here.

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DR. BAI ZHU WAS ANNOYING

What's up with Bai Yu's lip? There wasn't any chemistry between Yang Mi (Dr. Xiao Yan) & Bai Yu (Dr. Bai Zhu), he supposed to act confident but came out as arrogantly ignorant, seriously I don't want to be treated with a doctor like him, especially the first patient (as we watch) died during recovery. He's the definition of God Complex of a physician, sadly he proved himself wrong . Dr. Tang, Yang Mi's co-worker need another acting lesson, her looks like Yang Mi but acting wise was terrible. The best acting was Li DongHeng, he acted normal, his dialog deliverance was precise and clear. The actress who play 'Lead Nurse Jiang' was good. Yang Mi as a doctor looked very convincing, as mature actor Yang Mi could pass as an experience 'Doctor without Border' that had seen a lot in human suffering between war, poverty, emergent, and limitation of basic needs. Dr. Xiao Yan had been through a lot in war zone, between saving life on straining condition, experienced the misery of sickness, as well as broken heart losing her fiance.

Had enough, she requested to go back to China and worked at ER doctor in well established hospital. Dr. Bai Zhu just got demoted to ER (LOL - from Cardiac surgeon to ER doctor, never heard such a case happen in US ) after the death of his patient who he persuaded patient (& family) to agree to do a high risk surgery. Dr. Xiao Yan learned how to maneuver new reality being a doctor in civilize country while Dr. Bai Zhu was like a stalker. Besides all that, patient's dynamic stories were being presented as part of dramatic entries. Exaggeration in doctors part to be involved in making decision for patients, retrieving personal information of patient was breaching privacy, in whatever reason this was just outright no no. I didn't like to see doctors who put their hands in their white coats, it's lazy presentation of medical professionals on the job. Visited patients, went around checking patient with hand in coat's pockets? Didn't we ever see that in reality?

Watch it once and realized it's no rewatch value, as Bai Hu doing minimum effort I dropped this drama, Bai Hu wasn't a sympathetic doctor - more like an ash**le than an outstanding 'highly contribute' citizen as a doctor. I think Bai Hu brought this drama down, decided that 10 ep was more than enough. I think he'd be ok if he acted like he's most amazing talented great doctor (Like Dr. House) than as an arrogant bastard ignorant stalker.

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OH...XU KAI BUT WHY??

I understand that actors want try on something different characters, oh but why? Nothing good at all come out of it, the story line is too vague, acting is bad, fake flash visual effect, I finally dropped this. People say don't comment anything if nothing good to say, in my opinion this is the thing the production team should know about, take it as improve criticism . Xu Kai is out of character, his cute face wasn't for thousands years old God in cultivation, he's more like Shang Shu Mu (his character in Court Lady). The FL was frankly 'miscast' - she wasn't suitable for the role, her acting so so, her character isn't memorable - annoying. Too much visual effect that spoiling the actual skill of the actors....and the other guy Tian Qi sounded like Zhao Zhou Xu's dubbing voice over (WOH) it's pretty special voice - very recognizable dubbing voice over now after WOH... Ep 5 and I've already bored. First episode is always important to catch audience's interest, start with something catching will usually end dramas in a good note, and this drama lack of it.

I just realized what's wrong with Xu Kai? His freaking bad job 'Hairdo', the hairline was wrong 'unnatural', the hair fashion wasn't suitable for his face. Whoever the hair stylist didn't do a good job, the stylist ruined Xu Kai's best feature.

The best part is the OST by Mao BuYi (Title: Age), Charlie ShenZhou (Title: Ju Lian), Liu Yu Ning (Title: GanYing). 3 best singers delivered the songs with deeply emotion, perfect tones, and amazing music.

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TRASH

What a blunder!! Such a waste of talent, effort, money, and time. A big name like Dylan Wang end up in a rubbish role with no talent FL...will not get me further than 5 episodes. As hard as I try to go through 4 episodes...this one here definitely waste of my time. Dylan Wang didn't perform as a talented, gifted, handsome actor that everyone was talking about. They did him an awful makeup, his white hair didn't compliment him, with open button outfit he's more like a sloppy man tried to be sexy. Ok, I don't pass their first encounter (than 3 lifetimes) the maid FL lives more glamorously than average noble lady or us working girls in the modern day, she didn't do work as any maid would - she just hangout with the snake - obviously she wasn't a good worker (maid). Well, He obviously picked the wrong role and pay the price being trashed as the worst...it's really bad when he has to lift up to his reputation. 1000 years old dragon prince can't express his feeling to a mortal because his 'cold blood' dragoness - nobody would surely say that Dylan Wang should act as expressionless human-form dragon because we won't ever know how dragon can promise a marriage to a woman. It gets more ridiculous as the episode progress...Heard the comic version is much better than this drama....well, this adaptation is apparently misinterpreted.

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Headpiece Wang YiBo

I couldn't stray my sight from Wang YiBo headpiece, it's ridiculous period. On the other hand, Xiao Zhan was a beautiful and happy cheerful man. I love this guy...he's a great talented actor....a charmer...kind and I can name every good things about him and just focusing on him instead. I am not into 'chasing super natural' story line or 'school (class set up)'...Wang Yi Bo character wasn't that outstanding so far - he spoke little to nothing while Xiao Zhan did a lot of running (metaphorically) so I was kind of disappointed with Yi Bo. I am not into this line of story but I heard good things about the drama and yet still don't understand why this drama so famous and Yi Bo was getting much credits which in my opinion he's not as good as Xiao Zhan. I haven't have the power to rewatch it...not as memorable as I thought it would be so I let it off on ep 18 but will try it again for Xiao Zhan...lol.

I couldn't finish the drama with reason like 1) too late watching it (2022) 2) don't like Wang YiBo who barely talked and especially the head piece 3) not my favorite of genre (super natural) and school set up 4) couldn't bring myself finish it as many other newer more interesting dramas out. So, I dropped it. Might not a popular opinion but...Xiao Zhan is indeed the best.

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