Kelsey N

Best c-drama in 2021. My top 5 in recent decades of memory. But it's not without faults and frustrations. Yin Yang couple: The king is mentality unstable (with reason,) and abusive early on. He does have character development, but he's too emotional for me. Not my cup of tea. Consort Shurong is one dimensional: quiet, passive, worries too much, dainty, often sad, most often in bed bc she's tired or sick, but very nice, considerate, great heart, genuine. She's the Yin to his Yang. Peas and carrots couple: Brother and embroider are my favorites. We don't get to see much of them. But they're so pure-hearted and sweet. They're respectful of each other, they're strong and independent in their own way. The most underrated couple. Love them! Master and disciple: they're both strong, skilled, smart, and strategic. To avoid Haishi from getting hurt, the master hides too many things. Which can be annoying. He should trust that his disciple is strong and capable enough to weather the storm. Yang Mi, to me, played this role perfectly. She's definitely the star of this show, but all 3 couples AND the supports make this show great bc they gave depth to the show. Nice flow, beautiful scenes, great fighting, good balance of politics and romance. Now, can we talk about Yang Mi a bit? When I think she can't get any more beautiful, this show proved me wrong. She is gorgeous!!!!!! Ending. Stop NOW if you don't want to have a clue. .... Ending is Good or Bad, depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for happy rainbow 🌈 🦄 ending. This is not for you. But I thought this was a brilliant ending given all we know about the novel, and how the show has been progressing, and what the core characters for each role are. They stay true to their core beliefs. I really liked the ending. It made the most sense.