La Leyenda de Jin Yan (2020)

Too stupid to live

The FL is dumb in the worst way - naive, stubborn, self-righteous, and just plain stupid. She keeps her secret until THE LAST EPISODE but constantly blames everyone around her for “not trusting her.” Um, you dumb b, you literally get caught in lies EVERY EPISODE- why would anyone trust you??? And she had NO GROWTH. Consort Wen was a much more interesting character. So was the foreign princess. Heck, EVERYONE was more likable/interesting than the FL.

Plus, the the actress is kinda bad and has one pout face expression. Other actors were decent. That’s the only reason this doesn’t get a zero

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nice and sweet historical series focusing on romance, and an adorable CP

If you need some sweetness, don't hesitate !

PLOT:
The legitimate daughter of a high general, the FL, flees from an arranged marriage with the Regent Prince, the ML. She meets him by chance when he is on an incognito mission, trying to escape the multiple assassinations that are being planned against him. The FL's (illegitimate) sister marries him in her place, to be close to the 2nd Prince (the ML2) whom she loves unilaterally, because the ML2 love the FL. The FL comes to the Court, as a servant, to save her sister (the FL2) from this situation. But things become complicated when the FL becomes the personal servant of the regent Prince, and they both fall in love. Nevertheless the situation is complex and they are tossed around by events and the Court's affairs.

PROS:
+ Two very good leads, even if it's the 1st ML's drama. FL's character is childish, but she's supposed to be very young...
+ Well-developed 2dary characters, including the very endearing CL2 (Guard and Princess).
+ The tone is quite light and there are many funny scenes.
+ Classic OSTs, not memorable.
+ The settings, the costumes are magnificent, and the action scenes (quite rare because the focus is on romance and the Court) are credible.
+ 34 episodes of 40 minutes, that's enough!

CONS:
- the narration is a little slow sometimes.
- the final resolution of all the problems is a bit hasty.

=> Light and cute series, with 2 promising young leads.
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PLOT:
La fille légitime d'un haut général, la FL, fuit un mariage arrangé avec le Prince Héritier, le ML. Elle le rencontre quand il est en mission incognito, tentant d'échapper aux multiples assassinats qui sont ourdis contre lui. La sœur (illégitime) de la FL se marie à sa place, pour être proche du 2nd Prince (le ML2) qu'elle aime unilatéralement, le ML2 aimant la FL. La FL vient à la Cour, comme servante, pour sauver la FL2 de cette situation. Mais les choses se compliquent qd la FL devient la servante personnelle du ML, et que tous les 2 tombent amoureux. Mais la situation est complexe et ils sont ballotés par les évènements et les affaires de la Cour.
PROS:
+ Deux très bons leads, même si c'est le 1e drama du ML. La FL est puérile, mais elle est supposée être très jeune...
+ Des personnages 2daires bien développés, y compris le CL2, très attachant.
+ Le ton est assez léger et il y a beaucoup de scènes drôles.
+ OST classiques, pas mémorables.
+ Les décors, les costumes sont magnifiques, et les scènes d'action (assez rares car le focus est sur la romance et la Cour) sont crédibles.
+ 34 épisodes de 40 minutes, c'est assez !
CONS:
- la narration est un peu lente par moments.
- la résolution finale de tous les problèmes est un peu hâtive.
=> Série légère et cute, avec 2 jeunes leads prometteurs.

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The actors did their best

Of the various web Cdramas that are now all the rage, this one is watchable, for the nice set and music.

However, watch out. The story spirals downhill after the ML’s wedding.

There is very little character development and a number of unaddressed plot holes.

Throughout the whole time I’m thinking if this ML exists in modern times he’d be a real jerk, hardly likeable. None of the characters are very likeable, except for the ML’s second in command, who coincidentally is also the best looking actor on set.

For some reason, the scriptwriters did not write any real villains in the story, just a lot of annoying characters. This meant that the real conflict of the story is the series of misunderstandings and lies between the ML and FL. This gets old after the first few episodes.

If you want to watch a ML that gets jealous and subsequent cute romantic scenes then this is the show for you.

I did make it until the very end, which I can’t say for most of the other web dramas out there. For that, I want to acknowledge the actors, who did the best with the story that they had.

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The drama has a great potential

I would said that maybe this drama has very interesting story and production. I like FL story since the drama is about her. She's from general family, knowing kong fu, smart, beauty and strong will personality. But I did feel the same to the other both main ML and support FL/ML, I think they lack of story compare to the main FL. Even the ending just happen to fast like That Simple.
As for the performance, I did see they try so hard, but some part they didn't execute well so end up with some awkward scene. I'm not try to shade the cast but I just don't feel like I satisfied.
But I do like the production, this drama did have a nice pleasant and simple set which I really enjoyed.

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Lost potential

I don’t usually write reviews. But I managed to finish this show and want to dissuade as many others as I can from spending unnecessary hours of their lives on a show that unfortunately did not live up to its potential if they have any alternative way to spend their time. I read reviews before watching and expected some of the faults but not all.

What I liked:
- I found the costumes to be very beautiful but usually it was side characters
- I liked the overall story and was invested in its central conflict
- Chinese historical dramas often have, imo, bland side stories with confusing relationships but those were kept to a minimum.
- There were aspects of the FL’s personality that were warm and kind and could help me imagine why someone might fall in love with her for reasons other than just a pretty face

What I Didn’t Like:
- Story became repetitive and the same story could have been not only delivered but better served by 24 episodes if not fewer.
- the FL’s acting was more horrendous than I was already anticipating based on the comments and reviews. Almost completely unbearable. She ran awkwardly, her facial expressions were exaggerated and often didn’t match what was happening—it reminded me of the male models from Zoolander. She wore a pout even when there was nothing to pout about and twisted her face around a lot.
- Character inconsistencies: how the FL was able to evade capture so often with just the tiniest little shove was unbelievable. Seemed like lazy writing or they should have gone with a less weak acting angle for her. I can think of many other examples.
- This story didn’t adhere to basic logic all around but mostly this foolishness was concentrated among the four leads. People made decisions that, from a logical standpoint, made no sense. This got worse as the story progressed.

I really liked the premise of the story but the execution left so much to be desired.

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Cute casts, could have been a great series

The legend of Jinyan

I believe if this series had a few roles with different casts and Director it would have turned out better.
Heads up: 80% of the entire series, the male lead is upset, nagging, yelling, bossing and irritated. Surely there could have been a better way to portray this character than this way. I used fast forward a lot because it got frustrating seeing him always upset and irritated. For a prince, his character was written to be not so smart that the brother Prince Jin is much more smarter and sensible. Of all casts, prince Jin to me did his role justice and acted the best. Female Lead didn’t fit this role at all.

The story is also blurry: testament, Queen Dowager, the parents of the female lead, the relationship ending of Prince Jin and female lead, the almost drowning in the lake incident, etc., there’s a lot of scenes and situations in this series that wasn’t really explained thoroughly as to how it relates to the entire story. Some just got glossed over, some not even explained as if that certain unrelated scene was just added to fill the time.

I really love the story and the casts were really cute but the way it was written for the screen and directed were poor to my opinion.

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Romantic Comedy at it's finest

When I started this drama I was thinking too much and after I read the comments of how immature the FL is I thought of dropping this but the fluff is too funny not to watch.
So far from what I read the FL is supposed to be like 14 or 15 which kinda justifies why she's like that. Imagine a girl that age being hounded by men in their late 20s who would not escape a marriage? Lol. It's destiny that in her escape she meets the man she's betrothed to. They both hide their identities which I find cute at first but now that I'm near the ending all the fluff is gone. Hopefully it will return before it ends though.

The characters played off their roles well. I kind of hate her sister, she offered to replace the FL but ended up being such a b**ch. The ML and 2nd ML is okay but I really like Zhong LI and the Dowager Queen (she's the mom in Girlfriend and I love her in that one) is so good in her role.

The story is shallow for me but with all the fluff it's an okay watch. The OST is okay but it didn't leave a lasting impression on me.

I would recommend this drama to anyone who just wants to watch and not think of anything. Like enjoy the chemistry of the ML and FL for the heck of it.

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I want my time back!!!

I just came off watching Love and Redemption feeling irritated by the lead characters and especially the lead actress' irritating voice. I came across Legend of Jinyan, and guess what? Its that bloody voice again!!!! It's like voiceover hell!!! I think they should rename the title as The Misadventure of Retarded JIn Yan.... Just because the male lead is quite good and quite handsome that I decided to carry on....

I pushed myself to watch it but by episode 7, I realised it will only get messier and crappier... Zero character development and I bet she will still be as stupid as the first episode. Don't know who is to blame, bad scriptwriting and adaptation, or is it just a bad story from the original story...

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Just a dumb show

I started this drama because I was craving a rom-com with a love triangle, and while it is one, it's poorly done.

Story: Now I know in historical Cdramas you have to suspend reality a bit with all the flying, lack of injuries etc but this show has too many moments that are ridiculous. At one point the ML and FL fall off a cliff and yet they are perfectly fine. Or another time the ML was injured and she treated his wound on his clothes rather than remove it and then put the medicine. It's moments like this that makes me not take the drama seriously. Yet, it seems like the drama did want you to take it seriously with all the politics and dramatic music in the background. Also, the FL sister tries to disguise herself as the FL to marry the prince and we are just suppose to assume that no one will figure it out. Like c'mon this could so easily be exposed and then it puts the family at risk.

Acting: I came into the show knowing that the FL is supposed to be around 15 so I was prepared to tolerate her behavior. However, maybe to the acting, it just came across flat and cringy. The ML was okay but the 2nd ML seemed to be the most experienced.

Music: Now the music on the other hand is great. I love the opening and ending theme. I started this drama because I came across the opening theme and fell in love with it.

Rewatch value: Since I dropped the series I won't be rewatching it. Instead I'm going to continue with "Oh! My Sweet Liar!" A much better rom-com in my opinion

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Sono venuta per Chen Jing Ke, ma nemmeno lui può farmi restare.

Avendo appena visto Hello Mr. Gu, entusiasmata da questo giovane attore, ho deciso di guardare altri suoi lavori.

Ho visto già molti drama in costume, sono abituata ai cliché del genere, ma qui siamo andati troppo oltre.

Nel giro di meno di un episodio e mezzo siamo riusciti a vedere (e potrei dimenticarne qualcuno): la ragazzina viziata di buona famiglia che si traveste da uomo, la figlia della concubina gelosa della sorella, la caduta da luogo elevato della ragazza con presa al volo da parte del maschio, il matrimonio forzato, lo scambio di identità, la fuga della sposa, la caduta nel precipizio... e sì, devo averne dimenticato qualcuno.

Non sarebbero peccati capitali, ma la recitazione non convince, il tutto sa di terribilmente forzato, comprese le scene di combattimento, e non si può nemmeno dire che venga fatto con intenti umoristici. A maggior ragione le cose stonano perché il numero delle comparse sembra suggerire che non si tratti di un drama con budget ridottissimo.

A me Chen Jing Ke piace tantissimo, di aspetto e di recitazione, ma la FL è respingente. Capisco che nell'intento sarebbe una ragazzina sui 14/15 anni, ma è veramente un pugno nell'occhio, non mi piace il suo personaggio, la sua recitazione, e la sua voce stridente ferisce le orecchie.

Magari in futuro migliora, chissà, anche se ne dubito, per cui rinuncio a investire molte ore della mia vita a cercare di superare il fastidio. Con buona pace di Chen Jing Ke, devo emigrare altrove. Peccato.

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