Theatrical romance that lacks genuineness

I can understand why BL drama fans love this drama. As a BL costume drama, this drama gets an A but overall as a drama its pretty average. BL dramas are usually pretty poorly done with very poor story and acting so this drama is definitely a step up from all those crappy dramas.

Lot of BL interactions and scenes which I am sure BL fans loved. Sometimes it was fun and cute but most times felt forced and not very natural. The b/romance felt pushed in to our faces a bit. Wen Ke Xing's character is fun and flirty, showing his dark side and his playful side when with Zhou Xu. I don't see the appeal of Zhou Xu, seems very boring. Did not seem menacing enough to be a leader of a ruthless group. Very forgettable and bland character. I failed to connect with either characters.

Nothing comes to my mind when I think of an scene that I could see true feeling expressed by these characters towards each other. There are lots of over the top dramatic, flirty, forced romantic moments but just lacks genuineness and sincerity. Chinese costume dramas always have many theatrical scenes, but in this drama there was something very theatrical and fake about the couple, which really disappointed me.

The story was very decent/average. I can similarities with Legend of Fei since its the same author, characters with hidden pasts, old characters who think they know better than anyone else, some powerful book/ object every one wants, mazes, royalty making appearances for no reason. I often felt that our BL pair was a side story just watching the drama unfold around them. I really didn't care for the main plot with the sects and sect wars and leaders. There are so many characters just talking, talking, talking. This drama believes in telling not showing. The whole childhood friends plot is so overused.

The acting was ok, Gong Jun's character was so overdubbed at the start, it was painful to watch. Though it did improve tremendously. Zhang Zhe Han was very average . I think Gong Jun acted better than I expected whereas Zhang Zhe Han did not meet expectations that I had for him. They can do flirty, cold and concerned but can't convey true emotions. The little boy was adorable but overall tolerable level of acting from the rest of the cast.

I conclude that this is a good BL drama but average drama.

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Legend of poisoning and eavesdropping

I am big fan of WYB, so I really wanted to like this drama but..


Story makes no sense, the main plot doesnt feel like a main plot. Every episode either had a poisoning scene or someone eavesdropping on very important and secretive news. Villains are just allowed to leave/ escape after getting caught!?!
Bad editing, looks like it was done in a hurry, some scenes makes no sense
Fight scenes are not done well, very unrealistic looking in terms of lack of blood, sweat, gore when fighting.
Terrible fake sets with bad CGI
Acting is very average, I expected more from a veteran actress but her acting was as average as Wang Yibo a newbie.
Poor chemistry between leads, the romance seemed forced, very unnatural.
Annoying characters with low intelligence
Laughable villains

It was a torture to complete this.

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Unexpected surprise

Sherlock in Imperial China with a bit of Asian drama romance /cuteness.

This is a Chinese drama I can recommend to my non Asian drama watching friends. Its has a clever and smooth flowing plot with minimal nonsense and time wasting. The murder mysteries and overarching political intrigue keeps you engaged the whole time, I didn't have to fast forward any scene in this drama. The romance is cute, sincere and genuine and not excessive.

Most of the things that annoy me about Chinese dramas do not exist in this show. There are no theatrical scenes, no preachy arrogant speeches, no bitchy and over jealous characters, no over explaining, no bad CGI, flashbacks are short and to the point. Most of the characters are of good intelligence level, they act rationally and sensibly as you expect from the character. Its a welcome change from the usual stupid, silly, fake cutesy, illogical, irrational and loud characters you get in most Chinese dramas.

The FL is a good at her job and has just the right level of naïveness you expect from someone like her. The ML is calm and genius at piecing things clues and not the usual arrogant and swashbuckling hero. The romance is slow but natural and believable. It feels a healthy relationship. The second ML is again right level of cheerful bringing a light atmosphere. to the drama Love the bromance between the two MLs, no forced interactions or scenes but very natural interactions that show how much they value their friendship. The second FL and main FL has a supportive and genuine relationship.

The scriptwriter, director and the whole production crew has done a tremendous job. The unknown actors manage to deliver a fresh performance. The drama achieved what it meant to achieve. A thrilling, crime and detective story that doesn't drag and feel boring. The costumes could be prettier, the scenery more panoramic, the music more memorable but honestly at the end of the day this drama might not be perfect but everything about this drama just feels right.

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