Episodes: 67
Synopsis:
The story starts off with our heroine, Chu Qiao, being thrown on to hunting grounds along with other slaves (who were criminals of some sort). Confused and mostly illiterate, the slaves are given clothes with a Chinese character on it. The next thing you know a group of ruthless, wealthy lords begin to play a hunting game in which the Chinese character (representing a character from each lord's name) on the last slave standing's back indicates the winner. As Chu Qiao runs, fends off wolves and arrows, and uses martial art skills to survive, she is saved by the Prince of Northern Yan, Yan Xun and the lord, Yuwen Yue. Her unexplained ability to fight the way she does and her strong-headed personality intrigues the Yan Xun and Yuwen Yue. Soon, she is brought into the powerful family of Yuwen and begins to train under the strict supervision of Yuwen Yue. She then witnesses the ruthlessness of the nobles, the bloody power struggle, deception and lies, and so forth.
Review:
This is a long drama as most historical fantasy dramas usually are. Did I really watch this with the intention of finishing a drama of 67 episodes?
No.
Did I finish a drama of 67 episodes?
Yes.
The big reason why this drama was appealing despite its obvious lack of romantic scenes and comedic moments was the plot. If you've been reading my unorganized drama review posts, you can see that I definitely am more likely to enjoy a drama with romantic and funny moments. I also do not like it when dramas are too drawn out. This drama lacked both comedy and romance and had scenes that made me want to skip, skip, skip. But it still held on to my attention. There were some memorable scenes, great characters, and also an intriguing plot. Despite these pros, I did not feel like this drama deserved a place on my favorites list. Just because I enjoyed a few specific scenes did not mean I enjoyed the whole drama with a lot of dragged out plot lines, shady characters, and unexplained loose ends.
Now, let's start with the cons. You would think that a drama of 67 episodes would allow me to understand how Chu Qiao is so skilled at martial arts and also what her backstory is that she forgets that she was once the young master of the Feng Yun order. But I did not get that..so...disappointing. This drama wanted to highlight ruthless young lords who were ready to steal the throne by any means necessary, even if it meant killing off a childhood friend and his entire family. While some scenes were extremely shocking and powerful, other scenes just made me feel a little bit disgusted at how inhumane some of these "bad" characters were. Also this drama makes the two blandest characters the main lead. Chu Qiao is emotionless throughout this entire drama which is disappointing because I wanted to see her grow as a character and as a person. I wanted to see her interact and charm the people around her. I wanted her character to have some weight on this story as she is the main lead. I did not get that. A part of me liked that she was so cold toward others because it was a refreshing look on a character. But as it went on, her personality made it hard for me to understand why the male characters were so obsessed with her and in so much pain over her being gone because she would show no affection or friendship toward anyone whatsoever. Yuwen Yue, our supposed male lead, is not much better. His strict and serious personality and appearance made it hard to understand him or truly appreciate him for his acts of kindness or "romance." I found myself investing more in Yan Xun (as many other people did as well). Yan Xun was probably the most complex character in this entire show and I only looked forward to his scenes as there were so many moments where I was bored senseless. So since we are on the topic of Yan Xun, let's jump into some pros.
Yan Xun is a pro, pro, pro and I wish they focused more on him and also made him the main lead. Throughout the beginning of the drama to the end, he has feelings for Chu Qiao and he clearly shows his interest. He accepts her cold, standoffish ways and also doesn't even question her martial arts abilities as much as others did. He never viewed her as a tool. And he sacrificed himself over and over to keep her safe. He was the most cheerful, brightest character throughout the majority of this drama. Then the climax hits and the power struggle affects him greatly as his siblings, parents, and loved ones were all murdered and displayed before his eyes.
"Treason" was the reason. Yan Xun was supposedly spared as he was in the city and not acting in on this "rebellion" his father was planning. It was a set up on Yan Xun's family to relinquish the Northern Prince's family's control on their portion of royal power. Yan Xun was supposed to grovel and accept kindness in his pardon while watching his whole family burned before his eyes. Expectedly, he begins to fight back. Hurt, betrayed, and saddened he lashes out at anyone who came toward him. And this was the point that Yan Xun was pushed to the "dark side." This was honestly the most fascinating part of the drama and I felt his character, his story, and his growth was just so interesting and I wanted to know more about him. His kindness toward Chu Qiao despite his need for vengeance against the emperor and his childhood friends would've allowed for a great love story to develop. But the writers did not go down that path. Instead, they contradicted this character by making him solely focus on vengeance, being a ruthless king on his own lands, and also using Chu Qiao as a tool to bring down Yuwen Yue. This could be because the writers wanted Chu Qiao to eventually return to Yuwen Yue and truly understand how much he silently loves her. But honestly it was so stupid. I had invested so much into Yan Xun, the character they made stand out amongst everyone, and now they wanted me to just accept that Yuwen Yue's love is the best kind of love Chu Qiao should be receiving.
So as you can see I have many complaints. But I did love some of the characters (such as Yan Xun), I loved the bada** vibes that Chu Qiao portrayed in all her scenes, and I actually also liked the princess in this drama. The princess is not necessarily a good person but she was complex, young, naive, and also faced so many misfortunes in this drama in her quest to receive love from Yan Xun. All in all, I enjoyed this drama but it had its flaws and it isn't one of the dramas I'd recommend you 100% watch (I'd probably just show you some of the intense scenes and call it a day).
