I never thought I could cry watching a drama!

I generally do not cry while watching dramas or movies, but I cried a lot during this show. SInce most sequels as not as good as the first season, I wasn’t expecting much when I started this series. I absolutely loved Nirvana in Fire 1 and when I saw this season has different actors, I was a bit disappointed, but my disappointment vanished in as early as the first 2 episodes. The story continues from season 1, with the next and next to next generations as leads in this ones. I loved the sweet romance between Xiao Pingzhang and Consort Meng, they were a perfect couple! The lack of romance in the first season was taken care of by these two well. Xiao Pingjing was super cute and good looking, and lit up the screen whenever he appeared. The only character I failed to like here was that of Lin Xi. Nohting against the actress, but the character was cold throughout, and not just against her ML, but in general cold to everyone. I wish she would have been a bit more sweet to our second lord Changlin. All other characters were very well played, and it was good to see some actors from the previous season, though in completely different characters here. The series was a compulsive binge for me, and I couldn’t stop once I started. This season had a happier ending than the previous one, but I still missed the characters when clips from the previous season appeared here. I generally dont watch shows again, but I’m certain these two shows I would be rewatching several times.

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Simply phenomenal!

A thoroughly enjoyable series, with excellent story, phenomenal acting and amazing cinematography. First up, the main leads… it was my first time watching Jing Tian and Feng Shao Feng, and both of them were spellbinding. With great, seasoned acting and awesome on-screen chemistry, they carried the show so well, I am dying to see more of their work, which I’ll be checking out after I finish writing this review. What do I say about Zhou Yi Ran!! I liked him in Falling into your smile, then loved him in When I fly towards you, and now this! He can be a pro-gamer, a shy and reserved high school nerd and pull these roles well, but to see him in a period drama, playing first the impulsive young prince, then an authoritative emperor, a heartbroken lover…well what do I say! He’s been phenomenal! I’ve seen him get better with every role he’s played and he is definitely going to make it big! I wish he tries out more varied roles in future. All the supporting actors added to the finesse of the drama, and made their roles memorable. I rarely watch something twice, but I am sure I’ll be watching this series again soon.

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Worth watching!

To be candid, I avoided watching this show forever….I had a negative bias towards the FL since I had dropped watching two shows with her as the lead before, so I kept adding and removing this show from my watchlist. When I finally read some good reviews about the show in MDL, I decided to give it a go. I already liked the ML in Go Ahead and Skate in to Love, and I must admit, I really liked the FL a lot here. It’s amazing how the story, screenplay and styling can make an actor seem so good in one show compared to others. The story wasn’t an uncommon one, with body swapping between the leads, but the chemistry and the romance were amazing. I loved seeing the leads together in the show, and I really felt the emotions and heartbreak when they had to separate even though neither could live without the other. The life of celebrities seems golden and enviable from outside, but the fact that they have no personal life and all their choices are publically discussed and commented upon by fans and critics, very bluntly at times, is something that makes me super thankful that I am an average person, and also happy that I dint indulge in discussing celebrities online. Coming back to the series, it was a wholesome, sweet and very entertaining story, and I loved it a lot!

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Good story, great acting!

As soon as I started the series, I was reminded of A dream of splendour, I found the two FLs resemble each other in looks and temperament. Both FLs had good business acumen, and were paired with warrior MLs. Although the similarity ended here, I found this drama to be equally entertaining, and it kept my interest going till the very end. Our leads get married for real in episode 36, and after their wedding, what I was truly hoping for was a romantic relationship between the emperor and the empress, though it wasn’t shown clearly in the end, but there were hints of a better relationship between the sovereign and his queen. That said, I would have liked to see more of them! The third couple were sweet too, and I liked their interactions. This drama had a strong female lead, a strong woman as an empress who unconditionally supports the emperor without asking anything in return, and a third FL who is a great businesswoman. The love triangle was interesting too, but I never saw myself supporting the love rival of the ML. The lead characters were equally matched in both martial strength and intelligence, and they deserved to end up together. The power struggle, the deceits, the plotting for throne were not something new, but one expects these in a period drama. It was my first time watching all three MLs and FLs, and neither of them disappointed. In all, it was an entertaining series that I might end up repeating soon enough.

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I would give 20 stars if I could!

I can write about how I loved this series in 10,000 words and still have more to say, but one thing I’d say at the very beginning, hats off to the author of the book, it is a fantasy and one cannot help but revel in the imagination of the original author. The drama adaptation could not have been better, and the drama version owes so much to Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo, for foraying into a taboo genre but coming out with flying colours! I myself have avoided watching this series, despite of liking Xioa Zhan as well as Wang Yibo, because I had this mental block of not wanting to watch a BL drama. Now that I have watched it, it is a shame to restrict this drama in one niche genre. It is so much more than that, the difference between good and evil, or the lack thereof, the love between people not necessarily related by blood, the deep friendships one forms in a lifetime, the greed that makes one do evil without thinking about retribution, the sincerity of a relationship, the sanctity of mutual affection, there is all this in this series and so much more. Each and every actor performed so well and added to the series being such a big hit, here is a drama where I cannot hate the evildoers, and cannot completely admire those who seem righteous. The whole story ultimately condenses down to having a clear conscience, and that a clear conscience is all that matters in the end. The background score and the flute and guqin tracks of the series were exceptional, and I would be suggesting this series to anyone who is willing to watch, for a very long time, or till I can find something worthy of being added to this suggestion in Chinese dramas.

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Beyond expectations!

What a heartwarming love story! I had this show in my watchlist for a long time, but I don’t know why, I never wanted to actually start it, I like both Tan Song Yun and Xu Kai, but I somehow didn’t quite like the idea of them being cast opposite each other. Now that I have finally finished this show, I can say that I stand corrected! Not only did hey look good together, they had a lovely chemistry and the romance didn’t disappoint at all. The beginning few episodes were not interesting enough, but the drama soon gained my interest. Tan Song Yun has had great chemistry with all actors she’s worked opposite, which shows her excellent acting skills. Xu Kai, on the other hand, has grown a lot as an actor since his older shows. He is an awesome eye candy, but he was more of that than ac actor before. I liked his acting a lot in Wonderland of Love, and he seemed to show emotions on his otherwise passive face in that drama. Likewise, here as well, he acted well and his growth as an actor was visible. Perhaps, the FL he’s cast opposite also has a part in bringing out his emotions well on screen. In both As beautiful as you and Wonderland of Love, he was cast opposite older FLs who acted very well, this might have had a positive effect on his acting skills as well. I loved him in Arsenal Military Academy as well, there again he was cast opposite Bai Lu whose acting skills don’t require an attestation by me. Overall, it was a beautiful and warm show with a lovely ending. The epilogue was excellent too, but the producers had to have one of them pass away, which I thought was unnecessary. We all know the reality of life, and we know people cannot live and die together, but we don’t need fictional characters to separate, since seeing them together forever is heartening for us viewers, making us believe in beautiful endings and happily everafters.

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