STORY: 9/10

I admit that I am biased in this regard because stories about tortured and pitiful princes/kings/emperors are something that I enjoy watching and reading about. Stand By Me falls right into that category so it didn’t take much to get me invested. It’s a story about Qi Yan, a young, pitiful and misunderstood emperor who, despite having no power, is desperately trying to gain control over imperial court which is controlled by Qiu Ziliang, a eunuch and the most powerful figure in the empire. It’s also a story about the relationship between Qi Yan and his Sword Bearer Cheng Ruoyu and how they fight together against the odds that are stacked against him. Qi Yan’s trust in Ruoyu and her unwavering loyalty to him stayed consistent throughout the show and there were no annoying misunderstandings between them. They understood and respected each other but that didn’t stop them from acknowledging each other’s flaws. I personally found that type of relationship quite refreshing. Their relationship (and thus the romance aspect of this otherwise political drama) was nicely incorporated and instead of feeling unnecessary and forced it felt essential to the story.

ACTING/CAST: 7/10

Well. Some were good, some were terrible.

Cheng Yi did an amazing job. His portrayal of Qi Yan wasn’t lacking in any way, but that was to be expected. He’s really good at playing tragic characters and he makes their suffering look poetic and beautiful. He made it easy for me to empathize and root for Qi Yan.

Zhang Yu Xi was okay. I’m not sure what I think about her acting myself. She wasn’t bad per se, but I feel like this wasn’t the best role for her. Cheng Ruoyu was supposed to be someone naive (compared to the powerful and extremely intelligent court schemers) and cheerful, but she was also supposed to be a great martial artist and powerful swordsman. Her physical appearance made it hard for me to take her as a serious martial artist. She’s too skinny and she looked too weak. She did a good job with emotional scenes tho. Her crying was believable and chemistry between her and Cheng Yi was unquestionably there.

Lulu Xuan as Qiu Yanzhi & Han Dong as Prince Guang were also good. Han Dong’s portrayal was especially impressive. I couldn’t decide where he stood until the end. Was he a good guy? Or a bad guy pretending to be good? His ambivalence made the whole drama more interesting to watch.

Mickey He as Qiu Ziliang was laughably bad. He pretty much ruined every scene he showed up in and turned a character with so much potential into a caricature. If there is a reason why at times I couldn’t take this drama seriously it’s him.

Supporting cast was so-so. They weren’t the worst but their acting could’ve been better.

MUSIC: 9/10

It was good and fitting. BGM was there to elevate certain scenes and it never felt out of place & the original songs were lovely. I especially liked their lyrics.

All in all, it was a good drama. Interesting storyline, Qi Yan's character, his and Ruoyu's beautiful relationship and Cheng Yi's amazing portrayal were things I enjoyed the most.