This Drama Should Thank Only for Love For Providing Contrast...Kunning Palace Final Review [CC]

[@anironariron6839]

As an international viewer who didn't catch any of the things you mentioned here I actually quite enjoyed the drama and thought that weird direction choices were the only bad part. This review made me want to go back and rewatch from a different perspective now.

[@greentortoise4629]

I did too, it was to the point, funny, loving, suspense and a good drama overall. There was no conniving backstabbing plots.

[@kimmyw0322]

I didn’t find anything bad about this drama too. I enjoyed it so much

[@air2air786]

As an international viewer I watched ep 1 to decide wether it is worth watching for me, I immediatelly saw that this is another big flop again. And went to watch Wonderland of Love (this is no masterpiece either but at least the ML en FL have great chemistry and overal entertainment value is good).

[@Zzz-im3dt]

​@@air2air786is wonderland of love good?

[@HereToShowYouMirror]

As an international fan also , I would disagree with your opinion sokp is much better than wonderland of love.

[@civivva4501]

I as a non-Chinese person would not have noticed the point about the maid and the noble woman being dressed wrong. 600 years difference! That would be thesame as the female lead wearing medieval clothing and the servants wearing Victorian clothing in a European drama. That is wild! Is this done out of cheapness (clothes from a drama warehouse?), ignorence, lazyness or they just liked the look?

[@seungjin4life711]

it's probably the combination of all you mentioned.

[@aden5297]

the best costume dramas have their costumes sponsored by quality hanfu manufacturers. many of the outfits and accessories are based off of actual artifacts. i'm guessing this drama didn't get a sponsorship, so they just got the cheapest outfits from random hanfu makers, hence the dynasty mix-up.

[@rgarcia1133]

It's a fake timeline and a fake country, the director is allowed to take liberties. Think of Game of Thrones, British don't talk about it's accurate portrayal of knights or how the costumes don't reflect England in the 1400s. No, cus they know Westeros doesn't exist

[@bluecarps]

I didn't like the drama either but I don't get the point of getting irked about "historical inaccuracy" when the drama is purely fictional (set in a completely fictional world and dynasty). I don't think its a grave mistake of the costumers to borrow inspiration from different eras for a completely FICTIONAL world.

[@woordenhechtster]

@@bluecarps Yeah, I agree. The fun of a fantasy (just not high fantasy) is you can make them wear anything, as long as it;s consistent with each other. Have one family have the same color palette, as they did in Bridgerton, or do similar clothes for servants or big hairdo like Tang dynasty with Han dynasty clothing, as long as it is consistent. In the end, clothing should represent the character and develop them.

[@kechoify]

Oh my goodness, AvenueX, stop killing me! The way you describe their mouth movement and then show them with such expression is so funny.

[@lijusav]

Spoilers: When I watched it, I treated it as fantasy, and albeit I did notice the mix of dynasties, I thought the author (featured in ep 1 & 38) had made this fictional world. Zhang Linghe indeed had some ugly shots, but on the other hand, I wish leading young characters could look flawed in C dramas sometimes. My main issues had more to do with the toxicity/balance of the main relationship, which I felt was shoved under the carpet for the super happy ending. But overall, unlike you, I actually binge watched it and did like the main couple!

[@dhanachung4883]

I agree with when I was watching the cdrama the only thing that I noticed was the way ml treated fl, he was all the time choking her and treated her so bad, he was very toxic

[@rgarcia1133]

It is a fake world, IDK why we are talking about accuracy, the director is allowed to take style liberties in a made up era

[@iyanuolubori1601]

I’m glad I was not the only one who noticed it. I thought i was the only one with this opinion. On every platform, everyone was so in love with their relationship but it was literally so toxic, with him screaming at her, scolding her, choking her at times. I really didn’t see the appeal of these two together and I really wanted to see it.

[@yuhyi0122]

@@iyanuolubori1601I hate their pairing 😭

[@woordenhechtster]

@@dhanachung4883 Welcome to the world of yandere, it's crazy over here. You should see some lightnovels they go even further...

[@Yaya88007]

About Bailu, I think she is totally lost in La La Land, I was surprised by her role when she played in Arsenal Military Academy as both the role Xie Xiang & Xie Liang, I was truly fascinated by her conviction to play that character and nail it by god. Then I enjoyed her One and Only .... The past dramas she has been playing feel repetitive and tend to put her into a different arc. Never had I felt Bailu needed a forced beauty campaign, Coz, she had this cuteness yet assertive beauty which can hold many roles which require beauty but Boldness too. An actress who can tread any role with ease, drama or artsy both. But these days she is playing roles which is weirdly superficial. I wish she play being back to the same old self who does any beauty roles to convey that she is .... Coz, she is beautiful and when she played roles which was unconventional and bold... I did enjoy those the best.

[@breathe4me8]

Her acting and line delivery needs work - I don’t know if it’s her agent giving her these type of superficial dramas but it’s not doing good for her

[@yny13xx]

I guess it's a con from filming back-to-back. I don't think she has enough time to break down her character with her fully packed schedule. And she and her agency doesn't seem to be picky about the roles. Simple roles like Zheng Shuyi in Yi Ai Wei Guan sure have potential to bring ratings, but they don't help polish or prove the actor's skills. Some actresses take time to choose their next projects, maybe Bai Lu should consider doing the same.

[@softerhaze]

AMA was my first ever cdrama and first time seeing bailu which really made me a fan of her, her acting made a deep impression on me. I really wish that she gets better roles in the future!

[@tinfoilhatseller]

Spot on. But her fans won't be able to accept that and keep on praising shite dramas because they just want to see so and so together, not a good story. She has cool girl vibe but keeps playing 'thousand ships launch for my pretty face' kinda character.

[@shinyeee1709]

100% spot on. The last dramas I watched from her and finished it (or watched past the mid way) were Arsenal Military Academy & her 2 dramas with Ren Jia Lun. Although the scripts or storylines were meh sometimes, I thought that damn she has great potential and her acting really shines. But her newer dramas that did well internationally and domestically (particularly her Luo Yunxi paired dramas) left me 🤔 “WTF”. And I just saw clips, didn’t even bother to start ep 1 because it turned me off. Haven’t been able to start another drama starring her yet I know she was so much potential. These pretty, glize, & glam dramas paired with a trending actor is no enough for me to start another drama of hers.

[@theNfl_Esq]

I really enjoyed Kunming Palace. Zhang did a great job imo. 8/10 for me.

[@nicoleraheem1195]

10/10

[@theNfl_Esq]

@@nicoleraheem1195 I can definitely see a 9.2/10 😉. Great drama. Usually when they are hyped that much they don’t deliver but this 1 certainly did imo!

[@softerhaze]

Same, considering the limited experience he has, he did a splendid job of portraying such a complicated character, I adored his Xie Wei

[@theNfl_Esq]

@@softerhaze absolutely. He also did great in My Journey to You! Tiger and Crane left a bit to be desired but the writing is not anything he can change. Breakout star of the year. So many other ML don’t go as deep and show their emotions as well as he has imo

[@rgarcia1133]

I think he did great too

[@greentortoise4629]

As an international viewer. (Of course I am watching just to watch and zero history of clothing what so ever.) I really enjoyed the drama. It was to the point and moving along smoothly…. Where problems gets resolved and villains are plucked out quickly.

[@danijela6v6]

Sometimes neither a good direction nor good actors, even a high-quality script, hold your interest, but you still press for the next episode. For me, it's a sign that drama is good for me. I watched all episodes of Story of Kunning Palace without having to, and I enjoyed it.

[@missthreet]

Bailu & Zhang Linghe have amazing chemistry, it's just sad that their storylines happened so late in the drama (like ep 32/38 or something), but it exudes from the screen and melts my heart. I've read the original novel, and this adapted screenplay has me in awe sometimes, the way they did the final showdown is great to me. You know 'the bureau' doesn't allow kings to be villians.

[@Barbarossa-heir]

Bailu and Zhang linghe have amazing chemistry"! Really?! I need to consider the very first first meaning of Chemistry then ... I advise you to go check"My dearest " （2023 K-Drama - Ming dynasty s downfall from Mongolia -Josean Era - Rise of Qing dynasty) ...Maybe only then , would you understand Truly the essence of "CHEMISTRY" not only between the protagonists but also between the Whole cast .. You would maybe understand the meaning of actors working so hard to convey the characters 'emotions .. what is the meaning of toiling,. learning a foreign old language (Manchurian -chinese) for the sake of acting... Fans need to ask for more integrity so that directors would respect the Audience 's IQ. Thank you

[@morijin8792]

​​@@Barbarossa-heirlol ml character are badass put them together u mentioned actor u mentioned in that drama u name charisma,acting, emotion, and more manly face I don't to much actor to much make up to make them badass haha so cringe he will top them all only missing is fighting scene

[@nicoledahianjaratrujillo4699]

@@Barbarossa-heir totalmente de acuerdo mucho de los que dicen que ellos tuvieron una gran quimca es en base a las escenas de besos cuando la verdadera quimica de una pareja va mucho mas alla de unos besos cachondos sino como que es en base a sus interaciones entre si como sus miradas y movimientos van en sincronia y la forma en que se miran por ejemplo yo me vi Amor en panece y aun cuando sus escenas de besos no eran las mejos yo si percibi una buena quimica actoral entre ellos la forma en que interatuaban se sentian man natural que con Bai Lu y su coprotagonista

[@n_mp88]

​@nicoledahianjaratrujillo4699 detras de escenas ellos tienen increible química, yo diria que la culpa la tiene el director por no saber como proyectar ese romance, el actor no se supone q haga todo el trabajo, el director debe estar ahí ayudandoles y dirigiendoles

[@no.new.friends]

LMAO I completely forgot that I just finished watching SoKP because I've been so focused on 'A Journey to Love' with Liu Yuning and Li Shi Shi. While I enjoyed SoKP when watching it, the fact that I completely forgot about it speaks volumes to how little impact it made ::shrugs:: I don't disagree with the review. But for the common and non critical international viewer, it's still entertaining.

[@angelxxsin]

It was watchable but very mid.

[@aprillen]

I think one of the pros for me with watching historical-setting c-dramas is _exactly_ that I don't know enough about it to get annoyed when they get things wrong, haha. So for me, this was one of my favourite dramas of the year. The plot may have been complete fantasy (but hey, the rebirth thing kind of hinted at that already XD and I like fantasy, so...) and some of the characters were pure caricatures, but the pacing was excellent, I wasn't bored for a moment. As for ZLH, I had very low expectations of him going in, and was pleasantly surprised. Could Xie Wei have been played better by another actor? Probably. But somehow ZLH pulled it off, which I actually didn't expect at all. I also actually like the fact that he didn't look picture perfect in every shot. He may not be the best actor, but he took the role seriously. The cringiest part for me was the weird CGI bobcats, I just couldn't believe my eyes. Took me completely out of my immersion in the drama.

[@wolfjinism]

You have a point

[@samanthaspadeson1982]

Just what happened this year? There are dramas that I understand that I can enjoy if I turn off all my reasoning, but those are usually dramas full of fluff. This year had dramas that made me realize reasonable plots can also be endangered species, and that weird camera directions can ruin a movie for you, this drama made me reevaluate professional singers; if the lead characters can't sing professionally, leave it to the professionals (we don't mind that being dubbed, really!), almost all the dramas I was waiting for were a flop…😢😢😢

[@nandanarekhabinu6574]

Yeah 2023 was a bad year for chinese dramas. Last year was sooo much better with dramas like reset, love like the galaxy and love between fairy and devil.

[@s-classpop4057]

ikr I watched the drama for the lead actors as to if the acting isnt giving, at least the visuals can make do, but the direction had to even block it. For someone who chose to spare some time to watch as a form of rest, it still felt like a waste of time. Tho I don't regret watching the drama, I still feel that the drama's result isn't worth the budget

[@superkd7030]

I hope you're talking about how great the OST is, one of the highlights of the drama, really. I always felt Bai Lu have more talent for singing than acting, she could be a professional if she practice more. I still haven't found another Chinese actress as good at singing as her, so maybe it's the PTSD of all the awful singing that Chinese actors/actresses put me trough that make me think she's great. 😂😂😂 Why Chinese people torture themselves like that it's something I'll never understand.

[@weichan2949]

As an international viewer, I loved the drama based on its entertainment value and not on its historical accuracy :). It’s soooo much better than One and Only. I had to fast forward that drama. For this one I couldn’t wait until the next episode. Loved the Main CP chemistry.

[@noelg66]

This drama is not bad but I prefer Scent of Time as the set-up and storyline of that drama is better. Both are adaptation from novel but somehow Scent of Time adapted the story better and brave enough to adjust the story set-up as well as the ending. The end product is rather well done as it’s not constrained by the shortcoming of the original story. The way Scent of Time tells its story also gave it a sense of melancholy and heart stringing after taste that this drama failed to convey.

[@princessloveheartglitter]

YESS I LOVE SCENT OF TIME

[@missaisohee]

second this

[@s-classpop4057]

Same here. Just watched both dramas for the lead actors but given how long-awaited and higher-cost SOKP is than SOT, I initially thought it would be better. I saw how few ppl post about SOT's FL having poor acting, which I thought wasnt that bad and was impressive in the later episodes. But when I watched SOKP's ep 1 where FL realized her rebirth, I thought "SOT's acting in the similar scene was better, why can't I see ppl dissing this actress of her acting on weibo?" but well I guess the weibo posts were all abt the direction loopholes which kinda overshadowed the acting issue. SOT has its own cons but overall, I'll recommend it more to my friends who are serious watchers

[@AG-du6zd]

Allow me to disagree a bit - TSOKP is REALLY bad. :) But, yes, SOT is WAY better. Really enjoyed that one, especially the wholesome ending, though I still think that the leading actress was sub-par. Luckily for her she was very well directed and shot.

[@disappearintothesea]

I enjoyed the acting and story in Scent of Time more as well. The FL really made it seem like there is a sense of urgency to change her fate and save her family unlike KP where I think it was just lip service.

[@kara-karina8530]

I had to give this drama 8/10 because of ZLH. I very much enjoyed him taking on darker roles. It suits him. He was lovely in My Journey to You, and his antihero portrayal in Story of Kunning Palace was sexy and compelling. Sorry, antiheroes are my catnip😂 Most problems you had with this drama I didn't notice as an international viewer.. Bai Lu really disappointed me in her last two dramas though. I liked her in both dramas with Luo Yunxi because they had great chemistry together. But you are right, she doesn't bother to play a role, she just does Bai Lu.

[@Prof.SeverusSnape]

Yeah, drama ratings are meaningless now. y'all somehow managed to cheapen an entire film industry, it's no wonder that so many c-dramas have really bad plot these days.

[@paulinasiti6274]

As international fans of Cdrama, I prefer like The scent of Time than Story Kunning palace, I like Wang Xingyue acting, I watch the scent of time again and again, its sooo beautiful and more sense drama for me than Kunning Palace.

[@cecilia...504]

Jeeez.... am I the only one who watched this movie just because I was "fascinated" by (my beloved) Zhang Zhe, the judicial officer 👀😍😍😍 I don't know....I love it every time he appears on screen🤭🤭🤭 His real name is so hard....I can't pronounce it 🤣🤣

[@wuxiaaddict]

I found the drama quite enjoyable especially the chemistry between the FL and ML

[@Peechiness]

Kunning Palace is like the movie Armageddon. Where the science made zero sense, but it was a box office hit. It won't win an Oscars but it's bloody fantastic 10/10!

[@EF-bk4vf]

I like it.

[@brendabrooks8939]

I waited so patiently for this drama to air. and what I got was pure fantasy, where on earth did this director dream up the idea of mixing the dynasties? Completely threw me, I didn't get past the 2nd episode lol

[@joanthemadxxxxxx1832]

The novel is fantasy tho

[@nicoleraheem1195]

​@@joanthemadxxxxxx1832Right. People are too critical. 🙄

[@katest1984]

@@joanthemadxxxxxx1832 They are confused between fictional story and documentary. It's NOT a documentary, people. Enjoy this beautiful fictitious drama with amazing costumes and talented cast!

[@mayakristylou.5499]

Following you was the best thing I've ever done in my life. People who look beyond beauty contests and aesthetics. Sometimes I just want to ask Directors, scriptwriters and Some actors - " are you really proud of this/your work?"😢😢😮😮.

[@bapyongukgukguk2352]

I personally think Wang Xing Yue is a good actor even outside of this drama when compared to his peers. And I asked around chinese people about his diction and voice projection and they said he is actually not bad. At least I would say he got potentials if not good. The thing is his role was done so dirty in this show and treated so superficially (director is pure sh.t) what saved it a lil bit was he managed to give an empathetic performance that made domestic viewers like and feel for him (at least the myriads of videos on BiliBili show they are not tearing him down)

[@mz4jun]

Yes, I agree. For me, WXY’s acting is not bad.

[@bapyongukgukguk2352]

​​​@@mz4jun From what I have seen he is not bad. He is 21 and needs to constantly work to improve for sure. That being said the two dramas that aired this year he gets to play very stoic unflexible and more mature than his age characters which are not easy to pull off at all and require micro expressions and some good voice acting. I think he managed to do his thing with what he got. And at least Avenue X did not roast him on his diction in that video (and she would have done it if he was really bad). Now will he act good in his next projects ? Wait and see but so far there is potential.

[@peacelife]

Ya! I think prob his best with this drama. They writes the role so bad

[@nandanarekhabinu6574]

I mean he is soo young, he is only born in 2002. I dont know any chinese actors that young you can compare him to. But because he is young he has plenty of time to improve. Can't wait to see his future performances.

[@y_88Nrs]

Your review is really make senses, i understand it, but i take this drama as entertainment, just having fun, not bad...

[@megumim6795]

I dropped this drama after 30 min of the first ep so I can't say a lot about the acting let alone the story, but I can say one thing. This mixture of costumes from different ages happens ALL THE TIME in any generic costume dramas in C-dramaland, no? Ladies are often wearing a mixture of late Tang to Song Dynasty costumes and guys had totally ahistorical half-up hairdos with small waists. And whichever dynasty, women always wore earrings (piercing, which was also very uncommon before the Song Dynasty)

[@rebekahweber2413]

I want to thank you for helping us international fans understand better the ins and outs of these programs better. Yes, if we are only watching to be entertained, we would not suffer the same confusion you are pointing out specifically in this review. As much as I want to be entertained, I am much more inclined to be able to know more about Chinese culture in general. I would not have been able to differentiate the costumes being 600 years apart in different dynasties, but there are times, based off of different shows I have wstched, that I can even begin to question the politics and thought processes, but your expertise is very helpful in confirming more issues. I would not have been able to notice the issues with the architecture, yet, as I have only been watching Chinese or Korean shows for 2 years, but I will learn accordingly. Sometimes shooting sets and locations are not ideal, so I do give that understanding if the story is great. But you can only forgive so much. I focus on the actors and give them credit where credit is due. I would find fault with the producers, directors, and costuming if these failures were not addressed for continuity with time periods. Editing is another place where storylines fall apart. None of this is the actors fault, who are usually attached to filming long before all the rest is worked out. Plus scripts can go through many changes after they have signed on. They are poping out so many shows a year that the craft is beginning to suffer. It makes it all the better when that 1 perfect show comes along and everything is spot on for a fantastic quality series to invest your time in without disappointment. Not everything is detailed oriented as Love Like The Galaxy. We look for those diamonds in the rough. The actors are good though.

[@destinychicshop3206]

the faults of the actors are that they cannot act and did not spend time to understand the characters carefully.

[@rebekahweber2413]

@@destinychicshop3206 Agree to disagree. I feel that they were held back from achieving their full potential.

[@TheStrawberrySnake]

I'm an international Chinese drama fan and personally the reason I decided to watch the drama was because I was a fan of Bai Lu but later I really liked it . I also kinda feel like they ended the drama very hastily

[@thinnnuswe9298]

I think BaiLu and Zhang Lunghe had great chemistry. And that's my opinion. So I'm quite ok with this drama. The tension, the kiss. They sold me.😂

[@babasian]

I am glad that I dropped KP because it was so boring and I could not finished episode 2. Bai Lu have so many dramas this year and the only one is good was Til the end of the moon, which I dropped after 16 episodes because the plot was bad and frustrated. I also ended up dropping Only for Love too because it was bad and Dylan Wang can’t act.

[@MarcustheWu]

Oh my god, yes. The direction choices were so weird! As an international fan, I feel vindicated that I thought something was off with the male court costumes. I just did not know enough to say why. 😅 What is so disappointing about this is that I was one of the many who were excited about this when the first trailer was released.

[@ninav3273]

Agree about the drama. Couldn't understand why everyone on our local chinese drama fan community praised it so much, especially that J Linhe and Bai Lu' s performance was so great. I couldn't agree but at the same time as soon as one mentions this, they immediately become the aggressor.

[@ElizabethTai]

Lol tell me about it. I never understood this behaviour

[@lizdarvill6497]

Very much agree

[@yuhyi0122]

Because fan always say that their idol is the best even if they’re not😂😂

[@nicoledahianjaratrujillo4699]

@@yuhyi0122 verdad adsoluta el fanatismo los ciega y no les permite ver con objectividad los trabajos de sus idolos y aun cuando sean una mierda para ellos por el simple hecho de estar estelarizado por sus idolos va a ser una joya para ellos

[@annat6249]

Given I only watched second half of the drama, I think the said bad angle to ML is fine. It make him more manly and raw, unlike other drama where all those things are hidden. I like his character because he is not a typical good guy in cdrama where everyone would take advantage of over and over. BaiLu didn’t really showcase her acting here. I think the only person acting is ML.

[@softerhaze]

His character is absolutely one of my favourites out of all the cdramas I have watched, unapologetic, grey, but ultimately, 'good'

[@juliekaing3170]

The last few eps of the drama were so dislikable. It was such a mess imo. I agree on Bailu’s and Zhang Linghe’s acting being quite mediocre. And I absolutely CANNOT with the director or whoever was in charge of OST playing at EVERY emotional scene, it was hella annoying.

[@helenzee100]

I loved this drama! I enjoyed it very much.

[@lowsksk]

Bai Lu is one of my favorite actresses, I hope she has some better dramas in 2024. 😮

[@tvmoviemistress]

That’s exactly what Bai Lu has been doing, “playing the prettiest of them all” and I’ve not enjoyed all her latest dramas because of it

[@nancy-h5z9s]

I can understand why her fans love her. She is not a great beauty by any means, but she can be very cute, charming and spirited. Her personality is like the most popular girl in school or the class president. She has a bold on-screen presence when she is playing a general, man, mean person, female warrior, etc. She is great at those kinds of roles. Her acting is not bad at all, better than a lot of other actresses because she has spirit when she acts. SOKP and OFL may not have been her personal best acting, but she has had very good performances in past movies.

[@skryiel]

As an international viewer, I love SoKP! SoKP was one of the few dramas I managed to complete in second half of 2023 (I just lost interest in many dramas after 5 episodes), and thoroughly enjoyed. But again I watched it with no expectation; the cultural aspects in this fantasy idol drama were also of little significance to me, since I knew little. In any case, happy to have a drama that I totally enjoyed!

[@robine5104]

I completely agree that the middle aged actors were the true stars. They gave their characters such depth and complexity. Overall I loved this show. I was not looking at it as an historical show with any resemblance to reality. Just a historical fantasy which looked beautiful. I thought the secondary characters did get the most interesting character trajectories. The sister and her marriage and the You girls were interesting to watch. Good review as always. Makes me think in more depth about what I just watched.

[@wanji14]

Your analysis is GREAT!!

[@Moonlight-cy1eg]

For me the biggest problem was that the main leads didn't have any chemistry😅

[@softerhaze]

For me the complete opposite, their chemistry was on fire !

[@yuhyi0122]

I thought they would have more chemistry aince they’re rumored to be dating, but nah😂

[@jenstraightup]

No way. I loved it.

[@valley-girl]

The chemistry WAS SOOO GOOD but they had little to no scenes of romance together

[@n_mp88]

??? aren't they a couple irl?

[@mariatomasi2163]

I actually really enjoyed this drama, liked the slow building of a love relationship and also the toxicity, because it’s explained: male lead being unscrupulous and calculating and female lead rejecting him until inevitable because of his scary and overwhelming personality. I also watched it as a fantasy and not historical drama

[@baceicly502]

I hear every single problem with this drama and I agree with avenuex HOWEVER I’ve yet to see a female character who’s not trying to be the best good person. In her previous life, she’s more or less the villain and in the next, even though she tries to change the future but you’re not seeing het being an angel and she’s selfish which I found refreshing

[@peacelife]

They hired Linghe for the look. Although he tried, but you can see that he is trying to act through the role. Even trying to be angry, mysterious and bad. He needs to work on his facial. I think the 2 support main actors are better in my opinions. What's up with the director tried to do new spin on period drama! Thanks for breaking up the clothing. When I watched it I find them were odd but didnt know.

[@Barbarossa-heir]

I agree with you. This is the bill to pay when you back a whole work on just actor's physical appearances and fame amongst their fans ... If they keep casting zhang linghe on combining him with every beautiful actress in china , he will find himself " lifeless" on camera.. This is my opinion, Bailu is acting just for the purpose of money ..she is not adding substance to her character as she was consumed just to please "some " kind of audience and sponsors .. Voilà !

[@tinfoilhatseller]

Haha evidently you touched a lot of nerves with this one. Poor fans, they have to work overtime even in this chilling winter.

[@007lisle]

I loved the novel. Xie Wei in the novel has a more consistent character. I don't know what to feel but they changed the ending in the live action. They watered down Xie Wei's villainous tendencies. I prefer the novel.

[@naleenidas7734]

Zhang Linghe is such an eye-candy BUT as an actor he does nothing for me. Poor boy should have remained an idol, IMHO.

[@rarezzzzz]

I loved the drama it's 10/10, it has become my new favourite drama after Maiden Holmes. Their chemistry was so evident since the initial episodes. The grey character of Xie Wei was all I needed. He was evil but good! And I didn't find their relationship toxic, it was purely love and compassion. He was not the soft type, only Ning'er could handle him. Overall, the drama satisfied me. I already watched it twice.

[@jacqt4432]

I'm still yet to go back to this as a whole. I watched the first 4 episodes and decided to wait... Yesterday I picked it up again but only watched the last 1.5 episodes and the special 🙈. I think I'm not pulled in enough to watch all the episodes. I watched Scent of Time and I liked it alot more than many bigger historic/costume dramas of 2023!

[@diana4987]

I actually love Kunning Palace. I found the plot confusing with the previous life and the current life. My issue was the red eyeliner and eyeshadow on Zhang Linghe to indicate he was going into crazy mode

[@joessjoess]

Now I'm worried that this director is shooting "Chasing the Moon".

[@Bb-ul7xh]

I watch it for entertainment not for shred it to pieces if it is relevant or not i think it's not specifying any dynasty anyway I like it am not going to have headaches just to shred it to pieces I just enjoy the show

[@nancy-h5z9s]

Only for Love was in top 10 most watched tv series after many weeks as #1, then stayed #2. It is extremely popular and highly rated on Viki by over 40,000 ratings averaging 9.3 It's a huge success whether it is quality production or not. I'm sure they will make more movies like it.

[@nicoledahianjaratrujillo4699]

Popularidad no siempre es sinonimo de calidad como lo es con Todo por amor que es como la version china y barata de una mala saga como lo es 50 Sombras de gray

[@nancy-h5z9s]

the movie industry is about making money and it succeeded to do that with SOKP and OFL which are extremely popular, and fans are rating very highly. They will for sure make more movies like it due to its huge success.

[@mariocomputer808]

I noticed that thing with Zhang Linghe's mouth when I was watching My Journey to You, and it is so distracting! He also keeps his mouth open a lot, which makes me wonder if he has sinus congestion because it seems like he can only breathe through his mouth. He's a very good-looking man, but I can't see past these habits of his!

[@maragathm]

I concur the way he spoke was so distracting, the voice that came out did not match the way his mouth moved and it felt like someone else was speaking through him.

[@KimberlyHarrison45]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 what? They did a mixture of dynasties 😳🤣 Wow that’s a whole new level of not caring at all!!

[@katest1984]

It's called an artistic license. They can create their characters in any costume they want. It's not a history lesson ;)

[@zaxdragon]

For me scent of time have way better writing. Though the costume look not as expensive

[@annabear1746]

4:29 I'm also someone who get icks from inaccurate costumes or settings. Although I'm not knowledgeable enough in this, only the basics, so I "fortunately" don't always able to spot the inaccuracies. However, when I did spot something I know, it completely bugs me to the point that the rest of the drama became not enjoyable. Like, I'm not educated and only know basic stuffs, but even that these people can't do it right, that's annoying. So, I'm completely agree with you that these type of problem caused the drama to be unwatchable sometimes that I had to drop 😢

[@msnab2532]

Warning: Don't watch Avenuex's videos untill you are done watching a drama if not she will ruin it for you lol,now I can't watch kunning palace like I was planning to😂

[@shreyashidey9590]

I was also wondering why the vilen guy is still in his feif ruling! It really doesn't make any sense! And why did he kill 300 children but took the duke's son with him... why!?and also put him in charge to accelerate his plans.. 😂 and the final showdown... that was even illogical.

[@bubbabunny4258]

This one scene where the main lead force kisses Bai Lu, one scene her lip make up is messy but the next shot, her lips are perfect again! They are in a cave, how did her lips turn normal again after the kids??

[@MusicLady74]

This drama is still very popular in China and various mandarin speaking countries and is pulling in impressive viewer counts mainly because at the end of the day, what matters to us drama viewers is whether a drama can captivate its audience through interesting storylines and good acting, which imo, this drama does possess. Most casual drama viewers do not really care too much about the historical accuracies; we aren’t scholars to nitpick on details. Also, from the looks of it, this drama does not have the budget to spend, so they’ll have to make do with whatever is available, which explains the costumes or sets inaccuracies (which frankly, I didn’t even notice even though I’m pretty versed in Chinese histories). Given that, they still have a pretty commendable ensemble of cast making this drama an enjoyable watch, at least I speak for myself who’d completed the whole drama without skipping any parts. My mom, a native Chinese, who hasn’t been watching much dramas lately, is also bingeing on this drama and found this enjoyable too. Mind you, we’d watched numerous dramas over the years, and dropped many along the way mainly because many cdrama actors/actresses have 夸张 (theatrical) acting, which turns us off. This cast, especially Bailu, acts naturally, making it so much more palatable, despite it being not a high budget drama. I respect your subjective rants, however, it’ll be a shame when people get influenced to not check the drama out themselves based on another person’s review on KZbin or Google. Just check out any dramas yourself and decide for yourself… there’re also normal drama viewers who do enjoy this drama for its entertainment value.

[@evinatan459]

I love ZLH's acting in SoKP. Mainland actor & actress tend to be pretty in all scene of drama that it irritated me so much! Whether they got stab, kidnapped, tortured, angry, sad, surprised, afraid they only have 1 facial express & try to be pretty all the time that is not realistic. I'm glad ZLH & BL never afraid to immersed in their character that they looked ugly because of the stab, punch, tortured & ugly crying

[@tashyka3363]

Loved every bit of this drama! I am so happy I didn’t see any reviews on it before watching! It was really amazing and such great chemistry between the leads.

[@hhzxlhf183]

I agree with most of your review, but I really love the character Yan Lin! I'd marry him with no hesitation at all in real life.

[@wishfulkelly3669]

I just want to drop a comment here because I saw a lot saying they prefer Scent of Time to this. SoT was so bad for AveX that she dropped it after a few episode. A lot of things in SoT doesnt make sense, even for international viewer like me. Merchant family can never hold so much power, they are like the lowest in China social pyramid. 😂 This fact alone defy the history more than costume inaccuracy. I managed to finish SoT trying to ignore this, great performance but the ending really eff up everything. I cant believe I watched 29.5 episodes of someone’s dream!!

[@softerhaze]

I am really sad bailu's next project is again with zhu ruibin as director again... 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@softerhaze]

The let down of this drama apart from the strange directing and editing choices was Zhang Zhe's arc. Everyone just suddenly became stupid which annoyed me lmaoo

[@demieliew8577]

Ooo! Interesting review! I was waiting to see what you would’ve said about this one. 😅 out of curiosity, who would you have liked to have seen casted in this show? But def on the ball on that light! lol 😂 I couldn’t take my eyes off that and all the sepia coloured scenes for the flash back.. ZLH in 云之羽 is still my favourite. I think he and Esther did so well in that one as compared to him and bai Lu here.

[@doggiegirl17]

Ha, I agreed with Ms X that this one is painful to watch. I managed to stick through the first 5-7 eps, enjoyed the middle part where there were more older actors on screen, and struggled to finish the last 10 eps as they become soooo boring. I'm an international audience who has superficial knowledge of Chinese history, and even I noticed the disjointed costume choices 🤣 ZLH and BL's acting are definitely so-so, nothing new and somewhat expected from these two. I don't understand why the FL fell in love with the ML, especially because she actually liked Zhang Zhe and just broke up with him. Those scenes in the cave with some big cats? (what are those?? 🤣) are so boring and not convincing. Why did the ML hate (or afraid?) cats? What caused his "disease" and how he got cured (other than now he is with the FL)? None of these made sense and they felt unnecessary to me.

[@juliekaing3170]

The cave scene was so unserious 😭😭 I felt like they added so many unnecessary angst and romance just for the sake of sugary. Why was the ML craving for the FL so badly all of a sudden? It just doesn’t fit his character. FL was ASSAULTED in the cave yet she still somehow chose him over the second male leads…

[@maryannrondinella5680]

The cave scene was borderline absurd. The IQYI English subs called the cats "bobcats," creatures that are not native to China nor do they attack humans unless rabid. I guess the CGI budget didn't allow for a tiger or leopard, which would have made more sense. But the ML's whole life story was a muddled mess. As a child, he was terrified by feral cats when abducted by the evil Lord Pinyan. As Avene X points out, that whole premise of Lord P surviving after his unsuccessful rebellion was just nonsensical. And how did the ML, Lord P's protégé, end up as a defenseless young scholar who had to be rescued by the 14 year old FL after being attacked by bandits on their way to the capital? Again, the plot makes no sense other than to gin up some weird bond between the two leads. I watched all 38 episodes in the hope it would finish strong, but can't recommend this drama.

[@CdramaYou]

The reason everything in the drama's felt unrealistic because it happened in a rush. They pressed the entire novel into a 38 eps drama. The drama missed so many details that actually built the story. Also zero chemistry between the leads, no connection through their eyes. I'm saying this as one of those audience who waited so long & was excited for this drama.

[@CdramaYou]

Even in the novel, Zhant Zhe is the one who also bring back the same memory from his 1st life, just as Jiang Xuening. It would've put more emotion but it's not exist in the drama. ZZ is also the one who supposed to keep his boundaries with JXN, but in the drama they made JXN the one who declined his love. Also the scene after XW rescue JXN w/ ZZ, when XW talked w/ ZZ about ZZ relationship w/ JXN. In the novel, at that moment XW asked ZZ 'how's your feeling towards JXN?" ZZ answered him. "I love her." And many many details were missing in the drama

[@debbigains]

I am waiting and EXCITED for your review of A Journey to Love. ❤❤❤

[@Ibpsexam2024]

I totally agree with you. BUT i love their kissing scene.

[@cherylcroft4283]

I am also an international viewer, and while I found myself using fast forward, it overall was a drama I was able to watch until the end.

[@cremebrulee296]

I can ignore the dinasty thingy because it was set to be a fantasy, even stated as a novel's story in the drama but I do agree that some plots seem a bit disconnected and the ML and FL's love story seems not really convincing. I don't really understand chinese language but I still can hear weird line delivery sometimes in the drama by the leads so hm... 🤐

[@Joan-qe7gm]

I'm so glad you commented on their elocution. I know a bit of Chinese from watching lots of historical dramas. But, I too thought there was something odd about the line delivery. It sounded like they were receiting their lines without inflection or emphasis. Flat delivery. I feel so proud that I noticed.

[@michaelnee5652]

I have watched many traditional costume Chinese dramas this year. I would rate A journey to love as my top one in 2023. Can you please do a review?

[@zena8846]

I ws ready to defend the drama but then listening to u i realised u were absolutely right...im an international viewer so the historical inaccuracies doesnt really bother me. I felt that the plot ws fairly ok but it blows my mind how i never thought of how lord pingnam ws still alive after all that chaos nd also abt the line delivery, shouting, mcs not connecting with the charectors, zhang linghe having the worst angles, him having that pretentious face...all tru..all in all it has flaws but i still had a good time watching the drama😊

[@frankhill605]

Thank you Avenue X for your review. I completely agree and thank you for saving me the trouble of continuing on. I finished episode 2 and felt bored and lost. This is a no go for me. Thanks.

[@arielmoondance]

I am completely ignorant of Chinese history but I can understand your issues with the lack of accuracy in this drama. However, I really liked it. 🤷‍♀️

[@amarinegripond1915]

Maiden Holmes was quite sweet

[@duckraft]

I found the first episodes confusing due to the many, frequent flashbacks. I felt like I was supposed to already care about these characters to make me want to stick with it. But it was just incoherent and i didn’t care enough to stick around. And I don’t mind a steep entry to a cdrama. I adore Nirvana in Fire and The Untamed, both of which weave flashbacks with many characters into a complex plot already underway from the first minutes. I’ll stick with confusing if you give me something to care about. But this just wasn’t worth it to me. Storytelling fail.

[@aleksandrasucur8615]

I agree with you. One can turn a blind eye to bad (well, almost criminal) cinematography, poor direction and delivery, kitchy & mixed-styled aestethics, even the lack of basic logics here and there, but it's impossible to accept a completely failed storytelling. It failed because: 1) flashbacks were overused yet still failed to connect with thoughts, feelings and intentions of the "redemption time"; 2) the main goal of the story - redemption - was completely forgotten and lost as the story progressed, being superficialy substituted by FL' shifting her emotional interest from ZZ to a guy she feared/misunderstood. 3) the lack of logic was not occasional but constant: starting with that unexplained "dementia" (an illness which has different symptoms and causes in reality), her giving up on ZZ for absolutely non-credible reason, the other girl dying for even less credible reason...not to mention all other minor issues such as her interminable running while all the battles in the palace are already over and the ML already on the ground... Such an awful storytelling, mixed with other frustrating elements, made me feel bad for my wasted time (I've dropped it too late, around ep 24, then just checked the ending). Think Avenue granted it a too generous rating

[@noorakmarabuhassan7254]

I watch this drama for Bailu and quite enjoyed it until the last 3 episodes which really ruined it for me 😢. The FL & ML love feels rushed, forced & shoved to me.

[@HKogen]

Thank you for your review! I regret wasting so much time on this nonsense drama, stupidly believing it would get better somewhere. Especially after watching The Scent of Time which was solid in terms of plot and logic and had a very mature and thought-provoking ending. Here, every dialogue, scene, character interaction is just so superficial and un-clever... Yes, it`s a Nirvana in Fire wannabe. Even visually, it`s a cheap sale, with badly sewn gowns and inelegant jewellery. Frankly, i don`t see the money.

[@ealhyacohen-lorente5640]

I enjoyed the chemistry because I was lmao ! At the absurdity of it all ! But I did find it overhyped. 😂 lol the plot was clearly not there 😂

[@sitimasamah7074]

I think it's funny because I watched a "story of kunning palace" 3 times... Cause i like the story and the actors. And then i watch avenueX review, i feel so bad for the costume and the acting skills that you mention... And then i realize you are right. it's funny cause i still like the drama... and i will recommend it to other people who did'nt know chinese history, and just for drama😂

[@sitimasamah7074]

I really like your review... Now I'm your new subscriber ❤

[@premabisht7572]

not a fan of bailu but Zhang linghe was absolute treat to watch n better compared to previous drama the journey to you whch was absolutely boring

[@deyayona]

Thanks for explaining the details of the dress. Also the bright light from behind with no reasonable source is really unapologetic. It was fine in The starry love as it was fantasy and comedy, here its supposed to be a serious drama. The light cannot be forgiven. And rightly said, due to the unpopularity of Only for love, this drama could gain some positive perspective. At least I wasn't getting angrier with story. The story is okay-ish for me. The older generation characters definitely did better job but the some of the storyline still doesn't make sense to me. Why was the queen mother trying to get rid of the emperor? The story about Zhang zhe & Xuening in the past life is incoherent. As for the actors, I would prefer Zhang LH in My journey to you (playing male lead) as the novice lord rising to power than here where he is supposed to be the chief strategist. The actor playing Zhang zhe is the stiffest actor I have seen with little to no expression (this and other dramas) but somehow it plays well with character here. Even though many things doesn't make sense, but I wasn't bored while watching it. Luckily I binged it in one week or so.

[@vijayadey3416]

Like it or not this is my favourite C drama of 2023...i was hit by a major drama slump nothing was getting my excitement going Bai Lu Zhang He and their witty chemistry got me out of it...

[@pammiim]

I really love listening to your review. I saw that you mentioned Scent of Time. Will you be reviewing that drama too? I haven't heard people talking much about that drama.

[@LuArielLor]

Whew what a rant! Thanks for ranting for me. I think by the end of it, I just didn't have the energy to process why I didn't like it. I totally understand why knowing the actual history will bother a viewer so I'm glad I didn't have that to hinder me. You did point out some interesting things about the leads acting that I probably won't be able to unsee of they don't fix it in their next project. I think scent of time was better in terms of similar storyline but I'm honestly tired of these 3 male and 1 female lead stories. They drag on for so long.

[@monicaleong7231]

I actually really love this one. Thought the plot moves along quickly and the love story of the two leads made sense. From fear & suspicion to being absolutely devoted to each other. ❤❤❤

[@lubmo9129]

I enjoyed the drama to the max tbh😊

[@AM-ry4px]

I feel like they did the actor dirty bc of the way they filmed him. There’s some senses I had to skip because it’s just so hard to watch 😂😂😂, the face, the angles, the expressions just not right to me.

[@aicha4370]

Comment i don't know what is wrong with y'all guys. Bailu she a good actress who work hard for her role and giving her best and she never failed to amazed people with her perfect Act...Including the chemistry someone mentioned the chemistry LMAO let's be fr Bailu can chemistry everyone like literally EVERYONE not just my words everybody's word's and opinion so guy's calm down her career is growing day by day you can keep *the opinions* to yourself cause the way you describe lulu you're just showing you're jealousy .

[@JunSaintXu]

i liked this drama. i think you just have to go with the world the story creates. i.e. there's a rebel king who wants to take over the throne. agree with the lighting but that's the director's style. just like 云之羽 has a very distinct cinematic style. also i am in love with 张凌赫.

[@paolaparodi979]

13: 48 Sí , nel drama LBFAD ho percepito le sue emozioni. 😊 Grazie per Ie preziose informazioni di Storia Cinese.❤❤❤

[@l_a_u_y8916]

I loved this drama, was it perfect obviously not, but i enjoyed it very much, the directing sure felt abit all over the place but the drama does reference the novel in many ways i would have preferred for the end to be more like the novel (dark) but I guess that may have turned too many ppl off and not given the redemption factor to the ML. I understand the history factor being annoying i get annoyed the same way with western Europe history when they get it wrong in movies and shows but most entertainment always goes away from history and only implements certain thing to give a historical impression

[@Girlyvibe-l2o]

I love it. I watch it with low expectation but I really enjoy it

[@air2air786]

You managed to watch 38 eps? You are a hero. 😂

[@angelxxsin]

I gave up 24 episodes in.

[@NEBUKADNECCAR]

​@@angelxxsinI was waiting for this drama for so long. And then I watched 2 or 3 episodes of it. Not mention I was skipping all the time from one scene to another

[@lovelessminki]

A mi me gusto el drama como entretenimiento, sobretodo porque en el se reunieron varios actores que me gustan y quería ver juntos. Pero ahora que veo tu reseña comprendo muchas de las críticas que había leído en Weibo, si bien soy nueva en esto de los dramas chinos es evidente que la dirección no es buena, hay mucha decisiones extrañas, pareciera que el director quería innovar o crear su propio sello pero salió mal. En cuanto a las actuaciones se nota que están mal dirigidas, consideró que con los actores que tenían podían haber presentado un trabajo más consistente. Algo qué vi mucho en los fans int es que creíamos que el personaje de ZLH también recordaba su primera vida, ya que predecía todo lo que iba a pasar y cómo iban a actuar los demás personajes, algo que es imposible por muy inteligente y estratega que seas, en cuanto al personaje de BaiLu nunca me pudo convencer de ser capaz de convertirse en LA EMPERATRIZ, si bien era capaz de detectar las intrigas en el palacio, sus habilidades y poder no eran suficientes para sobrevivir menos cuando tienes a tantas personas del palacio en contra de tu familia y de ti. En fin, realmente me gusto mucho tu reseña me hizo darme cuenta de varias cosas que me hacían ruido pero no sabía identificar.

[@Maryquotewindadada]

If you like Zhang Linghe, i'd recommend My Journey To You, gosh, i loved it so much!!

[@bluecarps]

Not a fan of the drama either but "historical inaccuracy" is such a worthless talking point for a show that is COMPLETELY and UTTERLY fictional. It's not based on any real dynasties or time periods...I don't think that using inspiration from different fashion eras is that much of a grave mistake on the costume designer's past...a fictional time setting could very easily have had similar styles alongside one another...now if she had critiqued that the costumes were ugly, now that would be a fair comparison.

[@anastasyavie6236]

the review imo feel so biased because like you said, why hung up on the "historical inaccuracy" for a fictional show, bad costume definitely worth the negative point but the drama was never promoted themselves as "historically right" either, it's llike judging why apple didn't have orange skin.

[@thecloudflower7844]

Good thing I didn't bother watching this drama. Lol waiting for your review of A Journey To Love