A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College (2021)

My favorite costume cdrama with good kisses

First of all, my taste is a bit weird. Although I tried watching many costume cdramas this is one of the very few ones I actually finished.
I binged all 30 episodes in 3 days :D

The only thing I regret is reading the comments here before… they made me anticipate for a bad second half but I beg to differ.
The first half was a cute romcom with a unique side to it (first female student), the later half was still good but less comedy - HOWEVER I loved that they never broke up after getting together & that we got lots of kisses and affectionate moments. Rarely do I see dramas where the main leads are together for the entire later half of the drama. GREAT!

It‘s an easy watch and certainly fantasy in many aspects (how easy things are often for FL and that there are no „higher ups“ meddling in everyone’s business especially at the college) but this is exactly what I liked about it. It’s not heavy at all and even if the villain becomes more prominent in the later half, it‘s always one step back & forth. Not too frustrating.

Spoilerrrrr!!!

I would probably rate it a 9/10 if we got more romance in the last 2-3 episodes because I remember at one point we had 4 kisses in a episode and in the finale zero :/
Still - i really liked it and it was a happy ending :))

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Just one big messed up

Ughhh where should I start.... I bored almost reach my dead end. But i've should trust my gut feeling from the first ep watched this, this drama will gonna be b-a-dddddd...

What's ok from all of this drama: the cast. I quite like all the important cast, they play their part good enough. & The soundrack quite enjoyable. The beginning quite funny & enjoyable, that's why i decide to keep watch. But the more toward the end the more messed up this drama become.

All the weird and minus from this drama:
- The attitude of Yan Yun Zhi (YZ) toward Sang Qi (SQ) after he realize his feeling & after they're in relationship his attitude quite unbearable for me. Can't wait to see it end. No i don't find it adorable at all...
- Lian Pian as a maid is very daring if I have to say. The first time she face Yan Xiao Lang is not like maid at all. He is one aristocratic man, but she just like have no manner toward him.
- The last few ep where Zhuo Wen Yuan (WY) infiltrate SQ house in the name 'protect' SQ, her dad already said like he can't protect his own residence... But no... He stil proceed with everything. Hey SQ dad position is far above him, how can he just allowed him to do what he please. Make no sense at all... Yeah2 i know maybe that because of all the plan that SQ & YZ arranged. But still make no sense...
- WY in the last few ep also like all the power, he just recently graduate, recently have position in the kingdom, where all the power come from.... Why he like can control everything, from the academy until the court...
- Maybe there are bunch more. But so far these are that i remember right now

Overall this just one messed up plot, just happy to finished it. They lucky to have Zhao Lu Si & Xu Kai Cheng as the main couple if not maybe they maybe will not gonna have audience to watch

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Easy and Sweet Romance Drama with touches of comedy

I read the reviews when the drama first came out and was on the fence about watching however if you are into light / easy romance dramas this is the one for you.

Some have commented that the plot was lost but I didn't feel that way because the flow of the drama was rather nice with touches of comedic scenes sprinkled not thrown in additionally the minor roles enjoying a small part of having the spotlight with their own fighting scenes and romances.
I have diverted from the tear jerking/soul wrecking drama(s) of Eternal Love and rather enjoy these so called simple romances (no eyes / heart digging or layers upon layers of lovers betrayal with massive murders) also not into the really old man falling for a 15 year old kid which have been overplayed.

I did not see the dean of the college (ML) to be a creepy guy falling for a student. Mind, we can't take the modern rules of hands off student / teacher relationship because the FL is the first female student in that college (happened to be of marriageable age too) and so being simple minded the script is based on guy meets girl, they fall in love at the work place (technically), go through some obstacles of normal lives (of that era) and end up being together.

Another aspect was the fact the FL was the first student into the imperial college and emphasize should be on her being a student and excelling etc however women of that era never went to school so what makes people think she would graduate as a top honor student? She is a 20 year old entering college because of her late brother's wishes it is a feat to be able to read and write during those times let alone go to school for a year and sit for the imperial exams eventually getting on the honor roll.

my criticism is mostly that the production crew were slightly sloppy with the filming - the lighting / angles of shots and certain scenes were poorly done.
another were the costumes - nothing much to fault to a certain degree except maybe the colors/style of the costumes which was selected for the ML (I know he looked terrible in a couple BUT not all).

I noticed too that a scene - ML and FL standing in the snow and the ML fixing the FL cape is missing, that scene was promoted on posters but it's not in the actual drama which is rather disappointing.

Overall, watchable and feel good.

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Super cast pour ce drama 1/3 action - 2/3 humour & romance.

Contrairement à ce que l'on pourrait penser, ce n'est pas du tout un gender-drama (la FL est strong et intelligente, mais assume le fait d'être une femme et se bat pour l'égalité des genres).
C'est l'histoire de la 1e étudiante à l'académie impériale à une époque où les femmes restaient confinées à la maison, agrémentée d'une très jolie (et solide) romance avec le Vice-principal, compliquée par 2 love ▲ et beaucoup de complots, trafics, corruption.

Cette story est mise en vie par un très bon CL (Xu Kai Cheng, Zhao Lu Si), couple étonnamment convaincant avec 1 réelle chemistry. Ce sont bien sûr 2 acteurs reconnus, mais ils excellent dans leurs personnages. Les autres acteurs sont également talentueux, particulièrement Ao Rui Peng et Ren Hao, qui crèvent l'écran.

C'est une série assez légère (le ton est clairement à la comédie), mais drôle et dynamique. On ne s'ennuie pas à un instant, tout au long des 30 épisodes.

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Honestly not one of the very best dramas. First to begin with the story was pretty fast, everything moved fast, the story took action, and it began right away. We get introduced to what Sang Qi is trying to do, and what Yan Yunzhi is trying to do, which I really like. After the whole beginning with the whole plot, everything is basically solved. The only thing that is left is to find out how Sang Qi's brother died. Which honestly the story could have legit just ended there. But no there's like more to the story which I find unnecessary. We got the whole wedding and Sang Qi's dad getting arrested, Sang Qi seeing heaven for a slip second, like there's no point. Honestly good drama, but after they fall in love the rest of the story is unnecessary.

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a heavy hearted comedy

It started out light hearted and funny, which I enjoyed. Yet, towards the middle, they threw a love triangle into the mix which made me dislike the character when I used to like him. Don’t understand why shows need to have love triangle when he could have made a perfect supportive friend?

Speaking of which, love the friendship between Yan Yan, Lian Pian, Yan Yun Zhi, and Sang Qi!!! They’re super supportive and protective of one another and it’s a friendship i aim to have.

The romance factor of this show is soooo low, maybe till ep 20 only. Tbh, I only enjoyed ep 1-20 then the plot starts to drag. They made it so dramatic and emotional despite us probably already able to guess the ending. ;;

Lusi’s acting is decent though. Honestly, Sang Qi can be an actor considering how she managed to fool Wenyuan so many times with her acting. :/

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this show unless it’s only ep 1-20 for the lightness and then just skip the unnecessary angst part from ep 21-30!

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Really fun drama for light-watching. Simple plot, meaningful message.

This was a really enjoyable and satisfying drama overall. Not too serious, but enough to keep you interested and entertained as a lighthearted drama. Well, at least for me. Loved all the characters, from the leads to the supporting roles. Even the protagonists and antagonists. All of them contributed to the story until the very end. No one was left out.

The message of this drama is really nice. Besides the cute romance, there's also a lot about personal growth, friendship, and fighting for justice and equality. Seeing them fighting for people to receive education and opportunities regardless of gender was really meaningful. Absolutely love the character arcs for these characters. You see them grow and become a better person (or worse), and learn to fight for what they think is right. It's rare to see even supporting characters get their own character arc, and the writer did it really well in this. Each character was used to its full potential instead of just being a foil.

Personally, I think that their romance wasn't the major plot (not that I mind it), but what's really nice is that their love for each other solidified their trust and they became each other's support while getting through those hardships. I like that there weren't overused misunderstandings when there are love triangles. The leads had a happy, healthy, respectful, and supportive relationship. Very mischievous too, lol. Which brings lots of laughter.

None of the characters were dumbed down for dramatic purpose (Yes, not even the female characters). Female lead also wasn't the kind who waits for a knight in shining armour. She is just as intelligent and capable as the male lead, which is SO NICE! Rosy Zhao played this role so, so well. I love it when she plays characters like that. Male lead also wasn't the toxic and disrespectful type. He's probably one of the most respectful, open-minded, and supportive male leads ever. I haven't watched much of Xu Kai Cheng's dramas as I have Lusi's, but I personally think Xu Kai Cheng looks really nice in this drama with the long hair and I like the way he portrayed the role of Yan Yun Zhi.

Overall, I think this is a drama that is worth watching, especially for the laughs (Look out for Sang Qi and Yan Yan's shenanigans!). Though it gets a little more serious in the last few episodes, you'll still find yourself smiling at the very end. I'll definitely rewatch this whenever I need a pick-me-up drama. Great chemistry between the lead couple and second lead couple. Great dynamics between all characters. The plot was simple yet engaging and meaningful. Love the funny and sweet moments, and all the sword fights! I also like that they didn't forget any characters for the ending.

If you're looking for a complicated plot and more mature content and characters, then maybe this isn't your cup of tea. But if you want a light-hearted and fun drama with a little bit of mystery, then you might like this underrated gem.

P.s. I enjoyed this drama so much that I decided to create an MDL account just to leave a review because I felt so bad that this drama received quite some criticism especially from the Chinese audience.

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Dean-Student Love Affair

This is a love story of a strong/witty/pretty/rich woman and his School dean (and BFF of her late brother). The story is very simple yet very sweet... Their love for each other is too strong, no one can stop them till the end. I love the 1st episode, the FL is really strong, (brute), kind and cool girl... Their love story develops beautifully, but!.... The plot essentially fell apart after episode 16.... They could finished the series as early as 20th episode... But because the FL, ML and supporting actors/actress are good... they give me enough reason to continue watching...
If you like simple/light love story... this is for you.
If you like (really sweet) romantic-comedy... this is for you.
If you like watching dramas with good looking cast (almost all of them are good looking), this is for you.

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不错可是不好 good but not good

这个戏剧是甜可是有问题。桑奇是很松明可是她也是恼人。后第 19 集这个戏剧是很无聊。我不推荐这个戏剧。虽然音乐很好。周文元很邪恶。他毒死了桑奇两次！我不喜欢他。就是说演员都不错。他们很好。服装很美。对不起，英语我用谷歌翻译。This drama is sweet but problematic. Sanchi is very relaxed but she is also annoying. After episode 19 this drama is pretty boring. I don't recommend this drama. Although the music is good. Zhou Wenyuan is evil. He poisoned Sanchi twice! I do not like him. I mean the actors are good. they are very good. The clothes are beautiful. sorry for english i use google translate.

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Disappointed

I think the description of the drama was a bit misleading but let's talk about it.

The drama follows Sang Qi who wants to follow her brother's wishes to attend the Imperial College; I think that's where the drama should have stayed and focused on. The name of the drama is A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College so they should have based the drama on her struggles as a female attending the Imperial College because in that time and place there could have been so many things to address and so many situations to speak about. Like, this could have symbolized that women are capable of learning and aspiring to be more than what society sees them as BUT the whole time she makes trouble, acts stupid, and proves that she does not deserve to be there. I think this was a missed opportunity.

Plot-wise, I did not care about any other character other than Zhuo Wen Yuan, I think he had a solid character from start to finish and I really liked him despite him being portrayed as the "bad guy". Honestly, this dude has been there for Sang Qi since day one, helping her, being by her side, literally doing EVERYTHING for her but you know what she does, throws all that out the window for a dude who did nothing other than being her brother's bestie ... I don't understand, SOMEONE EXPLAIN HOW THIS HAPPENED.

Anyway, this whole drama made me so mad, I literally skipped through the last 15 episodes because they were useless.

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slightly disappointing? [EDIT: COMPLETED]

don't get me wrong from the title of this review. but let's break it down...

legends: YYZ [male lead, yan yun zhi] SQ [female, sang qi] ZWY [2nd male lead, zhuo wen yuan]

the story:
short detailed summary: SQ is the first female student of the imperial college with a goal to graduate and get good grades there to fulfil the dying wish of her late brother and to also prove to the whole nation that females deserve a chance to study at an institution. in the midst of studying there, she fell in love with the polymath of the imperial college that she is in and that is YYZ. Alongside the romance line and the school story, YYZ and his side character friends are investigating a bad organization and their wrongdoings.
Moving on, let's start with the romance line,
this is a small spoiler but YYZ is the best friend of SQ's late brother and that was also a catalyst of their relationship. The romance between them is lighthearted, funny and hand in hand, they investigate the death of SQ's brother. Up to ep24, their relationship did not go through that big of a rollercoaster [by rollercoaster, I mean like separating for more than 2 eps]. Some of yall might not like it but I think it's okay? Though for ancient dramas, I do prefer those harem chaos and betrayal shit. But as everyone knows, Zhao Lu Si [SQ actress] rarely acts for those chaotic dramas. I don't think it's much big of a spoiler but there is some love triangle shit.. YYZ and SQ are together, but ZWY [childhood friend with SQ] is madly obsessed with SQ.
What I don't like much about the love line is the lack of creativeness, like I don't get the sweet romance/first love kind of feeling that usually gets me slamming my table because it is so sweet in between them. And what I mean by creativeness is that the feelings or the plot between the lovers are like not fresh? Like the reason they fight or have a quarrel, is that usual common reason, not sure if you can guess what is the reason cuz I'm tryna spoil bare minimum.
Moving on to the 'Investigation' part of the drama, ehhhh i think it's very boring. Not thrilling, not exciting. Some reactions that I get from good 'Investigation' plots are when it leaves me hanging and anxious about what the bad guys are gonna do next. But for this drama, they basically sit under a roof, drink tea and discuss shit like "Don't hurt XXXX" and their moves are predictable? Like some of the good shit are from Princess Silver, or like Legend of Fuyao [10/10 recommend this two if you love really MESSED UP stuff and really really good plot twists], Oh and actually Legend of Yun Xi is not bad too [9/10 recommend for a messed up story]

I would recommend drama if you like dramas with good visuals or a drama for relaxation. I would pick this drama if I have just gone through dramas and dramas of a really torturous (虐) storyline. I will update when the last episode airs!

EDIT: COMPLETED 30/30
well well well. it hasn't been a hot minute and I'm here.
For those who don't really want to read this whole part. Watch 25-30. It's where all the mess starts and ends!

Ah, the ending. Very complete I would say! I must admit the middle part of the drama isn't very well done but the ending is really good IMO. Within 3 episodes [28,29,30] Lots of emotions, LOTS OF PLOT TWISTS that got me screaming [for real] and the last episode was beautiful. Truly beautiful. This show ended with all questions answered and all dreams came true! Worthy to watch for the ending!! Now I'm renewing my stars from an 8.0 to a 9.0 :) The only flaw being the middle plot not being well done and some parts being boring. Everything else is good!

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