Zhen Xiu Ji (2022)

Charmingly funny show with two endings

Delicacies Destiny was not a big-budget production, with nondescript sets and unmemorable costumes and props. Still, those factors did not detract from the show's charm, and one can tell that quite a bit of the budget was invested in the cooking scenes and the resulting dishes.

This light-hearted story was primarily about the relationship between a Crown Prince and his Imperial Chef, with a side focus on the female lead's ambition to be the best Imperial Chef in the palace regardless of her gender. It was not a typical historical rom-com with strict palace rules and protocols. The royals in this show interacted casually with their servants and the Queen was not the usual domineering character who controlled her son's harem and marriage. She was unexpectedly very supportive of her son and prioritized his happiness. It was refreshing to see some emphasis on on positive body image.

I was thoroughly entertained with the food porn, cute romance, on-point comedy, and catchy OSTs...until the last episode.

From episodes 1 to 15, I found this drama hilarious and quirky. Still, the ending left me so dissatisfied that it took me time to calm down before I could write a reasonably objective review. Without spoilers, I can say that it was an open ending that irritated me so much that it dimmed my anticipation for a potential season 2 and, like the male lead, left me angry at the female lead.

EDIT: I increased my rating after watching the alternate ending. While it was not the best ending, it provided a proper happy closure that was much better than a clumsily executed open ending.

Our main couple was lovable and dorky. The slow-burn, sincere, and simple romance between them was endearing and fun to watch. Both lead characters were emotionally immature in their own ways which created plenty of opportunities for funny scenes. I smiled and laughed so much throughout the show.

The male lead, Zhu Shou Kui, the Crown Prince, started off being spoiled and entitled and was used to throwing tantrums. Yet, at the same time, he was compassionate and often protected the people he cared about at his own expense. It was great to see his character develop and mature. With the female lead's help, he realized that it was not always about him, and it was all right to let other people share his burdens. As for the female lead, Ling Xiao Xiao, who ended up as the Imperial Chef of the prince's kitchen, she was initially clueless about love. It took more than halfway through the drama for her to finally "kāi qiào" or realize her feelings for the prince.

He Rui Xian as Xiao Xiao is lovely, but she does not quite have the aura of a female lead yet. Her acting was pretty decent, though, and with a few more dramas under her belt, I think that she will get to the next level. I first watched her in the Royal Feast and liked her character there. Her acting range was wider in that drama compared to this show. In Delicacies Destiny, as Xiao-Xiao, she has too much of the wide-eyed, huh? look or a deadpan look, and it was towards the last couple of episodes when I saw more emotional acting from her.

It is my first time watching Wang Xing Yue, and like He Rui Xian, there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to his micro-expressions. I find it hard to believe that he is only 20 years old since he exudes a level of maturity beyond his age. He definitely has potential with his good looks for more male lead roles.

The supporting cast was fine, doing what they needed to do. There was some over-acting but nothing much to complain about and nothing much to praise. A secondary couple provided extra entertainment but did not distract from the main couple's journey.

Music-wise, the tracks were great, and a couple of them were not what you would expect from a historical drama. Still, they were fitting for this drama. For posterity, I have recorded the main tracks after my review.

Overall, I would recommend this show. If you don't like a ridiculous open ending, I would advise to stop watching before the last 4 minutes of the final episode. Or you could watch the alternate ending if you prefer to have closure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XdcFM5zhQo
00:00 陆虎 - 珍馐记 (Lu Hu - Delicacies Destiny)
03:03 锤娜丽莎 - 吃货一枚 (Jiahe Ji - A Foodie)
06:35 徐均朔 - 落尘 (Xu Junshuo - Falling Dust)
10:15 银临 - 七夕 (Yin Lin - Tanabata)

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Humorous, Lovable Characters, Coherent Storyline

Delicacies Destiny is my third drama on culinary arts in a row. This drama is rather similar to Royal Feast which finished airing recently. Both dramas are set in the period of Ming Dynasty, hence similar costumes and decorum. But most of all, one of the supporting actors in the earlier drama is now the main lead (He Ruixian) in this drama. Though both dramas involve romance and cuisines, there is a marked difference in the characters and mood.

Based on fictional characters, the storyline is rather straight forward. A talented chef (He Ruixian) gets herself recruited to the palace to cook for the picky Crown Prince (Wang Xingyue). Then the prince falls in love with her and wants her to be his crown prince consort. But she is given an ultimatum by the Emperor: if she wants to be the Crown Prince Consort, she has to give up her passion as a chef; or she can continue to be a chef but she has to stay away from the Crown Prince. Either decision tears her apart.

He Ruixian’s acting, demeanor and styling in this drama is almost exactly the same as she was in Royal Feast. But I like her character Ling Xiaoxiao here a lot better than the previous one. I have no complain with He Ruixian’s acting and find her quite convincing. Wang Xingyue’s great acting here as the Crown Prince Zhu Shoukui is commendable. At only 20, this young actor continues to surprise me with his fine acting. He has captured his character very well: the character’s happiness when he is in love, his disappointment when he doesn’t get his way, and his despair when he’s being rejected – every minute emotion is well acted without overacting.

My Verdict

This is a delightful drama with only 16 episodes. It starts out as a slapstick comedy. There are no villains, no complicated plot, no outrageous twists, no love triangles, no tiring romance. In fact, the romance is rather cute. Compared with Royal Feast, Delicacies Destiny’s costumes are not as exquisite and its cuisine arts not as elaborate, but its characters are a lot more lovable and the logic of the story is better. A lot of the jokes seem unintentional, making the story flow very naturally. It is unusual to see an Empress that allows her son to marry his cook as she (the Empress) places his (the son's) happiness above everything; she even allows him to abdicate himself as the Crown Prince so that he can pursue his love (rather unthinkable, but anyway …). There’s only one kissing scene towards the end which is quite well done with actual kissing.

Despite the easy and light watching, the last 2 episodes did draw some tears from me seeing the struggle of the characters. After the final episode 16, there is an epilogue which is an alternative ending. Make sure you don’t miss it.

There are times we need to make very hard choices in life. From the story, our FL character needs to choose between love or passion, likewise for our ML character who has to choose between love or duty. Either choice, the consequence is very different. This drama shows us the possibility of each choice, and ends with a note that, if we compromise slightly, maybe we can get the best out of all choices. How would you choose? Love, passion or duty?

Fun watch! Great for in-between releases of new episodes for other dramas.

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