Le You Yuan (2023)

Heartfelt historical romance with a bickering couple and a storyline full of righteousness and valor

I hope everyone can find their Wonderland of Love <3

I saw this recommended on a TikTok with "strong FLs in C-dramas" and it definitely did not disappoint! This was also my first drama with the ever-popular Xu Kai and I think they really highlighted his acting skills (especially the grief/crying scenes). If you like very romantic historical dramas, you're in for a treat. There's a lot of scenes between the main leads (LOTS of kissing too hehe) while they deal with an unstable court regime, a missing crown grandson, and invaders along the border. I thought that the opening music matched the couple's energy: heroic and righteous from beginning to end.

The storyline starts with both leads having a playful back-and-forth with their armies on the line during a time of rebellion and turmoil, as the emperor's family is almost all annihilated and a general took control. Midway through, the environment shifts from the battlefield and war to court intrigue and tricky politics. I do think the war strategies were at the forefront of the conflict in the show compared to any palace drama, which was refreshing and fun.

PROS:
❀ Main couple with stellar chemistry and dialogue
I loved the scenes between A'Ying and Li Ni, from the very beginning where they were after the same thing (provisions for their respective armies) to the end where they worked together as a couple to squash rebels. Their chemistry was fire from the very beginning and the flirting never stopped from there, lol. The couple dynamics were giving stubborn general's daughter x playful nobleman. Neither of them were invested in the fight for court power but were thrown into the game due to the incompotent people around them, such as Li Ni's cowardly father and brothers. I love how they were on the same frequency for most of the drama, knowing what the other thought and going along with their plans. They both respected each other's wit and characters immensely, and the dialogue always emphasized that. In terms of an equal relationship, this one takes the cake. ALSO, I'm very happy with their ending as a couple and how the show took time to reach that conclusion.
As individuals, I thought their characterizations stayed true throughout the story. Even though Li Ni didn't want to crown prince role and favored a simple lifestyle on the border, he recognized what he needed to do after the huge betrayal scene. Even still, he remained stalwart and upstanding even in the midst of scheming ministers. A'Ying is like the rest of her family - tsundere at heart. She may seem quite cold at times, but she actually has a soft heart. Together, they get along best when they fight/bicker (lol). Shout out to the choreography of them fighting/battling together, because that was always a feast for the eyes.

❀ Interesting side characters that added a lot of depth
From the torn Crown Princess (what a heartbreaking character!) to the brother-in-arms from Loulan Pass (my favorite comic relief), I really appreciated the extra characters. The only ones I didn't like were the second leads, lol. More on that in the con section. Oh also, Taozi and Erduo were the cutest :)

❀ Giving Art of War energy
I enjoyed the heavy emphasis on military strategy over any palace intrigue. A lot of the plans talked about knowing when to attack and when to retreat, which people to use as your allies, when to ambush the enemy, etc. I thought it kept the storyline exciting and the action non-stop.

❀ Them costumes though...
Flashy and gorgeous. Especially Li Ni's outfits... that man looks fine in everything. Also loved his hairdo as well lol. They did an amazing job with making A'Ying look heroic in her military gear too! It created a great juxtaposition when she dressed up as a noble lady.

CONS:
✕ Second leads were kinda weird
I forgot their names so I'm just going to label them as 2ML and 2FL. Both had odd characterizations that were reductive and trite. Also both of them started out decent but ended up getting super obsessed over our main leads which made for lazy writing. Both stand no chance in the romance game.
The 2ML was A'Ying's adoptive brother who wanted to get together with him, but she only saw as an older brother. I thought their separation would allow him to come back even more heroic and helpful in the Cui Army cause, but he just fell into the dark side.
The 2FL was a court lady that Li Ni randomly saved and she got obsessed with him ever since, going back to her father to scheme him into marrying her. At first I was like, "ooh she's kind of smart despite being a court lady that was kicked out of her home," but instead of leveraging that plotline to create character depth, her development stunted at falling in love with Li Ni who never ever gave her hints.
This wouldn't even be a con if it weren't for their obsessive scheming getting into the way of the leads. Like let them be!!

✕ A'Ying could get pretty stubborn at times
This is part of her character, but she could give a good sulk like no other. Thankfully, Li Ni is 10/10 at apologizing and I love a good grovel when I see one (even if it's sometimes not needed LOL). This didn't hinder my enjoyment but sometimes I was like, girl can you just let it go :,)) Thankfully their make-up scenes were 20/10!!

✕ Misunderstandings: 3/10
Nothing major that I can think of. It was more like minor understandings in the beginning when they were both figuring out each other's identities and character. Any break-ups and arguments were short-lived between them and they made up pretty often. I loveeeed their romantic dates in the midst of the war and fights breaking out lol.

OVERALL
If you're looking for a valiant couple who work together for the sake of bringing peace to the people, this show is for you. There's plenty of action, and even more romance, to enjoy. The male lead is protective and sweet, the female lead is headstrong and gallant. Both of them stand brave in the midst of chaotic times and strive to protect the ones they love. While the show was 40 episodes, I never felt bored and the satisfying ending made my heart all warm. The symbolism of Le You Yuan (Wonderland) will leave viewers hopeful about their own wonderland of love.

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Drama with clever FL and ML characters.

What I like the most is the character of the two main characters and also their costumes. HAHAHA.

so first of all, I initially had no intention of watching this drama until it was quite popular in cdrama. The reason for not wanting to watch? I dont know. I just didn't intend to because I didn't have attention to watch Xukai dramas and I didn't really know the actress (until I finally realize that her acting and visuals at the age of 35 were really good).

So, this is a 40-episode historical drama. The setting is an empire being rebelled by a general named Sujing. There are two teams that want to protect empire, the Lini form western border team (which turns out to be one of those who has an imperial lineage that has been massacred) and Cui Li (Who has a daughter Cui Lin but keeps it a secret, so her daughter is disguised as an adjutant).

Cui Lin and Li Ni both want to save the empire, but neither of them trusts each other. So, they have their own way of saving until they have to work together to overcome various dramas and obstacles.

What I like is that Cui and Li are very smart in scouting and war, Where's Miss Cui's fashion, she's really pretty when she's about to attract, oh my God >_<

In short, Lini managed to save his father from Sujing's captivity, kill Sujing, and appoint his father as temporary emperor assisted by Prime Minister Gu and his daughter. But unfortunately, Lini is the kind of child that the emperor doesn't like so the emperor listens to her 2 stupid older brothers.

There are differences of opinion between Li Ni and Cui. Li Ni wants to return peacefully to the border after searching and finding the real crown prince and asking the emperor to abdicate, while Cui feels that Li Ni has the potential to become a wise emperor. Yeah, their romance is full of intrigue there until finally Lini has to become crown prince and marry the person she loves (Cui). But the Cui family has to disband 100,000 of their military troops which also causes her father to go crazy. (Imagine, in order to save yourself, you have to let go of all the troops that have been built from your acestors and his father is crazy, so on the first night, Cui and Li end up fighting, it's funny even though it's tragic).

And let's discuss what I don't like.

1. 39/40 episodes the emperor is stupid. Li Ni's father wasn't stupid in the final episode but only when he handed over the throne.
2. Lini's two older brothers were so stupid that they were taken advantage of by enemies who started a civil war.
3. Cui's former adoptive brother, a boy who was originally called General Cui's son, didn't thank him enough and was a stupid love with Cui, until he worked together with Sujing to attack the empire and killed many people.
4. Mr. Gu's 4th daughter, who was so stupid that she decided to become a concubine and had a lot of drama.

Please, if the protagonist is as smart as Sujing with Mr. Gu, I'm fine with that. This protagonist is so stupid: (makes your blood run high. What makes you stick around watching? Of course, our two main players. Who else? The characters are really fresh. The girls and boys are equally intelligent. The way they learn from those who are good at warfare and then learn to enter politics is told in a subtle way. They are not made to be so smart that they don't make mistakes, but they are made to learn that their intelligence also has limits to power.

My favorite character apart from them? The former crown princess of the dead emperor and the mother of the missing crown prince (searched for by Lini). Mirssss, you are willing to ruin your crown princess title and change into Sujing's empress during the rebellion so you can be an eye, poisoning Sujing with lipstick so that you get poisoned, so you don't arouse suspicion, that's amazing, and so calm, my god, that's crazy!This drama is quite good as a historical drama!!!

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Did we even watch the same thing?

I am utterly flabbergasted at the high rating for this show. I went into this thinking it would be a light-hearted and fun love story with a side of palace politics and power struggles. What I ended up watching was a show with ridiculous characters and nonsensical plot that circled around the frustrating love story of the two main characters. I am under the impression that Xu Kai fans are what has inflated the rating for this show because the drama itself is not worth watching.

To address Xu Kai; I actually liked him in this drama and thought his acting was done much better than I have seen in many of his other works. He had great chemistry with Jing Tian and the other male cast members in his army. His stage presence is great and he pulls off the carefree soldier that is being forced into his role of royalty. Jing Tian also acted her role well according to how she is written. I did not like the character very much but she was acted well and the chemistry between the two helped tremendously. The character herself was just frustrating and I often times wanted Li NI to just give up because she was not worth it.

But having two great main actors will not make a show great if it is written and directed poorly. And that is exactly what this is. It is so poorly written that it is laughable. Almost all of the characters are cartoonish in their representations of their roles. The main lead's father that becomes the emperor is spineless and ridiculous. He acts and reacts in ways that are childish. His two older brothers are witless and ambitious but just plain dumb. The writer of this show obviously does not have a firm understanding of politics because the way this drama moves in circles with with nonsensical reasoning for their moves and countermoves. Every villain that is introduced, and there are quite a few, are one dimensional characters making decisions based on one specific desire and the people around them just follow along as if that person is not dumb. And these actors were even directed to make the most ridiculous facial expressions that make them cartoony to portray evilness.

I was already struggling to get through this after the main leads father, whom you can not convince me is a person that could have ever held power, became emperor. Even if he was a puppet king he was so ridiculous that I could no longer watch scenes with him in it. Then came the tedious and LONG storyline where the female lead is angry that the Li Ni did not save her useless Young Master. I could have gotten past it and said it was her grief reacting but it went on for soooo long. When they finally find that cute and watchable area where the two are clearly in love you have the intrusion of the love scorned Young Master returning as a villain but in a way that made absolutely no sense. Did no one ask where he had been for months? No one questioned anything and just let him back to lead the army with authority higher than Ying even though she was very close to the general. The forced wedding episode was unbearable to watch for its nonsense. Move on and you have the female lead then forcing the unwilling male lead to become crown prince in order to marry her. It is one ridiculous plot point to another with no connecting strings or firm reasoning for their actions.

The only reason I am giving this a 5 is because the costumes are pretty, the main actors do well, and the OST is nice. But the CGI is horrible, the rest of the acting is bad and the story line is ridiculous.

I really just can't tell you enough to please skip this drama.

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Sizzling chemistry and a storyline that keeps you intrigued

I’m so happy I gave this show a chance! I’ve seen 6 episodes and can’t wait for more. The pacing of the story is fast and I like how they have given the ML and FL a lot of screentime together since the beginning. The acting and chemistry is on point between the leads. I also have no complaints about other characters but the leads definitely run the show (and that’s how it should be). I was very surprised by how much I liked Xu Kai in this. I have seen him in Yangxi Palace (though I haven’t finished it) and didn’t know that he could portray such a character as Li Ni. Also Jing Tian fits the FL’s role perfectly. The cinematography is beautiful and the costumes take my breath away. Extra points for little comedy to lighten up the overall story.

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Best Historical Drama of 2023!

This is perfect!
The chemistry is way too strong! Episode 1 started rly good then way up to ep12 and i can't wait for next episodes to air!
Performance: Both main leads are very well suited for their roles. They brought the characters into life. The sword play and fighting scenes were epic!
The roller coaster's of plot definitely brings out mix emotions. They make u laugh, smile, sad, annoyed, angry and cry. Excellent casts not just the ML's but evn supporting characters did well. Kudos to this production!
I dare say that this is the BEST historical drama of 2023!!
Rewatch value- definitely 10!

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a well combined drama

The drama was well combined with matters of politics, romance , history, comedy, friendship and so on. I am an anti fantasy drama lover. I am so glad this drama was fantastic partially but it was not a typical fantasy drama actually. The female lead's statement ' once I get pregnant I will kill you and let my son ascend to the throne,,,' This apparently confused him first but he later became so happy remembering the romantic night. Her statement is quite unique and unforgettable for me. Also his confusing look was so lovable. The two characters in the sketchbook were really cute. The fighting scene of the first night of their marriage was quite stunning. The male lead usually star in a fantasy drama but I wish he could star in more decent and realistic dramas in the future because he is so versatile. I'd rather love him in traditional costumes.

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TUDO PELO MEU CASAL

Um dorama com um casalzão maduro mesmo com suas infantilidades, me divertia muito vendo o romance deles, as provocações, os flertes, o fato deles se entenderem tão bem, não precisavam de palavras, eles sempre competindo pra ver quem é o mais esperto, e vamos concordar que os dois são gênios! Achei muito legal todo o enredo e como conciliaram a trama militar com o romance. Teve gente que não gostou do modo que a A Ying agiu algumas vezes, mas é completamente compreensível, além também que o Lini sabe o gênio forte que ela tem haha. O casal secundário é fofo demais! Os personagens que morreram lutando ao lado do Lini, foi muito triste de assistir, chorei muito. O que achei que não combinou foi o titulo do drama kkk

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I have no patience for the bad plot and the ML didn't do a good job (imo)

"Wonderland of Love" is a historical Rom-Com by Xu Kai and Jing Tian. The kung fu is awesome in this drama, and Jing Tian did a good job playing the army lieutenant. However, I dislike Xu Kai's character and acting ability.

Xu Kai can't act, in my opinion, especially in historical dramas. I dropped every historical drama he was in, like Snow Eagle Lord, Lost in the Kunlun Mountains, Court Lady, etc.

I have a higher tolerance for his modern dramas like Falling Into Your Smile and She and Her Perfect Husband, where I finished the dramas but not historical ones. He is very handsome but a one-dimensional actor with the same facial expression for every emotional scene.

I gave it a 6.5 rating because I didn't like the plot and could not continue after watching 8 episodes.

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Story is good, actors are good but this is the first drama I have watched so far wherein the female lead has a petty character and does not show that she loves the male lead as much as the male lead loves her. He has always helped her, saves her always, doing things for her even at the cost of his life. She always takes advantage of his love for her & knows that he will always let her have her way, she has not shown any acts to show that she loves him as much as he does, and very inconsistent. At first she wants him to be the crown prince & will not marry him if he is not citing that the court will make things difficult for him and he will not be able to save himself and his loved ones if he is not the crown prince but when he became the crown and with the knowledge that he will be put in different difficulties, she will not support him and even told him she will not marry him when he is doing it to protect her & her father. In one of the scenes, she and her father talked about their army eventually being dissolved as they expect since the court is wary about their military power so she should have understood his decision to give in to the condition of disbanding their army in order to save her & her father but she was petty to even blame it on him and was angry/hateful to him, always saying things like "just kill me" like when Chengfeng was supposedly killled, she was also being petty blaming it all on him when before that Chengfeng betrayed his army and caused the death of many of his men and she had the gall to be angry at him when he has the right to be angry at her. She cannot blame him of he did not believe her at first because she had been tricking from the start even with their bets, she is kind of cunning and sly and she even put at risk the life of the young imperial grandson and did not regret her action.
The worst female lead character ever!

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Meeting your match

Wonderland of Love (WoL) is a surprising enjoyable ride, following the love story of Li Ni and Cui Lin.

For the review, I will mainly use Cui Lin’s nickname, Ah Ying, when referring to her since this is what Li Ni likes to call her by.

Li Ni’s and Ah Ying’s meet cute began with a fight for food supply and reclaiming of the cities to save the “king” that was being held hostage at capital.

What was intriguing from the get go was the battle of wits between the two of them, who held different armies. Smart and capable as they were, we couldn’t tell who had the upper hand nor who to root for as they competed for the same resources and gain the upper hand.

Li Ni and Ah Ying quickly turned allies when they unwittingly figured they worked more effectively together. The interactions remained fun to follow as they maintained the playful friendly flirtatious rivalry between them. … until the dynamics started to change by episode 16-ish when it seemed like Li Ni became the stronger one, be it from moral code, family power, or affection shown to other.

For the record, I still like Ah Ying a lot. She is one of the cunning, decisive, and likeable female leads that’s hard to come by in an idol drama. The slightly disappointed part to me was the troupe-y plot devices used to create the necessary tension between female and male leads to move the story along.

There were instances I felt that she overused Li Ni’s affection for her and / or she got turned into a weaker party. Was her hidden weapons only used for Li Ni? Where’s the independent cunning female lead we were introduced to at the start? It wasn’t that Ah Ying had the obligations to return Li Ni’s affection the exact same way he was doting her biasedly (on some level) or troupes like obsessive SML cannot be used in stories. It would’ve been nice to see a little more layers in Ah Ying and her development that’s present on Li Ni’s side through their love journey …or maybe I fast forwarded too much to see that side of Ah Ying.

On the other hand though, I recognised that a lot of conflicts they had were realistic and consistent with their characters setup. Li Ni may be loyal, upright and capable - but he is also impulsive and idealistic. Cui Lin is indeed cunning, pragmatic and overbearing - but she is also caring to her loved ones, willing to make the necessary sacrifices for the bigger goal and is resourceful. I guess this made them perfect for each other.

The real pity is the one dimensional supporting characters and slightly draggy plots. With weaker supporting cast, WoL’s story plot were less engaging and felt cliche-ish at some parts. They could’ve totally cut the story to 24 - 26 episodes and it likely would’ve made no difference to the enjoyment of Li Ni’s and Ah Ying’s love story.

Acting wise, I like both Xu Kai’s and Jing Tian’s portrayal of the characters and their chemistry. Believable enough for me to invest in Shi Qi Lang’s and Ah Ying’s romance in WoL. Lovely enough for me to swoon for those romantic moments and ignore the cliche-ness way of showing them on screen.

All in all, WoL is the typical idol drama that has a strong start, which somewhat feel draggy troupey halfpoint, and finishes off with an okay-ish, predictable climax. It’s still an enjoyable drama when one has the right expectations for it.

With both capable leads who are complement to each other in terms of wits and great chemistry, WoL is overall a fun and enjoyable flirtatious idol romance story.

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