Story of Kunning Palace (2023)

Disappointingly Average

This drama's problems begin in the marketing itself. I will be candid, I'm not really a fan of the story within a story format. Especially for romances, because that always feels so unfulfilling at the end. But nowhere in the description of the drama on MDL or IQIYI did it announce it was that, so I went in thinking it was a regular historical thriller. Despite tending to dislike that plot, I decided to watch on because I love tension and everything I'd seen had promised me that in spades. However, I think this drama only partially delivered. The past life scenes between Ning and Xie Wei were so tense and just what I was looking for however it wasn't the same with the current timeline. Obviously, they did have chemistry and tension but for me, it just wasn't doing it. Like when you compare the two timelines, past her is not nearly as frightened of him so they have this intensity that just doesn't happen in the current timeline. It is basically a one-sided obsession for the majority of the current timeline, and I don't even understand how she fell for him. Another thing, what was with the mental health rep? I don't understand why they included the mental illness at all, he could have hated the snow and been cruel without bringing in a disorder that is already stigmatized to use as an excuse for his violence.
I do want to say I did enjoy this drama, it was beautifully shot, the soundtrack was epic, and the acting was great. This was my first Bai Lu drama, but I've been in the cdrama sphere for about a year so I'm familiar with her name, and I was really impressed. I will definitely check out another one when I have the opportunity. The male lead did great as well, as did all the supporting actors.
Overall, I would recommend this drama, 8.5/10

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Story of Redemption and Changing Fate with brilliant politics play out and interesting relationship

The moment it started, you can't stopped. Every episode is so intriguing that you keep wanting to continue, not boring, well pacing. The story is so solid, almost perfect political planning, thanks to Jiang Xue Ning previous life and the delicious cunningness of Xie Wei.

There are a lot of twists and turns, from the strategic planning against the enemies (Xue family and the rebel King Ping Nan); added with interesting characters development a long the way, how the main characters are reacted to each other toward the plan, whether to trust or distrust each other; to unusual romance and relationship between the main characters (Xie Wei, Jiang Xue Ning and Zhang Zhe), from enemies to working together, then trusting and falling in love each other.

There is also a nice and touching sisterhood between the Jiang sisters, their sisterhood develops naturally and they support each other with fairness, not like the typical hating and plotting against each other as we normally seen in the drama. Best friends’ relationship between the characters (Xie Wei/Zhang Zhe/Lu Xian/fake Xue DingFei/2 Xie Wei's side kicks, Yan Lin/Jiang Xue Ning, Yan Lin/Shen Jie, Jiang Xue Ning/ShenZhiYi) are matured, full of loyalty, funny and understanding with each other.

The overall performance of the main and supporting casts are splended and well acted, although most of them are young actors and actresses in term of their age. Whatmore the actors are good looking.

They portrayed their characters beautifully and with a lot of tensions, especially for Zhang Ling He and Wang Xing Yue, and last but not least of course Bai Lu to whom you know what to expect from her, although she looks much older than her supposedly her real character's age in this drama. As for Zhang Ling He, Wang Xing Yue and Zhou Jun Wei, this is my first time seeing their acting, but love them all, looking forward to see their other dramas.

Overall, this is the best cdrama in 2023 I have seen so far, full of excitement and fun, and the best part of it is it has a happy ending. Don't miss out, it is a must watch historical cdrama.

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hmm

So this won’t top Scent of Time, but I enjoyed this c-drama, at first it would be a little confusing, but man the acting and chemistry is on point. I truly enjoyed this one and it only took me A day and a half to finish the whole 38 episodes plus the bonus short special.

I solely approved of the ending and who she ended up with, glad that out of all the sacrifices he did for her she was finally able to realize and recognize her feelings for him.

At first I was intrigued to watch this since Bai Lu was the FL and I truly enjoyed her in Till the end of the Moon, Zhang Linghe from Love between fairy and devil (I’m halfway from that series but had to take a break, I couldn’t stand the FL there sorry), and of course Wang Xingyue from the scent of time. (he was remarkable there!)

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A good historical drama

I have watched many Chinese costume dramas, and this one is one of the most well-made dramas. The storyline is really good and the acting of FL makes it even better. Not only the FL, but the ML, side characters, all of them are so perfectly placed, it couldn't be any more perfect.
I usually pay a lot of attention to scripts. The dialogue and the way each character enters or contributes to the plot is very good. A lot of dramas as such have a very typical story, but this one is quite well-presented. I would definitely recommend this drama to anyone who is a fan of costume dramas.

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An Interesting Reverse Harem Romance

Chinese heartthrobs Bai Lu & Zhang Ling He are in the news for all the right reasons. Following the success of her Xianxia romance “Till the End of the Moon” and her current on-air drama “Only for Love”, Bai Lu is obviously a fan favorite. Similarly, Zhang Ling He has been riding high on the heels of his recent IQIYI releases “My Journey to You” & “Tiger and Crane”. Adapted from the web novel “Kun Ning” (坤宁) by Shi Jing (时镜), “Story of Kunning Palace” depicts an arrogant Queen’s journey as she falls from grace, commits suicide and transmigrates to the past to redeem herself. Surprisingly, both Bai Lu and Zhang Ling Zhe are playing roles that are morally grey. Bai Lu’s character in “Story of Kunning Palace” might seem quite similar to her portrayal in “Till the End of the Moon”. But Jiang Xuening is definitely different from any of her previous renditions. Zhang Ling Zhe recently played a grey character in “Tiger & Crane” and his “Xie Wei” has similar dark undertones. It seems both actors wanted to try their hands at playing shady characters and, shockingly, they are good at it. Directed by Chu Yui Bun, the show has a star-studded ensemble and is based on the concept of a reverse harem. Yes, that’s right. Jiang Xuening has quite a few admirers in this storyline and the show majorly focuses on her burgeoning relationship with each of them.

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2023/11/10/story-of-kunning-palace-first-impressions/

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It was almost good-ish but..

Despite similar plot having been explored in many other dramas, I had high expectations for this one due to its impressive production quality. The beginning showed promise, with events seemingly aligning in the FL favor, and I largely overlooked the family drama subplot. Initially, it appeared that Xue Ning and Yan Lin's relationship might evolve romantically, only for her to opt for friendship instead. The pacing was pretty good at this point, I was impressed.

Suddenly, Xue Ning becomes fixated on Yan Lin, determined to protect him from all the dangers of the world, without fully understanding the motivations behind his past actions, including his betrayal (if I recall correctly, he even assaulted her?).

While she remained wary of Xie Wei from the outset, Yan Lin received a pass despite his association with him. She vilifies Xie Wei without considering her own stance.

The introduction of Zhang Zhe felt underwhelming after much anticipation. Xue Ning's sudden fixation on him, resorting to her previous tactics to win him over, seemed driven more by a desire to validate her goodness rather than genuine affection. Her moment of self-reflection following Zhang Zhe's mother's second death felt forced, especially considering her subsequent emotional outburst, which contradicted her established character. But when Xie Wei showed up and hugged her, it became evident that it was merely a setup for the introduction of Xie Wei as the new romantic interest.

As for the "plot", up until episode 25, Xie Wei seems to be in the palace for revenge. As for Queen Dowager, she seems to have had played a part in the conflict that started it all. Xie Wei is trying his best to keep Yan family safe while trying to remove the obstacles and that's where we are now, and by the looks of it, I think it will continue for at least the next 5-6 episodes which I can't endure.

Overall, the series was passable entertainment until this point, but I find myself reluctant to continue beyond episode 25. What I anticipated as a revenge-driven narrative devolved into a clichéd toxic romance drama prioritizing runtime over plot development. Nonetheless, it earns a 6.5/10 for its commendable performances and high production values.

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Incompetent ex-Empress

The female lead was an empress in her last life, and for becoming the empress. she must have gone through rigorous training, and study. I thought that she would be a master in these subjects, but why the hell is she so incompetent? I mean, how is this even possible? How the hell did she even become the empress? Even if someone conspires for the phoenix coronet, they must have talent but how did this useless girl take the position?

It's baffling, one would expect her to be a master strategist and adept ruler, given the prerequisites for such a role. However, her current incompetence raises questions about her past accomplishments. The narrative appears inconsistent; for someone who secured the coveted title, her lack of competence seems implausible. It challenges the credibility of the storyline; it left me pondering how this seemingly inept character managed to claim the throne.

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Mastermind in Disguise of a Pawn

The storyline for this drama was a bit slow in its phase, especially for the romance between Ning er and Juan. So, it would not be a wonder if this drama will not be everyone's cup of tea, fortunately, it is well written and the revenge arc was perfectly executed. Each of the characters apart from the leads had their own depth in them which clearly showed their importance in key plots, some of the characters were amusing but some were just plain annoying (special mention to Xue Shu). As for the characters of the main leads, i'd praise how bravely and smart the female lead was written and most especially Xie Juan for being such a calculating genius, a pawn turned into a real dark horse. Despite how Xie Juan is a walking red flag in the real world, I really love how badass he is but to an extent that his darkness balances with light. Clearly, this drama isn't solely carried by how well written the storyline is, the way all the actors and actresses had given life to their characters played a major part in its success. Every scene had my heart pulled in strings, especially during the intense ones and even more so at sad scenes. As for the chemistry between both leads, I have no words because I am completely drawn into every single scene they had. Like, they could have just been standing still and staring at each other's eyes and it is enough to feel tension there. They are indeed oozing with chemistry and I swear their kissing scenes are to die for, there are not many c-dramas with that kind of kissing scenes filled with so much intensity. Bai Lu really is the 'Queen of Chemistry'. I've watched all of her dramas already and her chemistry with her co-stars are always topnotch, however, after watching this drama I must say her chemistry with Zhang Linghe is on top over all the co-stars she ever had. Zhang Linghe on the other hand surprised me with his role in this drama, I have started liking him even more. He definitely nailed his role here. I have so much praise for this drama. I can't believe I almost missed out on it. 'The Story Of Kunning Palace' is definitely worth every time spent watching it. The stellar casting of actors and actresses was a brilliant move from the directors and producers.

If there is one thing I regret, it is the fact that I almost missed out on this drama. It is such a gem and deserves every praise and recognition it gets. I had actually watched this last year when it was still airing but decided to drop on earlier episodes and I no longer even remember why I did lol. My first reason for watching this last year was because of Bai Lu as she is my fave actress then there is Zhang Linghe who I started liking too after watching 'My Journey to You'. I picked this drama back up again because of Wang Xin Yue, I just finished watching 'The Double' and couldn't find any other c-drama to get over it until someone suggested this to me again and i'm glad I actually watched this.

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Intriguing story with a touch of romance & passionate kisses!

I liked this unique storyline where the FL goes back in time and tries to undo all her previous mistakes. And for some events, no matter how much she tries to change it, it still happens anyway. But with perseverance, she continues to work against fate and changes the outcome of the people she cares about.

Towards the end, it was no longer about her undoing her past misdeeds so the story fell flat for me. And when the ML and FL started to acknowledge their feelings for each other, it was very stingy on the romance but instead gives us some passionate kisses and even a bedroom scene before marriage.

Overall, it was entertaining if you don’t expect too much. Thankfully, the ending was an happy one.

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