I can’t do it.

This a second attempt at watching this series and I’m tapping out at episode 30 because I couldn’t for one more second stomach the asinine character that was Zhi Wei. She is one of the most idiotic characters I’ve ever seen in a C drama. So many people died because she just wouldn’t stop snooping around places that were better left to more intelligent people. Is the plot compelling? Absolutely. However, it moved at the most glacial pace with scenes that should have been left on the editing room floor.

Political intrigue and revenge tropes are my favorite genres, but the pacing in Rise of the Phoenixes was a letdown. Separately, I dreaded seeing the actor playing our anti-hero, Ning Yi. Whether it’s because of his pock-marked face or his smoker’s lips or the atrocious foundation used by the makeup artist. Whichever one, I simply couldn’t take his acting seriously.

Obviously, there are many who absolutely loved it so I’m definitely an outlier.

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Lackluster characters and boring script.

Admittedly, Yanxi Palace raised the bar in that I need all historical dramas to pull me in and keep me engaged and immersed in the lives of the palace characters and it is with that expectation that I went into LOCZH; alas, all I heard were words and words and even more words. The script was so dialogue-heavy with a lot of telling instead of showing that, in many ways, it ended up overshadowing the actual plot. Perhaps if I hadn't seen the perfection that is Yanxi or the witty and eminently watchable 'Love Like the Galaxy' I might have given LOCZH a pass. As it is, I'm just in it to finish it and hopefully move on to something much more entertaining. I do not care if it's historically accurate or whether the creators imagined they could school the audience on a bit of history, whatever their motivation, the execution was lacking.

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With each episode, this series frayed my nerves and induced a massive headache.

For a drama that started off with much potential to become increasingly nonsensical within the first quarter was painful to watch; of course, it's not unusual for some dramas to take a circuitous road to the core of the story, however, it's insulting to the viewers when this is done through obvious plot holes and several deus ex machina. For instance, why oh why did Baili Yin kidnap Yu Ran before going to the mausoleum if not to ensure the presence of Asule who we ALL knew would eventually inherit the sword? The writers couldn't have made it more obvious that Asule would inherit that stupid sword had it been tattooed on his forehead. Not only did they give us a main character who was inconsistent, they even made him the purveyor of all relevant key developments. Magical powers? Check. Can be sickly one moment and then go off into battle without sustaining any serious injuries? Check. A resurrected magical sword chose him as its owner? Of-bloody-course. **Laughs maniacally**

Separately, I'm not averse to character building but it becomes excessive when every supporting character gets as much screen time as the supposed hero. No, I don't care if General Xi and Lady Su have a back story and for the writers to focus on them for so long was a foreshadowing that didn't need to happen. Also, Su should have been one of the main characters because she was just so badass and dare I say it, almost carried the first quarter of the series on her back.

Now, on to our hero. How do you cast one of the most promising young stars in C dramaland and then make his character so insipid? He had minimal screen time and even then, his story got interwoven with Yu Ran and Ji Ye that it never felt as if his character had any agency. I enjoy bromance and friendship as much as the next person but not at the expense of having a complex, fully-developed hero.

Lastly, and with some due respect, Song Zuer needs acting lessons. A few days ago I watched The Dark Lord and cringed at her portrayal of the heroine, then to see her just saunter through NEF without any strong moment was exasperating.

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Meh

I don't begrudge the actors' need to earn money while honing their craft which is what most of these bread-and-butter dramas are basically good for. Qing Luo is extremely basic with a story that loses its plot process a few too many times. I liked the male lead, Liu Xue Yi, who I've seen in other bigger-budget dramas like Legend of the Dragon Pearl and Blood of Youth. He's extremely good looking but sadly he's never really gotten a meaty role that could have propelled him to the level of someone like Yang Yang who has a similar skill set. I don't know if it's his management agency who are derelict in their duties or whether he hasn't just had the luck to be picked for better roles. In any event, his performance here was sorta sweet but unmemorable.

The leading lady, Wang Zi Wei, on the other hand, has quite a few dramas where she's played mostly evil or unlikeable characters and to see her play a more harmonious role in QL was quite jarring. This is the risk inherent in playing such roles.

As for the plot, I found it to be a bit run-of-the-mill with no real big reveal or twist. The villains were also rather obvious and once our leads returned to the capital it became a game of whack-a-mole or should I say, whack-an-illness and another would immediately rear its head. I was bored

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Trite

A clingy, female lead with zero self-respect is not what I want in a drama. Add to that the most basic plot that has been done multiple times and one wonders how the writers could mess it up so badly. I'm sorry, but this was unappealing.

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So happy

Look, that actor, Du Ya Fei, who played the psychopathic guard is in my top five C-drama characters and funnily, I think I liked him even more than the lead actors who were already impressive. Very few actors are able to show different emotions just with their eyes and lips alone but he managed to infuse so much energy into being an obsessed, deranged, and evil guy that somehow got the audience's empathy.
Wow, where do I start? The story was tight and ALL the actors brought their A-game which has to be a testament to the director and of course the scriptwriters. Not one moment did I think the story unrealistic or the character's behaviors incongruent with the plot. Even the subplots were nicely done.

Then there was our heroine who was intelligent and steadfast even when the tide was against her and not once was she made to be a mary sue. Bravo to the scriptwriters.

Lastly, I was pleasantly surprised that JIn Han could play a good guy for once because he's made being the bad guy enjoyable to watch. I first noticed him in Princess Weiyoung where he played the truly evil general and he looked so hot just going around wreaking havoc everywhere he went.

I can't wait to watch this again.

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Meh

Once the story moved to Beijing, it lost a fundamental part of it so much so it became predictable. Episodes one through twenty-two were built slowly until the plot crescendoed on a path that I assumed the writers would build on. Instead, the story pivoted to a less cerebral and more violent arc which, IMO, was a clear departure from the formula that had us glued to our laptops from episode one. In terms of acting, the ML, Chen Xing Xu, gave an outstanding performance not only because his character was well-written but he perfectly conveyed the nuances of a downtrodden rebel who walked a thin line between staying alive or being outmaneuvered by his many enemies all whilst building a relationship with our female lead. He nailed it. Still, even he couldn't stop this drama from devolving into all the C-drama tropes that I've come to hate. They even threw in a late surprise that had our protagonists drifting away from each other, a trope that, funnily, I'd just watched (and hated) in A Dream of Splendor.

Lastly, the last fourteen episodes were predominantly fillers and should have been condensed into four or max five. In addition, the wait for the trial in Beijing dragged on for far too long not to mention the death of some pivotal characters to whom I'd grown attached. I dislike when writers discard characters with such callousness especially when it wasn't really necessary.

I'd recommend watching episodes one through twenty-two and calling it a day.

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Frustrating

There’s a reason this series was cut from 70 to 36 episodes and it’s because the plot sucks big time. Both Mo Xin and Mo Wan were idiots, together with King Su who was the most wishy washy Male lead ever. Idiot! The writers threw every cliche into this and still couldn’t make a decent enough drama. Ironically, the only character that I liked was the Emperor mostly because his motivations made sense even if his actions were despicable. For those comparing this to Yanxi Palace, you must have bumped your heads. If you’re looking for Palace drama with a witty female lead then watch Love Like the Galaxy.

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Tedious

It’s inevitable that viewers will compare Bulgasal with Goblin seeing as both are premised on immortals who live solely to settle a few scores AND find the woman who’s fated to restore their mortality. Perfect fodder for anyone interested in lore and ill-fated romance but while Goblin was a sensual feast of color, opulence, and an array of gorgeous men; Bulgasal was seeped in sepia, literally. A perfect analogy for the despair that permeated the lives of all the characters.

Were I to rate both dramas on the motivation of the lead characters -which is the major plot driver-, Bulgasal is the inferior because Dan Hwal, our lead male, had so many instances where he could have killed Sang Un, the FL, yet all were squandered in exchange for last minute talking and reflecting during which someone would always arrive just in the nick of time to save her. More nonsensical was when he actually saved her from being killed by others because and I quote “no one gets to kill you but me”. Okay, fine, he wanted his soul back. Whatever. But did he need to prevaricate for so long instead of just cutting her head off and being done with it?

My understanding from reading other reviews is that there’s much more that will eventually be unveiled as we progress. The thing is I’m only at episode 4 (of 16) and the thought of having to see Lee Jin Wook (ML) walk around in a hoodie with that expressionless face is a punishment no one should bear. Likewise, Kwon Na Ra (FL) put as much gusto into her character as a balloon without air.

That being said, I will persevere or maybe I’ll just skip to the last two episodes and be done with it.

Edit: Skipped from episode 4 to 15 which, coincidentally, was the number of times I rolled my eyes at the melodrama that was the last two episodes. The sheer idiocy of the catalyst for what transpired over the course of their thousand-year history makes a mockery of the audience and the actors alike.

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Aieesh

I made a short list of C actors who are limited in range either because they can’t emote or are one-trick ponies who play a specific type of character. Sadly, our male lead tops the list. How on earth did he become an actor when all he does is look pretty and/or melancholic while giving the audience absolutely nothing?

Who made the executive decision to cast him as the lead? I mean judging by the quality of props and CGI it’s evident this is as low budget as they come; therefore, it makes sense that the actor’s pay would only attract B and C-list actors and maybe he was the only one to accept the lowball offer. These are conjectures, however, if taken into context then it makes sense as to why the production could only cast newbies.

Likewise, the plot was just laughably flawed. It painted our hero as not being very bright otherwise how could he have been so taken by a woman to the point he lost all sense of self-preservation? And clearly, he must not have been that powerful if that deranged and obsessed woman could take him down without a fight. Sigh

Lastly, the FL actress tried her darnest to carry the drama alas, it was an uphill struggle that even she, being as pretty and charming as she was, couldn’t achieve.

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Whelp

This theme of a grown woman acting like a bumbling idiot around the stoic, good-looking male lead is prevalent in Asian modern dramas and is one of the reasons I hesitate to watch them. There was nothing remotely romantic about Sakura chasing Tendo around in the workplace, especially with her curious lack of work ethic. She had the emotional maturity of a teenager and the intellect of a five-year-old. How this woman made it through nursing school is beyond me. IMO, Tendo should have filed a sexual harassment claim against her because not only did she persist in declaring her unwanted affection, but she also interfered with his work. Had it been the reverse, no one would have thought Tendo was 'cute' for incessantly harassing Sakura. The only worthwhile aspect was the ML actor who, with his disheveled hair and sharp angles, embodied the sexiness that I see in most Japanese actors.

Anyway, another reviewer (Launev) wrote much of what I thought was wrong about this series. Arigato and sayonara

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Heaven help me but I hated this

Update:
I dropped this series at episode 11 but felt compelled to hate-watch a few more episodes and read other recaps and reviews to help check any biases I might hold. So, now I have a better understanding.

Firstly, the screenplay was written by a guy who clearly didn't understand how to parley history in a manner that would be palatable to younger viewers, especially if the series is being presented as a "historical romance". Likewise, the director, who, at 60 years plus, did not understand whether her target audience should be the older generation who are bound to appreciate this type of archaic but factual storytelling, or the younger generation who are inundated with a newer more dynamic method of incorporating romance within a historical drama. A perfect example is the Story of Yanxi Palace which was loosely based on the love story between Emperor Gaozong of Qing and his favorite concubine. Not only did we get factual historical events but also an exciting and compulsively watchable drama. The failure of director Li Shao Hong to read the trend is one of the reasons Palace of Devotion failed to appeal to the audience, prompting the many low ratings (and ridicule) it got while it aired in 2021.



Initial review:
The synopsis made this series seem like an epic love story interspersed with historical palace politics but we were given a docu-series of an Emperor who didn't love the FL or care about her well-being. Additionally, this Emperor was written in the most bizarre manner. He came across as weak, indecisive, and lacking in discernment.

Since I started watching Chinese palace dramas I’ve seen a dozen or more that are historically accurate yet entertaining because the scriptwriters know it's imperative to provide the audience with not only history but one that’ll keep us invested in the protagonist. Had I wanted a historical accounting then I’d watch the History channel.

It being a harem drama doesn't mean I want to see the ML having intimate moments with other women. Like, how was this even allowed? I never ever want to see multiple women being loved by the ML to the point the supposed FL is nothing but a blip in his journey of being Emperor. Also, with an Emperor as weak as this one was portrayed, I couldn't help but hate him.

Only watch this if you like all of the above. Three stars is being generous.

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Dropped at episode 11

Firstly, the only character that had some grit to it was the evil Crown Prince played by Dai Yun Fan. I have to say the actor was hot and I would have preferred he and Lusi as a couple instead of the pretty boy lead played by Zheng Ye Cheng. Secondly, the editing and CGI were terrible and that made the story seem inconsistent. Thirdly, the romance was so-so, the usual run-of-the-mill plot of a boy loving the girl for no damn reason other than she was just there. Lastly, the lead female character must have been the worst that Lusi has ever played. The Princess had no discernable character growth, power, or attributes that could make me root for her.

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