Competent historical drama, well-plotted and executed

Our modern main character, Zhang Xiao is no match for the crushing weight of the institution of the imperial palace. At first spirited and challenging, she comes to dread the inevitable and it taints her ability to connect in her relationships. Unfortunately, she comes to this realization in the first 1/3 of the show, which makes the remaining 2/3s a bit plodding and onenote.

[Comparison to the K Drama adaptation at the end]

The acting here is very good and despite numerous 'brothers' you are able to distinctly identify with them all. There's enough episodes to develop the main 5 or so brothers into complex characters. The music and production values are very high for the time period, and still stand up to the present day.

In comparing to Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Scarlet Heart Ryeo has a few cinematic scenes that really stand out and a more emotionally complex last few episodes. Our main modern character in the K Drama is much less spirited and more sweet and charming. The K drama, overall, however is very choppy and inconsistent with the plot, characters appear and disappear, act very inconsistently. I also found the side story with the mask, and the mask itself a bit ridiculous. Also, the K drama feels less grounded in politics and history.

Despite this mess, if I had to choose to watch one, I would watch the K Drama. Those 5 or so incredibly strong scenes have really stuck with me.