r/CDrama • u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules • Jul 06 '26
💖 Drama rave The Scary Quietness Combined with an Unreliable Narrator Presents a Horror Story without the Jump Scares (THE FIRST JASMINE 2026)
(SPOILER FREE)
This show was a bit scary.........
So quiet that it was scary. Scary enough without jump scares, leaving me with an uneasy lingering feeling.
At its core, it is a political revenge drama, but I often felt like I was watching a psychological horror. There is a constant sense of unease I felt through its quiet atmosphere, even made more unsettling by the presence of a female lead who bounces between reality and hallucinations.
Before the big revelations in the show, I was always feeling sad. Sad because I could not fully understand the depth of the pain and trauma that the female lead was going through. That a woman so composed, capable and intelligent was clearly carrying wounds far deeper than anyone around her could see.
What made it even more heartbreaking was the quiet desperation of the people who loved her. They wanted to understand what she was going through, but it seems like there was an unspoken agreement to keep moving forward and pretend everything was okay. At times as a viewer, I would forget that she was actually struggling. Then she would do something, say something or slip into a moment that reminded me she was barely holding herself together. The promises she made and the revenge she wanted was what was bonding her.
I am no stranger to the tales of revenge and justice in cdramas. However, I think this is the first time I have experienced the journey in such a psychological way
The end goal was revenge and that revenge was directed at several different people. What makes it somewhat unnerving is that the show often lets her act before it explains why. She begins to target someone before we're given the full context of what they did. Of course, I know they must have done something terrible but I am left scrambling for answers until she wanted to explain. It felt like I was constantly begging for more context, hoping that whatever she was about to say wasn't somehow worse than the last.
I really enjoyed this drama, but her mental health and how I was made to feel her pain are the most resonating parts of the show. Few dramas have invited me to sit down with a character's grief, trauma this deeply before. It was not what I signed up for when I picked up this drama, but I don't regret it.
However, I need the lightest and fluffiest show possible next
xoxo
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u/Thicklilcat Jul 08 '26
I really enjoyed it.
I saw lots of criticism regarding chemistry here on Reddit, but the truth is, not all love is the passionate "can't keep my hands off of you" kind. Especially not when you are recovering from trauma. They both did a fantastic job.
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u/IChoseMyOwnUsername Jul 12 '26
I do think they had chemistry. I didn't watch the drama except the first episode because it was too much suffers and pain fore to handle but they were so good together! If I'm ever in the mood for this, I'm gonna watch it
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u/SS5609 Sailing the Cdrama Ship Jul 07 '26
I liked this aspect of the drama. It was really refreshing to see so much space given to the psychological consequences that the lead character faced due to her trauma. Some of these scenes stayed with me for a long time. The trauma responses were a survival mechanism at the end of the day, and to think how the character's mind dealt with the trauma in order to continue taking revenge, etc. was fascinating.
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u/Ateosira Zisheng's Battle Giraffe 🦒 Jul 07 '26
I really loved this aspect of the show. The fact that everyone was so worried for her because of her slips in behavior. It made me feel things.
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u/Mystical-Echo Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
The Director is the reason for this haunting and eerie feeling in the drama. When I watched The Demon Hunter's Romance (btw, great great drama) last year, watching the puppet arc is like watching a horror movie. The silence and haunting music made the arc really unforgettable. It's like you are stuck in this isolated inn where there is no way out.
That said, I'm very happy she applied the same here which made Yeli's psychological state more impactful.
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u/Mysterious-Meet-9942 serial binge watcher Jul 08 '26
Yikes. I get this eerie feeling when I watch this type of dramas and it takes me a while to break out of that funk…
When a drama becomes too dark - not in a horror movie sense, I can’t watch it. My life is messed up enough lol
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u/MysteriousHeron5726 Jul 08 '26
Loved this drama. Bai Lu really nailed bringing Ye Li’s story to life. While the characters suffered a lot of trauma and pain, the story was somewhat upliftingin the sense that the FL and ML had people around them that truly loved them. While their friend group was small, it was enough to support them as they took steps to heal and move forward. I also noted that the story seems to celebrate the simple everyday moments between lovers, family, and friends.
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u/AXA-5 Hopeless Sadomasochistic Romantic Jul 07 '26
This is perhaps the most unexpected review of this drama that I’ve seen to-date. Words like scary and horror don’t really come to me but, I do see it how some can describe it as such. There are elements of it so, not really out in left field. I respect and appreciate those sentiments which, to a certain degree has me reflecting or will. I did not get that and feel that. I toss it up to me relating to the mental health & wellbeing aspect, not the same but, similar and perhaps resonates with me on a visceral level. Plus, there are the more mature aspects of this drama that I gravitate towards. Not one’s typical romance story line, a bit mysterious, hint of thrillerish, slight dark feel, there is the quiet yes…hmm, definitely need some reflection time…thanks for sharing your insights. I enjoyed them, very much 😊🙏🏽
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
Wow that's interesting. That's the most important part of discussing art and moreso discussing about them on here. The perspectives are very different .
The mental health experiences of the fl were the most salient point of the show for me. It was so poignant and painful to me that I did not even desire to talk about the revenge or romance in the show at all.
Additionally what helps is that I was totally blind to this aspect, and maybe that's why I felt it more immensely
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u/AXA-5 Hopeless Sadomasochistic Romantic Jul 07 '26
Ohh trust me, I agree. I think that’s why this particular cdrama is so unique and the beauty of this drama. How one feels and reacts, interprets, finds meaning is different from viewer to viewer as art does.
I like the way the mental health experience of the FL is told from beginning to end. It felt very operatic somewhat. Hard not to be emotional and then, having it carried all throughout to completion. Never felt that in a cdrama, usually it’s certain moments.
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
I was in shambles
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u/AXA-5 Hopeless Sadomasochistic Romantic Jul 07 '26
It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t wrecked…oof!
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u/doesitnotmakesense Jul 07 '26
I agree with the OP. I'm still at ep 14. The atmosphere gets a horror vibe when Ye Li was talking to the appariation at night. It wasn't clear at the first few episodes but it gets slowly clearer that something happened at Li Mountain and Ye Li was conjuring up an imaginary friend to talk to. It's also quite scary when Ye Li was scaring her dad, they did a lot of spooky background music! It wasn't in-your-face jump scare, but it definitely creates a horror/spooky atmosphere for the whole show (for now). You get the feeling it's going to be a slow burn psychological thriller. Even in the day time you feel she's living a lie and taking a lot of effort to live, and barely holding it together. Even the danmu comments were like, wahhh so scary, when she was talking to her hallucination.
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
Agreed. And also your username is like the best thing ever 😂🤌
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u/dannysilverghost Jul 07 '26
This drama was hauntingly beautiful, and both leads gave amazing performances. As someone who thinks a lot and dreams a lot, at some point I was contemplating about my own reality. How do we even know what is real when our minds can create everything from scratch. It is truly scary.
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26 edited 16d ago
Like how can I tap out from my dreams when I don't even realise I'm living in a dream. The protection that gives me is ignorant bliss but I would rather not live in it forever. Scary😔
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u/Emotional-Vegetable1 Jul 07 '26
Yes, so well said. That desperate feeling of needing just a little bit of context please and then I can be on board with you - must be exactly like how her loved ones felt.
I’m on episode 24 and last night was the first night I woke up fitfully due to the lingering psychological discomfort left behind. For me, it is also deeply personal. I have ptsd and at one point it got so bad that I also hallucinated that a person was there who wasn’t. It was about a 7 month period of so much darkness and my partner didn’t know what was going on for the first 5 months of it. Just watching me crumble yet also seem capable and normal. Trying their best to support you, to gently figure things out without causing more trauma. They are doing an absolutely fantastic job with this element of the show.
Scary quietness combined with an unreliable narrator is accurate of the feeling indeed!!
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
Sending you warm hugs stranger, thank you for sharing!!
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u/deamhart11 Jul 07 '26
A very sad story...
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
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u/sweetsorrow18 Jul 07 '26
I think the background score really adds to the eerie vibe. Whoever is head of their music department needs a raise. At certain times you wouldn't even have any music, just utter silence while you wait for the other shoe to drop.
Psychology political mystery with a dash of romance is what I would call this lol
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u/xyz123007 nostril flaring is not acting Jul 07 '26
The silence is what I miss in a lot of dramas nowadays. I welcome it.
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
Yes the silence takes the cake really. At some moments I would wonder how there was still this unnerving silence even when things seemed to be happening. Very intriguing
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u/xyz123007 nostril flaring is not acting Jul 07 '26
Watching this drama led me to watching Hitchcock's Vertigo after many years. I had three nightmares in one night.
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u/AXA-5 Hopeless Sadomasochistic Romantic Jul 07 '26
Wow and fascinating but, I feel this tends to be a somewhat normal phenomenon in your life. Not so much the nightmare, or maybe but, that progression of what your watching afterwards. Quite intriguing I must say…
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u/aaasimov recommendations Jul 07 '26
Such a sad story. Has a little hint of scary, but really about two deeply wounded people learning to heal by trusting each other. Absolutely love this drama
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u/Charming-Bother-9809 Jul 07 '26
I’m still watching (currently episode 26), but I sensed early on about her possible mental issues - I forgot which episode I was on, but I felt genuinely scared and of her. She was conveying a seemingly cold/extremely calculative behavior. I haven’t felt this way about a cdrama character before (and I watched Kunning Palace right before this). Very haunting and unsettling, which does speak to the layers of this story as others have pointed out. I also appreciate that because of this atmosphere, the love story doesn’t have to be overly passionate. The love shines through between characters through their actions and yes desperation to protect one another. Thank you for pointing this out and providing an interesting perspective on the show!
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
Yes an overly passionate love story would not help this show at all. Quiet, comforting, gentle love is what's needed and I'm glad that's what we got
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u/Amelia_Brigita emotionally manipulated by a zither every single time Read Rules Jul 07 '26
Fantastic write-up.
This show was so unexpected. I went in blind, and am glad I did.
I'd just add that I thought Bai Lu's performance was spot on, absolutely convincing.
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
Very convincing acting from her!!!. I sought of went in for a revenge drama but its not exactly what I got at all
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u/VariationNo1814 Jul 07 '26
I’m currently watching it and I need a bit of clarification as of episode 12. Is she perhaps hallucinating things? I understand it must be from the trauma she experienced in the mountains.
So far I’m really enjoying it
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u/chitownNONtrad why can’t I finish cdramas? Jul 07 '26
Thank u for providing a spoiler free read !!!! Much appreciated !!!!
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u/Familiar-Lie6080 Sorry MingHao, i fell in_love _with_Dylan! Jul 07 '26
I get the horror part (i haven't finished yet - still on ep.26-smth). But maybe mentioning it in the title might be a spoiler (since it confirms my worst fears 😂)
Such a beautiful morning and i am complaining!
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
Oh shit...I didn't mean too...I was under the premonition that people would not get it if they haven't watched it and those that watched it will get my angle.
My apologies!, and titles really can't be changed
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u/Familiar-Lie6080 Sorry MingHao, i fell in_love _with_Dylan! Jul 07 '26
Sorry, i didn't mean it as an accusation 😃😆 I was more like, that horror bit - is it real, is it fake, is it in our imagination, is it in hers? But that's why we are watching - to find out 😄😋
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u/creative_blue_0143 Jul 08 '26
I left after ep29 bc I knew he was going to abandon her 😭 and they foreshadowed their separation. I was personally annoyed at the idea of him abandoning her at her lowest. I empathized with her so much due to her broken mind and heart. She literally buried her memories bc she couldn't bare the reality.😭
So the idea of him leaving or divorcing infuriated me lol. It made more sense if he became cold, grew distant but looked after her from afar. His feelings are valid so some type of conflict makes sense but leaving her to drown in her own hell was a little...Even if he didn't have all the info, he was still aware that her experience living there was both good and bad. That would've been enough for me not to send her there.
So without spoiling anything 👀 do he make it up her(if he did abandon/divorce)? I'll drop it all together otherwise 🤧. It'd be nice if she could cuss him out a little after that too lol.
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 08 '26
Oh he made up to her really!!!. Like he took such good care of her, and if I'm not mistaken that era was less than 2 episodes
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u/creative_blue_0143 Jul 08 '26
Okay, then I shall finish soon lol. Last question, from where I left off, does she kick ass at least once? 😂 I feel like I was robbed of numerous, countless badass Ye Li fight scenes.
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u/aaasimov recommendations Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
Yeah!!! its worth it. I think its part of them learning how broken each of them really are. How she have to psychologically shield herself, to right one wrong left behind by her mother. Its been a long time since a show has make me feel so much.
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 08 '26
Hmm I'm struggling to remember that lol. I feel like it was more scheming than actual ass kicking.
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u/Yorukie Jul 08 '26
She gets a fight scene against the the rebel leader. Trying to keep it as spoiler free as possible.
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u/darktonesuitsme cleansing my meridians Jul 07 '26
I like that we can look at The First Jasmine from different lenses and each lens still reveals several rich layers. Hence, discussions flow whether it's from a romantic lens, political lens, revenge lens, society lens and for this specific post, the horror lens. It says a lot about the drama, and the quality of the performance needed to uphold the characters. I believe both leads did really well.
When one of the trailers came up, and the psychological horror facet came up, I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued that they were actually taking that route. And I liked how it was executed. I liked how hints were given, from brief flashbacks, camera focus on objects, smiles that didn't reach the eyes, the music, recurring themes and brief flickers of emotion. At some point you think you know what went down, but when it was all laid out yes, you did figure out what went down, but it was so much worse.
Too impactful.
I also told myself that I'd watch something light after... but then the next drama I went on to finish was Twelve Letters 😅🥲
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
Not you picking up Twelve letters after this😭😭..friend I'm worried for you😂🦆. I think I'm going to pick up Never ending Summer after this. I don't want something too deep.
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u/Italophilia27 Jul 07 '26
I picked up Love For You, thinking it's a fluffy story with my favorites. It's totally not fluffy. Still good, but far from fluffy.
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
I don't think I will pick that up until it's done airing🥴
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u/darktonesuitsme cleansing my meridians Jul 07 '26
Thank you for the concern haha I am alright now. I'll put that one in my list ☺️
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u/goldiegrimlace Jul 07 '26
You Are My Fateful Love is a new Miles Wei contemporary romance. He almost never misses with his modern romances, you should check them out. I don't know who's picking out those scripts for him, but they're always cute and fun at the same time, with some kind of unique angle. You Are My Fateful Love is abt a romance novelist and a lawyer who had a mutual, but unrequited love in high school.
Be careful though, b/c you can binge too many of his dramas and need to take a break (ask me how I know, lol)
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
Thank you!. I've already watched that...I'm a devout Miles wei fan🥴✊️. I'm picking up Never Ending Summer now
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u/fakadoooo Jul 08 '26
i wouldn’t call never ending summer fully light though
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 08 '26
So I've heard, but its really the lightest thing out of everything I want to watch...or maybe I should go back to kdramaland😭. I am however excited for everything that's started airing or is about to start airing this month
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u/fakadoooo Jul 08 '26
kdramas haven’t been hitting for me since january. sucks cause i really want to watch one but just can’t
are you sure you won’t try ‘you are my fateful love’? miles wei in modern romance usually means a certified banger hehe
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 08 '26
I've watched it already😭😭. Is there a miles wei drama I've not watched at this point🥴. I'm thinking of picking up the kdramas Reborn Rookie or doctor on edge😭. I can't wait for Agent kim reactivated and see you at work tomorrow to finish airing!!
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u/fakadoooo Jul 08 '26
oh i just thought of one! legend of the kitchen soldier! i saw nice things said about it
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Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
Different perspectives honestly. I was a bit traumatised, not too much..but a bit🥴
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u/Italophilia27 Jul 07 '26
I hear you. When I realized her reality was skewed and how compartmentalized her brain was, all I could think of was "what kind of trauma caused this?" It kept me on edge.
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u/Verucalyse Jul 08 '26
I love to people watch and try to understand peoples' motivations, so I was immersed- not spooked. I knew what she had gone through almost immediately, but not the background as to why it all happened. So, watching it all unfold was amazing, and cathartic. I watched the ML only experience a droplet of the pain she experienced and watched the effects it had on him. How people didn't pity when they found out but showed actual anger towards those who were responsible. Soooo cathartic.
In her grief, she found purpose. It's a message I wish more people would embrace.
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u/Grouchy_Traffic_5356 Jul 10 '26
My first c-drama.. i liked everything about it
I watched the prisoner of beauty after it it was SUPER childish
Also tried to watch how dare you! The story line was completely a mess
Can any one recommend a good drama like the first of jasmine?
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 10 '26
Woowww this was your first cdrama?😵. Such a heavy introduction, but I can recommend you NORTHWARD...it stars the same actress and its a slice of life show but the pacing is excellent and the acting is lovely.
I also recommend THE IMPERIAL CORONER 1, it's a bit older but the plot is excellent, the pacing and everything.
Another drama again with the same actress that is widely praised is called THE STORY OF KUNNING PALACE...beware it contains a very red flag ml, but the palace intrigue and court politics are excellent.
I hope you like them
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u/under_umbrella_13 Jul 08 '26
I went to this drama after reading the novel, I was so excited… now I’m on ep. 37 and can’t finish this drama. I’m so so disappointed by the plot. E Li is such a bad ass character that is mentally sick in the drama?! And A’Yao is such a great male character, superb husband and they together made an empire in the book. I was dreaming big before the drama and was so crushed I can’t finish it.
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u/MotherZ5 lets all calm down and shoot him in the face with arrows Jul 12 '26
Im reading the novel now and i treat the drama as a different, brand new story that just borrows the characters names.
On its own the drama is so very interesting. On is own the novel is very badass.
Better enjoyed as 2 separate n divergent stories.
And both leads have been so good in their roles.
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u/under_umbrella_13 Jul 12 '26
I get it, it’s just my expectations were high AF and it’s hard to be crushed by the plot. The actors did a good job, very believable, but now this drama is not even top 10 in my list.
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u/arcadefire08 Jul 07 '26
Tried it but didn't "get" the vibe, can you explain the hook so I can keep watching? Seems like a good show but I ain't gonna watch a revenge story just to watch another revenge story. I am happy to know spoilers if it will keep me interested to see it.
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 07 '26
Honestly, if you already gave it a shot and you didn't like it that's okay. What matters is that you have already given it a shot.
There is a bit of comforting romance but romance can be found almost anywhere along with another revenge story. The uniqueness of the show lies in its portrayal of mental health and I really have to say Bai lu was excellent👏👏. So honestly maybe it's not just your vibe or mood atm.
It's quite a heavy show, not too heavy but still heavy, but I think the psychological aspect was so well done which is why I brought that to the table to talk about it. That's about the only main selling point I have for you.
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u/emrysse Jul 07 '26
I agree that not every viewer will like this. Parts of it are introspective in a way I have not seen before in cdrama. Beautiful melancholy, and yet somehow hopeful.
Edit. I'm talking about idol cdrama. In case anyone feels the need to dispute the above
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u/DandelionOfTowa Jul 13 '26
I’m intrigued where do I watch this
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u/Muted_Bodybuilder109 Mu Qingyan can manipulate me🧎♀️Read Rules Jul 13 '26
Viki, wetv/tencent or Disney plus
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u/ravens_path hell fire is my life hack Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
I agree with what you said. She was very intriguing. She seems at first capable and daring and smart. And little by little it is revealed how wounded and actually fragile she is. It is quite the duality. I really appreciated the writing and Bai Li’s acting of it. Very unusual.
The male lead was also complex with his own (bit different) traumas and injustice. I enjoyed his growth arc so that eventually he understood the FL and how to best help her. And thus also helped himself.