Xing han can lan

I compare all Chinese historical dramas to the Rise of Phoenixes, which I consider one of the best dramas ever done. This one actually competes well with Phoenixes!

The story, characters and casting are all great, and I shouldn't leave out the cinematography.

Zhao Lusi is spectacular as Shao Shang, the very outspoken heroine who holds her own in a male-centered universe. And Wu Lei as her main love interest is sometimes terrifyingly focused on revenge and killing. They do a believable job of convincing the viewers that their love is possible and real, but tragic in so many ways.

Other actors are well cast, too, and provide great performances.

All in all, a really good drama and well worth watching. I will say that the very last episodes dragged on a bit, but I was so involved in the story by then that I watched all.

Okay so first I have to say that this show is one of the best historical c dramas I have watched ( and I have watched a lot) Very Well made, costumes, photography, hair, details and fight choreography, everything looks quality.

But there's a clear difference between seasons.

The first season of the series is just SUPERB, so different that usually cliché storylines. Characters are rich and layered and they remain loyal to their personality throughout the whole show.

There's no unnecessary drama or miss understandings or miss communications, this is well written script and as realistic as it can be.

Everything feels genuine, natural and real. I love the fact that all women in this drama have so much strength, personality and development in all storylines, there's a lot of sexist remarks but not nearly as much as other shows ( China's dramas are catching up to the korean new standards of feminism on screen and I am all for it)

Males in this one are not overbearing, controlling, stupidly jealous or just alpha troglodytes. They genuinely are considerate of their female partners and family members, which they just have their own voice.

I also need to mention that he comedy style of the main actress is so organic and contagious, you won't be able to stop smiling. I am a big fan of Zhao Lu Si and I have enjoyed deeply her latest works, she is extremely chameleonic and I am in awe watching her to go from shy and naive, to fearless and confident.

It is a shame a lot of that comedy and utterly enjoyable silly and romantic moments almost disappeared completely in season 2. And the only reason for this is the length of the show, I mean SERIOUSLY this show has around 20/25 episodes that are completely unnecessary. It gets boring at times and so dragging . I have said this many times but Chinese producers and directors should stop doing this. Kdrama found the winning formula of 16 episodes per drama and that is just perfect.

I still watched it all because when things are happening the drama is damn good but all those uneventful episodes, I was yawning.

Regardless, you have to watch it, quality in a bottle, you will enjoy it.

I liked the show pretty well. It was very well done in bringing ancient people to life. It's very interesting to think of people who passed so long ago. Nothing else have I seen made people come alive so much. Community, friends, family, customs, traditions. It's like I moved there myself and was learning with the locals. The acting was good, the plot was good. Just when I thought it was going to get boring it wasn't but became a mystery adventure. The male lead was very dignified and intriguing.

I overall liked the show a lot,

But, I want to mention my petty criticisms.

1. Side characters and sometimes main characters bickered and argued too much, and non stop. Too boring and stressful.

2. They didn't develop how they fell in love well enough. They should have developed the arc of their love better to make them falling in love more believable.

3. He saves the day, just in time, too many times. It makes the story unbelievable.

4. So much fighting but never dies or gets seriously injured. Not realistic.

5. Main female character was too talented and too intelligent. Makes no sense if she's uneducated. It would be more believable if we saw her do hands on learning that's not scholarly. There's scenes where she's inspecting how something is made. But taking a glance at it for 5 seconds doesn't make you know how to do it.

6. The mother of the main female lead is a total B but then acts wronged because she feels her daughter doesn't appreciate or know her feelings. So annoying she keeps talking like a victim when she's a total B.

7. They kept saying she didn't know etiquette and she was rude and unruly. However, as I saw everyone else was extremely rude to her and she was just defending herself. If a big part of the plot is that she's uneducated and has no etiquette they should have done a better job showing that rather than her just defending herself to a very rude people.

8. The show mixed in the way that they portrayed women. They made it seem like the main female lead was a very strong and powerful and intelligent woman who was strong-willed and unruly. At the same time they showed many female side characters that were full of jealousy, gossip, and hatred who were always plotting and scheming out of jealousy and hate. It just seems like I'm not like other girls I'm better than them all and I'm not like these jealous bees. Seems kind of like it is written by a sexist person who hates women. Even if they were portraying women is strong and equal in relationships ended up modern sense, the constant parade of evil, jealous women makes me wonder if the author has issues. Coupled with the main character who isn't like the other girls!

9. The main character, female lead, always had similar facial expressions. It was annoying.

10. Drama tried too hard to be entertaining because towards the end of the show, every episode had some over the top dramatic assassination attempt or evil act by another relative or somebody.

Whoever wrote this story deserves all the accolades because this series upended most of the tropes that I dislike in C dramas and made something so refreshing and compulsively watchable. Leo Wu and Zhao Lusi were spectacular and the other actors played their roles skillfully from the first episode until the last, I was glued to my screen. I love this and I honestly don't think there's any series that even comes close to its brilliance. It's a must-watch if you like the interplay of comedy, action, and family drama. Perfection!

(Cheng Shao Shang (Zhao Lu Si) is a young woman who was forced to grow up alone after most of her family had to leave to fight in a bloody war. As a result, she has grown up alone, in an unforgiving environment, and has become tough and resourceful - but also stubborn and untrusting. She finds it hard to see the good in people and assumes that everyone she meets is trying to get the better of her. She fends for herself in a town populated by people like her, who have been left behind by the war.

One day, a talented, powerful, and highly influential general named Ling Bu Yi (Leo Wu) comes to the town - and falls in love with her at first sight. He resolves to marry her, even though it will cause him no end of problems if he decides to pursue this union. She also warns him that she doesn't trust him and that her stubborn personality might not be suitable for the wife of a general. But Ling Bu Yi also has deep secrets, and there are facts about his true identity that even he does not know. Slowly, they begin to trust one another a little more - and start to investigate the truth about Ling Bu Yi's early childhood, family, and real identity...

This drama was based on a novel by the author Guan Xin Ze Luan. "Love Like the Galaxy" is a 2022 Chinese drama series that was directed by Fei Zhen Xiang.)

In my opinion, this historical costume drama has it all: comedy, fighting scenes, childhood trauma, slow burning romance, beautiful cinematography, great OST and amazing cast. Every single actor suits the character portrayed in the novel. The evolution of main couple is extremely well done, from cold selfish untrustfull youth, these damaged souls learn to trust and love each other. Their microexpressions, the slightest look will change according to the plot. It may seem like a slow start the first 5 eps, but is necessary to build the background of the characters, so you can understand why / how their teens years shaped their mind.

It is an unusual drama, since both ML and FL are flawed, but this is what makes it unforgettable. Special thanks to Director Fei who researched and prepared each detail of the drama ( see youtube), and special kudos for actress Zhao Lusi and actor Wu Lei, both in their early 20's, for a magnificent performance that made our 2022 summer ungorgettable !