Fu tu yuan

Many, many problems with this drama.

1. The plot. Someone took a meat cleaver to this series. Some sections of it were illogical and unbelievable--others unintelligible. The editing was done without any skill or finesse. For example, at one point a certain character is poisoned and then miraculously recovers - no explanation given. Humorous scenes seemed to be interjected arbitrarily and most of them didn't work.

2. The acting. Dylan Wang's expressive face and eyes helped to smooth over some of the rough spots. The story called for his character to look morose and beaten down in scene after scene as he fought off one threat after another. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see enough of his playful, mischievous side. Note to directors: Please! Please! Let Dylan use his natural voice. I've heard him in interviews and, at least to non-Chinese speakers like me, he sounds just fine.

The female lead's performance was uneven. In some scenes she was convincing and effective as a spunky, rebellious, no-nonsense woman. At other times she just phoned it in and seemed to want to be any place but on the set filming this depressing drama. It helped that her character was supposed to be somewhat confusing and frustrating.

Peter Ho was fantastic as Emperor Murong Gaogong. The role called for him to go from sweet and simple-minded (in the beginning), to clever and dangerous (in the middle), to totally batsh*t crazy at the end-with occasional moments of lucidity and/or regret. He made the transitions look natural and easy.

Cao Chun'ang was a constant, reassuring presence, the kind of loyal friend that everyone would like to have.

If you're looking for a fluffy, bubble-gum drama that would not require you to think, or if you just want to see Dylan Wang's kissing scenes and are not in the least bit curious about the title of the drama, take note - only by firing up some brain cells would you fully appreciate this.

Unchained Love tells the love story of Xiao Duo, a mysterious eunuch who is the second most powerful man in the empire next only to the emperor, and Bu Yinlou, a young concubine-born noblewoman who is swindled by her father's legal wife to become one of the aged emperor's concubines. Before Yinlou meets the emperor, he dies, leaving her to become one of his childless widows who are to be sacrificed as tribute ladies to accompany him in the afterlife. Xiao Duo saves Yinlou from this cruel fate, starting a collusion between two intelligent, cunning and passionate characters that develops into friendship and eventually love.

Dylan Wang is perfectly cast as Xiao Duo, the head of an imperial bureau that enforces peace and order in the empire. Six years ago, he entered the Imperial City then used his martial arts skills and charms to gain a powerful position that would enable him to investigate the murder of his younger brother. Yuqi Chen shows exceptional acting skills as Bu Yinlou, the illegitimate daughter of a noble family who pretends to be stupid and lazy to hide her intelligence and wit, refusing to participate in palace power games.

The rest of the cast is as remarkable and three-dimensional, notably Peter Ho as the new emperor who is obsessed with Yinlou, and Zeng Li as the previous emperor's empress who is obsessed with Xiao Duo. The emperor's and ex-empress's oppressive desires to possess the objects of their obsession contrast with the unchained love between Xiao Duo and Yinlou that seeks the beloved's survival, freedom and happiness.

The title of the novel on which the drama is based, Fu Tu Ta, refers to the tower where tribute ladies are sacrificed to join newly-deceased emperors. It is thus a symbol of oppression that brought about such inhumane practices as requiring newly widowed imperial concubines to either become tribute ladies or attend to their dead husbands' remains in the Imperial Mausoleum for the rest of their lives. Another oppressive law forces male palace workers to give up their manhood, that is, become eunuchs. Oppression is also manifested in the new emperor's obsession with Yinlou and the ex-empress's obsession with Xiao Duo.

Much ado has been made about scenes that were cut due to censorship. In my opinion, only about six cut scenes had some significance but none affected the story. The absence of those steamy scenes doesn't matter as the intensity of Xiao Duo and Yinlou's passion still shines through and the remaining romantic scenes are more meaningful than the cut ones. In fact, I think the removal of some scenes served the story better. I would have been immediately turned off Yinlou had the scene of her tastelessly jumping on and kissing Xiao Duo at the start of their acquaintance not been cut.

It's rather amusing how the censored scenes provide a metaphor for Xiao Duo's manhood. Despite the cut scenes, the story is intact.

In a genre that glorifies revenge-killing, I applaud the bravery of this drama in showing how true love can rid the heart of the oppressive power of hatred that fuels the obsession for revenge. In a master stroke of storytelling, justice for Xiao Duo's brother is served without him resorting to such a cowardly act as killing an unarmed man cold-bloodedly. Thus, I consider any alleged flaw, such as choppy editing due to a few censored-out scenes, more than offset by the uncharacteristic noble values espoused by this drama - love, peace, patience and forgiveness, among others.

Another thing I love about this drama is how humor that is mostly subtle and witty is injected every now and then. The ridiculous knock-on-the-wall communication, Yinlou outwitting kidnapping attempts and other hilarious situations and witticisms had me in stitches.

And yet another thing I love is the ending that is so loaded with symbolism it could occupy hours of discussions about oppression. About hope rising from its ashes. About love prevailing over its chains. That scene startled me that a Chinese drama could be that poetic, daring to disappoint fans hoping for a more explicit ending. It also gave me respect for low-budget cdramas that could dare to choose art over a crowd-pleasing happily-ever-after scene.

I absolutely enjoyed this drama. It has the perfect blend of romance,. Comedy and action. It kept me interested the whole way through. The main leads had amazing chemistry. The other characters are very likeable. I wasn't bored by their stories. In fact, it makes you want to root for them too. The actor who played the emperor did a marvelous job. I don't want to spoil anything, but all I will say is that he showed the perfect transition by how a human being can get corrupted by power.

I love that this drama has strong female characters and not your typical damsels in distress.

I'm giving it an 8 because they deleted so many scenes where it perfectly portrayed the passion of two people having an illicit affair. Did it show love and devotion to each other? Of course! I just think that to remain true to the story, it could have at least showed a glimpse of their passion for one another. I mean most of the time they're just hugging or holding hands. What are they, 12 years old?

I felt that the ending was rushed as well. I wished it showed more of our main leads at the end.

Overall, it's a very good drama with great actors.

"...I keep saying I don't feel like it or that I don't want to, but no one listens to me, or what I want to do. He wants me to obey and listen to him... I feel like I am a dead thing. I don't deserve the right to my own feelings. I am not even allowed to be unhappy or sad, but I am a human being...."

You might get confused and think this is a love story, but no, not at all, this is a story about FREEDOM. It depicts very painfully although beautifully the struggle in the past ( in many places it's still present) of people born in inferiority of conditions. Poor people versus rich people, people born with status versus commoners. But specially, and for CENTURIES women, being a woman was the worst that can happen to you being born in a patriarchal society, women had to submit themselves to the will of men, treated and owned as objects. I cant even imagine the pain, helplessness and frustration all these women have endured and suffered over the years, we are so lucky ( in some countries) to live freely like we do.

The script in this drama is so powerful, clever and witty...I am in awe. It's unpredictable and free of clichés, what a formidable story.

The true hero of this drama is the female lead who refuses to give up to her own identity, ideas and feelings and starts fighting with all her might to be able to live free and will prefer to die instead of subduing herself to others. Just pure strength, willingness and passion. I absolutely adored this character, one of a kind female lead and I hope I get to see many more like hers in other coming dramas.

Our ML is absolutely amazing too, love the development of his character, I have Watched many shows starring Dylan Wang, and I like his range, his eyes are expressive and believable. His chemistry with the FL was palpable as well, too bad the majority of scenes were eliminated and we were left with crumbs, but the show was so good it compensated a bit.

The acting in general is outstanding but we need to make a special mention to the actor playing the antagonist, the emperor. He will make you hate him and pity him many times throughout the series, his performance was very powerful.

So what's the ONLY bad thing about this drama?? THE EDITING!!!is one of the worst I have ever seen, and not only on the final episodes, from the beginning, they eliminated a lot of very meaningful scenes and seems like they rushed a lot of parts. This is one is one of those shows that needed slow burn plot lines, it needed a few more episodes to let us see all the storylines having a proper closure. They didn't allow it to be as exceptional as it should be, not that is not absolutely amazing already, but it could have been so much more.