I haven’t watched a drama of Jiro’s in years–although I do stalk him on Facebook. One of the reasons is because I still have a lot on my to-watch list. But this one got me hooked from the start and a rare palace drama that I actually enjoyed. I think it was because it was a comedy and that they mocked the other palace dramas so I got a kick out of that. I felt all the cast did very well and the comedy wasn’t too over. Sure, they were over-dramatic at times but like I said, it was mocking palace dramas so it fitted. I loved that they did one episode per random story. At times, it extended but wasn’t dragging. There were also major story arches like they were trying to find the lead and/or masterminds behind the assassins at various times. But they added enough intrigue to the cases.
Jiro and Gina were so cute together as the king and Consort Meng (萌妃). Consort Meng’s good sisters at the palace were equally likable in their own way. I liked Consort Yan (言妃) for her innovative side and her sharp mind. Yes, she was sure gossipy, but that had its advantages since it drew out a certain suspicious character at one point. Not to mention, it wasn’t like she gossiped about important matters regarding them. What irked me about Consort Yan was the story where she was tricked by that one girl into investing in chicken and all. It was so out of character for her. Yes, I got it that the other girl was cunning and manipulative, but I swear Consort Yan was one of the reasonable ones, regardless of how she wouldn’t pass up a chance to make money. She also witnessed how the other girl tricked Qu Wan Wan (曲碗碗) that one time also. How could she fall for it? Yet it didn’t last too long so I just let it go eventually and call it a plot hole. Anyway, Consort Xiao (骁贵人) was quite cool. She used to be a general and later entered the palace because of her father’s passing and the king wanted to look after her, but they weren’t romantically involved. They were actually childhood friends so he felt the need to look after her. In fact, it was mentioned that the king was fine in letting her go if her beloved returned yet it turned out quite tragic with her story. I thought it was like how Consort Meng’s brother’s story was–like eventually, it would be a happy ending. The story with Bu Yue (步约) and Chen Yuan Xi (陈鸢喜) was quite nerve-racking since I thought she died for real. Yet that was a misunderstanding and they eventually got married after some more obstacles. I thought it would be the same for Consort Xiao since it seemed hectic and all, but I thought it would be another misunderstanding. Luckily, Consort Xiao had the other three to accompany her and help her get through it. Lastly, Wan Wan was actually quite cute and innocent. And I swear she wasn’t fat. It was just that the others were so skinny so she looked fat comparing to them. I also thought she would end up with the royal cook’s son. I suspected it would happen when she went outside of the palace to help look for him yet returned with many delicacies for herself instead of bringing him back. I thought they were cute when they fight. Because this wasn’t a traditional palace drama so I thought it would have been fun to watch it turning out that way, considering how the king didn’t like her in that way so he could let her go. When I looked up more information for the drama, I realized the person who portrayed Wan Wan sang the main theme. Han Jiu Nuo sure has a sweet voice so it made the song really lively and so suitable with the lyrics. The ending theme was also quite cute and worked for the drama.
There were many hilarious scenes also. What got me going for a while was how they introduced the four little dragons of the palace, because the royal cook said that he was Wu Qi Long (吳奇隆), lol. Oh yeah, they also used English at various times and even incorporate some of the modern trends into different scenes. Like how they were using microphones, which was actually created by sticking a cucumber through an orange.
What else? The story with the king’s sister and the royal medic was also totally random but cute in its own way. The series actually wrapped up with their story and then added in a very cute and romantic scene with the king and Consort Meng. It was somewhat hilarious though, considering how the eunuchs arranged so that the flowers were falling down on them so nicely. It was hilarious yet was suitable to wrap up the drama. What tugged at my heart was how I seem to want even more episodes. There were ups and downs at times and there were some stories I didn’t care for, but overall, I loved it. It was refreshing in a way because it seemed to be a parody to all of those palace dramas they did year after year after year. So I would recommend it for comedy fans. I would definitely recommend it to Jiro and Gina fans. They were hilarious and I haven’t watched Jiro in a comedy for a while now so I felt it was a good fit.
*All images were captured by DTLCT.
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