2021 has been a very competitive year when it comes to Chinese dramas and as much as I wished to watch all 2021 dramas, it’s impossible. Heart of loyalty is one of the few 2021 Chinese dramas I’ve watched and this is its full review
First Impressions.
There isn’t much to say regarding the first episode, it was just normal. I was taken back to Under the power when I looked at the male and female lead. I don’t know much about the female lead but I watched Caesar Wu in General’s Lady and he’s great at portraying a cold character. The story seemed to have more interesting plots in upcoming episode, we’ll just see as it goes on.
overall.
Mo Yan is a young aspiring bandit who is sharp, quick off the mark, and strives to be the best. When a senior associate is imprisoned by Prince Ning Jin’s powerful Kaifeng court, she plots to rescue him. But the Kaifeng court’s guardians are a formidable force. With unfailing chivalry and outstanding fighting prowess, the glowing reputation of revered Royal Cat, Zhan Zhao, precedes him.
Upon her arrival, Mo Yan’s intelligence does not go unnoticed, earning her a post as a defense force constable. Mo Yan sees both an opportunity to save her associate and get a glimpse of the much-touted Royal Cat. The closer she gets to Zhan Zhao, the more she senses her feelings could only deepen and that Zhan Zao would be only too happy to reciprocate. Now complicating matters is the attention the Prince is suddenly lavishing upon her. Also weighing heavily upon her mind is the knowledge that a feud with a powerful enemy threatens to become deadly.
The Good.
1. Storyline.
From the beginning till the last episode, the storyline was well maintained, I was even surprised when I reached episode 24(final episode) because I thought there are still more episodes to watch. Having 24 episodes helped a lot in the development of the storyline, the writers didn’t have to think of other plots to extend the number of episodes and this always leads to “unnecessary scenes”. I’m praising the writers because they used the same plot to cover the whole series without going off track. You can compare their storyline structure with the one of Under the power but this one was simpler and easy to understand. There is totally zero complications with the storyline, everything is just summarized to save you from the never ending plots. Yes, there are some errors with the storyline like the Liao emperor’s involvement in the saga, the writers made him look like he’s just an emperor by name since people are taking big decisions without consulting him, but it’s nothing you can complain about because he wasn’t even a big contributor to the story.
2. Chemistry.
The main leads had a wonderful chemistry, no doubt and they didn’t lose their touch even after their marriage. They’re willing to sacrifice anything for each other and they share the same vision, you would even think that they can read each other’s minds. The drama had 3 or 4 couples if I’m not wrong (they invested in romance). The other couples were also affectionate and what makes the “romance” in the drama so adorable is the fact that the writers didn’t use the same formula to cook up their love story.
3. Surprise Surprise!
I don’t want to add spoilers on this review so I’ll try to keep it brief. When it comes to faking deaths, this drama can really play with your head. Don’t be like ” oh, I heard there are fake deaths in here, so he won’t die” every time someone is stabbed because you will be disappointed. Most dramas fail to execute the “fake death” plot properly and we end up seeing through it but this one is different.
The Bad.
1.Under water effects.
When I’m watching a movie or drama, I expect to see something that’s more realistic to play with my mind a little bit. It’s not just this drama only but lots of dramas fail to edit the under water effects, they just add the water filter on screen and expect us to be mind blown. There should be bubbles in the water to prove that there’s something in there, clothes and hair should be moving in the same direction as the current of the water but they failed to do that.
2. Villain with no origin story.
A villain must have a good reason to become evil just like that empress in Ancient love poetry, but Pang Ji had no reason at all. Pang Ji is just a villain for the sake of being a villain and honestly, I didn’t connect with his character even when he was exposed, I still failed to understand why his character was even part of the story unlike the ruler of the South who had a reason to turn evil.
Conclusion.
From the beginning, I thought this drama would disappoint in the end but they did an impressive job. it’s highly recommend to anyone who wants a drama with less episodes, crime investigation, relationship between officers and even a princess that falls in love with a commoner.
Ratings.
9/10
