If you haven’t heard, I’m seriously into Asian dramas right now. When I have control of the remote, and even when I watch on my phone, it is very rarely in English these days. This really isn’t surprising, as I’ve always enjoyed watching shows/films in other languages. I love the different stories, and seeing what viewers in other countries find interesting. I’ve spent a few months watching French, Turkish, and Spanish language shows/films before. But we’re going on six months of me watching Asian dramas - exclusively. So, this may not be “just a phase”. I decided to start a little series on my blog dedicated to some of my favorite dramas! First up, is Wonderland of Love.
Name: Wonderland of Love
Length: 40 Episodes
Region: Mainland China
My Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: "Li Ni (Xu Kai) is the Emperor's grandson and a keen warrior. Despite his illustrious family background, he does not seek power – although his jealous father holds him in contempt. He wants to spend his life in the army, so must hide his true identity from his fellow soldiers as he rises to the rank of general. He is assigned to patrol a dangerous border territory where violence erupts on a regular basis. He is happy in his role as a frontier fighter and has no intention of trying to take the throne.
While on the border, he meets Cui Lin (Jing Tian), the only daughter of a well-known military leader. Like Li Ni, however, she is also a fighter with a secret identity – dressing up as a military officer so she can fight on the front lines. As they meet on the battlefield again and again, they begin to form a rivalry. But could this competitive spirit one day give way to love?”
I’ll start by saying that Xu Kai (male lead - ML) and Jing Tian (female lead - FL) had great chemistry. When the chemistry is not there it’s usually a deal breaker for me when watching these shows. So, this was already off to a great start.
The storyline moved along pretty smoothly, there were a few episodes that lagged, but overall it was good. I went through ALL of the emotions with this one too. I laughed, felt happy, got angry, and even cried. Watch out for episodes 30, 31, 37, & 38. They were emotional and intense and had me in tears. Xu Kai nailed his performance in these.
The show is filled with a lot of action, some funny banter, and just enough flirting to keep me interested the entire time. And they shifted fairly quickly without making me wonder what was going on. As soon as I felt like there was a lot of intensity, the next episode would bring some comedic relief. And while a lot of FLs in these dramas can be whiny or childish, the FL in this one was surprisingly a strong character. She did have her moments though. Anyway, I liked that these characters were so compatible in all aspects. From their fighting style, and interests, to viewpoints on their world.
Now, one thing you should know about these dramas is that most of them are only one season long and range anywhere between 8-40 episodes. It varies by style, country, and sometimes platform. Wonderland of Love came in at 40 episodes. It took me a little over two weeks to finish it. Now, as for the accuracy of that specific period (costumes, language, deities, traditions, etc.) I can’t speak to them. So, that’s something you’d have to check for yourself.
Overall, the show was wonderful! This was my second show to see Xu Kai as a ML and I am now a huge fan of his. While the female lead character was a bit frustrating at times towards the end, Jing Tian was great! I believe they both did their characters and this drama justice. I hope we get to see them together in a different drama in the future. It’d be cool to see them in a modern, or present-day one.
And that wraps up my first review. The next one probably won’t be as long, and I’ll tweak some things here and there. Maybe touch on the storylines a bit more or the actors. But you get this gist. You can find this drama over on Viki - the link is in the name below the picture up top. Until the next one, 🤞.
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