UNVEIL: JADEWIND: A VERY HONEST FIRST IMPRESSION (AND HOW CAN I NOT MENTION HOW DARE YOU?)
I cannot believe tomorrow I’ll wake up to the premiere of How Dare You. Cheng Lei, my dearest Chusband #1, is BACK on my screen and I am deeply unwell about it.
This man is so handsome that - ugh. It’s sickening really. Like.. ban him. He’s a public hazard or something.
And before anyone accuses me of exaggerating: RUN and watch BOTH the anime (currently airing its second season) and the short adaptation of How Dare You because THEY ARE SOOOO GOOD. I am being completely serious about this.
Let’s talk about today’s actual main event: Unveil: Jadewind (still don’t know what that title means, btw).
I like Bai Lu, and once again she’s “best friends” with a tragic princess. At this point, give this woman a QUEER ROLE and let us all rest.
Will Bai Lu and Wang Xingyue be a couple in this? Or is this just a procedural drama wearing historical cosplay? I hope it’s the latter, because listen: Li Peiyi is DEFINITELY a lesbian and Xiao Huaijin feels aggressively asexual. So what I am feeling is plain old queer subtext.
Am I projecting my lack of interest in Wang Xingyue into this (I’m ONLY into Duke Su)? Maybe. But when I look back at One and Only or Story of Kunning Palace, I could at least see something between them. Here? So far nothing. Void. Just vibes.
Now, on to the plot - specifically the Princess arc. It was a decent introduction to the characters and the world, but… would you kill me if I said I wasn’t moved AT ALL by Princess Wanshun’s tragic tale?
Especially the resolution.
I hated how Li Peiyi put the Princess above the law. And honestly - what exactly was the Princess expecting when she returned to the palace?
Re-establishing her marriage with the Uyghur prince felt WAY TOO MERCIFUL, and she still jumped?
Girl. You murdered like FIVE PEOPLE. JEEZ.
Yes, the Emperor doesn’t care about her - but he has other daughters. One of them literally married the Uyghur prince as the second choice (POOR GIRL). So him manipulating Wanshun’s return to force her back into that marriage didn’t feel that ruthless, if I’m being honest.
She didn’t grow up with parental love, sure - but she was still a PRINCESS, living in absurd luxury, with very few real hardships.
Sorry if this sounds heartless, but I said what I said.
ALSO - the editing in Episode 1? The constant rapid cuts made me motion sick. I’m not being dramatic, I was genuinely nauseous. Please let scenes breathe.
But will I keep watching?
Because: (kinda) BUTCH BAI LU 😅