One And Only Review

One And Only (周生如故) is my second Bai Lu drama in a row after Song Of Youth. It looks like I will be watching a third as the sequel entitled Forever And Ever is currently being screened. I don’t think I can miss it after sitting through all the 24 episodes of One And Only. So, together with the 30 episodes of Forever And Ever, you will be looking at watching 54 episodes in total if you want the complete story of this couple. Is it really worth your time to continue on to the sequel? Well, follow my One And Only review below to find out if you should start on this series or otherwise.

My rating: 8.5/10
Episodes: 24
Type: Romance
Aired: August 2021
Images Credit: iQIYI

The Cast Of One And Only

• Allen Ren Jia Lun as Zhou Sheng Chen
• Bai Lu as Cui Shi Yi
• Wang Xing Yue as Liu Zi Xing
• Li Yi Ru as Hong Xiao Yu
• Su Meng Yun as Feng Qiao
• Zhou Lu La as Xiao Yan / 2nd Prince of Nan Xiao
• Wu Man Si as Princess Xing Hua
• Fu Jun as Xie Chong / Counsellor Xie
• Xie Hong Xin as Xie Chen
• Jeremy Luo You Qi as Emperor Liu Hui
• Liang Ai Qi as Qi Zhen Zhen / Empress Dowager Qi
• Yu Yang as Cui Guang / Grand Mentor Cui
• Yuan Ruo Hang as Xie Yun
• Miku Zhang Cheng Hang as Zhou Tian Xing
• Ethan Yao Yi Chen as Cui Feng
• Vivienne Liu Wei Wei as Cui Wen Jun
• Daisy Dai as Jin Zhen Er
• Wang Chun Yuan as Zhao Teng
• Xi Xue as Gao Huai Yang
• Daniel Feng Li as Prince of Ping Qin
• Han Cheng Yu as Huan Yu

Main Characters

Zhou Sheng Chen

Sheng Chen is the Junior Prince of Nan Chen ruling over the West State which is part of the Central State. His elder brother was the previous Emperor who has since died. Sheng Chen is a very powerful military commander and his army has never lost a war. He is loyal, dedicated, and a highly principled man who fights to give the people a more peaceful life. He also has 10 “disciples” who were orphans when they joined his army.

Cui Shi Yi

Shi Yi is the niece of Cui Guang who is a powerful man in the royal court. The Cui clan is very influential and hence, she is betrothed to the Crown Prince when she was born. Shi Yi is elegant, demure, and respectful given her noble upbringing. But she is mute following the stress of having her father, Li Qi Lang, leaving her when she was a kid.

Supporting Characters

Liu Zi Xing

Zi Xing is a powerless Crown Prince who was appointed by a bunch of ministers to counter the power of Cui Guang and the young Emperor Liu Hui. Hence, Zi Xing becomes Shi Yi’s fiancee and he loves her. Zi Xing is also an angry and unfulfilled man due to his bitter life in the palace.

Hong Xiao Yu & Feng Qiao

Xiao Yu and Feng Qiao are Sheng Chen’s generals and disciples. While Xiao Yu falls for Cui Feng, Feng Qiao has feelings for Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan / 2nd Prince of Nan Xiao

Xiao Yan used to be a military commander and the 2nd Prince of Nan Xiao. But he ran away to be a monk and was caught by Sheng Chen in his state. Both Nan Xiao and the West State have a fragile peace treaty after a period of war.

Princess Xing Hua

Princess Xing Hua is Empress Dowager Qi’s niece. She is in love with Zi Xing but the latter only treats her like a sister.

Xie Chong & Xie Chen

Xie Chong is Sheng Chen’s mentor and military advisor. He has served Sheng Chen since the latter left Central State as a teen. Xie Chong also has an adopted son named Xie Chen who is blind but has divination skills.

Emperor Liu Hui & Empress Dowager Qi

Emperor Liu Hui was enthroned at a very young age after the death of his father. He is a timid and soft-hearted man. He is also very trusting of Sheng Chen who is his uncle. Empress Dowager Qi is his mother. She is a revengeful woman who wants power.

Cui Guang / Grand Mentor Cui

Cui Guang is the chief of the Cui clan and Grand Mentor to the Emperor. He has served 2 previous emperors and have a powerful foothold in the royal court.

Xie Yun & Zhou Tian Xing

Both of them are Sheng Chen’s generals and disciples.

Cui Feng

Cui Feng is Cui Guang’s son and Shi Yi’s cousin brother. He is a general serving under Sheng Chen and in charged of guarding Shou Yang prefecture. His love interest is Xiao Yu.

Cui Wen Jun

Wen Jun is Shi Yi’s mother. Cui Guang is her eldest brother while Wen Ji is her younger sister. Wen Jun was forced to divorce Shi Yi’s father to ensure the Cui family’s survival when he offended the then Empress Gao.

Jin Zhen Er

Zhen Er is Emperor Liu Hui’s unfavored concubine and General Jin Rong’s daughter. Her father has a close relationship with Zi Xing.

Zhao Teng

Zhao Teng is a eunuch who has control over Emperor Liu Hui together with General Liu Yuan.

Gao Huai Yang

Huai Yang was Empress Gao’s cousin sister and has interest in Sheng Chen.

Prince of Ping Qin

Prince Of Ping Qin is from a vassal state under Sheng Chen’s control. They both share a friendly relationship.

Huan Yu

Huan Yu is a scholar and teacher in Nan Xiao. He was once saved by Sheng Chen and is always trying to pair him and Shi Yi together.

Synopsis

Sheng Chen has a strong army in the West State. His power constantly gives rise to suspicion in the central palace that he will rebel and usurp the throne. In order to prevent chaos during the turbulent period following the death of the previous emperor, Sheng Chen vowed that he will never marry and sire descendants. Hence, he has little reason to grab power. To further ensure stability, he also agreed to accept Cui Guang’s niece, Shi Yi, as his disciple since the Cui clan is close to the emperor’s family.

As Shi Yi spends more and more time with Sheng Chen, they begin to fall in love with each other but have to hold back their feelings due to their status and responsibilities. Shi Yi also has a marriage arrangement with Crown Prince Zi Xing but as the years go by, her uncle requests the betrothal to be cancelled due to changes in the palace politics. But Zi Xing feels dissatisfied and is angry that he has no real power in the palace. Together with the emperor’s unfavored concubine, he begins to carry out his plan to grab the throne. This drags Shi Yi and Sheng Chen along in the ensuing power struggle in the palace.

One And Only Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

One And Only has a sad ending. None of the couples manage to be together in the end. Sheng Chen is executed in a cruel manner by Jin Rong and Zi Xing in Episode 23. Both of them collude to entrap Sheng Chen during a victory banquet and force him to become their hostage in exchange for the child emperor’s life. Xiao Yu is also killed during the entrapment when they try to fight their way out.

When Shi Yi finds out about Sheng Chen’s death, she is devastated. He leaves her a message written in his own blood while being imprisoned that he has never let anyone down in his life except for her.

Zi Xing decrees that Shi Yi will be his Honored Concubine after becoming the new emperor. On her wedding day, Shi Yi commits suicide by jumping down the city tower in Episode 24 to be with Sheng Chen. Although her mother, Yang Shao, and Prince of Ping Qin have already put in place a plan to get her out of the palace, Shi Yi refuses to endanger their lives and chooses to commit suicide. On hindsight, her mother also regrets not allowing her to stay in West State to be with Sheng Chen.

What Happens To Zi Xing?

Zi Xing becomes the new emperor in Episode 23. He also has no choice but to make Jin Zhen Er his empress since her father is the powerful General Jin Rong who helped him to secure the throne. Zi Xing ends up having to listen to him. He is powerless when Jin Rong kills all the ministers that include his own Liu family clan members at the same time when Sheng Chen is executed. He is also distressed when Shi Yi commits suicide as he does love her.

ZI Xing has always been sickly and his health deteriorates during his rule. He couldn’t get enough support from the vassal states and the Central State faces threats from all sides. He dies from illness after 3 years on the throne without a heir. The child emperor, Liu Zi Zhen, is re-appointed to succeed him.

The Fate Of Other Characters

• Jin Rong is betrayed by his own subordinate, Yang Shao, who laid an ambush and killed him in the palace in Episode 24. He is lured there on the pretext of celebrating the birth of his grandson.
• Empress Dowager Qi is killed by Jin Rong in Episode 20. Sheng Chen exposed her crime of killing her son and trying to fool the people with a fake prince. She was sent to the nunnery to repent but is tricked to escape only to end up in Jin Rong’s hands. Jin Rong hates her as she has given him a hard time when she was at the height of power.
• Xie Chong dies of illness in prison in Episode 15. He is imprisoned by Empress Dowager Qi to strip Emperor Liu Hui of support.
• Xie Yun finds out that he is Xie Chong’s biological son in Episode 16.
• Emperor Liu Hui is killed by Empress Dowager Qi in Episode 18. He poisons his mother’s wine but stops her from drinking it at the last minute. She turns around and forces him to drink it instead.
• Qin Yan is killed by Xiao Yu for betraying the army and working for Empress Dowager Qi.
• Cui Feng rebels after the death of Sheng Chen and Xiao Yu.
• Princess Xing Hua volunteers to a marriage alliance with Nan Xiao State to provide stability for Central State during Zi Xing’s rule.
• Xiao Yan leaves West State after several years as he has learned to let go of his vengeance towards his adoptive father.

One And Only Review – Sad But Worth It!

I’m not one who cries that easily when watching dramas. But One And Only successfully made me reach for the tissue a number of times. The last drama that made me do the same was Go Ahead and that was about a year ago. So, it is rarely that you will come across a drama that could evoke such deep emotions in a viewer. While it is tempting to tell you to give this a miss if you hate melodramas, I would recommend that you make an exception for this one. This is because the story is beautifully told.

Yes, this will be a heartbreaking watch. It will tear you apart at times and there are some heavy emotions involved. But at the same time, it is a beautiful kind of love that is pure and comes from the heart unlike the cruelty in The Wolf. Because you can feel the deep love and yearning of the 2 lovers, your sadness is also magnified when you watch them struggling with their emotions for each other. Kudos to the whole team for bringing the 2 characters to life with the way they have executed the story, directed the leads, and filmed the scenes.

A Plot Of Forbidden Love

One And Only is a story of forbidden love in essence. Both the lovers have a duty to their family and state and given their statuses, it is impossible for them to be together without risking a lot of lives in the process. While the romance is the main attraction in the plot, it is well-balanced out by the palace power plays to give viewers an understanding of why they have to hold back their feelings for each other. With that background in place, the protagonists’ sacrifice becomes less questionable and more gut-wrenching for the viewers.

With only 24 episodes, you won’t get a complicated palace power struggle like what you would see in Stand By Me or Legend Of Fuyao. The way the palace politics shifts is depicted simplistically and at a very fast pace. Hence, the whole drama isn’t bogged down by a prolonged fight for the throne. It is good if you are in it just for the love story but it might not be satisfactory if you are looking for more intrigues to go with the romance. Personally, I find the balance to be just right for my taste as I tend to prefer shorter dramas to longer ones.

Great Acting And Chemistry

Whoever casted Bai Lu and Allen Ren as Shi Yi and Sheng Chen respectively certainly deserve a pat on the back for a job well done. If you have watched Song Of Youth and then One And Only, you can see how versatile Bai Lu is as an actress. In One And Only, she gives Shi Yi a noble and reserved appearance that fits the character’s upbringing and social status. There is no over-exaggeration in her acting. She evokes feelings in viewers through her eyes and facial expressions.

I guess playing a stoic general isn’t new for Allen Ren. He did it in Under The Power with Seven Tan and here, he displays the same charisma of a good-looking and capable military commander. Somehow, he just knows how to project that aura of a battle-hardened and highly respected general.

I think few would have expected an explosive chemistry between Bai Lu and Allen Ren. There are no kisses in the drama but you don’t need them with these 2 leads although this is supposed to be a love story. Allen Ren also hardly has any kisses with Fair Xing and Janine Chang in Miss Crow With Mr. Lizard and Never Say Goodbye respectively. But if you compare them with his partnership with Bai Lu, One And Only is miles ahead in evoking emotions in viewers to make us feel invested in the couple. Perhaps the story helps to develop the right sparks but I think the way they pick up each other’s vibes makes their interactions seem real and sincere to move viewers.

Ending Could Be Better

The drama is good for the most part until you reach the very end. This is where it falters to me because the fate of some of these characters is reduced to a one-liner narration to wrap things up. This is in the last 10 minutes of Episode 24. The good thing is the main couple’s story has been fully told. It is the supporting characters that did not get the attention that they deserve.

You would expect a major battle or a more dramatic finish to kill off the villains but that is missing from the drama. So, it feels kind of rushed when the drama ends with very, very short scenes to tell viewers what happened to the supporting characters. While it doesn’t mar the overall enjoyment of the drama, a more well-thought out ending would allow for greater satisfaction on completion.

My Verdict – Get Your Tissues And Start Watching!

To me, this Chinese historical romance drama certainly deserves a watch. However, it is also good to let readers know the potential pitfalls. Firstly, you won’t get a strong and gutsy female character in One And Only unlike The Long Ballad and The Sword And The Brocade. Hence, watching Shi Yi might annoy you if you prefer your female lead to fight her way out of trouble. Shi Yi is brought up to be a Crown Princess and she is mainly a passive noble young lady.

Secondly, there are no kisses in the whole 24 episodes. This is not The Eternal Love Season 3 kind of drama and thus, you can forget it if you are looking for a hot and passionate kind of romance. And thirdly, the romance could be too slow for some especially without the skinship. Not everyone is satisfied with just gazes and hugs which are few and far in between. There are no love confessions here either but feelings are expressed indirectly through dialogues which you need to pay attention to.

Having said that, I would still give this One And Only review a score of 8.5/10. It is a slow burn type of romance which is also very different from the usual. It may seem unromantic with no kisses and confessions. The leads are also not explicitly in a relationship. But at the same time, it is heavy in yearning which gives rise to the deep love which goes straight to the heart. Watch it if you don’t mind sadness in your dramas that makes you cry buckets because amidst the sadness is a yearning so deep and a love so pure to prime you up for the sequel.

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