Overall, it felt that the whole story was kind of stretched-out, some scenes were so empty and slow-paced, I even thought about skipping the drama. I had the impression that the producers struggled to find a clear storyline, the series was like a long debate what the story is about than actually something happening. Moreover, I think the production quality is rather inconsistent. For example, sometimes fighting scenes were top notch (e.g. Zhanfeng vs. Daowuxia), whereas other scenes looked like they wanted to do more than they were actually able to (e.g. the Chinese boxing scene between Zhanfeng and Liemingjing and especially the flying scenes).
Digging into the story, I don't really see the connection between Yinxue's story and the story around Liehuoshan. The only real connection is the character of Ruge. Ruge is some kind of a reincarnation of Yinxue's former love, but you hardly get any info about their past relationship. The circumstance that this reincarnation is exactly Anyeming's daughter who happens to grow up in Liehuoshan for protection seems to be rather random. Thus, I feel like these two storylines are somehow seperate and do not really go together in the drama. Another thing about the story which bothers me is the overly self-destructive and self-sacrificing attitude of Yinxue and Yuzihan. I think at some point it's not credible anymore and the characters become too predictable.
Getting to the characters, Ruge is the main girl who holds the whole story together. She is described as "lively and passionate", but I cannot really see this in the drama. To me, "lively" is not the same as being childishly overenthusiastic which I saw instead. In addition, I rather see the opposite of "passionate" - her expressions seem rather stiff and forced. The fire element doesn't suit her at all. Anyways, Ruge is supposed to undergo a change from a rather lighthearted girl to a strong woman, which I can see to some extent. Yet, it is not pronounced enough. She seems too dependent on Yinxue to actually get to that state of being strong on her own.
Yinxue is a character which I cannot understand at all. First, I cannot see how this character fits into the story except that he has the job of saving everyone (not without a purpose in his mind though). That he has no clear place in the story is supposed to make him mysterious, yet I have the impression that he is "just there" and rather annoying. Yinxue has his darker past behind him and is portrayed as a spiritually and culturally versed character. However, his behavior towards Ruge does not reflect that at all. Starting with Yinxue trying to make a move on her when she just dissolved her engagement with Zhanfeng, he is continuously nagging her to give in to his approaches. His behavior is often over the top - for example, him being pouty because Ruge treats him coldly in the context of Yuzihan almost dying which requires her full attention. Yinxue's rather selfish behavior is quite appalling. Especially him playfully asking for a kiss in exchange for men's lives - exactly, how much is a life worth?! Later, he makes her temporarily lose her memory through his powers, and by this almost got to marry her. Although the underlying reasoning is to protect her from painful memory and to help her recover, that undertaking leaves a rather unpleasant "aftertaste". But I'm even more shocked with Ruge's behavior, because no matter how he behaves, she either seems to be just ok with that or she endures everything obediently. Nothing from which Yinxue had suffered in the past justifies his behavior. In his equation, saving someone for the sake of Ruge means he deserves her love. But love cannot be "earned". Clearly, I cannot see anything sweet in that "love story". It even makes it worse that there is basically no chemistry between the actors at all - even the tacky ending cannot save this.
Yuzihan is probably the most likeable character in this drama. Despite everything he went through, he is not hateful and doesn't even want to become heir to the throne. In later episodes he gives up everything for Ruge and is not greedy for her love. Even a healthy body cannot corrupt him. Is he human at all? Still, his character has the most depth, and his expressions are on point. It's interesting to watch his character developing and see him making use of his cleverness.
Zhanfeng's character gives me the impression that there is something missing, like that the character is not really fleshed out. You can hardly understand why he believes the lie about the death of his parents "just like that". You can see him suffering, but you cannot emphatize with him. The lie about his parents is the basic foundation of the whole story, but it didn't seem to be treated with great care by the producers. Precisely, the way how he was tricked into believing this lie should have gotten more attention. What is missing is basically seeing the exact scene how he got tricked, him trying to make own investigations in which he learns about buried (fake) evidence and finding out other people's lies which slowly feeds into his distrust, something like that. Watching the series gave me the impression that he trusts other people too easily (by the way, how does Yilang know about this "top" secret?). What is even more annoying, is Zhanfeng saying nothing in so many scenes. Although this is intended, it clearly feels that the dialogue part is missing. Weirdly, when Liemingjing and even Ruge learn about Zhanfeng believing that lie, they do not try to talk with him about that. If you see a person close to you suffer that much, in Ruge's case they even dissolved their engagement because of that, why don't you address it? Why doesn't Liemingjing tell Zhanfeng the truth to protect Ruge together but instead just waits until everything is messed up (even if he didn't see the benefit or need to prepare him and work on a plan together, he should have done so at the latest when he learned about Zhanfeng's Anhegong martial art skills)? What if Anyeluo accidentially meets Ruge who looks exactly like her mother, then the whole "masterplan" would be in vain? Furthermore, I don't understand why Zhanfeng humiliates Ruge in the beginning, it feels that this behavior is not really necessary for the story, and it doesn't explain his later actions when he is actually trying to be nice to her. Nevertheless, with regard to the acting, Zhang Binbin's portrayal of emotions is the benchmark for any other actor in the drama.
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Put the remote down and walk away...
First off, let me say that I LOVE Dilraba - she's probably my all-time favorite Chinese actress! This series was so tough for me to watch and stay interested. I lost interest half way though as the storyline became stale and blah. The 4.5 stars are mostly for the Jay Walk Studio actors. The chemistry between Dilraba and Vic Chou was horrific, and often times unbearable to watch - I think it may be due to the age difference (and Vic Chou is too old and too feminine to play a lead male role with younger cast - IMO). I'd take back the 50 hours spent watching this if I could.Was this review helpful to you?
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All the romantic save the damsel-in-distress scenes by the lead actor did not work as it should. Strangely the crippled prince in the story seemed to have more chemistry with the actress instead. The chemistry between the lead actor and actress often play a major part in the success of the drama and this had fallen through miserably. Some parts where the lead actor tried to flirt with the lead actress were quite cheesy.
The ending is rather poorly developed and explained. Mysteriously the hero of the story returned with the heroine waiting for him in this place of a different time dimension.
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i still prefer Eternal Love over this. not much of a chemistry between the two main characters, yin xue and lie ru ge.
worth watching but not worth re-watching. credits to vic zhou, hes hot! after all these years he still has that familiar smirk back in meteor garden days. i would love to see him opposite yang mi *wishful thinking*
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STORY:
The story itself was a fairly basic one (with a few twists here and there). The young and innocent daughter of a powerful sect for various reasons has to take up the responsibility that goes with her birth right. There are people who think she's incapable or think they would be better. There are those who side with her and want to help her succeed. There's the Big Bad who is the root cause of most/all of the problems that the characters go through. As fairly basic as the story was, that wasn't really my problem with the drama. Maybe it was because I didn't super binge watch it (mostly because I couldn't get invested in it enough to watch it endlessly and partially because it wasn't fully subbed when I started watching), but I found myself just coasting through watching it half the time - not really paying attention to what was going on because I wasn't that interested.
A lot of it also was probably that I didn't necessarily feel like the main leads had great chemistry together (and I love both Dilraba and Vic) so I didn't get invested in the drama because I didn't particularly care for the main romance.Nothing in the drama was particularly mind blowing or exciting. There were a few "Oh wow" moments, which thankfully they had or it'd be even less interesting, but overall I just really didn't care for this drama all that much.
ACTING:
Dilraba Dilmurat - though she's actually a favorite of mine, I'm starting to really agree that she's really only good at playing that cute, young, innocent girl character. This drama was focused on Lie Ru Ge growing up and taking over the reins of Lie Huo sect, but her character never really seemed to change for me. There was never that moment that I was like "oh snap, here's Ru Ge." Especially for her being so heavily associated with fire, her personality definitely never really moved past that young, naive girl for me.
Vic Zhou - probably one of the highlights of the drama (and being one of his returns to acting) but even so, I had mixed feelings about his character at the beginning (though I'm not sure if it was an acting choice or if it was because of how his character was written, While his playful personality was a good contrast to Zhang Bin Bin's cold personality, it just felt like a weird choice for a character who was supposed to be part of the immortal sect (and who had previously been a part of the Dark River sect). Might have just been me though.
Zhang Bin Bin - I always think Zhang Bin Bin does a good job at playing the character he's given. That being said, the actual character of Zhan Feng was definitely pretty one note the whole drama. He was just the quiet, cold "hero" type.
Overall:
I really just had very "meh" feelings about this drama. The story wasn't exciting enough to keep me intrigued and the chemistry between the actors wasn't intense enough for me to really invest myself into the drama. I wouldn't call it a bad drama, but it's a very unmemorable one for me.
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Story line: Nothing surprising or intriguing. I'd say it was rather boring. I won't spoil it, but the plot seemed interesting at first, but the plot just started slowing down and nothing was actually happening each episode.
Acting/Characters: I'd say everyone's acting was pretty decent, with Dilraba's being the weakest (I hope she continues growing as an actor though!). However, their characters were written in a way that didn't give them much to work with. For example, I think Zhang Bin Bin is a promising actor, but he was limited to the same, one-dimensional character during the whole drama. I was expecting the director to let him finally say/reveal something that would break my heart, but he really was like a stagnant river the whole drama (like, he was GOOD at the role he was given, but that role sucked!).
Idk. There was so much potential. Again, this is another example of a drama that could have really won the crowd over, if only it was a good drama in the first place.
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm 99% sure whomever wrote this fetid pile of garbage is an abuser, because the story literally is about a very abusive man who is over 100 years old - maybe 130 idk - who wants to bang an 18 y/o. He keeps touching her, trying to kiss her, & keeps telling other people they're married. She never consents (until she gives up in the end) and keeps avoiding him, yet he continually keeps trying to touch/kiss/force himself on her. Then there is the part she loses her memories & he tells her they are married.
What's worse is that he knew her father (before she was born !!!) and told him to give his unborn daughter to him when she turns 18. This is predatory behavior. It is sick and twisted.
Not to mention that the rest of the story (there is really not much of a plot line either) is a hot mess & there is so much unnecessary junk that I fast forwarded past a lot of it without losing a damn thing, & still know what was happening.
There's literally nothing of worth in this story - the characters don't grow, there's nothing but man forces himself on woman (actually girl - 18 y/o's are kids) This isn't love. This is garbage. This is what an abusive man looks like.
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Story: Beware; some of the synopses around the internet are a bit off from what the drama is really about. The plot is developed pretty well (although there are a few holes, here and there). The plot is intricate, and at some points left me 2nd guessing what I would predict would happen (I like that because it means it doesn’t FOLLOW the basic C-Drama line). Anyways, just be prepared for plot twists.
Acting/Cast: I don’t speak Chinese, so I cannot comment on whether I think their speaking is on point. However, I feel most of the acting was genuine and sincere. I cried with some of the characters, and smiled at all the lovey dovey scenes. The kissing on this drama is pretttttty “MEH.” The drama was well cast and everyone seemed to have harmony. I like supporting roles and support love lines. I also liked how badass all the female characters were! Not all of them were weak women that needed “saving.” Even Feng Huang, no martial arts skills, was pretty badass and so strong of a character that Lei Jing Hong got his sh*t together! I also wanted to note that Dilraba and Vin Zhang's acting has gotten so much better than the King's Woman!
Music: Very catchy theme songs and especially the ending theme song. The ending song is sung by Dilraba. It sounds so nice to the ears, I would download it if I could.
Rewatch Value: I’d definitely add this to watch again list. I think it’s a pretty overall great drama. Cinematography is great, the landscape and scenes are beautiful. I liked the courtyards in Liehuo Manor. I.e. Maple had all the maple trees, Plum courtyard had all the plum blossoms, etc.
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This review may contain spoilers
STORY: I think the story is alright. I felt really bored and not drawn into it. I usually drop dramas asap, but some urge making me wanna finish it. Maybe cus a huge fan of Ten Miles Peach Blossoms, it made me want to mainly because of that reason. I would prefer this one over The King's Woman, cus I thought that one was really bad. Too bad there are spoiler sypnosis' all over wiki. So don't go read wiki and if you're planning to watch on Viki, warning, many watchers post spoilers in the video commentings so turn those off too. Also, I found out this was based on a novel of the same name. Usually producers always add their own unique twists to movies and dramas, so yep. I felt like this drama was going very slow and the romance in here is not strong. I did a lot of fast forwardinggg. And like what another review said, the fighting scenes really are top notch, the actors trained well and put on a good show on that part.ACTING/CAST: The acting is overall okay, I am quite impressed by some actors in here.
-Dilraba: I was never really a huge fan of Dilraba. I always thought that she is extremely beautiful though. I've first noticed her in Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and felt that she is a very stiff actress overall. But this drama, you can definitely see her improvements. I wanted to applaud her for that. I was most impressed by her martial arts scenes in the drama. I didn't know she could do that!!! She has done so well on her martial arts as if she is a professional. You can tell she worked hard. My jaws dropped and I definitely replayed her fighting scenes and the slow-mo's several times, hahahahha.
-Vic Zhou: Was not a fan of this character he portrayed. Throughout the movie I didn't like him until the last episode, to be honest.
-Zhang Bin Bin: Always pleased to see his face everywhere. I enjoy his sad face expressions that he is usually very good at. I feel he plays the same personality in every drama now, lol.
-Liu Wayne: His acting in this drama is okay. Unsure if it was his expressions that didn't seem so convincing or it is maybe just his face.
-Lai Yi: HE IS SO CUTE. Grew a mini crush on him in Ten Miles Peach Blossoms. I felt he is SO HOT in this drama. Fell deeply in love with him more in this drama because his costume & look made him more outstanding! I also wanted to applause him playing very well as the villain in this drama. Never knew he has this skill since in TMPB, he plays a very kind disciple.
Sun Xiao Lun & Ge Shi Min: Saw that this is these 2 pretty ladies' first dramas, they did such a beautiful job portraying strong women. They both seem very experienced actresses already! They both have a lot of potential!
MUSIC: As a huge fan of music & soundtracks, I usually checkout if soundtrack music is nice and they usually naturally catch my attention, but definitely didn't.
Rewatch Value
I would not rewatch it again... I kinda forced myself to watch it to the end. I doubt that not even in 10 years would I rewatch it.
OVERALL:
I lowkey enjoyed it. I would not say it is the best nor terrible, just very ok. It could been better in some ways, idk. I do not have much to say, I only did it for the liking of the similar actors from Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms.
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I was all about this drama, until dude kept evaporating and stuff.
Then it became a quest......with myself.
Having watched more than 30+ episodes, or given 30+ hours my life away, I was determined to see this through. I kinda regret it.
This drama obviously was banking on Dilraba and Bin Bin's chemistry from King's Woman but didn't use it. You'll see many familiar faces from other dramas that this pair have been included as cast.
As Le Suitor Horrible, Bing plays the most worthless and shallowly written character, it's beyond words. He causes all the trouble with a pout for 20 or so episodes then, when people start getting killed, as planned, he tries to humor us with death-inducing guilt.
Loved the hair though, truly it's a good look for him. I think this was another mind-spin the production played on viewers to confuse the image of a better written character he played in the same wig.
There were minimal flames thrown by the tittle character, be prepared to be disappointed here. RuGe lights a couple candles and a campfire, big whoop, all celebrate. And doesn't even have a major smackdown with the Big Bad or learn anything of real substance. She matures bu, meh, by then you won't care.
Because this is when the drama decides to insult the viewers intelligence with the 'ultimate plan', that they ruin by telling us that they are performing said plan. Because hell, why not take the fun out of the last 7 episodes by revealing the ruse to the viewer...constantly.
The actors did well with what was given and our lead guy does an excellent job of expression acting. Reminds me of another Eternal Love character where the amusement showed in his face and not the delivery the lines.
Horrible mention: Our wack af villian that somehow conned a legion of kick ass women to listen to him and follow his suicide mission demands. Was it because he was the only male? I don't get why these chicks had him as a leader or how he kept his position among this more than capable crew.
And what's with spinning chick? Like if you have a job to twirl back and forth like that, when does she go to the bathroom?
There's a birth secret that is the worst kept secret for the viewers.
Like duh, people of the different sects like wearing certain colors.
It gave an 8 rating while it aired. I hunted newly posted episodes like it was crack, but, after the last episode I wanted to give it a 3.
After a week I split the difference and rounded up for crack factor, so 6 it is.
Watch this, be entertained, then forget it. Blech.
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