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The Cast
Great story, I love it. Only one thing, the cast for sang sang, Irene sang didn't right enough to play sang sang. To be real honest, She is not cute, not beautiful and not adorable at all. A better actress should make the drama even much better. I feel she is over reacted in playing sang sang, trying to be cute and innocence, and somehow annoying to me. I always skip or fast forward the scene her with Ning que when only the two of them, she just not the right one for Ning que, what a pity. Perhaps another cute beautiful actress may do it. Irene can play young sang sang and changing to a much better looking actress then. If there's gonna be Ever Night 3, I strongly suggest to changed the actress that play sang sang, or may be I have to skip or fast forward all the time....Was this review helpful to you?
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A Mixed Bag (Of Mostly Good?)
I had mixed feelings after finishing this drama, but overall my feelings leaned more heavily on the "I really enjoyed this" end of things.To be precise, there were arcs, moments, and scenes I LOVED while others made my eyebrows go up.
I never would have thought I'd say a drama from 2018 felt like it had "not aged well" in every way, but it seems to be true of this drama.
THINGS I LOVED:
1. Ning Que - I love watching characters grow (I'm a sucker for it, actually), and Ning Que has some big growth moments in this drama (and boy, is it needed!). I know a lot of people had some issues with him and Sang Sang going more romantic at the end (and I can see why; it's parts of their story that, as I said above, haven't aged well), but apart from a few gripes I have (I'll talk more about them below 😅), Ning Que choosing Sang Sang over Mo Shan Shan actually ended up being one of my favorite arcs (to my surprise!). I loved that he had to learn what it meant to truly value Sang Sang as a person, not as a pet, possession, plaything, servant, little sister, buddy or any of the other things he at some point "thought" of her as in his dense jerkness. And not just any person, but THE person he loves, values and depends on most. It was Ning Que's close friend, Chen PiPi (more about him below, too!), who helped rip the veil from Ning Que's eyes and who forced him to see how deeply precious Sang Sang was to him and to take responsibility for that realization. It wasn't until Ning Que owned up to this reality did he finally embrace Sang Sang for who she was (and he then had to learn to TREAT her like that instead of taking her for granted!). I actually thought the romance was not the central component of Ning Que's realization, but more the naturally inevitable maturation of their deep bond as they grew from comrades as children into an adult man and woman. And the way NQ humanized after this epiphany was actually really lovely - I mean, you have to see others as human before you can be one yourself! It was also great getting to watch him grow with his cultivating; he truly was like a cockroach, never letting anything phase him for long without bouncing back almost immediately. 😅 The guy certainly had resilience! Arthur Chen was obviously pretty new to acting when he filmed this, but he still worked for me. He was completely convincing as the young, cheeky, brazen, immature, arrogant, brilliant, loyal imp that is Ning Que.
2. The Score - Wow, Roc Chen's music was glorious and perfect! He captured so many moods and set the tone for all the various scenes throughout the drama, reflective scenes and epic fighting sequences alike (my favorite BGM was "Longqing (Theme-Sad)").The track from the OST that I liked best was the one by Tan Wei Wei that would always play when he was with Fu Zi's disciples (but the best version was sung by the male singer--Spotify only has the Wei Wei version and all the titles are in Mandarin so I have no idea what they are! 😅).
3. The martial arts - I had this recommended to me as a drama with second-to-none action sequences, and it did not disappoint. Beautiful, stunning--even breathtaking at points. It didn't let the supernatural elements overpower the actual hand-to-hand combat, either (nor was the supernatural, CGI element used as a way to cover up sloppy choreography), which grounded the fighting immensely. Truly amazing in this respect, and all the actors/stunt doubles really, REALLY sold it.
4. The Two-Story Building Crew of Tang Academy - Oh my gosh, I adored all these characters (but particularly Chen Pi Pi--he was a true friend to NQ despite all the bluffing and fake grumbling! He was adorable, and my only gripe was not about his character, but about how many comments about his weight they wrote into the script 🙄🤨😖). The way they really became like big brothers and sisters to NQ was so sweet, wholesome, and heartwarming. I loved the montages of NQ learning from them and bantering with them (particularly in Episode 51--one of my favorite episodes, for sure!), and their sweet, nonjudgemental, quiet empowering of him. NQ finally found his family, and watching him thrive under their love and guidance was just lovely! They were the only characters in the drama where I felt like I could root for all of them and their decisions (Mo Shan Shan and Chao Xiaosu were the other two lovable characters, and Yan Se (sort of; as a mentor at least)).
Which leads me to...
THINGS I DISLIKED:
1. Ning Que - 😂 I know, he made both lists! Sometimes I wanted to grab the guy and shake him--narcissistic, self-obsessed, oblivious jerk that he could be! Goodness gracious. The way he sometimes treated Sang Sang was truly terrible and inexcusable--like, duuuude! C'mon! Have a heart? And he was so obsessed with revenge, no matter the cost (even being willing to "leave" Sang Sang who supported him regardless), and all his panting for other pretty women while Sang Sang looked on--ack, I didn't dig that AT ALL. He just sometimes gave massive, conceited jerk vibes. He drove me nuts because I couldn't always root for him. 😅 The only thing that softened my bristles over his treatment of Sang Sang was the way his jabs and put downs would just roll off Sang Sang's back like she wore impenetrable armor against his meanness. My interpretation of this was that Sang Sang could separate the way Ning Que treated her from the way he actually felt about her (which is why she ran away when he tried to bring Shan Shan home--she had to show him his own heart, because it was time for him to face it and no longer avoid the elephant in the room 😅; this dynamic couldn't exist in real life, but they made it work for me here). Sang Sang knew more than anyone how important she was to Ning Que, and that allowed her to put up with a lot of immaturity and mistakes from Ning Que. So, at times it can almost feel like Sang Sang is Ning Que's doormat, but that's very much not the case on closer inspection.
2. Right and Wrong portrayed as... Unclear 🤷♀️ - I'm not up on Yin Yang and the Eastern view of good and evil (and I don't know if this drama has anything realistic about that view that it's drawing from and accurately portraying in this drama), but what I saw in this drama was a muddled, slippery moral standard. Outside of Fu Zi's gang and a few other choice characters, it was really hard to know how I was supposed to think and feel about some characters and their choices (certain sects and cultivation arts, too, were cloudy) because there wasn't much of a moral compass on what was acceptable or unacceptable behavior or choices, and I found that disappointing and at times maddening. I know some might call it nuance and subtlety, I see it as sloppy and muddled because I don't think it was navigated in a subtle way at all. There was no established standard of right and wrong, so it made so many events ambiguous, and made the actions of some characters feel arbitrarily "good" because they did not exist within a moral context. So many of the cultivator's standards seemed purely arbitrary and based on what their master said was "okay," and I didn't like that. Mentors and Elders should be respected, but that doesn't mean they always have a corner on the market of Wisdom and should be trusted above all else to always know what can and should be done. (For instance, at one point, NQ's first teacher, Yan Se, says about NQ, "I don't care about his faults, crimes or the mistakes he made in the past, I will defend him against anyone because he is my student." 🤔 Oh? Just because he's your student, he can do no wrong? He should always be defended and trusted? I didn't agree with that; mentors are also meant to critique and hold their students accountable, because their students aren't perfect!). I also found almost everything about Xiling (moral standards or otherwise) confusing. 😅
So, to sum up, Ning Que's secret to success is not something from within HIM, it ended up being due to the people who loved, supported, and fought for him (i.e. Sang Sang, Yan Se, Fu Zi, Chen Pi Pi, his 3rd Senior Sister (and Fu Zi's other disciples), Zuo Er, Mo Shan Shan, Ye Hong Yu). And if he had one virtue, it's that he's fiercely loyal.
So, the true hero of this drama is actually Friendship.
Friendship is the heart and soul of this story; it turns an average (even at times, problematic), coming-of-age revenge story (with some EPIC fighting) into a sweeping, poignant, and heartfelt story about a nobody finding his place among the great and glorious, all because of those who empowered him.
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Chen Feiyu's acting is pretty amazing in this and the costumes and sets are beautiful but I just can't get past the way Ning Que treated Sang Sang. I really really wanted her to kick him to the curb. I mean, to get rid of him completely and go her own independent way, instead of doing her half-assed running away and then coming back to serve him. Ugh. You deserve better, Sang Sang! It's too bad. I liked Ning Que's character otherwise. And I liked Sang Sang character, too. But together, nope.
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One all should watch
Before I begin i’ll part a spoiler warning where i’ll be mentioning them in regards to my review.This series is definitely up there in the ranks for me. It’s not just the storyline itself. I felt actors chosen for the particular roles fit really well. Along with a remarkable ost.
The ost itself matched perfectly in the scenes. It wasn’t the lyrics themselves but the melody. Each of the instrumental pieces fit as perfect as a puzzle. It was definitely very satisfying to watch.
Although there’s a lot of characters but that’s typical of all Chinese dramas. I did catch up pretty fast on who is whom etc.
It really takes a lot for me to not get distracted. Although pacing for some might have been slower. I felt that everything happening really captured my attention. The episodes went by super fast. I didn’t even realize how fast I was going through.
I did also enjoy the fighting in this. It didn’t feel like they used a lot of stunt doubles and cgi etc. It was actual fighting instead of showing the actors face then have all scenes with a double.
Specific character spoilers ahead
I really didn’t like Long Qing. Granted I guess the actor did a good job. In the beginning eh he was just there. But he really wasn’t a humble character let’s just say. He just keeps thinking he can do anything without effort because he’s the child of light. Every time he failed it got worse.
After super failing. He became this annoying pitiful character. It’s as if he didn’t even try when in turn he could have succeeded with some effort. He had a lot of opportunities to help himself. The only thing that turned him around was him thinking a miracle would happen. Just his whining gave me his headache. Then after turning into the complete opposite of who he was. I felt like the director purposely had him walk around shirtless like Tarzan. The episodes he was in towards the last arc were all him flaunting his body. It was really weird. It’s nice to look at someone with a nice body but it become awkward. Ugh.
Anyways I know season 2 has a diff ML and then random characters are diff. I dunno how I feel about it and almost don’t want to watch. But i’ll give it a go.
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Arthur Chen is a rockstar!
As Ever Night Season 1 began, my first impression was that the visuals were stunning. The cinematography, scenery and costumes were obviously screaming a huge production budget. With the number of cast members in this drama, one can only imagine the sky high figures that it took to get this show on the road.The fight scenes were some of the best that I have seen anywhere. My favorite is that of Ning Que and Chao Xiaoshu going up against a number of opponents. In the over ten minute scene, Chao Xiaoshu enlists the help of the young Woodcutter of Shubi Lake.
I skipped a lot of political scenes. I felt that I would still be able to understand the gist of the drama without quite a number of dragging scenes. I would focus more on Ning Que, SangSang and the Academy. By the end of Season 1, after Ning Que defeats Xia Hou, I felt that my actions were justified. Perhaps I would not be able to explain the smallest details in the show but I still am able to understand that Ning Que finally got his revenge with the help of Sangsang.
Please see some more of my comments here: https://thislifehappened.me/the-two-ning-ques/
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Cultivation, Revenge and Sang Sang
This was such a great drama watching experience. Ning Que and Sang Sang are one of my favourite OTPs now. My stingy, poor, ride or die babies. They were always 'the one' for each other even when they didn't know they loved each other romantically. Found family trope went hard in this drama and that's part of the reason why I love it so much. NQ and SS came to the capital with barely anything; just their big umbrella, knives to cut people up with and a hunger for revenge. And by the end, they both had other people who cared for them, protected them, took their hand to teach them how to make it into the Cultivation world, stood by their side no matter what and became their support. It touched my heart how the Tang Academy seniors helped NQ prepare for his big fight with Xia Hou, how First Senior Brother was panicking and thinking how to protect NQ in the final fight and how they trusted NQ to beat Xia Hou against all odds. Yan Se, Fu Zi, General Ma and the Grand Priest of Light all very different characters with complexities but each one a great teacher/guardian.Apart from the found family, I loved Ning Que's journey from being the weakest cultivator in the room to being Ke Haoran's successor and even by the end, he still has a long way to reach the top but for that I have to read the novel because Season 2 is, well... not good. Ning Que's journey to climb up the ladder in the cultivation world was filled with him begging powerful cultivators to teach him, only to be rejected again and again, him not yielding and striving again and again, finally becoming Fu Zi's disciple all while working to bring justice to his murdered family. Everything he achieved was so earned.
My favourite characters in no particular order would be the Tang Academy seniors (they are all so wholesome, it's hard to not love them), Chao Xiaoshu (he didn't appear for much time considering how it's a 60 episodes drama but he stole the show whenever he was on screen. what a man.), the teachers who taught NQ and SS, Tang Xiaotang (she's so full of fire and energy and dreams), and of course the OTP.
I wouldn't say it's a perfect drama but it has so much good about it that I could care less for the flaws. Highly recommend to anyone who hasn't watched it.
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Memorable wuxia drama
This is one of the best xianxia series I've ever watched, action packed with court conspiracy (which I love to skip though). Best thing is Main Character is not quite the best in cultivation but can survive each battle cause he's witty and intelligent. No mushy-mushy love scenes so you can forget this series if youre looking for one, and not quite the harem type too. As for me, this is definitely my cup of tea.Arthur's Ning Que is so on point and adhered to the novel's Ning Que. His air and antics are truly spot on and I cant really see anyone else playing this role. Song YiRen's Sangsang is superbly played, she really looked and behaved like a teenager, I was shocked to see that the actress is already 27yo! Thats truly a wow!
I love the action sequence. This series gives off particularly special air which made it stand out compared to other series. The plots are unique and unpredictable. Real nice adaptation indeed.
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Epic Fight Scenes & Story!
16/01/2023From Google search:
"When his family is unjustly massacred by a great general, Ning Que escapes and rescues an abandoned baby girl he names Sang Sang; together they have many adventures while Ning Que carries the burden of exacting revenge for his friends and family."
If looking for full on romance then this is a slow burn one that goes deep into season 2 before it is well and truly established.
There are about 15-20 episodes that Ning Que and Sang Sang aren't together in this 60 episode drama starting from around episode 30. Also, the first kiss, if you can call it that, happens in episode 55.
However, I was in it for the story and fight scenes so was fine with it all!
My favourite characters are: Ning Que, Jun Mo and Chen Pi Pi - a few others as well.
The best fight scenes for me were in episodes 6 and 7, also, episode 60 which was epic. Others too!
Most episodes are full of drama, action, and adventure, but with it being 60 episodes there are most definitely draggy parts and parts that could have been omitted like the boring unnecessary conversations. Not all, but some!
This, however, doesn't lessen the value of this drama because it is well worth watching!
I actually liked Arthur Chen more when I found out afterwards he was 18 years old when he took on the role of Ning Que - impressive indeed.
This series has a great cast, music, cinematography, costumes and is thematic plus it has a good story line and is full of action, adventure or drama.
It isn't perfect because it does have its slow moments, but overall is is entertaining and decent as dramas go.
It is highly recommended to watch and is in my top 50!
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I must say that I found the drama to be quite disappointing. While I did watch the full season 1, I jumped to the last episode hoping for a happy ending. Unfortunately, I was left unsatisfied.
The cultivation scenes with the sage were excessively prolonged and dragged on for far too long. Additionally, there were way too many characters to keep track of, and I found myself getting lost and confused several times throughout the show. Many of the episodes could have been shorter and should have shown some real progress from the hero, instead of the same old storylines with the princess or the sage. The whole thing was just repetitive and boring.
Season 1 of the drama lacked any love story, except for a brief glimpse of the Princess. Therefore, it can only be termed as a NO romance drama.
The inconsistencies and bad edits in the show were alarmingly prominent. For instance, the characters walk past an alley covered in fake blood (probably a previous scene of the show left there), yet they continue their conversation as if nothing is wrong. Another example includes the protagonist achieving a talisman when he is almost at the bottom of cultivation.
The scriptwriters had major issues in grasping the age gap.
- The Princess left for two years to marry, and upon her return, she had a 5-6-year-old child.
- If the hero was around 10 when he saved the baby and 18 when he became a disciple, the child should have been 8 years old, not 12-15 lookalike
- the princess was a bit too old to fall for an 18 years old
The age gap didn't make any sense, and it was utterly frustrating to watch.
The martial arts choreography in the movie was outstanding and deserves an award. The special effects were equally impressive and the music kept me engaged throughout. While the costumes were good, they were not exceptional.
I must say that the actors and actresses did a great job, especially the master of the talisman. The bond between the master and disciple, which was akin to a father-son relationship, was very moving. The brotherhood portrayed in the movie was also well done. Overall, it was a fantastic drama with amazing martial arts choreography and touching character relationships… except the script.
I was thoroughly unimpressed and disappointed with the show. The repetitive episodes in season 1 made me lose interest in watching season 2 and I only watched the final episode out of curiosity. It was a letdown with no satisfying conclusion. To me, it seemed like a setup for season 3 which never materialized. Moreover, I strongly dislike when shows change actors mid-series. Therefore, I'm glad I skipped season 2 altogether.
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Wuxia at its best
Well, I have to admit that this drama is the wuxia that made me start to follow Chinese drama. Everything was perfectly done in the drama for this first season. I would say, it was a perfect drama. Each actor gve his best to it and it was a complete success. The editing, effects and everything were done flawlessly. It is worth rewatching. In fact, anytime I talk about watching a Chinese drama, I literally mean, ever Night or Vincent zhaos *heroes *. The chemistry between sangsang and ning que, and the loyalty between the students of the tang academy, even though wasn't expressed much as in the second season, it was still made to appear when it was needed.Was this review helpful to you?
