Good Xianxia, but if the producers took the same recipe as TMOPB, they somehow missed the sauce
Really good Xianxia, spinoff of Eternal love of dream and with the same vibe.PLOT:
The FL, a young immortal bird, runs away and lands in the Immortal Sea where the ML, God of War, has been "frozen" for 50,000 years. She wakes him up (but also wakes up the sealed Demon God). Intrigued, he will keep her by his side, fall in love, and do everything to protect the FL whose identity is unclear. All this in the midst of rivalries (love and power) within the celestial world, and various attempts to free the Demon God.
PROS:
+ A duo of great actors in CL. Chang Chen is perfect for his God of War character and Nini has just the right amount of candor for the young FL.
+ Lots of endearing 2dary characters. some are there for the touch of humor. It's good, but not as successful as in TMOPB.
+ The CGI, the sets, the costumes are sumptuous.
+ The OSTs fit the atmosphere well.
+ The rhythm keeps the viewer hooked to their screen.
=> The series had everything to make it a Masterpiece...
BUT:
- Just like TMOPB, the beginnings are promising. But the screenwriter gets lost along the way!
Indeed, there are 3 major narrative arcs:
Ep. 1-23: celestial world
Ep 24-49: mortal world (too long & draggy! I've skipped a lot during episodes 35-44-48)
This 2nd narrative arc takes up way too much space, in an unnecessary and boring way. The pace becomes slow, with no real development of the story, just to show Jingxiu's evolution in (too much) detail.
Ep 50-60: return to the Celestial World.
This last arc, too brief, is quite poorly written, full of inconsistencies and plotholes. Yuangong regains (demonic) power even though she is only a mortal; How can a new Demon God appear so quickly, without anyone noticing? ; Who can seal the Gate to Hell and how? How does the ML return from hell?
There is a Happy Ending (like TMOPB) but this finale is too hasty, almost botched.
=> The producers took the same recipe, but somehow missed the sauce. It remains a very good Xianxia, but not a Masterpiece.
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TB Xianxia spinoff de Eternal love of dream et avec la même vibe.
PLOT:
La FL, jeune immortelle oiseau, fugue et atterrit dans la Mer Immortelle où le ML, Dieu de la guerre est "congelé" depuis 50 000 ans. Elle le réveille (mais réveille aussi le Dieu Démon). Intrigué, il va la garder à ses côtés, tomber amoureux, et tout faire pour protéger la FL dont l'identité n'est pas claire. Tout cela au milieu des rivalités (love et pouvoir) au sein du monde céleste, et des tentatives diverses pour libérer le Dieu Démon.
PROS:
+ Un duo de grands acteurs en CL. Chang Chen est parfait pour son personnage de Dieu de la Guerre et Nini a juste ce qu'il faut de candeur pour la FL jeune.
+ Beaucoup de personnages 2aires attachants. certains sont là pour la touche d'humour. C'est bon, mais pas aussi réussi que dans TMOPB.
+ Les CGI, les décors, les costumes sont somptueux.
+ Les OST s'accordent bien à l'atmosphère.
+ Le rythme tient le spectateur accroché à son écran.
=> La série avait tout pur en faire un Masterpiece...
MAIS:
- Sur le même plot que TMOPB, les débuts sont prometteurs. Mais le screenwriter se perd en route !
En effet, il y a 3 grands arcs narratifs :
Ep. 1-23 : monde céleste
Ep 24- 49 : monde mortel (Bcp bcp trop long & draggy !! Zapping 35-44-48)
Ce 2nd arc narratif prend beaucoup beaucoup trop de place, de façon inutile et ennuyeuse. Le rythme devient lent, sans réel développement de l'histoire, juste pour montrer en détails (trop) l'évolution de Jingxiu.
Ep 50-60 : retour Monde Céleste.
Ce dernier arc, trop bref, est assez mal écrit, plein d'incohérences et de plotholes. Yuangong regagne du pouvoir (démoniaque) alors qu'elle n'est plus qu'une mortelle ; Comment un nouveau Dieu Démon peut-il apparaitre si vite, sans que personne ne s'en aperçoive ? ; Qui peut sceller la Porte des Enfers et comment ? Comment revient-on des enfers ?
Il y a bien une Happy End (comme TMOPB) mais ce final est trop hâtif, presque bâclé.
=> Les producteurs ont pris la même recette, mais quelque part, ont raté la sauce. Cela demeure un très bon Xianxia, mais pas un Masterpiece.
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Why did i waste my time.
I tried not to deop this. I really tried. The reason u chose to watch this drama was thr positive reviews it had.Although I watched TMOPB, I did not have a problem separating the two and viewing this as a stand alone drama. It started off pretty promising. Yes our male lead is no Ye Hua, but that was not the deal breaker. At first the fl was sprity/ cheerful, then like most female leads she suddenly became dumb, useless and in constant need of saving. (The reason why tmopb is a favorite is because of Bai Qian is a strong female lead. Soppy always crying and in need of rescue fl get on my last nerve).
Anyway I digress. Like I said started of promising, then it got a bit confusing, a lot of things were rushed and not explained clearly. One minute she is saved the next everyone knows she has dark energy, then her father and brother die, then they are alive, the the father dies again. Okay.
Then the dragging starts. Spoiler alert. The peach story. All she had to do was eat the damn peach. I mean , why did we need so many episodes to build up to her eating a damn peach. 7 episodes it took for her to eat the damn thing. Then we throw in a love triangle. I hate a love triangle as much as I hate soppy fl. Now all of a sudden two of my least fav things are combined .
To our female villain. Females who dont know how to accept rejection. Omg I donr know how the writers still get away with that one. I also understand that killing off the bad guys too early will prematurely end the story, but how many useless lives did this one have. She just keeps getting spared over and over to the point that it didnr make sense. Yes she tried to kill this girl but its okay let's be linient. Then she murders the guards and we still continue to be linient. It made no sense. She wasnt even smart about her crimes.
To sum this up. If you value your brain cells, Do Not Watch.
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Another Mind-numbingly Boring Xanxia
I don't have much to say about this drama. It involves the trials and tribulations of a half-blood immortal fairy, who, like all the Xanxia protagonist in C-dramaland, she has no opinions of her own, no real personality, she behaves like a 9 year-old girl inside a 30 something year-old's body, and we are supposed to like her childish passivity because of her overt femininity and "quirky" way of tripping her way into random predicaments.Nini, you are gorgeous. You have the face and body of a goddess, to be sure, but other than having the exact look of a goddess, and being "nice", what was your character's relatability supposed to come from, if not from having a rounded, interesting character?
I don't think it's necessarily Nini's fault so much as the writer's. I just want to one day see a Xanxia protagonist character with more than just amazing looks. Yang Mi in Ten Thousand Miles of Peach Blossoms started out as a somewhat interesting and interested character, but Yang Mi can't act, and her character became more and more complacent and obedient and less interesting rather swiftly. I can't really think of anything I've seen Nini in where she wasn't playing the same inquisitive, but ultimately passive, demure, and colourless character. I realize I am being harsh towards female characters, but they are supposed to be the main characters around which the drama is built. Replace Yang Mi with Dilraba, replace Dilraba with Nini, it's all the same character in every drama! It just drives me absolutely crazy.
Anyway, back to this Xanxia. If you've seen one, you've seen them all. This one had a lot of money splashed its way for CGI and costumes. Costumes are the same draped fabric Xanxia pastels you will see in every Xanxia, but I do appreciate the interesting beige-ish coloured robes they gave the FL to hint at her not being quite heavenly. If only they would have put that into her character as well, maybe she could have been a bit different and unique.
Rest of the cast was average at best, and nobody really stood out, so their storylines were just a waste of time. With no interesting characters, what's the point of watching a 50+ episode drama?
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At the start, there is the typical powerful war god and the naive, powerless sprite/goddess. Except, this powerful war god looks and acts far far older than the naive powerless sprite. He is cold, authoritarian and acts more like mentor than love interest, and the powerless sprite stumbles earnestly along without a clue. 30 episodes later - this dynamic has not altered.
What's worse, the secondary plot in the 'demon' 'dark power' kingdom (they wear black/red costumes) is truly boring and the lead actor for that plot has very little charisma (he just walks around doing bad things or being in shock) .
This is a shame because the actors are quite good. Indeed, the actress who plays Ling Xi- I loved in the Rise of Phoenixes.
The music is fine, - I would not rewatch.
*Note the production values are top notch with lovely costuming and design, but the show isn't particularly cinematic and they rely a lot on sound stages/fixed sets.
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I think this one of the few dramas that really caught my attention. Everything was in place, not draggy but rather on point. In the beginning I was hooked up with Jiuchen n Long xi couple but as time went on my heart fell for Yunfeng and Qingyao couple. They really made me glued on the screen n hooked up to the series especially when Jiuchen was spending his time in the mortal realm with A- mo.I liked the state preceptors love for A- mo but he just killed all that when he killed her mother. I guess ling xi would have been more generous to him if she knew that he killed her grandpa because he forced him to betray his family.
Apart from all these the heavenly emperor was my favorite character. He was like a supporting father to jiuchen and best uncle to Yunfeng. He really did a lot for these two as if they were his own children.
The character that brought me to attention in this drama wa Le bo, ling xi' s father from peach forest and it really hit me hard when he unjustly died.
The music was on point, I liked everything about the music in this drama. It expressed all types of emotions from every characters point of view. I just downloaded the whole playlist and I am loving it.
The rewatch value is not quite high since its really long but if I have to rewatch I will give it a try especially on the parts of Yunfeng and Qingyao. Hope these two have a drama of their own in the future.
In general the story was beautiful and well written and directed. I didn't see any problems with the CGI or mistakes from the editing. It was a beautiful gem.
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A must watch drama in the deity/fantasy genre. Amazing acting and a well-written story.
Where can I start? I was never the biggest fan of this drama genre. The complex celestial hierarchies, the "fake" sets, the heavy and often cheap CGI of these dramas have put me off many times. I've only ever liked Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms but it never really captured my heart. I recently tried The Pillow Book but I was disappointed. For this reason I kept this drama on my to-watch list for more than a year, and I finally decided to start it only because of Ni Ni. I recently dropped Legend of The Phoenixes and wanted to see more of her. So yeah, I wasn't expecting much from this drama, but to my surprise... I ended up ABSOLUTELY LOVING it.THE CHARACTERS/ACTING, A 10/10
The original title of this drama, Chen Xi Yuan, encapsulates what this story is about better than the English title does. Because this is the story of Jiu Chen and Ling Xi, who have quickly become my favorite power couple in this drama genre – I mean, they’re literally a dragon and a phoenix, THE power couple in Chinese culture. And it's the story of how fate (yuan) brings them together through a journey made of joy, suffering, sweetness and tears. And us along with them.
They are a power couple also because they are each other's equal, even if they start from very unbalanced positions. There is no overbearing male lead and powerless female lead; there's growth, respect and caring. There's saving each other and being each other's strength. Ling Xi is a FL who takes charge and takes the initiative. She's a tide (the "Xi" in her name) that sweeps away everyone and everything and especially a certain ancient, brooding high god. On the other hand, Jiu Chen ends up being the opposite of what you'd expect an all-powerful God of War to be: the most wholesome and adorable ML you could ask for – but still incredibly dashing and badass.
Ni Ni is gorgeous as always and is excellent at playing the cute and spirited Ling Xi and her evolutions: the sorrowful Lin Mo and the splendid high goddess she later becomes. Not a surprise as she's one of the most talented actresses around and always delivers amazing performances. Like I already mentioned, I started this drama because of her and she didn't disappoint a bit.
Chang Chen plays Jiu Chen as the aloof and respected Shen Zun perfectly, but he's also able to effortlessly pull off those little smiles he only has for Ling Xi and some of his closest friends. You can really see his character gradually softening and opening up due to Ling Xi's influence. I think Jiu Chen grows on you as the drama progresses just like Ling Xi grows on him. I also love how Chang Chen's eyes can speak without need for words. He's truly an amazing actor. I’ve seen some silly comments say that he’s too old, when maturity is precisely what this role requires. No 小鲜肉 (young and pretty idol actor) could have pulled off Shen Zun. An ancient God of War who has been carrying the weight of the universe on his shoulders for hundreds of years is just not that kind of "pretty face" role, and this is not that kind of story.
And can we talk about the kissing scenes? This is one of the few fantasy dramas I've watched where the kisses and the love/comfort scenes are actually in an adequate number, plus they don't shy away from showing real, actual kisses (you know, with the actors actually moving while kissing, which doesn't always happen in dramas) and showing characters yearning for physical contact. I love it.
I also want to talk a little about Jing Xiu. He's an amazing second lead/antagonist/villain, with a great performance by Ethan Li. Usually I dread the scenes where the second lead interferes with the main couple, but here I was looking forward to every interaction between him and Lin Mo during the mortal arc because they form such a beautiful bond born out of compassion and sharing the same mortal misfortunes. You never feel like the main ship is threatened by him, you just want to see how this interesting secondary relationship develops. And finally, I love how the final villain isn't just Very-Evil-CGI-Smoke-Demon-Lord but is a complex, well developed character like him.
Finally, a special mention to the supporting cast, particularly the Fuyun Dian squad. They're all fantastic and none of their side storylines ever feel like filler or like they're unnecessary.
THE WRITING/STORY
For a 60-episodes drama, the writing and the pacing are extremely good. You can feel this is not an IP novel turned into a drama and therefore subject to cuts and the addition of filler. This is a script thought, written and executed with a TV series in mind. The comedy and the fluff are also on point. This is a drama that had me laugh, giggle, and *muffled scream* basically every episode.
I'm giving 9/10 to the story for the reasons above, but I also have three main complaints with it:
1) The three big chunks in which the story is divided could have been better balanced, with a shorter second arc (mortal arc) and a longer finale. The final arc was good and satisfying but it deserved a liiittle more time.
2) The mortal arc starts dragging a bit around episodes 35-40. Those fluffy or comedic scenes, those moments when nothing really significant happens are cute and all in retrospective, but they do slow down the momentum of the story.
3) The story itself is nothing new in terms of genre or plot. It doesn't invent anything new never written before. It can be summarized as "good deities defeat bad guys and fall in love" like many already existing stories. BUT it does this better than most of the dramas in its genre. It doesn't drag or go off on a filler tangent for 10+ episodes; it doesn't overuse cheap misunderstandings or recycled tropes; it always treats its characters well and with respect.
THE MUSIC & TECHNICAL ASPECTS
I'm not a music expert so I'll just say that I like the OST and the songs, even though it wasn't "love at first hearing" with any of them. But they grew on me. "Shi Yuan" 是缘, the opening song, is probably my favorite. I also love how there are many song that are used rather sparsely in different moments and it's not just one or two songs being played every 5 minutes.
The production quality is very high. The sets are really beautiful and well made, the CGI is good. The backdrops are always gorgeous and look like paintings (I wanted to screenshot everything). The costumes and makeup are flawless, although I have to say I'm not the biggest fan of the male hairstyles, particularly Jiu Chen's standard, long-hair one. Chang Chen is still handsome, but with more hair volume on his head he would have looked sooo much better. Proof of this is the mortal arc scene when he lets his hair down. That's the volume he should have had in every scene *sigh*.
REWATCH VALUE
10/10 because on a rewatch you're able to pick all those details sprinkled here and there from the very beginning that only become very important later on, and notice once again how well-crafted the writing is.
But also, I believe these characters are so lovable and the acting is so good that they deserve more than one viewing. I'm definitely going to watch it again soon.
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Maybe it's just not my thing in dramas, but the pacing for this was absolutely snail-like. It also didn't help that a lot of the scenes were just eerily quiet with no background music at all. I struggled to get through the beginning episodes, and while it did get better and vaguely more interesting, the whole plot just wasn't engaging enough for me.
Ling Xi and Jiuchen were mainly what I kept watching for and kept my interest for the most part, but I just was not as invested in their relationship compared to the main couples in other shows I've watched. I liked how Ling Xi eventually stopped relying on Jiuchen so much and stood her ground on things, but what irritated me was that she was kept in the dark about most things from basically everyone around her. Side characters I found mildly entertaining, but all other side character relationships, again, I didn't care for, nor did I care about the Shanling tribe which they really pushed in the beginning.
All in all, definitely not a show I would ever rewatch (not even certain scenes), but it was mildly entertaining enough for me to watch 60 episodes of during the holidays.
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Amazing Love Story
This series had fantastic scenes and how it evolve was amazing i must admit it made me shed TEARS!! The CAST were FABULOUS . I'll be HONEST with time I GREW on the main role of the young lady Ni Ni (Ling Xi) and on the gentleman Chang Chen (Jiu Chen). The series contained very minimal scenes that i FELT WERE EXTRAS to extend the series but by FAR MY FAVE of ALL other Chinese Dramas. AWESOME SERIES I WOULD RECOMMEND and ReWatch with no issues. Also the MUSIC is FANTASTIC i have it on my Playlist. Thanks for this AMAZING SERIES. DEFINITELY AWESOME WORK Thanks AgainWas this review helpful to you?
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As a fan of chinese mythology, it goes without saying that I fell in love with this. Nini is such a great actress, because of this, I fell for her. ML is also great at being cold, caring and everything. 2nd ML... hmm, he is good but his visual is kinda lacking...The mortal realm arc is so draggyyyyy is skipped it. As like every c-drama ever where one of the protagonist need to disappear or go through something that they might end up dead, this one is no exception. But I still love it!
Music- Not particularly that awesome but one song got stuck in my head.
Story- pretty good.
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Negative: Like all Chinese drama, the beginning is slow. And the ending was cut short, and had no explanation as to how Jiu Chen escaped???Positive: The cast is wonderful and likable! The story made sense. The love story is mature and realistic. Beautiful scenes and graphics!
Music: Excellent! Love most of the songs! The songs are very touching!
This is one of the drama I enjoyed, mainly because the cast fit the roles, the romance was mature and loving, and the storyline made sense. The concepts made sense. One of my pet peeves is pale actors (lack of blood/too thin???) . I like that Chen Chan looks fit as the God of War. And even Ethan Li looks mature and fit for the most powerful man in the bird-tribe.
My favorite scenes are when Ling Xi became human Ahmo and stayed in the Peachtree house by the lake. You will find it humorous as Jiu Chen and Jing Xiu both court Ling Xi, and battle it out. LOL. :)
I really think Ling Xi should have given Jing Xiu another chance to change, after all, her mother did break her promise. And Jing Xiu is really not that evil, just a product of his circumstances. But I guess they needed a villain at the end. :(
Overall, I would watch this drama again and again.
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