Legend of the Phoenix (2019)

Quelques plumes ont brûlé en route…

Entre complots et trahisons, la vie au palais n'est pas un long fleuve tranquille, mais un océan tumultueux dans lequel il est délicat d'avancer.

Fonctionnaire loyal et fin stratège, Wei Guang (Jeremy Jones Xu) ne laisse pas ses émotions l'influencer dans ses choix. Solide, tant physiquement que mentalement, il fait preuve d'une grande patience et d'un calme olympien. Acrobate et porteuse de belles valeurs, Ye Ningzhi (He Hong Shan) s'enfonce dans les complots du palais. Bien qu'honnête, ses motivations amènent à des situations ahurissantes, remettant en question le fondement de de son personnage, car essentiellement immature.

La politique prend une place importante, mais ne peut éviter le piège de la confusion et de scènes inutiles. Parfois, l'histoire se perd, rendant l'ensemble prévisible, tandis que les personnages souffrent inutilement.

D'ailleurs, la romance est torturée, mais sans raison. Les personnages souffrent dans l'unique but de souffrir. S'ils sont d'une fidélité sans faille l'un envers l'autre, l'intérêt de les voir ainsi malmener ne sert à rien. La fin est satisfaisante, mais extrêmement décevante sur la façon dont elle est amenée et montrée. J'ai eu l'impression de m'être fait avoir.

En bref, Legend of the Phoenix se maintient, notamment grâce aux décors et aux costumes.

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An Under Appreciated Drama with Good Ending

When I watched the trailer for this drama, it looked very good. I was disappointed when I started watching. As it was tagged "tragedy", I was expecting serious and somber performance. The "tragedy" tag was later removed.

The beginning of the story is comedic. Everything is silly, stupid and crazy, including the villains. The male lead looks villainous; the female lead cute with large watery eyes which tear up easily; the supposedly villain silly and funny. I was confused - is this supposed to be a comedy? I couldn't decide to continue or drop.

Ten episodes in, the mood changes. It becomes serious and intense. No more silly characters. Every character becomes mature and somber. Though there are still holes here and there, the plot thickens. I begin to empathize with the male and female leads. I even begin to love the supposedly villain who turns out to be an undercover. My heart begins to break with the pain General Wei Kuang is going through - his lost love, his love for the country and his predicament.

The building up of the story is important. Skipping episodes may make you confuse with why the characters make the choices as they do. Therefore, one may need to have more patience with the earlier episodes so that you can enjoy the later episodes better.

The final episodes are good compared to many other dramas. There are no unnecessary deaths. The evil doers end with what they deserve. The good people are rewarded with the fruits they sow. There are many lessons learned. There are also heart-wrenching moments, especially with the main characters, and one can feel the pain and sacrifices they make for the good of all.

This is a pretty good story. The main couple have been true to each other from the beginning till the end. Their love for each other never wanes, only stronger. They sacrifice for their country and for each other. They fight all the scheming and darkness hand-in-hand. They are open with each other, never holding anything back. There's never been any annoying misunderstanding between the two (many Chinese dramas love misunderstandings which I hate).

I love this story and the acting. My heart feels for General Wei, his pain when he returns from war and finds his love gone. But he never stops loving her, neither she loving him. It's a very touching story which you may enjoy.

I have truly enjoyed this drama. It may not be the drama of the year, but I feel it deserves our attention, and for us to give credit to the actors who have done a pretty good job.

Yes, this is one of those rare historical dramas that deserves to be watched and enjoyed.

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