Watchable if you have nothing else to watch.
First of all, I do not find it hard to finish the drama if I keep it to 1 ep per day. I didnt have the patience to sit through 2 ep at one go even though I was a fan of XZ. Maybe it is the screenplay and execution, most eps are draggy and lacklustre. There are some good or comedic moments but you lose interest easily by end of the ep and find yourself unable to tolerate another one. The idea of binge watching or rewatching the whole thing is painfully unbearable to me. I think his dedicated fans were rewatching at 2x, 3x speed to bump viewership so I dont think they were rewatching properly as well. Based on the cn popularity charts, XZ seems to lead by a huge margin, but putting away his 'achievements' in endorsement deal, I dont find his acting skills or singing skills that outstanding. Standalone, is ok but when comparing with pros, is average at best. To me, he is too overrated and is famous for the sake of being famous like the Kadarshians.Pros:
The CGI is good and definitely a bonus. Decent Fight scenes sometimes like when TS and XW fought a battle as an entry test. They are not that many and I would love to have more.
Actors visuals are very high. There are no excessive or ridiculous costumes or styling.
Some actors are good and bring real comedic or entertaining moments, just not the male and female leads.
Lots of characters so you get a variety of conflicts rather than just 1-2 villians.
Some characters development can be seen which is good
Cons:
Many Slow mo and boring fights even with CGI. Guess we are spoilt by too much Marvel heroes movies or just craving old kung fu Jackie Chan style fighting.
FL is given too much screentime and was put in any scene with ML regardless of plot logicality
Bland execution with lots of draggy moments
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One of Most Favorite C-Drama 2021
I watched this series because the trailer looking so promise. Xiao Zhan also one of my fave chinese actor.Some episode sometime boring but after that more addicted.
I can say for CGI effect really good like we are watching hollywood action movies. Acting all cast so far so good tho.
Because i'm not read the novel and not also watch the anime, i dont want compare this series with them. I hope everyone who watching this series, please dont give them hate because the storylinemaybe different than novel.
My fave character of course Tang San & Xiao Wu.
Ou Sike character also my fave.
Just enjoy this drama. Action, Comedy, Friendship, Teachers-Students relationship & shy shy cat romantic love :)
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Interesting drama for such budget cast
Actually xianxia costume drama based on anime is not my interest. I prefer more serious drama with heavy acting skill (comedy only in modern rom-com). At first I was pessimistic with this drama as I had experienced in other anime-based fantasy drama like Martial Universe and Fight Breaks Sphere. Too many CGIs, silly scenes and blurry story are some negative factors. However, because I really like Xiao Zhan acting, therefore I give this drama a try, just see how far Xiao Zhan can give this drama privilege points for audience.Story: Before I watched this drama, I've heard that Soul Land is a very popular animation series in China, have been aired for 4+ years and still ongoing. At the beginning I thought the story will be simply like another animation, but I found out that this one was different. The fast pace plot makes this drama addicting and you can get hooked easily after 5-6 episodes. And what I like about the story is the development of the characters and the reveal of the mysteries layer by layer. 40 episodes really not enough, now I craved for season 2.
Acting: You can say this drama depends a lot of Xiao Zhan's efforts. He is the soul of this drama, because his acting really gave this drama more emotions, not just CGI fantasy drama. For Betty Wu's acting, as this is her first drama act, is qualified enough. She nailed the cute acting, some emotional scenes but still lack of chemistry with Tang San character. Other actors are standard for me, special mention for Headmaster and Ou Si Ke. I like their characters, make this drama more hilarious. The production is very well done, specially the CGI, I think it's beyond other fantasy drama on that time.
Music: I hate to say that the music is the one and only factor that bothers me. OST is not bad, but the BGM is not match with the scenes at all. I can tell that the music producesr are either obsessed with pop and folk music or they just thought these kind of music were suitable for youth drama. But it sucks.
Overall: I guess this drama is a little bit overrated, however for youth drama and fantasy drama, this drama has a good story line, many morals and lesson value and suitable for youth generation.
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Eventhough all of the seven people belong to different sector and have different background with bitter past but they overcome the difficulties together and support each other rather than fighting for a girl.
The all have their own aim.
Tang sa is inneed very intelligent . He has many idea to overcome difficut situation. The way he support Ma Hong Jin (Ao Ji Yi) or the master Da Shi and his kindness is very impressive . One of the suspense part I feel in this drama upto now was Ou Si ka martial soul but it has reveled .From the very first episode upto now every episode is able to maintain its interest and excitment with amazing visual effect.
Although Xiao Zhan played the main lead ,all the supporter role like Gao Tai Yu (Dai Mu Bai ), Ao Ji Yi,
...had contributed equally. The co-ordination ,team work and the way they express , were all perfect it .
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Light hearted show
The age range for this show is probably very wide. It reminds me of those shows you would put on a Sunday afternoon for the family to watch since it's so chock full of life lessons. It's lighthearted and laced with humor but it doesn't veer towards slapstick which I appreciate.Story - A very traditional xuanhuan story about a boy starting from zero and attempting to achieve greatness. What I appreciate is that the drama does not make the main character a Gary Stu simply geared for the fantasy of the straight man which is a tendency novels of this types of adaption fall into.
Acting - The actors and actresses for this are mainly amateurs sprinkled here and there with better known ones such as the beautiful Zhuzhu who plays Bibi Dong, so I guess put your expectations there. There were some standouts mixed in, and I especially liked Flanders, and Calvin. Xiao Zhan was able to handle his role well and deliver the emotional scenes.
Music - Now here is where most people's opinions will differ. The series attempted something a little different than most fantasies I've seen and instead of atmospheric ballad pieces, they went more for acoustic background ambience, so although at any scene, the bgm helps conveys the emotions of the scene, there aren't any musical pieces that stand out with any permanence in your mind. There are also some jarring modern pieces that break the forth wall, but it's done with a purpose to further the humor. The opening and ending are more poppish, the melodies you might find familiar in some youth show, but that's the overall "young people coming together to fight for justice" theme of the series I guess.
Rewatch - Very good for rewatch with kids, since the story has such a heavy moral line throughout the show. It's a light watch, nothing too heavy. The great CGI helps.
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The drama is really good
They trolled us with ending.(The following is just to get the character minimum)
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Whether you like this will largely depend on your preferences
If you like anime, this is a fun and light show I think you'll enjoy if you can get over the almost power ranger style CGI, costume/props. To give an example, there is a scene where an actress is supposed to be threatening using her nails, but you can see clearly it's made of a cheap rubber or silicone just from the way it bends anytime she tries to put any pressure on them. Prepare for a lot of cheese and theatrics.The story and characters are like any other popular anime. I don't know much about this show, but I kept wondering if it is based off of a video game. Some of the music especially is reminiscent of a lot of games. The characters and style of battle and power also reminds me a little of gaming too. The storyline and progression is just like the majority of generic type anime, and if you love that genre of powering up and getting stronger, this show might be great for you.
I can't rate this highly as it's not really unique, the graphics aren't great, and the acting style, while sometimes fun, is theatrical and silly at best. It is just like a lot of animes and cartoons I used to enjoy as a child. I definitely feel this was meant for younger audiences, and for the right person, I'd agree this was show was done just fine. Wouldn't recommend this to anyone who wants any kind of realism, seriousness in acting or visuals. I can't help but feel this was made for a specific audience in mind and unfortunately I am not it. I'm about halfway through, and I'm not sure I'll finish.
This show seems great for kids, and I don't mean that as insult. Genuinely I would probably have loved this when I was much younger.
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For the budget this was a success
I really like Xiao Zhan's as his eyes are so intense but this isn't his best work. I am anti voice dubbing (unless the actors have heavy accents) so happy he did his own voice dubbing. It just took awhile to get used to as it's a lot deeper. However the sound quality in general was a distraction. This is where budget shows, over drowning background music with some questionable music choices. CGI was not too bad since I didn't expect a lot.What's good
1. Xiao Zhan & FL had great chemistry right from the start
2. FL pulled off the ideal cute without being cringey
3. Storyline , from a person not familiar with the novel I really enjoyed the story. Feels like an adventure with some mysteries along the way.
4. Good friendships are formed along the way
5. Funny side characters
What's not so great:
1. Audio in general
2. Bad hair days and lots of them
3. Over acting in quite a few scenes
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This review may contain spoilers
Everything was so good until the last episode
I started to watch this drama because of the main lead(Xiao Zhan) and when i first watched it, this drama completely caught my attention. I was really immersed into the drama deeply. I like everything from the storyline, the climax, the evolution of the main lead. However, everything started to fall down when the drama nearly end. The ending was really bad and incomplete in my opinion. Rather than explaining everything, they spend the last episode on useless speech. There are many mysteries that they haven’t solved or explained. If i were to choose the ending, i would ended where xiao wu died (the anime watcher or novel reader will understand) because ending at that, i felt like the story has more a complete feeling to it and most of the mysteries would have completely solved( for example: tang san’s mother, the soul beast, the twin soul, where master came from). Although the ending was really bad in my opinion, there are some part i like it better than in anime (for example: the interaction between dai mubai and zhuzhu qing, the side story of ma hongjun, etc). Finally to those who are not satisfied with the ending of the drama like me, i highly recommend u guys to go and watch the anime, u will have a more understanding of the storyline better than just watch the drama.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Adaptation from Soul Land anime…95% different story meant for young audience.
I've noticed that the same scriptwriter is behind "Joy of Life," "Sword Snow Stride," and this drama. It seems that he consistently uses only 5% of the original story to create an entirely new storyline. As someone who has read the novels, I find it disappointing. However, I understand that viewers who haven't read the novels may have a different experience. While the first 5 minutes of the drama are identical to the original story, everything else is different. Characters have different personalities, backstories, and even relationships.This story is intended for a young audience and fans of light fantasy novels. While that's okay, the level of believability is low, and it feels quite childish.
The "Soul Land" anime consists of 265 episodes, each 20 minutes long. It tells the story of a young adult soul master who is reincarnated in another dimension and uses his knowledge from his previous life to advance his power. Throughout the episodes, we see him grow from a child to a man alongside his friends. I also miss the clarity of the "levels" mentioned in the anime series. For example, 10 represents the 1st ring, 20 represents the 2nd ring, and so on. It provided an easy way to understand who had power and who didn't. The screenwriter decided to alter this essential aspect of the story. In the anime, every soul master aims to reach above 70 levels.
Some characters are different, like the teacher. In the drama, he appears weak and gets kidnapped, while in the novel, he is knowledgeable and strong and does not get captured. I didn't recognize the character of the 7 devils team. Wu was playing her character well, but I felt no chemistry with Zhao Xian.
I wasn't impressed with the acting, possibly because it seemed childish. For instance, the teacher faints, wakes up, immediately stands up, and then realizes he's supposed to be in pain. I admit that I fast-forwarded a few times after episode 9. At times, it felt overly childish.
In my opinion, the screenwriter and director failed to capture the essence of the anime. The special effects were well done and the only praiseworthy aspect.
The choice of actors is average. I decided to watch this drama because of Zhao Xian and my fondness for the anime series, but I don't think it's his best role. It doesn't compare to "The Untamed" where his performance was exceptional.
Regarding the OST, I was surprised to hear the same music as "The Love Like a Galaxy." It's a 2-year difference, and maybe the composer thought nobody would notice or remember?
On a side note, it's amusing to discover an actor who played a supporting role in "Joy of Life" (Prince Jing’s son) in a new role in this drama. Same mannerisms. Liu Run Nan.
It's frustrating when a show has a sad ending, especially when it was supposed to have another season. The ending was meant to be bittersweet and show the main character becoming a god master in season 2. Unfortunately, the show had low ratings or a limited budget. This is the only plausible explanation, as it aired in 2021, and after 3 years, there are no rumors of another season. It's a complete disregard for many viewers who expected a happy ending! Another major difference from the anime series: Wu and Tang San got married, as well as the other two couples. The Phoenix guy got a girlfriend, and all the antagonists died, while the protagonists lived happily ever after with Tang San, a god soul master protecting the world.
In conclusion, it's a disappointing drama with a sad ending.
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This review may contain spoilers
What ! Drama ends with suspense
When I was at last episode I didn't realised it was the last one ,after completion I found that there was not any next episode then I came to know this drama had only 40 episodes. I looked for next episode not because I was obsessed with the story actually it had incomplete ending .My last expression after ending of last episode was "what", what is this , DRAMA is overed .
So there is a need of second season of the drama otherwise " A big disappointment with the drama".
Each actor's acting was good . Second episode was little funny . My favourite character was played by female lead (the one who has power of rabbit somey like that) ,her character is true,purify ,no bad attitude towards anyone ,ready to help, so pure soul and she looked cute all the time . I think this character has some secrets . If there is second season so I think her secrets will unfold. I hope if there is a second season so same actors I like to see because while watching any drama I think viewers deeply connected with characters. It is hard to accept new characters .
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This review may contain spoilers
Nanananananana na Bunny Girl!
Streamed on: VikiPlot Summary:
Apparently based off a video games, our story takes place on a magical continent where people gain powers from defeating and absorbing powerful spirits. The main character is born with the rare gift of 2 spirits, and after meeting a bunny girl…
https://youtu.be/eQndIPCv4Z0?si=2bk4hWCj7eDFh7Wd
Sets out on a journey to get stronger and learn about his mysterious origins, finding friends and maybe love along the way.
Best of the OST:
There aren’t any stand out tracks for me on this OST. That said, there isn’t anything I would say was particularly terrible either.
https://youtu.be/74aCcIL7P5A?si=Jswgxe9SZYV4YZzI
Re-watch:
Would I watch it again?
Probably not, I’m not a multiple season re-watcher.
Would I watch it with my brother?
Yeah, I watched it with my brother, his notes was he needed a break between the actor changes in the second season.
Would I watch it with my kid?
At this stage in her life, I find it hard to be in the same room as my kid. All she wants is social media. I think if she gave it a chance she would like it, but as a moody 12 year old I don’t think it’s happening.
Final Thoughts:
I’m going to leave my final thoughts pending on this one. It was ok, but it was just the first season, and I believe I should take it as a whole experience.
Rating:
6.6/10
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