The Long Ballad

A drama of adventure and many life lessons!

Honestly, I debated over writing a review because I’m a casual viewer of C-dramas but I have read so many positive comments of the Long Ballad that I felt compelled to watch and boy am I glad I did! Since I typically watch 4-5 dramas a year (40-50 episodes per drama is a long commitment for me) so I do narrow my list to the “best” dramas based on recommendations so do take my rating with a grain of salt.

To start off, this is not a perfect drama but it has so so many positives:

• LOVE the character, Li Changge! From the very beginning, I love her journey, as she tried to avenge her befallen family and surviving with her wits, determination and a good dose of help from those around her. As a viewer, we can understand her anguish, her motivations, her flaws, her self-reflection and finally her purpose in life. I just found her journey and character development so incredibly fulfilling at the end - from a revenge driven girl to a mature, forgiving person who considers the greater good of her people. Even when she was determined to exact revenge, she never allowed it to consume her to discard the Tang citizens well-being. Dilraba was simply amazing in this role! I have seen a few of her dramas before and honestly, this is her best role to date. There are so many memorable scenes that showcase the range of emotions in her performance. Some of my favorites are: (1) Scenes leading up to A’Dou’s death and the aftermath – the tears, the heartbreak, and her badass determination to avenge him. (2) When Governor Gongsun Heng committed suicide – she was completely broken by his choice to save the people. I cried buckets when he died because I absolutely love the governor and understood his sacrifice. (3) When she met Ashile Sun outside the gates of Shou State – the snow was falling and when Ashile Sun demanded that she became his slave. The look in her eyes as she was trying to contain her grief and anger. Simply love that iconic scene! (4) All her scenes with Li Shimin, particularly when she realizes the truth of her family's assassination and she can finally let go of her revenge. I love their relationship because Li Shimin truly loves her as his own so I was happy to see a good resolution.

• Ashile Sun is the perfect male lead and Leo Wu was wonderful in his portrayal. I like that he loves and respects Changge but he will not betray his people for her (and vice versa for Changge). He sticks to his convictions and is straight-forward and not afraid to reveal his feelings. Actually, some of the funny parts of the drama are his reactions to the (budding) relationship with Changge and his jealousy even though he does not comprehend what his feelings might be at the time. I have only seen one other drama with Leo Wu which was Nirvana in Fire and am so happy to watch him slay such a mature role and proving doubters wrong that he was the perfect Ashile Sun.

• I adore the many different relationship dynamics in the drama. I HATE love triangles or dramas where every character falls in love with the FL or ML so I am thrilled that there is none of this nonsense in this drama! I know there is an age gap between Dilraba and Leo but honestly, I didn’t think about it when watching both actors on screen. The drama shows such a balanced relationship between the two characters and how they truly fit as a puzzle and are true partners as they share the same values – same passion for their people, both are loyal and trust each other unconditionally. It would have been nice if there was a kiss but the lack of one did not mar their romance at all. I thoroughly enjoy their individual growth and how they come together as a power couple. Other relationships of note are Changge and Leyan, Changge and Li Shimin, Changge and A’Dou, Little Yuan with anyone (she’s such a cutie!), Shiba and Xu Feng, Governor Gongsun Heng and his wife, Ashile Sun and She’er, Ashile Sun and Mu Jin and so many more!

• Great supporting cast! I love many of the characters and most roles were well acted (even those with minor roles) which contributed to my enjoyment of the drama.

• I love the costumes in the drama, both the Tang and grassland attire. Leo Wu, in particular, looked smashing in his grassland wear and looked very imposing as the leader of the Eagle division. The braids for the Ashile tribe men were also very cool and attractive.

• The amazing soundtracks to this drama. I love the opening and closing scores and do not ever fast-forward when I hear the amazing songs come through. And both songs are very fitting and aptly described the drama!

• The pacing of the drama is good overall, except for the Luoyang arc as described below under “negatives”.


The Not So Good Areas (Negatives):

• The Luoyang story arc really caused the show to lose momentum at one point. I understand Changge’s need for self reflection due to the (poor) choices she made in saving her father’s general in the grasslands but it took more episodes than needed for her to reflect and grow from it. This arc was also dragged down by having the focus on bratty Tang’s Crown Prince. At first, I did not understand why the show incorporated this character but after thinking about it, I believe it was to contrast the virtues of Leyan to the selfishness of the entitled brother of hers. However, in my opinion, it’s unnecessary to devote so much screen time to both Crown Prince’s brattiness and Leyan’s growth.

• I did not enjoy Leyan and Hao Du individually or their romance and prefer to have their characters more incorporated or rewritten to contribute to the main story arc, especially the side story of Leyan’s hardships was fast forward material for me. Both actors portrayed their roles adequately but I just do not find their characters interesting or their love story compelling. At the end of the day, I am invested in the character of Li Changge so I just find their scenes to be tedious.

• Another pet peeve of mine is the character of Hao Du. I honestly don’t see the appeal of this character. Yes, he became less stoic at the end but for most of the drama, he was arrogant prick (especially to Wei Shuyu who did not provoke him) and lack any forward thinking. His obsessive need to capture Changge was frustrating to watch, especially during the Shou State arc when Changge was needed to protect the city. He still wanted to kill her knowing she was trying to save the common people? He has capable kung-fu skills, why didn’t he offer his services to save the people in Shou State or at least try instead of folding his arms and doing nothing? In his foster father’s eyes, killing her means protecting the country and yet when the time to protect the country presents itself (with the stakes being so much higher as people’s lives were in jeopardy), he did nothing. He then gets credit (from Leyan) for letting Changge go at the Liuyun temple but it was ONLY due to his foster father’s instructions because Changge literally took a knife in the back to protect his father. If the father ordered him to kill her at that moment, he would certainly do it even though he knew of her contributions to the Tang country prior to that. So he gets no credit from me. I just wish his supposedly character growth stems from self-realization and that he actually stand up to his foster father, saying that NOT killing Changge is the right thing to do rather than a change of heart and orders from his father or a slap by Leyan to propel him to act differently. In the end, he is "redeemed" because he's one of the main characters but his earlier actions still left a bitter taste in my mouth.

• The villain of the story can be more dynamic. The actress who plays Khatan is okay but I think a different actress can bring more layers to the character. The character suffered tremendously but it’s very hard for me to relate to her and her pain. I’m not sure if it was the acting or the writing. I do like the parallel of what might have been if Changge decided to pursue her revenge. Her outcome might mirror Khatan’s.

• I do not care for the animated manhua drawings, especially during the epic war scenes. It is a nice thought in giving tribute to the manhua artist but in my opinion, it does take away the overall viewing experience for me. I know there were COVID restrictions but I think the drama warrants at least one non animated epic war scene due to the political backdrop and the period the drama was set.

Overall, I highly recommend the drama! As I have stated at the beginning of my review, The Long Ballad is not a perfect drama but it is an entertaining one! At the end of the day, as a viewer, I just want to be entertained and this drama has accomplished that. Give it a try!!

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❗ONE OF THE MUST WATCH C-DRAMAS THIS YEAR❗

If you're one of those people who loves watching a drama with a smart and strong female lead but still hesitating to watch this drama (), then it's time for you to stop, and start watching it now. Just give it a try you'll probably wont regret watching 49 episodes — yeah it's a bit long but worth it.
The acting skills of the casts is good specially when it comes to a dramatic scene that needs tears. And I love seeing the action stunts though I'm kind of disappointed that there's not a lot of war/action scenes but overall it's still good and I enjoyed it.

P.S. always get ready with your tissue or handkerchief.

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WELL WORTH THE (WAIT) WATCH!

Literally, the long ballad! LoL Took me a few weeks to catch up to and finally finish watching it (only because I’ve had no time). Newest one added to my favorites list because I know I’ll be rewatching it. Like most of the other good ratings shared, I can also say it truly is a great production overall. Yes, it’s quite a long show but it doesn’t fail to keep it interesting from the very start of episode one. Political dismay that changes a young princess’s life forever, the tough journey just to survive, and the many obstacles she endures along the way. And of course, the storyline always calls for a fated meeting with the male lead character which makes it even more interesting and fun to watch on “how” exactly they meet. Of course, two of my favorite parts of a period show are the costumes and music. Oh yeah, and there was just something mesmerizing about the male lead and his long hair, that Leo Wu just looked soooo darn good with the braids and long locks, ha!

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Could've been better...

I'm surprised by how well this drama was received. I think it's a solid 7/10. However, I think it's mostly because of the beautiful people in this show that everyone is gushing over this. The story is decent, the acting mediocre to subpar in some instances (except for some of the older cast, honestly loved the Tang three stooges and the Emperor). This also speaks about the lack of good content being released for the past few years. The drama is decent, but is being heralded as a gem and I'm not surprised since there aren't that many good dramas these days with complex plots AND good acting.
This show is mainly being judged with rosy eyes and an overload of hormones. The cartoons in random segments of the show were annoying, especially as they were used to show large scale battle scenes (I'm sure to reduce the cost of production) or very crucial plot development and took me out of immersive experience.
I did like that the FL/ML had a healthy relationship and the character growth of the FL throughout the show was commendable. But I think the director made many bad calls, such as how FL NOT ONCE looked like a male, but we, as an audience, is supposed to believe that she can pull this off? There was even obvious makeup and lipstick on her in her 'male' scenes! This is an insult to the audience as well as the cast members.
Lastly, I just want to say that this is just my opinion, I wanted to like this show more, but every time I came across an idiosyncrasy I felt let down. I think this show could've been much better if it was directed with more sincerity to realism and relied less on the beauty of the actors to gloss over major inconsistencies.

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I like the male lead & female lead.

I’m a fan of the female lead as I find her quite gorgeous and her acting is pretty decent too. She’s very easy on the eyes and very watchable. The male lead has grown up to be a very fine young man who’s tall and well-built. I swooned.

What I liked / Watch because:
- great leads with chemistry
- great acting cast on the whole
- story plot is an exciting one on the whole
- there are suspenseful moments, touching moments, cute moments, lovey moments … lots of ups and downs throughout the whole show
- the music complements the show
- I actually liked the “comic book” elements

What I didn’t like:
- the last section of the show (probably the last ten to fifteen episodes weren’t as good as the front part)
- the ending was a let down to me as there wasn’t a true “happily ever after” ending element for the male lead and female lead in that they didn’t get married and settle down
- too many deaths - I know it’s war and stuff but too many deaths/ too much bloodshed
- the woman who played KeTun was insufferable - the way she spoke and acted really put me off
- good people die and I don’t like to see this

Overall, please watch!! I recommend it as it is a well-made drama. There are some ‘I cannot believe this’ moments but it is a drama, after all. It is entertaining and 49 episodes are kind of over before you know it. Watch!

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Outstanding acting, OST and action scenes

I was most blown away by Leo's acting of A'Sun as the last time I watched him was in Nirvana on Fire when he was still a little kid. I cannot believe how much he has matured and his emotional scenes were better than those I've seen from seasoned actors. He was excellent portraying a fierce warrior and did an incredible job with all the fight scenes. Although he is only 21-22, his acting is dynamic and he is so interesting to watch. He also worked really hard to build his physique to match that of the character.

Diliraba's portrayal of Li Chang Ge is a nice change for her and I can see she has improved a lot with her acting. Her previous roles which were often very weepy and she had the tendency to frown a lot in many of her sad scenes. I'm glad she has improved on that a lot and is able to show a lot more emotion using more subtle facial expressions which is much more tasteful to watch as a viewer.

The SML and SFL had a wonderful storyline. Zhao Lusi's character is very different here than in her previous roles and I appreciate her taking on a very different role. She did a great job with her character and the development of her character was very interesting. I found myself captivated with her storyline. I often skip or fast forward scenes that don't involve the MLs in other dramas because they often feel like fillers. Overall I found all the 4 main characters very different from one another, and they all had their role to play to make the story come together. They all went on a journey and major transformation through many trials and tribulations.

The action scenes in this series were done very well. I initially wasn't quite fond of the anime cut scenes but I soon started appreciating them because many of them were used during war scenes where animals would have been involved otherwise. I think this is far better than causing animals which I know often suffer during filming. Many of the dramas like Legend of Xiao Chuo involved so many live animals, it made me sick to think of the potential injuries and traumas they had to go through to shoot those scenes. I think this was but better although it did make some of the battle scenes less intense and life-like.

Finally, the music is one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a while. Overall this drama has been a gem. I've already rewatched many scenes several times and I have been enjoying the soundtrack also.

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This drama is the Best

I love this drama so much and overall everything is perfect with main character Dilraba and Leo Wu has great chemistry and other character are really amazing too every episode has great values I can’t wait to watch all the episodes. I wish this drama has more than 10000 episode so I can watch them every day with full of excitement 😍😍😍 after watching this drama I can’t get over with Dilraba and Leo Wu. Her talent and magnificent looks is the main reason I started to watch this drama but after watching this drama I can’t denied how Talented and Charismatic Leo Wu is😍

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The exhaustingly Long Ballad

A show that started out strong and as it progressed it became mediocre at best. Looking back, this drama had a lot of flaws from the beginning, but that I ignored since the story had so much potential that I hoped would be achieved, but oh boy... Honestly, don't let all the high scores in the reviews fool you, this show is not amazing, it's barely even good. In a lot of ways I think The Long Ballad is a very pretentious show. It promises this epic story and gripping romances, but it doesn't deliver ANY of them.

The first half of this show is pretty good despite its flaws, but in the second half the pacing of the plot just takes a nosedive, becoming super boring, which makes the problems with the show become even more apparent. They simply prolong these side plotlines that don't add anything to the main plot and keep introducing characters that no one cares about.

Talking about charactes... I didn't care much about any in this story. Changge was a very promising FL, but she quickly fell flat for me. I like empowered female characters, but in her case everything just felt very cheap. She would just go to a place and do nothing and everyone there would go: "Well I don't even know you but I guess I'm gonna trust you blindly now and help you." Besides, just by warching her I soon noticed that the writers of this show don't know how to write smart characters. If you think about Changge's plans for more than 10 seconds you'll realize they make no sense at all. They just relied on convenience and luck and the only reason they worked is because she is the main character.

A'Sun was also kinda stereotypical. It doesn't help the fact that both his actor and Changge's actress can't actually act for shit. They were so stiff and unnatural, which reflected on their relationship cause they had little to no chemistry, even though I still persisted for some episodes to see more of them, but there's really not much to see about them as couple. I think the writers aimed for slowburn but hit underdevelopment instead. Regarding the other characters, most were either annoying or uninteresting. I think the only one worth mentioning here is Le Yan since she was the only one with a half-decent character arc. I still didn't find her character very compelling, though, because she was just the innocent and kind stereotypical female character and the writers definitely could've developed her way more, but they dropped the ball just like how they did with every other aspect of this drama.

Now I might be a little controversial here, but I think the manga styled animation used wasn't so bad, it was a nice alternative to create the scenes they probably didn't have the budget for, but the overuse of this technique also kinda took away the epic feeling and dramatic weight of certain scenes.

So, basically, The Long Ballad was the disappointement of the year for me. It doesn't deliver neither a good and intricate plot, nor good love stories, so I'd say if you have any standards at all definitely don't waste your time on this drama.

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meh. (spoilers for romance couples but not the actual storyline)

as a person who literally only watches historical dramas at this point, this one wasn't very... good... imo.

story:
well i didn't really know what to expect cause im gonna be honest i watched this drama because of most of the cast members. i guess the storyline was decent, although it was a little slow. this was the first time i wished a historical drama could be shorter lmao. sometimes i even forgot about the main leads' romantic relationship, which honestly i don't have a problem with because the fighting and wars and stuff like that were supposed to be the "main focus" (?) but yeah the romance between the main leads was not it, just another basic "i'll sacrifice anything for you but i'll also not tell you bc i don't want you to be sad" bs. if i wanted to see that i would have watched love and redemption again lmao. ALTHOUGH i will say, the second couple was so cute. i've seen and heard a lot of other people's opinions about the second couple, saying that it's unnecessary, which i will kinda agree, it is unnecessary, but they were still so cute. i didn't really like the fact that zhao lu si was playing a weak little sister role honestly i wouldve watched a sequel with just zhao lu si and liu yu ning's relationship.

acting/cast:
don't come for me but i don't think di li re ba's acting is... good. well, it's average. a lot of people think that she has godly top tier acting skills, but uh i beg to differ. she has like five facial expressions and her crying scenes are not realistic (AGAIN don't come for me it's my opinion lol). also her hairstylist did her dirtyyy, the middle part is. interesting (shes hella pretty though don't get me wrong). on the other hand, wu lei, zhao lu si, and liu yu ning's acting were all pretty good. i was quite shocked by liu yu ning's acting ngl, i always knew him as a singer, an artist, but i didn't think he would actually be good at acting (cause a lot of idols/singers/dancers these days are... attempting acting... and they're not the best at it). although i despised zhao lu si's role, she played it well. as for wu lei, he portrayed what i had in mind when i first skimmed the summary of the drama.

music:
this is where all the points are coming from. i am weeeeak when it comes to historical drama osts. especially with the ost gods zhang bi chen and liu yu ning in this one. i listened to both osts before even watching the drama. not much else to say, just amazing songs.

rewatch value:
eh no thanks i won't be rewatching this one lol

overall:
i'd say a ... decent drama if you're really bored or if you really really really like the main cast. but if you have better dramas to watch, i'd say not to watch this one lol.

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One of the best 2021 dramas so far

Two perfect female leads, I love how they balanced it out with one strong female lead and then other sweet and innocent but both had to live hard life's differently which caused both two grow and mature. They never rival each other which I loved it's weird to have two female leads that don't want to cut their each other throats.

I wanted to be a main couple shipper but when I fell you I saw the first episode with leyan and hao du as a cold soldier I was SOLD. I just couldn't concentrate anymore and wanted their scenes so so much more. Is it a bit clique with the sweet princess and a cold soldier? Yes but when a drama is done well clique scenes are done so perfect that you don't mind and you see growth on their characters which I love so much.

The story of this drama is amazing, it makes me want to rewatch it all over again as a binge because it's so different and well done. I'm a fantasy history kind of girl but this drama made me love historical dramas so so much. Thankful that is a happy ending even though we see some characters die for unfortunate events it does add the idea that sometimes in life we had to see people go especially around the time the drama is based which is tang dynasty.

I hope anyone that's reading this gives this drama a chance. Definetly one of 2021 favorite dramas

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The Long Ballad: First Impressions

“The Long Ballad” was deliriously intoxicating, uniquely entertaining, emotionally engaging, deeply realistic and delightfully gratifying. All aspects of the production, cinematography, scenery, characterization, acting talent, action, dialogue and attention to detail made the series exude a high level of realism both engaging and immersive in the Tang era. If you are looking for action, adventure, and tender romance with lots of killings I highly recommend “The Long Ballad.”

“The Long Ballad” was my first completion of a long series Chinese historical drama series with English subtitles. Typically, I don’t write any reviews about anything but this series deserves a review. Typically, I am not a great fan of long series with subtitles and continuous commercial ad interruptions every few minutes. I don’t even remember how I stumbled over this series on YouTube but I was fascinated, captivated and hooked by the first scene. I was able to watch and complete all 49 episodes in about three to four weeks because I am a busy working professional. After completing the series, I searched and discovered this website resource and wanted to share my first experience with “The Long Ballad.”

I was instantly connected by the emotional soundtrack, the visuals, the natural scenic beauty, the characters, the action, the plot, the architecture, the cities, the towns, the palaces, the furniture, the costumes, the customs and all manners of warmongering. The Tang Dynasty era suddenly became alive and sparked in my imagination as to what life might have been like that long ago. Far too long I have yearned to learn and experience more about our Chinese cultural heritage. I have read some books attempting to understand the history of China. “The Long Ballad” series instantly connected me to a fascinating time and space with a broad range of fantastic possibilities from great walled cities, the grasslands, the desert and beyond !

I was fascinated to learn that most of the location names still exist on today’s map of China so I was able to dive into the terrain and find potential routes that once were and helped me really get deep into the story. It gave me a sense of the long travel distances, time frames and treacherous travel difficulties of the era from one place to another.

I went into the story blind not knowing anything about anything simply seeking some connection with my Chinese cultural heritage. I immediately fell in love with the cast, the characters, the story, the world and the open-ended possibilities. I really didn’t know any of the actors going into it so I did not have many preconceived notions or biases towards the actors, the characters or the story. I think not knowing anything about the actors or the story made my experience even more powerful because it allowed my imagination to detach from reality and absorb every visual and word of the story. The screenplay was generally well-written with well-timed tender and comical moments interspersed throughout the midst of an intense drama. It was joyful to watch and pretend to live every special moment vicariously through each character.

The introductory and closing credits immediately pulled me into the story. The soundtrack pulled at my heart strings instantly. The credits gave me time to engage and decompress between each episode. I don’t think I ever skipped the introduction nor the closing themes on any episode. However, I spent a lot of time rewinding because the English subtitles rolled so fast I could hardly read and watch the action at the same time. I do have to admit I did rewatch some of the most tender moments over and over again to my heart’s content.

In many scenes the subtleties of romantic passion were so accurate, intense and intimate it was challenging to discern between character and actor so the story melted together with no choice but to fall for the fantasy with such realism that it was extremely hard to resist. The superb acting talent, on-screen chemistry and cinematography were so natural and fluid it made the story deeply realistic, intimate and believable ! Every actor seemed to have been on their very best top level of ability combined with the meticulously staged sets, furniture, artifacts, details and scenery made the series deeply memorable. The production quality makes the series worth watching over and over again from beginning to end ! I loved it ! Thank you to all producers, actors and stage crews for creating such a beautiful and gratifying engaging series.

* About me: I am a third-generation Panamanian-born-Chinese-American born to Hakka Chinese parents. I was born in The Republic of Panama. I speak Spanish, English and very limited domestic Hakka Chinese. I seek to learn and reconnect with my Chinese cultural heritage to understand the hearts and minds of China. I currently live in the United States and work in the fields of architectural design and construction administration.

Recently, Chinese people in Panama celebrated 150 years in Panama. My family Chinese cultural heritage stems back to a village in Sha Tau Kok on the border of what used to be the New Territories northeast of Hong Kong. Sha Tau Kok is east of Shenzhen toward Starling Inlet. When the Japanese brutally invaded China in World War II, my maternal great grandfather and his family were forced to flee Sha Tau Kok and take refuge within the New Territories in Tai Po village about 9.6 km (6 miles) southwest. Within a few years, he emigrated to Panama where he made a small fortune owning and operating a small local bakery. My father was born in Panama to Hakka Chinese immigrants and worked for the United States Panama Canal Commission as an Electrical Power Generation Dispatcher. In the early 1990s, my father took his family and emigrated to the United States.

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They have happy ending

I love the story of Change Ge and also love Leyan relationship between her cousin. This is the only Chinese drama that revenge but she didn’t kill all of the family who kill Change Ge’s family lol 😂 while she said she is not longer sister and friend for Leyan but when she heard Leyan hurt she worries about her so much haha 😂 . And also this is the only drama that I don’t need a kiss scene at all everything just focus on war and fight. Also love manipulating of Change Ge. I really really love to see Zhao Lusi and Dilireba together again so much but as 2 female lead who had interest the same sex (I meant like lesbian) I wanna see them as lover they both have a really really great chemistry plus Zhao Lusi doesn’t like men so why don’t give her a chance with woman?

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