This review may contain spoilers
Everyone Needs An Ashile Sun!
10/01/2023I went into this after watching a number of other good CDramas with little expectations except that I didn't feel Lu Wei was right for the role and that perhaps someone else should have been chosen.
I thought he wasn't good looking enough, too scrawny and not old enough to pull off such a strong character like Ashile Sun and I knew nothing about Ashile Sun other than that he was like a nomad or warrior from the grasslands.
And I am not the only one that saw it this way from other reviews I have read on different platforms, but at least there aren't many.
Glad to say I was proven wrong!
Dilraba was okay, but unfortunately I didn't take to her at all.
The story, more or less, is about how a demoted Tang Princess set on vengeance ends up saving the Tang Dynasty from falling into enemy hands as overtime she comes to realise there is far more at stake than just her own personal vendetta.
The outro song eventually grew on me as did the music throughout each episode.
I enjoyed all of the males in it and the youngest princess, but I really liked the characters of Mu Jin, Yaro, Ashile Sun, Sher and Hao Du.
I have probably watched this 3 times back to back so it is most definitely likeable and re-watchable. There is not really one episode that is boring and the pace is just right!
From episode one it is exciting with the horse chase scene on to the bridge from the very start and that phenomenal Cuju game between the Tang and Ashile players.
In episode 5 we have a bit of a laugh when Ashile Sun discovers Channge isn't a male and is slapped hard even though he is blind folded.
And in episodes 15 and 16 it is a pivotal moment when Channge learns a certain home truth about Ashile Sun.
One of the best scenes I have ever watched in any movie or series comes at the end of episodes 24 and start of episode 25.
If you want to see real acting at its best I'd highly recommend watching the above.
In comparison to Lu Wei's character in Love Like The Galaxy (Ling Buyi), in the "uncle massacre scene", Ashile Sun wins hands down when it comes to "losing the plot." He is far superior!
Not sure why Lu Wei didn't do the same justice for LLTG although it wasn't a complete mess.
What else?
I appreciated that Ashile Sun was more honest and direct which is what I like in a person just in general so I found his character had more depth than Ling Buyi did in LLTG. Ashile Sun saw the bigger picture whereas Ling Buyi was all about vengeance no matter what the cost!
And whoever filmed some of the scenes in The Long Ballad should be given an award because some of the angles and shots were spectacular to a fault like the fight scenes and that Cuju game.
Some excellent filming - my kind of filming!
I know there are some that didn't take to TLB because it lacked romance, but to me that was an added bonus because the story was what I was in it for not a drawn out cliched triad situation or love between a couple that takes 59 episodes to manifest in full.
There is definitely love scenarios in this, but it isn't suffocating like it is in some CDramas. Yes!!!
That aside it is indeed a well told story that isn't too light or depressingly heavy and each episode has something going on.
I'd highly recommend this series for the story and a well told story at that where you will be drawn in by most, if not all, the characters and like each and every one of them!
This will probably remain in my top 5-10 for life!
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Great Epic Drama
This drama is definitely worth the watch, I'm actually re-watching it now. The character development was done extremely well. It's like Mulan on steroids. There are at least 3 distinct sections and each one is great. I like how they throw in some of the Daoist philosophy. It's unfortunate there aren't more realistic romantic scenes with the main leads (no kissing). And although I like Leo Wu's acting, the way he walks with his arms out, is it because he's trying to look bigger or older?Was this review helpful to you?
Powerful, Emotional, Engaging. One of the best dramas i've ever watched.
I started watching this drama without a lot of expectations and had no idea what i was getting into.This drama has everything: great character development, friendships and romance, epic battles, life lessons and so on.
The characters managed to make me experience all the emotions they have felt with them.
The story is engaging throghout the whole series and it never gets boring to watch.
Nothing was rushed, everything was perfectly paced and the dialogs and story were very well constructed.
I truly enjoyed every moment of it and i'm very sad that it came to an end.
It was a journey that i'm glad i got to experience and i will never forget this beautiful drama.
Very well done and the actors did a greatt job!
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Li Changge and Ashile Sun
I've rewatch this drama many times, Idk abt others but I really love GeSun CP! Changge is very young character thus her character at the beginning story isn't matured however she is really try. Between hatred vs her country she choose country, she is former princess but she still want to fight for her people. Its very hard for her, almost everyone she loved is died. A'Sun is powerful n cold ml but start to care for Changge. He do his best to protect Changge at any cost, from cold general he become gentle but he is very good leader.Ik many ppl love Haodu character but I dislike his character, badboy isn't my cup of tea alt I know he is changing at the end... Princess Youning is too innocent, I pity her but ik her depressed scene is for her growth.
Ik some of this is real in history alt they changed... But a few character is real. Li Shimin is great ruler actually, Tang Dynasty should be proud to have him. Gongsun Heng, he died for ppl, he's earned my respect n heartache.
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Underwhelming Female Lead Outshined by 2nd Female Lead
I finally decided to watch this old drama since there's nothing new worth watching right now. The biggest issue this series had was that the 2nd lead couple stole the entire series from the main lead couple. The main couple was so bland.The Good:
- ML (Leo Wu): although his acting was still pretty stiff in this series, I do enjoy watching him. He's grown to be a better actor in his more recent work (Love Amidst in a Snowstorm, Love Like the Galaxy).
- 2nd FL (Zhao Lu Si) did an amazing job. She really portrayed the character development very well from a young, helpless, naive cry baby to a compassionate, determined and capable princess.
- 2nd Lead Couple (Princess Le Le Yuan and the guard Hao Du) were way more interesting than the main couple. Both actors showed believable character development and had great chemistry. I rooted for them from the start.
- The emperor Li Shi Min was very likeable and delivered a solid performance.
The Bad:
- FL (Dilralba) was a disappointing. This actress is better suited for support roles. She's beautiful, but her acting is mediocre. Her posture in this series was terrible, like a turtle with its neck stretched out. It was so distracting. Her portrayal of such a lofty character like Li Chang Ge was underwhelming. She failed to evoke any emotion from me.
- Main Lead Couple: zero chemistry between Ashile Sun and Li Chang Ge. They felt more like an older sister/brother relationship.
- Storyline: overall it was a solid storyline with some plot holes that made no sense. Li Chang Ge character was over emphasized too much that it became ridiculous at times. She's supposed to be a young teenage girl but somehow has convinced experienced generals, royal officials and tribe leaders to follow her lead in major warfare? She was supposed to be a skilled martial artist but couldn't beat royal guards and was always getting captured. She was constantly being saved by Ashile Sun.
- The slave girl (Mimi): how does a slave girl get to roam around at free will everywhere, be arrogant and demanding to people, etc. It just made no sense at all. She was a very annoying character.
OST: It was edgy and fits this type of storyline/series but it wasn't my favorite.
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well made drama worth watching
this was on netflix so i decided to watch it! binged all eps in 3-4 days time lol. definitely a solid 9 for me!there were many touching moments in the drama and personally, my fav couple was hao du and leyan. I hated that their first love line was in one of the first 5 eps and the next was 20+ eps away lol. And when leyan was lost, they did not show much on leyan or haodu but rather scenes less than 5 mins showing that haodu was finding her. This was quite sad cuz i do think their story deserves to be well developed in the earlier scenes. ok but they focus on the couple more in the later scenes so im cool. anyway just gotta give props to the team for casting zhao lusi and yu ning as leyan and hao du respectively. They look so good together. Does anyone here thinks hao du looks like wang yi bo in some angles too? or is it just me haha
The main couple!! super sweet! i didn’t realised leo wu was so much younger than dilereba and that probably answers for the lack of romantic scenes. I was expecting a proper kiss but all he gave was a peck hahaaha and another scene showing their lips nearing but damn no kiss :<
Talking about acting, delireba (li chang ge) amazed me. She portrayed her character very well. you could see that she was trying her best to show the emotions needed throughout the whole drama. Being pretty on screen wasn’t her priority. I’m just stating this because many other ancient cdramas i’ve watched have FL trying so hard to look good in every scenes, even crying scenes and that got me rolling my eyes. Delireba is different. you can see she really wants to do the best for the project she has taken on.
Leo wu (ah sun) is so handsome. I admit he does look like a softie at most times when he’s supposed to look tough all time. But that’s what makes him unique. A character appearing tough, yet soft for his loved ones. For that, he was definitely one of my fav characters in the show.
Anyway, give this drama a try. you won’t regret.
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BEST DRAMA EVER?!
Look… there are almost no dramas that pressure me into having dark eye bags for a month, but this one was THE exception. This drama had the best and most interesting storyline I had ever come across, with mysteries, royalty, history, and of course- beautiful romance. Additionally, the camera work and technical affects just increased my rating of this drama. However, most of all, the cast was just PER-FEC-TION. Perfection, I repeat. Dilraba is one of my favourite actresses of all time, not only her unparalleled beauty suiting Li Changge flawlessly, but also her amazing personality and talent. No other actress could replace her spot in this drama. Leo also gave me those rare goosebumps. There are no other words to put it- he was BORN for this. As a young actor with not many achievements yet, he shocked me completely by the way he portrayed his character. Last but certainly not least, Zhao Lusi was fitted the role of the princess so well, that I just had to watch her Romance of Tiger and Rose right after. Her chemistry with her co-actors are always awesome and she never disappoints me. The chemistry between the cast was all too good to be real- although it was, and that’s why I gave the drama a full rating. I should say no more, because you should get on to watching this drama now! Believe me, you won’t regret it! ;)Was this review helpful to you?
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─ does the glory really matter ?
After lingering on my to-watch list for some time, I finally delved into 'The Long Ballad'—and I'm truly glad that I did. The well-crafted storyline and character development kept me engaged from the very first episode, with each subsequent installment revealing more secrets and complexities. I especially appreciated the focus on narrative and characters over mere romance, exploring both Tang and Ashile cultures. Exploring the Ashile people's episodes was particularly refreshing to see ─ as it isn't so common to see such dramas explore historical incidents from their settings.The acting was remarkable across the board, with both leads and secondary characters delivering standout performances. Despite occasional moments where characters seemed to disappear, the drama ultimately struck a balance, allowing each character's development to shine. Another aspect I really liked is how both Li Changge and Ashile Sun were established as individuals ─ means we actually saw their morals, perspectives, and agency beyond just romantic involvement. They both had their own goals and protected each other while also caring for others which is not so common to see in dramas that prefer to focus on romance only.
Dilraba's portrayal of Changge's growth was particularly impressive, while Wu Lei's performance as Ashile Sun, especially in EP25 involving his mother's incident, was emotionally gripping.
While the director's style, especially evident in 'SOKP,' isn't entirely my cup of tea, I found the action scenes well-executed, particularly the Cuju game in EP1, which was truly epic. Occasionally, technical issues like echoes and camera positioning dampened the impact, but the strong storytelling and acting overshadowed these flaws.
The OSTs were a standout feature, as expected since I was familiar with some tracks even before watching the drama ─ and each song added depth to the storyline. The instrumentals were epic as well and showcases the hard work put in this project.
link to edit : https://youtu.be/BV1cR_6LW_Y
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A Balanced Story
The action is top notch, a thriller... deeply moving without being overly bloody. Maybe a little nitpick would be about the end... I kinda wanted more, but I have become used to the open-ended-ness of Cdramas. This one is one of the highly recommended, edge of your seat ones.Cinematography - awesomeness
Chemistry - sweetness
I adore Dilraba in her roles.... Leo Wu & Rosy Zhao outperformed themselves. The actors were brilliant in their positive and negative roles.
The other Khan boy - 😍
Hao Du - 😍
General A' Du - 🤩
Too many characters brought the stars out of my eyes
!!!
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An absolutely epic long ballad
Extremely rewarding drama. The main storyline is of such a rare quality, supported by a fantastic, generous and talented cast. This one is an emotional rollercoaster. Wu Lei and Dilraba Dilmurat are perfect. The production is highly qualitative and supported by a beautiful OST. Even if we are not granted any kiss scene between the leads, their romance is nonetheless really heart-fluttering and very gratifying and satisfactory nonetheless. Their expressions, the way they look at each others ….is one of a kind. All in all, one of the best dramas in its kind. I especially loved the growth of the two female leads, their long ballad towards true wisdom…Learning along the way that revenge as a goal in life is not worth pursuing, as its toll will always be more than what you bargained for…and such a waste of the precious time we have…Was this review helpful to you?
However, after watching episodes after episodes, I kinda like and enjoyed watching the second female and male lead story better than the main couple. Their character development, I thought is much better and you will see them grow and change as the story progresses. The other supporting characters, for me is also more interesting.
Overall, this is quite a good watch. The pacing is good, some episodes end with a cliffhanger to keep you interested. The politics part of the story doesn't interest me as much but I guess it's essential to the whole story. There are some cute moments, especially with Zhao Lu Si's and Liu Yu Ning's character.
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A Blossom of love in the Midst of War
When I first saw the drama plot and eps I said to myself "so much eps to watch is there going to be misunderstandings between the leads" then I started to watch and got attached to it I loved the way they fought for survival and the military strategiesIn my heart, this drama is irreplaceable because in the drama we see love, war, sacrifice fighting for what you believe in, etc.
Every character in this drama is amazing I think we learn a lot of things about life as we understand these characters.
One thing I learned is that "No matter if you hurt the person you love you will do whatever it takes to save them."
Li Chang Ge and Ashile Sun are one-of-a-kind characters because of the war they fight for what they believe in, how they trust each other, and how they know what each is thinking is impressive.
This drama has the blend of everything I love in a drama.
You will never regret watching it.
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