The Long Ballad

Revenge will not bring you peace, but friends and love can do it

The long ballad is one of the first Chinese dramas I've ever seen, and after watching it, I was sad that it was over.

+ The atmosphere that carried the story forced me to look further and further, and I don't remember an episode in which event wouldn't take place.
+ Plot almost didn't stand at all and it was very easy to find out where something was going on.
+ Most of the war scenes, as well as several others, were carried in a cartoon version, which only made the whole drama special.
+ There was not a single character that would obstract me at the end.
+ The chemistry between Li Chang Ge and Ashile Sun was evident.
+ Until the last moment, I wasn't know the end.
- At the beginning, Li Chang Ge was little bit annoying, but as I said before, I noticed a big change of herself in the end.

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This is perfection.

I finished this show within 3 days, then rewatched again right after. I love absolutely everything about this show to bits (oh well except Mimi!). It is a masterpiece. I have been looking with no success for something equally good or better. Nothing has come close..yet.

First of all, can we all just acknowledge that this show’s cast are not only beautiful but portrayed brilliantly in each of their own roles. I became aware of Dilreba in You Are My Glory, but her performance in The Long Ballad made me her fan. Great performance!

And then there’s Wu Lei, look he didn’t made much of an impression when I first saw him in Fight Break Sphere, and in fact I haven’t finished that show (I have to confess, I watched it because of Xiao Zhan and Gu Jia Cheng), but I kinda got bored. Then I tried TLB out of curiosity, and the the next thing I know I now worship Wu Lei. I never knew him as a child actor so that didn’t influence my bias. Contrary to whatever else were saying, I cannot imagine any other actor playing Ashile Sun. He is and will always be Ashile Sun. Period. Fantastic performance, I can watch him over and over again. The way he conveys his emotions with his eyes. If looks could kill. Oh my goodness. He perfected “the looook”. I also adore his Eagle Division brothers.

The story is phenomenal. Right from the first 15 minutes of the first episode, I felt the spark of excitement and I was hooked. It was truly riveting and every scene with Ashile Sun and Li Changge is impactful. That Cuju game was everything.
TLB had all the elements that I love in this genre, hidden identity, strong FL and ML, intrigue, hidden plots, revenge, war, politics, enemies to lovers. Amazing, it is just amazing. I cannot stress how beautiful the cinematography is as well. Episode 15 with Li Changge’s surrender to Ashile Sun, that scene is epic and beautiful. The soundtrack is also great.

A lot of the gripe that I have seen is the lack of romance. I personally think it just had the right amount of romance. Everytime Ashile Sun shows his love thru actions and words, it gives me the feels. I also wasn’t bothered by that blurred out kiss. And the ending, while everyone were wishing to have more lovey dovey at the end, I think its just fitting.

This must be the longest review I have written to date. Look, do yourself a favor and watch TLB. This one show with some serious epic chops. I haven’t seen anything yet that is just as good!

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Roll eyes drama

Whenever I see the lead female protagonist come into action , I’m really rolling my eyes all the way. All she does is “act smart “ , act benevolent , create trouble and others , causing others to die cos of her stupid decisions . She’s really not very intelligent but she thinks she is . This occurs throughout the whole drama and I wonder why the lead actor will fall in love with a woman like her . She should just die in the 1st epi along with her family . Reminds me of another drama love like a galaxy . Not sure why the directors recently like to portray the “strong “ female characters and overdo it . Just so lame .

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Amazing Cast

I internally debated whether to watch this drama while it’s airing or watch it when it’s completed because I absolutely didn’t want to invest many hours into a 50 episodes drama and then be disappointed by the ending. However, there was just something about the cinematography that presses me to give it a shot and 18 episodes later, I am refreshing sites every hour just to get a glimpse of news, bts or spoilers on new episodes. I am neither a fan of the lead CP, but I am definitely a fan of their acting in this drama. Leo Wu is an amazing young experienced actor and I am so happy to see that he has grown up so well. The story line remains to be seen since we are only 1/3 into the journey, but it has been an amazing roller coaster ride so far. This is the only drama that has motivated me to leave a review, and that speaks volume of how much I am enjoying it.

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Okay to watch if you want to pass the time

Overall the drama was mediocre. A typical strong female revenge drama but failed to give much depth. The show lacks balance between the protagonists and the antagonists. The screen time was dominated with the main leads that it left no room for it's villains and secondary characters. This leaves me feeling disconnected with the drama. Without the focus on other characters the story tends to become irrational and ridiculous. I cannot for the life of me believe that during that era a Prime Minister would let a 15 year old girl command soldiers. Nor can I believe a King would only deploy one guard to find a Crown Princess. If you are willing to throw out your common sense and just want to indulge in looking at pretty people falling in love then this drama is for you. What this drama end up being was two beautiful main leads and their love story because that is the only thing that seems to be shot well in this drama but it's not enough to make me want to continue. The revenge aspect got lost by the middle of the drama and soon you're left with wondering what is the point in all this? Too many simple questions left unanswered throughout the entire drama. It's one of those dramas where you can just watch clips and be fine with it because the story as a whole was disappointing.

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Anticipating...

This is an amazing drama!!!!!
It is well portrayed and the storyline is well written. The characters are acted out so well and the cast is chosen perfectly and they have done justice to the characters. It is one of the few dramas that actually make you feels so engrossed into the story that you want to keep watching it to find out what happens next and I have got to hand it out to the scriptwriters and the manhua's author as they have written a great piece of work.
I loved every plot and line the actors spoke and how interesting it felt at every moment and scene. Though I've only watched a few episodes of what they have released but I can tell it will and is gonna be one of my favorite dramas out there. This may also be because I really like the male lead and his works but regardless it was worth the while and time.
The music and ost's were again chosen perfectly the were an amazing fit to the plot, they were made and directed very nicely. Tencent video is actually a very good online video streaming platform where almost all dramas are binge worthy(not too twisted).
I totally recommend watching this and if you want similar works just check out the recommendations I made on the recommendations page.
Hope ya'll definitely check this out!!!

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The Long Snore 无聊

This was one long boring Historical CDrama. GF and I kept trying to slog through it, finally throwing the towel in the thirtyish episode. Initially it was sort of decent, the FL is a strong character who is tough and has exceptional martial arts skills. She is hell bent on revenge for what was done to her and her family.

The memorable part of the FL's initial interaction with the ML is the competion with the ML in the Cuju match scene. I really enjoyed the Cuju match which is an ancient sports game going back to the Han Dynasty popular in the military and royalty. I felt it was executed beautifully although I cannot attest to the historical accuracy of the game play.

However, the story line and plotting became a big drag of revenge and messy plotting of political intrigue. Too many filler side stories and dragging things out un-necessarily. No chemistry between the leads, it felt like they would be better as siblings than lovers. The SML character who falls in love with the FL is annoying, not talking about the actor himself but the role. I don't know if the SML role was used as a contrast to the ML as a way to prop up the ML to the viewers; he was weak willed and undecisive. The princess SFL was also weak and fragile. It got annoying when she kept crying all the time, she does mature more later on as she goes through some hardships. The guard dude SML with the princess SFL chemistry was better and the love story between them was more engaging than the leads. You end up rooting more for them than anyone else.

Since its a big budget show, I need not say more on the production quality of the series. The acting was okay, the ML is on the stiff and wooden end of things. The FL and princess SFL did a pretty good job in their roles despite a messy drawn out storyline.

If one has insomnia and wants something to help them fall asleep, this might be the show for it.

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Amazing cast saves the day!

I really enjoyed this drama but unfortunately I have some complains.
At times I felt like it was dragging. One moment it was very slow-paced and repeating things we already knew and the next (especially towards the end) it felt rushed! Also, personally, it felt like the production's budget was limited. I say this mostly because of the fighting scenes that were animated (and poorly at that), but it goes even further than this. The spaces-locations that were shown were numbered. We were almost always shown the crown prince/king in his chambers. Εven when the ministers came to discuss with him, it was still in his room, we never saw the court meeting even at perilous times. Additionally, in the drama Li Le Yan was loved a lot by her father (the emperor) so it makes zero sense for her wedding to be that simple. Even if they wanted a simpler wedding (which cannot happen due to customs at the time) she would still wear an extremely elaborate dress.
What saved the drama for me, was the amazing cast! The acting was great and at times brilliant. The scenes where the ml lost his mother or when the fl lost A dou were tear jerking . Some award worthy performances were given by Zhao Lusi ( for example when her little companion passed away and when Hao Du was fighting for her with Ashile SheEr). I especially liked the chemistry of Zhao lusi and Liu Yu Ning as Li Le Yan and Hao Dou . And if I am being completely honest, I have to admit that this couple was at times more appealing and interesting to me that the main one.
On another note I enjoyed the OSTs and the opening was amazing (both the music and video)!
All in all, I really liked the story, though I do believe it could have been a little more well written. It's a good drama, which becomes a great one, because of the cast. Would probably re-watch (with a lot of skips).

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Truly a long ballad!

To be honest, this is my third time rewatching this drama as I have watched it before and every time it is just as good. I don't think I can ever get sick of this drama. The acting, to the story, to the production are all chef's kiss. This is one of the few dramas I've watched that made me feel this way. Although 49 eps seems long when watching it, it really isnt. Each episode is filled with entertainment you can never really get sick of. I genuinely cannot find another drama as amazing as this one. It has everything you need and would like in one drama. Truly a masterpiece.

Story :
The story speaks about the history of Da Tang, which is the mainland and most popular land in the olden days of China. The emperor in this drama, Li Shimin is an actual person in ancient chinese history. He was one of the best emperor China has seen. This drama focuses on the life of a rebel princess, Li Changge, going through hardships and learning valuable lessons. I love how the story never stirred away from the main plot and always focused on Changge and all her experiences. Typically dramas with a lot of episodes tend to get lost in the middle, but this drama stayed on point throughout all 49 episodes so props to the director and producers. The way Changge wanted revenge on the person who killed her family but ended giving that up as she realised that would not bring peace, but more suffering. The symbolism in this drama was also amazing, the way the beginning and the ending mirrors each other makes the ending all the more satisfying.

CGI:
The CGI was really good. I love how some parts of the drama the producers imputed ani8mated scenes because some people cannot handle people dying or like a mass slaughter. This helps all viewers enojoy the show without leaving anyone uncomfortable. The costumes were also really good, especially the ashele ren's. The long hair and head pieces, looks way better than the tang outfits, in my opinion. Very well done!

Music :
The music was perfect! The beginning song/OST is one of my favorite songs everrrr. It's soo good, literally gives me chills. Tyhe whole soundtrack was amazing as well. The actor who plays Hao du(Liu yunning) is an amazing singer, a lot of the songs in this drama and other dramas are sang by him. Music was perfect, the way the music matches the situation, and how whenever we see ashelesun or the egale tribe, or any other grassland tribe had their own like intro music which really fit their situation and their like culture, if that makes sense.

Acting:
The acting was really good by the cast. This is the first drama I watched with wu lei, and boy let mje tell you he shined. I heard of hipm from Nirvana in fire, but he 2was very young in that show, so seeing how much he grown and how he is able to bring such a complicated character to life amazes me. For only being 21 years old, he did an amazing job. Dilireba, as a mazing as always! Her acting never disappoints, she always manages to slay her roles but i feel like the role of Li Changge was meant for her, I genuinely cannot imagine another person playing this role. Zhao lusi also did amazing, I love her character. The way her character used to be a scared little girl who always cried and needed protection to being able to stand up for herself was amazing. Zhao lusi really portrayed this role so well, Well done to all the actors and actresses in this drama, everyone did amazing. I also want to applaud the emperor's acting, you could really feel his pain when he heard that Li Changge died, and the way he loved his people and wanted nothing but peace for everyone. The chemistry between wu lei and reba was off the charts!! The way you cant even feel a big age difference bc they made their relationship so comfortable and nothing awkward between them. I genuinely want to see them in another drama together cuz they did amazing. The character development of every character was amazing, some realized the path they want to take, others realized they been looking at the situation all wrong and some gained confidence in themselves. The changes really show how time and a journey could change someone.

Ending:
The ending was amazing, a perfect ending really. We got to see our main couple have a happy ending. I love how neither the main couple or second lead couple had to say the words "I love you" to the other, it really shows more symbolism, like i dont need to say it to show you i love you. The way they let their actions show how they feel was so sweet. The ending where they managed to fight the evil person and bring peace to the whole world, where there is no more fighting bc at the end the people suffering the most is the citizens, who are innocent. A perfect ending for everyone, kinda feel sorry for mujin tho, he lost the love of his life, wish they could have gotten a happy ending.

Overall an amazing drama!!!! Will definitely rewatch and never get tired of it <3333

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Great plot!

I only watched this because of Zhao Lusi lol. The story is good but I only cared for the Li Le Yan and Hao Du scenes. 🤣
Honestly, I skipped majority (knew enough about what was going on) and watched Le Yan and Hao Du. I LOVE them. They were adorable. The other main lead couple is cute as well.
I wish it showed more of Du and LeYan. They are considered main roles too. I figured it'd show more so....BUT their love story and how it happened. She could rely on Du and he never disappoints. Yeah he followed Le Yan cause of her sister etc but I could tell he really liked her. When she slapped him, I'm like oh s***, girllll but then he cried. I cried with him. 😭😭 I knew Du liked her from episode 1. The stank eyes he gives Wei Shu Yu throughout series was funny. Also, am AMAZING ending for them 🥰
Now Chang Ge and Ashile Sun had a good ending I suppose. I was hoping she would go back to at least visit and all instead of like basically gonna cut everyone out. I get it but she should also think of her sister, Li Le Yan. ☹️
Overall, I enjoyed it and will definitely be watching again. (Mainly for Li Le Yan and Hao Du)

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Chef's Kiss kind of Chinese Drama

Let me first start on its introduction, it wasn't as impactful as every other scenes but it created a pathway for a great story to unfold.

If anyone says anything bad about this story regarding its pacing, then maybe they can't stand such a propely paced story at all. I love how the characters weren't rushed into having their character development, unlike other dramas do (like literal two episodes and they're completely overturned in terms of personality lol). Definitely an top tier on the factor of character development, especially the villains. All of them were so well-written in why they ended up turning like that. My personal favorite was Hao Du, loved how he started from killing anyone that goes against the way of his mission to a literal sweatheart to his wife and serving her every needs even if it cost him his own life.

Now the actors and actresses, they picked the people on point! Dilrabra and Wu lei performed sooo well in this drama, struck my heart with their talents and skills like a cupid <33 love them. I also appreciate Zhao Lusi a lot, she's a very popular actress now, and this is one of her earlier dramas, she really is a talented actress. Liu Yuning was also phenomenal here, although he had small screen time compared to the main characters, his acting was showcaswed.

AND NOW the certainly most unique part of this drama, the one that really brings the flavour out... the world building! (well for me) I love how the story sequenced its events, which made out a sort of map on its viewers mind what kind world is being built for the watchers out there, and it was certainly not a bore. I really liked how they showed that on our Female Lead's Journey, her from her birth place and being a commander to military advisor to different places along with leading armies which kind of highly aided to how the world building was created beautifully!

Overall, this was such a good show! one of the best if you ask me! I'm so looking forward for the drama's of Dilrabra, Wulei, Lusi, and Yuning this year!!

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