The Long Ballad

More action and growing, than romance – loved it for that.

Given the fact, it's a story based on manhua, it has its own rights on how to tell the story. On top of that, compared to the original manhua I really loved the job crew did on giving the characters more depth and explaining the story in more logic way.


Plot: 9
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★★★★★ Main idea:
--> Very strong, intriguing and well thought out.
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★★★☆☆ Logic:
--> Plot sort of makes sense, but especially in the second half there are many unreasonable and annoying twists that disturb the overall impression from the story. It lost the continuity, the original plot was somewhat forgotten and there started to be too many other new short plots and characters, which made me lose my focus and get a bit bored.
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★★★★★ Pace:
--> Although I would personally end the story somewhere halfway through and considered it perfect, the story has so many great characters, one simply seeks to stay with them a little longer, even if the plot loses its pace.
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★★★★★ Impression:
--> Still can't stop thinking about it.
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★★★★★ Skip rate:
--> Didn't skip anything, on the contrary, it made me watch it twice in a row.
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★★★★★ Annoying factors:
--> The annoyance is well balanced with fascination, so it’s fair and square not to reduce any points.


Characters: 9,5
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★★★★★ Lead 1 - Ashile Sun:
--> Ashile Sun is a textbook example of a typical hero – clever, patient, loyal, cunning, great fighter, always survives, always outsmarts the opponent, lenient, strong and protective… He is so annoyingly flawless it would make one sick. And yet, precisely this type of non-existent perfection is why we watch romance dramas.
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★★★☆☆ Lead 2 - Li Changge:
--> I loved this strong-minded, brave and cunning girl in the first half of the series. And yet I got a bit annoyed by her in the second half, hating her constantly running around doing whatever she liked with zero consideration of the aftermath.
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★★★★★ Overacting:
--> Kind of cute or absent.
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★★★★★ Acting:
--> Actors are great, very talented.
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★★★★★ Annoyance level:
--> Not annoyed at all. There are plenty of excellently profiled characters, even some minor side characters have well thought out personalities, which completes the overall atmosphere.


Background: 10
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★★★★★ Soundtrack:
--> Absolutely loved it.
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★★★★★ Visuals (camera, scenery, visual effects, ...):
--> Absolutely loved it. Some scenes are drawn and presented as the actual manhua, and it was splendid. Other than that, there were many impressive fighting scenes, completing the great impression.
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★★★★★ Wardrobe (costumes, hairstyles, makeup, ...):
--> Absolutely loved it.


Rewatch value: 10
I assess this value based on impression, skip rate, annoyance level and overall preference.


Final verdict: 9,5
I actually think the drama is way too much better than the original and I was really impressed. I am willing to forgive all queerness and imperfections, since there were many other factors making up for it.

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The most underated chinese drama

First of all the main character is pretty and she looks good in the drama. The storyline was so good. Dilireba sacrifice herself fitting in custome that suit with the original comics, that get some bad review on weibo. She even cut off some of her eyebrown to pair this character. In this drama, change is bringing live to reallife by her amazing acting skill. Her acting skill are superior which can makes me cry over her.

ROMANCE:
Romances are slow burns but they are built from the first episode and were really wonderful! The main couple spoiled us with beautiful scenes and incredible dialogue throughout the drama.


OST:
It is certainly one of the most beautiful OST there is. All the songs fit wonderfully into the drama

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Not perfect but it was good? Enjoyed the anime that was included here and there

A good historical romance series. Enjoyed it.

******SMALL SPOILER ********

Story: 9 well written with well thought out plots, character building and everything nicely tied up.

Acting : 8.5 All actors did a great job at portraying their respective characters. Leo Wu and Dilraba Dilmurat did well but chemistry between them was just not there making it hard to believe they are in love. Zhao Lusi and Liu Yuning did great and their 'love' was believable, as well as that of Xiyue Cao and Yi Daqian's.

Production and Visual FX : 8.5 enjoyed the anime that was included here and there. Costumes for the Ashile tribe and other tribes were great especially that of Ashile Sun (Leo Wu)

OST: 9 loved all the songs used and sound effects were just right.

Rewatch value : 0 Even though I enjoyed it I don't think I will rewatch it and there's also no single episode that wowed me in such a way that I would pin it to watch again later.

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Over all good. But once again, rushed ending with short lived victories

Life is too short for stressful drama. Why spend all that time watching and be stressed? Don’t our lives already provide enough of that? Over all pretty good. But once again, rushed ending and victory celebration and extended aftermath is not there

Summary of the series:
- Some tear jerking, medium hearted with some action/rom; series had good but not great flow, some stress watching it; enjoy some of the action
- cute romance, a bit of a slow burn
- a bunch of holes in the plot like who would leave a princess unattended with not even one guard? stupid like a few other places
- simpatico characters but smart characters; lead characters endure lots
- like a little bit of mystery mixed in there but reveals towards the end
- ML is brave, one track minded
- FL is smart, but still suffers greatly due to her naive character
- some villains, long struggles, calamity and miscommunications to cause more drama for the series
- main characters was able to figure everything out but comes with big sacrifices
- closure ending, but ends shortly; I wish they extend the ending to show us the joy we been waiting for and that was build up

ok to watch once, good series with some action: recommended to watch for sure but you may need to fast forward some parts

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A high-budget production that sets off the imagination

I think what The Long Ballad does best is paint a picture of a time long ago, a land far away. It’s very evocative and really set off my imagination. It also inspired me to spend hours on Wikipedia reading about the Tang dynasty, the Ashina tribe, and so on… later when I checked up reviews, I realized I was not the only one! You know a show is doing something right when it inspires so many people to start googling.

TLB has a high budget feel. I saw some Behind the Scenes videos that discussed the production, set design, costume making, music, etc. A lot of thought and effort went into all these things. I really liked the music, both songs and BGM (which used instruments from around the world). Other details stood out too, like Ashile Sun’s furry costume which had Wu Lei sweating during filming. The presence of such fully produced BTS in and of itself is, I think, another example of all the effort that went into this show.

All the attention to detail really paid off in capturing a certain feeling of a bustling, distant past. This is a good example of lots of little details adding up to elevate a show.

TLB is not just set in a historical time period, but actually features real historical figures and events (thus inspiring my Wikipedia binge). Bold. In general, I think it’s hard for historical fiction to steer too close to real-life figures, because then it’s bound by recorded history. …this show sort of just tossed all that aside and bent history as necessary. I for one didn’t mind as I still enjoyed the story, and we don’t watch Cdramas for logic or historical accuracy.

Character-wise, Li Changge is the eponymous FL and much of the story follows her journey after her world is turned upside down. I personally found her character really irritating for awhile, as she does a lot of drastic, hostile things without first understanding the situation, which is clearly more than what it seems. Perhaps this is all we can expect from a child (the show is vague about her age, which I think is the right move; historically, an unmarried Tang princess would have been too young for this entire thing to work out). However, I’m not that interested in watching children be children.

Luckily she stops short of being truly unlikeable, because through it all she hangs onto her conscience and an overall picture of the greater good. And her difficult personality sets the stage for some character growth. She’s tough and capable, and after she grows up a little I began to see her more as lost than anything else, and then I could sympathize with her.

The male lead, Ashile Sun, is (as I saw somebody describe) the “perfect boyfriend”. He is really badass, but also so sweet to her and always watching out for her. As an aside, the number of coincidental run-ins he has with Li Changge in the first quarter or so of the show, across such a large city/nation, is a stretch even for a drama. Gosh, I wish I were also always randomly running into a hot mysterious stranger.

The thing is, with Changge, Sun, and the romance between them- all three of these things- I liked them and was invested in their story for awhile, but sort of lost interest as the show went on. Luckily, the second couple has a very sweet story that picks up as the first one is getting less interesting. I liked Li Leyan’s character arc because she never pretended to be extraordinary or even capable, but you can see how she was forced to grow. Props to Zhao Lusi for playing, as she herself said, a character very different from her own personality.

There are a lot of other characters in this show, that come, go, and sometimes come back. It’s a great cast and I liked most of them. Except maybe Mimi… sorry, Mimi.

And all the acting was quite good, both from main and side actors. Pay attention, for example, to some of the older actors- some of them were really exceptional.

Technique-wise, this show is not quite a wuxia, so while there are some stunts, there’s a minimum of flying people, flashy choreographed fight scenes with unnecessary spins, and so on. It’s more “realistic”. There is a little sloppiness sometimes (uncontrolled sword strikes, arrows shot from the chest, etc), but the archery at least is mostly solid, (almost) none of those funny arrow grips you see sometimes. I always find it fun to see who rides their own horse; several of the actors here seemed to be decent riders, and Wu Lei stood out enough that I googled and found out he’s been riding since he was young.

Stylistically, this show pays homage to its comic book source material with some manhua cutscenes at key points (still frames in sequence, not moving), as well as random scenes with actors in front of green screens. Some people liked them; I personally did not. But I’m here for the story, so something like that wouldn’t stop me from watching.

I’ll just close off by saying that this is not a lighthearted, feel-good show. It’s not as dark or depressing as some shows can be, and has some fun moments (like that whacko COVID dance), but I cried more than I laughed. After watching this, I had to cheer myself up by watching only lighthearted shows for several months.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





The ending is mostly happy, and does sort of tie things up as well as give you a hint as to where some of the characters end up. I wouldn’t exactly call it satisfying, but by Cdrama standards it’s not that bad. I had read in some other reviews that it’s an open ending, so I thought they would just tie up the main conflict and that’s that. What we got I would consider to be a bit more than an open ending, so it’s already better than I expected… but that’s a low bar.

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Drama with amazing characters and interactions

Even supporting characters are all amazing! ML and FL have interactions with supporting characters that will be so interesting to follow. They will go through development, not just serious of conversations. All cast is amazing, and they really each have a unique contribution you will like them for. The good thing, there is no actual villain, just many desinformed people, navigating their way through confusion, forgiveness, personal growth into a better character. Actually there is one villain, but almost irrelevant to the main plot.

ML - Wu Lei is magnificent as always. He delivers an amazing character once again, and he is so good at these powerful, skilled men roles, and on the other hand he can be so gentle with the FL- even without the kiss, just the body language and eyes he can make you feel chemistry.
FL - this is in my opinion shortcoming of this drama, to boyish, and there are many good dramas with boyish FL, but she rejected ML to many times, and when she accepted him, it was so meh as if she was just kind, no love in her eyes or body language whatsoever. Maybe it is poorly written FL. For me, she was kind and genuine, and skilled, but lacked to recognise logic. There are several things she did that are complete dumbass move, and ML warned her about it, but trying to be independent she was stupid. And instead of apologising and fixing as the real hero would, she went into pitty mode.

Emperor - the first time in C drama that emperor is kinda hot. Righteous, and has something.
Hao Du - the way love transformed him, for me they were the lead couple. And from the "villain" start to genuine kind guy, so cool.
Yong An - the way life and situations transformed her, also her growth in every sense, professionally and as a person.
Du Ru Hui - not your typical boring righteous minister. He has heart
Brother Shuyu - is so perfectly miserable in love, but has dignity, not one of those pitiful or villain second ML. Although with the FL as she is, he would be a better fit.

Some boring characters - Mimi, Kathun, they are a drag. Princess Tujia, too much time screen time on irrelevant character that has insignificant effect on the main plot. Without the character you wouldn't miss anything in the plot.

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Good drama about Loyalty and Love

It was really enjoyable because we can see the character development of some characters, and all the actions and strategies to fight wars. I think I couldn't give a good review this time bcs I didn't finish this drama in one go. I paused watching it when there was still 5 eps left ughh bcs life intruded and only got to finish it about half a month later.

ML, Ashile Sun/Falcon or A'Zhun, was a general and leader to the Eagle Division of Asher Tribe. He was ruthless, intelligent and very very good at strategies when it came to war or dire situations.

FL, Li Change or Shisi, was a princess to former CP of Tang Dynasty. Earlier, she was filled with fire to avenge her family and so she was a bit brash wanting to start war against the current Emperor. But she experienced some hard lives and realised that she still a princess that had responsibility to protect the citizens of Tang Dynasty so she underwent character development after all of that. It really help that she met with righteous people (shout out to Gongsun Heng!). Changge also the same with ML in the sense that she was very good at strategies. She was very loyal and affectionate to people who treated her well even though she was not really that friendly. She really was not the typical noble lady.

The romance between both of them was slow burn bcs they started as friends but Ashile Sun liked her first and wld do anything for her. Later, Changge wld do the same for him. But really ML did everything everything for her like I think he loved her more. He was so sweet.

One of the the things I love about this drama, some characters that I liked at the start became the face that I didn't want to see later and while some I hated but really really love him now. Talking about Wei Shuyu and Hao Du.

I am so glad that A'Sun and She'er still hv a good siblings relationship. I love love love that we got other couples stories even tho... only one can get a happy ending :\. Anyway, this was random but I'm glad that Great Khan/Yanli Khan suffered for a long time even though A'Sun was still being a filial son to him. Serve him right!! The way he treated both A'Sun and She'er was not fair to them.

I am contemplating to give it 9 or 8.5 stars rating because the ending wasn't giving that much to me. I need more. I need to see how Changge's daily life with A'Sun, how the tribe fared, how our second couple doing too. Myb I'll change my rating if I get the mood to rewatch it... Who knows.

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You will have a hard time moving on

I rarely write full on reviews for dramas, but leave a comment. However, this drama just needed one. I spent the past week trying to really comprehend how we came to love TLB.
First off, both main leads are very strong and loyal to their countries. What made it a success I have to say about it, is the fact that throughout the whole drama they both remain that way. They don't compromise or suddenly put their loyalty on the burner side as their relationship grows. I think this was a breath of fresh air cause many times in such enemy-to-lovers tropes, one always starts compromising their family or country all in the name of love.
Secondly, it really does a good job of showing how complex human beings can be. Not every emotion is black and white in real life and TLB characters all exhibited this very beautifully. We are forced to make decisions out of hard predicaments and while in the moment they seem right, in the long run it can be detrimental. But how do you reconcile all those emotions? It's truly phenomenal how characters exhibited such inner struggles.
Thirdly, life is a journey and seasons change include relationships, goals and hopes. Several characters had to learn this one way of the other. As a result, the story never dulls down so much. There is always a relationshio and dynamic being tested, shifting, leaving room for us as watchers to be engaged throughout.
Honestly, this is the tip of the iceberg about the great things in TLB. I have not been able to move on. I keep longing to see a drama that has a wonderful balance between all characters. Will I rewatch this drama? A lot of times. Should you try it if you haven't already? For sure.

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ASHILE SUN IS A GREEN FLAG

Watched this show two years ago, but I still heavily regard it as one of my favorites. I love watching historical dramas but usually have a hard time finishing them. I recall staying up so late and binging this all in 2 days.

Sure there are some parts that could've been better. I am drawn to stories with a strong, smart FL and Li Changge was frustrating at times because she made rash, impulsive decisions. As a viewer, you forgive and commend her for her bravery and loyalty. I take into account that she is supposed to be very young, and this all plays a role in her character development. Love when a FL can fight and hold her own.

Wu Lei's acting was really good despite how young he is; he is showing his experience and dedication to acting. TLB made me a fan, and since then have looked forward to his works. I was also disappointed in the romance scenes, but given how young Wu Lei probably was when they filmed, it kind of makes sense. However, I really really enjoyed Ashile Sun's character and his own way of protecting Changge. For me, the chemistry and love was there. I usually can't stand too many lovey dovey scenes, and rather enjoyed the glances and small details. Like most viewers did, Ashile's character was the most likeable and memorable.

Rewatch value: 7.5/10 I rewatched it back then when I was more invested in the storyline. I enjoyed the soundtrack and honestly didn't mind the illustrations.

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WOW!

ok first of all, I love the plot it was constructed so beautifully. The actors did really well in portraying the characters. Everytime the ml appeared, i screamed because he's rlly fine but also his words were so sweet. when they had their first kiss, it didn't match the level of excitement i felt for their other scenes bc the ml really showed his love through actions and words. Along with that, the fl was super cool and smart and everything was under her control. Their relationship was adorable but im a bit disappointed because I feel that their love story wasn't really completed. I really wish there was an extra episode to finish off all the tiny side stories too. I wanted to see ashile sun tell changge his last wish (to marry her hehe) and a wedding, i wanted to see him and sher drink together, and for his father to get better again. I could not stop watching, i would literally pull out my phone to watch it in school. I love the hidden identity trope too so this drama was perfect for me. There weren't any embarrassing scenes and the love was adorable but not to the point where it made me cringe. Im so jealous i want someone to look at me like how sun looks at changge! Each episode was interesting and it was never boring at all. usually i dont like rewatching dramas but i can totally see myself watching this one again. The fight scenes were amazing and I love how all the friends changge made went to go help her at the end. It's most definitely a slowburn but their love story started from the first episode and was realistically developed. they respected each other and there weren't any silly misunderstandings. ALSO they were both powerful on their own but when they were together it was just awesome!! He cared for her in his own way and they were willing to sacrifice themselves for each other. Their chemistry is unmatched and that’s not even the main focus of this drama! The ost fits the mood very well. I don’t think I will ever get over it. This cdrama was so beautiful and I loved it! im sad I finished it :(

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