The Long Ballad

The Ultimate Mary Sue

According to my dictionary, a "Mary Sue" is a female character who is unrealistically lacking in flaws or weaknesses. There's little else to add to this when using it to describe Changge. I don't mind (and rather like) a hero who does less than acceptable things and even terrible things, and then slowly grows and evolves. I'm not sure how many episodes I made it through, ten or so. Changge most emphatically had no weaknesses. What was so much worse, however, was that her many (many) flaws were depicted as not her fault. Within those episodes that I watched, she did so many truly selfish, selfish things and every time she, and other characters, shrugged it off as somehow her right given her situation. And again and again she was treated like a godlike entity of ultimate, singular, isolated perfection. I felt like I was reading a Nancy Drew book.

I simply couldn't tolerate her. Enormously unlikable character completely wrapped in Mary Sue-level armor to a point that created a plot comprised exclusively of deus ex machinas. Her storyline is predictable, flat and made dull by her general unlikability. I have no interest in her sorrows or sufferings given her scoldy moralizing and petty, immature self-righteousness. Her anger and pain are robbed of their weight by her need to place herself – as victim – in a place of greater importance than anyone else in existence. I can't abide a hero who uses their own pain to justify causing pain to others. Nor can I abide a story that refuses to acknowledge such behavior as selfish to the point of iniquity, but rather portrays it as if it's some vindicable complexity. And I can't tolerate a character who is treated like a hero despite the fact that they do not behave like one. If she's meant to grow, perhaps that will make up for this, but from what I can glean from the reviews, what growth occurs doesn't happen till late. I'm uninterested in sitting through dozens more episodes of her current behavior when there are too many other things on my list.

I would consider watching only the parts with Hao Du, as he is arguably the most interesting character, but I'm not sure it's worth it. And as it stands right now, the thought of watching one more frame of Changge makes me want to chew glass.

If the story had been worthwhile I might not have even minded those truly, truly dreadful cuts to animation at the moments of big action scenes. But that was really the horrible icing on the pain cake. What a terrible decision.

Read More

I watched this drama up to episode 18, then decided to quit. It did not hold my interest and was unrealistic in some areas. Too much attention on the FL. She is portrayed as being more intelligent in military strategy than the military general and all the thousands of soldiers in the army. Just does not make sense in this area. It dragged too much. Also she does not look like a man at all. Dead give away is no adam's apple and her voice sounds like a woman. The ML did a good job for what I watched. The main leads were not a good match. Not worth an 8.6 rating to me.

Read More

Why people make such a big deal about the main lead age difference is beyond me!! They are great actors & deserve all the praise for their work.

I started watching this series after Love Like The Galaxy. I became a fan of Wu Lei after watching him in Love Like The Galaxy. He is such a mature actor & good at expressing every kind of emotion at such a young age. It's astonishing.

Why were people so disappointed with the parrot scene? I mean not every C-Drama has a proper kissing scene. You can literally count C-Drama, which as a proper kissing scene. If you are so disappointed about not getting a proper kissing scene, then better watch Hollywood, they won't disappoint you, I promise.

Liked the idea of showing the comic illustration in between scenes. A unique & different screenplay. I like the cinematography.

Hated that they used voice over. Why in every Wuxia & Xianxia series has to use voice over. It's irritating.

Loved Li Chang Ge & Ashile Sun first met. It was so simple & casual. No dramatic eye contact, falling & catching nothing, just a simple look at each other. They have such a mature & understanding relationship. They didn't need to express their love for one another, they knew their love for each other. Love that Ashile Sun asked permission for Li Chang Ge's mother to marry her. Loved the scene where Li Chang Ge gets to know that A'Zhun is Tegin. Fall in love with the way Ashile Sun removed his mask with a style. Love their football game.

It was funny to see the scene where Ashile Sun holds Li Le Yan by the knife in her neck, where in Love Like The Galaxy, he is desperate to save her.

Li Le Yan is the opposite of Cheng Shaoshang. She is naive, doesn't know anything, can easily be fooled. But she changed a lot after being missing for a long time. She understood people's suffering & started on a journey to help people. Li Le Yan crying for Xiao Wu & Hao Du, becoming emotional. He fell in love with her after seeing the change in her.

A'Dor & Li Chang Ge's last scene was so emotional. Scene of Ashile Sun's mother dying was very heartbreaking, it was more heartbreaking after seeing Wu Lei's acting. He is phenomenal with his acting skills, he nailed it. The fighting scene he did after his mother's death was nicely choreographed.

Liked the fighting sequence between Li Chang Ge & Situ Lang Lang. It was funny to see Sun & Xu Feng fighting & Qin Lao eating without care & Luo Shi Ba is totally confused.

Surprised to see Du Ru Hui taking Hao Du feeling for Li Le Yan so easily. I thought he would be angry & oppose Hao Du's feelings for her, but he was rather supportive about it, even encouraging Hao Du to pursue her. The scene where Du Ru Hui included Hao Du in his family tree was so touching & moving. unexpected moment.

The look Sun gave to Chan Ge when she looked at him after finding out about the dancers.

The slap that Le Yan gave to Hao Du was unexpected & shocking. But her words were a true slap to him.

Li Chang Ge & Le Yan punishing the crown prince was a treat to watch.

Sun being jealous of Wei Shu Yu & ashamed of losing to him in front of Li Chan Ge is cute.

Sun & She Er have a complex relationship. They were close with each other & were each other's support system, but Ashile Chuobi ruined that relationship & turned it into a rivalry. But they also had love for each other deep down. Their last scene was so touching they come a long way. Their fighting sequence for Le Chang Ge was good.

On the other hand, Le Chang Ge & Le Yan have an awesome relationship. They were always there for each other. Even after Le Chang Ge's parents' death, she never blamed Le Yan nor hated her but always tried to help her.

Sun & Ashile Chuobi have a love-hate relationship. There is a lack of trust between them, but they have love for each other. Ashile Chuobi missed Sun a lot after he left & wanted to see him one last time & make amends with him. Sun also loved & respected him & saved him despite knowing he would be risking his own life.

The back story of Le Chang Ge's mother was heartbreaking.

The way Eagle Division came for Sun rescue & Situ Lang Lang, Xu Feng, Luo Shi Ba, Wei Shu Yu came to help Le Chang Ge shows true friendship.

Mimi Guli 's death was heartbreaking. Till the end she remained a loyal friend of Le Chang Ge & supported her

Love the songs, especially the tune that is played in suspicious or in fighting scenes.

Read More

The drama kept calling her a genius, but her decisions rarely convinced me.

I went into The Long Ballad with genuinely high expectations. Everywhere I looked, it was consistently recommended as one of the best historical C-dramas. Review after review praised Li Chang Ge as one of the smartest and strongest female leads in the genre, while Ashile Sun was often described as one of the most unforgettable male leads. Naturally, I expected another masterpiece that would stand alongside dramas like Blossom, The Double, Prisoner of Beauty, Legend of the Female General, Fated Hearts, and A Journey to Love.
What drew me in even more was the poster and synopsis. They promised a grand historical epic centered around battlefield tactics, military strategy, political mind games, and a brilliant female commander whose intelligence would constantly outmaneuver everyone around her. As someone who genuinely enjoys strategist-driven stories, I couldn't wait to start it.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the experience I ended up having.

Before anything else, I want to make one thing clear—I am not the type of viewer who drops a drama halfway through. Once I commit to a series, I see it through until the very end, no matter how frustrated I become. So when I say I struggled with this drama, it's not because I gave up early. I stayed until Episode 49, hoping the story would eventually deliver the payoff I had been waiting for.

Perhaps it's also worth mentioning that I've only been watching C-dramas for a little over three months. Before discovering this world, I spent most of my free time outdoors—running marathons, hiking mountains, traveling, and chasing adventures rather than binge-watching dramas. But once I watched The Untamed, I completely fell into the rabbit hole. In just a few months, I've watched more than 40 C-dramas across historical, xianxia, wuxia, mystery, and romance: strategist-driven stories, brilliant battlefield tactics, political mind games, strong character development, and romances that truly feel earned. That's exactly why my expectations for The Long Ballad were so high.

To its credit, The Long Ballad is a visually stunning production. The cinematography is beautiful, the costumes are exceptional, the battle sequences are well-executed, and the soundtrack perfectly complements the atmosphere. Every frame feels cinematic.

Wu Lei was also one of the drama's greatest strengths. His portrayal of Ashile Sun was calm, composed, intelligent, and quietly devoted. He never overshadowed Li Chang Ge, instead respecting her abilities and decisions while remaining a dependable presence throughout the story. His performance was one of the main reasons I kept watching.

Unfortunately, the storytelling became the biggest obstacle for me.

The pacing was simply too slow.

Many story arcs that could have been resolved within two or three episodes were stretched far beyond what was necessary. Instead of building suspense, the narrative often felt repetitive. By the second half of the drama, I found myself waiting less for exciting developments and more for the story to finally move forward.

Personally, I believe the same story could have been told much more effectively in around thirty episodes without sacrificing its emotional impact. Instead, the constant dragging diluted many moments that should have felt powerful.

My biggest frustration, however, was Li Chang Ge herself.
One sentence perfectly summarizes my entire experience:
"Several times, the drama told me she was brilliant, but what I saw on screen did not always match that reputation."

Throughout the series, Li Chang Ge was repeatedly introduced as an extraordinary strategist and military genius. Unfortunately, many of her decisions didn't reflect that reputation. Several of her plans ended up creating even bigger problems, not only for herself but also for the people around her. Rather than watching someone who consistently stayed several steps ahead of everyone else, I often felt like I was watching someone forced to react after situations had already spiraled out of control.
What frustrated me even more was the number of reckless decisions that contradicted the image the drama was trying so hard to build. A truly brilliant strategist should make the audience admire their intelligence through carefully calculated actions—not repeatedly remind us of it through dialogue.

One scene perfectly captured my frustration. Near the end of the drama, Li Chang Ge willingly followed someone simply because they claimed to be connected to the young Crown Prince. She didn't question the person's identity or motives until she had already been cornered with no escape.
At that moment, I genuinely paused and thought:
"This is the legendary strategist everyone has been praising for forty-nine episodes?"
Moments like these happened often enough that I struggled to fully believe the reputation the drama kept assigning to her.

Another issue I couldn't ignore was how often the drama presented Li Chang Ge as an exceptionally strong female lead, only for many major conflicts to end with Ashile Sun rescuing her. I have no problem with a heroine being saved occasionally—every great character has vulnerable moments. But it happened frequently enough that it started to undermine the very image the drama was trying to establish. I wanted to see her intelligence consistently solve impossible situations rather than repeatedly relying on last-minute rescues.

Ironically, I found myself becoming far more invested in the second couple than the main romance.
Hao Du (Liu Yuning) and Princess Li Leyan (Zhao Lusi) completely stole my attention.
Despite having significantly less screen time, their relationship felt far more emotionally rewarding. Hao Du's quiet devotion, unwavering protection, and gradual emotional growth made him one of the most memorable characters in the entire drama. Watching a cold and ruthless imperial guard slowly learn how to love without expecting anything in return was genuinely beautiful.

Li Leyan's transformation was equally satisfying. She began as a sheltered and timid princess, but through hardship and survival, she gradually discovered her own courage and inner strength. Her growth felt natural, believable, and well-earned.
Every glance between Hao Du and Leyan carried emotion.
Every silent act of protection meant something.
Every reunion felt earned.
Ironically, with far fewer scenes than the main couple, they left a much stronger emotional impact on me.

Meanwhile, the romance between Li Chang Ge and Ashile Sun remained surprisingly restrained. Their relationship was built on mutual respect, trust, and understanding, which I normally appreciate. However, after investing nearly fifty episodes into their journey, I expected a much stronger emotional payoff.

Even their romantic moments felt limited, and the kissing scene itself was filmed so conservatively that it barely felt like the culmination of such a long slow burn. By the end of the drama, I realized I had become far more emotionally attached to Hao Du and Leyan's story than to the main relationship I originally started watching for.

Despite my frustrations, I can still understand why The Long Ballad is so highly regarded. If you enjoy slow-burn political storytelling, military campaigns, character-driven journeys, and historical world-building more than romance, I can absolutely see why this drama resonates with so many viewers.

But for someone like me—who was expecting a strategist-heavy historical drama where intelligence is consistently demonstrated through brilliant planning, alongside a romance with a stronger emotional payoff—the experience ultimately became more frustrating than rewarding.

I didn't hate The Long Ballad.
I simply expected a legendary strategist, unforgettable battlefield tactics, and one of the greatest historical romances based on everything I had heard before watching it.

Instead, I found myself admiring its cinematography, production value, and performances far more than I connected with its storytelling.
A visually stunning historical drama with outstanding performances, but one whose pacing, execution, and characterization never fully lived up to the incredible expectations it created.

Read More

A crazy casting for a Masterpiece

Before starting the review i think i'have to say this : WTF is this cast?? We have Dilraba Dilmurat, Leo Wu,Liu Yu Ning,Zhao Lu Si and Alen Fang in THE SAME drama, how crazy is that? Even for the support roles the cast is very good.

I loved every episode of this drama, even though it takes a good ten episodes before it really gets going. The level of acting it's a high level, the character of Li Chang Ge is a strong woman! The production is very great, the story is well written even though there are a few weaknesses in the writing at times, especially toward the end, as is often the case with Chinese dramas. Very nice OST and so much feelings happens!

It's a very good drama with an amazing cast, it's going to be hard to watch something else right ater this one!

Read More

Riveting, interesting and well executed!

This has blown me away! I really loved the story and I enjoyed the the way they had blended the manhua in. I felt that it dragged a bit towards the end, but that was mostly because Changge seemed to lose her smarts. Her quick wit was a large part of why the show worked. But I think that it is something that unfortunately often happens in dramas, once the FL and ML are established they tend to lean into being taken care of and apparently can’t remember their ingenuity that kept them alive till now 😅 Be prepared to have your heart broken, but also healed again. 2ML and FL are forever favesz

Read More

Recommended

What can I say. Excellent story line, directing, casting. The characters development are well-done.
None of the 40 episodes is boring. Which is quite an achievement by itself.
No excessive romantic scenes.
Great acting from Dilraba, Leo Wu, Yuning & Zhao Lusi. Even the supporting roles are doing great acting.
Dilraba is so cool as Li Changge.
But the charm of this drama is Leo Wu’s acting. He delivered that maturity aura despite his young age during filming. If I didn’t know his real age, I would have thought that he actually few years older from Dilraba.
The actor who played Khan is exceptional - I pity him, his character is not easy 😅. The actress who played Khatun is also excellent.

Worth my time. Recommended.

Read More

Best Chinese Historical Drama

Beautiful story, powerful portrayal of characters, amazing chemistry between leads and soothing music. Rewatched several times and fell in love with it. I really loved everything about this drama.
If you like powerful female protagonists, this is a must watch for you. Dilraba rocked with her portrayal of the FL. Also ML and all other characters have their one of a kind stories. The story flows like river so you won't realize before its over. Also the drama highlighted different aspects of good and bad for peace which was really mature. Surrendering in a war does not mean defeat as long as prosperity and peace can be achieved. This type of people-centric leaders are rare in these type of chinese historical drama. This drama carries a very powerful message. So, I will give it a perfect 10!

Read More