It's really good lol
Honestly, I don't see why people are saying its really overrated when its a solid 9 for me. And that's actually a pretty high rating from me, since I never give films or TV Shows a 10/10. Heck, I don't even give a 10/10 for Marvel movies or shows even though I'm a big fan.Plot: The beginning was very cliche, and because of that cliche beginning, I almost dropped it after like 2 episodes. Anyway, it gets better-trust me- throughout the story. Even though the "meeting Ashile Sun all the time" was painfully cliche, I still liked it. I also, really liked Chang Ge, and she is one of my favorite characters of all the films and shows i've watched.
I love badass main female characters and we (obviously) love a character that can win a battle with her wits lmao
The pacing was perfect. It didn't drag or rush. It was fast and just right. It didn't rush and the story developed very well.
I'm also gonna say it out loud: I don't really like romance chinese dramas. I don't like mostly romance and stuff, but I'm not gonna lie, this one was really really well done. I love this cdrama!
Cast/Acting: I used to think Reba was just okay and good for this role, not perfect though. But after watching 30 episodes, I really like her and I feel like she is perfect as Chang Ge. Same ethnicity and look as the comic, but most of all same vibes.
I'm not gonna lie, for the first about 10(?) episodes, I didn't really like Wu Lei as A'Sun, but anyway I really like him now. It was solely his acting that made me change my mind. His chemistry with Reba is also really awesome.
My unpopular opinion about Lusi is that I liked her acting. I really liked her character arc and I really liked her as Leyan.
And the best cast character goes too Yu Ning!
He was best for the cold hearted Hao Du. He is literally so well casted. And it's so ironic because he's completely different from cold and emotionless in real life hahaha
Honorary Mention for Best Cast Character: Da Qian/Mu Jin
Music/OST: It was awesome. I don't usually listen or care about the music, because frankly it's just music to me. I've never actually cared that much. When I started this drama I didn't care for the music, until I heard it. It was so good. I'm serious, because I never pay attention to the OSTs in cdramas. This one really caught my attention. Literally every. single. soundtrack. is worth it. All the OSTs are soo good and soo wonderful. Definitely 1000/10 stars!
Rewatch Value: Okay, honestly I don't like rewatching movies or shows, unless it's Marvel, and even if it is Marvel, I barely rewatch it lol. So it's not uncommon for me to always put rewatch value on zero or one star. In fact, it would be really rare if I put 3 or up stars for rewatch rate haha, hence why i gave it only 1 star for rewatch value here.
Overall: It was really good, and I completely recommend it to you. I just finished the whole drama and of all the chinese dramas I've ever watched, this is one of my favorites! I love it so much and I've grown a little too attached to it lol. You should definitely try it!
Edit 5/13: Ok so I know I said i hate rewatching shows or movies, but honestly this is so good, I rewatched so many episodes already. I swear I literally tried not to rewatch it, but I'm currently rewatching it and setting the rewatch value up to 8 stars. It's completely irresitable because this series is so good!
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Great drama
A must watch for me. Amazing cast, amazing story. Especially female lead Dilraba did a great job. As a Turkish girl, I kinda like how they represented our history, even if it was worst times of 1st Köktürks:( *spoiler begins here* Beautiful Chinese princesses who became Khatuns caused destructions those times indeed as we learned in our history classes.Today, we still use some words such as "Ana (Ana/Anne: mother)", "Ata (Ata: father, ancestor; today we use mostly its 'ancestor' meaning) "Khatun (Hatun: woman, wife, dame, chick; informal, today it mostly considered as a slang word, its original meaning is not used)", "Khan (Han/Kağan: ruler, emperor; Han and Kağan are boy names today, we don't use it's original meaning 'ruler')", "Kurultai (Kurultay: council, general assembly)" and "Ashina (Aşina/Asena: she-wolf; it is believed that Ashina Clan is descended from this she-wolf, also a girl name today // some legend says it was the name of a baby boy rescued by a she-wolf, and he became the father of Ashina Clan)". That they use these words has reinforced my love for these series.
Every episode made me wonder what will come next. That's the brownie points! (i hope i use the idiom in right place:"))
And, the romance! Everything was amazing regarding them, i mean, all of the couples!
However, I am sorry for Hao Du, I wonder how his love story will end.
Can't wait to find Eng subs for the rest of the series and looking forward to finish it.
Edit after ending: What an ending! It was so sad to watch a show about your nation's history when it represents the worst times...
I am happy for Hao Du... and almost everyone else- except Sher. I really liked him, it was so sad -again:(- to see that he couldn't be happy at all.
I wish there were more romantic scenes... but this doesn't matter, it was an amazing drama! -with an amazing soundtrack
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It's really good story and worth to watching!!
Overall about this drama get me so excited want to finish and then keep watching after that..Everyday I keep playing and hear all the OSTs music from TLB before sleep. Especially from sa dinding and vaneesa. Its haunt my live. So crazy..
I'm so thankful to production team, actors and actress for the hardwork to make this drama become very successful in the domestic and international.
The cgi, costumes is really good, even scenery is super beautiful. The character is great both of main leads and support cast. Its so adorable and awesome drama. Highly recommend!!
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Sweet romance and heroics, great stress-reliever
This is not hard historical fiction, it is a cross between a manhua and a fairy tale, turned into a tv-series, just to help set the right expectations. If going in, expecting something remotely historical, then they you be disappointed, and that would be a disservice to an excellent story.If you're wondering if you should watch it, as it is so long, just watch the first one or two episodes, it gives a good feel of what to expect. This is mostly a fun-series. There will be some tears, people do die, but their is no angst here, it's mostly sweet romance and heroics.
Production: The Long Ballad is based on Xia Da's manhua Chang Ge Xing, which was published from 2011 to 2016. The manhua has received numerous awards such as the Golden Dragon Award for Best Girls' comic and the Newcomer Award at the first Sino-Japanese Youth Exchange Cartoon Festival. [1] I haven't read the manhua (yet), but it as been translated and the parts I did read are fantastic. The story is good enough that I want to read the manhua, despite it (also) being terribly long. 9/10
Story: I hate spoilers, so I won't be adding any here. This is your basic fairy tale. Princess gets into trouble. Princess meets handsome prince. It takes them a while to figure things out. Plenty of people die... The story is not exceptional, but told well. The characters are believable, and make sense. Chinese series like to red-wedding endings, but this one had a (reasonably) good ending. Not too many open loops. But as said before, maybe the manhua is a bit deeper. But well... books vs movies is an eternal dispute, TLB is no exception. 8/10
Acting: Dilraba Dilmurat (the main reason I started to watch) is a beautiful woman, maybe one day she'll learn to be a great actress as well. The acting in TLB is only so-so, for most of the actors. Honestly, I found Rosy Zhao and Liu Yu Ning the best characters, they would score an 8.5/10, they showed real personal growth, many of the others a bit less. This is a long story with many characters, although nobody really shows deep character development, many acted really well and made the episodes fly by. I would say it is not disturbingly bad, but not great either. 7/10
Visual FX: As the story is based on a manhua, they decided to combine images and video together to tell the story. It was done really well. It made the story easier to watch, there are no bloody battles, those are replaced with images, and left to the imagination of the viewer. It kept the story light and fit well with the overall feel. The costumes and sets looked real enough, just a bit manhua-ish, but not distractedly so. Overall, I really liked it: 9/10
OST: The title song is very good, the tone of the song and the lyrics fit very well with the story, and even though it played a gazillion times, it did not get boring, a testament to a really well made song. There was a surprisingly large amount of songs in the series, which was a bit weird, but strangely I didn't hate it. I personally prefer an OST that stays in the background, highlighting the visuals, here the songs really were a goal in themselves. Not my thing, but it was still done with good taste and style: 8/10
Rewatch value: There are so many series to watch, that something must be truly exceptional or somehow personally resonate with you to watch it again. This series is way too long to just sit and watch again on a lazy Sunday afternoon, so I'll just skip grading this one. I probably won't watch it again (completely), but that's more because it's length then any other reason.
Conclusion: Just watch it. It is a light and happy story, with beautiful people and swords and costumes, what more do you want?!
References:
- [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Ballad
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Long Ballad is a MUST watch
I’m a fan of Dilraba, so I started watching this drama for her although I haven’t been to impressed with her previous work, so I didn’t think anything too big of it. And I am so glad I watched it. I ended up LOVING it. Probably one of her best role yet for me. I’m so proud of her and so happy she took on this role. She really showed her versatile as an actress! Her character is very strong, smart and adapts to situations quickly.As for Leo, I have not seen him in any other drama prior to this and let me tell you, he is AMAZING!!! I’m a huge fan now. I can’t imagine anyone else playing Ashile Sun, he nailed that role so good! He’s going places and will be amazing at whatever role he picks up in the future and I will be there to watch!
The chemistry between Changge and Ashile Sun
is on fire!!! They have a very slow burn romance and not all lovely dovely like the second CP but I think for their journey and story, it’s perfect!! They don’t need to be all lovely dovely. The way they support one another, always there for each other no matter what, and support each other growths, you can just see their amazing romance by their actions, and in my book, that’s good enough for me. It’s such beautiful and amazing relationship.
As for all the other actors and actresses, I felt like everyone did a great job too.
Each characters goes through major character development, and everyone’s journey is different and beautiful to watch.
The OST is very unique and very different from the normal Chinese drama we’re used to but it’s beautiful! I kid you not, I can’t stop listening to it and I get chills hearing some of the background music.
The fight scenes seems very realistic to me and is so amazing to watch. Great choreography, cinematography, and I do enjoy the plot of the story very much.
I must say The Long Ballad is on my top list of favorites Chinese dramas of all time and the top for this year!!! Thank you Dilraba and Leo for this amazing journey, I enjoyed every bit of it and will miss this so much!
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Definitely needs to be watched
I love, first and foremost, a really good storyline. If a lead couple has amazing and sizzling chemistry, sometimes they can over come the plot to make it highly watchable, but those dramas are rare. This is a very richly textured drama from episode 1 to episode 49 and I've enjoyed every minute.Because it's not a perfect 10, there are minute flaws and the one I'd like to point out is the lack of love scenes between the main couple. They are very, very good actors in their characters but, for some odd reason, have very little passionate scenes. At one point, a pair of parrots simulates their climatic kiss moment and I found this truly bizarre.
Other than this one small detail, this is a phenomenal story, acted with finesse by all and a production that allowed me, as the viewer, to be immersed. Definitely worth every episode of time (minus the parrots).
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Very good costume drama
This was my first major costume C-drama for 2021 that I looked forward to, weekly. The subbed episodes could not come, fast enough.The casting of Dilraba, Wu Lei, Zhao Lu Si and Liu Yu Ning in the four main roles was an excellent decision. I knew Dilraba and Wu Lei previously, but watched Zhao Lu Si and Liu Yu Ning for the first time. The LeYan and Hao Du storyline was more interesting than Changge and Ashile Sun’s.
I was very impressed with Wu Lei’s acting in this drama. At 21, he has proved with this acting job, that he can out-act the seasoned actors who might be in their 20s and 30s. This may be Wu Lei’s best acting performance to-date. This could also be Dilraba’s best acting performance to-date. I also loved Liu Yu Ning's acting, and went searching for his other dramas while Long Ballad was airing. I also enjoyed Zhao Lu Si's acting. She was a tiny fireball. Le Yan went from timid to self-assertive over the forty-nine episodes.
The story flow was well done. There were some draggy parts with Khan, Khatun and their underlings, as well as the Tang palace personnel. The ending was a bit vague. The anime scenes overcompensated for story telling action. We know there are talented graphic artists in China, but many scenes could have been live action, or just recounted via dialog.
A lot of beautiful people in this drama! The OST was very good.
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It's impossible to hate ANY character
Breaking my silence and extreme laziness to lift my fingers and write my first ever review after being a MDL user for 2 years.First and my FAVOURITEEE part of this entire drama is the CHARACTERS. It's like every character was custom made and designed for the actors. Their style and appearance really suit who they portrayed. Particularly the secondary characters, the character development makes it IMPOSSIBLE to even hate the villains. There's so many interesting diverse characters that surface as the drama progress, all very unique and serve an importance purpose to the storyline. The small little details attributed to them make them all so LIKEABLE. For example, the Emperor is the most enjoyable and distinct king i've seen. Emperors in historical dramas would refer themselves as 朕 or 孤 (a first person pronounce used exclusively by emperors). However, he simply uses 我 (a first person pronounce used by everybody such as you and me) in front of his ministers.
Secondly, the plot is very well written as a historical-romance drama, with the former having more weightage than the latter. The dialogues utilise plenty of 成语 (idiomatic expression) but isn't too fancy that ordinary folks like us cant handle. Oh did i mentioned how it isn't draggy?? I'm quite lazy to watch drama that has more than 30 episodes as I'll usually burn out by then. But the numerous suspense and exciting gameplays kept me going.
Thirdly, stock up on kleenex as you'll be bawling so much that no concealer can cover the puffy eyes and red nose. It was truly an emotional rollercoaster and the soundtrack complimented it so well. Only con is that they should have played it MOREEE.
The only downsides in this drama are (minor spoiler alert):
1. Poor stylist for the female lead. She practically only have 1 hairstyle throughout, even when she was playing a male in disguise.
2. Blurring of kiss scenes. I really don't get why though?? -RAGEEE-
Nevertheless, kudos to the entire production team and cast. I started watching this drama without any expectation and left with multiple takeaways. Thank you for the magical journey~
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Favorite 2021 Drama!!!
I gotta say that this is one hell of an AMAZING well-directed drama in 2021. After watching the trailer I was already star strucked. I first got my eyes on this drama because of Wu lei and Dilraba and I am glad I did because once I started this drama I was unable to let it go.The plot is very interesting and it is mainly about revenge and later slowly begins to fall out of the revenge plot and into a more subtle plot that has to do with helping others and reassuring civilians lives and helping the poor. I really enjoyed watching the character developments in Chang get because at first all she cared about was revenge but along her journey, she witnessed so much bloodshed that eventually she decided to forget that and care about the lives of her people.
The cast is a phenomenon, their costumes especially Ashile Sun's outfits on the grasslands is spectacular. I think Wu Lei really rocks the outfits on the grassland it really boosts his manliness and makes him look so mature. I really love the duo of Li Chang Ge and Ashile Sun. Dilraba and Wu Lei really had some great chemistry and bond even with the age difference it was amazing to watch those two when they were in scenes together. I just want to say, Wu Lei's acting in episode 25 was amazing you got to agree with me on that, I even got goosebumps just watching it. I could feel his emotions too, very well done!
I loved the OST in this drama I felt like the music matched the drama very well and the parts with the music was blended in so well that it matched the atmosphere and emotions which made this drama so amazing I believe.
I would definitely recommend this to my friends!
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Great Story and Acting
I highly recommend The Long Ballad.Story / Narrative:
What I like about The Long Ballad is how the story of Li ChangGe is told and her character development. It all started with her carefree life, living in a palace with nothing to worry about. And then life started to crumble when her family got annihilated. Back then she was blinded by the truth. She fought back and almost died many times, but she moves forward never thinking of backing off because of her goal. And then in her journey towards revenge, she met good and selfless people. This made her realize that fighting for what you think is right may not be the best solution, but instead fighting is about the common good, lesser casualties the better.
Characters / Actors:
Dilreba Dilmurat really shined in this series, not only did she carry the titular role but she owned the show. This is by far her best performance, hope she gets to win acting awards for TLB. She was so good with the action scenes that you'll never know that she was so cool and fun off-cam or behind-the-scenes. She indeed showcased her acting prowess here and gave her all. Leo Wu on the other hand is also a gem, he is a fine young man, very talented. The emotions he conveyed during the grassland arc were so on point, you can feel his angst, frustrations, his energy during the action scenes, and how he is able to switch to being calm and gentle when he is with Li ChangGe.
The side characters too were very watchable and what impressed me the most is that no matter what the differences were and even if they were on opposite camps or tribes, both ChangGe and A'Sun were admired and respected by the people they met along their journey. My favorite side character is Yuan Niang. She is so adorable.
Romance:
This is a very wholesome show. No third parties and lots of couples.
My fave of course is the main couple #GeSun. Literally will kill for each other, it was a slow burn and wasn't forced.
Dilireba and WuLeo are so perfect for their roles, overflowing with chemistry even w/o much skinship.
Cinematography / Sound Track:
The cinematography was also very nice, pleasing to the eyes. My favorite was the fireflies date of A'Sun and ChangGe.
This has one of the best Opening and Closing OST. Charlie Zhou's Cocoon is the best.
Wisdom / Lessons/ Quotes:
All the characters that ChangGe and A'Sun met left a great deal of impression and imparted wisdom. The part wherein ChangGe reflected and found her Tao, this part of the drama was the slow part but it was necessary for the story and we get to love ChangGe even more after she found her Path. My favorite quotes were: #1 Some people are soft like water, they absorb everything while others are like fire, and people who get close to them will get burnt. If you insist on staying with them you will become ash. #2 A Benevolent heart is never defeated.
The Long Ballad is one of the highly emotionally intelligent dramas that I will surely remember and love for a long time.
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It’s ok but no exciting surprises or interesting twists.
Some of us must have known the story and character of Li Changge. So, it’s interesting to see how it would be portrayed and visually performed; and how everything would be wrapped up in this drama series. Although I am not a big fan of the choice of Wu Lei as male lead with his flat acting and to be honest Dilraba could have been better Li Changge with more expressive acting. But overall I could manage that since Zhao Lusi has been doing fantastic job to bring up her character slowly but surely. At first, things actually were so good until episode 27, story moved in good pace keeping us interestingly watching . However, starting from episode 28, story was somehow dragging and becoming boring in which many unnecessary scenes. Some casts are only good looking but they were rather annoying to watch. I almost dropped this on episode 30, but I kept carry on watching as curious about how it would end and hoping I could finish it and preserve the good rating. Overall, It’s ok but definitely not the best serious historical drama as many praised , no clever twist to make it interestingly different and more captivating apart of the popularity of Dilraba and Zhao Lusi perhaps the one that are drawn us to watch.Was this review helpful to you?
The best drama of 2021!
I love a coming of age character that isn't focused on a ML's storyline as the main driving force. Reba is amazing in this. I haven't watched a lot of her dramas- I can only recall Legend of Qin (the prequel) with Zhang Bin Bin. She was pretty good in it. As CG, it's really outstanding performance. Leo Wu blew me away literally in the first episode. It shows with the right script and a dedicated actor, you can really shine. Leo has been typecast into more adolescent/youth roles (he is still quite young). I'm sure he loved a script that added 10 years to his actual age and demonstrate a level of pure maturity. I just love everything he does in portraying Ashina Sun down to the very little eye moments. The OSTs and the instrumental soundtrack is superb. Effort put in can be seen even with a limited budget. The heart and soul poured out of the director is in every scene. I haven't been this addicted to a drama since The Untamed and this one is arguably one of the best in the last couple years.Was this review helpful to you?
