Who Rules the World

A drama with confused own identity

I write reviews only for dramas either I love or I drop despite I want to love them.
I wanna write the reasons & keep a memo of why I dropped them.

The Wuxia Drama I love most is the ' Heavenly Sword & Dragon Sabre (2003) ' . It is a wuxia drama with historical background.

On the other hand, 'Who rules the World' seems like ' A court drama' with Wuxia background.
Most of its episodes focus on Court Politics while it is labelled as Wuxia Drama .


******
I watch dramas blindly, only when I have strong desire to check it out by watching trailers or they are from my most favorite genres.
I usually read the reviews first for most dramas if I am unsure to watch them or not.

I watched the review video of WRTW on 'Avenue X youtube'.
The review is neither too bad nor too good.

So I decided to give it a go because I adored Yang Yang & Zhao Lusi.
( Why not ? They are good looking & I have nothing much to watch at the moment)

*****
Even if the plot is written with Fantasy elements and Wuxia, the centre core of the plot is 'The Lonely Prince is emotionally hurt and Saved by an Innocent Maiden' . (At least by Drama Version)

Yeah, we have seen this plot multiple times before, not only in ancient times but also in modern times .
The plot is a Millennium long Cliche , but if properly executed, most become crack dramas.
( Bu Bu Jing Xin )

After watching this, most of my issue lies with 'ML characterisation'.

At the start of the drama, they introduced ML, FLX as a strong individual who manage Fountain Abode, ' A secret Martial art Organization' .
They said 'Fountain Abode is full of skillful individuals' and Branches of that organization also seem to exist in other States , not only in Yongzhou where ML actually resides as a prince.

But when we actually arrived Yongzhou, the ML who is that cunning & powerful was presented as the powerless prince with less allies in the court .This is less convincing & totally unbelievable.

( Ok if one is Naruto & the other is actual 'Genin' level ninja, you can't have a fight.
So ML has to be weak in his own kingdom .
Logic )

It is as if the plot is written like that just to present 'All that Palace Scheming with his step brother'

Yeah, I know . Family trauma is necessary for the ML to connect with FL who will give him the necessary emotional support .

But it is like the events are happening just for the sake of happening.

I totally gave up my common sense of understanding especially in ' The Examination Arc', the entire 'Photocopying Martial Art' really came out of nowhere to solve the issue easily.

.........
It also doesn't help that I don't feel the romantic chemistry between two main leads.

From the moment we see them, they have already known each other . They are like rivals in the Martial World.
I don't remember seeing a particularly memorable moment that move forward their relationship from this point to romantic point.

So I can only assume may be they have fallen for each other long before the drama starts and it is like I cut in the middle without seeing their initial interaction. So I feel nothing and disconnected from their romance.

*****
They build the world around Dadong empire & vassal 6 states.
It sounds grand, but rather than focusing on the big picture, what we get is 'Neverending Political mess in Yongzhou'
Not even the FL character is fully fleshed out.

Huang Chao and YWY seem interesting, but their screentime is limited.

On the other hand, ML's stepmom Bitchy Queen & his boring brother get a lot of screentime.

*****
Acting wise, Yang Yang & Zhao Lusi look beautiful and dashing.

But their acting doesn't particularly wow me
because I have seen 'Yang Yang' in his other dramas where he played the similar 'Grand Character'.
Since their acting is nothing special, it really cannot convince me to continue watching when the drama is getting boring. ( It is not 16 episodes, it is freaking 40 episodes)

Apart from the main characters, there is ' No eye Catching ' level of acting from side characters either.

Worse, the actor who is playing as ' Feng Ju' really irritates me (I don't know whether it is the character or the actor himself who always plays more or less the same in every projects he is in.)

*****
Cinematography is fine. But clumsiness of editing here and there disturb enjoyment and immersion into the drama.



I feel like many things are out of place. So my interest is slowly waning and after that, I decide to drop the drama.

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The main couple is interesting, but the story is slow with boring side objectives.

This series has the potential, if the company releases a cut-down version of it. There really is no need for 40+ episodes when almost half of it is filled with time wasting and repetitive objectives. The antagonists' rinses and repeats their scheme in hopes to get at the main protagonists. There are tons of backstabs, and toxic family relationships. Fortunately, the main lead couple are both smart and skillful enough to dodge most of these somewhat lethal traps.

The only interesting thing of this series is the main couple's relationship and romance which comprises of less than 40% of this series. If you are planning to watch this, be prepared to fast forward through the boring script and skip to the good stuff. Otherwise skip this one and give the latest Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre (2019) a shot, that's an example of a drama with a great script and direction.

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MUST-WATCH

This chinese drama is so good! I love everything about it! Well done

This chinese drama is so good! I love everything about it! Well done

This chinese drama is so good! I love everything about it! Well done

This chinese drama is so good! I love everything about it! Well done

This chinese drama is so good! I love everything about it! Well done

This chinese drama is so good! I love everything about it! Well done

This chinese drama is so good! I love everything about it! Well done

This chinese drama is so good! I love everything about it! Well done

This chinese drama is so good! I love everything about it! Well done

This chinese drama is so good! I love everything about it! Well done

This chinese drama is so good! I love everything about it! Well done

This chinese drama is so good! I love everything about it! Well done

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Two Dominant Leads That Might Be Too Much to Handle

Who Rules the World, starring Zhao Lusi and Yang Yang, actually has a solid plot and is loved by many. But honestly, I haven’t finished this drama myself. Mainly because the wuxia or fantasy genre isn’t really my favorite, and in this drama, both the male and female leads are extremely dominant and powerful.

Personally, I prefer dramas where the female lead is smart and the male lead is strong. But in this case, the female character seems to overpower the male one, making her come off as a bit rebellious and that made watching it feel a bit tiring. Which is unfortunate, because I really like Zhao Lusi.

From the reviews I’ve read, the storyline is actually pretty good. It’s just that the dynamic between the two strong leads made it mentally exhausting to keep up. I’d still recommend this drama to people who enjoy wuxia or strong female lead stories, but for me, I might only continue watching it when I run out of other shows to watch.

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A typical wuxia drama but an interesting one

I come here because many of my favourite actors (Yang Yang, Zhao Lu Si, Xuan Lu, Liu Rui Lin, etc.) are in the same show. But sadly Liu Rui Lin is somehow an antagonist here (know him as a carefree guy and a good friend in Miss Crow and Mr Lizard).

Back to the storyline. the story sets in a warring state period, but it is not a historical drama. Therefore, one may guess how the story unfolds. Simple Simple. The story is about the power struggles between royal family members and between states. The question is how the black fox and the white fox deal with these power struggles. So far, I think that the best part of the storyline is how the black fox takes care of the white fox. That's sweet and special.

In terms of acting, all of them are good. The fighting scenes are familiar, nothing new.

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Plot, story and the ML and FL chemistry

This series is worth waiting for, it gives me goosebumps every episode especially how the ML and FL fighting skills and how they save each other. This WRTW is my most anticipating, and I cant wait for the next episode which is the 11&12 up to ep 40. I really love the character of Bai Feng HeiXi, how they understand each other move, how they argue, how they fight against the enemy and as well as how they save and protect each other when one is in danger. It also gave me how the Hei Fengxi family treat him and so on. I can't wait for the upcoming episode that makes me excited. Waiting!

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Its Boring Plot

The Plot:
Because the tag is wuxia I thought there would be lots of typical wuxia fight scenes with some political intrigue as usual plus ML and FL who are great people in the wuxia world. What I didn't expect was that the plot was more political than wuxia, which made me disappointed. If the political plot was interesting at least I wouldn't be as disappointed as this, but unfortunately the political plot presented is very boring, made over and over again, and resolved easily and then repeated again and again, even I already guessed what would happen.

Chemistry :
At first I liked the chemistry when they fought each other but were friends and the relationship was neither bad nor good which was interesting but then the process of them turning into liking each other seemed too fast in the middle of a plot full of political intrigue such as romance which was out of place. So it makes me feel bored. I would prefer if they were friends who help each other rather than lovers.

Ps. I think Zhao Lusi is more suited to a comedy or naughty character like in LLTG because here her neck always looks tense. And for Yang Yang some reason I see him here like seeing Xiao Nai.

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THIS IS PERRRRRFECT

Who Rules The World
The interesting story line with alter ego and hidden identity of both leads intrigued me to watch and obviously the casting of Zhao Lusi and Yang Yang.. These two as always acted up the expectations and i couldn't have asked for more.. literally when i first saw the trailer months ago, i got chills and goosebumps all over me and when it finally aired i couldn't keep calm.. Everything is so good, the ost bam Liu Yuning's and upcoming osts from Wang Sulong and many more, the ending music is cool too and NOT TO FORGET ! The outfit, the weapon choice, The makeup, The hair, The set, Everything is really well set and i can't wait to watch more episodes of it. Its really worth the wait ✨

People be complaining about overdubbing but watching all these mainland dramas, its what we should accept as not everyone knows every dialect and This drama has acceptable dubbing .. Its not over the top, Yang Yang's voice is of Wang yibo's voice artist from The Untamed .. Zhao Lusi's voice is the same from her in The Long Ballad (their voices match pretty well) and talking about the role and acting.. its spot on

The flirting isn't cringy and there isn't the typical romantic scenes like mouth to mouth medicine feeding, accidental kiss and all that .. This one has light cute moments and the humor, sarcasm of these characters cracked me up.. its really fun watching it and i am LOVINGGGGGGG IT

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Almost but not quite...

The series started off with a bang and jumps right into action, which may cause some confusion as to who is who and what's going on with the different factions. It does come together more with each episode and it kept me engage until around episode 10 (less the FL/ML flirtatious scenes). I've been debating on whether to sit through more episodes for the positives, but the negative are starting to outweigh.

Positives
- An interesting underlying plot and somewhat unique relationship with the three main princes. There is quite a complex relationship between the three which is intriguing.
- The overall actors are great and the action scenes are done well.
- The gradual unfolding of various character histories would be a reason why I'd want to continue watching.
- The ML has been the most interesting character so far with his multiple roles (though his skills and charm are starting to falter slightly).
- The politics (so far) are actually not as boring and long-winded as with other palace dramas, though I can see its potential in becoming repetitive with 40 episodes.

Negatives
- The FL is supposed to be on par with the ML per the synopsis. But other than having high martial arts skills, she's been quite useless. I've been waiting episode after episode for her to step up to the plate to no avail. She's yet another one of those FLs who constantly states she doesn't want anyone's help, but then requires help from the ML over and over again. You'll get scenes such as her twisting an ankle and the ML is then carrying her on his back. But we are supposed to accept that she is jianghu tough and independent.
- The romance between the FL and ML feels overwhelmingly forced. And the corny of their scenes together has been so bad that I've been skipping through most of it to get to the other parts of the plot. One scene in particular that was so off, I would have fired whoever wrote it in. In the middle of a conversation between the FL and ML, two birds just suddenly falls from out of nowhere giving her the opportunity to just randomly ask him to take care of the white bird while she takes the black bird for obvious symbolic reasons. What??

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Worth watching 110%

When I heard about this drama last year, I was very excited. I was looking forward to the 2 main leads' collaboration because both leads had previously done great work. I am primarily a fan of Zhao Lu Si (English name: Rosy). I have seen all her work, and I found her acting very innovative and effortless. She tends to understand her characters very well, and a joy to watch her performance. Whereas Yang Yang, the first-ever cdrama I watched, was Yang Yang, I found him very handsome and hardworking, and I wanted to see more of his work. Both leads from the first episode showed us great chemistry and outstanding acting skills.
The characters they are playing make you want to keep watching repeatedly. I have rewatched the episodes again, and I love every minute of it. They are believable in the way they pursue their goals, by Witt and intelligent and fantastic combination of fighting skills, not to forget the romance between the leads and the drama showcase their complex emotions for each other, the world around them, and their values.
The storyline is definitely one of the best I have seen in recent years. The other cast members are very talented and have terrific interactions between them. The first few episodes showcased their fighting skills; they were breathtaking and moving. Later episodes show us a subtle romanticism of how the 2 leads started to see each other differently and the feeling of affection and protection and wanting to see each other; by the way, they would look for excuses to stay near each other for a longer time. The cast has done a great job, and the whole team should be very proud of their work. Definitely keeps us guessing and yearning for each episode.
Looking forward to watching how the leads characters develop and their romance. 10/10

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love it sm

Ahhhhh Zhao Lusi and Yangyang did so well tgt. The acting, the plot, everything was so on point. The steady romance of Hei Fengxi and Bai Fengxi hooked me from the beginning, along with both of them having hidden identities as royalty. This was one of my firt classical cdramas, so in the beginning I was confused how they got away with it until I realized they had no Google or internet or anything and could just pass looking like anyone. It took a while to get used to this, but the fact that both the leads had amazing martial arts skills was a plus for me. Most of the time it's the male who possesses these abilities, and having both of them being the top of the spectrum was really refreshing to me. The only little section that triggered me was the ending with Hei Fengxi having only 10 years left to live was a little forced. Idk, I just feel like it wasn't really necessary. But overall I would DEFINITELY recommend to anyone who hasn't watched it yet, it's amazing.

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