A solid drama
i was seated for this since the day they announced the cast. the first leak of the leads a month later made me even more excited. up until the release with every new trailer and teaser i was more and more excited. i always try my best to not get too hyped for any drama since that brings disappointment a lot of the time but i couldn't help myself with this one, i tuned in thinking i might get disappointed somewhere down the line.well, thankfully nothing of that sort happened and i am really happy and surprised. the story was pretty straightforward, the ml wasn't invincible needed help along the way, but didn't lose his focus on his revenge. i absolutely adored the fl i just wish she was more present there.
the acting was great specially xiao zhan, huang jue & the actor who played cao jingxian impressed me the most. zhang jingyi was excellent with whatever she was given which imo wasn't enough but still i am quite happy with her character.
every single character left impression on me. my absolute favorites are zanghai, antu, gaoming shifu, liu chu shifu, zhuang zhixing etc
i haven't written a long review in a while so it's all over the place but thank you to the cast and crew for this absolute masterpiece of a drama despite some small hiccups i loved it overall.
zanghai & antu i love you two so much. xiao zhan and jingyi hope you two reunite soon in a romance focused drama.
& lastly hope season 2 actually ends up happening.
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An intriguing story, yet weak romance
The mistery is very entertaining. You will want to watch it episode after episode as you are curious about what will happen next. You will guest who the mastermind until the end of the drama. All of the actors in this drama did very good jobs.Sadly, the romance is quite weak. I still do not understand why they both fall for each other as they only interacted briefly. They fall for each other just for the sake of the story. I can not seek their sparkling romance.
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Not A Popular Opinion
This drama started with a bang. The first episode was intriguing and mysterious. But the pacing got quite slow for my liking. The preparation and the elimination of the first enemy took too long for my liking. I dropped the drama twice in between. The acting and cinematography were nice, but the pacing was too slow. There were some thrilling moments in between, but overall, there was not enough balance for my liking. As for the story, the writing was not that good. The revelation of the 3rd enemy was hinted at right from the start, because of the mask. I did not find the main surprise element that surprising at all, unfortunately. Also, the finale did not feel satisfying to me at all. There was not enough tension, and the 3rd enemy got his karma too easily, in my opinion. Moreover, though I understand it was not a romance drama, I unfortunately did not find any chemistry between the ML & FL. The FL was brilliant in the initial episode, but I absolutely did not like how her character later turned out. Though I understand it was a male-centric drama, the character of the FL could have been handled better. The action scenes were nicely choreographed. Overall, the drama was a decent watch. The writing had way too many loopholes. Not too bad, but not that good either.Was this review helpful to you?
UNDERSTANDING THE PLOT BETTER
Watched up to nine episodes so far and to be honest I have to leave this here, first thing first, the beginning set the betrayal/revenge plot. After all, we learned that Zhang Hai revenge isn't just there, but he actually has a REASON for it.I've seen a few reviews mentioning the little Zhang hai ADAPTED quickly... But I think those little details were there to not CONFUSE us, I mean it was clearly shown that he was determined... Resilient and a little rebellious. Ask me why? I'll tell you, you can see little him fishing that little boy out of that carriage, because he was DETERMINED to learned the reason why his father isn't back as promised.
He's RESILIENT, because I BELIEVE no way should a little boy be able to build all those tunnels without a huge RESOLVE.
And being REBELLIOUS?
He brought that little boy from the carriage into the tunnels and kept him there without the knowledge of his mother. He knew his mother wouldn't ALLOW that right? And of course, when she found it out, she had them RELEASED the boy, and ask him to block all the tunnels which he was RELUCTANT to do at first, but later gives in.
AND WHEN HIS FAMILY DIED?
As expected, he cried when his parents died... But got knocked out by the smoke where the masked man found him... He also cried in the boat... But at the same time was swearing revenge in the next few minutes. Like I said, he's not another ordinary LITTLE boy, because I believe any normal little boy would've ran out the moment he saw his parents being slaughtered, but he didn't, and why is that? We can see, the hatred is being born right then and there, leading to the will to get revenge on them. So when he finally got the chance to, he HOP on it.
AND XIAO ZHAN?
Xiao Zhan PERFORMANCE was just great. We can see he has gotten even better, his acting is too notch and he brings every emotions into the character.
ALSO I wasn't expecting that sci Fi revelation... Had to watch the LOST TOMB tomb earlier today to see Zhang Hai zhuan goes beyond just a revenge driven drama, it's linked... It has depth that requires people with great insight to understand.
The politics.. the power struggle, and everything is just perfect.. okay I want moreeeee.
And a little ADVICE for people who are more invested in romance themed drama...this might not be your cup of tea... GRACIAS.
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Zhang Jingyi’s Bold Charm Meets Xiao Zhan’s Intensity
After so many days, I'm finally watching a Zhang Jingyi drama again — and also a Xiao Zhan drama! Let me talk about Xiao Zhan first. His acting here is so powerful 😭 and he’s insanely handsome. I seriously can’t take my eyes off him. I originally started this drama for the Zhang Jingyi and Xiao Zhan pairing, but now I’m falling hard for Xiao Zhan.In just one episode, he’s already showing us his innocent side, his thirst for revenge, and his good looks. After watching the first episode, I cried a lot and thought, “Yes, we need revenge!” His acting is truly praiseworthy — I honestly can't put it into words.
Now about Zhang Jingyi — as a fan of hers, I can say this role is completely different from her previous ones. She’s extroverted, cunning, and a total badass lead here. I’m eagerly waiting to see more scenes of her with Xiao Zhan. I already know she has great chemistry with her co-stars, and this time is no exception. Even though they’ve had only a few scenes together so far, they’re killing me with their chemistry.
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A TRUE MASTERPIECE
I've been getting so bored with c dramas lately because of the repetitive storylines & insistance on exaggerated romance or powers. It's always the same boring, predictable plots over & over again. I was beginning to miss the heavily political, plot lidden, intricate stories that get you hooked on your toes all the time. With this one you really don't know what to expect. Every episode is better than the last & every new plot outsmarts the previous. Best part is it still does use supernatural elements but it does so very tastefully, so it really blends into the background. The romance still hasn't kicked in where I reached but I'm already loving the prospective dynamic of the two characters. The chemistry between the two actors was insane in the bts & press conference.Also, very special shout out to the casting team for choosing such a talented selection of actors. So far the acting is what impressed me most. From the children to the side characters, they all did a fabulous job so far conveying their scenes. The child actors for one truely impressed me & they look so much like the older versions it's scary lmao. And of course we need to applaud XiaoZhan for this portrayal. Xiaolong really wasn't playing around when he chose him. Now I get why he is so popular. I always stumble upon him on social media. Whether it's his dramas or fashion related stuff but still didn't get to try anything of his. Thought it was mostly bcz of his good looks but now I know better. Gotta give his other shows a try too now, I've become a fan. Really this man was BORN to act. He makes it look so natural, so easy to be immersed with his emotions. I've rarely seen actors so openly emotional & expressive in their roles. It really impressed me. It's like he really is zanghai. Everything about him there is impactful when conveying the scenes. His eyes alone are paid actors lmao. It's literally scary how alive they get. When you have eyes like that, what's the need for lines even?! Yeah I'm totally raving over him. To think I came to this show bcz of my girl Jingyi 😭. I was so excited to see her work with such a high profile actor. Figures maybe popular stuff are popular for a reason lmao. Hope I'll get more content to blabber about her too in the future. But for now, I'm really not complaining.
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Just Amazing
great drama to watch. after seeing 1st ep i took time to calm down and start to cry. i haven't watched such good costume drama since long and acting of every actors is super good. can't say much bcuz only 8 episodes come out but i can't wait to watch full drama. i want take moment to praise ep 7-8. wow what a episode. tomb scene, xiao zhan acting. he deserve to be called best actor of our time and heard drama use sync sound during filming and xz did perfectly. its rare in cent. salute to the actors.Was this review helpful to you?
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Sharp, Calculative and a whole lot of brains!!
Finally we're getting a hero who doesn't know martial arts! If you're looking for a cold-hearted main lead and his gang of misfits, this is that series!Throughout the series, Zhang Hai has solely depended on his teachings, his cold heart burning with revenge, and slow and steady calculations when racing against time to capture and k-word the three villains in his life.
Every episode has you on the edge of your seat! There is always something going on, something happening to the people around Zhang Hai.
I also like that the romance arc is barely there in this series, which I like. And also because Zhang Hai has been guarding his heart against anything and everything that even remotely symbolizes love lol. The FL is such a great match for Xiao Zhan, they seem very comfortable on-screen, the dialogue delivery and acting is very natural between these two.
I also like the second lead/ second young master. First saw him in White Cat Legend. He has improved so much! Glad he's getting more recognition in this drama!
Still on ep 20, and waiting on the grand reveal of the third villain Zhang Hai has been searching. Hopefully soon!
rewatch value: 10/10
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This review may contain spoilers
BELOW EXPECTATION
Zang Hai was originally the son of the Imperial Astronomer. However, when he was young, he witnessed the murder of his entire family. Deciding on the path of revenge, Zang Hai withdrew from the scene temporarily and began training himself by learning construction and the art of war. At the young age, he reconstructed his entire face (surgery) so his ebonemy won't recognize him to revenge, he becomes so handsome boy then a man Xiao Zhan. Ten years later, he returned to the capital as an unrecognizable figure and became—through mentoring—the adviser of his enemy, Duke Ping Jin. From the Lord's manor to the court, from an ordinary advisor to becoming the chief minister of the imperial cabinet, through all deception of loyalty and dedication. Zang Hai struggled in the face of treacherous political plots and battles, finally getting a chance to kill his enemy.Xiao Zhan obviously a very handsome man, like no one else is better looking than him (thinking to myself that handsome of man he shouldn't be bowing to anybody). Even the Female Lead Zhang Jing Yi (as Xiang An Tu) can't outshine him, she's (what I call) frozen face actress. Zhang Jing Yi has poker face, can't really tell what emotion or reaction to the scenes - blank face and she smiles wanly - she has this cringe sourly smiles. I felt like Xiao Zhan is a diamond surrounded by common rocks.
So, I think 7 episodes is enough for me. I like Xiao Zhan but I don't think this drama is IT.
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This review may contain spoilers
Overrated drama for such high rating.
I dont know why the drama got so high rating maybe purely because of Xiao Zhan. I like him since Untamed but this drama is the epitome of pure bad writing.I though after 10 years of training the MC would be intelligent, calculative and patient. But even on first dozen of episode, so may scene that purely carried by his plot armor.
1st scene: He points out suspicious people to the unknown person (presumably the heroin), is stupid enough, you need to hide your claw as it is even the person you meet for the first time.
2nd scene: His weapon was luckily taken by benefactor if not he would already be killed by the Marquis
3rd scene: The enemy Qu something, attendant of Marquis was killed of screen as simple as that? Revenge not satisfied for the audience.
4th scene: He thought others are stupid, so carelessly shows his scar to the Marquis son? Please help me with the dumbness.
These are the 4 scenes that i recalled at the top of my head, i dont know whether i can perservere to watch until the end, the dumbness and pure plot armor is gripping me. Actually the rating might be 4/12, but i give low to balace all the nonsence high rating, as if never watch any drama with intelligent character!
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intriguing
I have watched 1-7 episodes and omg this drama is so intense and intriguing. keeps me up waiting and yearning for more episodes. The first episode was so traumatic. I can’t believe they killed the little girl, I hope their deaths are slow and painful. There’s a man I’m more afraid of than the marquis. zhang Hai revenge yesterday was so satisfying, not only did he kill yang Zhen, he created doubt and suspicion for the marquis among the court. I can’t wait to see what more Zhang Hai have in store…Was this review helpful to you?
Definitely a must watch
Now I'm onto Ep 7 now . In fact I started watching just this morning. Free for first 3 episodes in Youku and you can guess what I was soo hooked to the story that I absolutely must continue watching. In the end, I did what I fear I would do which is... sign up as VIP member so that I can get to watch the entire drama!!! I already have Netflix, Prime Video, Max, Sooka, iQIYI, Disney Plus, Youtube Premium and now... this Youku. So fat at Ep 7, I ain't regretting my decision one bit. The plot is damn good but I wish he's not always the sole survivor. Anyway, this is a must watch drama - no romance or comedy yet (or maybe none at all) but the good plot is enough to get me going at an accelerated speed.Was this review helpful to you?
