Sword Snow Stride

FAN XIAN OR XU FENG NIAN

If people love this drama, I am not one of them, I like it ok but I think Zhang Ruo Yun oversell Fan Xian character-like Joy of Life. The actors came from JOL casts, many of them, collaboration between actors like 'My Heroic Husband' which were from JOL casts. Xu Feng Nian is another type of Fan Xian (JOL) background; handsome, likable/lovable, promising/bright future, don't care about position/status, ladies man, the son of powerful man/family, highly intelligent, scheming and political genius. I think Zhang RuoYun makes another staple of dual figure with similarities; Fan Xian and Xu Feng Nian, We can obviously notice that Feng Nian is Fan Xian were all in one. Alright besides all that, what I love about this drama is Xu Xiao. A powerful despicable man who scares of his own kids; 2nd daughter and Feng Nian. Who would beg his kids to do his bidding rather using a punitive or authoritative orders to get them do what he wants them to do. His children has voice to say 'nay' or 'ye' although the end his children would do what he wishes them (reluctantly) to enhance the power of Xu family in North Liang. I was wondering, by the age of 19 he started to learn how to fight and dream about winning the fight against second best martial artist in the world.

I love Old Huang, his character is cut short but he's unforgettable character, he's an excellent acting - very natural, relax, cute, genuine, and lovable. Another noted is the love between siblings, no rivalry no jealousy no anger. Every sibling wants to protect, care and love the other brother or sister...that's nice for a change rather many of C-drama portray hatred between sibling. Li Chun Gang/God of Sword (Qiu Xin Zhi) is likable character but he clean his dirty dusty smelly foot a lot - like 'eueww!'

There are too many martial art masters like everybody has specialty of over the top abilities that like 'really?'. Too much fake visual effects, Jiang Ni looks like the youngest actress and she's doing a great job there. Outdoor scenes has beautiful view but can see the white foundation in actors faces - the cosmetic job is obvious, total of 36 episodes does not bring out the best of Zhang RuoYun skills. I don't think there is a need to wait for season 2 or 3. This is the kind of watching one time and move on.

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Uncertain......

I love costume dramas and heard good things about this so I thought I would watch it. I am only on ep15 so I am going to reserve judgement as to if I like or don't like the show until the end. However I can say there are shows that have grabbed my attention right from minute one of episode one and this isn't one of them.
The acting is good and the costumes and music great, but there is something off about this drama.
Personally I think it is the way the drama tries to keep secrets from every character as well as the audience that seems to hinder the plot and story. Even on ep15 there isn't actually a clear understanding of plot. None of the characters seem to know what each other is doing and why, and as an audience even we don't really know what's going on. Although this can make a great drama when it's done with a few characters or used later in a drama I think when it's used from moment one with every character it just leads to a confusing story that's hard to follow.
I am sorry to say that if you want an easy to watch and relaxing drama this wont be it.
Anyway I will keep watching and see if the plot and story clears up any. We shall have to see.

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Best Wuxia out of China! Better story than Ever Night but less action

I would rate this one above Ever Night, which is one of my favorites. Even though action is not as good, the story and the characters are better than Ever Night.

Update after 22 episodes - the constant use of slow motion for every single freaking scene is so frustrating. Why is the director using slow motion for every scene? Just a guy walking up a step becomes a 10 second slow motion. It's so juvenile. He uses it for every freaking scene. You will notice it after episode 17 or so. Every episode after that never gets resolved because half the show's length is spent on slow motion.

I would love to see more of the action but at the same time the story is so good that I do not miss it.

The pace is GREAT and the intelligence of script and dialogue is far above everything else before. I only wish it went up to 60 episodes because 38 episodes seem too quick. I love the world the writers are building and getting to meet new characters along the way.

Finally we get characters that don't start out with high skills and remain the same throughout entire story and repetitive dialogue and never-ending mysteries. And whiny girls or girls that keeps sacrificing themselves or people that constantly talk about sacrificing their lives for someone else. Worst are constant heroes who are cold and aloof and cannot love any women. Or the woman who keeps sacrificing herself for someone else. Just stupid.

We have characters that actually dress with some dirt on them. And no constant focus on close ups of dialogues all the time with their perfect makeup and they speak for 30 minutes and story remains the same. So many C-dramas that constantly yap yap yap and zero progression of the story other than more tears or people expressing emotions non-stop.

And so many c-dramas that rely slow motion on EVERY freaking scene. Someone stepping through the door, fighting scenes. None-stop slow motion every 2 seconds... Don't mind it once a while but not every freaking second of a fight. And fights that last 30 minutes and never ends because of slow motion. I hate those.

Update 12/24/2021 merry Xmas. At episode 20 and seems every fight scene is all slow motion. Sad. Episodes 17-20 just drags and drags.

And so many c-dramas with characters that are brain dead. Like fugitives running away and in middle of night, start singing or playing musical instrument. Or facing an army of soldiers and instead of running away, stays around fighting for no reason and gets others killed. Or when trying to escape a place, walks around without any disguise like an idiot and goes to center of town to wait for friends. So many c-dramas with such idiotic characters. Thank god we dont have too many of that here.

This is 10/10 and I have not seen anything last 20 years that's as good as this one. Would rate it like:

1) Sword Snow Stride
2) Ever Night
3) Joy of Life
4) Fight through Heavens
5) Luoyuan

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10 Best in Show

I was going to write a review and thought better of it as reviewers like PeachBlossomGoddess and HealerHanzi have done a fab job of it . So here are my 10 reasons why Sword Snow Stride is one of my fave dramas of 2021.
10. Best Arm Candy. Period. Cat with pure white fur coat had no function other than to appear on the arm of Yu You Wei [Princess Jiang Ni’s companion]. Cat also takes “Best Bosom Buddy” title. I hope they paid the animal handlers handsomely!
9. Best Mineral Water. Wang Chong Luo and Hong Xi Xiang taking a piss in mountains…guess where it goes…
8. Best Lashes. The envy of every woman — thick eye lashes that beckons — and my oh my, the director had to plaster it on Pu-Sa, the mythical tiger.
7. Best Skincare Model yet. Ok, Jiang Ni [Teresa Li] the princess didn’t seem to endear herself to viewers in the discussion thread, but her skin, her skin! That radiance, when she beamed at XFN, puts SKII models to shame. Someone, please, sign her up already.
6. Best Sword Scene. It’s the Matrix, but in Chinese.
5. Best Groom. Lao Huang — “Old Yeller” — gone too soon.
4: Best Dirty Old Man: Li Chun Gang. Drama has the god of sword picking his nose, and his toes. Dude does not care. Neither do viewers mind, I guess.
3. Best Line: 我还是一个孩子. Finn Han [Zhao Xuan Su] — same precocious kid in Joy of Life — uttering that same line in JoL. Those of us who grew up watching wuxia dramas, the kid in us never left — we still love the genre.
2. Best Dad: Hu Jun, the tragic antihero in Ever Night, who did evil for the love of country and family, drops the nefarious role and plays Xu Xiao, the ultimate political schemer and pussy-whipped dad all at the same time. Salute.
1. Best Procrastinator. Zhang Ruo Yun. He started really late into the sword-learning game. But dude is late for other appointments as well! Like, when can we have season 2 of SSS? Don’t forget we are still waiting for JoL 2.

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Well scripted & delivered

This is actually the first review I will be writing about any Asian drama on this website, so please skip my review if you want something more detailed.

If you enjoy action, mystery, politics and don't mind experiencing very emotional dramas this drama is for you! I really loved the family aspect of this drama- although it is not your typical cozy family type of drama- the family aspect depicted through the ML connection with his siblings is sweet. On the other hand, I did not really like the OST aspect, maybe because I am someone who might not be familiar with the cultural aspect of the OST connection to the rest of the drama?--nonetheless-this was the only aspect of the drama that I didn't get/connect with (but that's my personal opinion- I might be missing the OST overall "theme" for the drama).

This drama has such amazing cinematographic views, there are many twists and turns in this drama and the actors did an excellent job portraying their characters. It has a lot of hilarious, cute, and sad scenes- a must-watch if you love historical, political, mystery and comedy- because this drama has it all plus more! I am definitely going to rewatch it soon!

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okay wow loved it (mini spoiler at the end but if you don't want to see it just don't scroll down)

i didn't know what to expect when first watching this drama. it was really interesting from the start but i was also able to take breaks in between episodes. as an avid historical drama watcher, i can usually predict the storyline, but with this drama everything was a surprise.

i loved all the characters in this drama and their acting was on point. especially the ones who are really good at fighting... just out of this world. i even liked some of the villains.

honestly i didn't pay much attention to the music which was pretty shocking because usually the music is one of the more important aspects to me, but for some reason the music just didn't stand out this time.

i don't know about rewatching yet as i just finished this yesterday. i'm gonna need a break before even thinking about rewatching it. but there is a chance i will in the future.

overall just a really well put together drama. had some humorous aspects and the fighting scenes (again) are so good.







MINI SPOILER (except you'd only understand if you watched the drama):
i know they're probably planning to film a season two, so i want to see more of 黄蛮儿, he seems like such a wholesome person and he's really good at fighting so i wanna see more of that. i also want to see 徐凤年 at his full potential. also the guy from 龙虎山 who said he was gonna be the best in the world... i wanna see where that goes

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I NEED S2

Sword Snow Stride is about a character named Xu Feng Nian and his journey to have peace in Northern Beiliang, the girl he loves and not become a ruler who sacrifices others. Along the way he meets many enemies and people who will support him. His father Xu Xiao who wants Xu Feng to take over Northern Beiliang but Xu Feng refuses he only accepts when he realizes he can only have what he wants and keep safe the people he loves if takes over Beiliang. As he accepts his position Xu Xiao (Xu Feng Nian’s Father) tells him to set out in a journey to prove his is worthy. Xu Xiao has planned out everything for Xu Feng, every route is checked and every trouble he meets is ultimately solved. Xu Feng dislikes this very much and decides that he won’t walk the path his father has laid out for him, he’ll make his own path.

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Sword Snow Stride - worth the watch!

I just finished the series and have to say, wow, I was pleasantly surprised. At first I thought this would be a hardcore wuxia series packed with action and fierce martial art techniques because of the title. However, it involves more intellect and wit.

If you're looking for complex/amazing action scenes or romance, this may not be the drama for you. However, I highly recommend it to those who enjoy seeing intelligent characters outsmarting each other with their tactics. The plot was a slow burn, but was well written for the most part (minus some of the action scenes, which relied a lot on special effects). I was in awe with how intelligent and witty the characters were - smart yet quirky. The highlights of the drama definitely include the tactics, loyalty of the people in Beiliang, brotherhood and family. I personally think they did a good job with the cast - they suited their roles and had great chemistry.

Although it's only season 1, they wrapped it up nicely without leaving a terrible cliffhanger. Not sure if/when they'll film the subsequent seasons but hopefully soon with the same main cast (please don't change any of them)!!!

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Slow but Steady Success Stride

SSS is the most calming Wuxia/strategy/adventure drama I have watched so far. ML is a smart, lucky, and entitled young master who is the son of a powerful military lord. Much of the story is about how he is forced to succeed his father, giving closure to his companion's death and investigating his mother's death.

ML is very lucky that he hardly fights and someone keeps saving him and even if he fights, it is mostly an easy win. ML is very smart to have massive chess pieces hidden in unexpected places but sometimes his reactions seem weird and he gets caught off-guard which was contradictory. Maybe it was genuine or maybe it was for the bigger plan. As I'm sick of watching dramas where ML is constantly outwitted, I didn't mind watching villains getting outwitted instead this time. Zhang Ruo Yun is one of my favorite actors and he didn't fail to charm here as well. His weight seems to fluctuate or something was wrong with his costumes. Sometimes he looked thin and sometimes with some weight.

I liked the different cultivation theories and techniques like the Open the heaven's gate(I loved this scene so much and it felt very realistic especially the dragon), Snakes in Sleeves, 12 Flying swords (the swords were so cute), etc. The CGI for these scenes was pretty decent though sometimes hazy. Also, the cute beast cubs were fun to watch.

FL is smart but I would have preferred if their relationship had started on equal status. FL's character is very strong and has a good backstory. The romance is not the main focus and it is just some bickering conversations and nothing flirty or serious.

The story is simple but has so many characters that you never know who is gonna pop out next. That is why it sometimes feels unpredictable and kept me surprised. After a point, it is easy to see this drama through. Scheming was pretty ruthless and dark. I was honestly baffled at how they did the scholar dirty. I know he was in the wrong but the punishment was overkill. In this context, even the so-called "kindness" pep talk was hypocritical. The leading characters are nearly grey so I didn't invest myself emotionally with their character inconsistencies and their hypocrisies.

My favorite characters were obviously the god of sword (I really liked his attitude towards life and other people's schemes), ML's brother (he is so cute), and Xuanyuan Jing Cheng ( I really love the entire segment of this character). And the dumbest character award goes to Zhao Kai. I loved the actor's character in JOL but here he is simply a comedy piece and I can't even take him seriously. I don't know why he speaks slowly and his actions were oddly brazen. Also, the kid from JOL plays a unique character and excels in it tremendously. At this rate, his career is set.

The vibe of the entire is drama is very slice-of-life and not fast-paced or edgy. I liked the muted color palette of the drama's cinematography. Though the production looks sometimes cheap, the costumes of the characters are rarely posh either, but it is compensated with good locations, decent camera work, veteran actors, and good music. I really loved the opening and ending theme music and the gong style bgm.


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If you think this is your Joy of Life substitute, then the answer is yes and no. (I have read JOL but not this drama's book)
Yes, because there are similar tropes like entitled young master ML who happens to be always lucky, smart FL, Pseudo Harem vibe, various cultivation techniques, the revenge plot, assassination attempts, traveling missions, a lot of people saving ML just cause they owed his parents.
No, the vibe is totally different. This drama is slower and humbly produced with less emotional impact than JOL.

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A fantastic political wuxia drama.

This show had everything: family relationship, dense political maneuvering, and fantastic acting. I think probably the most amazing thing this series accomplished was the fact that I was able to empathize with every single character (well, except for the Emperor's daughter; she was not likable). I could understand their motivation and could even see myself agreeing with them to a certain extent. I even found myself rooting for the character who was the villain throughout the series. His was a sad story, for sure.

Given that this series came out in 2021, I'm glad I watched it now since I didn't have to wait for the episodes to drop but could binge to my heart's content. My only quibble was that the pacing was a little slow at times. Will subsequent seasons be produced? I'm with the fan who respond with a resounding yes. Hopefully, we'll hear news soon.

(I don't generally re-watch series so ignore that value.)

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