Sword and Beloved

A very good drama

The drama is, above all, very beautiful to watch. The special effects and the colors are amazing, sometimes looking like real paintings. Each scene seems carefully made, and the colors and light make the story and emotions stand out.

One of the best things about this drama is the mix of genres. There is action with fight scenes, romance, comedy, and serious drama. Instead of being confusing, this mix makes the story richer and more fun to follow. The characters, both main and secondary, are very likeable. Even the side characters have interesting stories, and they feel important, not just added in.

You don’t need to watch the two other dramas to understand and enjoy this one. The story works on its own. However, if you know more about Wangquan Fugui and his parents from the previous dramas, Love in Pavillon, the family moments feel even more emotional and touching.

The ending is also different from many historical dramas. It changes a bit from the usual type of ending, so it feels fresher and more surprising, while still being satisfying.

For me, the only negative point is in the second time period of the story. Some interactions between certain characters become a bit repetitive, with the same patterns happening again. Because of this, that part can feel slower and less strong than the rest. But overall, the drama is still very enjoyable, especially if you like beautiful visuals, charming characters, and a good mix of action, feelings, and humor.

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Second half bit slow

Everything is good other than cdrama producers having to tick some stupid boxes like
1) always having to fill 30+episodes ( resulting in lots of fillers, overuse of CGI,and repeated themes with the same villain)
2) always having to kill a supporting or main lead -(so not suitable sometimes and not always "arty")
3) always having to adhere to the original books (a drama is a product on its own and should not have to follow the books totally)
4) always having to use the OST multiple times.
The songs are good here but it's super annoying that the lyrics totally COVER all subtitles and so LOUD that it obscured ALL conversations!!!

This drama has a good story,has excellent acting and directing , good songs, good CGI. It's just TOO LONG. The first half is really interesting but the second half really could be shorten by 10episodes.
STOP sticking to some tick box criteria and this drama would have been a near perfect product
Much as I enjoyed this drama, it's really too long and draining for me and most viewers that I have lost all feeling by the last third. I just wanted to finish it and any fancy profound sentiment is totally wasted on me. Time for change, cdrama producers!!!!?

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Just about Fan Yunfei

In this drama, I just want to say… Chang Hua Sen as Fan Yunfei truly touched my heart. He didn’t just act he became the character. His softness, his innocence, his warmth… everything felt so real. And his outfits? Absolutely perfect. Every scene made me fall for him a little more. His playful, gentle charm pulled me in without warning.

This year I’ve watched four of his dramas Moonlight Mystics, A Journey to Love, Blood River, and now this and he shines differently in each one. But this role felt special. He was bright, jolly, comforting… almost like a small pocket of happiness inside a painful storyline. He really is such a good actor, and his sweetness completely mesmerized me.

And honestly… when he played that “poor dog” role, I loved it a lot. He was funny and loyal at the same time a little foolish but so pure-hearted. The way he admired that Celestine Master and Royal Master was actually so adorable and admirable. And the most touching thing… the way he proposed to his lover for 101 days, refusing to give up on her. In that moment, I felt like I found my idol. It influenced me so much hhhhhhhh he’s such a silly, lovable little poor dog. He deserved his happy ending no matter what.

People say his story was unnecessary since he wasn’t the main lead or the “important” character. But to me, he was the light that kept this drama from becoming unbearable. I’m literally stable right now because of him. If his story wasn’t there, I would have completely collapsed after what Cheng Yi put me through. Honestly, I should stop writing about Cheng Yi… he seems allergic to giving happy endings, I swear. But the sad thing is he’s still my favorite actor. And no matter how painful his dramas are, I’m going to keep watching them shamelessly.

Thank you, director, for giving me Fan Yunfei’s happy ending… because that tiny piece of sunshine saved me.

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Second Half is a Train Wreck

First half is okay, it's to build the story. However not even in second half but everything start to fall apart.
There's sooo much filler and unnecessary scenes. Even 2nd and 3rd couple got much more romance than the main couple. Sword is literally there but there's no Beloved when the main leads are rarely in the same frame together. There's build up to romance but then the romance is nowhere to be found, but the drama wants to convince us that there's such a deep bond between ML and FL in the end.

The only good arc is the Peach Village arc. And after all of those things Wangquan Fugui deserve to be happy!

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Compelling acting and highly entertaining

This drama is an engaging and entertaining watch, boasting a solid narrative and impressive performances. The criticism directed towards the lack of romance between the lead characters is unwarranted, and viewers should make an effort to appreciate the series in its entirety. While some episodes could have been trimmed, such as the storyline involving the female lead and her brother, should have been the relationship between the male lead and his father is a more deserving focus, particularly in the series' later stages. Overall, this is a highly enjoyable series that deserves more positive reviews.
Pay no attention to the negative comments and enjoy this outstanding series for pure entertainment.

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“Sword and Beloved: Gorgeous but Emotionally Empty”

I jumped into Sword and Beloved without watching the previous dramas in the Fox Spirit Matchmaker universe, so I went in completely fresh 😅. I don’t watch many xianxia dramas these days, so my expectations were moderate… yet the first half pleasantly surprised me ✨. The writing was solid, the world-building elegant 🌸, and Cheng Yi once again nailed the calm yet tragic hero type 💫. The story felt layered, pacing smooth, and the family + romance dynamics were charming 💖. At that point, I even rated it 9/10 🌟.

But as the episodes went on… my excitement slowly turned into confusion and disappointment 😞. The second half lost its soul — events happened, but I didn’t feel anything 😵‍💫. All the beauty and charm of the first half seemed to vanish 💔, leaving me frustrated and unable to fully enjoy the drama 😢.

It’s such a shame because the opening episodes showed real potential 🌿. By the end, it felt like the drama forgot what it wanted to be, leaving a hollow experience despite strong performances and a captivating first half 🎭💥.


⚔️ Story & Script — A Promising Beginning That Fell Apart

The writing in Sword and Beloved is where everything goes wrong. The first half built a world of tension and emotion — humans and demons caught between duty, fate, and forbidden love. It was poetic, full of promise 🌙. But halfway through, the entire story lost its soul.

The pacing fell apart. The emotional threads between the characters were cut off. The story jumped from one subplot to another with no clear direction. It’s like the scriptwriters had no idea what they wanted to tell — was it a tragic romance, a war epic, or a political fantasy? They tried to do everything and ended up doing nothing well 😩.

The second half felt like someone tore out the heart of the script and replaced it with random scenes. Plot twists appeared out of nowhere, emotional buildups vanished, and dialogue turned into empty poetry — lines that sounded deep but meant absolutely nothing. The characters stopped evolving and started existing only to push the story forward.

🌀 The Vanishing Male Lead

One of the biggest disasters was how they handled the male lead, Fugui. Cheng Yi started the drama as the emotional center — burdened by duty, torn by destiny. But suddenly, he began to disappear. Entire episodes passed with barely a trace of him. Instead, side characters and secondary couples took over the screen.

By the time Fugui returned in the final stretch, the emotional bond between him and Qingtong was already gone. The audience couldn’t reconnect because the writers had already replaced the heart of the show with filler content. It’s honestly shocking that a drama built around Cheng Yi’s character managed to push him out of his own story 😤.

💔 Empty Drama Disguised as Depth

The writing tried to appear profound but ended up being hollow. Every big scene was heavy with “important” lines about destiny, love, and sacrifice — yet none of them felt real. The characters didn’t act like humans anymore; they acted like puppets performing someone else’s bad poetry 🎭.

Even the emotional peaks — deaths, sacrifices, heartbreaks — were meaningless because they weren’t earned. You can’t just throw in tragic moments and expect the audience to cry when there’s no emotional buildup. Everything was happening, but nothing hit.

🎭 How the Cast and Production Tried to Save a Dying Script

The most heartbreaking part is that everyone else tried so hard to make it work. Cheng Yi and Li Yitong gave far more emotion than the script deserved 💔. Cheng Yi carried pain and restraint in his eyes even when the dialogue was nonsense. You could see him trying to turn broken lines into feelings. Li Yitong brought warmth, humor, and grace, even though her character’s motivations kept changing every few episodes.

The production team also did their best — the visuals were breathtaking, the sword fights beautifully shot, and the lighting was cinematic 🌌. Every scene screamed effort: “We know the story is dying, but look how beautiful we can make it!”

But sadly, no amount of beauty or talent can save a hollow core. The cast and crew were fighting to keep the drama alive, yet the script had already bled out. You could feel their effort, but you couldn’t feel the story.

🔥 The Finale — Beautiful but Soulless

By the final episodes, the drama became an empty shell. The plot rushed to its ending, throwing in every cliché it could find. The visuals were stunning — glowing swords, elegant costumes, emotional music — but everything felt fake. It was like watching a puppet show with no soul behind it.

I finished the finale completely numb 🫥. Not happy, not sad, just empty. The ending wasn’t tragic — it was meaningless. That’s far worse.

💭 Final Thoughts

Sword and Beloved had the foundation to be an incredible xianxia drama — strong actors, emotional potential, and visual brilliance 🌙. But the writing destroyed it. The story lost its rhythm, wasted its leads, and traded emotional truth for dramatic chaos.

If I had to describe it in one line:

“A beautiful sword, dulled by a broken script.” ⚔️word, dulled by a broken script.” ⚔️

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“Sword and Beloved” is the story of a boy who grows up resented by his father. He lives a very quiet life and sometimes helps the needy in disguise. His life changes when a girl enters his life, and many secrets are revealed. Throughout his journey, he meets wonderful people, fights against injustice, confronts evil, and eventually wins.
This is the story.

What I felt missing in the drama was the romantic chemistry between the main leads, which I waited for until the last episode. Although I enjoyed watching the chemistry between Chang Hua Sen and Zhang Kai Ying, and one more love story was there but their love story was also incomplete.
I liked Wang Hong Yi’s performance too—he was very good at expressing all kinds of emotions. I hope he gets a main role in a drama someday.

Now, my views about the drama: I was really not into it. Maybe the story was too long, had some unnecessary scenes, and yes, it was devoid of a proper lead love story.

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A Poetic Tale of Love, Duty, and Destiny

The ending of the drama was deeply meaningful and perfectly aligned with its overall theme.

Cheng Yi’s performance deserves special praise. At the beginning, his acting is intentionally restrained and understated, perfectly matching the calm tone of the story. As the narrative unfolds, he gradually reveals deeper layers of emotion, culminating in a finale filled with breathtaking intensity. Every scene carries its own rhythm and feeling — a true showcase of his range and mastery.

Chemistry with the ML/FL was sweet and heartfelt. how ML respected her choices and gave her the freedom to follow her own path added great emotional weight, especially as ML prioritized the greater good over personal desires.

Kudos to the entire team for staying true to the drama’s profound life philosophy.

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