The Ingenious One

Don't upset those in power

This drama centred around Yun Xiang, an orphan who survived the massacre of his village. He was brought up by the mysterious head of Yantai with a hidden identity. Yun Xiang was trained to became a master of pretence and strategies. Like most dramas of this genre, he insisted on investigating the mastermind behind the massacre, although against the command of his Shifu (teacher).

The drama was interesting as the people hiding their identity was not only the head of Yantai. The drama was a battle of wits and cunning between Yun Xiang and Nan Gong Fang who appeared to be from a rival sect. But it got boring after each identity was revealed.

I am not a supporter of child emperors and lineage, and a believer of: may the best person win. I think only when the upright and capable become the leader can then a country prosper. I did not favour either side of the power struggle, as it was between loyalists to lineage and a capable Prince who was not so upright and did not care that much for the people and would do whatever to achieve his end.

This drama scored well on an excellent cast who performed well, good looking actors/actresses, and appropriate backdrop. Costume was mediocre but fits the purpose. Not a drama of grandiose. Overall, still a good piece of entertainment.

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Dissapointing

so I know this review might be controversial but honestly I did begin watching this drama with some expectations and I have to say the first eleven episodes were quite good, but I just felt his motive and his drive of revenging the Luo family was kinda dragged along, he had so much obsession about this that it honestly didn’t make any sense for them to even include the part of him being a Yuntai sect member for all those years, he does “learn” to treat people differently but it still doesn’t change the fact that he’s very manipulative, honey mouthed and he would use anyone in order to achieve the “bigger picture” overall I was somewhat dissatisfied with this series and it’s not something I would watch agian .

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Twists and Turns of a Strategist

Yun Xiang is a direct disciple of Yuntai sect master, who came down the mountain to save his benefactor Wen who was imprisoned in Nandu. Wen saved ML’s life when his village was massacred 15 years ago, so other than saving Wen, ML was also looking for clues to find the real perpertrator behind the massacre. Equipped with nothing but his brains, he entered the Jiang Hu and later befriended Warrior Jin and Shu Yanan, inadvertently turning them into his bodyguards in his quest for the truth.

I can’t say I liked the ML, this character is too complexly calculative and conniving, but he gets the job done indeed. FL isnt any better, although she has many secrets in her sleeve, one thing I was sure of is their love for each other. But i liked the side couple better, Warrior Jin and Tianhu. Tianhu isnt all that pretty, but she is very cute and appealing in an innocent way. The combination of the brute and the beauty is what makes it spark. I am impressed with the one playing Warrior Jin, i just realized he was actually Heavenly King in Legend of Shen Li. What a contrast from his character here. They actually aged up the actor to play the king i never thought the actor had been in his early forties!

I am not sure in which era was this story is supposed to be, but heck the costumes are so hedious, the men look like theyre stuffed into ragbags and the women had unappealing long dresses too. Even the Su family who are supposed to be the richest family in Nandu didnt look good in their clothes. I thought women costume in Blossom had been ugly enough, it’s even worse here.

The songs sound so soothing, i especially love the Cloud Farewell song by Liu Yuning, gosh the lyrics are so nice!

Although the story is okay, i dont think i will be watching season 2. Im not all into strategic/political genre cuz i have a hard time concentrating to details.

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Title should be boring little weasel thinks he can manipulate everyone with his baby schemes

If you can't fall asleep listen to the dialogue of this serie. Yawn yawn yawn it's like listening to an ancient Chinese poet over and over again. The scenes are really beautiful shot and the side characters are decent. The ml was 15 years the main disciple of his sect but can't fight so he must be very smart then, well his intelligence was disappointing and strategies are based on luck. Also I simply can't root for a ml ( loved him in nothing gold can stay) who use the lives of innocent people so carelessly to reach his own goal, especially if you know why he wants revenge. What a hypocrite, a pure weasel also the schemes and strategies from the 'good' and bad guys are not genius or satisfying at all. Overall I blame the writer.

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Finally something interesting.

Haven't finished this yet, but its a 8 for me at the moment just because ..
After watching a few great ones, some commercial entertaining few and a wholeeeeeee lot of plagiarised disappointments... i am thankful for one that has yet to make me roll my eyes or irritate me with-

- with skinny waists and hairsprayed hair men ( just because they draw it like that doesn't mean you copy it completely)
- ugly translucent chiffon pastel costumes
- LOUD and screaming mothers, nannies or maids (
- ridiculously ear piercing OVER choreographed fantasy fight sound effects
- eye roll jealous sisters HELLOOOO some innovative creativity please?

China has SO much talent .. so KUDOS to the one who made this one happen.
A great ending would be a huge bonus, at the moment i i really hope the ending doesn't make me want to jump off a cliff.

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Not Great

*Minor spoiler

Eight episodes in and while the pacing of the plot has stayed steady since the first episode, it has also yet triggered much intrigue. While the ML did a decent job in portraying his character, the dialogue he was given wasn't great. The FL was a dull and unimpressive character, and there was zero chemistry between the two. The relationships the ML develops so far also doesn't feel natural. I had planned to give the series a few more episodes to see if it better evolved but the cringe scene with the rescued little girl solidified the decision to drop. She's supposed to be an orphaned child who was then placed into an abusive environment and witnessed multiple murders. Yet, she very oddly breaks into a happy song (with poor dubbing) the same night with over-exaggerated acting and then turns into an obnoxious spoiled brat the next day? This further highlights the misplacement of emotive focuses such as how the series attempts to lighten up the mood every so often by switching to playful music and banter in between, but it just doesn't feel natural and it doesn't help with the chemistry-building.

The biggest positive about the series are the action scenes. The fight scenes were done really well. I just wish the plot and dialogue matched.

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The Ingenious man's salvation is a Woman | Breaking ones own principle for love. <3

"Human emotions are the most fervent. It could be love for a day and hatred for another. Love is captivating, and hatred disrupts the mind." - Yun Xiang

What a refreshing and unique story! I really thought it will follow the usual bloody mind game dramas whose concept is fully set on revenge but I was astonished to see how everything unfolded and ended in a completely different way breaking the norms. It feels refreshing and consoling to see dramas choosing the peaceful path instead of going all out with a killing spree finale. I am truly impressed and satisfied on how they started and concluded the story as it shows the progress of the main leads. It also conveys a message that revenge is not the only way, as oftentimes, we all have a choice to choose the greater good—which is to attain love, peace and happiness together with our loved ones.

The narrative was very clear from the get go, the succeeding episodes were properly depicted and the plot was meticulously unfolded which makes the story comprehensible while maintaining its thorough yet complex and mind blowing plot twists.

The chemistry of the main lead is so giving and when together, insane! They're irrevocably in love! We got an incredibly intelligent man who's agenda is mainly set on revenge and is completely inexperience to love and a highly skilled martial arts woman who is very kind yet has a distinct motive and mission she needs to accomplish. Both of them have something they need to achieve but what I love about this couple is that they learned how to go around it by finding other ways to still undersrand and support each other without sacrificing and letting go of their love and affection for each other and the people around them. It really is surprising and magical at the same time to watch a drama like this. Excellent writing!

The male lead is more of a revengeful boy trapped on an intelligent person's body instead of a cunning man. He's like a toddler sometimes. His little shoulder taps on the female lead gave me butterflies. It feels special as it has become his way to ask for attention, show his affection and express his intention to yield. More than a gesture, it is like a sign to convey his love and presence—a mutual understanding that connects them without uttering a word—a significant and remarkable symbol of their relationship. I find him so adorable whenever he does that. He's madly in love...what a loverboy. Hihi!

Synergy between the characters are also great! I love that they (Yun Xiang, Shu Ya Nan, Su Ming Yu and Jin Biao) formed a friendship or more so, a brotherhood despite their different status in life. Kindness and compassion bounds them together and I am glad that the male lead got to meet them as they're the one who influenced him to be considerate which led him to eventually let go of his revenge and to become a better person.

Lastly, I was surprised at the same time amazed and delighted that Master Kou of Lingyuan is actually a loving and caring person. They took a different path for the leader of the supposed antagonist group; as this time that person is not simply smart and poweful woman but also an understanding and loving mother of her kids. Too bad she was killed by her foolish, greedy and gullible son.

P.S. Why is Tang XiaoTian's roles always has something to do with being weak, timid and cowardly? Can't he be a robust and flawless 2nd male lead for once? He tend to occasionally accept emotionally and mentally imbalance roles which kind of putting him on a weird light for me. Thank god this drama was well written and he was given proper character development. Because if not, then I don't know anymore...

Story - 10, I love this drama so much! I appreciate that everyone including the supporting characters got to have a development with their romantic lives and that they didn't let us shed a lot of tears. Fighting scenes are great and we don't really have to talk about the plot itself. It was a masterpiece for me.

Acting/Cast - 10, Chen Xiao's acting is just on another level. His deliberation and control of his emotions is truly on top. Mao Xiao Tong on the otherhand makes me feel good and refresh—her smile in particular exudes positivity and energy that I can't stop myself from smiling whenever she beams one. The other cast also did great!

Music - 10, I can't really remember much about the songs used but what I can remember is how I always feel down during the sad scenes because of how malancholic the bgm are.

Rewatch Value - 10, Most definitely! A drama I can surely re-watch and recommend to people.

Overall - 10, I got nothing bad to say about this drama. I was even more sad that I only got to discover it recently. Such masterpiece really needs to be expose out there for better recognition and acknowledgement. Highly recommend for sure!

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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Massively Disappointed

So first of all, this is a much lower rating than most reviewers on mdl is giving. Bear with me, I'll give my reasons in a minute, but just wanted to put out a quick disclaimer that just because I disliked it, doesn't mean that you will too.

1st, I disliked the pacing of the plot. There were pockets of mystery, but were countered by an extremely tedious romance between the second couple. Honestly I had to skip over their scenes after a while because i got sick of their pining. Morever, the main character is a little too obscure. I understand his main deal is that he's extremely smart, but I found his tricks to be boring because there's little explanation on how he crafts his web, and if there is, it's pretty half assed. You're basically in the dark the entire time, wondering wtf is happening, but then magically, everything gets solved by some twist in the end. Personally, this type of structure made it difficult to immerse myself in the mystery.

Second: for a drama built on intrigue, the villains seem pretty half assed, especially that other Ke (fml's brother), who feels like he should've collected his bento in episode 20. Even the main villain, whose supposed to be Yun Xiang's master, falls pathetically easily. I feel like for a guy who taught Yun Xiang everything he knows, it doesn't make sense that he gets outsmarted by Yun Xiang at every turn. What's the point of being YX's teacher then?

The 4.0 is solely for Mo Ye and Ke Qiao because they made me laugh and I loved them very much (ofc the scriptwriter killed them). Also the wuxia and fighting scenes were good, but nothing to write home about, given how most decently budgeted cdramas have good wuxia scenes.

Overall, it's not my cup of tea, but maybe it'll be yours. Be forewarned though.

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Series personal review

IQIYI Paid Subscription

Since I am not done watching this series, I will reserve editing this review after I complete the series. For now, my thoughts on this series:

I added this to my watch list due to their interesting promotion of it.
●The story started in a slow pace but it has something (maybe charm?) that kept my interest.
●Few times, I got confused and didnt understand what was going on causing me to backtrack few episodes and rewatched them again. I realized this is not the kind of series I can watch a few episodes, set aside to watch another series and then return to. It is a series wherein you truly need to focus and pay attention to fully enjoy the series. It will hook you like being hooked on solving a puzzle. It has a complicated story that kept me interested. There are a lot of twists and turns that are interconnected. Most times when I thought the mystery or situation was solved, it will show that it is connected to a bigger mystery or situation. It seems like a roller coaster.
●Excellent artists doing excellent work. Each character was portrayed convincingly. Chemistry between artists is good. The acting of all casts are superb.
●Director Yau showed his talent in creating an enjoyable series from a novel that is pure drama. His work with Mirror: Twin Cities is good but I think this series truly showed his talent in directing. His idea of focusing on actors facial expressions especially the eyes, fit perfectly to explain scenes with deceit and tricks. A viewer can understand and read the scene without words.
●cinematography is effective and smart. The use of lighting at proper scenes and adding blurred esthetic to give the notion of memories or thoughts were done perfectly.
●

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I'm so done with C-Romance-Dramas

All in all a really decent show. Amazing OST, great acting all around, nice intriguing story but these retards just can't get the romance right.

I don't know what it is, is it a subtle feminist propaganda or what but it seems that the women are exempt from all responsibility when it comes to romance. Yun Xiang betrays his friends, he apologizes, but when she betrays him, the creators are close to making him getting on his knees and apologizing to her. What happened to common sense?

So done with this drivel and this propaganda that is tearing apart the western world. Such a shame it found its way into east as well. Or maybe it's always been there and I'm just more sensitive to it now.

I mean it goes both ways but seems to be more slanted towards women.

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