It completes my imagination of Shao Nian Ge Xing!
For a story to be adapted into various mediums (comic, animation, and live action), it definitely speaks quality. For us who read Shao Nian Ge Xing (Song of Adolescents) the novel and follow the donghua (animation series), having a live action is a real treat for fans. It is very very rare for an IP to get this opportunity. This drama itself completes my imagination about the world of Shao Nian Ge Xing. I see how it is well coordinated with the novel and donghua version, so that each version complements one each others despite several differences in some places.After completing all episodes, I am not hesitant to say it is really a superb adaptation. The worldbuilding is complex but clearly explained through the course of the story. This drama has all ingredients of a great wuxia: geographical landscapes, actions, sects, skills, and weapons, imperial politics, culture, and philosophy. There are diverse landscapes: cities, temples, and palace, mountain, jungle, river, and sea. There are actions almost in every episode which is pleasant to eyes because of good CGI. There are philosophies from Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism giving the story some moral weight. The Chinese cultural presentations are so rich, from music, paintings, poetries, dance, outfits, and interior design of places.
The imperial politics and the damage it caused to the jianghu is pretty complex since it involves the grudge of two generations. However, the story is able to balance external conflicts, who finally win the thrones and who finally get recognition as the best martial experts, and internal conflicts: familial love vs anger among siblings, forgiveness versus revenge among loyalists, repentance versus self-righteousness among those who did wrongdoings, solitariness versus togetherness among friends. So, the best aspect of this drama is the strong themes it holds tightly from the beginning to the end: brotherhood and friendship. This story tells a lot about love to siblings, parents/ children, and love to friends. This makes it meaningful to fans and general audience.
This drama is so loved, so it lies solid ground for future movies/ drama, for prequels and sequels.
Final thought (5/2/23)
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This story follows the journey of the youth: Xiao Se/ Xiao Chuhe (the main character), the four guardians of Tianqi (Lei Wujie, Sikong Qianluo, Tang Lian, and Ji Xue) a.k.a his guardians, Wuxin the shameless monk his best friend, and Ye Ruoyi his advisor.
It starts uniquely as Xiao Se is portrayed as anti-hero. His back story is quite heart breaking. He was a prince and prodigy that had fallen to the lowest. After involved in Langya Mutiny, he was demoted to commoner, exiled, harmed by his enemy, and lost his martial arts). People loved and remembered him as a hero, but now he was nobody and gone missing. However, in his heart, he always desired to clear his uncle name and wanted to come back to capital city, Tian Qi. He never lost his pride and principles. He is a person with a very strong character. Xiao Se journey started from coincidental encounter with Lei Wujie, a newbie with pure heart, whose journey aimed to be the greatest expert in jianghu. Later, they both travelled together and found more friends along the roads, especially Wuxin whose life unexpectedly was related to all of them. Their brotherhood is amazing.
Throughout the story, all characters experience character development. The naive Lei Wujie finally climb the ladder of skills as well as learn about love and having cute romantic relationship with Ye Ruoyi. The strong but shy Tang Lian learn to follow his heart and his principles rather than following duty blindly. Wuxin realized that he was not alone in his journey. Sikong Qianluo stopped being a bratty and spoiled girl. Xiao Se got the most extreme character development, from nobody to somebody again as a prince and a martial artist. He was still cunning and sharp tongue, but his traits were somehow refined by his past downfall and adversities. He faced his inner demon. He became more humble and grounded.
The story and interactions between characters are funny and entertaining, but also can thrill and create suspense. I found that all character are strong and badass. Nobody is weak here, even the princes learn martial arts. Nobody is stupid, as each character is reasonable and use their intelligence to face the challenges, including the antagonists.
Personally, I don't mind with the romances, even though some audience complain it, wanting it to be just focused on pure wuxia and indifferent friendship to feeling, because no chemistries among couples. The romances are told in the novel, so it is not wise to omit it from the story. To keep the drama stay true to the novel is appreciation for the writer/ IP. As the cultural background of the story believes in the concept of Yin and Yang, romance between man and woman even in martial arts world is a good thing and needed to balance things. People cannot keep doing physical fighting, action, and getting injured or experiencing setbacks without cure and consolation. The best consolation for man is the love from woman; people naturally seek for his/her soulmate. So, it is good to have a hint of romance. This drama does better in telling romantic relationship in comparison to the donghua because it gives more screen for couples. We know how relationships start, evolve, and end among couples here, both for main characters and supporting roles. All is wrapped well.
For you who never read the novel or watch the donghua, this drama completes the donghua in several ways. The donghua is a little bit confusing at telling the background, context, and things happened in the past. This drama delivers it well so we know what actually happened to Lord Langya, the history of four guardians, the history and relationships of characters, etc. The drama also improves the pacing and sequence of events so that the storytelling is smoother. This drama also changes some parts/ adds things that are not in the novel or Donghua, which is make the story stronger. For example: It differs in the time identity of Xiao Se as a prince is exposed to his friends, when and where Xiao Se met Xiao Chong and Xiao Lingchen for the first time, who involved in Three Party Meeting of Baxiao Hall, the romance during lantern festival, how the Dark River assassin syndicate got its ends, how Xiao Se got his swords, the options given to Xiao Yu before his demise. etc. I personally hope the drama has more episode so we can see the war between Beili and Nanjue, Xiao Se versus Ao Yu, the prince of Nanjue he beat in gambling repeatedly told before, and how he won it.
The drama also moderates some depiction in the novel that are too bloody. We don't see the bloodshed in Tian Qi and how every character always thrown a mouthful of blood after getting hit. In my opinion, it is good so that the story is acceptable for younger audience and thus family friendly. I also like the details in drama showing gestures, especially the fingers movement when a character is thinking of something and their face expressions (such as in the scene when Lei Wujie telling his Insulting Sword Technique to Xiao Se, Xie Xuan, and Wushuang). Even though many people saw Xiao Se expression is emotionless, I personally saw it accurate because that is how Xiao Se should look like.
I recommend this drama for you fans of the donghua and all of you who love historical and wuxia drama. Dear fellow fans, waiting for season 3 may be long. This drama can fulfill our thirst in the mean time.
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Will the 6th prince win the throne?
Tang Lian, the senior disciple at XueYue City was assigned the task to bring back a golden coffin to the city. He had no idea what or who was in the coffin. Along the way, he was waylaid by a number of different sects, demanding that he handed it over to them.Around the same time, a naive but highly skilled Lei Wu Jie was on his way to XueYue City. He stopped by an inn for a meal when a gang came in to rob. Out of righteousness and eager to demonstrate his ability, he defended the inn against attack only to have the money-minded and shrewd owner Xiao Se demanded that he paid for the damages. Convinced by Xiao that his action was redundant and therefore at fault, he suggested Xiao followed him to XueYue City where he would get the money to compensate him. Having another agenda of his own, Xiao Se agreed. Xiao Se appeared to have no martial art skills but exhibited excellent agility.
It is widely known that the 6th prince was a righteous man, highly talented and well-skilled in martial arts, possessing great inner force. But he offended his father, the emperor by siding with his uncle, the Lord Langya and was stripped off his princely title. While on his way to exile, he was attacked and seriously wounded by a mysterious attacker.
The parties met and teamed up together. Later in the drama, the content of the coffin was revealed and so was the true identity of Xiao Se.
What I like about this drama:
1. Hygiene factors: like a lot of good Chinese dramas, it satisfied most of the hygiene factors: good looking cast, excellent acting, lovely costumes especially that worn by the main leads, Li Hong Yi (Xiao Se) and Liu Xue Yi (Wu Xin - yes, a monk), the lovely backdrop and cinematography.
2. Special effects: it is packed with special effects as every fight is a show of the inner forces of each opponent. If you love martial arts and special effects in dramas, this is it.
3. Humour: although by and large, this is a rather serious drama, there are lots of comic relief. Wu Xin (acted by Liu Xue Yi) was hilarious when he asked the Marquis why he was looking at him - was it because of his good looks. He was always demonstrating his narcissism in this drama, which was quite funny.
4. Hook: to keep the audience chasing a long running drama, there must be a hook. The main hook of this drama was whether
the 6th prince's was going to escape further harm, recover his inner skill, be eventually reunited with the emperor and find out who was behind the attack that disabled his fighting skills, with the help of his new friends. And this is a strong hook.
There are not much I do not like about this drama but I am going to nitpick at some:
1. The theme of rivalry for the throne is so cliche and overused. I am sure this happened at every generation of every dynasty. But watching repeatedly as a storyline is kind of monotonous, even if the story develops differently.
2. Music is alright but not outstanding.
3. The on-screen chemistry between the main male and female leads is quite cold. The woman is keen but the man is distant. There is not much romantic feelings in this drama although there are a lot of couples. The main story is centred around the fight for the throne and the scheming of the 7th prince and how the other princes handle it.
4. Like a lot of Chinese dramas, the capable and righteous walks away from the throne, which is another element I find very cliche. I dislike this sort of ending as it goes against my personal belief. I believe it is only when there are capable and righteous people at the top that a country can prosper. Have people in leadership who are capable but unscrupulous and corrupt, or with good intent but incapable are all scenarios for disaster. Look around you, you may probably agree with me.
Overall, I think this drama is worth watching.
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Jianghu friendship in fighting for the throne story
The main lead of this drama doesn't come from nothing into something. Xiao Chunhe is the 6th prince of Baili nation. He is very talented not only he is very smart mind but but also he has a great martial art.In the couple of first episodes maybe we see that he looks like weak because his inner power was being hurt after fight with the mysterious person when he was banished from Tianqi, the capital city. He heals and increasing his power during this drama. He also meets his lover and couple of young but powerful friends during his journey back to his home town.
This drama follows the story of the original novel. So we can't blame why this drama is not focus on cultivation even though the first half is very promising to enter martial art world story.
This drama is a great live action. It has very composed story and good cast selection. Special effect is wise but as the Wuxia drama, the fighting choreography is not blessing my eyes. Especially the final fight with the Luo Qingyang.
Some changing of the detail in the novel is useful but I still want to make Wuxin Character has a better final story.
This drama is worthy to be rewatch again. Also I hope the producer and team can also work in the other adaptation of this universe.
I want to see more dark river story in An He Zhuan or the great martial artist, Baili Dongjun, in Shao Nian Bai Ma Zui Chun Feng.
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The storyline was superb, I appreciate the team and how they fought for justice. I loved the clues they were looking for and the adventure they gave. I thank the Producers/directors and the actors and actresses. The visuals were excellent. The wardrobe for that period was just beautiful and exciting. The visuals which include the martial arts, wow, what can I say? The fantasy was a reality for me. I loved it! I thank the team of The Blood of Youth.
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PERFECTO??
I've completed this drama long ago,but i realized i didn't write a review.This drama is one of the best dramas I've ever watched,why? because everything is almost perfect.
The first thing i like about it is the ML,from the first ep to the last, he's been consistent in delivering his role. He's calm, scheming and strong.
The second thing is the story, no matter how great an actor is, without a good story,the drama will be a mess. And this story was great, with matching roles for the leads.
The third thing is their friendship,i like how they support eachother, especially how they dedicate to help the ML.
Overall,this is a great drama for Wuxia fans like myself. No unnecessary romance,no break ups or whatever. Just pure adventure. I strongly recommend it to everyone.
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Invigorating drama
This is my first review here. I particularly found this drama really really fun to watch. I loved that there was a distinct mix of characters with various personalities. I particularly loved the banter of wuxin, lei wujie and xiao se. I laughed whenever they did that.The whole friendship theme was really heartwarming and some of the romance as well.
I loved that they also leveled up their powers as well.
There were so many familiar faces and veteran actors which was great.
Ending was satisfying as well.
The only downsides were: they could really have removed half of the romance without affecting the drama in anyway. It was really useless and unnecessary especially xiao se and qiangluo. There were a few minor plotholes and sometimes the music was a bit off.
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what is right? and what is wrong ?
the blood of youth is period drama set in a fictional era and is full of mystery and suspense.it is quite a heavey drama with a lot of characters, excellent production, interesting plot with wonderful cast. the story revolves mainly around xiao se(latter known to be as xiao chuhe/the 6th prince& yong an wang) a stinky villa owner and his friends lei wuji a teen in search for experiance in the martial arts world and ye anshi also known as wuxin a man in his late 20's with the ability to look into once thought and minds whom he meets on a trip to xuyue city. the drama tells the story of their adventures and backgrounds which are interconnected in messy web of deaths and betrayals. it also talks about family affairs of xiao chuhe who is the most talented son of the ruling emperor and is a prodigy who is now leaving under the identity of xiao se since he lost his martial arts. he decides to go back to xuyue city in order to take everything back that belongs to him where he meets many other teens talented broad minded and vibrant with a clean mind and supports the truth as well as will give their life for what they value the most.the story is abouth second chance, clear conscience and to dream big .my negatives ;
1)the main love interest between xiao se and sikong qianluo (although it is a very light amount) is kind of annoying because they are both mature making the couple kind of weird where as i preferred xiao se to be with wuxin (since one is croocked while other is funny and one is mature and serious where the other is funny with a carefree nature)
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A new twist for Wuxia
Read the synopsis to get the plot.Production, role portrayal, location, especially wardrobe, are great. I enjoyed a new twist for Wuxia in this series. Casting is great except for Lin Bo Yang. I have her character portrayal a chance and until the end, I didn't find contentment or satisfaction with her playing the character. She didnt seem to fit the role. This is my personal opinion only.
Otherwise, everything else is fun, exciting and interesting. I hope to watch another Wuxia series like this. I enjoyed it til the end and craving for another season.
Thabk you to the producers.
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Excellent wuxia that focuses on loyalty, brotherhood and righteousness
Excellent wuxia that focuses on loyalty, brotherhood and righteousness. Highly recommend it!I'm very proud of Li Hong Yi in this drama, so glad to see him well-styled to show his handsome, charismatic self and his strong acting abilities. I'm also impressed with the rest of the main and supporting cast -- particularly the male characters.
Additionally, CGI was pretty good. I think if there was a bigger budget, they could do even cooler CGI. The imagination and creativity is certainly present.
Hope to see more wuxia dramas in the future that show this level of storytelling, character development and brotherhood.
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This review may contain spoilers
Martial Arts to the Max!!
A story about the strong friendship bonds in the martial arts world brilliantly brought to life with a glorious variety of characters, clans and their respective special fighting moves.The younger generation of martial artists are coming out into the world and go on various adventures while honing their skills. The older generation watches and nurtures while back stories and truths are revealed about their past. When the older generation fight, you can see even more impressive cgi!
Wujie is my favourite character, one you don’t often see in wuxias. He is goofy in an endearing way as it really shows how pure his heart it. His character is perfect in bringing attention to Xiao Se as it is humorous opposites that make their friendship so believable. I am so happy his love interest was a strong beautiful character who liked him in return. They had a nice chemistry together unlike Xiao Se and Qinglou. Thankfully, this drama is less about romance and more about brotherhood so I enjoyed the soulmate-type bond Xiao Se shared with Wuxin. Although they had to part frequently, their bond seems even stronger that the one Xiao Se shares with Wujie as they share so many similarities in their personality and intelligence.
My favourite scene would be the banquet. How he planned to bring his invited guests to it was brilliant and the twist at the end was a real surprise to me - really heartfelt and bittersweet. Other little twists in this drama could be guessed quite easily for those who’ve seen many dramas already so it is extra nice to get surprised like this.
I enjoyed how different characters were introduced into the story gradually, at a good pace so it didn’t overwhelm me and I could enjoy the respective characters personalities and martial arts.
Costumes were lavish with rich looking fabric, gorgeous embroidery and realistic looking leather accents. Fighting sequences are among the best I’ve seen in a drama with dramatic cgi. A definite must watch for wuxia lovers. Do also look for the special extra ending (links are in the “recent discussion” threads). It makes the happy ending even happier!
But if the links are not working and you do not want to pay extra to view it, below is what happened. So please stop here if you do not want to spoil the surprise extra ending.
I liked how this special extra ending flows naturally like a continuation from when they left Tianqi. The scene opens at Snowfall Villa (back to where Episode 1 started, everything comes around full circle) and you see humour as the workers are wondering if their boss will ever return and tada! The boss walks in with his friends! He treats his friends to a meal which the workers can’t believe since they know him as being very stingy. They think someone has impersonated their boss but this is soon dispelled when the boss orders plain noodles for his friends while ordering beef noodles for himself hahaha. As they eat, someone walks in and it is… Tang Lian who explains that his master took him away to recuperate as he lost all his martial arts. His death was a lie to keep him safe. A wonderful happy ending for those whose hearts were broken in the earlier episodes. The last few seconds cut to Xiao Se approaching Wuxin on a snowy mountain top and my wishes have been heard as I did want to see them both reunite. Hopefully season 2 will focus more on their friendship.
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I won't go home if I'm not see the world!
This is the first wuxia drama that I watched because Li Hongyi, the actors and the story looks promising.I'm not putting my expectation so high because I know we can't count on drama adaptation, but this work really slaps me right in the face.
Story,
I'm afraid that the drama can't really portray the story well and make the audience confused, so I hesitate to put my expectation too high. From the dramas that I watched, there is not much drama from an adaptation that can serve such a satisfying story. But this drama is exceptional! I can understand the story more easily than the donghua. I can say that the story is just perfect and beyond my expectation! There is no boring scene that I skip.
Cast,
I can say this is the first drama that has perfectly matched the cast and their character. All the cast really like popped up from donghua to reality. The casting team really put an effort to choose the right actor for each character. This drama made me think that big and successful dramas don't just need top-tier actors, but there are much more aspects that can guarantee success. It just needs a good story, a good actor, a good production team, and good teamwork between the crew and the actor.
Acting,
I can feel the hard work of each actor in this drama. Even some of the actors that I don't get attention to before really shine in this drama. They really give their 100% for this drama, like shaving his hair or having one month full of martial arts training. Even though there are some cons to the female lead, I think she portrayed the character perfectly. As for Xiao Se, Li Hongyi PLEASE YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME PLEASE GIVE ME MY HEART BACK I REALLY CANNOT MOVE ON FROM YOUR XIAO SE! YOU ARE NOT SHANGGUAN QIUYUE ANYMORE! The trio of Xiao Se, Wu Xin, and Lei Wujie really had great chemistry. There is no flaw for the other character too. I'm really satisfied!
Music,
All of the songs really matched the mood for drama. Even some of them are the same as the ost from the donghua compliment the drama perfectly.
Overall this drama really worth to watched and sit in the first list of my favorite dramas effortlessly. Surely I cannot move on from this drama for some time. Now I finished the drama and I feel empty. I highly recommend this drama if you like brotherhood and wuxia.
Rewatch value? Of course, I give it 10/10! Even now when I write this, I can't get enough of Xiao Se!
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One of the best wuxia drama!
This one is a must watch for all wuxia drama lovers. A strong plotline, amazing fighting scenes, good looking ML, heart warming brotherhood...it has all. Xiao Se, Wu Xin, Wu Jie form an epic trio. All ML portrayed their characters so well. Xiao Se is mysterious and closed off in the starting but opens up slowly, although his know-it-all attitude and sarcasm never ends. Wu Xin is my favourite character of LXY till now. I hated him in Love and Redemption(not bcz of his acting but the character was so frustatingly evil) and liked him in Ancient Love Poetry. But this one was on another level. Even in the last episodes I was quite dissatisfied with the limited screen time Wu Xin got. Wu Jie's innocence added element of humour to the trio. He is the kind of friend everyone needs.So it was near perfect drama for me. CGI and fighting scenes were top notch. All the actor portrayed their character very well. Only reason it's "near" perfect is because romance between Xiao Se and Qian Luo had no spark. Wu Jie and Ruo Yi felt more real to me then their pair. And second one is kinda my personal dissatisfaction due to less screen time of Wu Xin in last episodes. But the trio is the heart of drama for me and all these small things are insignificant.
I would definitly like to rewatch this one after a few months.
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