Slow pacing and a boring storyline.
This is my Honest Review.This drama has impressive CGI, with fight scenes surpassing those of many Xianxia dramas. The scenery resembles something out of a painting, and I can't praise the background music enough. It's pretty clear that they have put a good amount of money into the production. However, does this all truly matter if there's no clear plot? I've watched up to episode 14, and so far, not much has happened. This drama is really slow. The first 5 episodes were really good and engaging, especially the interaction between the CGI chicken/phoenix and the main lead.
I thought they were starting slow and that the plot would pick up, but no. I can't even understand what the main objective of this drama is, what they're trying to accomplish. This drama feels so unserious, especially the male lead; he's really boring. Yes, I can understand why he's like that, but maybe because of the lack of depth in the plot or an unattractive main lead, I can't take him seriously.
The plot centers around the main lead not being allowed to be with the female lead because it goes against the rules or would be dangerous to the three realms or something like that. I've already seen this kind of plot in Immortal Samsara, but the difference is, there, it has enough depth in the plot and angst which is quite convincing. It has its own faults and pacing issues, but there's always something going on enough to keep me hooked, which is not the same case with Legend of Shenli.
If I want to talk about the story, really nothing has happened until episode 14. All I can say is it's a story of one woman and three boys. I really can't understand what's really attractive about the main lead which made the female lead fall for him twice. Their interactions are funny, but I can't feel any chemistry between them. This show doesn't do a good job of making me care for the side characters.
Someone said in the comments that the real story starts from episode 22. It's too long for me to wait; until then, what we got is unnecessary filler, comedy, immature side characters, a tug of war between the male and female leads, and not much else.
Okay, I'm dropping this. I want to see Zhao Liying in another historical drama which has a strong buildup in the plot.
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A romcom pretending to be a xianxia
The most irritating drama I've ever watched to its conclusion - and that only because of the main leads. Still a wasre of time.Major defects:
1. For long stretches, especially in the early episodes, it's a tedious romcom
2. The more seriously romantic episodes are invariably underpinned by lengthy, saccharine singing - an increasingly common feature especially in Chinese drama
3. The "action" relies heavily on massively overused CGI - to the point where it's completely ludicrous (also highly repetitive), Actually one can't help laughing at the numerous mass CGI battle scenes, which are really just padding.
More or less OK:
The plot is conventional for this type of drama, but not partcularly well executed (and of course the staging is ridiculous).
Only postive aspect:
The two main leads. Occasional faint echoes of "Princess Agents", which makes the whole thing even more depressing. They should have made PA Season 2 instead of this rubbish.
And one final point: The (to me) absurdly high rating from the community demonstrates once again that there is a strong bias towards romcom, which those averse to it have to take into account.
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IT WAS SOOOO GOOD I DIDN'T EXPECT MUCH AT FIRST
This drama is such a hidden gem! I went in with zero expectations and ended up completely obsessed. The chemistry between the FL and ML is insaneI’m literally on my knees every time they start flirting. The way they tease each other, the tension, the longing stares…
I LOVE IT. The story has just the right balance of fantasy, romance, and emotional depth. Highly recommend if you want something that surprises you in the best way!
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Another C-drama i am dropping this year! what is happening in C-dramaland!?
Sooo where do i start? yes i am about to rant.1- The first scenes were a huge dissapointment for me, like damn give us some nice CGI.
2- I really couldn't feel the chemistry between the leads and that is the reason why i am dropping this drama, i mean the plot was nothing new (the same plot that has been used and re-used several times lol) and at this point so many things didn't make sense to me (Was i surprised no lol, at least the romantic part could have saved it for me).
3- I don't recommend it, there are better dramas out there, no need to waste your time watching this, hence the rating.
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More of the same
Let me start out by saying that the synergy between the ML and FL was amazing, just the way he challenged her and looked at her was convincing enough to assume they could be on a certain level in a real life romance ( Not likely however ) . That being said, here we go.....One of the silliest and most ridicules drama series I've ever watched and no, I couldn't take anymore past ep 21. I understand that this type of television program is carefully crafted and engineered to cater to a specific audience complete with the overdone music queuing every two minutes in order to manipulate the viewers emotions and that's fine if you like this sort of thing but please stop tagging these series as wuxia, they have absolutely nothing to do with martial heroes. I've made the same statements about other series as well.
I really do like Zhao Li Ying and I get that she helped produce this but stories like this are not only becoming unbearably common but they are also becoming increasingly annoying and predictable. Now lets break it down a bit from the perspective of who would have an interest in this.
We have another super female lead who want's to act like a man, lead the troops, kicks everyone's ass and assumes authority in everything, out drinking with the soldiers and basically putting herself in every situation that involves being one of the guys.
The entire theme of this series is , I am Super Woman. But it doesn't stop there because she's also so amazing that she has the number one general ( who is clearly younger than her ) pining away after her, pouting and acting jealous toward other men, confessing to her while she snubs him so on and so forth. But , that's not enough because the supreme god of the universe is also in love with her lol. and of course he should be the one because no one else is good enough for Super Woman.
Wow she's just so amazing and sadly so unbelievable at the same time. But this is why these stories have to take place in a fantasy themed world as it is because lets face it , men in real life aren't attracted to women that act like men and while the writer has created some interesting works in the past like " The Legends " for example, the ever popular strong female lead theme is getting played out to the point of being silly.
I love a strong female lead and love them even more if they're displaying amazing fighting skills but this " I can do anything a man can do and do it better" is just not providing anything positive to the audience. I mean the FL was really the only man in the story, I literally had to stop watching when all of the soldiers got on their knees and started crying in front of her.
So the difference between this kind of industry cheese and and an actual story that has depth and meaning to it is becoming increasingly clear the more I come across these mediocre television programs. Guys, you can do better. Just ask yourself one question, why have Jin Yong's works been adapted relentlessly time and time again even up to this day. I love the wuxia world and to me the wuxia world is historical but also timeless. Go watch "I am nobody " and figure it out.
In which case, I'll leave this mediocrity to those who are better suited for it.
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Long-winded
The beginning few episodes were relatively captivating. The CG work was done pretty well (felt like I was watching video game graphics) and the famous chicken scenes were quite funny. The build-up of the main romantic couple was well-paced before it dipped into fast forward mode. There's nothing negative to say about any of the actors or characters but also nothing outstanding.After those first few episodes, I found myself fast-forwarding through the endless and repetitive scenes of the couple's interactions. The typical long stares, constant falling into each other's arms, the incessant ways they find reasons to hold hand, and many other standard romance-heavy tropes. Because my interest was peaked enough to want to know the backstory behind our enigma male protagonist, I made the effort to truck on. The series is mostly a mishmash of lighthearted comedy, romance, and drama but without the best flow. And having gone up to episode 13 with almost zero development in the plot and characters, it was time to drop the series.
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Another flop Xian Xia drama even though it may have good actors. It was slow and boring.
The Legend of ShenLi is a typical Xian Xia melodrama about the Immortal and mortal worlds. It has fantasy elements with good and evil. It has good actors (Zhao Liying and Lin Geng Xin), but it is a flop (in my opinion) because the storyline is so boring after 12 episodes that I could no longer engage or watch it further.My Reviews:
- Yet another predictable Xian Xia drama about the demons and heavenly realms.
- I love ZLY, but this drama did not lure me. I have watched 12 episodes already and am not convinced I should continue.
- The first 7 episodes were good, but it went downhill when she returned to the demon realm.
I am dropping this drama and giving it a 6.0 rating for a bad script.
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TBH I don’t know what I was expecting.
First off not a huge fan of ZLY. I could never get into any of her other dramas other than the one with FSF. However, I tried to like this one due to people being happy she was back with Kenny. Since her princess agents days. But, man I dropped this drama at episode 14. I got tired of the back and forth with both leads, the comedy. There were times when it was too much giggles and humor moments than storytelling. Some of the characters were uninteresting mostly the leads. I only liked the Mo guy who was her second in command and the heavenly grandson. Both were a joy. The highlight for me was them and the music score as it was pretty good. Especially with Liu Yuning singing OST. How can it not be. Would I watch it again. Yes, but for only 1-14 or maybe less than that. Happy for those who loved it but this wasn’t my cup of tea. Not sure when I’ll be able to love a ZLY drama.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
THIS ISN'T LIKE THE BREAKTHROUGH PRINCESS AGENT
Of course this isn't. So far, this isn't amazing drama, it is an okey drama. Nothing spectacular like we anticipate it, the anticipation of being a great drama like Princess Agent. Story about Gods and Devils are overused - nothing original synopsis - we have watched hundreds of similar Xian xia genre C-drama before. As I would hope this's another great saga famously known Princess Agent, unfortunately not even close.ShenLi or Gen Bi Chang (Zhao Li Ying) run away from arranged-marriage to earth, chose to fight for her freedom rather than accept the match. Sustaining injuries, ShenLi reverts to her original form and falls into the human world as a phoenix where she is picked up by a mortal vendor and sold as a plucked chicken at a local human market to Xing Zhi (Lin Geng Xin). With that little purchase, Xing Zhi inadvertently intertwined his fate with ShenLi. She didn't know Xing Zhi real identity, he's a God who descendant to earth for divinity as a weak mortal. He's born as a man who could predict future, many people came to see him for his vision, Shen Li involved in his life and willing to protect him from those who tried to do harm. Shen Li fallen in love but she knew they won't have future together as one was immortal and the other was just a mortal. As she got a calling back to immortality, she's gone.
Positive note: It looks like a big budged production, CGI works better than usual/generic Xian Xia C-drama. I love the opening credit, love the opening chorus.
Negative note: ** It's weird acting when they're up close staring each other without so much emotional attachment, no tenderness & sincerity in their eyes. ** 35-36 yo Lin Geng Xin were awkward act cute like a little boy "awww...awww...it's hurt". ** Xian Xia drama - God & Devil story's been used many times over, no originality in whole production. **At some point he'd bend his knee to get close to her face.
Ep 12 decided to drop it. It's over advertised..
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Slow burn but worth it
At first it was boring but then it got so interesting that I couldn’t stop watching it. I really love how they took their time to give us a good ending. I love that the ending wasn’t rushed. You will needs tissues for Ep 37 and 38 though 😂😂. That is the only thing I will be saying for my reviewWas this review helpful to you?
My favourite xianxia to date
I gave this straight 10s. Is it a perfect drama? No, of course not, no drama is. But I felt that if any deserves a perfect score, it's this one.Everything about it was top-notch, from production to acting and chemistry not only between the leads, but between the whole crew. No bullshit misunderstandings which plague this genre usually, and we even get to see the wuxia kryptonite in action - a very satisfying ending.
Although the cinematography and choreography are close to perfect, the real engine behind the high quality of this series are the characters. Although there is a plot about saving the world and whatnot (as you would expect from a xianxia), this is a story about two people: the feisty and straightforward FL and the cunning and shameless ML. Everything gravitates around them, willingly or unwillingly.
That is not to say that the supporting characters are weak or irrelevant, almost all of them show great growth during this drama, some even jump from unlikeable and straight-up villains to fan favorites.
I don't want to say more, to avoid spoilers, but you should give it a go, if this genre interests you. I dare say that you won't regret it!
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Epic Romance with Humor, Action, and Heart
The Legend of Shen Li was such a joy to watch from start to finish. I loved the balance of comedy, romance, and action — it never felt one-dimensional. The fight scenes were especially well done, with the female lead showing both strength and charm. Her chemistry with the male lead was undeniable, making every interaction between them a highlight of the show.The story kept me hooked with its mix of fantasy adventure and emotional depth, and I appreciated how it didn’t rely solely on romance but gave room for character growth and exciting world-building. The humor also added a refreshing touch, keeping the tone light even in intense moments.
For those considering watching: the drama does have a few slower episodes in the middle, but the payoff is worth it. If you enjoy strong female leads, well-choreographed fight scenes, and a romance that feels both playful and heartfelt, The Legend of Shen Li is a must-watch.
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