Dashing Youth

The Prequel that Did NOT Live Up to the Sequel (TBOY)

Going into "Dashing Youth," I didn't have particularly high expectations, but I was optimistic about enjoying it. The premise of a group of friends embarking on thrilling adventures while navigating the complexities of heroism seemed promising. However, by the time I reached the halfway point, I found myself disappointed and ultimately decided to drop the drama.

What started as an engaging narrative centered on the adventures of Baili Dongjun and his loyal friends quickly took a nosedive when the plot became entirely overshadowed by the romance between Ye Ding Zhi and Yi Wen Jun. This shift in focus felt like a poor choice, sacrificing the story's initial excitement for a love story that, in my opinion, fell flat.

The drama's highlight was undoubtedly the lighthearted and fun friendship between Baili Dongjun and his friends. Their loyalty and unwavering support for one another provided some genuinely enjoyable moments. The camaraderie among the group was refreshing, and it was easy to root for them as they faced various challenges together.

However, the worst aspect of "Dashing Youth" was the romance between Ye Ding Zhi and Yi Wen Jun. For a relationship that was supposed to be gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, I felt nothing. Their love story lacked depth and emotional impact, making it difficult to invest in their relationship. Ye Ding Zhi, who started as a character driven by a powerful desire for revenge, inexplicably abandoned his quest for justice the moment Yi Wen Jun entered the picture. It was frustrating to watch a character with such a strong initial motivation lose sight of his goals for a woman who didn’t seem willing to fight for their love.

Another disappointment was the female lead, Yue Yao. If I remember correctly, in the donghua, she was quite powerful and able to stand on her own. But in the drama adaptation, she is basically there for decoration. As a female lead, she fell flat for me too. I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy her romance with Baili Dongjun; it was just as stale as the other romantic arcs. Overall, I was disappointed in all the romance lines, and I believe the show would have been 100% better if there were no romance or at least very limited romantic involvement.

As for the characters, my favorite thus far was their master, Master Li, also known as Nangong Chun Shui. Like a true master, he was wise, kind, and generous. His love for all his disciples was undoubtedly the best part of the show. He knew when to step in and when to let his disciples figure things out on their own, striking the perfect balance between guidance and freedom.

Another standout character for me was Prince Roufeng, also known as Langya Wang. He is just as wise as his master, Master Li, but with the added perspective of a prince who must consider the greater good of the country. He made some questionable decisions, but if he didn’t, who would? Prince Roufeng seemed to be the only logical one among the main leads, making decisions with a clear head, unclouded by emotional attachment.

In the end, "Dashing Youth" started with potential but lost its way when it prioritized an unconvincing romance over the more compelling elements of its story. While the friendships and certain characters were bright spots, they weren't enough to save the drama from its missteps.

This prequel ultimately fell flat compared to its sequel, The Blood of Youth. I loved The Blood of Youth more because the plot was consistent, the actors did great with their characters, and there was zero to no romance at all. It’s unfortunate that Dashing Youth couldn’t live up to the same standard.

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* spoiler alert ? Loved it overall but a little disappointed at the end.

* Completed.. Why sad ending!! Totally Unfair!! They all failed Ye Yun/ Ye Dingzhi & Ye Anshi!! * including Baili Dongjun & Sikong Chengfeng!! *[They all ——— him]!!! So disappointed at His love & his friends… Ahhhhhhhhh Ye Ding Zhi aka Ye Yun Ge… Don’t Like the people from Baili and especially not the emperor & people from palace…

Why ??!!! Ye Ding Zhi can’t die!!!!!
He was best character in the whole story!! Fair.. He just wanted Justice for his parents death!!! Why he suffered a lot??? His son’s gonna suffer too!!!


Totally unfair to them..
Not happy with the ending…
But Overall the show and the cast even the storyline was great except Ye Ding Zhi Dying & suffering…
Totally recommended!!
A great martial art series!!!

Drama was very interesting in the beginning( fight, enemies, friendship, martial arts, Character’s goals, brotherhood and so on), in between it was more about love stories kinda sad but also boring but in the end The most important and interesting and the best character died!!! So it’s a great disappointment otherwise I waited for this series and I think it worths waiting and watching!!


The cast is amazing, hardworking, they all are perfect fit for their characters….Love them!!

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THIS IS THE WORST SERIES EVER. (DESPITE MY 9/10 RATING)

Ok, this was a good drama, not the best but a good one. the acting is good, the vfx, actors, costumes, action everything is good and with a great production but the story will maim you for sure. They use 30 episodes to justify a character and then they just tell that all those reasons are invalid. I mean wtf. This is among the one series where I wanted the villain to defeat the hero.
Now in detail. This is the second part of the blood of youth but chronologically this happens before the first part. Some actors who portrayed their kids return as their fathers in this season(like Langya wang& Mingde Emperor). The story isn’t as complex as The Blood of Youth and most characters are the younger versions of the side characters from The Blood of Youth. The story is told in quite a straightforward way and it isn’t as enthralling as the blood of youth. But you feel so miserable because we know the future of these characters(eg: consort xuan(Yi Wenjun), Ye Dingzhi (Ye Anshi/wuxin’s father), Lord Langya(xiao se’s uncle)). So when you know these characters closely in season two, you kind of feel sad and want to change the future into something else. Season one was an intellectual treat and season two is an emotional treat. Everything about the story is great. not much of a large plot hole. everything kind of co-exist. And the humor in season exists in season two.
Now why I say this is the worst, when it was actually great. Because of the ending. The story kind of emphasizes karma but the wrongs that were committed by the second lead(Ye Yun) are actually justifiable when compared to the wrongs committed toward him. You will also be deeply disappointed in some characters:
i) Xiao Ruofeng ( Langya lord ); this guy was the holy beacon of righteousness and then he deeply disappoints you. But then his death in season one is kind of less agonizing when we hear the backstory
ii) Ye Dingzhi (wuxin’s dad); this guy is supposed to be the worst in season one but then in season two we learn that he is just a broken hero, a fallen angel, and a victim of injustice, and then his death becomes more agonizing and when he fails that hurts even more.
Now should you watch this, yes you should. please watch it This is a great drama. It is a question and a statement at the same time.
‘ are the villains truly villains and are the heroes always right because they stay alongside the so-called righteous path and orthodox way when they are completely filled with hypocrisy, rendering evil within their minds.’

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The Most Exciting Watch of 2024

I followed this show as religiously as I did with “The Blood of Youth”.

Every time I saw characters from the sequel, it seemed to draw me back to the time when the protagonists from the prequel paraded as the older generation, wise and more experienced. So, watching their naive, inexperienced selves was endearing. Celebrated as the Liquor Deity of Xueyue City, the show focuses on Baili Dongjun’s journey from the wayward grandson of the Marquis of Zhenxi to becoming the First City Lord of Xueyue City. Joining him on this sojourn is the dreaded villain of all times, Ye Dingzhi. The show focuses on their decades long friendship and even though, Baili Dongjun stops his descent into demonhood, it doesn’t affect their brotherhood. There are other characters from the sequel whose backstory is explained, like Yi Wenjun, who is Wuxin & Prince Xiao Yu’s mother. There might be many who would wondered why she is confined to her palace in the later years, this show explains the very reason of her lifelong confinement. The detailing is as particular as the sequel, so there is never a dull moment!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/08/17/dashing-youth-series-review/#more-1121

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The Road to Fame: A fun, bittersweet story of martial arts, friendship, and romance.

"Don't think that being old gives you the moral high ground to talk me down. People like you shouldn't even be alive by now." - Yu Sheng Mo (Sword Deity of Nanque)

All hail to the most charming and dashing man in all C-dramaland—Neo Hou!

At this point, can we all unanimously agree that Hou Minghao (AKA Neo Hou) is the most effortlessly charismatic and charming actor in the entire C-entertainment industry? His entire personality is imbued with those traits; they are his identity. In all honesty, I have only seen a couple other C-actors—namely Bai Jingting and Zhang Wanyi—with such consistent charm ever since I first got into C-dramas back in 2018. He's just one of a kind—a one-in-a-million guy. He's hot and cool, and he certainly knows it. Furthermore, he knows how to use it by projecting that enchanting appeal to win over the viewers.

What's more is that he blends his actual personality of being a smooth talker, mischievous, and clever—while being extremely good-looking—with the script so seamlessly that the character feels alive, rather than just a written role. I am sure he receives multiple scripts left and right to choose from all the time, and yet no matter what his project is, he never fails to add his own touch to his characters, making them his own. He's smart at picking scripts and knows how to leave a lasting impression by imprinting his trademark personality on every role he plays. It takes a really intelligent and passionate actor to recognize their natural strengths and intentionally weave them into different characters without making every role feel exactly the same. What a truly remarkable man!

"Liquor gives courage to cowards." - Baili Dongjun

Enough of my swooning over Neo Hou—let's dive into the drama itself. I don't have any knowledge of how the manhua was originally written or how it differs from the drama adaptation, so I cannot objectively judge the differences between the two. However, contrary to the unanimously negative reviews here on MDL about the story, I, on the other hand, genuinely liked and enjoyed it.

Although the story was, in fact, jumpy due to time skips and abrupt scene transitions meant to focus on the whereabouts of multiple characters—mostly for the progress of their training and individual journeys—what I liked about it was how they never failed to tie the story together by providing brief flashbacks of how each character's journey went. It greatly helped in keeping the narrative cohesive and engaging, while simultaneously maintaining a sense of progression. In this way, we weren't stuck focusing solely on the main leads' whereabouts; instead, we were kept updated with considerable information and screen time for the supporting roles as well.

At first, I was perplexed as to why the main protagonists' team was set up to always break apart, going their own ways to pursue their own endeavors—mostly for training and various personal missions—which is different from TBOY, where they are always glued together as a team. However, as time passed, I realized that the decision was actually truly brilliant. Not only were they able to receive training according to their strengths and expertise, but they also gained experience for themselves. If the main group had stayed glued to Baili Dongjun's side the entire time, their individual cultivation and personal journeys would have been entirely overshadowed by his massive main-character trajectory. Therefore, letting them split up to face their own distinct hurdles separately is exactly what allowed them to grow into legendary figures in their own right.

Ultimately, this made me appreciate that they had their own paths to take and did not always come together, except during the most challenging times. Furthermore, it made me realize how consistent the story was, because the narrative stayed cohesive and intact until the end despite them not being together all the time. This is especially impressive considering the fact that there are many characters with different personalities within the story that they had to establish and develop. In the end, I have to give it to the writers for successfully pulling that off and preventing any unintentional plot holes from arising in the story.

In regard to the climax and ending, in my honest opinion, they were impressively and satisfyingly executed. Although typical drama tropes were incorporated towards the end, the good thing is they were kept to a bare minimum, staying well within the boundaries of logical sense. The buildup for Ye Dingzhi's arc was carefully laid out from the start, as the creators allotted sufficient time for his plot to progress and develop leading up to the climax. It felt planned, unlike some dramas out there that casually throw cliche plots at the audience one after another out of nowhere. As a result, watching the climax unfold was never a jarring surprise or a problem at all; rather, it was a matter of anticipating which direction the writers were going to drive the story in order to move it forward, and for that, I'd say it was satisfyingly done. I also liked how Baili Dongjun remained true and loyal to his ways, doing everything he could to protect Ye Dingzhi despite the expectations placed upon him until the very end.

Let me just add here how incredibly satisfying it was to see how merciless and unforgiving Ye Dingzhi was toward the Tianwaitian (Sky Beyond) folks when he took his revenge and attacked them. Well deserved!

If there's one major factor that made me totally addicted and fully engrossed in this drama, it would be the fun, cheeky, and comical dynamics among the characters, which perfectly matched the main lead's personality. I loved how playful and humorous most of the characters were, and how they perfectly balanced the overall atmosphere of the show. This completely aligned with and truly captured my taste.

One thing I was disappointed about was when the story suddenly treated the wine aspect as a mere aesthetic—after he defeated and outbrewed Wine Master Zhuo Mo's Qiulu Bai—rather than a core part of Baili Dongjun's combat style. All this time, I really expected the story to highlight his fighting prowess, similar to the classic 'Drunken Fist' or a martial art that directly utilizes his intoxication to match his Liquor Deity identity. However, towards the end, that concept was completely neglected. They just let him drink for a 'feel-good' sensation, while solely focusing on conventional fight scenes where he wielded a sword like every other high-level master. This is why, by the finale, I felt like he resembled a Sword Deity more than a Liquor Deity.

I also want to mention how pissed off I am at the viewers blaming Yi Wenjun. The hatred is being misdirected towards a pitiful woman yet again. She was forced into a marriage but still tried her best to escape with all her might. When she finally escaped and was living a fulfilling life with Ye Dingzhi, she was then poisoned, which disrupted her rational thinking and allowed her to be dragged back to the capital. Then, during the ending, she was threatened using both of her sons, leaving her with no choice but to go back to the palace. Instead of blaming her, why not blame the manipulative and deceptive individuals—namely Emperor Tai'An, Prince Jingyu, Prince Qing, and the scoundrels in Tianwaitian (Sky Beyond)?

Finally, in regard to the power scaling, I was actually very confused at first. Since it has been a long time since I watched The Blood of Youth, I could not totally recall how their power ranking system works. However, as I spent time analyzing and observing the information, I realized that everything was accurate. At one point, I was so confused when they ranked both Baili Dongjun and Ye Dingzhi as number one, yet they kept getting defeated by their seniors and other powerful figures. But I later realized that there are different categories of ranking: the Liangyu Bang (Refined Jade Ranking) for the younger generation of martial artists, and the Guanjue Bang (Conqueror's Ranking) for masters and older generations. I am adding this here just in case someone is still bothered or confused about it.

Lastly, I want to commend the drama's outstanding cinematography, CGI, and sound effects. The fight scenes felt remarkably powerful and impactful, largely due to the seamless integration of visual effects.

P.S. I just want to give a huge shout-out to the coolest figure in the entire Dashing Youth universe, Li Chang Sheng. The man is single-handedly dealing with high-level masters, breaking the power scaling of the universe, and treating the Emperor like a minor inconvenience while casually rewriting the rules of the martial world. He is a true immortal whom no one can best in the story's timeline.

"I am an Immortal. A mortal emperor like you should stop bothering me." - Li Chang Sheng to Emperor Tai'An

Story - 9.5, I admire how the story stayed consistent and cohesive despite a jumpy plot driven by a large ensemble cast. Even though I had issues with the power scaling during the middle of the story, I was able to resolve them after further analysis. If there is one factor that particularly disappointed me, it is the fact that they failed to incorporate alcohol to highlight Baili Dongjun's fight scenes toward the climax and finale—an aspect I deem crucial given his self-proclaimed title as the "Liquor Deity." This was actually one of the main reasons I was greatly anticipating the final battle, so not seeing it utilized at the end really disappointed me, as I had been hoping and patiently waiting for it. Aside from that, this story hit the perfect mark for me, especially the poignant, bittersweet ending.

Acting/cast - 10, I am incredibly satisfied with the cast and the overall execution of the actors, especially He Yu (Ye Dingzhi) and Jiang Zhen Yu (Yi Wenjun). They performed really well and truly lived up to the theme and atmosphere of this drama. If there is anyone I want to praise, it is Neo Hou for his stellar performance. I can see no one else who could take over this role aside from him. He was perfect for it—as if it was created and molded for him and him alone.

Music - 10, I love and genuinely enjoy the entire OST. Every track accompanied the scenes it was used in perfectly. I even enjoyed the rap songs, as they greatly complemented the fight scenes by adding a unique energy.

Rewatch Value - 9.5, A drama I would not hesitate to watch again if someone asked me to. The only reason I am not giving it a perfect score is because of the issue I mentioned in the "Story" section of my review. Otherwise, this is truly a time-worthy show.

Overall - 9.5, Despite my issues with this show, I just can't bring myself to give it a score lower than 9.5. After all, it is truly entertaining, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment I spent on it.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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borrowing fame from blood of youth

this is not similar to blood of youth.
characters show up too many from start.
main screen character from episode 1 disappear.

ml is pretty much stupid.
all characters look like zombies
society look like animals with no brain.

family become monkeys family.
kingdom control by gangsters.

story=bad
fighting =bad
character develope = zero
script =bad
kung fu fighting = bad ( no action beside blood come out from their mouth like snake )

there is nothing like blood of youth.
atory has too much pay attention on power few people. soldier has no power, let alone ordinary people.

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emotional damage

The story focus on young male lead who try to become hero of justice and somehow this drama didn't have judge or court or censorate.

It has king and general instead of court and the law rule by some gangsters, eunuchs, king, general.

our hero of justice is spoil kid, low morale, bragging, low iq, drunken.

The story itself promote lawless,alchohol, gangster, misbehavior in society.

1. SWORN BROTHERS = kill each other
2. Parents = less values
3. Family = broken
4. Society = theft, robber, gangster
5. School = training how to become theft, gangster.
6. Love = using rather than helping of kindness.

8.5 rate is more like ridiculous promote of spam.

Minion in this drama like troops, soldiers didn't even create formation or form of power like ever night or legend of shen li.
They are useless and stand for nothing.

Hero skill is more like gun fighting. shoot more than close combats.

rate should be 6.3

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Dashed story.

This is a review mostly for me to remember why I dropped this drama, plus some frustrations.

So this is meant to be the prequel to The Blood of Youth, which I watched a couple years ago when it came out, and which I enjoyed quite a bit, mostly on account of Li Hongyi. That said, while it was enjoyable watching the stories of the forebears of the leads on TBoY being told and connecting characters to their older versions in TBoY, I wish this had been its own standalone story that could have gone its own way without being bound to a foregone conclusion.

I thought this drama started off well, and Baili Dongjun is your typical dashing youth with his whole life ahead of him, which is how pretty much, and as are, all the male characters in this story start. I was also very fond of his first master GC, and I thought the first part of the story was very moving, and the first half of the drama went as you would imagine a wuxia about youth to go. I did however note the very noticeable swapping out of BLDJ's 'first mate', if you will - we first meet Sikong Changfeng by his side, who then very conspicuously gets swapped out at intervals when BLDJ re-encounters Ye Dingzhi, and vice versa - if SKCG is by his side, then YDZ isn't. Or if YDZ is around, then SKCF comes back in. The only time both SKCF and YDZ are around at the same time is very briefly when YDZ returns to Tianqi in an attempt to save his bride, at least up until where I stopped in the drama.

While I understand that BLDJ and YDZ are meant to be foils of each other in terms of how their character progression goes based on what happens to them in the story, I found that the telling and execution of the story was just plain frustrating. A story that goes how it does because of daft reasons, or what feels like stupidity because of poor execution, is rarely satisfying.

So I got to episode 25 and that was where it became clear that they were just doing YDZ dirty because that was the way it had to go, pretty much; or that was how it felt like to me. I am aware that this is based on the novel of which this drama is an adaptation, and that we are somehow supposed to get to the events of TBoY as they stand there.

This is where, for me, I wish that this had been a triumphant story with YDZ as the lead of a completely different drama and story, where he gets to be the hero of it. I understand that this is my own personal bias and that of course the story isn't written specifically for me, but effectively this is a story about injustice that is perpetrated, as it stands. And I don't really find that compelling at all; in fact, it's depressing.

BLDJ and YDZ are best friends since childhood, who grew up together. BLDJ is shown to be politically aware - he says to his first master in early episodes that he knows that his grandfather spoils him for a reason, which is that the more his reputation is that of a flamboyant good-for-nothing playboy, being the grandson of the Marquis of Zhenxi, the more the emperor can be at ease. He then announces that he chooses to give this up because he has met people from jianghu who have shown him that you can be a dashing youth of the jianghu doing things of meaning and weight, but also because he has decided to take on the mantle of becoming the Sword Deity - on behalf of his childhood best friend whose whole family was executed on an imperial edict which everyone seems to know was simply an unjust excuse - as well as becoming a Liquor Deity, which was his promise with said childhood best friend; that BLDJ would become the Liquor Deity while his friend the Sword Deity.

This is the part where it becomes abundantly clear that this drama does not know quite what it wants to be, and/or just doesn't blend the political side of things with the wuxia/jianghu side of things well, if at all. The politics side of things is always present, but feels conspicuously separate somehow from the jianghu/wuxia side of things.

Even though it's clear that BLDJ cares for his friend very much, and even though it is also clear that he does not want to partake in politics, not once does BLDJ - nor anyone really, for that matter - seem to really express how unjust the execution of his friend's whole family was and is; nor to try to do anything about that. For a drama about - oh, I don't know - the bonds of friendship, that seems odd, to say the least. It's not that I don't get that BLDJ is a carefree character, nor that that is the spirit of jianghu. It's that it just really seems to reinforce just how divorced the political side of things is from the wuxia aspect.

YDZ, while wanting to cleanse the wrongs heaped upon his family, does not seem to do much about it either himself. He follows his shifu around learning martial arts and when we first meet him in the drama, has been travelling around by himself anyway away from his shifu for what sounds like quite some time. He even tells his childhood promised bride about his travels around the world, and it's made clear during the Academy initial examination that he lived in the north for several years during his travels. What are his moves towards trying to right the wrong accusation against his family? We don't see any of that. No political machinations, nothing. When he meets Prince Qing, nothing comes of that either. The arrest warrant for him throughout Beili does absolutely nothing as well to deter him from moving around within the country freely when he returns from Nanjue to try to stop the wedding between his childhood promised bride and someone else apparently, as all we see is him arriving without even a hat on to meet the person receiving him. Even when he meets Xiao Ruofeng, ninth prince of Beili, no emotional turmoil or anything is shown at being in such close proximity to someone of the imperial family who executed his own whatsoever.

So, despite this grievous injustice, BLDJ does not even offer to help right this wrong after finding out his childhood best friend is still alive. There is no mention of this thought even up until over halfway into the story. While I understand that their childhood agreement was to each become the Liquor and Sword Deity respectively and to wander jianghu making a name for themselves, this was before the execution of his best friend's entire family, including said best friend himself.

Then we come to the part where, for some reason, YDZ does not mention to BLDJ that he has re-encountered their other childhood friend Yi Wenjun, who is his promised bride - even though they all know each other. Somehow this never comes up at all. Nor does YDZ ask BLDJ for his help in helping her escape from her cage. ????????????? I thought these three were supposed to have been very good friends in their childhood. While they said that there was a forged letter telling BLDJ that YWJ had gone travelling some years ago thus why he has not been able to be in contact with her, I don't really understand why YDZ would never have mentioned meeting her again to BLDJ??? What is that???

The day of the wedding comes and the plan to save YWJ fails. She is about to kill herself and then XRF says to her that YDZ will be kept safe after she hears him crying out in anguish. She then says let's continue the rites. I've seen people commenting that this was to keep him safe and that this was a veiled threat by XRF implying that YDZ is in their hands, which, fair enough on the latter.

I stopped watching at this point because it's pretty clear that what happens to YWJ next can only be [TW/CW: rape and sexual assault] is rape. She's clearly not willing to marry Xiao Ruojin but this is where things are now.

Having gotten this far it wasn't a big guess as to the rest of the story and I've read the comments in the discussion about how everything is YWJ's fault and that she is a horrible terrible character who makes horrendous mistakes and is annoying etc. While I haven't watched the rest of the story, and while I don't doubt that there are terrible mistakes made on her part later on and can't refute if she does become a horribly annoying and frustrating character, what I don't understand is how this is more her fault than the imperial family and her father's fault for using her as a pawn and forcing a woman into a marriage.

So a) the emperor kills his sworn brother General Ye and his entire family, the Ye clan, including YDZ; b) YWJ catches the eye of XRJ, son of the emperor, and the emperor, knowing full well the implications of XRJ taking YWJ as a consort, appoints the marriage; c) YWJ is forced to become XRJ's side consort - not even the main consort at first, and later even only then the 'co-main consort', and which marriage means and almost certainly - and later on definitely, based on the comments [TW/CW again for mention of rape and sexual assault] - involves rape, and also being drugged for it, no less.

But somehow this is all YWJ's fault because she, after all of this happens, makes some very poor decisions.

To me, this is a story about how everyone fails YDZ and YWJ. I cannot see how this can be an enjoyable story at all. I mean, does BLDJ stand on YDZ's side? Sure. But does he do enough from the get-go to even ask after what's going on for YDZ? Hmmmmm.

If this story is supposed to be about the parallels between BLDJ and YDZ, then it seems clear that YDZ suffers what he does simply to accomplish this; because it is necessary for him to meet the extermination of his whole family and to lose everything simply so that he goes down a different path than BLDJ. The reasons are articulated rudimentarily - because the emperor was afraid and suspicious (as usual), and then because a prince liked the look of a girl - but never fleshed out with weight through being shown in the story, or at least not in anything up to episode 25 anyway; I can't say if this doesn't get shown later. Up to episode 25, XRJ and YWJ are never even in the same scene - even in the marriage rites scenes, they hardly even seem to be in the same frame. Up until that point, there isn't even a scene of XRJ seeing YWJ for the first time and falling in love with her or anything. The emperor sent down the edict to execute his sworn brother's whole family because he decided to, there was no show of his fears or considerations up to that point in the drama either. YDZ seems to be a tragic character solely because he has to be, because he was designed to be - because he was written this way.

It seems to me that this is more a story about how everyone chooses this mirage of jianghu and 'the carefreeness of youth' over doing the right thing. I found myself wishing that this had been Nirvana in Fire instead, and YDZ could get his family name cleared and to spend time with YWJ re-connecting again.

Instead, they dashed the story and wrote A -> B -> C. This was not compelling for me, and frankly there was no sense of what they were trying to accomplish in the story. The repeated emphasis and insertion of 'youth' at every turn was also incredibly irritating to me.

This drama treaded solely on superficiality for me, like the CGI used in it, empty hollow clouds conjured up of digitalisation and pixels instead of getting down to any substance and the meatiness of either a well fleshed-out story or fighting scenes. Like the many 'dashing youths' or the Eight Young Masters of Beili, there were many fleeting clouds who were there to look nice and do effectively nothing, ornamentally pretty but only serving to dilute and obscure the lack of a substantial story and weight. Many veils blowing in the wind that occasionally blew open enough to see that there was little there to really admire, much like Master Liu Yue or his way of entering with much pomp but little actual fighting; or Lei Mengsha - talk a lot, most of it nonsense.

The acting was alright and probably the strongest point for me, the music was fine; I cried at multiple times at certain things. Some of it was moving, and a lot of it pretty, but most of it was air. Rewatch value is relatively low for me because I doubt I would come back to this. I am being generous with the acting/cast aspect because Li Hongyi's cameo was a little high point and because I was fond of BLDJ and YDZ's shifus, and the overall rating is also thus bumped up in part. It's a shame because it was very enjoyable at the start, and I would have liked to continue watching this if not for the abysmal L of the story.

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Powerhouse of Handsome Men

This series is filled with handsome men. Lol. Eye candies gallore.

I watched this because it's a Neo Hou drama and I was not disappointed. I enjoyed this more than Back from the Brink because I am more of a martial arts fan than romance.

My favorite characters are:
1) Master Li. This op immortal is the best character.
2) Dongjun's Poison Master Uncle. Such carefree and cool uncle.
3) Dongjun's 1st Master, Gu Chen. He did well readying a young Dongjun in the jianghu.
4) Dongjun's family (mother, father, grandfather).
5) Xiao Ruofeng. He should have been the emperor.

My hated characters are:
1) Grand Eunuch. He is ambitious and dangerous.
2) Yue Qing. Every time she appears on screen, she irritates me so much. Truth be told she is more beautiful than Yue Yao but she is annoying af.
3) Prince Qing.
4) Li Hanyi adult version. She is no longer the cute little girl who always eat tanghulu.

My favorite scenes are BEWARE SPOILER
1) The appearance of Dongjun's giant white serpent. I wonder why it did not appear again. It could have been really cool
2) When he got his sword 'dustless'. He showed a great sword style but it never appeared again during his fights. Such a let down.
3) The kid with fire power who made the sword merge and fly. I guess he is a TBOY main character? Not sure. Haven't watched it yet.
4) Master Gu's fight. That was awesome. Sad he died.
5) The liquor challenge. This is a fun episode.
6) Master Li's regression to his younger self.
7) All scenes with Dongjun with his first and second masters. Master Li is a delight.
8) Master Li's fight with rain demon.
9) Master Li's fight with Grand Eunuch.
10) Every time Master Li appears. Lol

Romance is sub par. No chemistry at all for all couples.

Story progress is 7.5/10. I want Ye Dingzhi to win multiple times. I read a lot of manhuas/manhwas where I root for the demonic sect. He is just retaliating because of the unfairness of the world.

What I hate is what happened to Li Hanyi. She was an adorable person as a kid but became power hungry as adult. I also hate Ruojin for forcing himself to Wen Jun and she reluctantly bear a child.

Ending is inevitable. I still root for Ye Yun.

MAJOR SPOILER!!! This is from novel. Yue Yao was accidentally killed by Dongjun because he taught she is Yue Qing which is the dumbest sh!t ever! Dongjun lived in seclusion after that. So what's the point of having two powerful masters and learning some of the most powerful sword techniques when you just end up like that? Pathetic path and frustrating af.

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Charming Youngster

Honestly, you guys, I already watched "The Blood of Youth" before I watched "Dashing Youth," so I already know what happens to half of the parents, but it was still heartbreaking to fall in love with Ye Ding because you already know what happens to him and Wen Jun. It was very sad. I hate Ruo Jin for raping Wen Jun, and I was super surprised that she didn't tell anyone. It was heartbreaking, but Ye Ding still loved her even though she had the baby, which is true love. Honestly, I couldn't look at the emperor the whole time I was watching "The Blood of Youth." He could have had all these other women, but he was obsessed with her, and her family wasn't even on her side. I felt bad for both of them. When I saw him die, I was crying my eyes out even though I knew the ending. But I also loved the friendship and the martial arts. I love shows with martial arts and romance, which had everything I wanted, so I would definitely recommend you guys watch this.

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