Generation to Generation

A critical and fair review- everything u shud know before starting this drama

I'll start with an opening statement - it is a VERY GOOD drama as far as the storyline, mystery, characters and actors are concerned.

Now, into the details!
Tbh i decided to watch it because of the trailer and the opening of the first episode. 26 episodes in and the story has got me HOOKED. Mainly cuz of the following reasons-
1. The actors- zhou yiran and bao shangen are amazing actors and the chemistry portrayed by them is fantastic. I have read some reviews which say that the FL's line 'i can't leave my family and friends for you.. ' said to the ML are true, it is there.. but it is mainly to throw off the sect members who are against their being together and not letting the ML be too hopeful in case she is not able to be with him and ends up breaking his heart. She is NOT HEARTLESS but FAIR and RIGHT. Dw, as far as I have watched this drama and from my experience of cdramas, they should end up together, happy :)

2. The plot twists- the upcoming plot twists which i have deduced from the novel are worth the wait.. the 'man in black' and his reason will be unexpected and shocking for those who are not that experienced in such plots.

3. The forbidden love between the righteous and the demonic sect members cuz of the past generation's blood debts is an arc which will be changed by the new generation (hence the title i believe).. and in one of the teaser's MQY (ML character) says this one line, 'i want to settle the debts between the six sects and the demonic sects and establish peace to marry you openly.. ' it is so heartwarming and strengthens my belief of the drama having the desired ending.

After reading a fair amount of reviews I have noticed that people are not satisfied with how the story is progressing..I have identified a few common reasons for the same:
A. The editing
B. Storyline- in the sense that they find it confusing cuz of the unpredicted references to the past generation without revealing the actual thing in one go..which can be a bummer but I don't mind it.
C. The romance- it is there but when u actually want it, it's cut short.. but there was this one episode where the ML character's attention to detail in case of FL is wholesome.. especially how he prepared her favourite wontons for her.

I would like to point out though that the songs could have been better and the editing could have been smoother, but imo, the merits outshine the flaws.
If you are the kind of person who is everything for the editing and visuals, you could reconsider watching this drama.. but if you can't care less about the same and focus more on the character growth, storyline, actors and plot twists, it's a must watch!

Don't start this drama with any expectations if you wish to be satisfied!!

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Despite flaws in the writing & editing, worth it for its angsty romance with obsessed male lead

This Wuxia drama is centred around the epic romance between Cai Zhao and Chang Nin with the main focus being if they will manage to build their own path, overcoming the past of their respective previous generations burden or will they be drowned by the weight of those family and clan ties.

Overall, I truly had a great time watching this series. The beginning felt a bit butchered because potentially of the edits the production team had to make to fit the proper authorized number of episodes in order to get Chinese governmental approval for release. The middle part and the core of the story was amazing in taking the viewer through a great journey, driven by the passion of Chang Nin for Cai Zhao. They went through a lot and their relationship took various turns, with at his core the fiery (and insane) determination of the male lead of not letting go of the heroine, at all costs, morale and rationale be damned.

The chemistry between Zhou Yi Ran and Bao Shang En, as the main roles, was solid (even if I would have loved to see more skinship to match the intensity of the characters feelings). Zhou Yi Ran demonstrated an amazing range of emotions, a masterclass of acting as the obsessed male lead that you cannot help to fall in love with. There were also a solid gallery of secondary characters with some memorable scenes.

I would recommend this to people looking for a romance between a devilishly cunning male lead and a sassy heroine. Despite a butchered introduction arc and a flawed ending, it is worth a watch for the captivating romance between the leads.

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The Series That Finally Made Me Notice Zhou Yiran

🍅 Great Actors

First of all, applause to the casting team. The chemistry between the ML and FL is practically overflowing.

🍅 << ML >>

This is the most prominent work of the male lead so far. I first saw him in Falling Into Your Smile, and I had zero impression of him. I didn't even realize he was in that series.

Later I tried watching When I Fly Towards You, which people seem to love, but I couldn't get past ep 3. And I didn’t try just once. I tried twice - two years apart. It was such an annoying series to me. WIFTY was boring and cliche, the story was childish, and the ML’s acting there was terrible.

Then I watched Twelve Letters, which is a very intense story. Both FL and ML did a great job there, but the drama clearly has FL as the main character, so she outshined him.

Anyway in this one, both ML and FL stand on equal ground. The characters are designed in a very interesting way and both actors deliver their roles really well.

I would say this is the first work that made me actually take note of Zhou Yiran as someone to watch in the future.

Really loved him in this role. And he looks a lot better with long hair than short hair.

🍅 << FL >>

The actress playing the FL also did a very good job. She’s still quite young, but her performance left nothing to complain about.

While the ML surprised me and greatly changed my perspective on him, I hadn't known the FL before. So even though both of them did a great job, the ML left a stronger impression on me.

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🍅 Plot & Storytelling

The plot is great. There’s real substance in it.

From ep 1, the director straightly opens the story in an aggressive way. It throws me into a series of intense scenes. It's like I got hit in the face without much clue, and naturally I want to know why.

The series maintains a very cool, slightly eerie atmosphere throughout. I really like the mysterious blue tone of the whole production. It keeps the tension simmering without turning it into cheap suspense. And it keeps my curiosity at the right level without becoming irritating.

The push and pull between the ML and FL is also handled well. Both characters are intelligent. Their interactions feel like games that they know exactly what they’re doing. Both characters are sharp to keep up with each other. Neither of them is easily deceived. Their dynamic is a real match of minds. No pointless sulking. No childish misunderstandings. No nonsense drama where main characters become stupid just to create conflict.

I saw that some people say the first 5 episodes are hard to understand, but I didn’t feel that at all. I had no trouble following the story and personally I found it very engaging.

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🍅 Some Nonsense

Even though the leads are written as smart, no-nonsense characters, the rest of the universe around them is still a bit stupid.

So when ridiculous ways of thinking appear, it usually comes from the environment or side characters, which still gives the series some unnecessary nonsense vibes nonetheless.

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🍅 A Bit Cringe

Throughout most of the story, both ML and FL are portrayed as very cool characters.

I especially enjoy how mischievous the ML is when he tries every shameless means possible to win the FL over.

But then the series decided we needed a singing scene.

And that scene… wow ummm. That was so cringe I got second-hand embarrassment watching it. I almost couldn't sit through it, lol.

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🍅 A Small Distraction

Around episode 30, Pursuit of Jade started airing and I began watching that as well.

For the first 5 episodes, Pursuit of Jade couldn't grab my attention the way Generation to Generation did in its first 5 episodes. For that early stage, I definitely preferred Generation to Generation.

Still, switching between the two slowed down my watching a bit. And even though Generation to Generation was approaching its peak by that point, I realized something... overall, the drama matches my taste well, but somehow it still didn’t quite capture my heart completely.

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Stuck on Repeat

Promising at first for the plot, but you need to bear with the repetitiveness and editing.

Repetitiveness of the plot

The plot keeps repeating itself in every aspect, and the pacing feels quite off. There are no major events that truly shift the direction of the story, instead, it's a series of small problems that feel artificially inserted just to keep the viewer going until the finale, which itself turns out to be not particularly thrilling. A bad guy appears, there's a forced kiss, the FL accuses the ML of deception and tries to kill him. Then they reconcile, a new bad guy appears, a new forced kiss or hug, and the FL accuses the ML again. The intrigue doesn't help either, since they need to find three different objects to cultivate the Ziwei Method, which creates the same cycle of plot twists over and over.
Another issue: Cai Zhao seems to be living out the same storyline as her aunt. First, it becomes tedious to watch a Cai Zhao scene only for it to be immediately followed by a flashback of her aunt doing essentially the same thing. Second, I would have appreciated more diversity in their respective developments and experiences.
In their defense, I think the writers focused less on making the overall plot compelling and more on showing how the characters were growing, which would make sense given the title of the drama. I liked the idea of an elder generation that faced many of the same challenges the younger generation is now encountering, and how the younger generation tries to avoid repeating the same mistakes. It's a genuinely nice concept, and I enjoyed all the flashbacks to the previous generation, which made for interesting comparisons. Overall, though, I think this is a case of wasted potential. It's like having a great idea for a book but being unable to write it well, or envisioning a beautiful drawing that ends up looking terrible in execution.

Production Issues

Setting aside the repetitive plot, the production itself is quite questionable. On the positive side, the costumes and some of the sets are nice. However, the editing is poorly done, the makeup on Cai Zhao is baffling (why is she so pale?), and the acting sometimes feels excessive, though that may partly be due to the strange editing choices (e.g., shots of Mu Qingyan making odd faces). Some scenes don't flow well together, and certain shots feel out of place. At times, we hear Mu Qingyan shouting something to Cai Zhao while the camera shows a wide shot of a mansion and garden filled with fighting characters. I found this very disorienting, as your eyes instinctively search for the people involved in the dialogue.

Romance and relationships

The romance, though, was completely wasted by Mu Qingyan's repeated unsettling behavior and Cai Zhao's constant rejection. Frustrating at first, then simply boring. I was hoping he would let go sooner, and that she would start chasing him a little. Their dynamic at the beginning was actually quite good: she was flirty and he showed nothing more than simple affection. Then came several awkward kiss attempts. Why not let her fall so deeply in love that she's the one trying to kiss him? Instead, they kept the obsessed-pursuer-and-rejecting dynamic all the way through, what a waste. I would have preferred the introduction of a woman he could have grown close to, to shake things up. As for Yuzhi, he should have either been simply her friend or someone she had some romantic interest in. What did his unrequited love actually bring to the plot?
That question, honestly, could be asked about many elements of this drama.
For example, I think they could have done something really compelling with Mu Qingyan's mother. He has so many repeated creepy scenes and moments of coughing up blood, they could have used that screen time to explore his mother issues, showing her trying to manipulate him and him resisting. That would have been far more interesting. His mother brought nothing to the plot tbh.

Good points

On the other hand, I particularly enjoyed the scenes between Lingbo and her mother, especially the one where Lingbo pushes back against her mother's advice, pointing out that her guidance didn't exactly lead to the best outcome given how her mother's own story ended. I also really liked Cai Zhao and Mu Qingyan's first meeting when she encounters him as himself. The enemies-to-lovers energy there was genuinely great. It was so promising and I actually loved the few episodes after this moment.

Conclusion

The repetitive plot combined with the production flaws makes the drama genuinely uninteresting at a certain point. They could have ended it after 20 episodes and it would have been tighter. I think it gets better toward the end, but I honestly couldn't watch at normal playback speed. It feels like the producers had a clear vision of the broad strokes and the ending, but didn't really know what to fill in between, which, for me, is the most important part.

Also, Rebirth has been in my watchlist for a while, but now that I've found out it's from the same director, I'm seriously reconsidering.

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Ten years of rain in the jianghu… and a story drowned before it could rise.

The story could have been legendary, the concept more than compelling… if only the execution had cared.

This drama had everything I usually love: epic stakes, layered wuxia politics, forbidden romances, and tension that almost feels tangible. The opening episodes are gripping: the younger generation caught in the unresolved conflicts of the past, secrets simmering just below the surface, and emotional stakes that immediately pull you in. You can feel the drama itching to be something great.

And then… it starts losing its footing. The script and adaptation are messy: plot threads appear and vanish, pacing jumps around, and the structure feels fragmented. Scenes are rushed or abruptly cut, leaving motivations unclear, emotional transitions clunky, and moments that could have been heart-stopping completely underdeveloped. I read a joke somewhere that “scenes start late and end early” and in this case, that’s not far from the truth.

The direction and editing are arguably the biggest problem. Moments that should feel powerful or heartbreaking often fizzle out because the show rarely lets them breathe. Characters who should feel layered come off flatter than they should, subplots feel more like interruptions than explorations, and even the fight scenes, which could have elevated the drama, end up underwhelming.
The individual performances are quite decent but the leads emotional connection and relationship dynamic doesn’t translate on screen. It feels less like a relationship unfolding and more like two performances happening side by side, never quite touching.

Despite my frustration, there are great moments. The atmosphere is gorgeous, with flowing robes, misty landscapes, and emotional tug-of-war. The story’s central premise, of past secrets shaping the present, might keep you invested. I’d still recommend the show to wuxia fans, because it still carries that old jianghu charm beneath the flaws.

In short, Generation to Generation is a drama of unrealized potential. The final episodes improve and the pacing steadies, but for most of its run, I found myself dwelling on what it could have been. For that reason, I can only give it a 6.5/10 - an intriguing premise that hints at depth and intensity, yet keeps stumbling over its own execution.

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A promising story that spans two generations of heroes where their stories interlock and the previous generations choices push forward the new generation as they step in to adulthood. This could have been a truly great story where new heroes unravel past truths and relive old mistakes with new choices but the poorly written script relied too heavily on action and beauty and not enough on plot cohesion and direction.

There is quite a lot I find lacking in this drama starting with the costuming. Some costumes look great while others are just plain silly. Many of the hairstyles, specifically for most the women, I did not like. I also found the lighting lacking. Everything is well lit, yes, but its so monotone and lifeless because it lacks contrast. There are many scenes where the intensity could have been felt more through better lighting choices that allow for mood building. Instead every scene is always well lit, even the dark scenes. It makes the cinematography feel amateurish. The way the scenes are cut together also lacked a proper flow and was often jarring. Overall the quality felt low even though you could clearly see it was not low budget.

The actors did an okay job though I felt they lacked chemistry and the script often let down with obscure truths and fine details just magically being something they happen to know from an old childhood memory. It always seemed like our two leads just happened to know everything at all times. The timeline felt really muddled to me as well because we weren't given enough background about the older generation. It was always snippets and the same flashbacks but little information and even less emotional build up to allow us as the viewers to care about them. Pingshu was often at the center of every episode but barely seen in the series so I found it very hard to connect with the point of it all. She also never aged, even though all her friends did and she supposedly had only recently passed away. So much of the story is built on the older generations choices but we werent given enough information or time to care about them.

There is also almost no world building done. You are told over and over again that Jianghu is a dangerous place but not what it actually is and what the difference between it and the 'outside' world are. The martial arts are great and most the characters are amazing, until the plot needs them to lose. Then simple moves take them out easily. They never really explain the different sects or why they are all even at the same sect to train. And what really let this drama down was the lack of backstory. The older generation is so prevalent to the narrative but mostly ignored, the previous battles are so relevant to the current problems but not explained properly, and then our female lead is set on this impossible pedastool for no reason. In the beginning she mostly comes off as lazy but is loved by everyone, then she shows her skills and she is amazing but narrow minded though the story wants you to think she is broad minded.

Not one character has any growth in this series., thats a lie Lingbo did have some small development. I did not like any of them to be honest though. The 6 sects of course think they are righteous but are really hypocritical. Every person under the 6 sects is completely fine with murdering without evidence, capital punishment for perceived wrongs. Whats even the point of all these sects anyway when none of them are out actually helping people? The entire drama is filled with small minded, greedy, self serving characters.

Overall, I truly liked this in the first ten episodes but as it progressed I found myself losing interest. Even the ending scene lacked any true emotion even though most the new generation was happy and present.

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watchable tho

First of all, I like lead actor and actress but I don’t like the characters they acted especially FL.
ML’s acting is a little rigid but it’s okay as it’s his first time to act in that kind of genre costume drama, so it was forgiven.
I don’t understand is FL’s character. She acts like she is above all like doubting ML at the first sight they met. (How she knows to doubt to ML is a huge plot hole for me.) Always doubting ML and never trust him but never doubt her members of righteous way while they appears as the villains in every time the problem is solved, insulting his sincerity till the end, instead of asking why or what are you doing, she just assumes the ML’s actions by herself without listening his explanations, she hates ML using her while she ignores the fact that she is using ML too even while ML points it out, ML’s love is taken for granted. That character isn’t developed till the end of the story. I was frustrated to watch it.
And also ML’s love for FL is absurd. Love at first sight should have some meaning while I couldn’t find it because FL didn’t do any special for him to truly touch his heart since they met. (Don’t tell me she protects him from bullies. She doesn’t truly protect him and he also knows it.)
Actings are good. Fight scenes are disappointing for wuxia drama. Cinematography is some are good, some are bad.
Story line is disappointing and dialogues are bad.
Feel bad for lead actors.
It’s watchable tho.

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Generation to Generation: A Strong Start That Loses Its Edge

The drama begins with a promising and engaging start. The early episodes are gripping, with clever manipulation between characters and a storyline that moves forward smoothly. The tension and emotional stakes make the first half especially enjoyable.

However, the story gradually loses its strength toward the climax. What initially felt like a powerful revenge narrative eventually falls into a familiar and somewhat predictable pattern. The backstory behind the revenge is not entirely convincing, and the resolution feels more cliché than satisfying. For a drama that began with such intensity, the lack of deeper revenge or consequences makes the ending feel slightly underwhelming.

Zhou Yi Ran absolutely carries the show. His character is compelling and intense, especially in the way he loves. He is the kind of man who would give up everything for the person he loves, even to the point of marrying into her family without hesitation. His devotion is striking, and his presence on screen is hard to ignore. Visually, he fits the role perfectly. His looks, expressions, and the costume design all elevate his character. Honestly, his character had the potential for even greater depth, and it would have been interesting to explore his story more deeply.

Bao Shang, on the other hand, brings a bright and cheerful energy to the story. Her character feels warm and sincere, and her love for the people around her is genuine. While her relationship is sweet, the romance could have been portrayed with a bit more emotional depth.


The drama does have its flaws. The editing can feel uneven, and the ending episodes are not entirely convincing. However, the characters and their performances deserve appreciation. While it may not be outstanding, it remains a watchable drama, largely because the lead actors truly do justice to their roles.

Overall, *Generation to Generation* is still worth watching , mainly for its strong start, appealing characters, and Zhou Yi Ran’s performance. It just leaves the feeling that the story could have been much more powerful if it had stayed true to its darker revenge premise.

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"Heaven Never Shuts All Doors"

Generation to Generation is a decent wuxia drama that explores how the older generation's decisions shape the fate of those who come after them. One of the more interesting aspects of the story is how the past constantly influences the present. The conflicts, grudges, and unresolved mistakes of the previous generation create the world that the younger characters must navigate. Watching the younger generation slowly uncover what really happened in the past and deal with the consequences of it is one of the strongest parts of the drama.

However, it became predictable really fast. How many times are we going to get the same cycle of Mu Qingyan scheming, followed by Cai Zhao figuring it out and explaining to the audience what he did?

Overall, having watched many wuxia dramas, it is one of my favorite genres. A lot of the reason it feels predictable is that the plot points and twists have already been done before.

It is still a good watch, but nothing particularly remarkable.

Also, if only Cai Ping Shu had realized to give up all her Qi and get poison beforehand, she wouldn't have died from using disintegration. Like, I'm all for happy endings, but can we not make it a voiceover of O, he got lucky, and he didn't die 'cause "we want a happy ending so he gets to live!"

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Bound by Duty, Driven by Heart

This story follows Cai Zhao, who grows up in a world divided between six “righteous” sects and the Li demon sect they are constantly at odds with. Her aunt is introduced as a legendary fighter who sacrificed her power to stop the demon sect leader rampaging due to a dangerous martial technique. Though she succeeded, she endured years of suffering afterward, slowly dying from the consequences of losing her power. Witnessing this deeply shaped Cai Zhao, who admired her aunt above all else and internalized the belief of fulfilling your duty, that the elders and the “righteous path” must always be followed.

Cai Zhao is later sent to the prestigious Qingque Sect. Its master once loved her aunt and, out of affection, promises to help Cai Zhao grow stronger and fulfill her aunt’s wish that she learn martial arts. Another expectation is placed on her as well, she is meant to marry Zhou Yuqi. Her life is basically entirely planned out for her.

But on her journey to Qingque Sect, Cai Zhao and her family rescue Chang Ning, a young man whose father and clan were just wiped out. He barely survives and is taken in as well. The sect master, who also holds affection for the Chang family, offers him a home. However, Chang Ning quickly proves to be far from trusting. He manipulates people, lies, is revengeful in general and subtly draws Cai Zhao closer to him.

As their relationship develops, another man appears claiming to be the real Chang Ning. It is then revealed that the man we’ve been following is actually Mu Qingyan, the missing heir of the demon sect, presumed dead after Nie Zhe seized power. The Mu clan is known for following their hearts, but that same nature led Mu Qingyan’s kind-hearted father to be betrayed and killed. Mu Qingyan himself grew up neglected and mistreated, then losing the one parent who truly cared for him.

Mu Qingyan is layered and complex, driven by revenge, a desire to reclaim what is rightfully his, and pursue his growing love for Cai Zhao. He manipulates those around him, including her, yet his feelings while intense remain genuine. Despite the rigid divide between “good” and “evil”, and the expectations imposed by their sects, he is determined to fight for what he wants, including Cai Zhao.

Meanwhile, Cai Zhao, more naive and idealistic, seeks the truth about her aunt and the past. She is swept into events, struggling between her feelings for Mu Qingyan (the only man who truly moves her) and the expectations of her elders and society.

At its core, this is a story about two young people challenging the burdens of the previous generation (entrenched beliefs, hidden truths, and unresolved pain). Even though it felt like it dragged at times, I have to admit that once the story came near its end everything began to click and come together as more reveals about the previous generation were made. Mu Qingyan wasn’t the only deep thinker in his family. While his father seemed largely untouched by this mindset, Mu Qingyan arc closely mirrors that of his uncle. That’s what makes the “generation to generation” theme so fitting for this series, both were mistreated as children, lost a parent/guardian they deeply cared about, faced constant rejection, and grew to be self-reliant, cunning and paranoid. They both tried to reclaim what was theirs from birthright, manipulating those around them without regard for the consequences, exerting revenge, even though they both had genuine feelings for their fated ones. It’s a really strong and tragic parallel.

The question is, can this new generation break the cycle and choose differently?

The acting, especially from Zhou Yiran, is excellent, subtle and nuanced. While many supporting characters fall into typical superficial stereotypes, the leads basically carry the series as the pacing feels dragged out.

I also want to give a shout-out to whoever handled Zhou Yiran’s styling, because he was basically in a new outfit every episode after the first few. His wigs and hairstyles were very well done, especially when you compare it to some of the questionable looks male leads get in other dramas. That’s one thing you can’t take away from this series. Also, even though the female lead had a more limited wardrobe as a disciple, she was always put together nicely. On top of that, the sets were stunning and the cinematography was consistently on point.

To conclude, I really appreciated the themes, the blurred line between good and evil, societal expectations, obedience to elders, and the struggle to follow one’s heart. The ideas are compelling, even if the execution could have been much better.

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Complicated but uncompelling

I don't know why I finished watching the show, to be honest. It did so little for me that I am extremely compelled to write this review but unsure where to start.

I guess I'll start with the story. The story centers around how the daughter of a prominent Six Sects family, Cai Zhao, partners with the Demon Sect's leader, Mu Qingyan, to unearth the secrets of her parents' generation and bring peace to the Jianghu. In the process, they lie, scheme against each other, and conveniently fall in love. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this setup, it demands some intricate work on characterization to be compelling.

Unfortunately for "Generation to Generation", the characterization slipped on a banana peel and fell flat on its face. The female lead, Cai Zhao, is an extremely flat character. She's an obvious attempt to support China's feminist wave in entertainment and thus has all the qualities of a heroine: righteous, crafty, and admired among her peers. However, her character experiences no real development, depends heavily on plot armor, and is a pathetic imitation of her dead aunt (who everyone blindly idolizes and centers their lives around despite her death THIRTEEN years ago). As an example, Cai Zhao justifies her decision to confront the villain at the end using her aunt's heroism-driven morals despite lacking martial arts capabilities; the show somehow saves her and reframes stupidity as nobility. The male lead, Mu Qingyan, is similarly uncompelling. While he's a genuinely brilliant strategist, he also experiences very little development (the main change is his increasing, unhealthy obsession with our female lead). He's lived a pitiful life, and spends a lot of the time he has with the female lead preaching, faking illness, or treating her like a little kid.

To hide the characterization blemishes, the show emphasizes the relationship between the leads. However, it is full of unnecessary ups-and-downs. The leads don't definitively get together until they're married on the last episode, and before that there is excessive distrust, heartbreak, and naivety. Neither character grows from these dramatic episodes; they never truly communicate and repeat their mistakes. It is a romance that may be compelling for a thirteen year old girl reading their first forbidden romance but very few others.

Beyond the main romantic relationship, every other important connection stems back to the female lead's dead aunt, Cai Pingshu. While Cai Pingshu is not a bad character, the fact that either idolizing her or obsessing over her undergirds every character's intentions and actions undermines the story's emotional current. It's difficult to truly feel moved by the tragedies a bunch of obsessive and otherwise empty characters face.

Despite its character flaws, "Generation to Generation" still had potential to be a watchable drama. Plenty of C-dramas hide behind beautiful editing and decent acting when they lack reasonable plots and still manage to be successful. Regrettably, "Generation to Generation" faces damning flaws in its execution, too.

As other viewers have mentioned, the editing is quite choppy and the script is unnatural. The script has characters always trying to preach at or prove themselves to the audience; they give long, unnecessary monologues in simple or light-hearted moments. The writing is humorless. There is an aggressive, tacky element to the romantic scenes, and simple/pure scenes lack all subtlety. The CGI is the nail in the coffin; I distinctly recall a baby dragon looking like the brainchild of Sora AI and "Merge Dragons". Overall, the story's presentation comes off as heavy-handed and inorganic.

I also found the acting to be surprisingly mediocre. I think the one good performance is from Li Yuan as Yin Su Lian, who manages to portray her character with cold restraint until the eruption of anger and protectiveness at the end. Bao Shang'en is quite good at delivering lines of expressively, but her actual performance suffers from stiffness in less dramatic scenes. Zhou Yiran is a brilliant actor, but his performance misses the fact that Mu Qingyan is on the brink of death. His portrayal creates the illusion that Mu Qingyan is healthy to the end (despite the multiple times he was ill in bed), which limits the intrigue of Mu Qingyan and softens the impact of his decline on both the story and the viewer.

While the trailer of the drama was quite good in my opinion, it's probably wiser to find something else to watch if you have the time to spare. As someone who waited for the "climax" and watched it through to the end, I doubt you'll regret not picking this up or dropping it in the middle.

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