Generation to Generation

A Love Written Across Generations

This Drama Deserved So Much More Recognition ✨

I honestly don’t understand why this drama has such low ratings because, for me, it became one of the most unforgettable cdramas I’ve ever watched. Yes, the storyline can feel confusing at times, and no, it is not a romance-heavy drama — but somehow that’s exactly what made it so special to me 🤍 It’s the kind of story that quietly pulls you in until you suddenly realize you’re completely obsessed with it.

This drama is truly made for people who love obsessive male leads, forbidden love, morally grey characters, demonic sects, and that “red flag for everyone else but a green flag for his girl” type of devotion. The story may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was absolutely mine.

One of the biggest reasons I started this drama was Zhou Yiran, and he completely exceeded my expectations. Since this was his first historical wuxia role, I was honestly shocked by how perfectly he embodied Mu Qingyan. He didn’t just play the character — he became him. The coldness, possessiveness, jealousy, tenderness, and emotional vulnerability were portrayed so naturally that I genuinely think he should do more roles like this because he suits this genre incredibly well ✨

And Mu Qingyan himself… what a character. Beneath the terrifying demonic leader image, he was actually such husband material for Cai Zhao. He cooks for her, protects her, takes care of her, and loves her so deeply that it hurts to watch sometimes. One of my favorite scenes was when he cooked wontons for Zhao Zhao — such a simple moment, yet it perfectly showed how soft he becomes only for her 🥹

At the same time, his jealousy was absolutely insane in the best way possible. The moment he learned about Zhao Zhao’s marriage proposal, he immediately rushed to the valley to propose himself. That scene had me screaming 😭 And let’s be honest: rich, powerful, obsessed demonic leader energy? He carried it perfectly.

What made the story even more emotional for me was the generational love cycle within the Mu Clan. The title “Generation to Generation” suddenly feels so meaningful once you realize that every generation of the Mu Clan ends up hopelessly obsessed with a girl from Luoying Valley.

First it was Mu Donglie and Luo Shiyun.
Then Mu Zhengyang and Cai Pingshu.
And finally, Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao.

The first two love stories ended tragically, which made Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao’s relationship feel even more emotional — almost like they were finally breaking a curse that had existed for generations.

And that near-death scene with Mu Qingyan absolutely destroyed me. I genuinely thought he died. I was crying so much during those moments that I could barely continue watching 💔 This drama gave me emotional damage and then healed me two minutes later.

What makes this even more special to me is that I loved the story so much that I actually read the novel afterward — which almost never happens for me because I usually struggle to stay interested in novels. But this one completely consumed me. Knowing that Mu Qingyan and Zhao Zhao eventually had a son, Mu Yan, made me emotional all over again. The fact that he inherited Mu Qingyan’s cold attitude, obsession with Zhao Zhao, and even his signature side-eye moments was honestly adorable 😭

This drama may not be perfect to everyone, but to me, it became something unforgettable. The characters, the tragic generational love, the obsessive devotion, the emotional pain, and the quiet tenderness between Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao created a story I genuinely cannot move on from.

I think a part of me will stay in this drama forever 🤍

And yes… now I want my own demonic leader too.

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Just No

Contrary to what some say, I loved the costumes – probably the best thing about this show after the cinematography. The story, however, … boring, just vibes, no plot at all actually. The acting wasn’t great either, I gave up on episode 13… the Xing girl’s acting was atrocious, I just couldn’t anymore. Bao Shang En is a little bit bland, but had some good moments in my opinion. Zhou Yi Ran is alright as well, but we have got to stop with the constant aura farming whenever he makes an entrance… it got cheap and cheesy after the third time. Since I wasn’t emotionally invested in the story at all, and as it didn’t manage to convince me despite continuing, I just had to drop this.

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Started off decent before it trails off...

The plot started off pretty well with engaging characters and good pacing. But for some reason, the dialogue starts to increasingly becomes more bland and both the plot and character developments just drops off a cliff.

Although the ML and the FL were decent individually, they didn't do a good job building up their chemistry. And from far away, one can see a good story but it starts to crumble with random inserts of events and people. It's as if they weren't sure how to connect the dots and just threw scenes in abruptly to fill in the blanks. The mysteries behind all the cover-ups are compelling for me to want to finish series but I've lost feeling any connection to any of the characters. It's a good-looking cast so it likely will still appeal to a wide audience (except they used slightly too much of that whitening filter).

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A Heroine's Journey (versus the generation before her with a whole lot of yearning from the ML)

WHAT A GOOD SHOW. ITS EXACTLY WHAT I’D BEEN CRAVING.

I just love a good costume or fantasy with mostly yearning and romance and love. This show had it! It’s not a 50/50 split, definitely more a “from the female leads pov” but I didn’t mind because Zhou Yi Ran did soooo good conveying his thoughts/emotions with just his face let alone his delivery of lines.

The good of this show:
- **The Plot:** it’s simple and relatively straightforward in a way some fantasies are not, but is a way that allowed the real messages of the show shine AND that allowed us to just enjoy Cai Zhao’s journey (and her romance with Mu Qing Yan)
- I love this more literally visual/breakdown of generational trauma in this show. You can clearly see how her aunt’s choices (and the choices of those around her) affected everyone and in turn colored how the kids grow up.
- **The Romance:** As I mentioned, we don’t get scenes with Mu Qing Yan much without Cai Zhao, but Zhou Yi Ran does such a good job that I don’t think we needed more than what we got. Mu Qing Yan clearly falls for Cai Zhao almost instantly, wanting to be around her as much as possible, being clearly upset when he learns she betrothed, following her on all her adventures for no other reason than to make sure she is safe.
- I adored their “break up scene” as much as anyone could adore it. Cai Zhao loves him, but he was being toxic, a bit too manipulative, selfish, and shortsighted. She saw that, she STILL loved him, BUT she told him, they were not going to work with that set up. Lo and behold, he stops trying to learn the Wu method, he stops being as aggressive as he was at the start, and he start letting her make her own choices properly – even when he really wanted to just throw her over his shoulder and hide them away somewhere safe.
- The Main Leads: I know I talk about them in the romance point, but their characters were great.
- Cai Zhao is a caring young woman determined to follow the path of justice like her beloved aunt. I loved how she kinda breezes by peoples negative opinions, but you can see how she has to struggle with prioritizing her own feelings vs her morals vs what the adults she admire tell her.
- Mu Qing Yan is an iconic male lead imo. Is he a little bit “toxic”? Sure, but not so much so that is unreasonable. To say his upbringing was traumatic is an understatement. The man could probably do with some therapy but his arc is clear – he was a young man on the road set for revenge and then death. But in meeting Cai Zhao, his softer side is slowly exposed and freed from the wall around his heart. He was totally smitten with her and I ate up every second of it.
- The secondary leads! I didn’t think I would like Qi Ling Bo or even her mom because they were definitely annoying at the start, but their growth and pain and struggles were legit and I loved them both by the end. The rest of the secondary leads were great too. I feel bad for my guy Song Yu Zhi, but hope he finds love with someone else. I also actually loved his dad LOL the way he was trying to get his son to woo Cai Zhao was highly entertaining and he spoke facts when he said that Cai Zhao likes how unrestrained Mu Qing Yan is with and around her which is why she isn’t into Song Yu Zhi.

So for the “flaws” of the show, I think some were less “serious” than others but:
- There are some “logistics” of the story that are conveniently skipped but threw me off. Like Cai Zhao’s sheath for her sword makes no sense. How does the sword come out of the sheath when the tip of the sword is way bigger than the base but the base of the sheath is small? And how did Mu Qing Yan get his sword when she hijacked his “execution”? Those were the more obvious ones, but there were other little things like that, that I wished they properly resolved even with a sentence or something. If it’s going to happen off screen it needs to be something you can obviously stitch together which wasn’t the case for those moments.
- The plot was solid, but I was kinda hoping for some kind of “wow” climax. I don’t think it was horrible, but heaven knows some shows overkill on red herrings and “plot twists” for shock value, but I could see Qi Yun Ke being the villain from a mile away and no one else would have made sense but still – would have been nice if they thought more on how to make the antagonist more dynamic and not the “leader of all the good sects” lol

That are my only two complains. Some people claim that the show is confusing, which considering my second complaint, I wholeheartedly disagreed. But then some people say there were too many characters introduced all at once. To which I say: I am not a native Chinese speaker so I am *used* to being confused by fantasy plots in the beginning...but this show is no more confusing than others similar to it. If anything it’s a pretty simple fantasy with just two sides: the demons vs the “amazing perfect six sect”. There's a range of characters, but you really don't need to "keep tabs" as the last names do most of the heavy lifting. After finishing it, anyone that I could not really "remember" well was not more important than if they were "good" or "bad" tbh LOL.

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Generation to Generation – A Rare Example of Narrative Integrity Done Right

I went into Generation to Generation with no expectations—and ended up ranking it as one of the best dramas I’ve seen.

What sets this drama apart is not just how engaging it is, but how consistently it delivers on what it promises from beginning to end.

Narrative & Structure

This is a dense, layered story; not heavy in the sense of being exhausting, but rich in moving parts. There are multiple sects, histories, relationships, and power dynamics to track, and the show expects you to pay attention. But in return, it rewards you with a story where:

Every episode moves the narrative forward
Every reveal connects cleanly to what came before
Nothing feels like filler

Most importantly: it never loses control of its own story. There are no sudden character shifts, no late-stage shortcuts, and no “we ran out of time so here’s a rushed ending” problem.

Themes & Moral Core

At its heart, this drama challenges the idea of inherited morality.

“Righteous” sects commit cruelty in the name of justice
The so-called “demon” sect contains both corruption and compassion
Characters are defined not by where they come from, but by what they choose

The show consistently reinforces that:

Hatred can become all-consuming and destructive
It’s easy to gather people by appealing to their desires (power, revenge, fear), but that doesn’t create true alignment
Standing up for what’s right is difficult, and often punished, but necessary

And crucially: it never contradicts these ideas for the sake of convenience.

Characters

The two leads anchor the story, but they don’t exist in isolation.

The female lead is strong, capable, and principled without being reduced to a trope
The male lead carries both emotional depth and moral clarity, and his arc is one of responsibility, not just romance

The supporting cast is equally important. Their arcs don’t disappear; they resolve in ways that reflect the larger themes of the story.

Romance

The romance is not the point—but it is the catalyst.

It drives the conflict without overtaking the narrative, and it feels:

believable
earned
integrated into the larger story

This is not a “watch it for the romance alone” drama, but the relationship matters because of what it represents.
Ending

The ending is where this drama proves itself.

After maintaining a high level of consistency throughout, it sticks the landing:

No character regression
No thematic betrayal
No rushed resolution

Every major arc—personal, political, and relational—reaches a natural conclusion.

Whether you prefer tragic or happy endings, this is an ending that feels earned.
Final Thoughts

Generation to Generation is the kind of drama that reminds you what good storytelling looks like:

It respects its own rules
It respects its characters
And it respects the viewer’s attention

It may have an “idol drama” cast, but it operates far beyond the limitations people associate with that label.

This is not just a good drama.

It is a structurally sound, thematically coherent, and emotionally satisfying one, and those are far rarer than they should be.

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Someone save me from myself.

At first, you don't understand a thing. In episode 4 there's a big reveal and I was sitting there thinking "Who on earth are these people ?". You get swept along by all these plot twists, for a while. The problem is that after 10 episodes I still don't understand who's attacking whom and what dangers we've been facing from the start.

Both leads are convincing and clever. And as is often the case in C-dramas, here we find a strong, independent female character. I started watching for Zhou Yiran, the master of secret admirers. And I stayed for Bao Shangen, as beautiful as funny. Let's hope she gets better, she only has two expressions, poor thing.

The music rocks. The opening and closing credits alone are killer. The cinematography is, of course, stunning, with plenty of gorgeous wide shots in magical settings. You get used to that pretty quickly in these kinds of productions. On the other hand, you have to accept that martial arts superpowers as a reality. And then, apparently, you get around on the back of an eagle... Right... And you face giant snakes… Ok... Warning ! That's the signal to start considering a strategic retreat. So this is where the adventure ends for me.

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This made me cry and squeal

I found this to be one of my new favourites. I haven't felt this enamoured with a drama since Guardians of the Dafang (which is my absolute favourite).

ACTING
The main leads - No, EVERYONE - did a fantastic job. The ML really felt like this vengeful but also passionately in love person. The FL did well in all her emotions and she fave life to this character. And everyone else feels like a real person.

STORY
It didnt really feel like a story, it felt immersive to the point it felt real. The writers and director did a good job with the characters and the plot.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ It is so good!!!

CHARACTERS
They actually let the ML be a little creepy and unhinged!!!! It eorked really well for his character. He's passionate and wants everything. Hes a bit like a child in that way. He needs the FL to feel whole.

The FL tries to stsy by her beliefs. Her struggle feels real.


OVERALL
Loved it! I hope Zhou Yiran and Bao Shangen are in more dramas together they have great chemistry.

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Even a good novel isn't enough to cover for a poor director

I wanted to like this because I can tell the novel's author created something good. The substance is there, but the delivery is noticeably lacking.

Scenes just happen one after another, making the show feel disjointed. It's like the director just focused on adapting the storyline without thinking about how one scene flows into the other.

It's entirely possible to watch this for the story and ignore the flaws. But with all the other better dramas currently airing, it's hard to convince myself to spend time on this.

Mostly I'm just disappointed by the director & scriptwriter. It feels lazy to rely on a story to carry the show, without investing effort in HOW that story is being delivered to the audience.

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Disappointed c drama

I'm honestly watching this drama only for Zhou Yiran. Otherwise, I find the plot quite pathetic. The female lead is beautiful but kinda don't like her character..quiet annoying ...Lingbo is actually much better .... she is the only interesting character in the story. There are so many talented actors and actresses in this drama, yet the storyline feels very confusing.
Most of the attention is given to the aunt, which is starting to irritate me. I really feel like discontinuing the drama, but I’ll probably finish it just because of Zhou Yiran. Honestly, he looks much better with Zhang Miaoyi.
Sorry to say, but this is just my honest opinion!!!!!!!!

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Script consisting of chaotic, messy and unhealthy relationships

OVERVIEW

Generation to generation is an administered tale of romance, forbidden love, sect rivalries, and deep angst. It revolves around a mysterious man whose father was ambushed and killed in his sight, leading him to make an entrance into the Qingque sect, where he meets Cai Zhao, a free-spirited and carefree woman, and they get entangled, leading to schemes, manipulations, and love. Advancing to a darker character, Mu Qing Yan, who takes on the lead in chasing Cai Zhao, their love is put to the test through family conflicts, sect rivalries, thoughts of good and evil, and personal feelings.

Review in Full Details (Spoilers Ahead)

Initial Thoughts

The episodes in which I get to see Zhou Yi Ran playing as Chang Ning were my overriding joy, overloading me with how manipulative, cunning, and scheming he really is. Using the righteous sect members as a tool to achieve his goal was a narratively good plot. Having the female lead see through his plots at the beginning episodes deserves applause, as we were given an instinctively smart female lead.

The dynamics we get between Mu Qing Yan & Yu Zhi were really endearing, as their bickering added a depth of laughter for me.

Generation to Generation (GTG) gives us a romance filled with angst, suffering because of the excuse of righteous and evil sect, not a romance where you would watch, cause it's light-hearted, a romance were we get to see the suffering of not belonging to same sect (good and evil), were the leads struggle to find peace in their journey as a couple like any normal couple.

Themes and Character depth

The drama explicated on how love can blossom amidst the conflict of good and evil, the disapproval of sects, the disapproval of parents, and the disapproval of your personal feelings
The show is clear that the blossom of feeling doesn't matter by your sect, family, background, personal feeling, just a matter of your heart.

Chang Ning was a well-impressed character who showed in only the first few episodes, but I would say he ensnared my heart, being a cunning, manipulative schemer who uses anyone around him to get to his goal, one which love could never reach to stop his goals.

Mu Qing Yan embodied a character of a sober backstory who was abandoned by his mother when he was less than one year old in a worn-out house, where he stayed for about five years, before he was taken away by his father. We saw how his character was being made into a manipulative, cunning, patient schemer.

Cai Zhao embodied a character with a light backstory, growing up with her parents and aunts, being made into a laid-back, free-spirited, and care-free nature, where we could see from the beginning episodes that she did not like Jianghu. A character who is unambitious, with no dreams, complements her nature of eating, sleeping, and waking up.

Yuzhi embodied a character, being smart and reserved, having not much to say, from his mouth, his character brought in humor, which made him really endearing. Where he isn't love-obsessed, though he was in love, his psychological state is hardly affected by things being compared to Mu Qing Yan. He is always composed, so you can't see him emotionally deranged. The Dou father-son relationship was one of the major highlights of His character. It was a fun, entertaining, and remarkable watch.


Chemistry

Their chemistry can't be said to be all good NO NO NO, going in the subtle moment of their chemistry, the designers come throwing an aesthetics when the chemistry hasn't been made, weren't the directors actually trusting in their abilities?
I would say I would feel more chemistry tension from our second couple - Lingbo and Dai Feng Chi just the touch of their eyes got me saying this is better, yeah NO DAMN AESTHETICS CONFLICTING THEIR CHEMISTRY, the aesthetics gets to conflicts with the chemistry of our leads and if it was actually made I find it really, really bland, I mean Zhou Yi Ran actually getting the work done what was Bao Shang En doing acting all stiffed.
The chemistry was a precise failing when we actually reached a point when the directors were really forcing it, putting in beautiful shots to actually complement it, NOPE NOPE NOPE, it precisely created a conflict in my emotions.
The last episode was my best chemistry with the leads.

Performance Highlights
Zhou Yiran really slayed those roles as mysterious Chang Ning and a Dark Mu Qing Yan; he seemed more like the character and vice versa. I could really see from his emotional expressions, to his facial expressions, to his acting, it was a hit on the nail. Giving him 9.5

Bao Shang En (won't say much, already said it in the chemistry), what was that at some moments I could actually see stiffness in the acting, felt really detached at some scenes, at some points she was right on the track, really at a few points I would say.
Her stellar acting in episode 36 ending and 37 were my best, I could bear with her emotional attachment in killing her master - I felt her pain when she cries over the dying Mu Qing Yan, those episodes outplayed her overall performance. Giving her 4.0 for EPS 1 - 35, adding 3.0 points for the last 2 eps.
Overall 7.0 ratings.

Yu Jia Cheng, portraying this character, was actually an eye-opener because he left me an impression in my heart that I could not get to see him off my screen as soon as possible. He was so great that I could find him palpable.

His bickering with Mu Qing Yan was always my favorite scenes his act of honesty and righteousness was endearing. Though his character felt repetitive and had some flaws, he was a memorable Green-flagged character. Rating him 9.25

Dislikes
The plot was quite messy and repetitive; they overloaded us with lots of clichés, nearly surpassing the plot (chaotic relationships). Even if it is a cliche, it can be good when used well, but it was overused and wrongly used.
Unpleasant plot as the younger generation seem lesser than their predecessors, the older generation.
The chaotic and toxic relationship between our leads, which leaves me as a broken soul in their romance, was one moment lover, another moment fight, a push and pull relationship, breaking with lots of schemes and stabs, manipulativeness, and distrust.
Their relationship was one of the major falls for me in this plot, like the misunderstanding was a lot over my head.

Giving in filler when they had nothing better to do, giving in a kiss when it wasn't necessary - EPS 29/30. When she kissed him for the first time, it was really a forced filler; it was absolutely unnecessary if she was leaving. Like having kissed him, then cutting ties with him, wanting him to remember you forever, or actually, what, weren't there any better things to be added there? The filler was so obviously wrong to force a chemistry.

Some scenes were clearly seen as playing emotional rob on us, in which the transitions between the scenes seem inconsistent, where you could laugh, frown, groan, and angst all at once in a very unpleasant way.


The plot logic behind the villains being made because of Cai Ping Shu was really, really lame. The villains actually kept on blaming others when they could have saved her themselves.
The plot couldn't find a more compelling way to make the villains. The villain would say it was predictable from certain episodes.

The fight scenes at the ending EPS felt a little rushed - it was not shown how Yu Zhi beat his brother in a fight, we just saw he actually won, that was damn bad for me, cuz the first fight they hard was clearly shown and then the second fight we heared the brother saying You have mastered this skill (veil breaker), like shit was that why you got beaten why not show me, really disappointed.

Final thoughts
I would conclude by stating that the drama portrayed familial relationships in a quite endearing manner, seeing and feeling what it means to have good parents. -
The father-son relationship brings feelings subtly, gracing the screen with my over-the-top smiles.
Talking more of Cai Zhao's relationship with her parents, conferred me with more than a touch of laughter, smiles giggle. Teaches the lessons of having good parents, who will protect and care for you no matter those circumstances - One of my best green flaged parent's.
The relationships we got between the two sidekicks of My Qing Yan were my really funny moments of smiles, smirks, and amusements. Their duo was one of my major stand-outs of G2G.

Concluding this G2G is a that brings us more angst, rather than greater smiles, engaged in a flawed plot and a messy writing with pretty aesthetics that doesn't suit in some scenes.

Memorable characters Chang Ning, Mu Qing Yan, and Yuzhi.
Would I recommend this? No, even for lovers of wuxia epics i find it hard excluding you are ready for Draggy romance, push and pull romance, predictable villains, lame excuses for villains, and their romance is really chaotic.
With all said Rating this 7.0

Thanks For Reading

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