Mysterious Lotus Casebook

A little frustrated with the ending

Interesting story about detective, mystery & martial art worlds that collide together. Not much mystery story that can be part ways from politic, but this drama although not completely part ways, you can still tell they're not really glue together like the usual way.

Really like to see Cheng Yi act outside his usual character, where he usually play cold with limit or even no expression man, here we can see more expression from Cheng Yi together with his outgoing & aloof character. Together with childish character of Joseph Zeng, they make beautiful combination of partner and more addition of Xiao Shun Yao in the end make the group complete with quite interesting character to watch.

Really interesting to see how the story evolve in the drama. How they unraveled the secret a little by little so in the end all make sense. But sometimes I must say it's also kinda uninterested to see the case seems unrelated to each other, it's like they forcing the case to be there in the first place, just to make the story about cases & they work solving the case together.

Really admire the characteristic of Li Lian Hua, how he's in the end released forgiveness for who already did him wrong, kinda let go feeling before he face his death. But still how many of us can say people from martial world have that relieved feeling to forgive all of that wronged them, usually they only talk about taking revenge...

But in the end this drama leave unsatisfied feeling in my heart about the ending. Kinda hope we have more clear about the ending,... The special episode also not much of a help. Don't know why they bothered to make the special episode... :(

Read More

One of the best c dramas I've watched.

I'm not a fan of romantic dramas but a huge lover of fantasy genre. So I've been very picky when watching c dramas and watched this after reading a lot of reviews that recommended it. Fair to say I was not let down by the hype this how had. From the cast, to the dialogues, cinematography and the plot it'd keep you gripped onto your couch or bed ;) It has a very unique plot and an engaging story line with no lags. I binged all 40 episodes over the weekend and couldn't resist myself from falling in love with Cheng Yi. His screen presence was majestic, and he flawlessly transitions from a goofy nomad to a serious swordsman. Couldn't get over how cute Jospeh Zang was and his bickering scenes definitely make you rewatch this drama. I really loved how they didn't villainize Xiao Shun Yao, instead showed the story from his pov too.

Read More

When Letting it go, becomes the hardest and most beautiful thing to do

It's been a while since I've come across a complex character as shrewd and layered as Mei Chang Su in Nirvana in Fire, and an actor like Hu Ge who can pull off such a portrayal convincingly well. So when I read the synopsis of Mysterious Lotus Casebook, about how a disillusioned man, Li Xiang Yi, abandons his identity, relationships and past glory in order to discover the truth about the past, my curiosity was piqued and before I knew it, I binged through 40 episodes of this period costume investigative mystery drama.

The drama is helmed by 3 male characters who come from significantly different backgrounds. Li Xiang Yi, the lead protagonist of the story, is a stray orphan with missing parents. He and his senior, Shan Gudao, another orphan, are picked up by a kind couple, who take them in and train them up in martial arts. Because of his gifted skills, Li Xiang Yi becomes crowned as Sigu sect's visionary leader despite his young age. His peer rival is Di Fei Sheng, a cold, apathetic leader of another pugilistic sect, the Jinyuan Alliance. Fang Duobing/Xiaobao, a Government official's adopted son, is born physically weak, frail and handicapped. He grows up within the sheltered and restricted confines of a wealthy powerful family that is known for manufacturing sophisticated weaponry and contraptions.

Di Fei Sheng grows up as an abandoned child enslaved by a cruel bandit who grooms slaves as personal assassins. He eventually becomes the head honcho of the Jinyuan Alliance, a rival pugilistic sect to the Sigu sect, known more for their ruthless skulduggery more than their charitable merits. Di Fei Sheng's sole aspiration in life is to is dethrone Li Xiang yi's number 1 martial arts status so that he can be recognised as the most skilled martial artist on the jianghu. Fang Duobing/Xiaobao, on the other hand, harbours his own aspirations of breaking into the pugilistic world and becoming recognised as a credible detective at the Bai Chuan Yuan agency. He has absolutely no interest in being caged into a moulded life of politics and arranged marriage, but instead has a fanatical obsession about Li Xiang Yi, his childhood idol, so much that he self-declares Li Xiang Yi to be his Shifu and himself to be Li Xiang Yi disciple.

The story starts with Li Xiang Yi fighting Di Fei Sheng out in the middle of a stormy sea, thinking he was the culprit behind the death and disappearance of his senior in the Sigu Sect, Shan Gudao. Li Xiangyi is heavily poisoned and ends up being defeated by Di Fei Sheng during this battle. His body is swept up along the sea currents and washed away on a faraway shore. His body is not found and his death is presumed to explain his 10 year disappearance.

10 years later, Li Xiang yi re-emerges as Li Lian Hua. Using this new name and persona, Li Lian Hua makes his living as a quack doctor capable of "curing" people from disease and death while he roams around freely with a pet dog in his triple-storeyed mobile caravan, growing and cooking his own vegetables. On the surface, he pretends to be a carefree hippie living in some kind of Howl's moving castle, occupied with the simple sustainable farm-to-table life. Under this cover, he lies low to stealthily gather clues about his senior's death while deliberately keeping a strategic distance from his Sigu sect members and girlfriend lover, all remnants of his former glory and past. He wants no interference during his own investigation because he is absolutely focused on finding his missing senior's remains and hellbent on tracking down the murderer behind his senior's death.

The trio's paths converge when Fang Duobing latches onto Li Lianhua to borrow his brain to help him crack unexplainable murder mystery cases happening across the city and Di Fei sheng realises that Li Xiangyi is actually Li Lian Hua. Each of the guys start out with their own motives and unexpectedly, form a bromance over their shared experiences of cracking several murder mystery cases as a team.

Each of the guys also start out in the dark, being woefully ignorant about different things. Fang Duobing has no idea that he is actually an adopted son and that Li Lian Hua is actually his childhood idol Li Xiang Yi in disguise. Li Xiang Yi has no idea who actually poisoned him and does not realise his senior Shan Gudao is actually still alive. Di Fei Sheng has no idea that the only reason why he defeated Li Xiang Yi out at sea was because Li Xiang Yi was already heavily poisoned before their epic showdown and his own Jinyuan alliance key members had already bought over by Shan Gudao. At the end of the story, they each come to their own revelation about the truths surrounding their biological lineage and backstory. More beautifully, each of the 3 male characters grow to accept each other as loyal comrades and trusted partners, as they each struggle to reconcile with the uncomfortable truths from their past and look past each others differences and prejudices.

This drama was highly enjoyable to watch as it has unexpectedly comedic moments whenever a misunderstanding arose between the 3 male leads. But most importantly, the script was coherent and sufficient clues were dropped during the earlier murder mysteries to help the viewers connect the dots as the overarching conspiracy surrounding Shan Gudao's disappearance following his death unfolds towards the end of the drama.

Sizzling romance and couple chemistry does not form the main appeal of this drama, which is quite refreshing for a change. Quite the contrary, we see plenty of unrequited romance from the 3 male leads. Li Xiangyi smothers the romantic longings of his former longtime girlfriend and his frenzy of girl fans in waiting, Fang Duo bing happily breaks off an engagement with a palace princess, Di Fei Sheng shirks off and eventually finishes off a his crazy sadistic female subordinate. The 3 main lead characters seem more interested in their accomplishing their own agendas and protecting the loyalty around their bromance. Thankfully, there are no tropey love triangles or wallflowers to defocus the drama from it's main storyline.

Li Xiang Yi/Li Lian Hua has become one of my favourite fictional characters amongst the Chinese costume period dramas because what truIy sets him apart from other wuxia heroes is his ability to deny himself of his ego, past grudges, ambitions and personal desires for the sake of others and let it all go to face a future full of unknowns. I feel like the show has ended in an incomplete way and I really hope there will be a season 2 in the making!

Read More

Excellent drama with one flaw

THE STORY:
I started this thinking that we'd get to see detective stories, where I could solve cases together with the heroes. The cases were, although interesting, not of that sort. They all made sense, but the audience often only got to see the clues at the time Li Lianhua or Fang Duobing revealed them to their co-characters. The cases themselves were overshadowed by the overarching plot relatively early, so for me, they did not have too much merit by themselves, and only served as a vehicle to move the story forward.
The overarching story wasn't that complicated, we got to guess the main villain quite early, and some of the plot twists weren't that twisty for me.
(Also, the main plot point -- evil people from a defeated foreign country try to overthrow the mighty and just and overall better [China] and fail -- is typical Chinese nationalist fare.)
What makes the story interesting, is the journey of Li Lianhua, both in the past, which is revealed to us in increments, and in the present -- Li Lianhua, who is terminally ill and is pulled into the Jianhu after ten years of solitude, whose journey is one of finding closure, of forgiving or avenging, of finding meaning in life and death.

A plus, for me, is also that the series has little romance -- most of it finds it conclusion within three episodes or so around episode 20 (they decide their romance will stay in the past only). Unfortunately, most female characters' motivation still circles around love, more on that see below.

The story unfolds over 36 episodes, which never drag or feel rushed. The series kept my interest throughout -- the pacing was always just right.

THE CHARACTERS:
Li Lianhua is a wonderfully human character. He is flawed, he lies, he deceives but still seems to be a person who has his values he lives by. He is a miracle doctor and a horrible cook. He is someone who pushes others away, and it's never quite clear if it's to protect the other person or himself. He is selfish in his last decision, and at the same time sacrifices his life (essence) for others over and over again. Li Lianhua is world-weary but can still find solace in the little joys in life and seems to believe that most people are ultimately good.
Li Xiangyi was young and inexperienced. He trusted wholeheartedly -- but also judged hard. He thought he was the most important person in the sect -- and died because of it.

I also loved the other two main characters -- loved their banter, of course. They both had their distinct personalities and unique goals. Fang Doubing and Di Feisheng had good character development -- more time to show their personalities and their inner life would have been even better.

The one thing that irked me for the most part of the series was the portrayal of the female characters. Their motivations mainly circled around "love" (or a version thereof), and usually, they had no agency without a man. Let's look at the four most prominent women:
Jiao Li Qiao: Her motivation for anything is to get Di Feisheng as her husband. That's it.
Qiao Wan Mian: She is important as the past love interest of Li Xiangyi, who waited for ten years for him. Later, she gets a bit more agency, but it remains half-hearted. Has she left Zijin or not? Why does she take his Sect leader token but does not take on the role herself? (He is obviously still the sect leader later.)
Master He (Fang doubig's mother): She's the only woman without an interest in pursuing another man; the only one who is shown with significant skills who can contribute to the fight. She is also the only married woman, and the only middle-aged woman, so it's probably just that she's "too old" to be a potential love interest who can be heroically disregarded.
The princess: Her interest in marrying Fang Doubing is somewhat understandable -- as a princess she lives a highly regulated life, and probably knows that the only chance to get a bit of freedom is as a married woman. (Of course, her interest has to take a backseat next to her fiancé's desires.)
There's also the young girl who we first meet when she disguises herself as a man -- she could have easily been a cunning woman with a network of informants or a vast library. But no! She always gets her information from her grandfather and she is allowed to bring Li Lianhua to her brother for treatment.

That's enough of a rant for this review. Let's close with another excellent aspect:

THE ACTING:
I did not find one actor unsatisfying. The minor characters were all right throughout.
All three main characters were portrayed incredibly well. Especially Chen Yi (Li Lianhua) who needed to show his multi-layered personality without words had excellent micro-expressions. Di Feisheng is probably more interesting than the script itself has provided because Xiao Xun Yao manages to hint for underlying emotions of his character from the first second we get to see him on screen.
And a special mention has to go to Rain Wang (Jiao Li Qiao), who, despite her single-trait character, shows how chillingly deranged Jiao Li Qiao has become over the course of the series.

OVERALL:
This is, despite the one flaw, a series that tells a story about friendship, betrayal and revenge -- and a man who just wants to have a quiet death.
Recommended!

Read More

My favourite Cheng Yi's drama yet

I was usually not a fan of Cheng Yi - insofar, the dramas I watched of his are mostly of him portraying depressive characters. This was the first time I see him in a character that was somewhat playful, wickedly humourous and cleverly cunning - a lot more interesting, and I think he did very well. Of course the second lead Joseph Zeng also did very well as his naive side kick.

Overall, I rated this drama very highly although I hated the ending. An excellent cast, good looking actors/resses, interesting story, realistic costume and backdrop, good cinematography - it scored well on all the important factors. But like a lot of Chinese drama, it had a bitter sweet ending.

Li Xiang Yi (Cheng Yi) was an outstanding swordsman with a very strong sense of justice and righteousness. Di Fei Sheng, head of the JinYuan sect challenged him to a fight for the top rank in the martial world. Secretly poisoned by Jiao Li Qiao, a psychopath, before the fight, he fell into the river after destroying the ship of the JinYuan sect and was missing.

Ten years later, Di Fei Sheng recovered from his injuries and emerged once again in the martial world. Around this time, someone who earned the title of a miracle doctor known as Li LianHua was travelling around the world in a tower horse carriage. He met Fang DuoBing, a young passionate swordsman who claimed to be the disciple of the missing Li XiangYi. Both had identities that they were either hiding or were ignorant of.

The story was interesting as DuoBing and an unwilling LianHua worked together to uncover a huge conspiracy involving a vanquished kingdom and the bloodline of the current Xi dynasty. It was one of the best detective dramas that I had watched.

Strongly recommend this drama but I must say, you better not be suffering from a depression as the ending was melancholic.

Read More

A perfect mix of Martial Arts, Emotions, Mystery and Suspense

The friendship between Li Lianhua, Fang Duobing and Di Feisheng is truly special, as three people who would otherwise never meet work together due to circumstances, becoming the most unlikely trio in this story.
Watching them embark on their journey together, grow to love each other and be there for each other in every situation is truly an eye-opener. We as humans can learn so much from these three - because nothing is as it seems.

Each episode was so thrilling and exciting that you could hardly wait to see the next episodes. The story had so many twists and turns that even normal situations turned out to be different than we would have expected.
This story has the perfect mix of martial arts, emotions, friendship, mystery and suspense.

Cheng Yi delivered as he always does. When he plays a role, he plays it to the very bitter end and makes sure that we can feel the emotions of the character himself. If you know his dramas, you will immediately understand what is being referred to. No one else is capable of playing such a tragic role.

I have seen Zeng Shunxi in many other dramas and I must admit that his portrayal of the young hero Fang Duobing is on point and he portrays the young, naive, rich character who doesn't have that much life experience yet very well.

Xiao Shunyao did an excellent job of bringing Di Feisheng to life and making us realise that for Di Feisheng, Li Xiang Xi/Li Lianhua is his absolute number one and he is determined to keep him alive, at any possible cost. Even if he doesn't admit it and instead always puts forward the reason to fight with him or against him one last time to find out who is the better martial artist.

The actors worked hard for the action scenes, and you can tell. The behind-the-scenes footage shows us exactly how much everyone has trained in advance to prepare for their roles in order to deliver an ultimate martial arts experience.

The staging, production design and costume designers have gone to great lengths to show the difference between the ruling dynasty and the Nanyin Empire. It is obvious at first glance who belongs where.
They have also given the characters from the Blood Empire characteristics that distinguish them from the ruling dynasty.
They have brought Lianhua's house to life with great attention to detail, which he travels around in. The house is somewhat reminiscent of ‘Howl's Moving Castle’, even though Li Lianhua's house is pulled by horses.
Each sword is different from the other, which also hides clues to the different characters and their behaviour - the formerly arrogant Li Xiangyi (the hilt of his sword is elaborately crafted, the second sword should go unmentioned as it hides a very tragic story), the simple-minded Di Feisheng (single-edged sabre) and the rich Fang Duobing (his sword is elaborate, with a very expensive jade pendant and marked with the family name).
The more Li Lianhua's illness progresses, the more his clothes and especially his hair sticks change. These show that his health is deteriorating. Where vibrant colours once played an important role, they are gradually replaced by calmer colours. The fabrics used for the hanfu are also changing. Where once light and supple fabric was used, over time it becomes less elegant and much simpler - sometimes it could even be described as a little rough. His hair sticks were once lotus flowers, which were gradually replaced by the lotus root or by the leaves, which were slowly dying off. On the one hand, it could mean going back closer to the origin (ashes to ashes), but it could also mean that he has shed his former arrogance and prefers simpler hair sticks.
In Fang Duobing's case, his clothes are designed to suit the noble, rich gentlemen and he carries an extremely expensive jade stone attached to his belt, which he inherited from his mother when he was a baby. His clothing also reflects the high status of his family and, above all, the fact that he is in no way inferior to his fiancée, the princess, in financial terms.
Di Feisheng's clothing is adapted to his combative nature so that he can move quickly at all times and show off his superior qigong skills.

As for the OST, I have to say that whenever Liu Yuning and Modeng Xiongdi have provided the soundtrack, I've always been absolutely thrilled by the story and, of course, by their music

In general, I really liked the OST in the drama, which is why the drama is perfectly rounded off by the OST for me.

Of course, the storyline isn't perfect, but it's the characters and the twists and turns in the story that captivate us. Rarely have I watched a drama in which it was so difficult to tell what was right and what was wrong - are we perhaps completely misjudging? We only really knew what was true and what wasn't at the end - in the end I was absolutely wrong, because everything turned out differently than I had initially assumed.

The Impossible Trio shows that friendships are always possible, no matter who you are: whether you were once foes, whether you've met someone new, whether you're rich or poor - a person's background is absolutely irrelevant and we should give everyone a chance. This story conveys the idea of never being too quick to judge a person, but to get to know them first, because sometimes people can surprise one another.

I hope that everyone will enjoy this drama as much as I did.

Read More

As good as expected

This was one of my highly anticipated watches of the year and it lived up to my expectations.

The bad

The only things I didn’t like was the random forced love connections they were trying to make with our leading men. They were clearly not interested but glad it didn’t take the same approach like Blood of the Youth and force it in the end. Also, the acting of Chen Du Ling left a lot to be desired. During her crying scenes, I couldn’t tell if she was crying or smiling. Definitely didn’t move me. The third thing was the constant vicious cycle that Di Feichang had with Jiao Li Qiao.. That story arc could have ended earlier on but they sort of dragged that out for the sake of having a story. Lastly, the OST wasn’t anything special.

The good

So many good things about this show. I still give an overall 10 rating even with some flaws because it was a uniquely written story that kept me engaged all the way through. There wasn’t a single throwaway episode. I appreciated how they kept the story progressing even when completing side cases. Many of those still connected to the larger story. I also loved how our 3 men used their real voices. It made things so much more authentic and the conversations and interactions between them seemed so natural. Definitely one of the more interesting and most fun leads in a show. Each had a different personality and brought something unique to their trio. Of course the acting was top notch in here. Besides Chen Du Ling, everyone else did such an amazing job, especially our 3 male leads. Hands down, this is the best show I’ve seen for them 3 to date. Next the fighting scenes were amazing. I wish we had more. It’s refreshing to see leads with good coordination and real martial arts pull off the scenes. It elevated the show for sure. Lastly, the visuals were beautiful. Pretty good CGI, costumes were good, high quality wigs with no visible lace fronts that I see quite a bit in CDramas. Also no CDrama tropes that most of us come to dread.

Watch for yourself but this one goes down as one my favorites. Make your own judgement.

Read More

The Best Choice Of The Year

My first bromance drama ! never thought i need this kind of genre in life . one of the best decisions that i have made in life is watching this drama . will go and find the same genre with this drama !

Three actors got a great chemistry together ,
Such a great trio made me jealous of their friendship.
Fang Doubing and Di Feisheng are being portrayed by a great actor !
The bickering of Fang Doubing and Li Lianhua literally lighting up the story. Really glad that Di Feisheng are not a real antagonist because i really love their scenes during Di Feisheng lose his memory .

At first i kinda disappointed with the ending and really hoping there is a twist in the end to saves Li Lianhua so he can be Li Xiangyi again , get to travel together with Fang Doubing.

but when i rewatching it again , im understand why that was the best ending .
its tiring for Li Xiangyi to live and Li Lianhua never want to be Li Xiangyi again , even i feel empty after it end.
I feel really sad everytime Li Lianhua disease acting up.

last but not least ; its a well written drama with a great cast! It even made my imaginary turn wild like a kids , thinking if i can be part of the sect and being a legendary swordsman like Li Xiangyi .

Read More

Li lianhua in this world and the next ??

Okay, let me just say this: this drama is literally the absolute best in the entire world. I've watched it not once, not twice, but three freaking times, and I still can't get enough! It's super nostalgic for me because I used to binge it during the summer like a year ago, just vibing and living my life. The story and plotline are so on point that I even read the book because the movie just blew my mind.

So, let’s get into it. Picture this: ten years ago, Li Xiang Yi, the legendary master of the Sigu Sect, was basically the GOAT of swordsmanship. He was that spark of light in the martial arts world that everyone looked up to. But then, out of nowhere, he went missing along with Di Fei Sheng, the leader of the Jinyuan Alliance, right after they scheduled this epic showdown in the East Sea. Like, what the hell happened?

Fast forward ten years and we meet Li Lian Hua, who’s just a chill countryside doc lugging around his lotus tower. One day, he trips and falls into the world of martial arts and gets "famous" for all the wrong reasons. The guy wants nothing to do with the pugilistic scene, but fate just drags him back in. Then there’s Fang Duo Bing, this passionate dude who’s obsessed with being a hero. He’s convinced that Li Lian Hua is hiding some serious secrets and is determined to expose him as a fraud doctor.

But wait, it gets better! Di Fei Sheng, who’s had a major beef with Li Xiang Yi all the while, shows up again in the martial arts world and, surprise surprise, realizes that this unassuming doctor is actually Li Xiang Yi in disguise. Like, can you believe it?

As they start solving mysterious cases together, the trio of Li Lian Hua, Di Fei Sheng, and Fang Duo Bing build this super deep friendship. They’re like the ultimate squad trying to keep justice alive while unraveling all these insane mysteries. But it doesn’t go as planned, of course. Plot twist: the mysterious cases they crack are ALL connected to their pasts, and there’s some huge drama with someone being adopted, and one person is either dying or dead (???). It's such a wild ride.

And let me just vent for a sec: the dude who was dying totally could’ve been saved if he’d just eaten the damn flower! Instead, he goes all “hero mode” and gives it to this old balding mf king who didn’t even deserve it! Like, seriously, that was such a waste. I was sitting there yelling at my screen like, "What are you doing? Just eat the flower!"

Anyway, despite all the chaos, this drama is absolutly amazing and I loved every second of it! If you haven’t watched it yet, what are you doing with your life? Go binge it right now!

Read More