Li Lianhua, Everytime you walk away, it feels like you're going somewhere faraway.
I have been following this drama ever since this was a rumor back in December 2021, to June when this started filming and now when it finally released, as I've read so many articles about the novel and the ending, the story is about letting go of the past and I thought the ending would be a good ending for Li Lianhua.I knew of the ending but when I watch the last episode, I'd never thought that it would make me stare at an empty wall for hours. There's something about his character that when he's walking away and you look at his back, there's this lingering feeling that he's going somewhere far far away where he lives a quiet and peaceful life alone. I don't know how to describe it but everytime I watch him walking while looking at his back, there's just this indescribable feeling that I couldn't meet him again everytime he walks away, and who knows if we'll ever meet again.
I also love the character development of each Characters and how they hold important roles in the story. And I must say, I love and Hate Jiao Li Qiao AHAHA, there are some parts that I hate her but I can't keep myself from also liking her for some reason, I like the way her character is written.
Kudos to the directors, screenwriters, actors & actresses, and to everyone ‼️‼️
Even as a student journalist, I'm not good at making a good and detailed review lol.
PS: This might be random but as an LOTM fan (Lord of the Mysteries[A Chinese Novel]), I can Consider Cheng Yi as Klein Morreti. No, I really consider Cheng Yi as Klein Morreti if they will ever make a live adaptation (Since the Donghua PV Released a few days ago, it's not impossible for a live adaptation to happen). Considering Omniscient readers Viewpoint is having a live adaptation, Can LOTM have one too starring Cheng Yi? I'm blabbering rn but I'm already imagining it lmao. 😂
Thank you too for everyone on the comment section, I had a good time with you guys even though I'm only reading comments from the sidelines. I'll probably still camp here as I am having withdrawal symptoms.
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I'm already missing my fav trio ...Their brotherhood was everything!
Xiao Shunyao is so attractive to me and he Indeed is a great actor! I think this was my first time watching him and his character DFS was my main attractor for this drama. I looked for him in every episode crazily.
I watched some dramas of Joseph Zeng before but he made me a fan of him after this drama, his acting was so amazing!
Before I heard a lot about Cheng Yi but couldn't get into his other dramas because of the romantic genre. But this drama totally made me a fan of him!! His expression, his martial art skill, his humor, his voice, him in costume...everything was perfect!
This trio was perfect perfect perfect!
~10/10~
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There dressing is nice and amazing drama ever
This drama is the one of the best drama ever for me... The main leads are suit in there characters and their acting scenes is like a real. This drama is so satisfying to watch from the beginning to end. I love the flow of this story... And for Cheng Yi his acting skills is so amazing that's why I always watch all of his drama. I wish there a S2 of this. It's so beautiful and amazing drama ever and the props is so real when I watch some of the behind the scenes of Mysterious Lotus Casebook I see the way of this drama. How they make it and how the project madeWas this review helpful to you?
Cdrama goes Agatha Christie.
I just finished it and loved it so much.A young detective, whose aim in life is to be admitted to a legislative court meets a strange quack doctor, who is said to be able to bring the dead back to life.
Through much bickering and bromance both guys get to solve some mysterious crime cases.
Things vanishing, people dying. The cases give off clear Agatha Christie vibes, the lady of crime of English detective novels.
Whenever the spectator thinks: "OH, I got who did it and how they did." the plot uncovers yet another layer underneath and yet another.
The crimes being connected.
And it all gets us to the martial world where some ten years ago the young sect leader of Sigu sect came to be poisoned treacherously and die in a battle.
We discover, that there is an evil scheming mastermind behind all that, who is planing to take over the entire world and transform people into obedient puppets.
It's a fascinating story woven by mystery, eeriness, poison, murder, crime, treason- counter balanced by bromance, trust, loyality and faithfulness. And the ironclad will to do right by the world.
And it is all connected to that mysterious seemingly weak quack, his young detective friend and a former rival for the first place in the martial world.
To his strange wooden Lotus Tower coach, which pulled by four horses moves from crime scene to crime scene.
And to Fox Spirit, his faithful cute doggie.
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Did I love it? ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Yes I did.
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Do I recommend it?
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Absolutely!!! Do watch it by all means!
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Does it have rewatch potential?
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Absolutely. Kisskh.co has hall all english subbed 40 episodes out.
Plus one extra scene giving us a resolution.
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100% would recommend - watch for the friendship and the mysteries!
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This review may contain spoilers
An Unforgettable Jianghu Bromance
Mysterious Lotus Casebook came after a very long wait - and a long C-Drama drought. I can say - it was definitely worth the wait and is the best Wuxia drama this year after Blood of Youth (in my opinion).The story is as much about friendships as it is about uncovering mysteries and conspiracies of the past. Li Lianhua becomes a “miracle doctor” after helping bring two “dead” people back to life. He meets Fang Doubing, an up and coming martial arts hero who is fiercely protective of his “shifu” Li Xiangyi (who is presumed dead after certain events that transpired a decade ago). Unbeknownst to Fang Doubing, Li Lianhua is none other than Li Xiangyi, but instead of wanting to go back to the martial arts world, Li Xiangyi is perfectly content living his life as Li Lianhua. After solving certain cases in jianghu, Li Lianhua bumps into his old nemesis, Di Feisheng. What follows is a gripping tale of friendship, bromance, betrayal and letting go.
Mysterious Lotus Casebook for the most part is pretty outstanding. It has all the elements that make it one of the standout shows of this year. In no particular order, these are my thoughts about the show:
THE BEST BITS:
MAIN CASTING: Our three leads - played by Cheng Yi, Zeng Shun Xi and Xiao Shun Yao are PERFECT for their roles. They have incredible chemistry with each other and are magnetic whenever they are on screen. Without this trio, I don’t think this show would have been as good. Cheng Yi exudes a wonderful and contemplative maturity as Li Lianhua - he is both world-wise and world-weary. Whenever he lies through his teeth, he leaves us laughing, but when he expresses the pain of betrayal, it is heartbreaking to watch. He plays 20-year-old Li Xiangyi and 30-year-old Li Lianhua very differently. On the other side of this is Zeng Shun Xi, who plays Fang Doubing as a young and naive puppy. He’s very adorable and needs a lot of guidance from his one true friend (Li Lianhua). ZSX does a great job here too and the age difference between him and the other two is very obvious. Xiao Shun Yao’s portrayal of Di Feisheng is so magnetic. He exudes a maturity and yet an intimidating aura suitable for his character. Some of the best moments of the show come from the interactions between these three characters.
THE FIGHTS: The fighting sequences were very well done and interesting to watch. I wish there were even more of them, but I am happy with what we got.
THE WRITING: Linking the plot to conspiracies and mysteries that needed to be solved was an interesting way of unravelling the story. I love how the characters - particularly our main characters - were written. They had such snarky ways of talking to each other and it was a real treat to watch.
PUPPY: Fox Spirit needs a place on this list. At least he was a regular on the show and wasn’t forgotten 🥹.
THINGS THAT WERE LESS IDEAL:
Although I liked most of Mysterious Lotus Casebook, it misses out on a full rating for a few reasons.
THE VILLAINS: The villains, although not bad by any means, felt too on-the-nose. The maniacal laughing could have been toned down and perhaps they could have been given some more back story so that we understand their motivations a bit better. In addition to our main antagonists, Zijin was really the most annoying character on the show. He would show up at the worst moments and try to force LLH to jump or fight to the death. He was so one-note that it was annoying.
UNDERUSED/MISCAST ACTORS: The supporting cast is largely good, but some actors seem quite underused, and others miscast. From one of the main supporting actors, I thought Chen Duling (Wanmian) wasn’t exactly the best choice. She somehow seems to be crying ALL the time. She didn’t look like she was a martial artist either, but a rather weepy woman. Unfortunately, this is similar to the way she portrayed her character in Till the End of the Moon. Huang You Ming (Zijin) was also very miscast. He is a good actor, but he had extremely little to do here.
MISUSED MUSIC: Whereas the show has a good and extensive instrumental OST, it is often misused and inappropriately used. It often detracted from what could have been an impactful scene.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
The Sigu Sect sucked! But maybe that was the whole point of showing how these so-called virtuous martial arts sects are actually hypocritical. They were quick to believe all the defamatory things said about Li Xiangyi and somehow were quick to believe that he had suppressed the Bicha Poison. They really did not care about him at all.
THE ENDING: I felt that the ending was rather tragic and sadly Li Lianhua ended up being a rather tragic character. We do know this is how he is - that he accepted that death was coming to him. He did not want to be a part of the pugilistic world but wanted to be free from those burdens. When he left his Lotus House and Fox Spirit and snuck away without saying goodbye to FDB, this was expected. But I wish he had stayed and allowed himself to be taken care of by his best friend. I wish he had given DFS a chance to fight him. After surviving for 10 years to look for his martial brother, only to find that his martial brother was the reason for his miserable existence, he would have felt that his life was a lie. Cheng Yi seems to love playing such tragic characters. Li Lianhua probably hated who he had been as a youth and did not think he deserved to be doted upon or that he deserved to stay alive. Like FDB kept telling LLH - “you don’t care about your health at all”, and that is so true. I just wish we had gotten a closed ending instead of an open one. I usually like sad endings, but I would have liked a happy one for this, where LLH would have survived and roamed Jianghu with his besties. Is that too much to ask.
All in all, I love this show and will really miss all the bromance. Definitely worth the wait and worth a watch!
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This review may contain spoilers
A martial arts adventure costume drama
Sometimes, a 40 episode costume drama may seem to drag and lag, but this was not the case with Mysterious Lotus Casebook. It felt as if there were less than 40 episodes, and that the story should keep continuing. This was a fast track drama that did not hesitate, and flowed effortlessly to its conclusion.Fluid scriptwriting, strong directing and action direction, professional acting skills, creative set designs, very good editing and costume designs, and songs and BGM that did not sound repetitive for the first time in a C-drama. The flashbacks looked subtle, and did not disrupt the concentration during the scenes.
The Three Musketeers Avengers impressed the viewers with their martial arts skills and their evolving comradeship. Blink, and you might miss their stunts on screen. Cheng Yi, Joseph Zeng and Xiao Shun Yao looked like professional martial artists while performing their fight scenes. I have seen their previous drama works, but they stood out in this drama.
The two delulu villains, Jiao Li Qiao and Shan Gu Dao, were OTP. Shan is arguably the best nutcase villain in C-dramas in recent years. He throws a shade on other drama villains.
Fox Spirit wins the Cutest Character in a Non-Speaking Role Award. Hire her for more dramas, please.
Overall rating: 9.5
.5 deduction for some odd editing toward the end of the drama, extraneous blood spitting, a somewhat ambiguous ending and a few dull supporting characters.
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Worth watching
I admit that I have not made it to the end of many historical or Wuxia dramas in the past year. Dragging, poor story or editing, mediocre acting, people not being able to fix the same problem after trying the same thing over and over. But this one was engaging, fun, exciting, mysterious, and the actors were a blast to watch interact. The cases were intriguing. The family case and the town case were really well done. I want to live in a lotus tower house. It did not drag. It did not frustrate. The sets were very well done. I thought only the violence of the saintress, towards the end, was overdone. The whole drama was like pulling on that one thread to find nothing is sewn together by the same threads you thought. I loved it.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
One of the best....
This is one of the most successful best friend/brotherly sidekick TV shows I watched with regard to Chinese dramas. It offers a wonderful storyline of whodunnit's to be solved by two great detectives...one a newcomer and, the other, a pretend but very convincing physician. The constant challenges, storyline twist, and fantastic characters along the way will keep you riveted! There are plenty of good guys, bad guys, beautiful women, and comedy that is evenly spread throughout the series. Just when you think you've figured it out... you haven't so allow it to unfold instead of guessing and you will have much more fun! That said, the final of the program suggest a 2nd season...due to what I perceived to be a cliffhanger. However, the Chinese have wonderful way of not allowing for too much happiness or sadness for an ending. So, I'll let you decide which. Personally, they are missing out on a guaranteed high rating if they don't.One other area, the Hero in this drama is not your standard fare. He isn't the most handsome or the most well built in stature. However, he pull it off magnificiently with a very suave and cool demeanor with some hilarious comebacks all delivered perfectly! Bottom line, I like this guy, alot!! Enjoy, one and all...
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A perfect heroic tragedy wuxia
It is 10/10. Solid in every aspect of story telling. Although it follows typical successful wuxia tropes, it doesn't lose originality, novelty, and poetic quality.It follows a similar pattern we saw in dramas such as Nirvana in Fire (2015) and The Blood of Youth (2022) which focus the story on one central figure, the tragic hero, and his struggle to find the truth. Mysterious Lotus Casebook (MLC) starts from a downfall and ends with tragedy. We starts from zero and in the end, all return to zero again, creating a full complete circle. Our hero lost everything: his power, skills, fame, status/ position, and friends/ followers. He was defeated by his enemies and by his own mistake. When he was in a grave danger, a bikhu saved his life and he was reborn. He found new purpose of life and lived a humble and wiser life with new identity and changed personality. Everything is seemingly normal again, but a scar from the past forced him to return to the jianghu and involved in the conflicts. He found new friends and gain various supports to fulfill his mission. He was successful after so many hardships. He regained his former glory. However, his righteousness drove him to the path of self-sacrifice for the greater good and for the people he loved. In the end, he let go everything with a content heart. He died peacefully, and was loved by everybody.
The strongest aspects of MCL is first, the characterization of the main character, Li Lianhua. His development is so clear and flows naturally. We easily understand why he become or does this and that. He is a very positive and mature person who learns from mistakes and gains wisdom. The past is not turning him into a person with psychological issues. He is without emotional baggage so that he is able to stay firm when confronting people from his pasts. When he was confronted by his past lover, Qiao Wanmian, his sadness is there, but he stayed level headed. When watching this particular scene, I was so afraid that the story would follow the romance tropes where the male cannot resist his feeling and rebuild the romantic relationship. Or, during the marriage scene, the male usually is burnt with jealousy, and use the only chance to cure the female, to show romantic gestures. Gratefully, it is not. Other thing is the consistency from the start to the end, not only for Li Lianhua, but also for the other male main characters. Their personalities are different to each other, but their relationship is so harmonious, thus enjoyable to watch. They don't make stupid moves and every act is effective.
Second, the amazing plot twists. MCL is the drama that should be watched patiently with open and clear mind. Don't rush to know the ending of each case and of the overall story. Protect your viewing experience from spoilers, because it definitely will ruined the twists and thrills. The first part of MCL (episode 1 to 20-30) are basically detective story. They are solving mysteries by following clues and leads. Not knowing or understanding many things in the beginning to the mid part of the case are normal to bear, and in the end we will certainty get the explanation. Just wait and see. The drama is very skillful at when to close and disclose important information for the viewers. We, viewers, are "cheated", believing false truth, and by the time everything is finally revealed, it feels shockingly great. It is really not like most dramas that place viewers as know-all-things so that we are becoming impatient watching clueless characters in screen. The drama is very careful at telling the past events and the flashbacks are contained in character perception or memory. So, we understand the story from the character's interpretation of that event. Meanwhile, the past facts are told through dialogue between characters, documents, and relics.
Third, the mixed genre is so good. It is a wuxia that is laden with action and sword plays. It is a tragedy, but full of comedy. However, it is also a mystery story with a suspense, horror, and gore. When they are exploring a tomb, a cave, underground facilities, or a body of deceased, with minimal lights, it is so scary. When they meet the zombie, ghosts, and the beast, my heart beats so fast. This drama has balance day and night scenes. When it should be scary, it is set at night. When it should by funny, it is on broad day light. It has romance (mature love), brotherhood, family, and companionship. It has moment of togetherness and adventure as well as a moment of solitude and self-reflection. The evil people are evil without white washing them with "good" humane motive. The jealous person is jealous. The greedy is greed. The crazy is crazy. No excuse. No feeling sorry. We don't mix the good and the bad. The previously evil or bad person becomes good in our eyes after they experience certain events in the story, not because of the subjective experience or pitiful past that begs our sympathy. It is good for us not knowing about the royal story behind why Jiao Liqiao is crazy, why Shan Gu Dao is jealous and cruel, etc. It is on their character, not circumstances. They are bound to received punishment as their retribution/ karma.
Those are things that make this drama stands out, IMO. I don't find any serious weakness. Of course, sometimes the CGI is not perfect, the performance is somewhat a bit lacking, the mobile house is weird (look small from the outside, but spacious inside), etc. We can overlook those and enjoy the story itself. It is so good, lets watch and re-watch!
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Let me make it straight compare to otehr wuxia drama this one is just average
it starts good but loses its temp in between
suddenly everything become illogical repetitive
specially in the middle that village where they meet cannibel's was completely lifter from MDZS /untamed the Yi city arc , same kind of village, misty dangling of bell, woman walking alone on desrted street , I was expecting even Lin Hua to cook a porridge
Feels like writer didnt have ny idea how to make it 40 episodes series
Acting wise Joseph zhang has impressed me. alot in an eagerly loving young boy and his loyalty to Li Lan Hua is commendable
Chengyi was better than all his previous drama
among females only that evil princess in red impress me
worst part all seniors make up was v bad some just have put one strip white hair as wig to look old but tehir face had no wrinkle and full makeup
I dont think i will rewatch it again
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This review may contain spoilers
Disappointing ending
Story line is good up until the ending. The story takes you to solving mysteries like a Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick.The choreography of the fight scenes is fantastic.
Be prepared for disappointment though.
Character development is good.
But the endings in these dramas are too often disappointing as is with this one.
Li Lianhua is an amazing character but has a character flaw where others care about his life more than he does.
I feel robbed of 40 hours watching 40 episodes to have this nebulous ending where they built up thos story line beautifully.
The writer should be shot for writing this.
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