Sometimes it's better let go of everything .
The story started with the miracle physician Li Lian Hua who's actually Li xiangyi and the disciple of Li Xiangxi , Fangduobing is really the masterpiece amongst wuxia cdramas.In the beginning , I started to watch this piece to kill the time while waiting for another ep of another wuxia cdrama but turned out to be the best of the best wuxia drama I have ever watch without skipping and feeling boring and thought why I never listened and watched this drama which released in 2023 .
The storyline, plots , ost and the brilliant actors made this drama the most wonderful that I'd never forget .
Mainly Li Lian Hua who is also li xianxi character really is irreplaceable and the actor Chengyi really carried well this character. Thank you so much ..you made Li xiangyi and Li Lian Hua into life frrr.
I must say that I never ever have cried in my life before while watching any dramas series or anything as much as watching this drama. It made me felt like I'm in that story .
The most interesting thing is, to the viewers and audience it's not only giving entertain but also giving the meaning of human life . It taught me that life is all about to let go , forgiveness , self love .
I can't imagine how this Li Xiangyi character is so heartbreaking . In real life, I couldn't be like him and I will never find like him as a person . Humans are fed to selfishness ,to hold the power like in this toxic world. I really have no words to say but mind is crushing with thoughts. Each and every words as dialougues carved in my heart like poetry and I'll never forget this legendary masterpiece drama.
Thank you so much for writer who wrote this story and the entire team production for your tirelessly hardwork. And also thank you so much , each and every spectacular amazing actors playing your characters so well which also suited you the best. Special thanks to Li Xiangyi and Fanduobing and Di fei Sheng ..you'll always in my heart .❤️😭
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The martial arts are cool. The three leads especially are SO COOL. THE MOST COOL. They are all cool the whole damn time. Fan Duobing is the youngest and least experienced, but like both the others he is literally introduced kicking ass and taking names. Li Lianhua spends 99.9% of the drama at 10% of his strength and is essentially still untouchable. If he decides a fight is worth getting serious he never fails and it is AWESOME. Die Feisheng's default setting appears to be Badass Motherfucker.the friendship is touching. The three leads especially but as you go through the series you slowly learn that there are other characters around who are deeply deeply loyal to the leads. Blind Liu is my favorite, he deserved more screen time.
The mysteries are fun. They may not make up a huge part of the series, but the process of who solves them and how gives you a lot of insight to various characters strengths, values, and methods. Plus it's really fun to watch the trio work together.
Li Xiangyi/Lianhua is the hero we don't deserve. Seriously, if someone needs saving the man saves them. If someone needs support he's right there when they need him. If he makes a promise he keeps it, even years and betrayals down the line. He talks a lot about his own flaws but he never acts on them. He cares so deeply about people and at every turn he does what he can to protect who he can.
I am in awe.
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ONE OF THE BEST WUXIA SHOWS EVER MADE!
I am absolutely speechless after watching this show. Though I haven't watched that many wuxia dramas, I am sure of one thing - this ought to be the best one out there!Where do I even begin? Let's start with the actors. I have never seen any of the older works of the cast except for the actor who played as Zijin - I have seen him on Boss and Me. All the cast perfectly were made for the roles. And each one's acting was off charts. Cheng Yi's acting is impeccable - no wonder he won an award for his character. I was also impressed by the actress who played Jiao Liqiao, the female villain. I watched the BTS and I was surprised - Cheng Yi was the hyperactive kid, Joseph was the chill carefree guy and Shun Yao was the emotional man.
As for the story, it was a unique one with reasonable plot twists and suspense. I loved both Xiangyi and Lianhua - I am unbiased. Xiangyi was mysterious, playful, righteous, talented and cool guy. Lianhua was mature, calm, simple, kind and warm-hearted. Both of them have my heart. I immediately fell for Fang Doubing. He is so charming. And Afei - he is the cold CEO we see in office dramas. All the three shared immense bromance with each other. Loved to see their bond.
I loved the cases, but my favorites cases would be Girl's Mansion, Tianji Mountain Manor and of course, the last one Royal Palace case. The cases were all interconnected leading to the Nanyin secrets and the director had done an excellent job for paving the story. The real birth origins of Xiangyi while the drama neared its end shocked me. Normally, I am not a fan of fight or action scenes. But, I rewatched the action scenes here because the cinematography and editing were too good to be ignored. Kudos to the martial arts coach for the amazing action scenes and the costume designer for all the outfits worn by the cast. The real birth origins of Xiangyi while the drama neared its end shocked me.
I wish I could erase my memory to watch this all over again. Anyways, I will rewatch it soon. It is worth multiple watches.
Overall: 100/10
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Wuxia at it´s best
Yeah, this is what a great drama looks like, it's amazing.It kind of remind me of The Untamed (that continues to be the best), but with some dragging episodes and more investigation cases.
Amazing actors, really, the main actors are everything, I like them all.
The main story is so good!!! It even has some major plot twists I wasn't expecting for.
The plots and the characters made me happy, sad, anxious, excited, such complex feelings that only a major drama can get out of you. I was fascinated by the main characters relationships, I could not stop watch and wonder what was going to happen next. The end made me sad, but it's a good end.
The OST is beautiful.
The production is consistent, very well-made.
There are two things to consider:
1. Romance it's definitely not the focus, don't watch looking for that.
2. There are some episodes that you want the main story to develop, but they spend too much time on the side stories and the drama became a little draggy.
Overall, 10 out of 10.
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a well written male centered drama
I was surprised knowing that the original source was never a gay romance. The drama sure know how to up their bromance lol.Personally I am not a fan of any type of romance in a drama that is heavy in friendship and brotherhood/sisterhood. But I like the bromance in this. If you see it from different perspectives, it actually fits in every one of them. Truly up to viewers' interpretation. You may see romance, or just friendship, or brotherhood, or even father-son bond between LLH-FXB (not entirely but it's there, you just have to see it from that angle).
I think even if people dislike the ending, I quite like it. I don't think Li Lianhua is still alive. He most probably have long been dead when DFS and FDB went to the beach. LLH has been lying to people thag Li Xiangyi is dead, and he lied that LXY was found dead on the beach and the body swept away by the ocean. Personally I think it foreshadowed the way he actually died. LLH chose to die that way because he wanted it.
Saving him is a bit unrealistic. He has said so many times that someone needs the cure more than him. While he was the best during his prime, his time has long passed and it's time for the new generation to surpass him. For him 30% chance is a 0 chance. If someone has 100% survival rate with the antidote, why waste it on him? He's both selfish and selfless in a sense, again depends on what way you see his action.
I personally think people forcing him to stay alive is also quite selfish of them. If LLH chose to die peacefully with his illness, why are you so adamant to make him alive? DFS did it for his long obsession of defeating him. While I get FDB just wanted him to just live and be the LLH and enjoy adventure with him, I think FDB never understood LLH in this case. He's supposed to understand LLH and all his reasoning, but he just refused to accept this one.
Overall this drama is truly one of the best Chinese drama in 2023 aside from The Blood of Youth. Do I want a season 2? Perhaps, with FDB and DFS looking for LLH, dead or alive. And them forming a bond that they didn't know they could build. It would be lovely to have it.
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Magnificent!!!
This is absolute gem,everybody need to watch it to be frank.From the story to the cast, everything was just superb.
The story is so fun and engaging, there's no dull moment, everything is mixed together. The only problem is not to get addicted 😇.
The cast delivered beautifully, it's not like those dramas you'll complain you don't like the FL or ML,or those unnecessary misunderstandings, the leads are quite a joy to watch.
There's no need to hesitate,just go on and watch it,you won't be disappointed.
Personally,this is in my top ten wuxia dramas.
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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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One of the best dramas in 2023
this drama is very good! Cheng Yi x Joseph Zeng! the actors and actress did a good job! This drama is better than the longest promise - “ the longest wait”. never skipped a second of this drama. one of the best dramas in 2023! This drama is worth watching 🙏 Chen Duling’s role isn’t that good this is because of the director. all in all this is a good drama hope no one dropped it haha. can’t wait to watch love you 7 times soon! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥Was this review helpful to you?
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The tragedy of a hero lies not in their own downfall but in the impact it has on those who love them
Mysterious Lotus Casebook is a drama that I didn't expect to like as much as I did, and it's not because I expected the story not to be good, but because I haven't watched something as captivating as this in a long time. I finished 40 episodes in 3-4 days (and it would've been sooner had I not had other responsibilities). The story is not perfect. It follows Li Lian Hua and Fang Duo Bing, who in search of answers for something that happened 10 years ago and caused two biggest sects of martial arts world to collapse, become detectives and solve a myriad of cases. Now, the cases could've been better, I'm not gonna lie. Both the investigation part and the crime part. Many of them were kinda far-fetched and hard to believe and the investigation consisted mostly of characters just looking around the crime scene and miraculously figuring everything out. There was no real suspense. However, what I did like were bits and pieces of the overarching story that could be found in these individual cases. The answers to the question of what happened 10 years ago that caused Li Lian Hua's world to collapse around him.Other thing I loved were the characters, especially the 3 MLs. Their stories were complex and their relationship was so interesting.
Li Xiang Yi, the young genius and prodigy who stood at the top of martial arts world before he even turned 20, eager to prove himself, arrogant and stubborn, but also incredibly kind and righteous, turned into Li Lian Hua, a sickly wandering doctor who pretends not to know how to fight, who is sly and incredibly intelligent, but also aloof and distant. What I really enjoyed the most was the contrast between the two, and his attempts to hide his identity from the people from his past, from his girlfriend, his friends and his enemies. His attempts to hide his identity from Fang Duo Bing, who idolizes Li Xiang Yi and sees him as his master and doesn't believe he died 10 years ago. Even though in Li Lian Hua's mind, Li Xiang Yi was responsible for everything bad that happened 10 years ago, even though he blamed himself for all the deaths and the downfall of his own sect and he wanted to forget about Li Xiang Yi existence and let go of his past life, he couldn't completely distance himself from his old life. Every time we got a glimpse of old Li Xiang Yi my heart fluttered.
Cheng Yi who played Li Xiang Yi/Li Lian Hua was perfect for this role. He really managed to portray all sides of this complex character. His youthful arrogance, incredible martial arts skills, later jadedness, sorrow and sickness. The peace with which he accepted his own fate. He really knows how to play tragic characters.
I won't go too deep into other two characters, but I'll say that I loved their relationship with ML. Even Di Fei Sheng who at first shows up as an antagonist turns out to be very likable and his friendship with other two is so fun and full of ups and downs.
Fang Duo Bing's care for Li Lian Hua, who is battling with the poison for 10 years and seems like he doesn't care about his own life, was touching. Their confrontation after he finds out Li Lian Hua's real identity was also touching. The antagonism between him and Di Fei Sheng was fun, as was the rivalry between Di Fei Sheng and Li Xiang Yi. If nothing else, this drama is worth watching just for the relationship/bromance between these 3.
Another thing that this drama did well were action scenes. Fighting and sword dancing (really, can't use any other word for what Li Xiang Yi did with his sword) were amazing. All 3 MLs are incredible fighters and seeing them in action was amazing.
The music was good. It wasn't as memorable as in some other dramas, but it was adequate.
ENDING SPOILER:
The ending was also satisfying. All the bad guys got what they deserved, MLs managed to solve the mystery and save the world, and Li Lian Hua's fate was left open. Did he die or not? I don't know. They gave me just enough to feed my delusions so I believe he survived and managed to cure himself.
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1Humorous Hodgepodge of Wuxia and Murder
A title of this nature pretty much speaks for itself. A humorous hodgepodge of wuxia action, politics and murder mysteries starring Cheng Yi, Joseph Zeng and Xiao Shunyao as an unlikely trio travelling around the martial arts world (jianghu) for various reasons. Cheng Yi’s character Li Lianhua aka Li Xiangyi is looking for the remains of his beloved senior, while Joseph Zeng’s Fan Duobing is aiming to prove himself to Baichuan Yuan, the Pinkerton detective agency of his era. Xiao Shunyao’s Di Feisheng however wants to have a final showdown with Li Xiangyi so that he can say fair and square that he’s the No.1 pugilist of his era.Cheng Yi puts in a terrific performance as Li Lianhua (lotus) who was formerly known as Li Xiangyi, a master swordsman, the founder of the Sigu Sect. At the start of the drama Li Xiangyi has taken on the persona of Li Lianhua (lotus), a wandering physician with a reputation as something of a miracle healer. This moniker isn’t entirely without foundation. He is a skilled doctor in his own right but more importantly, a shrewd observer of the human condition. The glibness with which he tells lies is at times astonishing. This combination makes him a highly effective sleuth in the vein of the world famous resident of 22B Baker Street. Early on he encounters Fang Duobing who is eager to traverse the length and breath of jianghu away from the all-protective eye of his aristocratic parents. The two cross swords at first sight and bicker a-plenty until Di Fengsheng enters the picture wanting a rematch. The ignorant lad, mercilessly lied to by his companions, fails to notice that he’s among giants in wulin, is quick to direct his wrath against the surly newcomer who looks upon him with the same contempt Goliath looked upon David. Soon the caravan that Li Lianhua travels around in with his trusty doggy Fox Spirit becomes rather crowded.
To be honest it took me some time to warm up to Joseph Zeng’s Fang Duobing who at first seems to be combative on impulse. Some of that was warranted because Li Lianhua plays up his trickster persona with impunity — spinning tall tales at the drop of a hat trying to conceal the true state of his health and his former identity. It’s all quite amusing as he’s at the receiving end of a lot of dramatic irony. Nonetheless the lad has an inkling that Li Lianhua might be holding back. However a lot of Fang Duobing’s hostility towards others comes across like a rather bad case of the terrible twos — picking fights unnecessarily and out of what can only be interpreted as jealousy when others were partial to Li Lianhua. Still he has a decent growth arc and by the time the final showdown takes place most of his bad habits are a thing of the past. At the start he comes across as a bratty rich kid running away from home utterly lacking common sense. After undergoing a series of experiences with Li Lianhua investigating all kinds of murder mysteries, the belligerent newbie grows up enough to be worthy of a princess.
Joining them now and again is Di Feisheng (Xiao Shunyao) leader of the Jinyuan Alliance which is gradually being taken over by his obsessive proxy Jiao Liqiao and her minions. Her goal is to be kingmaker and rule by his side as his bride while he has less romantic notions in mind. It isn't long before he discovers that Jiao Liqiao is a serious and maddening obstacle to his personal aspirations. While all the plotting and scheming is going on in the background, the banter among the trio injects levity into the landscape of murder and mayhem without diminishing the stakes. More than once Di Feisheng comes to Li Lianhua’s aid during the rough and tumble of sleuthing in the tumult of jianghu.
There’s no doubt that Cheng Yi is born to play this role and any role in this genre. He’s an expressive actor who is capable of nuance. His elegance in executing fight scenes is one of the show’s highlights. He certainly knows his way around a sword. That said, the star of the show has to be the screenplay which does an excellent juggling act of pulling all the story threads together at the end for the show’s final showdown with the villains of the piece.
To my mind the second half of the show was better than the first which is why in the end, this is an 8.5 out of 10 for me. In those early days Fang Duobing did grate on my nerves and there was a fair bit of clumsy investigation going on while he blundered his way around the china shop. I also think that the puzzle hunt though fun (and perhaps necessary to stress the gravity of what’s at stake) lacks polish, and made matters more complicated, leading to more deaths than necessary. That awkward plotting I suspect was in service of a major reveal at the end.
Despite criticism I may have of this, it was a good watch and I could never accuse this show of inducing boredom. Cheng Yi is certainly a stand out and I ended up really appreciating how all the moving parts came together in the end.
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End is the Beginning.....
Li Xiangyi (Cheng Yi) head of Sigu Sect, the greatest sword master at a young age of 20, made a peace agreement with another sect Jinyuan Alliance of the cult of the Devil whose leader was Di FeiSheng(Xiao Shunyao). Li Xiangyi's senior Shan GuDao's (He Gang) was unhappy with this treaty. Shan GuDao had a disagreement with Li Xiangyi over this issue where Li Xiangyi ended up saying some bitter words. Shan GuDao decided to leave Sigu Sect and continue opposing Jinyuan Alliance independently. Some time later Li Xiangyi received news of his senior's murder, all the clues pointed at Jinyuan Alliance members.
Li Xiangyi got information that his senior's dead body had been taken away by Di FeiSheng. Therefore he engaged in a fierce battle on a ship with Di FeiSheng to retrieve his Senior's remains. Unbeknownst to both, Li Xiangyi was already poisoned by deadly incurable 'Bicha poison' before their confrontation. Both Di FeiSheng and Li Xiangyi were severely injured, there were rumours abound that both opponents perished in the battle, as a result Li Xiangyi's associates decided to dismantle Sigu Sect. Only Bichuan Academy, the hall of punishment remained from the Sigu Sect. Li Xiangyi was guilt stricken over the death of his sect members by Jinyuan Alliance so he chose to hide the fact in the martial world that he had survived.
Ten Years later, Li Xiangyi had changed his identity and was living as a traveling doctor, Li Lianhua in a mobile, caravan like Lotus Medicinal Tower. He has cut all association with the Martial world but somehow contrary to his wishes he gets embroiled back in the Pugilistic world. Li Lianhua meets Fang Duobing (Joseph Zheng) the young master of Tianji Manor on one mysterious case. Tianji Manor was renowned for making intricate devices. Fang Duobing was quite sickly when he was a child and was wheelchair bound, his uncle was Li Xiangyi's Senior, Shan GuDao. Many years ago Li Xiangyi had told the invalid child Fang Duobing that if he could lift the sword, Li Xiangyi would take him as his direct disciple. Fang Duobing tried his best to recover his health and had now become a temporary detective of Bichuan Academy to await his master's return and revive Sigu Sect. Fang Duobing told everyone that he was a direct disciple of Li Xiangyi because of Li Xiangyi's earlier promise.
In the beginning Fang Duobing doesn't know that Li Lianhua is Li Xiangyi. Fate keeps throwing them in each other's path, at first reluctantly they join hands to solve bizzare cases. Fang Duobing is a greenhorn, eager to uphold justice whereas Li Lianhua is a world-weary embittered person grappling with the effects of the Bicha poison. Li Lianhua is slowly losing his senses, it's a mystery as to how he survived 10 years after being poisoned because the deadly poison would result in death of the person within a month.
Slowly Li Lianhua and Fang Duobing establish trust, friendship and affection. As they solve mysterious cases one after the other, many hidden details regarding their 'Past' comes to light. The viewers get answers to many questions as the series progresses. What is the Real Identity of Fang Duobing and Li Xiangyi? Who benefited from Li Xiangyi and Di FeiSheng's battle? Who is the mastermind and what is his end goal?
There are two Narrative Arcs to the story, The Major Arc explores the Hidden Identities of the protagonists, revealing piece by piece their past relationship with friends, associates and families. Second Arc encompasses various mysteries that these two solve to get closer to the final showdown.
Apart from the case solving, the portion of the story delving into Fang Duobing's family and Tianji Manor was quite interesting. Fang Duobing was blessed with the most loving supportive even though a little strict mother. Although his family would have chosen a different life path for him, Fang Duobing's family loved him unconditionally, were always proud of his progress and achievements.
Overall: A fast paced drama managing to keep me glued throughout with solid cast and good storyline. I did not have a problem with the open ending however I would have favoured for Li Xiangyi to stay at Lotus Tower after the final resolution, him leaving everyone at the end to live the rest of his short life alone was somehow feeble excuse and dissatisfying. I would have preferred the ending to not just allude at but show Li Lianhua, Fang Duobing and Di FeiSheng continue to roam the Jianghu world, celebrating life with good companions.
MAJOR THEMES
**********Changeable Public Opinion*********
What people love more than worshipping a person is to watch his fall from grace. Li Xiangyi had reached the pinnacle of success at a very young age, he had established the Sigu Sect to uphold justice and peace in the pugilistic world. However his one perceived misstep turned the public opinion against him, even his closest friends turned their backs. This opened Li Xiangyi's eyes to the truth. He had boasted in front of his senior, Shan GuDao's at one time that the Sigu Sect could operate without anyone but Li Xiangyi now realised that all the people around him actually hated him for his brilliance and prosperity. They were eager to replace him all the while criticising his leadership.
*********All Heroes have feet of clay********
PERCEPTIONS versus REALITY plays a major role. Li Lianhua/ Li Xiangyi spent ten years of his life in search of his senior, Shan GuDao's dead body because of his guilt stricken conscience. As per his perception, his senior was a saint who died prematurely due to Li Xiangyi's arrogant behavior. The reality was quite opposite, his senior was an envious, jealous man who hated Lu Xiangyi's success and achievements. Then there is Fang DuoBing whose perception of Li Xiangyi was of a hero, infallible and perfect. In reality Li Xiangyi was an arrogant ambitious man who disregarded others' opinions when he was young.
******How do you choose to live your life?*****
After Li Xiangyi became disillusioned, he chose to live his life in relative anonymity as Li Lianhua. Some people chase fame and for others Fame chases them. Li Xiangyi was a person who always attracted attention in spite of his efforts to remain shrouded in obscurity. A person is always lonely at the top, constantly looking over his shoulder. There is always a new legend awaiting to replace the old. Whereas a mediocre person lives a peaceful and happy life with trustworthy confidants. After working hard for half of his life, a person achieves his goal and fulfills his ambition only to realise he is isolated and companionless. The beauty of simple life is highlighted in one of the conversations of Fang Duobing and Li Lianhua. Fang Duobing proposes a partnership to Li Lianhua enkindling him with the thrill of solving cases, leading an adventurous life, Li Lianhua ironically asks Fang Duobing then what after that, Fang Duobing replies that after such life they can retire to a calm place and lead their life enjoying wine with good friends. Sarcastically Li Lianhua replies, Isn't that what he is doing currently... Another instance of life choices is while Li Lianhua is reminiscing about his past, he says that after his battle with Di FeiSheng, when he was wandering penniless, he had only one valuable item in his possession, the badge of the leader of Sigu Sect when hunger pangs bothered him he decided to pawn that badge, bafflingly he realised the value of most coveted badge in the martial world was just 50 teals of silver. At the end fame is insubstantial what matters is living a tranquil and harmonious life.
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“Sherlock Holmes & Watson” wuxia style!
The rapport between the 2 male leads when solving their cases is reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes and Watson and it was enhanced further when the villain ML joined them!A good break from romance dramas, this drama gives you 3 brilliant MLs who brought their characters to life not just when they interacted with each other but also in the well executed fighting scenes. I also loved the cool looking mobile house drawn by 4 horses and the life he led with his dog - the touch of humour on his cooking skills was nicely brought up throughout the drama.
The storyline was interesting in the way that the various mysteries they solved were related to each other and developed the bigger story behind the ML. I enjoyed the reveals behind each mystery. While some may prefer to be given enough clues to see if they can figure it out, I was happy enough to be spoon fed the deductions which were generally quite smart albeit a bit far fetched at times.
I am confused about the ML’s former love interest who on one hand seems to have gotten over him but on the other hand seems to show that she still cares for him… on one hand she writes him a break up letter and on the other hand she says she didn’t mean it… she even got married to someone just because that person loved her and cared for her throughout the ML’s disappearance for 10 years… no sign of love on her part and she was quick to leave him when he started getting jealous.
Some good twists in the drama especially the one with the mother bug which caught me by surprise. A good drama to watch if you’re not looking for romance and if you are ok with an open ending.
Random note - same Emperor and Empress from Destined made me do a double take as I had just finished that drama ;)
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