Li Xiangyi carries a heavy burden, a poison that is slowly killing him. He has managed to escape death and his glorious past life as #1 in Jianghu. He is simply tired and wants to live out his life, however long that is. He does not want to die, but knows that it is inevitable. Yet somehow, he finds himself entangled with old friends, new friends, and a series of crimes that all seem connected in some weird way. But he just wants to retire as Li Lianhua, why can’t Jianhu just let him do that! But an innate part of him draws him into his new situation because he slowly uncovers a hidden secret that is entirely against his own morals, so he decides to pitch in whatever effort he has left to make things right again.
Cheng Yi’s masterful performance of Li Xiangyi/Li Lianhua brought BOTH personas to life. They are the same person, yet both have their own distinct characteristics. Li Xiangyi is a headstrong, upright youth who will put his #1 martial art skills to use to uphold his own morals. Li Lianhua has gone through *life* and has long given up on his youth. The only thing they both share is their chivalrous spirit. Li Xiangyi/Li Lianhua is the calmest, coolest person in all of Jianghu and Cheng Yi did an amazing depiction of that. The audience is able to understand Li Lianhua as much as Cheng Yi wanted us to understand, meaning sometimes we knew what he was thinking and sometimes we had no damn idea what was on his mind. As satisfying it was to watch him calmly solve cases like a natural born detective, it was just as satisfying to watch him explode into action and his CLEAN fight moves. Just as Cheng Yi said in an interview, Li Xiangyi’s character development is very unique in that in most cases, characters develop from a lower position into a higher position, but Li Xiangyi’s development went the opposite direction. Despite that, he still learned a ton in the 10 years that he traveled Jianghu. Even though his ultimate state was nothing like what he had 10 years ago, his entire outlook on life has completely changed for the better, and I think he got the ending he felt most suitable for him.
This drama was a perfect example of having a plot that builds upon itself. Even though the entire plot was basically case solving followed by case solving, there were clues cleverly and mysteriously hidden from the beginning. This drama does a good job of keeping the audience engaged because we have to actively remember clues that appeared several episodes ago (with a million things that happened in between) in order to understand the logic behind the progress of unraveling the hidden secrets. Many times throughout the drama I found myself saying “OH YEA, that happened” as I tried to piece together the information. Of course I gotta applaud the SEVERAL major plot twists (no spoilers here) that happen, damn I did not see them coming. But it’s weird because I feel like I should have seen them coming. I felt like I was walking in Li Lianhua’s shoes when the plot twists were revealed, and maybe that was on purpose.
Lastly I wanted to talk about the supporting characters. Fang Duobing and Di Feisheng are actually very simple characters, compared to Li Lianhua. We already knew from the beginning that Fang Duobing is Li Xiangyi’s #1 fan and Di Feisheng is Li Xiangyi’s #1 (fr)enemy. Fang Duobing’s character development was more on the side of him growing to become a better detective and martial artists. His chivalrous spirit was already there from the beginning. Di Feisheng is actually kind of the opposite. He was already a top martial artists from the very beginning, and his only goal was to fight his way to become the ultimate #1 in Jianghu. His character development is actually building his chivalrous spirit and becoming someone who not only wants to win, but also wants to win for the greater good of Jianghu.
My favorite supporting character has to be Jiao Liqiao. Aside from Cheng Yi’s performance, her performance was my favorite. Her character was so simple minded, dumb, yet smart too??? She wanted one thing and one thing only, and she had solid plans for getting it.
Unfortunately as the story went on, I found that I had forgotten most of the characters that appeared at the very beginning. There were just too many to remember, and most of the important characters appeared near the middle/end. I wouldn’t call this a flaw of the drama, but I just wish they made some of the supporting characters that appeared (or died) in the beginning few cases more memorable.
Damn this is a long review. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this drama from beginning to end. There were no dull moments, and the whole thing was very fast paced. A perfect example of an epic Jianghu story.
Edit: note to self so I can go back to it later. This drama perfectly integrated comedic moments, mostly coming from Li Lianhua and his ability to lie with a poker face haha. My favorite funny scene had to be the one at the beginning of Ep 13 when a certain puppy found out he got left behind again...
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Cheng Yi always manages to make the audience cry with his acting skills!!!
I really love the story and the beautiful friendship between the three of them. I think no one can portray Li Lian Hua as ChengYi does. He is the best at understanding the character and always knows how to portray it. Plus we get to listen to the real cute voice of Cheng Yi. I still can’t let go of this masterpiece even though it’s already ended. 😪 (I know iQiYi doesn’t want people to give too much attention to this hit dram because they have to release other dramas too 🙄) It’s ended much much earlier than the schedule but I will definitely rewatch it again savoring the emotional crying scene of Cheng Yi. ❤️ I am looking forward to South Wind Knows My Mood too.. I hope we can get to see it this year.Was this review helpful to you?
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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This review may contain spoilers
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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This review may contain spoilers
THE MOST INCREDIBLE WUXIA DRAMA I'VE EVER WATCHED
This is really good! I'm lost for words!! Usually I really skip scenes but this one, I didn't skip anything and sometimes I repeat scenes coz I want more!! (Specially the dance LXY had!! It was soooo mesmerizing ugh!!) EVERYTHING IS REALLY GOOD HERE! The actors, actings, osts, storyline, the plot and settings! It was perfect (well atleast imo hehe)If you are hesitating to start coz there's no romance, you better start it nowwwww!! You don't really need romance to make the drama incredible (imo hehe) And I love the friendship here!!! It was beautiful and tbh I want someone like xiaobao in my lifetoo coz he is a keeper!!! I wanna keep him!! TT
I LOVE IT!! THAT'S IT! AND I WANNA REWATCH IT!! ❤️❤️
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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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This review may contain spoilers
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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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?
This review may contain spoilers
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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