Fate Chooses You

Enjoyable

I didn’t think I’d finish this series, but, truth be told, it got better and better as it went along. The mournful Buddhist theme set against the many shots of the beautiful countryside gave the whole drama a rich, poignant feel. I liked and cared about the characters–the secondary ones as well as the main ones. The pacing worked for me, and the plot wasn’t overly complicated.

But I do have a few nits to pick.

1. The continual use of crows as omens of evil and doom annoys me. This is a recurring problem in Chinese films (and in some western films too). Can we get away from this stereotype?

Everywhere crows have suffered at the hands of humans. They’ve been shot, snared with wire, tortured and murdered by the thousands, and they don’t deserve it. Crows are curious and incredibly intelligent animals.

Crow families work together to build nests. They show empathy and compassion and will help a friend or neighbor if they can. (Look up the research.) They’re not the evil demons they’re often portrayed as in series like this one. I’d like to see them catch a break with movie makers. Don’t give viewers a reason to persecute them. Please?

2. This drama was supposed to be a romance. Did the main couple even kiss? There was one scene of two shadows on a window screen coming together. That might have been a display of affection--or not. The “seduction” scene between the two second leads had all the warmth of a congealed blob of refried beans.

3. Now and then a character gave a speech that sounded like a sermon or something from Economics 101. For example, I didn’t mind that Mei Xin talked about the financial exploitation of the lower classes by the upper classes, but it went on and on and ON.

4. It was nice seeing Riley Wang in a different kind of role (serious Taoist cultivator), but there wasn’t much juice in that lemon. He didn’t smile once. I like Riley better when he plays a bad boy.

5. As for the ML, he was something of a cipher. His expression never changed, even when he was looking longingly at the FL. But as the story went on, he somehow found ways to express his feelings through subtle glances and gestures. I ended up really appreciating his toned-down character and the actor who played him.

Overall, entertaining and thought-provoking.

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A War Demon Seeking Humanity Sacrifices For All!!

In a world devoid of colors & warmth, you became my salvation!!

“Fate Chooses You” isn’t your normal wuxia romance, it has an intricately built world which consists of complex characters. In this vastly vivid diaphragm, we have two different individuals who come together for a common cause. Lu Qian Qiao is a half-breed War Demon while Xin Mei is an immortal cultivator. War Demons are mostly seen as jinxed creatures, who were cursed by the Five Senses Curse- they are unable to taste food, feel pain, experience warmth, or even see colors properly. Lu Qian Qiao yearns to become an ordinary human being. As such, he has been working for decades to undo this curse. In due course, he meets Xin Mei, a kindhearted cultivator who strikes an unlikely marriage deal with him. Despite having a fake marriage, in due course of time, Xin Mei learns about his true lineage. As they work together towards a common cause that helps humanity, Xin Mei grows fond of Lu Qian Qiao’s kind nature. This show encompasses an entire universe that offers a simple solution to revitalize humanity.

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2026/05/18/fate-chooses-you-series-review/

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I liked it, inspite of its faults.

Best attempt for the use of poor wirework!

First, the most impressive thing I found in this drama was the bold attempt at their poor use of wirework. To note, there was a lot of wirework in this drama. The stunts and wire work used were so good, but not good at the same time. I just used my imagination to finish the attempt that was made. I have to say, if they had done a better job, this would have been one of the best dramas this year, in my opinion. I thought the flying, twists, and turns were original and impressive, but they just couldn't land on their feet. Sometimes it was over the mark or under. Oh well, I enjoy the attempt anyway.

Second, the writing and storytelling fell a little short. Lately, I find myself being disappointed in the writing of these dramas. It seems as if the writer is overcomplicating the simplicity of the story. Don’t get me wrong, I know that fantasy and or Wuxia/Xiansia are a little complex, but I want them to let the story flow into a masterpiece. This has a huge cast of characters, which is to be expected when you have sects, with demons, mortals, and immortals. So, the writers do a good job with the background on the characters. You will get to know them and like them for the most part.

Third, the fantasy element was entertaining. I enjoyed watching this drama come together. In spite of what I said about the storytelling, I liked this.

Fourth, the acting was okay. I was not disappointed with the cast or the performances, especially since there was plenty of eye candy. One thing I will say about Allen Ren Ja Lun is that he should teach a master class in looking pitiful. I felt the actors worked really well together. The ML and FL had some chemistry. However, the quality of the romance was lacking, and the hugs were a bit awkward
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THE DIRECTING & CINEMATOGRAPHY In this drama, the cinematography and production were beautiful. Not too much or too little, it was comfortable to watch. Hats off to the choreography of the actor movements and the fight scenes. The actors were quite believable, with their facial expressions, body language, and all. On a side note: Maybe a little too much blood work.

In conclusion, I would say I did enjoy this drama. As far as its faults, I just ignored them for the most part. As for the ending, you can stop at episode 38 because either it is set up for a second season or someone is stuck on stupid.

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Some truly amazing arcs and some disappointing ones

Fate Chooses You surprised me because for a large portion of the drama, I genuinely thought it had the potential to rank among my favorites. The first half in particular is extremely strong: layered ideological conflict, meaningful questions about the value of human life, class hierarchy between immortals and mortals, exploitation disguised as benevolence, and the downstream consequences of power. The show is at its best when it focuses on morality, sacrifice, institutional corruption, and the cost of “ascension.”

The strongest arc in the drama by far is Bai Zong Ying (Tianyun Sect, Heavenly Talent). From the very beginning, he listens, questions, processes, and grows. His development never feels forced or performative; it is slow, painful, believable character growth. Even after losing his immortal perception, his moral center remains intact. The payoff to the September 9 prophecy was one of the best parts of the entire series and emotionally devastating in the best possible way. Bai Zong Ying became the emotional heart of the show for me.

I also appreciated that the drama did not try to pair every character romantically. Some of the strongest relationships were platonic: Bai Zong Ying and Jiang Ji, Rust Iron Sword and Lin Muhan, Chu Ying’s loyalty to Lu, etc. Rust Iron Sword especially added levity without being reduced to comic relief. He remained emotionally relevant throughout the story and as a mortal martial artist among immortals, that’s huge.

The ideological side of the drama remained compelling almost all the way through. The Society, the immortality tax, the exploitation of mortals, the refinement of immortal perception into medicine, the rebuilding of the heavenly ladder, and the eventual rejection of immortality supremacy were all genuinely interesting concepts. The world-building and thematic structure carried this drama hard.

Unfortunately, the romance was the weakest part of the show for me by a very large margin.

I never believed Mei and Lu as a romantic couple. As allies and fighters, they worked. As a romance, they felt emotionally flat and strangely immature compared to the rest of the drama. The writing repeatedly shifted into “cute” romance beats that felt completely disconnected from the heavier philosophical material surrounding them. The performances did not help. The emotional intimacy never developed naturally, so when the show suddenly tried to present romantic payoff moments, they felt unearned.

The infamous shadow kiss scene perfectly represents the problem. The scene itself was confusing because nothing in the interaction leading up to it suggested emotional or romantic escalation. Then suddenly the camera cuts outside to silhouettes. Instead of emotional payoff, the moment pulled me completely out of the drama. The issue was not “lack of kissing.” Some of my favorite dramas barely have physical intimacy at all. The issue was lack of believable emotional build-up and lack of physical ease or relational intimacy between the leads throughout the series.

Ironically, the romance worked best in the final episodes once Lu lost his memories because the emotional weight shifted away from “look how cute they are together” and toward grief, loss, memory, and continuation after irreversible change.

Episodes 39 and 40 also suffered from excessive flashbacks. I honestly think the final two episodes could have been condensed into one. Episode 38 felt like the true climax and would have worked as a bold ending on its own.

That said, I respect the finale for not undoing the consequences of the story. The drama did NOT magically restore memories, resurrect everyone, or erase the cost of what happened. Bai Zong Ying’s sacrifice remained meaningful. Lu’s memory loss remained permanent. The world moved forward changed but scarred. I appreciated that restraint.

Overall, this is a drama with genuinely excellent themes, a fantastic Bai Zong Ying arc, strong moral and ideological writing, and several memorable supporting relationships but also a central romance that never emotionally landed for me despite being framed as the core emotional thread.

I still think it is worth watching, especially for viewers who enjoy xianxia with philosophical and institutional themes rather than purely romance-driven storytelling.

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Not worth watching for me

So, 40 eps later, I think I should have invested my time in another drama. It was not worth my time. Don't think I can rate this more than 6-6,5

Let's start with some positive points :
1) I liked the costumes
2) Acting was fine from the cast. I don't think I have ever seen FL's actress before and I think she did good, during the emotional and sad scene too
3) The leads character were enjoyable.
4) I liked the powerful ML, he is mostly why I continued watching the drama. I liked watching him fighting and solo everyone.
5) This had some good fighting scenes
6) Surprisingly, I liked the arc about the library. I liked the fighting scenes and I think it was admirable all these people willing to die and trying to save the ancient texts or wiling to die protecting them. It still felt infuriating when we saw one of the half burning after so many dead. I was feeling ''All that for nothing''.
7) I liked Bai Zong Ying arc later in the drama. I was sad when he died.
8) I liked what they did with Jiang Ji character. She was annoying a part of the drama, but she was so about the rules, following the sects, you are a demon, etc.. So I think it was interesting seeing her see things differently we could say in the end.
9) Some side characters were fine

Now the negative points for me :
1) A Sheng and Jin Lun : they were a complete waste of screentime. 0 Interesting and what was the point. Jin Lun and their scenes could have been completely erased and it would have change nothing. Even her, I didn't found her character interesting, she did serve some little purpose at some point, but she also felt unnecessary. As the fourth drama I watch of the screenwriter, the ''Second pairing'' is always a waste to me
2) The romance : there were some little moments, but there was barely romance and I did not really feel it. You don't need kissing scenes, I just don't think there was much romantic chemistry. Felt more like a friendship, companions than romantic partners
3) The last battle felt somehow disappointing. I know I said that I like ML being invisible, but for a last battle... he just show up, kill him and leave so fast. That somehow felt underwhelming.
4) The plot in general : It didn't really catch my attention and it felt mid to me, boring at time. I wasn't fully invested in the plot, but I still wanted to see where it lead. All of this to become human to in the end stay a war demon. Well he did had some times to enjoy what it feels like to be human, but still. I was left a bit with ''what was the point''.
5) The editing : maybe a few times it bothered me. Like the transition between the scenes. One time, we were in the middle of ML fighting and it shift to the second leads talking out of nowhere, like why. I fast-forwarded. And how many eps ended mid battle, that was annoying.
6) The ending : the most disappointing part of the drama. You tell me, they had 2 entire episodes to do the conclusion and it's how they went ? It's okay to show closure in general and side characters too, but for the leads ??? Useless and unnecessary cameos and filler moments, FL looking for ML for 2 eps. Then they have them meeting in the last few seconds of the drama.
You can call this a happy ending, but I won't call it a good ending. Feel like a complete waste of time an ending like this, left to imagination to what happens after that. These kind of ending gives nothing. The romance was already flat, so I wouldn't have expected much, but still could have gone differently.

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The Peakest of All the Peaks.

This is my first review. I’m not the type to write reviews, but I felt like this one was just needed, you know?

I have many favorite things about this show, so I'll list a few of them here.
1. The Script Writing:
I have watched a fair number of shows throughout my life, but the script of this one? Wow. Every single line was masterfully crafted in the best possible way.
2. The Desire to Become Human:
This element of the show gave me so much will to live and cherish being human. This show is such a positive influence.
3. The Chemistry:
Their first eye contact, and I was like, "WOAH." I have never seen chemistry this good. The best chemistry ever, in my opinion.
4. The Ending:
For me, the ending was actually very well written. I loved it. It gave me a sense of hope.
I will miss them♾️.

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I am glad I chose this drama

The story was very engaging with excellently choreographed action sequences.
The plot focuses on friendship, love, justice, truth, and the sacrifices and choices made to eliminate evil in the world.
I loved everything about this drama, especially the friendship between people who met by chance and still stood by each other in difficult situations.
Also, loved the romantic track between Lu Qianqiao and Xin Mei, who also met by chance for their own reasons, but still faced everything together. Their mature love was very good to watch.
The coatumes were beautiful, especially of Ren Jialun's.
Ren Jialun as Lu Qianqiao was perfect.From being powerful to portraying emotions, he was excellent in his performance.
Wang Herun as Xin Mei, surprised me with her acting. She did a very good job.
All the other actors were outstanding too, especially I liked the roles of Lin Muhan and Bai Zongying. The respective actors were fabulous in their performance.
The locations were eye pleasing.
Though the drama initially may not engage you, or bring out interest in you, but trust me, as the story progresses further, it becomes really engaging and leaves you wanting to watch the rest of the episodes.
Totally, I LOVED THIS DRAMA💯👌
It is totally a WORTH WATCHING DRAMA, and perhaps one of the best xianxia dramas and also of 2026.
EXCELLENT DRAMA😍

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Not feeling the love and…

…not liking the “leave it to your imagination” ending.

This drama dedicated 2 whole episodes for the ending after the villains were defeated so I thought we would get some nice happy vibes that some dramas have nowadays. But what I got was interesting bits which tied back to “A Moment But Forever” with cameo appearance & interesting dialogue, a mysterious black cat and an all too brief reunion that forces us to imagine their happy ending.

Lots of logic loopholes and I could not endear myself to the FL or the ML so it was just an average drama for me that looked pretty good but the story was a mixed bag of ups and downs.

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Confusing Drama

I blame the director(s) for this drama. It took at least 20 episodes before I even began to understand this fiasco. If shown in an understanding manner and not in jumping from one confusing scene to the next, this could have been a decent drama. Now that I understand what is going on, I will continue watching on how this plays out. If not for the fact there isn't any really good wuxia dramas out at this time that, watching 2 episodes a day is no grievance. I love Allen Ren, but the dramas he has accepted recently have done him no justice in the last couple of years. At least he is smiling or carrying a pleasant expression, but it downplays his talent. He is just going through the motions with no commitment to his craft. I thought twice before starting this because Mr. Ren is not immersed in any character lately.

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anticipated this drama so much…but it just not up to expectations.

After finishing this drama, I’m truly not a fan of this screenwriter. TDHR might be popular among many but not me. I just don’t like how the writer wrote it. She unable to make me sit throughout the different plots, which is the same for FCY. I fast forward many scenes due to dull dialogues and weak buildups.

I’m a fan of Guo Hu’s works but I realised his work reflects better with good scriptwriters. this was reflected wonderfully in One and Only & MLC.

The CGI was superb, set up and casts were wonderful. what could be wrong?

It was when Xin Mei delivered super long speech at Chongling Valley, I knew it. At that time, I swear that was the longest boring dialogue I’ve ever heard in a drama. to add, the short screen time of ML at the start bothered me. and with more and more characters introduced, story became more on the surface and unable to go deep. the story involves immortals, humans and war demon. yet the end goal was about immortals insecurities towards human inventions? pfft…

I’ve been following some of RJL works and I’m not surprised because his works are more of my type of dramas I’ll watch. I just feel Lu Qianqiao character is very deep, potentially can be expanded further. he’s such an interesting character to study. he’s a war demon, lived for 200 years. and he’s the only war demon left? I just wish writer wrote about remaining war demons rather than perished all of them.

romance part, I never bothered if it’s RJL’s dramas. used to it. however, he needs to stop giving me the same expressions he’s been showing since One and Only days. also, I felt Wang Herun overact a little like a little girl when she’s in love lol. like gurllll, act your age. unless you tell me she never had a crush which is not, since her first crush was Bai Zongying.

shoutout to Bai Zongying & Chu Ying. they are my favourite characters throughout the show.

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An okay watch, just didn't quite hit emotionally

I had pretty high expectations for this show because I’ve liked other works from this screenwriter, but I ended up kind of disappointed. It was just an ok watch, good enough to pass the time- but not something I really felt invested or interested in.

The FL, Xin Mei, is ok. She’s fairly strong and capable. Her best trait might be her ability to think for herself, which is a great and all... just unfortunately there isn’t that much else to her. She shows the most personality in the first story arc, and after that she’s just a generic heroine. It also doesn’t help her character development that she’s unconscious half the time. Overall she’s just not that interesting, and I wasn’t particularly rooting for her or feeling for her.

The ML is better, with a great backstory, and I did feel emotionally connected to him at times. But his story is not executed that well either. I understood what he’s doing, but I would have felt much more emotionally invested if they did a better job conveying how badly he wants it and why. His goal actually touches upon a thoughtful philosophical question, and contrasts sharply with the Immortals and their own existential crisis. But the show doesn't push this point, instead treating it more like a hero’s quest.

The romance between the two doesn’t develop so much as jump around a few times before stabilizing. Although it is puffed up with plenty of dramatic manufactured moments (eg saving each other back and forth), I just didn’t really feel it. I understood it’s there, but I didn’t care that much.

I had a similar attitude towards the plethora of side characters and all their interlocking stories. There are too many characters, so inevitably nobody is developed enough for me to care about. I did like some of them- some had a little more depth- and I disliked others, but only mildly, and I’d forget about them after they moved out of the story again.

For the plot, I liked the first story arc, but after that it seems to drag on for awhile. I felt most of the show is a ceaseless parade of slightly upsetting events involving too many characters. But everything is also overly dramatic, from the played-up romance scenes, to the fights filled with big fluorishy movements and poses, to all the angsty moments and dramatically performed dialogue in between.

Along those same lines, this is apparently the kind of world where a character wanting something badly enough, or having enough emotion, can make miracles happen. I am too jaded to like this sort of fairy tale stuff anymore.

I liked the show better as it approached the end. There is a break in the angst, just a nice period of sweet and not-too-dramatic existence, as well as finally some clarity on the true nature of the conflict. Also, by this point, many of the characters finally accumulated enough development for me to care about them a little. And I was fairly satisfied with the final villain, who is interesting enough but still easy to hate, making it easy on my emotions. All of this wasn’t enough for me to fall in love with the show, but I did watch with interest for the last 10 episodes or so.

Thematically, this show has echoes of the thoughtfulness and philosophy that I loved about A Moment But Forever (its “sequel”). Ideas explored include using power to oppress vs help the people, questioning rhetoric, living a long life vs truly living a life, etc. In theory these could be done well, but this show somehow slightly misses the mark. The social themes, for example, aren’t subtle or thoughtfully presented, so they come across as preachy. And the giant existential crisis faced by the Immortal sects would feel more meaningful if it were cast in a more philosophical light. Overall with the themes, I felt it flirted with the idea of being deep and then didn’t quite land the hit, making it somehow even more disappointing.

Acting wise, I thought Allen Ren and Wang Herun both did ok, but it’s not the best I’ve seen from either. They both spend a lot of the show with furrowed brows and sour expressions. I also didn’t appreciate that wispy, breathy overtone the FL’s voice actress added to her voice. Many of the side actors I have seen before and like, but watching them enact some of the overly dramatic scenes made me cringe a little. It might be more about the scenes than the actors.

The fighting is overdramatic but decently performed and the CGI is pretty good. I like the costumes, especially the Bei Xiang outfits which look distinctly different. For the music, ...the OST sure has some very specific lyrics... that aside, some of the songs really grew on me, and there is one instrumental I like, but I didn’t really care for most of the BGM.

Overall, I think this show is watchable for some shallow entertainment, but doesn’t really stand out. I know I wrote a lot of negative points- it’s actually not that bad, I just think it missed some opportunities to be a lot better.

By the way, this show happens in the same universe as A Moment But Forever, which I personally really liked (also Love of Thousand Years, which I didn’t watch). There is a common mythology and one crossover character (confusingly played by a different actor), but the stories are fairly independent, so you don’t need to watch one for the other. There are a few things that I knew how they would turn out because I’d seen the other show, and a few references that would not have made sense otherwise. I do feel it made me appreciate the reality of A Moment But Forever better, especially where the human race is at, knowing all this infighting that happened just 20ish years before.

By the way #2, I rather like the gender portrayals, or rather lack thereof, in this show. There are strong, weak, smart, dumb, good, bad, characters of either gender, which I thought is pretty cool.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





I consider this ending bittersweet.

There are a ton of sacrifices as we approach the end. I’d say at least half the characters end up dead. But, as shown in a nice two-episode denouement wrapup, those who are left learn to move on- which is true to the themes of the show (seeking immortality vs learning to be ok with the cycle of life, death, and renewal).

Both main characters survive, but the ML loses his memory. I love that this show acknowledges and addresses that without his memory, he’s basically a different person. The FL is still able to find him at the end, but we never find out how that works out.

A big chunk of the last episode is dedicated to the main characters of the follow-up shows, A Moment But Forever and Love of Thousand Years. I think these segments are nice for anyone who’s watched those shows, but probably a little confusing and not too meaningful for those who haven’t.

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