Fate Chooses You

Needed second season

The overall drama looks very good and the music reminds of old dramas which were top class

This drama needs season 2, as there are many unresolved chapters
The craftsmen got their old book and the drama has not clarified how will it be the crafts they build according to the secret book
The ML and FL are yet to unite. In the climax, it was shown that she will alight the boat. It can be shown how their life goes from there
It was shown who is the main person who created the seed of the tree, he told that FL will control the ML.
Also the clash between ML and FL with the person who created the seed needs to be shown
But how it happens is yet to be shown. Also the next steps of heavenly ladder needs to be shown. Will the ladder will be created or not. Also why did the war demons destroyed the ladder needs to be revealed
Also the cat which the FL always keeps with her needs to be shown. Her junior needs to be ascended.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

it’s flat and dry like an iron

Allen Ren, for me, is always hit or miss. I enjoyed the two-part series One and Only and Forever and Ever. Like Cheng Yi, Allen has this semi-dry screen presence, a subtle in expression, reserved in behavior and yet when you see him perform on stage singing and dancing, he’s absolutely on fire. It’s almost like watching two completely different people.

Fate Chooses You is a very slow-burning love story, typical of many Chinese dramas that start strong but become poorly written as they struggle to sustain their own cadence. Too many ingredients spoiled the soup. There were simply too many characters, too many side stories, and not enough emotional payoff.

The chemistry between the leads felt intentionally restrained, but unfortunately restraint without spark just becomes emotional flatness. At times, it felt like a modern Don Quixote story, a man trying to save and change the world while chasing ideals larger than himself. The problem is that this could have easily been told in 16 episodes instead of stretching itself into confusion.

And yet, like every hopeful viewer, I kept watching, hoping the story would improve rather than become more tangled.

Read More

Amazing Philosophy with Okay Leads and Cringey CGI

While this show was far from perfect, the overall philosophy driving the underlying story was well done. If you are the type to enjoy the discussions of shifting morals and how various people can see the same issue, this drama will be worth watching for that aspect alone. Among the various subplots, different moral questions are raised as the philosophical differences between mortals and immortals are explored. It has the charm of moving its plot forward via a varied cast of characters, some that will resonate more than others.

So, who would like the drama?
• Someone who likes deep philosophical ideals discussed
• A fan of morally grey side characters who do both positive and negative things
• Someone who does not feel the need to have a "traditional" and chemistry-heavy romance depicted by any character
• A female lead who gets stronger as the male lead gets weaker

At the same time, these are negative aspects if you can't stand these features:
• Fight scenes that are essentially 100% CGI
• Main leads being apart from each other doing their own thing
• Side characters doing things that seem disconnected to the main plot at the time
• Cliché plot flags

Personally, more so than the leads, I felt that the supporting cast is where the true watch value lies. Among this varied group, the majority consist of highly grey characters, many with minor character arcs demonstrating their growth. This is especially true of several of the Immortal Sect side characters. As is discussed in one of the philosophical questions near the beginning of the show, the Immortals are tasked with being separate from humanity and assisting humanity; but how can those two things co-exist when a cultivator lives so much longer than a human? Morals shift and one sees groups as enemies and what is "best" becomes a matter of perception. As such, many of the side characters will do awful things at one point to one person and be a completely different personality to another person, which makes for an interesting watch.

Meanwhile, the leads were slightly less interesting on an overall basis because they consistently erred on the side of staying "good". The few times either lead fought and killed someone was in the name of justice for their atrocities previously committed, and they never seemed to waver in their ideals. Our FL Xin Mei never sought power and was constantly fine with actually going down rather than advancing. Her personality was to want to see the best in others and, as one character puts it, her temperament is close to what many would consider a Goddess if they needed to picture one. As for our ML Lu Qianqiao, he also has a rather emotionally stunted appearance. His greatest wish is to be a "normal" human, and he chases this dream the way so many cultivators chase increased power and eventual Godhood. Together they are, in theory, a married couple, yet for much of the drama he refers to her as his friend, and they don't even hold hands. Both characters feel as though there is a bubble of space around each other and if they get too close, that bubble will burst.

All in all, this is a rather difficult drama for me to process in my mind because I both liked it greatly and felt there was a lot that just didn't sit right with me on a personal level. For instance, I had a love-hate relationship with A Sheng and Jin Lun's character arcs. Their interactions were often so brief that while each time was pretty, I couldn't help wanting to speed their scenes up. Another pet peeve was the feeling that time didn't always match up in a logical way; for instance, a character being locked up for days or weeks with nothing happening. Also, for me, I hated the CGI battles. They looked like bad AI to me and any time someone would throw out a chain, especially when I died a little inside.

Final Rating: 7.5/10

Read More

Not Your Typical Xianxia Romance.

What hooked me about Fate Chooses You is the slow-burn relationship between Lu Qianqiao and Xin Mei. They don’t fall in love at first sight—their marriage starts as a deal, develops into trust, and gradually becomes something deeper. That makes their chemistry feel natural and incredibly addictive.

Ren Jialun is a standout as Lu Qianqiao, perfectly capturing his cold, restrained exterior while letting his hidden emotions surface little by little. Wang Herun brings strength and intelligence to Xin Mei, making her more than just a damsel in a fantasy romance.

Add a tightly woven curse mystery, hidden identities, past-life revelations, high-stakes trials, and gorgeous xianxia visuals, and you have a drama that keeps you invested.

Not perfect, but definitely one to put on your watchlist.

Read More

Okay, I’m watching it right now, and my answer is: yes, it is worth it. The plot is moving forward, and the writer clearly knows what they’re doing. The characters—and the way they react to problems and come up with solutions—feel human. I love how human the story is. It is blend of serious storytelling with comical moments with mystery and serious questions about real life, which is hard to find in most dramas. And for me, the story matters the most.

If you want to sit back and enjoy a strong narrative, this is a perfect drama—especially if you like depth, philosophy, and the complex psyche of human nature. It really excels in this area.

So far, there are three particular scenes that have stayed with me:

1: When the ML meets the emperor. It was both sad and logical. The emperor has soldiers to protect him from his own teacher—someone he respects and wants to make proud. At the same time, he is doubtful about whether he has committed evil deeds, and he is so afraid of dying( loosing his power that he is afraid of his own teacher) that he can’t sleep. This scene shows how complex humans are—we feel multiple emotions at once.

2: When the FL speaks to all the leaders and shows them a mirror. It was one of the coolest things I’ve seen. She doesn’t fight—she simply talks, and through her words, she proves that everyone in the room is selfish, hiding behind the robe of righteousness and truth (except for the eunuch which show there are good people in world). I loved this moment. It was exciting and thought-provoking at the same time.

3: The scene where the disciple dies. I didn’t cry for him, but I felt bad for him—and especially for the ML. His good disciple died, and I say “good” because he learned the truth: the people who should have the mortality pill don’t want it because of the injustice it causes, while the ones trying to take it are greedy people who would throw the world into chaos.

These aren’t action scenes, yet I loved them. That said, if you enjoy action, you’ll still get plenty of it. The ML is overpowered and protects the female lead and his people. I won’t lie—I enjoyed every moment he showed his power. He’s calm while effortlessly defeating his opponents, and the background music gives him a strong aura. Scenes like saving the girl at the inn, defeating immortals and clan leaders at the funeral, or walking into the enemy palace and killing everyone while his companion waits outside—these moments are exciting. also FL is good to she is not exceptional like ml but in beginning whenever she fight it looks cool and the moon shaped blade appearing behind looks even cooler.

( now I am finally accepting her as a good girl, I don’t maybe it is me but at begining when I saw her I felt like she is going to be some twisted character in later episodes. why I don’t know! if you think same tell me why?)

I love the fact now our ml power mitigate, and it make sense. now the problem will effect him. which will make the scenes even more intresting. they learned it from 'whisper of fate’ a overpowered ml for long time is boring.

Why it’s not perfect:

The production quality lacks in certain areas. You can notice it in the backgrounds, costumes, and wigs—they’re not top-notch. The direction is decent but not immersive enough to fully pull you into the story. The VFX also isn’t great, so some action scenes look a bit outdated, especially when there’s a mismatch between attacks and their effects.

So why should you still watch it?

“Lack” might not be the right word. The story has strong potential, and the other departments do an acceptable—sometimes good—job. It just feels like a standard production rather than something exceptional. Compared to recent works like Rebirth, VOS, LBG, or POJ, those have better costumes, character design, and action choreography. But that doesn’t make this drama bad—it’s still solid and worth watching.

I’d give it a rating of 7.5 /10 for now.

Read More

Dropped Midway: Struggled with the Trajectory

This is a drop review—commentary on the first half of the season.

I’m halfway through and have decided to stop here. I wanted to drop this sooner TBH, and I even skipped through episodes 19-20 to gage if the story picked up at all. Unfortunately, this just isn’t my cup of tea. For most of my watch, it has felt like there’s been a significant amount of filler. While the core story is interesting, some of the subplot choices make it seem as though the narrative is being paused and I would like to see more development.

I suspect this is intended to support character growth, and cement burgeoning relationships, but it doesn't land for me. And I've been struggling with the overall trajectory, even bringing it up on kisskh to see whether the drama might deviate from the novel. No one has responded to me so I am in limbo.

Basic premise in one sentence: The main character is pursuing freedom and strength in a specific way that is disclosed from the very beginning—so that isn't a spoiler. But from my perspective, I translate this to devolving—and that’s not something I enjoy watching. I know some viewers appreciate this kind of arc, but a bunch of us would prefer a different direction, and I fall into that camp. Ultimately, this drop comes down to personal preference—what I enjoy watching and how I prefer dramas to be portrayed and executed.

Read More

Xin Mei and Lu Qian are well written characters

So I'm 30 years old and this is only the third Chinese Show I've watched in my entire life and out of all three Fate Chooses you is by far the best. I like the story they reveal character motivations and back stories slowly not all at once it is evenly spread out amongst episodes.

The fight scenes are beautiful and intense, the sets are beautiful with good lighting. I love how the immortal sects, humans and demons all have good people and bad people in them this makes the story more believable and not black and white.

Most of all I love Xin Mei's character she is a feminine women. Xin Mei's braveness to stand up for people who are weak and suffering is very appealing to me. I am born in the West and in the West we don't write good women characters like this any more, nowadays it's just a bunch of arrogant and rude feminist women protagonists that hate men. Also Mr. Lu Qian's character is also very likable he grew up with a bad nature and bad environment but he tries to fight against his bad upbringing to be a good person I love characters that try to do what is right and have morals.

The one thing I am saddened is physical media like DVD is not an option for this show because I love rewatching shows and owning a real copy I can keep in my house. The only way I can get a physical copy is from people who pirate the show but I don't want to give them my money. This is a little unrelated but I hope there is legal DVD options for Chinese Shows in the future so we have another way to support the people who created the show besides streaming.

Read More