Intriguing story, complex characters, dark setting
The cinematography is beautiful like the costumes, the cast is fantastic and the story is deep, thrilling and dark.People aren't who they say they are, loyalties are uncertain and friendships can turn sour. This drama has all the suspense and mystery to keep you hooked with a beautiful cast and stunning visuals. The fight scenes are well choreographed.
I love the overall setting and theming. Its a very believable and compelling storyline that mellows out slightly towards the end. I loved seeing the two girls deceive each other and also work together for their own goals. the mail leads are stunning and experienced.
The main negative is the ending which is not complete, it is open ended and leaves you a bit confused at what they were going for story wise. There is also not too much romance but the rest of the drama carries it enough that it is not overly necessary.
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Great Action! Second Lead Couple Amazin!
It started off good. But then not much was happening, then something happened, and then back to not much, and then right at the end too much was happening.I love the action here! The fighting was impressive! To my surprised was seeing the actresses get dirty during those scenes were they are fighting in water mud through Wufeng's training ground or whatever, idk usually even until the character's death the director's would preserved their beauty or not to get their makeup ruined so I do appreciate little moments were actresses would get dirty for role/scene. I'm back to watching cdramas again so excuse me if this note was random.
I do like the second lead couple a lot more. There's so much complexity and depth into those two characters that made them so interesting to watch every time and how they are both unpredictable characters makes it also interesting to watch as compared to the main lead which they more stale, predictable and quite boring. As much as I wanted to root for the main couple since I loved these two in Love Between Fairy and Devil, I can't say the same for them in this drama. It's just they are too plain, though there were a few cute moments I enjoyed them! I lowkey have a ghost ship between Yun and Yuan Zhi, they would honestly make the best enemies to lovers ngl.
Shang Jue was a character that was supposed to be like an antagonist brother, idk what to label him anywho, even so, I couldn't help but agree with him a lot of the times even though he was making it harder for the ML. Even if I didn't like his attitude before I wouldn't hate the idea of him being the next Sword Wielder, in fact I be all for it because nothing he said was honestly wrong. His intuition and lead was spot on most of the time.
I do find the defeat of the Elder brother a bit underwhelming? I also felt like a lot of things were happening in an episode all at once during this battle which is understandable since lots of things can happen during a big battle however it was just a lot to take in idk. Especially the Young Master Hua's death, his character was so minimal his death was so unexpected especially when we barely just found out about his identity as a Young Master, and his little backstory that we are suppose to care about I mean it's still pitiful and sad, but like there's not much to build off his character and story ngl especially since he rarely ever gets scenes.
Honestly, this could be said with a lot of the character's death here, like the ML's father (the transition to his death wasn't impactful enough to make me feel sorry for the ML or the father, the only time i actually connected to the ML's father was when the flashback scene of him doing gardening for the ML's mother, seeing that made me empathize for him and how his love wasn't being send the way he wanted it to unknowingly. This was more impactful than him being a typical harsh father who pushed his son to success out of love. I think the bother, Shang Jue did a better job doing the emotional push to make the ML stronger. However what shouldn't have been surprising but was still surprising for me was that before the father died, his choice to pass on the Sword Wielder position was to Shang Jue cause typically I'm used to just the father always choosing the ML regardless of how unfitted they are for the position starting off.)
ML's mother death (personally, i didn't care about her, in fact I actually was really annoyed with her, like i get it, she misunderstood the ML's father's love nor did she wanted to understand it since she loved someone else, but all the talk from Wuji about how "even if she was emotionally unavailable to be your mother she still loved you", like i know deep down she cared about her own son, but truthfully i can't sympathize with her character. She gave birth to him so yah she's a mother, she showed him one act of motherly love in which he cherish that memory but like, that's only one memory of her not neglecting her child so of course he cherished that memory and mask which he doesn't care for anymore lmfao because it was brought up and never brought up ever again, but other than that TO ME she really hasn't earned her right to be a mother. But the ML loves her so what can I really say, if he recognizes her as his mother then I can't really say much about it only about the writing/character).
To my surprised was Shangguan Qian win against Jin Fan. Go girl. Honestly I think I have more to say but I'm going to leave it at this until the next season? If we do get it lmfao...
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the start is cool,fine but it gets bitter and more complicated as it moves forward better to pay attention to some clips cause some people like to skip a lot but trust me dont .
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incroyable sauf la fin pitoyable
wuxia extraordinaire jusqu'à la dernière minute...qui n'a aucun sens au regard de l'intrigue globale. la fin est illogique et en rupture totale avec tout le reste. c'était un drama intelligent, contemplatif, tout en finesse. la fin de l'épisode 24 est absurde et frustrante.quel gâchis !
je suis désolée. manifestement, une saison 2 était envisagée....
elle n'apportera rien...
quelle déception !!!!
je recommande ce drama si vous n'êtes pas sensible aux dernières minutes...
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Intricate and unpredictable plot with dramatic cinematography and apt casting
This show was a captivating watch. At just 24eps, My Journey To You sits at the perfect length - it doesn't drag out the story and manages to tie up all loose ends without straying from the plotline. Every twist and turn had me on the edge of my seat and I thoroughly enjoyed this watch. However, given that the drama's greatest strength comes from its unpredictable plot, I would argue that the rewatch value of this show is not high. This does of course also depend on how much you are attached to the characters - in this case, I had very minimal emotional attachment to the characters, hence I do not feel compelled to rewatch this show in the slightest (and this is coming from someone who gets attached very easily and LOVES rewatching dramas). Nonetheless, I do not regret this watch and it was certainly highly entertaining, albeit very different from what I usually watch and love.I'll start with the show's strengths. First, the plot is insanely well-crafted and well thought-out. As someone who doesn’t care that much for plot in general (I prioritise well fleshed-out romance and storytelling typically), I was highly entranced by the plot of My Journey To You. Seriously, there were SO many twists and turns that when I think I’ve figured it out, the show throws me another curveball and I am blown away by the unexpected reveal. The plot is so intricate and has so many layers to it that you really can’t guess it all, you just have to sit through it and continue watching and let everything fall into place. Once things start making sense, something else will arise and you’ll be left on the edge of your seat again - I honestly loved that. I was captivated by the storyline and the depth to each character. This show has undoubtedly one of the best plotlines I’ve ever seen and I was highly impressed. It’s definitely on the darker side and the whole worldbuilding is based on a very dark concept, but it was very enjoyable nonetheless - this is a very cohesive show.
Next, the cinematography of this show was really impressive, specifically during dramatic moments and fight scenes, which exude elegance and grace. Edward Guo (the director)’s shows are always so satisfying to watch because his cinematography is pretty much unmatched. My Journey To You didn’t have cinematography anywhere as good as his other show, Fangs of Fortune (which I HIGHLY recommend), but it was still very fitting to the darker theme and I think it added a much-needed layer of mystery and suspense to the show in general. This is one of the reasons why I say that this is a cohesive show - because the storyline, cinematography, music, and costuming all align to form one great picture. Never doubt Edward Guo's work!
Music-wise, I really enjoyed the OST and BGM of this show. The OSTs were all beautiful and had the beautiful element of mystique to it. They really added so much to the atmosphere of everything and heightened tension, creating some beautifully heart-wrenching moments. In particular, I think the best OST was the one Esther (fl) herself sang, it really feels like the whole show wrapped into one song. This show has an impressive and sonically cohesive OST, which really elevates the viewing experience.
Costuming was also done quite well. There was nothing extraordinary about it, but the dark costumes really fit the theme of the show, though I also really liked the lighter costumes (my favourite is the lilac one Esther wore towards the end of the show).
As far as endings go, I think this show did it quite well. Minus the last maybe 15mins of the last ep (which I personally felt was unnecessary but I do understand that perhaps they wanted to leave it open which certainly fits the vibe of the show), the rest of the ending was wrapped up very well. There are certainly many unanswered questions [SPOILER] especially with the 2nd couple - where did the 2nd fl go? Did she die, or did she ever come back, or did they ever truly love each other beyond their individual schemes and suspicions? And of course with the main couple, what happened to her? Did she ever come back, and if she didn’t why didn’t she? What’s the story behind her twin, how did she find her, how did they both end up with Wufeng, why were they separated? Who knew about her and what happened to her before they were reunited? What’s the whole point of Wufeng and how did it begin? The show really opens up many questions and unearths a much larger scheme beyond the main plotline of infiltrating the palace and discovering its secrets. While the main plot is resolved quite nicely, the ending does open a lot of new avenues and hints at the possibility of a second season (though I personally don’t think that is likely to happen at all). I think all these unanswered questions really do add to the mystery of the show in general and fits nicely with their theme of mystique because it somehow feels right that we didn’t get the answers to everything. If you’re very attached to the characters, you’d probably not be a fan of this ending. I didn’t care much for them personally, so I wasn’t very affected by the ending being open (and presumably, sad).
As for the cast, I started watching this show for Esther, Zhang Linghe, and the Fangs of Fortune cast cameos, but my favourite part of this show ended up being Tian Jiarui. I love him so much it’s actually concerning. He did an impeccable job even though he was only a support role (as the 2nd ml's brother). His acting was really impressive because his half-deranged smiles really gave me the mega creeps even though I loved him so much. His styling was also really fitting to his character and he looked so good - sorry can you tell I’m a huge fan of him? LOL. As for the 2nd fl and ml, I was pretty taken with their romance storyline too tbh, though it’ll leave you questioning whether there was even romance or if any of it was even real on both/either of their parts. They have good chemistry and a pretty solid cp感 (which kind of loosely translates to cp sense?), and they both did wonderful in terms of acting. The 2nd fl is really pretty and her acting was solid!!! The 2nd ml also did a good job, I’m not personally a fan of either of them irl (no beef - I just don’t know them well and don’t feel compelled to, not at this point in time anyway) but they were fantastic in their roles. As for the main couple, I didn’t really find much spark in their romance tbh, I wasn’t actively rooting for them or anything but they’re just cute to watch together. I don’t feel that their romance was done well, it felt super rushed and they fell in love way too fast for my liking. However, I will say that I have very high requirements/standards for romance in shows as it’s the main thing I focus on in a show and very, very few dramas live up to these standards. So I won’t go into much detail, because this is very much a personal preference. Nonetheless, both leads did a good job with the acting, especially Esther. I don’t really think Zhang Linghe stood out much in this role if I’m being frank, and I am a fan of his irl so this is merely an objective observation. I was much more impressed with his performance in Love Between Fairy and Devil. Personally, I don’t find his acting skills to be anywhere near top-notch, and I find that they were a little lacking in this show, but nothing that affects the viewing experience. Esther however did a wonderful job, especially seeing as how this is her first darker role, and she absolutely killed it, including the voice acting/dubbing. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t watch this show for the acting or the romances. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t worth much either. Again, I say this as a fan of both Esther and Zhang Linghe.
In terms of characterisation, I’d say that this show did that quite well and managed to make every character highly complex with their own complicated motivations and priorities that we as viewers don’t always figure out or understand clearly, but that also means that most of these characters are not really likeable. I know I personally didn’t really have a character whom I loved wholeheartedly - there were moments in which I liked a character, but it was often only in that point in time.
If you’re up for something different, or something darker, or you’re simply tired of predictable plots and want to watch something truly captivating and intellectually stimulating, I would recommend this show. Overall, it was an entrancing watch and I don’t regret it, though it’s certainly not my usual cup of tea and I’d likely never rewatch it ever. This show is pretty popular especially internationally, and I do think it deserves the praise it gets. Huge round of applause to the directors, screenwriters, and writers who built the bulk of the show, and the actors and actresses who brought it to life!
If you’d like to see more of Esther and Zhang Linghe, they were previously semi-paired in Love Between Fairy and Devil (he was her 2nd ml but they did have some cute moments together), which also happens to be my favourite show ever LOL.
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Interesting Journey
At first I have read so many good reviews about this series so I started to watch. But at the end I almost regretted it.Not many actions, beautiful costumes and good casting. I like these.
I like fact that they put more energy in family conflicts and relationships than romance. It wa sa very good choice and it was very interesting to see how they act and interact as a family.
There was one plot twist that surprised me and i love that. But there was another (it includes Shanguan Qian - in the last episode what she said to Shangjue) which was silly and i started to laugh. Did they really use this? Oh my god! Such a silly trick from writers and hope it is just a lie.
It was so hard for me to like any characters in this whole story. It is not a bad thing but it can be easier to understand their character and motivation if you can connect to the characters.
It is a very slow story but good acting and conversation. I almost stopped watching but at the end when told everything about those plans and plot twist started to come I was so happy. I was like "finally it became badass" but then it hit me in the back and after the last scene with Gong Ziyu sitting at the gate (hope it is not counted as spoiler) I wanted to see who will come in when the door opened. But they just finished it this way. Oh come on! Please continue. I just want to see who is coming 🤣
And I hope Gong Shangjue gets his brain back and realise what he needs to.
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overall a really nice series!
the plot was reallyyyyy good as someone who likes watching mystery-centered shows, and while it may seem redundant to tohers, i actually like the continuous suspense that it gives us because it gives me something to look forward to.however, i personally i thought it was confusing and dragging around eps 19-20 because a lot of things either weren’t making sense or were all over the place. i get that it gets explained later on and really clicks when you see the full picture, but if you don’t really know the context then it does get a little boring because you don’t understand (from what i felt!). nonetheless, i always get a big sense of satisfaction when they’re being cunning and their plan is eventually laid out.
also wtf was that last scene actually? why’d they do all that when they’re not gonna make a s2… honestly the whole series could’ve been a solid 9/10 but the ending pmo LOL
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Stunning Cast, Shocking Plot Twist, But an Ending That Ruined It All
“My Journey to You” starring Zhang Linghe and Esther Yu deserves serious praise for the outstanding acting performances. Both leads delivered emotionally charged, compelling portrayals, and the second leads were also perfectly cast. Honestly, even the supporting roles were filled with high-quality actors and actresses—this cast lineup is top-tier!But here’s the thing… the story itself wasn’t gripping enough. It lacked that addictive, suspenseful pull that makes you desperate to click the next episode. That said, it did surprise me with a really good plot twist—one that I didn’t see coming at all. The twist gave the story a much-needed kick… but then came the open ending.
Personally, I’m not a fan of open endings, especially when it feels like there won’t be a season 2—or worse, if there is, it might not even connect well with season 1. That just left me incredibly disappointed. Like, painfully disappointed. 😭
The drama started off strong, but honestly? It wasn’t captivating enough overall. If this show aired in 2025 or 2024, it would’ve easily been overshadowed by other dramas with stronger storylines. It’s not that it’s bad, but there are just better options out there.
Watch it for the acting. Skip it if you hate unsatisfying endings.!!
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my confort drama that i didn't expect at all
From the start it was a feast for the eyes with beautiful camera work and color tones that matched my preferences. In some parts there is an impression that is too melancholy and the characters speak at a slow speed almost like a whisper, some people complain about this too. I have no complaints about the OST, I really like it and still listen to it since they were released. I have to say that the characters in this drama are often misunderstood, such as Gong Shangjue who is seen as not having the courage to pursue love or Gong Ziyu whose character is limited to his stupidity. The development of each character is very interesting to me and it would be a loss if you immediately judged at the beginning of the episode. As for the ending, I think it's a common problem for all viewers hahahhahahWas this review helpful to you?
Worth to Watch Drama
Overall, it was a good show. The entire cast is well-chosen and effectively brings out the charm of each character. Every character has their own background and setting, making them very engaging. It's a bit of a shame, though, that we don't learn much about the Wufeng girl. The plot is decent, with plenty of twists here and there. I didn’t particularly like the pacing in some parts, as it felt a bit dragged out, but the story was interesting enough to keep me hooked. Although some people complain about the open ending, I don’t mind it—after all, a good ending doesn’t always mean a happy one. I also really appreciate the soundtrack of this drama; it’s one of the best I’ve ever heard, and it’s not just the main theme. Great job!Not gonna lie, I’m really drawn to Gong Yuanzhi here. Even though he’s just a supporting character, his role is fascinating. I noticed from the beginning that he’s someone admired yet feared by everyone, which makes me curious about him since I love genius (I heard it's his debut role?). Of course, I won't forget to mention Gong Yuanzhi, Gong Shanjue, and Shangguan Qian form a menacing trio that can be annoying yet lovely at times, haha. Sometimes I find Gong Ziyu rather childish and naive, but he’s also kind and smart, which is why he proves himself worthy in the end. I loved the final teamwork within the Gong family! Everyone from Front and Back family defeating evil? Yes!
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"Dark and Captivating: "The Journey to You" - A Must-Watch Chinese Drama That Keeps You Hooked!"
"The Journey to You" has quickly become a dark and enthralling Chinese drama that has me eagerly counting down the days until the next episode. With five episodes already watched, I can confidently say that this series has managed to maintain a captivating story arc from the very beginning. The darkness that permeates the plot is a standout feature, providing a refreshing departure from the typical light-hearted romances often seen in dramas.One aspect that leaves me both satisfied and craving more is the drama's episode count. At 24 episodes, it strikes a perfect balance between delivering a comprehensive story and preventing unnecessary dilution of the narrative. This concise approach ensures that each episode packs a punch and advances the story in a meaningful way.
The frenemy relationship between the two female leads adds an intriguing layer of complexity. Their dynamic is a source of tension and suspense, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats as they navigate their intricate power struggles and personal vendettas. This element sets "The Journey to You" apart from similar dramas, and I can't get enough of the character dynamics.
Drawing comparisons to "Bloody Romance" is inevitable, but "The Journey to You" manages to outshine its predecessor in several aspects. The writing is sharp, allowing for deeper character development and nuanced storytelling. The costume and set design are exquisite, immersing viewers in the historical world of the drama and enhancing its overall appeal.
What truly sets this drama apart is its unpredictability. The plot takes unexpected twists and turns, making it impossible to predict what will happen next. This element of surprise keeps me hooked and eager to uncover the mysteries surrounding the characters and their fates.
As I eagerly anticipate the progression of the romantic storyline between the leads, my greatest hope is that "The Journey to You" maintains its dark and intense theme throughout its entirety. While the potential for romantic elements is exciting, I hope the drama doesn't compromise its unique atmosphere by veering into romcom territory. With bated breath and fingers crossed, I'm excited to see how this thrilling journey unfolds in the upcoming episodes.
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Started off strong, but fell short.
Although this series started off strong with beautiful cinematography and well-established characters, it fell short in the middle to the end. The conflicts between the main and secondary characters became repetitive with no character growth and for the minor villian characters, they were never explored. Only one character in this drama had growth but was butchered in the end. Despite enjoying the wuxia genre and its serious tone, certain character storylines were more intriguing and enjoyable to watch than the main characters. Ultimately, I stopped watching the drama at episode 21 due to its messy finale.I would suggest giving My Journey to You a try. The show delves into a martial arts universe that contains engaging familial and romantic conflicts. The fight choreography is entertaining, although be prepared for a lot of slow-motion shots. The entire cast deserves praise for their exceptional portrayal of their respective characters.
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