Gong ShangJue is the best character
I may sound biased, but this is the first time I watched the entire series for not the Male Lead, but the second Male Lead.Gong ShangJue is absolutely perfect. He's smart, capable( more than enough capable,actually) and devoted to his clan. he knows how to keep his head in the game, even when he's cornered. and does not let anything cloud his judgement. even when he keeps plotting against Yun WeiShan, I wanted to support him.
and the way he takes care of Gong YuanZhi, like it was just as easy as breathing or blinking. and he is so fiercely protective of his people. I'm totally Fangirling over him right now 😍😍😍😍
the rest of the cast is also good. and Gong ZiShang - Jin Fan have the most ridiculously hilarious screen time.
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Worth watchiing!
especially for Ryan Cheng’s acting. He’s fierce and intense (and very handsome). He and the 2nd FL have good chemistry and make the story interesting. The ML and FL didn’t have much chemistry but at least Esther Yu changed her annoying baby girlish voice to a whispering voice.I love that the sister had a completely different personality than female characters in most dramas. She was shamelessly pursuing Jin Fan. I found her character was quite refreshing.
Overall, I recommend this drama. It wasn’t perfect in any way but still worth watching.
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Unnecessarily complex but still have decent amount of takeaways.
Okay!! This was one of those stories that leaves me confused about whether it belongs in the category of a good or bad drama. Some parts felt extremely well done, while others felt too out of place. So here I am, holding a neutral stance. 🫡Cast:
Zhang Linghe: Initially, I felt he was miscast. No matter what anyone says, ZLH naturally gives off serious and responsible vibes—especially when he's in ancient costumes. In the beginning, his character was a bit frivolous and nonchalant, which didn’t sit right at first. But gradually, the character developed in a way that grew on him, and by the end, it felt like a good fit.😌😌
Esther Yu: For the first time in my C-drama journey, I discovered that Esther Yu can actually act. 😧😧Honestly, I had zero expectations when it came to her acting, but she surprised me this time. Not saying it was an Oscar-worthy performance, but compared to her previous works, it was 1000x better.🙂🙃
Ryan Cheng: He was decent, though I’ve seen him do better in other dramas. Maybe the role didn’t offer him much variation—he mostly had to maintain a poker face throughout.😶
Lu Yuxiao: One of my favorites! She did a fantastic job portraying her grey character. Her performance was layered and impressive. 🫰🫰😘
Fight Scenes:
Fast moves, clean execution, and relatively less overuse of Mystical special effects. Quite refreshing.🤫🤫
Plot:
A bit slow-paced, but still watchable. I just wish there were more fighting sequences and less time wasted on the poison arc. 😮💨😮💨
Lighting Crisis:
Most of the drama is shot in low-light or night scenes—God knows why. Maybe it was done to make things look more mysterious, but at times it was hard on the eyes.😵😵
Second Female Lead:
She stuck to her mission till the end 💯—something rarely shown. Usually, writers (read: misogynistic jackasses) love to push the narrative that women are too emotional and can't be trusted with responsibility. BORING🫤🫤 But here, even after sleeping with the parallel male lead, she stayed focused. Her character was beautifully complex—I watched the entire show and I still couldn’t figure her out fully.
Justice Delivered:
The resolution of the main conflict was satisfying, with sacrifices that felt genuine. The climax lived up to my expectations.👍👍
Villain Appearance:
The main villains—the 4 masters of Wufeng and the "big brother"—were introduced abruptly and eliminated within an episode or two. After all the build-up, their screen time and impact felt underwhelming and flat.
Main Ending Crisis:
I hate open endings in C-dramas, especially since they rarely get a second season. In this one, where none of the main couples end up together, the open ending felt like a real injustice.😭😭😭😭
Is it worth your time?
Yeah, definitely. You might feel a little bored at times, but you’ll also keep looking forward to the next episode.❤️
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Not My Cup of Tea
I usually don't write reviews, because I find it hard to remember all the details I would like to write down, but this series was so strange that I just have to release all this confusion.First of all, when I finished watching "My Journey to You" I felt nothing (maybe some relief to have finished). Honestly, I don't regret finishing dramas even when I didn't enjoy it that much, but with this one I felt regret! To me this cdrama does not evoke almost any emotions. I think this is because the characters lack depth and there is zero backstory for Yun Weishan and Shangguan Qian. They try to make the series sinister, dark and emotional but you don't even know the origins of the female leads? Gong Zi Ju had backstory but he was still so bland.. Gong Shang Jue was all right, definitely more interesting than the others.
Second, in my opinion there is zero chemistry between the two couples. Many people think that Shangguan Qian and Gong Shang Jue were the best, but to me, their relationship was almost stranger than Yun Weishan's and Gong Zi Ju's relationship. Like why does Shangguan Qian always have to speak in such a suspicious way? Was there ever any trust in that relationship? And another thing, there was no "falling in love" stage for Yun Weishan and Gong Zi Ju, they just liked each other the moment the series started. And yes, that works sometimes, but in this case it was just mechanical and unromantic.
Third, the story was soo confusing. I can put up with bad character and whatever, but only if the plot itself is entertaining. The original idea was really good but the execution was just eeeh. In the last three or four episodes there were so many plot twists that I just questioned every second of the last 20 episodes. And to me, that's bad script writing. I mean plot twists are good, but too many just don't work. At the end I didn't even understand the intentions of the characters throughout the entire series, because everything was kind of suddenly changed. I don't know if I am explaining this properly but if you've watched "My Journey to You" you might relate.
Okay for the positive aspects of the series: The cinematography was good, and the costumes were gorgeous.
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Poor execution of a good idea
If you want a well-written story, good editing, captivating dialogues, and a satisfying, complete ending - this is not the show for you. (It's an open-ended cliffhanger.)Pros: The plot itself is decent. The acting, characterization, and cast choice are all excellent. Great visuals. The dynamics and chemistry between the characters—the relationships, platonic or romantic, acquaintances or temporary allies, brothers, friends or enemies—is where it truly shines. Credit where it's due; the male lead's growth is pretty solid and feels natural. The main conflict is alright. The show, I'm pleased to note, is not afraid to spill blood.
Cons: The story is severely damaged by the way it's written and edited, which easily breaks any immersion you get. It heavily relies on retrospection as a tool to explain everything, every time. If in doubt - get through 3 different cliffhangers and wait for a throwback. There's a moment in the series where you get an actual real-time scene, the scene ends, and it goes to the direct follow-up of the scene with the same characters, which then transitions into the retrospection to the previous scene with a detail that visibly wasn't present the first time around. Not shocking, not clever, certainly not necessary, and unfortunately, too common for this drama. This is usually accompanied by PowerPoint-worthy transitions. When you notice the pattern and the construction, it makes it lackluster and predictable, especially close to the end.
To sum it up, there's probably people that will enjoy it, if just for the cast and what they bring to the table. I personally feel like it was a waste of time.
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This review may contain spoilers
Give it back to me ..........i mean the time i spent watching this drama!
Soooo! this drama.... i'm usually the type to drop a drama if not interested after the first 2 episodes at most. But since people kept saying that it would get better and i was also curious about the story, i kept watching.... BAD IDEA, REALLY BAD IDEA..The first 15 episodes were boring as hell, i will also say this is the first time and also the last time i take a WHOLE MONTH to watch a drama, knowing that i was binge-watching it.
The second part was better, but the PLOT-HOLES guysssss! We people are not stupid, we actually have brains and think a lot, so many things didn't make sense, and the cliff hanger at the end...., like i could tell something like this would happen, and they should have able to see this coming, since there were a lot of scheming from both sides, i will stop ranting here....
The main couple was kind of mehh, i will not really remember their CP. But the second lead's couple actually had some nice chemistry, i hoped they actually got a nice closure, but again, if the main couple didn't get it, i guess it would have been too much to hope for the second lead's couple to have one lol.
Do i recommend this drama? ...No i don't! because weighting the pros and cons, i think i could have watched a better drama, or even more dramas, and now i can't get back the time i spent watching it. For me a 6.5/10, and i'm being nice lol
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This review may contain spoilers
Intriguing
This is my first chinese historical drama that I actually committed to (I tried >The Long Ballad< but never continued after episode 2 and that is because I must be intimidated with its plot and length lmao), but I was too curious with this drama. I follow Shuxin on Instagram and when she dropped the trailer, I fell in love. So moody and dark and entrancing, I just had to give this a shot! I have seen Esther in >Moonlight< (My fave C-rom-com!) and >A Romance of the Little Forest< (Also one of my faves!), so I know her bubbly and cute characters, but from the trailer, it was clear that this role and character would show a different side of her, and! it! does!I like both the main characters as well as the second couple and all the side characters. Poison bro is my fave, he looks good and a little devilish and I like it! Also, the fact that this show is the actor's debut project is insane because his acting is really good! The acting in general is consistent and amazing from the entire cast! The second female lead specifically is so great, i LOVE her voice acting as well, she is the perfect spy for Wufeng! I like how we slowly get the characters' backstories to understand their actions and motivations better. I love the music, and how grand and epic it sounds as well as the clothes/styling and setting in general. The fight montages also look amazing, they keep me at the edge of my seat!
What... is this ending, are they kidding?? They fooled us with the happiness and bliss and peace of the characters, and BOOM the last minute takes that away lmao. I mean, this screams season 2, but will we ever get it?? I did not expect to cry so much, but young master Xue's story was really sad and touching :( Also Elder Yue reminiscing about Yun Que :((( and the bracelet he promised her, their story was just sad and tragic :( The last couple of episodes - 22/23 specifically - were REALLY good. Twists and turns and revelations at any minute, it was amazing to find out who collaborated with who, i loved to see it. I think the last episode was really great overall, but this ending leaves me wanting for more (season 2 to be precise). This story was so good though... as mentioned above, the acting was really great, I loved every performance. No one was lacking, not even for a second.
Overall, I am super happy I started this show and will now finally watch some more chinese costume (fantasy) dramas, because my list is full of them... I was just a little scared to start them haha!
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A Masterpiece to be enjoyed slowly
This drama definitely deserves a 10/10. The best drama I ever watched !My review is a simple consideration to ensure that the rating is not lowered by the expectations of someone looking for something else.
If you're looking for a romantic drama with a couple of doves... don't watch it!
If you're looking for a basic drama to watch at double speed... don't watch it!
If you are looking for a drama with only 2 protagonists and unimportant side stories with mediocre actors who glorify the protagonists.... don't watch it!
If you are looking for a drama with a complex story that keeps you in suspense where all the actors play an important role in the unfolding of the plot without useless dialogues.... watch it!
If you're looking for a drama with incredible production, great actors, breathtaking visuals and an amazing soundtrack.... WATCH IT !!
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My Journey to One of the Best Series. Ever.
It’s only 24 episodes. For a Cdrama, that’s only an appetizer, but it’s the main course and dessert wrapped with a cherry on top kind of good.The storyline and cinematography are enough to pull you in but what really keeps you engaged are the characters and the acting. All the characters are intertwined and you follow them on their incredible journeys of growth and development. It’s all done in an intricate and smart way to keep us invested in all the wonderful characters, no matter how small of a role you may assume they play. The story is fast paced and you can’t catch a breath because it’s so incredibly good. You may think you know a character or where the story is going but they always surprise you with all the twists. You end up wanting to binge all the episodes at once. The visuals and cinematography are STUNNING. It’s dark, gritty, intense and captivating.
The acting. The stellar cast is beyond amazing. Every subtle reaction is incredibly powerful. Every big reaction is riveting. The actors really know how to make impacts with their skills. The director deserves an award. The script writer deserves recognition. This is truly a masterpiece.
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Best C-drama 2023
2018 Ever night2019 Joy of Life
2020 Romance of Tiger and Rose
2021 Sword Snow Stride
2022 The Blood Of Youth
2023 My Journey to You
I added this drama on my list, best c-drama of the year. This is very recommenced for all people, love wathing or not, the story is good for man and normal people who can't watch over drama and too much romance.
The story is briliant
Theme is refreshing
Location is enjoyful to watch
Acting is good
Maybe the ending mad we litle upset, but this is the consequence for made the end of drama is epic, and we can hope season 2 for this drama.
10/10
This drama is entrance for you join to love watching C-drama
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Dark Wuxia with crazy plot twists, romance, suspense, assassins and scheming
The drama tells the story of two female assassins who disguise themselves as brides to infiltrate the enemy's residence and complete their missions in order to receive their freedom. The main leads are a smart, quiet and very determined female assassin and a kind-hearted, compassionate, gentle and green flag male lead. The second leads are a cunning, wicked, charming female assassin and a cold, authoritative, bad boy with a hidden gentle heart male lead.POSITIVE:
- Smart, cunning and totally badass female leads.
- Lots of interesting morally grey characters.
- Cinematography that can rival Hollywood's high budget movies.
- Beautiful costumes and settings.
- Unique dark visuals of storytelling that I've never seen before.
- Gorgeous cast, and I mean ALL the cast is absolutely stunning (especially lots of male eye candies to see).
- Assassin's Creed meets Dark Wuxia meets GOT vibes.
- Amazing fight scenes (especially towards the end of the drama).
- Crazy good plot twists with many OMG moments.
- Tons of suspense. Everything is a guessing game. You never know the true intention of anyone.You never know when someone is telling the truth or is lying.
- Phenomenal acting performance from all the cast.
- Sweet romance moments of the main leads.
- Intense chemistry between the second leads.
- Captivating plot.
- Mystery killer vibes.
NEGATIVE:
- Character development of the male lead felt somewhat abrupt. The drama heavily highlighted that he is a fool in love which took away from truly seeing his potential in the majority of the drama. In the end he became a strong character but unfortunately it felt a bit out of the blue of how it happened. So as much as I love the actor (he was the reason I even started this drama) I was not 100% happy with how his character was written.
OVERALL:
I think you can guess from the positive points above that I highly, highly, highly recommend this drama!!! Don't be fooled by the sweet sounding title. This is still a story about assassins and is dark themed. So don't expect many lovey-dovey moments. The romance is more of a subplot but still very much the driving force in the story. I'm a hopeless romantic at heart but I truly loved this drama because of the captivating plot, intense suspense, great characters and stunning cinematography!
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Promising start with the aesthetics but not what I expected
I'm late to the bandwagon and finally decided to watch MJTY to see if it lived up to the hype. Unfortunately, it was not what I had expected. Given the production and actors, the drama was very promising at the start but lacked depth and focus.Highlights:
- Aesthetics. I can see that this was a high budget series. Everything from the cast to the backdrop were gorgeous. It felt like I was watching a film. And of course Cheng Lei's swoonworthy gaze - I think he was the strongest actor in this series. Not surprised he was a fan favourite.
- Bromance and sismance game were strong (imo stronger than the romance between both CPs). I also really liked the supporting characters, and a lot of the times, found them even more intriguing than the main cast. Loved Jin Fan, Gong Zi Shang and Xue Chong Zi.
- Action scenes! I would like to see more of this in dramas
Lows:
- The lack of plot and character/relationship development bothered me most. Majority of the drama was spent circling around the same topic with the characters spending too much time being gloomy and passive, then having the story get wrapped up with a longwinded explanation in the end. I also did NOT feel anything for both couples, it was awkward to watch most of the time. The attraction came out of nowhere and was unrealistic given how they were suspicious of each other from the start. Yes, the second leads had some tension but I think a lot of it had to do with their more complex roles and motives. Although, I blame this more on the writing than the actors. If they had spent more time developing the plot and relationship between the characters, it would have been really good.
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