Everyone is a suspect in this spy thriller of a drama. The twists and turns keep it engaging. As with many dramas, it starts slowing down in the last 1/3, and gets too complicated for its own good. But, it's genuinely unique and striking and worth the watch despite this.
The romances and character development are a weak point. Love is declared not shown, plus the good guys being mostly men and the spies being mostly women is a weird decision that makes all the romances feel a bit similar. Because there is so much action, also the characters are fairly thin and not fully fleshed out.
The writers leave space for there to be a Season 2/Part 2 to this drama, but I don't know if I will stick around for it. I really like character and theme driven dramas. This is beautiful, with a lot of suspense, but ultimately does not say much . .
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It started amazing before the screenwriter got dizzy in the middle ?
The concept and initial plot are excellent, and as a spy drama genre it has suspense that makes us hooked to watch the next episode. +Wuxia genre makes the cinematography excellent. Thats all the PROS.It was amazing 10/10 until about ep 16 when ziyu found out who yws is. After that revelation, the plot goes downward, unclear and like a forced light comedy 😅 for examples:
SPOILER alert !
1. The yws revelation was not done right, ziyu not seen/no time to get shocked, sad, etc. rather he just instantly accepted and defending yws all the time.
2. The three trials and how xiyu become instantly the best fighter were ridiculous and like jokes. Literally jokes since the younger generations all helping him to get through the trials with some unserious talks or expressions.
3. The ultimate villain and motive was very weak and not believable. How come he wanted to get the thousand flame that will kill lots lots of innocent people and make the world chaos just to get revenge for his parents? At least they should link him with the wufeng. At first i thought he is at least one of the four demons or two wufeng's devil haha..
The ultimate villain also not a story twist or shocking enough, since the they already give the clue too early.
4. The whole plot revelation was told by the ultimate villain in a very relaxed way 🤣
5. Sqx who was also main spy just disappear alot from middle to end episodes that i almost forget she is still in the drama 😂 the contrast with early episodes so big that makes it weird. Even yws role also become weaker.
6. Wufeng concept which start strong also become unclear and weak in the end. This makes the last and ultimate battle also too fast and weak.
Talking about fast, the fights in the whole series are also done so fast that we audience almost cant see anything 😂
7. And many of other plot holes/unclear ones, for example about the mutan, about the writing on xiyu back etc. and again they are mostly happen after yws revelation. Its like two different scriptwriters.
8. The ending purpose also unclear and could have been better. Its not open ending, but premature ending. As alternative, for example since they introduce yws's twin suddenly in the end, they could have exchanged them (the new twin is the one who go back to gong's family) etc which can be more surprising and exciting.
Its sad how they ruin the plot from the middle to the end, and turn it from dark amazing suspenseful drama into ackward light comedy 😂
So sad that makes me cant help expressing the dissapoinment
Anyway the pace of the suspense still good and enough to make us hooked and enjoy it till the end since ep16 (where the plot become a mess) already 2/3 of the whole drama.
In summary, its still a decent and beautiful suspense spy drama and worth watching. I still recommend it 😉
One of the memorable quote is :
"no matter how long the night is, there will definitely be a sunrise" 🥰
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Good wuxia drama
I'm not sure why this drama rates so highly. I like that it's a wuxia rather than xianxia as I prefer the former genre. The story was very fast moving and interesting initially. There was mystery and a whodunnit (or rather who's the real assassin) in the first 10 episodes However, it became really slow moving and draggy in the middle when they were expounding the love stories and back stories of each character.Since I was already halfway through, I gritted my teeth to finish it. The fact that the show only has 24 episodes in total is the reason that I gave it a better rating - at least I didn't feel that I was (overly) wasting my life watching this! All the main characters were also eye candy - that certainly helped.
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Overrated Story and Main couple
The Good:- The first episode and the premise of the drama had a promising and interesting story.
- The side characters (second couple, ML's sister, and younger brother) were great.
The Bad:
- The main actress (FL) wasn't good after the first episode. All she does is looking like a sad lost puppy to make us believe she's an innocent pretty lady. The first few episodes she knew nothing. SFL had to tell her what was going on. Her acting made it hard to like her character.
- The main actor (ML) didn't seem smart. He "fell in love" with FL from the SECOND moment he saw her. He just spent the whole drama protecting her and convincing others that she's a good girl, even though EVERY DAMN PROOF pointed at her!!! His love for the FL didn't make sense.
The ending was not satisfactory at all.
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Beautiful but slow. Interesting but biased.
Quite polarizing drama. It has as many very strong, even superb attributes, as well as a portion of well earned critique. It's hard to weight them objectively, so everyone should judge for themselves. It honestly can go either way for any viewer.The strongest points of this production are pictures and acting. Scenery is gloomy, beautiful, giving justice to any wuxia classic. Well matched with beautiful and talented cast. If you see your favorite on the list, don't hesitate. There are no weak performances among them.
Premise of the story is also very strong. Martial art mafia infiltrates secluded stronghold of rival family by sending death soldiers as brides for new generation of young lords. Pared with :
1) quite unique rules and dynamics inside the sect
2) mysterious plot triggered by arrival of female assassins
3) compelling stories of 4 leading characters, that each have their own battle to fight
We're really hooked from the very start.
Would the girls survive and succeed? Will the boys fell for their tricks or catch them in the act? I could not even tell who I was rooting for.
And that's another huge strength of this drama. Unknown and ambiguity that keep us interested even through slugs. We don't know what anyone is thinking, but figuring it out is part of the fun.
Plus few satisfying reveals and we get overall well executed mystery.
As for weak parts, well it's simple. Middle part is just very slow and boring. Nothing new, but here it really made me skip forward quite a lot. It is abnormally slow paced for even the most tolerant standards. Easly we could've had 5 episodes less. It feels like
95% talking while drinking tea
4% everything else
1% proper action
As for the root cause, it's more complicated, but allow me this little rant.
Dead got more attention than a living.
Can't say I love watching song long flashbacks every time director wats to shove sad emotions down my throat. Also, ML and his dead father got more closure and resolution than our male leads after discovering their brides are spies. It's like director is scared of conflict and confrontation. It's called drama for mmm sake.
For the show that bored to death with side stories, too many arcs are left underdeveloped and unconcluded. Only in the end we learn that second FL actually all along had the same mission as the first FL. That means she really was acting on her own most of the time. I couldn't tell with all the choices she made in the end and how plain evil she seamed to be. So many of her motivation were presented as senseless.
That brings me to the root of all issues...
Sexism. In drama based around female story there is very little female perspective. We have brotherly love, fatherly love, puppy love, and patriotic love. Love for duty, and love for heroism. All the loves attributed to male centered stories. There is very little sisterly love, almost none motherly love, and all are tainted.
The only women in the picture are 3 assassins, 1 caricature and comic relief, 2 dead mothers, and the rest are faceless maids or nameless villains. While male characters are mostly pure and honorable, they all got to have their own interests, quirks and motivations. While women basically either live for evilness or for a man. To be fair, there are hints for something bigger. Forth house of the backhill, FL backstories, most elusive female boss of martial art mafia, and of course the ending. It all points to the women of the story being purposefully hidden from us. With a promise to be shown later. I'm just not sure if based on what we saw, it could've been really delivered to my satisfaction.
But if the second part was created, I would still watch it.
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Amazing cinematography
This drama has amazing aesthetic and cinematography. Every scene is a cinematic masterpiece. The set is beautiful, unique and the approach taken to add the set in the scene was very thoughtful. Amazing styling. All the actors had particular costumes and accessories that was unique to their character. Very good performance by all the actors - leads as well as supporting actors. Despite this I feel the story is a bit disjointed at times. I wish they could have improved on the story and built up the climax. And that ending...... not a fan of open endings.Was this review helpful to you?
What a twist!!!
I feel like i'm a clown while watching this drama because they got me EVERY SINGLE DAMN TIME WITH THEIR TWISTS. I love everything about this drama EXCEPT WHATEVER THAT ENDING WAS, like i need to know what happen to yun weishan and what is the meaning of gong ziyu face expression? I NEED TO KNOW. But overall ut was a fun ride and i enjoy it soo much.(+) honorable mention to the director because his directing was amaaaazing, i will definitely watch dramas that he direct in the future.
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Captivating start but…
it ended not just without an ending but with a feeling of sadness. A double whammy of dislikes for me.Had the beginning episodes not been so engaging, my rating for this drama would have been lower. The story starts off very strong at episode 1 and I was hooked especially with the dark feel of this drama. So much intrigue and seeing the assassins smartly make their moves kept me glued to my screen. My rating at this point was a 9.
When the ML had his 3 trials, I was fascinated as the storyline on this trials was not what I was expecting as I thought the trials would be more physically related. The chemistry between the leads was nice enough and I enjoyed watching the FL being so dark and serious unlike in her previous drama where she was naive and chirpy.
While having touches of humour are a good idea, I did not appreciate the extreme and absurd way one of the female characters was written. Her over exaggerated movements and lustfulness was too much of a jarring contrast to the overall tone of this drama.
Quite a lot of the story is told in flashback style to give us lots of aha moments so you’ll have to be patient as certain parts of the story are left hanging and makes you wonder if it will be answered later on or become a plot hole. Lots of death and this drama seems to focus on making it as sad and drawn out as possible so it got a bit tiring when it overdid it.
The reveal at the end was good and seeing the whole family come together and that they had each other’s back was one of the highlights. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of how the drama went a step further and made the ending open ended and sad.
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Why... Oh why...
This drama I can say one of the best wuxia this year. The complexity of the story, the beautiful character played by all the actor & of course the chemistry between the cast, make this drama so beautiful. But unfortunately, the ending make me want to cry.... & that's why I decided to lower the score a little bit.This drama by far, one of the most interesting characters that Esther Yu ever played that I've ever watch. In this drama, we didn't meet the happy go lucky or cheerful usual character played by Esther Yu. Her character here quite gloom & serious & have layered. And I don't think that annoying voice that everyone bother about her voice can be heard here, i don't know if that's dubbed or not tho....
This drama tells story about 2 big powers in martial art, good (Gong family) & bad (Wufeng). Our ML, Gong Zi Yu (ZY) comes from Gong family while our FL, Yun Wei Shan (WS), comes from Wufeng. The story started with the chance Wufeng had to infiltrate Gong family when they open their door for bride selection for their young master who already come of age.
When the plot run, we got to know that Wufeng not only send one of their spies, but 2, with each have their own mission to be completed. And as the story goes, we got to know the character more & their own stories. But this drama not only about the spies of Wufeng & their own mission inside the Gong family. But the messy drama inside the Gong family itself.
The story began with the dead of the head family, ZY's dad & ZY's oldest brother, or you can say the heir. Without the lead & the heir, the elders in the family must decide to pick the next leader, and by all the luck it falls to our ML, ZY. ZY himself at first only one of the sons in the family that, you can say, the most spoiled young master in the family that no one expect him to be the lead. But all the sudden circumstances make all the elders have no choice but to pick him. That's why at first ZY must prove himself worthy to be the lead, especially to his second brother, Gong Shang Jue (SJ). But in the end ZY still our ML right, not only he proves himself worthy to be the leader, but he also proves his own true quality.
I really like the story & how the layered of the story peeled itself when the drama progress. The chemistry between the lead, WS & ZY, SJ & Shang Guan Qian, and also the funny Gong Zi Shang (ZS) & Jin Fan. ZS herself maybe the most interesting character here,Ii really like her shameless yet bitter attitude.
Overall, this really good WuXia drama this year. Without such ending I'll gonna give this drama much higher score....
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From thrills to lulls
Completing this 24-episode drama marked the longest duration I've ever spent on a series of its length. It took almost an entire week of my time to reach the final episode.Right from the start, this drama kicked off with some thrilling moments that genuinely got me excited. I couldn't help but have high expectations because of how engaging it was initially. However, as the story unfolded, I caught myself yawning after a few episodes. Even resorting to playing the drama at 1.5x speed, I still found the need to skip through certain parts.
But well, let's delve into the pros and cons.
Pros :
― Wardrobe sorcery. The costume design team must have wielded some kind of sorcery because the outfits worn by the characters were incredibly stylish and visually stunning,
― Charming casts. The actors and actresses brought their characters to life with such charm that it's nearly impossible to pick a favorite.
― Enchanting sets. The settings, particularly those depicting the Gong Residence, were nothing short of breathtaking. Every detail in these locations was meticulously crafted. The attention to detail and the aesthetic appeal of the sets enhanced the immersion and realism of the storyline.
― Stunning fighting scenes. Nearly all the fighting scenes in the drama are a visual treat. The choreography and execution of these sequences are not just action-packed but also aesthetically pleasing.
― Comedic relief. Gong Zishang's presence on screen never failed to bring a smile to my face with her antics. I just wish there was more exploration of her character. While she was designated as the weapon expert, her character didn't receive enough depth or opportunity to shine beyond providing laughs.
Cons :
― Slow-paced. The narrative slows down significantly from the middle to the end, creating a somewhat draggy pace that tested my patience.
― Excessive close-ups. Initially, the close-up shots on faces added a cinematic touch, but their overuse became a distraction. As the saying goes, too much of anything is good for nothing.
― Makeup mishaps. Some male characters suffered from poorly done makeup, giving off an amateurish vibe. The colors used didn't complement their skin tones.
― Too many whispers and boring conversations. It felt unnecessarily drawn out and contributed to moments of boredom throughout the drama.
― Lackluster overall story. The narrative leaves much to be desired. Aside from assisting Gong Ziyu in becoming the Sword Wielder and eliminating elites from Wufeng, the plot lacks substantial development. Particularly, Yun Weishan's character deserved more attention and depth.
― The open ending. Generally, I don't mind open endings, but in this drama, I found it unnecessary. It left me pondering its purpose—was it an attempt at creating a cliffhanger or did it serve a narrative intention I missed? I don't know. Perhaps an open ending would make sense if the production team planned another season. However, rumors indicate otherwise. So, consequently, the open ending feels like a detriment to the story― it feels like it's just there to disrupt the narrative flow and test my patience.
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Forget everything you think you know - the twists in MJTY will sucker punch you!
My Journey to You was a very enjoyable watch and has the most impressive fight scenes I've seen in a C-drama. I laughed, I cried and then cheered for the characters - even some that were unbearable at first. I loved that there was a lot character development by the end of the drama. There were also many likeable, complex characters. I was so sick of watching dramas were I despised half of the characters. Honourable mention, the eye candy was endless - male and female characters alike.I must commend the writers as the plot twists were superb. I soon learned to forget what I think I have learned from my experience watching dramas as a lot of the happenings were unexpected. Something as simple as thinking, "There's no way a certain character will get caught this early in the drama because it never happens" or feeling relaxed thinking, "There's no need to stress, that character will be fine like they always are in other dramas" makes sense until doesn’t. The writers pulled a uno reverse so many times, I was on the edge of my seat and could no longer trust my gut haha.
Finally, the OSTs were so beautiful and matched perfecty with the scenes where they were played over. My tears couldn't stop flowing in the last 3 episodes when the OSTs played even though I had heard them multiple times throughout the drama.
I truly hope we get a 2nd season as the last few scenes implied it. This drama would have been a 9/10 if the loose ends were thoroughly tied up. Overall, a very enjoyable watch.
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Worth it for amazing Didi Yuan Zhi and high production value, not for the central romance
The series resolves around the encounter of nobleman Gong Zi Yu and spy Yun Wei Shan who is in an infiltration mission within the very powerful Gong family. The central romance felt very boring to me: the growth of the main male lead was not believable and not paced well enough, the main female lead felt too emotioneless (almost like a blank canvas) for me to want to root for her. Fortunately the stories from several other characters (cunning Shangguan Qian, Dark Gege Gong Shang Jue and feisty Didi Gong Yuan Zhi) kept me interested.The acting was pretty good overall with some really striking performances (namely the ones of Ryan Cheng, Lu Yu Xiao and Tian Jia Rui) compensating for more middle-of-the road / average performances. Zhang Ling He and Yu Shu Xin (aka Esther Yu) pairing did not work at all for me...I did not feel the chemistry between them, their acting felt very blank. They were not helped by the script but still, it was pretty plain and unconvincing. Ryan Cheng and Lu Yu Xiao had amazing chemistry together which made the main romance feal even weaker just by comparison.
Tian Jia Rui, the actor playing Didi Gong Yuan Zhi made the show for me. Each of his scenes was a delight to watch and truly impressive (especially knowing that this is his first acting job in a drama). He is credited as a support role but he had much more screen time than some of the main roles, which was the right directing choice because his performance shines through even in the background. He was from far my favorite part of the series and I will be looking forward his next drama (hopefully casted as main lead).
The filmmaking and production are really awesome. The accessories, the sets and decors, everything looks so pretty and rich...I liked it a lot. It is so so pretty, I took so many screenshots while watching the series to immortalize some of the scenes. The OST was nice as well, not too overly present but delicate and melodic.
I would recommend this to people looking for a martial arts historical drama with some fantasy elements, high production value and featuring an interesting family conflict mixed with internal politics. The central romance is not the best aspect of the show but there are some storylines around more "secondary" relationships that are really well done and keep the viewer invested. This series allowed me to discover newcomer Tian Jia Rui who amazed me with his strong screen presence in the role of Didi Gong Yuan Zhi. Just for him, I think it is a really worthwhile watch despite some flaws in the pacing and in the writing, as well as an ending that felt too rushed.
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