Zhan Zhao Adventures

A Small Fry Trying to Take Down the Giant

Southern Knight, 4th rank imperial guard Zhan Zhao is caught in a kidnapping case as he is making his way to the capital to deliver an important secret letter to the emperor, with both court officials and jianghu warriors hot on his pursuit. While suffering from substantial injuries, he joins hands with Huo Xiaodi, young mistress of Linglong Sect who is on the run from her marriage, on this detour to rescue a medicine boy albeit failed to do so. Due to his injuries and to ensure that letter arrives to the capital, Zhan Zhao decides to join hands with Huo Xiaodi/Huo Linglong and Bai Yutang. Their adventures do not stop at the capital, as the emperor commands Zhan Zhao to further investigate the case on the letter that had also branded him and his friend who lost his life for that letter as traitors.

I totally love the pacing of the plot, which is FAST! I cant seem to put down the phone and keep wanting to proceed to the next episode. I like how they connect all the seemingly unconnected cases that they found along their investigation that always lead to the Royal Uncle, Prince of Xiangyang. There is hardly any plothole that I could dig into despite the plot being rather intricate with intertwining mysteries and cold cases that they uncover - Huo Linglong with her engagement that seem to involve the possession of an ultimate weapon of the Linglong Manor, Bai Yutang with his late brother’s murder case that he was convinced a set up, and Zhan Zhao with his dark past of 10years ago that was related to his loyal boyservant Ming Zhuer.

I also love the friendship and affection the group had for each other, something that started as accidental encounter had forged a solid relationship between them. And i especially love the lack of romance here which proves that ML and FL can be friends without romance to dramatize the plot. Despite the absence of romance, Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang and Huo Linglong had extraordinary chemistry with each other. Who says you need romance or love triangles to spice things up? Totally hate that kind of trope so i am glad they didnt go for that angle. What they had is purely great friendship that nobody could shatter.

I must say Yang Yang’s fight sequences, especially his swordfights, are some of the best I’ve seen on cdrama so far. Theyre fiercely brute and elaborate, and it is hard to see much flaw. He’s good at doing these action scenes, I can tell that he worked real hard on them. In fact all the fights on this show is very good and manage to keep me on the edge of my seat , especially when Zhan Zhao had never got better from his severe injury throughout the show. I like how forceful each strike is and the movement of each fighter is flawlessly breathtaking. Although, I had to comment that the body double/stuntman for the FL is rather badly chosen and actions horribly done. His size is obviously much bigger than FL, also much thicker, hence every step he made only looked too obvious. The horrible wig he had on him only made it worse. I felt like i was watching the 90’s HK kungfu drama where you can spot which part did the stuntman take over cuz they stood out like a sore thumb 🤣

This is definitely another notable work of Alan Fang, I had my eyes on him ever since A Journey to Love and none of his works disappoint, even when he took up the villain mantle in Whispers of Fate. Alan Fang is a true underdog that excel at being the SML.

I am not sure why the rating is so low for a great show like this. Dont fall for it. If youre an action lover, this show will literally make you drool.

It is rare to see a group of close-knit friends staying alive at the end of cdrama nowadays. They had to make season 2, right?

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a thrilling journey!!

It usually takes me at least a handful of episodes to get into a show, but I was HOOKED on Zhan Zhao Adventures from the first few minutes. As a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge fan of fight choreography, this is definitely some of the best fight scenes I've watched — they were always such a delight. I loved that this whole show is about righting injustices, including one prevalent arc about sex trafficking and our trio of heroes destroying that network (and also Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang giving one of the trafficked women drugs that would be the equivalent of castrating the men who try to take advantage of them 😍🥰). Another theme of the show was Huo Linglong's desire to pave her own path instead of the following her family's expectations. She's been arranged to marry a man that she has no romantic interest in, so she runs away and she remains steadfast in wanting freedom, even after being exposed to the ugliness of the jianghu. While it's certainly not at Fated Hearts level of interrogating misogyny, it's not nothing, and I love that the show had frank discussions about these topics. (That being said, it definitely wasn't perfect wrt these topics. There's a plot thread about a woman who holds a child hostage and uses him for medical stuff and she never really faces any justice for this........ The kid just manages to escape and she's kinda like "well, people know about our secret now so it's more of a risk to keep holding him hostage, might as well let him leave ¯\_(ツ)_/¯" Like........... we have no smoke for the child abuser just bc she agreed that sex trafficking is bad and begrudgingly helped Zhan Zhao get the access he needed so the trio could free those women???? HUH??????)

And let's talk about the trio bc the exquisite polyam vibes!!!!! Zhan Zhao and Huo Linglong just immediately deciding to trust each other and protect each other. Bai Yutang just happening to be in the right place at the right time and noticing that Huo Linglong had no interest in being around Shao Jizu and butting in to keep him away from her. Bai Yutang helping her save Zhan Zhao and then immediately getting him medical help. Like it's amazing how they just immediately care about each other and want to keep each other safe when they don't even know each other yet. And then as they do get to know each other, it becomes so so so clear that they are an inseparable unit. I loved that the antagonists realized the way to defeat Zhan Zhao was to destroy the trust the three of them had built and that the attempts to do so were utter failures. Whether you read it as platonic or romantic, it is undeniable that the three of them love each other deeply and that they can't bear the thought of anything happening to the other two. (Altho w the way that Zhan Zhao was looking at both Huo Linglong and Bai Yutang, lbr it is romantic lmfao.) Also Zhan Zhao/Huo Linglong was clearly the overt romance of the show and wow them...................... I knew it was over for me when Huo Linglong was about to abandon Zhan Zhao but then came back and protected him when they were ambushed. And the scene where he touched her hair when he was trying to comfort her........... Oh I'm soft............

Unfortunately though I do think the final episode was a flop. A character needlessly being killed off solely for our protagonist's angst (bc if it hadn't happened, literally nothing would have changed), stretching believability about one character surviving given how badly his health had been declining for the past few episodes, Huo Linglong being separated from Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang nearly the whole time................ I was just really not a fan of like 85% of the last episode which is..... a bummer. But regardless, this is still absolutely one of my fave cdramas, and who knows, maybe the ending will grow on me in time.

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A Drama About Humanity, Loyalty, Power, and the Price of Righteousness

I was waiting for this drama for so long. This is a wuxia drama that remembers what wuxia is supposed to be—not overproduced CGI spectacles with blinding filters and cartoonish costumes—𝘡𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘡𝘩𝘢𝘰 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 arrived like a long-awaited rainfall on parched earth. This is not a perfect drama. But it is a 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦 one. And in today's landscape of assembly-line costume dramas, sincerity itself has become rare.

At first glance, it looks like a straightforward wuxia adventure centred around the legendary Zhan Zhao. A heroic swordsman. A conspiracy. Martial arts sects. A journey across the jianghu.

But beneath that surface lies something much deeper.

This is not simply a story about defeating villains.

It is a story about how good people survive in a world that constantly punishes goodness.

It is about loyalty in an age of betrayal.

It is about the loneliness of righteousness.

It is about the endless conflict between personal feelings and public duty.

And most importantly, it is about how human beings continue choosing kindness even when the world repeatedly proves that kindness is costly.
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⚔️𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗭𝗛𝗔𝗡 𝗭𝗛𝗔𝗢
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The real protagonist is 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳.

Throughout the drama, every major character is forced to answer the same question:

"𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻?"

Some sacrifice wealth.

Some sacrifice freedom.

Some sacrifice love.

Some sacrifice reputation.

Some sacrifice their lives.

The drama repeatedly shows that goodness does not guarantee happiness.

In fact, goodness often invites suffering.

Liu Hongyi dies.

Fan Zhongyu's family is destroyed.

Countless ordinary women are trafficked and forgotten.

Victims are silenced.

Witnesses are murdered.

Truth is buried.

Yet despite everything, some people continue fighting.

That is the central spirit of the drama.

Not victory.

Not revenge.

But perseverance.
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🐱 𝗭𝗛𝗔𝗡 𝗭𝗛𝗔𝗢 - 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗗𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗔𝗡
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Many dramas create heroes.

Very few create a genuinely admirable man.

Zhan Zhao is one of those rare characters.

He is not interesting because he is strong.

He is interesting because he never stops taking responsibility.

Throughout the drama, he is constantly suffering:

* poisoned
* hunted
* framed
* tortured
* betrayed

Yet he never becomes bitter.

That is what makes him extraordinary.

Most heroes fight because they hate evil.

Zhan Zhao fights because he loves justice.

There is a huge difference.

Even when facing enemies who deserve death, he repeatedly chooses restraint.

Many viewers may interpret this as naivety.

I think it represents something deeper.

The drama is asking:

"𝗜𝗳 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀?"

Zhan Zhao refuses to become his enemies.

He refuses to allow hatred to redefine him.

That is why the story repeatedly places him in impossible situations.

Because true morality only reveals itself when there is a reason to abandon it.
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🐭 𝗕𝗔𝗜 𝗬𝗨 𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗚 - 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗢𝗠'𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥
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If Zhan Zhao represents the law,

Bai Yutang represents freedom.

If Zhan Zhao is responsible,

Bai Yutang is an individual.

If Zhan Zhao is civilisation,

Bai Yutang is human instinct.

And that is why their relationship becomes the emotional core of the entire drama.

The famous Cat and Rat dynamic is not merely comedy.

It is a philosophical debate.

Both men are good.

Both seek justice.

But their methods are completely different.

Bai Yutang constantly challenges institutions.

Zhan Zhao constantly protects them.

Neither is entirely right.

Neither is entirely wrong.

The drama understands that society needs both kinds of people.

It needs those who preserve order.

And it needs those who question order.

Their friendship becomes beautiful because neither tries to change the other.

Instead, they slowly learn respect.

That mutual respect feels more meaningful than many romances.
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🌸 𝗛𝗨𝗢 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 - 𝗔 𝗪𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬
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One of the strongest aspects of the drama is Huo Linglong.

She initially appears like a typical adventurous heroine.

But her journey is much more profound.

Everyone attempts to define her:

* her family
* Shao Jizu
* political forces
* martial arts sects

Everyone wants something from her.

Very few ask what she wants.

Her story becomes a struggle for autonomy.

She is not fighting merely against villains.

She is fighting against becoming someone else's possession.

That makes her surprisingly modern despite the historical setting.

She gradually learns that strength is not simply defeating opponents.

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵.
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☠️ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗥𝗘
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One thing I appreciated about this drama is that evil rarely appears as pure evil.

Most antagonists are driven by recognisable 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴.

Power.

Fear.

Ambition.

Status.

Greed.

Survival.

The Lord of Xiangyang's conspiracy is not simply rebellion.

It represents what happens when ambition grows beyond morality.

Many villains begin as ordinary people pursuing understandable goals.

But eventually those goals consume their humanity.

The drama repeatedly reminds us:

𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀.
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🏮 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗜𝗗𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗬
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Beneath all the martial arts and adventure, the drama contains surprisingly sharp social criticism.

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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗺𝘀

The story repeatedly focuses on ordinary people.

Missing women.

Dead constables.

Poor scholars.

Boatmen.

Servants.

Workers.

These people have little power.

Yet they suffer the most whenever powerful individuals fight.

The drama quietly asks:

" 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴?"

The answer is always the common people.

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𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘆

The drama presents a more dangerous form of corruption.

Not officials accepting money.

But officials are manipulating the truth.

Cheng Hao is frightening because he understands the legal system.

He weaponises law itself.

This is a much deeper criticism.

The drama suggests that institutions become dangerous when they prioritise power over justice.

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𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

Almost every major character suffers because of their reputation.

Bai Yutang is misunderstood.

Zhan Zhao is framed.

Women are silenced.

Victims are ignored.

Truth becomes less important than appearances.

This feels surprisingly relevant even today.
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🌊 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗝𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗛𝗨 𝗠𝗜𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥𝗦 𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗧𝗬
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The jianghu in this drama is not romanticised.

It is chaotic.

Dangerous.

Hypocritical.

Yet strangely beautiful.

Just like real life.

Many sects preach virtue while committing atrocities.

Many criminals show greater honour than respected officials.

Many heroes make mistakes.

Many villains tell partial truths.

The world exists in shades of 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘆.

The drama understands a fundamental truth:

' 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭.'

Most people exist somewhere in between.
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🍂 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘
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One theme repeatedly appears throughout the story.

Good people are lonely.

Liu Hongyi.

Zhan Zhao.

Fan Zhongyu.

Even Huo Linglong.

Doing the right thing often isolates them.

Others mock them.

Exploit them.

Betray them.

Yet they continue.

The drama does not portray goodness as glorious.

It portrays goodness as difficult.

And because of that, it feels authentic.
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❤️ 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬
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Ironically, one of the drama's strengths is that romance is not its greatest focus.

The emotional centre is actually trust.

Friendship.

Loyalty.

Shared ideals.

The relationship between Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang often feels more emotionally powerful than many romantic storylines because it develops through actions rather than words.

𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵.

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🌙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗘𝗣𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗠𝗔
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After finishing all 37 episodes, I think the drama's deepest message is this:

The world will never become perfect.
Corruption will always exist.
Greed will always exist.
Betrayal will always exist.

But that does not mean goodness is meaningless.

The value of righteousness does not come from winning.

The value of righteousness comes from continuing to choose it.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Even when nobody rewards you for it.

That is the lesson embodied by Zhan Zhao.

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⭐ 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦
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𝘡𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘡𝘩𝘢𝘰 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 is not merely a wuxia adventure.

It is a meditation on morality.

A study of friendship.

A criticism of power.

A reflection on justice.

And a surprisingly thoughtful examination of what it means to remain human in an imperfect world.

Its greatest strength is not its martial arts.

Not its conspiracies.

Not even its characters.

Its greatest strength is that beneath every sword fight lies a question about human nature.

And those questions remain long after the final episode ends.

A drama about heroes, villains, friendship, corruption, loyalty, and power—but above all, a drama about the difficult choice to remain righteous when the world gives you every reason not to.

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Zhan Zhao Adventures Had Me Hooked From Start to Finish

I absolutely loved this drama.

From the very first episodes, the cast completely drew me into the story. Every character felt believable, and the actors did an incredible job bringing their roles to life. It never felt like anyone was simply going through the motions—every performance added something meaningful to the drama.

But I have to give special credit to Yang Yang.

I've always enjoyed watching him, but his performance here reminded me why he's one of the most captivating actors in the industry. He brought so much depth, charisma, and intensity to his character that I found myself glued to every scene he was in. Some of his emotional moments were especially impressive and elevated the entire series.

And the fight scenes? Absolutely epic.

The action sequences weren't just visually stunning—they were genuinely suspenseful. There were multiple moments where I found myself tensing up, wondering who would come out on top. The choreography was sharp, fast-paced, and exciting, making every confrontation feel important.

If you're a fan of action-packed historical dramas with strong performances, compelling characters, and fight scenes that keep you on the edge of your seat, Zhan Zhao Adventures is definitely worth your time. It's one of those dramas that reminds you why you fell in love with wuxia and historical adventures in the first place.

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Absolute masterpiece!

Best martial arts display I have ever seen in a C-drama.I kept going from episode to episode because the adventure was so engaging and the puzzle pieces fit together perfectly. The CGI was amazing, but Yang Yang’s acting completely stole the show.

He didn't just play a hero; he embodied his character completely. Instead of being a stiff, boring robot, he brought genuine warmth to the role with subtle smiles that made him feel like a real, reliable friend. His physical control in the fight scenes was unmatched—every move was crisp and powerful.

You can truly feel the weight of his performance. He masterfully acted out the heartbreak of a self-sacrificial man.

I cant wait for season 2!

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Amazing action, chemistry, and mystery.

Zhan Zhao Adventure is an absolute masterpiece of modern wuxia. From the very first episode, the show hooks you with a gripping conspiracy that masterfully unravels a massive web of corruption tied to Prince Xiang Yang.

What truly elevates this drama to a 9.5 rating*(according to me)* is its phenomenal, top-tier fight choreography. The action scenes are nothing short of amazing—crisp, dynamic, and beautifully executed without over-relying on choppy editing.

The dynamic between the characters is the beating heart of the show. The trio of the stoic Zhan Zhao, the passionate Bai Yu Tang, and the fiercely talented Huo Ling Long brings an electric chemistry to the screen. Watching these like-minded individuals evolve from cautious allies into a tight-knit team fighting for justice across both the imperial court and the dangerous underworld is incredibly satisfying.
I appreciate whole cast and work and amazing ost...
Watch this show you never disappointed and this has happy ending... include post credit scene in last episode

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a new top drama

Yang Yang's name was what drew me to this show initially, and I was over the moon when I discovered I would actually be able to watch it with my current subscriptions, but other than having Yang Yang as the lead, I did my best to find out nothing about it so that I could go in without any expectations, but in hindsight it wouldn't have mattered if I'd had expectations because Zhan Zhao Adventures completely blew them away.

Yang Yang's acting was gorgeous (and so is he, naturally), but he wasn't the only one. Zhang Ruo Nan handled the complexity of her character wonderfully, balancing Huo Ling Long's personal desires with her familial obligations and still managing to pull off some excellent martial arts. Alen Fang was the real surprise for me, though. I'd not seen him in anything previously and his skills as an actor, especially his comedic timing, were a delight, and he also did a wonderful job portraying Bai Yu Tang's emotional growth from a petulant pest to a sincere friend. Credit, too, to Xu Wai Luo as Ming Zhi Er and Chun Yu Zhe as Chang Hong Bi. Those two young actors kept up with their more seasoned cast members and did a superlative job in every scene and I hope to see them taking on bigger roles as they grow up.

A final thing I want to touch on in this review are the martial arts on display in Zhan Zhao Adventures. Simply put, they are breathtaking. The fights are beautifully choreographed and the actors and martial artists perform with tremendous skill. I found myself wishing I could slow them down to appreciate them more fully, and had to make do with going back and re-watching them over and over. Seriously, Yang Yang and Alen Fang were incredible, and the stunt artists did their jobs convincingly. I loved the martial aspect so much.

This is easily one of my top dramas, and even though I've already watched it twice, I know I'm going to want to rewatch it again just to enjoy how exquisitely it was executed.

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I'm glad that I found out early in my watch that this show "doesn't have a romance," even if I disagree with that assessment. That said, the lack of romance is the source of the only complaint I have about this show. My soul yearns to see the hinted-at romance between Zhan Zhao and Huo Ling Long realized on screen. There are lingering looks, obvious pleasure in the other's company, and genuine concern for each other's well-being, but not even a press of hands, let alone a kiss. Obviously, I'll have to go looking for fanart.

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A Gem of a Trio in the Wuxia World

Not gonna lie, this drama delivers some of the best fight scenes I've ever seen in a Chinese drama. The dynamic between Zhan Zhao, Ling Long, and Bai Yutang is an absolute gem and one of the show's biggest strengths. Once again, this drama proved that Yang Yang's face card is absolutely undefeated in the C-drama world. Now I'm craving a romance drama starring Yang Yang and Zhang Ruonan as they would look amazing together.

I wasn't a fan of the ending, and I can see why the lack of romance made it less popular with the general audience. I scored the story a bit lower because the ending lacked the closure it deserved. It probably won't make it onto my rewatch list, but it definitely left me with a serious post-drama effect. The fight scenes were so good that they've completely raised my standards. Now, whenever I watch another wuxia or historical drama, the action scenes feel pale in comparison.

This show definitely caters to a more specific group of viewers, but if you pass on it, you're missing one of the greatest wuxia dramas ever made.

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High Quality Wuxia

Well, this drama got all the ingredients to please me the most, maybe to be the best wuxia ever seen, thanks some good elements that I could feel even without start to watch.

The cast. Yang Yang is an excelent performer, I liked him a lot, and all the dramas I have seen before with him are backing my expectatives. I never forget his performance in old dramas like Whirlwind Girl, so simple, so patient, so wonderful, or Martial Universe, with a complete different role, but the same high level performance. I loved until more his character in The Inmortal Ascension, with superb fighting skills, and of course I was waiting to see him in this long awaited drama. Well, it hasn’t disappointed me, and I can easily say that this is his best performance in martial level; the choreography is incredible, without cgi or nonsense effects, all here is made with the actors prowess and the wirework, and the result is the best ever seen, I can’t deceiving myself. My favourite dramas are often pure wuxias, and Zhan Zhao Adventures is one of them.

Alen Fang, while his performance in martial skills is indeed wonderful, where it stands out the most is in playing tricks or deceiving people, hahaha. His character adds more “color” to the scenes, the dialogues, etc. It is funny to watch, the classical rogue who can achieve anything simply by talking, hahaha.

The female cast, I had average sensations. Zhang Ruonan was fine in her role and plays beautifully all the fighting scenes, but I feel that maybe her character could have been more developed; no clear goals, always following the others, without clear purpose. A lot different is the case of Zhang Yuxi; her performance as the Moon Envoy is really a highlight on the drama, and the plot of her revenge is somewhat incredible, pure wuxia, it has really surprised me. I have seen her in Love and Redemption and a little bit in Destiny and Saving, and I was not really convinced with her skills, but here is totally different and all her appearances are simply wonderful. It’s a shame that ahead episode 19 the character dissapears, a real shame. I praise her a lot, what a magnificent performance by this actress.

The martial choreography. I believe it was the strongest point of this drama. All of the cast was excellent in his/her performance, not only the mail leads but all the support roles. The fights are real, credible, and often are not in weapon based fights but rather in pure martial arts movements, sometimes bare knuckle, something that is not that common in wuxia, of course.

The amazing settings, the wonderfully crafted costumes, the magical filmed landscapes and scenarios, everythings works perfectly and adds an aura of quality that turns this piece into a little work of art, there are no doubt about it. Superb!

The lack of romance. This is something that fits perfect in this kind of fighting centered dramas. There’s no need of romance in each and every drama, always, of course, and in ZZA there are not nothing about it. The total Independence of the Moon Envoy character, with her motivations aside from nothing but revenge is something that I praised the most, there is no need to entangle certain romance around every female character.

Long story short, the series is amazing, very amusing, well crafted and I can’t do anything but recommend it. Thumbs Up!!!

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