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NOT AN INTERESTING DRAMA
Yang Yang is a gorgeous guy, very good looking, but he acts many drama the same way. It supposedly sad heartbreaking scene but what I watch just slight concern face. He accepted the compliment 'how good looking' peoples thrown at him with a nod, acknowledging people praises....ugh!Allen Fang & Ruo Nan carried the scenes. Allen attempted to be funny, he's a bit older now, obvious eyes bags under. Story isn't interesting, cannot relates to any of the adventures.
Okey, I dropped in episode 13. If you look for meaningful drama, this isn't it. I cannot recommend it. Let's just move on.
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This review may contain spoilers
Having watched about 10 episodes, it feels like watching Zhan Zhao endure mortal trials
it feels like watching Zhan Zhao endure mortal trials, with a beautiful woman as his reward.But I'm not entirely sure; Linglong might actually die at the end since she constantly puts herself in dangerous situations. Also, while watching, I feel that the bromance/friendship between Bai Yitang and Zhan Zhao looks much more beautiful than the romance between Zhan Zhao and Huo Linglong.
I really want to praise Yang Yang for dedicating himself to the training and delivering such an excellent performance in this drama. Of course, there must have been accidents and injuries; I heard he even got injured during rehearsals before filming started. His postures and movements in this show are incredibly precise, showing immense physical training. Usually, men's bodies are quite stiff and not as flexible as women's, but in this drama, he is so flexible. His forms are beautiful and perfect, just like a man practicing yoga, yet filled with power. It’s absolutely gorgeous and highly enjoyable to watch, even though some scenes are pitch black. Why does it have to be that dark?
However, I don't really understand the script. They want to defeat the villains but refuse to kill them—instead, they wait for them to recover, go gather more backups, and then come back for another beating in the next scene. What's the point? It's like playing a video game where the difficulty just keeps ramping up. They could have just used lethal force and finished some of them off to save energy. I am totally against this kind of hero trope; it’s exhausting and makes no sense.
The female lead is cute but doesn't seem very smart. She blindly believes whatever tricks Zhan Zhao plays on her. She must be very young and naive; according to the story, she doesn't seem to be over 18. As for Zhan Zhao, I’d guess he is somewhere between 26 and 29 years old."
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Edit at EP 22
Now, the main lead and heroine have taken their relationship to the next level, becoming each other's special someone. Notice how he called her "Linglong" three times; it's a clear message to the audience. Given historical and cultural norms, along with Zhan Zhao's personality, he would never directly call a woman by her first name unless she was family or a childhood friend. He used to maintain distance by calling her "Lady Huo" or playfully teasing her as "Heroine Huo." But this time, he emphasized her name because after being apart for just one night, he missed her. Seeing that she had left and then returned, his joy slipped out. She wasn't surprised and didn't mention it, quietly accepting it.
It's a classic trope in historical Chinese dramas—the audience just has to read between the lines. It's truly funny but sad for this love line.
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This review may contain spoilers
Season 2 please with original casts
Good:The cast. Casting of the trio could not have been better. The bubbly nature of Bai Yutang balances the quiet nature of LingLong and the calmness & stoic nature of ZhanZhao. All suited their role to a tee. The chemistry between BYT and ZZ is just brilliant. The bromance and banter between ZZ & BYT were top notch. Yang Yang is definitely back in one of his better performances after the demise of "Fireworks." It goes to show that if matched with the right leads with the correct chemistry, he can act well. Special mention to the little child actor who played Chang Hongbi/ Huo Xiaodi later on. He is so very very cute. His speech to save both Linglong & ZhanZhao was so touching & thoughtful.
The story line and the smaller mysteries linked to the overarching main plot are good especially the mystery of LingLong's aunt death and BYT brother being the main suspect.
Bad:
His young follower, Ming Zhu'er should not have died.
Most of the c-Drama mysteries that I have watched usually have smaller mysteries that are linked to the overarching plot involving overthrowing the current emperor or a palace coup. Can't the writers think of something new.
Here's hoping there will be a season 2 with the original casts and hopefully, Chang Hongbi comes back to be ZhanZhao's new sidekick.
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Good BL with a bisexual intrigue
Zhan Zhao and Bai Yu Tang are in love and Huo Linglong joins them once in a while and they end up making a very good throuple. The villains are great. They look imposing but they always lose and they keep losing. They keep coping that they might make a comeback but in the end, it's just a straight decline for them.Was this review helpful to you?
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Justice in the shadow of the sword
Hello there:This is one of the best action series I’ve watched in a long time; the epic story of three sworn brothers—who fight for justice and forge unbreakable bonds—was truly impressive. While some comments described the show as rather dull, I feel quite the opposite. The conflict between those seeking justice and the unwritten rules of the underworld is handled masterfully, and the balance of the fight choreography is excellent. It is not merely a straightforward action series filled with mindless sword-swinging; it offers a satisfying, visually stunning experience featuring a cleverly constructed plot and a neck-and-neck struggle against a powerful, intelligent enemy. This is Yang Yang’s best series; his charisma and the fluidity of his combat scenes perfectly capture the noble, fair, yet tough nature of the character Zhan Zhao. His interactions with the various figures and iconic characters he encounters add to the show's dynamism. From costume design to location choices, the atmosphere of the Song Dynasty is visually brought to life in a satisfying way. Although the pacing occasionally slows down, the mystery-driven plot creates a visual feast that is well worth watching.
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worth to watch
Everything about this drama is perfect I love the fighting scenes, the color, the cinematography, the acting, the actors, the story of this drama so much and the trio is protecting each other they’re so cute tgt I love their friendship.I was so mad on Ming zhuer dead I feel so bad for him and his family at this young age.
They said no romance but im secretly shipping Zhanzhao with Hou linglong cuz their chemistry is saur good I really want them both end up tgt.
At the last ep I thought that Bai yutang is dead but he’s not i was so scared cuz I don’t want to see one of them die. I really want the 3 of them be tgt. The three of them deserved so much better. I love the way they trying to help each other and finding the way to figure things to help their friends no matter what that’s why they get along tgt so well and they risked everything for each other they’re went through so much tgt. I want to see this trio again. Please don’t separate them.
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Pedestrian Storyline hampers otherwise excellent drama
For me, Zhan Zhao was a tremendous watch on many levels. The best part was the more traditional wuxia fighting sequences. I am so tired of the CGI firework show passing itself off as martial arts. This drama was a welcome return to true wuxia roots. The acting of all the characters, the sets, the costumes, were all top notch. The only thing which I felt held back the drama was the plot. I was hoping for a Jin Yong type of story, but what we got instead was just another run of the mill "investigating corrupt officials" storyline. I realize that they are likely trying to get on the good side of the government censors, but seriously, isn't there any show that doesn't have the same plot? For those hoping for romance in the story, there really was next to none. And those people who cannot stand watching episodes where the villains are seemingly on top, then you may be frustrated. Zhan Zhao himself is too powerful to have a storyline if he is at the peak of his powers, and so he is nerfed for all of the show by injuries, poisoning or both. And both the villains and heroes were guilty of letting the other side off the hook when they were down instead of finishing the job. Purely unable to explain their actions. The ending was somewhat satisfying without really explaining how it got to that point, which is another point of frustration. Overall, this series was excellent in every way except for its plot, which treads a well-worn path and doesn't always give the viewers what they had wanted to see.Was this review helpful to you?
Superb
Zhan Zhao Adventures is an absolute breath of fresh air for modern wuxia fans. From the very first episode, Daylight Entertainment delivers a lived-in, atmospheric world with a gritty aesthetic that feels remarkably real. The standout feature is undoubtedly the action: the show prioritizes "handcrafted" martial arts with minimal CGI, resulting in fluid, heavy, and thrilling swordplay.Yang Yang embodies the "Southern Hero" perfectly, bringing a quiet restraint, intense gaze, and incredible physical precision to his stunts. The chemistry between him and Fang Yilun’s chaotic-neutral Bai Yutang steals the show—their classic Lawful Good vs. mischievous rival dynamic brings the perfect amount of humor and heart. Zhang Ruonan also shines, breaking her usual mold to give us a resilient, agile hero in Huo Linglong. If you are looking for a fast-paced, plot-driven adventure full of political intrigue, honorable fighters, and zero dragged-out romance misunderstandings, this is a must-watch.Was this review helpful to you?
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Gorgeous hero and Stylish fight sequences stringed by random plot devices
On my 13th episode, I am kind of unsure what to do.I absolutely loved the first 5 episodes--Yang Yang's fight sequences when he is revealed as the "Imperial Cat" Zhan Zhao was fabulous. Though i liked the actor who plays FL in The First Frost somehow here she doesn't seem to fit into the scheme of things (remembering the FL and ML of Pursuit of Jade).
Yang Yang is Gorgeous and carries the show along with the actor who plays Bai Yu Tang.
But on my 13th episode, the show seems more like a series of stylishly choreographed and shot fight sequences (at one point--I was even reminded of the back to back fight sequences in the film The Raid)--also the slo mo during intense action scenes and the bordering-on-the-funny bromance dialogues in the middle of a fight (think of the one where there are two Bai Yu Tangs in the latter's island) et al are reminiscent of Indian commercial films with great fight sequences (think of the Baahubali for instance).
Anyway, it wound't be exaggerating to say that I am watching the show still, fast forwarding at places, just to see how it goes as it is evident Yang Yang has put in (as has the show put in) a lot of efforts for the fight scenes. Even then, goes without saying that the show is turning out to be a series of fight sequences with a gorgeous ML made to look gorgeous further on screen stringed by literally random plot devices (that are kind of outlandish, in spite of the necessary suspension of disbelief) and I don't know how much further I can carry on, unless there's some real meat in the plot.
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engaging so far
i already watched the first 8 eps. so far this drama is engaging, i dont usually watch wuxia's coz i feel like its too heavy for me to watch but this one is engaging so far. the story will keep you seated. tho there's minimal flaws, its forgivable. the banters of Zhan Zhao, Huo Linglong, and Bai Yutang are funny. the trio have a comedic timing and they're very pleasing with the eyes. also, i love the fact that im seeing those skin textures on my screen. one thing that feels really off when im watching some costume dramas is the heavy filters. i cant get myself to finish dramas with heavy filters. those ones that are so obvious that will make u think jesus is about to get them on heaven. anyways, im continuing watching this drama. this is my first time writing a review.Was this review helpful to you?
Really like this so far - NiF whispers
I would recommend this. It is at a different class. Level above.Story, tight screenwriting, casting, acting, cadence, sets, OST, fight scenes.. all superb.
I sensed whispers of Nirvana in Fire production and investigated and this is made by several of the same crew. And for me: Nirvana in Fire is the absolute GOAT of all cinema.
I look forward to the rest.
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New Wuxia Drama!
A must watch new Wuxia! Not only the Story is great, the visual effects are amazing! Especially the Main Character, Zhan Zhao that played by Yang Yang, who was putting his full attention and efforts into this character. The fast plot of this drama is superior, you won’t be disappointed. The martial arts are the best thing on this drama. The fight scenes are freaking awesome! Love the friendship between all of them. Gonna rewatch this again after i finish all of the episodes for sure!Was this review helpful to you?
