Fangs of Fortune

When Kindness Meets Darkness: A Demon’s Battle Within

I went back for a second watch—and ended up rewriting my entire review. That alone should tell you something. What begins as a stylish, slightly eerie drama with striking costumes and a mysterious opening quickly unfolds into a layered ride: serial crimes, hidden masterminds, and just enough chaos to keep things lively.

At the centre of it all is Zhu Yan (also known as Zhao Yuan Zhou), a powerful demon cursed by a build-up of malicious energy. Left to himself, he is almost disarmingly gentle and kind. But when that darkness takes over, he becomes something else entirely—a ruthless killing machine. It is that tension, between who he is and what he can become, that gives the story its edge.

He joins an unlikely team led by Demon Hunting Bureau chief Zhuo Yuan Zhou, which includes the seemingly powerless Baize goddess Wen Xiao, sharp-shooting archer Pei Si Jing, and the ever-anxious teenage doctor Bai Jiu. Together, they chase down a string of bizarre cases— the chilling murders of brides, puppet conspiracies, the lost Baize relics, and a plague sweeping through Sinan Town. Each case peels back another layer, revealing villains who are not just evil for the sake of it, but driven by their own warped sense of justice.

Trust does not come easily within the group. Zhu Yan carries the weight of having once killed Zhou’s father and brother while under demonic control. Pei Si Jing has her own complicated past with rival factions. Loyalties are fragile, and as it turns out, betrayal comes not from the shadows—but from the least expected places.

Despite its dark premise, the drama refuses to take itself too seriously. Some of its best moments come from Zhu Yan’s cheeky, flirtatious antics, often at the expense of poor Bai Jiu, whose exaggerated panic reactions are comedy gold.

For most of its run, the pacing is tight and addictive—especially across the first 30 episodes. Then comes the final stretch… and it stumbles. The last four episodes drag noticeably, weighed down by excessive flashbacks, drawn-out emotional pauses, and fights that seem to go on forever. The villain’s refusal to simply stay dead does not help. I found myself reaching for the “skip 10 seconds” button more times than I care to admit.

Still, there is plenty to applaud:

- Lin Ziye is a standout as Bai Jiu, balancing comic relief with a surprisingly convincing darker turn when possessed. At just 14, he shows serious promise.
- The cast pulls double duty impressively—not only acting, but performing their own soundtrack pieces with real competence. - The final ensemble song-and-dance is especially well executed.
- Hou Ming Hao shines as Zhu Yan—charismatic and expressive; on top of that musically talented. After A Girl Like Me, and strong performances in Glory and Love in the Clouds, this role only cements his appeal.

In the end, I would still recommend this drama without hesitation. I have even bumped my rating from 8.5 to a solid 9. It could have reached 9.5 or 10—if only those final episodes had not tested my patience quite so thoroughly.

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Tears of Fortune

At one point, we shifted from a lot of action to a lot of crying, but still a better story than “Pursuit of Jade”.

My algorithm is messed up from Pursuit of Jade OST marathons, and when fan edits say “Fangs of Fortune” is a must-watch—I listened. This review includes details of the show, so spoiler alert! Though I hope anyone reading this is here because he/she’s seen the show.

Pros:
- Why the show isn’t called “Mr. Zhou’s Journey” is beyond me. Mr. Zhou isn’t just the glue that holds the group together; he’s the first to act when danger arises. Zhou Yichen is one of the most lovable characters I’ve seen in a minute, from his softness to his intelligence. He’s naturally a gentle and kind human, so his dynamic and relationship with every character is heartwarming. If Mr. Zhou were a female, he’d be chosen as the Goddess because he’s the purest soul the show saw.
- Ying Lei. Our moodmaker, half god, half demon, joined the group last and left first. His death wrecked me. He was always so fearless, yet his last words were “I’m scared”. It’s been a while since I bawled my eyes out for a character. And Pei Siheng. In my opinion, Heng (Pei Sijing’s younger brother) had the saddest story yet. From being ill since childhood, ignored by his family, killed by his own sister, and used by demons to no end—Heng had it worst. Every time he showed up to protect Sijing, I’d be so happy. Then I’d get mad when Sijing watches him get beaten up. For some reason, whenever Heng shows up, Sijing takes a backseat.
- Bai Jiu’s admiration, loyalty, and relationship with Mr. Zhou and Ying Lei were the best thing about this show. Every time this trio is together, I rewatch their moments at least thrice. They’re never not funny, chaotic, and sweet.
- If you’re a sucker for bromance and strong friendship stories, then Fang of Fortune delivered to the max. The bantering, bickering, and roasting each other were super funny and cute.
- The music. 100/10. There was not one bad song. I now have a playlist just for FOF’s OSTs. First show ever with all good OSTs.
- The ending credits. Whoever had the idea to make the cast dance needs a raise.
- The CGI was satisfactory. Wasn’t impressive but wasn’t ridiculous either.
- Storywise, since it's fantasy and based on folklore, it's hard to tell what's going to happen. A lot of the plot twists (though not all original or very interesting) kept the show moving at an enjoyable pace. The callbacks to certain words and/or moments were nice. The show is easily watchable. I binged it in 3 days.

Cons (in no particular order):
- The action was great in the first half, then it became sloppy, and there were a lot of errors and hiccups in the details. Like characters suddenly standing too close together after jumping and flying around. Certain moves defy gravity. Some cuts ruin the realness and smoothness of the fights. I noticed the show can’t or won’t handle more than two characters fighting the enemy; when a character or characters are inhibited, other characters capable of fighting stand around rather than interfering. The show had the opportunity to showcase Yichen, Yuanzhou, and Lilun working together to take down the bad guy in an epic fight, but it didn’t.
- There’s a lot of standing around, glaring at the enemy, and talking during later fight scenes.
- The last big fight was a huge letdown. Except for Lilun showing up to redeem himself, it was draggy and boring. Since Zhou Yichen is a water dragon demon and Wen Zongyu a phoenix, I thought we’d get some water dragon on phoenix action, but we didn’t. For two episodes, Wen Zongyu was just launching fireballs at Yichen, Yuanzhou, and Lilun. I’m surprised Zongyu never tried to attack them from behind, especially when Lilun made his ultimate sacrifice. Since Lilun is a tree demon and a small amount of Zongyu’s fire can burn him to ashes, I’m both surprised and not surprised that Zongyu wasted a lot of his demonic energy to burn Lilun quicker. Zongyu is obviously a desperate and impatient guy, so he didn’t make a fun last boss fight.
- The romance is nonexistent and never should have been a thing in the first place. Yuanzhou and Wen Xiao had little to no romantic chemistry. Most of the time, Wen Xiao treats Yuanzhou as a pet or something she talks to. The characters are only in love because their roles require them to be. Yichen and Yuanzhou had more meaningful moments.
- Wen Xiao was not the female lead that the show deserved. From manipulation to hollering names, she didn’t possess the pure soul and abilities to protect the wilderness and mortal world. Wen Xiao was poorly designed, written, and executed. She’s completely useless in battles, and the worst part is she wants to be part of these battles. Instead of staying behind to help someone or ensure their safety, she’d run off to face bigger challenges that she cannot win against. In the opening episode, Wen Xiao expressed disappointment in herself for being too weak to protect a demon. She also got angry and sad that she wasn’t strong enough to help Yichen at Bingyi’s Cave, yet she never worked on improving herself and simply relied on her goddess power, which she also doesn’t use a lot. They had a chance to highlight Wen Xiao’s selflessness when she spent 300 boring years in the sundial, but it was fast-forwarded, and we didn’t see her do much. Would have been nice if she had also had to defend the divine tree from other creatures, but nah, the worst thing in the sundial is solitude.
- As stated before, the music was 100/10. However, the show started relying on music towards the latter half to do most of the emotional weight-lifting. At times, the music didn’t work for the scene (Ying Lei’s death, especially), and/or was spammed. Otherwise, the audio work worked for the most part.
- Ying Lei and Bai Jiu’s deaths were sped through. Both times, only Yichen mourned AND cared. Wen Xiao asked Sijing if she was sad about Ying Lei’s death, instead of expressing any. It was odd. The whole group didn’t deserve Ying Lei’s sacrifices.
- Thousands-of-years-old demons are dropping like flies. Also, age doesn’t determine strength. Hundred-year-old demons can easily defeat thousand-year-old demons. It’s hard to gauge how strong anyone really is.
- Yuanzhou was called “evil” a few times, but his actions and words weren’t malicious, so I don’t see how he’s evil. They’re usually hard truths, but I guess it was a good way to showcase how sensitive and emotional humans can be.
- Acting was great, but sometimes Xu Zhenxuan, who played Ying Lei, is seriously trying to hold back laughter. Lester Lin, who played Bai Jiu, did an amazing job! He also did Lilun justice.
- Whenever something sad happens, Yichen has a habit of making it about himself.
- The characters were practicing social distancing at times. Why couldn’t someone catch Heng? Or Yuanzhou? Why did Yichen have to take Jiu from Ying Lei?
- There are very few people except the cast. We saw people at the Demon Hunting Bureau and at Chongwu Camp, but they all vanished later. Towns are pretty empty.
- The idea of demonized humans was very interesting. Sadly, it wasn't explored more, though we did get a taste of it, and it was delish!
- Here are other glaring issues and plot holes:
1. Yuanzhou said Lilun wouldn’t do anything to Ying Lei because of his friendship with Ying Lei’s grandfather. Fun fact: Lilun kills Ying Lei without an explanation.
2. Lilun knows that Yichen, or someone with Bingyi’s blood and chosen by the sword, can slay Yuanzhou. Instead of killing Yichen and letting someone else kill Yuanzhou, why did Liliu break the sword?
3. Sijing said she burned her demon-turned brother because that’s protocol, but so far, all demons and gods have turned to ashes after death.
4. The Baize Token was split in half and jointly managed by a Baize Goddess and Great Demon, but which Great Demon managed it with Wen Xiao’s master? If the Goddess or Great Demon dies, what happens?
5. In episode 7, Yuanzhou wanted to use Ying Lei’s Shanhai Portal and said it needed a Mountain God to cast the spell, but throughout the show, other characters used it without Ying Lei.
6. Demons' ages are a constant contradiction. They’re said to be immortals but also have a lifespan, and the older they get, the weaker they become?

Still, I’d recommend this show to anyone and everyone. If I were to rewatch it, it wouldn’t be the whole thing but parts of it.

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A feast for the eyes, epic tale not without flaws but worth it for the journey it will take you on

I was expecting a lot from this Chinese Wuxia drama : the fact that Tian Jia Rui had one of the main role in a series directed and written by the very talented director Edward Guo really hyped me. Overall, it successfully managed to keep up with my high expectations and likely set the bar super high for any other future Chinese wuxia drama I would watch.

I loved the story thematic with the narration focusing a lot on the concept of dream and reality, it was truly an epic tale supported by an impressive production value. In the middle of a lot of action, mystery and investigation, the heart of the story is foremost about companionship and found family, as well as different kind of love. The evolution of the relationships between the characters (especially between the two main male leads but also with some of the secondary roles) was probably my favorite part of the show.

The costumes and the cinematography were impeccable. A real feast for the eyes, with a lot of details and superbly impactful. Every set felt so real, rich and purposeful with a minutiae that I rarely encountered. You can really feel the director vision and specific touch when watching the drama and that's something that completely fascinated me.

The acting was another strong point : the cast was pretty good with a great dynamic with each other. This for that matter can be witnessed in the ending generic of episodes which consists of them dancing together on a choreography on one of the main song of the drama. I was once again super impressed by Tian Jia Rui : he got even better than in "My Journey To You" despite the challenges inherent to his role, from "Didi to Gege", very different from his debut one. I got very attached to the main characters (and even some of the more minor ones) and it is a proof of the overall good performances of the ensemble cast. In addition to Tian Jia Rui, I will keep an eye on the future work of Neo Hou and Yan An. The acting of this trio was on point, together or separately in addition to be such eye-candy.

Of course, the series is not without flaws. I wish the lore and powers were more consistent and that there had been less magical objects conveniently appearing for the sake of the plot. I also found the shift in tones a bit jarring: especially in the introduction arc, there is some over-the-top humor that felt a bit flat and strange in the middle of the angsty parts. It fortunately got smoother and more balanced as the story unfolded. The script also took time to set up the stakes, with some situations and storylines being a bit repetitive in the first part of the series.

Other than that, some of the fight sequences lacked of rhythm and dynamism: they were all beautiful but sometimes to the detriment of the pacing (or even the logic) of the conflicts. Editing could also have been better regarding transition between scenes or even between episodes. The OST was quite good (with maybe one of the song being overused) but music was a bit abruptly inserted into some sequences. I'm pointing it out because all the remaining of the production was so flawless that those minor flaws were even more striking.

I would recommend this to people looking for a Chinese Wuxia drama with a super strong cinematographic vision and high production value, good acting and gripping story featuring different kind of love. Shift in tone was a bit unbalanced at first and introduction arc could have been better paced, but once the set up of the relationships between the characters is done, you are in for a captivating journey that will tug at your heartstrings.

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The most crying in a drama award goes to...

Best OST ever. Ofc the song Liu Yu Ning sings, 'Unintentional Dreams' is the banger. And Huo Ming's 'Yuanzhou’s Youth' is so so lovely.

Great costumes, great cast, great sets, great visuals, great production. Huo Ming Hao is stunning as always and does a great job creating this character. Chin Du Ling is adorable and does great as well in her role. Great dynamic relationships. Li Lun and Yichen are great characters as well and the actors do such a great job.

I enjoy the demon hunter setting and different micro stories with different demons. There was a lot of learning and growing for each character. However, a lot of it really seemed superfluous. Truthfully the story-telling was the biggest let down of this drama. The story has great bones, and is deep and emotional and interesting..

So here is the BUT - there are way too many long monologues used to tell the story. Many scenes are drawn out too long. the filler and fluff of it all is where the let down of the story telling happens. This drama uses a non-linear narrative and it honestly is just too much of back storytelling. Also, there is a lot of crying. Yes the drama has a dark and sad story as the big picture but everybody is crying like all the time...literally all the time.

That said, I'm so thankful to get to watch this drama and support the entire cast and crew. Thank you so much for all your hard work. It is definitely worth watching. But I will not rewatch it.

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Amazingly beautiful and very well directed

I waited a long long time for this drama to be out. OMG WOW! It was definitely worth the wait!

Everyone has played their roles very well and the little details in the acting and story was very well designed. All the intricate details were amazing. This drama is definitely different from the spoiled princess dramas out there and all the palace power struggles....all same story line. This drama is definitely different and it's a good different.

Neo Huo has played his role extremely well and the chemistry between all of them are in synchrony which makes puts the drama in a different class of its own.

Very well played 👍

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Crappie and illogical storyline

I'm giving this drama 7 star 🌟
First of all let me highlight what I love about this drama.

1) The OST: I'm in awe with the amazing OST which left me mesmerizing, I can say that this drama has the best OST this 2024

2)The Visuals: I love the visual effects of this drama which makes each an every character extremely beautiful and gave them a wonderful visual on the screen. I applaud it for that. And all the characters did a great job.

Here are my dislike and dissatisfaction of this drama.

1) The ml: I feel like the way the ml who was portrayed of being the most powerful celestial creature in this show was overly over hyped.

Reason being because i couldn't feel the aura of a supreme being in him in the screen.
His fight potential as a powerful demon was totally inferior compared to other characters in the show. Like I was rooting to see him unleash that powerful force as he was portrayed to be but was disappointed. Some may come and justify it with many backstory reasons but that doesn't change the fact. We just didn't feel his majestic power in the screen.

Secondly, the ml efforts to cracks jokes when things are getting serious Offs me, like that will just make me lose my appetite of watching for a while or just fast-forward such ridiculous parts.

Thirdly, the ml who is obviously a demon lord being portrayed as a benevolent like Devine-God isn't my cup of tea,
like I'm not into such type of a demon character unless he was portrayed as a devine God.
I only accept a gray demon character and not some sort of God-like character who will be a sacrificial lamb to save the world.
Even if he wants to do so is fine but his character should always maintain gray vibe and not always act all time Holy like a Catholic priest hahaha.

2) The storyline: I think the storyline fails to differentiate the difference between mortal and immortal being. Like I will just get confused when a lowly humans can easily subdue demons who has a supernatural power.

This drama Over hyped humans abilities and limitations against a celestial being.

Secondary the parallel world in this drama sucks, I was expecting the Wilderness to be a distinct realm of demons which is different from human realm and also a place where living human can't go while still alive.

Overall, this drama fails to separate the difference between men and immortal being by giving a mare mortal the ability to subdue and precide over immortal being which is totally ridiculous and illogical to me.

I know I should accept the plot as it is but such an illogical stories are meant to entertain kids and insult Adult IQ and I'm not passive about that.

In this drama, human and demon were just mixed that you will now wonder which is immortal being lol.

I know this is xianxia genre drama but the drama direction was obviously defining Xuanhuan genre which is why everything was contradicted.

In most xianxia genre, only human who was possessed by celestial power can come in contact or challenge demon. And most type of demon in xianxia are human who are possessed by demon. Or some sort demonic Godly weapons and sword.

Unlike in Xuanhuan that portrays direct demon or god.

This whole theory was why this drama fail woefully in this aspect.

Chinese dramas in category of "Wuxia, xianxia or Xuanhuan" revolves around chinese culture and traditions and if any Director or writers who change this definition to something scientifical theories and logic with morden norms, then is no longer a Chinese drama but a Western style drama.

That's my take I hope that helps.

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Dated "hetero love " that shoul have been a BL love

Disclaimer: I am a huge BL story lover and 90% of the vitriols that came out of the tips of my Twitter fingers are straight out of frustration 😆.

Let me start by saying that I didn't press play on this drama with high hopes. But I'm a fiend and a drama addict, and was looking for my next hit, so I said why not? Well...that will learn ME!!!!! Chiiiiile, besides mayyyybe Neo, the cast are pretty known for their stoneface acting right? So what did I expect from this mess, I don't know. But the acting was so bad that even I, a known Asian drama addict and CDrama apologist and simp, can't vouch for this one. And the fact that some of y'all are on here giving this mess a 10 means that they are worst CDrama simps than me. Because, why? How?!

How bad was it, you've asked? Let me count the ways:

1. BAD ACTING: The biggest culprit being Cheng Xiao, of course. God gave that girl a very pretty face and hyperflexibility in every muscles in her body EXCEPT on the face. Her face muscles STAY in one position, meanmugging...dassit. She can serve a good cunty look and nothing else 😆. So, she always looks mad even when she's smiling, or crying, fighting, sad, flirting, kissing, you name it! I don't get why she hasn't improved all these years after her debut. Mah Gawd!! Even Suzy from the K-Drama side improved. Why isn't this girl getting acting lessons? And then you add Chen Du Ling and Tian Jia Rui to the mix?! And that's how the legendary trifecta of no emotions yet always angry looking adults acting like teenagers was created, children.

The point is, none of these actors should have been main. Neo is not the most skilled or versatile actor, but he shines when he is surrounded by other really good actors or a veteran supporting cast. So it made no sense that they expected him to carry that whole show on his back, while the other people were just standing there looking bored or just blank. Like shit was happening, high stake plot points were happening and Chen Du Ling was just blankly standing there... 😑just existing lol. It's almost as if once the camera changed focus from one actor to another, we're supposed to forget that the other actors exist lol. Everybody is fighting around you and you're just standing ther bored?!...gurl, wha?! Also, these are characters who have suffered insurmountable trauma that requires a lot of work from the actors to portray, but the majority of the time they just look bored, slightly annoyed, or ready to pop a vein trying to look "sad" lol. Ugh, it was soooo bad. Anyways, next!

2. Scriptwriting, Romance, and Female Characters Treatment: like I said I'm an apologist. I love me a cheezy Asian Drama, bad CGI and wonky ass writing included. Not despite, but because 🤭. IFYK! So what they have plot holes? Tchuippssss! If you get the gist of it, who cares...right?! Wellllll ☝🏾yes, but with limits. Although, I'm expecting Tyler Perry's level of writing, also don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining. This drama was obviously written by a gay man who thinks that's how straight people act when in love. But I'm like "heeeeeh...that's not what this means in heterosexual, sorry girl!". Oooooor, written by a gay man who wanted to write a "love story" about two dudes lusting after each other (my favorite kinds 🤪) and remembered that China doesn't allow BL anymore. So they split the love interest character into two different characters, one as a girl and the other one as a man. And it could have worked, but again...unfortunately for this man, he doesn't understand the essence of a good romance. And that's been his stumbling block even during his Ice Fantasy era. He does the opposite of what straight male directors do, which is equally as bad. Good romance is not having a male character fawn over a woman for no good imaginable reason while she stays stoic and cold. That's stalking and annoying. Like walk us through them falling in love and bonding and what makes them special to each other. They may not know but we the viewers need to know. Are we suppose to crack the screenwriters brain open to understand why the main leads love each other? And also, all of the male characters have better romance and romantic moments with each other than the leads. The fan vidoes and art tells you all you need to know. The girls looked like beards, while the boys were doing the nasty behind their gf back on the dl lol. It was so weird.

Also, the scriptwriting makes everything feels forced. Whatever happens to "show don't tell." The whole time I was told you how to feel about these characters. So, everything felt forced because the majority of the time they looked like they either about to pop a vein or bored. So how am I supposed to feel anything? I'm blaming both the script and the acting on that one. Like I said, there were no range between all 4 fours actors. Between the 4 of them I only saw 5 emotions top. And that's because Neo brought all of the 3 emotions he knew how to act on screen 😆.

3. Hijinks, Music, and the big bad: everything about this drama felt like you were being manipulated into feelings certain emotions. None of it felt genuine. They use the music like american sitcoms use laugh tracks, copiously and unironically to let you know that now is where "we laugh" , "here come the fighting. and how would you know that some cool martial arts move is about to happen? well we have to let you know with our cool heavy metal rock fusion song", "laugh now dumb audience that's why we have the quirky music. Laugh puppets laugh"...so freaking weird!! And then that little boy and his weird homoerotic fetish with his "gege"...he is a child!!! What's with Edward Guo and his penchant with having younger sibling (really realy young sibling) express some type of very weird possessive almost sexual in nature feelings for their brother figure or "gege". Like I get it, they are not related...but ewwww! Also...why was he always screaming?!! My nerves were grated!

Anyways, let me wrap this up lol. I think I have said enough...although I would love to expound more on how eyerollingly mediocre or dated the story itself was...I think I have said what I needed to say and even what I didn't need to say lol. This is not a good drama, regardless of the veneer. It's not unwatchable 🤷🏾‍♀️. Some may even enjoy it, but it was not for my pallate.

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Failed fantasy historical drama with weak leads

I watched Fangs of Fortune because of the beautiful trailer but sadly it didn’t live up to the hype.
The visuals and costumes looked nice but the story felt slow and emotionally flat.
The fight scenes used slow-motion way too much which didn’t feel exciting at all.
Instead, it felt awkward and annoying because the director relied on it too often instead of creating truly epic fights that move the story forward.
I found myself more interested in the side characters than the main couple which made it hard to stay emotionally involved. The drama started with a lot of potential but ended up being a big disappointment.
The male lead, Zhu Yan, he’s supposed to be a powerful, ancient demon but he felt weak and not believable.
Hou Minghao’s acting didn’t bring the character to life.
His expressions were either too flat or over the top and his emotional scenes didn’t convince me. Something about the way he spoke felt forced and unnatural which made watching him difficult.
The crying scenes were especially frustrating, he cried way too much and it never felt real.
It was like he was trying hard to make tears come out but couldn’t, almost like a beginner actor.
Instead of feeling sympathy, those scenes just felt repetitive and tiring.
His chemistry with the female lead didn’t feel real either which made their romance fall flat.
For such an important role, I expected much more emotion and presence.
Honestly, the drama felt like it was pushing BL vibes more than a real romance and I wasn’t even sure what it was trying to show me.
On the bright side, Cheng Lei was one of the few good things about the show.
His performance felt strong and layered and he caught my attention every time he was on screen.
He showed calm strength and real emotion which really stood out compared to the leads.
Even though he had less screen time, he made a much bigger impression.
I honestly wished the story focused more on him. They should have cast a male lead as good as Cheng Lei.

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Where is the platonicness?

I started to this for the found family, sismance and bromance, but good god the bromance has me on a choke hold. This show has kept me up at night like nobody's business. I LOST SLEEP OVER THESE CHARACTERS. Zhuo Yichen and Zhao Yuanzhou genuinely had no right to have as much chemistry as they do, and my delulu mind could not see anything platonic.

This was a beautiful story about loss, letting go, forgiveness, giving family in the most unlikely of people, finding one's place in the world. The ost, cinematography and visuals were absolutely out of this world. The actors were absolutely fantastic in their jobs, and I couldn't get enough.

But that being said, the start of this show was lowkey slow, and it took me a while to get into it. But the moment I did? I WAS HOOKED. OBSESSED. CHOCK-HOLD. But my girlie Wen Xiao? Nah, what they do to her. I don't even care that she was weak, I care how they butchered her character. The way the writer utilised her character was ridiculous and stupid. Like Ying Lei was weak, but damn, boy was a side character and he was utilised so much better. They actually did her so dirty in this show. I love Pei Sijing. That's my girl. And Li Lun had no right to be that hot. If villain why hot? If evil why sexy?

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Bromance with Added Sismance, Truly Perfect!

Guo Jing Ming’s projects are always fraught with homoerotic tones; starting from Painted Skin: The Guo Jingming Edition, Wuliang, L.O.R.D 1, L.O.R.D 2, The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity and the recently concluded Fangs of Fortune, all stand testament to his amazing prowess to pass Chinese censorship.

Some stories leave you exasperated whilst others leave you with a ray of hope and earnest longing; that someday, you might be able to meet these characters again. “Fangs of Fortune” was one such drama for me. It taught me valuable life lessons- you can redeem yourself once you accept you were in wrong; love should set you free, not imprison you. Also, you can love someone despite hating them in the past. Adapted from the classic text and the mythology and geography collection “Classic of Mountains and Seas” (山海经), the show has the most endearing characters that slowly become a family. The best part is that they aren’t all human- we have a makeshift family made of a Great Demon, two powerful Demon Hunters, a Half God and a Mountain God. The only thing that connects them is their yearning for familial ties and bonds. They become each other’s solace and peace of mind; they evolve and mature together, drawing inspiration and courage from one another. Another important aspect of Guo Jing Ming’s shows is the magnanimity of the settings and the mesmerizing locales. The costumes are posh, keeping in line with the stature/position of the characters. We bring you the evergreen queer romance that is characteristic of most Guo Jing Ming’s stories.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/11/20/fangs-of-fortune-series-review-ep-1-to-32/

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Still a Favorite Two Years Later

I already watched this in 2024 when it first released, and it was my top-tier favorite then. After being disappointed by several newer watches and dropping or passing on them, I decided to revisit this one, and I have no regrets. It was a favorite in 2024, and it’s still a favorite two years later. There are so many layers to the story that it barely feels like a rewatch. I’m noticing and feeling things now that I completely missed the first time, so this entire experience has been incredibly welcoming.

While GJM isn’t for everyone, he definitely is for me. And although this drama seems to divide audiences, even among people who enjoyed his other dramas or films, I hold this one in just as high regard as the rest of his work. Some people describe it as slow or depressing, but that’s not something I personally connect with. I find the drama very well-paced, consistently engaging, and I’m practically hanging onto every scene. Plus, I find it incredibly funny.

And while the mood can be heavy at times, it genuinely moves me and I connect deeply with it. I see this story as a pendulum swinging between highs and lows, where moments of joy exist alongside hardship. Is this a bright, carefree drama where no one struggles and every day is perfect? No, but that isn’t realistic, nor is it the point of the story. These characters are on a journey to confront and resolve hardships, so naturally they encounter pain and obstacles along the way.

What makes it meaningful for me is the promise that it will all matter in the end, and that they find love, comfort, and support through the friendships and bonds they build with one another. This is only one chapter of their lives; another story will begin once this one ends.

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