Fangs of Fortune

this completely rewired my brain

Literally thee best show of all time. Hou Minghao gives one of the most exquisite performances I've ever seen, and while he stands out among the rest of the cast, everyone else is also incredible in this too. The Zhao Yuanzhou/Wen Xiao romance was everything to me and the polyam vibes were off the charts as the second half of the show devotes quite a bit of time to Zhao Yuanzhou and Zhuo Yichen's dynamic. The found family story was beautifully done and you really believe that these people will risk absolutely everything to protect and/or save each other. Every song on the soundtrack is perfection and no matter how many times I hear some of the character themes (especially the themes belonging to Li Lun and Zhao Yuanzhou), I will still go bonkers insane every time.

I have some minor gripes with some writing decisions which is why I give this a 9/10 on story, but this is an absolutely must watch show for me.

EDIT Nov 2025: I want to keep my original review bc I like the idea of my reviews being immediate reactions to a piece of media, but I have watched a handful of other CDramas since that have made me start viewing the writing for this show negatively and I definitely no longer consider this a 10/10. (probably more like a 7/10 if I'm being charitable.) I've had issues with the narrative's treatment towards Bai Jiu since I watched but my frustration has grown so much — the reveal in ep19 (iykyk) is Bai Jiu having been abused/groomed into trusting someone but the show seems to put the blame on this CHILD for trusting an adult who wanted to use him. And then his ending gives the vibe that he is "atoning" for this...... It comes off very much as victim-blaming and then add in the fact that he sacrifices so much when he shouldn't be in this position in the first place bc again. he is a CHILD. Having just come off of Fated Hearts and Blood River and seeing good communication between the leads and also being surprised without constant fakeouts (that end up being fairly meaningless) has also made me sour a lot on Fangs of Fortune. Like what do you mean that Zhao Yuanzhou-Zhuo Yichen-Wen Xiao trust each other with their lives and are willing to sacrifice anything for the others but then they are STILL withholding information from each other even when we reach the the last five episodes????? 🙄 Anyway watch Blood River for the Su Changhe-Su Muyu-Bai Hehuai triad :)

Read More

Unique, heroic, tragic, destiny, redemption…worth watching

Late edit: this drama stays with you for weeks/months. It lives in my head, and memories of it hit hard whenever I hear the music or see an actor in another drama. It’s surprisingly haunting. Guess a second watch will be in my future. Wasn’t ready for that lol.

Also wasn’t prepared to see the most facially striking man (Yan An as Li Lun) I’ve ever seen in my life. He has a kind of ultra rare beauty that both men and women would start wars over. His real life must be annoying in weird ways because of it. Acting is on par - hurt, confusion, anger, loyalty, so much going on and he brings it.

Hope there was a tent with drip IVs for the main actors because I’ve never everevereverrr seen so many tears dripping down like rain and rivers of emotion. I was right there with them some of the time. If you don’t blubber floods of hot tears at least 1x when Hou Minghao’s haunting “Yuanzhou’s Youth” plays then you might be a soulless monster. Off to the Wilderness with you :)

FoF broadcasts what you’re in for very clearly in the first few episodes, so it’s no spoiler to say…listen. And enjoy this often beautiful and poetic journey.

Tragic and visually stunning from the very beginning. Thoughtful words on the nature of good and evil, of choice, of love, and the importance of a humble light in the darkness. Big, bombastic, colorful fight scenes that are cinematic eye candy. Plus a soundtrack that plays in your mind constantly.

I was surprised that as this story went on, the nice but super square/one dimensional hero Zhou Yichen became so much deeper, bursting with layers of emotion and rivaling Hou Minghao’s sly, dry humored, impish and very easy -to-adore great demon. I hope Zhou Yichen’s actor Tian Jiarui sends the director a thank you card every Valentine’s Day, cuz it became allllll about him and less about HMH’s demon in last half. The bromance chemistry between the 2 male leads is way stronger from start to finish than the chaste love romance between ML/FL (which isn’t very romantic at all).

Evil and good, the nature of control and destiny vs free will…it’s deep without being preachy or so heavy that it’s not a blast to watch. But man, I had tears falling all through it (but NOT the kind that drags you down and makes the whole experience a downer, for the most part).

Took off a star because it went on much longer than needed. Could have ended perfectly at end of ep 27. Or mayyyybe another two or three well edited eps past that, but not seven. It began to lag, drag, and get TOO pointlessly over the top melodramatic in last few eps. I really missed the demon-of-the-week type of format of the earlier eps, and a truly memorable endgame villain (there is one, but yawn compared to Li Lun) in the later part. The strong team aspect of it, which was so great in first half, began to splinter off later on, the characters stagnated, some of the team had nothing interesting to do (this also applies to FL character) or they were absent/off on individual tangents, etc.

There’s a 26 minute epilogue/extra episode after the official 34-episode run. Definitely watch it :)

Read More

Almost perfect

Thoughts:
Fantastic story of friendship, redemption, and forgiveness against all odds. This part of the story is 1000/10. I loved how friendship was THE core of the story, and it was more important than romantic relationships (which is unusual. I don't know if that's why the one romantic pairing had no chemistry, but I - for once - liked that because it meant the friendships could be center stage.) Some small things that held it back:
Dragged after the first arc ended and the plot got confusing and had some unnecessary parts - people kept coming back to life and they had to just kill them over and over again.
I loved all the man tears, yet there was still a lack of emotional depth in some characters (ok, one and a half), and there was also a need for fake tears.

Back to some positives:
I liked Tian Jia Rui's character growth. I was shocked when I started to see him smile. I don't know what triggered it, though. I would have liked a specific moment or event. Maybe I missed it? But it was out of the blue in a way where I honestly thought we were in a dream when I first saw him smile. I was like, "that can't happen, they must be stuck in a dream again."
I loved Bai Jiu. I repeat, I love him! I loved his little shrieks and his joyfulness, devotion, and funniness. However, this is clouded by [Spoiler 1 in the middle of the drama after the first arc that had to do with his character, you all know what I mean] and [Spoiler 2 in the last episode]. It tarnished what I liked about him initially.
Cheng Xiao's brother (and I don't know why. Sibling devotion trumps all?)
THE MUSIC. I WOULD GIVE THE MUSIC 1,000,000/10, especially the one for the fight scenes, the one that's famous for.

I would have put the rewatch value lower, but in the extra episode, I saw that character 2 was wearing character 3's bell in his hair, and I almost cried again. Especially after the present that character 3 gave to character 2. I think there are details like that that would make it interesting to rewatch, but I won't because of the negatives listed above.

Last complaint. Why did half the main characters need to SPOILER? Question for the audience: is this a plot point in most Xianxia?

Read More

Are We Defined by What We Do or What We Choose?

What a drama… Fangs of Fortune really makes you question human nature.

What makes someone evil? Is evil something that already exists inside a person, or is it something shaped by circumstances, choices, and the struggles they go through?

When does a human become a monster?

Maybe the line between good and evil is much thinner than we think — almost invisible. And when you walk on that line, you have to be careful, because you never know when or why that line might disappear.

Episode 17 made me think about this even more through Zhao Yuanzhou.

He is the Demon King, but at the same time, he wants to live like an ordinary person. During the Blood Moon, he absorbs all the hatred and anger of the demons, until he completely loses control of himself. He isn't consciously choosing to hurt people, and he isn't even aware of what he's doing in that state.

Then, when he returns to himself and realizes what happened, he's devastated. He knows people died because of him, and he punishes himself for it.

But this is where I started questioning the idea of guilt and regret.

How can we ask someone to regret something in the same way we would expect them to regret a conscious choice when they had no awareness, no intention, and no control over their actions?

Usually, when we talk about doing something evil, we imagine someone who knows what they're doing, knows it's wrong, chooses to do it anyway, and later regrets that choice.

But what happens when there was no choice?

Of course, the consequences are real. The people who died are real. Their loved ones have every right to be hurt, angry, and unable to forgive him.

But at the same time, Zhao Yuanzhou is also suffering from something he never consciously chose.

And that's what makes this story so heartbreaking to me. It doesn't simply ask, “Is he good or evil?” It makes us question where evil comes from, what makes someone a monster, and how much of our morality is actually defined by our choices.

Maybe being capable of evil doesn't automatically make someone evil.

Maybe what makes us human is the constant struggle between the darkness inside us and the part of us that chooses to resist it.

And maybe the hardest question is:

If the darkness inside you takes away your consciousness, your free will, and your control, can you truly be judged for what you did — or are you only responsible for what you choose when you are yourself?

Read More

Heartwarming Friendship Drama

A great friendship-centered drama with a cast of lovable characters. The pacing felt a bit slow in the beginning but improved as the story progressed. Ying Lei was my favorite character, and the actors delivered excellent performances throughout. The OST was amazing and really added to the overall experience.

Perhaps the drama could have been shortened to around 30 episodes to reduce some of the slower moments, though it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where cuts could have been made. Overall, it was a great drama though a happy ending would have made it even better.

Read More

n aguentei

ai vey eu tinha começado esse e tava obcecada, mas no final ja foi meio q dando uma enrolanda e meio q tava mt chato tanto q larguei faltando quatro episódios pra acabar. acho q o grande problema é que tem episódios demais e parece que fica uns 5 episódios enrolando sobre a mesma coisa, depois que o li lun deixa de ser o vilão principal ficou uma chatice só. Youtra q n consegui comprar o casal principal e muito menos gostar da FL, fiquei abismada q ela é apresentada no começo do drama com uma boazuda, q se vira sozinha e q se defende sozinha, mas agora na reta final ela se transformou em uma coitadinha que sempre depende dos outros pra ser salva e que literalmente fica sentada enquanto ver os outros morrer mesmo sendo literalmente uma DEUSA. Ai sabe eu n consigo comprar, eu acho q n vou mt com esse diretor pq tb n curti mt my journal to you, e n acho q vale esse sacrifício todo se todo mundo morre e é um grande final aberto. esse drama parece q faz mt esforço pra parecer uma grande produção e direção sendo q o roteiro é cheio de furos. achei q ia gostar mais pq tem um tom de comédia diferente de mjty e tem mts atores queridos, mas simplesmente não da, eu to bem há um mês tentando terminar isso.

Read More

Beautiful, ambitious, and emotionally exhausting—but somehow, I couldn't fully connect with it.

I really wanted to love Fangs of Fortune more than I ultimately did.

On paper, this drama had almost everything I usually enjoy: fantasy, demons, mythology, a morally gray male lead, a found-family dynamic, beautiful cinematography, strong character relationships, and a story that looked much darker and more ambitious than the usual fantasy romance.

And yet, somewhere along the way, I realized I was watching the episodes without really feeling them.

This is a difficult drama for me to rate because I can absolutely see why it received so much praise. Visually, it is stunning. The costumes, cinematography, color palette, action sequences, CGI, and overall artistic direction are easily among its strongest points. The OST also fits the atmosphere beautifully.

And then there's Hou Minghao as Zhao Yuanzhou.

He was probably my biggest reason for continuing. Zhao Yuanzhou is such an interesting character—powerful, unpredictable, emotionally complicated, and carrying so much loneliness underneath his playful exterior. His relationship with Zhuo Yichen and the rest of the group became much more compelling to me than the actual romance.

The found-family aspect was also one of the best parts. Watching these very different people slowly become a team gave the story some genuinely beautiful moments.

But despite all that, I struggled with the storytelling.

The pacing felt uneven, and there were moments when the drama seemed to stretch emotional beats longer than necessary. There was so much tragedy, suffering, sacrifice, and crying that eventually I became emotionally numb instead of more invested. Ironically, when everything is constantly trying to make you feel devastated, the emotional impact can start to wear off.

I also found myself becoming more interested in certain individual characters and relationships than in the larger plot. Li Lun, for example, had such strong "final villain" energy that I genuinely thought he was being positioned as the ultimate antagonist—only for his story to end much earlier than I expected.

And Wen Xiao... unfortunately, she was probably my weakest point with the main cast. I kept waiting for her to become the kind of strong female lead I usually gravitate toward, but her character never connected with me as strongly as the others did.

What surprised me most, though, was my own reaction.

I wasn't bored because the drama was necessarily bad. I think I was simply burnt out.

I've been watching C-dramas almost nonstop lately, jumping between different platforms and different genres. By the time I got deeper into Fangs of Fortune, I noticed myself wanting to scroll through my phone or watch a short mini drama instead of immediately starting the next episode.

And that's probably why I don't want to judge this drama too harshly.

Maybe I watched it at the wrong time.

Because I can recognize how beautiful and carefully constructed it is while also admitting that I wasn't emotionally present enough to appreciate it the way many other viewers did.

So no, I wouldn't call Fangs of Fortune a bad drama.

Quite the opposite. I think it is one of those dramas where I can understand the high ratings even though my personal experience didn't completely match them.

For me, the strongest parts were Zhao Yuanzhou, the group dynamic, the mythology, the visuals, and the emotional relationships between the characters.

The weakest were the uneven pacing, overly prolonged emotional beats, and a story that eventually became more exhausting than absorbing for me.

Maybe with a different mood, a different watching pace, or simply less C-drama burnout, I would have connected with it more.

For now, though, I'll remember it as:
A beautiful drama that I admired more than I loved.

Read More

FAV

one of my fav dramas istg…I love the fact that’s it’s so found family centred but very depressing I tell you that. I started watching when it was airing but couldn’t finish it halfway yall cus I got spoiled with the deaths it was everywhere in my fyp😭😭, I only finished it today, on the big year 2026🫠. FAWK IT KILLED ME MAN🥲💀. definitely would say hou minghao and tian jairui 100% carried with their acting. LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM AS ACTORS MAN😩👌💗 they are such good actors, definitely my top ones🤧. out of the big three(my journey to you, fangs of fortune, veil of shadows) I would still say veil of shadows would be my top one just cus it’s more romance centred which I’m a sucker for romance. I don’t necessarily hate a tragic ending cus idk why ppl are allergic to it when that makes the drama soooo good!!

Definitely would say though that it’s DRAMATIC!, it does go back in fort with the deaths trynna play with ur feelings fr. I still love the plot though, it gives intensity and impact if it’s dramatic😩👌💗

WHEN I TELL U THE SOUNDTRACK WAS PHENOMENAL! puhlease it gives such an experience when watching such an emotional scene.

.. UGHHH LET ME GO BACK TO THE ACTING MAN! Yall hou minghao just leaves such an impression on me like I’ve been his fan and did binge most of his series and I can’t get enough of him. I love the way he acts so much, and it truly shined in this series, so many difficult decisions and choices were layed out and you can just experience and SEE how complex these emotions are. Same with tian jairui, I just love their acting style so much😩😩 they always deliver for me, they understand each of their roles so well, I love it.

what makes it so depressing to me was the fact that their world is just unfair to ONLY them. the fact that their deaths are predetermined, and the fact that their soul can be completely eradicated.

Read More

moral ambiguity done right

I put this on just because recently I've been interested in Hou Ming Hao's work, I had the expectation that this drama is just about hunting demons, friendship and that it will be a comedy. Damn was I wrong and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Although it definitely is about friendship, they do hunt demons and there is humor, it is much much more deeper than that.

I'll start with my favorite part which is that finally moral ambiguity is done right. Most of what I've seen, xianxia/costume dramas have this boring/simplistic framework where good is pure, righteous; evil is demonic, corrupt and redemption is love fixes everything lol. This drama established from the start that humans can be cruel; demons are capable of love, loyalty and sacrifice, and evil is a consequence of suffering, fear and survival not identity. Humans and demons are treated as fundamentally equal - capable of the same kindness and the same brutality. That alone makes the story feel far more mature than most dramas in the genre.

Because of this, I genuinely consider Fangs of Fortune a masterpiece. The way the characters are written carries the story more than any romance ever could. In fact, I do think the drama falls short on the love aspect, and initially I wasn’t particularly keen on Wen Xiao’s character. But the more I thought about it, the more it clicked: love is intentionally secondary here. Wen Xiao is meant to feel insufficient. I think I am conditioned by dramas to expect love to heal trauma, redeem pain and provide emotional resolution. This story refuses that comfort. Love doesn’t fix everything and because of that, Wen Xiao feels incomplete, limited and sometimes frustrating… but also human.

I have to single out Zhao Yuan Zhou's character, he is neither hero or antihero. He is someone who has lived far too long, is tired and sees the world with clarity. He does not distinguish between humans and demons morally. He understands that suffering is systematic, that compassion is rarely rewarded and that goodness does not triumph simply because it exists. He is not softened into a romantic archetype. Instead, he remains exhausted, self-aware, and principled in his own quiet, devastating way. Characters like him are incredibly rare in dramas.

You don't watch this for twists, surprises and salvation, this story is for watching how tragedy unfolds and why characters make the choices that they do.

The humor worked so well, too. It didn't break the immersion and it felt like people coping, not just like writers inserting jokes haha, it was so well done.

also have to mention that the music was hauntingly beautiful
an absolutely fantastic atmospheric watch

💔

Read More

Beautifully painful

I gave everything a 10 except for rewatch value because of how much crying there is. If you're looking for an uplifting watch, this is not the show for you.
There is pain on pain on pain; almost every episode is a slow burn of tears rolling down cheeks. There's very little relief for the heart.
That being said, the production is beautiful and ensures that each character is loveable and has their own developed arc.
The cases that the crew tackle all illustrate great storytelling, are rooted in creative mythology, and all make sense when woven into the bigger picture.
10/10 drama

Read More

A very dramatic show that focuses on its characters

If you're looking for a very dramatic show that might make you cry every other episode then this is for you. Great cinematography and great music, what is more great is that it is shove up to your ear every other second LMAO

The show doesn't only explore romance but also friendship and familial love, I noticed that the show focuses more to it's characters. To Pei sijing with her brother, the useless goddess, Zhu yan's backstory, zhou yichen's hatred for demons and how they made him understand it, Bai jiu and jing lei, even the villain Li Lun. For me, I truly enjoyed watching the show digging up each character's story. It's very refreshing for me to see that each characters interacts with each other.

I enjoyed every tragic story of side characters, the water ghost and especially fei and qing geng's (I am not moving on from that).

If other shows tells you that fate can be altered, then this show says otherwise. A tragic show yet so beautiful.

Let's all act that the ending didn't happen, but still I'm kinda satisfied that they stick to killing Zhu Yan.

Read More