Intriguing Storyline, Great Fight Scenes
Usually C-Dramas especially with wuxia and even xianxia dramas the fight scenes are so cringey to me and almost hard to watch. However, the fight scenes in this drama is very executed--great CGI and exciting to watch! Very good fight scenes, I'm impressed.To premise I did not watch Dashing Youth nor did I watch The Blood of Youth, so I watched Blood River without any prior knowledge of this worlds/past characters. I came for my favorite Peng Xiao Ran and ended up staying for the storyline. Seriously, if you are looking for a storyline that's not draggy but is actually interested and will keep your interest the whole way this is the one. I will admit it is a little bit confusing when they reference other characters from DY but it did not negatively impact the storyline and I feel it is still understandable even if you haven't watched the other two dramas.
The romance is there although more subtle so keep that in mind as you're watching this drama. The focus is more on the bromance and the actually story so less of a focus on romance. With that being said the romance scenes are sweet and enough to satiate a romance lover. I knew this ahead of time before watching so I wasn't disappointed at all with the romance levels. I actually felt like it was nice that the romance wasn't too overly done. The story line felt more serious and I really enjoyed watching the companionship between the Blood River members--love them all so much! Their characters really grow on you.
I will say the ONLY disappointment I have with this drama was I was expecting my girl Peng Xiao Ran to be FL (the whole reason I started watching this drama). She didn't have as much screentime as I would've liked and I wish we could've watched more of her relationship with Tang Lian Yue (Zhang Shi An). Still worth a watch in my opinion!
Great drama, great script, great character development, and great ending! High potential for rewatch as well. ❤️
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This review may contain spoilers
The Best Adapatation in the TBOY Series
So amazing!!!! The peak level of friendly platonic bromance! And the constant subversion of expectations when your main characters are all bad guys just trying to be good.THE CHARACTERS
Su Chang He (Chuang Hua Sen's character and SML) was PERFECCCCTTTTT!!! I know everyone is agreeing that he is the standout character/actor in this show. So complicated, but ultimately motivated by such intrinsic goodness and loyalty. So willing to lay down all power, control, prestige, for his friends. Gains everyone's following and the highest leadership title so early on, and yet forever acts subservient to others. A real humble king-like character: super OP, but always taking the humblest position.
Gong Jun's character really grew on me as well! It was nice that he was not always a goody two shoes, took justice into his own hands, trusted and understood SCH so unconditionally, and only really got murderous when it was to avenge SCH.
THE FLAWS
The worst 2 parts were 1) the romance, and 2) the unrealistic way that so many people lived for the sake of loving the "art of the sword", and treated every conflict like there were no real issues of life and death or strife in the world. Like when the city is under attack and the OP guys are somewhere playing chess and just commenting on how power is changing hands right now somewhere nearby (like why don't you do something about it and lend a hand???). People have important missions and they are willing to abandon them mid-mission just to fight a "worthy opponent" (unprovoked, not their enemy, just happens to be present). And if they get defeated, they just brush it off and fly away like it was not important to begin with. Most fights have no meaning, most people live so frivolously that you wonder how their society is functioning, because who is actually earning money, doing agriculture, running the city, building infrastructure, etc?
And the romance was just such an obnoxious deterrent from the ICONIC bromances going on, every last one. The only saving grace for this is that **spoiler** none of the CPs worked out in the end ;)
BETTER THAN TBOY
But this is so much better than the other stories in this world - The Blood Of Youth and Dashing Youth - b/c there was actually some MEANING to most of the battles. The Blood River folks had a purpose for their fights and power struggles. They never just fought to test out their skills (even though some non-Blood River people did), but they were fighting to the death to gain the title of the Patriarch, and then to free themselves from their patrons, and then to gain allies to help them re-write their name in society. Always a tangible goal, and always a fight that if it was not won and both sides made it out alive and unscathed, they could not allow the other to continue. Not like TBOY where **spoiler** they had so many fights in the first 10 episodes over the guy in the coffin, and then ultimately he just walked out on his own and kept going in the direction that everyone was trying to take him to (which was the SAME direction btw, I don't even know why they had to fight in the first place).
And also, the friendships here were so real, deep, and full of history, unlike the TBOY friendships that were formed on the fly in real-time and resulted in loyalty and proclamations of brotherhood that seemed to come out of nowhere and be rooted in knowing nothing about each other, very unrealistic.
All in all, so many positives that it cancels out all of the negatives and warrants a near perfect score.
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Realistic Struggles
It surprised me in a good way. The action and atmosphere are way above average for recent wuxia. It’s not perfect emotionally and the ending doesn’t hit as hard as it could, but the brotherhood and moral grayness really stuck with me. If you like darker, plot driven wuxia more than fluffy romance, it’s absolutely worth the watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
High quality drama!! From the plot, cast, visuals, cinematography, action, everything is cool. And also the style and makeup of the actors and actresses are very beautiful. Apart from that, I like their friendship story the most, especially when they encounter a common enemy, the Anhe Family works together and overcomes it very well!!
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A refreshing take on the wuxia genre
Blood River does a fantastic job blending elements from both traditional and new wuxia genres to deliver its story. One of the most interesting thing about Blood River is that its protagonist is an assassin, which may not seem that unusual given that we've now seen many movies told from the perspective of the villain. But in the wuxia genre, having an antihero protagonist is almost unheard of.Still, this is very much an wuxia story at its heart. With all the traditional core wuxia elements of freedom and justice. Gong Jun does a splendid job as Su Muyu, taking us on his journey of growth.
Blood River is sleek, fast-paced, with very impressive fighting scenes and special effects, and an extremely addictive story line. A must-watch for all wuxia lovers.
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This is literally the best drama I have ever watched.
The fighting and the relationship between Su Muyu and Su Changhe was really good but the only thing was that the story didn’t develop how Su Muyu fell in love with Bai HeHuai and also the ending was really rushed. But it’s ok because this drama is a action drama so I wish they would have a season 2 to develop Su Muyu and Bai Hehuai’s love also maybe get a female lead to get with Su Changhe.Was this review helpful to you?
Blood River !
Best wuxia in recent memory, even when compared to Blood of Youth and Dashing Youth, BR stands above. In a world dominated by xianxia in recent years, it's great to see a wuxia that matches some of the great wuxia stories of the past.The design, the music!!! From the epic fights to the sacrifices. If you like wuxia, it is a must-watch. Gong Jun as SMY and Chang Hua Sen as SCH are just chef’s kiss. Their casting is spot on, and the way they portray these characters is fantastic.
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Blood River: Absolutely Worth Recommending
Each episode closes with a gripping cliffhanger, and the brisk pacing keeps you glued to the screen. The fight scenes are epic, though the CGI can feel a bit excessive at times. Su Muyu’s inner conflict between duty and conscience gives the story genuine emotional depth, while Gong Jun’s original voice performance is a pleasant surprise.I don’t give it a 10-star rating because the sprawling cast can be a bit hard to follow at first and the special effects occasionally feel overdone. However, the overall production is top-notch and cinematic.
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This review may contain spoilers
I really need to start reading the summary before jumping into a series. All I saw was Simon Gong in a historical drama and immediately said, “Yes!” It took me a while to get through the first 10 episodes—not because it was boring, but because there were so many details and new characters introduced that I struggled to keep up. I eventually went back to read the summary, and sure enough, it’s classic wuxia. It actually reminded me a bit of the darker tone in Bloody Romance, with its lethal elegance, shadowy atmosphere, and constant threat of assassination.Instead of making this my priority watch, I found myself putting it on in between other shows while deciding what to watch next—and because of that, I kept losing track of the story. Maybe it’s just the mood I’m in, because I usually enjoy wuxia, especially when it centers around a loyal group of friends fighting for a common cause. At one point I considered dropping it, but with so many other dramas on my list, I didn’t want to put this one on hold and risk forgetting about it completely.
One thing I genuinely appreciate, though, is the visual style. Since the story involves assassins, the overall tone is quite dark, and the bold color palette really stands out. I really love the animation and CGI!!!
This review will be ongoing, since I’m not prioritizing this series and won’t be finishing it as quickly as the other dramas I’m currently watching.
Currently scoring at 7/10 for it beautiful color, a good plot and solid cast.
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MALE LEAD cant act. He has blank face , Smile and Scrip reading mode
I am fan of Blood of Youth drama. It was one of greatest drama ever. That said dashing youth disappointed me. I thought from Poster blood river will be as good as blood of youth. But this drama has bad Male Lead. Male lead need a charisma. They are gravity needed for drama to be success. Male lead is unfit for this drama. He has three acting mode. Blank face , Smile , Script reading. He never believe in his own words.Its like we have robot.
What about others. Others are ok. Drama is average because when male lead cant act every one start to script read like its a job and get paid.
Fight scenes in blood of youth brought me goose bumps. It gets me excited
Here lets move on on to next scene. You cant invest on any character.
Is it bad drama ? Not really but its not clicking.
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Worth watching!!!
This is a Wuxia drama but it made me cry many times. Su Mu Yu and Su Chang He 's friendship is to the highest level. No one knows the Undertaker than the Ghost Umbrella. And vice versaMu Yu Mo and Tang Lian Yue really need to elaborate their story. (Despite of the age difference, the two really looks cute together. )
Happy to see a little glimpsed of the love story of Prince Langya.
And most of all, I love the ending. Su Mu Yu and Su Chang He didn't hesitate to kill the First Prince.
Wanting for more.....Pleassseeee!!!
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