Back from the Brink

Came Back from the Brink, only to fall right off it again.

This is my first drama featuring Hou Ming Hao, and honestly, I get the hype now. He’s one of the top three most beloved actors on MDL for a reason. His chemistry with Zhou Ye was disarmingly sweet—natural enough that it didn’t feel forced or sugary. In the first half, his portrayal of the cold, aloof dragon had real magnetism; he radiated that untouchable energy that pulls you in. But once the script flipped into lovestruck mode, the magic dimmed a little. Still, I’ll give him this—he rocked that white wig like Legolas' long-lost cousin from the Elven realm.

The first half of the drama had all the ingredients I love: rich world-building, quirky side plots, and Bai Xiao Sheng’s matchmaking antics that added humor and charm. Even the villain—who I absolutely loathed—was layered and interesting. It felt like a fantasy with personality, not just pretty visuals. The tone was light but not shallow, humorous but still emotionally grounded. For a while, it looked like this drama was going to be one of those rare fantasy romances that actually balances charm, character, and chaos.

Then came the second half, and it felt like someone drained the story’s lifeblood. The multi-dimensional characters flattened into plot devices, existing merely to move scenes forward instead of evolving. Only Yan Hui’s growth felt genuine—she gained nuance while everyone else lost theirs. The tone shifted from captivating to mechanical, like hot tea left to go cold. The second half also suffered from an overload of micro love plots involving tertiary characters I couldn’t bring myself to care about. Random couples were introduced, given a few scenes, and then either killed off or married off like narrative afterthoughts.

And don’t even get me started on the ending. The reunion felt like an obligatory ribbon slapped on an almost-finished gift—technically complete but emotionally hollow. Back from the Brink had all the makings of a great fantasy romance: stellar leads, beautiful visuals, and a promising start. But it never quite delivered the emotional payoff it built up to. If it had maintained the energy and tight storytelling of its first half—or trimmed the filler—it might’ve cracked my top 10. Without emotional payoff, all the pretty dragon scales in the world can’t save it. As it stands, this one hovers just below my favorite list—a beautiful near-miss that lost its fire halfway through.

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Enjoyable, but Could Have Used More Couple Scenes

Overall, it was an enjoyable watch.

Positives:

1- The visuals – Both leads are just so pretty.
2- Strong characters – The female lead isn't a damsel in distress, nor does she have childish traits. The male lead isn't a flawless, god-like figure either. Both are capable, smart cultivators, growing and evolving as they face the challenges together.
3- The central theme – The idea behind the story is quite deep, and the way the good vs. evil conflict is resolved is thought-provoking.


Negatives:

1- Missed chemistry potential – The chemistry between the leads is undeniable, but unfortunately, the drama doesn't fully take advantage of it. The couple feels flat at times, not because of the leads' performances or the story, but due to production choices.
2- Side story overload – At times, the side plots took away from the main story, making the overall narrative feel overcrowded.

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addicting, angsty, romantic journey of love and found family

I literally could not put this drama down. It just kept playing and playing, and I could not stop. It’s so addicting. Like, I have to watch til they’re back together again, which is only for a short time then they get separated, so, of course, I have to keep watching to see them reunited. The love story was AMAZING. Their chemistry was off the charts, and I was living for it.

Admittedly, there are some plot holes in the story, but it’s okay to just glaze over. Also, the characters are supposed to have such strong power, but when it comes to it, they get defeated somehow ??? And how was Suying that strong ??? Like I really wanna know what ms girl was on.

Yanhui definitely going down as one of my favorite female leads. Although she didn’t have that much power in the beginning, she still had a strong character. When she did get more powerful, she was such a girlboss. Sometimes, the power wasn’t powering, but I can forgive those parts for the final battle.

Tianyou is great too, but not as good as Yanhui. He would give up his life so many times, and he was an absolute sweetheart. My take on the stabby stabby controversy: he could’ve at least told her the plan. Like, I get he was clouded by his emotions, but anyone would be mad if they were stabbed. I’m glad he had a recovery arc.

Also, another thing that pissed me off so much was the Master Lingxiao person. Like, after what he did to Yunhui, everyone was defending him. I’m like ??? Were you there with us? Did you not see what happened?? I think she forgave him a little too easily because I would’ve definitely been okay if she went back and murdered him…. Just saying.

** major major spoilers **

Okay, so I KNOW that wasn’t the ending. Like, directors, let’s be so for real here. You could’ve added FIVE MINUTES to explain what happened. Since you didn’t, I’ll make one up for you. So, Tianyou finally finds Yanhui, who’s been reincarnated as a human with her memory intact. Over time, she can cultivate to immortality and they all live together happily ever after forever more. The end. See???? That’s not that hard now is it.

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Heart tugging drama

While I was waiting for more Love in the Clouds episodes, I decided to start watching this. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from it. The song intro pulled me in, though. And I watched Zhou Ye in Legend of the Female General and loved her in that drama. I’ve never seen Back from the Brink spoilers on my feed so it was good that I had no idea what to expect. I saw how Hou Ming Hao acted in Love in the Clouds, so I was a little confused why his acting was a bit wooden here. But you know what? I think that was just from the start because his character needs to be cold after what happened to him. At the beginning, the taoist, Suying from Guanghan sect, was supposed to marry Tianyao, the millennium dragon king. Suying, the evil witch, stabbed him when they met saying their wedding day was his funeral. She dismembered his dragon body and sealed his soul. She wanted the heart protecting scale for the dragon armor she wanted to forge to give to the one she truly loves. It was so painful to watch and I actually cried when the little elves who look like little birds shaped like balls flew around him to patch his scales back. Then Suying killed them. I cried buckets. He made sure Suying wouldn’t be able to get what she wants, so he combined his core along with his heart protecting scale and threw it far away where she wasn’t able to find it. The heart protecting scale ended up with Yanhui, a baby that was abandoned in a basket. Yanhui was saved by the sect leader of Chen Xing mountain and she grew up there and learned a lot of things. I love Yanhui and how brave she was. She had an affinity for monsters. She wasn’t judgmental for who they are. Because of that, the other sect members ridiculed her. The two met and he found out that she has his heart protecting scale. They helped each other along the way and formed a bond. I actually ended up loving this drama. It really tugged on my heart strings especially when she confessed her feelings to him and he just rejected her. He was badly hurt by Suying, so it’ll take time for him to accept love from other people. He doesn’t want to fall in love anymore. Then Tianyao stabbed her twice and she ended up being traumatized whenever he approached her. He had to do that for two good reasons. I was just glad that they got over that and she began trusting him again. When he sacrificed his life by using the life swapping spell to save her, I was like OMG NO DO NOT DIE PLEASE!! You know how much he cares for her. After he dissipated, he turned back into an egg. She went back to Chen Xing mountain to gather all his consciousness. She cared for the dragon egg and it was so cute when the little horns came out. There was so many funny scenes throughout the drama, like when he was taking a bath, Yanhui opened the window and started watching him, then when he hatched from his egg, she looked under the sheets to make sure he wasn’t missing any limbs. She had a big smile on her face after looking, knowing he was naked under the sheets. She’s so silly, I love her. The second male lead was pretty good. Up until the end he really gave himself credit for being a matchmaker between Tianyao and Yanhui. It’s just sad that her Master died but I’m glad she learned the truth and he died protecting the people. He was the only father figure in her life. We didn’t even get to know her origins, like who were parents? Well, I’m actually upset at the ending. It wasn’t satisfying and I’m crying as I speak. They could’ve cut the memory flashbacks and showed more scenes with them at the end. This reminded me of some past dramas where they get reunited for like a minute after one died and got reincarnated. Geez. Anyway, I still enjoyed it regardless. The music was pretty good and it makes my heart bleed with sadness. The whole crew did a wonderful job despite the ending.

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A MASTERPIECE INDEED!!

I love the cast, the storyline, and OSTS..


Back from the Brick is an underrated Chinese gem that hits all the right emotional chords. From the very first episode, it draws you into a raw yet tender narrative that’s both heartbreaking and healing. The story follows a former delinquent who tries to rebuild his life after years of chaos, finding unexpected warmth and purpose in the most unlikely places. What sets this drama apart is its grounded storytelling every character feels incredibly real, flawed, and deeply human.

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The good, the bad, and the rest...

To start off, this drama took me two tries to get into. After the first fifteen episodes though, it was - for the most part - smooth sailing.

To be quite fair to this drama, it was actually pretty enjoyable from episode fifteen to probably around thirty-ish. I really liked the characters, the relationships, the plotline, and the love story is pretty chefs kiss. The way Tianyao looked at Yanhui was enough to steal even a dragons breath away. The villains were extra villainous too. Proper evil and enough to send any sane person to a mental asylum for some much needed tlc.

That being said, the problem lies in the length and the script. This could have been concluded in probably thirty episodes or even less, and if the two villains, and even the "good" guys left the main pairing alone, maybe less than that. It became a game of waiting for the same event to happen, the same sacrifice to take place, the same villain to show up with their evil cape of misunderstanding, and worst of all, angst just for the sake of angst to the point it legitimately didn't make sense no matter how many times I rewatched a scene. It became a game of suspend your belief and bolster your patience down, and not in a nice way.

By the end, and I was genuinely enjoying it up until the last ten episodes at which point I just wanted to push through, I really just wanted it to be over. Even the ending was personally lackluster and once again lacking in explanation. The only plus is the main couple and the fact that the actor for Tianyao is extremely lovely to look at + his acting is very enjoyable. Other than that, I'm not sure I can recommend this unless you don't mind repetitive villains, overused tropes, and have an immense amount of patience.

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I CAN HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS DRAMA when you are bored with standard scenarios! :)

This is definitely not the best one that you can watch, but still worth your time. especially when you don't have anything else to watch.

+ The story is unique. Every character has the reason to be who they are. No one is only on the right or bad side. This fact makes everything stick to the whole point of this drama - no one is born evil or good - we re making our own path, thanks to our words and actions.
+ It is really touching and funny. It is always subjective - you will like it or hate it.
+ I adore the simple ending. I personally think, that we are left with something unspoken and in the same time everything was said. Some people in reviews said, that they wish, that the ending was longer, but it will be to cheesy and unnecessary. During the drama, characters said lots of the things about their future together, and you can simply imagine what could happen, if the story was continued.

- Sometimes I couldn't stand the LMD. At the beginning everything was fine, he was helpful and funny, but later it became creepy.
- I felt that in some parts the story were too fast, and in some episodes it was going slow. Especially in the end, when she was having those dragon powers again. Where did it came from? Why she realised it so fast? Why did she died? I remember one hint about "good" power coming to her unexpectedly, but for me it wasn't enough. When the final battle is happening you should have those breathtaking moments, tears, empowerment, joy or sadness. I was feeling that this drama, has many emotional moments, so I understand that is really hard to make better and better scenes, but the beginning and ending should be the cheery on top. They should add something more unexpected.

In conclusion: Good drama. Good chemistry. Nice CGI. Amazing actors.

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Strong Performances in a Weak Storyline

This drama was fairly average overall, standing out mainly because of the excellent performances by both the lead and supporting actors. The cast carried the film with genuine effort and emotion, which made it watchable despite its flaws.

However, the storyline lacked depth and engagement, failing to keep the viewer fully invested. The fight sequences were overly long and repetitive, and the romantic moments felt underdeveloped and unconvincing.

While it doesn’t offer much in terms of plot or freshness, it’s still worth a watch for the main leads, whose performances bring some life to an otherwise forgettable drama.

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Finding the light in darkness

This is a story about a Dragon King who was cruelly betrayed and dismembered by his love and a girl who was expelled from her cultivation sect. Unknown to them, their fates have been intertwined from long ago. Their fateful meeting leads them on a journey searching for his lost body parts, while maintaining the light in a world that has been clouded by evil and darkness.

Highlights:
- The main leads: I watched this drama mainly because of HMH and ZY. They literally look like they walked straight out of a manhua with beautiful aesthetics and chemistry. Those who are like me may find themselves shipping the two like Bai Xiao Sheng (haha). The actors were perfect for their roles, and the characters they portrayed were endearing. Among the many xian xia's I've watched, Yan Hui is one of the few female leads I admire - for her courage, compassion, and for being true to herself from the beginning to end. It was refreshing to see a female lead who plays the protector. The development and love story between the two was what kept me engaged in the series. I appreciated the more 'mature' relationship illustrated by Yan Hui and Tian Yao, especially with the way they navigated the trauma Tian Yao carried. They were each other's pillars of strength in their most vulnerable moments. Their relationship is a great example of how two people can bring out the best in each other. I hope to see HMH and ZY in another series one day!
- The OST: This drama had a solid soundtrack. You just CANNOT go wrong with Zhou Shen and Liu Yu Ning. I also really liked HMH's OST, he has a beautiful voice.
- The themes and lessons in the story: This drama touches on how each person has both light and darkness in their hearts, and which parts we nurture is ultimately our choice. We get to see this theme illustrated through each character's journey, as well as, through their relationships with others. It was touching and meaningful.

The 'meh':
- The storyline: As much as I love the main leads and their love story, the plot was not anything unique. The plot fillers, cheesy scenes, and flashbacks were sometimes a little too much. Some parts felt draggy and uneventful. After reading snippets of the novel, I can see why some people commented that they had watered down the characters and the storyline. It's unfortunate because I would love to see the darker and more complex story come to life, but can understand the limitations due to censorship and other reasons (simplified for the viewing experience). However, I did not want to be too nit picky this time around because I watched it mainly because of the actors - just to have a simple 'easy' watch. If you don't focus on the details and just come for the love story between the leads, then it is still enjoyable.

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