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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A nice little surprise with a bunch of shortcomings
So I started this out not really having any expectations and it has pleasantly surprised me. The humor was quite good (even the more sillier ones were quite funny), I actually don't hate the FL-she's quite likable in fact, the story was interesting...somewhat. The really good thing about this was that some plot points were quite fun to watch, it didn't bore me (well the parts with the ML and FL at least), like I was genuinely enjoying it. I'm mentioning this particularly because I am also watching like 7 other dramas at the same time and though some of them are good, they made me lose interest and get bored really quickly. My ADHD is flaring up for some reason so I'm constantly seeking another drama to watch on the side to cure this painful sickness (╥﹏╥). For this drama I started to get bored around the late mid section where I skipped over a bunch of side character scenes and watched the rest of the show in 2.5X speed (lighting-speed subtitle reading skill development practice lol). Literally didn't lose any important info at all.Favorite part without spoilers: baby dragon! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡
Now the bad: the acting of the FL was quite good but everyone else's acting (including the ML from like the mid section onwards) was a bit cringy and unconvincing. I feel like ML is good at stoic and angry scenes while quite bad at romantic scenes like I don't buy it with his expressions. The costumes were okay, nothing too awe-worthy, and ew the CGI was so bad. But the worst thing this series had was the amount of times someone *dies* then comes back to life. Like you'd have a very sad scene and then literally the next scene its just like poof! nope, that didn't just happen sike!! (although... this is a common thing in a lot of xianxia/wuxia tbf which I think should be stopped because it takes all the weight away from the previous scene) And don't even get me started on the ending for the villains, every single one of them felt anti-climatic and I just sat there like (⊙_⊙) "that's it??? ain't no way???" There were so many 'oh we defeated the villain, just swatted them away like a fly, oh wait, no, their alive, how can that be, lets swat at them again!' moments I lost count. The ending of the story... well, while not bad, left much to be desired.
Overall, its a nice light-hearted series to watch especially if you are in a slump!
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A beautiful romance blossoms in the mist of devilry and obsession
The villains in this were the absolute worst. Infuriating, especially the self righteous and hypocritical female villain. Suying was obsessed with a man who DID.NOT.WANT.HER. She committed some pretty vicious acts to "keep" him, including torturing that poor soul who was the object of her obsession. Her behavior was selfish and reprehensible. It was extremely frustrating that her demise wasn't nearly as painful as it should've been.The romance in this was epic though. Tianyou and Yanhui encountered much adversity throughout their relationship but always had each other's backs. Even when they were just friends, they would move heaven and earth to protect each other. Not only that, they had a deep connection and an awesome working relationship, which made their love story one for the ages. The side romances were well done as well and added nice layers to the main plot.
I will say though, the SML, Bai Xiao, was not as endearing as I think the writers wanted him to be. He was helpful and fun to start, but after a while he got annoying and eventually became a straight up interloper to the OTP. At times, he almost ruined the progress of the main couple. He became so annoying that about halfway through the series I was ready for him to disappear and never return.
The acting in this was very good. Zhou Ye, the FL, was fantastic. Excellent acting on her part. The main plot was interesting. The leads had good chemistry as did the side characters. The romance was lovely. Though it could've used a LOT more PDA, but this is a C-drama so PDA will be scarce. Lol. The ending was satisfactory, but could've been given much more of the OTP. They were married twice and never got a moment of intimacy. Huge omission by the writers, which was so disappointing considering how much the leads loved each other. Overall this was a great series though. Definitely worth re-watching.
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Im torn on this one
I am enjoying the comedy parta of this drama that is for sure. I find myself torn in regards to the love story. The Dragon has been hurt by the last person he looked so I get why he's so guarded. It just feels like he shows very little to know emotion regarding the female lead. He can stab her in the heart with little regard for her life. I get that happening in the beginning, but to do that with no emotions regarding her to save his little elves kind of bothers me. Hope that in time this will change, but for now I'm not too fond of this Love story.Was this review helpful to you?
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Very good first half, then it kind of falls apart
I absolutely loved this initially, I really liked the dynamic between characters, and it felt like most of the main leads were all pretty smart. However, later on, TY makes a mistake and the fl and him separate, that’s where everything started to fall apart for me, the plot started to not make the most sense anymore, it wasn’t that interesting, and imo BXS falling for the fl was uncalled for and unnecessary. I do think that it’s still good I just personally wasn’t able to finish it. I also do think that TTEOTM set the bar high for dramas with similar plot.Was this review helpful to you?
Dismembered Dragon Lives On
This is my impression having seen the first ten episodes of this Xanxia:It's not bad. It's watchable, and might even be..... * gasp* interesting!
Neo Hou isn't the most charismatic or versatile of actors. He only has two facial expressions, and, even when playing a character with a lot of power, he still ends up giving the impression of the nice guy next door, rather than a strong presence to be reckoned with. He has the presence of a short, nice guy who wouldn't necessarily win in an actual physical fight, but who is a nice guy, so you would cheer him on nonetheless. I bet some stubble would go a long way in improving his overall look. Nothing wrong with being androgynous, but it doesn't suit a character that is suppose to possess any type of strong mental or physical power. Lots of actors have femininity about them, but they are able to create a certain masculinity through characterization, other than just scowling. I don't dislike Neo Hou as an actor, and there are certainly much worse actors in Chinese Dramaland, but I offer this critique because I think it's valid. Certainly I find it difficult to dislike any actor who gives off such a positive "nice guy" vibe like this actor does. Can't help but notice his nose looks fake to me.
Our villainess is possibly the best written character out of the lot. She embodies all the negative aspects of female entitlement, greed, dictatorship, and manipulation, all in order to sooth the wound of being rejected and all as a cover for her low self-esteem. I found myself thinking this is possibly the best written antagonist I have seen in a Chinese Drama of the fantasy genre. The actress playing the villainess does such a great job here, despite being an icy and stoic person, she still succeeds in creating a rounded character.
Moving on, our FL, optimistic, naive, and even bubbly without being the village idiot. Well done to our FL and writers for writing a FL who is young without acting like a toddler. Our ML, though obviously supposed to be hundreds of years older than our FL, maintains a youthfulness about him so that the relationship never feels creepy or incestuous in any way. So far, so good. Doesn't seem like a really special drama, but doesn't seem bad either. Right now, it really feels "middle of the road", which is really good when it comes to the Xanxia genre. No characters I want to strangle have appeared so far. I hope the drama continues in this manner. Yes, the extras with the alien creatures masks on are totally cringeworthy, but I don't really expect a small budget production to be able to afford extensive CGI, and what CGI characters there are incredibly tacky, cartoonish, and out of place. Why they didn't just make them recognizable animal spirit characters from Chinese Mythology is beyond me, but that's OK. Story is what matters overall.
6.5 dragon horns out of 10.
Edit: It's getting boring now, and it's only at the eleventh episode. I might drop it now. The major obstacles have already been dealt with.
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Addictive Wuxia series, with Neo Hou, for binge watchers!
Superb Wuxia with Neo Hou as ML and Zhou Ye as FL, both awesome.PLOT: The Duo / Couple with a ML (Dragon King deprived of his powers) and a FL (expelled from her sect), go in search of the dismembered parts of the Dragon God to reconstitute his powers and fight against evils. They are joined by a third guy, a Shadow Spirit (forgot his name :) inhabited by a demonic aura.
PROS:
+ Well-written story, like a “video game quests” with puzzles and obstacles to overcome to move on to the next level.
+ lively and intense CL interactions
+ dynamic narration, without length.
+ Very good casting with many experienced actors
+ Video game quality CGI
CONS:
- Final battle not very coherent (Dragon God at full power, who no longer really has the power to destroy the Great Evil) even though he was the main threat to it ?
- Happy ending a little short and not very coherent: FL reincarnated after 15 years, but who looks like she's 25 and who has all the memories of ML???
=> (very long) rewind of the entire storyline in episode 38.
There are 40 episodes of 35-40 minutes, but the episodes seem too short...
Almost a masterpiece (if the finale had been better).
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Super Wuxia avec Neo Hou en ML et Zhou Ye en FL, tous les 2 géniaux.
PLOT : Duo / Couple ML Dragon King privé de ses pouvoirs et FL expulsée d'une secte, partent en quête des parties démembrées du Dieu Dragon pour reconstituer ses pouvoirs et lutter contre les evils. Ils sont rejoints par un 3e larron, Esprit Shadow habité par une aura démoniaque.
PROS:
+ Story bien écrite, du type "jeu vidéo de quête" avec énigmes et obstacles à surmonter pour passer au niveau suivant.
+ interactions du CL vives et intenses
+ narration dynamique, sans longueur.
+ Très bon casting avec beaucoup d'acteurs chevronnés
+ CGI de qualité Jeu Vidéo
CONS:
- Bataille finale pas très cohérente (Dieu Dragon qui n'a plus vraiment de pouvoir pour détruire le Great Evil) alors qu'il constituait la menace principale) ?
- Happy ending un peu courte et pas très cohérente : FL réincarnée après 15 ans, mais qui a l'air d'en avoir 25 et qui a tous les souvenirs du ML ???
=> reconstitution chronologique de toute la storyline dans l'épisode 38.
Série addictive, pour binge watchers ! Il y a 40 épisodes de 35-40 minutes, mais les épisodes paraissent trop courts...
Almost a masterpiece (si le final avait été meilleur).
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It was an okay watch
truth be told i think THEOM(Till The End Of The Moon) broke me like this c drama couldn't hit all the emotional notes i was hoping for don't get me wrong i did enjoy it but it was an okay watch. I don't want to write the wrong thing cause we all have our own perspectives on things and the last thing i wanna do is make someone turn away from a show they will enjoy. So it does end in tragedy but it doesn't leave a sour taste but the ending seems opening ending cause FL is there in the mortal world. I enjoy tragedy Let get that out of the way this may have looked like it ended in tragedy but not really because like i said the ML found FL in the mortal world. Which is why i said it was an okay watch. i like a good tragedy but this couldn't make it don't get me wrong the story, acting, and music were all good but honestly, i think THEOM broke me like i don't feel sad when watching this like Jesus i was ready to get my tissues but my eyes just got watery no tear much less tears drop. I feel like this was a comedy because it did get me to crack up anytime is see Bai Xiao Sheng(Riley Wang) scenes he is the comic relief.Was this review helpful to you?
The film is good
I want Neo hao with Dilraba dilmurat collab.mungkin dengan mereka berdua bekerjasama dalam film akan banyak yg suka karena akting mereka sangat luar biasa, sama-sama ganteng dan cantik sangat cocok.
aku suka peran wanita difilm ini cukup cantik tapi lebih suka jika Dilraba dilmurat yg bermain film bersama Neo hao.
difilm ini cukup puas menonton nya, tetapi ending nya kurang greget kurang romantis, jadi agak tidak rela kalau ending nya seperti itu, kalau bisa lebih romantis lagi.
untuk sutradara mohon bikin film Dilraba dan Neo hou untuk bekerja sama.
berharap dilraba dan Neo bisa collabs.
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Wonderful fantasy with pain and payments. Loved Railey Wang and Huo minghao
It is one good dreams that I have on my re-watch list. The rise of the plot from being a passionate dragon in love to taking revenge on that kinda species.I have a few episodes downloaded which I like to watch to ignite the fire and love in me.
The respect and gratitude that FL has for other species helps her gain trust from the Dragon. She doesn't betray him evn at her darkest which enhances the plot . The acting of each character,the Dragon ,the Shadow spirit played by Railey Wang are the best..
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A tale of Betrayal and How to Regain Your Glory After Experiencing the Brink of Death
Back from the Brink has a simple story plot, a handicapped dragon in search of his missing parts due to an ex betrayal.This simplicity is its strength.The FL is hilarious and is not portrayed as a weak and dumb girl like most of FLs in these types of dramas. She has her own mind and personality. She speaks what she wants, and will obtain what she wants through thick or thin.Yan Hui is a gem. She kicks ass, is honest and protects our dragon. Although she also grows as a person on their journey she is the rock that braces the storm. She is steadfast and true to herself, not to mention straightforward, brave and hilarious. She takes a lot of rejection from TY early on but she is not a push over and Tian Yao has to fight for her to get back in her good graces. There are a few instances where she wasn't the smartest cookie around, but I think that was mostly played for comedic effect. Most of the time she is smart and thoughtful.
ML is a dragon king who was betrayed and dismembered by his lover 20 years ago and is now reborn.He is reborn and seeks out Yan Hui, who holds a piece of his soul (the Heart Protecting Scale), to help him find the rest of his body and regain his power.He initially uses Yan Hui for his own purposes, but over time, they develop a strong bond of trust and love.
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