Too much romance and comedy, and 2nd ML smile was enough to kill me
just beautiful masterpiece, light hearted drama if you're suffering from till the end of moon you can go for it, FL is kinda immature and weak in beginning but afterwards she do behaves like intelligent one, i love the opening ost just like the chef's kiss. i like the concept that fl never betrayed the ML and made him realize that true love do exist.and all the 2nd 3rd love story going on didn't had any argument and fight they were sweet to each other which i love about this drama as it didn't give the viewers any heart wrenching scenes except ml and fl love story
happy ending with beautiful costumes worth giving a try 👍
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I want to erase my memory to be able to experience this drama again for the first time
Where do I start, I have only superlatives to say about this drama. I jumped onto watching as soon as I recognized Zhou Ye, I loved her so much in Word of Honour. Neo Hou is so adorable, such a great actor too. The character of Bai Xiao Sheng has my heart (can I have him if he's still single /jk). Now, I'm the type of person who always questions actions and storyline. Would this character do this, why did this character not catch this thing happening since he usually knows about everything in the city, why did they do such a gut punch with the storyline etc. And you know what? Such questions never once crossed my mind once when I was watching Back from the Brink! It is such an exceptionally well executed story, I love it with all my heart. The story is so well paced, the storyline is interesting, the acting is top tier, the effects and costumes are superb. The drama is adorable, it's cute, it's lovey-dovey, it's goofy and funny but also has action in the right spots. It was exactly what needed at the time I was watching it. What I especially liked, there wasn't a moment in the storyline where writers would do a "reversing the car on the highway because you missed an exit" turn of the storyline. Just.... I really highly recommend this drama to anyone. It even has a good ending! And one last note, get your tissues ready for the final episode, I teared up so much.Was this review helpful to you?
A Must Watch for lovers of Wuxia-Romance drama!!!
I have watched plenty of Romance, Wuxia dramas but this one has surpassed them allDespite all the issues n problems it always gives a positive vibe and hope....The chemistry of the leads is beyond amazing..both are strong sensible and always protected each other which is rare to find in dramas...Leads have done a phenomenal job in portraying different shades of their character, even side characters are quite amazing and add value to the plot...The story is super engaging and truly well directed...OST is breathtaking!!
I am highly impressed with the drama...The only thing I kind of missed in this was a good kissing scene.
I highly highly recommend this to everyone...Not a single person will disappoint investing time in this for sure
My Rating - 9.5/10
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Amazing
Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me. Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust meWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The Pain of Betrayal and How to Regain Your Glory After Experiencing the Brink of Death
Back From the Brink is one of my favorite xianxia dramas. I admit that there's a little loophole in the plot, but it doesn't defect me from enjoying it. So, now let us venture into the intriguing plot and characters!Back From the Brink is adapted from one of Jiu Lu Fei Xiang's novel 'Hu Xin' which literally means protect the heart. It tells the interspecies romance of Tian Yao (once a legendary and ancient dragon) and Yan Hui (a freshly expelled Taoist cultivator). On Tian Yao's wedding day, his lover (Su Ying) dismembered him and sealed the entire parts of his body separately. In a final despair attempt, Tian Yao managed to gouge his dragon heart and sent it away before Su Ying could take action. He later died and possessed a body of a dead boy, trying to get back his body parts by hook or by crooks. Not long after that, Tian Yao encountered a bold yet cheerful former Taoist cultivator, Yan Hui, who coincidentally possessed Tian Yao's dragon heart. At first, they seemingly played the cat-and-mouse game as Yan Hui was adamant of Tian Yao's plan to use her with the purpose of getting his body. As the story progressed, Yan Hui slowly started to be attracted by Tian Yao and so did he. Just like the saying goes, if you've never encountered failure, how could you move on to become the better you? So, this drama depicts this saying in an excellent way. Nevertheless, the leads regained their dignities after encountering a lot of dangers in their adventure and nearly being in the slump of death multiple times.
As a novel reader, the story doesn't deviate very much except for the introduction of the shadow ghost (Bai Xiaosheng). At first, he might seem to be freaking annoying due to his interference of the main leads' relationship. Thank God I'm proved wrong. He was the CATALYST that would lead Tian Yao and Yan Hui to form a deeper bond which is more than just friends and companions. Also, he had numerous antics which would make me laugh like a lunatic. If I'm not mistaken, there was no Fu Yin (lord of the dark aura) in the novel. I guess it was made up for this drama. I'm not sure but I didn't like his character very much. Moreover, his backstory wasn't properly explained which led to the confusion of the watchers. I get that Fu Yin was a lonely person with only Xue Lin (a former Taoist cultivator who would eventually marry the fox king) as his companion. After Xue Lin got married, he began to resent everything in this world and turned evil. Is that all the writers have got? I wish we could see more about Fu Yin's flashback and how he transformed into the lord of dark aura.
Don't get me started at the ending! It was a SUPER LACKLUSTER! After a series of twist and turn, the writers decided to cram everything into the last episode and the KISS in the last scene was the prove of a happy ending?? Come on, we need more than just a kiss. At least, you can explain how Yan Hui was reincarnated again and found Tian Yao in the mortal world. Because of this reason and the above one, I will have to dock one point off the story.
Actings and chemistry are all fine. I've got no problem with that. What I like the most is the bickering relationship between Tian Yao and Yan Hui - there's always something they could debate of. Meanwhile, second couple (Xian Ge and Feng Qianshuo) have a more mature relationship and constantly support each other either financially or emotionally. Third couple (Huan Xiaoyan and Zhu Li) has a worse bickering relationship than the first couple and they seem to be pretty chaotic when they're together. Special mention to the fourth couple (Su Ying and Lu Musheng) who has one-sided love effect and the latter doesn't reciprocate thingy.
Guess I will end my rant until here. Although there're several cons, you can still watch it peacefully since it's a light-hearted xianxia compared to the angsty one (for instance, Till the End of the Moon). Happy watching and good luck.
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侠 (“Xia”) in essence - protecting what matters
Back from the Brink (BFTB) has a simple story plot - a handicapped dragon in search of his missing parts due to an ex betrayal.This simplicity is its strength. Within 10 mins of the show, BFTB has told us what we need to know about the background context, Yan Hui’s (YH) personality, and how she is interlinked with Tian Yao (TY) in his quest. Straightforward with no filters. (Yes, those cute little loyal genies aren’t filters.) Their meet cute were hilarious and logical - a rare combination in many stories these days.
The best part of this light hearted series is Yan Hui’s character. I love how YH is kind, but isn’t a Mary Sue. She trusts people yet will not allow others manipulate her. She has a protective instinct towards those being bullied, but rightfully, affirms her priorities and will say No to requests that she doesn’t want to do. She is decisive and quick witted. What a healthy role model! I also particularly love how direct and expressive YH is. While a lot of credit is due to the screenwriter, I got to applaud the actress, Zhou Ye, who managed to strike that right balance for YH’s character. Her portrayal of YH adds a lot of points to made this character so likeable.
TY’s character is also done with care. Although he was betrayed by his ex in such a cruel way, and had to experience a lot of pain for losing his body parts, I love how he didn’t project his hurt to others. Sure, he was reserved and cautious with strangers, and was a handful to deal with. Beneath the reserved exterior, I can see his kindness, strength and wilfulness, befitting of the only Millennium Dragon in the story. His journey of redemption was slow, painful and can be frustrating at times to watch - but hey, isn’t the struggle and growth the whole point of a great character.
Main characters aside, I love the representation of each story arcs and the key characters in them as YH and TY journeyed to gather the latter’s missing parts. I love Xiange’s determination and stance in protecting what she believes in. I admire Lu Mu Sheng’s loyalty towards his wife, even if they did not expound on it. I respect Qing Qiu’s key characters’ belief and protection towards peace. While it is a stretch to understand Su Ying’s and her sister’s respective obsession (I suppose that’s why they are family), I can accept that there are characters like these and feel pain for them. And of course, how can one not love the little genies and children at dragon valley - how innocent and cute.
Most importantly of all, there were timely injects of humors and heartfelt moments throughout BFTB, making this xian xia my favorite of this year.
OST wise, it took me awhile to like them. The cute CGI style could be a make or break for some audience. And while I personally like the story plot is simple, it may be too light of a taste for those who are looking for brilliant plot twists or dramatic moments in stories.
At the core of it, BFTB makes us think harder about our prejudices (if any) towards people who are of different class, differentiating between love and obsession, the implications of choices and trade-offs (i.e. What it means sacrificing one life to save the world), how to embody the value, 侠 (“Xia”) chivalry, and what protecting truly means.
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The storyline line is at good normal pace and not too draggy at all..although i sometimes dont understand some lines here and there might be lost through translations.
The ML and FL are really good looking so its a bonus. They convey some of the emotions very well especially the comedy part.
Music and ost are just special it conveys their feelings perfectly.
Dont want to give too much spoilers but its worth a watch. I dont like going back and rewatch stories but this one i can go back and rewatch over and over without losing interest. I understand some people dropped this due to releasing time but its really worth a watch..you will not regret watching the ML his character is very well done and admirable not too obsessed over the FL. The FL is one of the most kind and understandable you'll ever find so this review deserves more than enough from me
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This review may contain spoilers
Friendship to lovers
This xianxia drama is one of a kind. The best one so far for me.The good side:
Storyline:
good pacing not too draggy, although some may find it going by too fast.
They stay on the original plot and some side stories and side characters add to the original plotline which is great.
The main leads relationships are the healthiest ive ever seen in xianxia so far. They wrap their misunderstanding pretty quickly and not toxic at all.
The FL is pretty powerful, she saved the ML so many times during the story and vice versa. They initially hated and distrust each other but their love for each other grew slowly and not forced.
Acting:
Neo Hou and Zhou Ye are really pretty and pleasing to the eye which is a bonus. Their acting are not cringey at all especially the ML acting as a baby 😍.
Song:
Great choices of songs the main lead himself sang one of the ost. Zhou Shen as well which ia really good.
Down side:
I try not to be biased as i possibly can because i really like this drama.
This is a low budget drama so the CGI is not the very best but it also adds to the storyline which i find it funny
Initially, i thought the ML acting wasnt the best but towards the end of the story i can understand his emotions really well, so just a matter of patients and understanding what they are trying to convey.
Anyways if you dont like the drama then you wouldnt like it...but hoping for a HE 🤞
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A refreshingly fun xianxia about ordinary people that doesn't take itself too seriously
Don't let the modest budget fool you. This is a surprisingly decent xianxia. A breath of fresh air from the angst-glutted melodramas of most modern xianxias, Back from the Brink wisely keeps the storyline strong but simple- there are no gods or demons, no heavenly politics, no protagonists who are secretly gods/goddesses/princes/princesses/calamities that will bring about the end of the world (side-eyeing The Starry Love, The Legend of Chongzi, TTEOTM and the currently airing Beauty of Resilience and that's just from this year...) This is a story about a dragon boy and a human girl who meet and inevitably fall in love. We have Tianyao (Hou Minghao), our Millennium Spirit Dragon who comes with some serious emotional baggage - he was jilted at the altar and dismembered in the most gruesome way possible by his sociopathic ex keen on using his skin to make an immortality suit for her true loved one. To counter our broody, revenge-seeking dragon, we have the cheerful, glib-tongued Yan Hui (Zhou Ye), a cultivator who's kicked out of her sect for standing up for what's right. Through a twist of fate, Yan Hui inherits the Heart Protection Scale - the final and most critical piece of Tianyao's armor, making her existence simultaneously desired and tenuous as multiple parties - Tianyao included - want the scale for their own agendas.Drama strengths: Excellent chemistry between the two leads. I was already familiar with Zhou Ye's work in Word of Honor and am pleased to see her take on the challenge of a main role. I was not impressed with Hou Minghao's past work (Psych-Hunter and Lost Tomb 2 were just ok to me) but this project has really improved his acting chops and his microexpressions have gotten much better. It was very satisfying to see both of their characters grow and mature to complement the other. The writing itself is also very solid and the internal logic overall is surprisingly sound. Nothing groundbreaking but themes of choice, transformation, kindness vs power, what does it mean to be good/evil are consistent. Except for a blip where the writers deviated from the novel and made some Choices from ep 16-22, most characters' motivations and actions make sense. This is also one of the few xianxias where supporting characters are actually thoughtfully fleshed out rather than as artlessly discarded plot devices (cough cough TTEOTM). I appreciated the variety in the couples explored, both for the young and also the widowed (or for one unfortunate character, Lu Musheng, who has the dubious honor of both). The OST is actually great. Costuming details and set designs were also decent, considering the budget that they had to work with. I liked the styling and make-up of the characters - it was very clean and natural and not overdone.
Drama weaknesses: Ok, the CGI ranges from laughably bad to okay at best but I would say the production team spent their money wisely. I'd rather sacrifice the visuals than the writing. The ending is also a little abrupt (the last episode is noticeably a solid 3 minutes shorter than the average episode duration) which leaves me wondering if they just ran out of money and leaves quite a few unanswered questions but rest assured that the ending itself is surprisingly a happy one.
Fans who are looking for more physically demonstrative signs of on-screen intimacy will likely found our main couple to be too chaste. I personally did not have a problem with this since I don't believe characters need to vigorously make out with each other to show intimacy but that's just my two cents.
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This review may contain spoilers
Do not be tricked, it is not labeled as comedy, but it is. Back from the Brink is so comical I don’t remember how many times I laughed and cried and went back to laughing again. I truly think in this series Zhou Ye as the lead won me over. I last saw her in Word of Honor. I remembered her character because of the sad ending of her love story and her bratty attitude. I really wasn’t expecting much from her in this series but she proved me wrong. Let's not forget Riley Wang, man I adore his character in here. I bet the both of them had a ball behind the scenes seeing how funny they were. Back from the Brinks opens with a betrayal on a couple’s wedding night. Because of this, it captivated my attention at the beginning, and I had to continue with the series. His body parts and heart are torn and sealed away in different places. ML and FL later meet, with ML finding out FL has his heart. Their journey starts as they try to find the rest of his body parts leading to meeting funny, loving individuals and losing individuals they love.
What I love about this series:
The cinematography and the beautiful cgs.
The side characters. You can’t help but grow to love some of them. I still can’t believe Zuo Ye is in here!!!!
The storyline.
FL acting and her character
Riley’s character
Lot of scenes that will make you laugh and cry all within the same episode.
What I didn’t like:
Felt super long, I just finished Love you Seven time so I was expecting a pace similar to that but this one felt long and I skipped a lot.
Let's be honest, how many of us were ready to go head-to-head with Su Ying's character. Just had to put it out there :D
Neo acting. There were just some moments where I felt he could have done more but he kept himself in check a lot and thought about appearance more than acting. But that is just my personal thoughts.
Recommended if you are looking for the next wuxia to watch. Also, recommended if you are a fan of Neo and Zhou Ye or Riley. I think they come a long way
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If there were a few things, it would be what I mentioned in the beginning. Slow start with reduced facial expressions of the ML. But it quickly got better. And the plot continued to get better and better and better, too.
And then episode 31 happened. And episode 32... Well, I don't want to complain about the further story after those eps. But the events that happened during 31/32 felt like the ultimate climax. Everything afterwards resembled only a shadow of everything that happened before (which is funny considering the plot, lol). I still loved the story, there was just not much to rage about. New problems were solved quite fast, no heart ripping moments between the leads and so on. And yes, maybe it was nice to take a breather, but well... My masochistic tendencies hungered for mooore 👀.
Only the last few episodes tried to build up climax again. And it got me quite good almost the same. But it didn't reach the same level as those 2 episodes some time earlier.
Nevertheless, I felt highly entertained, got addicted, lost my heart and will now pursue the soundtrack and lots of pictures 🤪
Funny thing btw, it somewhat felt like a computer game. There was this big journey of the main cast. They had to travel to different places, collect things... And along their journey they met all kinds of people. Lol.
Sometimes even the gadgets felt a bit funny. That shell "ear bud" or that flower bulletin to communicate? Yes... 😅👍
Ohhh, and only later on in backflashes I realized how much the ML's hair was continously growing throughout his development. Nice one!
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This review may contain spoilers
Really good chemistry between TY and YH
I started watching this because of Neo and I didn't regreted it. They had such a good chemistry throught the drama.The drama overall had a good storyline, wasn't boring and exciting. Loved the OST. Both main characters had a miserable life and I felt sad for both. I laughed so hard in this drama and it was a rom-com drama to watch after work. Loved BXS jokes and his matchmaking thorught the drama. Although he didn't get together with YH he was still happy. As for TY he got a bit sad ending when YH passed away but at the end she appears which means she didn't die. Loved the couples XG x FQS. HXY and ZL bickering thorught the drama but became a couple at the ending is just so cute. As for SY...she was annyoing for me all the time.
I was so happy that every couple got a happy ending.
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