edneversleeps

I wonder who is the female lead. Is there no female lead? They’ve said it will release in 2024 and shooting has begun. I think they are deliberately keeping the cast list a secret.

There are way too many characters and sub plots, and the way the drama starts is a little odd. It starts with the ML then rewinds back, and a the 2nd FL and 2nd ML gets more screen time and prominence while the FL is disguised and does not have a name.

The FL only properly gets seen at episode 5 and we only know her name at towards the end of episode 5. That’s only when the relationship between ML and FL starts to develop a little which is a little late.

The drama however has very good direction, camerawork, lightning and sets. Even the extras act quite while. I dropped it after a while because there’s really too little screen time for the ML and FL and that they lack the presence. I don’t really know who are the main antagonists in the show or exactly what they are supposed to be “doing”.

I dropped it after episode 5. I think the actors are too young. If they are young, then the story needs to showcase them better.

I was shocked that the leads of My Demon got awards. Then I realised there are so many categories that everyone gets a award.

It’s totally illogical for Yuan Lu to run to his death, because he is definitely going to be slower than riding a horse. The horse he rode didn’t die, it collapsed due to exhaustion so he could have waited and rested before continuing. He needed to run around 100km, which means on average he needs to run continuously for 8 hours. I’m pretty sure with the speed the ML and FL can zip to the capital and back, it’s not that time sensitive for him to run to his death.

It’s a shame but for a chirpy character I can give it a pass. I think the overall chemistry of the cast helped a lot. There really hasn’t been any good ancient costume dramas that have good fighting scenes in many years.

Quan Yilun is more handsome than the ML. Haha. I think the script needed the ML to be someone who has a more ordinary look. If it’s an idol drama Quan Yilun actually looks good with Zhang Yaqin ◡̈

Watch it yourself. This drama is very short. No one will write spoilers here because it’s the crux to the uniqueness of the whole drama!

It’s not exactly a bad ending even though it’s sad. I think it’s very touching and yes I did tear as well. I’ve not watched a period time travel costume drama this moving for a long time.

Erm by simple math? I’m referring to their actual age. They are in their mid 30s, but will have scenes as high schoolers in flashbacks since the promo showed them in uniform, which means they will act as teens between 13-17+. In any case, I don’t have anything against them. It’s just a simple comment they really are too old to be in school uniforms. Anyway the drama isn’t about that period of their lives…

They are “middle aged” considering they are supposed to act in flashbacks as high schoolers. That’s 20 years younger.

Overrated or not, that would be subjective. I do think their acting is good enough for this sort of drama.

Ha yes. People are screaming at the writer. She caused a controversy in her previous drama as well, so much so that she had to close one of her social media account.

Chinese netizens are very unforgiving.

I know right. I would say it's a little out of character, but not exactly love brain.

Love brain is coined by viewers in mainland China on Weibo.

I somewhat agree, although not totally. Let's just say the reason why there are viewers on both sides discussing the ending this way shows the ending is not well executed at all.

Yup yup. I don't disagree. I'm just saying that although it's proof that she was willing to die for NYZ and with him, but it isn't proof that she will commit suicide. She wouldn't have fed him the medicine if she thinks it's possible that it's poison.

I think even if Ruyi chose to die, the timing of it is not too coherent with her character. Her assassination attempt did not end the war - it was the arrival of the reinforcements from Wu that did.

Ruyi chided LTG for not planning well. She would not have put LTG and Yang Ying's lives at risk by killing off herself without knowing her blowing up the camp would have ended the war.

That would have made NYZ's sacrifice in vain.

I think to call Ruyi a love brain is a bit harsh, but that comment did not exactly come from just her death.

It was the lovey dovey dialogue that some viewers find was excessive.

I think if the drama wanted to be taken as a realistic and mature drama, the lead's love can be portrayed differently, towards the end.

Instead of collectively bonded and grieving over their fallen comrades, they expressed their love for each other and kissed. If the way they expressed it is one of deep affection, it be more layered, but it isn't.

Love can be expressed in so many different ways, but not many directors know how to show couple love apart from words. It would be better if they grieved together, or that their comradeship was shown more.

I think it is exactly because viewers loved the drama so much that they are expecting more towards the end.

Yup I get your point, although I don't agree that open and ambiguous mean the same thing.

I still think the drama deserves a high than average rating overall, and is pretty good compared to other cdramas, but that is mainly due to the acting, directing and casting. I enjoyed the watch as well, and I did not downvote nor upvote the drama.

It's just that I also understand where people are coming from.

She was probably saying that to reassure the rest that she trusts LTG will not give him poison so she could save NYZ. She was in a conflictual relationship with the rest then.

I agree. It's not the just that they died, but how they died and the aftermath. The most ridiculous thing is the support cast had screen time for people to mourn. Even Deng Hui. But when the ML died, the screen time for the reaction of the other cast was given to LTG and YY, and a single sentence by the FL. That was it.

I think you chose to review only on the cast and the ending because the plot was so linear. My thoughts exactly.

I think Chen You Wei's acting as Yuan Lu is quite bad which did not help in building the character Yuan Lu as the loyal and intelligent youngster. People ended up rooting for Li Tongguang, but I think his acting as someone whom the scriptwriter unfortunately often used as a plot device for misfortunes is also not up to par, but passable, especially towards the end.

Yuan Lu's relationship with Yang Ying could have been portrayed better if they were shown as good pals in the drama, but I think the scriptwriter or director did not mean to give Yang Ying that much screen time.

I totally agree which your review with regards to the final scene. Chu Yue is not close to the people in Liu Dao Tang except for Yu Shi San. With any drama, the intent of the director and scriptwriter is very important. However in this scene, it is not clear at all.

Whether Chu Yue was just reminiscing, having a vision, dreaming or is actually dead, she would not be the one who is missing the people from Liu Dao Tang, except for Yu Shi San.

Ruyi is also someone whose life goal is not to settle down for the sake of love. She was the one who raised the point that if her dreams of an ideal life and Ning Yuan Zhou does not match, they should reconsider their relationship. Even if she wanted to end her life, she is not someone who does not see through her missions. She would have done it only after she knew her assassination attempt has sufficiently foiled the invasion attempt, not before knowing that the reinforcements from Wu has arrived.

The ending totally could have been exactly the same without reversing the death of the ML, but exactly life what you said, with Ruyi leading the horse with her children or something.

I think it is not just because it's not an "happy ending" that people are complaining about, at least for viewers who are more rational. It is the way it is executed.

When Ning Yuanzhou died that dramatically, there wasn't even screen time dedicated to show Ruyi's to his death, or shouted his name even. The scene promptly cut back to them winning the battle.

She neither mourned for his death, nor searched for his body, nor buried him. It is as if the director already decided to cut out these so that the viewers can be left wondering if the ML survied - this is a plot device, it is not coherent to the script, and neither does it make it a better execution of the drama.

The ending is not open ended. It is ambiguous.

Open ended would mean not showing that Ning Yuanzhou has died, and not showing Ren Ruyi saying the sentence that living while Ning Yuanzhou has died is too lonely, then the last scene where the kid on the horse appeared would be an open ending.

An ambiguous ending would be obviously showing that the ML has died, and then showing the FL and ML have a kid with the same surname.

While I am sad it's an ending where almost everyone died, I think it would be better if it firmly remained that way, with the last scene with the boy on the horse appearing was not shot.

That last scene just threw a spanner in the works and made the ending ambiguous.

If you want to watch the legit way, you need to use VPN and subscribe to VIU. Else google for free streaming sites.