MimiLy

First Ever Review For a Drama well deserved

This drama came out of the blue for me. I was on a drama drought and randomly clicked on this not really expecting anything.
However, after the first episode, I was hooked. Despite initial annoyance with the constant close-ups and weird directing, I gradually adapted, and it became a unique signature of the show. Now, let's delve into the details.

Characters: 10/10
- Xue Fang Fei/Jiang Li (FL) - This is a female-centric revenge drama centered around Xue Fang Fei. I had seen the FL in "Yanxi Palace" and thought she did a wonderful job there, but her acting has improved significantly in this drama. Her crying scenes are especially moving. Xue Fang Fei, known as a "Chai Nui," is clever and talented in literature, arts, and crafts. She proves her title throughout the show. Despite her intelligence, she has flaws, notably being overly emotional, especially when dealing with her trauma. Considering her experiences—betrayal by her lover, false accusations, family deaths, and near-death—it’s understandable that she would be emotional. Ignoring this would strip her of her humanity and turn her into a Mary Sue, which thankfully, the show avoids. I appreciate that she knows she's not perfect and is open to feedback. For example, when the ML tells her she’s been too emotional lately, she agrees and tries to improve, yet she stands her ground and fights for what matters.

- Duke Su/Xiao heng (ML) - Wang Xing Yue’s portrayal of Duke Su is a pleasant surprise. Duke Su is charismatic, charming, stylish, mysterious, and has a way with words. Despite having less screen time than the FL, every scene with him is impactful. He initially seems cold and nonchalant, but soon reveals a gentle and considerate side. Unlike many dramas where the ML is only kind to the FL, Duke Su shows kindness to everyone he cares about, including his sidekicks and the emperor. This adds depth to his character and makes him refreshing. He is, without a doubt, the green-ist walking red flag there is.

Antagonists: The show features some of the most intriguing antagonists, each with depth and well-written backstories. They are not evil for the sake of being evil. Here are the main three:
- Princess WangNing: She probably has the saddest backstory of all the villains. She was sent as a hostage, and the trauma from that experience turned her into the unstable princess we see in the show. Despite her cruel actions and seeing others' lives as beneath her, deep down, she just wants to be loved wholeheartedly and live a normal life. However, she knows she'll never have that, so she sabotages other people's lives to cope with her own pain. Li Meng played this role brilliantly, making her a villain that you can't help but appreciate, despite hating her actions.

- Stepmother Ji ShuRan: Imagine the typical evil stepmother character, but played by a veteran actress who brings this trope to life. Joe Chen did an outstanding job in this role, making you despise Ji ShuRan for all the evil things she does. Although she was a victim herself, she chose a destructive path, causing immense pain to the real Jiang Li and ruining the happiness of the Jiang family.

- Ex-Husband Shen Yu Rong: Wow. I've never seen a more complicated antagonist. Throughout the show, there were moments I was unsure if he was a villain or just a cowardly man acting as the princess' puppet. His character is complex, ridden with guilt, and a brilliant mind wasted on cowardice. He constantly deflects responsibility, blaming his choices on his rough upbringing, and refuses to acknowledge his wrongdoings. Once a righteous man, he has now turned evil.
We also have interesting and fun support characters in the show, but too many to get into details.

Chemistry: 1000/10
The chemistry between the leads, WJY and WXY, is phenomenal. Despite minimal physical contact, their interactions are electric. The push and pull, eye contact, wordplay, and mutual understanding create an intense and palpable connection. They exhibit one of the healthiest relationships I’ve seen in a couple. There are no misunderstandings; both the ML and FL are intelligent and communicate effectively, showing a tactical understanding of each other. They are strong characters who complement each other without overshadowing one another. Discussions about the actors' real-life age gap are irrelevant, as they convincingly portray their characters' love.

OST: 10/10
The soundtrack is superb, fitting the drama's theme perfectly. I'm waiting for the full sound track to get released in spotify.

Cinematography/ Directing: 8/10
The beautiful sets and backgrounds sometimes suffer from awkward camera angles. Abrupt cut scenes and black fade-outs can be jarring. The director's fondness for close-ups took time to get used to, but it eventually became a distinctive feature. The artistic approach to intimate scenes, though unconventional, worked well due to the leads' chemistry.

Overall enjoyment: 1000/10
This show definitely quenched my drama drought, but now I am left wanting more. The development between our leads was the highlight for me. The revenge storyline was also satisfying, especially seeing the villains get their deserved retribution. Despite its flaws, the fast pace, well-written dialogues, incredible chemistry, intriguing villains, enjoyable side characters, and engaging plot make this a definite rewatch in my book.

Ending: ITS A HAPPY ENDING.
I know people are debating the ending of this show, but even before the extra episode content, the FL mentioned in an interview that it’s a happy ending. Since the story is from her perspective, it’s clear that the ending aligns with her view. Additionally, the drama is based on a novel that ended with the FL reuniting with the ML and having a daughter, making the extra content canon even if it was a last-minute decision to film. Even if we ignore the extra - The drama follows the FL's point of view, showing that she achieved her's and JL's revenge. Her family is alive and well. Her father recovered, her brother is with JiuYue, and her best friends are happy. She not only restored her original family but also gained a new one. She found the true love of her life and married him. So, even if XH had died (which he didn't), the main plot revolves around revenge and retribution. XH also got his revenge and reconciled with his grandfather. Apart from his two sidekicks dying in the last scene, this ending is undeniably a happy one from the story’s perspective.

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A Refreshing Xianxia: Grounded in Human Cultivation with a Truly Satisfying Ending

I've got so much to share after finishing the final episodes, and there's a lot to unpack. Overall, this is undoubtedly one of the best xianxia dramas I've ever seen in a very VERYYY long time.

Unique Focus:
Although it’s a xianxia drama, the story centers on human cultivation rather than the usual celestial realm themes, which is a refreshing change. There are plenty of twists, and even the villains add a humorous touch. Instead of the typical portrayal where sect leaders are bad guys pretending to be good, unreasonable, here they follow their own moral compass—they have flaws in the views but at the end of the day when it really maters, they are willing to help fight and defend what they believe is best for humanity.

Power Couple:
The male and female leads are a true power couple. Their partnership, especially when they fight side by side, is nothing short of spectacular. Both are extremely intelligent and communicate well, so even if there are misunderstandings they eventually talk it out. There's a lot of weird dynamics here which is fun. The FL as master and the ML as apprentice. The ML as master and the FL as apprentice. The ML & FL both being apprentices. The Ml & FL both being masters... yup. that's the dynamic lol but it's entertaining as heck. The angst are angsty, the sweet scenes are nicely sugar coated.

Engaging Side Characters:
It’s been a while since I cheered for side couples. With five additional pairings, each with their own bittersweet story, the supporting characters add a delightful depth to the drama. I especially liked Wei Jiu. He's literally a villain that tries his best to be bad. I've never seen a villain that has villain codes...as in what in what is acceptable/unacceptable for a villain to do. He's a team rocket member that gets blasted away every time but always come back to try again.

Satisfying Ending:
The ending is far from typical for xianxia dramas. The final episode takes its time wrapping everything up, offering a candid and well-paced finale without resorting to making an extra episode to appease fans. There's also no "lets dedicate the last min to our main couple staring at each other" or "lets have one of them sacrifice each other so the other can live on in the end". I havent been so satisified with an ending in a while and It just makes the feeling of watching this drama feels so good after everything that happened.

Stunning Visuals:
The CGI stays impressive throughout the series, culminating in a grand finale of epic special effects. The integration of real nature scenes—like the sea, waterfalls, bamboo forests, farmlands, and cliffs—creates an incredibly immersive experience. I can't remember the last xianxia where there's so many dedicated real-scenes locations.

Outstanding Performances:
The entire cast delivers strong performances. I don't have any negative thing to say about anybody performance here. Even the bad people in the drama did really well in their portrayal. Deng Wei’s acting in Love of the Divine Tree truly stands out for me. His expressive eyes shift effortlessly from gentle sweetness to intense fury to deep sadness. His tearful scenes always move me, and his smile is simply contagious.

There’s so much more to discuss, but overall, this drama is hands down one of the best I’ve seen in a long time, despite a few minor flaws. It's definitely one that I would actually recommend to my friends and one with a high rewatch value.

Edit:
MQG is SYS's Moon, and SRR is SYS's Sun. Coming from the same soul, they both provided him with light during his darkest days.

MQG lit the way for SYS when all he could see ahead was darkness and hate. She gave him a home, a choice to change his destiny, and the reassurance that he deserves to be happy and experience all the sweetness the world has to offer. She believed in him when no one else did.

SRR showed SYS that he could be loved and forgiven. Living with regret and depression, feeling unworthy of happiness because of his past and unable to forgive himself, he found warmth, reassurance, and care in her presence —just as the Sun nurtures life, she reminded him that he, too, could heal, grow, and shine again.

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