This review may contain spoilers
Best xianxia in quite a while. Great chemistry in the romances, and interesting twists
I'm neither someone who never gives high ratings nor am I someone who gives everything 10/10, but this one really surprised me. Guo Jingming's other works had style but no substance: My Journey to You I gave a 6.5, Fangs of Fortune I dropped after like 12 episodes because it was boring and I realized I really didn't care to know what happened. A lot of xianxia/fantasy dramas these days are pretty boring and unoriginal, so I kept my expectations low but was really surprised. Definitely recommend to everyone to watch WITHOUT spoilers because the twists contribute heavily to the emotional impact and viewing experience. I say this as someone who often looks up spoilers and if a drama is good enough, spoilers don't usually ruin my experience if the execution is carried out well enough.
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Characters, acting, romance: the heart of what made this drama memorable for me.
I knew Tian Jiarui would deliver, and he did in spades. He played the most complex character, and each characterization was decidedly different without falling into caricature. Even the same character had to show and conceal many faces, showing coldness and secrecy within while his heart inside is bursting.
I expected a solid but not particularly memorable performance from Joseph Zeng, which is what we got (some of it is because his character is the least complex of the 4 leads, so he did the best with what he was given). Still, really nothing for me to complain about. His character was the classic hero male lead type, and Joseph excels at that.
Ju Jingyi and Chen Duling really surprised me as I didn't expect a lot from them. They both embodied their characters incredibly well and evolved their characterizations appropriately as the story unfolded. In the beginning you saw them as opaque and hard to decipher their true motives and feelings. They were seductive, playful, cryptic: what you expect from Nine-Tailed Foxes. They absolutely nailed this characterization, the best portrayal of fox spirits I have seen. The rich costumes and heavily-stylized makeup suit them well in this case. Fortunately, they didn't just stay this way. Slowly Lu Wuyi (JJY's character) showed her innocence, dogged stubborness, bottomless devotion. Wu Wangyan (CDL's character) showed her vulnerability, sense of honor, and steadfast love.
Their romances reflected these differences too: Lu Wuyi and Ji Ling's dynamic was big emotions (once they admitted their love), stubbornness, and stopping at nothing for the other. Their love is the "I will love you through multiple lifetimes, I will carve out my heart for you, I will defy the laws of nature for you" type of stuff that I just absolutely eat up when I watch xianxia. Wu Wangyan and Wu Shiguang on the other hand, had a very grounded love that I still felt was still as deep as the other couple; they loved each other through decades of quiet devotion, conveying their love through tender, small acts. This is the only drama so far that I've felt CDL has had palpable chemistry with a male lead; I was afraid her character would try to deny her love for Wu Shiguang far longer than needed, but thankfully I was wrong. She didn't deny her love, she didn't withhold her reciprocation.
The OST, oh my goodness. GJM dramas always have top notch OSTs and this was no exception. I've been reading the lyrics, listening to the songs on replay, and crying everyday.
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Really, the main negatives that lowered my rating was (mild spoiler):
1. The last 2-3 episodes of "We killed the bad guy....no wait just kidding we didn't" over and over got really boring and was the only time I actually used the 2x speed. The very last episode was a bit confusing as well...like how...? You know what, nevermind, I don't need to understand. I'm just glad that (SPOILER) ..............the ending was happy. GJM usually likes to give sad endings not just in his dramas but also the short movies I've watched, so he had pity on us this time! Someone joked that he went to therapy, which made me laugh. Maybe I'll get it on the rewatch (which trust me, I will rewatch this).
2. I love self-sacrificing scenes, that's a big draw of xianxia for me, because it definitely brings out a good cry for me, but it got a bit repetitive. Fortunately since I already love this kind of stuff, I still cried through most of them. Each time they did carry different reasons and twists.
2. The Luo'an drought arc was draggy and probably the weakest arc. Did GJM just want an excuse to cast Jin JIng in his drama again?
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Overall I was going to give it about an 8/10 rating because I think the negatives are not-nothing (sorry for the double negative), but I bumped it to a 9/10 because of the lasting impression it gave me. I always consider the emotional impact a drama has on me, not just objective considerations. I absolutely acknowledge some of my favs have big flaws but if they are truly unforgettable, I think it's worth bumping the rating. After all, I think we all watch cdramas not just to idly pass time, but to deeply feel, which this one definitely did. Xianxia especially, since they always involve sacrifice, rebirths, love across time and space, a lot of things that aren't really posssible outside of fantasy genres (except sacrifice).
--
Characters, acting, romance: the heart of what made this drama memorable for me.
I knew Tian Jiarui would deliver, and he did in spades. He played the most complex character, and each characterization was decidedly different without falling into caricature. Even the same character had to show and conceal many faces, showing coldness and secrecy within while his heart inside is bursting.
I expected a solid but not particularly memorable performance from Joseph Zeng, which is what we got (some of it is because his character is the least complex of the 4 leads, so he did the best with what he was given). Still, really nothing for me to complain about. His character was the classic hero male lead type, and Joseph excels at that.
Ju Jingyi and Chen Duling really surprised me as I didn't expect a lot from them. They both embodied their characters incredibly well and evolved their characterizations appropriately as the story unfolded. In the beginning you saw them as opaque and hard to decipher their true motives and feelings. They were seductive, playful, cryptic: what you expect from Nine-Tailed Foxes. They absolutely nailed this characterization, the best portrayal of fox spirits I have seen. The rich costumes and heavily-stylized makeup suit them well in this case. Fortunately, they didn't just stay this way. Slowly Lu Wuyi (JJY's character) showed her innocence, dogged stubborness, bottomless devotion. Wu Wangyan (CDL's character) showed her vulnerability, sense of honor, and steadfast love.
Their romances reflected these differences too: Lu Wuyi and Ji Ling's dynamic was big emotions (once they admitted their love), stubbornness, and stopping at nothing for the other. Their love is the "I will love you through multiple lifetimes, I will carve out my heart for you, I will defy the laws of nature for you" type of stuff that I just absolutely eat up when I watch xianxia. Wu Wangyan and Wu Shiguang on the other hand, had a very grounded love that I still felt was still as deep as the other couple; they loved each other through decades of quiet devotion, conveying their love through tender, small acts. This is the only drama so far that I've felt CDL has had palpable chemistry with a male lead; I was afraid her character would try to deny her love for Wu Shiguang far longer than needed, but thankfully I was wrong. She didn't deny her love, she didn't withhold her reciprocation.
The OST, oh my goodness. GJM dramas always have top notch OSTs and this was no exception. I've been reading the lyrics, listening to the songs on replay, and crying everyday.
--
Really, the main negatives that lowered my rating was (mild spoiler):
1. The last 2-3 episodes of "We killed the bad guy....no wait just kidding we didn't" over and over got really boring and was the only time I actually used the 2x speed. The very last episode was a bit confusing as well...like how...? You know what, nevermind, I don't need to understand. I'm just glad that (SPOILER) ..............the ending was happy. GJM usually likes to give sad endings not just in his dramas but also the short movies I've watched, so he had pity on us this time! Someone joked that he went to therapy, which made me laugh. Maybe I'll get it on the rewatch (which trust me, I will rewatch this).
2. I love self-sacrificing scenes, that's a big draw of xianxia for me, because it definitely brings out a good cry for me, but it got a bit repetitive. Fortunately since I already love this kind of stuff, I still cried through most of them. Each time they did carry different reasons and twists.
2. The Luo'an drought arc was draggy and probably the weakest arc. Did GJM just want an excuse to cast Jin JIng in his drama again?
--
Overall I was going to give it about an 8/10 rating because I think the negatives are not-nothing (sorry for the double negative), but I bumped it to a 9/10 because of the lasting impression it gave me. I always consider the emotional impact a drama has on me, not just objective considerations. I absolutely acknowledge some of my favs have big flaws but if they are truly unforgettable, I think it's worth bumping the rating. After all, I think we all watch cdramas not just to idly pass time, but to deeply feel, which this one definitely did. Xianxia especially, since they always involve sacrifice, rebirths, love across time and space, a lot of things that aren't really posssible outside of fantasy genres (except sacrifice).
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