moonypiglet

Melodrama with a tad too many dramatic tropes but you get to see Cheng Yi as sweet boyfriend in a modern drama which is so rare lol! While I can’t agree more that he looks amazing with long hair in costume drama, I do hope he get to play more modern drama romance or criminal thriller etc. There is so much potential with his acting skills! Pls give him more well-written modern dramas!
Back to the drama, tbh there are more to be explored on emotional depths and character development rather than creating too many overly dramatic turns of events they feel pointless. I mean those conflicts should serve as a means to create characters or depth for the tales as a whole. Maybe that is why the drama fails to keep its engagement and viewers’ enthusiasm. And I have to say the brother character just really bothers me at one point, as in he just suddenly turns evil consumed by rage to make things complicated to get revenge and then almost in no time he lets go all of his hatred (even on the premise of the dramatic events he faced, I think it is still quite forced). Same with the mother! She seems to suddenly realize that her son was hurt as he has to pay for her evil deeds! All of a sudden again @.@
I definitely would drop it or wouldn’t give it a try in the first place if it’s not for the actor lol.

I’m just back watching Cdramas after ages, so I’m considered relatively new and this is my first Cheng Yi’s drama. Apart from the main plot, I instantly got hooked on Cheng Yi’s marvelous acting skills that I started to watch all of his other dramas I can get my hands on lol. Back to the drama, I’d say it’s a good Wuxia drama with awesome fighting scenes, interesting plot, and well-written characters though there is very little romance element. It focuses more on the bromance, friendship and the ideology of the ML who was seeking to lead a quiet life awaiting for his end after his trauma but was dragged back to martial arts world to uncover a grand malicious scheme to control the world, while addressing the mystery of his old trauma along the way. He can be the most detached and dejected man yet the most loyal, soft-hearted and altruistic hero one can encounters. From his pathetic readily-awaiting-death attitude to his tenacious resolution to find the remaining of his sworn brother, there is something intriguing, broken and tormented in this dying hero’s soul viewers can help feeling for him. And Cheng Yi definitely portrayed all this complexity very well! I also like the soundtrack and the acting of other ML are also plus point. Generally a good show but not one for romance 😆

Wow! I just finished the show and I’m not hesitant to say this is the best xianxia drama I’ve ever watched (though my experience with xianxia is far and few btw as o don’t really like the genre, in which many dramas often ends up with under-developed plot, repetition, ridiculous characters, over-ambitious content, rushed and unsatisfactory ending …and ugly cgi etc). Besides, angst love stories are never really my cup of tea. I usually only watched xianxia drama if I really like the actors and their story is appealing and engaging enough to continue. But despite all the unfavorable precondition, I’m so glad I actually try this drama cause this is really epic! From characters, plot, development, cgi and the performance, it is really one of the masterpiece! I have tried other high rating xianxia dramas like The untamed, Lost you forever but they all failed to captivate me. I’m not even Cheng Yi’s fan but he definitely becomes one of the actors I should follow after watching this! He really has the knack acting out his sufferings and all the subtle emotions of his character YuSifeng here, who is such a noble idealistic hero and a bit of a fool but viewers can’t help giving him their hearts! As said, I normally don’t really like angst-filled and stupid misunderstandings in dramas but I’d say I love all the misunderstanding, all the grief and heartbreaking moments here cause they are good tension to add spice to the story and give the leads space to perform out their characters sorrow. So you do need certain amount of time and patience but all is well-paid since the ending does give justice to all characters, explains and resolves all the conflicts, tying most loose ends logically and beautifully. Many xianxia dramas often drags on with emotional scenes, fail to actually build or move the plot just to rush to the ending with unsolved mysteries and incomprehensible characters; but this one balances the plot with the love story as well as execute the ending very well, keeping the drama engaging, and the story compelling and wholesome. I also like the fact that the protagonists of the tales are built with certain defects and the most hideous and evils are actually hidden amongst the gods (the supposedly righteous and good beings), as well as how the fight against prejudice, evil and fate is portrayed with the right proportion here. Many times in life there are things, events and misunderstandings we cant comprehend or acts right at that moment only to realize and regrets later. I love it that the writer does give the characters chance to redeem and atone for their mistakes.
All in all, this drama is definitely worth your time and the ratings could’ve been higher! Last but not least, I totally understand why Cheng Yi was escalated to stardom for his exquisite performance here! I’m not sure I’d rewatch the whole drama but I definitely would rewatch a compilation of the scenes with the leads!

You’re most welcomed! Song Sang Chuan really has the charm of that cute sporty next door boy❤️
If you like modern drama, you can try Crossfire and Our times as well :)

Are they going to make season 2 at all? This is a very underrated drama showcasing beautiful bromance, friendship, trust and loyalty, values that remains the same in face of the continuous hardships, challenges, deceit and loss life brings.
The cast, the vintage color, the story, the production, the ost are all very well done. I genuinely hope they can make season 2 to complete the story with the original casts!
I miss it so much and went to YouTube to watch those footage for season 2 in which WL was playing harmonica very sadly T.T just to make my longing for season 2 deeper 😭.

In one of the recent interview in which he was asked to pick a character he played that resembles him most, WL said that if he really has to pick one, it is probably Song San Chuan ❤️
And it makes me wanna rewatch this drama again lol
I do love Song San Chuan boyish charm very much ☺️

Sad ending but I like Guo Junchen’s performance here better than in beauty of resilience. Maybe because he has to act out so many roles in that one lol. Here he does better at emotional scenes. Look forward to his future project!

Despite all the bad reviews, I watched this for Wu Lei. Since the drama seems to be a student project, it is understandable how the story has many loopholes and falls into those common mediocre drama vicious cycle in which the opening is impressive , the story has potential but ends up draggy in the middle with all the redundant details and rushing to the end without being able to tie the loose knots. The ending somewhat makes sense though. The casts generally did a good job esp WL, he really can pull any roles and no matter how the drama is, he makes me cry in every emotional scenes he has with his emotive eyes (^^;)
The FL is cute too. WJK role is probably for decorating purpose. And I like the ost.

This is a total hit drama depicting very true some of social stigma and issues in Japanese modern society like gender equality, generation gap, work place culture, school quitters, women career after maternity leave, social networking abuse etc.
it’s been such a long time I laughed till my stomach hurts watching a drama!
Being partially musical maybe a turnoff to some but imo, the show brings life and relief to the tension induced when touching serious social issues so it can keep the overall light-hearted and comical mood of the drama.
With all the social issues brought on the table, the drama still manages to weave in a touching and full of surprise family story of the main characters in the backdrop of time traveling as to balance out the seriousness and to keep the viewers engaged.
Satirical, comical, witty, light-hearted yet heart-warming and somewhat nostalgic, this is definitely on my recommendation list for drama! It’s been a while I’ve met a drama like this! Feeling my love for Japanese drama and its satire all over again!
Though the modern social issues brought here are more relevant in Japanese modern society, some of it can be resonated in other modern society context as well.

I just finished the drama. Tbh, it’s not that bad. I’ve seen much worse lol. Though it does feel somewhat repeated and draggy in the middle while the ending is rushed and abrupt, making viewers puzzled without sufficient clues as to what really happened. And the fact that the writer didn’t give a satisfying closure to the story makes viewers frustrated I guessed. If the ending were carefully executed, it could’ve been received better.
The casts generally did a good job though there is still room for improvement. I personally don’t like the head gears of the FL too lol but I guess maybe because they want to make it grand as she is supposed to be the almighty phoenix.
Overall it is a so-so watch you can give it a try since the production is good and the cast are beautiful.

There is su yu, a light-hearted costume drama in which his character is extremely narcissistic it’s funny and enjoyable. But I’d recommend his other modern youth dramas too.

I dropped and ep23 when it starts to drag, mainly because I initially can’t stand the FL (I didn’t buy it when the comments said so but after watching a few eps, her crying really gets on my nerves).

I like her acting and most of the projects she chose like Reset, growing pain 1&2, stand by me, aasol. There is something that moves me watching her acting out her characters. Look forward to more good dramas in future!

I watched it because of Zhao JinMai but it is pretty interesting and well-written compared to the moderate ratings and number of viewers it has. I think family theme dramas like this should be promoted more in this problematic modern world. After all, family is the base of education, connection and interpersonal relationships.
In any case, if you are looking for a good family theme drama, this is highly recommended.

I like both seasons. Both are realistic portrayal of family, school, work, career, life with its ups and downs and the interpersonal relationships within. Well-written, well-devised, not too dramatic or heartbreaking, with good performance of the casts though it may seem slow and boring. Still the drama does a good job bringing up the topics and problems we face in modern society to the viewers and a more optimistic and rational take to the heart of the matters.
My complaint is that the subtitle is really bad esp season 2. It looks like the subs are the beta version of google translation. The conversation just doesn’t make sense in the translation, which is such a waste. I hope some big platform like Netflix would take them up and fix the subs though these dramas may not be appreciated and trendy enough to be considered for those platforms.

Some bts on dwelling by the west lake weibo
There’s no subtitle though

https://m.weibo.cn/u/7727755988#&video

I think this show is for a more mature group of adolescents (compared to the peers at the same age) or maybe mids20s -early 30s serving as a memoir to recall their youth. I mean the questions these characters have for growing up, relationships, hardships are something to ponder throughout youth or maybe a lifetime; and not many teenagers would enjoy this realistic story compared to the fluffy romance they seek in other dramas of the same theme.
I love the FL and the relationships dynamic she has with all her friends portrayed here (except the romance that feels a bit angst), very realistic, relatable and touching, one in which they share laughters, hardships, confusion and loneliness growing up, to become each other shelter, motivation and aspiration. All actors delivered good performance despite their young age. I like the childhood part too. All in all a very good watch!

This is one of my all-time favorite shows and I still haven’t found anything outdoes this show up to date. It has all the elements I look for watching drama: humor, romance and message of life. It makes you cry one moment and laugh your head off the next moment. From the community bond between neighbors to the endearing friendship of the children growing up together, from the usually forgotten definition of our closest family, to the confusion and yearning first love brings, the nostalgia portrayal of a lost generation in the backdrop of a turbulent time. Maybe growing up in Asian countries makes this show so relevant and endearing to me. It is literal what a good drama/movie should do: entertaining and heart warming, with positive and thoughtful message of humanity and life. A natural narration, à common story, lovely ost, very good castings and performance, all comes together to make an unforgettable drama. It is definitely worth your try.

Generally a very aesthetically pleasing show. I like everything from the elegant slow-moving shots to the overall dark tone color of the screen, the contrasting color of the clothes and the snowy scenery. All visual details set the screens to its necessary somber and thrilling mood for the tales.
The plot is slightly forced to create a plot twist for the ending but still overall good and applaudable. There is much room for improvement in terms of the casts performance. The actor played Gong Yuanzhi shines the best here for his performance imo in consideration that it seems to be his debut role.

There is a new trailer vid from WL studio weibo

https://m.weibo.cn/u/6019229199?jumpfrom=weibocom#&video