This review may contain spoilers
A critical and fair review- everything u shud know before starting this drama
I'll start with an opening statement - it is a VERY GOOD drama as far as the storyline, mystery, characters and actors are concerned.Now, into the details!
Tbh i decided to watch it because of the trailer and the opening of the first episode. 26 episodes in and the story has got me HOOKED. Mainly cuz of the following reasons-
1. The actors- zhou yiran and bao shangen are amazing actors and the chemistry portrayed by them is fantastic. I have read some reviews which say that the FL's line 'i can't leave my family and friends for you.. ' said to the ML are true, it is there.. but it is mainly to throw off the sect members who are against their being together and not letting the ML be too hopeful in case she is not able to be with him and ends up breaking his heart. She is NOT HEARTLESS but FAIR and RIGHT. Dw, as far as I have watched this drama and from my experience of cdramas, they should end up together, happy :)
2. The plot twists- the upcoming plot twists which i have deduced from the novel are worth the wait.. the 'man in black' and his reason will be unexpected and shocking for those who are not that experienced in such plots.
3. The forbidden love between the righteous and the demonic sect members cuz of the past generation's blood debts is an arc which will be changed by the new generation (hence the title i believe).. and in one of the teaser's MQY (ML character) says this one line, 'i want to settle the debts between the six sects and the demonic sects and establish peace to marry you openly.. ' it is so heartwarming and strengthens my belief of the drama having the desired ending.
After reading a fair amount of reviews I have noticed that people are not satisfied with how the story is progressing..I have identified a few common reasons for the same:
A. The editing
B. Storyline- in the sense that they find it confusing cuz of the unpredicted references to the past generation without revealing the actual thing in one go..which can be a bummer but I don't mind it.
C. The romance- it is there but when u actually want it, it's cut short.. but there was this one episode where the ML character's attention to detail in case of FL is wholesome.. especially how he prepared her favourite wontons for her.
I would like to point out though that the songs could have been better and the editing could have been smoother, but imo, the merits outshine the flaws.
If you are the kind of person who is everything for the editing and visuals, you could reconsider watching this drama.. but if you can't care less about the same and focus more on the character growth, storyline, actors and plot twists, it's a must watch!
Don't start this drama with any expectations if you wish to be satisfied!!
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What u must know before starting this drama
My opening statement - I have mixed feelings. The actors did their best, there was a strong female lead and slowburn romance.Positives:
1. Cast
2. Strong female lead
3. More focused on the plot, as in, cases instead of romance - something different
Negatives:
1. Boring - the plot just gets boring. As we live in the modern world and many of us aren't from china, it is as it is challenging to follow the mysterious cases and the methodology of solving such cases. So, when directing such detective thriller historical dramas, special attention has to be paid to details and it has to be made sure that the viewers can understand the story. Thus I believe the main reason I found it boring despite such strong leads was poor storytelling.
2. Some cases just don't make sense and the drama runs for so long. That's a bummer.
This drama would never be my first choice. I'm expecting much more from Bai Lu's and Cheng Lei's drama 'Mo Li'.
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This review may contain spoilers
Critical and fair review- what u must know before starting this drama!
Starting off with the opening statement - the drama is FANTASTIC, all the actors have done very well, and I just love the music.Now, into the details! (P. S. I will also mention the points I have observed in some other reviews which come off as flaws, do read them!)
Why you should watch this drama:
1. Storyline - i found the storyline different from many other dramas, which was refreshing.
2. Cast- everyone suits their roles very well and all the actors have done justice! This includes the villains and the sidekicks.
3. Balance- this drama is a balance of all kinds of emotions- you will feel like laughing, giggling, crying, being frustrated, and experience wholesome moments.
4. Music - I really love all the songs, especially hou minghao's 'if your world had no sunshine'. All songs are apt and offer a sense of completeness.
Now, discussing the 'flaws' I have come across in several reviews.
A. FL character development - many viewers are writing that the scriptwriters went overboard with her character's cute bubbly behaviour, and that she is portrayed as weak even though the character started off as strong. See, here we need to understand that the female lead character, mingyi, has had to disguise herself as a boy and compete in the competition. She has won consecutively for so many years, but suddenly she was harmed- her spiritual veins were struck with heavenly grief. She is not used to this self of hers. Just imagine yourself as the top student of your class for consecutive years. Then suddenly you were replaced by another student not because of your incapability but because you encountered unforeseen personal experiences. That's the reason why her character is 'weak' and found 'irritating'. Always read between the lines.
B. The story seemed to drag - while I agree that it could have been wrapped in a less episodes, it doesn't seem boring to me. The rollercoaster of emotions outshine this area imo. But I did wish for more romantic scenes between the main couple!
To sum it up- it is a must watch, trust me, you won't regret it. And try to probe deeper into the 'why' of the things you may find irritating, the answers are there.
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The Blood of Youth: Quest of Heroic Hearts
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Honest n critical review- what u shud know before making it ur next watch!
Let's start with my opening statement - actors and visuals are GREAT.. storyline uhmm.. debatable. I'll tell you why.The reason why I watched this drama was because Dashing Youth, The Blood of Youth and Blood River were fantastic dramas.
Into the details!
1. The actors: all the main actors did a fantastic job overall, and I especially loved the female villain. Even though the scope was limited as it is a short/mini drama, the actors did their best and it can be seen.
2. Storyline/plot: there isn't much to the story tbh, so if u r expecting a plot like the three dramas I mentioned earlier, get ready to be disappointed!
3. Scenes: many a time, the scenes seemed unrelated making it hard to follow the plot. Also, the opening of the next episodes could be completely different from where they left off in the previous episode.
4. Chemistry/brotherhood: written and portrayed very well! Hats off!
In short, if u r bored and hv nothing to watch at hand, u can try it out. I didn't find anything really attractive in this drama to put it in my rewatch list. For ppl like me who value storylines more, it was kinda disappointing.
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Disappointing and NOT WORTH IT
I love both the actors, they are amazing and their drama 'Love is sweet' was fantastic.. but this? I started with so much hope but it is such a long drama, with a repeating storyline, always tension between the ML and FL characters, and unnecessarily stretched. It could have been wrapped in 28-30 eps easily. I'm really sorry to say this but if you are not looking to waste your time, then pls don't watch this..Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
What u must know before starting the drama!
My opening statement - A MUST watch, worth it, sweet, slow burn romance and amazing friendship!See, other reviews have already covered why this drama is worth watching and told you about the praises. While reading the reviews, i came across some negative points which I totally respect, everyone has a different opinion, but I feel they need a bit clarification. No point in degrading a drama unnecessarily because we are not able to find the 'why' of the things we find irritating.
1. Storyline - some view the storyline as predictable and a cliche. I believe that was actually intended! Most modern cdramas are about office romance and love stories involving many ups and downs and stuff, but very few actually portray the old, comfortable storylines of a secret crush transformed into a sweet relationship in school, then followed in college, how long distance relationship worked so well too when ML character switched schools, and a perfect ending where they get married. This is the ideal love story almost everyone wishes for irl, but ofc that isn't possible or is extremely rare. Thus, sometimes, such 'boring' storylines become a comfort zone.
2. Male Lead Character - the character has a kind of introverted nature, which is actually quite common for the top students! This is because of the family pressure, the pressure of consistent results, expectations and desperation to do well in life. Staying devoted to academics can tend to affect the nature of a person in this way. It's justified. The FL character is sweet and bubbly and can be observed because that is in her nature! That's how she grew up. She is more lifeloving and believes in 'staying in the moment' rather that focusing majorly on academics and worrying about the future. Again, it's justified.
3. Rushed ending - obviously this drama was meant to be kept short hence the 24 eps. And tbh there is no need to go into the details of the after marriage era as they have already depicted the school, college and job journeys. But knowing that they had a baby shouldn't be a problem, it's just an extension for those who crave for more but cuz of the limitations of the script, can't witness the same.
P. S. I especially love zhou yiran's and guo zhe's acting! They depicted the charcaters so well, and I really can't imagine someone else playing the ML this WELL.
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This review may contain spoilers
What u shud know before starting this drama!
Starting with my opening statement - the cast is amazing, the storyline so far is good too, and the chemistry is just fire!Positives:
1. The fake marriage plot: even though that's how it has started, they show natural chemistry from the beginning and I can predict that their love story will be beautiful!
2. Strong, innocent female lead: her character offers something new, and I love how empathetic she is and even though she is struggling herself with her parents' recent death, the villagers' judging nature, her broken engagement (i HATE Song Yan's character!! But we'll acted!), and money, she still helps the male lead.
3. The supporting characters: they are amazing as well, find out the rest by watching lol!
4. How caring and supportive FL is of the ML and it's 美丽的 how the ML admires FL and watches out for her!
Negatives:
1. I found the court things and matters boring initially, maybe because it was still in the early stages. Hope it gets better as the drama progresses.
2. FL's little sister. I mean, she is cute and funny, but she just gets in the middle of the lead couple's romance :(( I believe that even without her character, the story could have progressed well.
3. I don't appreciate how the ML lies to the FL about his true identity..she genuinely cares for him and looks out for him, she even went to find him at the camp..the ML should have told her the truth about his identity at that point!
Concluding statement - this drama is worth your time! But don't binge watch it, keep the suspense !! :)
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