Will the 6th prince win the throne?
Tang Lian, the senior disciple at XueYue City was assigned the task to bring back a golden coffin to the city. He had no idea what or who was in the coffin. Along the way, he was waylaid by a number of different sects, demanding that he handed it over to them.Around the same time, a naive but highly skilled Lei Wu Jie was on his way to XueYue City. He stopped by an inn for a meal when a gang came in to rob. Out of righteousness and eager to demonstrate his ability, he defended the inn against attack only to have the money-minded and shrewd owner Xiao Se demanded that he paid for the damages. Convinced by Xiao that his action was redundant and therefore at fault, he suggested Xiao followed him to XueYue City where he would get the money to compensate him. Having another agenda of his own, Xiao Se agreed. Xiao Se appeared to have no martial art skills but exhibited excellent agility.
It is widely known that the 6th prince was a righteous man, highly talented and well-skilled in martial arts, possessing great inner force. But he offended his father, the emperor by siding with his uncle, the Lord Langya and was stripped off his princely title. While on his way to exile, he was attacked and seriously wounded by a mysterious attacker.
The parties met and teamed up together. Later in the drama, the content of the coffin was revealed and so was the true identity of Xiao Se.
What I like about this drama:
1. Hygiene factors: like a lot of good Chinese dramas, it satisfied most of the hygiene factors: good looking cast, excellent acting, lovely costumes especially that worn by the main leads, Li Hong Yi (Xiao Se) and Liu Xue Yi (Wu Xin - yes, a monk), the lovely backdrop and cinematography.
2. Special effects: it is packed with special effects as every fight is a show of the inner forces of each opponent. If you love martial arts and special effects in dramas, this is it.
3. Humour: although by and large, this is a rather serious drama, there are lots of comic relief. Wu Xin (acted by Liu Xue Yi) was hilarious when he asked the Marquis why he was looking at him - was it because of his good looks. He was always demonstrating his narcissism in this drama, which was quite funny.
4. Hook: to keep the audience chasing a long running drama, there must be a hook. The main hook of this drama was whether
the 6th prince's was going to escape further harm, recover his inner skill, be eventually reunited with the emperor and find out who was behind the attack that disabled his fighting skills, with the help of his new friends. And this is a strong hook.
There are not much I do not like about this drama but I am going to nitpick at some:
1. The theme of rivalry for the throne is so cliche and overused. I am sure this happened at every generation of every dynasty. But watching repeatedly as a storyline is kind of monotonous, even if the story develops differently.
2. Music is alright but not outstanding.
3. The on-screen chemistry between the main male and female leads is quite cold. The woman is keen but the man is distant. There is not much romantic feelings in this drama although there are a lot of couples. The main story is centred around the fight for the throne and the scheming of the 7th prince and how the other princes handle it.
4. Like a lot of Chinese dramas, the capable and righteous walks away from the throne, which is another element I find very cliche. I dislike this sort of ending as it goes against my personal belief. I believe it is only when there are capable and righteous people at the top that a country can prosper. Have people in leadership who are capable but unscrupulous and corrupt, or with good intent but incapable are all scenarios for disaster. Look around you, you may probably agree with me.
Overall, I think this drama is worth watching.
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Dull...
The story line of this drama is unrealistic and quite weak with a lot of parts which are unconvincing and poorly developed. There are illogical flaws all over. The 'hygiene' factors are there: pretty actresses and handsome actors with good acting skills, lovely costumes and beautiful computer graphics, but it ends there.It seems no one had combed through the script and the people in charge had no eye for details. Some parts of the script are just glossed over as I spotted some rather stupid scenes, for example, General Wei escaped injured in the midst of a shooting ambush but his horse was alright without any armour protection. And there are more.
Characters are rather stupid. The empress was a smart canny woman, yet she fell for the tricks of NingZhi at the beginning of the drama and schemes of the prisoner. The key character Wei Guang is supposed to be very smart and cunning and yet loyal. But when I look at his strategies, many are more of a gamble then well thought out and coordinated. He was lucky to have them ended well. My life experience tells me that leaving things to chance almost always never ends well.
I watch this drama because it was recently produced, just to keep up with new drama releases. But it was quite disappointing. I stopped at episode 32 when the villain escaped again - that is a really lame way to extend the number of episodes. I went on to watch about 7 other dramas before I finally returned to give it a second chance while I figured out what to watch next. Even then, I could not get beyond episode 34 and than skipped onto episode 39 to watch the ending. I must say this works and I am still able to follow the story - obviously not missing much. 5 episodes or more could be taken out of this drama to improve the pace of the story.
Also, the Chinese title of the drama is more accurately translated to Game of the Phoenix instead of Legend of the Phoenix. Every other Chinese drama is called a legend these days.
Felt too much of another run-off-the-mill production - the hygiene factors are met but the story is dull. Of course, I could be critical - I always pick dramas above rating of 8 on mydramalist before I would watch them.
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Novoland: The Castle in the Sky Season 2
6 people found this review helpful
Let me start with the outstanding. Jeremy Xu outshone himself in Legend of Phoenix which I thought was quite an average drama. The story in this drama was more interesting and gave him the opportunity to really express himself, besides being very handsome.
The ending theme song is extremely good - the combination of the music, singing and poetic lyrics. It brought out so much emotions - nostalgia, sadness, regrets. It is rare that I got to like a piece of music listening to it for the first time but I did for this. And usually I skip the opening and ending theme songs to save on time when binge watching a drama. But I actually listen to every repeat of this song at the end of every episode!
The drama was also very well paced without the draggy moments you often see in longer dramas.
For such an excellent production, it was a pity that the audio was missing in a number of moments on the YouTube videos. Also, while the English translation for the ending theme song was good, it did not fully capture the poetic feel of the song, which was a pity - it needs an outstanding and very skillful translator to do that. Of course, these had nothing to do with the drama, so I did not take it into account in my rating.
Weaknesses of Chinese dramas are often in the story. Although this story is interesting, there are some minor flaws in it. Xue was always running away from Feng. After a while, that got boring and I wondered whether there were going to be any new development. Feng had an invisibility cloak too - seemed like a copy from Harry Porter. Yet she did not use it to the fullest to rescue herself and the servant maid from the palace. For these, I took away 0.5 points from the story.
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The best of 2020 and 2021 - with a refreshing difference.
This drama is grossly and sadly underrated in Mydramalist. I think mainly because it was influenced by the earlier viewers of the drama who wrote extremely unfavorable bias reviews of the drama. But in my opinion, it is the best among the dramas released in 2020 and first quarter of 2021 - and I had watched a lot of good ones. To enjoy this drama, do not watch any trailers or reviews with spoilers, otherwise it spoils the suspense in the story. This is a high budget production; high budget productions do not always produce excellent dramas, but for this, it did.This is a 'historical' epic based on the Liao dynasty which controlled North East China, East Mongolia, East Russia and North Korea about a thousand years ago. Many of the characters actually existed in history and some parts of the story were true , based on what is written in Wikipedia, provided it had not been doctored to suit.
The story centred around the 3 daughters of the Prime Minister who were married to 3 different branches of the Yelu clan, the imperial family. They were very close when young but the rivalry of the 3 families for the throne eventually led them to pit against each other. The story covered the rise to power and rule of Emperor Jingzong, and his life.
I watched this drama a second time before I decided to rate it and I really appreciated it more the second time. This is a high tension drama with a lot of scenes making you really nervous for the characters. It would hold you in suspense wondering what would be the outcome of each conspiracy - both the good and the bad had their share of instigating these - whether the good would be hurt by the bad, and yes, some times they were.
The lead cast was outstanding and the acting was great. The male lead Shawn Dou was the second lead from the Princess Agent; the lead actress Tiffany Tang was the female lead in a number of well-known dramas, one of which is Princess WeiYang. The second male lead Jing Chao was the second male lead in Princess Silver. And the second female lead, HK Charmaine Sheh needs no further introduction. The rest of the main cast acting the Prime Minister, Wuguli, XiYin, Yansage was equally outstanding. Li Jing, acting the drunken, paranoid, tyrannical and homicidal Emperor Muzong, was really convincingly hateful.
This drama evoked a whole load of emotions - glee when planks were successfully played on the annoying and tears at the heart rendering moments. When the 2 elder sisters were leaving the home during the wedding, it actually made me tearful - I am very immune to crying over dramas - so it is rare any drama managed to do that.
The scale of the production was impressive with Khitan costumes, architecture, and mode of transport, reflecting the nomadic lifestyle of that period and culture. Khitan women were also way more liberal than the stuffy Han women. Historically, Khitan women were trained to hunt, took care of family matters and even court matters. The Liao dynasty was known to have several capable Empress Dowagers (unlike the Empress Dowagers of the late Qing dynasty) including the one in this story. It makes a refreshing difference.
The opening and closing theme songs are nostalgic and very suited to the historical setting.
So overall, I rated it a 10 - one of the very few that I had done - I had done this only for Nirvana in Fire, The Untamed and Ten Mile Peach Blossom.
But I really do not like the title of the drama - legend again? Such a lazy and uncreative translation - translators need to work a bit harder and think a bit more. Something along the lines of 'YanYun Tower', 'Xiao-Yelu Dynasty', 'Yelu Feuding', 'Xiao YanYan' or simply 'Xiao Chuo', 'Emperor JingZong of Liao'. 'Women in Power' or something more creative would be better.
If you are able to appreciate a different culture, women in power and a second chance in love, you would enjoy this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama is underrated on kisskh. It is very well produced and exciting, and holds you in suspense as 3 parties battle each other. And for the female viewers, 4 handsome lead actors - Liu Xue Yi, Allen Ren, Liu Huan, Li Ting Zhe - are added attractions. The actresses are very pretty too.I usually do not like dramas set in the second world war and republic period. I dropped Winter Begonia and The Disguiser but I completed this. This should give you an idea of how much it had held my attention. I was debating giving it an 8.5 or a 9, and finally decided on a 9 mainly for the strong male cast.
However, there are history inaccuracies - the CCP is over glorified, of course. Viewers from HongKong and Taiwan are likely to rate this drama poorly for this reason.
For long dramas, you could get a bit impatient as the drama drags on, unless the story is very well developed. During the 30+ episodes, I did get a little impatient for the story to change course. The story became dull as Ye Chong and Miyamoto continued to try to outwit each other. But the story picked up momentum again as it reached the 40+ episodes.
The female characters were not well developed. Their contribution to the story was quite limited as well - remove them, the story would not be much affected. They appeared to be flower vases for the male actors to dance around. The female lead character was dull and somewhat dumb. The second female lead was impetuous, rowdy and flamboyant.
The location setting has spoiled the market for this drama - Hongkong, Taiwan are not likely to broadcast this. Similarly many other Asian countries would not. They could have used some fictitious country names.
If you are not disturbed by the historical inaccuracies and not anti-CCP, this drama is worth watching. However, do note that 2 of the lead actors would die - dropping just a bit of a spoiler. If you are depressive, you may not want to watch this.
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Beneath the Vows, a Nation's Wound
On all the production “hygiene factors,” this drama delivers with flying colours: stunning cinematography, exquisite costuming, a charismatic cast, and convincing chemistry between the leads. Visually, it is a feast. And the performances are solid across the board.Xuan Lu, known for her demure and gentle character from The Untamed, switches gears here to play the villain—and does so with surprising flair. Liu Yu Ning hardly needs an introduction. The soundtrack was absolutely enchanting, especially with Liu Yu Ning lending his rich vocals to the theme song, adding depth and emotion to the drama. Liu Duan Duan, whom many would recognise from Joy of Life, reprises his knack for eccentric roles, injecting a unique flavour to the ensemble.
At the heart of the story is the turbulent union between Wei Shao and Qiao Man—two descendents of rival states brought together by a marriage alliance meant to bury a bloody past. Decades earlier, a promise of military support between their grandfathers was broken, leading to the annihilation of Wei Shao’s lineage—his grandfather, father, and brother all perishing in battle. Fourteen years later, with political tensions still simmering, their families attempt to heal old wounds through matrimony.
But Qiao Man’s crossing into enemy territory to become Shao’s wife is anything but romantic. Resentment brews. Political sabotage looms. And soon, romantic rivals enter the fray—from strategic manipulators to sincere admirers and lovelorn relatives.
The premise feels familiar: two enemies forced into an unwanted marriage who slowly grow to love each other. Unfortunately, the execution does not quite live up to its potential. Conflicts arise—wars, betrayals, assassination plots—too many of them and are often resolved far too quickly. Just when the tension should peak, the story takes a soft landing. Emotional sparks that could have been gut-wrenching are instead smoothed over, and the pacing robs key scenes of their full dramatic impact.
Still, the drama offers delightful moments of levity. Wei Shao’s four generals provide much-needed comic relief with their camaraderie and cheeky banter—bringing warmth and humanity to the story.
There are moments of genuine poignancy—self-sacrifice, battlefield loss, and the bittersweet justice of karmic retribution. But for viewers seasoned by countless dramas (like myself), the emotional resonance may not run deep. It is a well-made series, just not a particularly stirring one.
Er Huang’s character (Xuan Lu) serves as a subtle moral reflection—she mourns her misfortunes with intensity, yet remains blind to the love and sacrifices made by the men in her life. Her inability to recognise affection beyond her own suffering becomes a quiet but powerful lesson in gratitude, self-awareness, and emotional maturity.
After listening to the soundtrack again, I return to change my initial rating of 8.5 to 9. It is a polished production with all the right ingredients—while it may not leave a deep emotional imprint, it offers a satisfying and mostly uplifting viewing experience.
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A Melodrama
This is a melodrama filled with arguments, cold wars, crying, secret pining and at times lovey-dovey moments between the lead couple. Hae-In and Hyun-Woo were a married couple from very different background. Hae-In was the daughter of a rich conglomerate family. Hyun-Woo was from a humble village upbringing but made it into Korean's top university. Their friction stemmed from an inability to communicate properly and to give each other the support they needed to sustain a healthy marriage relationship in a highly pressured family environment. Their friction inevitably opened up opportunities for ex-boyfriend, in-laws, and villains to make use of against them.The story started off quite well but getting more draggy towards the end as the drama wallowed in more stagy moments. I had trouble trying to endure to the end. Three episodes to the end, I was tapping the 10 second skip button continually to move the drama forward.
The story was poorly constructed and full of holes. I shall give some examples. Why would Hyun-Woo confide so much in the double-headed snake, Grace? For a smart lawyer, he should know she was likely to convey the information to the rival camp. The Hong family could not confide in each other but could tell Grace things she should not know, even after it became clear she was with the villain.
Hyun-Woo and Hae-In should be hurrying to Germany for her treatment given the time she had wasted. Yet the drama lingered on what seemed like a second honeymoon.
The family kept the information that the medical treatment would result in a loss of memory from Hae-In, justifying that she might refuse to undergo the treatment. She would eventually know anyway. Is it not better to let her know in advance to prepare for it?
The Hong aunt knew the true identity of the villain. Yet she did not use this effectively against her to revoke the villain's lasting power of attorney.
The Hong family was evicted from their home when the villain exercised her power. But the Hongs have difficulty evicting her when they returned, based on residency rights. What's the difference in the residency rights?
Also, Hae-In had a horrible character and personality: stubborn, hot-tempered, self-indulgent, obsessed with achievement to the exclusion of humanity, arrogant, distrustful, acid-tongued. Other than being pretty, she had no other lovable qualities. For her husband to fall back in love with her and her ex-boy to be so obsessed with her was just an unlikely fairytale.
Yoon Eun Seong, one of the villains was a smart man. If he was not so obsessed with Hae-In and dark in his character, he could have continued on his successful career.
It seemed it is like a fashion in Korea for guys to spot a bang (hairstyle). But I think it looks quite stupid - a vain attempt to imitate Prince Harry when he was a teenager?
Also, owning a department store was hardly rich enough to live like a king with so many staff and servants. At least the drama should show a chain of departmental stores.
I am not a fan of melodramatic dramas, much less a makjang and poorly constructed one. I think the 8.8 rating on mydramalist.com is overrated.
However, the cast was good and acted their part well. The chemistry between Hae-In and Hyun-Woo was great. For this, I rated it a 7.5, although the story was barely passable.
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Legend of the Dragon Pearl: The Indistinguishable Road
4 people found this review helpful
Excellent 89 episodes...
The story tells of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty and the last princess of the Southern Ming dynasty. They met on a street of Beijing and became friends, unaware of the identity of each other. Neither was the princess aware of her true identity. They crossed each other path again and faced several life threatening events together, during which the princess risked her life to save the emperor. They fell in love in spite of the initial prejudice of the last princess against the Qing emperor. Was their love to be ill-fated?When selecting dramas, I typically pick those with rating 8 and above on mydramalist. But YouTube posted the trailers of this drama on my home page. I was fascinated and started watching the drama since I had just finished watching my Korean soap opera. There are 90 episodes of about half hour each, in all. Why do I say excellent 89 episodes?
The key things that impressed me was an excellent cast with great chemistry between the male and female leads, and interesting storyline, full of suspense and interjected humour. At least for 89 episodes I had enjoyed it tremendously. The final episode was an anti-climax with a lot of unanswered questions. There were a lot of negative comments on the last episode on YouTube. The ending was out of character with the drama - the story had been one when the leads always came out safe if not victorious - but it suddenly ended to the contrary. Endings with unanswered questions seem very typical of Chinese dramas. Poor endings are very typical of dramas - often the last episode looked like it the editing team had ran out of time and had to end the drama in a hurry as it was too long, or it had to be released right away, or the writer ran out of steam, or simply the writer is good at weaving suspense but not conclusion.
Also, it is highly improbable that the two could have met in history. So if you are not too concern about historical accuracy or an ending full of questions, it is a drama worth watching.
The ending theme song was lovely; the drama was well produced; costume was appropriate and I would rewatch it. Disregarding the questionable ending I chose to rate it highly at 9.
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Special effects, fantasy and fairytale
This is a fantasy story set in a place called Douluo Continent. Here each martial art expert has a personal ability called martial spirit which enables them to display special powers. The story is more in the genre of Harry Porter although the story and setting are entirely different. I think this drama would appeal to the young adults and children as it has a fairytale setting and is filled with special effects and actions.The backdrop is that of an academy struggling to survive financially while it takes in some of the most outstanding martial students and trains them to become masters. They are invited to a competition hosted by the continent's most powerful martial spirit academy. Conspiracies loom and hidden secrets are brought to light.
Like a lot of dramas, there is a mystery leading you on. It is quite clear from early in the drama that there are hidden secrets that the lead characters set out to investigate, so there is not much twists in the story.
Xiao Zhan is the main lead and his fans are likely thrilled. His acting is superb but I think it is still short of his performance in the Untamed which is a tough record to beat.
If you are into action oriented fantasy and fairytale, this is an excellent drama to spend your spare time on.
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Story is interesting although unrealistic. But for a romance comedy, story line could be given some liberty. Nevertheless, I am going to point these out.
What idiot would insist on his fiancee disguising as a guy and joining him in an academy for men only , especially when it might be a capital sentence for deceit to the emperor. The writer should think of a better reason she ended up in the academy.
Also, is communication a problem in the Chinese culture? ZiAn did not talk to his father about his suspicion but instead took the drastic action of exposing a crime openly in court. Han did not talk to DieYi about 'his' ancestry and chose to instigate the Crown Prince to stage a revolt - even if he succeed, how was he going to snatch the throne for the rightful heir when the military and tribes were supporting the Crown Prince? All these did not seem to be properly thought out.
While each Chinese drama has its own unique story line, women disguising as men are quite cliche. And when you do need an actress to act as a man, you need to get someone with a bit more masculine features. Men have more angular facial feature and more coarse complexion. Women tend to have softer features and fuller on the cheeks. All the students and lecturers must be blind not to tell that 'he' was a girl. Insofar, all the actresses I had seen made to play a man did not look like a man. You need an actress who has more angular facial features and tall, and yet look very good as a woman - someone like Angelina Jolie perhaps for her angular features.
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Tell a lie and you need a hundred to cover it
This drama is an absolute delight—full of laughter, intrigue, and unexpected twists! While there were three major plot twists that caught me off guard, the storytelling was so well-crafted that I could sense the revelations coming just before they unfolded. The production was visually stunning, featuring a talented cast, breathtaking costumes, and an enchanting backdrop. Not to mention, the theme songs were beautiful, perfectly complementing the excellent acting.The three leading couples had fantastic chemistry, making their romances a joy to watch. Zhang Wan Yi and Wang Chu Ran, the lead actors were playful and affectionate, teasing each other in a way that felt natural and heartwarming. Zhang Wan Yi delivered an outstanding performance, surpassing even his role in Lost You Forever. As for Wang Chu Ran, she was truly stunning—often in dramas, a character was hyped as a great beauty, only to fall short of expectations. But in her case, she genuinely lived up to the hype.
The second lead couple, Chang Hua Sen and Yuan Yu Xuan brought depth to their roles—their relationship was more serious, with Hua Sen deeply devoted (unfortunately to another) while Yu Xuan supported him willingly in spite of knowing that. Yuan Yu Xuan’s performance was particularly impressive, showcasing her strong acting skills beyond her previous role as Cheng Yu in Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. The third couple, Liu Ling Zi and Zhang Chi, had a bit of an imbalance—Liu Ling Zi was slightly stiff, but Zhang Chi shone as the mischievous Marquis who brought a lot of laughter.
The story kicked off when Prince Cui XingZhou discovered Liu MianTang badly injured by the river. She had lost her memory and mistakenly believed he was her husband. Rumors swirled that she was the concubine of a fearsome bandit leader. Seeing an opportunity to capture the bandit, XingZhou played along, pretending to be her husband, hoping to lure the bandit into a trap. Naturally, this deception led to plenty of comedic moments as he and his men scrambled to maintain the lie. But when MianTang’s memory returns, she was furious and determined to get even with him.
As the story unfolded, danger loomed. The scheming Empress Dowager plotted against XingZhou. Her wickedness however led to a sudden palace revolt when the rightful heir returned to reclaim the throne. Yet, the heir's uncle, Prince Sui, had ambitions of his own and sought the throne for himself. To complicate matters further, the heir saw XingZhou as a romantic rival. With loyalties tested and power struggles brewing, the question remained—whose side would XingZhou take?
The one aspect that did not sit well with me was how Prince Cui pursued Liu MianTang after she uncovered his deception. While his love for her was undeniable, and the situation had its moments of both heartbreak and humor, there was a moral gray area that felt uncomfortable. When someone repeatedly says they want space, it should be respected—otherwise, it veers into harassment rather than romance. The drama would have been stronger if it had made it clearer that Prince Cui respected her wishes, stepped back, and let her make her own choice. The same issue arose with Marquis ZhenNan’s pursuit of He Zhen. Sometimes, persistence in love is portrayed in dramas as romantic but they should also emphasize the importance of respect and consent.
This drama is an absolute must-watch! It delivers romance, humor, political intrigue, and outstanding performances. Highly recommended!
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This review may contain spoilers
Excellent except for a predictable ending
This drama scored well on many hygiene factors: beautiful costumes, spectacular special effects, an excellent cast, handsome male lead, pretty second female lead, a popular female lead, lovely music. The story was intriguing - it's was like an onion, you just keep peeling layers after layers to get to the core. Secrets were being revealed one at a time to finally give the complete picture. Aside from the mysteries and secrets, you got to see the typical dramatic spice-up - love triangle, jealousy, saving the damsel in distress... The main male and female lead were suspicious of each other but they eventually fell in love.However, the ending was somewhat predictable - all in line with today's trend. So if you watch enough of Chinese drama in recent years, you would know how it would end. In some way, it took the shine off the drama.
Bai Shuo was the second daughter to the Governor. When she was a child, her sister and she were almost killed by a demon and was saved by a god. She promised to repay him. Motivated by this, she strived to become an immortal. Mistaking Fan Yue who was the demon leader as an immortal, she sought his help to attain immortality. Chong Zhao was Bai Shuo's childhood fiance and was determined to protect his fiance from the demon leader. Together, they uncovered the secrets of the ancient gods, how they were related to them, and the divine responsibilities they were entrusted with.
The drama had some major flaws. A fraudster priestess was passed off as the personification of heaven law to bring the couple together. This was absurd, distasteful and unconvincing. There are already enough gullible people in this world without the screenwriter introducing such stupid ideas into people's head. A fraudster should stay a fraudster in the story - better still get punished accordingly.
And what is today's trend? The second lead/s die; the hero or heroine dies as well but get resurrected. That is typically how Chinese drama ends these days.
Overall, I say, this drama was still one of the best fantasy Chinese drama. Debating whether to give it a full 10 or 9.5, I decided to give it a 9.5. As with a lot of recent dramas, the drama had an excellent start but somehow tired out in the last couple of episodes. For that and the predictable ending, I took 0.5 points off.
If you are not a drama addict as I am and have not watched as many Chinese dramas as I have, this could be an excellent drama to follow.
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Overall, the story is interesting. Although we knew who the God of War was very early into the drama, we are yet to know the full reason it was cast down to earth as a mortal and the previous relation with Hao Chen. The story slowly unfolds and keeps you wondering of the outcomes especially whether XuanJi would eventually end up with SiFeng in this life or would she regain her memory of her previous lives and choose Hao Chen again.
It seems a lot of ideas of heaven - heavenly emperor (DiJun), XiMing, 9th heaven, God of War etc - came from its predecessors, however the story follows its own thread. But of course, I took a point off the story for originality.
Ending was interesting and rather unexpected. The relationship between the God of War and the Demon Star was revealed.
Music was lovely and I got to like it more and more as the drama progresses. I watched it concurrently with 'And the Winner is Love' and 'Noble Aspiration' while waiting for the episodes to be released and this definitely stood out among the three.
Although I would not place it in the ultra top league as The Untamed, Ten Mile Peach Blossom and Nirvana in Fire, it is nevertheless very well produced and certainly deserves a place among the top league.
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This review may contain spoilers
I would have given it a 10 if not for the depressing ending commentary
Very well produced drama - no drag, paced along very well and keep you glued to the screen. Gao WeiGuang is tall and very handsome - he looked good with this rugged look just as he was in the Pillow Book with his scholarly look. The acting and screenplay were great. But the ending was a let down and the ending commentary was lame - about Hong dying in an epidemic, ZheGu failing in his mission, losing his arm and leaving for America. What's so great about leaving for America - place for the disillusioned? Someone explained on YouTube that there is a sequel in the story but there is not even a sequel announced - and who cares if his granddaughter eventually found the magic orb to save his tribe in the next sequel. It would be better to just leave the story with Hong promising to wait for Shao's return and the parting - better still if she left with him to accompany him on his quests. The script writer is sadistic.Chinese writers still have not got it - tragic endings take points off audience rating because it leaves a bad feeling.
The introduction was repeated over and over again 21 times - should just stop after the second episode.
I thought I was going to post a recommendation on Facebook and I changed my mind after the commentary. I am not going to make my friends more depressed in this Covid-19 pandemic.
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This review may contain spoilers
Interesting twists in story
Overall, a very good drama with good acting, backdrop and costumes. What I really like about the story is how it depicted different individuals responding to being wronged. The empress sought to destroy, Fu Chou chose to right the wrong, Rong Le chose to sacrifice etc. In some ways it is like the real world with great variability in different personalities. The commentary at the end of the story on how we respond to circumstances is up to us is interesting but so true. There are some interesting twists in the story; a couple was unexpected surprises but a couple was obvious before it was unraveled. The ending is gut wrenching.The drama has a great start but unfortunately got draggy and slow - I was impatiently waiting for the mystery to unravel. The 58 episodes could easily be shortened by 10 and the faster pace could make it more interesting. As with a lot of Chinese wuxia and fantasy dramas, the medical side of things is obviously fictitious and ridiculous. The romance scenes between Rong Le and Wu You were a little lacking, although the actor and actress were both trying very hard - not quite sure what that is - music? chemistry? I am inclined to think it is the music. Interestingly, I find the scene when Fu Chou saved Rong Le at the river the most romantic, in spite of the numerous save the damsel in distress scenes in the story. Luo Yunxi's acting did not disappoint as usual. He has a nice smile and it would be nice to see him do so more often in other drama characters.
Having watched many Chinese wuxia and fantasy dramas, I see the same themes and tricks used again and again - hair turning white at distress, twin separated at birth to be brought up as enemies - it is getting boring. Hope directors and script writers could come up with something a bit more original and creative, or I may take a break from these dramas.
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