Yani

It was an enjoyable watch. The special effects were...muah! I'm waiting for the day when every drama has effects like those xD The cinematography as a whole was a piece of art, it was simply beautifully shot and edited! Xiao Zhan was really good in the main role,too, especially in the end scenes, he played those emotions oh so good and looked amazing in that particular look! But...this seems like an origin story of a hero that needs further resolution. The film ends right when the characters shape up and it turned out to be just the introduction of something bigger. Will there be a second part? They not only hinted it so much at the end but it needs it, it's clearly just beginning...

Yes and If you ask me, she hasn't had much contact with boys/men either xD. She is rather shy and masks that with "rudeness" and Xie Yun knows that, that's why he keeps getting on her nerves(while in the meantime he supports her and tries to bring up her confidence, of course). She knows only her family but yes, life teaches everyone sooner or later xD She's young, he as well, but they both have potential as characters, I;d love to see their story ^^

Agree! it's getting interesting...Hmm, I haven't watched that yet, maybe it's after ep.28. I'm waiting for subs xD. But generally, I like the playfulness, the pent-up sexual energy, the bickering...also, when they are serious, I like how they express emotions with just the eyes and the longing in them. Ah-Fei seemed sometimes pretty rude but the way she is pretending to ignore his advances and comments is exactly what girls do when they're in love for the first time lol. Like I know from experience, every time I liked a guy in the beginning I made sure that I behave like a cool bitch in his proximity and strived to hide any bit of emotion towards him lol It;s pretty realistic, teens do be like that ahah(maybe not only they) Now that things are getting more seriously emotional, they're also doing great, I can't wait for subs ^^ The ML' story is promising, Ah-Fei is growing, too

That "fight" between Li Sheng and Yang Jin phahahaa I laughed so much! I'm now laughing and enjoying every scene of Li Yan and Yang Jin actually, their chemistry is on point! Li Yan can be really obnoxious though but now when paired with Yang Jin it's more fun to watch. Simple relationship but a good fun anyways.
The way A Fei knocked out Xie Meimei and was pushing the cart with his "old" and unconscious body inside, totally taking things into her own hands lol...I love her "devilish" side of her now, she was more bland in the first episodes, now love seems to work its tricky ways ahaha
And omg how she tied his leg to his hand ROFL And then she said "You should be thankful I didn't tie the other end to your neck - you would have to stand with your feeth in your mouth then." I died ahahahahah They're doung pretty great with humour in this drama, especially now and especially with the main leads. Xie Yun was always care-free and flirty and now the "romantic mouse-and-cat-play" is kicking in as well as the emotional part(which they also play so good). I hope the plot keeps the pace and continues building on the characters.
Also, Madame Ni Chang is really cool! I've always liked her character and her acting is soo good.
P.S. - Male lead's hands are beautiful, just saying, like...that's some sexy hands lol 'Ight I'mma head out...

I really liked episode 28 - so emotional and fun! And I can finally say that I'm starting to like the series, too. Not that there weren't some good things before amongst...other things xD. I appreciate the connection between Zhou Fei and Xie Yun - they have a really believable relationship and the actors now are doing pretty well with their scenes, they are just like two people in love, seems very real and deep-felt ^^

Yes, agree, they were really well suited as enemies and Bo Wang especially was much better as an "antagonist" than the stoic face he had through most of the series which was supposed to show some kind of mysterious inner torment that would be soooo much more beliavable if he was truly more morally grey. But for me, the rule for main characters to be just pure ideals didn't work here. I liked BW's spice in the episodes in Qitan where he played the FL like a fiddle(lol) and straight up destroyed her with just his words and look - he was such a bully but clearly the actor seemed to enjoy the freedom of this kind of personification. There, the only two people that stood up against him were Ji Chong and Bao Na(because they were written with stronger personalities and actual minds of their own) and they did it so well while MZX was going deeper into her deep dark pit of The Misery of The Shocked Pikachu face which she kept almost till the end. :)
I was moved by Ji Chong since the moment he appeared and his story kept me to the end - he was free-spirited, sizzling with energy, inner will but also not completely ideal although very much idealistic (which is a different thing). He showed maturity and growth and had a good backstory. And galoons of screen presence!
I also loved Yao Ji and Bao Na The Legend(she was a walking sassy ball of cuteness and fury. I mean, she had one of the best lines in the whole series like...MZX: Bao Na, you mustn't be reckless.; Bao Na: It;s too late, I am already reckless." Preach, queen! xD And so many more....She had actual growth in the show, unlike other people, in my opinion...
You;re absolutely right about Yao Ji. What she had with BW was more deep, complicated, beautiful and if they developped it further...it would have been very original and interesting for me. The actress already did so good with just her eyes.
I also didn;t care much about the main leads but if you find other things to love you can enjoy the story still. ^^
As for L&R...the misunderstandings there were too much for me to handle and many of them ridicolous but that's another topic. The plot was original though. I remember I really liked the character of Teng She (the snake guy xD) and I enjoyed his scenes. Guess I'm not really into deprression, I always fall for the charming people with the spirit of "revolution" in them, they are badass xD
Yeah, guess like or dislike of the characters is a given and I've found out I can watch dramas for the supporting cast also while imagining in my head they are the main ^^

I agree here. Personally, there are things I didn't like about the development of both of the two main leads and the FL especially - she wasn't written to be strong or perceptive of the situation around her and the people (she was only perceptive where Lord Bo wasn't involved but he comes into play and she is suddenly another person which was not logical, they didn't follow through a "normal" character development for her and "romance" was given as an excuse) Most of the time I saw her as a plot device to make certain characters feel and do things and move their plots but not so much hers. At times there were scenes where she didn't even have enough lines and could only react to other people's emotions, guidance or monologs. For me, she was not a main lead material, at least not in my standards, given that nowadays people expect logic and consistency in character building and there were good shows, internationally speaking even, that set the standard for originality and story-telling and she couldn't possibly keep up with such characters, both male and female. Not the actress's fault. I can't tell if the purpose all along was to make a simple story...that could be an excuse but I don't think it was intentionally done that way, not everything. You could make a very simple story with top-notch characters, no problem if you have good actors and good writing. Characters should be beliavable. I really can't say more about MZX than...."she was inherently naive and good-willed". OK? Can a good writer allow themselves to create characters that are just „inherently“-something and leave it like that, saving themselves the trouble to further build upon that? Can people be just that through their life? Even children have more personality and qualities, people always change, they live to grow. (Good) story-telling should make characters change too, they take examples from life after all(mostly). What does a story tell if you begin a certain way and end up the same? Not much. But hers and Bo Wang's overly-idealistic nature were not really real-life people going though things, they were the bearers of old tropes of the genre. The genre doesn't view the actions of the ML toxic if the reason is love, or the FL lead's decisions “stupid” if the reason is love xD I expected for Bo Wang to fight through his misery and show more humanity but the screenwriters told him to be just in love and he was for the most part just in love and drowning in self-pity. I didn't see a story of a real person fighting through life circumstances for his own soul's sake - he was doing it for someone else and for..."love" sake xD. So it wasn't that kind of a story...expected, I;m not that mad but...it could have been. He was made to brood and be infatuated but god forbid if he made decisions that didn't concern Ma Zhai Xing. I didn't see him fight wars for his people, it was only mentioned - too easy and not believable.
I can talk more about what I didn't like but I'm not reaaaaalyy mad, I'm pointing out what I saw as a miss for me. I still rated the drama 9. Just because of all the things that I did like and love. It was enjoyable and I miss it! Many people like the main leads and their story, preference plays a big part in opinions, in mine too. What made the drama good were the actors, even though the plot is not the strongest it still was better than many other dramas and the overall feel of the show is good...like, it's better than average and the performances are great(when they had the freedom to show different emotions and behaviour than what normally the script prescribed them). I think some kind of cenzorship didn't let the characters be really complex. I like this a lot more than Love and Redemption, for example, which was also released this year.
oof, long read, not my first one, sorry. And I already wrote a review and many comments...maybe I should move on from the drama hole after the end, even though I refuse to lol

The only person truly experiencing grand love in the series was Yao Ji, bless her soul! <3 Ji Chong was also innocently in love and then showed maturity(MZX was not worth his time anyways xD) but Yao Ji loved with so much...power and desperation and it was so real and heartfelt...I got goosebumps watching into her eyes and Lord Bo couldn't see that in front of him, probably because he didn't really understand it but most likely because his and the FL's story was written in a more simplistic way. I also didn't watch it for the romance - the other main characters and the supporting grabbed my heart and they still haven't let go. The amount of times that I'm rewatching some scenes and listening to the OST is starting to scare me - when will I let go?(｡ŏ﹏ŏ) I'll be in a show whole until the point Ji Chong appears again on the screen which means forever lol :(

I just finished season 1. I didn't watch it when it was released and the second season was released before I started the show from the beginning. One of the bigest spoilers, if not the biggest, from the first season is written here right in the first sentence of the description. I get it most of the people have already seen it but it's not a given that everyone has done so. I much prefer the description on the official IMDB page for this season which is vague and gives little information but is to the point. I'm good at misdirects so I could sense a big plot twist was coming by the end of the first season but still...it was not the same. It's not cool to write descriptions like that, don't know who did it but please pay more attention to these things . *sigh* I enjoy the drama and I'll be starting this season so that I'm prepared for the big spoiler that's gonna be written in the description of the third season......
P.S. - I will try to suggest an edit.
Edit: It's alright now :)

ATTENTION to anyone that has not watched this yet! Do not read the description of the second season - don;t peak its page, don't go there- just watch this first without researching more! I don't know why the biggest spoilers are written in the descriptions.....so not cool...
Edit: It's alright as of now.

Totally agree about Ji Chong, he was the most engaging to me, truly admirable character and actor's performance. Nice avatar, btw xD <3

His mean behaviour around the 30th episode(when they are in Qitan) is the only time I actually liked his character xD No, more like - I saw that the actor finally felt the freedom to do something he is actually good at and he delivered and I wanted to punch him but was grinning at the same time... like "Did I finally reacted to him in some way? Finally!" I was hoping he would continue being that kind of mean and bullying so he could be a proper enemy and she finally starts to really antagonize him and things become spicy but not in a romantic wayxD I don't want to spoil but well...I feel like some kind of censorship played in that MZX never got to be a strong opponent and character and that counts for Bo Wang, too (in my opinion, people that haven't watched till the end can see for themselves since some see more changes in her or Bo in some parts). Like, the main leads can't have real morally grey qualities, their morally grey actions had to be toned down to the point of loosing realism in the plot so that love is shown as that pure ideal even in their complicated circumstances. That was a miss for me, I wanted to see the world "burn", I guess xD And it would have been more realistic than the "romance" we got. Still, I didn't drop it, luckily other characters acted more freely and out of the box.

Yes to what Blizzardahm said. I am new to the genre, too, but from what I understand about how the Chinese present martial arts in fiction...well, the meaning is really in the word "art". Fighting someone in a political drama, for example, is a plot devise for dealing with your enemies and it's the same thing in Western and most Chinese or any other shows. In Wuxia fighting is connected to a whole culture, mind set and way of living - you gain something more through fighting than just simply removing an enemy, you learn an art form and also learn basic human values that make you a hero, for example. The evil martial artists are using the art for personal gain and not for the betterment of society and humanity and that's why the heroes like the female lead exist, to bring peace back to the world (or more like, help the parts of the world she's passing through in this Odyssey) and in the mean time become a better human being through perfecting her inner spirit and her mind(coming of age story in her case, too). It's a highly cultural and specific point of view and it has many other factors and I'm not sure if I am entirely right about everything but in this story I think this is the main thing. Basically, outside her home she meets famous heroes and arrogant bastards xD to fight and learn from.
Hope I understood what you were asking and I'm not being just too much lol
Edit: omg maybe I'm really being too much lol you asked the cause for them to fight. Well, for every single person was different, i guess? I don't remember them all. But I can tell that the guy with the iron hand is desperately looking for some kind of a prescious artifact that he, of course, wants only for himself and is willing to kill everyone on his path in order to find that artifact/sacred place. Sometimes I'm confused, too, by the lesser villains that pop up and then disappear in an episode or two. They were clearly the mini bosses xD

It was cut, yeah...I didn't see it.

Keep watching, he'll be back ;) <3 Also, I freaking loved his ending! His story was the best thing for me, too, and I was satisfied watching it to the end. Like I keep rewatching his last scenes, so good. Hope I didn't spoil anything with my overflawing love for this character xD (and certain others, though not the main two). When he's not in the scenes just watch the beautiful landscapes and you'll be fine. Pay attention to the story also, when it interests you xD It's not a bad drama as a whole but it suffers from bad writing and cliches, unfortunately.

I have a question - wasn't this supposed to be released today?

I probably agree with almost everything you said xD I also wasn't invested in the mains'relationship. There is more than one factor. First - there wasn't really a relationship. They had young love, infatuation, in the end love and appreciaion..okay, maybe, but a relationship needs communication and growing up as people together as a result of the SHARED fortunes and misfortunes in life. They shared...almost nothing since the time they parted in the woods. They had a great and sweet friendship as the wolf boy and Xing'er and then they were different people that never got to to have a conversation together like...till the end? All they did they did in secret, their most important moments that shaped who they were happened while apart...like, Ji Chong and his father played a bigger role in making of the character of MZX than her time with Bo Wang. That's not from a lack of chemistry but in my opinion, a lack of good and beliavable writing for the main two characters. You said it - people and relationships are what's the focus in the drama and I agree. The relationship between Bo Wang and Yao Ji, the relationship between Bo Wang and his people from Night Fury, between him and the emperor (so important!), MZX and Ji Chong - if not for Ji Chong and his father MZX wouldn't have even a spec of a character development (though, I wouldn't call it romantic), Ji Chong and his father - taught some good lessons, Ji Chong and Bao Na - a beliavable start of a beautiful relationship, Bao Na and MZX - the friend you need in difficult situations when everyone around you are men, Bo Wang and his dead brother (again, important one for establishing him as a character), Bo Wang and Ji Chong ....It really is a drama about people and relationships. And I liked that when Ma Zhai Xing died Bo Wang was shown to have lost the person that showed him the way to being human (not that he ever was a beast)...I like that mZX told him "you're not a beast, you're human." It was the memory of Xing'er from the first episodes that left him the biggest impression but not Ma Zhai Xing....That's what made those final moments of drama seem for me...undeserved. You need better writing for these things to work logically. And for the sake of those two episodes in the beginning I;m not going to say that in the rest of the drama they were (Bo Wang and MZX) so important to each other...they were not as interesting to me as the people around them, they stepped back from that postition of importance until the final episodes. Theoretically, what they had should have been great but the time to show it was wasted for scenes I see in many other dramas and when they parted the show became more interesting for me. Seeing as they didn't contribute so much to forming a relastic bond, in my opinion, I wish we focused more on the other characters at the times when the angst was too much. I don't really hate the choices the screenwriters made (or the director), but some things were very good while other (main) things lacked something. Still a show I miss but more so because of my favourite characters and the great cinematography! I don't miss the story of Bo Wang and MZX, I'm sorry, though it was sad.
P.S. - Yes, Ji Chong wasn't perfect...and that was perfect xD <333
Yes, I wanted more time with my sweet and ferocious Bao Na,too xD <3 Also, with Bao Na and Ji Chong together. I want a whole series! xD
Yes! I really sympathised with Yao Ji the most! She was the one person that loved Bo Wang after his teen years. And her scenes were the ones that teared me up. And, yay, she survived! <3

Yes, he was a good cast for the role, but I think it would have been nice to see more of his personal story and path and not so much focus on their relationship (a strong word for that in most episodes). If we saw the transformation, his past and more interactions with the people that were important for Lord Bo (for example, Yao Ji) I think he really would have grown on me. The story would have grown more on me. I still love the show but there are things that are not for my taste...and I guess it's okay xD I like that people appreciate and watch the series. I miss it soo much still!

For me, Ji Chong has that strong pulling power as a character. They wrote him to have a certain kind of spirit, sass, charm and in the same time maturity so that he can be more than just an aesthetic, if I may say so . Every time he showed up the pacing of the drama got faster, he was there both to bring action and to teach some characters and the audience lessons of humanity. He was also given a good backstory that gave reasons for his choices and showed clearly his personality. And they casted exactly the actor for him to better portray this specific type of a character that is not often seen in dramas because I think the free-spirited people are often written to not be mature and it was a very good artistic choice to bring these characteristics in the story of one person. It served the overall plot and the story of Ji Chong very well! He was made so that he can both captivate with a certain wildness and then prove that this can go hand in hand with being a good and smart human being. I was pleasently surprised and I totally loved him! But Ma Zhai Xing is for sure not his type of a person (another thing is that I really didn't like her, she was a badly written character almost from start to finish) so I strongly believe that he deserves someone better - someone with more personality and better done development. Watch to the end and see how you think :)
As for Bo Wang - I liked hist story but I didn't like how the screenwriters chose to tell it for most of the series so in turn I never got too invested in him. There were some scenes later in the drama (in Qitan) where I finally was made to feel something about him(not saying it was a good feel, more like the feeling which made me like how the actor of the emperor played his role..."he is bad but he plays that good as an actor and you hate him and that's good - he has done his job well" But that for Bo Wang was maybe in a couple of scenes, in the others all I saw was a stone face and I don't know why they decided to do it that way, the actor could have done better than that cliche teenage plot in the middle...cold man-warm woman...*sigh* still, that's my opinion, many liked that about him but if I don't see a fire in someone's eyes...I'm easily bored. It was not Darren's fault, he was stripped of chances to play the cunning Lord Bo so that they could have dragging romance plot in the middle episodes and in the last episodes I already didn't care that much for the main characters, especially Ma Zhai Xing but she's another topic xD.)
Sorry for the long read!

I found that koreandrama.es has them all translated. Love Viki but I couldn't wait till Monday xD