Great ideas, sloppy execution... excellent fight choreo though
The Journey of Legend is about a modern day wuxia writer who transmigrates into a classic wuxia. He goes on to star in it unironically, making this entire show a classic wuxia itself. Unironically.
Actually, at the beginning, it seems like they’re going in a different direction, some version of “modern boy out of his depth in historical realm, armed only with his knowledge of wuxia tropes, ha ha ha”. However, this phase is short-lived, and without much transition he becomes a rather strong fighter with lots of clever ideas.
The choppiness is a little jarring, but wasn’t a huge problem for me. It was, however, the first hint of the sloppy execution and lack of careful thought that ended up permeating the show.
As another example, the transmigration framework is completely irrelevant for large blocks at a time. Xiao Qiushui very quickly is all in, full emotional investment without a backward glance. You wonder why they even bothered with transmigration, until suddenly it rears its head in a big way.
For a hot second, I really loved how they gave his modern-day version an actual story and tied it in. That really shouldn’t be so rare in Cdramas. Unfortunately, the show doesn’t follow through properly and the transmigration fades into irrelevancy again. It’s a half-baked waste of a great concept.
As for the characters, I was excited at first to see many actors listed in leading roles, as I like a distributed focus and group efforts. But, it turns out this show is as hero-centric as it gets. There is only one real lead. Other characters might have their stories, but they all at some point or another disappear for large blocks at a time.
Xiao Qiushui is a classic wuxia hero, a warrior of justice and bastion of hope (etc). He’s a little obsessed with righteousness, but stops short of being annoying because he’s still fairly down-to-earth, has real emotions, and isn’t always right. But I also didn’t find him interesting enough for the entire show to be focused on him. At one point, there seems to be some attempt at character growth, but it didn’t really resonate with me because the “mistakes” he was growing from didn’t seem valid.
Even more, his hero story is kind of lame. He receives so many those “golden finger cheat codes” he kept wisecracking about at the beginning. Unironically. The show seems to believe its own (I thought joking?) proclamation that readers(audience) love cheat buffs. Let me tell you, I certainly did not. I’m here to watch him solve problems and build meaningful relationships, not instantly skyrocket his power and/or level up quickly through nonsensical means.
As for the other characters... I’ll just mention a few. Tang Fang starts out obnoxious, but I ended up really liking her. She is quite badass, and her heart is in the right place. Unfortunately, like everyone else, she’s not actually that important and disappears for large periods at a time.
I also rather liked Liu Suifeng, who for some time seems set up to be our resident antihero. However, his story is plagued on a small level by some mysteriously diehard loyalties, and on a bigger level by being dropped by the screenwriters halfway. He’s so important and then suddenly not. By the end, there are still gaps in his backstory, and while his main conflict does resolve, we never actually see him get closure. What kind of show starts building up a huge character arc and then forgets to finish it?
And then we have the eldest brother. Xiao Yiren is a particularly poorly written character, constantly acting beyond the realm of reason. The concept of his character and arc is actually not bad; it’s just so poorly executed with unbelievably ridiculous behavior, it’s very frustrating to watch.
There are also several “colorful” (silly/foolish) Jianghu characters who are perhaps meant to be comic relief. It’s not actually that funny, though. I was more amused by the little bit of wordplay (eg mojito, Xiao Donghuo), but overall there is very little humor in this show, which is a shame. The story is not fluffy at all- they are not afraid to kill off side characters, or throw Qiushui into devastating circumstances- and I think such depressing developments make a little bit of humor even more important.
On the villain side, we’re given a cookie cutter baddie early in, but things are soon revealed to be more than what they seem. It’s a constant game of peeling back layers to try to find the mastermind in the very back, guessing at who is a traitor in hiding. I felt on and off bad throughout this process, and not sure I liked that. It’s one thing to explore morally gray areas, and another to make you hate a character you were just feeling sorry for. Just doesn’t feel good.
By the way, there is no big romance in this show. I think that was the right choice; it would have felt unnecessary and forced.
Acting-wise, Cheng Yi does a good job. In a role that requires so much acting cool, he brings some down-to-earth energy. I also think his acting is very sincere. He really cries- his eyes get all red and everything- which I very much appreciate.
Actually, the other actors did well too, everyone was pretty good. But the show feels a little like it’s built around Cheng Yi.
The real highlight for me was the excellent fight choreography. It is flashy, creative, and all around fun to watch. It’s especially exciting to see great choreography for less common weapons like Xiao Xueyu’s flute, Song Mingzhu’s barbed whip, and Liu Suifeng’s fan.
I never felt nervous during the fight scenes, because none of these dangerous-looking moves are actually that dangerous. Anyone can survive anything as long as the screenwriters want them to, and nothing can beat the ultimate weapon: a big blast of chi. So I wouldn’t say the fights are meaningful, but they are still fun to watch.
They are also performed well. To be honest, I don’t think Cheng Yi is the best fighter- his stances are good, but his sword swings don’t have much substance behind them, and he hyperextends his shoulder a lot. Still, with so many fight scenes and so many acrobatics, he definitely put in a lot of effort, good job.
The rest of production is likewise well done. Cheng Yi gets a great fashion show with so many pretty costumes, and the sets are really nice- I especially love the waterways with its giant water wheels (are those real?). And the BGM is quite good and helps set the mood.
But why put so much energy into production and then be so sloppy about the plot? Eye candy is nice, but I am here first and foremost for the story.
ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS
The ending is somewhat depressing.
They start killing off important characters earlier than expected, like several episodes from the end, sometimes without much fanfare. With such an attitude, I expected everyone to die, so I was glad that didn’t happen. And the protagonists do defeat the villains and have a big celebration, so I guess that’s some closure.
But guess who doesn’t make it? Our main character. Xiao Qiushui’s death was somewhat unexpected, because it has no foreshadowing, but I can see how it’s fitting. Plus, they need to close off the transmigration somehow.
As for Xiao Mingming... he already chose long ago to give up his modern life, so I guess it’s fair to hold him to that. But I still thought it was so sad, especially when they showed his roommates.
Also, so unexpected. After all, there is that thing in the drama description that says “Afterwards, Xiao Mingming continues writing in his spare time”. Leaving everyone behind but still keeping them in his memories would have been a nice and bittersweet ending.
I saw somebody post online a list of deleted scenes near the end. A lot were scenes that would have helped explain things and/or stitch the story together (including some parts that previously had me rewinding back and forth in confusion... lol). But there was also a scene at the end with Xiao Mingming happy and alive. Hm... well, I guess the doctors could have saved him, I'll just believe that.
MORE MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD
Point 1: Xiao Second Brother as the end villain. At first I thought he was a well-written character, with a distinct and consistent personality. The way he started to go astray was sad but kind of relatable- some discontent, an accident, panic and more mistakes. And by the end he was a villain I could really hate.
But the link in between those two is missing. Is middle child syndrome and a random nasty weirdo in his head really enough to incite such villainhood? I would have liked it better if Li Na just showed up as the villain, and I don’t know why he didn’t just transmigrate the way Xiao Mingming did. Seriously, Li Na sort of just disappeared.
Point 2: Li Chenzhou and the emperor. What's going on? To the end I couldn’t quite figure out what either side is thinking. I think the concept of Li Chenzhou is really great- a “villain” who is revealed to actually be a true, self-sacrificing patriot, yet he does also believe in underhanded techniques. This makes him complex, realistic, and interesting.
But I really don’t see why he kept drinking that poison. Once again: great idea, poor execution. If only they had made it clear why drinking poison was the best and only way to save his country, that would have made the whole thing more meaningful.
Actually, at the beginning, it seems like they’re going in a different direction, some version of “modern boy out of his depth in historical realm, armed only with his knowledge of wuxia tropes, ha ha ha”. However, this phase is short-lived, and without much transition he becomes a rather strong fighter with lots of clever ideas.
The choppiness is a little jarring, but wasn’t a huge problem for me. It was, however, the first hint of the sloppy execution and lack of careful thought that ended up permeating the show.
As another example, the transmigration framework is completely irrelevant for large blocks at a time. Xiao Qiushui very quickly is all in, full emotional investment without a backward glance. You wonder why they even bothered with transmigration, until suddenly it rears its head in a big way.
For a hot second, I really loved how they gave his modern-day version an actual story and tied it in. That really shouldn’t be so rare in Cdramas. Unfortunately, the show doesn’t follow through properly and the transmigration fades into irrelevancy again. It’s a half-baked waste of a great concept.
As for the characters, I was excited at first to see many actors listed in leading roles, as I like a distributed focus and group efforts. But, it turns out this show is as hero-centric as it gets. There is only one real lead. Other characters might have their stories, but they all at some point or another disappear for large blocks at a time.
Xiao Qiushui is a classic wuxia hero, a warrior of justice and bastion of hope (etc). He’s a little obsessed with righteousness, but stops short of being annoying because he’s still fairly down-to-earth, has real emotions, and isn’t always right. But I also didn’t find him interesting enough for the entire show to be focused on him. At one point, there seems to be some attempt at character growth, but it didn’t really resonate with me because the “mistakes” he was growing from didn’t seem valid.
Even more, his hero story is kind of lame. He receives so many those “golden finger cheat codes” he kept wisecracking about at the beginning. Unironically. The show seems to believe its own (I thought joking?) proclamation that readers(audience) love cheat buffs. Let me tell you, I certainly did not. I’m here to watch him solve problems and build meaningful relationships, not instantly skyrocket his power and/or level up quickly through nonsensical means.
As for the other characters... I’ll just mention a few. Tang Fang starts out obnoxious, but I ended up really liking her. She is quite badass, and her heart is in the right place. Unfortunately, like everyone else, she’s not actually that important and disappears for large periods at a time.
I also rather liked Liu Suifeng, who for some time seems set up to be our resident antihero. However, his story is plagued on a small level by some mysteriously diehard loyalties, and on a bigger level by being dropped by the screenwriters halfway. He’s so important and then suddenly not. By the end, there are still gaps in his backstory, and while his main conflict does resolve, we never actually see him get closure. What kind of show starts building up a huge character arc and then forgets to finish it?
And then we have the eldest brother. Xiao Yiren is a particularly poorly written character, constantly acting beyond the realm of reason. The concept of his character and arc is actually not bad; it’s just so poorly executed with unbelievably ridiculous behavior, it’s very frustrating to watch.
There are also several “colorful” (silly/foolish) Jianghu characters who are perhaps meant to be comic relief. It’s not actually that funny, though. I was more amused by the little bit of wordplay (eg mojito, Xiao Donghuo), but overall there is very little humor in this show, which is a shame. The story is not fluffy at all- they are not afraid to kill off side characters, or throw Qiushui into devastating circumstances- and I think such depressing developments make a little bit of humor even more important.
On the villain side, we’re given a cookie cutter baddie early in, but things are soon revealed to be more than what they seem. It’s a constant game of peeling back layers to try to find the mastermind in the very back, guessing at who is a traitor in hiding. I felt on and off bad throughout this process, and not sure I liked that. It’s one thing to explore morally gray areas, and another to make you hate a character you were just feeling sorry for. Just doesn’t feel good.
By the way, there is no big romance in this show. I think that was the right choice; it would have felt unnecessary and forced.
Acting-wise, Cheng Yi does a good job. In a role that requires so much acting cool, he brings some down-to-earth energy. I also think his acting is very sincere. He really cries- his eyes get all red and everything- which I very much appreciate.
Actually, the other actors did well too, everyone was pretty good. But the show feels a little like it’s built around Cheng Yi.
The real highlight for me was the excellent fight choreography. It is flashy, creative, and all around fun to watch. It’s especially exciting to see great choreography for less common weapons like Xiao Xueyu’s flute, Song Mingzhu’s barbed whip, and Liu Suifeng’s fan.
I never felt nervous during the fight scenes, because none of these dangerous-looking moves are actually that dangerous. Anyone can survive anything as long as the screenwriters want them to, and nothing can beat the ultimate weapon: a big blast of chi. So I wouldn’t say the fights are meaningful, but they are still fun to watch.
They are also performed well. To be honest, I don’t think Cheng Yi is the best fighter- his stances are good, but his sword swings don’t have much substance behind them, and he hyperextends his shoulder a lot. Still, with so many fight scenes and so many acrobatics, he definitely put in a lot of effort, good job.
The rest of production is likewise well done. Cheng Yi gets a great fashion show with so many pretty costumes, and the sets are really nice- I especially love the waterways with its giant water wheels (are those real?). And the BGM is quite good and helps set the mood.
But why put so much energy into production and then be so sloppy about the plot? Eye candy is nice, but I am here first and foremost for the story.
ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS
The ending is somewhat depressing.
They start killing off important characters earlier than expected, like several episodes from the end, sometimes without much fanfare. With such an attitude, I expected everyone to die, so I was glad that didn’t happen. And the protagonists do defeat the villains and have a big celebration, so I guess that’s some closure.
But guess who doesn’t make it? Our main character. Xiao Qiushui’s death was somewhat unexpected, because it has no foreshadowing, but I can see how it’s fitting. Plus, they need to close off the transmigration somehow.
As for Xiao Mingming... he already chose long ago to give up his modern life, so I guess it’s fair to hold him to that. But I still thought it was so sad, especially when they showed his roommates.
Also, so unexpected. After all, there is that thing in the drama description that says “Afterwards, Xiao Mingming continues writing in his spare time”. Leaving everyone behind but still keeping them in his memories would have been a nice and bittersweet ending.
I saw somebody post online a list of deleted scenes near the end. A lot were scenes that would have helped explain things and/or stitch the story together (including some parts that previously had me rewinding back and forth in confusion... lol). But there was also a scene at the end with Xiao Mingming happy and alive. Hm... well, I guess the doctors could have saved him, I'll just believe that.
MORE MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD
Point 1: Xiao Second Brother as the end villain. At first I thought he was a well-written character, with a distinct and consistent personality. The way he started to go astray was sad but kind of relatable- some discontent, an accident, panic and more mistakes. And by the end he was a villain I could really hate.
But the link in between those two is missing. Is middle child syndrome and a random nasty weirdo in his head really enough to incite such villainhood? I would have liked it better if Li Na just showed up as the villain, and I don’t know why he didn’t just transmigrate the way Xiao Mingming did. Seriously, Li Na sort of just disappeared.
Point 2: Li Chenzhou and the emperor. What's going on? To the end I couldn’t quite figure out what either side is thinking. I think the concept of Li Chenzhou is really great- a “villain” who is revealed to actually be a true, self-sacrificing patriot, yet he does also believe in underhanded techniques. This makes him complex, realistic, and interesting.
But I really don’t see why he kept drinking that poison. Once again: great idea, poor execution. If only they had made it clear why drinking poison was the best and only way to save his country, that would have made the whole thing more meaningful.
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