lilmeow

Grief, loss, and acceptance

What I like most about this show is its level of depth- enough material for me to think about, but still at a level I can understand without overanalyzing.

Early in, the show presents a sort of preamble, with a tragic story of two friends driven apart by a misunderstanding. It clearly has some parallels to our main character’s past, because he keeps thinking about it. Tang Lici, who seems to know everything, can summarize the situation in a single line- yet fixing it proves to be much more difficult.

Grief, guilt, loss, acceptance, letting go. These are all topics that resonate with me on an emotional gut level, and watching the characters struggle with them felt meaningful and almost personal. It was simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming.

The show also toys with several other concepts like morality, human nature (born good!), the impact of kindness, friendship, and the complexity of human emotions. The ideas come and go rather than being constant themes, but I still found them interesting and thoughtful.

Exploring complex topics requires multidimensional characters, and that’s something this show does well. The main protagonist, Tang Lici, is powerful and clever, always a few steps ahead of everyone. I wouldn’t exactly call him relatable- I certainly couldn’t figure anything out with him, I was just watching him do his thing- but his emotions and struggles are. I really felt for him. He always seems perfectly fine, but he’s really not.

Tang Lici is initially cast as somewhat morally gray. He himself freely admits it. But I didn't think that that’s actually true. He may be a mastermind type who "uses" people; but from the beginning, his plans always try to keep everyone safe, and they usually serve the greater good. He just can’t be bothered to explain this all. If he has a flaw, it’s not lack of conscience or compassion, it’s hubris.

But to explore these ideas of morality, the show still gives us a foil in Puzhu, who’s saintly views on righteousness are clear to all. Puzhu actually comes across as preachy and naively self-righteous, especially compared to Tang Lici. But I think that’s sort of the point. He ends up having an interesting backstory and character arc, which I enjoyed watching.

Puzhu is just one of several characters who turns out to be less straightforward than he at first seems. I think this show does side characters well; even if they sometimes disappear from the story for a while, many are still given multifaceted personalities, character development, and their own story arcs. Zhong Chunji is a good example. She’s trying to be a good person, but she struggles to find her place. (Her sifu is, btw, absolutely lovable and adorable).

Other fun support characters include Chi Yun, the classic dumb but lovable brother-in-arms- at times this character archtype feels a bit forced, but he is actually pretty funny sometimes- and Sheng Langhun, who’s life was ruined by a random act of cruelty, but now gets to build friendships and grow a personality again. These two and Tang Lici get to be three musketeers for a little while in the middle, which is fun to watch. They and several others form a growing cast of friends that make Tang Lici’s jianghu journey less and less lonely.

And then there’s A-Shui. At first I was annoyed by her overly meek and demure mannerisms, but she soon proves to be smart, insightful, and perceptive. She’s not bad, I just initially did not like that she seemed poised to be Tang Lici’s love interest- she didn’t seem good enough.

But this show is not focused on romance, so their interactions and feelings for each other are not particularly played up. It’s more like, any growing affection between them is yet another part of Tang Lici’s personal journey. I was ok with that. Actually there are several other “relationships” in this story that get a similar level of (non) focus, which I rather like for being realistic and relatable. But fans of romance might be more disappointed by the hints + lack of development than if it hadn’t been there in the first place.

Overall, I wouldn’t have minded even more screentime and follow-through for some of these side characters, but their development was already way better than a lot of other shows. They’re more than just sidekicks.

On the villain side, ex-friend Liu Yan is flat out crazy. He gets a lot of leeway in my book- he was clearly so traumatized that he lost a few screws and became totally unhinged. Still, his repeated willful ignorance and self-contradictions really tested my patience sometimes. Ultimately, I could not fully hate him, but it was ok because neither could Tang Lici. Even his little pet red harpy in a harp chair got better.

As for other villains beyond that, I found them quite interesting, but I could still wholeheartedly root against them. I think that’s the best of all worlds.

The plot moves along at a decent clip, with backstory and secrets revealed at a good rate. I found the story engaging and interesting. It gets a little bit loopy towards the end (think time loops), but by hanging my logic on the wall and not thinking too hard, I could still enjoy the show quite a lot.

Some of the ideas explored are pretty heavy, but I didn’t find the show too dark or depressing. It has some decent humor in the first half, and sufficient happy or joyful scenes. It’s heartwarming to watch Tang Lici getting softer throughout the show, and more expressive about caring for his friends.

I also wasn’t too stressed for the first 30 or so episodes. My heart broke for Tang Lici and I cried a lot, but he seems so confident and in control all the time, and he also has a lot compassion, so I felt somewhat assured that he would take care of everything in a satisfying way.

That said, my stress absolutely skyrocketed in the last 5 episodes. This show doesn't tank as badly as some others towards the end, but I was still pretty disappointed by how rushed things felt, how artificially dire the situation became, and how all these side characters I had gotten so attached to seemed to just fade into the background.

Acting-wise, this show has a lot of familiar faces. I had actually not seen Luo Yunxi before and I think he did a good job- I believed both his “mastermind” Tang Lici as well as the innocent one from the flashbacks. My only problem was his flute playing which looked very fake. Overall, I thought everyone did a pretty good job. There is maybe a bit too much of people speaking slowly with pauses, like everything they say is significant and profound. Anybody talking like that in real life would get laughed at. But if this sort of “trying too hard to be deep” is the price to pay for a show exploring some more thoughtful ideas, I’ll take it.

For other production-level stuff, the fighting is heavily CGI-based. Luo Yunxi does more elegant hand motions and floating in air than actual combat. The CGI sometimes looks fake and sometimes seems a bit random, but overall I thought it looked pretty cool and really liked it. I admire the vision to choreograph such elaborate wirework around CGI that gets filled in later.

The costumes are really over the top. Sparkles, beads, metal accents, feathers, fur, you name it. I rather liked them, but maybe am even more impressed that the actors can walk in them.

I also love the music. Especially the ballad and its instrumental, but in general there are a lot of great songs and background musics. More importantly, they are used well to create the right emotional impact at the right time.

Overall I like this show most for its exploration of guilt, grief, and acceptance, which hit some emotional core for me, as well as the focus on personal journey and the development of side characters. Also because there are cats. I might have given it an even higher rating if it hadn’t fallen apart a little towards the end.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





I’d consider this ending to be bittersweet.

The last few episodes are quite a roller coaster; they even kill off two of the most lovable characters in a row. I almost threw a slipper at my screen. Although the deaths are done well, I had gotten way too attached to the characters.

Things get more chaotic closer to the end. I thought Xifang Tao's story would have more depth and development, but for some reason they didn't go there, and then I didn’t fully understand the entire scene that ends with a cat flying at Jeremy Tsui. The final battle is poorly done with bad CGI (did they run out of budget?) Ultimately, a classic big sacrifice by our hero: Tang Lici rewrites history to wipe himself out and give everyone else a new story.

This bothered me not only because it leans into the time loop stuff, which is a logical conundrum, but also because I personally feel like peoples’ experiences make them who they are. So this is essentially like killing everybody. Even though we see a good 5 minutes of everyone happily living their new lives, they’re not the same people that I got to know and love.

And also. The way that every single love story in this show essentially fizzles out (except Chi Yun’s which ends in tragedy) is somewhat disappointing even for a non-romance buff like me. I appreciate how realistic it is- people really do just drift away and don’t come back. That’s life. Still, I watch shows to feel happy and get an escape from reality, and this was a little too realistically depressing. Having it all wiped away by a deus ex machina time bomb doesn’t really help the sour feeling.

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30 episodes of slop before it gets good

So I was slogging through episode after episode of this terrible show out of blind loyalty to the author (Jiu Lu Fei Xiang). Then, near the end and long after I should have dropped it, it actually got pretty good. Truly a surprise.

I guess I’ll start with my issues with the first 30ish episodes.

This show is so unbelievable cheesy. Take the whole superpower thing, for example. If you think of the ML as a Marvel superhero, he’s not that bad- interesting premise and all. But if you're not comparing him to cartoons, then he comes across as… well, cartoonish.

His transformations are accompanied by thumping music, CGI effects, slow motion poses, and hair blowing in the wind. It’s clearly meant to be heart-pounding cool, but I found it super lame. Maybe because the proper buildup isn’t there, so rather than being emotionally invested and caught in the moment, I’m just sitting here rolling my eyes.

And then there are other scenes that seem meant to be squeal-worthy cute, moving, or touching. I was not moved or touched. They were cheesy. Maybe it’s because I didn’t connect with the characters that I just couldn’t get in the proper mood.

As for the characters… let’s start with Li Shuang, female lead and world’s most unbelievable general. I think we’re supposed to like her. She’s strong, capable, noble, and selfless; all she needs now is somebody to appreciate and take care of her. We’re supposed to enjoy watching her find love.

It might have worked if she had any depth to her, but she comes across more as somebody’s one-dimensional image of a paragon of virtue. She is constantly spewing platitudes about protecting the common people; her flaws include failing to take care of herself (because she’s so selfless), her emotions include sorrow for the peoples’ suffering, and her desires include world peace and prosperity. Get the idea?

I think that without any depth, to make her feel more real and relatable, all her moralizing lacks sincerity. She’s too artificial. About half the time she said anything, I rolled my eyes.

As for the ML, his defining feature for the majority of the show is his puppy-like devotion to the FL. He has hints of being clever or thoughtful, but most of his actions center around his obsession with her. You can’t blame him- it’s chemically induced- but that means even more that their romance is founded on nothing.

Sitting through 30 episodes of these two going through all the motions of a sticky sweet romance was truly a struggle. Manufactured cutesy scenes, sappy moments with slow mo and flowery music, incident after incident requiring skin to be bared, sacrifices and rescues, etc. I was either cringing or bored.

On top of this, both leads at times acted in ways I found extremely frustrating. For instance, the unnecessary hostility towards Mo Yun, whose goals are not contrary to theirs. And that poor Crown Prince- despite being a saint, the FL somehow has no empathy for him. As the show itself says, you can turn somebody down and still be kind about it. Their childhood friendship seems to mean nothing to her; she can’t pull out a hint of genuineness or regard for him.

Shows define their own reality. The obnoxious behavior is presented as justified and noble, which left me irritated and further resentful against the two leads.

I had a brief moment of enjoying the show somewhere in the middle, when Lu Xin (female doctor) gets some character development, and Mo Yun appears. In general, I found Lu Xin alternately annoying and very likable. I did like Mo Yun, but some of his character arc was also really cheesy (the detached sage learning to love… lol).

With this second couple, I liked them individually, but the romance between them felt forced- maybe lacking in chemistry or something. Couldn’t quite get behind.

As for the villains, the empress dowager of Yao comes across as deranged and evil- kudos to the actress. I was satisfied with her story and resolution. The Taijin side… more complicated, didn’t quite like.

It isn't until almost 30 episodes in that the ML finally regains his old memories. At this point, the show suddenly gets much better. The ML is more interesting, with much more personality as Prince Annan, and I actually began to like the FL and empathize with her. Li Shuang even has her first moment of humanity, with a genuine and valid regret.

Even more, the way it all plays out between them is at once cute/sweet, and heartbreaking. I guess the previous 30 episodes of sap were setting up for this; it’s a lot more poignant when you understand what was lost. I legit found it touching.

This arc is not without its eyebrow raisers. For one thing, there are now TWO of them competing for the spot of Most Virtuous Soul. The setup / situation is also a bit contrived. But I was willing to overlook all this. All in all, well done, +1 points (yes I was about to give this a 5).

There is some more last-minute drama afterwards which I didn't find too compelling, but it's so close to the end anyways.

Acting-wise, I’ll address first the complete unbelievability of Li Shuang as a general. It’s easy to blame the actress, and I think that’s part of it, but there are other components too. Things like: her voice; her pretty clothing and jewelry when everyone else is wearing armor; outfits and scenes that highlight her creepy level of skinniness; choreography that showcases her poor fighting technique; so on. I don’t want to bash on Song Yi, but maybe she wasn’t the best choice for the role, and maybe also direction/production could have done some things differently.

Other actors did well. Cheng Lei of course had to show a lot of range for his dual personalities and I thought he did a good job. If you like to see Cheng Lei shirtless, this is the show for you. Darren Chen as Mo Yun and Bi Wenjun as the Crown Prince both showed really good expressions with their eyes. I felt even worse for the Crown Prince with how troubled and hurt he looked at times, near the end.

The fight choreography is… not the best I’ve seen, and not that well executed. I admire the creativity of making her main weapon bow and arrow, but it really is not a short-range weapon, and having her rapid fire for close range combat just makes her sloppy technique even worse. Her sword swings are also uncontrolled. There are some battle scenes but they are all pretty standard.

This is definitely not a low-budget show, with lots of fancy costumes, sets, and extras. The CGI quality seems pretty good, and I did like the music on its own merits. But production can’t save a bad plot.

Ultimately, is it worth it to struggle through 30 episodes to get to the good part? Not sure. I did feel some really great emotions at the end, and I was interested and invested. But, ya know, a good show should have that all the way through, and >75% slop is kind of a lot.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





This show has a happy ending. The characters really could have achieved the whole thing with much less drama, but I guess it’s a show after all. About half of the last episode is devoted to telling you where everyone goes. It’s bittersweet for some of the characters but not that bad.

I had a lot of sympathy for the Crown Prince throughout the show. He gets pretty ruthless for a moment there, and I was afraid he would spiral into villainhood (the fate of all too many SML, it seems). And yet I wasn’t sure what he did that was wrong or blameworthy, except maybe when he failed to properly read her mind (right). Luckily they turn that around and ultimately he becomes a good emperor. I like him as a character, but all this personality yo-yoing is too dramatic, getting dangerously close to character assassination.

More than anything, I was really bothered by how FL treated him. I felt she should have at least given him closure, along the lines of “I really treasured our time together but we both need to move on.” Even at the end, he’s clearly struggling and she still can’t say anything nice to him. It somehow falls on our ML to say just one kind thing- “you are a good emperor whom the people love”- to comfort this lonely soul.

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Self-righteous leads, mildly entertaining mysteries, better towards the end

To start, this female lead is too infallibly good at too many things. I’m not inherently opposed to an OP FL- it’s not realistic, but I’d still happily watch her kick butt as long as I like her.

The problem is, I like more down-to-earth characters, and she is not. She does a lot of moralizing. I don’t disagree with everything she says, but her self-assured, self-righteous tone as she goes on about justice bothered me, especially at the beginning.

I wouldn’t have minded so much if the show acknowledged how naive it all was, e.g. by throwing her a morally complex case that challenges her simplistic ideals. And the show actually does focus a lot on horribly wronged people who seek their own justice. What justice truly means seems to be a theme- but it’s not explored that deeply. Our FL never strays far from her convictions that righteousness will prevail and the law will make it happen. We’re not here to watch her grow, only to watch her kick butt.

While I’m rolling my eyes at her preaching, the ML is oozing in admiration. She smiles demurely in response. I think the FL is pretentious; the show thinks she’s noble. This is a fundamental disconnect that permeated the show and made it hard for me to enjoy it.

As for the ML himself, he seems tailor-made to be her perfect boyfriend. Super supportive, caring, everything good, etc. He’s also her perfect work partner, with a complementary approach and perspective. Overall I did not find him very interesting. Too artificial.

Their relationship starts early- he’s pretty much a sap for her right from the beginning. While this is unusual for dramas, I think it’s fairly realistic in the present scenario. Their relationship is refreshingly free of misunderstandings, develops at a normal pace, and is ideal in all ways.

Unfortunately, I just did not enjoy their sticky sweet romance. Watching two people you don’t care about be happily in love is boring at best; here, I found it downright cringe. Their romance is full of contrived, overly dramatic scenes. He saves her from every over-the-top situation you can think of (fire, water, assassins, etc). I fast forwarded through a lot of it.

The side characters are alright; I didn’t feel too strongly about anyone. For better or worse, their friends all pair up neatly. This means there are multiple sweet relationships for you to feel good about, though I found some of them a bit cheesy at times.

Looking at the characters and their relationships, this show is actually quite a treasure for female empowerment. There are strong female characters and good relationships between them. Even the ML feels secondary to the FL. It’s just a shame that they overdid the FL’s sainthood to the point where I couldn’t stand it.

Plot-wise, the first half or so of the show covers ~4.5 independent cases, one right after the other. These cases are methodically developed, spanning several episodes each. I like this slower pacing because it gives me time to consider the evidence.

But for some reason, I found these cases incredibly easy to guess. I would inadvertently figure out the culprit based on things like classic drama patterns (eg it’s usually some nice-seeming character that shows up fairly early in), and who’s facial expressions they keep zooming in on. I would then have to wait patiently while the leads continued to put together evidence and act lovey dovey with each other. Overall, the mysteries were still interesting enough, but I wish they had been a little less obvious.

As the plot progresses, the FL’s path is surprisingly smooth. She doesn’t make any real enemies; in fact, she is loved and admired by many powerful people. I don’t necessarily object to her lack of obstacles, since there is plenty of other intrigue. However, I found myself rolling my eyes at everyone doting on her.

The main plot is pretty much just classic palace power struggles, but I thought it was fairly well done. As a result, my rather low opinion of the show improved towards the end. I like the way our leads slowly uncover the backstory, the growing ambiguity, and the way everything falls into place with the final reveal. This last point is particularly fun to watch, and works out so well thanks to the show’s careful setup. If not for the last few episodes, I would have given this show an even lower score.

Acting wise, since I don’t like the FL, I’m tempted to blame the actress, but that might not be fair. I’ll refrain from commenting on acting since I watched a lot of this on 1.25X speed. I did find Ao Rui Peng’s martial arts technique to be surprisingly good- crisp, clean, and solid.

Other production-level stuff (music, settings, costumes, etc) were all decent. Cinematographically, they do some artistic things with camera perspective and reflections. I liked most of it, except for the views upward from inside a cadaver. As if bodies are just empty sacks.

The segways into my final rant. If you are going to pretend to be an expert in a field, you better show me that you’re serious. This girl does not even wear an apron to conduct an autopsy; she ties up her sleeves, but you can still see them dragging across the corpses. Even worse, her idea of an exam is to reach into a small incision and pull out an entire human organ. Uh, ever done a dissection? It’s nowhere that clean and easy.

These may seem like unimportant details. And I get it- “she fearlessly conducted an autopsy while everyone else puked at the side” is all we’re meant to take away. Still, representing a profession without properly doing research is somewhat offensive. Get it right or else don’t try. Personally, I think they should have kept it all off-screen, like Imperial Coroner.

Overall, I appreciate some parts of this show, but mostly I couldn’t stand it. If I’m honest, most of my complaints probably cascade out of not liking the FL- thus cringing at her romance, rolling my eyes at her popularity, picking on her dissection technique, etc. Perhaps if they had been more subtle about her sainthood, I might have enjoyed this show.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





I consider this a happy ending. All the major protagonists make it through and are launched into happy futures. Not much time is devoted to showing where everyone goes, but it’s enough to give you an idea.

Still, I found the ending surprisingly dark. Not that the show was that light to begin with, but a lot more people died than I expected. It’s as if they decided the cleanest way to tie up loose ends was to kill off all these morally ambiguous characters. And some ending scenes were overly contrived and dramatic… this show really does have a thing for drama.

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Great characters but falls on its face towards the end

This show features an ensemble of friends solving mysteries. Band-of-friends adventures can be so much fun, and this show brings out the best of this kind of setup. Namely, it does a good job with characterization, character development, and relationships.

Xiao Beiming, the ML, leads the group. Initial cockiness aside, his personality is one of the less developed- sort of a generic leader- but he’s likable enough, and it’s fun to watch him solve cases.

Zhong Xueman, as FL, is solidly middle of the pack for me. She is ok at both brains and brawn, but not the best. She has a hot temper- I know because they say so, though in terms of actions, it comes across more as a mildly unlikable personality. I do, however, like her no-nonsense clothing and styling.

The FL is not totally likable, but that’s okay- she’s actually not that important. It’s almost strange to see her listed as a lead. Everyone in the pack contributes, and they all have their own personality and skills (which, realistically, overlap). The attention to characterization pays off- they are imperfect but likable, and all feel very real. My favorite character is Zhuge Kongyun. He is such a peacock, I love him. But he also has some personality and depth.

Perhaps even more endearing are the solid friendships. Interactions are charming and consistent, but not too sappy. One of my favorite scenes is the argument between Tong Shuang and Xiao Beiming, because it’s so realistic. I could relate to both sides. It felt very human.

At the same time, the romance between the ML and FL is not too prominent, for which I’m glad. I didn’t feel it between them, and don’t think it would have gone well if they had played it up.

Plot-wise, this show has several cases that all fit under a big umbrella case. Some of the answers are really tricky! But luckily, the hero party’s abilities and deductions border on mythical. I couldn’t figure the cases out with them, but I didn’t mind just sitting back and waiting for the answer, because they were interesting enough and I was always curious about what happened.

But while the plot starts out strong and sucked me in quickly, I found myself losing interest closer to the end. Around episode 30, this show took a nosedive for me.

Essentially, there is only one big overarching mystery, and it is outlined very close to the beginning. This means they spend the majority of the show building up suspense and hype around the actual specifics of what happened. When it’s finally revealed, I found the answer rather anticlimactic. It’s not a bad story- it would make any conspiracy theorist proud- it’s just not worthy of all the build-up. I don’t know why any one of those people along the way couldn’t have just told them.

Which brings me to my next complaint about this show, which is simply too much nonsense. Some nonsense is standard for Cdramas, but this show has too much.

In addition to the aforementioned mythical crime solving, we also get things like deus ex machina solutions (eg how did everyone just happen to be carrying salt when it was needed? Why would a transcript of some random conversation just happen to exist?), nonsensical explanations to mysteries (eg “stagnant lake”, mind control- I'm ok with fantastical things, but not when they border on science), and inexplicable behavior (why didn’t Chief Fang just ask for an autopsy in that joint trial?)

And then more fundamentally, we get things like: the case against Xiao Beiming is so full of holes, how are so many people so thoroughly convinced he is the villain? With the FL at the beginning, I tried to overlook it as good idea but poor execution. If only they had made ML’s framed crime more believable, then I'd feel a lot more sympathetic to her behavior. But then, as the idea that the ML is Yesha gets repeated so often by so many “smart” people, I gradually lost patience.

The main conflict itself, when finally revealed, is also full of holes. For something so central to the show, I expected better.

Near the end, the plot took a direction I didn’t particularly like, and they just couldn’t sell me on it. Along with the mounting nonsense, lot of things playing out felt like a farce (the emperor’s behavior, for example). I had a hard time emotionally investing or taking it seriously.

To be clear, it’s not the worse ending. They’re solving mysteries to the end, and that bug guy is hilarious. I just expected the whole thing to be more deep and thoughtful.

Execution-wise, the acting is alright. Wang Xingyue is a pretty good actor, but he looks a little old (strange, as he is not). I think Julia could have more fire and personality. Nobody did badly, but it’s not the best acting I’ve seen. The fight scenes were also kind of sloppy.

This show has lots of sets, lots of props, lots of extras- it’s clearly got a decent budget. I like the style of flashing quick memories, mirroring how our minds work. And I like the music.

But ultimately, based on enjoyment, I can’t quite give it a rave review. I did solidly enjoy a good portion of it; but the show is focused so much on the main conflict/mystery, that when that fails to pack a solid punch, the entire thing falls flat.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





This show has quite a happy ending. I had thought they might at least kill off some minor characters- you know, for the sake of realism, maybe- but nope. Final villain was not really out to kill.

There are only 10 minutes to show where everyone ends up, but it’s enough to see that all party members achieve personal and/or professional success. It’s actually a pretty good wrap-up.

MORE MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD





I wasn’t too pleased with Tong Shuang being Yesha. It felt like plot twist for the sake of plot twist. He was simply too convincing as the sincere and lovable younger brother, and all his interactions had seemed so genuine. I’m sure the signs were there if I had looked, but I still had a hard time believing- and also didn’t want to believe- that it was all fake.

So this is partly just a me problem, but they still could have sold it better. Especially given how much the show focused on the characters and their bonds, I thought they would at least flesh him out more and humanize him as a villain. There was a little of that, but mostly he just showed up again acting all nasty and mean, and our protagonists didn’t seem to think twice. I guess the show didn’t want us feeling too bad, so made him more clearly evil. There were only a few hints of something deeper.

The thing is, I also didn’t buy into his motivation. His origin story is sad for sure, but it made no sense that the saintly Chief Zhong would adopt one brother and send the other off without a second glance. And while I can’t personally attest, I feel like most people with a difficult past still wouldn’t try to take down an entire nation. That is totally out of scope.

I just wonder why none of these Haiya orphans ever considered that perhaps the most simple, easy, and just form of revenge is to just tell the world what happened. I still don’t understand why they all kept killing themselves rather than trying to spread the word and get people to investigate.

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She's not as cute as she thinks she is

A lot of people love this show, and a few people hate it. I think these polarized reactions have to do with some very different opinions on the Little Orchid character.

I personally did not like Little Orchid, and I did not like the show that much. Little Orchid is supposed to be young, naïve, and innocent. I admit my personal preferences are factoring in here, but still I think my issue is less with this premise and more with how she is presented.

Orchid’s presentation is very childlike. There are other ways to present such a character that are less over-the-top cutesy. To me, it came across as a cute act, which I found quite annoying. If she were actually 5 years old, I may be less annoyed, but unfortunately she doesn’t look like a child, and even with fairy-time-warped age I think her mental state should be past the toddler phase.

People also complain about her voice. To me, it’s less her voice than the way she uses it. Her tones and cadence are drawn out to match the cute act. I’ve heard Esther’s voice in other contexts and had no problems with it. Just for some reason she is talking like a young child here, I don't understand why she can't just talk like a normal human.

I’ve come to realize that this style is fairly typical of Esther, and as people say, “if you don’t like her then don’t watch her shows”. Actually, when she is not doing the cute act (eg in the body swap or Xilan goddess contexts of this show) I think she is fine. Also nothing against Esther herself, she seems like a lovely person outside the show. I just am not a fan of the cutesy acting style. Maybe it’s what they were going for with the Little Orchid character, in which case, I don’t like this character.

I found that, because I did not like Little Orchid, I couldn’t really get behind anything in this show. I couldn’t understand why two guys were so obsessed with her, and unfortunately this meant I spent a lot of the show rolling my eyes. I also couldn’t get behind her CP because I never saw what DFCQ liked about her. If you take out rooting for them and fawning over them, there isn’t that much left to keep a person interested. There were side characters with their own stories, some of them interesting enough, but they weren’t developed enough to carry the show.

Add to this a good deal of nonsense. Sloppiness in xianxia is not new, but this one is on the more extreme end of having a lot of unexplained plot devices that seem like they should be important. What’s going on with those destiny books, why do they require fixing, why are they so important, how exactly does “fate” work in this show, what even is a goddess, what is this primordial spirit thing, on and on… I’ll admit I might have just missed it, I didn’t analyze that carefully. But I’m the audience, world building shouldn’t be MY homework.

It wasn’t quite a visual feast, either. It wasn’t all bad, some pretty shots and good CGI, but also quite a few scenes relying on bad CGI. I felt sorry for actors having to pretend, e.g. like they’re struggling against a strong force. If the force didn’t look so fake, I wouldn’t be sitting here thinking about how they’re filmed.

I watched this show despite knowing it might not be my thing, because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I finished it because it wasn’t quite bad enough to drop, and it really does have a lot of hype. It was entertaining enough, but I think it’s hard to really get into a show when you can’t make yourself care about the characters. I just sort of slogged through it. In some senses it was nice because I got more sleep and took care of the rest of my life better, relative to when I’m watching a show I really like and stay up too late binging.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





It has a happy ending, but it’s not satisfying enough for many fans, because you only get to see the happy part for about 10 seconds. Typical Cdrama. For me, I thought it was so deus ex machina, like I could not see how it would ever work out for our characters and then the scriptwriters just pulled a random miracle out of nowhere- it was a bit lame.

They do attempt to tie up some of the side stories by showing what happens to a few of the more prominent side characters. This is better than nothing, but as I cared about these characters more, I still felt unsatisfied by their half-baked resolutions.

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Kind of funny, sometimes

A Dream Within A Dream starts out a comedy. It’s set up to satire its own medium because the entire premise involves the female lead falling into a third-rate script.

Some jokes are just the occasional quip- eg “we definitely won’t die jumping off this cliff”. But more structurally, some mysterious force keeps pushing the characters to behave a certain way or act out certain “iconic” scenes. As the real story playing out doesn’t quite match the script, some of these “iconic” scenes are twists on the original, while others are just forced against the characters’ will.

At first I thought these scenes were funny, spot on in making fun of over-the-top shows. But after a while, I started to find them annoying. Not only did they get old, but they were also getting in the way of the real story.

And unfortunately, beyond this comedic element, there isn’t much to make this show stand out.

The FL, Song Yimeng, is a bit annoying. She’s got some typical protagonist traits (brave, wants to do the right thing, etc) but she’s just not that likable. A little dumb, a little mean, and not that special.

Song Yimeng’s prejudice against the ML gets frustrating when it persists in the face of all reason. I could never tell if she was actively trying to push him away (fearing their inevitable tragic fate together), or just throwing a temper tantrum each time. I had a hard time believing the former because of an obvious logic hole: either fate can be changed or it can’t, running away vs trying to change it together would be equally (in)effective.

The ML, on his end, somehow keeps coming back to her. I have no idea why he is so devoted. Sure, she was nice to his alter ego, but- aside from the prejudice highlighted by that whole setup- that attraction didn’t seem founded on much either. Overall, I had a hard time feeling invested in their relationship. It simply didn't develop properly.

On the flipside, while we all feel sorry for the ML, “no” means “no”, it doesn’t mean “try harder over and over”. His behavior is not quite restraining order level, but would still be considered extremely annoying IRL.

That aside, the ML is more likable and interesting than the FL. But. The extent to which he is mistreated and misunderstood by everyone around him, and the extent to which he is able to stay a “good guy” in the face of it all, is somewhat ridiculous.

That’s the thing, though. This show has its obvious satire, clearly marked, but it also has plenty of cheesiness and cliché outrageous plot elements in its “real” story. I could never tell if these were satire or actual cheese. I guess I’ll just give it the benefit of the doubt and call it more subtle satire.

There are some likeable side characters. I especially like those three goofballs running the Nightwalkers. I’ve seen Riley and Li Qing in other shows and they were perfect picks. The Type A sister is unique and sadly relatable… I know too many go-getters in real life and found her hilarious (except that one scene). She is not that likeable sometimes, but hey, neither are we. Unfortunately, her relationship seemed a little toxic, making it hard to get behind.

There are also various other fun and interesting characters who get decent screen time. They maintain some of the comedy that otherwise seems to fade as the show goes on, but are far from enough to save it.

The villains are less interesting. By the end when it gets a more unique spin, I had stopped caring. I think the plot started out ok, but somewhere around the fall of one cliché villain and the rise of another, I lost interest.

The acting is all-around quite good. Liu Yuning has lots of fans praising him to the moon in reviews. I agree, he is a good actor with a good range of expressions, but I thought everyone else did well too.

The music is pretty good, though there are some unhinged (unofficial?) pieces that I can’t believe they spent time recording. Costumes are very pretty, settings not bad, no money skimped on extras. And the fight choreo is quite good and well executed- not something I always say! But all these production level things can’t save a lackluster story, or the fact that by the end I was really slogging to finish.

In spite of it all, I do appreciate that they address the transmigration directly in the last 6 or 7 episodes. Too many shows just plop characters into a new setting and call it done. In this case, at first I was rolling my eyes because the FL jumps right in without any question or confusion. But by the end it becomes a central plot element and thematic focal point. Did it always make sense? Of course not, but better than nothing.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





I consider this show a comedy (even though it’s not quite by the end), so of course it has a happy ending. We get about half an episode of little skits showing everyone’s happy life together.

As for how we get there… all the script rules just get handwaved away. The world of the script comes to life, and she stays in it- it’s a forceful happy ending where all the complications are bulldozed over.

Of course, it doesn’t have to make sense, since they pull you out another level after that. I guess this is supposed to be the thoughtful, creative aspect of the show, that makes us contemplate reality and the Chuang-tzu butterfly dream. If only I still cared by then.

The scriptwriter showing up near the end got some hate, but I thought it was funny. A last-minute villain out of nowhere, a heroic character (Papa Chu) who is revealed to bad, is exactly the kind of cheap trick these scriptwriters often pull. This one literally put himself in there and tried to make it happen.

But in the end, the final villain is more like the SML, who objects to his fate as a supporting character. Well, that I can understand. However, his gradual descent into madness against all reason made no sense and was out of character. I couldn’t get behind him as a villain and instead lost interest.

If only that were the worst character development in this show, but that credit has to go to the emperor. His 180 from completely abusive and extremely stupid father (kudos to the actor for that sadistic little smile) to World’s Best Dad made my head spin. Huh?

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Beautiful setting and music, mildly frustrating plot

I’m not sure why this show is broken into Part 1 and Part 2, except to get around the 40 episode limit. It’s not a natural break in the story. I’m rating on the whole package of Part 1 + 2.

This show really tugged on my heartstrings. Beautiful scenery, beautiful music, beautiful people, all trying so hard- I wanted so much for everyone to find happiness, and I really cried for them and hoped very hard.

Which is great and all, except at a point it became a bit much. I was constantly worried or feeling bad for the characters. Too much self-sacrifice with bad results, and good intentions executed not-quite-right causing misery and heartbreak all around. I honestly felt really frustrated watching some of it. In particular I remember fast forwarding through about 10 episodes desperately looking for the moment when their misunderstandings would finally be resolved, and it kept not happening- by the time it did, it felt like the show was mostly over.

I think part of it is just the source material, as a big chunk of the novel does indeed have them torturing each other. At least the drama does a good job softening this relationship (eg giving them some happy moments together first, making him doubt her betrayal, having some friends there to express the frustration I shared, etc). This comes at the expense of some logic, such as one too many pearls, exchanged a bit too early.

Besides the main couple and their angst-filled saga, there’s an overall save-the-world arc that develops in the latter half. It’s slightly cliché and also not in the book, making it an interesting intentional choice. Dramas seem to really like to turn things into good-vs-evil.

Also given a bigger role in the drama are lots of good looking side characters with their own stories. I personally really liked Xue Sanyue and Li Shu, I was really rooting for them. The little butterfly was cute, but I didn’t quite like how her story evolved (the whole desperately seeking male attention arc she had). For Lin Haoqing, I thought his liking the FL was cliché and I sort of wish they stuck to the book on this one, but it’s still nice to see a more complex character.

These characters, and others, were fairly well developed. I thought the show did a good job with side characters. For better or worse, many of them end up paired up. But, many of their stories also made me cry. It was honestly a bit much… I spent too much of this show feeling sad.

Angsty story aside, this show is quite beautifully done. The scenery is magical, and I especially love the northern lands and the feelings they invoke. I have to give a big shoutout to the music. Of course music is subjective, but I absolutely loved the piano BGMs. I do think it was a bit overused, because the music would start before a scene got going and foreshadow what was coming, which was like a bunch of micro spoilers over and over. However, I still think the music was very evocative, and I might have stopped watching if this music didn’t keep pulling me back.

Styling for humans (costumes, hair, makeup) was well done. Everyone looked good, and it’s always fun to watch good looking people. I thought the acting was also quite good, from main and side characters alike. I heard Dilraba lost a lot of weight to portray the tortured form of Yunhe and I admire this dedication.

Overall, although it doesn’t feel right to rate down a show for not showing me artificially happy scenes just because I want them- sad shows that make you feel your emotions, aren’t necessarily a bad thing- I still can’t deny that I spent a lot of this show feeling worried, frustrated, and otherwise angsty, which is not enjoyable.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





It’s an overall happy ending. What I think they do well, is they do roughly tie things off and show what happens to many of the side characters. I could have used more, but it’s already better than a lot of Cdramas.

What they do less well, is how they tie off the main characters’ story. The last 5 minutes give you their happy resolution, though it makes no sense. You have to google and find some snippets of deleted script that explain what happened. Why would they cut such important scenes?

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A quick and relatively low-stress watch

I’ve watched quite a few rebirth dramas, but this is the first I’ve seen that just boldly ignores conservation of mass and creates two concurrent copies of the same person. Such a setup opens the door for lots of interesting and thought-provoking situations, dynamics, and ironies.

Of course, it also comes with some logical challenges, which are handled by glossing over details (show's job) and not thinking too hard (your job). Overall I still think this is a creative premise, even if it makes even less sense than the usual Cdrama.

I really like the older version of the FL. She is thoughtful, mature, and smart, with that calmness of a person who has already died once. It’s clear she’s out to help not harm. She pretty much always acts in ways I support, and she is capable too, so I enjoyed rooting for her and found it relatively low-stress.

Her younger version, on the other hand, is less likable: self-serving, ruthless, bitter. But we already knew that. What I like is that this younger self is not a blanket “bad person”. She’s more of a wildcard. I found her realistic and complex- she wants to save herself, but she’s not dumb nor is she totally self-absorbed.

The two of them have separate consciousness and are pretty much two different people. I really like how, no matter how annoying her younger self gets, her older self continues to treat her with kindness and compassion. If you take a step back, it’s a nice message for all of us.

The ML is... adorable! He has a cute smile and cute mannerisms. I’d say he’s the typical overdevoted green flag ML. They mention a couple times that he’s a general... that is kind of hard to believe, he is too much of a puppy. He does seem fairly capable, she just seems more capable.

Plot-wise, the FL uncovers conspiracies and discovers new truths, which is always fun to watch. Frustratingly, she spends some time pushing away the ML in the name of protecting him, but luckily this phase ends at some point. The villains are easy to dislike, and overall I found the show not too upsetting or stressful. There isn’t much of good people suffering bad fates or emotional impact deaths of expendable side characters.

I do feel there are some gaps. For example, the FL as empress at the beginning is clearly not fully hinged; being three years older obviously didn’t make her any wiser. But reborn, she is completely different. ...it makes sense given circumstances, but feels choppy and sudden. Just showing a little repentance and regret in her final hours as empress would have smoothed out this transition.

The romance also seems too deep and founded on too little. Their first lifetime’s romance is built up as some death-defying love, but actually all we know of it are a few flashbacks. The second time around, her younger self is ready to use the ML, so how genuine could it have been? The ML is super into her before knowing her that well, but I just am not convinced that this is some love across the ages that would merit such devotion.

If you can believe what you’re told, and accept a premise without thinking too hard, then neither of these is a big deal. Still, I think the show would have been better if it had shown rather than told, so that we resonate better with her character, and feel more emotionally attached to their relationship.

At under 20 minutes an episode, this show is rather short, which is probably why some of these things aren’t fully fleshed out. There are also some side stories that seem like they could have been developed (eg the sister, the princess), but instead are dropped. But the show is so quick that I didn’t fully emotionally invest, so I didn’t mind as much.

Acting-wise, I think the (small) cast did a pretty good job. But it’s sometimes hard to see their expressions behind such thick layers of powder and filters. I feel like this show had paler, smoother faces than usual; I found the lack of skintone a little bit creepy. I wasn’t a huge fan of the makeup in general. Other production-level stuff is not bad, but it’s definitely a smaller drama with a smaller budget.

Overall, I think this is an enjoyable and quick watch. Whether I liked some parts or didn’t like others, it all moved along pretty quickly. It’s good for some mindless, low-stress binging at the end of a day.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





I’d consider this a happy ending. Kind of.

For a moment, it seems comically tragic. After they achieve a resounding victory, they are suddenly both shot by arrows, to die together once again (after a nice final telepathic conversation that takes up a good fraction of the episode).

Luckily, the show leans into its rebirth concept to show them reuniting again in a modern life. It’s fitting and sweet, although... I think I would have still preferred a happy ending in their life that I just spent 22 episodes watching, and some closure for the other threads of that story.

By the way, I thought the final mystery that was uncovered was well done. Its scope and intrigue were proportional to the show (ie interesting enough, maybe not earth-shattering but it’s also a small show to begin with). And it was only a couple lines near the end, but I really like how the FL acknowledged the villain’s right to have grievances, while still pointing out that his actions were wrong.

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A little frustrating sometimes, but mostly nothing special

For about 10 episodes, I thought this was a fluffy xianxia. In these beginning episodes, this show features an imaginative, CGI-filled world; cutsey sound effects; and a FL pretending to be a ditz as she subdues villains with the ML. It’s all good fun.

I wish it stayed a fluffy xianxia, because I wasn’t really connecting with the characters or the plot, but I’m always down for a feel-good, low-stress watch. Unfortunately it moves on- no longer lighthearted, instead people seem to be constantly upset and/or in excruciating pain- before finally turning into another save-the-world story. It’s all alright, but for me, it fell short of being captivating.

Ming Yi, the FL, seems like a character I should like. I always love a strong female lead, and she qualifies. Especially in such a chauvinistic universe, she’s built up some impressive ability through hard work.

But somehow I just couldn’t really connect with her. It’s a little better at the beginning when we get some of her interior monologue, but that sort of goes away, and in general she’s not quite as relatable or down-to-earth as I like. She’s not bad- as a lead, she'll never be too unlikable- but I found her rather thoughtless sometimes.

I liked Ji Bozai, the ML, better. Even with his messed up past, I still found him and his emotions more relatable, and he has some decent development. His characterization as a womanizer who is secretly not made me roll my eyes- classic archetype of a misunderstood, secretly upright male lead- but it’s better than his novel version who is ACTUALLY a womanizer. He’s not bad, but the story feels like it’s more about Ming Yi.

Their fake relationship at the beginning is PDA-cringe for all the other characters to watch. We audience know it’s fake, but I still cringed. It’s the same with her ditz act- fake, but I still cringed. Nothing I felt too great about.

By the end, their relationship is rather sweet. I didn’t mind watching it, but I also didn’t like the characters enough to get a huge kick out of it. They have more steamy scenes together than your standard Cdrama, maybe some influence from vertical dramas (I think the director’s background?), but they’re all from before they fully get together.

As for other characters... Situ Ling is the SML. At first, I thought he was such a nice kid and I really wished the best for him. However, at some point his single-minded obsession began to seriously test my patience. And this behavior of taking for granted the people who are ACTUALLY there for you... I find it super annoying, whether in a show or real life.

Not that Ming Yi handles his situation that well. She’s rather thoughtless. A grandiose gesture of self-sacrifice merits a serious conversation. I suppose her reaction is within the range of understandable for somebody of her age and experience- not like I handled everything great when I was 20!- but it still didn’t make me like her. I like a protagonist a lot more when they have a bit of compassion.

There are some pretty great side characters. Ming Yi’s shifu, the two companion beasts, her dancer friend, Meng Yangqiu (the not-too-bright third wheel), are all rather likable.

And I do love Princess Tianji. At first, nobody is taking her seriously, not even her love interest. But she’s self-aware and not dumb, and she does her best with what she has. And as for that love interest? She calls him out on it, and she’s remarkably spot on. ...I did wonder why she never uses any spiritual power (I was curious if she has spiritual veins), but minor point.

I also really like Yan Xiao. His entire story seems set up to make us feel good, because you can tell it has a good chance of working out. I really looked forward to his and the Princess’s scenes, and they do get good screentime for about half of the show. Unfortunately, that’s it. They’re still around afterwards but less important.

The plot is ok. Ming Yi’s lies go on for a bit longer than I think they should. I saw somebody post online a psychoanalysis of her character and why she continues to lie. Many of the points were good and would have added depth to her personality if they were indeed true. But if so, the show should make that clear to the audience, rather than having us fabricate our own interpretations.

In general, I don’t think this show tries too hard to be deep. For instance, Ming Yi’s relationship with her empress mother seems like it has potential for complex emotions, but they really don’t go there. Just some tears here and there.

In addition, there are some villains who seem like they need a therapist more than a beating. The second villain (fox) is a minor example. I’m surprised that the protagonists don't try to talk to them and appeal to their better sides. It might not have worked, but it seems natural to want to try when you see a glimmer of goodness. Instead, though, the show sticks to black and white; enemy characters are to be defeated.

In the latter half, there are lots of tropey, predictable plot elements (eg lying to somebody to protect them) and “secrets” that are hinted so heavily, we’re probably meant to figure it out before the official reveal. It’s great that we audience get to feel smart, but kind of boring to watch characters uncovering what you already know. And Ming Yi seems dumb for not asking obvious questions.

Actually, some characters act so dumb it feels like plot holes (*example in spoilers section), but I’ll overlook plot holes since this is a xianxia. It’s a save-the-world arc by the end, and overall ok but not amazing.

Acting-wise, I think it was alright across the board. Everyone is good-looking. Hou Minghao’s acting has improved since I last saw him, with more subtle expressions. I liked Lu Yuxiao more in another show (Blossoms in Adversity), but it might just be her character I have a problem with here. Also, the script put them in excruciating pain so often that it began to look really fake to me. I think most actors did pretty well but it didn’t stand out.

For production-level stuff, the costumes are gorgeous- in a sparkly, glittering, iridescent way. They are bedazzled, and my inner kindergartener loved it. There are also a lot of really artificial-looking CGI backgrounds. It’s either very fake or very beautiful, depending on your preferences. The fighting is ok, arm waves and poses and CGI. Music is ok.

Basically, this show is ok, but not the best I’ve seen. It feels a little shallow, but is not fluffy enough to be proper shallow entertainment.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





This show has a happy ending. Nobody dies except villains. The wrapup lasts more than half an episode, and they cover a surprising number of characters, but more just a glimpse. Most of it is the two leads acting lovey dovey.

MORE MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD





First, who is so dumb it’s a plot hole? The biggest example I can think of is the emperor of Yaoguang Mountain. Ming Xian is very powerful and was extremely loyal. Even if she's not his biological child, she's still an adopted one, and wouldn’t any idiot play the doting father and bring her onto their side? She’d totally fall for it. This show has a completely skewed view of nature vs nurture.

Second is my rant about Situ Ling. His character progression follows this classic pattern (SML villain) that I personally find super lame. But also, he is just poorly written. The depth and intensity of his obsession is absolutely annoying, and not relatable. A normal person would at least briefly entertain the idea of moving on with their life.

What annoys me the most is that everyone around him seems to push him in the wrong direction, concluding he’s predestined to be evil. I guess he didn’t have any real friends to give him actual good advice or believe in him, just one blind follower who’s too busy trying to market herself. It’s too bad Ming Yi couldn’t be that friend, but she’s too thoughtless and self-centered to put herself in somebody else’s shoes. She’s just like: welp, guess you’re my enemy now.

Ming Yi is many things, but she’s not thoughtful. I don’t think she can even be bothered to feel that bad about it. Her final message for Situ Ling is nice- “I hope you can live for yourself”- but she doesn’t even say it until after he’s dead. The entire thing is rather frustrating to watch.

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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.

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Interesting, but could have benefited from character development

First, how depressing is this show?

Human trafficking is a heavy topic for sure. And they wanted to focus on the victims and their families, so a large portion is devoted to telling their stories. The first child abduction story in particular goes in depth in showing how a family can fall apart after something like this, and is rather heartbreaking to watch.

That said, it IS a story about the police catching criminals and bringing them to justice, which is a good thing. And these police are remarkably successful. Their success snowballs and they catch criminal after criminal, saving victim after victim. They end up solving every case that’s introduced, even decades-old cold cases.

It doesn’t seem that realistic to me. All the outcomes seem a little too good; somehow everyone gets saved in the nick of time. Some victims, of course, have PTSD, but they are shown to be healing and/or their stories get dropped.

It bothered me a little that everything goes well, because real life isn’t like that. But at the same time, the show became much less stressful after I picked up on this pattern that things usually end up working out. It’s not all fun and games, for sure- I still cried a lot- and not everything is casualty-free. But considering its subject matter, it’s nowhere near as dark as it could be.

That aside, I was initially very interested in this show because it has a strong female lead with no romance. This means the story is actually about her as her own person (think about how rare this is in Cdramaland).

However, it ends up being not really about her at all. Deng Yan has her backstory, but it doesn’t factor too differently than any of the other cases; it’s just the biggest and most central one. There isn’t much focus on developing her character or showing her personal journey. She does seem a bit out of her depth at first, but there’s no real transition from that to being incredibly capable. At some point you just realize that she’s quite good at knowing what to do next and assigning responsibilities.

The other members of the team are all very likable, and we see them a lot, but we don’t actually get to know them that well. They’re just doing business. Chang Rui is listed as a lead, but he’s honestly just another team member- a very capable one who does some undercover work at the beginning, and gets maybe half an episode’s worth of character development, but by the middle of the show he’s already not that important.

There is no drama between team members. They’re coworkers who get along. There are some meaningful and supportive conversations between them, which I liked, but they are few. As mentioned before, no romance- which I found to be a good thing.

Although it was a conscious choice not to focus on the team’s personal stories, I think the show would have benefited from at least a little development. That would have given me something to emotionally invest in. We’re probably supposed to get an emotional hit from the victim stories, but I personally couldn’t feel too attached to any one, because there are so many. One story ends and it’s onto the next, rapid fire with little follow-up. It almost gets repetitive (they are very successful!), which might be why they stop showing the rescues after awhile. Instead, we are simply informed that so and so was found.

The other part of the plot is police solving crimes. It’s rather procedural, eg lots of interrogations at the police station, or team meetings showing their train of thought. I thought it was interesting but sometimes a little repetitive. For example, they use each captured perpetrator to find the next, and we hear over and over again the same arguments to make them talk. I agree the interrogations need these exchanges, but there are perhaps one too many layers in the web of criminals.

Eventually, the story settles down to just a few big fish. So there is a little more focus towards the end. The show does a good job hinting at the mastermind, keeping us in suspense before the reveal.

I’m not sure how many of the cases are based on true stories (all?)- maybe there are so many because, that way, more peoples’ stories are told. The lack of follow-up mirrors the police’s perspective in that, when one victim is recovered, it’s onto the next. The multitude of victims and criminals gives us an idea of the scope of the problem.

Still, from a narrative perspective, I would have preferred fewer stories and more in depth for each. I think it makes a better story when we can emotionally invest in characters who reappear throughout the show- whether those are the police or the victims- and follow their journeys all the way through. The Ranran case is the only one that achieves that in this show.

Acting-wise, I found Dilraba’s acting to be very natural here, I thought she did a good job. The other actors all did well too, for example the rest of the police team, the victims and their families that had to do so much crying, and especially the criminals who had to act all shifty and seedy. Imagine landing that kind of role!

Production-wise, this show seems nowhere near as polished as the dramas I’m used to. I guess it was rather low budget. I actually really liked all their clothing, very sensible. They don’t use background music that often, but it was nice when they did; I think the show would have benefited from more.

There was something weird with the sound mixing. Music would start and stop abruptly, and the sound effects, voices, background static, etc had inconsistent volume. An unverified online source said that this show uses on-set recorded sound, except for some dubbing they had to do to pass censorship. I wonder if censorship explains why everything goes so well for these police.

Overall, although this show didn't have me as emotionally invested as I would have liked, I still found it to be interesting and informative. It highlights an issue I wasn’t all that familiar with, and made me only slightly more scared to walk outside alone at night.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





I found the ending really disappointing.

They do catch the final criminal (still confused how they sniped him without killing him) and everyone makes it out alive. The only notable death in this show is Officer Yin, who dies somewhere in the second half. Chang Rui’s story, which I had almost forgotten about, gets a little wrapup. And they do finally find Ranran, working in the fields of a remote village.

However, they only really show us a brief glimpse of Ranran. After that we get a bunch of pretty propaganda words and random flashbacks. A quick montage shows us that some of the victims seem to be doing well.

Ranran’s story is the central case of the show, and the lack of further detail or follow-up is a glaring omission that probably leaves every viewer staring blankly at their screen with a “wtf” look on their face. I don’t know who thought this was a good idea. If you look online you can probably find somebody justifying it as bittersweet artistic or something. But after so much emotional investment in this case, such an ending definitely left me feeling empty and unsatisfied.

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Lighthearted and fun, solid first half

I’ll preface by saying that I saw Esther in LBFAD and decided her style is not for me. But I still wanted to watch this show because everything else about it seemed like my jam. I love a feel-good, lighthearted xianxia. Since I chose to watch Esther’s show, I did my best not to get annoyed at any cute-acting.

Given this context, I was actually pleasantly surprised by the character of Lin Miaomiao. I found her to be fairly down-to-earth and self-aware, especially in the first half. There’s a bit of the cutsey style, but the things she says are not-dumb and fairly funny, so I actually really liked her. She gets thrown in ridiculous situations and has to muddle her way out. She also has a sad backstory with her dad, but she’s still overall cheerful and good-hearted, which makes her likeable.

The first half was solidly enjoyable. I’ve played a lot of video games and loved the game-related jokes. Miaomiao’s view of a historical setting from a modern perspective adds a good dash of humor; her sometimes-snide commentary is funny, but never mean or rude. The meta-ness of her knowing where the story is “supposed to” go, and trying to direct it, is a fun twist. But it had me wondering the entire time how they would handle the question of what is reality, as the world of the game started to feel more and more real.

The male lead, Mu Sheng, starts off hostile but is soon uncovered to be more emotionally damaged than anything else. Ryan Ding does a great smirk, unfortunately (for me) the character evolves so we see less and less of it as the show goes on. Also in the band are Mu Yao and Liu Fuyi. Their story is a bit less developed and more bland, but I was still happy to see it progress when it did.

That said, the show becomes a bit less fun and enjoyable as it starts to steer away from the meta-ness. Video game references, jokes related to the world being “fake”, and Miaomiao’s awareness and references to her modern world, all but disappear. As my appreciation for Miaomiao declined without her snarky commentary, so did my tolerance for her cute act. Why does she simper and say things extra slow and cutsey when she could just talk like a normal human?

Her loss of self-awareness is not random- it’s explained by the plot- but it does make the show less fun as it turns into more of a classic xianxia story, good vs evil, sad backstories, etc. And the show doesn’t quite have the plot to stand alone in that capacity. It’s a bunch of cliché plot devices, which are fine when you consider that within the show it’s a story written by somebody, but not that fun to watch it play out episode after episode as the main story.

Add to this that I didn’t quite feel the relationship between Miaomiao and Mu Sheng. I don’t know if it’s just the FL’s cutesy style that makes me not want to root for her CP- I can’t understand why he’s so into her, so it feels founded on nothing. (This was, btw, also how I felt about LBFAD.) Or maybe it just didn’t quite develop and build up naturally enough. Either way, not being into the CP unfortunately makes the show less enjoyable.

Stylistically, most of the fighting seems to be wire stunts and CGI (as opposed to wielding “real” (prop) weapons). This is not good or bad, and I thought it’s done pretty nicely. I didn’t quite like Miaomiao’s makeup or all the doodads in her hair (she’s on the road, who’s doing her hair?) but that’s a minor quibble. There was some nice whimsical styling for the different kinds of demons, and other fun details.

I’d give this a rating of 9 for the first half, and maybe 6 for the second (5 would be a show I’m not into, this one I still cared a little), averaging to 7.5. Not modified for the ending; read ahead for my take (contains spoilers).

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





First of all, for a light-hearted show like this, I’d be really surprised if it were anything but a happy ending. And I consider it happy. But many people didn’t like it, probably wanting her to stay with her new reality in the game. I believe this is what happens in the novel source material, but the drama was limited by censorship which bans transmigration.

I spent the entire show wondering how they would handle the dual worlds aspect. To what extent would they make the show’s actual reality have elements of supernatural? The novel went all in, but the show went in the other direction, with the supernatural elements limited to maybe a shared fever dream between Miaomiao and Fu Zhou (if that’s how you interpret it- never quite figured out what happened).

Personally I liked that they maintained a realistic world, because it makes the whole thing so relatable. It’s easy for us viewers to get lost in a story too, but in the end we all have to wake up and deal with our mundane lives again. I like that Miaomiao has to face this same reality as we do. Of course I got attached to the characters and world of the game, but reality- for Miaomiao and us- is that we slowly forget these things and move on.

While watching, I figured the best ending might involve her finding her same friends in her modern world, and I was happy that this is kinda-ish what happened. Do I wish they had shown a bit more of it? Yes. They could have easily shown us an entire episode to tie things up in the modern world, and everyone would have been much happier. They had episodes to spare (under the 40 limit) and no source material tying them down (because they’d already changed so much), so why not? Cdramas seem to feel like the right thing to do is leave viewers wanting more.

By the way, the last couple of episodes were such a mess! I was honestly flabbergasted… I gave up trying to figure out what was going on. Then finally she “wakes up”. At least, if you think of it all as a dream, then that nonsensical stuff makes a lot more sense.

Consistent with the chaos towards the end, bringing in the author came a bit out of left field. I still liked this plot element as a way to tie things together. I just felt that this, like all the other “surprising reveals” crammed into the end, as well as the self-love message (nice message, poorly executed), should have been foreshadowed better throughout the show. It would have felt a lot less chaotic and random if they focused more on developing themes and threads throughout the story, then tying them up at the end, rather than inventing new ones last minute.

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Loved the first half, second half lost its warmth

What stands out to me most about this show is the lack of clearly evil villains. They all have complicated emotions and reasons for what they did. I think enjoyment of this show depends on how much you empathize with these villains, and how you handle situations when you do.

I’ll start with the protagonists. The FL, Fu Yixiao, is definitely badass. She paid for her skills with a traumatic past, which makes her more relatable than just a random genius. She’s in a really difficult situation at the beginning, and I found her attitude and actions to be exactly appropriate for a smart and strong person. She also has compassion and empathy. She is definitely a FL I root for and like.

The ML, Feng Suige, is also likeable. He isn’t sugarcoated- he really is ruthless sometimes- but deep down he also has some softness, and in the end he’ll do what’s right. I especially like his difficult relationship with his father, whom he both loves and resents. It is surprisingly relatable for a modern audience, though somewhat odd for a historical imperial context.

The relationship between the leads grows in a most delightful way- this is enemies to lovers done well. It’s a constant power struggle between them as they learn to cooperate. Normally I complain about overly dramatic moments and set-up cutsey scenes, but here I really liked them, probably because I enjoyed their dynamic so much. After they get together, I continued to enjoy watching their relationship because it’s supportive but not over-the-top protective. It felt genuine to me.

As for the antagonists? I wouldn’t say they’re all sane, but I found them much less hateable than the typical show. They are not purely evil- they’re capable of love, kindness, hurt, and regret, which makes them relatable. They also mostly have reasonable motivations that I could understand and empathize with.

I do enjoy multidimensional and complex characters, which add depth to a show. But I also tend to want a good outcome for the characters I empathize with, so empathizing with characters on both sides of a conflict is troublesome. More detailed examples are in the spoilers section below.

Plot-wise, the first 14 episodes or so are about Fu Yixiao untangling what happened to her while building a relationship with the ML. I solidly enjoyed this section. It is equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, which offset each other perfectly. I definitely cried a lot, but at the end of the day I still felt warm and fuzzy.

Given my empathy for so many characters, I was also relieved that the leads seemed to feel as torn as I did. For example, there are quite a few betrayals, but they don’t lead to an immediate new enemy; the characters seem to still value the bonds they once had. Not only did I enjoy this exploration of complicated emotions, but I was also hopeful that the leads would handle things with mercy and compassion, and things would turn out ok.

As the story moves on, it becomes more about classic power struggles and revenges. I enjoyed the show less and less. I honestly found it a bit stressful to watch, and I lost hope that things would work out for everyone. By the end, on the Susha side I could not hate the villains, and on the Jinxiu side I didn’t even know who I was rooting for.

Not only that, but the scriptwriters apparently decided that they’re done with Fu Yixiao, because they sort of just drop her story. They even leave some plot points dangling in the wind (eg I don’t think she ever got full closure on the death camps). By the end, aside from providing battle support and emotional support, her main role seems to be delivering thoughtful, moving speeches as needed- always just the right thing at the right time.

We are instead treated to a deep dive on Princess Xiyang’s adventures in Jinxiu. Xiyang is at first a bit cringe to watch, and nobody- not even the audience- can take her seriously. But at some point she ponies up, gives herself a talking to, and makes herself a player in the game. It’s a bit much on the character yo-yoing, just barely believable; I found some of her decisions and reactions relatable, and others not. Overall I just did not see how things could ever go well in Jinxiu, and the entire arc filled me with dread.

There is some decent humor in the first part of the show. Small things here and there had me laughing out loud, like: clever dialogue between the two leads; the ML’s deep voice and authoritative tone saying really petty things; those adorably bewildered subordinates; the irreverent doctor; the waggly-headed official; etc. Unfortunately, the humor doesn’t stick around long, mostly fading away as things get more serious.

There is also a lovely theme of home, family, and belonging. Yixiao delivers many a moving monologue about it. It’s a nice, warm theme that mitigates some of the more heartwrenching aspects of the show. Unfortunately again, it also sort of gets dropped by the end; the show at that point is more business than heart, missing what I liked so much about the first half.

Acting-wise, Li Qin as FL does an outstanding job. Of the four (!!) female generals I’ve watched in the past few months, she is my favorite. Her expressions are subtle but she captures just the right aura- confident, capable, and mature, even when teasing the ML. Chen Zheyuan as the ML also does a pretty good job. His expressions are less subtle, but I was so convinced by his authoritative, strong Feng Suige (those slow blinks, lol) that I was almost surprised to see him laughing in other scenes. The supporting cast also give strong performances.

The fighting is ok, both choreography and execution. I got the idea of what’s going on, but it’s nothing special. Fu Yixiao’s mastery of archery is central to the story, so I’m sure they did their research... maybe it’s just cultural differences that she’s constantly shooting arrows from her chest/chin and sometimes with her bow almost horizontal.

For music, I absolutely love the ending song and was glad that it and its instrumental got played a lot. However, the music selection is a little odd. They’d frequently play short snippets of one song and then cut to a different song, which is kind of annoying.

Overall, I’d give this a 9.5 for the first half and 6 for the second. I rounded it down to 7.5 because the ending impression is lasting.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





It’s a happy ending for our leads- pretty much everyone in their party survives the last 10 episodes, and they defeat all enemies. Happily, the ML’s little brother stays a sweetie pie to the end.

However, if you were rooting for Princess Xiyang and the emperor of Jinxiu, you would be sad about that.

The last episode is mostly fighting. Happy cavorting afterwards lasts about 5 minutes, and the fates of selected individuals are told through dialogue. It’s not that satisfying, but honestly, I no longer cared. Xiyang takes the Susha throne... erm, I’m not sure she’s qualified, but ok.

MORE MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD





I’ll go through some examples of possibly-could-be-considered villains that I could not hate. I could go on and on, but I’ll limit it since this is a review and not a critical analysis.

Xia Jingyan, emperor of Jinshui: at first he is framed as a good-for-nothing scumbag, and I was relieved to find a character I can simply hate. But then later, seeing how he dotes on Xiyang, how hurt he gets, how much he wants to be needed... he’s still a big red flag, but I was secretly rooting for him. My only consolation is that many other viewers seem to feel the same way.

Xia Jingshi, the SML: it’s hard to hate him too much when he seems so sincere towards Yixiao (delusional as it is). The death camp thing is pretty bad, but somehow the show dropped this idea. Later, the total disregard with which he treats Princess Xiyang hit really close to home for me. I took it personally and felt really bitter, but in the end, it’s a minor insult compared to the fate of nations. Considering everything he suffered and how he became this way just trying to survive... I did hate him by the end, but it was a long journey to get there.

Murong Yao, the traitor friend: I thought his motivation was valid. He and his father really were treated unfairly, and I can understand how a child would let that deep resentment fester until it stood no chance of healing. Add to this that he seems to not actually want to harm the ML, and I just couldn’t wish him a bad ending.

Papa Murong: he makes such a crafty villain that it’s almost character assassination. But honestly, he’s trying to save his son’s life, and he’s already tried begging desperately. I couldn’t blame him. If people along the way had extended more kindness, this wouldn’t have happened.

Emperor of Susha: I don’t know if he’s considered a villain, but he did cause a lot of the problems. Yet he loves his children, and the late empress as well- though that seems to be a more complicated mix of feelings, which is relatable in its own way. In the end I decided he’s insane. I got chills when I realized that he was just silently sitting on his hatred for all those years, acting like nothing was wrong. A normal person could not do that.

Empress of Susha: I believe she was not at fault for the late empress’s death, just a beneficiary. I also believe she cared for the emperor and was genuinely hurt that he never cared for her. For awhile she also tries begging, wanting to resolve things through talking. To a lesser degree than Papa Murong, I felt she was also pushed into villainhood.

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Badass heroine, but kind of a dark show

This is a lesser-known show about a fallen hero’s quest for revenge. It’s rather dark and heavy, which isn’t usually my preference, but short (18 ep) and well-executed.

What I really like about this show is its casual female empowerment. Even aside from the FL, there are multiple strong female characters, including some where gender is irrelevant (eg Jiang Kui, the doctor)- they just happen to be female. This is how it should be!

Mo Qingchuan, the FL, is the strongest of them all. She is truly badass. Even better, she is also deep and complex. She is a heroine, but not idealized. She seems so all-knowing and in control most of the time, yet her trauma is very real, and you can see how it affects her. She is angry and hurt.

Cristy Guo really did a great job with this role. I just watched three female generals in a row (Legend of the Female General, Shadow Love, and this), and Cristy’s is the most convincing. I think it’s her gravitas and aura. Her commanding presence feels natural, not just acting cool.

…well, it’s hard not to compare between the shows, released so close together, but maybe not fair. All the characters are different. Mo Qingchuan has already been to hell and back, so the cold, lethal feel is perhaps more fitting than for a general building rapport with her soldiers. I will say, though, that I’ve seen Cristy in two other roles, both (at least partly) sifu-type characters, and I liked her each time. Maybe it is or will be her niche.

Turning around traditional gender roles, the ML is her disciple who has a little puppy crush on her. I dismissed him for most of the show, but he kind of grew on me. I think his crush is appropriate, and I could see where it’s coming from. There is room to interpret it as somewhat reciprocated, if you so choose, which I did not.

Overall, I like that the romance is minimal. I could relate to how the ML felt, even if I didn’t think anything should come out of it, as it would be out of character for Qingchuan. And Zhou Zhan did a great job with his ML role, which might have been lame with less sincerity.

The plot covers two blocks of revenge. As they play out, the relevant background is revealed as memories. The first block I felt pretty good about; the second, less so. It wasn’t poorly done, it was just making me unhappy (more in spoilers section). But one of the benefits of a short show is that it’s easy to finish.

The short length also means tight pacing. At the beginning I had to rewind a few times to figure out the background, but afterwards I found I enjoyed not watching filler. Minimal drawn-out cheesy scenes, minimal pontifications about saving the common people, etc. Just story.

In terms of production, the budget seems lower, but I find that often results in diligent execution. The cast is small, but everyone did a good job. There aren’t that many songs, but I liked them, as well as the BGM. Costumes were fine, and I especially liked Jiang Kui’s fun costume to match her fun personality. The fighting is… also lower budget; some of it looks a little fake and there isn't that much, but the few choreographed duels or sword forms look pretty good.

Overall, I think this show is well done, and I appreciate the strong and complex female lead. It's just a little too dark and heavy for me. On merits I might give it an 8, but it’s probably just my personal preference that I was left with a slightly sour taste, resulting in the 7.5.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





At first it seems like an open ending- she gets all her revenge and closure, but she may or may not have sacrificed herself to defend her hometown. That would be sad but fitting. She kind of had that suicide bomber aura, especially towards the end.

But then, in an after-credit epilogue, she comes back and all is good. …ok, I like happy endings and all, but is this maybe just a little anticlimactic?

And no, we don’t find out what happens to anyone. Unusually, I was ok with this. It would have made it even more anticlimactic.

MORE MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD





I mentioned the second block of revenge (episode 13 on) left me with a slightly sour taste, and here’s why.

Empress Dowager:

There is some moral complexity because deposing her would destabilize the nation. Qingchuan at one point is ready to choose hatred first; I loved how real this is, rather than some idealized cartoon heroine.

…but nope, it turns out she was working with the kid emperor all along, and it’s all self-sacrifice for the good of the country. Right, back to cartoon heroine. Well, I was a little disappointed but ok with this. The show is so dark, it was nice to see something go right.

Feng Shiye:

This was the one that made me feel sour. Ok, so this guy legit did some awful stuff. But I also felt bad for him because he seemed to genuinely like and care for her.

His defeat was supposed to be the final triumphant closing arc, but I just couldn’t feel good about it. I guess I just don’t really like a story where somebody’s love is used against them. Regardless of what else he’s done, I still find it sad.

At the same time, taking a step back… not that I’d understand what’s going on in a twisted mind, but I am Confused. Their history together is so horrible (sidebar: also weird, that we end up here from there), and she’s never hidden her hatred for him. How in the world would he ever think anything could work out between them? He doesn’t even try to resolve or work through those things, he just glosses right over it.

His love seems genuine, but some of his actions are bizarre for a person in love. Don’t you usually, I dunno, try to make the other person like you?

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A feel-good show about female empowerment

First of all, do not expect anything resembling realism when it comes to the female lead’s abilities or accomplishments. I read some other reviews beforehand which set my expectations appropriately, and this contributed greatly to my happiness. Do not wonder too hard if time runs differently in this universe, or how xyz is even remotely possible. Just sit back and enjoy the satisfaction of watching these women kick butt.

Now, let us begin.

While the overarching story sets the premise, this show is broken into many smaller standalone story arcs, some as short as a couple of episodes. I didn’t like every story arc, but overall I liked this structure because it meant lots of satisfying closures, and some room to breathe in between.

The theme of female empowerment is embedded throughout. There is a conscious focus on presenting women as their own people beyond their relationships to men (the point of the Bechdel test, actually). Sisterhood stands strong; we do get some typical cattiness, but the women in this story mostly end up very supportive of each other. The extent of societal sexism portrayed at times felt a bit overdone, like they were selling righteous indignation; but as intended, it makes it even more satisfying to watch our characters succeed.

Hua Zhi, the eponymous (Chinese title) FL, is smart, confident, fearless, and kind. She has lots of ideas, and everything she tries goes well. She is a great character to root for because you won’t lose. It’s gratifying to watch her constantly handle situations with skill and heart. But on the flipside, I wasn’t that emotionally invested in her. I was never worried about her; she’s got a ton of plot armor and it’s somehow really obvious from the tone of the show that she always wins.

I was more invested in many of the side characters. A strength of this show is its plethora of likable, multidimensional, and interesting female characters. Many of them get decent development in one or more story arcs, but disappear for the rest. I did hope to see some of my favorites a bit more, but there were enough characters to care about that I didn’t dwell too much.

We also get a lot of side couples, as different members of the household find their matches. A variety of different types of relationships and outcomes are shown. Happily, the show is free of silly love triangles, except the main one.

Not surprisingly, the male protagonists are all allies who support their women. At the beginning I was all for our poor SML, Shen Qi, who did everything he could. For whatever reason, he then went on to disappear for a long time, so I forgot about him. I do feel like he deserved a bit more screentime.

The male lead, Gu Yanxi, is a typical ML combo of badass but kind and supportive. I really liked his relationship with Hua Zhi. Many dramas have an overprotective, overdevoted ML, which I always found a bit much. Gu Yanxi and Hua Zhi seem more normal; they are supportive while each having their own lives. Their very healthy relationship is also impressively drama-free, even when you think there might be some drama.

That said, while I liked Gu Yanxi enough, I actually never felt that interested in him. And so, although I liked the dynamics of their relationship, it was two characters I was not totally invested in, so I wasn’t quite oogling over them.

As for villains… the emperor is the source of problems, but I’d hesitate to call him the villain. The ML is on his side, while Hua Zhi treats him more like a force of nature than an enemy. This emperor is a psychopath with too much power, a bad ruler and a bad father, but he’s also so… human. He’s an interesting character with an interesting role, and I liked that this show does not have a typical good-vs-evil plot.

In terms of acting, overall I think Zhang Jingyi did a great job. Her portrayal of Hua Zhi has been criticized for being too “perfect”. I do think there’s some truth to this, but I wouldn’t pin it all on acting. For example, on occasion she does something not-so-bright (eg mouth off unnecessarily to a powerful person). But it comes across as more heroic than anything else. A little remorse or recognition of “mistake”, by herself or anyone, would have gone a long way to making her a more multi-dimensional character. This could have been accomplished through writing, acting, and/or directing.

For Hu Yitian as Gu Yanxi, there were a few times I thought his expression maybe should have been something else. Overall he was fine, but I think he could work more on nuanced facial expressions. For whatever reason, I just couldn’t care much for this character.

Lu Yuxiao as Shaoyao deserves a special shoutout. It seems the show was going for neurodivergent, which is difficult to portray- I don’t really know what’s accurate, but she did SOMETHING well as I was very invested in this character.

But my favorite acting comes from Hai Yitian. His muted depiction of the emperor- lonely but such a difficult person- conveys a complex character that adds depth to the show. I especially love that momentary look of hurt he gets when somebody says something he doesn’t want to hear. It makes us hope again and again that he’s finally reflecting on himself.

In terms of world-building, this story occurs in some unspecified historical time period, which gives lots of leeway, but they couldn’t seem to keep things consistent. For example, for a society so conservative that unmarried women can’t show their faces, Hua Zhi sure goes on a lot of public dates. In fact, what women are and are not allowed to do is rather inconsistent. However, costumes and styling were fairly good… in particular I thought many of the young women looked very pretty.

Also, for a feel-good romp this show was surprisingly brutal and violent. For example, lots of bloody beatings. And background characters get slaughtered left and right… the choreographer was not messing around, the deaths are fairly graphic. Not gruesome per se, just vivid depictions of stabbing or slicing accompanied by little spurts of blood.

Sidebar rant…this show likes to show off the ML’s fighting prowess by pitting him against many enemies all at once. Such fights are notoriously difficult to choreograph, as in real life a person cannot counter all directions at the same time. The solution? He fights with a few people in front of him while everyone else stands around at ready, conveniently out of focus. …come on, let’s just save the bravado and put him in more realistic situations. I did not swoon for this ML winning 1 vs 50, I just rolled my eyes.

Then again, based on other reviews, it seems everyone else swooned. lol. Well… Hu Yitian’s sword technique seemed ok to me, not bad but didn’t stand out (eg it’s still a little sloppy at times, which is understandable with that many sword strokes). His fist fighting is more MMA style which I personally don’t like as much. I won’t say he’s a good or bad fighter, I just am not sure why so many people are raving about his fight scenes.

Finally: I didn’t know where to fit this in, but I loved the music! Especially those beautiful cello solos. I was so happy to find the instrumental BGMs on youtube so I can play them on repeat.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





Of course this uplifting, feel-good show has a happy ending, it’s just a matter of how well it’s pulled off. And I’ll say first off that, in terms of closure, it’s one of the better Cdrama endings I’ve seen. We get a good half episode of wrapping things up and telling you where everyone goes. I was satisfied.

MORE MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD





Shows often like to insert some heartache near the end, and in this case I would say it’s the Hua Rong story arc. Although one couple is a relatively small sacrifice, I still found it extremely upsetting. I was really rooting for them. Her death was unnecessary; it did not even follow the themes and patterns of the rest of the show.

And as for the actual ending… well, I really liked Hao Yue. In this show about female empowerment, it’s only fitting that it’s a woman who packs the final punch. And her tirade against the emperor was so on point.

I’ll admit that, for somebody who played such an important role, she did come a bit out of nowhere. I would have liked to see her developed a bit more, and I really wished for a better ending for her. As is, by the end she is neither friend nor foe- more like a disposable plot tool.

Do I wish that, instead of a random assassin showing up in the last few episodes, the emperor finally came around and reversed his rulings? …sure, but that is totally unrealistic. The emperor is that person in your life who will never apologize, will never even recognize that they need to apologize. It’s so brutally realistic, and I think his death was the only way to solve Hua Zhi’s problems.

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