This review may contain spoilers
A severely misjudged Drama
Firstly, I find it hilarious how people on this platform rate dramas because they hype up the most mediocre stuff ever.
However, this is not one of them but it is highly misjudged in my opinion and deserves a higher rating. The biggest issue this drama has, is the fact that people drop it after 5 episodes.
I’ve watched Chinese dramas for years and this one is pretty good and a lot of fun. I admit, the beginning is a bit confusing because things are not explained properly, like certain relationships between characters or even the way the martial arts system works exactly. If you’ve watched enough Wuxia dramas, you’ll catch on but for newcomers, it can be a bit rough. There is a lot of people and names to remember in this show, so you have to pay attention.
There is some choppy editing as well but it gets better as the show goes on.
Now the good parts:
The plot might seem complicated to follow but I like the fact that everything is connected. There are plot points that are layed out from the beginning, that come back later and for the most part, this show makes sense. I find the story genuinely interesting because it directly affects most, if not all the characters involved. It has an effect on the entire world they live in, so the stakes feel high. A lot of historical or fantasy dramas use politics and power struggles as a plot device for the leads but it gets boring after a while because they just solve cases for people or about people nobody cares about. While you’re probably not gonna care about every single character that shows up in this show, a lot of them are at least there for a reason and they don’t bore me.
Most character’s actions and behavior is understandable for who they are and I like that a lot of characters actually become bigger than who they were in the beginning, especially the second male lead and so on. I like that they have ambitions and goals beyond the title or duty that was bestowed upon them or that they were born into. A lot of side characters don’t just get thrown to the side but they have a purpose in the story, even if it is a small purpose.
In the beginning, it seems like a lot of them have a certain part to play, there are supposedly good people and bad people but it’s never as simple as that. This story makes characters question their morales and rethink their entire lives, it challenges them and their believe system.
One of the best aspects of this show is the chemistry between the cast, especially the male and female lead.
The male lead is a morally gray character with a mysterious past that gets revealed step by step as the show goes on. He manipulates everyone around him to reach his goal and get what he wants, including the female lead.
The female lead is kind of the opposite of him. She is outgoing, a free spirit, bright and righteous and has very strong morales.
Both characters come from different backgrounds and should not get along.
While the male lead might put people off because he is a “red flag", I think in this drama it was done in a better way because he is actually redeemable. His actions, while manipulative and morally gray, stem from complex psychological trauma and intense devotion rather than simple, unprovoked misogyny or abusive entitlement, like a lot of other male leads. He is more like an antihero. He is defined as a broken young man with a painful childhood and he was abused. He never really felt love or trust, besides from people in his life who died.
His red flag behaviors—manipulation and obsession—are driven by his need for the only light in his life, the female lead. He uses manipulation to be able to stay close to her (and for his other plot goals), even if it means he has to lie. He feels keeping her close to him at all times is love, because he is so afraid of losing the only person that matters to him now. He learns about what actual love is like, throughout the show. Because she sees underneath all of that and sees the broken side of him that feels hurt and vulnerable, he feels drawn to her. She accepts him for who he really is, but she struggles with the fact he manipulates her, even if his feelings for her are true. That’s why she does not back down and she tells him off when he did something wrong. She does not excuse his behavior but helps him learn from it. His intense, often desperate, devotion is viewed more as romantic obsession that turns into love, rather than malice. They have this push and pull and he knows she is drawn to him too, so he keeps pushing but once she is serious, he does not force her to stay with him.
The FL is not a weak, trapped damsel, which makes the "red flag" aspect less irritating. She is strong, intelligent, and often matches his wits, enabling her to deal with his machinations. The relationship is a slow-burn battle of wits. She recognizes his manipulative nature, sometimes uses him back, and trusts his competence even when she wants to keep her distance. The male lead is aware of his flaws—his obsessiveness, pettiness, and willingness to use dirty tricks. He doesn't act as though he is a "good guy," which makes his behavior more tolerable to viewers compared to manipulative characters who believe they are innocent.
Despite his ruthlessness, he is shown as insecure and needing to be trusted, which makes him more relatable than a purely abusive antagonist. He also doesn’t show ruthlessness to people who don’t deserve it, unless he feels like he has no choice but to use them. He showed that he is capable of personal growth and becomes more open about his intentions, aiming to be a better person for his partner. He really changes throughout the show and there is a line he never crosses so in a way, I could empathize with him.
Lastly, it makes me sad that a lot of people had issues with the costumes and so on, because this is actually quite a realistic costume for Wuxia dramas. The overly bright colors and so on that y’all see in other dramas is just to make it look flashy and good and gain attention. This is what it’s supposed to look like. I think it looks more realistic and better this way. it looks less cheap this way.
I also highly respect that the team filmed a lot, if not all of it on a real location instead of green screen. They went to the mountains and even learned a lot of fighting choreography which the actors performed themselves and looked quite good. They also used their own voices instead of dubbing.
I can see, they worked hard and tried to actually create a good story beyond your stereotypical idol drama where even the main plot is just a side plot to the romance. This drama teaches you about so much more, like where do you belong? what is right and wrong? who am I? what does it mean to forgive? why do I compare myself to others? true friendship and what it means to support each other no matter what.
I don’t want to give the plot away but there was never an episode that felt boring to me and I never knew what to believe, because I didn’t know if I could trust certain characters. It’s almost like a puzzle that you’re trying to put together along with the leads.
Sure, this drama is not perfect but if you care about a decent Wuxia, please don’t judge it based on other’s opinions who dropped it so soon. Because it’s not the easiest plot, I get why this is not for everyone but I’d still recommend it and frankly speaking, this drama is a lot better than most period idol dramas these days that get a lot more hype. I rated it so high because of my enjoyment but the rewatch value is lower because it’s simply not everyone’s cup of tea and there might be some flaws that bother others too much too overlook them.
PS: there are some tropy scenes in there but they are not cringe compared to a lot of other dramas. I thought the sweet scenes were enjoyable because it was not exaggerated. The acting in general felt quite natural to me. Sometimes when cgi was used, for example on animals, it didn’t look good but I can look past that.
However, this is not one of them but it is highly misjudged in my opinion and deserves a higher rating. The biggest issue this drama has, is the fact that people drop it after 5 episodes.
I’ve watched Chinese dramas for years and this one is pretty good and a lot of fun. I admit, the beginning is a bit confusing because things are not explained properly, like certain relationships between characters or even the way the martial arts system works exactly. If you’ve watched enough Wuxia dramas, you’ll catch on but for newcomers, it can be a bit rough. There is a lot of people and names to remember in this show, so you have to pay attention.
There is some choppy editing as well but it gets better as the show goes on.
Now the good parts:
The plot might seem complicated to follow but I like the fact that everything is connected. There are plot points that are layed out from the beginning, that come back later and for the most part, this show makes sense. I find the story genuinely interesting because it directly affects most, if not all the characters involved. It has an effect on the entire world they live in, so the stakes feel high. A lot of historical or fantasy dramas use politics and power struggles as a plot device for the leads but it gets boring after a while because they just solve cases for people or about people nobody cares about. While you’re probably not gonna care about every single character that shows up in this show, a lot of them are at least there for a reason and they don’t bore me.
Most character’s actions and behavior is understandable for who they are and I like that a lot of characters actually become bigger than who they were in the beginning, especially the second male lead and so on. I like that they have ambitions and goals beyond the title or duty that was bestowed upon them or that they were born into. A lot of side characters don’t just get thrown to the side but they have a purpose in the story, even if it is a small purpose.
In the beginning, it seems like a lot of them have a certain part to play, there are supposedly good people and bad people but it’s never as simple as that. This story makes characters question their morales and rethink their entire lives, it challenges them and their believe system.
One of the best aspects of this show is the chemistry between the cast, especially the male and female lead.
The male lead is a morally gray character with a mysterious past that gets revealed step by step as the show goes on. He manipulates everyone around him to reach his goal and get what he wants, including the female lead.
The female lead is kind of the opposite of him. She is outgoing, a free spirit, bright and righteous and has very strong morales.
Both characters come from different backgrounds and should not get along.
While the male lead might put people off because he is a “red flag", I think in this drama it was done in a better way because he is actually redeemable. His actions, while manipulative and morally gray, stem from complex psychological trauma and intense devotion rather than simple, unprovoked misogyny or abusive entitlement, like a lot of other male leads. He is more like an antihero. He is defined as a broken young man with a painful childhood and he was abused. He never really felt love or trust, besides from people in his life who died.
His red flag behaviors—manipulation and obsession—are driven by his need for the only light in his life, the female lead. He uses manipulation to be able to stay close to her (and for his other plot goals), even if it means he has to lie. He feels keeping her close to him at all times is love, because he is so afraid of losing the only person that matters to him now. He learns about what actual love is like, throughout the show. Because she sees underneath all of that and sees the broken side of him that feels hurt and vulnerable, he feels drawn to her. She accepts him for who he really is, but she struggles with the fact he manipulates her, even if his feelings for her are true. That’s why she does not back down and she tells him off when he did something wrong. She does not excuse his behavior but helps him learn from it. His intense, often desperate, devotion is viewed more as romantic obsession that turns into love, rather than malice. They have this push and pull and he knows she is drawn to him too, so he keeps pushing but once she is serious, he does not force her to stay with him.
The FL is not a weak, trapped damsel, which makes the "red flag" aspect less irritating. She is strong, intelligent, and often matches his wits, enabling her to deal with his machinations. The relationship is a slow-burn battle of wits. She recognizes his manipulative nature, sometimes uses him back, and trusts his competence even when she wants to keep her distance. The male lead is aware of his flaws—his obsessiveness, pettiness, and willingness to use dirty tricks. He doesn't act as though he is a "good guy," which makes his behavior more tolerable to viewers compared to manipulative characters who believe they are innocent.
Despite his ruthlessness, he is shown as insecure and needing to be trusted, which makes him more relatable than a purely abusive antagonist. He also doesn’t show ruthlessness to people who don’t deserve it, unless he feels like he has no choice but to use them. He showed that he is capable of personal growth and becomes more open about his intentions, aiming to be a better person for his partner. He really changes throughout the show and there is a line he never crosses so in a way, I could empathize with him.
Lastly, it makes me sad that a lot of people had issues with the costumes and so on, because this is actually quite a realistic costume for Wuxia dramas. The overly bright colors and so on that y’all see in other dramas is just to make it look flashy and good and gain attention. This is what it’s supposed to look like. I think it looks more realistic and better this way. it looks less cheap this way.
I also highly respect that the team filmed a lot, if not all of it on a real location instead of green screen. They went to the mountains and even learned a lot of fighting choreography which the actors performed themselves and looked quite good. They also used their own voices instead of dubbing.
I can see, they worked hard and tried to actually create a good story beyond your stereotypical idol drama where even the main plot is just a side plot to the romance. This drama teaches you about so much more, like where do you belong? what is right and wrong? who am I? what does it mean to forgive? why do I compare myself to others? true friendship and what it means to support each other no matter what.
I don’t want to give the plot away but there was never an episode that felt boring to me and I never knew what to believe, because I didn’t know if I could trust certain characters. It’s almost like a puzzle that you’re trying to put together along with the leads.
Sure, this drama is not perfect but if you care about a decent Wuxia, please don’t judge it based on other’s opinions who dropped it so soon. Because it’s not the easiest plot, I get why this is not for everyone but I’d still recommend it and frankly speaking, this drama is a lot better than most period idol dramas these days that get a lot more hype. I rated it so high because of my enjoyment but the rewatch value is lower because it’s simply not everyone’s cup of tea and there might be some flaws that bother others too much too overlook them.
PS: there are some tropy scenes in there but they are not cringe compared to a lot of other dramas. I thought the sweet scenes were enjoyable because it was not exaggerated. The acting in general felt quite natural to me. Sometimes when cgi was used, for example on animals, it didn’t look good but I can look past that.
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