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This review may contain spoilers
"I Will Always Be With You"
I first saw LXY in the role of Wu Xin in TBOY and this actor intrigued me. I added this show to my watchlist and waited. Since then I had seen the actor in a few other productions and though not the best of scripts and I don't like Xianxias, was still looking forward to it because though completely unfamiliar with the FL, the rest of the cast was pretty solid. This review will combine both pros and cons because you really couldn't pull them apart.
The show in itself for most of it was just chugging along steadily, no real meat and potatoes until conspiracies started to come to light and fall apart. ML or YZ was played so well by LXY; he handled every emotion including PTSD, outrage, love, jealousy, joy, and ass kicking with a simplistic approach. YZ's original misguided plan was to rid the world of the five sins or basically destroy the world was swatted by the FL or JTY because though she didn't say it, she came into his life to protect him as well as teach him and herself love. What started as a divine mandate from the elder Gods to stay with YZ until he died of natural causes, protect him and then take his divine hand back to the Gods where it supposedly belonged. Except what no one knew at the time that the divine hand really did belong to YZ as the God who cut it off himself was trying to save the world from what two villains had unleashed.
YZ endured hell of being stuck in some lock by the supposed leaders of his clan especially a middle villain who then kept him captive in a cave for 40 years even though he won the war. Which is when he came up with those 5 sins to keep from going insane. After he was released he and his 5 spirit weapons whom he sealed in random locations not to fall into the hands of Leader of the clan. Meanwhile until TY arrived, he was being tortured for his divine hand's blood and power. And they wondered how he was able to manage being treated as a prisoner. But he figured it all out and was biding his time to leave and begin his plan.
With TY's arrival as just a handmaiden but in fact the goddess of craftsmanship, creator of the city of Yandu, having made 3 vows that she would never tell him who she really was, why she was there, or fall for him. All of which by episode 35, she courageously spoke into words. Because prior to that she could only say "I will always be with you"; had she broken that oath, she would dissipate. The beginning episodes were very funny because she died quite a few times and then would come back to life a bit later to the bewilderment of YZ and his guard-spirit weapon 1. YZ was the embodiment of Oscar the Grouch and it took him a while to thaw.
It was pretty cool that regardless of how frail or injured her mortal body was, she would give her life a thousand times over to save him. There were side storylines like that of the third wheel aka QL who before he became enlightened, spent more time knocked out than conscious, which was funny in itself. But though he supposedly liked TY, he didn't make a move on her and I feel like it was more unrequited love than anything else. As he grew and smartened up, he came to admire YZ as he's the one helped QL become the perfect War Demon; super powerful that he was able to ultimately kill his side's evil chief in the end after giving her a verbal bitch slap for using their people (his brother and mother included) as sacrifices for her own greed, he was team good all the way pretty much since TY kept saving him.
The second couple's story was a sad one, but one that was quite lovely from a storyteller's perspective. ZD was human and met TH in her prime but sadly after she rescued him and he recovered, he left her and she spent the rest of her youth searching for him but by the time she found him, she was old and grey and he had forgotten all about her. So at a supposedly random temple she prayed to the Goddess of Embroidery (the dumbest name for a goddess ever especially since she was the main antagonist); who gave her youth back on the condition that if she ever needed anything, ZD would do it. Back then ZD was all too willing to accept because she had no idea of the dire consequences that simple agreement would bring in the future. Ultimately her youth card ended and she grew into an old woman and couldn't spend her days with TH as he was essentially immortal and still youthful.
TH meanwhile had spent 100 years seeking forgiveness from YZ for not telling him his family was killed by the clans people while he was in the middle of the God/Demon war. They started as best friends but they were at odds. It wasn't until the leads left the mountain in search of the spirit weapons, that they finally came to a truce. TY taught YZ a lot in those times like understanding that his spirit weapons were human too and had emotions and feelings; they weren't just objects. Especially after the whole Pei Jiu/Lu Chen arc. Lu Chen didn't forget his lady love even though by the rules he was supposed to. Love is stronger than any oath. As A Xiu told him very smartly "we're connected to you by the oath we gave you. But we are a part of you so we feel what you feel. If you feel sad, we feel sad. If you are happy, we are happy. If you are tired, we are tired. If you hate, we hate. If you let go, we let go." Such an important and powerful speech.
Small characters that ended up helping a lot like TY's Master who secretly hit YZ with a Lotus skill that helped him wake up at the end when the Demon Lord took over. Or the 4th wheel who was a spirit weapon lamp that TY created, he was part of the spirit weapon group that was holding onto YZ's consciousness as the Demon Lord was trying to assimilate with him. Even though they gave up their bodies/lives to help wake YZ up, ultimately he did live and we could deduce that they also returned as we saw A Xiu as a little kid run around YZ at the end of the series. Going back to that speech; "if you live, we live." So he's got the divine hand and all of them. I'd like to think Lu Chen went back to his lady love. Poor MS spent 40 years enduring lightning tribulations to ascend to Godhood but the day he did, he died protecting YZ and TY against HN aka Goddess of Embroidery and the final/main antagonist of the piece. But at least he got a chance to spend time with YZ and others and I do hope that in the aftermath he still got immortality. Plot hole was where did ZD's right hand man go after he delivered a message to her and then we didn't see him again until Master Yan ordered ZD's brother's arrest? A solid 10 episodes he wasn't around while before he was always by her side.
I wish the story moved faster and we didn't have a lot of just step at a time. You knew who the villains were pretty early on though how far the plan went and why was pathetic. Chief War demon, a bunch of the older chiefs of the YH clan especially the old fart, ZD's own brother, Master Yan, demon lord and HN were the antagonists. I'll list them out as what they did, why, and their deaths if they happened:
-Chief War Demon: Nearly brought her clan to extinction, Greed, taken out by QL.
-Chiefs of YH Clan: Would follow anyone as long as they were allowed immortality, Greed, killed by Demon Lord or Team TY rushing up the mountain.
-Old Fart Dingxu: Tortured YZ for his blood and divine hand power, killed his and everyone's families; Greed and self preservation, killed by TH, ZD, and QL.
-ZD's Brother: Created Wushang Society in the name of the goddess but in reality were helping the demons thrive and kill. Also killed his own father (father and daughter never got a chance to reunite; just despicable) and was planning to do the same to his sister to take over city lord position to rule the human race. Superiority complex and greed. Was jailed awaiting execution.
-Master Yan: Trapped YZ even though he worshipped her as a goddess but he believed the words of ZD's brother because he was his disciple. So in order to escape she was forced to take out her own divinity bone making herself even more human as the old bastard understood who he trapped and she told him some choice words after breaking his statue of her. But he didn't break a sweat, just rebuilt the statue and went about his day even when her friends came to seek him for advice, he never told him the unprecedented evil he did. Power hungry and greedy just like his disciple. He should have been struck by lightening at least. I felt this was getting away with a heinous crime.
-Demon Lord: Laughable for an antagonist. He was the dominant soul of the primordial God Taihe who TY originally created the Devine hand for. He possessed YZ for a bit and with the help of TY, the spirit weapons, and YZ himself upon waking up, fizzled out of existence. He spent most of the series as smoke or a talking map. Just ridiculous really. He wanted the world to live in fear and resentment as that's what he fed off of. Ultimately killed by TY and YZ.
-Goddess of Embroidery or HN: Everything was her plan from the beginning. When she was a human 3,000 years before, she was betrayed by her sister for loving a playboy so they set her up as a witch and burned her at the stake. Because of her flawless embroidery, upon her death she ascended to heaven. Her heart filled with hate, after trying to turn good and failing, she found out Lord Taihe who was cultivating forgiveness and peace also had a very dark side. So she unleashed it which led to the 1st God/Demon war (when TY was hurt for the first time and YZ as a little Fox woke her up from a deep slumber and took half her pendant) and Taihe in a desperate attempt to kill the evil, cut the divine hand off which floated to the mortal realm and to the YH clan where YZ was the only child that was able to appropriate it. TY met YZ as a kid a second time where he prayed to her. In the meantime, while trying to find the right host, kids and families were killed. Another war broke out, this time YZ as an adult used the hand to end it and TY took a blow meant for him. Both wars were instigated by HN to get the divine hand to the demon lord. She wanted to kill YZ ASAP but it didn't quite work that way. Eventually she used ZD's promise and a downhill snowball, the demon lord was reborn in YZ's body for a bit. The reason for her doing everything was for revenge on her long dead sister and to end the world for her bullshit grievances. Obsessed and blind she then took a stupid and cowardly way out by turning YH's mountain into a piece of embroidery along with herself. It was very anticlimactic.
I love ZL who played HN because she can pull off a flawless antagonist. But her ending here didn't do her justice at all. The ambiguous OE ending was very blah. YZ and TY traveled for several years and then eventually after telling him everything else, she disappeared. But there's hope because there's her lingering spirit in the world. Plus the bit she gave him in episode 6 and the lotus her master gave him. Unfortunately, though an extra episode was filmed with her returning in human form and it being an obvious HE according to the screenwriter, production decided not to use it. I find that very dumb. People will talk about the show regardless of the ending but depriving us of that isn't fair at all.
Would I recommend it? I would; though not an obvious HE and lots of plot holes and confusion, ultimately this was a good watch and you got all of the emotions out of it you needed.
The show in itself for most of it was just chugging along steadily, no real meat and potatoes until conspiracies started to come to light and fall apart. ML or YZ was played so well by LXY; he handled every emotion including PTSD, outrage, love, jealousy, joy, and ass kicking with a simplistic approach. YZ's original misguided plan was to rid the world of the five sins or basically destroy the world was swatted by the FL or JTY because though she didn't say it, she came into his life to protect him as well as teach him and herself love. What started as a divine mandate from the elder Gods to stay with YZ until he died of natural causes, protect him and then take his divine hand back to the Gods where it supposedly belonged. Except what no one knew at the time that the divine hand really did belong to YZ as the God who cut it off himself was trying to save the world from what two villains had unleashed.
YZ endured hell of being stuck in some lock by the supposed leaders of his clan especially a middle villain who then kept him captive in a cave for 40 years even though he won the war. Which is when he came up with those 5 sins to keep from going insane. After he was released he and his 5 spirit weapons whom he sealed in random locations not to fall into the hands of Leader of the clan. Meanwhile until TY arrived, he was being tortured for his divine hand's blood and power. And they wondered how he was able to manage being treated as a prisoner. But he figured it all out and was biding his time to leave and begin his plan.
With TY's arrival as just a handmaiden but in fact the goddess of craftsmanship, creator of the city of Yandu, having made 3 vows that she would never tell him who she really was, why she was there, or fall for him. All of which by episode 35, she courageously spoke into words. Because prior to that she could only say "I will always be with you"; had she broken that oath, she would dissipate. The beginning episodes were very funny because she died quite a few times and then would come back to life a bit later to the bewilderment of YZ and his guard-spirit weapon 1. YZ was the embodiment of Oscar the Grouch and it took him a while to thaw.
It was pretty cool that regardless of how frail or injured her mortal body was, she would give her life a thousand times over to save him. There were side storylines like that of the third wheel aka QL who before he became enlightened, spent more time knocked out than conscious, which was funny in itself. But though he supposedly liked TY, he didn't make a move on her and I feel like it was more unrequited love than anything else. As he grew and smartened up, he came to admire YZ as he's the one helped QL become the perfect War Demon; super powerful that he was able to ultimately kill his side's evil chief in the end after giving her a verbal bitch slap for using their people (his brother and mother included) as sacrifices for her own greed, he was team good all the way pretty much since TY kept saving him.
The second couple's story was a sad one, but one that was quite lovely from a storyteller's perspective. ZD was human and met TH in her prime but sadly after she rescued him and he recovered, he left her and she spent the rest of her youth searching for him but by the time she found him, she was old and grey and he had forgotten all about her. So at a supposedly random temple she prayed to the Goddess of Embroidery (the dumbest name for a goddess ever especially since she was the main antagonist); who gave her youth back on the condition that if she ever needed anything, ZD would do it. Back then ZD was all too willing to accept because she had no idea of the dire consequences that simple agreement would bring in the future. Ultimately her youth card ended and she grew into an old woman and couldn't spend her days with TH as he was essentially immortal and still youthful.
TH meanwhile had spent 100 years seeking forgiveness from YZ for not telling him his family was killed by the clans people while he was in the middle of the God/Demon war. They started as best friends but they were at odds. It wasn't until the leads left the mountain in search of the spirit weapons, that they finally came to a truce. TY taught YZ a lot in those times like understanding that his spirit weapons were human too and had emotions and feelings; they weren't just objects. Especially after the whole Pei Jiu/Lu Chen arc. Lu Chen didn't forget his lady love even though by the rules he was supposed to. Love is stronger than any oath. As A Xiu told him very smartly "we're connected to you by the oath we gave you. But we are a part of you so we feel what you feel. If you feel sad, we feel sad. If you are happy, we are happy. If you are tired, we are tired. If you hate, we hate. If you let go, we let go." Such an important and powerful speech.
Small characters that ended up helping a lot like TY's Master who secretly hit YZ with a Lotus skill that helped him wake up at the end when the Demon Lord took over. Or the 4th wheel who was a spirit weapon lamp that TY created, he was part of the spirit weapon group that was holding onto YZ's consciousness as the Demon Lord was trying to assimilate with him. Even though they gave up their bodies/lives to help wake YZ up, ultimately he did live and we could deduce that they also returned as we saw A Xiu as a little kid run around YZ at the end of the series. Going back to that speech; "if you live, we live." So he's got the divine hand and all of them. I'd like to think Lu Chen went back to his lady love. Poor MS spent 40 years enduring lightning tribulations to ascend to Godhood but the day he did, he died protecting YZ and TY against HN aka Goddess of Embroidery and the final/main antagonist of the piece. But at least he got a chance to spend time with YZ and others and I do hope that in the aftermath he still got immortality. Plot hole was where did ZD's right hand man go after he delivered a message to her and then we didn't see him again until Master Yan ordered ZD's brother's arrest? A solid 10 episodes he wasn't around while before he was always by her side.
I wish the story moved faster and we didn't have a lot of just step at a time. You knew who the villains were pretty early on though how far the plan went and why was pathetic. Chief War demon, a bunch of the older chiefs of the YH clan especially the old fart, ZD's own brother, Master Yan, demon lord and HN were the antagonists. I'll list them out as what they did, why, and their deaths if they happened:
-Chief War Demon: Nearly brought her clan to extinction, Greed, taken out by QL.
-Chiefs of YH Clan: Would follow anyone as long as they were allowed immortality, Greed, killed by Demon Lord or Team TY rushing up the mountain.
-Old Fart Dingxu: Tortured YZ for his blood and divine hand power, killed his and everyone's families; Greed and self preservation, killed by TH, ZD, and QL.
-ZD's Brother: Created Wushang Society in the name of the goddess but in reality were helping the demons thrive and kill. Also killed his own father (father and daughter never got a chance to reunite; just despicable) and was planning to do the same to his sister to take over city lord position to rule the human race. Superiority complex and greed. Was jailed awaiting execution.
-Master Yan: Trapped YZ even though he worshipped her as a goddess but he believed the words of ZD's brother because he was his disciple. So in order to escape she was forced to take out her own divinity bone making herself even more human as the old bastard understood who he trapped and she told him some choice words after breaking his statue of her. But he didn't break a sweat, just rebuilt the statue and went about his day even when her friends came to seek him for advice, he never told him the unprecedented evil he did. Power hungry and greedy just like his disciple. He should have been struck by lightening at least. I felt this was getting away with a heinous crime.
-Demon Lord: Laughable for an antagonist. He was the dominant soul of the primordial God Taihe who TY originally created the Devine hand for. He possessed YZ for a bit and with the help of TY, the spirit weapons, and YZ himself upon waking up, fizzled out of existence. He spent most of the series as smoke or a talking map. Just ridiculous really. He wanted the world to live in fear and resentment as that's what he fed off of. Ultimately killed by TY and YZ.
-Goddess of Embroidery or HN: Everything was her plan from the beginning. When she was a human 3,000 years before, she was betrayed by her sister for loving a playboy so they set her up as a witch and burned her at the stake. Because of her flawless embroidery, upon her death she ascended to heaven. Her heart filled with hate, after trying to turn good and failing, she found out Lord Taihe who was cultivating forgiveness and peace also had a very dark side. So she unleashed it which led to the 1st God/Demon war (when TY was hurt for the first time and YZ as a little Fox woke her up from a deep slumber and took half her pendant) and Taihe in a desperate attempt to kill the evil, cut the divine hand off which floated to the mortal realm and to the YH clan where YZ was the only child that was able to appropriate it. TY met YZ as a kid a second time where he prayed to her. In the meantime, while trying to find the right host, kids and families were killed. Another war broke out, this time YZ as an adult used the hand to end it and TY took a blow meant for him. Both wars were instigated by HN to get the divine hand to the demon lord. She wanted to kill YZ ASAP but it didn't quite work that way. Eventually she used ZD's promise and a downhill snowball, the demon lord was reborn in YZ's body for a bit. The reason for her doing everything was for revenge on her long dead sister and to end the world for her bullshit grievances. Obsessed and blind she then took a stupid and cowardly way out by turning YH's mountain into a piece of embroidery along with herself. It was very anticlimactic.
I love ZL who played HN because she can pull off a flawless antagonist. But her ending here didn't do her justice at all. The ambiguous OE ending was very blah. YZ and TY traveled for several years and then eventually after telling him everything else, she disappeared. But there's hope because there's her lingering spirit in the world. Plus the bit she gave him in episode 6 and the lotus her master gave him. Unfortunately, though an extra episode was filmed with her returning in human form and it being an obvious HE according to the screenwriter, production decided not to use it. I find that very dumb. People will talk about the show regardless of the ending but depriving us of that isn't fair at all.
Would I recommend it? I would; though not an obvious HE and lots of plot holes and confusion, ultimately this was a good watch and you got all of the emotions out of it you needed.
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