This review may contain spoilers
"The Legends wasn't ruined by its ending—it simply deserved a better one."
I started The Legends because of Bai Lu and Xu Kai. After watching several of their newer dramas, I wanted to see the series that made them one of the most beloved on-screen pairings in C-drama.
The first twenty episodes completely lived up to the hype.
Lu Zhaoyao instantly became one of the most unforgettable female leads I've watched. She wasn't introduced as the typical kind-hearted heroine waiting to be protected. She was bold, arrogant, fearless, ridiculously overpowered, and charismatic enough to make every scene feel alive. Bai Lu absolutely owned the role. From the moment she appeared, she truly felt like the Demon Queen everyone feared.
Then there was Li Chenlan.
At first, he seemed quiet, timid, and almost invisible beside Lu Zhaoyao's overwhelming personality. But somewhere along the way, he quietly became the emotional heart of the entire drama.
Xu Kai deserves tremendous credit for his performance.
Li Chenlan isn't the type of male lead who constantly declares his love through grand speeches. Instead, he expresses it through actions. Every sacrifice, every silent decision, every painful choice he made for Lu Zhaoyao felt sincere. Without trying to dominate the screen, Xu Kai gradually turned Li Chenlan into one of the most memorable male leads I've watched.
The chemistry between Bai Lu and Xu Kai was effortless.
Their relationship wasn't built through endless romantic scenes or physical affection. It grew through trust, misunderstandings, forgiveness, and sacrifice. Their love story felt mature because it wasn't about who loved more—it was about two people continuously choosing each other despite everything standing in their way.
Visually, The Legends has aged remarkably well.
The costumes, soundtrack, cinematography, and action choreography still hold up beautifully despite being released in 2019. The world felt immersive, and the darker atmosphere suited the story perfectly.
Another thing I genuinely appreciated was how the drama blurred the line between good and evil.
Rather than portraying immortals as automatically righteous and demons as naturally evil, it constantly questioned those labels. Some of the cruelest people wore the title of "righteous cultivator," while several demons displayed more humanity than those supposedly protecting the world.
Luo Mingxuan perfectly represented that irony.
He wasn't terrifying because of his strength.
He was terrifying because he genuinely believed every terrible thing he did was justified.
His obsession with righteousness slowly transformed him into the very monster he claimed to fight.
Jiang Wu was another pleasant surprise.
For most of the drama, I saw him as an obsessive antagonist whose unhealthy love for Lu Zhaoyao caused nothing but destruction. Yet by the end, the writers revealed a tragic loneliness beneath all that madness.
His final sacrifice...
"I lived because of you... and died because of you."
...became one of the most heartbreaking moments in the entire series.
It didn't erase his sins.
But it made him unforgettable.
Unfortunately...
This is where my praise begins to fade.
My biggest disappointment wasn't the story itself.
It was the execution of the second half.
After Lu Zhaoyao's resurrection, the drama never fully recaptured the excitement of its opening episodes. One of its greatest strengths was introducing an incredibly powerful female lead, yet a significant portion of the story was spent watching her weakened. While I understood the narrative reason behind it, I constantly found myself missing the unstoppable Demon Queen from the beginning of the series.
Qin Zhiyan's storyline also overstayed its welcome.
I kept hoping her character would grow into someone stronger after everything she experienced, but she remained one of the least engaging parts of the drama. Instead of increasing the emotional weight, her arc often slowed the story's momentum.
The pacing became an even bigger issue during the final arc.
Ironically, it wasn't because nothing happened.
It was because too much time was spent delaying what everyone was already waiting for.
Every episode teased the final battle.
Every episode made it feel like the climax was finally about to begin.
Yet another conversation...
another flashback...
another emotional pause...
another subplot...
would immediately interrupt the momentum.
By Episode 50, I wasn't bored.
I was simply asking the drama...
"Can we finally get to the ending?"
Then the final battle actually arrived...
...and it felt surprisingly short.
After spending more than fifteen episodes preparing for the ultimate confrontation, I expected a large-scale, emotionally devastating climax.
Instead, the battle ended much faster than I anticipated, while the drama continued to devote more time to dialogue and repeated flashbacks than to the actual conflict itself.
The imbalance between build-up and payoff became impossible to ignore.
Another issue that frustrated me was Li Chenlan's inner demon.
For nearly the entire drama, it was treated as the central conflict.
We were repeatedly told there was no cure.
Huang Gu spent his life searching for a solution.
Li Chenlan constantly lived under the shadow of eventually losing himself.
Yet the actual resolution came almost at the very end—with very little explanation.
After investing fifty-five episodes into that storyline, I honestly expected a clearer and more emotionally satisfying resolution.
Instead, it almost felt like...
"It's gone now."
That was it.
Even the five-year time skip left me wanting more.
Rather than allowing viewers to enjoy the happiness the characters had fought so hard to earn, the ending rushed through its emotional payoff.
And then...
the final scene.
Instead of giving us a simple glimpse of Li Chenlan and Lu Zhaoyao happily living together, the drama introduced children portrayed by Bai Lu and Xu Kai themselves.
While I understand the symbolic intention, it honestly left me more confused than emotional.
For a moment, I even questioned whether I was watching reincarnations, siblings, or their children.
After fifty-five episodes, I wished the ending had simply allowed the original characters to enjoy the peace they had sacrificed everything to achieve.
Despite all these frustrations...
I never once thought about dropping the drama.
One thing about me is that I'm still relatively new to C-dramas. Just over three months ago, I spent most of my free time cycling, hiking, and chasing outdoor adventures. C-dramas started as something I casually watched during work breaks until The Untamed completely changed everything. Since then, I've built a watchlist of more than 160 dramas and finished over forty titles.
Among all of them...
The Legends became one of my biggest "what could have been" dramas.
Not because it was bad.
Quite the opposite.
Because it had all the ingredients to become one of my all-time favorites.
It had unforgettable leads.
Outstanding performances.
Beautiful music.
Great cinematography.
Meaningful themes.
A fascinating moral conflict.
And one of Xu Kai's finest performances.
Unfortunately, its uneven pacing and underwhelming finale prevented it from reaching the masterpiece it had every opportunity to become.
I will always remember The Legends for Li Chenlan's quiet devotion, Lu Zhaoyao's unforgettable charisma, and the incredible chemistry between Bai Lu and Xu Kai.
I just wish the ending had rewarded those characters—and the viewers—with the same care that the beginning of the story did.
The first twenty episodes completely lived up to the hype.
Lu Zhaoyao instantly became one of the most unforgettable female leads I've watched. She wasn't introduced as the typical kind-hearted heroine waiting to be protected. She was bold, arrogant, fearless, ridiculously overpowered, and charismatic enough to make every scene feel alive. Bai Lu absolutely owned the role. From the moment she appeared, she truly felt like the Demon Queen everyone feared.
Then there was Li Chenlan.
At first, he seemed quiet, timid, and almost invisible beside Lu Zhaoyao's overwhelming personality. But somewhere along the way, he quietly became the emotional heart of the entire drama.
Xu Kai deserves tremendous credit for his performance.
Li Chenlan isn't the type of male lead who constantly declares his love through grand speeches. Instead, he expresses it through actions. Every sacrifice, every silent decision, every painful choice he made for Lu Zhaoyao felt sincere. Without trying to dominate the screen, Xu Kai gradually turned Li Chenlan into one of the most memorable male leads I've watched.
The chemistry between Bai Lu and Xu Kai was effortless.
Their relationship wasn't built through endless romantic scenes or physical affection. It grew through trust, misunderstandings, forgiveness, and sacrifice. Their love story felt mature because it wasn't about who loved more—it was about two people continuously choosing each other despite everything standing in their way.
Visually, The Legends has aged remarkably well.
The costumes, soundtrack, cinematography, and action choreography still hold up beautifully despite being released in 2019. The world felt immersive, and the darker atmosphere suited the story perfectly.
Another thing I genuinely appreciated was how the drama blurred the line between good and evil.
Rather than portraying immortals as automatically righteous and demons as naturally evil, it constantly questioned those labels. Some of the cruelest people wore the title of "righteous cultivator," while several demons displayed more humanity than those supposedly protecting the world.
Luo Mingxuan perfectly represented that irony.
He wasn't terrifying because of his strength.
He was terrifying because he genuinely believed every terrible thing he did was justified.
His obsession with righteousness slowly transformed him into the very monster he claimed to fight.
Jiang Wu was another pleasant surprise.
For most of the drama, I saw him as an obsessive antagonist whose unhealthy love for Lu Zhaoyao caused nothing but destruction. Yet by the end, the writers revealed a tragic loneliness beneath all that madness.
His final sacrifice...
"I lived because of you... and died because of you."
...became one of the most heartbreaking moments in the entire series.
It didn't erase his sins.
But it made him unforgettable.
Unfortunately...
This is where my praise begins to fade.
My biggest disappointment wasn't the story itself.
It was the execution of the second half.
After Lu Zhaoyao's resurrection, the drama never fully recaptured the excitement of its opening episodes. One of its greatest strengths was introducing an incredibly powerful female lead, yet a significant portion of the story was spent watching her weakened. While I understood the narrative reason behind it, I constantly found myself missing the unstoppable Demon Queen from the beginning of the series.
Qin Zhiyan's storyline also overstayed its welcome.
I kept hoping her character would grow into someone stronger after everything she experienced, but she remained one of the least engaging parts of the drama. Instead of increasing the emotional weight, her arc often slowed the story's momentum.
The pacing became an even bigger issue during the final arc.
Ironically, it wasn't because nothing happened.
It was because too much time was spent delaying what everyone was already waiting for.
Every episode teased the final battle.
Every episode made it feel like the climax was finally about to begin.
Yet another conversation...
another flashback...
another emotional pause...
another subplot...
would immediately interrupt the momentum.
By Episode 50, I wasn't bored.
I was simply asking the drama...
"Can we finally get to the ending?"
Then the final battle actually arrived...
...and it felt surprisingly short.
After spending more than fifteen episodes preparing for the ultimate confrontation, I expected a large-scale, emotionally devastating climax.
Instead, the battle ended much faster than I anticipated, while the drama continued to devote more time to dialogue and repeated flashbacks than to the actual conflict itself.
The imbalance between build-up and payoff became impossible to ignore.
Another issue that frustrated me was Li Chenlan's inner demon.
For nearly the entire drama, it was treated as the central conflict.
We were repeatedly told there was no cure.
Huang Gu spent his life searching for a solution.
Li Chenlan constantly lived under the shadow of eventually losing himself.
Yet the actual resolution came almost at the very end—with very little explanation.
After investing fifty-five episodes into that storyline, I honestly expected a clearer and more emotionally satisfying resolution.
Instead, it almost felt like...
"It's gone now."
That was it.
Even the five-year time skip left me wanting more.
Rather than allowing viewers to enjoy the happiness the characters had fought so hard to earn, the ending rushed through its emotional payoff.
And then...
the final scene.
Instead of giving us a simple glimpse of Li Chenlan and Lu Zhaoyao happily living together, the drama introduced children portrayed by Bai Lu and Xu Kai themselves.
While I understand the symbolic intention, it honestly left me more confused than emotional.
For a moment, I even questioned whether I was watching reincarnations, siblings, or their children.
After fifty-five episodes, I wished the ending had simply allowed the original characters to enjoy the peace they had sacrificed everything to achieve.
Despite all these frustrations...
I never once thought about dropping the drama.
One thing about me is that I'm still relatively new to C-dramas. Just over three months ago, I spent most of my free time cycling, hiking, and chasing outdoor adventures. C-dramas started as something I casually watched during work breaks until The Untamed completely changed everything. Since then, I've built a watchlist of more than 160 dramas and finished over forty titles.
Among all of them...
The Legends became one of my biggest "what could have been" dramas.
Not because it was bad.
Quite the opposite.
Because it had all the ingredients to become one of my all-time favorites.
It had unforgettable leads.
Outstanding performances.
Beautiful music.
Great cinematography.
Meaningful themes.
A fascinating moral conflict.
And one of Xu Kai's finest performances.
Unfortunately, its uneven pacing and underwhelming finale prevented it from reaching the masterpiece it had every opportunity to become.
I will always remember The Legends for Li Chenlan's quiet devotion, Lu Zhaoyao's unforgettable charisma, and the incredible chemistry between Bai Lu and Xu Kai.
I just wish the ending had rewarded those characters—and the viewers—with the same care that the beginning of the story did.
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