AmericanoLover

Please spoiler tag your comment just to be safe for new viewers

Begging people to just rewatch or think more about character motivations to explore numerous possibilities. I'm seeing way too many "doesnt make sense" comments only to find out they forgot a scene that happened. Making me question what sense is anymore.

Dont just automatically resort to throwing out the doesnt make sense card because something isnt explicitly explained 😭😭😭 There's also no harm in adding in your own imagination. At least show us some effort you tried to come up with an explanation

ZZX told ZH when he was sent to the border he was put through hard times again by the commander in charge who had a grudge against his father. We already saw how rampant bullying is in the lower ranked training camp so just imagine how much worse it would be if the leader with the most authority was instigating it just because he is the son of a general whose already gone. It is totally possible for ZBW to pull some strings to get ZZX on his side he likes to prey on the vulnerable or weak for future benefit. It is possible for aspiring soldiers like ZZX to become jaded the longer they serve in the army.

ZLY and his men were tricked into believing the Kuai son was killed because ZH's disciple brother pretended to be him

In episode 26 when ZZX is reporting to ZH what he learned from his father. 3 years prior The Marquis was the first to witness the ghost soldiers in battle so he had Chu Huaiming to keep an eye out for info on a special relic in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. On the day of the altar collapse he saw Kuai Duo rush out and sent a letter to Marquis who was already on his way escorting XAT to Yong. Then the rest of the events happen the three plan to ambush KD at his home but didnt know KD already took a secret path to hand the Gui seal over to the Emperor

I know most of us are fresh off of binging the last 5 episodes but I think some of these questions or headscratchers can be answered by simply rewatching scenes and then taking time to ponder on them before coming on over for answers

I sometimes wonder why some people need every single detail answered for them like canon approval is most important over personal interpretation.

Before they went to the cave he dispatched soldiers to guard the surrounding area for 10 li. We see XAT in disguise and he lets her go, which ZBW's general calls ZZX out for. ZZX was still presenting himself as ally to ZBW so he could take out ZBW military men while ZBW and ZH are inside the cave. It's because ZZX let XAT leave the military camp that she could reach her sister for help

Wish there were more thought out comments like yours from first time watchers. 90% reviews were based off of gut feeling and complaining about things not going their way. Yet they were not open to any discussion to talk about possible angles the story might be going for from those who actually took the time to analyze things. Most viewers only cared about the ML and FL relevance as vehicles of romance that they didn't really pay attention to their actual characteristics and personal conflicts and how they both learned from each other. And like your review says the romance wasn't truly the focal point of their characters which is sadly not the realization the average viewers would make. If you're interested there are some essays out there.

https://kisskh.at/61427-zhu-yan#comment-16017019 I wrote this retrospective piece back in January

That's a very interesting response. I do agree with the regression in critical thinking amongst the younger generation but the reality is that this drama has been watched by a good chunk of people in the 30-50 demographic.

The real issue I observed is that there has been a shift in cdrama consumer tastes and the vast selection of dramas makes it possible for people to follow multiple dramas at once. Which makes their attention span thinly spread and prevents viewers from truly immersing themselves into one story. Zhu Yan is the type of FL most people do not have the patience to understand or experience growing pains with despite the fact this is a coming-of-age type of story. A lot of dramas that are hyped up these days are the ones with established smart independent strong female leads because they tend to give the viewers less stress. Sadly bingewatching culture can make anyone from any age demographic dull their comprehension skills especially if they watch cdramas to shut off their brains for a while.

I'm only 26 but I am just very passionate about pointing out TLP's symbolism and writing because it practically mirrors another favorite series of mine that has also been vastly misconstrued across the internet by those who did not take the time to analyze the story/characters. There will be flaws with this drama like any other piece of media but I just think it has fallen victim to the current era of fast paced media consumption that heavily relies on everything being directly explained to the audience at first watch. Sadly most people tuning into this drama merely judged it based on one specific direction they expected a love story to follow. People are less likely to re-evaluate a story's true intentions and meanings when it's just easier to move onto the next show if they are not quickly satisfied. It's why I likened these type of people to Yelp reviewers.

The original 40 eps have 3 episodes that are a bit over 1 hour so Netflix just split them up

To the new people leaving raw reaction reviews crying about the drama not making sense after quickly binging it don't know how lucky yall have it to have instant access to explanations and analyses. Back in July/August we went into this show blind and there was no one to explain everything to us since the drama is very different from the novel. All these explanations available and you refuse to even attempt to read them. It's like you guys purposely choose to stay blind and NOTunderstand the story and the characterizations so you can stick to your initial feelings. This drama has the potential to be better than you think if you just let yourself see other angles. Not every story is meant to be straightforward and taken only literally at its surface. It's okay to have your original opinions change after reading interpretations from others who have taken the time to break down the drama out of genuine passion. Seriously it doesn't hurt to just look up explanations on this page or cdrama reddit if you felt like you missed something during your first watch. There is nothing wrong with considering what the show was trying to go for instead of defaulting everything to just bad writing when things go a different direction.

TLP is the type of story that wants the viewer to put in the work to unearth its layers and subtlety through discussion, and first to hold any type of discussion you need to actually be willing to consider other people's takes on the show. Of course you're not going to notice and understand everything right away if you don't know what to look out for. Something that most international viewers would not be aware of is that there is a lot of Eastern philosophical elements that enhance the story and characters which explains their direction so much. There are cliches and tropes but at least they actually work within the context of the story. I personally found that this is the type of story where you gotta reset and let go of your initial expectations to figure out what they were trying to convey to the audience when revisiting important scenes. It seems like it's just easier to complain about a scene rather than try to figure out the reasons behind it.

I just find it unfortunate that this drama's reviews and comments are full of people leaving their final reviews like a first impression on Yelp when there is a lot more to the story and characters left to be discovered. And just like any first impression Yelp review that customer's opinion might not even accurately reflect the whole quality of a restaurant because maybe they just happened to be unlucky with their order that day. Some places can be redeemed and some cannot but I argue that TLP is one of those shows that can be redeemed if you just take the time to read up on things instead of sticking to your complaints. Some of you guys don't even try and it shows lol. But that just demonstrates what binge watching has done to our ability to comprehend different types of stories in this day and age.

I've written alot about this show and its characters on here and other discussion forums and talking to other scarce fans of the show really helped me understand the characters on a deeper level. It is really easy to boil down both main leads' development to just finding love but I argue that love is just the catalyst that helped Shi Ying and Zhu Yan to better understand their purpose in the world.

If you are down to reading other fans' positive discussion on Zhu Yan as a character there is this recent reddit post https://www.reddit.com/r/CDrama/comments/1apqklf/appreciating_zhu_yan_in_the_longest_promise/ . It might shed some light on other parts of her character that was not super obvious at first watch. Like trust me the conclusions I made were only possible with dedicated time and effort, which a lot of viewers did not want to give because they think there was nothing else to the show after finishing it. It truly is the type of show that makes more sense once you allow yourself to read up on existing conversations and see other people's viewpoints.

For a more updated general analysis of the show I recently posted in the comments section why the drama still sticks with me till this day. https://kisskh.at/61427-zhu-yan#comment-16017019

Don't want to spoil anything but there is a justifiable reason why the character development might seem lacking at that point in the drama. Especially for first time watchers who are not aware what to look out for.

There is no second season because this story is based off of Zhu Yan, the prequel to Mirror: Twin Cities which also has its own drama made by a different team

https://wuxiasociety.com/whats-the-difference-between-wuxia-xianxia-and-xuanhuan/ Small correction this is considered a 'xianxia' because of the magic and immortals and celestial beings. Wuxia is about martial arts

TL;DR dont judge everything onesidedly or you WILL learn your lesson the hard way. This goes to the viewer too-- watch the drama too onesidedly you will miss out the potential purpose behind the storytelling. This is a drama that benefits more when you open yourself to other perspectives and not keep prioritizing your individual needs. ONCE AGAIN this is just a suggestion for those who are willing, if you don't like this drama then you are allowed to. As a hardcore defender of this drama I can COEXIST with your personal disatisfaction. Thank you TLP for teaching this important lesson albeit extreme Xianxia methods!!

With my essay I hope anyone who reads this can also see this drama in another light and appreciate the work put in to portray the ambiguous nature of things around us. Realistically no one can ever be 100% impartial to everything and TLP takes advantage of this aspect of human nature to tell a riveting love story between a master and disciple within a Xianxia setting. TLP is not a story about proving who is right and who is wrong because the drama makes it very clear how opposing sides fighting for dominance is the source of all despair and conflict whether its within oneself, between two lovers, or between two races. TLP is a story of how clashing perspectives and ideologies CAN coexist and harmonize as one for the greater good as not everything is as absolute like they might appear...BYE BYE! If you managed to get this far thank you for reading.

(2) Shi Ying's Character Development
I have already written an extensive analysis on Shi Ying's character development in the discussion section above. TL;DR Shi Ying's whole character arc is also centered around nonduality. Shi Ying's growth was written so well but it's not the kind that is obvious and tangible to the viewer because it is is purely emotional and spiritual. Once you become aware of the drama's usage of nonduality then Shi Ying's character development ends up making SO MUCH MORE SENSE. It certainly blew my mind how detailed and layered his character arc was. Shi Ying's inner conflict stems from resisting who he truly is meant to be thanks to a childhood tragedy. I've seen some misconceptions that Shi Ying's growth only amounted to him falling in love but I beg to differ. Let's not do Shi Ying dirty like that please. Falling in love was merely the catalyst of his worldview broadening once he began to meet more people throughout his journey. Love was a new emotion that brought him not only pain and sorrow but also happiness and fulfillment. Very neat way to tie in to the message of everything having two sides because love was consistently perceived as kryptonite to Shi Ying's livelihood until he experienced the opposite. In turn his slowly changing perspective on life led to him learning more about himself and figuring out what he really wants in life instead of following people's orders. In the end Shi Ying becomes his fully realized self once he embraces his role as the Crown Prince and a priest cultivator as equally important parts of him. He was always meant to be both, not just one or the other. IMO a very satisfying and complete character journey. Also if you knew anything about the novel you will find out that TLP!Shi Ying is the one with ACTUAL thought put into his character growth and backstory. Seriously the scriptwriter just wrote his whole character from scratch to match the drama’s themes. His journey just perfectly symbolizes the recurring concept of nonduality so well.

(3) Prophecies are not just about the bad
Like I mentioned a recurring theme is that there are two sides to something and not everything should be seen as black/white as there could be other meanings that lurk beneath the surface. Prophecies are used to demonstrate this message as it fits so well within the Xianxia setting of TLP. As we know there are two ominous prophecies that are the driving force of the story's main conflicts. First is the prophecy that Shi Ying will die by Zhu Yan's hands and second is about the evil star signifying the return of the Sea Emperor.

I think it's kinda funny that the characters are self-aware that these prophecies are just vague suggestions on the surface but it still leads to them making certain decisions out of fear over the possible outcomes. After all prophecies are serious business in their world. Very human of the characters to react this way when facing the uncertain future and what makes their decisions so morally gray and complex is that they inherently have "good" intentions to protect what they care about the most. But can we still call these intentions good if it is at the expense of another person's life? That is up to your interpretation. These prophecies got some characters assuming the worst out of innocent people and the story wants to really hone it in why this is such a bad perspective to have through the two prophecies looming over everyone.

We NEED to talk more about the Sea Emperor arc because it is actually very significant for Shi Ying's character and his actions could be recontextualized in relation to the story's themes. I think what happens to Shi Ying in ep 35 is very fitting for his character because he essentially went against his core values for the sake of a prophecy. Based on what the story is trying to establish, Shi Ying was in the "right" for not treating Zhu Yan any differently (unlike his close ones) just because she was his cursed lady and killing her early on would go against his conscience. However once he is determined to eliminate Zhi Yuan for the sake of protecting Kong Sang he inevitably meets his downfall for falling into the same trap of blindly believing the worst out of vague prophecies. THIS IS a pretty huge deal for his character growth and I think it would be a disservice to the writing if viewers keep faulting Zhu Yan for everything while absolving Shi Ying of any possibility to have flawed thinking. I would attest Shi Ying's contrasting reaction to these two prophecies with the difference in the level of stakes (Shi Ying's life vs fate of the whole country). From an outsider perspective both leads were doing what they believed to be "right" but being in the middle of an ongoing war blurs these lines of morality. However it seems like the major lesson the story wants to teach is that people should not abandon their core values for a prophecy no matter the stakes and tragedies at hand. Prophecies big or small, do not go against your original intention or you will be punished. Very tragic outcome to this intense trial Shi Ying and Zhu Yan are put through but it works thematically with what the story is trying to convey through this conflict.

Now back to the other prophecy...When Shi Ying explains in his confession how it was Zhu Yan who killed him but also brought him back to life that pretty much references everything I said about everything having two sides. In an ironic twist Zhu Yan was viewed as a threat to be eliminated by Da Si Ming for most of the story but ended up being the only one who could bring Shi Ying back to life. Guess not everything is as bad as it seems ay??

HAPPY BELATED 6 MONTHS SINCE PREMIERE ANNIVERSARY!! To the fans of this drama still lurking around or newcomers who want to learn more insight about the show, this one's for you!! I think this drama has been misrepresented by the majority of cdrama watchers looking for a quick source of entertainment to binge so I'm gonna take advantage of the slow activity in the comments section and explain how there is more to the story than most people assume. If you want a super fulfilling pure romance with sizzling chemistry since day 1 this drama will not be for you but I personally find that TLP's strengths lie elsewhere because there is not just one single way to interpret a love story like this one.

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If people want to see more comments about the drama then I'll talk about the drama. To anyone who reads this I just want to say that this drama deserves higher rating now that it has been almost 6 months since the premiere of The Longest Promise. I've seen countless of takes from infuriating to head scratching to inspiring and I suddenly feel like joining the comment section again. There is actually alot to appreciate about the writing which surprised me at first too--because how could a typical looking Xianxia inspire me to write essays half a year later? There is a good amount of effort put into the writing because the story actually conveys a lot of deep messages underneath the overarching premise of a forbidden master-disciple romance. I will try to keep my points brief on what I think are the highlights of this story in the least spoilery way but I will tag the second part just incase. Romance aside there is just so much going on that challenged my thinking and moral compass more than I could have ever expected from a drama like this. The way lessons learned by the characters themselves also extend to the viewer makes me appreciate this drama even more after recontextualizing the story as a whole.

Overall, The Longest Promise revolves around one major theme which is the concept of nonduality. In Chinese philosophy the Yin-Yang ☯ symbol illustrates how polar opposites are actually complements of each other and two sides of the same coin. If I could point out a common recurring theme that could be interpreted as an important lesson for the viewer it is that there are always two sides to something, not everything is as black and white as it appears. So do not view things so onesidely to the point you shut out any other perspectives. This Yin Yang analogy is about the coexistence and unity of opposite elements creating perfect harmony and this aspect will be reflected in various ways within the story.
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(1) Shi Ying and Zhu Yan
Look no further than our main leads to embody this complex dynamic between polar opposites. Almost everything about their personalities and beliefs clash against the other since the beginning all the way until it explodes in ep 35. Ima say it: judging this drama's story with the perspective of onesidedly supporting either lead (intentionally or not) is a disservice to the underlying theme of nonduality that's going on. I feel like it was very easy for most first time watchers to view Shi Ying as always being in the "right" while Zhu Yan was always in the "wrong" because of the way they carried themselves throughout the drama. ML smart FL dumb tehehe. But I don’t think viewers were supposed to keep blatantly taking sides to the point of being averse to either lead because being too onesided ruins the intentions behind their dynamic. Shi Ying and Zhu Yan representing opposing forces matches their Yin/Yang setup because in the end they become the wisest and the most in-sync after they fully accepted and understood each other's differences. With their shared common goals and ideals they become one and the same just like Yin and Yang. Their dynamic changes once they stop quarreling over who is right or wrong and it is only natural for their romance to finally come to fruition after their biggest hurdle of pacifying clashing ideologies.

I also want to address the specific subset of viewers who are extremely biased towards the ML. As the viewer we should consider what I just said about the main couple's dynamic and ask ourselves if we let our bias cloud our judgement during our first watch. You might find that there were actually moments where one lead was actually in the right while the other was in the wrong if you switch perspectives between the main leads. Maybe just maybe Shi Ying was not always in the right like you first assumed but I cannot give an absolute explanation and that's what makes the writing so nuanced. I cannot stop you if you disagree with me in debating who was more justified since there are multiple angles to approach the war arc. Whether someone resonates more with logic or emotion is purely up to the viewer which can completely influence the way they judge the main leads' decisions as right/wrong. I don't think there was a truly right/wrong solution to the Sea Emperor conflict and that's due to the tragic nature of the clash between morals presented by the main couple. TLP likes to remind viewers why its bad to let bias cloud your judgement so I believe it was not their exact intention to have the viewers pick sides so adamantly when watching Shi Ying and Zhu Yan interact. I won't blame anyone though because being biased is human nature but in reality cdrama viewers tend to be really harsh towards the female lead archetype Zhu Yan represents so of course most people will keep interpreting the story in Shi Ying's pov and justify everything he's done and sympathize with him the most. WHOLE OTHER STORY but yeah the writing has a chance to shine more if we take into account that the two leads are written to be like two opposing yet complementary forces not meant to fight for dominance. Some more impartiality would have been nice because Shi Ying is also capable of making mistakes he is just a human despite how he's presented. Yall need to let go of that Xiao Zhan bias to assess his character's motivations properly.

SECOND PART GOING OVER THE SPOILERY BITS ⬇️

You might find the discussion analysis posts in the forum above interesting