2
4
This review may contain spoilers
fantastic world, characters, and story
"Fangs of Fortune" lured me in with its beautiful cinematography, lore-rich world, and interesting characters but kept me with its captivating and stimulating storyline. The series is an examination and reflection on the nature of humans and demons. Is one more inherently more evil than the other? The series raise this as a topic of contemplation as well as many others. We explore themes of choice and free will, hate and anger, life and death, love, friendship, forgiveness, and much more. There are some great developments and backstories to help us understand the motivations of a lot the characters, including the villains. There are lots of emotional moments that really hit the feels, some nice comedic breaks here and there, and just a lot of philosophical questions to think about. Overall, I thought this was a well-done series. And as a Pentagon fan, seeing Yanan as Li Lun was a nice bonus. I think a lot of the cast has some kind of music/idol background but I'm not familiar with a lot of them.
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● SHORT REVIEW
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LIKES:
-- I love the intricate storytelling. Backstories and flashbacks are used to unravel plot and character developments. Characters who seemingly have simple motives are revealed to be more complex ones as we learn more about them. This includes the villains. They aren't villains just for the sake of being villains.
-- Along with the thought-provoking nature of the story, the series offers many great lessons about life and adversity.
-- Great world and lore building and beautiful cinematography. Although visually, it feels very bleak and gray, it was still aesthetically nice. Best I can describe it is that it's like watching the captivating rain even if the day feels gray.
DISLIKES:
-- scenes sometimes feel like they linger too long just to drag out and fill the time.
-- lots of mourning, grieving, remembrance, and reflection scenes. Related to my first point, a lot of those scene go on longer than I feel they need, which wouldn't be so bad if there weren't so many of them.
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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
-------------------------------------------
[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]
The series right away does a good job of setting up the heart of the story. We see a deceptive rabbit beast fall into the custody of Wen Xiao, a fair and just demon hunter. However, we are also introduce to the merciless hunters of the Chongwu Camp who kills demons indiscriminately. Their goal seems to be to eradicate all demons, while also profiting off some of them. Meanwhile, the great demon lord Zhu Yan wants to die. Zhuo Yichen of the demon-hunting bureau wants to kill the great demon. However, he cannot, at least, not yet. Until that day comes, Zhu Yan volunteers to help the bureau in its tasks. Several other members join the bureau, each with their own goals and motivations. As we progress though the story, flashbacks are used to help us understand each of the characters better. The bureau takes on and investigates several cases throughout the series, each one presenting questions and themes to think about. There is also a larger over-arching plot involving the Chongwu Camp's quest to kill all demon . We also have Li Lun, a great demon who resent humans. However, motivated by past events, hatred blinded both the leader of Chongwu Camp and Li Lun, leading one to hate demon and the other to hate humankind.
The series really reinforce the idea that "villains are not born, they are made." A lot of the bad actions of the demons in the story are due the actions or influence of others. Human or demon, what does it really mean to be one or the other? Both have the same potentials to be good are evil.
Choice is another heavy theme in this series. The weight, burden, and consequence of our choices but also the choices of others that affect us. There are many example of this theme. The willingness to sacrifice for one another. The courage and determination to carry on in spite of fear or adversity. The will to defy fate. We often have a choice in how we react to things. Ultimately, we shouldn't let the evil and cruelty of others affected our own kindness. Our choices can also have lasting effects on how the world perceives and remembers us. In the past, a character chose to die to protect innocent lives, but ultimately was deemed a demon. Another was a god and revered as a hero but ultimately chose to be mortal.
There are also the circumstances and situations where the freedom of choice is no longer in one's own hands. They are merely a puppet. If they are made to do evil things, what level of burden, accountability, and responsibility do they hold for those actions? There are a lot of complications and complexities to the theme of nature and choice, and this series does a great job at making us think about them.
[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]
There were a lot moments where my eyes became watery and blurry. Either I'm just allergic to this series, or the cast was just skilled at poking at the heart. There are so many sad scenes and the cast did a great job portraying the longing, hurt, will to sacrifice, anger, hesitation, and sadness. There were also some nice comedic moments as a break from the more serious acting. We get some awkwardness, cuteness, and just more bright/colorful acting, which is a much welcomed relief in a series like this. The chemistry and bonds built between characters are also noteworthy. Cast and crew did a great job.
[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]
The series has a lot of beautiful OSTs that invoke emotions and greatly enhance the scene when they are played, leaving an impact in your heart. 大梦归离 (Return After A Long Dream) from 李宇春 specifically is still etched in my brain. And there are also inspirational and hard hitters like 无心生大梦 (Unintentional Big Dream) from 刘宇宁 that gets me hyped/pumped, ready to take on any challenge/obstacle. There are many songs I need to go back, listen to, and review, but I've already added a few to my playlists.
[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]
I thought long and hard about whether this was something I could rewatch, mostly because there is a lot heavy heart-wrenching scenes. However, the lesson to be drawn, the talents of the cast, and the layers in storytelling are all compelling enough that it's worth at least another revisit. There are just so many great dialogues/quotes and beautifully emotional moments that deserves a second viewing.
[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]
In the cases that the bureau investigated, I ended up feeling sad for the demons involved. A lot of the stories ended tragically. Aside from our main casts, the series does a great job at building complex characters that I could feel sympathy for. Even the antagonists' motivations stemmed from a place I could understand, even if they were on the extreme end. There was just great character development for everyone. I loved the journey the series took us on to learn about why certain characters are the way the are and how events in the past affected current events. Very aesthetic world and costumes. Great accompanying soundtracks. Overall, I enjoyed this series a lot.
-------------------------------------------
● NOTE
-------------------------------------------
I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.
♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥
-------------------------------------------
● SHORT REVIEW
-------------------------------------------
LIKES:
-- I love the intricate storytelling. Backstories and flashbacks are used to unravel plot and character developments. Characters who seemingly have simple motives are revealed to be more complex ones as we learn more about them. This includes the villains. They aren't villains just for the sake of being villains.
-- Along with the thought-provoking nature of the story, the series offers many great lessons about life and adversity.
-- Great world and lore building and beautiful cinematography. Although visually, it feels very bleak and gray, it was still aesthetically nice. Best I can describe it is that it's like watching the captivating rain even if the day feels gray.
DISLIKES:
-- scenes sometimes feel like they linger too long just to drag out and fill the time.
-- lots of mourning, grieving, remembrance, and reflection scenes. Related to my first point, a lot of those scene go on longer than I feel they need, which wouldn't be so bad if there weren't so many of them.
-------------------------------------------
● IN-DEPT REVIEW
-------------------------------------------
[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]
The series right away does a good job of setting up the heart of the story. We see a deceptive rabbit beast fall into the custody of Wen Xiao, a fair and just demon hunter. However, we are also introduce to the merciless hunters of the Chongwu Camp who kills demons indiscriminately. Their goal seems to be to eradicate all demons, while also profiting off some of them. Meanwhile, the great demon lord Zhu Yan wants to die. Zhuo Yichen of the demon-hunting bureau wants to kill the great demon. However, he cannot, at least, not yet. Until that day comes, Zhu Yan volunteers to help the bureau in its tasks. Several other members join the bureau, each with their own goals and motivations. As we progress though the story, flashbacks are used to help us understand each of the characters better. The bureau takes on and investigates several cases throughout the series, each one presenting questions and themes to think about. There is also a larger over-arching plot involving the Chongwu Camp's quest to kill all demon . We also have Li Lun, a great demon who resent humans. However, motivated by past events, hatred blinded both the leader of Chongwu Camp and Li Lun, leading one to hate demon and the other to hate humankind.
The series really reinforce the idea that "villains are not born, they are made." A lot of the bad actions of the demons in the story are due the actions or influence of others. Human or demon, what does it really mean to be one or the other? Both have the same potentials to be good are evil.
Choice is another heavy theme in this series. The weight, burden, and consequence of our choices but also the choices of others that affect us. There are many example of this theme. The willingness to sacrifice for one another. The courage and determination to carry on in spite of fear or adversity. The will to defy fate. We often have a choice in how we react to things. Ultimately, we shouldn't let the evil and cruelty of others affected our own kindness. Our choices can also have lasting effects on how the world perceives and remembers us. In the past, a character chose to die to protect innocent lives, but ultimately was deemed a demon. Another was a god and revered as a hero but ultimately chose to be mortal.
There are also the circumstances and situations where the freedom of choice is no longer in one's own hands. They are merely a puppet. If they are made to do evil things, what level of burden, accountability, and responsibility do they hold for those actions? There are a lot of complications and complexities to the theme of nature and choice, and this series does a great job at making us think about them.
[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]
There were a lot moments where my eyes became watery and blurry. Either I'm just allergic to this series, or the cast was just skilled at poking at the heart. There are so many sad scenes and the cast did a great job portraying the longing, hurt, will to sacrifice, anger, hesitation, and sadness. There were also some nice comedic moments as a break from the more serious acting. We get some awkwardness, cuteness, and just more bright/colorful acting, which is a much welcomed relief in a series like this. The chemistry and bonds built between characters are also noteworthy. Cast and crew did a great job.
[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]
The series has a lot of beautiful OSTs that invoke emotions and greatly enhance the scene when they are played, leaving an impact in your heart. 大梦归离 (Return After A Long Dream) from 李宇春 specifically is still etched in my brain. And there are also inspirational and hard hitters like 无心生大梦 (Unintentional Big Dream) from 刘宇宁 that gets me hyped/pumped, ready to take on any challenge/obstacle. There are many songs I need to go back, listen to, and review, but I've already added a few to my playlists.
[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]
I thought long and hard about whether this was something I could rewatch, mostly because there is a lot heavy heart-wrenching scenes. However, the lesson to be drawn, the talents of the cast, and the layers in storytelling are all compelling enough that it's worth at least another revisit. There are just so many great dialogues/quotes and beautifully emotional moments that deserves a second viewing.
[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]
In the cases that the bureau investigated, I ended up feeling sad for the demons involved. A lot of the stories ended tragically. Aside from our main casts, the series does a great job at building complex characters that I could feel sympathy for. Even the antagonists' motivations stemmed from a place I could understand, even if they were on the extreme end. There was just great character development for everyone. I loved the journey the series took us on to learn about why certain characters are the way the are and how events in the past affected current events. Very aesthetic world and costumes. Great accompanying soundtracks. Overall, I enjoyed this series a lot.
-------------------------------------------
● NOTE
-------------------------------------------
I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.
♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥
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