This review may contain spoilers
two stories intertwined: one of them is OK, the other one is atrocious
This drama has one huge flaw, which is like a big dirty stain on a dress.
The flaw I'm talking about, is the entire secondary plot—the story of Bing Zhu and Dreamshard Immortal/Pianpian.
If they'd cut out everything related to DI, all the episodes set in her realm, then all of Pianpian’s actions and Bing Zhu’s story and decisions, I would easily give this drama an 8 or maybe even 8.5 out of 10.
Not more, because an additional (though much smaller) burden is the weak chemistry resulting from Tan Songyun’s completely unromantic performance.
But even with this flaw, the story of Hong Ye and Xiao Yao, with their time travels and the backdrop of the human-demon conflict, would be quite enjoyable to watch. Moreover, in the space purified of the pointless secondary plot, they could have add more interactions between the main characters and potentially more episodic stories, like the one with the mountain elf or the squirrel who thought it was human.
The initial relationship between Hong Ye and Xiao Yao could also have been developed so that their feelings wouldn’t appear so suddenly and inexplicably. If it weren’t for that silly Bing Zhu, in the last episode the three powerful demons could have easily survived.
If I were to change things, I’d probably change the ending too, because the current one is mediocre.
Unfortunately, the screenwriter decided to “treat” us to this nightmarish secondary plot, which consists of some of the worst-written characters I’ve ever seen in dramas. Their decisions and behaviors are so utterly illogical that it’s painful to watch. It just doesn’t make sense. Why does Dreamshard Immortal No. 1 imprison Hong Ye, and force Xiao Yao to undergo a ridiculous test where she could lose her life? How would that bring her closer to completing the mirror, which is, apparently, her main goal? It would make more sense to imprison Xiao Yao and tell Hong Ye to bring the mirror to get his beloved back.
And what does Downshard Immortal 2.0, that is, Lu Pianpian, have against demons? Why does she set Bing Zhu against them? If she cares about him, she could arrange a wonderful life for him by manipulating the emperor’s dreams. And if, as DI, she absolutely has to kill someone, why demons and not humans? Humans hurt her much more.
The same goes for Bing Zhu, who has been a victim of human scheming since childhood. But it never even occurs to him to take revenge on those who actually hurt him. Instead, he’s obsessed with killing demons. He seems like a righteous person, but without batting an eye, he follows the orders of that disgusting emperor. His direct subordinate is a vile schemer who nearly gets him killed, but after Pianpian saves Bing Zhu, he continues to serve the emperor and—what’s even more absurd—his subordinate is still the same guy whose nasty character Bing Zhu has experienced firsthand. Why is he such an idiot?
Why does he keep listening to Hei Wu? And he’s not the only one. Hei Wu is generally a hopeless fool who just flails around chaotically, stirring up trouble everywhere, hoping it will somehow harm Hong Ye. But by episode 28, everyone should have realized he’s a psycho who’s not worth listening to or cooperating with, because he just jumps from one disaster to another and causes more problems than he solves. Yet he still manages to sow discord.
And Dali? For ten episodes, she’s Xiao Yao’s close friend. She’s nice and straightforward. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, she becomes a completely different character: false and cunning. Everyone in this side plot behaves illogically, running around like chickens with their heads cut off, and ultimately it’s unclear what they even want, and the whole story is terribly unconvincing. That’s why from episode 26 onward, the drama is much better, because there’s much, much less Bing Zhu, Pianpian, and the whole gang.
So in the end, I rate the whole thing 7/10. And if Neo hadn’t acted in it, I would have dropped it halfway through.
The flaw I'm talking about, is the entire secondary plot—the story of Bing Zhu and Dreamshard Immortal/Pianpian.
If they'd cut out everything related to DI, all the episodes set in her realm, then all of Pianpian’s actions and Bing Zhu’s story and decisions, I would easily give this drama an 8 or maybe even 8.5 out of 10.
Not more, because an additional (though much smaller) burden is the weak chemistry resulting from Tan Songyun’s completely unromantic performance.
But even with this flaw, the story of Hong Ye and Xiao Yao, with their time travels and the backdrop of the human-demon conflict, would be quite enjoyable to watch. Moreover, in the space purified of the pointless secondary plot, they could have add more interactions between the main characters and potentially more episodic stories, like the one with the mountain elf or the squirrel who thought it was human.
The initial relationship between Hong Ye and Xiao Yao could also have been developed so that their feelings wouldn’t appear so suddenly and inexplicably. If it weren’t for that silly Bing Zhu, in the last episode the three powerful demons could have easily survived.
If I were to change things, I’d probably change the ending too, because the current one is mediocre.
Unfortunately, the screenwriter decided to “treat” us to this nightmarish secondary plot, which consists of some of the worst-written characters I’ve ever seen in dramas. Their decisions and behaviors are so utterly illogical that it’s painful to watch. It just doesn’t make sense. Why does Dreamshard Immortal No. 1 imprison Hong Ye, and force Xiao Yao to undergo a ridiculous test where she could lose her life? How would that bring her closer to completing the mirror, which is, apparently, her main goal? It would make more sense to imprison Xiao Yao and tell Hong Ye to bring the mirror to get his beloved back.
And what does Downshard Immortal 2.0, that is, Lu Pianpian, have against demons? Why does she set Bing Zhu against them? If she cares about him, she could arrange a wonderful life for him by manipulating the emperor’s dreams. And if, as DI, she absolutely has to kill someone, why demons and not humans? Humans hurt her much more.
The same goes for Bing Zhu, who has been a victim of human scheming since childhood. But it never even occurs to him to take revenge on those who actually hurt him. Instead, he’s obsessed with killing demons. He seems like a righteous person, but without batting an eye, he follows the orders of that disgusting emperor. His direct subordinate is a vile schemer who nearly gets him killed, but after Pianpian saves Bing Zhu, he continues to serve the emperor and—what’s even more absurd—his subordinate is still the same guy whose nasty character Bing Zhu has experienced firsthand. Why is he such an idiot?
Why does he keep listening to Hei Wu? And he’s not the only one. Hei Wu is generally a hopeless fool who just flails around chaotically, stirring up trouble everywhere, hoping it will somehow harm Hong Ye. But by episode 28, everyone should have realized he’s a psycho who’s not worth listening to or cooperating with, because he just jumps from one disaster to another and causes more problems than he solves. Yet he still manages to sow discord.
And Dali? For ten episodes, she’s Xiao Yao’s close friend. She’s nice and straightforward. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, she becomes a completely different character: false and cunning. Everyone in this side plot behaves illogically, running around like chickens with their heads cut off, and ultimately it’s unclear what they even want, and the whole story is terribly unconvincing. That’s why from episode 26 onward, the drama is much better, because there’s much, much less Bing Zhu, Pianpian, and the whole gang.
So in the end, I rate the whole thing 7/10. And if Neo hadn’t acted in it, I would have dropped it halfway through.
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