PastaAasta

It went downhill quite fast

At first from ep 1-10 I was in love with this drama. The dance of deception, passion and secrets between Ming Yi and Ji Bozai was spectacular and only drew me deeper into this drama. Their chemistry was beautifully done by both the actors and every love scene will leave you with butterflies, punching the air. However, as the plot thickened, I didn't enjoy the story anymore. It was arduous to finish all 36 eps. What annoyed me first was the amount of times they broke up/took a break from each other. One of them would be endanger, then to protect the other they would lie and break off the relationship. This kept happening and it would rotate from Ji Bozai being in danger to Ming Yi being in danger, really leaving you feeling so annoyed, like why can't they just tell the other that they need help!! Additionally, I was so upset with Chao Yuan's storyline, leaving you with second lead syndrome. This poor guy does not have any light in his life except for that moment with Ming Xian in the Qingyun tournament. At first he was incredibly sweet and did everything for Ming Yi, but then his sudden turn to the dark side did not do it for me. The writers really did Chao Yuan/Situ Ling Dirty. Additionally, the plot in this story got super cliche in relation to identity. Similar to numerous other cdramas, there is this special clan that everyone hunts after because there is something special about them, in this case the Bo Clan, and then the main character towards the end gets a whole identity crisis, since as it turns out that they are from that special clan. I really felt that this cliche turn of events was written very poorly. I would have definitely loved to see Ming Yi fight back for role as crown prince of Yaoguang mountain, leading the realm like Princess Tianji. Overall, this drama was not the best, but if you truly have nothing else to watch, go for it.

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Watch This right now!

I waited over 1 year for this drama, and when I say it was worth the wait, IT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT. As soon at over 20 episodes were out I binged the whole thing. I thought 20 episode would be enough for me to watch then the rest would be out, but I was so wrong. I finished the whole drama in about 3 days. The first thing I want to point out is our FL He Yan. Her backstory made me angry and equally vengeful, but watching her grow, getting her revenge and become the first even female general was amazing. This FL has to be one of the best ones out there, and is all you can ask for in a strong and smart FL. I especially love her and her relationship with the moon, her words "我喜欢月亮，月亮不知道" has to be one of the best lines I have ever seen in all the dramas that I have watched! If anythign watch this drama for He Yan. Now the romance, Xiao Jue with a block of ice become the sweetest guy when he finally understands his love for He Yan. This duo is too cute. The plot is pretty interesting too; I loved He Yan's rise to power. My only disappointment is that I am really confused with what happened with Chu Zhao, that whole incident was really random and confusing. However, overall, GO WATCH THIS DRAMA!

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Pretty Costumes and Sweet Chemistry

I want to start by saying that I love the acting. Seeing Cheng Lei and Wang Churan as the leads I was already excited, but after finishing each actor played their role exceptionally. You felt every emotion, all their pain, all their happiness, the acting in this drama truly deserves an applause.

I also want to mention the chemistry. Wang Churan and Cheng Lei had wonderful chemistry as a couple in this drama, and it was very sweet to watch. I loved their happy ending and their whole relationship in general, especially the fact that they didn't have any cliche misunderstanding that led to a breakup (many of you will be happy to know this!).

Furthermore, the costume, makeup and designs for this drama was extraordinary as well. It was beautiful to watch. I especially loved Yu Wanyin's outfit and makeup, it fit her character and was so gorgeous.

The only downside to this drama would be the story. I enjoyed the story (I love complex political plots), but I think the writers made it a bit confusing. There were many times in the drama where I was completely lost (I am an avid historical cdrama watcher too, so I have experience). I get the writers were trying to reveal things slowly, but there are still things that left me confused like the whole ordeal with the crown prince (Xiahou Dan's kid which I was led to believe was a kid adopted by the Emperor and Empress Dowager in the beginning? But later find out it is XHD's kid, but he was forced?) and the nameless. This is one of many confusing points. I also think that YWY was also a little bit to forgiving, I like that the couple didn't break up, but seeing the amount of times XHD lied to her and hid things from her, I personally would be angry, because in the end it did feel like she was the 'loser' who didn't know anything. It would have been satifying to see YWY explain and actually talk to XHD about this, the excuse that it was for your own good is not good enough tbh.

Overall though, I still think this drama is worth a watch, it is fun, sweet, and has nice OST + costumes. The ending was satisfying! Watch this!

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With Strategies and Wits -- Watch this Show!

When I saw watch this drama, I mean WATCH THIS DRAMA!! I want to first applaud the cinematography. Every scene was beautifully done, from gorgeous shots and angles, to exceptional color grading a lighting; I have truly never seen a show shot so beautifully! Other than the unforgettable cinematography, the acting is amazing, especially Cheng Yi. The way Cheng Yi channels Xie Huai'an is exceptional. You can feel every emotion, from pain and heart break to acceptance and wistful, Cheng yi does this character so well. The plot is also amazing, with numerous plot twists leaving you at the edge of your seats. The plot is gut-wrentching and tense; you truly feel the tense and stress throughout the whole show. This drama did recieve a lot of hate when it was released due to high expectations, but I truly believe that you should ignore them and just give this show a go. It was truly a thrilling watch.

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The plot twists and the cunningness of our ML does not disappoint!

Goodness me this drama was such a good watch. First our ML, he is a smart and cunning man, only using his wits to turn situations around. Upon his introduction onscreen, to the end, he was amazing to watch. The schemes he schemed, the traps he set, leave the viewers on the edge of their seats. We don't even know what plot twist is going to happen next! That is what makes our ML so fun to watch. Now our FL is this warrior princess, smart and funny. The both of them truly have great chemistry and the wait for their romance is truly worth it. The other supporting characters all were amazing, making us fall in love with them, being shocked by their supposed betrayals or deeply saddened by their deaths. In the legend of Zanghai you will never know what will happen next, that is what makes it such a great drama!

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Don't waste your time watching this

Like my S1 review I want to start the positives. When the leads finally got together, they are so sweet! The acting in this drama definitely deserves an applause, especially in S1, you cried with the characters, you laughed with the characters, it's a shame that the screenwriters completely ruined this. I had pointed this out in my other review, but I want to say it again: out of the 56 episodes of both seasons, they are together for 7! 7!! thats insane especially since they had chemistry so early in the show. It just became a routine of watching the show on ×2 speed and skipping until something finally happened between them. I understand that S1 may be focusing on Mu Dan's career and all, but their chemistry was so good it makes sense for them to get together in S2, then we have a sweet S2 with our couple, but no the writers drag it through the gutter and use absolutely illogical and ridiculous plots like having Liu Lang sabotage their relationship and that cliche excuse 'oh we can't be together, its too dangerous'. I was so fed up with the whole show I watched it on ×2 speed and just skipped. I only stayed waiting for the romance in the end.

Aside from romance the plot was not it either. It was nice to see some more characters being flushed out, especially Jiang Chang Yang and his past, but that was where the positives stopped. The takedown of Prince Ning was so anticlimactic, I didn't feel any satisfaction. Also the cliche faked death was not helpful either. Furthermore, the whole backstory with the FL's mother being murdered was the most unnecessary plot point ever. It makes no sense, and did not add to the plot or characters at all. It was just there for that little bit of angst.

Honestly, don't waste your time watching this, but listen to the OST, I loved it!

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Cute and Cozy

I want to start by saying the leads are so cute. The acting and chemistry and story between our leads were impeccable. Everytime they were onscreen I couldn't help but smile at how cute they are together. To all the people talking about how unrealistic or not succinct this drama is, I say just ignore them, after all this is just a cdrama and it is quite a cliche one so the lengthiness is to accommodate the political aspect of the plot. Honestly, I this drama is not the best I have seen especially with the plot, but if you sort of need a break or in between drama, I think this is worth the watch. If that doesn't convince you watch they drama solely for the leads, they are so cute!! I also really liked how it portrayed the FL saving the ML and keeping him as a secret lover, it was funny and a breath of fresh air compared to other cdramas that paint the FL as a damsel in distress. I say watch this drama!

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Everyone calls him a useless playboy, but in reality he is the mastermind

I want to start of my saying this drama was a fun watch, it was funny and had great characters, but seeing that the screenwriter was the same as Joy Of Life, both shows have many parallels and I just wanted to highlight some of them:
- The Cast: So many JoL characters appear in this show (Zhang Ruo Yun, Liu Duan Duan, etc.). It was like a cast reunion! It was amazing to see the cast come together and work on this show. All of the actors acted beautifully and really highlight how different the characters are, especially our Zhang Ruo Yun
- The Plot: What really put me off was how similar the plot is. We have Xu Fengnian who, like Fan Xian, has a bad reputation, but in reality is incredibly smart and cunning. Both don't follow society, and carve their own path of justice against their destiny in definance against the royal family and ancient chinese tradition. Both follow a path for revenge for their mother, and both hold family and friends dear. The fact that they are played by the same actor doesn't help either. We can't forget about Liu Duan Duan being the ambitious prince in both shows. This may just be because the author of the book coincidentally made the plot similar, but honestly I found it way too alike; overtime it became tiring to watch
- The Martial Arts World: The system is quite similar, with 9 ranks, but has different characters and martial art techniques which was a breath of fresh air. I think watching both really helped me understand the screenwriters martial art world.
Honestly, I really wanted to bring up and highlight the similarities because this is what truly effected the watching experience for me. It is slow paced which is fine, but having watched both shows, this style of plot gets tiring. Honestly Joy Of Life, had better built up and plot twists.

Overall, I recommend you watch this show to pass time, it isn't anything too special. Nonetheless, it is always fun to Xu Feng Nian humble people and deliver justice. If you have watched Joy Of Life before this, sword snow stride won't be anything special to you, so if you want watch this first and then JoL. I would still want to watch a season 2 of SSS though, I would love to see Xu Feng Nian as the Lord of North Liang with more unorthodox plans.

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Please do not waste your time watching this

I want to start by saying a few positives to this first season. I enjoyed the OST, arguably the best part of this drama, the songs are beautiful. I also loved the costumes and set, all really gorgeous and lovely to watch. I also would say this first season is way way way better the S2, especially story wise. I love how the FL is presented as a smart strong character willing to fight for herself, doing everything she can. I also wanted to applaud the acting. The actors really did a good job here; whenever a character died their conveyed their emotions so wonderfully leaving me in tears and devastated even though we only so that character on screen for a couple episodes. The actors truly made them laugh and cry with them; if only the screen writing was better.

Now the endless negatives. The first being that out of both seasons, all 56 episodes, the leads are together for 7! 7 episodes! To say that this romance is a slow burn is an understatement, they had wonderful chemistry from ep 10 onwards in s1, it was completely unreasonable for the writers to put of such a key part of the show (I will discuss this more in my S2 review). Additionally, the whole story got really really predictable, with Liu Chang pining for Mu Dan, the You Zhen getting mad and harming Mu Dan, it just got very irritating fast. Honestly I had such high hopes for this drama due to its celebration both internationally and in the mainland, but it was so not worth it. Do not watch this please for your own sake!

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Two legendary figures along with a a budding talent become the perfect trio!

When I saw watch this show, I mean WATCH THIS SHOW! Li lianhua/Li Xiangyi was portrayed perfectly by Cheng Yi. Every moment, every emotion, his thoughts, he reasons, were all perfectly depicted by Cheng Yi; to see this beautiful acting alone is imperative! As we follow Li Lianhua/ Li Xiangyi's journey you slowly fall in love with this flawed main character, every action he takes makes him so human, you can't help but love him while also watching him succumb to his fate. After seeing the ending and the special episode, I would be lying if I said I didn't cry. This drama truly touches your heart, each character is so well written and so well done by their actors that they almost feel like friends to you, making this drama''s ending so heartbreaking.

I specifically loved the main trio. Di Feisheng and Li lianhua/Li Xiangyi definitely have some enemies to lovers energy (note this isn't a BL drama tho) and I am here for it! While Feng Duobing, a newcomer fits right it. Between their arguments, fights and encounters, they grow such a heartwarming and true bond that was incredible to watch on screen.

The only point of this show I didn't quite enjoy was the solving of the cases. In the beginning it was structured in a case after case manner, making it quite tedious to watch, but it got better as we got deeper into the plot. The cases were still interesting though!

Overall, I truly hope you give this drama a chance, it was truly touches your heart and immerses you in a way few dramas can. I wouldn't rewatch this though because I don't think I can put myself through the ending again, but watching for the first time, the experience makes this drama unforgettable and totally worth it.

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This FL does not disappoint, and neither does this couple!

From the beginning to the end, this drama left me captivated and desperate for more. Firstly, the romance. The FL and the ML were amazingly written, from their tension in the beginning, to their sweet and bubbly romantic scenes, this couple delivered in terms of chemistry and sweetness. I also loved that their were no misunderstandings or breakup, a smooth and loving journey the whole way. Now, for the plot and characters. I loved this unique coroner plot, it was something fresh and interesting. Our FL is smart, kind and fierce; everything you could ask for in an FL, a true role model. While our ML, a seemingly isolated and cold figure immediately gains puppy eyes for our FL. I loved them both. All I would have to say is that towards the end, the story became much more plot heavy and we saw less sweet and cute scenes between the couple, which I especially wished for since they were finally married, but other then that, it was an amazing watch. Highly recommend.

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