58
237
8
Do you really want to live forever?
I was surprised by how completely The Blossoming Love (千朵桃花一世开) managed to hook me in the opening episode. Expecting yet another run-of-the-mill xianxia, I ate up newbie Sun Zhenni's provocative portrayal of Mu Xuanling, the Saintess of the Dark Realm and seductress nonpareil. For once, a morally ambiguous lead female character who knows what she wants and will break all the rules to get it. While there is no question that she saves Xie Xuechen, the leader of the Immortal Alliance, we don't know why and what her real motives are.
What stands out the most about this drama is the undeniable chemistry between the leads Vin Zhang and Sun Zhenni, which really is a "must- have" for me to want to watch this genre. Sun Zhenni knows how to look at a man like she really wants him. She could give a master class not only in flirting but her irresistible expressions; the way her eyes sparkle, her deep searching gazes, the way she conveys passion, joy, distress and anger. This was so refreshing coming right off of Blossom where Meng Ziyi's uninspired wide-eyed dead duck stare made me want to write-off romance dramas for good.
This is a intricate story with complex characters and multiple timelines that come to a full circle over four arcs. It opens in the third arc in terms of time sequence, where Xie Xuechen, Mu Xuanling and the mysterious Nan Xuyue seem to be bound by a past affinity that will shape not only their futures, but that of the universe. While it is predictable that they have other identities, the drama opens with the most interesting version of each of them. Xuanling's flirtatious teasing of Xuechen thrilled and delighted me as much as her her ambivalent affection for Sang Qi moved but worried me. Xuechen is also not your typical righteous hero, he is capable of subterfuge and is disarmingly candid about his growing affection for Xuanling. I enjoyed his bromance with the enigmatic Xuyue and hoped Xuanling would not complicate the friendship and trust between them. It is a fantastic arc where no one is that powerful so in every conflict, the stakes feel heavy and real. Unfortunately, the subsequent arcs pale by comparison.
The backstories are told in extended flashbacks about characters that are not as interesting. I could not get invested in either Zhao Ming or A'chu, who are boring and two dimensional. Despite the dark and sexy vibe of the Demon Lord and the leads' charisma and screen presence, I never came to really care for their other personas. I found myself more moved by the side stories of the master and mistress of Bixiao Palace and that of Lord Qianguang and his forgetful lover. While the later arcs are where Wang Duo's laudable talent for complexity is on full on display, Tian Ming's single-minded obsession with fate and his efforts to force the Chaos Pearl to yield to his will goes on for a bit too long. Nonetheless I was pleased to see that in the end, he finally finds his answer to the two questions that plagued him endlessly; "What is love?" and "Do you really want to live forever?"
The biggest problem with this narrative is that the plot is overly ambitious, it literally tries to take on the universe! While it opens strongly in the best, most addictive arc, the non-linear telling of the story is confusing and the multiple time loops of cause and effect are difficult to keep track of. That said, apart from some inevitable logic bugs, the story largely hangs together if you don't look overly hard at it. And while the ending is somewhat anti-climatic, I enjoyed the message that we should not just accept fate. I rate it 7.5/10.0 overall but I think the first ~25+ episodes are worth between 8.0 and 8.5.
What stands out the most about this drama is the undeniable chemistry between the leads Vin Zhang and Sun Zhenni, which really is a "must- have" for me to want to watch this genre. Sun Zhenni knows how to look at a man like she really wants him. She could give a master class not only in flirting but her irresistible expressions; the way her eyes sparkle, her deep searching gazes, the way she conveys passion, joy, distress and anger. This was so refreshing coming right off of Blossom where Meng Ziyi's uninspired wide-eyed dead duck stare made me want to write-off romance dramas for good.
This is a intricate story with complex characters and multiple timelines that come to a full circle over four arcs. It opens in the third arc in terms of time sequence, where Xie Xuechen, Mu Xuanling and the mysterious Nan Xuyue seem to be bound by a past affinity that will shape not only their futures, but that of the universe. While it is predictable that they have other identities, the drama opens with the most interesting version of each of them. Xuanling's flirtatious teasing of Xuechen thrilled and delighted me as much as her her ambivalent affection for Sang Qi moved but worried me. Xuechen is also not your typical righteous hero, he is capable of subterfuge and is disarmingly candid about his growing affection for Xuanling. I enjoyed his bromance with the enigmatic Xuyue and hoped Xuanling would not complicate the friendship and trust between them. It is a fantastic arc where no one is that powerful so in every conflict, the stakes feel heavy and real. Unfortunately, the subsequent arcs pale by comparison.
The backstories are told in extended flashbacks about characters that are not as interesting. I could not get invested in either Zhao Ming or A'chu, who are boring and two dimensional. Despite the dark and sexy vibe of the Demon Lord and the leads' charisma and screen presence, I never came to really care for their other personas. I found myself more moved by the side stories of the master and mistress of Bixiao Palace and that of Lord Qianguang and his forgetful lover. While the later arcs are where Wang Duo's laudable talent for complexity is on full on display, Tian Ming's single-minded obsession with fate and his efforts to force the Chaos Pearl to yield to his will goes on for a bit too long. Nonetheless I was pleased to see that in the end, he finally finds his answer to the two questions that plagued him endlessly; "What is love?" and "Do you really want to live forever?"
The biggest problem with this narrative is that the plot is overly ambitious, it literally tries to take on the universe! While it opens strongly in the best, most addictive arc, the non-linear telling of the story is confusing and the multiple time loops of cause and effect are difficult to keep track of. That said, apart from some inevitable logic bugs, the story largely hangs together if you don't look overly hard at it. And while the ending is somewhat anti-climatic, I enjoyed the message that we should not just accept fate. I rate it 7.5/10.0 overall but I think the first ~25+ episodes are worth between 8.0 and 8.5.
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