Petra

It's one of those things where people tend to forget that this is their JOB, nothing more. All of the promotions and pictures that feed into the show is also part of their job. It's not real. None of it is real. It's a carefully cultivated fantasy to immerse a person in the plot. That's all. However, some people immerse themselves into this stuff so deeply that they begin to think that it is something other than a story on tv.

Personally, and this is pure speculation on my part, I believe that most of these stars aren't gay. Think about it: most actors (a lot of Thai actors, but especially Chinese actors) only star in BL shows until they get a leg up in the industry. Then, you don't see them in those type of roles again. What does that tell you? Is it because BL roles are unavailable? Obviously not. BL roles are probably easier to get and once they have a fanbase, they can move to mainstream roles.

I understand what you're saying and I also understand your apprehension. There are indeed those who rate dramas highly solely because they're BL. This is why I tend to ignore the ratings on BL dramas because quite a few are undeserving.

However, I read some of the manhua of this particular show so I gave it a try. And as a watcher who is not a BL fangirl and doesn't watch BL in general, I can tell you in all honesty that I greatly enjoyed this. It kinda is the masterpiece that everyone is saying that it is. Keep in mind that I love wuxias and could solely watch wuxias alone for the rest of my life, so that contributes to it.

I do caution you that watching this show will be frustrating for people like me (and I suspect you're like me). It shows the blatant sexism in most Chinese dramas. In other words, most Chinese dramas blatantly lack a decent hetero partnership of equals. I'm going to end that line of thought there before I begin to rant. Anyway, I suspect that the reason people like this is because:

1. The actors are attractive (Come on, most of us are women and we love eye candy. So yes, this is a factor.)

2. There's relationship. (Keep in mind though, that you can see it either as romance or a very deep friendship... However, I do admit that the BL overtones exist, especially with the teasing in feigned ignorance (I'm looking at you Wei Wuxian.) However, there was nothing at all overt.)

3. It's focused. (It has two main characters and the story is about them alone. There are many people who get sick of a lot of side characters. I am one of them. I appreciated that they didn't tell everyone's story, because I didn't want to know their story. I just wanted to know about the mains.)

4. There's a partnership of equals. (A lot of people don't realize how incredibly wonderful a story about equals is. Is there anyone else tired of extraordinary men falling for childish/immature/weak women?)

5. There is devotion that is rarely seen. (Goodness, does anyone else want a Lan Wanji? I certainly do.)

So this drama has very strong and unique pros. To answer other concerns:

1. The voice acting does take some getting used to, but you can do it, lol. As someone who prefer Chinese dramas and watch them nearly exclusively, I just accept it as something characteristic of Chinese dramas.

2. The story is weird. It was even weird in the anime and manhua. I remember staring at the anime and thinking 'what the heck just happened?'. So, yeah, it's a bit strange, but it is actually more comprehensive in this drama than in any other platform that I've seen this particular show in.

3. I gotta say, the acting was fine to me. But I'm not one of those people who need academy award winning performances in every single show. As long as you can pull me in, you're a good actor. But a lot of that also has to do with our willingness to be pulled in and not to be overly critical of burgeoning actors.

So, to answer your question; it won't hurt you to give it a chance. I'd say watch until... episode 10 and if you don't like it, drop it. If you do, then you have great television to watch. Either way, be sure to make up your own mind about this show and any other after giving it a chance and watching a few episodes. It's unfair to the show and to you to just outright write it off if you're basing it on another opinion or snapshots of the show.

Remember, it's hard to really discern a drama's worth until you watch it. Also, don't reject it just because it's popular. There's something to be said for not going with the crowd, but don't do it for its own sake. Do it if you've watched the show and it genuinely doesn't speak to you.

That is all.

Happy watching!

This:

"Except, this powerful war god looks and acts far far older than the naive powerless sprite. He is cold, authoritarian and acts more like mentor than love interest, and the powerless sprite stumbles earnestly along without a clue. 30 episodes later - this dynamic has not altered."

THIS is the true review I've been waiting for someone to write. The FL was indeed clueless and NEVER got better, never became the ML's equal. Even the ML admitted that she was basically useless, but that he loved her anyway. I stared at my tv in frustration and then proceeded to strangle my pillow. All the ML did was look and act like her father.

Thank you for voicing exactly what I felt about it. Love and Destiny isn't even in the same league as Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms.

Great! Please do. :)

Well, I've watched school-aged dramas before and enjoyed them. I just didn't enjoy this one. That's why I says it's not age so much as the fact that it's flat out unentertaining.

And yes! I was hoping you'd ask me for cdrama recommendations. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Nirvana in Fire (Surely the most epic drama ever made. Period.)

2. Eternal Love/Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms - (Wonderful drama. Can't decide who I like best between the first and second couples.)

3. The Eternal Love (Fun and lighthearted. I loved their relationship.)

4. The Princess Wei Young (Was fantastic for the first... 33 episodes. It derails after that, HOWEVER, the first 33 were amazing and completely worth your time.)

5. Love 020 (One of those lighthearted dramas with little to no conflict that doesn't pull on the brain cells. It has a slow and steady pace that's not overly exciting, but they're completely able to pull it off.)

On My Watch List (in no particular order):

1. Your Highness
2. Cinderella Chef
3. The Flame's Daughter
4. My Mr. Mermaid
5. The Love Knot: His Highness' First Love
6. Secret of the Three Kingdoms
7. Nirvana in Fire 2

The Korean dramas I watch have to be spectacular for me to even glance at them nowadays. I have a list of ones that are said to be great, but... yeah.

I like the in-depth feel of Chinese dramas which is achieved through their extended length. They're so detailed that it's like you personally know the characters by the time it's done. It's total immersion.

On this site, you have to judge Chinese drama and Korean drama ratings differently because most people up here are seriously biased toward Korean dramas. So, a 8.7 for a Chinese drama is really, really great.

I've found that sites like DramaFever and Viki are much less biased and that their ratings fall more in line with mine, especially DramaFever.

So, I hope that helps! Give these dramas a try. You definitely won't regret it.

Hallo. I'm also older and found this drama to be a complete snore fest. However, age doesn't have anything to do with it. It's just lifeless.

I keep going back to it, trying to figure out if I'm watching the same drama as everyone else???

Nope, still boring.

However, I think it's a huge mistake to not watch anymore Chinese dramas because you watched ONE boring cdrama. You'd be missing out on some amazing shows. I, personally, very much prefer Chinese dramas over Korean ones and I, like many people, began with Korean dramas.

There are good and bad drama from each country. Just have to have the patience to look for them.