This review may contain spoilers
Could have been great but they just kept going...
I finished the show and I just had to create an account to rate it after seeing the amount of praise it got...
This show had so much potential. It could have been great. It could have been one of my favorites even! When I started watching it, I yapped about it to anyone willing to listen... but then it just wouldn't finish...
THE STORY: I enjoy the beginning. I love the secrets, the mystery of who poisoned the FL, the attraction between her and the ML, their lies and plotting and the ML's revenge plotline. This should have been the entire story. It should have ended around the time the ML takes revenge on his dead master.
I could feel the chemistry between our leads and they were so fun to watch. The way they both had their own agendas and were using the other to further their own plans without any shame was great entertainment. They both knew the other was up to something too and I applaud the writers for not making them clueless.
Unfortunately, the show just didn't know when to end. The first three antagonists were great and the third one should have been a bigger problem for longer. There was still potential with him causing more chaos, but they just had to finish him off...
When the problems become grander and the plot introduces an enemy from another realm, it looses my interest. That part of the story should have been introduced at an earlier stage and executed better for me to care for it. Every time they finished a storyline, they just had to introduce something else out of thin air to the audience... Every plotline should be established before we get halfway through the show, but no... Suddenly the SML decides to turn all wacko on us, the ML's previous golden millet dream was not the complete cure, our leads have been switched as babies, there's an array in the fighting arena that will suck up everybody's powers, the ML becomes a prince of another realm, the FL suddenly has no loyalty for her previous realm, the divorce like 6 episodes before the end and on it goes...
Many decisions characters made didn't make sense and we're there just to prolong the drama (the FL continuing to lie long after she could have confessed, the ML suddenly starting to lie after finding out who his parents are, for example).
Big plot points didn't make me feel anything. The FL's "younger brother" started her entire journey but his demise was almost an afterthought. The FL's father reveal was underwhelming. The second leads getting together and everything that had to do with them afterwards was boring. The death of the final big bad had no impact.
Also, they introduced new artefacts to help them deal with problems way too much (the umbrellas to fight the netherbeasts, the sudden appearance of a long dead plant that can heal our main lead but that's by chance in the hand of the enemy, something to show who controls the netherbeasts, something to find Ming Xian and Ming Xian only, something to make the interrogated party speak the truth, the mushroom to bring a dead familiar to life... Every time the plot demand something, an artefact specific for the situation appears... If it happened one or twice it would have been okay... But it was every other episode...
It could have been so great if they finished it after like 22-25 episodes with only a few changes to wrap it all up. Or... making the second half of the show a second season (but that's wishful thinking with C-dramas for the most part).
THE CHARACTERS: The leads are incredible. By the end, as I've gotten bored with the plot, they too didn't seem to shine so much in my eyes and yet I cared enough about them still. I love their chemistry and tension (which was better at the beginning), their intelligence, resourcefulness, independence (and dependence in moments of weakness).
The dragon, 27 and the moth lady were entertaining and I loved seeing them. Honestly these characters needed bigger and more important roles in this drama. I loved their interactions with each other and our main leads. The dragon needed more character development and his relationship with his lordship could have been expanded. 27 and Ming Yi had a wonderful relationship, but I think his sacrifice lost meaning with his imminent return to the land of the living. The tragedy of his death was a heart-wrenching but incredible conclusion to his character and it could have helped further develop the dragon and given another reason for the FL to continue fighting her demise.
I did not care about the princess. I liked her once she took her fathers place at the throne and was trying to bring peace and prosperity to her realm. Before that she was whiny and arrogant and wanted too much out of every other character without ever offering anything in return. I think she and her love interest should have been older and wiser. For her love interest... I kept confusing him with Situ Ling. He didn't leave a lasting impact.
I liked their third friend and how naive and endearing he was.
I also liked the kid who was hanging out with him and later became Ming Yi's student. I would have loved to see more scenes with him and Ming Yi.
Situ Ling was cool at first. I liked how he had his own agenda. He wanted golden millet dream but that posed a problem for out FL as she needed it too. Unknowingly, they met when they were younger and Situ Ling held Ming Xian in high regard as the teenager inspired him to keep fighting for his place under the sun. Unfortunately, the writers just had to make his love for Ming Xian romantic the second it turned out he was in fact a she... And then Situ Ling just had to become an obsessed brat who would do anything to get Ming Xian to be his, started colluding with a nether beast, became our biggest bad and turned out to be a prince of another realm... If he just stayed a loving younger brother type of character, someone who supports the FL and is there for her, someone who our main leads can count on to have their backs for sure... It could have been great.
I didn't care for the fox girl.
The master turned father was an unlikeable character from the start. He was too unserious and annoying. The father reveal was an unnecessary plotpoint. I liked him sacrificing his hand to get the knowledge needed. There should have been more situations like that for our characters.
As already mentioned, the first three antagonists were very fun and I'd like to point out that the fox was my favorite. He was so messed up. The Emperor's brother was also cool as well as his loyal subordinates.
The girl who was a witness against her father and who died a tragic death was a wonderful side character and it's a shame there weren't more side characters that held such importance to the plot and bettering of our leads.
The ML's master was cool too. I like the messy-ness of their relationship in the end. She made mistakes, but she tried to right her wrongs.
Other characters were annoying or unimportant.
THE SET AND CHARACTER DESIGN was gorgeous. I loved every scene and almost every outfit. 27 had the best character design. I adore his make up and clothes but he looked better with his original hair color. The fox antagonist is my second favorite. He was just perfect. Situ Ling and Yan Xiao had wigs that were too similar. I confused them often at the beginning. They should have kept Ji Bo Zai's outfits darker in the end.
THE MUSIC was nothing to write home about but it is recognisable and soothing. It didn't distract me from the plot nor was it an annoying addition. It bettered the scenes it was in.
THE CGI was great when used sparsely or smartly. For the most part it was done nicely. The dragon form, for example, was cheap looking and distracting. I hated how it looked.
REWATCH VALUE: For those who find the plot enjoyable to the end, it's probably rewatchable, but that isn't me. I'll never return, but there are scenes that I'd love to see again on my fyp.
This show had so much potential. It could have been great. It could have been one of my favorites even! When I started watching it, I yapped about it to anyone willing to listen... but then it just wouldn't finish...
THE STORY: I enjoy the beginning. I love the secrets, the mystery of who poisoned the FL, the attraction between her and the ML, their lies and plotting and the ML's revenge plotline. This should have been the entire story. It should have ended around the time the ML takes revenge on his dead master.
I could feel the chemistry between our leads and they were so fun to watch. The way they both had their own agendas and were using the other to further their own plans without any shame was great entertainment. They both knew the other was up to something too and I applaud the writers for not making them clueless.
Unfortunately, the show just didn't know when to end. The first three antagonists were great and the third one should have been a bigger problem for longer. There was still potential with him causing more chaos, but they just had to finish him off...
When the problems become grander and the plot introduces an enemy from another realm, it looses my interest. That part of the story should have been introduced at an earlier stage and executed better for me to care for it. Every time they finished a storyline, they just had to introduce something else out of thin air to the audience... Every plotline should be established before we get halfway through the show, but no... Suddenly the SML decides to turn all wacko on us, the ML's previous golden millet dream was not the complete cure, our leads have been switched as babies, there's an array in the fighting arena that will suck up everybody's powers, the ML becomes a prince of another realm, the FL suddenly has no loyalty for her previous realm, the divorce like 6 episodes before the end and on it goes...
Many decisions characters made didn't make sense and we're there just to prolong the drama (the FL continuing to lie long after she could have confessed, the ML suddenly starting to lie after finding out who his parents are, for example).
Big plot points didn't make me feel anything. The FL's "younger brother" started her entire journey but his demise was almost an afterthought. The FL's father reveal was underwhelming. The second leads getting together and everything that had to do with them afterwards was boring. The death of the final big bad had no impact.
Also, they introduced new artefacts to help them deal with problems way too much (the umbrellas to fight the netherbeasts, the sudden appearance of a long dead plant that can heal our main lead but that's by chance in the hand of the enemy, something to show who controls the netherbeasts, something to find Ming Xian and Ming Xian only, something to make the interrogated party speak the truth, the mushroom to bring a dead familiar to life... Every time the plot demand something, an artefact specific for the situation appears... If it happened one or twice it would have been okay... But it was every other episode...
It could have been so great if they finished it after like 22-25 episodes with only a few changes to wrap it all up. Or... making the second half of the show a second season (but that's wishful thinking with C-dramas for the most part).
THE CHARACTERS: The leads are incredible. By the end, as I've gotten bored with the plot, they too didn't seem to shine so much in my eyes and yet I cared enough about them still. I love their chemistry and tension (which was better at the beginning), their intelligence, resourcefulness, independence (and dependence in moments of weakness).
The dragon, 27 and the moth lady were entertaining and I loved seeing them. Honestly these characters needed bigger and more important roles in this drama. I loved their interactions with each other and our main leads. The dragon needed more character development and his relationship with his lordship could have been expanded. 27 and Ming Yi had a wonderful relationship, but I think his sacrifice lost meaning with his imminent return to the land of the living. The tragedy of his death was a heart-wrenching but incredible conclusion to his character and it could have helped further develop the dragon and given another reason for the FL to continue fighting her demise.
I did not care about the princess. I liked her once she took her fathers place at the throne and was trying to bring peace and prosperity to her realm. Before that she was whiny and arrogant and wanted too much out of every other character without ever offering anything in return. I think she and her love interest should have been older and wiser. For her love interest... I kept confusing him with Situ Ling. He didn't leave a lasting impact.
I liked their third friend and how naive and endearing he was.
I also liked the kid who was hanging out with him and later became Ming Yi's student. I would have loved to see more scenes with him and Ming Yi.
Situ Ling was cool at first. I liked how he had his own agenda. He wanted golden millet dream but that posed a problem for out FL as she needed it too. Unknowingly, they met when they were younger and Situ Ling held Ming Xian in high regard as the teenager inspired him to keep fighting for his place under the sun. Unfortunately, the writers just had to make his love for Ming Xian romantic the second it turned out he was in fact a she... And then Situ Ling just had to become an obsessed brat who would do anything to get Ming Xian to be his, started colluding with a nether beast, became our biggest bad and turned out to be a prince of another realm... If he just stayed a loving younger brother type of character, someone who supports the FL and is there for her, someone who our main leads can count on to have their backs for sure... It could have been great.
I didn't care for the fox girl.
The master turned father was an unlikeable character from the start. He was too unserious and annoying. The father reveal was an unnecessary plotpoint. I liked him sacrificing his hand to get the knowledge needed. There should have been more situations like that for our characters.
As already mentioned, the first three antagonists were very fun and I'd like to point out that the fox was my favorite. He was so messed up. The Emperor's brother was also cool as well as his loyal subordinates.
The girl who was a witness against her father and who died a tragic death was a wonderful side character and it's a shame there weren't more side characters that held such importance to the plot and bettering of our leads.
The ML's master was cool too. I like the messy-ness of their relationship in the end. She made mistakes, but she tried to right her wrongs.
Other characters were annoying or unimportant.
THE SET AND CHARACTER DESIGN was gorgeous. I loved every scene and almost every outfit. 27 had the best character design. I adore his make up and clothes but he looked better with his original hair color. The fox antagonist is my second favorite. He was just perfect. Situ Ling and Yan Xiao had wigs that were too similar. I confused them often at the beginning. They should have kept Ji Bo Zai's outfits darker in the end.
THE MUSIC was nothing to write home about but it is recognisable and soothing. It didn't distract me from the plot nor was it an annoying addition. It bettered the scenes it was in.
THE CGI was great when used sparsely or smartly. For the most part it was done nicely. The dragon form, for example, was cheap looking and distracting. I hated how it looked.
REWATCH VALUE: For those who find the plot enjoyable to the end, it's probably rewatchable, but that isn't me. I'll never return, but there are scenes that I'd love to see again on my fyp.
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