This review may contain spoilers
Such a strong start, such a disappointing finish
The concept of being reincarnated into a character in a story is nothing new, but the gamified aspect of the reincarnation interested me enough to start this drama. The first half of the drama delivered on this aspect; the game was constantly referenced either with Mu Sheng's likability rating, the game giving Ling Miao Miao quests from the original novel, or Miao Miao being killed several times while trying to figure out why Mu Yao was reacting to the 'medicine.' It seemed like the game aspect was lost in the second half, besides the way-too-convenient power that Miao Miao gets to save the day at the cost of her memories.
There were some things about this drama that I found delightful. I absolutely adored the found family trope of the main cast, especially once Cui Cui joined. I think that all of them travelling together allowed for a great deal of character development for the characters and it was just really enjoyable to watch the characters interact. There were several times where I genuinely laughed at something they did or said, and as disappointing as I found the plot to be, I was genuinely invested in the wellbeing of most of the characters. I also absolutely adored the costuming of this drama; each character had a distinct style and color palette that fit them.
As far as plot goes, the story of 'defeating the big bad (in this case the Resentful Woman, Queen of Demons) in order to save the world' is also a common trope. I believe it can absolutely be done well and in the first half, it seemed right on track to be one of the good ones. The plot moved forward in a way that made sense for the characters and any side plots were resolved fairly quickly so that focus could be brought back to the main point of their travels: finding the Resentful Woman.
However, in the second half, this suffers greatly. Side plots were introduced that didn't feel like they added anything to the main story and took up far too much time (I personally wasn't a fan of the side plot with the phantom demon/Liu Fu Yi/the village nor the one with the Marquis and the bracelet) so that the main focus took a backseat. In the end, this character that had been built up to be a truly horrific and powerful enemy capable of causing the catastrophe of heaven is done away with fairly easily. I liked the idea that the demon was there all along, but the conclusion of that storyline was incredibly disappointing for all the effort that had been put into finding her.
I also found the modern world aspect of the final episode to be a strange choice overall. Miao Miao has only fuzzy memories of what happened in her 'dream' (the game), but Sheng (or rather Fu Zhou) seems to remember everything, since he rewrote the book with a happier ending? Throughout the whole drama, it was Miao Miao making choices and changing the world of the novel, but it was only Fu Zhou that could change the actual ending? It was confusing and we didn't even get to see them reunite in the modern world at the end, nor do we know what happened to the characters in the novel, which left the ending feeling more like a collection of loose ends than a neatly concluded story.
Overall, I'm glad I watched for the first half of the drama, but I could've gone without the last 10-12 episodes.
There were some things about this drama that I found delightful. I absolutely adored the found family trope of the main cast, especially once Cui Cui joined. I think that all of them travelling together allowed for a great deal of character development for the characters and it was just really enjoyable to watch the characters interact. There were several times where I genuinely laughed at something they did or said, and as disappointing as I found the plot to be, I was genuinely invested in the wellbeing of most of the characters. I also absolutely adored the costuming of this drama; each character had a distinct style and color palette that fit them.
As far as plot goes, the story of 'defeating the big bad (in this case the Resentful Woman, Queen of Demons) in order to save the world' is also a common trope. I believe it can absolutely be done well and in the first half, it seemed right on track to be one of the good ones. The plot moved forward in a way that made sense for the characters and any side plots were resolved fairly quickly so that focus could be brought back to the main point of their travels: finding the Resentful Woman.
However, in the second half, this suffers greatly. Side plots were introduced that didn't feel like they added anything to the main story and took up far too much time (I personally wasn't a fan of the side plot with the phantom demon/Liu Fu Yi/the village nor the one with the Marquis and the bracelet) so that the main focus took a backseat. In the end, this character that had been built up to be a truly horrific and powerful enemy capable of causing the catastrophe of heaven is done away with fairly easily. I liked the idea that the demon was there all along, but the conclusion of that storyline was incredibly disappointing for all the effort that had been put into finding her.
I also found the modern world aspect of the final episode to be a strange choice overall. Miao Miao has only fuzzy memories of what happened in her 'dream' (the game), but Sheng (or rather Fu Zhou) seems to remember everything, since he rewrote the book with a happier ending? Throughout the whole drama, it was Miao Miao making choices and changing the world of the novel, but it was only Fu Zhou that could change the actual ending? It was confusing and we didn't even get to see them reunite in the modern world at the end, nor do we know what happened to the characters in the novel, which left the ending feeling more like a collection of loose ends than a neatly concluded story.
Overall, I'm glad I watched for the first half of the drama, but I could've gone without the last 10-12 episodes.
Was this review helpful to you?
