This review may contain spoilers
A High-Potential Matryoshka of Mysteries with a Forced Happy Ending
This was a drama that put extra effort into creating a mystery within a mystery. The pacing is very fast, so you might occasionally struggle to understand what is going on. Just when a mystery is revealed and you say, “Ah, so that’s how it is,” you soon realize that what seemed resolved actually isn't. With constantly shifting truths and character identities, it has a structure that peels back layer by layer, almost like a Russian nesting doll.
However, the drama’s biggest problem is that this complex structure lacks sufficient control. A good mystery surprises the audience but also makes everything feel like it falls perfectly into place when looking back. Here, some plot twists feel tacked on later; they aren't organic and are aimed more at creating shock value. This causes a sense of disconnection while watching. The time travel and flashback plot was unfortunately poorly executed and fell short of expectations.
Another notable issue is the lack of a clear timeline. It is sometimes confusing which event takes place in which time period, and the chaotic transitions between scenes make it difficult for the audience to keep track. Combined with the mystery plot, this creates unnecessary confusion rather than a sense of "depth."
The narrative constantly jumps from one thing to another, taking a different direction right after events or mysteries are seemingly resolved. Character relationships are not deepened enough. Characters added in the newer episodes are often thrown into the story without a proper introduction to who they are, and they immediately start using their powers. Frankly, since I liked the side characters, I thought their pasts, developments, and powers should have been explored more. These characters needed to be integrated into the story in a more natural and balanced way.
The power scaling also feels highly inconsistent. Some characters are portrayed as overly powerful or unnecessarily weak depending on the script's needs. This breaks the audience's immersion and damages the credibility of the universe's internal rules. In particular, pushing Ji Ling's story too far into the foreground made the dragon (Wu Shi Guang) character feel much weaker than expected in the finale.
The inability to eliminate the main villain is another problem. The story revolving around a single main antagonist creates a sense of repetition after a while and severely lowers the perception of threat.
In summary, it has a constantly shifting and layered mystery plot, but this structure doesn't always rest on solid foundations. The stories of side characters are underdeveloped, and character relationships lack depth. In my opinion, the writers sometimes tried to create forced mysteries. Despite its disjointed narrative, it remained a watchable drama. The fantasy elements, creativity, and CGI were not bad. The world-building, cities, and spatial details could have been handled better. With a more balanced narrative, strong character building, and a consistent power system, it could have been a much more impressive piece of work.
Coming to the finale, we partially see the consequences of the changes made in the past. It was a nice detail that Wu Shi Guang retained his memories. The encounter between Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi at the end, where they don't recognize each other, was emotionally effective, but their story could have ended differently. Looking at the fates of Wu Shi Guang, You Chi, and the demon hunters; it's very clear that the writers strove to create a forced happy ending where the characters who died didn't actually die. After such a shocking and fast-paced storm of mysteries, a happy and relatively stagnant finale is presented. It feels like a story that couldn't reach its full potential—despite having the makings of a longer, more detailed, and grander work—due to a lack of budget or weak writing. How well it fits the general flow of the story to forcibly turn a drama that was heading towards a dark, tragic ending into a bright finale through alterations in the past is highly debatable. Finally, seeing the deceased demons—whose powers were sealed in the ring—and the demon of loneliness help Ji Ling by opening portals within portals was a really nice touch.
However, the drama’s biggest problem is that this complex structure lacks sufficient control. A good mystery surprises the audience but also makes everything feel like it falls perfectly into place when looking back. Here, some plot twists feel tacked on later; they aren't organic and are aimed more at creating shock value. This causes a sense of disconnection while watching. The time travel and flashback plot was unfortunately poorly executed and fell short of expectations.
Another notable issue is the lack of a clear timeline. It is sometimes confusing which event takes place in which time period, and the chaotic transitions between scenes make it difficult for the audience to keep track. Combined with the mystery plot, this creates unnecessary confusion rather than a sense of "depth."
The narrative constantly jumps from one thing to another, taking a different direction right after events or mysteries are seemingly resolved. Character relationships are not deepened enough. Characters added in the newer episodes are often thrown into the story without a proper introduction to who they are, and they immediately start using their powers. Frankly, since I liked the side characters, I thought their pasts, developments, and powers should have been explored more. These characters needed to be integrated into the story in a more natural and balanced way.
The power scaling also feels highly inconsistent. Some characters are portrayed as overly powerful or unnecessarily weak depending on the script's needs. This breaks the audience's immersion and damages the credibility of the universe's internal rules. In particular, pushing Ji Ling's story too far into the foreground made the dragon (Wu Shi Guang) character feel much weaker than expected in the finale.
The inability to eliminate the main villain is another problem. The story revolving around a single main antagonist creates a sense of repetition after a while and severely lowers the perception of threat.
In summary, it has a constantly shifting and layered mystery plot, but this structure doesn't always rest on solid foundations. The stories of side characters are underdeveloped, and character relationships lack depth. In my opinion, the writers sometimes tried to create forced mysteries. Despite its disjointed narrative, it remained a watchable drama. The fantasy elements, creativity, and CGI were not bad. The world-building, cities, and spatial details could have been handled better. With a more balanced narrative, strong character building, and a consistent power system, it could have been a much more impressive piece of work.
Coming to the finale, we partially see the consequences of the changes made in the past. It was a nice detail that Wu Shi Guang retained his memories. The encounter between Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi at the end, where they don't recognize each other, was emotionally effective, but their story could have ended differently. Looking at the fates of Wu Shi Guang, You Chi, and the demon hunters; it's very clear that the writers strove to create a forced happy ending where the characters who died didn't actually die. After such a shocking and fast-paced storm of mysteries, a happy and relatively stagnant finale is presented. It feels like a story that couldn't reach its full potential—despite having the makings of a longer, more detailed, and grander work—due to a lack of budget or weak writing. How well it fits the general flow of the story to forcibly turn a drama that was heading towards a dark, tragic ending into a bright finale through alterations in the past is highly debatable. Finally, seeing the deceased demons—whose powers were sealed in the ring—and the demon of loneliness help Ji Ling by opening portals within portals was a really nice touch.
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