Those who fight in the shadows
This is an entertaining if flawed revenge story that moves relentlessly throughout its 28 episodes. There is intrigue, action and heartbreak as much of Chang'an is filled with the blood of seemingly countless unnamed soldiers and spies. It all ends almost too abruptly, with some loose ends unexplained, leaving an empty space and a sense of unattained purpose. Of note, this review is based on only the 28 standard episodes, not including the special epilogue episode, which apparently sets things up for a hypothetical second season.
Multiple seasons notwithstanding, any season or story should be that - a full story with beginning, middle and end. And the beginning half of this drama is certainly the main highlight - a classic revenge tale of a young boy's family wiped out by a traitor among his father's army's ranks. The antagonist, Yan Fengshan, is certainly the more interesting of the two main antagonists, and one could argue that the story should have focused on him rather than another. Indeed, when the focus shifts in the latter 1/3, one begins to see how storylines and character arcs are not fully developed. More importantly, other than a general sense that vengeance and murder beget more violence and destroyed lives, not much else is explored adequately. Other revenge stories such as Nirvana in Fire or even this year's Legend of Zang Hai had much more elegantly worked out scripts that allowed for characters and themes to resonate.
Indeed, 28 episodes is not enough to flesh out everything this ambitious script likely set out to do (I recall that NIF was at least twice as long). If there is a second season, hopefully that could be rectified. There's still much to enjoy, including some excellent action sequences and the work of many seasoned actors. Of the "younger" cast, Zhou Qi as Xiao Wenjing and Ye Zuxin as Gu Yu stand out.
Multiple seasons notwithstanding, any season or story should be that - a full story with beginning, middle and end. And the beginning half of this drama is certainly the main highlight - a classic revenge tale of a young boy's family wiped out by a traitor among his father's army's ranks. The antagonist, Yan Fengshan, is certainly the more interesting of the two main antagonists, and one could argue that the story should have focused on him rather than another. Indeed, when the focus shifts in the latter 1/3, one begins to see how storylines and character arcs are not fully developed. More importantly, other than a general sense that vengeance and murder beget more violence and destroyed lives, not much else is explored adequately. Other revenge stories such as Nirvana in Fire or even this year's Legend of Zang Hai had much more elegantly worked out scripts that allowed for characters and themes to resonate.
Indeed, 28 episodes is not enough to flesh out everything this ambitious script likely set out to do (I recall that NIF was at least twice as long). If there is a second season, hopefully that could be rectified. There's still much to enjoy, including some excellent action sequences and the work of many seasoned actors. Of the "younger" cast, Zhou Qi as Xiao Wenjing and Ye Zuxin as Gu Yu stand out.
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