A visual storytelling balanced so well with well developed character arcs.
MUST WATCH DRAMA IF YOU ALSO ENJOY WATCHING A DRAMA FOR THE STORY, PERFORMANCES & A MEANINGFUL IMPACTThis is my first time writing a review for a drama here because it is one of those beautiful dramas i would keep going for again and again but seeing it being so underrated (or maybe it is just me who feel so because my social media algorithms dont see it being promoted enough or influencers talking about it) makes me feel sad about the efforts the makers and performers here put in. let me do it point wise.
STORY
A 9.5 for me not because it lacked but because sometimes the editing felt choppy and after watching a couple of C DRAMAS i know how its a rushed finale due to episode restrictions and same happened here as well. But rest assured it still is a beautiful watch.
PERFORMANCES
1. General - the one thing i love about C dramas is they have such fine artists - not only the leads even the suppprt cast and the guests have performed so well.
2. Main leads
XK - i have already watched so many of his dramas and i have loved him in almost every of them because there is something genuine in his eyes when he performs and i dont find that sincerity in so many popular actors, so however long his role is, whatever kind of role it is i always love watching him onscreen. Also a heads up - An emotionally wrecked XK onscreen could be harmful for your eyes, cried so much here. (be it AMA, WONDERLAND OF LOVE, SAHPH, ABAY , my favs of his among all of his works i have watched so far).
TXW - it was for my 1st time watching TXW and she already made me her fan, waiting for Chasing jade feels terrible now :-)
CHEMISTRY - i am already waiting for their next collaboration and that explains the wonderful chemistry they have created for us viewers(hopefully drama makers in china have witnessed the potential here). XU KAI AND TIAN XI WEI made us believe in the story of Mei Zhu yu and Wu zhen, not to talk about the amount of tears i kept shedding for them because even seeing them happy felt so personal.
3. Second Pair
Snake lord and Mei Si, this should be one of those few times i enjoyed watching second couple without feeling the absence of scenes of main leads. Their story was good, at times i waited for them for the fun, banter or even the intrigue of how -they -were- going- to- interact- this-time. Loved their performances.
4. Supporting cast -
Shu -lets just forget the death of SHU , because i loved his performance, the guy was in love with a girl and he just wanted the best for her and the actor performed the softness when he is with Wu zhen and the cruelty when he has to be the bad guy for the world so well... actor is charishmatic and i would sure wait for his next dramas.
Xi huan - The loach snake was such a lovely irony to Mei Si's usually dull life, the guy started off bickering but at the end he just made us love him more and feel for his journey.
Duke Wu, Shuang , Fox lord, Rat Demon, The Changxi palace masters, Mother of MZY, and every other regular or guest character were all so good in their performances.
OST AND BACKGROUND MUSIC
just like so many of fans, i also start noticing the BG & OST as soon as i start a drama because for stories it is one of the most imprtant keys to translate the emotions of the characters to us viewers better and MR didnt lack here, all OSTs are so beautiful and meaningful and they grow on you with time.
CINEMATOGRAPHY, FIGHT SEQUENCES AND VFX
I dont know a lot about these technical things but the colorful decor of Chang'an s night clubs, the subtle dark yet playful aura of demon land and then the secluded Changxi palace together gave off a mysterious vibe, perfect for this genre, the cinamatogrpahy and areal shots made the experience so rich it would take some time to not compare any new fantasy drama to compare with MR.
The fight sequences and the efforts the C dramas put in it , i have always appreciated that.
VFX - they made us believe in every supernatural thing that was happening onscreen and that credit goes to the VFX and the coordination of human and digital craftsmen.
ENDING
i found it a perfect one, the explanations were done right. i am happy there are still some stories where a viewer has to use his imagination and thoughts to conclude the story. (unconvenient but believe me it has a lovely ending).
WHY TO WATCH
-if you love to experience a story through the perspectives of all the characters involved.
-if you love to see the journey of a character and the developement it goes through as episodes roll.
-and if you love to watch a meaningful romance (the romance here was so beautiful and because it left us craving for more is the sign it was developed and performed so well.
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