I haven't heard the best of this drama in many social media outlets, so I come with hope that maybe this has good…
This drama has a very specific approach right from the beginning, which is a "shoujo manga come to life" comedy approach. This specific Directorial approach attempting to mimic the energy and atmosphere in season 1 of the anime will not sit well with a significant number of people (because it includes various genres as per the manga more serious than expected in a romantic comedy C-drama, yet filmed in a manner which you will definitely like or hate within 5 episodes or less), plus the lead characters of Qi Zheng and Fan Yun have specific traits in their characters that don't help the romance which people would expect between a main couple.
Please note editing can be trying at times. When it's good, it is very good. I can see why people have multiple issues with this drama, so dropping is understandable. At the same time, I also ignore opinions labelling this drama as trash. Consider reading the reviews already posted. There's a conversation here about the issues and hilarity:
Despite the many changes so as to avoid copyright issues that the production team didn't sort out early enough (and hence led to its muchly-delayed release, so this drama appears dated), I'd say I prefer Gao Ran in this drama over Seiran in both seasons of the anime. Furthermore, Dai Lu Wa made me laugh a lot. She is clearly relishing this role as Wei Shisan and she's more than just comedy, where Wei Shisan and Gao Ran are quite a secondary couple. Some subplots in this drama are timeless. Some would not age well right off the bat.
On top of that, the supporting cast also cracks me up, such as Cheng Hongxin plus Tian Jiarui. Each of them will enliven any scene they are in. Their scenes together are awesome. Is that considered bromance?
I'd suggest you watch for yourself to decide, if you'll like this or not. Eleven or twelve episodes will help you decide, if you keep in mind what I mentioned above.
Brotherhood is very strong here. In the literary themes of classic wuxia, brotherhood and the jianghu are factors…
Well, it depends on the POV. Oh yes, for anyone who wants to read my episode summary of episodes 8 to 12 from more than 8 months ago, where I highlight specific Buddhism concepts plus why Puzhu and Tang Lici reminded me of Reverend Fat-hoi and Green Snake from Tsui Hark's 1993 movie "Green Snake":
Is it bromance over romance? I am just asking before starting it.
Brotherhood is very strong here. In the literary themes of classic wuxia, brotherhood and the jianghu are factors of priority and foundations, without romance. WoF did its best to stick to that. Any "romance" here requires a lot of imagination.
"Whispers of Fate" is best described as a fantasy wuxia i.e. xuanxia drama with literary themes of classical wuxia, and has strong roots in ancient classical chinese literature for breadth and depth and specificity:
Jelly Lin Yun is A-Shui, who lost her memories of her brother Fang Zhou and has a selective memory due to an agreement…
I wanted to limit my answer for length, since summarising any character actually requires an essay. Tang Lici was in far-more dicey situations than I could mention. Hey, did you ever summarise why Ye Mo and Tang Lici are fated to be master and disciple?
this drama literally is masterpiece everything is good outfits songs story actors ...Their portrayal of everything…
Luo Yunxi and a few other actors from "Whispers of Fate" will be in "Shadow Punisher", which is slated to air in August next month. Consider checking the drama out!
Thanks for watching! My recommendations for anyone is to watch at least the first ten episodes and check out the…
Shadow Punisher will be better on the no-romance front than SLY.
The producers wanted this drama to be heroism-focused by the time certain decisions were made, but I believe they had to compromise slightly. However, they mostly stuck to their guns. That is why a majority of fans for romance were not happy, especially fans of one actress, when the final episodes aired.
I recently finished "Archives: The Nanyang Mystery" from the DMbJ series. Nanpai Sanshu can't write a story or screenplay without plotholes and timeline logic issues, but he can craft a very good adventure and great non-romantic relationships!
Is Jelly Lyn character here villain? spoil me please
Jelly Lin Yun is A-Shui, who lost her memories of her brother Fang Zhou and has a selective memory due to an agreement with the villain Gui Mudan. Before meeting Tang Lici and because of Gui Mudan, she wrongly pegged Tang Lici as a villain and wants revenge on Tang Lici. Gui Mudan wants Tang Lici's body.
Wanting revenge has its downsides, especially when working with Gui Mudan. Liu Yan suffered the worst for it, including destruction of his main meridians.
Because her blood can help Tang Lici's current personal circumstances and because she entered his life appearing to be the only survivor and a victim in a crime targeting his name and reputation, Tang Lici finds the circumstances and timing too fortuitous, hence he keeps her at an emotional and physical distance. The only time there is a "kiss" in the entire drama is due to Tang Lici being unconscious because he went to save A-Shui from Hong gu-niang. A-Shui gave him blood from her lips because she didn't want Hong gu-niang to know about her blood being able to help Tang Lici. Smart move from A-Shui!
And good thing this isn't a modern drama. Planting a stranger's lips on the lips of unconscious people is a violation of personal boundaries and can be considered sexual assault, unless it is CPR. Everyone has a different definition of romance. I instinctively viewed it as gross because professionally, I would never approve of it happening to anyone else or myself. No helpless person wants to be taken advantage of. But continuing in that professional light since this is not a modern drama, I chose to view this in the only positive justifiable light of A-Shui helping Tang Lici wake up... A condition which he wouldn't be in, if he had not gone to save A-Shui.
This positive view was incorporated in my episode summary, whereby I left out the original reaction I had:
Tang Lici was A-Shui's only hope for survival in that situation. Violating his personal boundaries makes sense. And it also makes sense that he took it badly, in a later reaction. In the novel, Tang Lici is very protective of his personal boundaries. In the drama, his suspicions of being deceived or reacting badly due to having his personal boundaries violated by A-Shui is natural, which he overcame later also because of Shen Langhun's input to him of how to view A-Shui.
A-Shui's interactions with Tang Lici for more than thirty episodes (when she appears) is based on selective memories. In short, the only way she could behave towards Tang Lici as she does in those episodes is because she doesn't remember the most important person in her life to her: Her older brother.
Tang Lici discovering that A-Shui had been an ally of Gui Mudan all along was not a great moment, because Tang Lici has been betrayed so badly by others such as Liu Yan. His reactions to A-Shui were disappointing overall to Jelly Lin fans on this drama page at that time and some fans definitely cannot finish "Whispers of Fate", even when the final episodes had aired. Before the drama aired, there are other viewers who already warned people new to the page that this drama is heroism-focused without romance. I came to this page just before the drama aired.
There are no romance hashtags in this drama, and many non-romance viewers are satisfied.
"Whispers of Fate" has greater success than "Till The End Of The Moon", if one views all the metrics objectively. The primary factor for the massive success of both dramas is clearly anchored in the male lead, since one drama is enjoyed by many viewers wanting no romance and one drama includes romance. Both dramas have garnered CPOPwave nominations, this prestigious detail awarded only to IPs (gaming, toys, dramas, novels, movies) with the greatest soft power and cultural impact.
Tang Lici was always meant to walk a certain path of universal compassion, which Luo Yunxi answered back then, and I included his answer in my summary of what the ending of this drama means:
Seeing the carving of Fang Zhou entrusted to Shui Duo Po from Tang Lici jolts A-Shui's memory. She remembers her actual name. Memories of Fang Zhou brings her back to herself. Ashamed and guilt-ridden, she verbally makes Tang Lici believe the worst of her, when Tang Lici is a captive in Gui Mudan's abode. A letter is written for him as well, whereby A-Shui states they should not meet again.
But Tang Lici wants to save many people. He also wants everyone to have a second chance. People react to what they have to deal with. He knows he is the only one with the power to give everyone a second chance. Because of this choice, his friends including A-Shui as Fang Ci has a happy ending complete with all her memories together with the man she loves with all of herself: Her older brother Fang Zhou.
I see it as the perfect ending for A-Shui. She chose the wrong ally from the beginning, she nearly helped the worst enemy of Tang Lici to kill everyone in Shenzhou if that one had succeeded in taking Tang Lici's body, and she did all this without knowing the actual truth in the first place while wronging Tang Lici. Her karma would have been terrible, if Gui Mudan had succeeded. Her guilt and shame due to deceiving and wronging Tang Lici is understandable.
In episode 40, Tang Lici gave Fang Ci the greatest happiness that she most desired, while enabling Fang Zhou not to be burdened anymore and allowing Fang Zhou to fulfil the duties and love of an older brother who can focus on Fang Ci. Also, no CP in the novel for Tang Lici and no CP in the novel for A-Shui matches no CP in "Whispers of Fate". And in Confucianism, the family unit is prized over the individual. This drama is heavy on the Confucianism for brotherhood and family.
Why do A-Shui and Zhong Chunji have different paths? "Whispers of Fate" is heavy in Buddhism, and I included this as part of the details:
Excellent mix of classical music and other types of music used, throughout this drama. The song at 13:56 of final…
I believe there are subtitles for the song lyrics in the final episode, but I re-translated parts of those segments of Joker Xue's song in my review, which I had to include. "The Guardians" is a fantastic drama, and Zhang Yishan is one of my favourite actors. The final episode of "The Guardians" is unforgettable. When I tried rewatching, I just teared up again. Elvis was just as compelling as Zhang Yishan. I wish they could be in another drama together.
If you like beautiful songs and a really good C-Ent historical costume drama with in-depth emotional connection where romance feels natural, I'd recommend "You Have My Heart" which has just finished airing. 22 episodes, 25 minutes each. You can't watch it on Bilibili since you don't understand Mandarin, but IQiyi also hosts this drama. This drama was produced by a topnotch team, and Bilibili's Stargazing Theatre focuses on strong complex females in historical costume dramas. If you're unsure, you can read my review whereby I shared some cultural aspects, such as:
[ Yin and Yang constitute a core worldview of ancient Chinese culture. “Yin” is the night, darkness, and chaos. “Yang” represents day, light, and order. Their mutual relationship and transformational continuity is recognised as the fundamental law governing the world. “渡” in “阴阳渡”(Yin-Yang Crossing) symbolizes a tangible boundary between spaces, a turning point in a journey, or the passage from one shore to another (as per 渡 which can also be understood as the action of ferrying across the water).In traditional Chinese narratives, the Yin-Yang Crossing is a unique nexus connecting the mundane human world to the supernatural realm of spirits and demons, and can also be viewed as a metaphor pertaining to intertwined destinies or the fluid shift of good and evil in an instant. ]
Wah, so poetic and beautiful the Chinese words! Watching soon as it’s on Iqiyi now🥰🤭
The songs are very beautiful! I translated part of the song "Green" (which plays a pivotal part in more than one scene), which I have been having in repeat, heh.
Added to my WL. You always have such a keen eye for the gems that slip through the cracks here on MDL, and details…
Unlike the well-known streaming giants of IQiyi, Youku, Tencent and MangoTV, Bilibili is home to a significant number of viewers who like historical period dramas filmed akin to classics, always with strong complex layered female leads. Viewership preferences are quite different. Also home to anime lovers and gaming culture lovers.
Here's an article from July 2025 by a writer who uses Bilibili (Bilibili is also home to Chinese classical musical enthusiasts and professionals, and my first choice for finding guzheng pieces when I'm trying to improve my own playing skills for certain segments of a piece):
18 or 20+ episodes at 24 minutes or 30 minutes (depending on the drama) helps ensure compact well-created projects, without narrative waste and higher focus on dialogue-crafting.
This particular project has top-notch filming and editing. Stunning visual compositions, and brilliant set designs. Kudos to props and well-planned costumes. Hugely immersive for lovers of chinese classical literature, with no dumbed-down writing or clichés. The premise is fresh and intriguing, also because each case contributes to the main storyline in a very different manner from how you would view an investigative historical period drama. Themes tackled reflect offline issues. By episodes 21 and 22, you'll see how well-integrated the subplots and ideas have been, to cement certain vital concepts. VAs are also excellent. Older woman/younger man romance that is mature by my standards, and different species to boot, but their development as individuals and together is wonderful.
Before you start the drama, I'd advise reading my discussion thread with MyLiking below. You'll get a much better idea of what you're looking at, should you understand the premise of exorcism versus purification.
I enjoyed "Archives: The Nanyang Mystery" very much (that said, Nanpai Sanshu tends to have plotholes and timeline issues, which he makes up for with great relationships and interactions and adventures), but I prefer this drama for multiple reasons.
Considering the reach of this drama being much more limited audience-wise, I'm pleased with the drama's HI as per Maoyan Professional Edition, for 1 July:
in further episodes we barely see Deng Wei on screen
Whoops, sorry. I thought you could watch "Rosy Clouds" and enjoy FMVs from HPJC. Shall cease.
Join us at "Beyond Time's Gaze", if "Saiunkoku Monogatari" anime is not your cup of tea! This is an excellent place to start with donghua, if you haven't. Er Gen the novelist is immersed in its production, being post-apocalyptic xianxia utilising dark cultivation and a key protagonist whom Yun Jiu Chuan has a few similarities with. First three episodes free at the Youku channel ( already finished 28 eps):
I finished a 22-episode drama recently (24 minutes per episode), and it is very much up my alley as a well-produced supernatural classic with investigative cases and romance:
This review is written to be as spoiler-free as possible, but with enough starting background so people can go…
There are three things I will point out, so you can understand what you are watching.
1) Western-style exorcisms don't exist in this drama. In Chinese supernatural traditions, spiritual consciousness of a non-human entity cannot be killed. That can be removed only through purifications and blessings, or sending a lost soul back to the underworld (where specific minions bring that soul to the Hall of Yanluo Wang, the judge of the fifth court of the Underworld. He looks through your deeds in the Book of Life and Death).
You receive a verdict. If you can be reborn, you go to a better life. if not, you pay for your sins in the 18 levels of Hell. And when you are finally able to be reborn, you walk to Bridge of Helplessness, where Meng Po gives you the soup of forgetfulness. Only after forgetting it all, can you be born into a new life.
This is the world of "You Have My Heart".
When Fufeng is using her powers and you're not sure what she is doing, view it as purification, not as killing.
2) They limited the idioms in this drama, but I am very pleased with the lines. In episode 14, you might understand why all the conversations between Bai Shanjun and Liu Fufeng are significant. I can say that whoever has to do any subtitles for older dramas such as "Empress of China" had a very hard time because the ladies of the different palaces are well-educated, and idioms populated conversations for at least half an episode per episode.
That said, understanding two of the songs used for this drama contributes significantly to certain scenes. One of them, I have translated the three necessary stanzas. I and bilibili users combusted during episode 16 because as the song plays, we can see how the scenes and portrayals match the lines. The camerawork was definitely in tune. Pure poetry.
3) This drama focuses on emotional connections. The two leads are very well-fleshed out as individual characters, including their growth and thoughts, which all tie into what they want for Yin-Yang Crossing and their interactions with each other.
Because this drama portrays this well, by the time any kisses happen, it feels natural. And PDA is limited, which is very welcome for me.
Someone asked a question about someone in the ending, and I wrote an explanation, which I will add to the above review at the end. If curious, only read that at the end of the drama.
I like the ending, however, what happened to Bai Han? Did he just disappear from Fufeng's purification or what?…
The ending is not a plothole relative to Bai Han, as per my understanding.
Right from the beginning, the viewer learns through Bai Shanjun's ignorance that there is a force deep beneath the general populace living in Yin-Yang Crossing. We believe this force is evil, as per what Liu Fufeng discloses.
In episode 14 when Bai Han has control of Bai Shanjun's body and is fighting Fufeng, Bai Shanjun learns Bai Han's view and history. According to the ancient records of Yin-Yang Crossing, this calamitous energy is not merely corruptive, but a pure primordial force. Bai Han also told Fufeng he does not want to stay in Yin-Yang Crossing. He wants to find a way to control this primordial force to change the whole world, and not just Yin-Yang Crossing. All this is based on his understanding at that point.
Bai Han doesn't succeed, because Fufeng placed The Treebound Curse in the half portion of her heart given to him that will destroy his physical body and kill him, for betrayal. He will die, if he did not find a way to escape the curse.
His only survival option was to merge his primordial spiritual consciousness with this primordial force that could not be controlled, and find a living vessel which could endure Fufeng's half of heart so he could one day have a physical body again.
This timeline of the drama is definitely a fantasy because in episode 15, Fufeng tells Bai Shanjun he was born in the third year of Jingping while aligning with very rare astronomical conditions. To speak of a year of Jingping is the Liu Song Dynasty. When Liu Yu died and his teenage son Liu Yifu ascended the throne, Liu Yufu was quickly deposed near the end of two years by his brother Liu Yilong. There are only two years but no third year of Jingping, due to the beginning of the Reign of Yuanjia.
The last time this same set of very-rare astronomical conditions happened: Fufeng took out half her heart. Bai Shanjun is the only individual who can bear half of her treeheart without perishing, can merge with her heart, and only he can break the Treebound Curse.
Meanwhile, mischief has been happening within Yin-Yang Crossing, especially wrt the Fortune-Turning Master and stones with the markings of an evil spell. Unlike previous bouts of mischief, this specific bout of mischief greatly amplifies the connection of people's hearts with greed and longing to the calamitous energy which Bai Han is utilising while also living in the body of Yulang (the son of the owner of Wanqian Bank).
In episode 19 when Shuan is knocked unconscious by Liu Fengling, Shuan had already spoken certain untruths in front of a significant number of townspeople. Fear, suspicion and dislike of Xiqianhua Mansion is exacerbated by his words, like a spark of fire. Due to not being aware, this is not addressed by Fufeng or Xiqianhua.
By this point, Bai Han has managed to fuse his spiritual consciousness into the earthen leylines of Yin-Yang Crossing where the primordial force exists, which forms a natural network. Fufeng isn't fully certain although she has speculated so, but she believes that if Bai Han chooses to live in a human body completely with his spiritual consciousness, she should be able to destroy that spiritual consciousness completely with a purification array or purification power.
In episode 20, the spell she casts is a purification array. Then she waits, for Bai Shanjun to return with Bai Han in the same body.
Fufeng has a complete treeheart since episode 15, so her spiritual power is much greater than before. However, as a tree demon, there is always a limit to the distance she can roam from her original primordial body, if she is to continue her power undisrupted within the seals she has been placing for more than a hundred years throughout Yin-Yang Crossing.
In episode 21, Fufeng understands completely human hearts power the calamitous energy, which she has fundamentally misunderstood all along as the calamitous energy being primarily responsible for corrupting people's minds. Pain, greed, malice and obsessive longing is what truly breeds and empowers the calamitous energy.
Bai Han's words confirm suspicions. The minds warped by corrupted hearts are a source of power for him. Fufeng makes a decision. She finally understand the intentions and goals of incitement to sway people's feelings, so excessive warped thoughts can be used by Bai Han as energy.
In episode 22, the lovers combine their spiritual power so Fufeng can maximise the possibility of purification, since the ancient willow tree in Xiqianhua is connected to the earthen leylines of Yin-Yang Crossing. This will definitely exhaust all her spiritual energy. She is not able to destroy primordial force, and she won't even consider. But maximum purification is possible, to nullify Bai Han's spiritual consciousness.
And as she sleeps after exhausting herself, the likes of Assistant Magistrate Shi and other townspeople ensure Fufeng's sacrifice is known by all. The townspeople believe in her and are grateful to her, and pray. Rumours are frankly tackled, and hence dispelled. Those who publicly spread rumours to confuse people must be publicly rebuked and/or slapped. The majority of people's hearts and minds are at peace. Not obsessed, fearful, or malicious. They believe in Bai Shanjun wanting to protect them with justice, and Fufeng protecting them from evil. Since Bai Shanjun is in charge while she sleeps, he possibly instituted the reforms in his letter to Fufeng, about ensuring virtue of character is recognised and not just academic excellence. If Bai Han still survives, it is not known. With all this, there is no source of power to be used in Yin-Yang Crossing for calamitous energy.
I'm probably forgetting one more detail.
I'd like to add that if you are dependent on translations, IQiyi's translations can be inconsistent (certain words used in descriptions by two different people can be translated two different ways in a drama on that platform, and any omissions can lead to confusion). What I am sharing doesn't rely on translations.
Western-style exorcisms don't exist here. In Chinese supernatural traditions, spiritual consciousness of a non-human entity cannot be killed. That can be removed only through purifications and blessings, or sending a lost soul back to the underworld, where specific minions bring that soul to the Hall of Yanluo Wang, the judge of the fifth court of the underworld. He looks through your deeds in the Book of Life and Death.
You receive a verdict. If you can be reborn, you go to a better life. if not, you pay for your sins in the 18 levels of Hell. And when you are finallly able to be reborn, you walk to Bridge of Helplessness, where Meng Po gives you the soup of forgetfulness. Only after forgetting it all, can you be born into a new life.
This is the world of "You Have My Heart".
What the future brings? Two lovers have a happy ending.
Finished watching it for the third time in the cinema, so now I can answer you. IMAX is stunning for action scenes…
Classic wuxia done well is always a pleasure.
Nowadays a lot of wuxia is modern in execution and literary themes (qinggong, bromance, etc).
"Zhan Zhao Adventures" lost me not because of the fact that Yang Yang wasn't portraying the micro-expressions that I needed for Zhan Zhao, but a combination of other elements including a prolonged bromance instead of the rivalry that should have been present between Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang talking way too much, the actress for Linglong obviously using a body double (which I can understand and I am fine with qinggong in this drama), and some other writing issues.
The fights can be considered classic wuxia and laudable for a drama, but the drama is based on a fanfiction doing its own spin on "The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants" and as a clearly-modern mystery wuxia, "Zhan Zhao Adventures" isn't my cup of tea. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is another example of modern wuxia that isn't my cup of tea.
"Blades of The Guardians" is the best successor to wuxia movies of the 90s, for me. I wish I could see it in a cinema again.
in further episodes we barely see Deng Wei on screen
I can take major changes in an adaptation, even if I am fond of the source material. The question is what and where are the changes.
This is a very difficult manga to adapt as a C-drama being marketed as a romantic comedy, especially for people who have read the manga and/or watched the anime.
Shuurei being drawn to Ryuuki from the start as a C-adaptation but not understanding why would still work across 2/3s of this drama, better than an FL who is totally not into romance and clueless about it. On top of that, her being portrayed as smart then naive + not smart at times (repeat this loop) is almost as sigh-worthy as the editing that gives me continuity whiplash. Episode 19 is an example of her portrayal making me sigh.
Meanwhile, Ryuuki in this drama is OOC as a love-brained governor who makes questionable decisions pertaining to her (see episode 17). I expect changes, but majorly OOCing two leads into individuals I find hard to like and also have a very hard time rooting for is really... not... intelligent... writing. People don't have to know the source material, to reach the conclusions of leads they can't get into and can't get behind.
This drama is definitely not trash. But I can see why people would be displeased with the characterisation of the leads and how it is affecting the main storyline.
I shared a conversation between Ryuuki and Shuurei here from Season 2, episode 19:
Watching this story seems more complicated after reading your above review. I dare say that now I have to pause…
This review is written to be as spoiler-free as possible, but with enough starting background so people can go in understanding certain details and with certain expectations for this short drama.
If I explain a lot, then this becomes a spoiler-filled review. I do a bit of "spoilers" in the episode reactions.
The biggest hints that this isn't a straightforward drama is in my mention of "Drama lovers of classical Chinese literature and the drama classics I have mentioned", having citing Justice Bao of the 90s before this, and also mentioning The Strange Tales of Liaozhai.
My first comment when the drama started airing included, "I find myself wondering if this is a different take on the classic ideas of Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian."
Maybe I should have included this part of my comment in my review, and explained why.
Many classics are simplified for the screen. The reason why they are enjoyable in Mandarin are the different angles, the richness of descriptions and details not possible to translate into English, and their underlying social commentaries.
I cited one example of mandarin being used, in another drama. What you see in a translation are two sentences that appear simple. It is not possible to translate three idioms in their entire completion into another language. More than 50% of the exact dialogue is lost on a foreign audience, right off the bat. Classics tend to use a lot of idioms, and idioms are rooted in language + culture + history with very specific context:
Here is part of my commentary during the airing of "You Have My Heart"":
[ The dialogue is touching and frank, without being flowery or pretentious or drawn-out. Scenery mirrors emotions and complexities of the human heart, even as background visuals are evocative and romantic or eerily precise. In this fantasy realm, at a crossing of possibilities and fluid changes where humans and demons co-exist, bustling grounded realities of the human businesses and homes intersect with an unexpected world you come to terms with, through the newly-appointed magistrate's eyes. As his beliefs shift, so do you.
Obsession. Destiny. Resolving the past through the present. The leads and their assistants are strong and capably independent, but they need to work together to solve cases and inner demons. Their flaws unite them emotionally, more so than their goals.. ]
For me, the scenery of "You Have My Heart" is used to great effect to reflect the emotions and complexities of the human heart, especially in the scenes with the leads. It is the advantage of being a short drama over a long drama. "Love Beyond The Grave" does not resonate in this manner with its scenery, where scenery is simply scenery of sets or CGI. Hua'Er Film and Television is lauded by me as a superb production team for multiple reasons. This is where "You Have My Heart" is significantly different from "Love Beyond The Grave". There is romance, but this drama unabashedly has its roots in Pu Song Ling's classic, whereby (I quote from the link I share with you, because the writer understands what I do):
"The stories collected by Pu Song Ling told of fears and longings which help define a nation, and a culture’s identity."
"Love Beyond The Grave" feels too Westernised for me as a drama, even though I enjoyed the novel.
"You Have My Heart" is unabashedly Chinese in its identity, and very strongly so. Fears and longings also shape the cases as stories and Yin-Yang Crossing, but this drama smartly uses those traditional qualities to contribute to its ending about Change while shaping destinies and identities.
I expect people having difficulties with some concepts in the later episodes or getting bored with this drama, if they are used to what I consider as Westernised C-Dramas and they expect this drama to be strongly along those lines.
But if someone can appreciate the focal storytelling differences and visual similarities of "Love Beyond The Grave" versus "you Have My Heart", they can enjoy both dramas :)
in further episodes we barely see Deng Wei on screen
In the anime, at one point Ryuuki proves to Shuurei that any rumours she ever heard about him liking only men is not true... And does so, by kissing her in front of everyone (that was hilarious).
Ryuuki is quite shameless. He is also quite charismatic. I preferred him to Seiran. By episode 19 of season 2, one can see the inroads which Ryuuki has made, which Shuurei may not be willing to recognise within herself yet. This conversation between them is indicative of the solidity of their relationship as friends, with the promise of more.
In short, screw up the characterisations of Fan Yun and Qi Zheng by making them too OOC, and it will be easy to lose the original manga readers and anime fans.
Contrast that with episode 23 of this drama, and you can see how stupidly OOC the drama screenwriters have made Qi Zheng. One can make the FL and ML comedic, but there is a limit.
And it seems Tencent is not releasing any more new official images for 魂判九川, which isn't making me a happy camper for what I have to work with, pictures-wise.
in further episodes we barely see Deng Wei on screen
It's because I have watched the anime, so I know it would not be OOC for Ryuuki to say something like that. Qi Zheng's behaviour and lines may seem ridiculous to some mandarin-speakers, but I thought these introduction scenes of male characters (after Fan Yun uses puppetry to tells her students the story of the Nine Cities) were pretty apt. Those who don't pick up on the "shoujo manga come to life" Directorial approach as this specific type of comedy within the first episode will have difficulty with the rest of the drama.
This is also where Fan Yun being more stoically similar to Shuurei would have helped, within two episodes. Within 10 episodes, Fan Yun appears more fluffy and unserious than Shuurei and it is a huge turn-off. It is best to plant possibilities early, for the romance aspect. Fan Yun being drawn to Qi Zheng but not understanding why could be fleshed out over the drama, instead of flat-out not interested in romance. Shuurei is naturally denser on the subject but for this drama, could be altered to be that way, and it would still work.
As to why? An event happening and Qi Zheng temporarily showing his very-ruthless-and-pragmatic side within 5 episodes would have helped the viewer root for Qi Zheng, if Qi Zheng is going to be a goofball 80% of the time. That fight in episode 6 would have been a lot better if the music had been canned, and Joseph Zheng shed his pretense completely and became very intimidatingly ruthless in killing the men.
If the FL is a turn-off and the ML is not someone you want to consider dating in a rom-com, what is the viewer going to root for? The viewer would have to adore other supporting characters and other aspects of the drama.
It would be necessary to include a 50-seconds or 1-minute segment at the end of every episode (before the ending song), whereby we see and hear the serious thoughts of Fan Yun or Qi Zheng being alone at night, before going to bed. They take turns, for every episode. Akin to writing notes to oneself. Personal development could be seen and what they also think about each other.
This manga is hard to adapt as a C-Drama, and I'm surprised they tried. The approach would need to be very carefully handled, otherwise reactions such as yours are perfectly understandable. Hence the low viewership.
The Tian Xing arc is the weakest section so far. I have watched episode 25. I'll be surprised if people don't drop this drama at episode 23. That was quite a test of patience. And Tian Xing is not interesting at all.
Guys I'm just reading the reviews on Douban, and it's so bad 😭Y'all are being too nice here, this is trash
As someone who watched the anime when it came out and has some understanding of the source material from the manga, I strongly disagree with you if you're going to rely on the Douban reviews for this drama.
There are issues with this drama, which includes edits that didn't get past censorship. And yes, I rolled my eyes at episode 23 from a storytelling POV. That said, I have managed to find much enjoyment in the first 22 episodes of this drama, and here's a bit of explanation as to why:
2 
8 
3 
1 
6 
1 
3 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
2 
Please note editing can be trying at times. When it's good, it is very good. I can see why people have multiple issues with this drama, so dropping is understandable. At the same time, I also ignore opinions labelling this drama as trash. Consider reading the reviews already posted.
There's a conversation here about the issues and hilarity:
https://kisskh.at/728951-the-story-of-saiunkoku#comment-26631476
Despite the many changes so as to avoid copyright issues that the production team didn't sort out early enough (and hence led to its muchly-delayed release, so this drama appears dated), I'd say I prefer Gao Ran in this drama over Seiran in both seasons of the anime. Furthermore, Dai Lu Wa made me laugh a lot. She is clearly relishing this role as Wei Shisan and she's more than just comedy, where Wei Shisan and Gao Ran are quite a secondary couple. Some subplots in this drama are timeless. Some would not age well right off the bat.
On top of that, the supporting cast also cracks me up, such as Cheng Hongxin plus Tian Jiarui. Each of them will enliven any scene they are in. Their scenes together are awesome. Is that considered bromance?
I'd suggest you watch for yourself to decide, if you'll like this or not. Eleven or twelve episodes will help you decide, if you keep in mind what I mentioned above.
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24006850
"Whispers of Fate" is best described as a fantasy wuxia i.e. xuanxia drama with literary themes of classical wuxia, and has strong roots in ancient classical chinese literature for breadth and depth and specificity:
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24569086
Enjoy watching!
The producers wanted this drama to be heroism-focused by the time certain decisions were made, but I believe they had to compromise slightly. However, they mostly stuck to their guns. That is why a majority of fans for romance were not happy, especially fans of one actress, when the final episodes aired.
I recently finished "Archives: The Nanyang Mystery" from the DMbJ series. Nanpai Sanshu can't write a story or screenplay without plotholes and timeline logic issues, but he can craft a very good adventure and great non-romantic relationships!
Wanting revenge has its downsides, especially when working with Gui Mudan. Liu Yan suffered the worst for it, including destruction of his main meridians.
Because her blood can help Tang Lici's current personal circumstances and because she entered his life appearing to be the only survivor and a victim in a crime targeting his name and reputation, Tang Lici finds the circumstances and timing too fortuitous, hence he keeps her at an emotional and physical distance. The only time there is a "kiss" in the entire drama is due to Tang Lici being unconscious because he went to save A-Shui from Hong gu-niang. A-Shui gave him blood from her lips because she didn't want Hong gu-niang to know about her blood being able to help Tang Lici. Smart move from A-Shui!
And good thing this isn't a modern drama. Planting a stranger's lips on the lips of unconscious people is a violation of personal boundaries and can be considered sexual assault, unless it is CPR. Everyone has a different definition of romance. I instinctively viewed it as gross because professionally, I would never approve of it happening to anyone else or myself. No helpless person wants to be taken advantage of. But continuing in that professional light since this is not a modern drama, I chose to view this in the only positive justifiable light of A-Shui helping Tang Lici wake up... A condition which he wouldn't be in, if he had not gone to save A-Shui.
This positive view was incorporated in my episode summary, whereby I left out the original reaction I had:
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24006850
Tang Lici was A-Shui's only hope for survival in that situation. Violating his personal boundaries makes sense. And it also makes sense that he took it badly, in a later reaction. In the novel, Tang Lici is very protective of his personal boundaries. In the drama, his suspicions of being deceived or reacting badly due to having his personal boundaries violated by A-Shui is natural, which he overcame later also because of Shen Langhun's input to him of how to view A-Shui.
A-Shui's interactions with Tang Lici for more than thirty episodes (when she appears) is based on selective memories. In short, the only way she could behave towards Tang Lici as she does in those episodes is because she doesn't remember the most important person in her life to her: Her older brother.
Tang Lici discovering that A-Shui had been an ally of Gui Mudan all along was not a great moment, because Tang Lici has been betrayed so badly by others such as Liu Yan. His reactions to A-Shui were disappointing overall to Jelly Lin fans on this drama page at that time and some fans definitely cannot finish "Whispers of Fate", even when the final episodes had aired. Before the drama aired, there are other viewers who already warned people new to the page that this drama is heroism-focused without romance. I came to this page just before the drama aired.
There are no romance hashtags in this drama, and many non-romance viewers are satisfied.
"Whispers of Fate" has greater success than "Till The End Of The Moon", if one views all the metrics objectively. The primary factor for the massive success of both dramas is clearly anchored in the male lead, since one drama is enjoyed by many viewers wanting no romance and one drama includes romance. Both dramas have garnered CPOPwave nominations, this prestigious detail awarded only to IPs (gaming, toys, dramas, novels, movies) with the greatest soft power and cultural impact.
Tang Lici was always meant to walk a certain path of universal compassion, which Luo Yunxi answered back then, and I included his answer in my summary of what the ending of this drama means:
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-25416512
Seeing the carving of Fang Zhou entrusted to Shui Duo Po from Tang Lici jolts A-Shui's memory. She remembers her actual name. Memories of Fang Zhou brings her back to herself. Ashamed and guilt-ridden, she verbally makes Tang Lici believe the worst of her, when Tang Lici is a captive in Gui Mudan's abode. A letter is written for him as well, whereby A-Shui states they should not meet again.
But Tang Lici wants to save many people. He also wants everyone to have a second chance. People react to what they have to deal with. He knows he is the only one with the power to give everyone a second chance. Because of this choice, his friends including A-Shui as Fang Ci has a happy ending complete with all her memories together with the man she loves with all of herself: Her older brother Fang Zhou.
I see it as the perfect ending for A-Shui. She chose the wrong ally from the beginning, she nearly helped the worst enemy of Tang Lici to kill everyone in Shenzhou if that one had succeeded in taking Tang Lici's body, and she did all this without knowing the actual truth in the first place while wronging Tang Lici. Her karma would have been terrible, if Gui Mudan had succeeded. Her guilt and shame due to deceiving and wronging Tang Lici is understandable.
In episode 40, Tang Lici gave Fang Ci the greatest happiness that she most desired, while enabling Fang Zhou not to be burdened anymore and allowing Fang Zhou to fulfil the duties and love of an older brother who can focus on Fang Ci. Also, no CP in the novel for Tang Lici and no CP in the novel for A-Shui matches no CP in "Whispers of Fate". And in Confucianism, the family unit is prized over the individual. This drama is heavy on the Confucianism for brotherhood and family.
Why do A-Shui and Zhong Chunji have different paths? "Whispers of Fate" is heavy in Buddhism, and I included this as part of the details:
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin/discussions/149912-the-female-lead-in-whispers-of-fate?pid=3491610&page=1#p3491610
If you like beautiful songs and a really good C-Ent historical costume drama with in-depth emotional connection where romance feels natural, I'd recommend "You Have My Heart" which has just finished airing. 22 episodes, 25 minutes each. You can't watch it on Bilibili since you don't understand Mandarin, but IQiyi also hosts this drama. This drama was produced by a topnotch team, and Bilibili's Stargazing Theatre focuses on strong complex females in historical costume dramas. If you're unsure, you can read my review whereby I shared some cultural aspects, such as:
[ Yin and Yang constitute a core worldview of ancient Chinese culture. “Yin” is the night, darkness, and chaos. “Yang” represents day, light, and order. Their mutual relationship and transformational continuity is recognised as the fundamental law governing the world. “渡” in “阴阳渡”(Yin-Yang Crossing) symbolizes a tangible boundary between spaces, a turning point in a journey, or the passage from one shore to another (as per 渡 which can also be understood as the action of ferrying across the water).In traditional Chinese narratives, the Yin-Yang Crossing is a unique nexus connecting the mundane human world to the supernatural realm of spirits and demons, and can also be viewed as a metaphor pertaining to intertwined destinies or the fluid shift of good and evil in an instant. ]
Have a great weekend!
Here are the comments on the official drama page:
https://www.bilibili.com/bangumi/media/md297570612#short
Here's an article from July 2025 by a writer who uses Bilibili (Bilibili is also home to Chinese classical musical enthusiasts and professionals, and my first choice for finding guzheng pieces when I'm trying to improve my own playing skills for certain segments of a piece):
https://www.newhanfu.com/68225.html
18 or 20+ episodes at 24 minutes or 30 minutes (depending on the drama) helps ensure compact well-created projects, without narrative waste and higher focus on dialogue-crafting.
This particular project has top-notch filming and editing. Stunning visual compositions, and brilliant set designs. Kudos to props and well-planned costumes. Hugely immersive for lovers of chinese classical literature, with no dumbed-down writing or clichés. The premise is fresh and intriguing, also because each case contributes to the main storyline in a very different manner from how you would view an investigative historical period drama. Themes tackled reflect offline issues. By episodes 21 and 22, you'll see how well-integrated the subplots and ideas have been, to cement certain vital concepts. VAs are also excellent. Older woman/younger man romance that is mature by my standards, and different species to boot, but their development as individuals and together is wonderful.
Before you start the drama, I'd advise reading my discussion thread with MyLiking below. You'll get a much better idea of what you're looking at, should you understand the premise of exorcism versus purification.
I enjoyed "Archives: The Nanyang Mystery" very much (that said, Nanpai Sanshu tends to have plotholes and timeline issues, which he makes up for with great relationships and interactions and adventures), but I prefer this drama for multiple reasons.
Considering the reach of this drama being much more limited audience-wise, I'm pleased with the drama's HI as per Maoyan Professional Edition, for 1 July:
https://www.weibo.com/5585973943/R6MV6dKiB
As to exorcisms and purification, here is an answer (please note spoilers until final episode 22):
https://kisskh.at/809090-xin-jian-cuo#comment-26656104
Join us at "Beyond Time's Gaze", if "Saiunkoku Monogatari" anime is not your cup of tea! This is an excellent place to start with donghua, if you haven't. Er Gen the novelist is immersed in its production, being post-apocalyptic xianxia utilising dark cultivation and a key protagonist whom Yun Jiu Chuan has a few similarities with. First three episodes free at the Youku channel ( already finished 28 eps):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKRr0YZFA2U
I finished a 22-episode drama recently (24 minutes per episode), and it is very much up my alley as a well-produced supernatural classic with investigative cases and romance:
https://kisskh.at/profile/Xiang83/review/583312
1) Western-style exorcisms don't exist in this drama. In Chinese supernatural traditions, spiritual consciousness of a non-human entity cannot be killed. That can be removed only through purifications and blessings, or sending a lost soul back to the underworld (where specific minions bring that soul to the Hall of Yanluo Wang, the judge of the fifth court of the Underworld. He looks through your deeds in the Book of Life and Death).
You receive a verdict. If you can be reborn, you go to a better life. if not, you pay for your sins in the 18 levels of Hell. And when you are finally able to be reborn, you walk to Bridge of Helplessness, where Meng Po gives you the soup of forgetfulness. Only after forgetting it all, can you be born into a new life.
This is the world of "You Have My Heart".
When Fufeng is using her powers and you're not sure what she is doing, view it as purification, not as killing.
2) They limited the idioms in this drama, but I am very pleased with the lines. In episode 14, you might understand why all the conversations between Bai Shanjun and Liu Fufeng are significant. I can say that whoever has to do any subtitles for older dramas such as "Empress of China" had a very hard time because the ladies of the different palaces are well-educated, and idioms populated conversations for at least half an episode per episode.
That said, understanding two of the songs used for this drama contributes significantly to certain scenes. One of them, I have translated the three necessary stanzas. I and bilibili users combusted during episode 16 because as the song plays, we can see how the scenes and portrayals match the lines. The camerawork was definitely in tune. Pure poetry.
3) This drama focuses on emotional connections. The two leads are very well-fleshed out as individual characters, including their growth and thoughts, which all tie into what they want for Yin-Yang Crossing and their interactions with each other.
Because this drama portrays this well, by the time any kisses happen, it feels natural. And PDA is limited, which is very welcome for me.
Someone asked a question about someone in the ending, and I wrote an explanation, which I will add to the above review at the end. If curious, only read that at the end of the drama.
Right from the beginning, the viewer learns through Bai Shanjun's ignorance that there is a force deep beneath the general populace living in Yin-Yang Crossing. We believe this force is evil, as per what Liu Fufeng discloses.
In episode 14 when Bai Han has control of Bai Shanjun's body and is fighting Fufeng, Bai Shanjun learns Bai Han's view and history. According to the ancient records of Yin-Yang Crossing, this calamitous energy is not merely corruptive, but a pure primordial force. Bai Han also told Fufeng he does not want to stay in Yin-Yang Crossing. He wants to find a way to control this primordial force to change the whole world, and not just Yin-Yang Crossing. All this is based on his understanding at that point.
Bai Han doesn't succeed, because Fufeng placed The Treebound Curse in the half portion of her heart given to him that will destroy his physical body and kill him, for betrayal. He will die, if he did not find a way to escape the curse.
His only survival option was to merge his primordial spiritual consciousness with this primordial force that could not be controlled, and find a living vessel which could endure Fufeng's half of heart so he could one day have a physical body again.
This timeline of the drama is definitely a fantasy because in episode 15, Fufeng tells Bai Shanjun he was born in the third year of Jingping while aligning with very rare astronomical conditions. To speak of a year of Jingping is the Liu Song Dynasty. When Liu Yu died and his teenage son Liu Yifu ascended the throne, Liu Yufu was quickly deposed near the end of two years by his brother Liu Yilong. There are only two years but no third year of Jingping, due to the beginning of the Reign of Yuanjia.
The last time this same set of very-rare astronomical conditions happened: Fufeng took out half her heart. Bai Shanjun is the only individual who can bear half of her treeheart without perishing, can merge with her heart, and only he can break the Treebound Curse.
Meanwhile, mischief has been happening within Yin-Yang Crossing, especially wrt the Fortune-Turning Master and stones with the markings of an evil spell. Unlike previous bouts of mischief, this specific bout of mischief greatly amplifies the connection of people's hearts with greed and longing to the calamitous energy which Bai Han is utilising while also living in the body of Yulang (the son of the owner of Wanqian Bank).
In episode 19 when Shuan is knocked unconscious by Liu Fengling, Shuan had already spoken certain untruths in front of a significant number of townspeople. Fear, suspicion and dislike of Xiqianhua Mansion is exacerbated by his words, like a spark of fire. Due to not being aware, this is not addressed by Fufeng or Xiqianhua.
By this point, Bai Han has managed to fuse his spiritual consciousness into the earthen leylines of Yin-Yang Crossing where the primordial force exists, which forms a natural network. Fufeng isn't fully certain although she has speculated so, but she believes that if Bai Han chooses to live in a human body completely with his spiritual consciousness, she should be able to destroy that spiritual consciousness completely with a purification array or purification power.
In episode 20, the spell she casts is a purification array. Then she waits, for Bai Shanjun to return with Bai Han in the same body.
Fufeng has a complete treeheart since episode 15, so her spiritual power is much greater than before. However, as a tree demon, there is always a limit to the distance she can roam from her original primordial body, if she is to continue her power undisrupted within the seals she has been placing for more than a hundred years throughout Yin-Yang Crossing.
In episode 21, Fufeng understands completely human hearts power the calamitous energy, which she has fundamentally misunderstood all along as the calamitous energy being primarily responsible for corrupting people's minds. Pain, greed, malice and obsessive longing is what truly breeds and empowers the calamitous energy.
Bai Han's words confirm suspicions. The minds warped by corrupted hearts are a source of power for him. Fufeng makes a decision. She finally understand the intentions and goals of incitement to sway people's feelings, so excessive warped thoughts can be used by Bai Han as energy.
In episode 22, the lovers combine their spiritual power so Fufeng can maximise the possibility of purification, since the ancient willow tree in Xiqianhua is connected to the earthen leylines of Yin-Yang Crossing. This will definitely exhaust all her spiritual energy. She is not able to destroy primordial force, and she won't even consider. But maximum purification is possible, to nullify Bai Han's spiritual consciousness.
And as she sleeps after exhausting herself, the likes of Assistant Magistrate Shi and other townspeople ensure Fufeng's sacrifice is known by all. The townspeople believe in her and are grateful to her, and pray. Rumours are frankly tackled, and hence dispelled. Those who publicly spread rumours to confuse people must be publicly rebuked and/or slapped. The majority of people's hearts and minds are at peace. Not obsessed, fearful, or malicious. They believe in Bai Shanjun wanting to protect them with justice, and Fufeng protecting them from evil. Since Bai Shanjun is in charge while she sleeps, he possibly instituted the reforms in his letter to Fufeng, about ensuring virtue of character is recognised and not just academic excellence. If Bai Han still survives, it is not known. With all this, there is no source of power to be used in Yin-Yang Crossing for calamitous energy.
I'm probably forgetting one more detail.
I'd like to add that if you are dependent on translations, IQiyi's translations can be inconsistent (certain words used in descriptions by two different people can be translated two different ways in a drama on that platform, and any omissions can lead to confusion). What I am sharing doesn't rely on translations.
Western-style exorcisms don't exist here. In Chinese supernatural traditions, spiritual consciousness of a non-human entity cannot be killed. That can be removed only through purifications and blessings, or sending a lost soul back to the underworld, where specific minions bring that soul to the Hall of Yanluo Wang, the judge of the fifth court of the underworld. He looks through your deeds in the Book of Life and Death.
You receive a verdict. If you can be reborn, you go to a better life. if not, you pay for your sins in the 18 levels of Hell. And when you are finallly able to be reborn, you walk to Bridge of Helplessness, where Meng Po gives you the soup of forgetfulness. Only after forgetting it all, can you be born into a new life.
This is the world of "You Have My Heart".
What the future brings? Two lovers have a happy ending.
Hope this explanation helps :)
Nowadays a lot of wuxia is modern in execution and literary themes (qinggong, bromance, etc).
"Zhan Zhao Adventures" lost me not because of the fact that Yang Yang wasn't portraying the micro-expressions that I needed for Zhan Zhao, but a combination of other elements including a prolonged bromance instead of the rivalry that should have been present between Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang talking way too much, the actress for Linglong obviously using a body double (which I can understand and I am fine with qinggong in this drama), and some other writing issues.
The fights can be considered classic wuxia and laudable for a drama, but the drama is based on a fanfiction doing its own spin on "The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants" and as a clearly-modern mystery wuxia, "Zhan Zhao Adventures" isn't my cup of tea. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is another example of modern wuxia that isn't my cup of tea.
"Blades of The Guardians" is the best successor to wuxia movies of the 90s, for me. I wish I could see it in a cinema again.
This is a very difficult manga to adapt as a C-drama being marketed as a romantic comedy, especially for people who have read the manga and/or watched the anime.
Shuurei being drawn to Ryuuki from the start as a C-adaptation but not understanding why would still work across 2/3s of this drama, better than an FL who is totally not into romance and clueless about it. On top of that, her being portrayed as smart then naive + not smart at times (repeat this loop) is almost as sigh-worthy as the editing that gives me continuity whiplash. Episode 19 is an example of her portrayal making me sigh.
Meanwhile, Ryuuki in this drama is OOC as a love-brained governor who makes questionable decisions pertaining to her (see episode 17). I expect changes, but majorly OOCing two leads into individuals I find hard to like and also have a very hard time rooting for is really... not... intelligent... writing. People don't have to know the source material, to reach the conclusions of leads they can't get into and can't get behind.
This drama is definitely not trash. But I can see why people would be displeased with the characterisation of the leads and how it is affecting the main storyline.
I shared a conversation between Ryuuki and Shuurei here from Season 2, episode 19:
https://kisskh.at/728951-the-story-of-saiunkoku#comment-26646474
If I explain a lot, then this becomes a spoiler-filled review. I do a bit of "spoilers" in the episode reactions.
The biggest hints that this isn't a straightforward drama is in my mention of "Drama lovers of classical Chinese literature and the drama classics I have mentioned", having citing Justice Bao of the 90s before this, and also mentioning The Strange Tales of Liaozhai.
My first comment when the drama started airing included, "I find myself wondering if this is a different take on the classic ideas of Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian."
Maybe I should have included this part of my comment in my review, and explained why.
Here is a bit of the background of 聊斋志异 i.e. "Strange Tales From The Hearth: https://snowpavilion.co.uk/on-chinese-horror-part-v-strange-tales-from-the-hearth/
Many classics are simplified for the screen. The reason why they are enjoyable in Mandarin are the different angles, the richness of descriptions and details not possible to translate into English, and their underlying social commentaries.
I cited one example of mandarin being used, in another drama. What you see in a translation are two sentences that appear simple. It is not possible to translate three idioms in their entire completion into another language. More than 50% of the exact dialogue is lost on a foreign audience, right off the bat. Classics tend to use a lot of idioms, and idioms are rooted in language + culture + history with very specific context:
https://kisskh.at/728951-the-story-of-saiunkoku#comment-26631476
Here is part of my commentary during the airing of "You Have My Heart"":
[ The dialogue is touching and frank, without being flowery or pretentious or drawn-out. Scenery mirrors emotions and complexities of the human heart, even as background visuals are evocative and romantic or eerily precise. In this fantasy realm, at a crossing of possibilities and fluid changes where humans and demons co-exist, bustling grounded realities of the human businesses and homes intersect with an unexpected world you come to terms with, through the newly-appointed magistrate's eyes. As his beliefs shift, so do you.
Obsession. Destiny. Resolving the past through the present. The leads and their assistants are strong and capably independent, but they need to work together to solve cases and inner demons. Their flaws unite them emotionally, more so than their goals.. ]
For me, the scenery of "You Have My Heart" is used to great effect to reflect the emotions and complexities of the human heart, especially in the scenes with the leads. It is the advantage of being a short drama over a long drama. "Love Beyond The Grave" does not resonate in this manner with its scenery, where scenery is simply scenery of sets or CGI. Hua'Er Film and Television is lauded by me as a superb production team for multiple reasons. This is where "You Have My Heart" is significantly different from "Love Beyond The Grave". There is romance, but this drama unabashedly has its roots in Pu Song Ling's classic, whereby (I quote from the link I share with you, because the writer understands what I do):
"The stories collected by Pu Song Ling told of fears and longings which help define a nation, and a culture’s identity."
"Love Beyond The Grave" feels too Westernised for me as a drama, even though I enjoyed the novel.
"You Have My Heart" is unabashedly Chinese in its identity, and very strongly so. Fears and longings also shape the cases as stories and Yin-Yang Crossing, but this drama smartly uses those traditional qualities to contribute to its ending about Change while shaping destinies and identities.
I expect people having difficulties with some concepts in the later episodes or getting bored with this drama, if they are used to what I consider as Westernised C-Dramas and they expect this drama to be strongly along those lines.
But if someone can appreciate the focal storytelling differences and visual similarities of "Love Beyond The Grave" versus "you Have My Heart", they can enjoy both dramas :)
Ryuuki is quite shameless. He is also quite charismatic. I preferred him to Seiran. By episode 19 of season 2, one can see the inroads which Ryuuki has made, which Shuurei may not be willing to recognise within herself yet. This conversation between them is indicative of the solidity of their relationship as friends, with the promise of more.
In short, screw up the characterisations of Fan Yun and Qi Zheng by making them too OOC, and it will be easy to lose the original manga readers and anime fans.
Episode 19, where Ryuuki and Shuurei have a conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6qIohoUV9g
Contrast that with episode 23 of this drama, and you can see how stupidly OOC the drama screenwriters have made Qi Zheng. One can make the FL and ML comedic, but there is a limit.
And it seems Tencent is not releasing any more new official images for 魂判九川, which isn't making me a happy camper for what I have to work with, pictures-wise.
Have a lovely FMV, to get through the next two episodes: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BSxGlsHnn04
This is also where Fan Yun being more stoically similar to Shuurei would have helped, within two episodes. Within 10 episodes, Fan Yun appears more fluffy and unserious than Shuurei and it is a huge turn-off. It is best to plant possibilities early, for the romance aspect. Fan Yun being drawn to Qi Zheng but not understanding why could be fleshed out over the drama, instead of flat-out not interested in romance. Shuurei is naturally denser on the subject but for this drama, could be altered to be that way, and it would still work.
As to why? An event happening and Qi Zheng temporarily showing his very-ruthless-and-pragmatic side within 5 episodes would have helped the viewer root for Qi Zheng, if Qi Zheng is going to be a goofball 80% of the time. That fight in episode 6 would have been a lot better if the music had been canned, and Joseph Zheng shed his pretense completely and became very intimidatingly ruthless in killing the men.
If the FL is a turn-off and the ML is not someone you want to consider dating in a rom-com, what is the viewer going to root for? The viewer would have to adore other supporting characters and other aspects of the drama.
It would be necessary to include a 50-seconds or 1-minute segment at the end of every episode (before the ending song), whereby we see and hear the serious thoughts of Fan Yun or Qi Zheng being alone at night, before going to bed. They take turns, for every episode. Akin to writing notes to oneself. Personal development could be seen and what they also think about each other.
This manga is hard to adapt as a C-Drama, and I'm surprised they tried. The approach would need to be very carefully handled, otherwise reactions such as yours are perfectly understandable. Hence the low viewership.
The Tian Xing arc is the weakest section so far. I have watched episode 25. I'll be surprised if people don't drop this drama at episode 23. That was quite a test of patience. And Tian Xing is not interesting at all.
There are issues with this drama, which includes edits that didn't get past censorship. And yes, I rolled my eyes at episode 23 from a storytelling POV. That said, I have managed to find much enjoyment in the first 22 episodes of this drama, and here's a bit of explanation as to why:
https://kisskh.at/profile/Fake_Smile/review/582562#comment-26623762
Further thoughts here:
https://kisskh.at/728951-the-story-of-saiunkoku#comment-26631476