Xiang83

At least one song in this drama is something I am reflecting on, because at certain points it unexpectedly makes me think of Super Saiyan transformation in Dragon Ball XD (the first fight for Cheng Yi in episode 1). Just like the VAs for Cheng Yi and Li Yitong in this drama sound very similar to the VAs for the dongman, I wonder if the OP is also trying to make a bridge in a similar manner.

In episode 1 at 5:46, I would have preferred the atmosphere to speak for itself in silence, with only the sounds of wind and one pair of footsteps crunching across the ground. And when he encounters more than himself, how the sequence continues is enjoyable. One could argue whether a different BGM or a certain song should have been used at 12:46, but it doesn't detract from the scene.

Wangquan Fugui is very young and thus sometimes supposed to be passionate with the energy of youth (and his choice at the beginning of episode 3 somewhat reflects that), so perhaps the action music isn't completely off XD

# From one pivotal point, the plot expands. Starting simple and leaving a strong impression, the opening sequence was intriguing. A battle between Huo Dou the lantern demon and Wangquan Fugui was very enjoyable, due to CGI complementing enjoyable wirework where Cheng Yi capably anchors the fight with strength and grace. Episode 1: Unforgettable.

# Li Yitong’s spider demon is direct, resourceful, adorable, chatty due to curiosity and not overly-talkative. The animated half-human-half-spider form is very cute. Her development is realistic, and I liked the fact she must learn to walk on two legs when taking on human form in episode 3.

# Cheng Yi’s Wangquan Fugui isn’t cold. The storytelling which unfolds as per the directors gives me the impression that Wangquan Fugui is reserved and cautious due to the dangers and restrictions he is aware of, also compassionate (as seen through his interactions with Qingtong in episode 1 and 2), quick-witted, and knows when to be ruthless (episode 6 when he destroys the cultivation of Rumu’s father Quan Jingting). Because he has almost given up hope of changing his current lonely situation, his sadness fills his silences… Until a weak spider demon tenaciously pushes herself into his life, wanting to help Feng Tingyun and him.

# Spider demon #12580 shines in episode 2, the perfect complement to Cheng Yi’s subtle turns of expression and emotions. Episode 2 focused on their interactions and reactions is beautiful, as beautiful as the scenery woven by her for her friend Wangquan Fugui, and the song at 28:33 is wonderfully matched with her thoughts.

# As of episode 4, Quan Rumu is the perfect addition to this adventure. Rumu’s relationship with Quan Jingting is deftly interwoven with a significant flashback, during a present interaction between both actors. Despite Rumu’s asthma, Quan Jingting chooses to take his son to the Western Regions with him. And for more than ten years, Rumu wandered the desert… The rest of their story in this episode is crucial and nicely-compacted, without excessive emotion. And then Rumu meets Qingtong, whereby the fun truly begins. And we see the sweet cherished childhood friendship of Rumu and Wangquan Fugui.

# What a fight! Cheng Yi is really embodying Wangquan Fugui! Equally graceful in fighting or writing- For the sake of a name, dust somehow got into my eyes. Beautiful episode 5.

# When Rumu goes on about being cold in episode 6, I chuckled. Then Long Weiyun appeared, and he realised she had come to see him without waking him up… Now I want to see more of their story. Can this not end in tragedy?

# Camerawork and juxtaposition of past with present: Episode 6 at 24:56 transitioning to the past into 25:03 and beyond was masterfully done, from Wangquan Fugui’s POV. And like every episode of this drama, Wangquan Hongye somehow manages to lacerate his son’s heart again with words.

# In episode 7, definitely would have preferred two different people in the roles of Madam Yin and Quan Jingting. When it came to their scenes where the villains had the chance to shine with complexity, the end results are disappointing. Overacting and limited expressions for Madame Yin is spoiling this episode whenever she appears. This is swiftly compensated by the heartwarming brotherhood between Rumu and Wangquan Fugui, to dispel the poison which Qingtong was forced to feed him.

# Completing Love in Pavilion was wonderful and draining. With the final six episodes, a towel was necessary. To see the flashbacks in this drama’s episode 1 of what happened to the entire Mask Alliance was enough to almost induce some form of PTSD. My eyes became very watery in episode 1 due to memory dust.

Just as Zhang Yunlong was heart-breaking and mesmerising as Wangquan Hongye, Cheng Yi is well on his way to making Wangquan Fugui memorable. I could totally see Liu Shishi’s Dongfang Huaizhu and Zhang Yunlong’s Wangquan Hongye with Cheng Yi’s Wangquan Fugui. And this makes me sad they could never be together as an entire family.

Qingtong and Fugui are very sweet and amusing together. Hope to see more battles with Qingtong in them. Li Yitong pairs very well with Cheng Yi in this drama.

Looking forward to episodes 8 and 9!

“Atmospheric, eerie, fun and refreshing” was an unexpected start in experiencing episodes 1 to 7 of this drama (and the considerable efforts for animation in minimising arachnophobia was helpful):

What are you confused about?

Thank you for your praise! I enjoy the discussions that we engage in with others, which also adds to observations and final decisions. My only complaint is that I would have wanted something powerful on the guzheng for Fu Yixiao or a battle scene. 30 seconds of this on the guzheng would be apt: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1r2RoYgEdq/

Hehehehe, we all like our Murong Zhong. He has a lot of TBA dramas lined up as a supporting role, and it'll be interesting to see what he does. Chi Yun and Zhong Chunji are very fun together! They get along well as friends, and it's great to see how well they work together. I prefer the drama rendition of their characters this far.

That said, Episode 4 at 28:26 has Liu Yan playing the pipa. I also like the BGM throughout this episode.

So to compensate, I'll give you a different《水龙吟》on pipa which sounds similar to what Liu Yan is playing but has nothing to do with this drama: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1pz4y1878C/

The music is gorgeous. I'm also happy to see the pipa and guqin not being butchered whenever used as a prop piece or actually played by an artist. When Tan Jianci as Xiangliu played the guqin and plucked it in a certain manner while singing a specific heart-wrenching song in Lost You Forever, he did it correctly: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/E8CsGYm8Pgw

I never finished watching that drama, but I enjoyed details like that.

This drama is a lot for anybody to take in. My maximum per day would only be two or three episodes, tops. Also, do you recognise our Murong Zhong from Fated Hearts here, as Vice-Leader Jiang Qingyu of Yanmen sect? XD

Since they changed a lot of things in the novel such as expanding Bao Shang En's role, it will be interesting to see A-Shui's place in this drama.

Write your own review! It's always fun to see what someone else thinks. The most important thing of watching a drama is to have fun, not to stress out.

Tang Lici is a celestial being. He adopts Fengfeng to try to understand what it feels like to have a child to look after, akin to when Fang Zhou took him in. As to why he is rubbing a certain portion of his lower stomach connected to the abdomen but Liu Yan's blade thankfully missed by going for the centre of his stomach, I chose not to say anything because that's for much later.

For Fated Hearts, I can see the five screenwriters are: 青枚（总）、武聪（总）、王晓丹（总）while 曹婷 and 陈辰 are not the main screenwriters.

For SLY, no screenwriters are listed and it's also mentioned in an article here: https://cj.sina.com.cn/articles/view/2492353974/948e4db600101j5z6

As to gu zheng, I shared a guzheng piece not linked to this drama, which aptly expresses how I feel since sometimes words cannot describe. There is no score for it, just the bilibili link.

What do you think so far? If you haven't got the words at this point, here's a page of emojis to resort to: https://emojidb.org/cute-emojis

Well, I managed to write a review without spoilers, and it will have certain traits you'd expect to see in a review. You can see if my review manages to encapsulate what you watched and experienced (and I referenced Shakespeare) XD

I enjoyed the discussion and questions pertaining to karma between Tang Lici and the abbot of Jinye Temple. It is so refreshing to have strong intelligent female leads not pitted against each other nor falling madly in love and losing all senses, just for the sake of plot devices. At the same time, the likes of Chi Yun and Zhong Chunji don't have all the answers for their investigation, so it is also engaging to see how they find answers together, which the directors allow to unfold naturally. Thank you so much for the changes from the novel (this far), screenwriters! And the brotherhood- It's so heartfelt and intense that you can see how love becomes hate, between Tang Lici and Liu Yan. At this point, one wonders what Tang Lici intends for Liu Yan.

Luo Yunxi brings these shades of grey to life so well. I never mistake a character he acts in one drama with another character of his in a different drama. Him and Ao Ziyi are delightful together, especially when they were in the cages. That serving of tea from Chi Yun to Tang Lici was as delightful as the novel.

I am so glad Liu Yan isn't chatty! Characters painted as villains being chatty annoy me, especially when they are supposed to be intelligent so being chatty isn't usually a trait of capable villains.

A music score with which title?

May all forms of revenge that you see until the end of episode 38 enable you to get a good night's sleep, after this!

Considering the beginning chapters of the novel were convoluted by my standards, even with massive changes, three episodes would be a lot to take in. Pace yourself. I myself would not be able to absorb more than three episodes today.

The feeling is akin to a wonderful session with a guzheng: Smooth on the outside, elated yet calm on the inside with achievement. Everything ripples beautifully or unsettles, in the moments: Floating in a gentle flowering sea of sentiment sparked into violence… Brilliantly deft as flashing crescents with a flick of the wrist- By the cold unwavering light of a moon illuminating mysterious interlocking configuration of towers for assassins rising out of night-cold waters.

The storytelling exquisitely unfolds without confusion, and the characters are uniquely memorable in different ways. Being able to evoke wonder akin to a child, yet stimulate the senses- Chi Yun’s entrance made me smile. He is less quarrelsome (for me) than novel-Chi Yun, due to Ao Ziyi’s clever modulation of lively playfulness adding to a sharp tongue and pleasant demeanour.

Bao Shang En as Zhong Chunji is adorable, feisty, and likeable. She and Chi Yun make a fun friendly duo, and I enjoyed seeing her contrast with Jelly Lin’s A-Shui. A-Shui has such a pivotal scene with Leader Zhong of Yanmen at the beginning of episode 3, whereby the unwavering gentleness she possesses is different from the restrained-bubbly calm of Zhong Chunji. Each of them displayed distinct personalities and are strong in different ways. Together making dumplings was perfect, to have strong female characters getting along without unnecessary cattiness: One in admiration of Tang Lici and the other captivated by Tang Lici.

Watching A-Yan and A-Li together in a flashback is heartbreaking. Alen Fang outdid himself here. Liu Yan veers from being peacefully serene, suddenly toppling into unmasked enmity. He teeters between barely holding in hatred and losing himself completely in it, and the edge he walks is aptly expressed. Almost repulsive, yet alluringly emotional and understandably so, because of what he believes Tang Lici did to Fang Zhou- Looking forward to seeing how he continues as Liu Yan.

Tang Lici- His introduction in episode 1 matches the opening song, gentle melodious intent weaving into something far more virulently mysterious and abruptly cutting. Across three episodes, Tang Lici appears to always be in control in the present. He is cunning, he is suspicious of all around him, he displays deft flashes of wry humour, and he is always disarmingly charming… with subtle hints of not being human (and I am not referring to a cut). Luo Yunxi's performance flows like a guzheng piece of perfection. And the way these three episodes have played out evoke the ED, which I found myself unexpectedly humming.

The world-building is gorgeous, and so are the character developments and character interactions. CGI is resplendent and comes with the most important elements when fights are involved: A heart and purposeful usage, rather than being pointlessly showy. Two things I am seeing this far, which reminds me of certain favourite movies in the 90s: Restraint in many aspects, with deft interweaving of subplots and poetic lines from various characters.

To summarise in one short guzheng piece, 《水龙吟》(nothing to do with the music from this drama) is perfect to express current sentiments. “撕裂～形骸～解放”: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Yh4y1k7HW/

Some thoughts about episodes 1 to 3:

The storytelling is exquisite. See you at the end of episode 3~

I hope you've gotten through at least two episodes by now~

How are you this far?

Lovely to see you here! Looking forward to your insights! If you have handy emoji pages, let me know (I am in the midst of trying to decipher certain emojis for full expression, where words won't suffice XD)