There are competitors, and they go to different sites to attack. There is recovery. Rakuten Viki scores "Whispers of Fate" at 9.2 out of 10, IQiyi has WoF ranked at 9.8, and IMDB is at 8.7 out of 10. Monomax Thailand has recorded more than 1 billion effective views.
And then there are MDL accounts with their own issues, such as one specific hater of this drama with at least seven sockpuppet accounts: Routinely attacking this drama during its airing and even now.
One of the sockpuppet accounts posted less than 6 days ago on this page and the forum, and also spams other pages being anti-chinese while insulting various chinese actors and actresses. Knows nothing about wuxia.
Another sockpuppet account also posted in the forum. These accounts basically hate the producers for sticking to production of a heroism-based drama with no romance tags and no CP for the main lead. ML in the novel also had no CP. Hating Tang Lici for having firm boundaries and wanting to focus on bigger responsibilities, and for having natural instincts to be deeply suspicious such as disliking a stranger pressing her mouth to his when unconscious and without his consent- It's a strange world when logic prevails in a drama, isn't it?
It's also the most pathetic thing ever, to pretend to be a fan of the ML, only to be outed by constantly attacking and bullying fans of the ML before this drama airs, and then also attacking and misrepresenting statistics and details of this drama during its airing to the point that fans and non-fans of the ML notice. Such displays of unhealthy obsessive parasocial behaviour ultimately points to a need for help with mental health issues.
Romance doesn't cure all things, trauma is very sensitive, and it shouldn't be bandaged over with romantic love. I'm sure people would agree on this.
Thankfully, this drama makes it quite clear what Tang Lici needs, and romance definitely isn't what he prioritises for his emotional trauma. With different friendships and a life of rich experiences, steeped in Chinese history and references?
Thanks a lot for your comment and links. I also appreciated your well written review. 👏Ps. I love the ending…
Different types of reviews from different people is always educational and enjoyable, especially when there is kinship in understanding. Yours is wonderfully spoiler-free, unlike mine XD
It is difficult these days in C-Ent to find artists under the age of 35 who understand how to improvise well and spontaneously tell a compelling story in gestures, intonation, and pauses. Every gesture (or lack of) means something. They live their characters, and have gone beyond acting.
BoTG incorporated all this with the right cast. Chen Lijun can tell a story in less than one minute 50 seconds as a woman of valor given her background of two decades in Yue Opera, and here she is in 2024 with《天命》(that was with 18 years experience):
The cloak temporarily becomes an embroidered handkerchief, as she defines her beginning of limitations. The cinnabar is smeared to break and blur boundaries, as she transforms herself in her bid to control destiny instead of accepting fate as decreed by others.
Fusing Mulan and Sun Wukong, she makes a riveting case for why actresses serious about their craft and want to make the best impact on small and/or big screens should take opera lessons for a certain period of time.
I love the storytelling of this series. Once time goes by, you'd gradually realize how perfect fitting the title…
Because this is a non-idol drama that isn't a romance-fan-service idol drama with a greater likelihood of garnering high ratings on MDL, and the shooting style plus storytelling and characterisations harkens more towards noteworthy memorable non-idol Chinese dramas before 2010. The ending is about love and justice triumphing. The acting from the cast is top-notch.
The Director is Mao Kunyu, who is known for working with other Directors on dramas such as "Love In Between", "Tomb Of The Sea", "Darker Season 3" etc
Very much enjoyed your review! It's great to finally find a wuxia movie that doesn't talk me to death, and uses well-edited scenes to tell so many stories about personal characters and values.
I watched this three times in the cinema with mostly-Chinese filmgoers. Beautiful on IMAX, and the ending song simply matched the energy and meaning of it all!
There's the domestic box office success details further down the page. Grossing more than 1 billion RMB in 11 days, smashing all domestic records for wuxia films within the first 6 days of airing- Richly deserved.
On 13 April ten days ago, the BoTG weibo account triumphantly announced that the domestic box office run for BoTG has been extended until 20 May, which coincides with the chinese calendar of flowering peach blossoms:
Easily expected, since BoTG became the highest-grossing wuxia film of all-time, as of 1 April :D
Europe's biggest Asian film festival honoured Yuen Woo-ping with the lifetime achievement of Golden Mulberry Award:
[ ... From launching Jackie Chan’s superstar status with Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master, to Keanu Reeves’ Neo saying’I know kung fu’, Yuen has been there for all of them.
The son of Yuen Siu-tien, better known to western audiences as Simon Yuen or Beggar So in Drunken Master, Yuen Woo-ping followed his father in Peking Opera training and film. Appearing in numerous extra roles and honing his choreographing skills for productions including the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, until producer Ng See-yuen gave him the chance to direct a young and faltering star called Jackie, and put both their careers on the map. Over the next two decades, Yuen would direct stars like Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Donnie Yen, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh in films like The Magnificent Butcher, Dreadnaught, Mismatched Couples, Iron Monkey, The Tai Chi Master and Wing Chun... ]
Yuen Woo-ping is a genius for choosing and insisting on Wu Jing to be Dao Ma, Jet Li to be Chang Guiren, and for his ability to tell a wuxia story like no other, in faithfully adapting Xu Xianzhe's manhua to the screen.
Fluent mandarin-speakers versed in the wuxia genre revel in the richness of what is being told in BoTG. A good or great wuxia tale is always structurally different from other genres of action films, necessitating action and non-action scenes to convey characterisations and messages and values in words you'd have to spend at least sixteen years growing up with.
In a review, Ni Xueting who is obviously familiar with wuxia films of more than three decades writes for Eastern Kicks (only spoiler-free sections quoted):
[ Blades of The Guardians: An Amazing Piece of Wuxia Cinema that lends hope not just for the sequel, but for the future of the genre as a whole...
I've been a fan of Xu Xianzhe’s manhua Biaoren (“Bounty Hunters”) since it came out in the 2010s. As a self-confessed zhai (Chinese term for geek), Xu is heavily influenced by videogames (and actually commissioned to write the five-volume Assassin’s Creed: Dynasty manhua). Highly reminiscent of samurai classics such as Lone Wolf and Cub and hyper-violent ‘90s anime like Blade of the Immortal, the story certainly had an appeal...
.... It would have taken no less than a master of cinematic kung fu. like Yuen Woo-Ping, bringing their flare and skills to this story, for me to return to it, and Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert, delivers just that.
.... The film delivers all the cinematic dressings one could hope for from a wuxia tale. The opening long shots of galloping horsemen and gorgeous panoramas of sand dunes, draw the audience into one of the typical backdrops of the genre, the vast deserts of northwest China, where the conventions of Han society are set side...
... The journey to Chang’an is of course peppered with conflicts, but along the way we soon meet other reassuring archetypes of the Wuxia fiction...
... under the directorship of the choreographer behind best-selling wuxia blockbusters Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Fearless and The Grandmaster, the fights flow well into the exposition, revealing as much about the characterisation as the sparse moments of dialogue. The combat sequences are bold, and steer a course between nostalgic nods to the ‘90s, and modern fast-cut action, showing a very shrewd grasp of what popular cinema craves. Even the non-combative action demonstrates a magnificent understanding of cinematic history. ..
... The combat was always going to be a little too visceral and brutal for my personal tastes, but I have to say, it is far tamer than the original comic, perhaps down to an awareness that this may not fly with the censors, and also to make the point that violence is not an end in itself. While we see splatters of gore with each thrust and slash, it’s not the fountains of black ink Xu committed to page. Still, the weight and impact of the violence is well carried in the solid choreography, the long lingering shots across the action, relying only occasionally on jump cuts and disguising camera angles. Having action star and martial artist Wu Jing in the lead definitely helps to give it that quality of full, connective combat...
... For a work that still falls into the Yanggang (“steel macho”) camp of martial arts cinema, I’m relieved to find the few female characters given autonomy and the chance to right the misdeeds they are subjected to, rather than relying on a man with bulging muscles and a white horse to come in and save the day...
... While the international posters may not be studded with the star names, the cast gathered for this project is prestigious. Alongside Jet Li’s brief appearance, you’ll also find Shaw Brothers alumni Kara Ying Hung Wai (Wu Xia aka Dragon, My Young Auntie), and viral Yue opera singer Chen Lijun. In fact, so much of this film seems to be about juxtaposing the old and the new...
... In fact, the whole pairing of Yuen Woo-ping, whose career has almost tracked along with the development of martial arts cinema since works like The Magnificent Butcher and Drunken Master, with the ‘90s born Xu Xianzhe, is no small statement in itself, and something I’ve been hoping to see in Wuxia for a long time.
Blades of the Guardians has felt like the perfect union between one of Wuxia’s best choreographers, and one of China’s best manhua storytellers...
... This film is an amazing piece of Wuxia Cinema, covering just a few volumes of Xu’s original manhua, and its critical acclaim lends hope not just for a sequel, but for the future of Wuxia cinema as a whole...
....Studios, and their backers are reaping the financial rewards too. Blades has been an absolute hit, grossing over 200 million dollars worldwide since its first release, and its distribution is proving to cinemas, and streaming services that there is plenty to be mined from China’s unique genre fiction, and I hope we’ll see more big-budget adaptations of contemporary Wuxia hitting our screens. ]
This is a S+ project on iQIYI, yet it doesn’t even show up on the platform’s list of dramas they intend to…
Don't worry about it for now. Trailer is out, as of the IQiyi World Conference. Updates on his page from kwanto, including the Singapoare Star Awards and latest for SLY:
A bit of what kwanto shared about SLY being profitable before airing includes [ “Shui Long Yin received 560 million RMB in advertising revenue, earning Mango 140 million based on a 1:3 ratio split (with other investors such as Migu, Otter Studio, and other production companies). The show’s popularity exceeded expectations, leading to more than 10 brands increasing their partnership with SLY. Advertising quotes for SLY rose from 1.8 million per 30 seconds to 2.6 million.”
It also mentioned Mango TV’s net profit is projected to increase by 31% in the fourth quarter, with “Mango TV advertising revenue at 1.29 billion in the fourth quarter” almost half coming from SLY 💪 ]
Beijing Youth Daily, another CCP newspaper wrote about LYX attending the awards:“Recently, the 31st Star Awards,…
Adding a gamut of details, to complement your dedicated coverage of Luo Yunxi!
LYX official appearance on the red carpet and taking the spotlight is near the end of the red carpet event before the Star Awards commence, starting from 1:23:32: with hints:
Asiaone.com posted on their accounts of Facebook, Tiktok and Instagram (short clip of him commenting, with English subtitles) with the caption "Omg, we're breathing the same air as Luo Yunxi. 😭"
Sohu.com gives their vocal thoughts in English on the significance of Luo Yunxi's appearance in Singapore for the 32nd Star Awards (MUST check this out, great summary and coverage of LYX details):
[ Characters such as Tan Tai Jin and Tang Lici have helped him evolve from " a star made by dramas" into "a star defined by himself." ]
Mentions of his notable humility and outstanding star presence is the least of the accolades heaped on him.
Coverage in other media sources about Luo Yunxi was also enthusiastic, noting achievements such as his most-recent drama on Youku "The Truth Within" topping the charts of 15 countries for crime suspense dramas including Canada, USA, France, Germany, Singapore and Thailand.
Rakuten Viki scores "Whispers of Fate" at 9.2 out of 10, IQiyi has WoF ranked at 9.8, and IMDB is at 8.7 out of 10. Monomax Thailand has recorded more than 1 billion effective views.
Singapore's《联合早报》writes that "Luo Yunxi is the most successful symbol of Chinese Culture in Southeast Asia". The qq.com article also details Luo Yunxi's popularity in Thailand.
Lastly, this article shares images of love being lavished on him in various ways, such as his visuals on gigantic 8K screens of the Suntec City mall and a video of Luo Yunxi being greeted by fans, as he finally walked into view after landing at Singapore's airport:
These people are really working overtime to make these articles. Like they are so detailed and good. My respect…
I'm glad you like my article. A majority of MDL C-Ent articles in 2025 suffered from mostly not sharing much about a C-drama, beyond a bare-bones synopsis that seemingly relied on Google Translate. K-Ent articles mostly dominated MDL news as the primary interest, unless it was the occasional drama recaps (falls under Editorials) by another much-older writer who has written articles for MDL since 2020. I don't know what happened to the people who used to write and editors, but many went on hiatus or had offline issues (at least the ones I DMed with). Also dunno if there is internal politics at play. I'm new to it all.
To write something like this article requires interest plus enough knowledge and not relying on Google Translate.
Since some MDL friends wanted informative depth, I decided to do the occasional article, which is why I put together three articles within four months starting this year :)
I am very curious about seeing Esther Yu step into this role. I liked her best in MJTY. Yun Chu is a very good role for any actress, to demonstrate their acting range. The novel is engaging and multi-faceted. Great for a drama adaptation!
Liu Shi Shi is very hard to create chemistry with, given her increasingly-stoic acting. Esther has a very-experienced ML to work with here. Here's to it airing in early-2027!
This drama title in mandarin can be initially translated as "The Phoenix Will Not Settle".
"栖" when used for a bird refers to not staying, perching or roosting, and I won't take it literally when considering all three words together (plus the leads clearly won't settle for anything except for what they each want). "凤" refers to 凤凰 ie Phoenix.
According to MangoTV's official release details including short video clips of the leads, the official title is "Nirvana In Flames" (check out the words in English on the posters):
Considering how well Miles Wei can act as Yan Ke in "Love Beyond The Grave", and Wu Jinyan easily able to up the intensity and vulnerability accordingly, this duo will be very interesting :D
Right now, you'll have to settle for JJY practising with wires and her hammer, then becoming A' Dai swinging the…
She'll be super-cute and deadly at the same time, doing that. I'm very curious and looking forward to her moves with it!
There was one BTS where her Shifu totally broke her heart, from the looks of it And she's trying to keep her tears in, akin to red eyes full of emotion instead of a waterfall (Not sharing that one with you).
Unfortunately, I doubt she'll be hitting him with the hammer.
Can you temporarily settle for him teasing her, and her reacting?
Feel free to join us at the first discussion thread I created, for episodes 1 to 5 :) https://kisskh.at/766289-frozen-awakening#comment-25728214Episodes…
This drama is quite enjoyable, despite its flaws. I can find flaws in every drama, but this one isn't giving me the urge to nitpick it to death.
I have this issue with the directing being the biggest problem, ever since episode 1 onwards. Pile of bodies within the starting 5 minutes of episode 1, which Zhuge Yue stands on? That's definitely not on screenwriters, but a visual impossibility (striking as it is) most likely insisted upon by the Director.
Episode 3, where Yan Xun and Chu Qiao are at a stand off, before she attacks him? I would have conveyed that in a different way to more strongly emphasise their relationship of time and experiences, within 20 seconds. FL can act out the nuances I would have suggested, based on what I saw in episode 12 of her acting.
Some of the details are a bit too rushed. Cuddling on the floor, like you mentioned? I would have changed the shooting impact.
Zhuge Yue confesses that he agreed to do three things, in exchange for the antidote. Chu Qiao is losing her cool. She starts hitting him. They fall over. He lands on his back. She is poised above him.
This is the part I alter: I won't have her speaking about not hiding and avoiding her, and then whacks him and says "Do you hear me?!"
The VA sounds too young with that sentence and the action comes across as too childish. upon that exclamation.
I would have had one of her fists on his chest, when they land. Quick shot to it trembling, to hint at the emotions she is strongly holding in check. Her voice is trembling. Head bowed but not touching his chest, she tells him not to hide things from her or avoid her. And then she raises her head, and stares at him. Camera on her at 3/4 left profile angle. Her voice softens into a gentle vulnerable whisper. "Do you hear me?"
He doesn't answer, and pulls her down into a loose embrace. Her head is against the crook of his neck. She shifts her head away slightly, then uses one hand to turn his head towards her, as she tilts her chin up to look at him. The camera is focusing on their side profile.
She then says the lines that she is saying, as per what you see in the drama. And his answer?
He now pulls her into a tight embrace. This sequence conveys a lot in subtlety apparent to the audience, and builds on their relationship in a believable manner.
And then someone barges in, calling for him- What you see. That's one of more than 10 examples I can alter.
I watched 17 episodes. Must say, Zhang Kang Le is doing a noteworthy job of creeping me out as Yan Xun. The man on the edge who has toppled over into an obsession he can do anything for (to keep her by his side) is definitely sufficiently conveyed, because I am creeped out.
Li Xiao Qian as Li Ce is splendid. He nailed the crying scenes, emotional scenes, and comedy scenes. Li Meng is also marvellous.
Ai Mi's Beijing Film Academy entrance exam results just dropped...Congratulations, Ai Mi 👏👏👏Outstanding…
Congratulations, and as expected!
I hope she eventually joins the likes of Zhang Yunlong, in having BFA as her alma mater. According to Zhihu users, when Zhang Yunlong joined the acting department of the BFA as his performance major, he was ranked first amongst all male candidates for his year.
After the most successful drama of 2025 gave Ai Mi the biggest exposure to the domestic audience, it is evident that she has already graduated from support roles when shooting for this drama in 2024, and is more than ready for FL roles.
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https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-25416512
If you are interested in seeing the compilation of trivia and details by various viewers of this drama, the contributions can be found here:
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin/discussions/146454-group-collective-contributions-details-trivia-insights-across-40-episodes-of-whispers-of-fate?page=1
There are competitors, and they go to different sites to attack. There is recovery. Rakuten Viki scores "Whispers of Fate" at 9.2 out of 10, IQiyi has WoF ranked at 9.8, and IMDB is at 8.7 out of 10. Monomax Thailand has recorded more than 1 billion effective views.
And then there are MDL accounts with their own issues, such as one specific hater of this drama with at least seven sockpuppet accounts: Routinely attacking this drama during its airing and even now.
One of the sockpuppet accounts posted less than 6 days ago on this page and the forum, and also spams other pages being anti-chinese while insulting various chinese actors and actresses. Knows nothing about wuxia.
https://kisskh.at/767811-blades-of-the-guardians
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin/discussions/146464-whispers-of-fate-is-too-similar-to-renegade-immortal
Another sockpuppet account also posted in the forum. These accounts basically hate the producers for sticking to production of a heroism-based drama with no romance tags and no CP for the main lead. ML in the novel also had no CP. Hating Tang Lici for having firm boundaries and wanting to focus on bigger responsibilities, and for having natural instincts to be deeply suspicious such as disliking a stranger pressing her mouth to his when unconscious and without his consent- It's a strange world when logic prevails in a drama, isn't it?
It's also the most pathetic thing ever, to pretend to be a fan of the ML, only to be outed by constantly attacking and bullying fans of the ML before this drama airs, and then also attacking and misrepresenting statistics and details of this drama during its airing to the point that fans and non-fans of the ML notice. Such displays of unhealthy obsessive parasocial behaviour ultimately points to a need for help with mental health issues.
Romance doesn't cure all things, trauma is very sensitive, and it shouldn't be bandaged over with romantic love. I'm sure people would agree on this.
Thankfully, this drama makes it quite clear what Tang Lici needs, and romance definitely isn't what he prioritises for his emotional trauma. With different friendships and a life of rich experiences, steeped in Chinese history and references?
Wonderful drama to rewatch :D
It is difficult these days in C-Ent to find artists under the age of 35 who understand how to improvise well and spontaneously tell a compelling story in gestures, intonation, and pauses. Every gesture (or lack of) means something. They live their characters, and have gone beyond acting.
BoTG incorporated all this with the right cast. Chen Lijun can tell a story in less than one minute 50 seconds as a woman of valor given her background of two decades in Yue Opera, and here she is in 2024 with《天命》(that was with 18 years experience):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF8hbIFgmJk
“女子岂能立功传，妖魔岂能化成仙，将令一声震山川，我命由我不由天！”
The cloak temporarily becomes an embroidered handkerchief, as she defines her beginning of limitations. The cinnabar is smeared to break and blur boundaries, as she transforms herself in her bid to control destiny instead of accepting fate as decreed by others.
Fusing Mulan and Sun Wukong, she makes a riveting case for why actresses serious about their craft and want to make the best impact on small and/or big screens should take opera lessons for a certain period of time.
The Director is Mao Kunyu, who is known for working with other Directors on dramas such as "Love In Between", "Tomb Of The Sea", "Darker Season 3" etc
https://kisskh.at/31267-an-inch-of-yearning
https://kisskh.at/29686-sand-sea
https://kisskh.at/33130-darker-3
This type of drama is up his alley :)
I watched this three times in the cinema with mostly-Chinese filmgoers. Beautiful on IMAX, and the ending song simply matched the energy and meaning of it all!
BoTG has been so successful that the domestic run has been extended until 20 May, and I shared a review by Ni Xueting of Eastern Kicks in my latest update: https://kisskh.at/767811-blades-of-the-guardians#comment-25892058
The sequel is underway, according to Yuen Woo-ping. I was very happy to share details about BoTG on the movie page: https://kisskh.at/767811-blades-of-the-guardians#comment-25562884
There's the domestic box office success details further down the page. Grossing more than 1 billion RMB in 11 days, smashing all domestic records for wuxia films within the first 6 days of airing- Richly deserved.
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5287181016105431
Easily expected, since BoTG became the highest-grossing wuxia film of all-time, as of 1 April :D
Europe's biggest Asian film festival honoured Yuen Woo-ping with the lifetime achievement of Golden Mulberry Award:
[ ... From launching Jackie Chan’s superstar status with Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master, to Keanu Reeves’ Neo saying’I know kung fu’, Yuen has been there for all of them.
The son of Yuen Siu-tien, better known to western audiences as Simon Yuen or Beggar So in Drunken Master, Yuen Woo-ping followed his father in Peking Opera training and film. Appearing in numerous extra roles and honing his choreographing skills for productions including the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, until producer Ng See-yuen gave him the chance to direct a young and faltering star called Jackie, and put both their careers on the map. Over the next two decades, Yuen would direct stars like Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Donnie Yen, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh in films like The Magnificent Butcher, Dreadnaught, Mismatched Couples, Iron Monkey, The Tai Chi Master and Wing Chun... ]
https://www.easternkicks.com/news/martial-arts-choreographer-legend-yuen-woo-ping-to-receive-golden-mulberry-award-for-lifetime-achievement/
~*~*~*~
Yuen Woo-ping is a genius for choosing and insisting on Wu Jing to be Dao Ma, Jet Li to be Chang Guiren, and for his ability to tell a wuxia story like no other, in faithfully adapting Xu Xianzhe's manhua to the screen.
Fluent mandarin-speakers versed in the wuxia genre revel in the richness of what is being told in BoTG. A good or great wuxia tale is always structurally different from other genres of action films, necessitating action and non-action scenes to convey characterisations and messages and values in words you'd have to spend at least sixteen years growing up with.
In a review, Ni Xueting who is obviously familiar with wuxia films of more than three decades writes for Eastern Kicks (only spoiler-free sections quoted):
[ Blades of The Guardians: An Amazing Piece of Wuxia Cinema that lends hope not just for the sequel, but for the future of the genre as a whole...
I've been a fan of Xu Xianzhe’s manhua Biaoren (“Bounty Hunters”) since it came out in the 2010s. As a self-confessed zhai (Chinese term for geek), Xu is heavily influenced by videogames (and actually commissioned to write the five-volume Assassin’s Creed: Dynasty manhua). Highly reminiscent of samurai classics such as Lone Wolf and Cub and hyper-violent ‘90s anime like Blade of the Immortal, the story certainly had an appeal...
.... It would have taken no less than a master of cinematic kung fu. like Yuen Woo-Ping, bringing their flare and skills to this story, for me to return to it, and Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert, delivers just that.
.... The film delivers all the cinematic dressings one could hope for from a wuxia tale. The opening long shots of galloping horsemen and gorgeous panoramas of sand dunes, draw the audience into one of the typical backdrops of the genre, the vast deserts of northwest China, where the conventions of Han society are set side...
... The journey to Chang’an is of course peppered with conflicts, but along the way we soon meet other reassuring archetypes of the Wuxia fiction...
... under the directorship of the choreographer behind best-selling wuxia blockbusters Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Fearless and The Grandmaster, the fights flow well into the exposition, revealing as much about the characterisation as the sparse moments of dialogue. The combat sequences are bold, and steer a course between nostalgic nods to the ‘90s, and modern fast-cut action, showing a very shrewd grasp of what popular cinema craves. Even the non-combative action demonstrates a magnificent understanding of cinematic history. ..
... The combat was always going to be a little too visceral and brutal for my personal tastes, but I have to say, it is far tamer than the original comic, perhaps down to an awareness that this may not fly with the censors, and also to make the point that violence is not an end in itself. While we see splatters of gore with each thrust and slash, it’s not the fountains of black ink Xu committed to page. Still, the weight and impact of the violence is well carried in the solid choreography, the long lingering shots across the action, relying only occasionally on jump cuts and disguising camera angles. Having action star and martial artist Wu Jing in the lead definitely helps to give it that quality of full, connective combat...
... For a work that still falls into the Yanggang (“steel macho”) camp of martial arts cinema, I’m relieved to find the few female characters given autonomy and the chance to right the misdeeds they are subjected to, rather than relying on a man with bulging muscles and a white horse to come in and save the day...
... While the international posters may not be studded with the star names, the cast gathered for this project is prestigious. Alongside Jet Li’s brief appearance, you’ll also find Shaw Brothers alumni Kara Ying Hung Wai (Wu Xia aka Dragon, My Young Auntie), and viral Yue opera singer Chen Lijun. In fact, so much of this film seems to be about juxtaposing the old and the new...
... In fact, the whole pairing of Yuen Woo-ping, whose career has almost tracked along with the development of martial arts cinema since works like The Magnificent Butcher and Drunken Master, with the ‘90s born Xu Xianzhe, is no small statement in itself, and something I’ve been hoping to see in Wuxia for a long time.
Blades of the Guardians has felt like the perfect union between one of Wuxia’s best choreographers, and one of China’s best manhua storytellers...
... This film is an amazing piece of Wuxia Cinema, covering just a few volumes of Xu’s original manhua, and its critical acclaim lends hope not just for a sequel, but for the future of Wuxia cinema as a whole...
....Studios, and their backers are reaping the financial rewards too. Blades has been an absolute hit, grossing over 200 million dollars worldwide since its first release, and its distribution is proving to cinemas, and streaming services that there is plenty to be mined from China’s unique genre fiction, and I hope we’ll see more big-budget adaptations of contemporary Wuxia hitting our screens. ]
https://www.easternkicks.com/reviews/blades-of-the-guardians-alt/
I watched it three times in three weeks (first time was within 7 days of the first day of release) :D
Buying on Blu-ray will have to take quite a while, I reckon.
If you are interested in a summary of the first seven days of BoTG, here it is: https://kisskh.at/767811-blades-of-the-guardians#comment-25208004
Feel free to check out the trivia on this MDL movie page :)
Some viewers were keen to know more about the movie, so I made several posts.
A sequel is underway, according to Yuen Woo-ping. Yay!
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5290492318451211
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5289167227458909
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5289129794863830
Here's LYX in a short friendly clip inviting people to be at the Shanghai Super Mango Music Festival: https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5289793077645523
The Shanghai Super Mango Music Festival on 2 May should be what Sohu YT is referring to! But I'm not sure if more than one song is a cover.
He'll be in two different cities in two consecutive days, for music! First Shanghai, then Zhejiang!
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5285509903685127
Updates on his page from kwanto, including the Singapoare Star Awards and latest for SLY:
https://kisskh.at/people/11095-luo-yunxi#comment-25738602
A bit of what kwanto shared about SLY being profitable before airing includes [ “Shui Long Yin received 560 million RMB in advertising revenue, earning Mango 140 million based on a 1:3 ratio split (with other investors such as Migu, Otter Studio, and other production companies). The show’s popularity exceeded expectations, leading to more than 10 brands increasing their partnership with SLY. Advertising quotes for SLY rose from 1.8 million per 30 seconds to 2.6 million.”
It also mentioned Mango TV’s net profit is projected to increase by 31% in the fourth quarter, with “Mango TV advertising revenue at 1.29 billion in the fourth quarter” almost half coming from SLY 💪 ]
https://kisskh.at/people/11095-luo-yunxi#comment-25877492
LYX official appearance on the red carpet and taking the spotlight is near the end of the red carpet event before the Star Awards commence, starting from 1:23:32: with hints:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4_UZDgPqE0
Here's his full sit-down interview at the 2026 Singapore Star Awards, on the Mediacorp Channel (sorry no subtitles):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_YkhrFueU8
Asiaone.com posted on their accounts of Facebook, Tiktok and Instagram (short clip of him commenting, with English subtitles) with the caption "Omg, we're breathing the same air as Luo Yunxi. 😭"
https://www.instagram.com/p/DXUdYzZjeZ8/
Articles include his thoughts about being called a hunk, and other details such as him wanting to try laksa and bak kut teh:
https://www.asiaone.com/entertainment/star-awards-2026-leo-luo-yunxi-cdrama-till-the-end-of-the-moon
Sohu.com gives their vocal thoughts in English on the significance of Luo Yunxi's appearance in Singapore for the 32nd Star Awards (MUST check this out, great summary and coverage of LYX details):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkHPkwALd5U
[ Characters such as Tan Tai Jin and Tang Lici have helped him evolve from " a star made by dramas" into "a star defined by himself." ]
Mentions of his notable humility and outstanding star presence is the least of the accolades heaped on him.
Coverage in other media sources about Luo Yunxi was also enthusiastic, noting achievements such as his most-recent drama on Youku "The Truth Within" topping the charts of 15 countries for crime suspense dramas including Canada, USA, France, Germany, Singapore and Thailand.
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260420A057T300
Rakuten Viki scores "Whispers of Fate" at 9.2 out of 10, IQiyi has WoF ranked at 9.8, and IMDB is at 8.7 out of 10. Monomax Thailand has recorded more than 1 billion effective views.
Singapore's《联合早报》writes that "Luo Yunxi is the most successful symbol of Chinese Culture in Southeast Asia". The qq.com article also details Luo Yunxi's popularity in Thailand.
Lastly, this article shares images of love being lavished on him in various ways, such as his visuals on gigantic 8K screens of the Suntec City mall and a video of Luo Yunxi being greeted by fans, as he finally walked into view after landing at Singapore's airport:
https://vibes.8world.com/movies-shows/luo-yunxi-3122626
To write something like this article requires interest plus enough knowledge and not relying on Google Translate.
Since some MDL friends wanted informative depth, I decided to do the occasional article, which is why I put together three articles within four months starting this year :)
I am very curious about seeing Esther Yu step into this role. I liked her best in MJTY. Yun Chu is a very good role for any actress, to demonstrate their acting range. The novel is engaging and multi-faceted. Great for a drama adaptation!
Liu Shi Shi is very hard to create chemistry with, given her increasingly-stoic acting. Esther has a very-experienced ML to work with here. Here's to it airing in early-2027!
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5288283249574472
With these two announcements in March 2026 by the official drama weibo account plus CCTV, airing can't be far away:
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5278483733284524
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5283545981650171
"栖" when used for a bird refers to not staying, perching or roosting, and I won't take it literally when considering all three words together (plus the leads clearly won't settle for anything except for what they each want). "凤" refers to 凤凰 ie Phoenix.
According to MangoTV's official release details including short video clips of the leads, the official title is "Nirvana In Flames" (check out the words in English on the posters):
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5287905727618377
Here is the first official video of our couple, as per the drama's official weibo channel: https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5287910804030659#&video
Considering how well Miles Wei can act as Yan Ke in "Love Beyond The Grave", and Wu Jinyan easily able to up the intensity and vulnerability accordingly, this duo will be very interesting :D
"栖" when used for a bird refers to not staying, perching or roosting. "凤" refers to 凤凰 ie Phoenix.
According to MangoTV's official release details including short video clips of the leads, the official title is "Nirvana In Flames":
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5287905727618377
Here is the first official video of our couple, as per the drama's official weibo channel: https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5287910804030659#&video
Considering how well Miles Wei can act as Yan Ke in "Love Beyond The Grave", this duo will be very interesting :D
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5287913375139334
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5287905727618377
Unless you are referring to Photos. Then click "View All" and add the posters from 3 April as individual photos.
I updated at least 80% of the cast, details-wise.
There was one BTS where her Shifu totally broke her heart, from the looks of it And she's trying to keep her tears in, akin to red eyes full of emotion instead of a waterfall (Not sharing that one with you).
Unfortunately, I doubt she'll be hitting him with the hammer.
Can you temporarily settle for him teasing her, and her reacting?
https://kisskh.at/790246-lai-zhan#comment-23818742
I have this issue with the directing being the biggest problem, ever since episode 1 onwards. Pile of bodies within the starting 5 minutes of episode 1, which Zhuge Yue stands on? That's definitely not on screenwriters, but a visual impossibility (striking as it is) most likely insisted upon by the Director.
Episode 3, where Yan Xun and Chu Qiao are at a stand off, before she attacks him? I would have conveyed that in a different way to more strongly emphasise their relationship of time and experiences, within 20 seconds. FL can act out the nuances I would have suggested, based on what I saw in episode 12 of her acting.
Some of the details are a bit too rushed. Cuddling on the floor, like you mentioned? I would have changed the shooting impact.
Zhuge Yue confesses that he agreed to do three things, in exchange for the antidote. Chu Qiao is losing her cool. She starts hitting him. They fall over. He lands on his back. She is poised above him.
This is the part I alter: I won't have her speaking about not hiding and avoiding her, and then whacks him and says "Do you hear me?!"
The VA sounds too young with that sentence and the action comes across as too childish. upon that exclamation.
I would have had one of her fists on his chest, when they land. Quick shot to it trembling, to hint at the emotions she is strongly holding in check. Her voice is trembling. Head bowed but not touching his chest, she tells him not to hide things from her or avoid her. And then she raises her head, and stares at him. Camera on her at 3/4 left profile angle. Her voice softens into a gentle vulnerable whisper. "Do you hear me?"
He doesn't answer, and pulls her down into a loose embrace. Her head is against the crook of his neck. She shifts her head away slightly, then uses one hand to turn his head towards her, as she tilts her chin up to look at him. The camera is focusing on their side profile.
She then says the lines that she is saying, as per what you see in the drama. And his answer?
He now pulls her into a tight embrace. This sequence conveys a lot in subtlety apparent to the audience, and builds on their relationship in a believable manner.
And then someone barges in, calling for him- What you see. That's one of more than 10 examples I can alter.
I watched 17 episodes. Must say, Zhang Kang Le is doing a noteworthy job of creeping me out as Yan Xun. The man on the edge who has toppled over into an obsession he can do anything for (to keep her by his side) is definitely sufficiently conveyed, because I am creeped out.
Li Xiao Qian as Li Ce is splendid. He nailed the crying scenes, emotional scenes, and comedy scenes. Li Meng is also marvellous.
I hope she eventually joins the likes of Zhang Yunlong, in having BFA as her alma mater. According to Zhihu users, when Zhang Yunlong joined the acting department of the BFA as his performance major, he was ranked first amongst all male candidates for his year.
After the most successful drama of 2025 gave Ai Mi the biggest exposure to the domestic audience, it is evident that she has already graduated from support roles when shooting for this drama in 2024, and is more than ready for FL roles.