alittlebitofchu

a drama that should gain more recognition!

i don't usually write reviews, but i will for this drama that has such a unique storyline that i dont understand why it's so underrated for the international viewers (it's super popular in mainland china itself)! i am here to show some support!

the story is already unique for telling the drama from a second female lead's pov, the second female lead that is supposed to get into our FL and ML's way every single time, and then when she's almost getting what she wants, the FL and ML takes their revenge and our poor second FL have to get every bad consequences for everything she does. but our FL here WILL NOT accept this fate, she will write her own fate and decide her own ending! (despite all the twists and turns and problems that she has to encounter. but no fear, because our puppy ML will be there for her every time, even if he does have to forget who she is once in a while).

this was a very fresh storyline amidst all the dramas that are airing right now, and i appreciated the breath of fresh air given to us, even if there were some minor plot holes. we don't write the rules here for the world that they are in, but we sure want to see some consistency and logic in the the rules that are presented to us. but it's something that i am willing to overlook for we were given such a fantastic cast with such acting skills + all the shade thrown on typical drama tropes (the always looking for physician because fl or ml get injured trope, the feed medicine through their mouths trope, the petals thrown into the scene trope to make out ml's heart throb, etc.). they were funny and also very unique and I LOVE IT. i will rewatch this drama again if i have time and if you have time and would like a short vacation away from typical drama storylines or storylines that are too heavy to handle or you need a cast that can act - i strongly recommend watching this drama~

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I LOVE IT

Oh, the excitement when they started airing Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 2. Season 1 was so brilliant that I was worried that Season 2 might disappoint, but I didn't have to worry as our brilliant cast delivered an excellent masterpiece once again (I might even say that Season 2 outdid Season 1). I can't wait for Season 3 to be released!

I wouldn't say that the mysteries here in Season 2 are way better than Season 1, but the teamwork and unity that our detective team showed in this season was what made Season 2 so much more exciting and satisfying to watch. We didn't have to watch our main duo be at odds with each other, neither were we bombarded with so many new characters that we had to get used to that would later be in important for the story. It was also so easy to immerse myself into the plot again because the same cast was used and I am already so used to how they portray that particular character.

The political struggle was also not as in your face here as it was in Season 1. The princess and the crown prince were just mainly in the background and popped up once in a while to remind us that the team still has to overcome them - their biggest obstacle - eventually. I get tired of politics very easily...so giving us a break in this season was particularly thrilling and made this a pure mystery drama.

My Top 3 favourite mysteries are probably 降魔变 (The Mara), 通天犀 (The Rhinoceros Girl) and 云鼎醉 (The Immortal Steps of Yunding) - I can't remember the official English titles for these three mysteries...but you get the gist of what I am talking about. The Mara story was very intriguing, whereas the latter two were exceptionally touching and had characters who were willing to fight and die for their country (I am a weakling for this). Also, Lu Lingfeng in black? Yummy, give me more of that in Season 3 please.

For a cast that doesn't include any big name celebrity, this drama has once again stolen the limelight and also settled down in a special place in my heart. It relied on its excellent cast, their acting and the brilliant storyline. It is no doubt a drama that I would rewatch again (after I've cleared all my "Currently Watching" and "Want to Watch" list). Let's wait for Season 3!!

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not a spectacular xianxia

am a super big fan of zhao lusi and have watched almost every of her show, so i was super excited to watch this drama since she has darn good chemistry with almost all her male leads!!!

but at the end of the last episode, i just felt like i wasted all my time watching this show. the plot isn't confusing, neither was it spectacular, it as just plagued with multiple miscommunication and noble idiocy, especially from yuanqi. fella will never tell ahyin the true intentions behind his actions, and will always hide it. if he had told her, misunderstandings could have been avoided and they would have had more time loving one another? the whole drama was just a whole cycle of an incident happened --> requires either one of them to risk their lives / sacrifice --> gets injured / die --> rescue (but the rescuing part doesn't get conveyed bc ?? idk??), REPEAT non stop. it's so tiring to watch this cycle over and over again, knowing that it could have been avoided if they just COMMUNICATED. towards the last few episodes, i was just chuckling when this pattern starts again and i already could predict what was going to happen next. i actually let out a sigh of relief when yuanqi mentioned that he knew something was off, so he asked his spirit sword to search for him if he went off grid for too long - it took him like 1000+ years to learn that he has to do something like this? and why does he even have to do this? bc the two of you don't communicate properly your plans and always making sacrifices for one another behind each other's back?

the only saving grace is probably the disciples of daze mountain. the only time i shed a tear for this drama was when they all came together and sacrificed their lives to protect their home. it was touching and a tragedy founded not on miscommunication.

i dont know why but zhao lusi's acting was a bit off the mark for this drama...watching her trying to portray the majestic phoenix queen was painful and cringey...it's my first time watching wang anyu's acting and it wasn't spectacular either...sometimes his crying scene looked like he yawned and harboured the tears in his eyes for the shoot. he looked sleepy half the time...maybe that's why his chemistry with zhao lusi wasn't off the chart...BUT when i watched their promo douyin vids, i can feel the spark between them!!! so it's so unfortunate that they couldn't convey the same chemistry through the drama if not i'd have loved this drama more.

overall not a fantastic drama...i'd have rated it lower, but i needed to compensate myself and be accountable for all the time i've wasted for finishing this drama, so 6/10.

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the audience are the only sane ones here.

I wasn't planning on watching this drama after seeing some spoilers on Douyin. The famous “三人互捅+大风车 (three way stabbing + big windmill)" scene appeared to be too crazy and too unhinged that I expected a storyline full of plot-holes and lousy character development. But wow? I was blown away by every aspect of this drama, it was the drama (after a long time) where I wanted it to end but I also didn't want it to end at the same time? Anybody feels the same way?

But yes, sure, there were some plot-holes here and there. For instance, personally, I could not overlook how the king and Nan Heng's came to a resolution to their conflict. The king was at Nan Heng's throat for years, he had so much suspicions and was plotting different ways of killing Nan Heng off and then...it all just ended because Nan Heng sold his uncle out and also offered to give up his own army? But ok, even if the king was moved by Nan Heng's ways of reaching out to show that he was genuinely on his side, I wouldn't have been moved to the point that I would give him the crown prince role instead of the son that I had doted and pampered on for years. Besides, even before the empress was murdered, the king was never fond of Nan Heng. There were some theories on Douyin speculating that the king and Nan Heng were actually in cahoots together. That they planned this all from the start (or maybe even in the middle) to lure out the mastermind...but it just didn't work out for me.

Ok, that aside (you must be wondering why I even gave this drama a 10) - it's the amazing cast and the main storyline that worked out for me. It's hard to make a story moving, but it's even harder to make the audience laugh. Throughout the entire series, I was laughing and then crying and then doing both at the same time and my emotions were just a mess. Every character had their own character development, there were fairly good reasons behind their actions. I was so attached to every one of them (apart from Chu Gui Hong, but there's no denying that the actor playing him is stellar and is also a hottie), I had such a hard time bidding farewell. I was scrolling Douyin for days to catch up on their interactions, to watch their behind the scenes and just getting to know them. Even actors whom I had initial doubts for (e.g., Bambi and Liu Yu Ning), overturned my own unfavourable biased views of them in this drama. Actors whom I always liked (e.g., Li Yi Tong and Riley Wang), were accentuated by the roles that they played. And I also found underdog actors whom I look forward to seeing them again in another drama (the actors who played Ah Hu, Ah Long and Fu Gui - adorable ).

Although the story seemed insane and all over the place, there were times when side characters do pull us back to the lessons that the writer wants to tell us (and I love it, because it gives all these side characters a purpose in existing in the story). For example, when Fu Gui tries to convince Nan Heng that it didn't matter whether they were just characters in a story, as long as he is able to live the way he wants, he's satisfied. And it's the same for us living in this world, no? Song Yi Meng's character also taught us not to be clouded by our own judgment, every living being has a story and without knowing it, we should never set whatever we think we know of them in stone.

I love this drama and it'll be a drama that will be hard to beat for years to come. It's sad that this drama isn't a "proper" drama and probably wouldn't be considered for awards in year-end award shows. But even without the awards, I hope the entire cast and crew know that they have done such an outstanding job. From the costumes to the music and sound effects (I heard they spent a big portion of their budget on buying the copyrights for them), everything was flawless. It is no wonder that it is a drama that is so heavily discussed on social media platforms. It is a drama that offers you both a happy ending and a sad ending (if you stop watching at Ep 37) - it's like the childhood books that we read where we can determine where or how we want the ending to be.

I highly recommend this drama! You can watch and enjoy this drama however way you want - if you'd like to think and discuss about open-ended endings, this drama is for you. If you want a lighthearted and romantic story, this drama is for you. It is what you want it to be and I think that's what great about it! :)

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