belriann98

Comedy, Brotherhood, Romance, Bittersweet | Excellent Drama

I absolutely adore AJTL, from cinematography to acting and every detail in between. The meticulously choreographed fight scenes, and even the CGI, elevate the series as a whole. As someone who’s usually quite picky with C-dramas (honestly, they can be draggy and occasionally cringey), AJTL is a rare exception. I was completely engrossed in every episode, never once feeling the urge to skip a “boring” moment. That alone speaks volumes about its quality.

The onscreen chemistry between LSS and LYN is undeniable, and visually, they’re such a striking pair. I don’t understand why some people think LYN is unattractive or unworthy of acting alongside LSS. On the contrary, I find him to be the perfect match. His styling is impeccable, it complements his presence beautifully, and his fight scenes flow with a natural ease, free of awkwardness. AJTL has truly captured my heart. ♡

The cast as a whole is phenomenal, especially the LDT squad plus YY! Their dynamic is hilarious, and watching the princess grow from beginning to end is incredibly heartwarming. That said, I do wish we gotten more scenes with LTG and YY. I also can’t stop praising the LDT crew, they completely steal the spotlight, especially when they tease NYZ or YSS. Whenever they are together, it’s nonstop laughter, and I’ve grown so attached to them that the thought of them eventually parting ways genuinely hurts.

The final six episodes were especially difficult to watch, packed with sorrow and heartbreak. Some people argue that killing off so many main characters was unnecessary. Maybe yes, maybe no. But when you really look at it, the choices make sense. NYZ was already suffering from unstable inner force and fully understood the risks when he chose to return to An state to find YY and RRY. Once he's dead, it felt inevitable that RRY would follow, her happiness had always been tied to him.

As for QZ and SL, their deaths in battle were tragic but expected, given the overwhelming odds against Pan’s army. YL and YSS’s deaths may feel sudden to some viewers, but they’re entirely in line with their characters. YL’s poor health was emphasized throughout the story. After exhausting two horses, choosing to run without rest while knowing YSS was still fighting sealed his fate the moment he reached his destination. And YSS, he would never abandon his comrades, even if survival were possible with CY. It was long implied that if NYZ fell in battle, YSS would complete the mission and then follow him. That was the path they chose, to fight alongside NYZ and face whatever end awaited them. And that, ultimately, is the essence of AJTL.

However, the ending felt a bit strange to me. I still don’t understand why CY was the one who looked back instead of YY. YY spent far more time with the group, and the entire journey revolved around escorting her to save the king, so that choice just didn’t make sense to me.

Other than that, the drama is a solid 10/10.

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Only for Binzhu

The main leads’ performances were solid. HMH, as usual, never disappoints, his acting has always been reliable, and nailed his character perfectly. TSY is a great actress too, I loved her in FOY. However, in this series, their chemistry just wasn’t chemistry-ing for me, especially when compared to HMH and GLNZ in Glory.

Both actors did well, but the storyline was honestly one of the worst I've seen. I know many people may disagree, but I couldn’t get past ep 2 without heavy skipping, rolling my eyes and brain damage. There was no way I could sit through the entire series properly. XY’s character was incredibly immature, not the most likeable FL to begin with, but beyond that, she was just plain childish. I genuinely don’t understand where the strong female lead narrative came from.

And why did HY have to sacrifice himself after going through so much? That decision made zero sense. Killing off the supporting characters didn’t help either as they haven't get the chance to rewrite their story. The ending was utter nonsense. If the storyline had been well written and HY sacrificed himself for the greater good, maybe could have accepted it. But when the entire series was already weak, that sacrifice felt completely undeserved and frustrating.

The only thing that kept me coming back at all was BZ and PP. Without them, I would rate this drama 1/10...

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Frustrating romance. Top 3 most annoying villian

ADWAD started off very strong, and it’s a story within a story within another story. In a way, that actually makes sense, both worlds are fake. Even the FL and ML are just written characters, which is why it’s called a “script". They’re fictional, not part of the real world, so… why not? That's why a 10/10.

The storyline I gave it a 9/10. Lets see:

For SYM standpoint, it does make sense for the FL to be wary of the ML at first since man killed her and her family in the original script. She thinks she has the cheat codes, she knows she’s living inside a scripted world and knows exactly what events will lead to her and her family’s downfall. So naturally, she tries to prevent that. She avoids the main highlighted plot, but no matter what she does, she’s still forced to go through it. Because of that, she develops a strong prejudice against the ML. In her mind, everything is his fault, after all, in the “original” script, he was cunning, manipulative, and the one who killed her.

So she tries to figure out the rules of this world and find ways to escape them. From her POV, this is a script world, not the real world she came from. That’s why her attempts to kill NH during the first half of the show are understandable. However, her continued distrust of NH lasted for 30 eps just because she knows the original plot becomes frustrating. Even when NH explains his past, the people around him still choose to blame him without trying to understand what actually happened. At that point, it’s like...girl, you are from the modern world, did your IQ suddenly drop?

That said, LYT acted really well. Even though the FL seriously got on my nerves after around 20 ep, LYT’s crying scene when NH got stabbed during the wedding and later died, absolutely broke me. I cried so hard.

LYN, as usual, was amazing. I love him so much. His performance was powerful. He might not have the most conventional visuals, but his aura is insane, you can literally feel it through the screen. Especially when he plays LSL. His micro-expressions are incredible; you can see so many emotions flicker through his eyes.

Now, why is this romance so frustrating? Sure, there are heart-fluttering moments. The scenes between LSL and SYM had me screaming. But SYM only truly understands who LSL is after 31 ep. Only then do both leads finally work together to overcome the script. Like… wow, that took so damn long my hair turned white.

And then there is this CGH. He’s just obsessed with blaming NH. Urghh please use your brain. Why is everything NH’s fault? I can understand the FL thinking that way since she was killed by him in the original script but CGH??? First, he believes a literal child caused his aunt’s death. Then when NH doesn’t send reinforcements and he never bothers to find out the real reason, yet still blames NH for his soldiers’ deaths. Did he ever investigate before pointing fingers? No. He’s not the smartest villain, but he’s definitely the most annoying. That said, the actor portrayed him really well, I hated CGH with a passion. His ending was frustrating too, he should’ve died more miserably.

Overall, this drama is very different from others. If the FL had shown clearer character development, realising that not everything is exactly how she initially thought, this would’ve been a solid 10/10. Unfortunately, many viewers dropped the drama early or midway because they couldn’t see past the initial frustration.

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Iconic chemistry between LYX and HMH

The chemistry between LYX and HMH is absolutely insane, beautiful, intense, and unforgettable. I love them so much that even now, I still can’t get over it. I need them to pair up again. This isn’t my first HMH drama, I started with FOF, and while his character there was insanely handsome, somehow his aura and visuals are even better here. I don’t know what it is, but LYX has this power to elevate her male leads’ presence. I didn’t feel the same chemistry when watching Glory or TUS.

Both of them absolutely nailed their characters. Their emotions, actions, and inner conflicts were portrayed perfectly, and their crying scenes were especially heartbreaking and sincere. Their scheming personalities matched each other so well. Honestly, the reason I’m giving this drama a 10/10 overall is because of them.

That said, the storyline itself was frustrating. It started off strong, with both leads using each other to achieve their goals, which was interesting. But the constant deception and second lead became exhausting. MY had so many chances to open her heart and tell JBZ that she was actually MX and needed the antidote. I’m sure JBZ would’ve given it to her willingly. However, that’s not the real reason I rated the storyline 7/10. I can still understand MY’s hesitation, she knew JBZ would help her, but she didn’t want him to go against his master’s orders. She didn’t want him to become someone who betrays his master, and from her POV, that makes sense.

The truly frustrating part was SL. He was annoying, obsessive, and honestly unbearable. I wanted to drop the drama so many times, but I stayed purely for LYX and HMH. The number of times I wanted to punch him through the screen is uncountable. This story did not need a third wheel. I genuinely don’t understand why his character existed. His transition from a “lost puppy” to someone evil felt unnecessary and poorly justified. I don’t see a valid reason for him turning evil, was it possessiveness? Obsession? I don’t even know what the screenwriter was trying to do here.

We don’t need a third wheel to amplify the main leads’ relationship. He couldn’t even see FY right in front of him. The number of times I wanted to scream at him to look at FY, poor girl. I couldn’t empathise with him at all. I’ve seen many comments defending SL, but honestly… no. Yes, MY saved him when he was young and became his light but is that love? He grew up believing MX was a guy, and then suddenly he sees MY again and thinks, oh my god, I love her! That was just weird. What he felt wasn’t love, it was gratitude mixed with obsession. He wanted to repay her and believed that saving her would make her look at him. That’s not how love works. And even if that logic did work, then isn’t FY doing the same thing?

That said, YCE did portray SL very well, it’s just a shame the character itself was so badly written.

On a lighter note, the princess and YX storyline was adorable. I love them so much. The princess’s growth was genuinely touching. If the drama had focused less on SL’s obsession and more on the princess’s journey, it would have been so much better.

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Perfect cast | music | plot

I came across the TTCBZ manhua first, then moved on to the novel when the manhua was still incomplete. After finishing the novel, I discovered that the author had written a separate story for SY, which led me to start reading NH. I completely fell in love with it, more deeply than with TTCBZ. From there, I followed the manhua adaptation as it began, and when HL drama was announced, I couldn’t help but hope that NH would get its own drama adaptation as well.

When the casting for SY was first revealed to be VM, I was honestly a bit skeptical. (I’ve actually been a VM fan since before HL aired.) At first, I couldn’t picture him in NH at all and felt somewhat disappointed, even though in the drama, he perfectly embodied SZ’s annoying older brother. I still couldn’t imagine VM as NH’s SY. Until BJT was confirmed as FF's SY. I was genuinely thankful then.

Both the main leads perfectly captured SY and WYF. I honestly don’t care what others say, BJT is perfect for this role and always will be. And HL’s SY belongs to VM. I simply can’t imagine BJT as the loud, annoying older brother. But in FF, SY feels tailor made for BJT, he is SY.

As for the supporting characters, ZSQ didn’t have much presence in the novel, but I liked her because she always supported WYF. In this adaptation, though, she comes off a bit annoying, even if her intentions are good. The romance between the two supporting leads didn’t exist in the novel, so I’m honestly conflicted about it. The drama focuses on their relationship a little too much, and I don’t think it really helps the main plot.

That said, ZRN’s performance truly stood out to me. This is my first time watching both her and BJT, and her crying scenes felt incredibly natural. Her portrayal of WYF went far beyond how I had imagined the character, I cried so much. BJT also did an amazing job. He absolutely owns the color black! Seriously, how can someone look that handsome? Total boyfriend material. The way he portrayed SY was phenomenal, his calmness, his longing for WYF to turn back and look at him, and his endless patience were all portrayed so beautifully. He understands what WYF is afraid of and is willing to wait for her to open up at her own pace, and I loved that. Their chemistry is incredible.

This is my favorite novel, and I have to say, the drama is even better (minus the second leads popping up every other minute). A solid 10/10.

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