This review may contain spoilers
Interesting plot with sub-optimal execution.
Overall:
Apparently this is controversial compared to existing reviews, but this drama is only worth 6-6.5/10, in my opinion. Whilst the plot pulls you in at first, it becomes dull extremely quickly, and only pulls you back in for the ending. Truly a loss. Furthermore, quite a few characters are unlikeable – especially Xin Mei which is an issue considering the amount of screen time she is given. However, Lu Qianqiao is an interesting and easy-to-root-for character who holds much more depth than XM. He has an interesting backstory which fuels his ironclad resolve to 'fit in', somewhere or another, through whatever means possible. This motive makes it easy to follow his intentions, and even easier for the audience to reel themselves in and root for him. While his backstory is described, it wouldn't hurt to have focused more on him instead of XM. If such was possible, the rating could be much higher as the plot does hold potential.
Story/Characters:
At the start of the drama, this plot is quite intriguing and motivates you continue watching, but that only lasts until Xin Mei's revenge arc for Lu Huai ends, with the beginning of her amnesia. The revenge is refreshing and really sets expectations for what Xin Mei's character is like: stubborn in her own morals. It is especially compelling considering her introductory 'detached' character which only seeks to marry a death-row prisoner. As she goes on a killing rampage, the audience feels a need to root for her to clear out these corrupt officials who wrongfully accused an innocent man to death by a thousand cuts. But that's about as much as her character goes. With the start of her amnesia, she grows to become a dull, stubborn, selfish, and self-righteous character who centres the entire world around herself. Bold claim, perhaps, but when she is blinded by her confidence and stubborn morals, she becomes unlikeable. From injuring Lu Qingqiao because she found out about his identity as a War Ghost to lecturing the sect disciples about good v. evil, she somehow has this unwavering confidence that she is always correct, therefore others must listen to her. It is exactly this unwillingness to consider the perspectives of others that makes her unlikeable.
Lu Qianqiao is an interesting character. He seeks to become human because he wishes to fit in somewhere, after living his entire life as neither this, nor that. It is exactly through this that we can understand his character and what is to be expected from him. His mother and father were spies from opposing forces who came together to create LQQ, meaning the fragmentation of his identity is inevitable. He is constantly forced to choose one side, yet he cannot, because he cannot belong entirely to one. Thus, he begins on his quest to truly become a human – it is this motivation that makes the audience want to root for him, becoming interested in the plot. What a pity that the drama decided to (arguably) give more time to XM instead, although even that was poorly-executed.
While this is disputed, I enjoyed A Sheng's character. Whilst she was not likeable, you could understand why she acted as she did, thanks to her entire backstory. This, in clear contrast to Xin Mei who has no explicit backstory aside from a couple lines about her being the only one left in her family, makes it easier to gravitate towards A Sheng. A pitiful child yet cunning child who turns the tables. Even as part of the main character group, she commits her own evils, especially towards Jin Lun, showing that she is not perfect nor does she have to be. She grew up in an environment where you either kill or get killed, so it's no wonder she's so heartless. Again, this ruthlessness and imperfection makes her character interesting. Not good, but interesting.
Overall, the plot has potential. I don't expect much depth nor nuance from idol-dramas, so this plot did exceed my expectations. The introduction of various determinants of good v. evil have the audience unsure about whose side to take. An ally today may become an enemy tomorrow, and vice versa. A clear contrast between the beginning, where the sect disciples are hunting down our main character group, and the final fight, where the sect disciples have allied with the main character group to retaliate against the final evil, the sect leader. It is impossible to fully determine what is good and what is evil, and this plot manages to touch upon that grey area. So much better than a plot where the villain is clear from episode 1, and they are evil for the sake of being evil. However, the middle of the drama drags on and the pacing is a bit odd, making them feel like filler episodes instead of actual plot. Scenes which could have progressed much faster are filled with the characters conversing, even when arguing during action/battle scenes.
Acting:
To start off with the male lead, Ren Jialun as Lu Qianqiao, his acting was fitting for this drama. He is able to accurately create the gradual change from War Ghost to human, as LQQ slowly begins to acquire a more humane understanding of the world. Whether its his childlike wonder for food, or his curiosity about the human experience, the subtleness is there and well-executed, making his character interesting. His range of emotions is the best part about his acting because he doesn't use the same expression or face for sadness, happiness, anger, fury, disappointment, disgust, etc., and actually creates some nuance. To be human is to feel multiple feelings at once, and he portrays that. While this may be the entry-mark to acting, to do so well is difficult, and the bar is considerably low nowadays.
Wang Herun as Xin Mei has absolutely no appeal. I am unsure whether this is a result of her poor acting, XM's confusing character, or both. When I watched the first episode, I had to double check who the female lead was as I felt absolutely no interest towards her; she simply felt like a guest character, no main character sentiments at all. The only time I was even vaguely compelled to focus was the shift from detachment to absolute fury XM faced when Lu Huai was unjustly killed. Such contrast created an actual incentive for me to focus on the story as we watched her unleash her wrath. However, even throughout that storyline, the actress was still lacking that final fit of rage. This feeling of lacking something continues with the rest of the drama, because it seems that she has three expressions: happy when she's with LQQ, sad when something happens, and an inexplicable overconfidence when she is lecturing others.
Apparently this is controversial compared to existing reviews, but this drama is only worth 6-6.5/10, in my opinion. Whilst the plot pulls you in at first, it becomes dull extremely quickly, and only pulls you back in for the ending. Truly a loss. Furthermore, quite a few characters are unlikeable – especially Xin Mei which is an issue considering the amount of screen time she is given. However, Lu Qianqiao is an interesting and easy-to-root-for character who holds much more depth than XM. He has an interesting backstory which fuels his ironclad resolve to 'fit in', somewhere or another, through whatever means possible. This motive makes it easy to follow his intentions, and even easier for the audience to reel themselves in and root for him. While his backstory is described, it wouldn't hurt to have focused more on him instead of XM. If such was possible, the rating could be much higher as the plot does hold potential.
Story/Characters:
At the start of the drama, this plot is quite intriguing and motivates you continue watching, but that only lasts until Xin Mei's revenge arc for Lu Huai ends, with the beginning of her amnesia. The revenge is refreshing and really sets expectations for what Xin Mei's character is like: stubborn in her own morals. It is especially compelling considering her introductory 'detached' character which only seeks to marry a death-row prisoner. As she goes on a killing rampage, the audience feels a need to root for her to clear out these corrupt officials who wrongfully accused an innocent man to death by a thousand cuts. But that's about as much as her character goes. With the start of her amnesia, she grows to become a dull, stubborn, selfish, and self-righteous character who centres the entire world around herself. Bold claim, perhaps, but when she is blinded by her confidence and stubborn morals, she becomes unlikeable. From injuring Lu Qingqiao because she found out about his identity as a War Ghost to lecturing the sect disciples about good v. evil, she somehow has this unwavering confidence that she is always correct, therefore others must listen to her. It is exactly this unwillingness to consider the perspectives of others that makes her unlikeable.
Lu Qianqiao is an interesting character. He seeks to become human because he wishes to fit in somewhere, after living his entire life as neither this, nor that. It is exactly through this that we can understand his character and what is to be expected from him. His mother and father were spies from opposing forces who came together to create LQQ, meaning the fragmentation of his identity is inevitable. He is constantly forced to choose one side, yet he cannot, because he cannot belong entirely to one. Thus, he begins on his quest to truly become a human – it is this motivation that makes the audience want to root for him, becoming interested in the plot. What a pity that the drama decided to (arguably) give more time to XM instead, although even that was poorly-executed.
While this is disputed, I enjoyed A Sheng's character. Whilst she was not likeable, you could understand why she acted as she did, thanks to her entire backstory. This, in clear contrast to Xin Mei who has no explicit backstory aside from a couple lines about her being the only one left in her family, makes it easier to gravitate towards A Sheng. A pitiful child yet cunning child who turns the tables. Even as part of the main character group, she commits her own evils, especially towards Jin Lun, showing that she is not perfect nor does she have to be. She grew up in an environment where you either kill or get killed, so it's no wonder she's so heartless. Again, this ruthlessness and imperfection makes her character interesting. Not good, but interesting.
Overall, the plot has potential. I don't expect much depth nor nuance from idol-dramas, so this plot did exceed my expectations. The introduction of various determinants of good v. evil have the audience unsure about whose side to take. An ally today may become an enemy tomorrow, and vice versa. A clear contrast between the beginning, where the sect disciples are hunting down our main character group, and the final fight, where the sect disciples have allied with the main character group to retaliate against the final evil, the sect leader. It is impossible to fully determine what is good and what is evil, and this plot manages to touch upon that grey area. So much better than a plot where the villain is clear from episode 1, and they are evil for the sake of being evil. However, the middle of the drama drags on and the pacing is a bit odd, making them feel like filler episodes instead of actual plot. Scenes which could have progressed much faster are filled with the characters conversing, even when arguing during action/battle scenes.
Acting:
To start off with the male lead, Ren Jialun as Lu Qianqiao, his acting was fitting for this drama. He is able to accurately create the gradual change from War Ghost to human, as LQQ slowly begins to acquire a more humane understanding of the world. Whether its his childlike wonder for food, or his curiosity about the human experience, the subtleness is there and well-executed, making his character interesting. His range of emotions is the best part about his acting because he doesn't use the same expression or face for sadness, happiness, anger, fury, disappointment, disgust, etc., and actually creates some nuance. To be human is to feel multiple feelings at once, and he portrays that. While this may be the entry-mark to acting, to do so well is difficult, and the bar is considerably low nowadays.
Wang Herun as Xin Mei has absolutely no appeal. I am unsure whether this is a result of her poor acting, XM's confusing character, or both. When I watched the first episode, I had to double check who the female lead was as I felt absolutely no interest towards her; she simply felt like a guest character, no main character sentiments at all. The only time I was even vaguely compelled to focus was the shift from detachment to absolute fury XM faced when Lu Huai was unjustly killed. Such contrast created an actual incentive for me to focus on the story as we watched her unleash her wrath. However, even throughout that storyline, the actress was still lacking that final fit of rage. This feeling of lacking something continues with the rest of the drama, because it seems that she has three expressions: happy when she's with LQQ, sad when something happens, and an inexplicable overconfidence when she is lecturing others.
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