I saw a clip of Leo dressed in black with one side of his face covered with a mask. Is it Fight break sphere or another drama/movie? Also, there is a clip of him with xianxia get up and silver/white hair. Where is it from?
Oh is he gonna be a part of this too? I thought he was finalized as the ML of Wang Quan. So this is gonna be cameo since all the three stories are connected?
To be quite honest Wu Lei maybe "young" like other actors, but he is older as far as experience in the industry,…
Thanks a lot for the list. I saw some people getting worked up as there is only one drama in his upcoming dramas list. No need to worry. He has been in the industry for so long, he knows what's best for him. He is probably very selective about his projects.
Epis 35-40. Wow, these episodes are so good. All the scenes between CSS and LBY are beautiful and so well enacted by both. The tight hug followed by self-defense lesson ( I am just being polite here, I have another word for it lol), LBY punishment scene followed by CSS confession, the bedroom kiss...all these scenes are so, so beautiful. The chemistry is really amazing and and the story is getting more and more interesting. I must applause director Fei here, he ain't getting praised for nothing.
Some of the earlier epis of part 2 weren't so good but at this point I have nothing to complain about. I am enjoying it.
Just as I expected, the crown princess turned out to be evil and manipulative. But I loved the mystery solving by duo. I am glad to see YSJ and CSS but I wish the drama utilized him more. But, but, but...while, CSS, Emperor, Empress all thought LBY just punished those officials out of anger and revenge for CSS, LBY had a hidden agenda behind it. Hmm. CSS mom now misses her daughter...wow lady, just wow. You didn't value your daughter when she was right beside you and now you're jealous that she's getting along better with the Empress!
I am back with my full review of the drama. I can discuss episodes at length but I don’t know why I find it so hard to write final reviews, which is why I took so much time. Anyway, I am still gonna try.
What I liked Actors/Charecters: I just loved the story about Changge’s journey and overall message it carried. It was one of positivity and hope. This is to me a coming of age story of a young girl who after losing everything is solely motivated by her impulse of revenge, but eventually learns that this path only leads to pain and destruction and later finds her true path and happiness.
Reba as Changge – What I loved about Changge was that not only was smart and skilful and driven by her need for revenge, she was still kind and compassionate. She was not someone portrayed as perfect despite her many talents. She was impulsive and that sometimes lead to her making mistakes. But she learns and grows and eventually blossoms into an even stronger, resolute woman. Reba was amazing as Changge. She has the charisma, talent and screen presence to portray such a character. She was especially brilliant during the Shouzhou track (ep 12-14). I have written about those parts before.
Wu Lei as Asun – Ashile Sun and WL’s portrayal of Asun was a standout in this show for me. Asun is a rare gem in the sea of male leads for whether it is historical or modern drama. It is such a well written and well enacted character. He is strong and assertive and yet always supportive of Changge. He sees Changge as his equal and is basically a man ahead of his times. After watching the drama, I have to say that Wu Lei’s portrayal of Asun is actually very much underrated. He played the role with gravitas and subtlety, both of which was very much needed for this role and he was absolutely brilliant in certain parts, ep 23-25 and in the last few episodes he gave a wonderfully restrained performance. The aura he exuded whenever he put on that armor, particularly during the Shouzhou battle is quite indescribably breathtaking. Despite being so young, he was able to give a very mature performance.
Lusi as Leyan – Oh she was wonderful. I’ll be honest it was little hard watching Leyan’s scenes in the first part because poor girl, she was stuck in such a painful situation and sometimes it felt like her misery would not end but nevertheless Lusi played the role beautifully and her transition from the naïve, weak girl into a strong woman was done really well.
LYN as Hao Du – In the first half he is shown as someone who is rather unfeeling and blindly follows order but of course, his character evolves too and he gave a really good performance. Alen as Wei Shuyu – His is probably not a popular character but I feel despite being such a confused character for the most part, Alen’s performance made him likeable.
Geng Le as the Emperor was really good. I have liked his acting in other drama too, always gives a solid performance. The actor playing Khan was good and Wa er as Sher was really good towards the end. I liked most of the supporting cast too.
Romance: It was a slowburn romance and despite Asun and Changge’s romance taking a back seat in later parts of the drama, I loved their chemistry and the relationship very much. They were on equal footing right from the very beginning and portrayed a very healthy relationship. In the beginning and middle parts, they gave me many heart fluttering moments. In fact, I watched all of their scenes many times. I have to add that Reba and Leo actually looked gorgeous together and I couldn’t feel their age gap in real life at all.
Hao Du and Leyan, although they get together much later, had a very sweet relationship too. I liked their chemistry as well.
OST Beautiful. Loved it.
The cinematography was good; costumes were good, and especially Asun’s tribal outfits. I also loved the depiction of different cultures.
What I didn't like This drama has one episode missing. That’s how I felt after watching the ending. I have no doubt Asun and Changge are together in the end and I don’t understand why people got confused with that part but I felt the final episode was really rushed. So many things were happening in the last epi, and we were told what was happening but we weren’t actually shown what was happening. I really didn’t like the animated parts, excepts for a few times like the flashbacks or during Shouzhou where it was a mix of animation to live action, it looked especially silly when they had real actors in front of the animation. This lessened the impact of certain parts.
I didn’t like actress who played Khatun. Her performance was very one-note. I think the character needed another actress who could show more range. For some reason I didn’t like Mimi Guli either. Lastly, the parrots; I have no issues that there are no actual kissing but that was just distracting. I should probably dedicate another post for the parrots or rather the director who decided to include the parrots.
Brownie Points
Like I said, I am giving this a 10 because it got some brownie points from me. Firstly, I loved how this drama portrayed two healthy relationships (not one but two), had strong female characters, had progressive male characters who were very supportive of their partners, portrayed beautiful friendships. And thankfully, it didn’t make me cry buckets in the end. Yes, there were moments in the drama that were complete tear fests, but in the finale we were spared and most of the beloved characters made it in the end. It was a proper happy ending.
It was a really great drama and I would certainly rewatch it after sometime which I rarely do.
Just when I was getting really frustrated with the drama, the drama throws two good episodes at me. I suppose…
Ep 33. So this is the epi where that famous 'LBY carries CSS with one arm' scene happens..and his carriage doesn't have a footstool so that he can always carry her? Lol. That's LBY for you.
Why I loved this epi? Primarily because of the convo between the girls and last scene where CSS and LBY make up. But I will get to that part later. First, I am getting really suspicious of the crown princess and I strongly feel LBY doesn't trust her either. She is definitely more than what meets the eye. Shaoshang doesn't yet understand the gravity of certain situations, The tiger seal is a serious matter...and the crown princess manipulated her into making a fake one. It was interesting how LBY resolved the matter the by replacing the real one with the Huo family's one.
I am glad Qiqi and Yang Yang are back. I really loved the conversation the three girls had regarding marriage and love. CSS is still figuring out her feelings and it was really sweet and heartwarming to see three young girls belonging to a different time share their thoughts and apprehensions regarding love and marriage. And how drastically different their POVs are. I could feel all their doubts, realizations and their individual experiences of falling in love for the first time. It is precisely these kind of moments in the drama that tugs at my heartstrings even if there are moments when I just want to pull my hair out. I think I've already said how good Lusi is in this role.
With some help from the two girls CSS figures out feelings and is ready to make up. LBY is ready to make to up too. Yes, they are very different people with their individual thoughts and ideas but both CSS and LBY are willing to meet each other halfway. One can see that LBY is really trying his best. He is also worried whether CSS feels pressured to make up with him or she's doing it because she wants too.
One other thing, Qiqi and Song are already sort of engaged! Even though they are supporting characters, I wish the drama had actually shown us what was going on with them. It just felt a little abrupt.
Ep 34. Best epi so far. It's full of fun and savagery and some sweetness (kiss). I loved it and this is that epi that I am going to rewatch many times. It was just wild. Might I add, LBY looks amazing in red!! Glad to see Yuan Shanjian back. I missed him and his fan. I love, love, love Consort Yue. She is just so badass and cool and always ready to put everyone in their place and she is totally fair about everyone and everything. CSS actually has two MILs (besides Madam Huo) according to the two different sides of her character. The Empress is the kind, caring mother figure she lacked her whole her life, with whom she can share her feelings with. But when her own badass side needs backing, Consort Yue is there. Also, I love how she stands for LBY's mom despite their rivalry is their younger years and it is evident that LBY also respects her for that. Besides LBY and CSS, Consort Yue is my favourite here. It was so satisfying to watch CSS, Consort Yue and Emperor put Madam Chunyu and Princess Ruyang in their place.
Just when I was getting really frustrated with the drama, the drama throws two good episodes at me. I suppose that's a good thing because I really, really want to watch this. My thoughts on epis 33 and 34. I am putting the rest in spoilers...coz well, it contains spoilers.
1 
Some of the earlier epis of part 2 weren't so good but at this point I have nothing to complain about. I am enjoying it.
Just as I expected, the crown princess turned out to be evil and manipulative. But I loved the mystery solving by duo. I am glad to see YSJ and CSS but I wish the drama utilized him more. But, but, but...while, CSS, Emperor, Empress all thought LBY just punished those officials out of anger and revenge for CSS, LBY had a hidden agenda behind it. Hmm. CSS mom now misses her daughter...wow lady, just wow. You didn't value your daughter when she was right beside you and now you're jealous that she's getting along better with the Empress!
What I liked
Actors/Charecters:
I just loved the story about Changge’s journey and overall message it carried. It was one of positivity and hope. This is to me a coming of age story of a young girl who after losing everything is solely motivated by her impulse of revenge, but eventually learns that this path only leads to pain and destruction and later finds her true path and happiness.
Reba as Changge – What I loved about Changge was that not only was smart and skilful and driven by her need for revenge, she was still kind and compassionate. She was not someone portrayed as perfect despite her many talents. She was impulsive and that sometimes lead to her making mistakes. But she learns and grows and eventually blossoms into an even stronger, resolute woman. Reba was amazing as Changge. She has the charisma, talent and screen presence to portray such a character. She was especially brilliant during the Shouzhou track (ep 12-14). I have written about those parts before.
Wu Lei as Asun – Ashile Sun and WL’s portrayal of Asun was a standout in this show for me. Asun is a rare gem in the sea of male leads for whether it is historical or modern drama. It is such a well written and well enacted character. He is strong and assertive and yet always supportive of Changge. He sees Changge as his equal and is basically a man ahead of his times. After watching the drama, I have to say that Wu Lei’s portrayal of Asun is actually very much underrated. He played the role with gravitas and subtlety, both of which was very much needed for this role and he was absolutely brilliant in certain parts, ep 23-25 and in the last few episodes he gave a wonderfully restrained performance. The aura he exuded whenever he put on that armor, particularly during the Shouzhou battle is quite indescribably breathtaking. Despite being so young, he was able to give a very mature performance.
Lusi as Leyan – Oh she was wonderful. I’ll be honest it was little hard watching Leyan’s scenes in the first part because poor girl, she was stuck in such a painful situation and sometimes it felt like her misery would not end but nevertheless Lusi played the role beautifully and her transition from the naïve, weak girl into a strong woman was done really well.
LYN as Hao Du – In the first half he is shown as someone who is rather unfeeling and blindly follows order but of course, his character evolves too and he gave a really good performance.
Alen as Wei Shuyu – His is probably not a popular character but I feel despite being such a confused character for the most part, Alen’s performance made him likeable.
Geng Le as the Emperor was really good. I have liked his acting in other drama too, always gives a solid performance. The actor playing Khan was good and Wa er as Sher was really good towards the end. I liked most of the supporting cast too.
Romance:
It was a slowburn romance and despite Asun and Changge’s romance taking a back seat in later parts of the drama, I loved their chemistry and the relationship very much. They were on equal footing right from the very beginning and portrayed a very healthy relationship. In the beginning and middle parts, they gave me many heart fluttering moments. In fact, I watched all of their scenes many times. I have to add that Reba and Leo actually looked gorgeous together and I couldn’t feel their age gap in real life at all.
Hao Du and Leyan, although they get together much later, had a very sweet relationship too. I liked their chemistry as well.
OST
Beautiful. Loved it.
The cinematography was good; costumes were good, and especially Asun’s tribal outfits. I also loved the depiction of different cultures.
What I didn't like
This drama has one episode missing. That’s how I felt after watching the ending. I have no doubt Asun and Changge are together in the end and I don’t understand why people got confused with that part but I felt the final episode was really rushed. So many things were happening in the last epi, and we were told what was happening but we weren’t actually shown what was happening. I really didn’t like the animated parts, excepts for a few times like the flashbacks or during Shouzhou where it was a mix of animation to live action, it looked especially silly when they had real actors in front of the animation. This lessened the impact of certain parts.
I didn’t like actress who played Khatun. Her performance was very one-note. I think the character needed another actress who could show more range. For some reason I didn’t like Mimi Guli either. Lastly, the parrots; I have no issues that there are no actual kissing but that was just distracting. I should probably dedicate another post for the parrots or rather the director who decided to include the parrots.
Brownie Points
Like I said, I am giving this a 10 because it got some brownie points from me. Firstly, I loved how this drama portrayed two healthy relationships (not one but two), had strong female characters, had progressive male characters who were very supportive of their partners, portrayed beautiful friendships. And thankfully, it didn’t make me cry buckets in the end. Yes, there were moments in the drama that were complete tear fests, but in the finale we were spared and most of the beloved characters made it in the end. It was a proper happy ending.
It was a really great drama and I would certainly rewatch it after sometime which I rarely do.
So this is the epi where that famous 'LBY carries CSS with one arm' scene happens..and his carriage doesn't have a footstool so that he can always carry her? Lol. That's LBY for you.
Why I loved this epi? Primarily because of the convo between the girls and last scene where CSS and LBY make up. But I will get to that part later. First, I am getting really suspicious of the crown princess and I strongly feel LBY doesn't trust her either. She is definitely more than what meets the eye. Shaoshang doesn't yet understand the gravity of certain situations, The tiger seal is a serious matter...and the crown princess manipulated her into making a fake one. It was interesting how LBY resolved the matter the by replacing the real one with the Huo family's one.
I am glad Qiqi and Yang Yang are back. I really loved the conversation the three girls had regarding marriage and love. CSS is still figuring out her feelings and it was really sweet and heartwarming to see three young girls belonging to a different time share their thoughts and apprehensions regarding love and marriage. And how drastically different their POVs are. I could feel all their doubts, realizations and their individual experiences of falling in love for the first time. It is precisely these kind of moments in the drama that tugs at my heartstrings even if there are moments when I just want to pull my hair out. I think I've already said how good Lusi is in this role.
With some help from the two girls CSS figures out feelings and is ready to make up. LBY is ready to make to up too. Yes, they are very different people with their individual thoughts and ideas but both CSS and LBY are willing to meet each other halfway. One can see that LBY is really trying his best. He is also worried whether CSS feels pressured to make up with him or she's doing it because she wants too.
One other thing, Qiqi and Song are already sort of engaged! Even though they are supporting characters, I wish the drama had actually shown us what was going on with them. It just felt a little abrupt.
Ep 34.
Best epi so far. It's full of fun and savagery and some sweetness (kiss). I loved it and this is that epi that I am going to rewatch many times. It was just wild. Might I add, LBY looks amazing in red!! Glad to see Yuan Shanjian back. I missed him and his fan. I love, love, love Consort Yue. She is just so badass and cool and always ready to put everyone in their place and she is totally fair about everyone and everything. CSS actually has two MILs (besides Madam Huo) according to the two different sides of her character. The Empress is the kind, caring mother figure she lacked her whole her life, with whom she can share her feelings with. But when her own badass side needs backing, Consort Yue is there. Also, I love how she stands for LBY's mom despite their rivalry is their younger years and it is evident that LBY also respects her for that. Besides LBY and CSS, Consort Yue is my favourite here. It was so satisfying to watch CSS, Consort Yue and Emperor put Madam Chunyu and Princess Ruyang in their place.