Ifa

I watched Pull Strings on a whim. I knew practically nothing about it except that Ao Rui Peng was in it, which was enough reason for me to give it a try. I also heard that it was a comedy and that Ao Rui Peng seemed like he was barely acting because Chang Shou was basically himself. After watching it, I can confirm that the rumors were not entirely wrong. Pull Strings is a rather comical, unserious drama that happens to have a plot. It is not exactly a no-brainer because there is an actual story and some interesting ideas underneath all the silliness, but it is definitely a casual and easy watch.

The story follows Li Chang Shou, a 30-year-old terminally ill man who dies after falling from his hospital bed and getting hit by the comic books he was reading. He is then reborn as a cultivator inside Primordial Investiture of Deities and finds himself in the Primordial World. His goal in this new life is surprisingly simple: stay alive and stay out of trouble. With a prophecy warning of an impending calamity, Chang Shou decides to play the long game. He keeps a low profile, avoids unnecessary relationships, prepares himself constantly, and relies more on schemes and strategy than brute force. Of course, the universe has other plans. Before long, the man who only wanted to stay out of trouble ends up quietly pulling strings behind the scenes and becoming involved in a much bigger game of power, ambition, karma, and destiny.

The biggest charm of Pull Strings is undoubtedly its comedy. The drama leans heavily into slapstick, silliness, exaggeration, and outright absurdity. My personal taste leans more toward dark, deadpan, witty, and satirical humor, so I would not say I found myself laughing very often. Still, I found the drama entertaining for the most part. It was the kind of show that could be left on when I wanted something light and unserious.

That said, sometimes the comedy tries a little too hard. There were scenes where the joke was pushed so far that it stopped being funny and started pulling me out of the story. Some plot choices had the same problem. The whole vampire situation, for example, felt particularly random in a Primordial World setting. I could suspend my disbelief for a lot of things in this drama, but that one made me wonder where exactly the writers were trying to take me. Something like turning people into puppets or flies, especially considering the demon's abilities, would have felt more fitting to the world.

Ironically, what I found more amusing than the actual comedy was the clash between modern and ancient culture. Chang Shou being a modern person reborn in an ancient cultivation world gave the drama some of its most enjoyable moments. Watching him apply modern ideas in completely inappropriate historical circumstances was genuinely fun. He turns his shoe into something resembling Siri, makes a firefly-shaped phone out of hay straw, and finds all sorts of ways to bring modern concepts into the Primordial World. Those moments felt more naturally funny to me because the humor came from the situation rather than from the drama desperately trying to make a joke. Chang Shou really shines as a fish out of water.

Ao Rui Peng owned this role. Watching Chang Shou felt like watching Ao Rui Peng get dropped into a cultivation drama. His naturally goofy personality fits Chang Shou perfectly, and he manages both the comedic and emotional scenes well. He does not need to force the humor because his expressions and mannerisms already do much of the work.

What I particularly liked about Chang Shou in the beginning was the contradiction within his character. On the surface, he is this seemingly incompetent, overly cautious guy who is constantly trying to avoid trouble and karmic repercussions. Underneath that, however, he is constantly training, preparing, calculating, and making sure he has a backup plan for his backup plan. That combination of cowardice, caution, intelligence, and hidden competence made him surprisingly charming. He was not trying to become the strongest person in the room. He was trying not to die, and somehow ended up becoming one of the smartest and most capable people there. That duality was, to me, the most interesting part of his character.

Unfortunately, I started losing interest when romance and heavier responsibilities became more prominent. I understand that these things are part of Chang Shou's character development and are important to the overall plot, but they did not work particularly well for me. The romance felt distracting and somewhat out of place, especially because the drama had already established such an entertaining character dynamic without needing to lean so heavily into it. What started as a refreshing story about a man trying to survive through careful planning gradually began to feel like another "all in the name of love" story.

I also missed the goofy Chang Shou once the plot became more serious. As the stakes increased, he became increasingly serious and emotional, and that shift made him feel strangely distant. I think the drama could have preserved more of his original personality even during the heavier moments. He could still mourn, struggle, and take things seriously while handling the situation with the same goofy and ridiculous persona we saw earlier. In fact, I think that contrast would have made the emotional scenes even more effective.

The character I actually wanted to see more of was Zhao Gong Min, played by He Wen Jun. This man had one of the funniest comedy styles in the entire drama. His completely straight face while doing the most absurd things was hilarious. There was something about the sheer seriousness with which he approached ridiculous situations that landed much better for me than some of the more exaggerated comedy. Unfortunately, he did not appear nearly enough. Every time he showed up, I found myself wishing the drama would give him more to do.

As a Xianxia comedy, Pull Strings does at least have a proper story. There is a journey, there are conflicts, there are schemes, and there is a larger narrative moving forward. The plot was actually quite interesting in the beginning, and I liked how clear the direction felt. However, somewhere around the second half, the drama started losing me. There were simply too many things happening at once, and the increasing absurdity began competing with the actual story for my attention. It started feeling as though more effort was being put into making things funny than into keeping the narrative focused.

That eventually left me feeling bored, distracted, and detached. The story itself was still there, but there was so much noise surrounding it that I found it increasingly difficult to stay invested. The sudden increase in romantic elements did not help either. What initially felt like a clever and entertaining cultivation comedy gradually became a little too busy for its own good.

Visually, however, the drama is quite pleasant. The scenery is beautiful, and whatever combination of green screen, animation, and 3D rendering they used generally worked well. The environments looked convincing enough and the overall visual quality was good. The weaker point was some of the larger creatures and monsters. Those gigantic sea creatures on the beach, for example, looked noticeably more artificial. It was not exactly disappointing because this is a comedy drama and I was not expecting visual effects on the level of a big-budget fantasy film, but there is certainly room for improvement.

I also liked the costumes. The different characters have distinct colors and styles that reflect their personalities and affiliations, which makes them easier to remember. The OST and background music were similarly fitting. Nothing particularly blew me away, but the music complemented the overall mood of the drama well.

The ending, on the other hand, was a different story. There was simply a lot happening, and the delivery felt rather chaotic. Even having watched several Xianxia dramas, there were still parts of the ending that left me confused. For someone completely new to the genre, I imagine it could be even harder to follow. The ending also clearly leaves the door open for a second season, but rather than making me excited for what comes next, it mostly left me thinking, "Well, that happened."

Overall, Pull Strings was a casual watch for me. I went in with practically zero expectations and ended up with exactly the kind of unserious, goofy Xianxia comedy I was told it would be. I personally prefer darker and more subtle comedy, so the slapstick humor did not always land. To me, the drama was less laugh-out-loud funny and more absurd, silly, and chaotic in an entertaining way. If you want something light, goofy, absurd, and occasionally clever to take your mind off things, Pull Strings can do the job. It is not a drama I would call memorable, but it was certainly a decent way to lighten the mood.