This review may contain spoilers
Idk why it has to be so painful
It's a love story about sacrifices, learning, sharing and most annoyingly, MISUNDERSTANDINGS.
Personal favourite lines:
“如今我拿走你的邪骨，还你一条仙髓，你不会再成为魔神了。”
“我是第一次做人丈夫，不懂得如何去爱一个人，这么久以来，也没为你做过什么，等我开始懂了，你却什么都不想要了。”
“如果有的选，我真的好希望可以和你永远待在那片竹林茅舍里，就这样平淡地度过一生。”
“是你彻底改变了我，我学会了喜欢、期盼、酸楚还有许许多多的美好。”
“我曾经想保护你，却把你骗得团团转。我曾经想拯救你， 却把六枚灭魂钉打进你的心口。我曾经想跟你相守一生， 白头到老， 如今也无法老去了。我没想到，我的存在 生来便是为了你的死去。” “没关系。苏苏，我这一辈子好辛苦 就由你来帮我结束。”
What I enjoyed:
• Acting: Luo Yun Xi's acting is solid here, with sufficient microexpressions but not overboard to communicate his character. This is not easy as the character is a... very complicated one with multiple facets to him. I also enjoyed Chen Du Ling's acting here... as much as I would like to not admit that LOL because of how annoying her character is but I guess she really brought her character to life?! Just, UGH though.
• Story progression: Kinda, as they do round up the story to avoid any big loopholes.
• Casting: I guess Luo Yun Xi really fit his role as a 病怏怏 sickly ML cuz of how he was being treated so he's like supposed to be really malnourished??? Bai Lu is also really cute in her role as someone innocent who taught the ML emotions, in contrast to the cold and emotionless ML.
• Love story between the ML and FL: When things are cute, it is very cute and I would very much want things to stay that way infinitely :) Luo Yun Xi and Bai Lu's chemistry with one another is cutee.
• Really pretty names: I really like how they're written in Chinese, feels very poetic. My favourites are 冥夜 (Ming Ye), 澹台烬 (Tan Tai Jin), 叶夕雾 (Ye Xi Wu), 桑酒 (Sang Jiu), 翩然 (Pian Ran).
• Characters: I love 冥夜 and 澹台烬 - while I can't understand 100% of the time, I feel so pained for Tan Tai Jin :( (Just not super into him killing whenever he's triggered but I guess that's the character ahh) Also I love 护妻狂魔 MLs hahahaha (literal translation is "Wife Protector" I guess? Someone who really dotes on their wife and prioritises them on top of everything else ya know)
• Good OSTs: Not the best but enjoyable, I am biased towards OSTs by 刘宇宁 - all the songs he's been doing for all these period dramas they're all so good AHHHHH.
Parts I am (kinda/very) annoyed about:
• Acting: Not hating but I wish Bai Lu had differentiated more between the different characters she portray? They felt like the same person to me, from Sang Jiu to Li Su Su to Ye Xi Wu (except for the bad Ye Xi Wu before Su Su travelled back in time)
• MISUNDERSTANDINGS: EXPECT LIKE 10,000 MISUNDERSTANDINGS BETWEEN THE ML AND FL. Like omg. I can't. I was on the verge of dropping the drama around 26 episodes in I was SO ANNOYED OMG. If it's just misunderstandings it's ok, but it's the number of zero development between the ML and FL. I don't get it, they were doing ok with sweet scenes then bam 1 misunderstanding then it's all about killing each other > that and repeat another 10 times and that's the entire drama. I felt SO DRAINED IT'S SUPER TOXIC. Ok I really tried to put myself in the FL's shoes and I understand why she reacted certain way it's perfectly understandable from all the traumas she went through but it's just really annoying to the viewers it felt like zero progression between the leads, the trust between them crumbles so easily it's weaker than my CNY love letter cookies man. Around episode 20-30 I really wanted to slap the drama upside down and I would, if I could physically do it. That said, the portrayal of the ML character by Luo Yun Xi is so good that he basically hard carry the emotions for me not to drop.
• Story: Idk, I've watched many dramas with similar stories - demon lord ML with saviour FL, 剧本杀 (uh like roleplaying in another story?), multiple timelines - so it's not something new to me (BUT NOT A MINUS POINT- cuz it could be just me who doesn't find these new or interesting)
• Progression: Could have made it a 30~35 episodes thing, it felt like they tried to squeeze too many things in and it muddled the waters. Could have a shorter episode allocation to Ming Ye and Sang Jiu's story and focus on the impact more. And save at least 1 misunderstanding between ML and FL in their Tan Tai Jin and Ye Xi Wu's lifetime.
• Makeup: Okay I guess they want to make the demon lord look more ~glam~ but it's kinda awkward when ML is like 10 times more glammed up than the FL hahaha
• Production: Idk what happened, just annoyed at how the words on the voiceover don't match what the actors are mouthing. It seems like the production changed the script during the voiceover?? It took me out of the story - it's like when you're into a scene then suddenly bam! The mouth shapes and the voice doesn't match at all.
• Attention to details??? Like 盛国's king's crown - it has two swishy beads hanging off the left and right tip of the crown's top and then in some scenes it was only left 1 I just found it funny.
• Too many blood vomiting scenes haha - I do enjoy some good blood vomiting but too much just makes me numb like uh ok they're vomiting blood again sure.
• There's more 虐 (torture?) than 甜 (sweet) scenes... _:(´ཀ`」∠):_
• Ending is??????????? I don't usually fault HE/BE/OE but this ending is...? Like whatever happened to some other characters can you at least show me a bit more they felt kinda forgotten and collateral damage at some point. Very wasted after all the development :\
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I hate this drama or anything - I did enjoy it! But it just really tire me out a lot.
Personal favourite lines:
“如今我拿走你的邪骨，还你一条仙髓，你不会再成为魔神了。”
“我是第一次做人丈夫，不懂得如何去爱一个人，这么久以来，也没为你做过什么，等我开始懂了，你却什么都不想要了。”
“如果有的选，我真的好希望可以和你永远待在那片竹林茅舍里，就这样平淡地度过一生。”
“是你彻底改变了我，我学会了喜欢、期盼、酸楚还有许许多多的美好。”
“我曾经想保护你，却把你骗得团团转。我曾经想拯救你， 却把六枚灭魂钉打进你的心口。我曾经想跟你相守一生， 白头到老， 如今也无法老去了。我没想到，我的存在 生来便是为了你的死去。” “没关系。苏苏，我这一辈子好辛苦 就由你来帮我结束。”
What I enjoyed:
• Acting: Luo Yun Xi's acting is solid here, with sufficient microexpressions but not overboard to communicate his character. This is not easy as the character is a... very complicated one with multiple facets to him. I also enjoyed Chen Du Ling's acting here... as much as I would like to not admit that LOL because of how annoying her character is but I guess she really brought her character to life?! Just, UGH though.
• Story progression: Kinda, as they do round up the story to avoid any big loopholes.
• Casting: I guess Luo Yun Xi really fit his role as a 病怏怏 sickly ML cuz of how he was being treated so he's like supposed to be really malnourished??? Bai Lu is also really cute in her role as someone innocent who taught the ML emotions, in contrast to the cold and emotionless ML.
• Love story between the ML and FL: When things are cute, it is very cute and I would very much want things to stay that way infinitely :) Luo Yun Xi and Bai Lu's chemistry with one another is cutee.
• Really pretty names: I really like how they're written in Chinese, feels very poetic. My favourites are 冥夜 (Ming Ye), 澹台烬 (Tan Tai Jin), 叶夕雾 (Ye Xi Wu), 桑酒 (Sang Jiu), 翩然 (Pian Ran).
• Characters: I love 冥夜 and 澹台烬 - while I can't understand 100% of the time, I feel so pained for Tan Tai Jin :( (Just not super into him killing whenever he's triggered but I guess that's the character ahh) Also I love 护妻狂魔 MLs hahahaha (literal translation is "Wife Protector" I guess? Someone who really dotes on their wife and prioritises them on top of everything else ya know)
• Good OSTs: Not the best but enjoyable, I am biased towards OSTs by 刘宇宁 - all the songs he's been doing for all these period dramas they're all so good AHHHHH.
Parts I am (kinda/very) annoyed about:
• Acting: Not hating but I wish Bai Lu had differentiated more between the different characters she portray? They felt like the same person to me, from Sang Jiu to Li Su Su to Ye Xi Wu (except for the bad Ye Xi Wu before Su Su travelled back in time)
• MISUNDERSTANDINGS: EXPECT LIKE 10,000 MISUNDERSTANDINGS BETWEEN THE ML AND FL. Like omg. I can't. I was on the verge of dropping the drama around 26 episodes in I was SO ANNOYED OMG. If it's just misunderstandings it's ok, but it's the number of zero development between the ML and FL. I don't get it, they were doing ok with sweet scenes then bam 1 misunderstanding then it's all about killing each other > that and repeat another 10 times and that's the entire drama. I felt SO DRAINED IT'S SUPER TOXIC. Ok I really tried to put myself in the FL's shoes and I understand why she reacted certain way it's perfectly understandable from all the traumas she went through but it's just really annoying to the viewers it felt like zero progression between the leads, the trust between them crumbles so easily it's weaker than my CNY love letter cookies man. Around episode 20-30 I really wanted to slap the drama upside down and I would, if I could physically do it. That said, the portrayal of the ML character by Luo Yun Xi is so good that he basically hard carry the emotions for me not to drop.
• Story: Idk, I've watched many dramas with similar stories - demon lord ML with saviour FL, 剧本杀 (uh like roleplaying in another story?), multiple timelines - so it's not something new to me (BUT NOT A MINUS POINT- cuz it could be just me who doesn't find these new or interesting)
• Progression: Could have made it a 30~35 episodes thing, it felt like they tried to squeeze too many things in and it muddled the waters. Could have a shorter episode allocation to Ming Ye and Sang Jiu's story and focus on the impact more. And save at least 1 misunderstanding between ML and FL in their Tan Tai Jin and Ye Xi Wu's lifetime.
• Makeup: Okay I guess they want to make the demon lord look more ~glam~ but it's kinda awkward when ML is like 10 times more glammed up than the FL hahaha
• Production: Idk what happened, just annoyed at how the words on the voiceover don't match what the actors are mouthing. It seems like the production changed the script during the voiceover?? It took me out of the story - it's like when you're into a scene then suddenly bam! The mouth shapes and the voice doesn't match at all.
• Attention to details??? Like 盛国's king's crown - it has two swishy beads hanging off the left and right tip of the crown's top and then in some scenes it was only left 1 I just found it funny.
• Too many blood vomiting scenes haha - I do enjoy some good blood vomiting but too much just makes me numb like uh ok they're vomiting blood again sure.
• There's more 虐 (torture?) than 甜 (sweet) scenes... _:(´ཀ`」∠):_
• Ending is??????????? I don't usually fault HE/BE/OE but this ending is...? Like whatever happened to some other characters can you at least show me a bit more they felt kinda forgotten and collateral damage at some point. Very wasted after all the development :\
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I hate this drama or anything - I did enjoy it! But it just really tire me out a lot.
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