Juliet

The first 15 episodes make the whole series worth watching

*Review for parts 1 and 2*

Overall: This is a solid xianxia with great casting. It's trope-y and suffers from pacing issues and plot holes but ultimately I would recommend. I'm glad I watched but probably won't rewatch since I had to put this one on hold several times in order to get through it.

The Good:

- The first 15 episodes were incredible. The early Heavenly Realm episodes contain 3 unforgettable and moving sequences: The setup of Ying Yuan and Yan Dan's romance before the Divine-Devil War begins, the House of Rascal, and the Night Forgetting River. In just a few episodes, they manage to have you so invested in the leads' relationship that you're truly heartbroken to see it end. If any portion of the series is rewarchable, it's these Heavenly Realm episodes.

- Cheng Yi: I was very impressed with his performance, which includes 3 different characters, two of which go through significant character growth. Cheng Yi brought subtlety to the Ying Yuan character, and was able to amplify some of Ying Yuan's hidden personality traits for Tang Zhou so that the characters felt distinct yet still connected.

- The main leads have great chemistry and I always enjoyed their screen time together. Yan Dan and Ying Yuan's relationship was well-developed and believably deep. I always like when the leads' relationship changes and grows over the course of the show, which was definitely the case here. Their dynamic changed 4 or 5 times which kept things interesting

- The soundtrack is solid, with a few key themes that fit the show very well

- I really enjoyed the demons of Yelan Mountain. Usually in xianxias you see mostly evil demons, so I liked seeing a wide variety of regular demons with their own governments and politics and families / relationships


The Bad:

- The Mortal Realm arc is way too long. They could have cut those episodes by half and the story would still have made sense. I don't think we needed to watch Tang Zhou face every one of the 8 hardships and whatever else he needed to pass his mortal trial. Some of the side stories of minor characters could have been cut. Especially after Yan Dan regains her memories at the end of Part 1, I really lost interest in the cultivation sect drama and the demon hunting and was ready to return to the immortal realm

- The plot is full of holes, small and large --- too many to mention each one. Ultimately this didn't ruin my experience, but your suspension of disbelief is interrupted every time you notice something that doesn't add up

- Some critical plot points felt extremely rushed, including Lu Ming's death and the story of Xuan Ye and Ran Qing. The ending felt rushed as well.

- It was immediately obvious to me who the ultimate villain would be, which ruined the big plot twist / villain reveal. I'm unsure if other viewers had this experience, but I've seen the actor who plays Star Deity Jiu, Li Xin Ze, in a few other dramas. He has always played the bad guy in everything I've seen. Even when he was introduced as an admirable character in the early episodes, and even when he died, I knew he was untrustworthy and he'd be coming back. The plot twist is only effective if you've forgotten all about him by the time he comes back into the show

- I wanted more from Yu Mo's character. You never get truly invested in him as a romantic rival or as the carrier of the Nine Fins legacy. His character needed a greater part in the story, either as a more serious rival for Yan Dan's affection or some other arc that makes you care about him. He made a good sidekick, but his only personality trait is that he's a nice guy. His lack of flavor makes him feel like a plot device for whenever they need an extra person with powers to help the main couple out

- I didn't enjoy the heavy use of voice over. I know it's common in xianxias for characters to communicate their inner thoughts to the viewer through VO, but it feels like lazy storytelling to rely on it so heavily. There was a ton of voice over used here, so much that you begin to actively notice it

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The first 15 episodes make the whole series worth watching

*Review for parts 1 and 2*

Overall: This is a solid xianxia with great casting. It's trope-y and suffers from pacing issues and plot holes but ultimately I would recommend. I'm glad I watched but probably won't rewatch since I had to put this one on hold several times in order to get through it.

The Good:

- The first 15 episodes were incredible. The early Heavenly Realm episodes contain 3 unforgettable and moving sequences: The setup of Ying Yuan and Yan Dan's romance before the Divine-Devil War begins, the House of Rascal, and the Night Forgetting River. In just a few episodes, they manage to have you so invested in the leads' relationship that you're truly heartbroken to see it end. If any portion of the series is rewarchable, it's these Heavenly Realm episodes.

- Cheng Yi: I was very impressed with his performance, which includes 3 different characters, two of which go through significant character growth. Cheng Yi brought subtlety to the Ying Yuan character, and was able to amplify some of Ying Yuan's hidden personality traits for Tang Zhou so that the characters felt distinct yet still connected.

- The main leads have great chemistry and I always enjoyed their screen time together. Yan Dan and Ying Yuan's relationship was well-developed and believably deep. I always like when the leads' relationship changes and grows over the course of the show, which was definitely the case here. Their dynamic changed 4 or 5 times which kept things interesting

- The soundtrack is solid, with a few key themes that fit the show very well

- I really enjoyed the demons of Yelan Mountain. Usually in xianxias you see mostly evil demons, so I liked seeing a wide variety of regular demons with their own governments and politics and families / relationships


The Bad:

- The Mortal Realm arc is way too long. They could have cut those episodes by half and the story would still have made sense. I don't think we needed to watch Tang Zhou face every one of the 8 hardships and whatever else he needed to pass his mortal trial. Some of the side stories of minor characters could have been cut. Especially after Yan Dan regains her memories at the end of Part 1, I really lost interest in the cultivation sect drama and the demon hunting and was ready to return to the immortal realm

- The plot is full of holes, small and large --- too many to mention each one. Ultimately this didn't ruin my experience, but your suspension of disbelief is interrupted every time you notice something that doesn't add up

- Some critical plot points felt extremely rushed, including Lu Ming's death and the story of Xuan Ye and Ran Qing. The ending felt rushed as well.

- It was immediately obvious to me who the ultimate villain would be, which ruined the big plot twist / villain reveal. I'm unsure if other viewers had this experience, but I've seen the actor who plays Star Deity Jiu, Li Xin Ze, in a few other dramas. He has always played the bad guy in everything I've seen. Even when he was introduced as an admirable character in the early episodes, and even when he died, I knew he was untrustworthy and he'd be coming back. The plot twist is only effective if you've forgotten all about him by the time he comes back into the show

- I wanted more from Yu Mo's character. You never get truly invested in him as a romantic rival or as the carrier of the Nine Fins legacy. His character needed a greater part in the story, either as a more serious rival for Yan Dan's affection or some other arc that makes you care about him. He made a good sidekick, but his only personality trait is that he's a nice guy. His lack of flavor makes him feel like a plot device for whenever they need an extra person with powers to help the main couple out

- I didn't enjoy the heavy use of voice over. I know it's common in xianxias for characters to communicate their inner thoughts to the viewer through VO, but it feels like lazy storytelling to rely on it so heavily. There was a ton of voice over used here, so much that you begin to actively notice it

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A bittersweet story that reminds you not to let life pass you by

This was the first Asian drama I ever watched. Many dramas later, it still feels like something special. Highly recommend, even if you usually prefer historical dramas (like me). A few reasons why it really works for me:

First, the show is very easy to get into. I've become used to historical cdramas that give you a few boring episodes up front as they set up the plot. Not this show; the premise is very easy to get behind. Sick girl stuck at home starts sneaking out to pursue her love interest --- sold. The early episodes are so fun to watch that you don't realize you're being led into a deeper, richly rewarding story that will tug at your heartstrings and leave you thinking about your own life.

The plot itself is romantic, soft, and bittersweet. There are many problems without solutions for the main characters, but this is by design; the show reminds us that love is the best medicine for tragedy, and that we should love like there's no time to lose -- any moment can be your last, or someone else's last. Each episode ends leaving you either very sad or with a full heart, and sometimes both. This is exactly what I'm looking for in my dramas :)

Next, the setting: Everything in the show is beautiful to look at. The southern China waterfront scenery, Xiao Han's family home in the mountains, He Ran's beautiful house... even the characters' jobs create beauty, with Xiao Han's prized horticulture skills and He Ran's unique artistic talent. Practically every scene is pleasing to look at, with the exception of He Ran's mother's scenes. This is, of course, by design; He Ran's sole focus is to bring love, light, and joy into her life, and she brings us into her world of color.

The soundtrack is unforgettable. Years after my first watch, I can still recognize every song from the show and sometimes listen to the OST for fun. There are a surprising number of songs, and every one of them is great.

Finally, like any good cdrama, there are several indelible moments from the show that I'll never forget; the night blooming flower, the night hike in the mountains, the scavenger hunt, and ESPECIALLY the reveal of the flowers at He Ran's house.

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It's only 12 episodes, just watch it and support a Chinese BL

OVERALL (no spoilers in this section):

Is this the best show I've ever seen? No, but it doesn't need to be any better to be worth watching.

As you watch the show, you can almost see a much more sophisticated version that's just out of reach, if only this had been 40 episodes with a bigger budget. The story itself is excellent, based on a novel, and especially appealing if you like star-crossed lovers, morally grey characters and complicated relationships (this is a wuxia as well, if that sweetens the deal). The main problem with the show is that it has to pack a long and winding story into 12 short episodes. As a result, the script and the acting do not have the luxury of being subtle. They are forced to hit you over the head with blatantly obvious statements of character motivation and feeling, and the viewer doesn't have much time to marinate on the plight of each character before the next thing happens. However, instead of feeling frustrated by the pacing, I found it almost comical. Just strap in for a quick zipline from start to finish, and treat the heavy-handed performances as a source of amusement rather than a blight on the show.

I started and finished this show because I love costume dramas and I love danmei, and I think for those reasons alone it's worth watching. Not every show we watch can be a masterpiece, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a less-than-perfect drama that had a lot of heart :)

THE GOOD:

- The story is great, and I will definitely be reading the novel. The main plot is predictable and low-stakes, but the character relationships are quite surprising

- The character growth for Xiaobao is well-done, if a little too fast. He starts the show as a naive young man, thinks he knows exactly what love is, and is convinced he can save his gūniang/gōngzī by showering him with gifts and empty promises. As the plot progresses, he learns that choosing to love someone is difficult and involves hard choices, forgiveness, and sacrifice.

- The Duke is a fascinating character. If anyone's performance is subtle, it's his. His true feelings and motivations are never spoken aloud, and the viewer is left to guess about his true feelings towards Xiaobao. His inclusion in the story is a good representation of the "proper path" for Xiaobao, which comes with respect and social status but seems to also carry a sense of dissatisfaction and longing that the Duke seems to exude

- I loved Xiaobao's costume in the early episodes, as well as the Jin mansion set


THE BAD:

- Xiaobao's reaction to the sexual assault that leaves him in a coma for 2 days (!!) is bizarrely underplayed. He wakes up and has an almost comical reaction of shaking his fist and saying "you bastard -- I'll get you back for this!". I know his character makes light of things, especially in the early episodes, but they should have treated the SA with a lot more weight & sincerity

- I barely knew who any of the characters were, besides Xiaobao and Huai'en's main circle. I never quite got a handle on the princes and their relationship. The voice-over at the beginning of Ep1 was not enough of an explanation to make everything clear.

- How many times did Huai'en really need to get stabbed in the chest? 4 times was too many

- There's plenty more that can be considered "bad", most of which is the result of too few episodes and not enough money, which I can't hold against the show. For example, I was left with some questions like "why is Huai'en staying at the Jin mansion for so long?" and "How long was Xiaobao actually poisoned for?", but I'm sure most of those questions would have been answered if the show had been longer

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