Really looking forward to this adaptation, but it doesn't look like it's being offered on the international version of the apps with subs anywhere. I can find the raw in plenty of places, but I hope it's picked up somewhere.
Dosan's obsessive behaviors towards Dalmi bothered me, I suppose because she is the first girlfriend he had but…
Yeah he is given so many negative character traits, and then there is no commentary on it. He's jealous and possessive of her in a troubling way - ignoring her concerns to follow her, etc. And he's violent. I kept expecting that to matter, and it absolutely did not. Horrible writing.
I don't know that i have ever been more frustrated by the trajectory of a show in my life. I want to be clear, I am a Nam Joo Hyuk fan. I've watched mediocre dramas for that man, and I think he's a great actor.
That being said, this writer absolutely failed him and the plot in every way imaginable. Nam Do San as a character absolutely does not give me anything to care about. Everything happens for him, and he basically almost never struggles. Even his 'struggles' are short lived. He gets absolutely no comeuppance for his bad character traits - like his temper. I kept expecting him to actually get into trouble for his violence, and it just doesn't happen. The female lead doesn't care, etc.
Meanwhile, the second malel ead is written as one of the most empathetic characters I have EVER seen. He's an orphan with a hard exterior, but we only see him acting selfless. Sacrificing himself and his happiness over and over and over again for the benefit of a bunch of characters who treat him like garbage.
I started out absolutely in love with this drama, and I just cannot understand what the writer was thinking. It could have been so much better if they actually focused on the business aspect of the show and made the characters grow in that way - NDS learning how to grow up (and not like.. punch people bc he's ~angwy~) and have his OWN dreams; SDM becoming a great businesswoman not just because she wants to beat her sister; the Sam Sam guys also maturing - and HJP slowly opening his heart to discover a found family. Instead almost none of the characters had any discernible growth (other than HJP kinda with the sweet ending scene with Halmeoni), and they drew out the love triangle in absolutely bonkers ways.
I'm just at a loss. This show could have been great. I COULD have been invested in the lead couple, but I wasn't. The vast majority of the characters were just selfish, and the plot never punished them for it. And then the one character who is written to be selfless is punished over and over. It just made me mad. What did the writer want us to take away from this drama?
The first 8 episodes or so: 9/10. The back half? 2/10.
There are so many anti XZ comments on this page.. whew. I found him to be quite a good actor in both the untamed and joy of life. Wooden is not a descriptor I’d use lol. Anyway hope we get an air date for this soon. I’m excited!
On the whole, it was relatively enjoyable. I love Xu Kai. So, I'm in. However, I found the pacing to be weak. They should have gotten to the back half of the plot sooner. Additionally, I felt like the entire theme of the show fell apart in the last episode. So much of the lead-up was about harmony. The clans working in harmony. Like - Li Xuan and Su Youlian falling for each other despite being from different clans. Him finally seeing the peaceful village of the humans and kunwu working together. The whole idea that the Sha State was willing to help the Kunwu people... the fact that in the end, the human classmates join with Su Youlian to save the Dragon Emperor. All the way down to Li Xuan's mere existence as the harmony of Humanity and Kunwu. But - the last episode tells us the opposite. It separates everyone. And it does so cruelly even though they set it up positively. The Dragon Emperor awakes and immediately tries to murder the humans who rescued him (including his nephew who he apparently gives zero shits about). He then declares they are retreating from humanity entirely and punished SYL for wanting to stay with someone who is HALF KUNWU by basically killing her. I get that we are supposed to view the two of them running off to basically be immortal together as a happy ending, but it felt so random, unearned, and actually sad.
I genuinely expected it to be about the races uniting. Like.. the new leader of Tianqi is Long Wei'Er who openly helped and worked with two different Kunwu. So, it should be a new regime, etc.
Idk I'm sad. Felt weird. Also, Li Xuan never really had a true moment of badassery and saving the day. The best he did was when his dad died and he went unconscious and wrecked people. But they literally call him the most powerful being in creation in one episode, and then he almost gets choked out (alongside a bunch of less powerful humans) in the next.
I oddly love this drama even though it honestly has a lot of issues. I thought Lee HyunWoo in particular was great…
The writing for this drama was pretty uneven. They treated both Wang Chi Ang and Yoon Shi Woo as arrogant dudes who needed to be taken down a peg. But the show didn’t actually give us that.
Like Wang Chi Ang was obviously a petulant rich boy with a chip on his shoulder so sure. But Yoon Shi woo always came across as reserved and kind. He took the training seriously ?or tried) the whole time. And he was an orphan who was used (and abused) for his musical talent. It felt odd that the show tried to treat the two characters the shaken not sure if that was a writing or directing failure but it made the show quite uneven for me.
I oddly love this drama even though it honestly has a lot of issues. I thought Lee HyunWoo in particular was great and was kinda sad to see he’s not been in too much since this. I hope he has a nice, new drama on the horizon. Going to reply with a semi spoilery comment.
agreed! i was actually so surprised by how sweet his scenes with long wei'er were lol
There was something so touching about how she longs to be close to someone and her desire to be feminine. The actress played it so well. And I like that Li Xuan is oblivious but kind.
Ok the Long Wei'Er plot and scenes with Li Xuan were actually super engaging and sweet. I kinda wish we had gotten to them sooner and really set up a second love interest for HIS character. This show is so strange because Li Xuan is the nominal protagonist, but it really feels more like Su Youlian's story. I'm hopeful that in these last 10 episodes they shift things back toward him learning who he is and the whole concept of Humans and Demons co-existing since he himself, by merely existing, is a microcosm of that whole struggle.
There have been too many scenes of him being a little pathetic and wanting Su Youlian to stop lying to him. One or two scenes is OK, but they've made him wallow so much. It was nice seeing him have something to plan (and be distracted by) so that his scenes weren't solely pining. lol
He is repeating same crap as "Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain". I dropped that because too much bravado…
It’s not bravado though. It’s a satire on Xianxia. Once upon a time is brilliant for that and both leads nail the tongue in cheek aspect of the acting.
If you want him doing something more serious, I’d wait for the back half of this drama or watch Yanxi Palace or The Legends (which is not great and has tons of filler but he’s a strong, silent type).
Xu Kai is daring to take on this type of drama again because not everyone can deliver a slapstick comedy. and…
He really does excel at this type of role which I think is ridiculously hard to pull off. I’m kinda looking forward to a darker/more serious turn later. But I am soaking up his comedic timing.
Hi! In the novel does the romance develop to long lasting happy ending or is this coming of age bitter sweet?…
I have to say that reading the synopsis they have here, I’ve been waiting for that exact plot to kick - him dealing with the fact he is a demon-human hybrid and what that means. The drama feels more like Youlian’s story than his so far lol. So it makes sense that this is how the book goes, and the synopsis was probably pulled from the book.
I am anticipating getting into that part of the story though. They hint at it with his healing (which no one questions.. his friend calls him a monster and he’s just like “idk I’ve always been like this” no curiosity lol) or the elder of the heavens staring at him and saying that Youlian is his “kind”.
After having watched up to episode 16 I can definitely say this show gets better the more it progresses. The first…
Yep. I couldn’t agree more. I vaguely paid attention at first but once I got to ep6-7, I suddenly got super into it. I’m up to 16 now and still the same. It has slower moments but on the whole the story and characters are great.
This show was so frustrating for me because I felt like it actually started so well. And as it started going along, I kept thinking I knew what they would do. Like Ch. 1: Lu Ping and his misfits at Zhaifeng. Ch. 2: Lu Ping and a new crew of misfits at the Beidou Academy place - slowing learning how to unlock the chains and train himself the way he ignored to at the start while developing relationships/becoming a leader. Ch. 3: Lu Ping and a new crew in the military/whatever doing stuff for the Emperor, idk, etc etc.
My point is they kept leading us toward that. Like a chapter where he was supposed to unlock his skills, meet a wide swath of people and grow up, and then awaken and avenge his family and help save the kingdom, etc.
Instead, he was just monumentally weak and injured almost the ENTIRE show. The most powerful he seemed as a fighter was literally the first couple of episodes when he should have theoretically been at his weakest. I don't know if it was a budget thing (fight scenes are expensive I guess), but it made the show tedious. That paired with him and Xifan basically just re-treading the SAME conflict over and over of butting heads, becoming friends, feeling betrayed, becoming friends again, lying/betraying, etc. I feel like I watched them have the same argument 10 times.
Regarding the main couple, I didn't mind Qin Sang as a character at first, and I actually felt chemistry when it was at the teasing/flirtatious part of the relationship. But the show turned a corner too quickly to make them like a super romantic couple, and it just wasn't there. They worked as angsty teens bickering with each other but not cuddling on a rooftop watching the stars and having some epic relationship.
all in all, I ended up watching the show at 1.5x speed and still fast forwarded.
I honestly can't get over how much I'm enjoying this drama. Like there is a good deal of overacting, bad dubbing,…
Pretty early on, I had a feeling that the main character was actually the villain. Partially because it's too convenient for him to have complete amnesia and for everyone in the village who would have known the real JBZ to basically be dead. The first guy he meets who would know him is blind and immediately knows something is off when he touches his face lol.
I think that this being the case actually elevates this show quite a bit. There's a great bit during the Puppet Li arc where JBZ is bonding with Fairy Sheng, and they're discussing the idea that you can be someone who has done terrible things, but if you change and live your life positively - does that make you a good person? Or just an atoner? Is it possible to change? All of that in the context of his actual identity is great.
Based on spoilers here though, we apparently get about 10 seconds of follow-up on that reveal which is very disappointing. I genuinely hope we get a second season of another 24 episodes which is more about that - comparing the life he led and things he did in the past to who he is now. Maybe investigating terrible things WH did, etc. And having him marry the halves of himself. All right, essay over.
I honestly can't get over how much I'm enjoying this drama. Like there is a good deal of overacting, bad dubbing, and EXTREMELY cheap sets, etc. AND YET. I genuinely enjoy every little mystery arc. And while so many of the characters feel like stock characters, I think it's executed well enough that the audience cares about their journey.
I'm going to reply with some spoilered thoughts as I'm not finished with the show, but reading some of the comments here, I believe my theory about someone to be correct so..
That being said, this writer absolutely failed him and the plot in every way imaginable. Nam Do San as a character absolutely does not give me anything to care about. Everything happens for him, and he basically almost never struggles. Even his 'struggles' are short lived. He gets absolutely no comeuppance for his bad character traits - like his temper. I kept expecting him to actually get into trouble for his violence, and it just doesn't happen. The female lead doesn't care, etc.
Meanwhile, the second malel ead is written as one of the most empathetic characters I have EVER seen. He's an orphan with a hard exterior, but we only see him acting selfless. Sacrificing himself and his happiness over and over and over again for the benefit of a bunch of characters who treat him like garbage.
I started out absolutely in love with this drama, and I just cannot understand what the writer was thinking. It could have been so much better if they actually focused on the business aspect of the show and made the characters grow in that way - NDS learning how to grow up (and not like.. punch people bc he's ~angwy~) and have his OWN dreams; SDM becoming a great businesswoman not just because she wants to beat her sister; the Sam Sam guys also maturing - and HJP slowly opening his heart to discover a found family. Instead almost none of the characters had any discernible growth (other than HJP kinda with the sweet ending scene with Halmeoni), and they drew out the love triangle in absolutely bonkers ways.
I'm just at a loss. This show could have been great. I COULD have been invested in the lead couple, but I wasn't. The vast majority of the characters were just selfish, and the plot never punished them for it. And then the one character who is written to be selfless is punished over and over. It just made me mad. What did the writer want us to take away from this drama?
The first 8 episodes or so: 9/10. The back half? 2/10.
On the whole, it was relatively enjoyable. I love Xu Kai. So, I'm in. However, I found the pacing to be weak. They should have gotten to the back half of the plot sooner. Additionally, I felt like the entire theme of the show fell apart in the last episode. So much of the lead-up was about harmony. The clans working in harmony. Like - Li Xuan and Su Youlian falling for each other despite being from different clans. Him finally seeing the peaceful village of the humans and kunwu working together. The whole idea that the Sha State was willing to help the Kunwu people... the fact that in the end, the human classmates join with Su Youlian to save the Dragon Emperor. All the way down to Li Xuan's mere existence as the harmony of Humanity and Kunwu. But - the last episode tells us the opposite. It separates everyone. And it does so cruelly even though they set it up positively. The Dragon Emperor awakes and immediately tries to murder the humans who rescued him (including his nephew who he apparently gives zero shits about). He then declares they are retreating from humanity entirely and punished SYL for wanting to stay with someone who is HALF KUNWU by basically killing her. I get that we are supposed to view the two of them running off to basically be immortal together as a happy ending, but it felt so random, unearned, and actually sad.
I genuinely expected it to be about the races uniting. Like.. the new leader of Tianqi is Long Wei'Er who openly helped and worked with two different Kunwu. So, it should be a new regime, etc.
Idk I'm sad. Felt weird. Also, Li Xuan never really had a true moment of badassery and saving the day. The best he did was when his dad died and he went unconscious and wrecked people. But they literally call him the most powerful being in creation in one episode, and then he almost gets choked out (alongside a bunch of less powerful humans) in the next.
Like Wang Chi Ang was obviously a petulant rich boy with a chip on his shoulder so sure. But Yoon Shi woo always came across as reserved and kind. He took the training seriously ?or tried) the whole time. And he was an orphan who was used (and abused) for his musical talent. It felt odd that the show tried to treat the two characters the shaken not sure if that was a writing or directing failure but it made the show quite uneven for me.
There have been too many scenes of him being a little pathetic and wanting Su Youlian to stop lying to him. One or two scenes is OK, but they've made him wallow so much. It was nice seeing him have something to plan (and be distracted by) so that his scenes weren't solely pining. lol
If you want him doing something more serious, I’d wait for the back half of this drama or watch Yanxi Palace or The Legends (which is not great and has tons of filler but he’s a strong, silent type).
I am anticipating getting into that part of the story though. They hint at it with his healing (which no one questions.. his friend calls him a monster and he’s just like “idk I’ve always been like this” no curiosity lol) or the elder of the heavens staring at him and saying that Youlian is his “kind”.
My point is they kept leading us toward that. Like a chapter where he was supposed to unlock his skills, meet a wide swath of people and grow up, and then awaken and avenge his family and help save the kingdom, etc.
Instead, he was just monumentally weak and injured almost the ENTIRE show. The most powerful he seemed as a fighter was literally the first couple of episodes when he should have theoretically been at his weakest. I don't know if it was a budget thing (fight scenes are expensive I guess), but it made the show tedious. That paired with him and Xifan basically just re-treading the SAME conflict over and over of butting heads, becoming friends, feeling betrayed, becoming friends again, lying/betraying, etc. I feel like I watched them have the same argument 10 times.
Regarding the main couple, I didn't mind Qin Sang as a character at first, and I actually felt chemistry when it was at the teasing/flirtatious part of the relationship. But the show turned a corner too quickly to make them like a super romantic couple, and it just wasn't there. They worked as angsty teens bickering with each other but not cuddling on a rooftop watching the stars and having some epic relationship.
all in all, I ended up watching the show at 1.5x speed and still fast forwarded.
I think that this being the case actually elevates this show quite a bit. There's a great bit during the Puppet Li arc where JBZ is bonding with Fairy Sheng, and they're discussing the idea that you can be someone who has done terrible things, but if you change and live your life positively - does that make you a good person? Or just an atoner? Is it possible to change? All of that in the context of his actual identity is great.
Based on spoilers here though, we apparently get about 10 seconds of follow-up on that reveal which is very disappointing. I genuinely hope we get a second season of another 24 episodes which is more about that - comparing the life he led and things he did in the past to who he is now. Maybe investigating terrible things WH did, etc. And having him marry the halves of himself. All right, essay over.
I'm going to reply with some spoilered thoughts as I'm not finished with the show, but reading some of the comments here, I believe my theory about someone to be correct so..