This review may contain spoilers
Decent start, draggy middle, confusing end
If anything could be the saving grace of the show, it would be the visual candy of Cheng Yi and Xu Zhen Xuan, along with the fight scenes which were truly quite epic.Plot: The start was entertaining enough, and felt reminiscent of ADWAD but with a slight spin to the usual delivery, which led to some interest in how they would resolve the time travel (spoiler: the conclusion was unsatisfying). But somehow the pace or direction of the show was lacking, and quite a few scenes were fast forwarded as opposed to watching it in the entirety to understand/appreciate the plot. Said plot ended up being too convoluted, with too many sub-plots without a clear direction, like a cook adding too many ingredients when the focus should be on a few key ingredients and making the flavors pop.
Characters: Not sure if it was the direction or acting skills itself, but most of the supporting characters did not make much of an impression. There's not enough backstory to explain why they acted the way they did, and sometimes the actions of the main villain/antagonists just did not make sense, or overly contrived. Yeah sure some parts could be inferred, but cramming so many different subplots made it feel more like the additions were an afterthought, instead of intentional characterizations to bring the story to life. To be honest, even Xiao Qiu Shui's character growth seemed a bit bizzare, and the portrayal of his headstrong/childish (?) moments also feel a bit flat. The brief moments of supposed chemistry/sparks between XQS and Tang Fang also felt rather dull...
OST: Other than that one main OST, the other songs didn't make much of an impression.
Ultimately, I'm not sure what the show was trying to convey (other than serving great visual candy, lol). Granted, yes, there was quite a bit of exposition on ideals and how to fight the big baddies, with the usual notes of brotherhood, sacrifice and care for others, but maybe the message was not strong enough to hammer in the points? idk. As compared to ADWAD, A moment but forever, there were certain themes or messages that could be gleaned from the story, which made it feel more than surface visual entertainment, and left some food for thought.
Nonetheless, there were some highlights such as the pairing of Li Chen Zhou and Zhao Shi Rong, and the camaraderie in the brotherhood, especially with Tang Song. It's actually really enjoyable to see both LCZ and XQS together, because Cheng Yi portrays them so distinctly - but it also raises some questions on why they look similar. Afterall, they could have just pretended that the characters did not notice the similarities in appearance, but no, the similarities were highlighted multiple times! But even till the end of the show I had no idea why the creative direction was as such, other than wagering a guess that they were representing two opposing approaches to achieving their goals for the martial world/country??
TLDR, can watch just for Cheng Yi and the fight scenes, but don't expect to gain much out of it, and possibly feel a bit disgruntled even at the ending hahaha.
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Emphasizing the ties that bind, with time travel done right
Did you ever get into a dilemma wondering about whether to watch a historical period or modern day drama? Well fret not now because this drama has both, and more (since it includes the future too LOL). One might think that this was just a short story based drama tying to the main mystery, but it ended up being much more. Each mini story had a deeper underlying message to convey about the ties between friends, lovers and family across time and space - ultimately emphasizing that no matter how fleeting our time is, or if it is even altered, what matters are the treasured bonds and memories between people, beyond material antiques. Afterall, the value of items in general, beyond aesthetic or functional use, also lies in the stories related to the object.An enjoyable watch with a slice of life kind of pace/vibe, I initially watched it because of Vengo but ended up staying because of the beautiful visuals of the set (Ya She's design was so intricate and a feast for the eyes honestly, along with the other sets, which had some level of detail beyond the usual cookie cutter set), intriguing mystery and compelling chemistry between the actors, both main and supporting. One minor gripe was that I do not really understand the driving force for the antagonists, so it felt like a bit of a cop out, but then again I also have no idea how else they could spin it to cause the events that happen in the past. Maybe I just do not understand the demand for antiques, haha. The emotion was emoting lol never expected to tear up for this drama but there were multiple memorable moments that truly touched me. And that ending! A beautiful full circle moment. Needless to say, the time travel conundrums were decently fleshed out, where changes to the timeline and how they were addressed made logical sense, so at least the story did not seem overly far fetched.
It could take a while to get immersed in the story, but once you are hooked, it's well worth the ride.
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Simple and sweet drama that's easy on the eyes
A straightforward and simple love story that was well-executed, certainly there were some aspects that could only exist in dramaland but it's generally an easy watch if you just want to indulge in a romcom and especially if you like Miles Wei hahaha. There were also some sweet nuggets/musings about love, and the relationships portrayed were generally mature and not unrealistic.Was this review helpful to you?
