Waste of time
SYNOPSIS: Two tribal mindset groups have been at war & each other's enemies forever. One group is comprised of the 6 sects (who like to think of themselves as the cultured & righteous people). The other is the demon-art practicing set of human beings (call them demon sect). FL is from the 6 sects. ML is from the demon sect. Both are trained in martial arts. Twenty years ago some mysterious thing occurred between 6 sects and the demon king that resulted in FL's aunt killing ML's uncle to save her sects. The shadow of what happened at that time carries to this day in the lives of FL & ML & everyone else, including the survivors of that time period on both sides. FL & ML set out in search of the truth, have adventures, some cool fights, next to zero romance. ML is a long suffering, unhinged, crazy, manipulative & secretive lover boy with ambitions of ending the enmity & uniting all people, while FL is a practical, non-committal girl who believes there can never be peace between the 2 factions. They find out what happened all those years ago & who is creating unrest in present day.
PROBLEMS: This is a lame duck drama that was ambitious to conceptualize & produce because of all the story arcs from previous generations & ramifications of actions & how it spills into the personal dynamics of ML & FL.
1) The Hypocrisy of FL, Her Parents & 6 Sects: In the beginning of the series, FL is shown to be capable, strong, intelligent & practical. By episode 10 it is clear that she is shallow, thin-skinned, blind, opportunistic and flip flopper who cannot make up her mind or change but wants perfection in everything & wants ML to change to suit her, her greedy parents & her corrupt sect ideology. By episode 33, you are left scratching your head as to her motives & actions: Of course, the greedy parents of FL lapped up the gold & treasures (& thoughtful gifts) ML brought to be on their good side - forgetting he is from the demon side & forgetting that both had tried to kill ML in an ambush, and then agreed to his crippling in front of everyone even though he had done nothing wrong, AND that their daughter got the beating of a lifetime over saving this guy.
These same greedy parents were ecstatic when Song (SML, who will be lord of 6 sects after 'Master' current lord retires)'s father (SML's father) had provided them with keys to shops & lands as proposal for their daughter. These greedy parents were very okay with their daughter having a rich fiancé, son of a sect leader, who brought gifts whenever he showed up. Every single time, this good-for-nothing poverty stricken jobless parents and their daughter family is glad to attract the attention of upscale families, while pretending to be morally and ethically upstanding.
Usually such grifting is done by villains. For FL herself to use the love ML has for her & for her parents to use a 'daughter' for advancement, money & social status is pathetic. So much for the morals of Luoyong Valley!!!
2) Inconsistent Female Lead: You'll run out of times & ways in which FL keeps stringing at least 2-3 men around for majority of this drama, though other commenters disagree with this assessment. She continuously refuses ML's proposal (for one reason or another) despite claiming she loves him (it's never clear what she wants other than that she wants peace in the world even if it kills him or she kills him, she wants ML to come over to her sect, become a matrilocal husband, and give her and her family all of his riches! He agrees because he is shown to be totally obsessed with her).
In this drama, a woman who has no identity of her own & no accomplishment of her own - or at least not on an equal level with the man, is shown to use the affection & devotion of the said man to her advantage to usurp his wealth, identity & privilege in the name of 'female empowerment or liberation'.
In this series, ML has his own agenda - he wants to bring peace & get revenge at the same time - and wants an end to enmity between sects because he wants to 'marry FL honorably in open'. He keeps giving her suggestions as to how they can have a life together. She keeps saying no, she doesn't get it, she doesn't support him, she doesn't say she loves him.
He did use her unforgivably in one particular episode (in Ep. 29-30, when he willingly got caught in 6 sects web, threatening his own life, her life & the life of standbys all to achieve a result, which was to bring his own enemies out in the open & to force FL to make a choice to rescue him because he wanted her to show that she secretly loves him & she does rescue him because she loves him & will not watch an innocent man pay for the crimes of past generations). After the rescue FL tells him she loves him, dumps him, and continues to dilly dally with his feelings & time by never being clear about her wants. This continues till the last half hour of Ep.37 (the last episode!!!!)
In Ep. 33, FL says no to ML's proposal yet again, despite accepting the gifts, and her parents giving him a room in the house (which they did because of his gifts). She could've said no I don't trust you or you just came to get info on my aunt + Master + Jade to get MIB out of hiding (which was his goal apart from proposal anyways - even I had guessed he had 2 things planned for this trip) or let's not announce it yet or thank you but I need time, but no, she said expressionlessly, 'no, because you are from a prominent family' - height of hypocrisy & double standards because all that she and her family ever did was try to get a rich husband. And she does this to a person for the nth time whom she claims to love......(but no harm in accepting his gifts while giving him the cold shoulder).
FL also keeps repeating that 'all that I want is a peaceful life' but she continually inserted herself in dangerous situations, usually with ML or SML or both in tow. Lady, if you like living a peaceful life, just go back to Luoyong Valley and let grownups and guys fight it out between themselves.
Maybe it's a fantasy of some viewers (teenagers?) to see 'Cinderella' moments, to see rich powerful handsome men brought to their knees by talentless, loud, confused village belles who have no goals in life other than to snare the most eligible bachelor & emasculate him while 'peacefully' enjoying the privilege & freedom that his wealth brings. 'The Double', 'Blossoms in Adversity' & many other C-historical-dramas balanced conspiracy with slow burn aesthetically pleasing romance. This drama is a pill and a headache.
3) Obsession is bad: Yes, ML's obsession for FL is bad because he is clearly used and exploited by FL and her greedy parents. FL is obsessed with her aunt and not intelligent enough to understand that she is not her aunt, ML is not his dead misguided uncle and their life is their own to choose and make - not to be lead by her 'Master' lord of 6 sects, her greedy parents, or ideas of her aunt. Time and again, she tries to kill ML because she does not trust him or thinks he's doing something wrong - even though ML is always clear about his objectives that he wants to end the enmity between 6 sects and demon sect & to take revenge for the deaths of his father, friends etc. - just because he didn't tell her everything didn't mean his goal was bad or evil. But FL never gives him grace, never partners with him to fight forces together, instead keeps him insecure by roaming around with other guy (SML - who clearly wanted to marry her, while she did not, but she kept him around just the same). It was ML ultimately who was open with her and showed more character growth than she did. She remained the same obstinate, holier than thou hypocrite from start to finish, praising her corrupt sect & corrupt and murderous 'Master' (lord of 6 sects) and 'Luoyong Valley ways' (which were nothing more than praising her for finding 2 rich suitors). The 'Master' is obsessed with aunt, so is every guy from older generation (aunt also had 3 bonafide suitors), FL keeps talking about and thinking about her aunt, so does everyone else. And by the end of it all, you'll be sick of the aunt, her name, her role, everything. Aunt's lover is played by the ML from 'Blossom' drama 2025, LRY before his big break in Blossom, and you almost feel sorry for him to be reduced to empty flashbacks.
4) Unforgivable Betrayal of Memory & Personhood: I found it unforgivable that FL placed the ashes of the main villain, the ultimate source of murder and mayhem in the series, next to her aunt, even though he neither was the aunt's lover nor friend nor had he been good for the 6 sects or the demon sect. This felt like the ultimate betrayal by a so-called 'righteous' FL of aunt's memory who if anything would've preferred to be buried alone or maybe have the Zhangyang (man she wanted to marry and then killed) beside her but certainly not the 'man in black' who was responsible for so many massacres. It was further proof that FL just couldn't see straight for entirety of drama, running off into the sunset with a hen-pecked and emasculated ML.
4) Editing is Okay but Choice of Material is Not: Many commenters have disliked the fast-paced flipping from one scene to the next (calling it choppy editing). I did not think the editing was choppy, but I did think that the screenwriter and director should've changed the story arc of the FL to show some depth and growth. They also should have changed the original novel's story to give a better reason to the main villain for all the rampage and killing he did over the course of decades. His reasoning & actions didn't make sense & sounded like a juvenile crybaby tantrum. And since FL and villain arcs dragged out over the course of 37 episodes, it felt like a hot air lead balloon, not good dramatic storytelling.
PROS: The only thing good in the drama is ML's voice. The cast is full of young actors and they all did well with the material they were given. Big budget 'production'.
I cannot believe I watched 33 episodes (and then read the ending) of this mediocre drama.
PROBLEMS: This is a lame duck drama that was ambitious to conceptualize & produce because of all the story arcs from previous generations & ramifications of actions & how it spills into the personal dynamics of ML & FL.
1) The Hypocrisy of FL, Her Parents & 6 Sects: In the beginning of the series, FL is shown to be capable, strong, intelligent & practical. By episode 10 it is clear that she is shallow, thin-skinned, blind, opportunistic and flip flopper who cannot make up her mind or change but wants perfection in everything & wants ML to change to suit her, her greedy parents & her corrupt sect ideology. By episode 33, you are left scratching your head as to her motives & actions: Of course, the greedy parents of FL lapped up the gold & treasures (& thoughtful gifts) ML brought to be on their good side - forgetting he is from the demon side & forgetting that both had tried to kill ML in an ambush, and then agreed to his crippling in front of everyone even though he had done nothing wrong, AND that their daughter got the beating of a lifetime over saving this guy.
These same greedy parents were ecstatic when Song (SML, who will be lord of 6 sects after 'Master' current lord retires)'s father (SML's father) had provided them with keys to shops & lands as proposal for their daughter. These greedy parents were very okay with their daughter having a rich fiancé, son of a sect leader, who brought gifts whenever he showed up. Every single time, this good-for-nothing poverty stricken jobless parents and their daughter family is glad to attract the attention of upscale families, while pretending to be morally and ethically upstanding.
Usually such grifting is done by villains. For FL herself to use the love ML has for her & for her parents to use a 'daughter' for advancement, money & social status is pathetic. So much for the morals of Luoyong Valley!!!
2) Inconsistent Female Lead: You'll run out of times & ways in which FL keeps stringing at least 2-3 men around for majority of this drama, though other commenters disagree with this assessment. She continuously refuses ML's proposal (for one reason or another) despite claiming she loves him (it's never clear what she wants other than that she wants peace in the world even if it kills him or she kills him, she wants ML to come over to her sect, become a matrilocal husband, and give her and her family all of his riches! He agrees because he is shown to be totally obsessed with her).
In this drama, a woman who has no identity of her own & no accomplishment of her own - or at least not on an equal level with the man, is shown to use the affection & devotion of the said man to her advantage to usurp his wealth, identity & privilege in the name of 'female empowerment or liberation'.
In this series, ML has his own agenda - he wants to bring peace & get revenge at the same time - and wants an end to enmity between sects because he wants to 'marry FL honorably in open'. He keeps giving her suggestions as to how they can have a life together. She keeps saying no, she doesn't get it, she doesn't support him, she doesn't say she loves him.
He did use her unforgivably in one particular episode (in Ep. 29-30, when he willingly got caught in 6 sects web, threatening his own life, her life & the life of standbys all to achieve a result, which was to bring his own enemies out in the open & to force FL to make a choice to rescue him because he wanted her to show that she secretly loves him & she does rescue him because she loves him & will not watch an innocent man pay for the crimes of past generations). After the rescue FL tells him she loves him, dumps him, and continues to dilly dally with his feelings & time by never being clear about her wants. This continues till the last half hour of Ep.37 (the last episode!!!!)
In Ep. 33, FL says no to ML's proposal yet again, despite accepting the gifts, and her parents giving him a room in the house (which they did because of his gifts). She could've said no I don't trust you or you just came to get info on my aunt + Master + Jade to get MIB out of hiding (which was his goal apart from proposal anyways - even I had guessed he had 2 things planned for this trip) or let's not announce it yet or thank you but I need time, but no, she said expressionlessly, 'no, because you are from a prominent family' - height of hypocrisy & double standards because all that she and her family ever did was try to get a rich husband. And she does this to a person for the nth time whom she claims to love......(but no harm in accepting his gifts while giving him the cold shoulder).
FL also keeps repeating that 'all that I want is a peaceful life' but she continually inserted herself in dangerous situations, usually with ML or SML or both in tow. Lady, if you like living a peaceful life, just go back to Luoyong Valley and let grownups and guys fight it out between themselves.
Maybe it's a fantasy of some viewers (teenagers?) to see 'Cinderella' moments, to see rich powerful handsome men brought to their knees by talentless, loud, confused village belles who have no goals in life other than to snare the most eligible bachelor & emasculate him while 'peacefully' enjoying the privilege & freedom that his wealth brings. 'The Double', 'Blossoms in Adversity' & many other C-historical-dramas balanced conspiracy with slow burn aesthetically pleasing romance. This drama is a pill and a headache.
3) Obsession is bad: Yes, ML's obsession for FL is bad because he is clearly used and exploited by FL and her greedy parents. FL is obsessed with her aunt and not intelligent enough to understand that she is not her aunt, ML is not his dead misguided uncle and their life is their own to choose and make - not to be lead by her 'Master' lord of 6 sects, her greedy parents, or ideas of her aunt. Time and again, she tries to kill ML because she does not trust him or thinks he's doing something wrong - even though ML is always clear about his objectives that he wants to end the enmity between 6 sects and demon sect & to take revenge for the deaths of his father, friends etc. - just because he didn't tell her everything didn't mean his goal was bad or evil. But FL never gives him grace, never partners with him to fight forces together, instead keeps him insecure by roaming around with other guy (SML - who clearly wanted to marry her, while she did not, but she kept him around just the same). It was ML ultimately who was open with her and showed more character growth than she did. She remained the same obstinate, holier than thou hypocrite from start to finish, praising her corrupt sect & corrupt and murderous 'Master' (lord of 6 sects) and 'Luoyong Valley ways' (which were nothing more than praising her for finding 2 rich suitors). The 'Master' is obsessed with aunt, so is every guy from older generation (aunt also had 3 bonafide suitors), FL keeps talking about and thinking about her aunt, so does everyone else. And by the end of it all, you'll be sick of the aunt, her name, her role, everything. Aunt's lover is played by the ML from 'Blossom' drama 2025, LRY before his big break in Blossom, and you almost feel sorry for him to be reduced to empty flashbacks.
4) Unforgivable Betrayal of Memory & Personhood: I found it unforgivable that FL placed the ashes of the main villain, the ultimate source of murder and mayhem in the series, next to her aunt, even though he neither was the aunt's lover nor friend nor had he been good for the 6 sects or the demon sect. This felt like the ultimate betrayal by a so-called 'righteous' FL of aunt's memory who if anything would've preferred to be buried alone or maybe have the Zhangyang (man she wanted to marry and then killed) beside her but certainly not the 'man in black' who was responsible for so many massacres. It was further proof that FL just couldn't see straight for entirety of drama, running off into the sunset with a hen-pecked and emasculated ML.
4) Editing is Okay but Choice of Material is Not: Many commenters have disliked the fast-paced flipping from one scene to the next (calling it choppy editing). I did not think the editing was choppy, but I did think that the screenwriter and director should've changed the story arc of the FL to show some depth and growth. They also should have changed the original novel's story to give a better reason to the main villain for all the rampage and killing he did over the course of decades. His reasoning & actions didn't make sense & sounded like a juvenile crybaby tantrum. And since FL and villain arcs dragged out over the course of 37 episodes, it felt like a hot air lead balloon, not good dramatic storytelling.
PROS: The only thing good in the drama is ML's voice. The cast is full of young actors and they all did well with the material they were given. Big budget 'production'.
I cannot believe I watched 33 episodes (and then read the ending) of this mediocre drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
