I was really torn about how to rate this drama. Visually, it's gorgeous, it has a great soundtrack and a talented…
the plot didn't really do it for me either. my biggest issue is that there were so many high stakes moments that were turned into nothing because there was always something new introduced to solve that problem. baize token breaks? get these items to fix it. ever-burning wood stuck in YZY's body? stab him with the cloud sword. cloud light sword broken? get the fish scale to fix it. there were soooo many moments like these, I'm not really sure what to call them.. I guess it's like another form of plot armor. there were no stakes, no real cohesion, and no overall focus for the plot other than "ZYZ is going to die" 😥
the plot seemed like more of an afterthought because character development & exploration was at the forefront, but character driven works don't really translate well to physical adaptations. so it's like the writers were forced to come up with /something/ that might be interesting to follow. but I was invested in the characters because I was already viewing the drama from this perspective: separating my negative thoughts about the plot execution from the actual development of the characters. and I loved them very much, so this drama will remain one of my favorites regardless of how I feel about the plot.
I have a feeling iQIYI might release this drama within the next few weeks to salvage what has been a pretty lackluster…
I'm very excited for this, but at the same time I'm so nervous that it's going to be a miss because of iQiyi's poor performance this year 😭😭😭 but the crew seems pretty solid 🤞
Ying Lei's "I want to stay with everyone, I'm scared" completely broke my heart, oh my god.. every death was heartbreaking, but that line made me ugly cry 💔
I literally watched a video of a lady saying that FOF is the biggest disappointment cdrama of the year for her…
from my understanding, it has pretty good viewership in china, so it's not really a 'flop'. but it's not quite pulling the same numbers as the other popular airing dramas atm. iQiyi heat index has also stagnated (around 8-8.5k) and never hit the 10k mark, which is usually the marker of a very successful drama
I am truly wondering if they will release an express package. Do we even have a schedule for next week?
yes, the express episodes should be available for free if you have the premium membership. if you just have normal VIP, I think you're given an option to purchase the episodes after they release
the plot seemed like more of an afterthought because character development & exploration was at the forefront, but character driven works don't really translate well to physical adaptations. so it's like the writers were forced to come up with /something/ that might be interesting to follow. but I was invested in the characters because I was already viewing the drama from this perspective: separating my negative thoughts about the plot execution from the actual development of the characters. and I loved them very much, so this drama will remain one of my favorites regardless of how I feel about the plot.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5yTkbdqga3E9xVgJR4NsuF