shiawasenohikari

First of all, sending virtual hugs your way. 🤗 Secondly, it's alright if the drama isn't working for you. I'd suggest not spending any more time, because the tone of LFY doesn't change in the latter half. Tbh, NES didn't work for me at all, even though I like ZKY and a few others in the supporting cast. For lack of a better word, the stakes felt very shallow. Yet, it's a well loved drama. So, there are times when some dramas just don't appeal to a certain section of the viewers. Perhaps, you found something very fundamentally striking that I didn't, while I found that something in LFY. It happens. Personally, I loved how Chen Yi and Miao Jing's relationship is presented in LFY. I like the subtlety. Also, there have been times that certain dramas were extremely hated here, yet, I absolutely loved them, LOL.

I agree. Also, in my opinion, Miao Jing lets him adopt the parental role because it helps her feel safe given the utter lack of reliable parental figures in her life and Chen Yi does it because it helps him feel more in control of their messy lives. Ideally, a parent never takes a backseat when it comes to the welfare and betterment of their child. Chen Yi does just that. Maybe I am projecting, but sometimes mimicking what you are not, in this case, a very young Chen Yi mimicking an adult/a parent to Miao Jing makes real life challenges feel less daunting. Fake it till you make it as they say. Neither is confused about their actual dynamic and the relationship they share. What's painfully beautiful about their earlier relationship is Chen Yi decided not to walk away despite having every reason to do so. And six years later, Miao Jing does the same.

Also, I may be way off the mark, but this drama may resonate more with viewers who have had to face major challenges in the context of their immediate family or have observed such individuals from close quarters. While this drama is indeed at its core a romance, but it also touches upon themes such as abandonment, child abuse, the meaning of familial bonds, loneliness, parental priorities, trauma bonding, amongst other things.

This drama was worth every moment of my time. From the first shot itself, I fell in love. I love absolutely everything about this drama ranging from the OST, the characters and the actors playing them, the overarching themes to the cinematography. The LFY team has knocked it out of the park. This drama captured the pervasive languid cool of the '90s and the early aughts so dang well. I love the '90s era and sometimes media is unable to capture its essence unless it was created in that period itself.

I could have never imagined absolutely loving SWL's acting in anything, LMAO. When this project was first announced, I remember thinking if only it could have been a different actor. There were a few negligible misses, here and there early on, but those instances didn't break my immersion. When the kids were knocking it out of the park, I was apprehensive about SWL's version. I needn't have worried! I dunno what he did different in this drama but I really hope he continues to play raw, grounded roles that need visceral emotions. Also, I think he's a director's actor. This director has brought out the best in him which has been absolutely splendid to watch onscreen. SWL in the beginning of ep 17 was phenomenal, easily one of the best scenes I have ever watched in any drama. I can't imagine anybody else playing Chen Yi. I didn't see SWL, I only saw Chen Yi.

I feel like rewatching this drama right away. I love the underlying melancholy in their romance. Love that director did not spell out everything and left it to the viewers to fill in the blanks and draw their conclusions, except for the strange Tu Li amd Cen Ye meetup. What I liked about their romance is that you cannot exactly pinpoint the episode when they got together. In my opinion, they were together from the very moment little Miao Jing cooked a sweet dish and herself fed little Chen Yi after she discovered him being abused by his father. Not in a romantic sense, of course, but they were in for the long haul and whatever shape it was to take. And it took the shape of sacrificial love in their youth. Some beats in this drama are reminiscent of the movie Better Days which is one of my most favourite movies of all time and has my most favourite romances ever though movie has hardly anything to do with romance. Never did I think I'd ever find anything similar in tone to the movie. This drama has secured its position in my list of top favourite dramas of all time!

I don't want to ruin it for you but I couldn't really vibe with NES which is a shame because I like most of the cast. I liked it but I was not madly in love with the main couple. It is frankly a "me" problem because these two have a lot of chemistry without even trying. Their chemistry and banter makes the drama in my opinion. I wasn't feeling their pain if it makes sense... inspite of their horrible circumstances. Like for example, in another drama, the characters' pain or loneliness wasn't even the point of the drama (it was a minor sub-plot) but I feel every bit of their pain every time I rewatch it. Tbh, in NES, even though the parents' plot is intended to add depth to the drama, yet, it feels kinda surface level. Like the conflict exists to prod the plot along. Gosh, I have no idea why I am being so critical. Apologies! I have enjoyed far lesser dramas so much more. I don't know what did not click for me. I guess I was expecting a quieter tone if you get what I mean. I don't know how to explain it. Sometimes, it felt like the drama was spelling everything out. Many cotton candy dramas do that and I don't notice. I guess my problem is that I never could get fully immersed while viewing the drama. 🙈 I also think BSE is kinda unconvincing in her acting. I swear I have nothing against her but it feels like she is anticipating her next set of lines as she delivers lines. I felt the same way in Generation to Generation. I keep seeing her rather than her character. It's bewildering to me because she is pretty decent as a rookie actress. I binged NES over the next few days right after Mo Li (what a drama!) and then LFY came along. I had assumed that I would just watch the pilot episode and call it a day (that too because of ZJY) but I ended up watching all the released episodes overnight. 😅

IKR?! I never expected to fall in love with this drama considering the fact that that I started watching it since it first aired primarily for ZJY.

It'd be hilarious if what we are watching is the actual movie that has been helmed by these two... That is, a screenwriting and directing duo, who are also a couple, thought of adding drama to their actual love story for public consumption, LMAO.

I disagree. In my opinion, Chen Yi knows exactly why she keeps pushing his buttons and, Miao Jing too, is aware that he knows. Chen Yi's experiences and circumstances are such that they stop him from fully committing to her. Him shutting himself out is mostly due to his fear of her falling into danger due all that has transpired. But he's human too and cannot help but feel jealous and petty... On top of it, he obviously has low self-esteem and isn't educated beyond high school. I guess it's easier for him to love her from afar, safe and sound in Haicheng; rather than have her in front of him and sharing a good rapport with her highly qualified ex who is also happens to be her colleague at work.

Hiya! Miao Jing tried to move past her time in Tengcheng but couldn't because she was unable to let go of Chen Yi. Her recklessness, in my opinion, is fueled by her impatience to wrest Chen Yi from Zhang Bin's clutches once and for all. She's had enough and is determined to go scorched earth on Zhang Bin in the only way she knows how. Unfortunately, Chen Yi is hardly the kind of person to sit back. 🤷🏻‍♀️

TMAI?! I loved Better Days so dang much that I hunted down the translated novella. Even the translated title of the novella is hauntingly beautiful. Also, I agree that this drama is closest in tone to Better Days. I had never thought I'd ever come across something similar. I am aware that many here find the more recent episodes slow but in my opinion, that's the entire point. There is a palpable sense of unease and a stifling wait for the other shoe to drop. This subtly oppressive ambience is fantastic. The viewer, like the main characters, is compelled to feel at a standstill without quite understanding why. Furthermore, Miao Jing's recklessness, in my opinion, is fueled by her impatience to wrest Chen Yi from Zhang Bin's clutches once and for all. She's had enough and is determined to go scorched earth on Zhang Bin in the way she knows how. Unfortunately, Chen Yi is hardly the kind of person to sit back. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Goodness! That's exactly what I thought while watching the initial episodes. Especially when Chen Yi would follow Miao Jing from a distance while different people weaved in and out of the frame in the market scenes. Better Days, albeit not being a romance, has one of my most favourite romances. Also, I love most things that are to do with the '90s to the early 2000s. There seems to have existed a certain languid cool in that particular period of time that other eras never seem to have had and the drama captures that sentiment so well. Full disclosure: I have never been able to vibe with SWL's acting albeit the fact that I have only ever watched him in historical dramas. But here I cannot imagine anyone but SWL as Chen Yi. There were a few negligible misses in his acting very early on in the drama and I had started the drama solely for ZJY (I absolutely adore her). However, I gotta admit I fell for drama hook, line and sinker from the very first shot. The LFY team has knocked it out of the park. Everything spanning from the music to the cinematography has been great. 😍

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Thank you so much for your detailed reply. I guess I will just let the episodes pile up and just watch their scenes first. I also adore the actor playing Cui. He has always been good since his first drama which I still absolutely love, even though it isn't my favourite genre, LOL!

Is the drama worth watching just for them? Do these two have decent enough screen time together and separately? I adore FSQ and the comments here suggest that she is slaying her role. Don't get me wrong... I love the cast overall due to their roles in other dramas, but the storyline isn't quite doing it for me even though I like revenge themed dramas. The first few minutes of the pilot episode wasn't enough to pull me in.

Thanks! I will look into it. It would require a bit of re-writing I think. I wish I could pin it, hehe...

PREACH!!! Even in the penultimate episode, we had to suffer through Zhao Chun's nonsense. 😒

Whatever made Mr. E-den dress up like Liberace?! 🤣

Thank you for the correction. My bad, I assumed that Zhao Che and Chun'er shared the same mother. Tbh, what happened to Chun'er was devastating but not every victim goes around making the lives of innocent people a living hell. If anything, many such persons become even more empathetic to the plight of others since they themselves have been to hell and back. No matter what happened to her, she was vicious to people who didn't deserve it and that is quite telling and reeks of condescension. Also, no woman with an iota of self-respect would be obsess over a man who basically used and humiliated her. In all honesty, I don't blame Yan Xun at all for ditching his wedding. I am unable to empathise with Chun'er or her actions.

Thank you so much! No, I haven't written a review. Tbh, I have never ever written one. In my opinion, the discourse about the drama here is too one-sided. I wanted to treat this drama as its own entity and pen down my thoughts on the off chance that my opinions about the drama may aid someone else with similar tastes in deciding whether to give this drama a fair chance or not.

Thank you for your kind words! 🥰 Glad to know there are a few others like me. To be frank, I wrote down my thoughts because I felt that some of the negativity here in this comment section is a bit unwarranted and seems to be driven by factors not strictly pertaining to the drama itself. I got a bit carried away and rambled a bit. Not sure my thoughts qualify as a review which ought to be well structured, spoiler free and organised.

Disclaimer: These are my thoughts and opinions. I appreciate the fact that there would be many who think otherwise. Their opinions and experience while watching this drama are just as valid as mine. A world where everyone has the exact same opinion would be nothing but an echo chamber and make things boring. Let's keep the discussion civil, people. 😊

I am very aware that I belong to the tiny minority who actually anticipated the release of new episodes daily. I certainly don't regret watching this drama, and would certainly be re-watching my favorite bits in the future. Having said that, this drama is not without its flaws. However, its flaws, in my opinion, are not as huge as they are made out to be. In hindsight, the makers marketed the drama in the worst possible way. Rather than marketing it as a reiteration of the earlier show Princess Agents with a slew of new actors playing already established characters loved by fans all around the world, they ought to have branded it as a loose adaptation of the novel. I feel this show is best watched as a stand alone story of a few kingdoms that are at a constant state of war with each other and a lone woman's struggle to eradicate inequality and slavery with the help of like minded friends/partners and the consequences thereafter of trying to make this vision a reality. In addition, Lord do I wish the director will end his long standing love affair with lingering zoom ins on characters' faces as the actors look straight into the camera. The first few times were a choice but as the series progressed these zoom ins drove me to distraction and took me out of the story a couple of times. Also, there needs to be a certain level of finesse and seamlessness when you choose to incorporate actors lip syncing to songs. Sadly, the director of this drama doesn't have any clue as to how it should be done. This director does quite a few things right, yet the things he does wrong are soooo wroooong that they end up messing up the things that he has done right. 😑 Having said that, I would like to draw attention to the couple of things that this drama has done right. The fight/battle scenes are really well done. Given how many characters ride on horses, fight with heavy weapons, or travel under the open skies with dust flying around, the effort to show that there would be some grime on everyone from their faces down to their hands with dirt under their nails needs to be applauded. Additionally, the cinematography feels expansive and very lived in. The panoramic shots (which look very real and for all I know are real locations) are breathtakingly beautiful and draw the viewers' focus to the sweeping scale of the story that the drama is narrating. I liked the cold opens of the episodes as well. I also really liked the OST which had a haunting, melancholic feel and helped enrich the scenes. I especially loved the portrayal of platonic men and women partnerships/friendships in the drama; a few of which developed into something more as the drama continued. Also, my heartbreak was real as my favourite supporting characters got killed one after another.

Coming to the characters, my opinion is that they were not allowed as much space to evolve as they needed for justifying a drama of this scale. Moving on, I'd like to discuss the casting of HTT as Chu Qiao. In my mind, there are a few actresses (especially one actress in particular) who I know would have done a fabulous job playing Chu Qiao but then they are highly underrated for a reason. 🙈 I'd argue that rather than being miscast, HTT was prematurely cast. Some scenes require a certain level of maturity that can only come from either having to grow up too fast due to real life circumstances (I naively hope that no child is forced to grow up way too quickly) or from being an adult, fully exposed to the big, wide world. Her being a teenager during filming obviously came in the way of her fully embodying the complexity of Chu Qiao. She does have immense potential. Despite her tiny stature she looks very believable when she executes fight scenes which I have seen other actresses struggle with. Give her a few more years and I am sure she would be a pretty solid actress. I also suspect that her moments of her blankly staring into the camera were directorial choices rather than a result of her limited acting skills.

Even though Chu Qiao's character design in the drama wasn't the best, yet, I did enjoy watching her. We have to keep in mind that Chu Qiao has had to fight long and hard every step of the way to protect her agency which is why even with Zhuge Yue having to rescue her time and again, I don't see her as a damsel in distress. She was always backed into a corner, having to deal with some really impossible odds.

Yearning in cinema is a lost art and I feel that LYR is one of the few actors in the Chinese idol drama realm who portray yearning and longing really well. Sometimes the most effective romance is where you just somehow know that two characters deeply care for one another without them ever being shown to be physically intimate. I, for one, don't really mind the absence of intimacy as long as the drama manages to make me root for a couple without having to hammer it in. I have come across dramas with truckloads of intimacy yet they failed to convince me of the pairing's chemistry. Go figure. 🤨 So, for me, the lack of intimacy isn't equivalent to the lack of chemistry. However, had Chu Qiao been portrayed by an adult, I do think the presentation of the quiet moments of togetherness between Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao would have been way more effective. To be honest, in some of the earliest moments, LYR did seem to struggle in setting the atmosphere. While I don't know if the drama was shot according to the chronology of events happening in the drama, one could totally see him balking at the prospect of creating romantic tension with his co-star and feeling very awkward and out of depth in the initial episodes. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Talking of LYR, I absolutely loved his portrayal of Zhuge Yue. Zhuge Yue, despite his best intentions, is a man whose choices are bound to an unwanted yet overwhelmingly pervasive inheritance. (Like Zhuge Yue sadly observes in episode 37 that he has NO choice.) When he was taunting Su Gulin (Jin Han's cameo as the King of Ximeng was a fun surprise!), you could see the ruthlessness that runs through his blood, yet what separated him from the rest of his family is that this ruthlessness is tempered by deep empathy for those who are truly vulnerable. He wields this ruthlessness as a weapon to protect rather than to destroy. His humanity is reflected in how he sometimes seems to be driven by a fear of not knowing whether or not he'd be able to make it out alive on the other side in order to be able to protect his close ones. (One has to stay alive to protect his dear ones. Just saying. 🤷🏻‍♀️) No matter the circumstances that led his subordinates to join Qingshan Manor, I liked that they genuinely liked Zhuge Yue and their loyalty towards him isn't a result of fear but of genuine respect and care for their young master. His subordinates felt safe enough to voice even their dissent. Another detail that I liked is when Zhuge Yue enlists Zhao Che's help, the latter quickly realised that it was his friend who is supposedly dead, and hence, agreed to send reinforcements. Thus, not everything in this drama is spoonfed.

Zhuge Yue's dynamic with his grandfather, Zhuge Muqing, was yet another highlight for me. On the one hand we have the Zhuge patriarch who largely contributed to the experiences that shaped Zhuge Yue and who chose to be ruthless to the point of not even sparing even his grandson; and on the other hand, we have Zhuge Yue who is just as ruthless yet committed to protecting those under him. Their very last confrontation and fight scenes were absolutely mesmerizing. I wish we could have had more of their story. Zhuge Yue may have been initially victorious vis-à-vis his grandfather but his grandfather won the final round. It's interesting that for both, that last standoff boiled down to freedom from Qingshan Manor.

Yan Xun in the novel was a complicated character. I feel ZKL tried his best with what he was given. His performance as Yan Xun was pretty decent. I blame the direction and the screenplay. Some of the character designs were not well thought out or directed.

Li Ce was such a ray of sunshine!!! The actor was fabulous and is certainly one to watch out for.

Xia Meng plays Chun'er with gleefully crazed abandon so much so that her character makes me want to reach into the screen and strangle her. In all honesty, her character wasn't needed and her screen time could have been utilised for something else. Even in the penultimate episode, the drama was still wasting time on Chun'er and Li Yan. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I thought I could not abhor a fictional character more than Bitchang from TTEOTM but here we are.

In my opinion, there exists a parallel between Ming Lu and Chun'er, both of whom went through heavy losses in the beginning of the drama. One chose to work through her grief and understood how misplaced her blame was; yet another tenaciously held onto blaming someone who was innocent of the crime for which she was accused. Chun'er's sheer stubbornness ended up killing the father of her unborn child.

A big shoutout to the actress playing General Huan. Her portrayal was flawless and in my opinion, one of the best and most realistic depictions of a female general in a chinese drama. (In another popular drama, the FL was not convincing at all as a battle hardened general. I watched all 40 episodes but I couldn't suspend my disbelief till the very end. It's a shame because it was very clear that the actress had given it her all. Sometimes, it just doesn't work. 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Most of the supporting female cast in this drama were well cast and were fantastic in their roles. Such strong performances! I loved how most of the female characters in this drama were brave, fierce and unapologetic about their motives (both hidden and known). 😏 The supporting male cast were pretty good too.

It's a wonder that both Zhao Che and Chun'er are full blood siblings. One earned his place every step of the way while another just focussed on looking pretty and looking down on those below her and pining for a man whose family was decimated by her own father. I totally understand why Yan Xun never fell for her; she is rotten to the core bringing destruction to everything that she touches. Nevermind, Zhao Che proved in later episodes, specifically episode 36 onwards, that the apple didn't fall far from the tree. 🙄

It was a teensy bit hilarious when I realised that the actor, Zhu Jun Lin, playing Meng En here is the same person who played Chen Jia in Blossom. In both dramas, his character goes from being a ruthless foe to a trusted aide of LYR's character, LMAO.

The last two episodes are frankly a mess. I cannot begin to count how many times I have rolled my eyes while watching episode 39. The script for these two episodes could have been so much better! As for the ending, the director attempted inject some poeticism into it and make it ambiguous which frankly in my opinion is yet another silly choice in a series of silly choices. *sigh* Different viewers will interpret the ending differently, their perspective on this drama's ending would probably be hinged upon their real life circumstances, experiences and/or preferences. As for me, the drama ends with Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue both being well and alive and living an ordinary life with their children. (This is anyways in line with the novel's ending.) My belief is especially based on how the little Zhuge munchkins reassured Yan Xun and Helian watching the shadow puppet show that both Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue were alive. (I am a firm believer in HEAs when it comes to fiction. 🤷🏻‍♀️) There is enough poeticism in my own life and in the real world, I don't need more of it in a fictional drama. Also, I would probably steer clear of this director's projects in the future. 😑

As far as the older Zhuge Yue telling that young woman to go to General Chu is concerned, I took it to mean that like always Chu Qiao prioritised the well being of the populace over them being together. Zhuge Yue has always been very aware of this fact and his tone indicated an understanding/resignation, something in the vein of, "The missus is the people's general first and foremost". 😐 Zhuge Yue by now must be pretty habituated to her going off to do what she believes must be done, LOL.

Someone in the comments likened the treatment of the story to depiction of warring factions in medieval Europe which is something that they didn't necessary want to see in a Chinese drama. While I totally understand their sentiment, yet because I enjoy watching European medieval era themed shows, I didn't mind the similarity in storytelling techniques and had a good time watching Rebirth.

In my opinion, while rating this show one should take into account its level of quality in its entirety rather than focusing solely on the actors, and their acting skills or lack thereof. Wish we could have had 50 episodes. Perhaps then the series would have felt less truncated and the flashbacks interspersed through out the series would have had more emotional heft. I read somewhere that this drama cost around 250 million Yuan to produce. Frankly, they could have saved a lot of time, including screen time, money and effort if the director hadn't stuck to lingering zoom ins every other frigging minute. However, despite all its flaws, it's an easy 8.2 in my book.


TL,DR: What I really like about Rebirth is that it feels as chaotic and charged as it should feel. Stakes are high, and the consequences of the decisions taken by different characters are even higher. The fight sequences are beautiful. Also, the themes explored are really nice. However, I will admit that this drama is pretty much a missed opportunity. I guess one would like it only if s/he likes watching historical warfare as well as watching everyone trying to one up each other. Good people end up praying heavy prices every now and then, that is if they manage to survive first, LMAO. In addition, we have got quite a few unhinged people obsessing over certain people or things. Lastly, most viewers seem to HATE this drama with a passion while I really enjoyed watching it. It has its flaws, some quite glaring, but in my opinion, its rating is a solid 8.2.

Below are my thoughts and opinions about Rebirth. Spoilers galore. My final rating of this drama is 8.2. It would have been 8.5 or 8.7 had the drama stuck its landing.

To future viewers, the first two episodes falter quite a bit, it is during the third episode when the drama gradually starts to find its footing; and by the 5th episode, the drama finally hits its stride and sets the tone for the rest of the episodes. In my opinion, if the drama is unable to hold your interest by the 5th episode, then perhaps you would not be able to vibe with the next 35 episodes.