snipesmosley

What's good about this drama is so good, it makes you love it despite its flaws. Wei Wuxian (as played by Xiao Zhan) is one of the most lovable and interesting characters I've seen any drama, period. Huge credit has to be given to the screenwriter who elevated the story/characters beyond the source material, the casting director for picking these two untested lead actors, the director for pulling this performance out of them, and the music director for creating a gorgeous soundtrack. I hope the two main actors are incredibly proud of what they did, even though they've had a rollercoaster ride with the fandoms and fan-fiction it spawned. The story was a bit confusing to begin with - I had to stop and read a synopsis to understand what was happening, but I'm glad I stuck with it because the payoff was huge. It helps to know that it starts in the middle of the story and then flashes back for 20+ episodes - and the main character is supposed to have woken up in a different body, but they use the same actor for his first life and second life (so he looks different to the other characters but not to the audience). The flaws are mostly technical, with action scenes especially, and the acting of minor characters can be pretty bad. I read the novels after watching the drama, and I have to say the characters were not as interesting or lovable in print. It is a shame the romance was censored, but honestly, it isn't well integrated in the novels...mostly in the last book and more sexual than romantic. In the drama, you see a platonic relationship with a focus on different kinds of brotherly relationships - which ends up being rather powerful. The romantic relationship isn't shown or contradicted, it is left up to the viewer's imagination. There are plenty of nods to the BL content for readers to pick up on, and the behind-the-scenes content on YouTube is almost as much fun to watch as the drama itself.