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34
"Art of Barely Making It" manual by Wu Xie
Time Raiders is the drama to start your The Lost Tomb journey with. Putting aside the fact chronologically it makes sense to start here, I also think the storytelling and directing is the most digestible of what exactly is going on and how this, at times chaotic, fictional world works.
Yes, the whole lore is extremely complex and detailed. The story feels greater than life. The adventures are thrilling, exciting, sometimes scary. The plot is interesting, but for me I always watch these shows for the characters. They are what draws me in and makes me want to pick up different titles from “The Lost Tomb” series. And the versions of the characters presented in Time Raiders are some of the best and most loveable ones I have seen so far.
Starting with Wuxie. What’s to love? He was amazingly animated, hilarious, but also resourceful and less of a damsel in distress than in other versions. It’s one thing to have all the skills, it’s another thing to have a survival instinct. While he might have lacked in some areas, he for sure had a strong will to live. You don't have to go full martial arts in dire situations. Sometimes a simple “stab stab” with a knife is enough. He did what he could instead of standing there scared hoping everything will miraculously solve itself out.
What’s more - even though it was obvious he lacks some skill and expertise, they made it abundantly clear he has so much potential to grow. That’s how the opening of any story should be - starting with a character we can witness the development of. With each adventure he gets better instead of being this unstoppable force since day one.
On the topic of unstoppable forces, we need to chat about our lovely emo boy Xiao Ge, who in this version felt like an actual human being, even if he still had his supernatural emo magic qualities I love. The number of times he actually used his words was amazing. Some of these instalments are determined to turn the character into a silent film edition. Not here though. He still has this mysterious aura about him, speaking only when it’s actually necessary - man of few words, but many actions, but it feels more like a persona than performance.
Short note on bromance - great set up. You can sense there is a connection between them before they even know it.
For the other characters, similar to Wuxie and Xiao Ge, this is also the best Pang Zi - dude was actually funny and not annoying. Some of his lines and reactions were almost the highlights of the episodes. But as funny as he was, they made sure to present him as a skilled and useful addition to the team.
Francis Ng aced his performance as Wu San Xing - what a natural delivery. Even when he was in the background he used 100% of his abilities. Not a second nor a frame was wasted.
On the frustrating side - A Ning will forever be annoying, why not just let her die? She would have zero issue leaving them all for death. Sometimes you just need to stop being a gentleman if being one makes you a dumbass.
Plot wise, I greatly appreciated the actual stakes that made me tear up a little bit. Unexpected to be honest. I don’t exactly watch these dramas to be moved, but to be entertained. I expect magical over the top solutions for serious troubles, so it’s refreshing to see characters lose and there is nothing they can do about it. Seeing them deal emotionally with the consequences of their actions, witnessing how it affects everyone around them, making plans to lessen the impact - great way to add emotional weight.
Time Raiders somehow was able to deliver even pacing - 18 episodes for two stories seemed like the perfect choice. We had enough time to explore the area, lore, witness different interactions between the characters, and enjoy both the fun and the scary parts of the adventures.
The comedy was flawless. The funny lines, little moments, or even longer scenes focused on the hilarious set up were incorporated into the script effortlessly, lightening the mood without taking away from the tension completely.
As for the production - great. The CGI was actually mostly good. There was one scene that went a little bit (a lot) over the top, but it was hilarious to witness. I loved the sets - the caves, dark corridors, awfully tiny spaces that triggered my claustrophobia. I loved the lighting - well balanced when it was realistically dark for the setting, but bright enough for me to see what was happening. Good balance between realism and the accessible presentation for the viewers. And god bless these underwater scenes, because these were some of the best I have seen in any Chinese drama for ages.
The soundtrack perfectly accompanied the drama - got me tense when needed, hyped up for some cool action scenes that were about to happen. And they also knew when to not include any sound at all, which is in fact a valid and sometimes correct choice many directors forget about.
To add last note about the performances: Sometimes in dramas acting and the chemistry between actors is so good you start to question how much of what is happening is actually part of the script and directing, and how much is just the actors vibing and it just working together well. The delivery was so good if you told me they just let the actors act like themselves for realism, I would believe you.
Few extremely random thoughts I had while watching I don’t quite know where to place in the review:
We got a borderline Bollywood action scene and I lived for it.
Can we talk about how good at throwing Cheng Xiang is? Or how well Xu Zhen Xuan runs? What I mean is - I did not have to convince myself what they did could happen, because they committed to present it in a realistic fashion. Things need to be thrown into the ceiling? We are running away from something dangerous, or towards something we really want? We will be using all the muscles in out body. We are sprinting like an athlete, not half jog like it's a PE we don't want to be in. I hate when characters throw shit like a 5 year old kid using as little muscles and movement as possible and we need to pretend it was a great aim and strong throw.
The whole “oxygen issue” in the second story was an intentional comedy when you find out you have from 3 to 7 hours of oxygen left even when you are buried alive in a coffin. Ain’t no logic in that high stake, but I did not care.
I just love how every Tomb drama ends on the note that leaves you in a complete state of confusion, more questions than answers.
Overall, I’d say this is the perfect drama to start your Lost Tomb journey with. The story is presented in the most digestible manner while also making sure you understand there is a bigger picture behind these 18 episodes - you just opened the door, you did not even take a first step into this wacky and fun journey.
Yes, the whole lore is extremely complex and detailed. The story feels greater than life. The adventures are thrilling, exciting, sometimes scary. The plot is interesting, but for me I always watch these shows for the characters. They are what draws me in and makes me want to pick up different titles from “The Lost Tomb” series. And the versions of the characters presented in Time Raiders are some of the best and most loveable ones I have seen so far.
Starting with Wuxie. What’s to love? He was amazingly animated, hilarious, but also resourceful and less of a damsel in distress than in other versions. It’s one thing to have all the skills, it’s another thing to have a survival instinct. While he might have lacked in some areas, he for sure had a strong will to live. You don't have to go full martial arts in dire situations. Sometimes a simple “stab stab” with a knife is enough. He did what he could instead of standing there scared hoping everything will miraculously solve itself out.
What’s more - even though it was obvious he lacks some skill and expertise, they made it abundantly clear he has so much potential to grow. That’s how the opening of any story should be - starting with a character we can witness the development of. With each adventure he gets better instead of being this unstoppable force since day one.
On the topic of unstoppable forces, we need to chat about our lovely emo boy Xiao Ge, who in this version felt like an actual human being, even if he still had his supernatural emo magic qualities I love. The number of times he actually used his words was amazing. Some of these instalments are determined to turn the character into a silent film edition. Not here though. He still has this mysterious aura about him, speaking only when it’s actually necessary - man of few words, but many actions, but it feels more like a persona than performance.
Short note on bromance - great set up. You can sense there is a connection between them before they even know it.
For the other characters, similar to Wuxie and Xiao Ge, this is also the best Pang Zi - dude was actually funny and not annoying. Some of his lines and reactions were almost the highlights of the episodes. But as funny as he was, they made sure to present him as a skilled and useful addition to the team.
Francis Ng aced his performance as Wu San Xing - what a natural delivery. Even when he was in the background he used 100% of his abilities. Not a second nor a frame was wasted.
On the frustrating side - A Ning will forever be annoying, why not just let her die? She would have zero issue leaving them all for death. Sometimes you just need to stop being a gentleman if being one makes you a dumbass.
Plot wise, I greatly appreciated the actual stakes that made me tear up a little bit. Unexpected to be honest. I don’t exactly watch these dramas to be moved, but to be entertained. I expect magical over the top solutions for serious troubles, so it’s refreshing to see characters lose and there is nothing they can do about it. Seeing them deal emotionally with the consequences of their actions, witnessing how it affects everyone around them, making plans to lessen the impact - great way to add emotional weight.
Time Raiders somehow was able to deliver even pacing - 18 episodes for two stories seemed like the perfect choice. We had enough time to explore the area, lore, witness different interactions between the characters, and enjoy both the fun and the scary parts of the adventures.
The comedy was flawless. The funny lines, little moments, or even longer scenes focused on the hilarious set up were incorporated into the script effortlessly, lightening the mood without taking away from the tension completely.
As for the production - great. The CGI was actually mostly good. There was one scene that went a little bit (a lot) over the top, but it was hilarious to witness. I loved the sets - the caves, dark corridors, awfully tiny spaces that triggered my claustrophobia. I loved the lighting - well balanced when it was realistically dark for the setting, but bright enough for me to see what was happening. Good balance between realism and the accessible presentation for the viewers. And god bless these underwater scenes, because these were some of the best I have seen in any Chinese drama for ages.
The soundtrack perfectly accompanied the drama - got me tense when needed, hyped up for some cool action scenes that were about to happen. And they also knew when to not include any sound at all, which is in fact a valid and sometimes correct choice many directors forget about.
To add last note about the performances: Sometimes in dramas acting and the chemistry between actors is so good you start to question how much of what is happening is actually part of the script and directing, and how much is just the actors vibing and it just working together well. The delivery was so good if you told me they just let the actors act like themselves for realism, I would believe you.
Few extremely random thoughts I had while watching I don’t quite know where to place in the review:
We got a borderline Bollywood action scene and I lived for it.
Can we talk about how good at throwing Cheng Xiang is? Or how well Xu Zhen Xuan runs? What I mean is - I did not have to convince myself what they did could happen, because they committed to present it in a realistic fashion. Things need to be thrown into the ceiling? We are running away from something dangerous, or towards something we really want? We will be using all the muscles in out body. We are sprinting like an athlete, not half jog like it's a PE we don't want to be in. I hate when characters throw shit like a 5 year old kid using as little muscles and movement as possible and we need to pretend it was a great aim and strong throw.
The whole “oxygen issue” in the second story was an intentional comedy when you find out you have from 3 to 7 hours of oxygen left even when you are buried alive in a coffin. Ain’t no logic in that high stake, but I did not care.
I just love how every Tomb drama ends on the note that leaves you in a complete state of confusion, more questions than answers.
Overall, I’d say this is the perfect drama to start your Lost Tomb journey with. The story is presented in the most digestible manner while also making sure you understand there is a bigger picture behind these 18 episodes - you just opened the door, you did not even take a first step into this wacky and fun journey.
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