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It's now 3 years old show but I have to vent my frustration somewhere...If you haven't watched this show yet, don't, as there is a plenty really good dramas.
Story had a such a good potential but it is all over the place throughout all 58 episodes, which by the way could be easily squished down to less then 40 and nothing will be lost.
Show is essentially "carrot-on-the_stick" where main female protagonist at very young age became very powerful thanks to her Mom's training, Mom was a leader of very powerful organization. but was killed shortly after transferring %80 of her power to her daughter, who in turn got hurt, lost memory and ended up as a slave/maid.
She learned eventually traditional fighting skills but while in one episodes she would defeat skilled assassins, in the next she would get injured by lowly guards - Very poor story line development and characters growth.
Villans seems to be inexperienced actors or script demanded of them to act like 12 years old school yard bullies. If it wasnt for two main leads with great chemistry and few very experienced supporting actors/actresses many more would abandon the show after few episodes or skip through through most episodes.
Ending is not much better either as last 10 episodes were all over the place and instead of main female lead recovering her memories, perhaps in second half of the show, that was left as a cliffhanger for season two which will never materialize.
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Cast changes
If you like the Season 1 you will like season 2, despite the fact that main male actor is not back as well as few supporting actresses/actors.At least Sang Sang remained and strangely, they begin to build up their power and required often saving.
One of the main annoyances, for me anyway, is voice overs - I'm sucker for detail and if I see lips out of sink I loose interest but it's not something many people will care or notice
Just like in season 1, all aspects of the drama were done quote well, including some epic battles.
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Great Drama
Great drama with exceptional music: OST is in my humble opinion the best of any C-drama and I've watched 40ish so far. It doesn't matter how bad or stressful work is, once i hear first few tunes of opening song i'm transferred far, far away and my troubles are gone in an instant.Main protagonist, Sing Sing & Ning Qui play their roles very well and growth of characters and their skills is nicely done. Support actors are exceptional as well .
Story, acting, sets, costumes, CGI effects and fight choreography are all done quite well and very often you will run in to very emotional moments.
While not perfect, definitely worth the time and highly commandeered if you like this genre.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is a season two and follows the love story of Xiao Fan and Bi Yao. While very short with only 18 episodes it is better then first season and story flows much better.My only complaint is that Bi Yao shows up only in flashbacks and few minor scenes. At least all actors from season one are back.
While I hope they will show up in season 3, sadly, that is very unlikely as it's been two years and they all have other projects to work on.
Overall, if you liked the season one, you will like this one too. It was left on the cliffhanger though .
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More of the same
The goal of season two is to wrap up characters and their stories. IMO, cast acting is still better than average. One could say, they went too far with crying, which sometimes produced an opposite effect.The main female lead is still useless and sometimes very dumb, but that is common in this kind of story.
Sets are the same as in season one, and there was no need for many special effects.
If you already watched season one, this is a must-see drama. If not for anything else, then just to see a wrap-up of the story.
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Suprisingly good
This is a really good, but short Xianxia drama. I found it on YouTube by chance, and the next few hours were truly fun. I watch videos at least 1.5 times normal speed, so I didn't "waste" much timeIf this were a fully blown C drama with 40+ episodes, ~45 min each, it would be very close to my fav drama, Joy of Life.
I still enjoyed it very much, and considering the difficulties related to the short format, the cast, directors, and sets were outstanding.
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Nice easy going drama
This is an easy-going story that is quite good, but I think writers and directors got tired near the end, which culminated in one of the weirdest endings. At least drama keeps you engaged to the last minute of the last episodeDon't get me wrong. It is definitely worth the time. The cast is strong, and the acting is above average. This is not high-budget drama, but the sets are still passable, with choreography nicely done, even with minimal CGI (mostly strings used), and clever camera positioning.
Not much else to say: It is a decent watch for almost anyone, but not something you will re-watch next year.
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Low budget drama
Another low-budget drama based on an excellent novel. As most drama based on novels, this one follows a single main arc from the novel and not a trace of cultivation levels, And the drama still feels shallow and empty. Emotions are poorly delivered, especially by the main lead, who portrays Qin Wentian.Coreography and special effects are quite poor and outdated. Sequences where thousands of people should be present are showing a couple of dozen people at most - It effectively ruins the scene that should be grand and impressive.
Another weird thing is the amount of makeup used, which quite often gives you a vibe of old Chinese opera. The lights glaring straight at he actress's face exaggerates the effect even more.
This is something you can fast-forward through quickly, and nothing will be missed. Definitely, not worth rewatching...
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Superb acting, nicely developed characters and their growth, Not as good OST, a lot of intrigue...
I have attempted to complete the JoL novel 3 times and only on the 4th attempt, I managed to wrap it up. I find the novel of average quality, but it may be the translation I run into. But regardless of the translation and cultural differences, in my opinion, the novel suffers from genre focus: Is it court/palace, Wuxia, or Xianxia? I prefer all of it, but well balanced.Season one, in my opinion, was by far the best drama produced in the last 15 years. Everything, from music, cast, acting, and choreography was perfect in every sense of the word, perfect. The icing on the cake was the fact that all aspects were perfectly balanced. Palace intrigue and Wuxia/Xianxia were perfectly balanced.
Season two followed the most boring parts of the novel, palace intrigue and I'm not a fan of it. But! Almost all actresses and actors are back, and once again they have proven they are masters of their craft.
I was hoping Xin Zhilei (Norternt Qi Senintess DouDou) would get more screen time. Sadly This was not the case, but she did have a few appearances, following the slow and annoying novel's storytelling.
Music was changed and it's not nearly as good as in season one, but some songs were kept.
Is it worth your time to watch this drama? A clear and loud YES!
I hope we don't have to wait another 5 years for the final season. If all cast and behind-the-scenes team members stay the same, Season 3 should be just as good as Season One, if not better.
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All over the place
I started this drama only because there were quite a few actresses/actors from Joy of Life, and it does have a bit of Joy of LIfe vibe. Sadly that's about it. The first 15 episodes were not that bad, but it went downhill quickly and culminated in a major cliffhanger for the ending. The cast was perfect, with the actors' looks matching their roles perfectly, but the acting in my opinion felt a bit forced. lines were not delivered naturally at all, and the translation on Prime Video was horrid...Overall drama was all over the place, with few comical episodes followed by serious storytelling, but neither was executed that well.
Hopefully, I'm wrong, but this drama will suffer the same fate as Joy of Life, never to see a season two...
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Great story purely executed
Great actors and it is defensively worth watching but I don''t know what is wrong with script writers as some things are just, to put it mildly, not believable even for this genre.Just one of the examples, One of the protagonists is holding a "mystical" pearl in his open hand starring up in the sky while two guys are fighting to get it. 3rd guy swoops in and picks the pearl from his hand and everyone looks surprised?! Then 5-6 episodes were spent fixing that mistake.
Growth of two main characters is carried out very well and it is nicely executed by cast members. Remaining cast is just a good. Chemistry between them is great and very often quite emotional.
Choreography is more of a dance then real fight as focus in on the magical cultivation and CGI effects.
Music is on the spot for my taste, except for a closing song - From my point of view is a bit out of touch and cheesy.
I compare all c-drama shows to "Joy of Life" which is in my opinion a master peace and we will not see anything that good any tie soon...Perhaps Legend of Fei...
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I've started Snow Tower but I've dropped it once I have found Princess Silver.Very impressed with pretty much everything. Opening/closing video/music very nicely done and not many shows can compare to it, especially, opening video and music.
The strong female lead with minor physical imperfection makes her even more attractive - Definetelly actress to watch for.
Main leads are good for the roles and chemistry from my point of view is very good. Acting is quite good with just the right amount of emotions (Many drama show males crying/sobbing - I 'm no fan of that sort of thing).
Sets, costumes, and camera work are exemplary.
The fight choreography is very clean with some traditional Chinese martial art nicely implanted and just the right amount of CGI.
The white hair part surprised me as I know a person who did turn gray overnight due to extreme mental stress.
Highly recommended.
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I don't think I've binged so much ever as I've finished the season in 4 days. There is something for everyone from romance, twists, plots, fighting even some SI-FI.
I have one complaint only but it is my personal opinion: Cliffhangers - I hate it with passion as story can be partially wrapped up without it.
I will definitely rewatch it at least once just before season 2 comes out.
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Disipointing
Perhaps I was expecting too much from this drama, or it may also be some cultural difference. To me, drama is all over the place and a lot of stuff does not make sense (how on earth you can't recognize your first love?!) .From my point of view, this is a failure on director's side as you can tell that actresses and actors are trying their best but scripts they were given was at time truly disappointing - if it wasn't for Li Qin, I would of drop this a while ago . She makes this drama almost worth your time.
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Average
Drama started great, and I was under the impression this would be a cultivation-themed story. Sadly for me, it turned into a weird love story with way too many protagonists.IMO, the story has some weird plot holes, and you have to keep watching for them to be resolved. As 70% of C-Dramas, this is a "sausage" fest - Men rule, and women are weak, but if you like love stories, you may like it - I'm struggling now through season 2, so the story can be wrapped up (I didn't read the novel).
The cast is superb, with good acting, especially from the kid actors. Music is good, and rewatch value is very low IMO.
CGI fight choreography is very basic, as most of the time, there is dialogue with intrigue going on.
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