moral ambiguity done right
I put this on just because recently I've been interested in Hou Ming Hao's work, I had the expectation that this drama is just about hunting demons, friendship and that it will be a comedy. Damn was I wrong and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Although it definitely is about friendship, they do hunt demons and there is humor, it is much much more deeper than that.
I'll start with my favorite part which is that finally moral ambiguity is done right. Most of what I've seen, xianxia/costume dramas have this boring/simplistic framework where good is pure, righteous; evil is demonic, corrupt and redemption is love fixes everything lol. This drama established from the start that humans can be cruel; demons are capable of love, loyalty and sacrifice, and evil is a consequence of suffering, fear and survival not identity. Humans and demons are treated as fundamentally equal - capable of the same kindness and the same brutality. That alone makes the story feel far more mature than most dramas in the genre.
Because of this, I genuinely consider Fangs of Fortune a masterpiece. The way the characters are written carries the story more than any romance ever could. In fact, I do think the drama falls short on the love aspect, and initially I wasn’t particularly keen on Wen Xiao’s character. But the more I thought about it, the more it clicked: love is intentionally secondary here. Wen Xiao is meant to feel insufficient. I think I am conditioned by dramas to expect love to heal trauma, redeem pain and provide emotional resolution. This story refuses that comfort. Love doesn’t fix everything and because of that, Wen Xiao feels incomplete, limited and sometimes frustrating… but also human.
I have to single out Zhao Yuan Zhou's character, he is neither hero or antihero. He is someone who has lived far too long, is tired and sees the world with clarity. He does not distinguish between humans and demons morally. He understands that suffering is systematic, that compassion is rarely rewarded and that goodness does not triumph simply because it exists. He is not softened into a romantic archetype. Instead, he remains exhausted, self-aware, and principled in his own quiet, devastating way. Characters like him are incredibly rare in dramas.
You don't watch this for twists, surprises and salvation, this story is for watching how tragedy unfolds and why characters make the choices that they do.
The humor worked so well, too. It didn't break the immersion and it felt like people coping, not just like writers inserting jokes haha, it was so well done.
also have to mention that the music was hauntingly beautiful
an absolutely fantastic atmospheric watch
💔
I'll start with my favorite part which is that finally moral ambiguity is done right. Most of what I've seen, xianxia/costume dramas have this boring/simplistic framework where good is pure, righteous; evil is demonic, corrupt and redemption is love fixes everything lol. This drama established from the start that humans can be cruel; demons are capable of love, loyalty and sacrifice, and evil is a consequence of suffering, fear and survival not identity. Humans and demons are treated as fundamentally equal - capable of the same kindness and the same brutality. That alone makes the story feel far more mature than most dramas in the genre.
Because of this, I genuinely consider Fangs of Fortune a masterpiece. The way the characters are written carries the story more than any romance ever could. In fact, I do think the drama falls short on the love aspect, and initially I wasn’t particularly keen on Wen Xiao’s character. But the more I thought about it, the more it clicked: love is intentionally secondary here. Wen Xiao is meant to feel insufficient. I think I am conditioned by dramas to expect love to heal trauma, redeem pain and provide emotional resolution. This story refuses that comfort. Love doesn’t fix everything and because of that, Wen Xiao feels incomplete, limited and sometimes frustrating… but also human.
I have to single out Zhao Yuan Zhou's character, he is neither hero or antihero. He is someone who has lived far too long, is tired and sees the world with clarity. He does not distinguish between humans and demons morally. He understands that suffering is systematic, that compassion is rarely rewarded and that goodness does not triumph simply because it exists. He is not softened into a romantic archetype. Instead, he remains exhausted, self-aware, and principled in his own quiet, devastating way. Characters like him are incredibly rare in dramas.
You don't watch this for twists, surprises and salvation, this story is for watching how tragedy unfolds and why characters make the choices that they do.
The humor worked so well, too. It didn't break the immersion and it felt like people coping, not just like writers inserting jokes haha, it was so well done.
also have to mention that the music was hauntingly beautiful
an absolutely fantastic atmospheric watch
💔
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