30
139
6
1
1
4
1
4
3
2
5
1
1
1
1
3
4
5
Weakest of the Trilogy...Lacks chemistry and execution in Romance and Bromance
Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75
I previously watched “Dashing Youth” until ep 29 a year ago before deciding to drop it. But after watching and loving “Blood River”, it inspired me to pick this back up again to follow the other side of the story. I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing.
Good: I gave “Dashing Youth” a second chance and rewatched it from ep 1.
Bad: I can’t help but compare the two dramas and “Dashing Youth’ failed in comparison (miserably).
Plot/Pacing
The general plot is actually pretty good. Two long lost best friends reunited and fought for their own future and recognition in the pugilistic world. They have different dreams, different backgrounds, different personalities and different paths. But, throughout their journeys, they remain true best friends who are loyal to each other till the end. Along the way, they meet new people who challenge them and/or help them grow. Sounds good right? Technically yes, but the execution was not great. If you have watched “The Blood of Youth”, you know that friendship and camaraderie is the drama’s biggest strength. Each of the main characters/youths has their unique and quirky personalities. I love that group. If you watched “Blood River”, the bromance and friendship between the two male leads, Changhe and Mu Yu, is their biggest selling point. They are always together and trusting each other. But what about “Dashing Youth”? Unfortunately, the first half of the drama focuses on Baili Dong Jun’s journey and the second half focuses on Ye Ding Zhi. They do not have many scenes together as they set off on their own personal journeys. Because of that, it was difficult for me to believe in their tight bond and the foundation is not strong enough for us viewers, to give me that emotional impact when their ideals collide. Additionally, the pacing is slow, especially in the second half. This is also an unfair comparison because I just finished watching “Blood River” and that drama is well-paced and action-packed. There’s too much talking and preachy lectures. The two female leads talk very slowly in the second half. When it came to ep 29, I realized why I dropped it the first time. The romances are not romancing, and I was bored.
Acting
The veterans are great in this drama. They totally outshine the younger crew. Neo Hou and He Yu did fine, but not amazing. Hu Lian Xin and Jiang Zhen Yu are beautiful but boring. My favorite actors are probably Zia Zhi Guang and Bai Shu. Their characters are my favorite. It says a lot when Xia Zhi Guang is in the same screen as Neo Hou and my eyes are on him. I love Bai Shu and his character Prince Lang Ya in this drama, as well as in “Blood River”. Wangyan Luo Rong (as Lei Meng Sha) and the little monk boy provided some comic relief. that little kid is hilarious and whoever dubbed his voice is just as funny. The rest of the young cast is fine. The lesser roles are average or below average, and this is a huge cast. Some of these characters showed up for a brief period of time and then came out again, and I have to think really hard to remember who they are.
Romance
I’ve come to the conclusion that either novelist Zhou Mu Nan sucks at writing romance storylines, or the screenwriters are bad in all 3 dramas of the trilogy. Chemistry is lacking, no matter how good they look together visually. Baili Dong Jun and Yue Yao are boring and have no chemistry. It was fun in the beginning when she was still in her fake identity and actually acts like a cool heroine. But I can’t tell when Baili Dong Jun actually fell in love with her. There’s barely any good romantic interaction except for a few slow-mo fake romantic moments. For the second half of the drama, Yue Yao acts as a sidekick or accessory to the male lead. Where’s the kickass girl in the earlier episodes? Does she have to dress, talk and act all princessy again? The romance between Ye Ding Zhi and Yi Wen Jun should be killing me with all that they have to go through. But all I get are childhood memories when they were soooo little that there could not be any romantic feelings at that age. Even when they reunite, they were together for such a brief period of time (and when Ye Ding Zhi’s identity is still a secret) when there shouldn’t be enough romantic feelings, or foundation built for me to believe the rest of what they had to go through. Having said that, I did cry a little in the last episode because their story is touching. It’s the chemistry and execution that didn’t work for me. Let’s not even talk about Sikong Chang Feng’s supposed romance. Barely there, even though he’s really adorable.
Production
If you are a wuxia fan and want to watch this trilogy, definitely start with “Dashing Youth”, not only because chronologically it makes sense, but because the action scenes are the worst. “Blood River” has far superior fight scenes with and without CGI. “Dashing Youth” relies solely on CGI fights and green screens. A true wuxia fan would be disappointed. But a CGI fan might love it. I do applaud Neo Hou to be the sole main character who uses his own voice. And Neo does that quite often. Is he excellent at it? Not really, but definitely better than Gong Jun in “Blood River”. The costumes and hairstyles are pretty good, but some of the accessories look really crappy. I saw quite a few fake broken swords here and there. Music is played quite often and loud. But I do like two sad songs, 《长风里》(Into the Wind) and《衍爱》(Love), and added that to my Spotify playlist.
I don’t regret taking this back out of my Dropped List and giving it a second chance. I had a fun time checking out the character/relationship maps of “Blood River”, “Dashing Youth” and “The Blood of Youth” from Baidu and figuring out who’s who. But if you are going to pick just one of the dramas to watch in this trilogy, “Dashing Youth” will not be my choice. I’ll pick “The Blood of Youth” for the fun group dynamics and friendship, or “Blood River” for the excellent plot/pacing and fight scenes. Just don’t have any hopes for anything good in the romance department.
Series Watch Order
1) Dashing Youth
2) Blood River
3) The Blood of Youth
Completed: 11/20/2025 Review #644
I previously watched “Dashing Youth” until ep 29 a year ago before deciding to drop it. But after watching and loving “Blood River”, it inspired me to pick this back up again to follow the other side of the story. I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing.
Good: I gave “Dashing Youth” a second chance and rewatched it from ep 1.
Bad: I can’t help but compare the two dramas and “Dashing Youth’ failed in comparison (miserably).
Plot/Pacing
The general plot is actually pretty good. Two long lost best friends reunited and fought for their own future and recognition in the pugilistic world. They have different dreams, different backgrounds, different personalities and different paths. But, throughout their journeys, they remain true best friends who are loyal to each other till the end. Along the way, they meet new people who challenge them and/or help them grow. Sounds good right? Technically yes, but the execution was not great. If you have watched “The Blood of Youth”, you know that friendship and camaraderie is the drama’s biggest strength. Each of the main characters/youths has their unique and quirky personalities. I love that group. If you watched “Blood River”, the bromance and friendship between the two male leads, Changhe and Mu Yu, is their biggest selling point. They are always together and trusting each other. But what about “Dashing Youth”? Unfortunately, the first half of the drama focuses on Baili Dong Jun’s journey and the second half focuses on Ye Ding Zhi. They do not have many scenes together as they set off on their own personal journeys. Because of that, it was difficult for me to believe in their tight bond and the foundation is not strong enough for us viewers, to give me that emotional impact when their ideals collide. Additionally, the pacing is slow, especially in the second half. This is also an unfair comparison because I just finished watching “Blood River” and that drama is well-paced and action-packed. There’s too much talking and preachy lectures. The two female leads talk very slowly in the second half. When it came to ep 29, I realized why I dropped it the first time. The romances are not romancing, and I was bored.
Acting
The veterans are great in this drama. They totally outshine the younger crew. Neo Hou and He Yu did fine, but not amazing. Hu Lian Xin and Jiang Zhen Yu are beautiful but boring. My favorite actors are probably Zia Zhi Guang and Bai Shu. Their characters are my favorite. It says a lot when Xia Zhi Guang is in the same screen as Neo Hou and my eyes are on him. I love Bai Shu and his character Prince Lang Ya in this drama, as well as in “Blood River”. Wangyan Luo Rong (as Lei Meng Sha) and the little monk boy provided some comic relief. that little kid is hilarious and whoever dubbed his voice is just as funny. The rest of the young cast is fine. The lesser roles are average or below average, and this is a huge cast. Some of these characters showed up for a brief period of time and then came out again, and I have to think really hard to remember who they are.
Romance
I’ve come to the conclusion that either novelist Zhou Mu Nan sucks at writing romance storylines, or the screenwriters are bad in all 3 dramas of the trilogy. Chemistry is lacking, no matter how good they look together visually. Baili Dong Jun and Yue Yao are boring and have no chemistry. It was fun in the beginning when she was still in her fake identity and actually acts like a cool heroine. But I can’t tell when Baili Dong Jun actually fell in love with her. There’s barely any good romantic interaction except for a few slow-mo fake romantic moments. For the second half of the drama, Yue Yao acts as a sidekick or accessory to the male lead. Where’s the kickass girl in the earlier episodes? Does she have to dress, talk and act all princessy again? The romance between Ye Ding Zhi and Yi Wen Jun should be killing me with all that they have to go through. But all I get are childhood memories when they were soooo little that there could not be any romantic feelings at that age. Even when they reunite, they were together for such a brief period of time (and when Ye Ding Zhi’s identity is still a secret) when there shouldn’t be enough romantic feelings, or foundation built for me to believe the rest of what they had to go through. Having said that, I did cry a little in the last episode because their story is touching. It’s the chemistry and execution that didn’t work for me. Let’s not even talk about Sikong Chang Feng’s supposed romance. Barely there, even though he’s really adorable.
Production
If you are a wuxia fan and want to watch this trilogy, definitely start with “Dashing Youth”, not only because chronologically it makes sense, but because the action scenes are the worst. “Blood River” has far superior fight scenes with and without CGI. “Dashing Youth” relies solely on CGI fights and green screens. A true wuxia fan would be disappointed. But a CGI fan might love it. I do applaud Neo Hou to be the sole main character who uses his own voice. And Neo does that quite often. Is he excellent at it? Not really, but definitely better than Gong Jun in “Blood River”. The costumes and hairstyles are pretty good, but some of the accessories look really crappy. I saw quite a few fake broken swords here and there. Music is played quite often and loud. But I do like two sad songs, 《长风里》(Into the Wind) and《衍爱》(Love), and added that to my Spotify playlist.
I don’t regret taking this back out of my Dropped List and giving it a second chance. I had a fun time checking out the character/relationship maps of “Blood River”, “Dashing Youth” and “The Blood of Youth” from Baidu and figuring out who’s who. But if you are going to pick just one of the dramas to watch in this trilogy, “Dashing Youth” will not be my choice. I’ll pick “The Blood of Youth” for the fun group dynamics and friendship, or “Blood River” for the excellent plot/pacing and fight scenes. Just don’t have any hopes for anything good in the romance department.
Series Watch Order
1) Dashing Youth
2) Blood River
3) The Blood of Youth
Completed: 11/20/2025 Review #644
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