39
162
6
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6
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6
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5
7
Couldn't live up to initial hype with uneven pacing and a crash & burn ending
Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75
“Pursuit of Jade” was all the hype when it was first aired. The Feeds couldn’t get enough of Zhang Ling He (of course) and also praised how much they love the female lead, Fan Chang Yu (played by the adorable Tian Xi Wei). Add on a long silver haired toxic Deng Kai, it has all the ingredients to be a successful drama. But then, it somewhat crashed in the end and just could not stick the landing. “Pursuit of Jade” is not a bad drama, but the expectations were just so high that many were disappointed. I don’t always agree with the ‘highs’ but I do with the ‘lows’.
Since the title of the drama is about the pursuit of Jade, Jade I assume is the female lead. The story focuses on her journey much more so than the male lead. I guess this causes some criticisms that the male lead’s character was not fully utilized. His investigation of what happened 17 years ago gave us the initial setting of a plot that is not romance-focused. But as the story goes, his investigation becomes more of a way to help FL instead. Did he still want to find out what happened? For sure! But I think he cares more for FL than his father’s death.
Many love Fan Chang Yu (FL). She’s smart, caring, sweet, and strong both physically and mentally. She can hold her own, push back when needed, even when she’s in love or heartbroken. Yan Zheng (ML) never gets an upper hand when he’s fighting with her. He will eventually give in. She has girl power! She will fight alongside her man in battles, but not behind him. She saves his ass a few times, too. But there are certain decisions she made that I want to shake some sense into her. I was especially mad at her for her actions in the army camp. She is smart enough to know you can’t do whatever you want and not follow the rules. She’s not a careless person, but a very considerate one. Yet, time and time again, she didn’t listen. Of course, Yan Zheng is at fault as well, as he kept his identity a secret for way too long. Additionally, she said she wants to be independent, not relying on others and doesn't like others making decisions for her. Yet she did that several times to Yan Zheng and Li Huai An. She made decisions on their behalf all in the name of protecting them. I don’t think she would have appreciated them doing the same to her. She doesn’t care what others are going to gossip about her and her status, yet she would break up with Yan Zheng for his sake. This girl has a lot of double standards! Having said all that, she’s still a rare independent and strong female character.
Many also love the first 17 episodes when a lot of time is spent in the village. Those times were a great set up and introduction to most characters. It’s the time when romance blooms in a slow but natural way. The villagers are mostly likeable and even the annoying ones aren’t that bad. However, I might be one of the few that feels the happy times lasted a little long. I wanted a little more of the serious plot, e.g. investigation of what happened 17 years ago, the scheming that the silver fox is doing behind-the-scenes, or court politics. Because this didn’t happen much, the last 10 episodes felt rushed. I knew a lot was going to happen, that’s why I wanted the happy village arc to end soon. There’s a lot of business ML needs to attend to instead of hanging out in the village!
As for the actual romance, I do like the scenes of the leads together. They have good (not great) chemistry and they are both very likable. I’m glad to see ML didn’t fall into the lovesick puppy trope and forgets he is a ruthless warrior. I like that he only goes soft for her, but resumes his charisma when he’s needed. Aside from the hidden identity part, they communicate, understand each other and have a very loving and healthy, mature romance. Well, but the kiss scenes are quite disappointing. We all know Zhang Ling He can do better. I think even Tian Xi Wei kissed better in “Moonlit Reunion” with Xu Kai than in this drama. But luckily, our toxic couple comes in and saves the day. The secondary romance between Yu Qian Qian and Qui Min has so much potential. Both are great actors, have good chemistry yet the story felt very one-note. There’s not enough backstory about Qi Min’s obsession with Yu Qian Qian. Is it just because he saved her? All their scenes are the same: he’s obsessed with her, she wants to rebel and leave, rinse and repeat. I wish we got more, especially Yu Qian Qian’s backstory with what she said she came from a faraway land.
Let’s talk about the last 5 episodes and how disappointing they are. I will try to not spoil anything. This is the most childlike, unexciting and anti-climatic palace takeover I’ve seen in a big production. While the takeover is happening, on the other hand, we got some family drama/duel. Where is the sense of urgency here?? Additionally, we got dumped a lot of information/revelation about what really happened 17 years ago. Where is the foreshadowing? There’s so much time in the first half of the drama to plant more seeds, so the revelation doesn’t feel so sudden. The breadcrumbs that were shared through a couple flashbacks were not enough. It was a disappointing end to a great start of the drama.
Well, my review is getting long. So I’m going to wrap it up by saying I would only recommend this drama if you like Zhang Ling He, Tian Xi Wei, Deng Kai, Snow Kong and Yan Yi Juan (ML’s uncle). Their acting is great and they have good chemistry. But if you want a well-written and well-executed drama, I do not recommend it. I would go for “Moonit Reunion” if you like Tan Xi Wei. She’s amazing in that one, too.
Completed: 4/2/2026 Review #680
“Pursuit of Jade” was all the hype when it was first aired. The Feeds couldn’t get enough of Zhang Ling He (of course) and also praised how much they love the female lead, Fan Chang Yu (played by the adorable Tian Xi Wei). Add on a long silver haired toxic Deng Kai, it has all the ingredients to be a successful drama. But then, it somewhat crashed in the end and just could not stick the landing. “Pursuit of Jade” is not a bad drama, but the expectations were just so high that many were disappointed. I don’t always agree with the ‘highs’ but I do with the ‘lows’.
Since the title of the drama is about the pursuit of Jade, Jade I assume is the female lead. The story focuses on her journey much more so than the male lead. I guess this causes some criticisms that the male lead’s character was not fully utilized. His investigation of what happened 17 years ago gave us the initial setting of a plot that is not romance-focused. But as the story goes, his investigation becomes more of a way to help FL instead. Did he still want to find out what happened? For sure! But I think he cares more for FL than his father’s death.
Many love Fan Chang Yu (FL). She’s smart, caring, sweet, and strong both physically and mentally. She can hold her own, push back when needed, even when she’s in love or heartbroken. Yan Zheng (ML) never gets an upper hand when he’s fighting with her. He will eventually give in. She has girl power! She will fight alongside her man in battles, but not behind him. She saves his ass a few times, too. But there are certain decisions she made that I want to shake some sense into her. I was especially mad at her for her actions in the army camp. She is smart enough to know you can’t do whatever you want and not follow the rules. She’s not a careless person, but a very considerate one. Yet, time and time again, she didn’t listen. Of course, Yan Zheng is at fault as well, as he kept his identity a secret for way too long. Additionally, she said she wants to be independent, not relying on others and doesn't like others making decisions for her. Yet she did that several times to Yan Zheng and Li Huai An. She made decisions on their behalf all in the name of protecting them. I don’t think she would have appreciated them doing the same to her. She doesn’t care what others are going to gossip about her and her status, yet she would break up with Yan Zheng for his sake. This girl has a lot of double standards! Having said all that, she’s still a rare independent and strong female character.
Many also love the first 17 episodes when a lot of time is spent in the village. Those times were a great set up and introduction to most characters. It’s the time when romance blooms in a slow but natural way. The villagers are mostly likeable and even the annoying ones aren’t that bad. However, I might be one of the few that feels the happy times lasted a little long. I wanted a little more of the serious plot, e.g. investigation of what happened 17 years ago, the scheming that the silver fox is doing behind-the-scenes, or court politics. Because this didn’t happen much, the last 10 episodes felt rushed. I knew a lot was going to happen, that’s why I wanted the happy village arc to end soon. There’s a lot of business ML needs to attend to instead of hanging out in the village!
As for the actual romance, I do like the scenes of the leads together. They have good (not great) chemistry and they are both very likable. I’m glad to see ML didn’t fall into the lovesick puppy trope and forgets he is a ruthless warrior. I like that he only goes soft for her, but resumes his charisma when he’s needed. Aside from the hidden identity part, they communicate, understand each other and have a very loving and healthy, mature romance. Well, but the kiss scenes are quite disappointing. We all know Zhang Ling He can do better. I think even Tian Xi Wei kissed better in “Moonlit Reunion” with Xu Kai than in this drama. But luckily, our toxic couple comes in and saves the day. The secondary romance between Yu Qian Qian and Qui Min has so much potential. Both are great actors, have good chemistry yet the story felt very one-note. There’s not enough backstory about Qi Min’s obsession with Yu Qian Qian. Is it just because he saved her? All their scenes are the same: he’s obsessed with her, she wants to rebel and leave, rinse and repeat. I wish we got more, especially Yu Qian Qian’s backstory with what she said she came from a faraway land.
Let’s talk about the last 5 episodes and how disappointing they are. I will try to not spoil anything. This is the most childlike, unexciting and anti-climatic palace takeover I’ve seen in a big production. While the takeover is happening, on the other hand, we got some family drama/duel. Where is the sense of urgency here?? Additionally, we got dumped a lot of information/revelation about what really happened 17 years ago. Where is the foreshadowing? There’s so much time in the first half of the drama to plant more seeds, so the revelation doesn’t feel so sudden. The breadcrumbs that were shared through a couple flashbacks were not enough. It was a disappointing end to a great start of the drama.
Well, my review is getting long. So I’m going to wrap it up by saying I would only recommend this drama if you like Zhang Ling He, Tian Xi Wei, Deng Kai, Snow Kong and Yan Yi Juan (ML’s uncle). Their acting is great and they have good chemistry. But if you want a well-written and well-executed drama, I do not recommend it. I would go for “Moonit Reunion” if you like Tan Xi Wei. She’s amazing in that one, too.
Completed: 4/2/2026 Review #680
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