This review may contain spoilers
Not As Bad As You Think
I watched this purely for Meng Zi Yi, and honestly? No regrets. It was short and fast-paced. Seeing her back in a role where she actually fights brought back some nostalgia from her fighting character days. She has that cool, commanding presence and I really hope she gets cast in more physically capable, female roles again.
That said, her acting wasn’t top-tier. She did carry the show for me, but that’s probably my bias talking. There were definitely moments where her emotional range felt limited. Her go-to move for both anger and sadness seemed to be just… making her eyes bigger. It got repetitive, and a bit distracting at times. Still, I wasn’t exactly expecting award-winning performances here, so I let it slide. Her screen presence and fight scenes made up for a lot.
But the drama itself could’ve been so much better if they stuck to the original novel. Mei Chaofeng was supposed to be ruthless and ambitious, stealing the Nine Yin Sutra with her lover in a power move that betrayed her master and sect. That would’ve been a bold, complex arc. But nope, they went with the same recycled revenge story. It flattened her character and made her more tragic than fierce.
Even so, the route they went did make you pity her. Losing everyone she cared about, being constantly hunted down, falling deeper into madness, it was sad. I just think it would’ve hit harder if her motivations were driven by ambition rather than just pain.
Also, the way they handled her love story was frustrating. Xuanfeng's death, i felt, was unfair, but that could've been his karma for sticking along with Chaofeng. His death was brought upon by some self-righteous group out for revenge because Chaofeng killed their guy, who I personally think, literally brought it on himself. If he didn’t provoke her, he’d still be alive. That part left a bad taste.
And Huang Yaoshi? Definitely a downgrade. He's literally the Eastern Heretic, one of the greats, powerful, ambitious, unpredictable. Here, they turned him into a half-dead background character. No flair, no fire. Just sad and sickly the entire time. Why?
That said, her acting wasn’t top-tier. She did carry the show for me, but that’s probably my bias talking. There were definitely moments where her emotional range felt limited. Her go-to move for both anger and sadness seemed to be just… making her eyes bigger. It got repetitive, and a bit distracting at times. Still, I wasn’t exactly expecting award-winning performances here, so I let it slide. Her screen presence and fight scenes made up for a lot.
But the drama itself could’ve been so much better if they stuck to the original novel. Mei Chaofeng was supposed to be ruthless and ambitious, stealing the Nine Yin Sutra with her lover in a power move that betrayed her master and sect. That would’ve been a bold, complex arc. But nope, they went with the same recycled revenge story. It flattened her character and made her more tragic than fierce.
Even so, the route they went did make you pity her. Losing everyone she cared about, being constantly hunted down, falling deeper into madness, it was sad. I just think it would’ve hit harder if her motivations were driven by ambition rather than just pain.
Also, the way they handled her love story was frustrating. Xuanfeng's death, i felt, was unfair, but that could've been his karma for sticking along with Chaofeng. His death was brought upon by some self-righteous group out for revenge because Chaofeng killed their guy, who I personally think, literally brought it on himself. If he didn’t provoke her, he’d still be alive. That part left a bad taste.
And Huang Yaoshi? Definitely a downgrade. He's literally the Eastern Heretic, one of the greats, powerful, ambitious, unpredictable. Here, they turned him into a half-dead background character. No flair, no fire. Just sad and sickly the entire time. Why?
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