This review may contain spoilers
Intricate and unpredictable plot with dramatic cinematography and apt casting
This show was a captivating watch. At just 24eps, My Journey To You sits at the perfect length - it doesn't drag out the story and manages to tie up all loose ends without straying from the plotline. Every twist and turn had me on the edge of my seat and I thoroughly enjoyed this watch. However, given that the drama's greatest strength comes from its unpredictable plot, I would argue that the rewatch value of this show is not high. This does of course also depend on how much you are attached to the characters - in this case, I had very minimal emotional attachment to the characters, hence I do not feel compelled to rewatch this show in the slightest (and this is coming from someone who gets attached very easily and LOVES rewatching dramas). Nonetheless, I do not regret this watch and it was certainly highly entertaining, albeit very different from what I usually watch and love.
I'll start with the show's strengths. First, the plot is insanely well-crafted and well thought-out. As someone who doesn’t care that much for plot in general (I prioritise well fleshed-out romance and storytelling typically), I was highly entranced by the plot of My Journey To You. Seriously, there were SO many twists and turns that when I think I’ve figured it out, the show throws me another curveball and I am blown away by the unexpected reveal. The plot is so intricate and has so many layers to it that you really can’t guess it all, you just have to sit through it and continue watching and let everything fall into place. Once things start making sense, something else will arise and you’ll be left on the edge of your seat again - I honestly loved that. I was captivated by the storyline and the depth to each character. This show has undoubtedly one of the best plotlines I’ve ever seen and I was highly impressed. It’s definitely on the darker side and the whole worldbuilding is based on a very dark concept, but it was very enjoyable nonetheless - this is a very cohesive show.
Next, the cinematography of this show was really impressive, specifically during dramatic moments and fight scenes, which exude elegance and grace. Edward Guo (the director)’s shows are always so satisfying to watch because his cinematography is pretty much unmatched. My Journey To You didn’t have cinematography anywhere as good as his other show, Fangs of Fortune (which I HIGHLY recommend), but it was still very fitting to the darker theme and I think it added a much-needed layer of mystery and suspense to the show in general. This is one of the reasons why I say that this is a cohesive show - because the storyline, cinematography, music, and costuming all align to form one great picture. Never doubt Edward Guo's work!
Music-wise, I really enjoyed the OST and BGM of this show. The OSTs were all beautiful and had the beautiful element of mystique to it. They really added so much to the atmosphere of everything and heightened tension, creating some beautifully heart-wrenching moments. In particular, I think the best OST was the one Esther (fl) herself sang, it really feels like the whole show wrapped into one song. This show has an impressive and sonically cohesive OST, which really elevates the viewing experience.
Costuming was also done quite well. There was nothing extraordinary about it, but the dark costumes really fit the theme of the show, though I also really liked the lighter costumes (my favourite is the lilac one Esther wore towards the end of the show).
As far as endings go, I think this show did it quite well. Minus the last maybe 15mins of the last ep (which I personally felt was unnecessary but I do understand that perhaps they wanted to leave it open which certainly fits the vibe of the show), the rest of the ending was wrapped up very well. There are certainly many unanswered questions [SPOILER] especially with the 2nd couple - where did the 2nd fl go? Did she die, or did she ever come back, or did they ever truly love each other beyond their individual schemes and suspicions? And of course with the main couple, what happened to her? Did she ever come back, and if she didn’t why didn’t she? What’s the story behind her twin, how did she find her, how did they both end up with Wufeng, why were they separated? Who knew about her and what happened to her before they were reunited? What’s the whole point of Wufeng and how did it begin? The show really opens up many questions and unearths a much larger scheme beyond the main plotline of infiltrating the palace and discovering its secrets. While the main plot is resolved quite nicely, the ending does open a lot of new avenues and hints at the possibility of a second season (though I personally don’t think that is likely to happen at all). I think all these unanswered questions really do add to the mystery of the show in general and fits nicely with their theme of mystique because it somehow feels right that we didn’t get the answers to everything. If you’re very attached to the characters, you’d probably not be a fan of this ending. I didn’t care much for them personally, so I wasn’t very affected by the ending being open (and presumably, sad).
As for the cast, I started watching this show for Esther, Zhang Linghe, and the Fangs of Fortune cast cameos, but my favourite part of this show ended up being Tian Jiarui. I love him so much it’s actually concerning. He did an impeccable job even though he was only a support role (as the 2nd ml's brother). His acting was really impressive because his half-deranged smiles really gave me the mega creeps even though I loved him so much. His styling was also really fitting to his character and he looked so good - sorry can you tell I’m a huge fan of him? LOL. As for the 2nd fl and ml, I was pretty taken with their romance storyline too tbh, though it’ll leave you questioning whether there was even romance or if any of it was even real on both/either of their parts. They have good chemistry and a pretty solid cp感 (which kind of loosely translates to cp sense?), and they both did wonderful in terms of acting. The 2nd fl is really pretty and her acting was solid!!! The 2nd ml also did a good job, I’m not personally a fan of either of them irl (no beef - I just don’t know them well and don’t feel compelled to, not at this point in time anyway) but they were fantastic in their roles. As for the main couple, I didn’t really find much spark in their romance tbh, I wasn’t actively rooting for them or anything but they’re just cute to watch together. I don’t feel that their romance was done well, it felt super rushed and they fell in love way too fast for my liking. However, I will say that I have very high requirements/standards for romance in shows as it’s the main thing I focus on in a show and very, very few dramas live up to these standards. So I won’t go into much detail, because this is very much a personal preference. Nonetheless, both leads did a good job with the acting, especially Esther. I don’t really think Zhang Linghe stood out much in this role if I’m being frank, and I am a fan of his irl so this is merely an objective observation. I was much more impressed with his performance in Love Between Fairy and Devil. Personally, I don’t find his acting skills to be anywhere near top-notch, and I find that they were a little lacking in this show, but nothing that affects the viewing experience. Esther however did a wonderful job, especially seeing as how this is her first darker role, and she absolutely killed it, including the voice acting/dubbing. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t watch this show for the acting or the romances. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t worth much either. Again, I say this as a fan of both Esther and Zhang Linghe.
In terms of characterisation, I’d say that this show did that quite well and managed to make every character highly complex with their own complicated motivations and priorities that we as viewers don’t always figure out or understand clearly, but that also means that most of these characters are not really likeable. I know I personally didn’t really have a character whom I loved wholeheartedly - there were moments in which I liked a character, but it was often only in that point in time.
If you’re up for something different, or something darker, or you’re simply tired of predictable plots and want to watch something truly captivating and intellectually stimulating, I would recommend this show. Overall, it was an entrancing watch and I don’t regret it, though it’s certainly not my usual cup of tea and I’d likely never rewatch it ever. This show is pretty popular especially internationally, and I do think it deserves the praise it gets. Huge round of applause to the directors, screenwriters, and writers who built the bulk of the show, and the actors and actresses who brought it to life!
If you’d like to see more of Esther and Zhang Linghe, they were previously semi-paired in Love Between Fairy and Devil (he was her 2nd ml but they did have some cute moments together), which also happens to be my favourite show ever LOL.
I'll start with the show's strengths. First, the plot is insanely well-crafted and well thought-out. As someone who doesn’t care that much for plot in general (I prioritise well fleshed-out romance and storytelling typically), I was highly entranced by the plot of My Journey To You. Seriously, there were SO many twists and turns that when I think I’ve figured it out, the show throws me another curveball and I am blown away by the unexpected reveal. The plot is so intricate and has so many layers to it that you really can’t guess it all, you just have to sit through it and continue watching and let everything fall into place. Once things start making sense, something else will arise and you’ll be left on the edge of your seat again - I honestly loved that. I was captivated by the storyline and the depth to each character. This show has undoubtedly one of the best plotlines I’ve ever seen and I was highly impressed. It’s definitely on the darker side and the whole worldbuilding is based on a very dark concept, but it was very enjoyable nonetheless - this is a very cohesive show.
Next, the cinematography of this show was really impressive, specifically during dramatic moments and fight scenes, which exude elegance and grace. Edward Guo (the director)’s shows are always so satisfying to watch because his cinematography is pretty much unmatched. My Journey To You didn’t have cinematography anywhere as good as his other show, Fangs of Fortune (which I HIGHLY recommend), but it was still very fitting to the darker theme and I think it added a much-needed layer of mystery and suspense to the show in general. This is one of the reasons why I say that this is a cohesive show - because the storyline, cinematography, music, and costuming all align to form one great picture. Never doubt Edward Guo's work!
Music-wise, I really enjoyed the OST and BGM of this show. The OSTs were all beautiful and had the beautiful element of mystique to it. They really added so much to the atmosphere of everything and heightened tension, creating some beautifully heart-wrenching moments. In particular, I think the best OST was the one Esther (fl) herself sang, it really feels like the whole show wrapped into one song. This show has an impressive and sonically cohesive OST, which really elevates the viewing experience.
Costuming was also done quite well. There was nothing extraordinary about it, but the dark costumes really fit the theme of the show, though I also really liked the lighter costumes (my favourite is the lilac one Esther wore towards the end of the show).
As far as endings go, I think this show did it quite well. Minus the last maybe 15mins of the last ep (which I personally felt was unnecessary but I do understand that perhaps they wanted to leave it open which certainly fits the vibe of the show), the rest of the ending was wrapped up very well. There are certainly many unanswered questions [SPOILER] especially with the 2nd couple - where did the 2nd fl go? Did she die, or did she ever come back, or did they ever truly love each other beyond their individual schemes and suspicions? And of course with the main couple, what happened to her? Did she ever come back, and if she didn’t why didn’t she? What’s the story behind her twin, how did she find her, how did they both end up with Wufeng, why were they separated? Who knew about her and what happened to her before they were reunited? What’s the whole point of Wufeng and how did it begin? The show really opens up many questions and unearths a much larger scheme beyond the main plotline of infiltrating the palace and discovering its secrets. While the main plot is resolved quite nicely, the ending does open a lot of new avenues and hints at the possibility of a second season (though I personally don’t think that is likely to happen at all). I think all these unanswered questions really do add to the mystery of the show in general and fits nicely with their theme of mystique because it somehow feels right that we didn’t get the answers to everything. If you’re very attached to the characters, you’d probably not be a fan of this ending. I didn’t care much for them personally, so I wasn’t very affected by the ending being open (and presumably, sad).
As for the cast, I started watching this show for Esther, Zhang Linghe, and the Fangs of Fortune cast cameos, but my favourite part of this show ended up being Tian Jiarui. I love him so much it’s actually concerning. He did an impeccable job even though he was only a support role (as the 2nd ml's brother). His acting was really impressive because his half-deranged smiles really gave me the mega creeps even though I loved him so much. His styling was also really fitting to his character and he looked so good - sorry can you tell I’m a huge fan of him? LOL. As for the 2nd fl and ml, I was pretty taken with their romance storyline too tbh, though it’ll leave you questioning whether there was even romance or if any of it was even real on both/either of their parts. They have good chemistry and a pretty solid cp感 (which kind of loosely translates to cp sense?), and they both did wonderful in terms of acting. The 2nd fl is really pretty and her acting was solid!!! The 2nd ml also did a good job, I’m not personally a fan of either of them irl (no beef - I just don’t know them well and don’t feel compelled to, not at this point in time anyway) but they were fantastic in their roles. As for the main couple, I didn’t really find much spark in their romance tbh, I wasn’t actively rooting for them or anything but they’re just cute to watch together. I don’t feel that their romance was done well, it felt super rushed and they fell in love way too fast for my liking. However, I will say that I have very high requirements/standards for romance in shows as it’s the main thing I focus on in a show and very, very few dramas live up to these standards. So I won’t go into much detail, because this is very much a personal preference. Nonetheless, both leads did a good job with the acting, especially Esther. I don’t really think Zhang Linghe stood out much in this role if I’m being frank, and I am a fan of his irl so this is merely an objective observation. I was much more impressed with his performance in Love Between Fairy and Devil. Personally, I don’t find his acting skills to be anywhere near top-notch, and I find that they were a little lacking in this show, but nothing that affects the viewing experience. Esther however did a wonderful job, especially seeing as how this is her first darker role, and she absolutely killed it, including the voice acting/dubbing. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t watch this show for the acting or the romances. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t worth much either. Again, I say this as a fan of both Esther and Zhang Linghe.
In terms of characterisation, I’d say that this show did that quite well and managed to make every character highly complex with their own complicated motivations and priorities that we as viewers don’t always figure out or understand clearly, but that also means that most of these characters are not really likeable. I know I personally didn’t really have a character whom I loved wholeheartedly - there were moments in which I liked a character, but it was often only in that point in time.
If you’re up for something different, or something darker, or you’re simply tired of predictable plots and want to watch something truly captivating and intellectually stimulating, I would recommend this show. Overall, it was an entrancing watch and I don’t regret it, though it’s certainly not my usual cup of tea and I’d likely never rewatch it ever. This show is pretty popular especially internationally, and I do think it deserves the praise it gets. Huge round of applause to the directors, screenwriters, and writers who built the bulk of the show, and the actors and actresses who brought it to life!
If you’d like to see more of Esther and Zhang Linghe, they were previously semi-paired in Love Between Fairy and Devil (he was her 2nd ml but they did have some cute moments together), which also happens to be my favourite show ever LOL.
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