Reviews

a lot of missed opportunities...

okay so, à la 21 jump street style, an agent goes undercover as a high schooler...

and I loved this concept! and the first few episodes do a good job in drawing in with the mysteries and questions. But I was bothered by the tone shifts. It's sometimes serious and other times funny, which is difficult to do well together. There needs to be a healthy balance of the two for it to work, but the drama felt too comical and ridiculous at times. There were so many easy plot armor that could've been handled better. The plot lines dragged towards the second half and felt too slow, which is kinda surprising for a 12 episode drama.

and the villian. The actress does a great job so creepy. But she has insane plot armor and is so one-dimensional. Conflicts that are not personal must be engaging in some other way, and this sadly did not deliver.

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fire chemistry, lackluster plot (watch suggestions)

Overall: the plot was a mess, but the leads' chemistry was good. 10 episodes about 45 minutes each (episode 1 was 45:51). Aired uncut on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/the-boy-next-world-episode-1-1dszq3d8c3o?lang=en_us

Content Warnings: blood, violence off screen, non con touching, manipulation, coercion, child abuse, past harassment, past cyber bullying, past suicide, past death, non/dub con kiss, punch, slap, non con picture taking

Watch Suggestions (focus on sweet/steamy parts)
- episode 1 skip 5:30-18:45
- episode 2 watch 8:30-11 and 13-40, 44:30-end
- episode 3 skip 18:45-31:30, 27:30-32 and 40-42:45
- episode 4 skip 20:50-44:20
- episode 5 skip 23-30:30, 31:40-39 and 47-end
- episode 6 watch 20-25, (can go to 27 if you enjoy singing), 35:40-38 and 43-52:30
- episode 7 watch beginning-52:05
- skip episode 8
- episode 9 watch beginning-9, peck at 28:50
- episode 10 watch 13:30-18:10, 42:45-43:15, 50-53, 57-end

What I Liked
- intro got my attention
- excellent chemistry/intimacy
- sweet moments
- in episode 3 the blue vs orange lighting for their apartments

Room For Improvement
- Cir was extremely manipulative and never told the truth, the other lead found out at the end of episode 9
- Phu acted like a child (who calls their university friends to complain about not finding their underwear), update, this wasn't as bad in future episodes and Phu questions why Cir likes him/brings up valid points but his room is filled with stuffed animals and he still has a child-like persona
- extremely disappointed in the world building, (random superpower appeared in ep 4), exposition dump in episode 8 to explain the world building
- in episode 2 the friends argued way too long
- the mom character/drama, can't believe that was how they resolved things with her
- nonsense: someone who is very ill who would want to do that, he's an adult and does not need to maintain his "deal" with his mom
- cliche, 'I need to tell you something important', 'I don't want to hear it now' (plenty of time to say was it was)
- cliche evil wannabe wife
- cringey singing in the apology video
- (neutral) there were some comedy sound effects but at least they weren't the entire time

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Everything was great until the finale.
It appeared like different theme. The whole story was dark and then surprise! Everything fixed and they live happily ever after. I didn't like that those characters did not take their time to think about their sins... They changed because they were afraid of losing their beloved children or because they finally realized that they didn't live life with their own decisions and rules. I didn't like children's decisions at the end. What a privileged people who born with a silver spoon in their mouth. It seems like all those 19 episodes were written by different person than the finale.
It was really great and i loved it... waste to end up like this.

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Worth the 1 year wait for me, albeit having some plot inconsistencies

• Read the top part for a review with NO spoilers
• Read the bottom part for an in-depth analysis of the plot, comparison with the original novel and interpretation of the ending WITH spoilers

< Review >
1. Storyline
In my opinion, the story was a decent adaptation of the original novel. I enjoyed the novel and the drama, not to the extent that I love it but it was likeable. The story has a lot of sad parts with sweet parts hidden inside. There were some sudden transitions here and there, but overall it was understandable. To me, it was worth my 1 year wait for it, watch it if you think you enjoy a more sad storyline throughout with sweet parts interspersed and don't mind some inconsistencies!

2. Acting & casting
I liked the casting (mostly). I felt that the two main leads, Ju Jingyi and Guo Juncheng did well. Their characters are individuals who speak through their eyes more than their words/actions and I thought they did pretty well in that. I also enjoyed the casting of Song Xinran as Lan Su and Zhang Zhihao as Ou Ya. The duo was very funny and added flavour to the story. On the other hand, I felt Lu Tingyu as Yi er was a bit out of place (?) I think her style suits modern dramas more.

I personally feel that Ju Jingyi improved in her acting from when I saw her in Yun Xi Zhuan. I think Song Xinran is also more natural now. Not sure about the actors as I have never really seen their dramas.

3. Music
I love two of the OSTs - 仍寻 sung by Ju Jingyi and Guo Juncheng, as well as 剪不断 by Jin Wenqi, have been playing them repeatedly since I heard them in the drama. The other three OSTs are average to me.

4. Special effects
Special mention to the special effects team. The special effects are pretty good for a drama!

5. Rewatch value
Frankly, I feel like rewatching it already to further analyse the story and because I was confused at some points of time, so I may rewatch the parts I like to think deeper about it.

---------------------------------------------------
< Analysis >
1. Characters
The characters in the novel and drama are rather different. In the novel, Wei Zhi is someone who is very 痴傻 (silly and persistent; apologise for the lack of a better word, but I'm not very sure how to translate it to the same meaning), in the drama, she is not silly but still persistent, and also quirky and kind. In the novel, Yan Yue is a very cold person, with little emotions who is only gentle (at times) to Wei Zhi, because he is the reincarnation of a land or something. Conversely, in the drama, Yan Yue is more cool than cold and very gentle. All in all, I feel that the drama Wei Zhi and Yan Yue are more realistic to me.

As for the other characters, I think the ones who are the most different from the novel are Ou Ya and Lan su. In the novel, Ou Ya was the one who gave the Qian Ji Luo to Yan Yue and Wei Zhi saw him as a very annoying character who was trying to get close to her. Novel Lan Su also had her marriage with novel Yan Yue cancelled and hated Wei Zhi (this story was not seen in the drama). However, in the drama, Ou Ya and Lan Su were really supportive and nice to Wei Zhi and Yan Yue till the very end, which I found as a sweet adaptation.

Do note that many of the characters are quite different from the novel though, but I won't go into detail.

2. Storyline
I've seen reviews saying that the drama storyline was dragged out, overly tragic and confusing. Frankly, the novel one was even more tragic and sometimes more confusing, requiring a lot of interpretation on my part. Below is a summary of the novel storyline, do note that it is not 100% accurate as I cannot remember the entire storyline.

Novel: Yan Yue sent to the academy to undergo his Qing Jie -> almost killed by Wei Ling Yue -> went to Yao Cheng -> Wei Zhi activated her bloodline for the first time when saving Yan Yue -> at one point, they had to escape because the Mo Zu Da Zun (Mu Nan) was trying to find the phoenix -> spent some happy days as a normal couple, this was also where Wei Zhi transferred the Qian Ji Luo to her body -> thrown into a dangerous desert world by Mu Nan, Yan Yue was severely injured and saved by Qing Huan, and brought into another world where time flows faster to help his injuries heal (around 1000 years passed in this special world for Yan Yue) -> Wei Zhi on the other hand, was taken by Mu Nan (or someone else) and lived 8 years on a boat -> Wei Zhi managed to escape and went to the city Yan Yue was controlling -> Yan Yue told Wei Zhi to leave when he saw her (Imo, he was trying to keep her safe because there is a high risk she may be revealed as the phoenix) -> Wei Zhi refused and stayed on, taking on some position due to her powers -> Things happened here and there and then Yan Yue and Wei Zhi drank a magical wine that made them follow their wishes and they had some alone time together -> Long story short, afterwards, Wei Zhi transformed and Yan Yue became the Mo Zu Da Zun -> She spent a total of around 20 to 30 years in the Mo Jie as a hostage -> Eventually, Yan Yue tried to die together with his father to save the world from his father who wanted to become a God but Wei Zhi came and saved both of them by using his Phoenix magic -> Afterwards, they were reincarnated every lifetime to be together, but with no knowledge that they used to be a Shen Xian or Phoenix

Overall, I enjoyed the drama storyline in a different way I enjoyed the novel storyline. The drama storyline was tragically sweet but the novel storyline was tragically heartrending except for very little sweet parts. I found the romance more realistic in the drama though!

3. Interpretation of the ending
Okay, so yesterday I watched the ending and in my mind I was like "???", so I spent the night and this morning pondering about it and this is my interpretation...

In the ending, Wei Zhi gives her Hua Rong to Yan Yue, which means that she'll die (somewhat like how Mu Nan died after he destroyed his Yuan Shen). 6 months later, we see Yi er becoming Tian Di, Ou Ya lamenting the loss of Lan Su and Wei Zhi's child being born. The story then cuts back to after Yan Yue returned to his own body 6 months ago, it showed Yan Yue sending Hua Rong to the sky and into the Time Palace, and time moves back.

From my interpretation, Hua Rong is the symbolism of peace, innocence and renewal, so by sending it to the sky, it purified the destruction caused and that is why the soldiers' weapons were removed. Afterwards, it was sent into the Time Palace. Remember that before this, Yan Yue said "Life is meaningless without you even if I can live forever, Wei Zhi, wait for me". By sending Hua Rong to the sky to purify the land, I believe that this is building good karma for Wei Zhi, often emphasised in Buddhism/Chinese culture.

By sending it into the Time Palace, I have two interpretations, (1) one is that both of them travel back in time and live in a separate timeline from the existing one the rest are in where Yan Yue never killed Wei Zhi and they live happily, (2) the second is that by turning back time, present Wei Zhi returned to the past Wei Zhi and took over her body as Tian Hou showed us that it is possible. This is because past Wei Zhi has the Hua Rong while present Wei Zhi does not have the Hua Rong. This would mean that past Wei Zhi would be replaced by present Wei Zhi who would go back into the present. And then Wei Zhi would still die in the past as she was meant to in order for everything to happen as it has already happened.

Regardless, it is clear that they are still alive as their child, also a Phoenix was born. We know that Wei Zhi's life is closely linked to her child, so if her child is born then Wei Zhi must still be alive. Additionally, Phoenix is the symbolism of rebirth, so we can take this as a symbolism that Yan Yue and Wei Zhi have found a new life. However, where they are is a big mystery, but if I were them, I would probably just live my own life in peace, to avoid any more tragic events from happening.

Thanks for reading my super long review and hoped you gained something from it!

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Let's just remember the good moments!

Ok, so... at the moment it is really hard for me to review this drama. I've just finished it a minute ago and ... what happened?

Alright, let's start from the beginning. Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol was just breathtaking in its early episodes, and even though the following episodes may have had some weird plots, I couldn't care less as the show was just so beautiful and as many people have said, it was "a breath of fresh air" (which clearly is more than welcomed during this special year that is 2020).
From the characters to the importance of music, every episodes felt so short and I was really attached to our two main leads, Jun's character (our male lead) being so touching and beautifully naive, Ra Ra's character (our female lead) being this lovable and strong-minded woman.

However, something changed during episode 14. I don't want to write any spoilers so I'll just say that Jun did something so out of character that it felt wrong. From then on, I kept feeling that this character was not the one I knew and I still can't understand why the writer did this (I have watched Shopping King Louie and loved it, but I do remember her fancying "pranks" - she clearly should have changed that).

So I decided to only think of episodes 1 to 13 as Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol and I would definitely recommend these episodes to anyone looking for something warm and touching to watch. Btw I'll probably rewatch these episodes very soon just to forget the last episode...

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for such a short drama, it didn't feel flat at all. the story is well paced and had the right amount of angst, balanced by the chemistry of two individuals with different backgrounds.

sure, the tsundere and upbeat dynamic is not new. ji woo has a stoic personality but deep down, he's a caring dude. seo joon has a fun type of personality but he also won't back down when someone's being a dick. one thing i loved is how straightforward seo joon is with his feelings. he doesn't hesitate to express himself and it was refreshing to watch.

"I didn't want to get hurt again. And I didn't want you to get hurt either. But staying away doesn't prevent getting hurt either." -Ji Woo

the conflict between the main leads was understandable with how unpredictable things can go due to seo joon's fame and the homophobia they'd face. seo joon doesn't care what society thinks while ji woo is scared from his past experience.

i'm just happy that the plot didn't go for a complex route so things were resolved easily and the pace of the story didn't become overwhelming or mellow. acting wise, it was pretty good. ji woo's crying scene and the slight angst definitely made my heart yeet into two pieces. seo joon was undeniably quite a charmer and his smile is hella contagious. i must say the acting is decent and i'm impressed.

overall, this drama revolves around two individuals helping each other grow with each other's support. bonus points for the ost.

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An awfully ridiculous plot

There was so much of hype for this movie, but in the end it failed to impress me.
It's the classic case of "Great Cast doesn't guarantee you a good movie".

The cast of this movie was quite impressive and to be fair, all managed to do a very good job as far as acting is concerned. But when you stuff all these magnificent actors in one single movie, there's high chance that the script is not gonna do justice with all of them.
Can't blame the efforts of actors, though. Han Hyo-joo was very beautiful as a pirate, and so was Kang Na-heul with his witty lines and erratic behaviour. But the one who impressed me was Lee Kwang Soo. It seems like he simply can't leave behind his image of being a betrayer behind (*pun intended).
There wasn't much to do for Kwon Sang-woo and neither for Kim Sung-oh, which was kind of a bummer as I was really looking forward to their roles, only to be disappointed at last.

Now coming to the story.
It was just awful. Characters popped out of nowhere. There was no backstory for Han Hyo-joo and was very weak in the case of Kang Na-heul. It was just the plot of the previous movie, albeit with a bit of new ingredients. Let's compare it with its prequel:-
A Pirate - check
A disgraced soldier turned bandit - check
One evil general - check
One betrayer - check
And animals rescuing the pirates - check
The story might have been good if not for so much of stuffed characters. Chae Soo-bin's character literally had no importance at all.

At last, I will say some words for the VFX. It was childish graphics. Yes, the VFX certainly improved in the last act, but overall they were very poor and one can clearly see that there are just a lot of green screens.

Overall, I was disappointed with the movie, but the cast made it a bit enjoyable. Watch it for Lee Kwang Soo, Han Hyo-joo and Kang Na-heul. If you are seeking a good story, then don't go in that direction. Better to leave your brains aside while watching this movie, as this is certainly very logicless.

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One of the BEST dramas so far!
If you love watching emotional Heart touching dramas then you'll love this.
A medical drama with a strong female character and a cool i-know-im-hot iwantyouyouwantmetoo male character who has this emotional side to him that will make you cry.
One of the reasons why this couple fit. Other than these two.The drama itself has adorable, funny and sad moments. It has EVERYTHING. Great music. Romance. Cute korean moments XD Hilarious parts and Sad moments. Its so good to see a drama with everything. The story line is great. Keeps you entertained and im not a rewatcher kinda person but ill definitely watch this one again.
And its def worth it...Jo in sung <3

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A Mature and Underrated Gem in the BL World

When it comes to showing off their stunning male actors’ butts, nobody does it better than Be On Cloud. From KinnPorsche to 4 Minutes and now Shine… truly the masters of cheeks on screen 🍑😂

It’s so rare that I genuinely love both couples in a BL, but this series absolutely delivered. Apo and Mile already proved their magic in KinnPorsche, and now seeing Son (Krailert) for the first time was such a revelation, he’s like a stunning Thai god, beautiful and perfect in every way.
The attention to detail is incredible. From the 1960s setting, the vintage clothes, cars, and houses, the production team poured so much effort into making this drama authentic and immersive. Every episode held my attention, I was never once bored, and the story kept me captivated throughout.
The highlight for me is Krailert secretly seeing his lover. It powerfully portrays the struggles of same-sex relationships and the pain of staying closeted in the 1960s. The NC scenes are another standout. They’re not just erotic but also deeply romantic, with the hauntingly beautiful violin background music making them unforgettable.
This series deserves way more recognition. 10/10 highly recommended for anyone who loves BL done with depth, beauty, and heart.

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Romance, Comedy and Acting

This drama was better than I thought, I had it in my list and waited until it fully aired and subbed to watch it, I did see some comments and review and was a bit nervous, but i decided that I rather not read anything else and watch this for myself, if it was trash so be it and if it's great then I'll be happy.

Well, compared to all the nonsense drama they have, this drama was great, it was way better than i expected, that's why recently it doesn't matter the reviews, comments and ratings, i determine what I wanna watch and if it's no good then fine, if not then that's great, because not everyone gives honest reviews, or not every drama is for everyone, but this was for me.

I'm a sucker for romcom, heavy on the rom and the com, i also like romantic drama, and i love historical drama's, I'm picky but I try my best to give the benefit of the doubt, and I also go into shows with no expectations, I've learnt that the hard way, I rather have no expectation and be happy with a drama, rather than have high expectation and become very disappointed.

With that being said, This drama was very funny, very romantic, yet sweet and sour. The acting was pretty good, the villain well he stood out a lot, i hated his character lool the actor was way too good. The ML and FL tbh i loved there chemistry and i love the romance between them, they ha a very healthy relationship and i enjoyed watching them, i also loved this drama because of the comedic relieves, i get kinda down when i watch something with too much drama and angst, but i loved how this was very balanced.

The other thing i really liked with this drama, i loved the progress of the FL, the different stages of educational and career growth, I'm trying not to spoil lol, but i liked that it didn't stay in one stage the entire time, but we get to see her growth, and the ending was very nice, truly represent the message from the title. There was also a lot of character development for a lot of the characters, I loved that as well

So with that being said, i personally enjoyed this drama, everyone did great, the acting, chemistry, romance, comedy, drama i thought it was well balanced, i did not leave the drama feeling burdened or heavyhearted hahaha, i enjoyed this show and i am happy i watched it, good show to just chillout and watch. Every show has it's little flaws, but personally I was too busy enjoying rather than critiquing, I've seen more than 250 shows, trust me this compare to others is one of those simple nice ones, ratings should definitely be higher.

Ps. If you're going to watch, try not reading too much comments, reviews and so on, judge for yourself and give it a chance, not just this show but every show, go in with a neutral expectation and then let it flow naturally.

Take care and happy drama watching ❤😊

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2021 may only just have started, but I'll nevertheless be surprised if this drama doesn't end up being one of the best of the year.
Great acting from the entire cast, but especially Kim Jung-hyun (who never overplayed his part and was the perfect match for...) and Shin Hye-sun (her mannerisms, talking and overall portrayal of a woman with a man's soul trapped inside her, was a joy to watch).
I've not seen a drama capture its story like this and its script, so well. Perfectly paced, funny, emotional, nail biting and so enjoyable. The main story was never lost and the character of Jang Bong-hwan was kept at the forefront throughout ~ even when Choi Jin-hyuk wasn't appearing! He was seamlessly reintroduced at given times too, which was cleverly done.
Even though this is fantasy, with a melding of 2 totally different eras hundreds of years apart, the direction and character portrayals made it possible to completely fall into it. Nothing felt a step too far.
I shall miss this so much and it's one I know I will come back to, again and again.

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I'm a kind of person who is very picky and wouldn't watch any thing till the end. I usually would watch only beginning and the end. I've watched many dramas which cause me to feel emotional... But this Drama was beyond emotional. It was magnificent, splendid, perfect, outstanding, and.... Can't even describe it anymore. Have you ever felt disappointed in the drama you were watching episode after episode? Then watch this Drama. You won't be disappointed at all in fact, you would want it not to finish. After watching the story you will never forget the casts again. The story can be a little boring at first because you don't know what's going on obviously. However, remember every scenes you are watching will be supporting the later episodes and will become Very Very Very GOOD story and you will never want it to end.

I found this drama randomly on viki.com. At first I wasn't very serious about it because I thought it would be like other dramas I watched before. There are many dramas I like out there so I didn't think it's gonna be a serious condition. I didn't like the title either. Well, for some reason I decided to give a try out of bore. Just to kill leisure time. After watching two episodes, I began to curious about Mei Chungsu. I decided to watch more. And after five episode, I realized it was a good drama. Then after watching to episode fifteen, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about it. LOL.. On new year's eve, I came back home from work early around 10:30 in the morning. As soon as I came back I didn't eat or do anything, but started watching it till 3:30 a.m. the next morning. I didn't know how the NewYear passed. I watched again the next day I woke up. I slept at 2:30 a.m. in the next morning again. You can imagine how I would look like by now. My eyes were red with dark cycles and eye bags. My lips were white and had to go into bathroom to wash my face with cold water many times at work. Yet I thought of this drama all day at work. T_T

The drama doesn't have much romance but it was brotherly, and family love which made my heart melts. It was about a very intelligent but sick man name Mei ChungSu, his friends and relatives. Basically political scenes but with deep meanings tied to it. I love the plotting. Every move every character made seemed simple but later revelations were astounding. That is which made the drama more interesting episode after episode. Mei Chungsu was the main character but you won't see him very often yet all characters and plots played out perfectly to convey the true character of Mei Chunsu.

It was REALLY GOOD. I didn't want it to end. I want to keep watching it. But sadly I finished it. :(

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Sha Shi 杀石 or Smirk and Soap?

Jinxiu’s flamboyant red-clad commander Fu Yixiao, the most magnificent archer across two warring kingdoms, takes careful aim, her moon-shooting bow coiled tautly at full draw. Her arrow unerringly strikes her enemy Feng Suige, the first prince of Susha, in the heart, halting his charging battalion in their tracks. The Susha army has no choice but to beat a hasty retreat, only to find assassins hot on their heels. Then, because makjang never met a cliché it didn’t hug, Yixiao tumbles off a cliff and wakes up with amnesia. Fate, that tired scriptwriter, deposits her in the same neutral sanctuary as her enemy. Of course he captures her and is perfectly justified in smacking her around as payback. But our feisty lady warrior bites, scratches, and kicks back as good as she gets. Domestic violence rom-com? The show thinks so.

I found the initial violence between the leads distasteful, but the narrative does a good job developing their relationship organically after that. It starts with suspicion and reluctant collaboration, then evolves into shared understanding, respect, and unwavering trust. Yixiao is no love brain; she methodically pieces together and tests her scattered recollections from the day she was ambushed and betrayed. Feng Suige more or less figured out what happened but gives her space to investigate and reach her own damning conclusions while he hovers protectively in the background. This convincing progression from enemies to lovers is well portrayed by both Li Qin and Chen Zheyuan. They are charismatic, conversant actors, and I enjoyed the romance—but for some reason their screen chemistry didn’t rock my world. Maybe it was Chen Zheyuan smirking through Suige’s first confession, or maybe I was too distracted by how obviously their love scenes were reenacted from Yang Mi and Mark Chao’s iconic ones in Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, down to costumes and sets.

Plot wise, the drama starts sharp and then free falls into increasingly sensational with over-the-top twists and high emotions centered on familiar tropes and unhinged character archetypes. Each subsequent arc is a triangle of lunatics, masked nobodies; a bunch of bat-shit-crazy mini-makjangs mashed together into an incoherent and ultimately unsatisfying story. Don’t get me wrong—there were many riveting confrontations where scathing truths were delivered in a dramatically satisfying manner. Sadly, the motivations and grievances underlying all the burning resentment are shallow, even petty. Ultimately there are no good villains—just a bunch of spoiled brats and their over-indulgent parents, all victims of their own deluded ambitions and warped sense of justice. Even Feng Suige lost me after he made an irrational case for his love-brained sister, then a hostage princess no less, to ascend the Susha throne.

It is clear the writers have lost the plot when the most rational and understandable character ends up being Xia Jingyan—the unhinged Jinxiu emperor. I enjoyed his arc with Feng Xiyang a lot more than even Suige and Yixiao’s story. Acting-wise, Qin Tianyu steals every scene, cycling tyrannical, humorous, forlorn, and almost empathetic. His formidable aura made Chen Zheyuan’s "menace" conveyed by a lopsided sneer look like a toddler practicing scary faces. Even though he tones it down to a bearable level here, this actor’s tendency to overact loses me time and again. It is only after he abandons the sneer in the ending arcs that his acting seems more authentic and less performative. The supporting cast is strong all-around and ham it up for all their worth through all the emotional showdowns and exaggerated plot twists.

Li Qin remains the sole reason to finish - she is fantastic in this role of a commander of men who can hold her own against the best and the worst of them. As story progresses Yixiao becomes relegated to playing bodyguard while Suige’s agenda plays out. Meanwhile, Jingshi remains a rational and somewhat empathetic antagonist until the final arc where he becomes completely irredeemable. It was anti-climactic to watch this cunning and calculating antagonist seal his own fate by making an out-of-character and delusional love-brained decision. But what really ticked me off was I stuck around for the lovers-to-enemies arc. I wanted to see Yixiao's revenge, her arrow, his heart. I was seated for Sha Shi 杀石, an ancient Chinese makjang take on Kill Bill. What I got instead was a man stepping in to get the job done right. Tarantino would never have robbed the Bride of her agency like that. The ending was exhausting and I have no words to waste on Suige’s harebrained ideas about succession and governance. On the bright side, there are too many people with mental health issues running amok in both Susha and Jinxiu that they are certainly doomed kingdoms not worthy of memory or survival.

Verdict: Visually stunning, addictively theatrical, narratively bankrupt. Li Qin earns every point; the rest is smirk and soap. 8/10—for the first ten episodes and one flawless archer.



Best lines:
I can change him - Feng Xiyang
My condolences - Feng Pingcheng

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Beautiful couple bad production

I LOVE the main couple!

I also read the novel and I would have preferred that they stick more to it to a certain extent without making it about rebirth.

Unfortunately, liking the couple is not enough. I don't know if they wanted to prioritize one actor debuting or something but with the shortening of the number of episodes, they should have focused on the couple more in that case. The additional drama was not necessary.

Positive points:
- Cheng Lei does a really good job. I am impressed with him as an actor and would like to see him again in a well produced drama. Hopefully, his next drama will be good. Even if I really like him as Xiao Jue, I am excited to see him develop in other roles.
- I like Zhou Ye. This role was really good for her however, I think she could have done more if she had a little bit more experience. But I still liked her as He Yan. I think with a few more works under her belts, she will be a great actress.
- Their chemistry was great. I would have loved to have extra clips of their lives.
- The war scenes were mostly good even if they could have had less battles but more quality in the scenes.

Not so positive points:
- Production was not that great. They had a great couple, a good novel as source but they did not do it honor. They did not even show Xiao Jue's realization process, what happened to He Yan, the details, the pain that she felt... all the details that makes him angry and sad on her behalf. They only showed him say it. That's what's makes it disappointing.
- Villains are not convincing. I would have loved to have more subtility in their actions.
- Chu zao was too much in the front of the story. As the story and the episodes were shortened, it became too obvious. In scenes that were meant to have only the main leads, he was there. If the drama was 45 episodes, it wouldn't have been that noticeable but as it is 36, it messed up the story adding unnecessary drama and messing up the flow.

To sum up, it is worth it for the couple: Xiao Jue and He Yan are great. Xiao Jue is a great character that should have been more fleshed out. I hope someone write fanfictions about this couple to feed our fantasies. 😂😂😂
Watch it, you won't regret it but don't expect a really good story. Just enjoy, a good couple and their cute moments.

8/10 just for the couple and the action. Without the couple, this is a 6/10.
I will re-watch Xiao Jue and He Yan's moments.

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This story has attempted rape that no one seems bothered about. A VERY offensive "gay" character that often dresses up as a woman and is just disturbingly ridiculous. And there's basically no fan service at all.

Don't waste your time. Most of the episodes are just kids going to college. You'll go 3 or 4 episodes with almost no mention of the fantasy side or seeing any fan service.

The only thing about this show is there's two or three attractive actors. THAT'S IT. You could easily watch anything else and get more fan service, less rape, less offensive stereotypes, and better production quality.

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