The Long Ballad (2021)

Amazing cast saves the day!

I really enjoyed this drama but unfortunately I have some complains.
At times I felt like it was dragging. One moment it was very slow-paced and repeating things we already knew and the next (especially towards the end) it felt rushed! Also, personally, it felt like the production's budget was limited. I say this mostly because of the fighting scenes that were animated (and poorly at that), but it goes even further than this. The spaces-locations that were shown were numbered. We were almost always shown the crown prince/king in his chambers. Εven when the ministers came to discuss with him, it was still in his room, we never saw the court meeting even at perilous times. Additionally, in the drama Li Le Yan was loved a lot by her father (the emperor) so it makes zero sense for her wedding to be that simple. Even if they wanted a simpler wedding (which cannot happen due to customs at the time) she would still wear an extremely elaborate dress.
What saved the drama for me, was the amazing cast! The acting was great and at times brilliant. The scenes where the ml lost his mother or when the fl lost A dou were tear jerking . Some award worthy performances were given by Zhao Lusi ( for example when her little companion passed away and when Hao Du was fighting for her with Ashile SheEr). I especially liked the chemistry of Zhao lusi and Liu Yu Ning as Li Le Yan and Hao Dou . And if I am being completely honest, I have to admit that this couple was at times more appealing and interesting to me that the main one.
On another note I enjoyed the OSTs and the opening was amazing (both the music and video)!
All in all, I really liked the story, though I do believe it could have been a little more well written. It's a good drama, which becomes a great one, because of the cast. Would probably re-watch (with a lot of skips).

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At times riveting

Admittedly, I was on the fence about starting this series because the pairing of Dilraba and Leo Wu seemed odd to me, and I wasn't wild about yet another cliche princess-disguised-as-boy-grows-up story. Generally, this couple pairing works fine with overall cohesiveness in production, whole cast acting, and plot. As in, whatever reservations I have about the main pair chemistry didn't really matter to my enjoyment of the show because the rest of it more than made up for a quality viewing.

Had this show focused more on the FL/ML romance, it would have been less successful. More intimate and romantic scenes would only serve to highlight the lack of... intensity? Passion? Sparks? The romance is very one-sided, with Leo Wu's character Sun obviously in love with Dilraba's more reserved character LCG, though she is gradually falling for him too. It's hard to tell how exactly she's in love with him, like a low level attraction that hums along but never raised above tepid. The slow burn in itself isn't the problem, it's just that there isn't enough energy between them to make me feel invested in their relationship **. These scenes - Sun suddenly grabs her in a tight hug and asked her to stay alive, or Sun fighting Shen to win her (as the slave) and then grabbing "his woman" in front of the entire tribe to haul his prize away - hot hot hot. No doubt they are incredibly beautiful people, so every scene is a feast to the eyes. However, the chemistry is less between the characters but more like chemistry between Leo Wu & the viewer, Dilraba & the viewer. All the long eye looks and close encounters are supposed to elicit "feels" but sorry, I don't feel it. There are no kissing scenes for them, with their eventual coupling inferred and left to imagination. That works better than potentially lukewarm kisses. After they have this understanding about their relationship, the romance went into a deep dive from some tension to zero.

Some of the reviews noted that Sun's character didn't really develop over the series. I agree to an extent, but would argue that Sun is already developed as a person. He's already got a good sense of self and gets the big picture. He's not still trying to find himself or stubbornly following a one track mission (unless it's perpetually saving LCG). He's a steady solid rock for LCG. As an imposing, charismatic general, Leo Wu's portrayal is totally believable. Leo Wu's only other series I've watched is Love like the Galaxy, which is a great show, but I couldn't help noticing that he was also an imposing, charismatic general there, whose injury on shirtless muscled bod had to be treated by love interest, and who also rolled down the roof with love interest and catching her. I would love to see him break out of mold.

LCG's character, in the meantime, does develop. LCG is learning what vulnerability is like, figuring out the big picture, and changing her worldview as a result. I love female characters who are strong, smart and not silly/whiny but the disparity between what she is supposed to be (strategic, decisive, smart) and her actions (naive, idealistic, unguarded) makes it hard for me to buy into her character (so far). Add to that impulsiveness, tunnel vision, and terrible choices. Possibly, my bias is due to not seeing how emotions translate into Dilraba's expressions. She has very defined modes - gentle (with the women and the weak), or serious/reserved/determined (with everyone else), or sad (on deaths).

This is one area where Zhao Lusi as the character LLY, has blown it out of the water with all the nuanced, highly expressive emotions on her face and in acting. Whether it's just her alone, of her and LCG, or her and HD, she provides a good counter foil to the other person or to her surroundings. It looks very natural. She's my favorite character so far going from a place of meekness and vulnerability to strength of spirit and mind. The 2nd pairing between the Liu Yuning's character HD and Zhao Lusi's character LLY is only emerging as of mid-series. LYN hasn't gone beyond the stoic, conflicted, stony face body guard yet, so we'll see how he transforms later with increasing proximity to LLY.

[** For superlative chemistry, see Bai Lu/Luo Yunxi (LiS, TTEOTM), Bai Yu/Ni Ni (PW), for e.g. Even Leo Wu/Zhao Lu Si (LLTG) has more sparks)

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the LONG ballad fr

If you like a cdrama that is mainly focused on politics this is for you! One of the things that I noticed the most is that the FL is written like how they usually write MLs, for better or for worse which makes sense for the story they wanted to tell. She's a soldier and a war strategist more than a princess. The thing that left me disappointed tho is that it's really slow in some episodes, it tends to drag some of the sad moments a little too much expecially if it's about the secondary characters rip. like the friends of the main characters are always into some tragic stuff it gets a little boring lmao
Still, it was fun and I really liked how they showed the diversity of the people living in the same country but with different backgrounds and cultures. Hao Du my beloved.

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High production historical drama but romance is sub-plot

I started watching this drama because of the high praise even though I'm not a huge fan of war dramas. From the start you can tell it's a very high production, with amazing actors, set designs and costumes. The storyline and characters felt very realistic for the time period it's set in. But be aware that romance is a sub-plot so you might be disappointed if you are mainly watching for that. The beginning of the drama is very slow and I'd say after around episode 12 is where it started to get really interesting.

CHARACTERS:
There are lots of characters that we follow throughout the story but I'd say mainly we see the story of the two girls who grew up together as best friends. The first princess is the female lead who is a tomboy, very skilled and intelligent. She is betrayed by her uncle at the start and looks for a way to take revenge for her family's death. The second female lead is her best friend (and uncle's daughter) that reluctantly becomes the new princess. She is very sweet, gentle and sensitive. Both have huge character developments and go through many intense challenges. In fact the storyline of the second female lead is one of my favourites as it's done so well. There are also three male leads that are love interests and closely connected to the war storyline.

ROMANCE:
I'm a huge fan of romance so naturally my enjoyment will highly depend on the romance aspects of the drama. Even though I loved the romantic scenes in the drama, they were not enough for me. Main couple is mostly about saving each other from life and death situations and the second couple has kind of a love triangle (but it's done really well, without jealousy or annoyance). In fact, the second couple has a more romantic feel to them but towards the end of the drama. There are no proper kiss scenes so as mentioned above, if you are mainly wanting to watch a romance story, you might be disappointed.

OVERALL:
It's a very well done historical drama, the war scenes are not too much or intense. It's about personal growth, overcoming challenges, friendships, finding love in the most unexpected ways and fighting for justice and peace. If you are not craving a lot of romance, this drama is perfect for you.

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A Ballad Like no Other

I watched this drama 2 years ago and was a tad bit disappointed because I keep comparing it to the manhua and of course the manhua was much better. Due to the tweaks and changes that the show writers did, I was very prejudice against the show when watching it then. Now with a new perspective and after rewatching the drama without judgement, I found that the drama was very enjoyable. The story follow our main lead Li Changge (Dilraba), a head strong princess who's on a quest of revenge. Along the way she met Ashile Sun ( Leo Wu) and many others who showed her friendship, loyalty, and love.
The drama gave us a solid introduction, great characters, and story building. I appreciate that the show writers made our female characters strong in their own way. Changge is not your typical princess. She's strong willed, smart, and loyal. Opposite her is our typical princess, Leyan (Zhao Lusi). She's cute, soft spoken, and caring. At first I thought she would be a useless princess, but as the story progressed, she became one of my favorite "weak princess" character. And who have thought that our main villain was also a woman, Princess Yicheung. She's a mix of cunningness, switching between a weak forgotten princess and a tactful Khatun. Our male characters were also a delight to watch. The romance is there, but you won't be seeing any fan service of kisses from our leads. I particularly liked watching the interactions between our second couple in the drama, Liyuan and Hao Du (Liu Yuning).
My only complaint about this drama was the cartoon portion of it. It should have been left out or portrayed live. I was glad they didn't use it too much throughout the drama.
Overall, this drama is a great watch. Would I watch it again? Of course! (I already did and would not miss it for a third time.)

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Incessant war holds little to no benefits for the common man

Li Changge, a princess well-versed in martial arts, escapes out of the palace with a vow to return for revenge. She encounters a hundred different difficulties that test her abilities, her relationships, her trust and most of all, her purpose.

Star-crossed lovers, intelligent, power couple at that with a proper thread of good, interesting plots that wrapped well on the whole and plenty of visually appealing landscapes, awesome cast and acting, and many side couples as a cherry on top - this is a brilliant production. Almost miraculous that something like this was delivered. I didn't find it perfect however. They gave everything they could possibly though - so I guess I'm being a little greedy lmaoo.

Leads - I really appreciate them as characters. I can't say all their actions were without fault, but definitely all their motives, reasoning, and purpose were commendable which made it worth watching. Their romance was okish, not bad but um.. like I said greedy me. But their action was so so good. Both actors have really delivered their very dynamic roles so nicely from start to finish.

After everything, what captured the romance department was a princess and bodyguard couple haha. To be fair, Hao Du & Leyan were excellent so they deserve the credit.

Plot - Each arc was different - in the sense some were better than others. My favourite would be the events in Louyang (I liked it a lot :)), followed by Shuzhou maybe.

MINOR SPOILERS:

While main thread held, there just seemed to be some things that I couldn't not be a little disappointed by or things that were unconvincing. In some instances, FL's abilities working so well, allowing her to move around anywhere & everywhere, escape anything, pretty much a Houdini, only she didn't even have to implement any great tricks to do it every time. Especially when she was a prisoner in Ashile. I wasn't convinced by the ML much in that one either. Not to mention, their romance which was unclear in some places and the way it sometimes influenced the leads but sometimes didn't. Yicheng giving Mimi chances over and over again after getting betrayed every time, seemed to be a classic villain weakness given to smooth things over for later. Like I'm glad about in the good vs evil perspective, but in a critical writing and story wise, not so convincing. And I guess, small things like that here and there.

Overall - 8.5/10

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Action-packed, political turmoil, survival, dry romance...and a story that loses steam mid-way.

The Long Ballad was not quite what I expected.
TL;DR Overall opinion: I found the drama quite enjoyable (especially the beginning). Towards the end, the side characters' stories became my central focus (less dragging). The drama had some slow parts that were good parts to stop and come back later. In general, the Long Ballad is about a C+ to B- on my grading scale. Watch it again? Probably not. Do I appreciate the drama? Yes. Do I want a season 2? No, I don't think that is necessary. Are the characters memorable? Yes.

Pros:
1. Strong Main Lead(s): Dilraba plays the role of a physically and mentally strong, capable, clever girl (Changge) who is raised as a princess of the emperor. She encounters many hardships that test her mental and physical strength. Ashile Sun (Leo Wu) is a seemingly cold, intelligent person. He is the general of the Eagle Division under the Great Khan. His character is interesting to watch--from the carefully devised plans to his unique mercy (as well as heartless killing).

2. Fun Supporting Characters: A few of my favorite supporting roles include Hao Du (Liu Yuning)--a very stoic, heartless man-- and Li Leyan (Zhao Lusi)-- the hopeless princess and best friend of Changge. Both characters are fun to watch as they mature and change throughout the drama. I was also surprised to see Liu Haikun take on a less serious role of a swordsman (Situ Lanlang).

3. Dynamic Characters: Especially Hao Du, Li Leyan, and Ashile She'er--the characters' journeys in life adds depth/gives more to the drama.

4. Soundtrack: Need I say more? Look up "Cocoon" by Zhou Shen.

5. Antagonists: The antagonists change throughout the series, each posing a different threat that requires a new strategy which kept me guessing.

6. Storyline: The storyline is excellent! I don't want to give away spoilers, but I will say this: From Princess to outcast to military strategist to slave to outlaw to hero... the story follows the life of a girl whose life is flipped backwards, and whose friends become enemies and enemies become friends (NOT A SPOILER).

7. The Side Plots: The side plot with Li Leyan kept me going. Even when the main plot dragged for eternity, I persevered for her corner of the drama. Her journey is unique, like Changge's, but shows us that you don't have to be a battle princess or a military strategist... everyone has their own struggles, even the innocent, the rich, the poor, the heartless... *cough cough*

Cons:
1. Flat Characters: Changge started off as a dynamic character--kind to those close to her and kick-butt to her enemies; as the drama progressed, she gradually became flat and emotionless (aside from tears--the romance scenes with her blank expression often left me confused about her emotions at the moment).

2. Annoying Characters: (Entirely my opinion) the Crown Prince, Mimi Guli (sometimes she is sweet and likeable especially towards the end of the drama, but other times she is just a bit... annoying), Zhen Zhu (Princess Tujia of Monan--extra), and Wei Shuyu (he started off fine, but eventually became extra).

3. Poor/Cheesy Graphics: Sometimes the cartoon and the live action will be combined, but the live action part looks like a... well... 1979 footage on extremely blurry, smashed lens.

4. Drags on: Towards the end, the plot began to drag. Not-so-big issues took f o r e v e r . It could have ended with 40 episodes.

5. Sorry guys, the Romance: Romance is just the sprinkles on the cupcake, the cherry on top, NOT the sole purpose of the drama, nor the main issue at hand. In the Long Ballad, not all the romance was bad. Li Leyan's romance was cute and bearable, and so was Mimi Guli's romance. The main leads... well... it dragged. It seemed a bit weak in some episodes (from I LIKE YOU in one only for meh in the next). Or it would be confusing *does she like him or is this a flaw in expression* and sometimes the relationship issues at hand were exaggerated. The main leads' relationship with each other sometimes seemed VERY dry. But, the small actions like taking one's hand or standing up for one another and watching each other's backs were enjoyable (sometimes it just got confusing).

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Too long, but still good overall

Damn. I finished this. The middle and the last couple episodes were… long, and I admit that I skipped a ton to get ahead. I think 35 episodes would have sufficed to tell the story; I don’t know why it was nearly 50😭.

HaoYan is indeed an incredible couple. Hao Du is like a pillar, a rock, that’s always been there to protect her. I think it’s because he was also so consistently there that she kind of didn’t think more of it. The competition changed everything though 😏. Even when their feelings weren’t as strong, his highest priority was ensuring her safety, something Wei Shu Yu simply didn’t do. He was so useless in general: losing Le Yan, losing the Crown Prince, losing Chang Ge, not speaking up when he should (Le Yan confessing her love and letting her think he accepts her feelings only to sister-zone her???) etc. Hao Du had to clean up WSY mess, AND he would die for Le Yan, and gladly so (as we see when he joins the competition for her marriage, he does so because he didn’t want her to marry someone she didn’t love – even if it meant she would reject him). Both Le Yan and Hao Du grew over the course of the show, they matured and learned to communicate their feelings and how to trust one another.

I also enjoyed Chang Ge’s and Ashile Sun’s relationship. They were each other’s safe place, and a very smart, calculated couple. It was nice to see them have some sweet moments towards the end of the show.

What I didn’t like:

- The camera work and editing felt very sloppy and unflattering sometimes. Very disappointed in that department. How do you make Dilireba, Wu Lei, Liu Yu Ning or Zhao Lu Si look kinda bad? And why would you waste pretty scenes with a weird light??? Shining brighter than the sun damn.

- The show was too long, and I really didn’t care about the Ashile tribe. I liked A’Sun, but the whole tribe and its inner politics?😬 After a while, I got tired of it, and I also felt like those parts of the middle dragged the most.

Overall, a really nice show that shines due to its stellar acting, great costumes and sets, and amazing music that underlines every situation perfectly. It should have been a little shorter though, and the camera work/editing could have been better….!

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To see and review without moderation!

A truly excellent historical drama, breathtaking, in which we stay hooked without getting bored for a second.

The story is well put together, embodied by great actors (Leo Wu ❤❤❤ et Dilraba Dilmurat). There are multiple twists and turns, but they are well put together and believable. The relationship that is built between the 2 heroes is strong and moving, we are wholeheartedly with them.

The secondary characters are not forgotten (again, the actors are great) and the secondary romances are too cute. Even Mimi's death is sad but consistent in context.

I love the concept of drawn passages (Manga side).

In short, to see and review without moderation!

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Revenge will not bring you peace, but friends and love can do it

The long ballad is one of the first Chinese dramas I've ever seen, and after watching it, I was sad that it was over.

+ The atmosphere that carried the story forced me to look further and further, and I don't remember an episode in which event wouldn't take place.
+ Plot almost didn't stand at all and it was very easy to find out where something was going on.
+ Most of the war scenes, as well as several others, were carried in a cartoon version, which only made the whole drama special.
+ There was not a single character that would obstract me at the end.
+ The chemistry between Li Chang Ge and Ashile Sun was evident.
+ Until the last moment, I wasn't know the end.
- At the beginning, Li Chang Ge was little bit annoying, but as I said before, I noticed a big change of herself in the end.

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This is perfection.

I finished this show within 3 days, then rewatched again right after. I love absolutely everything about this show to bits (oh well except Mimi!). It is a masterpiece. I have been looking with no success for something equally good or better. Nothing has come close..yet.

First of all, can we all just acknowledge that this show’s cast are not only beautiful but portrayed brilliantly in each of their own roles. I became aware of Dilreba in You Are My Glory, but her performance in The Long Ballad made me her fan. Great performance!

And then there’s Wu Lei, look he didn’t made much of an impression when I first saw him in Fight Break Sphere, and in fact I haven’t finished that show (I have to confess, I watched it because of Xiao Zhan and Gu Jia Cheng), but I kinda got bored. Then I tried TLB out of curiosity, and the the next thing I know I now worship Wu Lei. I never knew him as a child actor so that didn’t influence my bias. Contrary to whatever else were saying, I cannot imagine any other actor playing Ashile Sun. He is and will always be Ashile Sun. Period. Fantastic performance, I can watch him over and over again. The way he conveys his emotions with his eyes. If looks could kill. Oh my goodness. He perfected “the looook”. I also adore his Eagle Division brothers.

The story is phenomenal. Right from the first 15 minutes of the first episode, I felt the spark of excitement and I was hooked. It was truly riveting and every scene with Ashile Sun and Li Changge is impactful. That Cuju game was everything.
TLB had all the elements that I love in this genre, hidden identity, strong FL and ML, intrigue, hidden plots, revenge, war, politics, enemies to lovers. Amazing, it is just amazing. I cannot stress how beautiful the cinematography is as well. Episode 15 with Li Changge’s surrender to Ashile Sun, that scene is epic and beautiful. The soundtrack is also great.

A lot of the gripe that I have seen is the lack of romance. I personally think it just had the right amount of romance. Everytime Ashile Sun shows his love thru actions and words, it gives me the feels. I also wasn’t bothered by that blurred out kiss. And the ending, while everyone were wishing to have more lovey dovey at the end, I think its just fitting.

This must be the longest review I have written to date. Look, do yourself a favor and watch TLB. This one show with some serious epic chops. I haven’t seen anything yet that is just as good!

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Amazing Cast

I internally debated whether to watch this drama while it’s airing or watch it when it’s completed because I absolutely didn’t want to invest many hours into a 50 episodes drama and then be disappointed by the ending. However, there was just something about the cinematography that presses me to give it a shot and 18 episodes later, I am refreshing sites every hour just to get a glimpse of news, bts or spoilers on new episodes. I am neither a fan of the lead CP, but I am definitely a fan of their acting in this drama. Leo Wu is an amazing young experienced actor and I am so happy to see that he has grown up so well. The story line remains to be seen since we are only 1/3 into the journey, but it has been an amazing roller coaster ride so far. This is the only drama that has motivated me to leave a review, and that speaks volume of how much I am enjoying it.

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