Hu Xin (2023)

I loved it til the end… i was kind of disappointed

So it started great got good in middle i loved as dragon boy finally started to like our lead girl and being jealous but i honestly CANT remember if he ever confessed to her he liked her ? i had been waiting throughout the drama and as it ended i even forgot all about!
Anyway they shows and made it all about the dragon ? destroying the evil but at the end its was our lead girl.. sorry i cant spell their names… i feel episode 25-28 were waste drag… they should have ended the evil Dark Phantom and the remaining episodes be focused on our dragon find our Lead girl.. it was very disappointing that they kind of killed her not sure if thats what happened but she was brought back for last 5 mins or so and it ended! It felt like they wrapped it up too fast like they could have given us 20-30mins more of their life together

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addicting, angsty, romantic journey of love and found family

I literally could not put this drama down. It just kept playing and playing, and I could not stop. It’s so addicting. Like, I have to watch til they’re back together again, which is only for a short time then they get separated, so, of course, I have to keep watching to see them reunited. The love story was AMAZING. Their chemistry was off the charts, and I was living for it.

Admittedly, there are some plot holes in the story, but it’s okay to just glaze over. Also, the characters are supposed to have such strong power, but when it comes to it, they get defeated somehow ??? And how was Suying that strong ??? Like I really wanna know what ms girl was on.

Yanhui definitely going down as one of my favorite female leads. Although she didn’t have that much power in the beginning, she still had a strong character. When she did get more powerful, she was such a girlboss. Sometimes, the power wasn’t powering, but I can forgive those parts for the final battle.

Tianyou is great too, but not as good as Yanhui. He would give up his life so many times, and he was an absolute sweetheart. My take on the stabby stabby controversy: he could’ve at least told her the plan. Like, I get he was clouded by his emotions, but anyone would be mad if they were stabbed. I’m glad he had a recovery arc.

Also, another thing that pissed me off so much was the Master Lingxiao person. Like, after what he did to Yunhui, everyone was defending him. I’m like ??? Were you there with us? Did you not see what happened?? I think she forgave him a little too easily because I would’ve definitely been okay if she went back and murdered him…. Just saying.

** major major spoilers **

Okay, so I KNOW that wasn’t the ending. Like, directors, let’s be so for real here. You could’ve added FIVE MINUTES to explain what happened. Since you didn’t, I’ll make one up for you. So, Tianyou finally finds Yanhui, who’s been reincarnated as a human with her memory intact. Over time, she can cultivate to immortality and they all live together happily ever after forever more. The end. See???? That’s not that hard now is it.

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The good, the bad, and the rest...

To start off, this drama took me two tries to get into. After the first fifteen episodes though, it was - for the most part - smooth sailing.

To be quite fair to this drama, it was actually pretty enjoyable from episode fifteen to probably around thirty-ish. I really liked the characters, the relationships, the plotline, and the love story is pretty chefs kiss. The way Tianyao looked at Yanhui was enough to steal even a dragons breath away. The villains were extra villainous too. Proper evil and enough to send any sane person to a mental asylum for some much needed tlc.

That being said, the problem lies in the length and the script. This could have been concluded in probably thirty episodes or even less, and if the two villains, and even the "good" guys left the main pairing alone, maybe less than that. It became a game of waiting for the same event to happen, the same sacrifice to take place, the same villain to show up with their evil cape of misunderstanding, and worst of all, angst just for the sake of angst to the point it legitimately didn't make sense no matter how many times I rewatched a scene. It became a game of suspend your belief and bolster your patience down, and not in a nice way.

By the end, and I was genuinely enjoying it up until the last ten episodes at which point I just wanted to push through, I really just wanted it to be over. Even the ending was personally lackluster and once again lacking in explanation. The only plus is the main couple and the fact that the actor for Tianyao is extremely lovely to look at + his acting is very enjoyable. Other than that, I'm not sure I can recommend this unless you don't mind repetitive villains, overused tropes, and have an immense amount of patience.

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Historia hermosa que te atrapara desde el principio

Definitivamente esta serie me sorprendió gratamente, desde que comenzó se me hizo muy entretenida y atrapante; los protagonistas son preciosos y puedes entender y empatizar con ellos mientras vas viendo como van creciendo personalmente y en su relación, es increíble ver la química que tienen este par, como van enfrentado problemas, apoyándose, y viviendo miles de aventuras juntos; aunque Yan Hui comenzó siendo una chica con un montón de dificultades y Tian Yao la ayudo mucho, no era la típica protagonista tonta que todo el tiempo tenía que ser salvada por el chico, si no que era una relación reciproca, en la que en el momento que alguno de ellos tocaba fondo, el otro hacía lo imposible para protegerlo y ayudarlo a resurgir, ella es una chica dulce, divertida y perseverante que siempre da lo mejor de sí para ayudar a quienes ama; y obviamente mi rey dragón Tian Yao no se queda atrás, el pobre sufrió bastante y aunque tenía mucho dolor en su corazón, con ayuda de Yan Hui pudo superar todos los obstáculos a los que se enfrentaba, además era un chico muy noble, protector y valiente, que nunca se rendía ante nada y protegía a su amada incluso con su vida misma. Los personajes secundarios no se quedan atrás, aunque obviamente eran de gran ayuda para los protas, no existían con la única misión de eso, de hacerles sombra, si no cada uno tenía una personalidad y una vida única, aun sí aparecieran en pocos episodios, lograban captar tu atención y muchos de ellos también lograban ganar tu cariño, como mi chico sombra Bai Xiao Sheng, no podía parar de reír con todas sus ocurrencias y sufría cuando él sufría, es verdaderamente encantador; también adore a mi zorrito Zhu Li, la "fantasmita" Huan Xiaoyan, la increíble y poderosa amiga de Yan Hui: Xiange y su eterno enamorado Feng Qianshuo; obviamente hubo muchos otros personajes increíbles, pero este grupito fue el que me robo el corazón y a los que quería proteger a toda costa. Los villanos también fueron muy buenos... O querré decir malos... Malditos, los odiaba mucho, el fantasma oscuro arruino muchas vidas, pero personalmente lo que me dio más coraje es todo lo que hizo sufrir a mi chico sombra Bai Xiao Sheng, pobre de mi bebé; y aunque no era la villana principal, Su Ying la odie aún más, es que esa arpía perversa me le hizo mucho daño a mi dragoncito y a mi preciosa Yan Hui, por su egoísmo de querer tener a la fuerza a un hombre que tampoco la amaba y al cuál también lastimo muchísimo. En conclusión puedo decir que este es un gran cdrama, lleno de aventura, romance, drama, diversión y aprendizajes que te llevas el resto de tu vida, obviamente la recomiendo muchísimo, y me gusto tanto, que se ha convertido en una de mis series favoritas de la vida y planeo verla por lo menos una vez cada año. Dense la oportunidad de disfrutar y ser felices con esta maravillosa historia, no se arrepentirán

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Finding the light in darkness

This is a story about a Dragon King who was cruelly betrayed and dismembered by his love and a girl who was expelled from her cultivation sect. Unknown to them, their fates have been intertwined from long ago. Their fateful meeting leads them on a journey searching for his lost body parts, while maintaining the light in a world that has been clouded by evil and darkness.

Highlights:
- The main leads: I watched this drama mainly because of HMH and ZY. They literally look like they walked straight out of a manhua with beautiful aesthetics and chemistry. Those who are like me may find themselves shipping the two like Bai Xiao Sheng (haha). The actors were perfect for their roles, and the characters they portrayed were endearing. Among the many xian xia's I've watched, Yan Hui is one of the few female leads I admire - for her courage, compassion, and for being true to herself from the beginning to end. It was refreshing to see a female lead who plays the protector. The development and love story between the two was what kept me engaged in the series. I appreciated the more 'mature' relationship illustrated by Yan Hui and Tian Yao, especially with the way they navigated the trauma Tian Yao carried. They were each other's pillars of strength in their most vulnerable moments. Their relationship is a great example of how two people can bring out the best in each other. I hope to see HMH and ZY in another series one day!
- The OST: This drama had a solid soundtrack. You just CANNOT go wrong with Zhou Shen and Liu Yu Ning. I also really liked HMH's OST, he has a beautiful voice.
- The themes and lessons in the story: This drama touches on how each person has both light and darkness in their hearts, and which parts we nurture is ultimately our choice. We get to see this theme illustrated through each character's journey, as well as, through their relationships with others. It was touching and meaningful.

The 'meh':
- The storyline: As much as I love the main leads and their love story, the plot was not anything unique. The plot fillers, cheesy scenes, and flashbacks were sometimes a little too much. Some parts felt draggy and uneventful. After reading snippets of the novel, I can see why some people commented that they had watered down the characters and the storyline. It's unfortunate because I would love to see the darker and more complex story come to life, but can understand the limitations due to censorship and other reasons (simplified for the viewing experience). However, I did not want to be too nit picky this time around because I watched it mainly because of the actors - just to have a simple 'easy' watch. If you don't focus on the details and just come for the love story between the leads, then it is still enjoyable.

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Nice enough drama

Am currently in an attempt to watch more of Neo Hao's dramas after his Dashing Youth, so decided to give this a go. It was a nice enough drama for me, enough to get me watching till the end in maybe a week? Coming from Dashing Youth, seeing Tianyao with his poker face and cold-ish attitude, it was getting a bit used to. lol. His carefree and naughty spoiled Baili Dongjun was still fresh in my mind I guess. But one thing for sure, Neo Hao was still as handsome as ever! His makeup and hairdo as TY doesn't seem that much different though from BLDJ (except from when he became baby dragon. lol) I was a big fan of Neo Hao from his A Girl Like Me era, so getting back to his works doesn't seem to be a chore. I always like his acting since then, and I could say his acting still kept me interested in his work. Coupled with Zhao Ye (whom I'd seen in Everyone Loves Me and liked), I'd say I enjoyed this drama. The chemistry is there between them two, however sometimes, it seems off as well. I guess maybe it is due to TY having to keep his cold demeanor that somehow he seems quite standoff-ish and affects the feel of chemistry between them. I still like them two together though.

In terms of plot, being a fantasy genre, I guess sometimes things doesn't make much sense, and I would just like to just accept the nonsense and rolled on. lol. There is a reason fantasy genre is just my least favorite genre of all. But all the hero whump dose I get from this drama is definitely my cup of tea. lol. One thing I realized though, TY's costumes are all so beautiful and expensive looking, even from the start when he only sets out in search of his body parts. Coupled with Neo Hao's looks, I'm diggin' it! Guess the production really spoiled him. ZY's outfits are mostly beautiful too, probably only missing out a couple. But the costumes in which they got married was to die for! so beautiful and ethereal. 10/10! Others' not so much though, so I guess the budget goes to the main leads' costumes. lol

Villains in this drama were quite weak tbh. Suying was annoying with her obsession with Luo Musheng but I cannot stand Lingfei erghhhh felt like stepping on her everytime! Fu Yin's face was not that convincing as the ultimate villain and I was admittedly quite bored towards the end of the series, during the Phantom King trope. The SML was ok enough. He brings comedy factor to the story though I was getting annoyed sometimes when he decided to keep the FL to himself out of nowhere. The ending was quite ambiguous to me at first, and I only understood it after lurking around to find explanation in mydramalist lol. OST was quite nice though, and was used quite extensively in a lot of scenes. I remembered I was laughing so hard at a few scenes during watching, but for the life of me, I cant really recall what is it right now. haha.

All in all, definitely worth watching, especially for anyone who loves Neo Hao (or looking for a drama with drop dead ML lol) and Zhao Ye.

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6 points for the comedy part of the story, 1 point for the elfs who saves the dragon, Deduct 1 point for logicality and CGI。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

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Dismembered Dragon Lives On

This is my impression having seen the first ten episodes of this Xanxia:

It's not bad. It's watchable, and might even be..... * gasp* interesting!

Neo Hou isn't the most charismatic or versatile of actors. He only has two facial expressions, and, even when playing a character with a lot of power, he still ends up giving the impression of the nice guy next door, rather than a strong presence to be reckoned with. He has the presence of a short, nice guy who wouldn't necessarily win in an actual physical fight, but who is a nice guy, so you would cheer him on nonetheless. I bet some stubble would go a long way in improving his overall look. Nothing wrong with being androgynous, but it doesn't suit a character that is suppose to possess any type of strong mental or physical power. Lots of actors have femininity about them, but they are able to create a certain masculinity through characterization, other than just scowling. I don't dislike Neo Hou as an actor, and there are certainly much worse actors in Chinese Dramaland, but I offer this critique because I think it's valid. Certainly I find it difficult to dislike any actor who gives off such a positive "nice guy" vibe like this actor does. Can't help but notice his nose looks fake to me.

Our villainess is possibly the best written character out of the lot. She embodies all the negative aspects of female entitlement, greed, dictatorship, and manipulation, all in order to sooth the wound of being rejected and all as a cover for her low self-esteem. I found myself thinking this is possibly the best written antagonist I have seen in a Chinese Drama of the fantasy genre. The actress playing the villainess does such a great job here, despite being an icy and stoic person, she still succeeds in creating a rounded character.

Moving on, our FL, optimistic, naive, and even bubbly without being the village idiot. Well done to our FL and writers for writing a FL who is young without acting like a toddler. Our ML, though obviously supposed to be hundreds of years older than our FL, maintains a youthfulness about him so that the relationship never feels creepy or incestuous in any way. So far, so good. Doesn't seem like a really special drama, but doesn't seem bad either. Right now, it really feels "middle of the road", which is really good when it comes to the Xanxia genre. No characters I want to strangle have appeared so far. I hope the drama continues in this manner. Yes, the extras with the alien creatures masks on are totally cringeworthy, but I don't really expect a small budget production to be able to afford extensive CGI, and what CGI characters there are incredibly tacky, cartoonish, and out of place. Why they didn't just make them recognizable animal spirit characters from Chinese Mythology is beyond me, but that's OK. Story is what matters overall.

6.5 dragon horns out of 10.

Edit: It's getting boring now, and it's only at the eleventh episode. I might drop it now. The major obstacles have already been dealt with.

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You won't miss anything if you don't watch this dorama

The dorama started well, but was completely lost before half. There were many slow episodes that did not leave the place. Some stories and characters didn't seem to be missing in the plot and don't help make the plot more interesting. It lacked depth, connection and more dramatic scenes (those that give chills in the belly and chills). The dorama plots are weak, many of them didn't make sense because they happened purely for lack of dialogue. The chemistry was ok, no big deal. The protagonist was often apathetic, expressionless and standing without saying anything, as if they had really forgotten to write a dialogue for the character. I thought that the secondary characters could also be better explored and with more engaging plots. The plot is lighter, with many scenes on the comedy side, something more silly, a typical afternoon session (not that I don't like it, but something there didn't work out and didn't make me want to pay attention). Anyway, it's not a dorama that holds you, that has all the well explored spheres like lost you forever, story of kunning palace and love between fairy and demon. These three I recommend with my eyes closed!

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