Hu Xin (2023)

One of the most epic beautiful and original xanxia and love story

pic and beautiful xanxia in every regard

One of the very best xanxia I have ever watched. An unusually entertaining, deep and engaging storyline, very different (in a good way) from the classic xanxia both in terms of plot and characters, good or bad , never one dull moment, or making you want to fast forward … no unnecessary secondary plot and characters…

well paced, great dialogs, lots of laugh to relieve darker moments in a very balanced and smart way,

The xanxia is served by a really good ost, beautiful REAL landscapes on top of the usual special effects and studio CGI fake sceneries (what breathtaking mountains and river views) in the second half)…

and what a cast…
their love story and the way it develops makes perfect sense, and is both extremely charming and endearing… you root for them.
What is also awesome is the amazing relationship between the main couple, their unwavering live for each other and the fact that their is no lengthy misunderstanding or separation drama between them. We can enjoy their growing relationship during the majority of the episodes and it is very soothing in that regard.
Special mention to the FL actress serving an awesome character.

Epic. Doesn’t get the success it deserves

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Zhou Ye/Yan Hui (FL) is the best part of the drama

**ending spoilers only towards the end of review**

For some reason, I thought the production value of “Back From The Brink” would be higher or similar to that of “Starry Love”. Because of this expectation, I was a little disappointed and distracted from a few things that prevented me from fully immersing myself into the story and enjoying it. This is not a bad drama at all, but an average one instead of a good one.

Acting -
The best part about this drama is our female lead, Yan Hui (played by Zhou Ye). I’ve only seen Zhou Ye in one other drama, the very popular “Word of Honor” where she made quite an impression on a lot of people. I am glad to see her taking the lead in this, as her acting is the best of the bunch, even more than some of the veterans. Yan Hui is a very likable character to play. She is fun, intelligent, has a good head on her shoulders and won’t take crap from others. She might have started off as someone young and inexperienced, but she was in no way naive or a damsel in distress. It has been a great watch to follow her journey of growth to become a mature, independent, courageous warrior. It’s not hard to find another story about a female lead’s growth, but it’s hard to find one like Yan Hui who is not naive and innocent or acts like a child to begin with. I enjoy her character development and growth much more than our Dragon King Tian Yao.

The only other actor I would shower praise on the acting is Yang Rong, playing the character of Su Ying. Yang Rong is a veteran actress and I’ve seen her in other roles (“Marvelous Women” and “Song of Youth”). I enjoyed her portrayal of the love-obsessed Su Ying. I just wish her character is not such a stereotypical second female lead - one who goes crazy because she’s obsessive in love. Nevertheless, Yang Rong is a talented and versatile actress.

However, the acting for the rest of the cast is just average. I was hoping Neo Hou would be better than a pretty face. I can’t say I enjoy his acting here. He is a little better than when he was in “A Girl Like Me” but nowhere close to the fun and young teenager in “When We Were Young”. He looks good though, even with long white hair. Riley Wang is fine but not excellent. His character, Bao Xiao Sheng, is a fun one to play but the hairstyle distracted me. The rest of the supporting cast is OK and no one really exceeds expectations. It also seems like aside from Neo Hou, Zhou Ye, Yang Rong, Riley Wang, and Chen Xin Yu, most of the supporting characters are not very well-known or are quite new to the industry.


Plot/Pacing -
The pacing for the first 20-25 episodes is great. A lot happens as viewers get to know the characters, learn about the backstory of the betrayal, and the challenges our main leads face. There are also many funny moments, some more subtle than others. I did have a great time laughing along. But then, the pacing slows down in the next 10 episodes, and doesn’t pick up until the last 5 episodes. The general plot itself is not difficult to understand and follows a similar pattern of other dramas of the same genre. I would not say everything is predictable or unpredictable, but I was pretty engaged in the first half of the drama. There are a few questionable plot holes here and there, but nothing major.


Romance -
Neo Hou and Zhou Ye have decent chemistry. I like that there’s no love at first sight, and the feelings really didn’t blossom until they started their journey together. And maybe that’s why, we’re not getting sizzling hot romantic energy from them. Of course, it would also be due to the actors inability to portray such love. Tian Yao and Yan Hui are quite similar when it comes to love. Their love is steady, honest and never wavers. They support and love each other unconditionally and it’s hard not to root for them in the end. I do have mixed feelings regarding the ending (will talk more later). Riley Wang/Bai Xiao Sheng has to be one of the best third wheel out there. He’s so likable that you can’t hate him, even if you are not a fan of love triangles. Romance is easy to watch, but it also lacks a certain “spark”.


Production Value -
As I said earlier, I am not impressed with a lot of the production quality in “Back From The Brink”. I am disappointed that none of the actors/actresses uses their own voice (not even in post production). The dubbing is off and horrible at times. You would hear the voices but the lips are not moving (and I am not talking about internal monologues). The visual effects and CGI are only average at best. The fight scenes are OK as well. At least the costume department does a decent job. Well, Zhou Ye and Neo Hou are good-looking, so they look good in anything they wear. I also like the OST and you can't go wrong with songs from Zhou Shen and Liu Yu Ning (I can't find the songs on Spotify though 😞 ). The sets and some of the props look fake and flimsy. If Tian Yao’s sword is not lit with the fire visual effect, you should see how fake it looks. Having said all that, I am someone who is bothered by these production qualities as they affect my viewing pleasure. If you are not like me, you might enjoy this drama a lot more than I do.


Ending Spoilers -
I know as C-drama fans we are frustrated with sad and ambiguous endings. However, “Back From The Brink” seems to want to please fans by force-feeding us a happy ending. After searching for many years, Tian Yao finally found Yan Hui. But I am not sure if Yan Hui still retains her memories. If she does, why didn’t she go looking for Tian Yao and her friends? If she lost her memories, isn’t a kiss in the end considered big time sexual harassment? OK, maybe I should shut down my brain and just enjoy a happy ending.



Overall, this is a decent watch. If you are a fan of the actors and actresses, then it’s worth a watch. If you are not and you are just looking for a good fantasy wuxia drama, I think there are better ones out there. Because I really like Zhou Ye and her character Yan Hui, I’m giving this drama no less than an 8.0 rating.



Completed: 6/30/2023 - Review #323

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what am i supposed to do now...

mild spoilers in the second bit of this review, ill put a warnings once it starts!

generally i LOVED this drama. this drama was like my reintroduction back into cdramas since final season was over and lemme just say, this was the perfect destress! the story is nice and pleasing, it's heavy but not too heavy in which you feel empty after watching episodes.

i do have to say a few things regarding the show however. the cgi looks a little silly goofy some times but i get that their budget wasn't the greatest, but overall its still a pretty show! neo's acting has definitely gotten better comparing him to his other works, but sometimes he just has the same look for some scenes. not too big of an issue!

the biggest bone ive seem people pick at is how it's drastically different from the book, but i feel like it has it's own charm. obviously as a drama vers from an existing IP, it should hold up to it's original material but ignoring that it's a good show!

THE CHEMMMMMM the chem between zhou ye and neo is just crazy.... i need to see them in a new drama ASAP!!

MILD SPOILERS

as much as i loved bxs, in the second half of the show i just counldnt get myself to watch his scenes, especially when they had to do with the relationship thingy. they tried to force a love triangle but it just didn't work...

SPOILERS OVER

ending? happy, a little open, ending!

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A lovely combination of fairytale, romance and adventure

This is a very entertaining fairytale drama (xianxia in Chinese terminology). And the kids will love it with the mix-in of cartoon-like and half-animal characters.

What I like about this drama?

- Story is interesting. Although it does not have that extraordinary surprise or twist, it does conceal a lot of mystery which are revealed as the drama progresses.
- The bad guys lose and the good guys win. This approach always work for me as it appeals to my strong sense of justice.
- Good looking cast. This is likely the most prominent drama that Neo Hou acted in since 'A Girl Like Me' which was hilarious. He is undoubtedly the best looking actor in this drama. Zhou Ye is very pretty too, she is outstanding when she is dressed as the dark aura master. Acting as a Taoist girl, she is more like the girl next door - a bit plain.
- CGI and special effects are very good. Costumes are good too although not too elaborate but befits the characters.

What I do not like about this drama?

- The selection of actors for the various roles are good except for Zhang Lan and Chen Yi. Kenny Kwan who acts the parts of these twins is very good looking and does the part well. In age, he is old enough for the character, but in looks he appears younger than his son and daughter. It looks a bit weird when his son addresses him as father. Perhaps the roles should be reshuffled. He is better acting Lu Mu Sheng who captures the heart of SuYing.

- The on-screen chemistry between Neo Hou and Zhou Ye as leads is good but not as endearing as between him and Guan Xiao Tong in 'A Girl Like Me'.

- The ending is not properly explained. How did the new dark aura master vanish and then resurrect?

I am deciding whether to give it a 8.5 which is what I would usually give to a drama of similar quality, but decide to give it a 9 instead for its overall production.

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Pretty Average Not Worth the binge (better if you just want side entertainment when cleaning lol)

I have a lot of things to say about this show. Let's get into it!!

LOVE TRIANGLE + OTHER RELATIONSHIPS
< Tian Yao & Yan Hui & Bai Xiao Sheng >
I despise love triangles, I hate it so much, there's so many issues with love triangles which I won't get into, just wanted to point this out that I absolutely hate it. However, it wasn't as terrible in this show for the main leads + second lead. At first the relationship between Yun Hui and Bai Xiao Sheng was super funny, every time they had a scene together I laughed because they feel like they would share the same brain cell sometimes, and it was so funny when he was the matchmaker for Tian Yao and Yan Hui. So at first they felt like best friends so I was so relieved their wasn't going to be a love triangle when he appeared, oh dear I was wrong. After a little bit I kinda did ship them just a little, however that was only because I thought Bai Xiao Sheng wouldn't end up liking her and how there wouldn't be a love triangle and how I was wrong yah that, and then he did end up liking her so then I had to feel bad, only up until when they needed to "fake" their relationship to achieve the book. During that arc that was when I stopped shipping them, and realized they aren't really compatible with another, and I ended up thinking their relationship felt better as friends, because of how Tian Yao had been the type of person to pay attention to Yan Hui to know her more, while Bai Xiao Sheng didn't kept attention to Yan Hui in that way, so then it felt more like a crush? Maybe even admiration, or just love without the romantic aspect. Anywho, so this love triangle wasn't as painful and it did make me support the main couple for sure. So his rejection, I don't feel at all bad, because I don't ship them anymore.

< Su Ying & Lu Mu Sheng & Yun Xi >
Now this love triangle here, so messy like what the actual heck is going on? Su Ying is obsessed with a man she saw a few time like we only got like 3 different scenes locations of them together, and it makes no sense, there's no real history between them that explains her undying love for this man. 40 episodes, I was waiting to know how the heck did she fall in love with him THIS BADLY, why the heck did he forget about her, and married another women for 20 years? Like there's not enough information about this damn love triangle at all. We are just expected to know, this women loved this man because of these 3 scenes, and this man doesn't remember her, even though he worked his ahh off to learn how to fight alongside her allegedly because he get no scenes about this just words, but despite his achievement for the women he said he loves, he suddenly was married with another women that we don't even know how they met, and how he forgot about Su Ying, nothing about what the heck happened during those 20 years. It really irks me because I really wanted to know what is their deep level of relationship that makes her this obsessed to keep him alive no matter what, how in the world did he end up with Yun Xi, like what the heck is going on I need more context. I really pitied Su Ying's sister, Ling Fei. She was already wrongfully taught by her community, and then misguided by her delusional elder sister, so yah it's understandable she ended up with so much hatred. (Thought I don't support her she was really irritating in the show.)

< Tian Yao & Su Ying >
How the heck did Su Ying seduce Tian Yao? Like I swear there is not enough context for big relationships like these that takes up so much of the story and character trauma, like no context what so ever. How did he make him fall in love with her, how long did it even take, like I can just image her not even smiling at all around him, so did he like that? Was she so mysterious he wanted to MARRY HER? Like history man, I need the history between them too.

STORY + LEADS
The story was honestly kind boring. It was surprisingly a tad bit more enjoyable when I watched it on 1.25x speed on Youtube lmfao. The FL wasn't too irritating however her character is also pretty boring, even though she was kind of over powered I did slightly enjoyed her not being weak, and being able to save the ML (which is almost all the freaking time so girl power!) The leads only kiss about I wanna say 2 or 3 times so this show is very PG13. The leads aren't bad, like I mentioned in the 'Love Triangle' section, they are written to be pretty compatible, and with Bai Xiao Sheng being the second lead, it made me not ship them with anyone else. My only complaint is that their relationship isn't that memorable. What I mean by this is that, they are plain and boring so the entire 40 episodes, and when they had the flashbacks, I didn't care for it because those weren't very memorable main lead experiences for me to sob over for. The acting wasn't so bad, though the actor for Tian Yao made the same "concerning" expression over and over again made me kind of hope he give me other expressions. His baby egg hatched era was just not for me either.

DEATHS IMPACT LEVEL (in summary / horrible)
1. Yan Hui's Master = Zero Impact
Again, I'm a big softie towards elders dying in shows, however his death wasn't impactful for me. It's because the relationship between the Master and Yan Hui is way too weak for me to care about what they had, and the time they had together. The flashback was just a waste of scene time.
2. Yan Hui = No Impact Either
I couldn't emotionally attach myself to this character (or any character in the show honestly)
3. Fu Yin
His downfall/defeat felt so rushed or not as impactful as it was escalated to be.
4. Zhu Li's Father = What the heck was that death...
Bro... his death was the most disappointing of all like, I can't stand sacrifices like this. He might as well went with him what the actual heck.
5. Zhu Li's Mother = Eh
She was an extra character that was added onto the origins of the plot. I will say the actress for her is gorgeous

ANIMATION
The animation really through me off honestly lol. It felt so goofy and silly I just couldn't take anything seriously.

ENDING + OVERALL
The ending sucks. Well not suck, but was very underwhelming though I didn't expect much since the story was already pretty boring. This BIGGEST weakness of this show is the lack of developing the relationships, and the story, context, history. I don't want just a simple 2 minutes back story if it isn't impactful. There are short back stories from different shows that are so beautiful that I wished they were longer, for this show, these short backstory need to be longer to understand the characters as well as the story.

Hopefully I covered everything I needed to say in this review. :)

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It is watchable, but it could have been so much better.

I dropped this drama at episode 15 when the story took a turn for worse. The second male lead, whom I really thought was unique and different, morphed into the typical jealous second male lead. And then Tian Yao did something mind boggling that didn't make sense. Then the three of them wandered around this alternate dimension...
It took me about a month to brave the drama again, but this time I skipped some episodes, started at episode 20.
And I binged in a few days. The story got decidedly more interesting and ironically it wasn't the main couple that pulled me back but the story of the King of Qinqui and his twin brother.
Wow, the actor played both roles amazingly.
What I like about this drama is that the bad guys have good reasons to be bad. I find myself sympathetic to their grievances and hope somehow that they can getter a better life in the next life or something.
Also, there were other couples in this drama whose romance I enjoyed. Some ended well, some tragically, and I felt for them.
That said, this drama is something that make me sigh in sadness. It would be soooo good. The two lead actors while not mindblowing ly great or have awesome chemistry, were good. But they were hobbled by the subpar script.

Full review including video: https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2023/09/27/back-from-the-brink-review/

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Only good at first

Didn't expect anything from idol drama like this, but I was pleasantly surprised. First 10 episodes were entertaining, storyline was interesting. I binge all 10 episodes in a day. But then I don't understand why, suddenly I feel something changed afterwards. Was the writer/director changed? Anyway, I completely lost interest after episode 17. What I like about this drama were the characters. They were all really complex people, appear tough and strong but with many emotional struggle inside, not just some simple black or white labeled. Unfortunately I feel that the actors didn't convey that well either. It could've been good, so disappointed

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BEAUTIFUL, FUNNY, FAST PACED, LOVED IT!

This has got to be one of the best drama's I've got to watch in 2023 and it was not even marketed! What a pleasant surprise when I stumbled on to it. I'm a big Neo Hou and Zhou Ye fan and the 2 of them were absolutely fabulous together! Great chemistry between the ML & FL!!! I loved them! CGI was so great and showed some really cute creatures (Baby Dragon!!). This drama had such a great pace, I never got bored and was even got disappointed when it had to end. But a very satisfied ending! I hope to see this pairing again and more work from this director. I highly recommend BACK FROM THE BRINK!

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cute

WOO! i loved this drama!!! i really enjoyed the romance of yanhui and tianyao! the drama was also liek super funny throughout (minus the emo end) and i LOVE! plus the “she falls first but he falls harder and now they are soulmates and would die for each other” SO YUM!! i hate how at the end they couldn’t be together tho. i wish they spent more time together. plus like how did she revive… like i need more backstory… they dragged out the dark lord and the evil witch girl TOO LONG. i want my hui hui and yaoyao scenes😭😭😭😭my fav part def has to be when bai ???? was match making them and they had to act all lovey. so cute hehehehe. or when the two of them went into the screen thing to master the ghostly wuology. CUTE! but so many deaths. and i want more with them interaction. BAD KISSES BRO! like 3 maybe but nothing good 😴 ok pretty good tho! a better cdrama!! I LOVE YANHUI!! her character and character development! girl boss. AND HER ACTRESS IS SO PRETTY!! basically the reason i started watching this.

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Best drama

Wow what a drama I guess for some time I would be into ancient era dramas especially having more than 30 episodes how did I finish entire series so soon also script, lead actors,other actors and music and visuals of the drama background wow I enjoyed this drama hope they can make season 2 im not sure was she died before at the last episode then after 15 years how did she came back ? Does she remember everything also where was she all these years ? None of the questions were answered but stil I will give 10 on 10 for this series they made a huge success by executing this drama❤all the best to the team

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Awesome!

What a fantastic journey! Love it so much.. some scenes is just worth rewatching! The chemistry between the leads are just over the top. Wow.

But.. the kissing scenes were badly executed. I mean, i dont know how the direction for kissing done but the kissing scenes were like those old movies where they just touched lips and looked wide-eyed. I am sure the actors can do better than that..perhaps restraint by directors?

But dont get those scenes to put you off.. no.. enjoy the whole story and what a ride. It is such a powerful and sweeping epic. I was a bit sad to reach the end.

A happy but very illogical ending during the last 5 minutes. ..haha.. wish the writers could explain more about the ending. But ok.. i can still move on. 😏😏

Going to find more of ML [Neo Hou Minghao] dramas to watch..he is just sooooo handsome swoonworthy to watch!..am watching A Girl Like Me now.. so far so fun!

Does anyone know his IG, FB or Tiktok handle? Do share!

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Great series!

I really loved this one. A great storyline and it kept moving w great adventure and purpose in the series. It was well acted. I loved the casting in this series .. all very good acting. The main couple had great chemistry to make it work too. I really liked the supporting cast as sometimes their storyline is not so interesting but these all were. This writer is a good one. Would like to follow her more. The adventure kept moving into a wild yet interesting ride. I was hooked also by the romance in this particular series. Sometimes some characters just act but not too believable in their romance but all of these couples were very charming and had such a warm feeling in their roles. I m new to these series in general but so far I'm really appreciating them in a way I didn't expect. They have the ability to carry you off into their world and you really look forward to each new show. Ha ha ! 😊

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