To leave the dream and return to reality...

The last time I felt so torn up and sad after watching a series was when I watched ‘Mysterious Lotus Casebook’ and now iQIYI has managed to make me cry endlessly again with one of their productions.

They use the latest technology for the drama, which is why it looks so real.
https://www.tiktok.com/@eprileven/video/7432156758052801793?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7380879236251223585
Realistic settings or blue/green backgrounds do not create harmonious scenes. Especially with blue/green backgrounds, it is very difficult to match the appearance of the foreground and background. Outdoor film sets are limited by daylight, so virtual filming with LED effectively solves these challenges and allows for more consistent and immersive images.
Thumbs up to this brilliant way of filming. Personally, I hope it is used more often in the future as I was absolutely blown away by the scenery.

Guo Jing Ming has once again shown what he is capable of. Although he is a controversial director, with this drama he has shown us how beautiful Chinese mythology can be. (He was accused of plagiarism in 2004 and punished by the court in 2006.)

About the characters:

Hou Minghao brings to life the characters of Zhao Yuan Zhou (he prefers this name to Zhu Yan) and Ying Long.
He is the epitome of being used as a vessel to collect all the malicious energy in the world and channel it into himself. The result is tragic, as so much negative emotion is difficult to control.
Despite the tragedy of the character, he manages to portray the character with ease and even manages to create humorous scenes.
Rarely have I cried as much as I laughed at a character.
As I already have two favourite characters played by Hou Minghao, I now have three.

Chen Du Ling embodies Wen Xiao in the drama. The baize goddess whose power depends on the strongest demon in the world at any given time - in this case Zhao Yuan Zhou.
Although she is physically weak, she shows strength of will in many situations, even though she has been through a very difficult ordeal. First her father died and then her mentor, the former Baize Goddess.
Rarely have tears looked so good.
I have to admit that I wasn't a big fan of her before this drama as she always played very weak and fragile roles. This drama changed my mind.

Tian Jia Rui plays Zhuo Yi Chen and Bing Yi. Both stories have something tragic in common, as they have to sacrifice their best friend for the good of mankind. Ying Long sacrificed himself in the first life so that Bing Yi would not have to live with the humiliation of having killed his best friend. Therefore, at the turning point, Zhuo Yi Chen decides strength as he wants to live with this stigma.
The character shows that you should not judge a book by its cover, but always look behind the curtain. There are shades of grey as well as black and white. Forgiving someone and accepting them for who they are is sometimes worth more than trying to kill someone out of hatred and revenge.
After MJTY, he has once again shown that it's no longer possible without him. I'm already looking forward to more dramas with him.


What can I say about Cheng Xiao?
I've watched a lot of dramas with her, but I usually didn't like the character she played. For one thing, her acting was limited, which you could see especially in her facial expressions, and for another, she always played characters that were similar in some way - misunderstandings sums them all up very well.
She absolutely blew me away in this drama. Especially in the fight scenes, you can clearly see that her flexibility helped her immensely. She played a strong woman who fought hard, not pretty.
Above all, the development of the character overcoming her own inner demons was a great fit. Thumbs up for her performance - all round.

Lin Ziye, Xu Zhen Xuan and Yan An lived their characters and made them what they are.

I'm always impressed by Lin Ziye's performance in particular, and I have to say that for his age, he conveys the darkness of the character extremely well. He always manages to captivate the audience no matter how different the characters he plays are. I'm looking forward to his next drama and hope he continues to enjoy acting in the future.
Here Lin Ziye with little Kai Xing Jiang
https://www.tiktok.com/@linziyeth/video/7345111066470305031?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7380879236251223585

Xuan Zhen Yuan made the troupe happy with delicious food and brought the little god to life. I'm sure Ying Lei will be a great god in the next life, able to protect whoever he wants. He has shown that no matter how you are treated, you can still be friends and in the end risk everything for them. He has grown with every journey he has taken with the troupe, eventually sacrificing himself for his friends to ensure their safety.
He won me over as young Wu Xie, and now he has shown that he is capable of portraying a completely different character.
Fun fact: Two former Wu Xie have starred in this drama - Hou Minghao from the second season (The Lost Tomb 2) and Xuan Zhen Yuan from the last season shown so far (Tibetian Sea Flower).

I liked Yan An as a demon who never learns to forgive, but whose hatred for humanity grows and grows, and who wants to kill everyone, even those who aren't responsible. Yan An embodied the vengeful demon like no one before him. Every emotion he conveyed, the hatred, the anger, the revenge, were completely understandable feelings when you put yourself in his shoes. And despite his deep hatred, in the end he showed that you can change - for the good of all.
Never has an evil demon looked so sexy - only Xuan Ye can keep up.
I'm looking forward to more dramas from Yan An.

Hats off to every actor in the cast and to everyone who couldn't be seen because they were part of the crew - every role suited the actor and every scene was perfectly executed.

Now for the deeper meaning of the drama:
Actually, the name of the drama 'Da Meng Gui Li' (大梦归离) was translated as 'Fangs of Fortune'. However, I forgot in which episode this was mentioned - I was very surprised when I saw and heard the translation and the spoken word.
Gui Li (归离) is also the strongest power of the Baize Goddess - a deadly sacrificial power.

Classically, Chinese idioms contain four characters. They do not have the meaning of the literal translation, but stand for something much deeper and often have a philosophical approach.
This is why these deeper meanings cannot be found in dictionaries here in the West.
The expression 'Da Meng Gui Li' means to leave the dream and return to reality. It describes the transition from dream to reality, from illusion to reality, and also reflects the psychological changes that people go through when they pursue their dreams and goals.

Basically, the title reflects the deeper meaning of the whole drama and is therefore a damn good choice, as it is the recurring theme.
After all, it also means that people who have lost their way can find their way back to the right path.
And with all the characters, it becomes clear that they all have to find their way back to reality in some way, as each of them has experienced something that you wouldn't even wish on your arch-enemy. The name of the drama is therefore very well chosen, and the theme recurs to the proverbial bitter end.
Every character embodies karma in some way - it is assumed that every action releases certain energies and thus leads to certain consequences. Through good deeds and respectful behaviour towards others, bad karma can be turned into good karma.
The bottom line is that everyone gets a second chance.
This is especially true for Zhao Yuan Zhou, Bai Jiu and Li Lun.

The friendship between the characters is so different that it is simply beautiful. Characters from different backgrounds come together and go through thick and thin, sharing all their emotions. The friendship between the characters tells us that it doesn't matter where we come from or who we are, we can all be friends, no matter how different we are - be it the evil demon, be it the child prodigy doctor, be it the young god, be it the upright fighter, be it the tragic goddess, be it the strong woman - we will find each other whether we want to or not, and when the friendship has grown, we will also learn to forgive each other.
Never judge a person based on what you have seen or heard, but learn to see with your heart and look behind the façade. For everyone has a background story that is not visible to the naked eye.

The love story between Zhao Yuan Zhou and Wen Xiao is very subtle, and you can see very early on that the evil demon Zhao Yuan Zhou is in love with Wen Xiao - he pushed her on the swing, even though he didn't like it at all. You only do that when you love someone.
Wen Xiao only comes out of her shell in the scene when Zhao Yuan Zhou and Zhou Yi Chen are turned into ice statues and freed. She hugs Zhou Yi Chen and is happy that he is still alive. Zhao Yuan Zhou gets it a little differently, as she is incredibly angry with him and hits him several times before he hugs her. His hug shows her that everything is fine and that she need not worry, as he is by her side again.
If you loved, this would be one of the most natural reactions. After all, you would be furious if your beloved had recklessly sacrificed himself for his best friend.
In this drama, their love lives not in the big moments, but in the little things that are much more important. Their love is expressed through honesty, devotion, trust, understanding, empathy, loyalty, respect, tolerance and acceptance.

Of course, anyone who thought that Wen Zong Yu would die so easily was completely wrong. Because an evil person doesn't die so easily. The last few episodes have shown us that he embodies all the negative adjectives we humans have:
greedy, grasping, arrogant, callous, hostile, belligerent, mean, cruel, unscrupulous, narrow-minded, unpredictable and resentful.

Here's something interesting about the title itself:
In the drama, Wen Xiao mentions to Zhao Yuan Zhou that her tears can turn demons (comparable to dreams) into humans (here reality). As long as she unleashes the divine baize power and turns it into rain, everyone can be saved. Gui Li (归离) is the final sacrificial spell of the Baize Goddess - a deadly spell. So it can be said that what the title of the drama means is revealed, especially in the last episode.
We also learn that Zhao Yuan Zhou is nothing more than a vessel to collect all the evil emotions in the world so that everything becomes more harmonious. This means that he cannot always control himself. He is effectively the one who makes us more harmonious, and is also the one who gives power to the Baize Goddess when his malevolent energy is extremely strong - the stronger the most powerful demon is, the more powerful the Baize Goddess is.

We knew beforehand that this cast had angelic voices - at least those of us who knew the actors from other productions. But the OST that was delivered to us is convincing in every respect and provides the atmosphere that creates it.
And now Liu Yuning is back to show us that even Chinese rap can be perfectly suitable for a Xuanhuan drama - I didn't think so before. He proved me wrong once again.

All in all, iQIYI did not disappoint us once again, and even though the beginning of the drama was already a harbinger of a tragic end, I really enjoyed watching the drama. The drama shows us more than what we see at first glance.

The lesson we learn from it:
We will never give 伞 to our friends because it could mean 散 and who wants a relationship to break up.
The characters didn't want it and tried to reverse their fate, at least until the end - but you can't avoid fate.
At least Zhao Yuan Zhou is now being sung about by hordes of people and stories are being written about him as the saviour of mankind.
Another addition is that the demons of Chinese mythology, who turn into humans after cultivation, can be whatever they want and can theoretically change shape at any time. They are shape-shifters.
So we shouldn't get too fixated on our conventional version of man or woman when it comes to these beings. For it would be possible for them to change from male to female at any time.

Furthermore, we must understand that this interpretation has nothing to do with a BL, but also with the platonic form of love in the form of friendship.
Everyone accepts each other as they are!

For those who have never experienced such a friendship, I wish they could experience it at least once in their lives, because then you can say that you have found the perfect friend who is totally comfortable with you in any situation.

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Not the usual kind of XianXia

First of all, I would like to mention how positive I am about Yang Chao Yue's acting performance. I have seen her in Dance of the Phoenix, Heroes, Sisterhood and The Journey of Chong Zi and I was not satisfied with her performance in any of the dramas. Whether it was the script or really her acting is hard to say.

Ding Yunxi never disappoints - I've watched all his dramas so far and have to say that he delivered again. Personally, I think he conveyed the role as well as the emotions very well.

The visual effects were beautiful and an absolute eye-catcher.
The costume designers really went out of their way to show differences between lives and the way they dressed. My personal favourite is definitely the Demon King arc.

Personally, I really enjoyed the story and next to BTTB, LY7T will be my second favourite Xianxia this year.
Even though some may find the story too rushed at the end, I found that the fight at the end ended without exaggeration and was carried more by emotions and decisions of the individuals.
It also made sense to me that Chu Kong sacrifices himself in this life, as he had already given her the opportunity not to die again 30,000 years earlier with his Qiling. The decision for Chu Kong to sacrifice himself this time also makes sense because it would not be logical for Cang Hai to sacrifice herself and for Chu Kong to die in the process.

We can rejoice that we have another XianXia drama with a happy ending this year, even if we don't know what will become of them.
My impression here was that Chu Kong still remembers her in this life. That means it's up to our imagination what their future will be.

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A perfect mix of Martial Arts, Emotions, Mystery and Suspense

The friendship between Li Lianhua, Fang Duobing and Di Feisheng is truly special, as three people who would otherwise never meet work together due to circumstances, becoming the most unlikely trio in this story.
Watching them embark on their journey together, grow to love each other and be there for each other in every situation is truly an eye-opener. We as humans can learn so much from these three - because nothing is as it seems.

Each episode was so thrilling and exciting that you could hardly wait to see the next episodes. The story had so many twists and turns that even normal situations turned out to be different than we would have expected.
This story has the perfect mix of martial arts, emotions, friendship, mystery and suspense.

Cheng Yi delivered as he always does. When he plays a role, he plays it to the very bitter end and makes sure that we can feel the emotions of the character himself. If you know his dramas, you will immediately understand what is being referred to. No one else is capable of playing such a tragic role.

I have seen Zeng Shunxi in many other dramas and I must admit that his portrayal of the young hero Fang Duobing is on point and he portrays the young, naive, rich character who doesn't have that much life experience yet very well.

Xiao Shunyao did an excellent job of bringing Di Feisheng to life and making us realise that for Di Feisheng, Li Xiang Xi/Li Lianhua is his absolute number one and he is determined to keep him alive, at any possible cost. Even if he doesn't admit it and instead always puts forward the reason to fight with him or against him one last time to find out who is the better martial artist.

The actors worked hard for the action scenes, and you can tell. The behind-the-scenes footage shows us exactly how much everyone has trained in advance to prepare for their roles in order to deliver an ultimate martial arts experience.

The staging, production design and costume designers have gone to great lengths to show the difference between the ruling dynasty and the Nanyin Empire. It is obvious at first glance who belongs where.
They have also given the characters from the Blood Empire characteristics that distinguish them from the ruling dynasty.
They have brought Lianhua's house to life with great attention to detail, which he travels around in. The house is somewhat reminiscent of ‘Howl's Moving Castle’, even though Li Lianhua's house is pulled by horses.
Each sword is different from the other, which also hides clues to the different characters and their behaviour - the formerly arrogant Li Xiangyi (the hilt of his sword is elaborately crafted, the second sword should go unmentioned as it hides a very tragic story), the simple-minded Di Feisheng (single-edged sabre) and the rich Fang Duobing (his sword is elaborate, with a very expensive jade pendant and marked with the family name).
The more Li Lianhua's illness progresses, the more his clothes and especially his hair sticks change. These show that his health is deteriorating. Where vibrant colours once played an important role, they are gradually replaced by calmer colours. The fabrics used for the hanfu are also changing. Where once light and supple fabric was used, over time it becomes less elegant and much simpler - sometimes it could even be described as a little rough. His hair sticks were once lotus flowers, which were gradually replaced by the lotus root or by the leaves, which were slowly dying off. On the one hand, it could mean going back closer to the origin (ashes to ashes), but it could also mean that he has shed his former arrogance and prefers simpler hair sticks.
In Fang Duobing's case, his clothes are designed to suit the noble, rich gentlemen and he carries an extremely expensive jade stone attached to his belt, which he inherited from his mother when he was a baby. His clothing also reflects the high status of his family and, above all, the fact that he is in no way inferior to his fiancée, the princess, in financial terms.
Di Feisheng's clothing is adapted to his combative nature so that he can move quickly at all times and show off his superior qigong skills.

As for the OST, I have to say that whenever Liu Yuning and Modeng Xiongdi have provided the soundtrack, I've always been absolutely thrilled by the story and, of course, by their music

In general, I really liked the OST in the drama, which is why the drama is perfectly rounded off by the OST for me.

Of course, the storyline isn't perfect, but it's the characters and the twists and turns in the story that captivate us. Rarely have I watched a drama in which it was so difficult to tell what was right and what was wrong - are we perhaps completely misjudging? We only really knew what was true and what wasn't at the end - in the end I was absolutely wrong, because everything turned out differently than I had initially assumed.

The Impossible Trio shows that friendships are always possible, no matter who you are: whether you were once foes, whether you've met someone new, whether you're rich or poor - a person's background is absolutely irrelevant and we should give everyone a chance. This story conveys the idea of never being too quick to judge a person, but to get to know them first, because sometimes people can surprise one another.

I hope that everyone will enjoy this drama as much as I did.

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