Intriguing, a good watch

This drama is really hard to review. It started out very strong, with an interesting story, a great main couple, and good supporting roles.
In the last 1/4 it didn't go directly downhill, but it became a little "too much" of everything and was sometimes annoying.
All over, it was a good watch and the first 3/4 were great. I liked it.

What did I like?
The main couple, they had great chemistry and their relationship was complicated enough to be realistic. I liked their growth.
The supporting characters were mostly well depicted and did add to the story.
The OST was good,
The storyline was good and got me hitched from the first episodes.
The fights were well choreographed, smooth and strong.
I liked the way the sound-strike was shown, it worked well.

What did I like less?
The villains were too dumb.
During the last 1/4 it got repetitive. Someones origins would be revealed, they would fall in a trap (probably in some cave), someone would get hurt badly and fall in a coma, Lige would be weak and keep dying ...
Some characters were extremely annoying (for example Weishengs little "didi", he/she was annoying in every way, to much makeup, obviously a girl (how didn't he realise over the years?) that became even more annoying when revealed as such).
Perhaps there were too many sidestories.

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Soaring high before gliding down

The first part of this drama was phenomenal, the actors were absolutely amazing, the fighting-scenes breathtaking, the chemistry between the leads sizzling, the OST wonderful - I was clearly watching a 9 or 10-drama...
... that is until the death of villain nr. 1, the crown prince. From then on it faded away.
I had the feeling that the writers tried desperately to find a new villain but couldn't decide which one to choose, the story became a little dragging, some characters were overdone (as the King of Xiyan), some characters were just there to fill in whenever they needed someone to help/do something but noone was fit (Luomei), Mei Li died again and again (falling into a coma or else), leaving Jinghe heartbroken again and again ...
And why, just why did she deny him this long? I get the reasons, but at that point they were already clear about it. Some sidestories made it just boring.
The second part was no more than a 6.

It's such a pity, the acting was topnotch! The leads hat an amazing chemistry.

All in all I loved it none the less and absolutely recommend it. The first part is so good you don't want to miss it. Just make do with the second part.

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70 episodes about palace intrigues and not a single dull moment

When starting Story of Yanxi Palace I wasn't sure about it. Palace intrigues are nice a while, but 70 episodes? And within a harem?

But wow! It never ever gets boring! Not one episode I stalled, om tje contrary Iwas binge-watching it until the very end.

It's mainly the story about a sister (Wei YingLuo) who enters the palace as a maid to discover what happened to her sister, who died. She will go through many hardships throughout the series while trying to climb the ranks within the forbidden city.

The -:
I can't name any.
I will just state that you won't have any action-scenes (no fights, only perhaps small hand to hand fights). And if you watch for Xu Kai alone, don't, he is not the main character.
I was a little annoyed by the constant background music during conversations, but it's ok.
I didn't like the way they aged the men during the last few episodes, those beards were ridiculous.
One character was forgotten (a son).
As you see, I'm really being petty just to find some "-".

The +:
The storyline is incredible! How is it possible to write this many episodes of intrigues without getting boring? I'm still amazed by this fact.
The actors are amazing. The growth of all the characters is well depicted and each actor lived up to his role.
You get to know the life of the servants as well as the consorts and concubines.
The story contains heartbreaking scenes as well as happy moments, so as to leave you with a good feeling after each storyline.

All over all, this is more than just worth watching.

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The most beautiful visuals

What a great watch, my eyes were so satisfied with this drama that I had to reflect before writing a review.

Let's start with what I liked:
- the drama was filmed in such an amazing way the storyline became secondary. You can turn of the sound and just watch. The visuals were simply breathtaking. I liked especially the way the malicious energy was portrayed
- the actors are the definition of handsome. Every single demon was stunning.
- it was funny at moments and sad at others, I laughed and cried,
- some storylines are really beautifully sad, I do like that
- nothing to do with the drama, but I loved watching the cast dance at the end of the episodes, I always watched them until the end

But what did I like less?
- the storyline was just inexistant. The idea was great, with the demon seeking death teaming up with the demon hunters to save the wilderness, but no, it wasn't convincing at all. For example, whenever there was no issue someone came up with a line such as "ok, it's the end... but I heard of this item in that dangerous area, if we retrieve it we can save the situation", and they all went to get said item. It was just like in a video game, they got to fullfill missions and staggered along a plot without consistence.
- the tears were overdone. A tear, okay, people crying, all good, but during the last episodes it was just rivers of tears. The effect only lasts this long.
- I didn't like the OST that much, but that's just on me.

I can't say anything about the acting as the visuals did so much, I'm unable to say if it was the actors or the directors and his crew.

All in all, it's a drama I highly recommend, even though I didn't rate it that well. But those visuals are absolutely worth it!

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Tan Jianci rocked his role as Yuan Mo

As many of us, I started watching because of Tan Jianci. I was so sad after LYF... but as soon as I started Go East, I started smiling. What an amazing actor he is, his character, Yuan Mo, is so different and he simply rocked it.

What did I like?
The story. It was full of suspense and mystery, I liked the rivalry of the two courts, the way the ML and FL interacted.
I also had my part of heartbreak.
What I loved most was Yuan Mo (Tan Jianci). His love for Ah Shu was so pure and earnest, he was wonderful. I also loved his wit, he was always so clever, I laughed aloud during his funny moments, I also loved the fact that he was not a warrior.
The mysterious Man in White was a great villain.

What did I like less?
The hairdo if the people of Mobei. I liked Prince Duomi (well, probably because I think Xu Hai Qiao is cute), but what were those snakey things beside the cheeks of the Mobei people?
I didn't like the fact that sometimes something incredible happened and in a flash-back we got many informations to explain it afterwards ton make it work.
Some of the villains, as Mutu, were portrayed as to dumb.
The sidestories were ok, but not exhilarating, I think there was place for more. A soon as the story switched back to the main couple, I almost forgot them.

In my opinion it was Tan Jiancis performance who made this drama such a good watch. Without him it would have been average.
But as it is, you won't regret if you watch it.

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A little dragging

Dashing Youth sure was expected and had to face the fact, that many had already seen The Blood of Youth and therefore knew the end.

The "+":
I liked all the actors, not one was anoying. Most of the characters were fun to follow. Some.were just "décoration" ans didn't add anything to the plot, but not annoying.
We had some heartbreaking scenes (I won't spoil but those cries of his still resonate in my ears)

The "-":
All those "drinking" scenes got quickly on my nerve.
The romantic scenes were so slow and dragging, without ever getting real. I always fastforwarded, as we had to observe the lovers eyeing each other for 1 minute straight, every single time.
Why did thew need a pure white carriage? This "pureness" of the main couple was just too much for me.
The CGI in the battles were too much, as well. The fighting-scenes were just about that, one blow, use of the final move - CGI all over - and that was it.
Why ? I was looking forward to some great fighting-scenes, I got none.

All over I missed the flow of TBOY and the interaction of their group: In DY it was more each character on his own, they just met from time to time, they didn't really get to create this particular group-dynamic I hoped for.

I don't regret watching it but I won't rewatch it.

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A legendary drama!

I have watched this series thrice: The first time when I was a little girl, together with my older brother. I remember myself playing "Hu San-Niang" in the woods and that I had a huge crush on "Shi Jin".
Later, I rewatched it in my twenties and after that again with my son when he was about 8 years old. He loved it, too.

The story, evolving around Lin Chong, an official fallen in disgrace who will become a renegade, is full of action and never gets boring. The fighting-scenes are enjoyable, but don't compare them with recent dramas.

The acting is particularly bad, so much so that it becomes hilariously good.

If you don't mind to watch an old series filmed 50 years ago (with the special effects of that time), this should be your first choice,

I'll conclude by the saying (those who watched will remember it): "Don't despise the snake for having no horns, for who is to say it will not become a dragon"

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Absolutely worth the watch!

I just finished this drama and loved it. I wasn't expecting much of a vampire story, but from the very first episode I was hitched.

The actors were absolutely amazing, they brought every character to life and completed each other.
My special mention goes to Ryan Ren (Li YingLiang), I just can't decide whether I hate or pity him. His portrayal was topnotch, his fear palpable and his hate and resentment showed in his eyes.

The Story was great, it never got boring, but the last two episodes were quite rushed, it felt as if the end had to be pressed by force into the last hour of the show.

The CGI in the last episode was especially bad, it was quite laughable and didn't fit the rest of the series.

I felt that quite a lot had been cut, probably to pass censorship.

All over all, I finish the series with a good feeling and, despite the last episode, it's a 9/10 for me.

Thanks for reading my very first review.

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Disturbing, leaving a heavy impact

This miniseries left me with an uneasy feeling. I changed my inner rating thrice before deciding.

As I don't like spoilers (don't read further if it's the same for you), I didn't know what to expect and observed that poor 7th prince being bullied, I pitied him, loved his sweet smile ... this is until the moment his true face showed. Man, that was a great plot twist, the change was really well done.

The ML was so abusive, it was almost disturbing. Be it mental or physical abuse, he did it all. He was crazy, taking away everything she had, isolating her completely. And she was so resilient, never giving in.

I loved the acting of the leads, that was a real performance, they did an amazing job.

I really liked this drama but the disturbing part still lingers.
What was frighening was not only the ML, who had no limit to make her stay, it was also the fact that noone helped her, although it was obvious what was going on.

If you can stand a drama with a very toxic, dark red flag, this is for you, don't miss it.
If you struggle with abusive leads, don't even think about this one

For a miniseries it was really great, even though the side characters were nearly nonexistant.

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Surprisingly good and intense!

When I started watching MYITB, I thought I'd get into some fluffy BL-Story. But it turned out so much more intense!
The story is quite dark, all the protagonists will go through harsh sufferings, especially the naive and kind Xiaobao.
On the "romantic" side we have the carefree Xiaobao who falls in love with a beautiful girl who is, in fact, the ruthless Huaien. Xiaobao still follows his heart, but Huaien is cruel and cold. Yet, he'll finally fall for Xiaobao and even become possessive and jealous. They'll get seperated by their hardships and Xiaobao will come to hate the man he loved so dearly...

What I liked:
I really liked the fact that this could have been a traditional man/woman romance, it just was BL, it was so natural. It wasn't overdone, the chemistry was real. I feared that the fluffy part would be too much but not at all. I hope we'll get to see more of these.
I did like the darkness of the story. I didn't expect it and cried when I saw both of the ML so helpless at times.
The story was easy to follow, the sidestories didn't prevail so that we could focus on the main story, which is of essence in such a short drama.

What I didn't like:
It was quite short. That's ok, but in general I prefer longer stories.
Li Les (Zongzheng Huaien) acting wasn't always on point. Fortunately, he did well in the most important scenes.
The fighting-scenes were a big disappointment. They were badly choreographed and filmed.

All over, it's a solid 8, even a 8+.
I might even rewatch it.

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