Wuxia As It Should Be

The Blood of Youth is what live action anime/manga adaptations should be. Sure, it has its flaws and I have some gripes here and there, but it is still one of the best fantasy series I've seen, full stop. The story revolves around a young disgraced prince who was exiled and had lost his martial arts abilities, and his pursuit of the truth and justice. Along the way, he meets like-minded people and together they become celebrated heroes as they uncover a sinister plot that could very well destroy their world. It might seem tropey and simplistic enough but the political machinations and chess-like games the characters play are reminiscent of dramas like Shogun and even Game of Thrones, making it far more complicated than you think it actually is. The fantasy elements in this drama are what really drew me in from the get-go. The setting, the martial prowess of the characters, their magical weapons, and powerful inner forces reminded me so much of anime series like Gensomaden Saiyuki, Bleach, and even Fushigi Yugi. The swords that have consciousness of their own, especially, made me think of the zanpakutou of the shinigami in Bleach. In fact, one particular sword technique looked very much like Byakuya's Senbonzakura to me. If you're an anime fan like me, you would definitely appreciate this aspect of the drama.

I'm glad that the Chinese have at least given me a truly enjoyable series akin to the shonen anime I so love watching. As I've said, it is not a perfect series objectively speaking. The length of this drama is one of its strengths but also its main weakness. Because it spans 40 episodes, the writers had enough time to build this rich pugilistic world of warriors with incredible powers, and flesh out its multi-layered characters. But it's also because of its length that the narrative seems to have lost its way somewhere in the middle with story arcs becoming convoluted and the previous buildup being ruined, resulting in some pivotal events feeling unearned. Some of the characters are forgotten and some are pushed into the limelight for no logical reason, while some supposedly important characters are introduced only halfway through the series with minimal to zero character development, making them a lot less significant and endearing. And then there's the underdeveloped romance. But as far as the writing is concerned, those are my only real complaints. The rest I can forgive.

One of the highlights of this series is the stunning aesthetics and cinematography. I immediately fell in love with the design of Snowfall Villa, Xiao Se's inn in the middle of a snowy countryside. The cinematography has a surreal and fairy tale-esque look to it that I can't help but want to live in that world. The visual effects could've used a little more polishing but they are more than sufficient for a drama series of this scale. I was actually surprised they were able to make it look that good! The costumes are a tad bit too colorful for my taste at times but I suppose the style suits the world of bold and adventurous youths. The fight choreography is superb! It's not as poetically beautiful as the one in Word of Honor or stylistically cool as Mysterious Lotus Casebook's, but they did remarkably well with the action scenes in this drama. Kudos to the actors who worked their butt off to make the scenes believable and aesthetically pleasing. The music is one of the best parts of this drama. The song Wind by Yu Zhao Yuan is quite possibly the best theme I've heard in a C-drama. But I'm probably biased because it's a pop rock track, which is relatively uncommon in C-dramas and more my cup of tea.

The characters, for the most part, are so well-written that at some point, you start to think of them as your friends and you become attached to them, growing fearful that some of them may not come out of their battles unscathed. That's how endearing they become as the series progresses. But I do have some beefs here and there, and it mostly concerns one female character that I wished wasn't part of this story at all. Ji Xie is a far more interesting character and yet she barely gets any screen time let alone character development. What a waste! I also wished they didn't do some of the characters dirty. Tang Lian and Wuxin are my favorites apart from Lei Wujie so to have them sidelined was gravely disappointing. There's a season 2 so perhaps these characters will get their due respect.

Overall, this is one very well made drama that deserves praise and certainly could use a sequel or sequels in the near future. It is based on a series of novels so they do have a wealth of material to work with. A season 2 is already being planned and it has a prequel series featuring the older generation of heroes like Baili Dong Jun.

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The most anime-esque C-drama ever made!

If I didn't know any better and if the actors do not speak Chinese, I would think that I Am Nobody is a Japanese live action drama adapted from a popular shonen manga. From the get-go, it's quite obvious that it has the DNA of an anime series with its quirky characters, anime-ish plot, over-the-top acting, and all around weirdness. In fact, this should be the standard that anyone looking to create live action adaptations must try to equal or surpass. I really enjoyed this drama. It has an interesting enough plot, characters that you will feel invested in, great comedy, moving emotional beats, awesome visual effects, cool music, and top-notch fight choreography. It has all the elements needed to make a very good drama and it is, it is a gem even among C-dramas I've seen thus far. It doesn't have the usual vibe of a C-drama because as I've said, it feels more like a Japanese creation. True enough, the original comic book from which it was based on was adapted into a Japanese anime called Hitori No Shita, which I plan to check out when I have the time.

The story revolves around people with special powers called Outsiders. Think mutants in X-Men but meaner and more obsessed with gaining powers and immortality, which is a trope in wuxia stories. These clans of powerful beings are all fighting to get their hands on the Eight Supremes, which are the most coveted powers invented by eight geniuses of their kind. Zhang Chulan is right smack in the middle of this conflict as everybody is after the enigmatic powers that his grandfather supposedly bestowed on him.

I initially watched this for Hou Minghao. And I'm happy to find out that he plays the best character in the series. Albeit his Wang Ye is only a supporting character to Peng Yuchang's Zhang Chulan, it is Wang Ye's laidback and lazy genius charm that grabbed my attention from the start. Zhang Chulan has his moments, but he is basically the typical shonen MC very much in the same mold as Naruto, Goku, Yusuke, Recca, and many others. He's a bit of a dumbass, pervy, and downright gross sometimes. Wang Ye, on the other hand, is more like Nara Shikamaru, who is my favorite Naruto character. Feng Bao Bao played by Wang Yinglu is another interesting character in the world of the Outsiders. She's like the Wolverine of this world. Her character's history is one of the highlights of this series. The other characters start out uninteresting but they become endearing as the drama progresses. Again, this is the advantage of having 20-something episodes to flesh out these characters and make them relevant no matter how small their roles are. It also gives the writers time to develop the story and properly adapt the source material. This is something that I wish the Japanese entertainment industry would consider as they have a wealth of material from their manga and light novels to work with. It's just too bad that they do not see the potential soft power they can attain if they consciously make dramas and movies that they can export as well and not just focus on their local market.

I Am Nobody is a highly entertaining series. It doesn't matter whether you're an anime enthusiast or not. But I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys anime. My only complaint is that it's too short! Yes, 27 episodes are not enough! But a season 2 is underway. I heard that it's just going to be 12 episodes so that's a bummer!

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A Near Hit But A Miss All The Same

In Blossom is a murder mystery historical fantasy drama in the same vein as Mysterious Lotus Casebook, so it grabbed my attention from the start. As it is a dark fantasy, it features witchcraft and body-swapping, although it doesn't dwell too much on it, much to my disappointment. It focuses rather on the theme of inner beauty and a love that transcends physical appearance. The female lead is a coroner and the male lead is the town's magistrate, and together they solve crime mysteries and bring criminals to justice. It's basically an episodic type of series with an overarching plot just like Mysterious Lotus Casebook. I loved that drama, so I thought this would really hit the spot.

It has spectacular gothic cinematography that I found edgy and enthralling. The sets and costumes do not look cheap, so I assume that this is not a low budget series. I especially love the look of the male leads in their intricately embroidered garments of dark blues and blacks, highlighting their tall and slim figures and making them look regal and statuesque. Great choice of costumes indeed! The soundtrack and musical scores are also pretty impressive, especially the theme used for Zhuo Lanjiang and the Silver Rain Terrace.

Liu Xueyi as Pan Yue is the epitome of a romantic hero, devastatingly handsome, loyal, honest, kind, valiant, and wise. Xueyi is one of the most versatile Chinese actors I've seen thus far, transitioning from protagonist to antagonist and vice versa with ease. Pan Yue is definitely his best role yet as he was able to showcase his dramatic abilities as well as his physicality in the fight scenes.

The second male lead played by Li Ge Yang is also impressive. I never thought that this idol could possess some serious acting chops. I greatly enjoyed his interactions with Xueyi that I started to ship them. His character's relationship with the second female lead also helped draw me in because it started out as an unrequited love and I'm such a sucker for that. I watched the drama for Xueyi, but stayed for him. This kid will go places if he continues to get good roles that will allow him to show his skills.

Unfortunately, this is not a perfect drama and I do have some gripes. First off, the casting of the female lead was definitely not inspired. Ju Jingyi is quite possibly the worst Chinese actress I've seen. I first saw her in The Blooms At Ruyi Pavilion and the girl has the acting range of a potato. I thought that her then co-star, Zhang Zhehan, completely overshadowed her in dramatic scenes and Zhehan is not even on the same level as Liu Xueyi in terms of acting skills. So her being paired with Xueyi in this drama is an absolute travesty. She looks stiff as a board next to Xueyi in their intense and dramatic scenes. The disparity between their acting skills is glaringly obvious. Then her long spider-like eyelashes, glittery eyeshadow, and glossy lipstick just take me out of the drama. Girl, those things didn't exist in ancient China!

Another major beef I have with this drama is the pacing and editing. The first part is pretty solid imho, but with 10 episodes left, it lost me. They could've ended this drama with just 25 episodes. I am convinced that C-dramas have difficulty sticking the landing. Most C-dramas I've seen have questionable endings. This is probably because they always want to have an open ending for the possibility of a season 2. But it kinda sucks when you watched 50 episodes only to find out that the series ends with no resolution. I think this is the C-drama curse that they just can't seem to shake. As far as I can remember, I've only seen a couple of C-dramas that gave me satisfactory endings.

The fight choreography in this is only passable. But I suppose it's understandable considering it is not a wuxia drama unlike Mysterious Lotus Casebook and Word of Honor. But I do wish they invested more in the action scenes because Li Ge Yang and Liu Xueyi can definitely pass for martial artists. This was a wasted opportunity imho.

Overall, In Blossom is an entertaining drama full of suspense and intrigue. But it lost its steam right at the end and the less than desirable acting of its female lead left a sour taste in my mouth. This could've been so much better had they opted for a different actress and shortened the series. I would rate this a generous 6.5 out of 10.

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An Entertaining Prequel That's Not As Good As Its Sequel

Dashing Youth is the highly anticipated prequel to the dark horse hit, The Blood of Youth. Did it live up to expectations? Is it as good as its sequel? No and no. But it's still a good watch. If you're a fan of The Blood of Youth, you will want to see how things started and what the older generation of martial arts masters were like when they were young. Dashing Youth revolves around Baili Dongjun, known as the Liquor Deity, and the best martial artist of his generation. The drama follows his adventures and relationships with the people he meets in his journey to become a renowned martial arts master. Most particularly, it focuses on his bond with his best friend and later nemesis, Ye Dingzhi, the leader of the Demon Sect, and also known as Ye Yun, the son of the famed General Ye who fell into ruin after the latter grew too powerful for the emperor to tolerate.

The story centers around bromance with some hetero romance here and there, which I didn't care for to be honest. But those pairings have to happen because these characters have to produce the next generation of martial artists that are going to be featured in The Blood of Youth. Honestly, the bromances are the best part of this series. The relationships are quite engaging and the male characters are not only well-written, but are also portrayed by capable actors who have face cards that would be the envy of any boy group existing today. Hahahaha. Suffice to say, I watched mainly for the eye candy. Sorry, not sorry!

Unfortunately, it is also a cautionary tale of love and tragedy, and a friendship that turns sour because of diverging paths and differing ideals, so that's where the melodrama comes in. Ye Dingzhi's obsession with exacting revenge on the people who wronged him and his family, and taking back what was once his proved to be his demise. By nurturing his hate and insisting on taking back the woman that was once betrothed to him eventually caused his destruction and tainted his friendship with the one person who truly cared for him. His love for Yi Wenjun started a war that almost destroyed the kingdom and forced him to fight Baili Dongjun whom he treated as his beloved little brother. Yi Wenjun is basically the Helen of Troy of this story, the face that launched a thousand ships, so to speak. Obviously, I despised everything about her. Hahaha. I saw her as a selfish woman who only thought about her desires, using Dingzhi to rescue her from her gilded cage and abandoning even her children when it suited her. The other female characters are either meh who contribute nothing substantial to the story, or are even more hateful than Wenjun. So, I decided to just treat them as baby mommas for my pretty boys. I noticed the writer of the original novel can't write good female characters, which is actually typical for fight shonen manga/anime series where this story was clearly patterned from. But no matter, I was still entertained for the most part although I had to take a break from all the melodrama between Dingzhi and Wenjun.

Baili Dongjun, contrary to what most viewers of this drama think, is actually a great lead character. He starts out as a spoiled, bratty, and privileged youth who know nothing of the world, but becomes a reliable and admirable hero by the end of the series. You get to witness his character growth as the series progresses and that, to me, is good writing. Hou Minghao plays him to perfection. Granted that Minghao is not exactly a great actor, Dongjun fits him like a glove and he makes an effort to improve his acting skills with each new role he takes on, so I give him props for that. He Yu as Ye Dingzhi is equally good. He exudes a boyish charm that suits the character's persona before he turns to a darker path, and he also has enough gravitas to project the sadness and anger that weigh heavily on Dingzhi.

The rest of the cast are great in their respective roles as well. The 8 young masters of Beili are basically the historical wuxia drama version of the Taiwanese F4 but better because they can actually sing and are far more good looking! Hahaha. My favorites among them are the androgynous beauty Liu Yue played by Zhu Zhengting, Jun Yu played by Tong Mengshi from Joy of Life fame, and Lei Wujie's dad, Lei Mengsha, played by Wanyan Luorong from I Am Nobody. He made me laugh the most, he's practically a walking meme. But it was Xia Zhiguang as Sikong Changfeng who really stood out to me. His sense of valor and loyalty to his friends made me love him. Zhiguang is an accomplished athlete and martial artist so among all the cast members, his fight scenes looked the most believable to me. He really did learn how to handle that spear like a true expert. Another actor that got into my radar while watching this show is Xue Ba Yi who plays the White Haired Deity, Qi Xuan. I got a newfound respect for that character and I now understand his motivations after watching Ba Yi portray the younger version in this prequel.

In terms of production quality, this drama doesn't look cheap at all. You can tell they spent most of their budget on the special effects. The fight scenes are CGI-heavy, which I didn't mind personally because it was like watching a live action version of a shonen anime. However, unlike the Blood of Youth, it lacks the wuxia-style fight choreography that made its sequel stand out among other wuxia dramas. But I must admit, I would've appreciated more actual fights. I rather enjoyed the fight sequences in the Blood of Youth.

Dashing Youth also has a weaker and more convoluted writing. The plot progression in the beginning is a bit slow and it focuses too much on the love angles instead of showing some of the more vital parts of the story. To make everything fit into 40 episodes, they had to settle for exposition dumps in the form of narrations instead of actually delving into those scenes. I was disappointed because I was looking forward to getting to know the original four guardians of Tianqi, how they came together, and how they protected Beili. But they barely have screen time in this prequel. The ending also felt rushed to me. And that's why I think they should've managed the pacing better instead of dwelling on the romances that are merely plot devices. The politics are less overt than in The Blood of Youth, which I felt was really the strength of that sequel series. I wish they could've dealt with the political aspects more instead.

The music is way better, though. The opening theme is hands down the best I've heard in any C-drama thus far. I liked the OST of The Blood of Youth, but this prequel series has a more banging soundtrack imho. Although both series are set in the same universe, I liked the cinematography of the sequel better. It has a more magical feel to it for some reason.

But despite its flaws, I still think it's a cool series and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys anime-esque live action dramas that has lots of cool-looking special effects and endearing characters with interesting powers. Though not as strong as its sequel storywise, it is still a great standalone drama.

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The Count of Monte Cristo Melodrama-style

The Double is a revenge drama that's very much in the same vein as the classic The Count of Monte Cristo. This is perhaps the main reason why it drew audiences. After all, who doesn't like a good revenge drama and root for the underdog? It follows the story of Xue Fangfei, the daughter of an upright magistrate who is betrayed by her husband whom a powerful princess coveted. She finds help in a young woman, Jiang Li, who shares a similar fate, having been betrayed by those closest to her as well. When Jiang Li dies, Fangfei decides to take on Jiang Li's persona and swears revenge on the people who wronged them. As she plots her intricately calculated revenge, she meets Xiao Heng or Duke Su (as he is more famously known) the loyal and coldblooded right-hand man of the Emperor charged to root out all the corrupt officials in the kingdom and bring his father's killer to justice. Their plans align and they form an uneasy alliance with the tacit understanding of one another's goals and trickery. As they maneuver through royal court politics, they discover a much deeper and more sinister plot against the kingdom.

What I like most about this drama is that the lead characters are highly intelligent, cunning, and almost always make smart decisions. The dialogues are well-written for the most part, the kind that forces you to read between the lines in order to understand the malice and hatred that are implied with each flattery and seemingly polite remark. It was fun trying to decipher the meaning behind each statement and watching the characters play an elaborate and deadly game of weiqi. I also like that most of the characters are layered and mature despite the fact that it is an idol drama. Xue Fangfei or Jiang Li, like Edmond Dantes, is a schemer set on revenge. Although I found some of her plans outright ridiculous that I'm convinced would never work in a real-life setting, she formulates some pretty interesting ones that are actually doable and believable.

This drama is quite difficult for me to review because even though I found it entertaining as a whole, there are some parts where you simply have to turn off your brain in order to enjoy them. There are scenes that just made me chuckle and scratch my head because I can't believe they did that. Just plain absurd! The inconsistency in the writing also made me lose interest at some point. But my biggest beef is the ending, especially the last three episodes leading to the finale. For the life of me, I really do not understand the need for overly dramatic scenes when it could've been done more simply with less melodrama. Nothing wrong with a straightforward happy ending, but these writers can't seem to grasp the importance of resolution and closure. Of all the C-dramas I've seen, only one gave me a truly satisfying ending and that is Zhang Ruoyun's Under the Microscope. The rest just couldn't quite stick the landing, while others completely missed it. This drama completely missed the mark. In fact, it crashed and burned and left a bitter taste in my mouth, reminiscent of Nirvana in Fire's ending that I still refuse to acknowledge. They had to film an extra 5-minute scene to fix the damage, but it was a little too late. Nothing can save that awful half-baked ending they concocted. Sure, the battle scenes look good, it makes Wang Xingyue's Xiao Heng all the more heroic and dashing, but damn it, you don't need that to make a compelling ending!

I thought about why I was so drawn to this drama in spite of its many flaws. I mean, I didn't like the music, I thought the songs were all awful, especially the duet that plays whenever Xiao Heng and Jiang Li have their lovey dovey scenes. The qin music was nothing special. Just not my cup of tea, I guess. The visuals and cinematography are alright, nothing to write home about. It's obvious that this drama didn't have the biggest budget. The romance was non-existent, at least for me. I am not big on romance so I rarely see chemistry in couples, but when I do, there's always a good reason for it. Fans of this drama have all raved about the explosive chemistry between the leads but I just can't see it. I gag whenever I see them looking so chummy. I may like the character of Xue Fangfei/Jiang Li, but I'm not fond of the actress. I actually knew nothing about Wu Jinyan before this drama so I had no preconceived notions about her acting skills. Apparently, I'm not the only one who noticed how wooden she looks in most of her scenes and how her eyes look like those of dead fish. I can't seem to connect with her character because I don't feel genuine emotions from her. She always looks like she's performing with those eerie looking dead fish eyes. *shudders* And the fact that she's already 34 years old did not escape me. She does look her age (for an Asian woman) and I don't understand why they thought she could pull off the role of an 18-year-old. They should've gotten Bai Lu or someone of her caliber and looks instead. As for her supposed chemistry with Wang Xingyue, she has more chemistry with Li Meng who plays Princess Wanning, and Xingyue has more chemistry with his fan.

But I digress, I was trying to write about what attracted me to this drama, and I could only think of one thing, Wang Xingyue as Xiao Heng. The fact that he's only 22 years old and was 20-21 years old when they filmed the drama blows my mind to this day. He has this husband material aura and a tremendous screen presence that just makes him swoon-worthy to say the least. His charisma is so undeniable that I believe most women watched the drama just for him, I am not ashamed to admit that I am one of those women. His acting skills still need a lot of work, but I believe he will become an in-demand leading man pretty soon.

As for the rest of the cast, Li Meng as the psychopathic Princess Wanning stands out. I can't stand her character and I give props to the actress. I was even slightly sympathetic towards her character in the end because she expertly portrayed the role of a mentally unstable and damaged princess. And for some reason, I found her more attractive than Wu Jinyan. Joe Chen as the scheming stepmother, Ji Churan, is another standout. I also have to give credit to Liang Yong Qi as Shen Yurong, Fangfei's cowardly husband. The villains in this drama (save for one) are superbly written and acted! I completely understood their motivations and the drama explicitly shows how their questionable morals and wrong choices led them to their eventual demise. Lord Cheng, however, could've been incorporated into the story earlier so he could've been more fleshed out. For the supposed biggest baddie of the entire series, his character felt flat, insignificant, and formulaic. The other supporting characters are great as well, no complaints here. Although I would've preferred some of them weren't killed off.

Without these things I mentioned, this drama would be mediocre at best. But thankfully, they got themselves a captivating leading man, great villains, and intelligent writing (for the most part). I give The Double a generous 7. It's great fun, highly addictive, and you'll love it if you can suspend your disbelief and throw logic out the door from time to time.

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The Dragon Boy and His Mortal Beloved

For a xianxia idol drama, Back From The Brink is pretty good. In fact, I was happily surprised by how good it is. I actually expected it to crash and burn so badly I would have difficulty finishing it. Well, it did crash and burn right at the end, but it was good for the most part, in my opinion, so I'm not too disappointed. After all, I didn't expect much from this as it is an idol drama and I just wanted a light and fluffy romance to cleanse my palate. Little did I know that I would like it so much and even shed a tear or two because of the emotional beats and well-acted scenes.

The story revolves around a powerful dragon spirit named Tianyao who was isolated in his kingdom for a thousand years, so he was oblivious to the struggles of his fellow spirits. In this fantasy world, spirits and humans are mortal enemies and lowly spirits are hunted and enslaved by the powerful Taoist cultivators. Think wizards and witches enslaving demons to become their familiars and do their bidding by using magical spells and traps. Tianyao falls in love with a human woman named Suying, who covets his dragon scales as they can grant immortality. She eventually betrays him and renders him disabled and almost at the brink of death. In his desperation, he manages to take his heart scale containing his inner core and throw it into space to prevent the woman from completely stealing his powers. His heart scale falls into the hands of a young child born with a heart defect and it miraculously heals her, allowing her to grow up into a healthy young woman named Yanhui. She grows up to become a cultivator herself, but one who doesn't understand the hostility between humans and spirits, so she is deemed a traitor by her own kind. Without his dragon powers, Tianyao is forced to take his human form and live without his powers as a mortal. He crosses paths with Yanhui and enlists her help in finding his missing dragon parts that were scattered all over the mortal world by Suying. This is how their journey starts and as the story progresses, more secrets are revealed, and I did enjoy some of the plot twists. I was attracted to the plot because it initially reminded me of the love story between Haku and Chihiro in Spirited Away. There's something about a dragon boy falling for a human girl that just gets me.

The production value of this drama is nothing to write home about, it is after all a low-budget series with clunky CGI, passable cinematography, and cheap-looking sets. But I didn't mind because it suited the vibe of the drama for some reason. The CGI used for the fight scenes are not too bad, though. I rather liked the dragon fire special effects. But the music is awesome! The opening theme has an Evanescence sound to it and the ending theme by Liu Yuning is perfection! I also liked Hou Minghao's contribution to the soundtrack.

The writing, though, could've been better. It has great world-building and the social commentary about racism and discrimination is a good addition. There are also very moving moments in the drama that can make you tear up and some beautiful life lessons worth pondering on. But the positives end there, I'm afraid. The drama starts strong but falls off somewhat in the middle and then completely goes off the rails at the end. For the life of me, I don't understand why they had to end it like that. But I have to give the writers props for tying up some loose ends. Just when I thought something is an obvious plot hole, they come up with something that kinda explains things and makes it logical... sort of. Not to say that there are no plot holes at all because there are plenty and I still had to suspend my disbelief several times. It's just a shame because this drama had the potential to be soooo much better.

As for the acting, I really loved Zhou Ye in this. She is one of the few Chinese actresses that I find undeniably pretty and not annoying (thank god!). Although I think she still has a long way to go in terms of acting skills, I believe she did well as Yanhui and I rooted for her all the way! She has great comedic timing, too. I love her with Hou Minghao! I swear, they are a match made in heaven! The moment I saw them together, I felt their palpable chemistry. I don't think I will be able to see them paired with other people without complaining that they just don't fit right with anyone else. At first, I didn't think much about Minghao's acting but he eventually proved that he has some acting chops hidden somewhere just waiting to be uncovered. Then there's the fact that he is quite dashing. He and Zhou Ye make a gorgeous couple. I just loved seeing them onscreen. The rest of the cast are very good as well, no complaints here. The villains are so good that I wanted to kill Suying and her vile sister. Suying could've been made a sympathetic villain instead of a complete lunatic, though. When the truth is finally revealed, I actually felt some sort of pity for her. But she could've been written and portrayed in a way that would've made her more relatable. So again, this is a problem with the writing.

But as a whole, this was a good watch. I had fun watching this and I fell in love with Tianyao and Yanhui. I loved immersing myself in this world and I felt sad leaving it. I just wish they had tapped into its full potential because the story is solid, the characters are layered and interesting, and the world that the original author created is rich with lore. But just the same, I will miss my dragon boy and his mortal beloved.

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An Idol Drama That's Unexpectedly Enjoyable

I initially expected to drop this drama by the second episode since I'm not huge on romance, not to mention I'm not overly fond of Esther Yu. But color me surprised, I actually ended up enjoying it! Not only did I enjoy watching it, it was all I could watch for the past week! I'm still not a fan of Esther Yu's, but she did manage to convince me that she can act (unlike some of her peers) because of this drama. She can actually speak without her usual cutesy “aegyo” voice and knock her dramatic scenes out of the park. But even with her childish mannerisms and squeaky voice, I somehow became less annoyed with her as the drama went on.

The real revelation in this drama is Ding Yuxi, though. I tried to watch two of his other dramas, Love You Seven Times, which I dropped (I don't even know why I considered watching it), and White Cat Legend, which I put on hold. They didn't pique my interest and I thought he didn't quite have that leading man charisma. Boy was I wrong! Mu Sheng is definitely his breakout role and he even stole the spotlight from his co-stars. Let's just say that I'm totally giving White Cat Legend another go after this.

Storywise, Love Game In Eastern Fantasy is pretty much an isekai reminiscent of series like Re: Zero and The Rising of the Shield Hero. One of the reasons why I decided to check this out is because I do like this subgenre of fantasy. True enough, it did grab my attention from the get-go. It follows an ordinary girl named Ling Miaomiao who somehow finds herself inside a novel written by her favorite author. And in order to return to her world, she must play a game of love and win the heart of the crabby and standoffish, Mu Sheng. She must maneuver her way into this world, join the demon hunting team led by Mu Yao, and learn how to fight demons to survive. The story within this world is nothing new, though. I've seen a lot of xianxia and xuanhuan dramas and read fantasy books that follow similar plots. But I have to give credit to the writers for making it seem fresh and entertaining. For an idol drama, it's actually pretty good.

In terms of production value, I can't say it breaks new ground, though. It looks and feels like every other idol C-drama I've seen. Even the sets are the same. I know I saw those exact same sets in The Double and probably from other dramas I can't recall right now. The music, for the most part, is good. But again, the song choices are pretty much the same as other idol dramas I've seen. I feel like one of the reasons why people liked this is because it's familiar. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel or do anything innovative. It relies solely on its well-established story, which was adapted from a popular novel, and the acting prowess and star power of its actors. I read somewhere that this is an S+ drama but I was disappointed to see the same production quality I normally find in other dramas of its kind. I expected it to actually have better CGI, costumes, cinematography, color grading, and set designs, but it doesn't.

I was also disappointed with the second couple. I'm sorry but they are sleep inducingly dull. Every time the main CP weren't on screen, I dozed off. Zhu Xudan is actually not bad as Mu Yao, but her partner is just plain meh. The actor who plays the second male lead looks half-dead throughout the drama. Sorry, but I think if they had gotten a more capable actor for that role, who actually has an ounce of chemistry with the second female lead, the second CP would've been far more interesting. I found myself getting bored every time the story focused on them. That rarely happens to me as I often find the second couple more engaging than the main couple. I just wasn't invested in them at all. The rest of the cast are great, though. The kid who plays Cuicui is so cute! And of course the veteran actors excelled in this.

Now for the ending. I can't say I liked it but I can't say I hated it either. I know many viewers complained that it ended abruptly with no real resolution or explanation. But I do get why they ended it the way they did. They don't need to show Miaomiao and Mu Sheng reuniting, it's already implied in that last scene. Of course we all want to see that happen, but the writers left the ending to our imagination. And in my book, they found each other again and they got their happy ending. That's what I choose to believe. I guess I'm used to open endings in Japanese stories that it didn't bother me one bit. I do understand the frustration of some of the viewers, though.

All in all, this is a cute romance drama that'll take you on an adventure in a magical world filled with demons and demon hunters. It'll make you laugh, cry, and fall in love with the first male lead. Oh wait, that's just me! Hahaha! I give this a solid 8 out of 10.

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An Engaging Detective Mystery Drama

Under the Skin is a thriller mystery detective drama starring Tan Jianci as a gifted portraitist working for the police bureau. It's only 20 episodes long, which is relatively short for C-dramas. But the fewer episodes allow the drama to make full use of every scene; not a moment is wasted and everything serves a purpose. Hence, it is one of the most well-paced C-dramas I've ever watched to date. In fact, it is more similar to American crime dramas from the 2000's like CSI, Profiler, Lie To Me, Criminal Minds, Bones, and the like than any C-drama I've seen.

The story centers around Shen Yi, a troubled art prodigy who finds himself involved in the murder of a highly decorated police officer. Overcome with guilt and remorse, he starts working for the police as a sketch artist in hopes to make a difference and ultimately find redemption. Shen Yi partners with a rough-around-the-edges hotshot detective who despises and blames him for the murder of his senior officer. Their uneasy alliance soon turns into a deep friendship that's founded on trust, and this partnership is the core of the story. So basically it's a buddy cop drama.

It reminds me somewhat of the Chinese animated series, Link Click, but so much better in terms of writing and charactertization. Unlike Link Click, Under the Skin makes an effort to build up its main characters, making them more relatable and sympathetic, so you know exactly who they are whether you like them or not. The cases they work on are even more intriguing and compelling. I found the story about the teenage girl who developed a crush on a tomboy thinking she was a real boy especially interesting. Considering that China has stringent censorship policies and homosexuality is taboo, I thought the writers did a good job writing about lesbianism without being too overt about it. I also rather liked the case regarding two women who plotted the murder of their abusive lover. The supporting characters are also well-written because I learned to care about what happens to them.

Generally speaking, the writing is pretty good. The dialogues, most especially, are written quite well. But there is stuff that defies logic no matter how they try to justify it. Some are too farfetched for me to even consider them plausible. I wish they had used more believable scenarios instead. The production value could've been better as well. But I'm willing to forgive those flaws because the good outweighs the bad.

All in all, this is a solid drama with great plot progression, acting, characterization, and screenplay. I give it a 9 out of 10. Season two is in the works so you can bet your bottom dollar that I will watch it the moment it hits streaming.

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A Faithful But Lackluster Adaptation of A Popular Sci-Fi Novel

Took me a while to write a review for Three Body because I honestly don't know how to start. All I know is that it's a deeply provocative drama about the nature of man. The drama is based on the Hugo Awardee science fiction novels by Liu Cixin entitled The Three Body Problem. It was also adapted by the same dudes who nuked Game of Thrones for Netflix. Sorry, I chose to forget their names. Hahahaha. I haven't seen that one yet so I can't say anything about that, but this C-drama version doesn't skimp on the science aspects of it. In fact, it never forgets to school you about physics, nanotechnology, space science, and so on. But the very core of this drama is about the good and evil side of humanity, our triumphs, failures, ability to create and destroy, and inability to appreciate life itself and see past our own flaws. The story follows an idealistic scientist specializing in nanotechnology and a scrappy police officer determined to get to the bottom of a series of murders connected to a particular cult-ish organization. At the center of this is a highly intelligent but troubled woman who made a regrettable mistake in her youth that led to a catastrophic mess involving the fate of humanity.

I like the drama for the most part as it is so brilliantly written that you'll either feel as if your IQ has increased after learning so much sciencey stuff or you're dumb AF because you can't comprehend any of it. Hahahaha! The characters are also well-fleshed out that I couldn't bring myself to hate even the antagonistic ones. Production-wise, it's pretty good but you can really tell that this drama could've used more budget for the CGI stuff. I found the computer generated imagery used in the scenes where they were inside the Three Body game very clunky and distractingly bad. The CGI versions of the characters showed very little emotion and moved awkwardly, I thought. They should've just used real actors for those scenes, it would've looked a lot better. This is one of the reasons I found the “game” scenes flat and dull. Another complaint of mine is they spend too much time inside the game with the characters being played by those horrid CGI versions of them. It was not interesting at all! I found myself dozing off every time they entered the game.

As a whole, this is a solid 8 drama and that's already a generous rating. The reason why I can't give it a higher score is because of the pacing. I watched the shortened version of the drama, cut down from 30 episodes in total to just 26, but I still found myself getting bored because of the slow pacing. I also felt that they should've made the science stuff more accessible to the masses, spelled it out in laymen's terms so to speak. I'm not saying they should've dumbed things down, just made them more comprehensible to those who aren't as well-versed in science. I understood the science elements for the most part but some flew over my head, and some I just didn't care for because I didn't feel like understanding them anyway. I was sick and tired of hearing the actors drone on and on about this and that. I think maybe the Netflix version did a better job at this. I haven't watched it yet so we'll see. But if you're into science, especially physics, then you'll appreciate this more, I suppose.

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An Underappreciated Gem

Under The Microscope is another engaging series that stars Zhang Ruoyun along with his Joy of Life co-stars, Wang Yang and Wu Gang. It is one of those shorter C-dramas that truly benefits from its 14-episode length. Unlike longer period dramas of its kind, this one has a simpler, albeit more socially relevant plot concerning issues that people can identify with even to this day. The story centers around an autistic mathematics genius named Shuai Jiamo as he uncovers an insidious plot that involves years of corruption and tax evasion of those who possess the most power and wealth. This continues to be a problem in our modern society so it's highly relatable. The rich become richer because they can get away with evading taxes and stealing land from the less fortunate, while the poorer become poorer because they're the ones paying the taxes.

It didn't immediately catch my attention as there's a lot of serious talk about taxation, mathematical equations, and calculations in the beginning. As I'm mathematically dumb, my brain kept shutting down, and I tended to nod off while watching the first few episodes. So I had to take a break from it. It wasn't until episode 5 when it finally picked up for me, so to me, it is a bit of a slowburn. But that's just me. If you're interested in mathematics and accounting, then this is right up your alley. By the time it picks up, though, it doesn't stop and ends in a truly satisfying fashion that it leaves you feeling happy for the protagonists because the little people won against those in power. This is the only C-drama I've seen thus far that really sticks the landing. And that ending alone is one of the major reasons why it is on my top 10 most favorite C-dramas of all time.

The characters are complex and easily relatable despite them supposedly existing hundreds of years in the past. Jiamo has the innocence and purity of a child who has yet to learn what mischief is all about and Ruoyun plays him to perfection. As I suspect that his character suffers from autism, he is often seen musing or mumbling to himself as he calculates complicated equations in his head and tries to make sense of what he has discovered. But when he starts talking about mathematics, he lights up with so much gusto, imparting his expert knowledge in accounting like a child telling his favorite bedtime story. He is, for a lack of a better word, amazing in this role. Wang Yang, who plays the lawyer, Cheng Ren Qing, is equally brilliant. In the beginning, he made me feel so frustrated as he battles wits with Jiamo and foils his plans. But by the second act of the series, he starts singing a different tune and you, as part of the audience, begin to wonder what his actual deal is. I grew to love his character by the end, which was the exact opposite of how I felt for him initially. Wang Yang plays this dubious role with such skill that he makes you genuinely dislike him at the start but you end up cheering for him. Talk about great character development! Jiamo's loyal best friend, Feng Bao Yu, is one of my favorites. You first meet him as a spendthrift playboy whose only real goal in life is to go to gambling houses and kill as much time as he can. But as the series goes on, you see a significant change in him as he grows more mature and responsible. His loyalty to Jiamo is exemplary and most definitely his best trait. It's his relationship to Jiamo that motivates him to become a better man. He is one of the funnier and more adorable characters in the drama. I also found some of the public officers funny and endearing, especially the Magistrate. Simply put, the characters and actors are all great!

As far as production value is concerned, I don't think it has the biggest budget based on the costumes and sets. But I kinda like the grittier and more grounded look of the drama. It makes it more believable and more like a historical documentary than a dramatic series. The music I wasn't very fond of, though. It didn't stand out to me so I can't say much about it.

All in all, this is a wonderful short series that I would most definitely recommend to anyone willing to give it a shot. It has great acting all around and a gripping plot about tax evasion and the shameless machinations of those involved to cover up their crime. It's only 14 episodes so it's very bingeable.

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A Good Enough Sequel

I can't say I loved this second season as much as the first but it was nice to see these characters again. It felt very familiar and pretty much a direct sequel despite the recasts and some of the actors obviously looking much older, bulkier or thinner because of the 5-year gap between seasons. I still enjoyed it but it doesn't have the magic of the first season. That was truly lightning in a bottle. And like most sequels that are used as setups for the final installment, it does feel like it doesn't have a beginning or an ending. There are some things that are introduced in preparation for the succeeding season. Thus, this should be taken as a transitional piece.

More characters are introduced in this season and I'm glad I finally got to meet the other princes, the dashing eldest prince and the bumbling idiot that is the youngest prince. They are both likable to say the least. But I'm disappointed that some of them just came and went without much ceremony. Some of the older characters like Gao Da only appear in some scenes and never return, which is a shame because he was one of my favorites in the previous season. I guess they are there for fan service only, nothing more.

The writing this season is a little bit all over the place. While the dialogues, political machinations, and plot twists are still superb, the plot progression is kinda slow, some scenes are dull and lackluster without the fight choreography from the first season, and there are subplots that just go nowhere. There are more illogical and you-must-suspend-your-disbelief aspects as well. I really don't get Fan Xian's motivations sometimes and why the overarching plot about the divine temple, androids, futuristic knowledge, and other sci-fi elements are barely mentioned and seemingly abandoned. I blame the original writer for this because even in the book, it is never fully explained. Again, why put science fiction elements into a story but never fully explore them??? From a writing standpoint, that is a complete waste of a concept and just lazy writing, period! He obviously excels at writing political dramas, so why not just write exactly that? Why introduce science fiction at all? Methinks this writer just wanted to set himself apart from the many Chinese authors that write historical novels, hence the ice age and advanced nation plot. But he may not be well-versed in this field and could not be bothered to actually do some research and incorporate science into his book. Such a travesty!

The music, just like in the first season, is hit or miss with me. If the first season had latin music, this one has a yodeling theme that reminds me of The Sound of Music. If you've seen The Sound of Music and are familiar with its soundtrack, then you'd know what I mean. Just horrible horrible choice in music! The costumes this season are better, though. At least they look more organic and worn unlike the plasticky costumes from the previous season. The cinematography is still excellent. But while the cast is one of the best I've seen in any drama, there's one I would rather not see again. Gina Jin is an awful choice for Ye Ling Er. They should've never recasted that role. And then there's the yogurt product placement that just takes me out of the drama every time it appears on screen. They even keep talking about it, too. Word of Honor did the same thing but they did it in a way that was hilarious, thus I was able to forgive it.

As a whole, this was a fun second season and probably better than expected considering it's the middle season and that most sequels are not as good as the original. I just hope I won't have to wait more than 2 years for the finale.

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Court Politics At Its Finest

Joy of Life is a 2019 Chinese wuxia drama that centers around a young man named Fan Xian who was born in ancient imperial China with memories and knowledge of the 21st century. He grows up knowing about a far more advanced society so he has always felt alone and isolated like a fish out of water. That premise alone made me want to watch this drama immediately, but I had to wait years because I found out that it ends in a cliffhanger and there was no confirmed date for a season 2 release. Thankfully, they finally announced the premiere of the second season this year, so I decided to start the first season. I didn't regret it. I was able to finish this 46-episode drama in just 8 days. That rarely happens to me, but when it does, it's usually because the drama is really enjoyable and has gained my full attention.

I'm a sucker for royal court intrigues, and political scheming and plotting, so this captured my undivided attention from the get-go. Not to mention this drama has what I hope most series would have, a very engaging, interesting, and endearing hero that you want to root for and fall in love with. Fan Xian is hands down one of my favorite characters of all time! He is highly intelligent, witty, humorous, crafty, skilled, and relatable in his flawed nature. I haven't laughed so much since I watched Word of Honor. But this drama also made me tear up more than once because of the emotional beats and brilliant acting of Zhang Ruoyun as Fan Xian. Ruoyun really carries this drama and he does it with flying colors. Despite acting alongside some of the best veteran actors in the business, he is, in no way, overshadowed by his more experienced co-stars. I've liked him since I saw him in Under the Microscope and Joy of Life only helped me confirm his undeniable charisma and screen presence. The rest of the cast are fantastic in their own way. My favorite among the supporting characters is Chen Pingping played by Wu Gang, whom I suspect to be a legendary actor in the Chinese entertainment industry. If he isn't, then it's a travesty! He is that good! This drama has such a strong supporting cast that I liked almost everyone, even the villains. I absolutely abhor the Princess Royal, Li Yun Rui, but Li Xiao Ran is so amazing in playing this detestable character that I applaud her for it. Wang Yang is also great in this, as always. He only appears in the first half of the drama but he cemented himself as one of the more unforgettable characters in the series. I also have to specially mention the actor who played young Fan Xian, he does not only look like Zhang Ruoyun but also acts like him. That was such a great casting choice!

The script is one of the best I've seen in any drama. It's what I expect from other dramas of its kind, even better than Nirvana in Fire's in my opinion. The dialogues are remarkably well-written with carefully chosen wording only meant to hint at the true meaning behind the statements. You have to read between the lines, so to speak. And this, coupled with the subtle acting from the cast, brings more tension to the scenes. The script also interweaves beautiful poetry with tragedy and unpredictable plot twists that make you immediately think of plot armor as an excuse. But as things unravel you begin to realize that perhaps the so-called plot armors can be justified by a number of reasons, making you believe in the brilliance of the writing.

As much as I love this drama, I do have some beefs with it, though. As I mentioned, while some turns in the plot can be justified, I do think that there are far too many convenient coincidences for them to be logical. I will not mention those here but if you pay attention to how problems are handled by the characters as things unfold, then you will know what I mean. I also have some issues with the female lead. For the life of me, I cannot understand why they have to continually infantalize women in these dramas. I do not find these women cute whatsoever. It is annoying and tiresome! Lin Wan'er is played by the beautiful Li Qin, but the character is the cookie cutter type of pretty, feminine, and angelic damsel in distress. I do not want all women to be warriors like Haitang Duoduo, but Lin Wan'er acts like a cute little girl who has a penchant for stealing food from the kitchen. What is so amusing about that?! How old is she, 8?! And Fan Xian falling in love with her at first sight is far too cliché for my taste. I don't know why they can't seem to write really good female characters in these dramas. It's probably a culture thing.

Even though it's quite obvious from the cinematography and sets that this drama was not made with a meager budget, the costumes look so out of place and plasticky cheap. I mean, leather belts and leather-like garb? Weird paisely looking patterns in the garments? Did those exist in ancient China? I understand that they probably wanted to bring a more modern feel to the costumes because of the science fiction aspects of the story, but come on! The costumes are hideous! I feel sorry for the actors who had to wear those heavy-looking dreadful garments in the peak of summer! I was also disappointed with the fight choreography. There are far too many cuts that you can barely see what's going on. I expected better. It didn't hinder me from enjoying the action scenes, though. The music is hit or miss. There are some themes that work, some that do not. Whoever thought that latin music would work in a Chinese costume drama is insane! Some are inappropriately used, too. Seriously, why would you put sinister-sounding music when there's no imminent danger?! lol

But my biggest disappointment is how the writers (or original writer of the novels) failed to cleverly incorporate modern elements into the story. Considering that Fan Xian was born with the knowledge of a technologically advanced society, he rarely used that knowledge for his benefit. While he did use his expertise in poetry and literature to help him advance his career in politics, it didn't go beyond that. The drama also barely explores the true nature of Fan Xian's character and that of his mother, who supposedly came from another world. I expected it to be more like the manga/anime Dr. Stone wherein the characters are frozen in time when a second ice age hit the earth and they wake up in another stone age. They help provide the foundations of that world by introducing science, technology, literature, and even modern warfare. But this drama doesn't do anything of the sort. Instead, it focuses on political intrigues and wars of that primitive society with Fan Xian barely putting his knowledge of a futuristic world to use. He rarely even mentions it, which is a total waste of that concept. The science fiction aspects are just cosmetic tools used to make the story seem a little more unique but does not use it to its fullest potential. Shame. This drama could've been way better.

But despite all that, I still give this drama a high rating of 9 out of 10. I recommend this to anyone who wants to watch an intelligently written drama with fleshed out characters and an engaging plot.

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One of the best dramas I've ever seen, period!

Oh No, Here Comes Trouble! is a gem of a series and one of the few I rated a perfect 10 out of 10 because of the original plot, relatable and well-written characters with great character development, balanced pacing, praise-worthy acting, and excellent overall production quality. This is a heartwarming drama about family, friendship, growing up, and coming to grips with our own shortcomings and sadness.

The drama centers around a teenage slacker named Pu Yiyong, who dreams of becoming a comic book artist. He comes from a long line of innately talented traditional calligraphers who possess a unique power. This is where the creativity of the writer comes in as I have never seen such powers portrayed in that way in any media before, not in Japanese manga or anywhere else. After surviving a freak accident, he comes into these powers that allow him to see things ordinary humans cannot. In this world, human obsessions that are so strong can give life and manifest beings driven solely by these desires and longings. Only he can see and help release them from their prisons. One example of this creature is the one born out of people's wishes to protect their children while crossing an accident prone road. This being that exists in the spiritual world becomes somewhat of a patron saint or guardian of children crossing that road. These beings seek him out and request for his aid.

Pu Yiyong enlists the help of his friends and a policewoman who aspires to become an accomplished detective. Together they solve mysteries relating to these supernatural incidents and help both humans and spirits come to terms with their tragic experiences and move on. And in turn, they help him deal with his own personal problems. I love how his character matures as the series progresses. From an irresponsible and self-centered kid, he becomes a more reliable and emotionally intelligent adult who wouldn't think twice about extending a helping hand to those in need. In short, he transforms into the hero he only writes about in his comics.

The rest of the characters are equally great. His mother is such a badass woman, I can't help but like her. His dad is an awesome person inside and out. Watching him interact with his father made me feel all warm and fuzzy, reminding me of my relationship with my own father. I wish his relationship with his grandfather was a little more fleshed out, though. That's my only beef with this drama. His partnership with Chen Chuying is amusing and their banters are some of the funniest in this drama. But it's his rivalry/bromance with Cao Guangyuan that stood out to me. They go from being mortal enemies to best friends who positively affect each other's lives.

It's amazing how much I loved this drama when I used to avoid watching Taiwanese dramas in general because I found them overly cheesy and melodramatic with subpar acting. But this one hits all the right spots and more. One minute you're laughing out loud, the next minute you're bawling because of the well-placed tonal shifts. I have to give props to the writer for accomplishing this feat because tonal shifts can often feel disruptive and awkward.

Needless to say, I highly recommend this drama whether you like fantasy stories or not. It's one of the best dramas I've seen to date. I wish they'd make a second season. There are certainly more stories to tell.

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A Beautiful Mess

I'm not gonna lie, writing this review wasn't easy. I had to carefully organize my thoughts because I didn't know where to start. Fangs of Fortune is one of those dramas that either made me gasp because of how beautifully made it is or drove me nuts because of the all-over-the-place plot and contrived writing. It's highly divisive precisely because of that. It's either the fantastical world and its characters endear themselves to you or you hate everything about it with a vengeance. I am right smack in the middle, though. I can't hate it but I can't say I loved it either. I feel that if they had stuck with their bromance plot from the get-go and not added in romance, it would've been better. Or if they had changed it completely and just turned it into a romance drama, reducing the second male lead's importance in the plot by writing out the Ying Long and Bingyi subplot, this could've been better too. One thing is for sure, this drama will forever be engraved in my mind as one of the most stunningly filmed work that made giggle like a schoolgirl and obsess over the characters for days on end.

The story centers around a 34,000-year-old great demon named Zhu Yan (or Zhao Yuanzhou) and how his fate changes those of people closest to him. Like most xianxia and xuanhuan dramas, it's set in a world where demons and humans exist and racism is rampant. The demons are seen as inherently evil, while humans are supposed to be the so-called good guys. But nothing in this world is purely black and white and so both races are portrayed to be capable of doing both good and evil. The struggles and conflicts stem from such xenophobic thinking from both sides.

Zhu Yan was born as a vessel of malicious energy, meaning he absorbs all the excess malice that exists in the world to keep things balanced. But his gentle and kind nature makes him resent this. Even more so when he finds himself falling in love with humanity and the mortal world. This very fascination for mortals draws a wedge between him and his best friend, Li Lun, who has no love for mankind. Their falling out leads to a lot of strife and suffering for those around them.

The story itself is nothing new. As I've said, this has been done countless times before. But what makes this drama compelling for me was how particular dialogues were written and scenes were executed whenever the subject was about discrimination and racism. Oddly enough, my favorite parts of this drama is when characters sit down and just have meaningful conversations about life and such. And I'm such a sucker for the found-family trope that it really resonated with me. It blew my mind how provocative some of the dialogues are and how much depth the drama has when many of the scenes felt like they were hastily and lazily written and things were getting retconned left and right. Writing isn't this drama's strong suit, but there are some gems here and there. And I noticed that the ones that are written and executed well are those that involve the two male leads, Zhu Yan and Zhuo Yichen, and the anti-hero, Li Lun. Most of the major plot ploints involve the three of them. They even end up fighting in the final boss fight together. What does that tell you? If this were a true romantic story, it would've been the main couple fighting together.

Unfortunately, this was marketed as a romance with a female lead that is criminally underdeveloped and a subplot centering around her that is as mindboggling as her addition to this story. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Wen Xiao or the actress who portrays her. My issue is with her seemingly lack of value to the story unlike the other main characters. First of all, the concept behind the Baize goddess is already iffy to me. Why is there a need for a mortal woman to be given the powers of a goddess to regulate demons and monitor their comings and goings to the mortal world when the goddess herself could've done that? Being human herself, there is a possibility of racial discrimination with her favoring the mortals over demons even when it's the mortals that are at fault. The real goddess would've been a more just judge and a more powerful one to boot, someone who can actually deal with demons and not fall ill from a plague or die pointlessly after being accidentally hit by a sharp object. The function and powers of this mortal goddess are not clearly defined, and if I'm honest, I would say that they keep retconning things to fit the narrative they want to tell. How the next generation of Baize goddesses are chosen is unclear as well. Why was Wen Xiao chosen anyway? Yes, she has compassion for both demons and mortals, but then I'm pretty sure she's not the only one who feels that way, so why her?

And apart from her, all the major characters in this story, especially among the 6 members of the Demon Hunting Team, only her story doesn't quite connect with Zhu Yan's. Zhu Yan's fate directly or indirectly affects the fates of Zhuo Yichen, Pei Sijing, Bai Ju, and even Ying Lei. All of them reach this point in their lives because of Zhu Yan. Zhuo Yichen was only the second son and was not even meant to inherit the Cloud Light Sword but because Zhu Yan slaughters his family, he becomes the lord of the Bingyi clan and the most powerful wielder of that sword for generations. Pei Sijing loses her brother because of Zhu Yan's feud with Li Lun. Bai Ju loses his mother and vows to become an accomplished doctor because Zhu Yan causes a rift in the balance between the mortal world and the Wilderness. Ying Lei is afforded the chance to pursue his dreams of becoming a chef in the mortal world because his grandfather (and Zhu Yan's mentor) feels that it's important to give his grandson the choice that Zhu Yan never had. Even Li Lun becoming a full-blown villain and wreaking havoc is caused by his misunderstanding with Zhu Yan. Wen Xiao, on the other hand, is chosen to be the next goddess for reasons I still don't quite understand. Her fate is more tied with this drama's big bad. The quest to finding the Baize token, it being broken, her fixing it, and it poisoning her are nothing more than plot devices. You take those out and you would still be left with a solid plot that could've been better if they had focused more on Zhu Yan and his relationships.

I've said this before, this is a BL/bromance drama in disguise. This was never meant to be a romance. But for fear of the project getting shelved because of China's proverbial censorship axe, they felt the need to write in a female lead and pretend that there's actual romance. I don't mind slowburn romances, but when the drama ends without even a single kiss between the couple with their sweet moments few and far and between, that's not romance, at least not in terms of C-drama standards. The fans of the main CP can delude themselves all they want, but I firmly believe that Wen Xiao was not supposed to be part of this story at first and the romance is an add-on, like an extra side dish for good measure. Hence, the major events in this drama involve the male leads, and the last story arc and most important part of the series is all about them and their bond. Yes, it's unfair and I blame the writers for this. But let's be honest, there's no way in hell that this drama would've seen the light of day if they hadn't included a hetero romance side story with all the obvious BL elements they added into this. If you're familiar with BL/danmei, you'll see the tropes and signs. If not, then you'll probably just dismiss them as healthy male friendship. I'm pretty sure they cut some scenes down to minimize the “bromance” because I saw some behind-the-scenes photos of the male cast acting out scenes that aren't included in the finished product. If they had just done a purely romance drama, they wouldn't have this problem either. But they can't seem to decide which direction to pursue and so what we got is a beautiful mess of a drama that had the potential to be truly amazing and unforgettable.

Nothing beats this drama in terms of visuals, though. From the first episode, I was absolutely taken by how the sets, costumes, and cinematography looked. The opening fight sequence was so stylistically done that it made me want to watch more. Guo Jingming may be a lot of things, probably a real piece of work in real life, but damn, he knows how to make a stunningly crafted scene from the meticulously curated backdrop to every movement of the actors. I have never seen such a visual feast in a C-drama quite like this! I appreciate how this drama tries to be different and I seriously want to see more dramas like this. Sadly, I don't think this style of filming appeals much to Chinese viewers. I think it would've been better received by international audiences.

The cast, for lack of a better word, is great. I have no complaints about the actors. They did what they could with the material that they were given, and some even went over and beyond. I never expected to become so attached to this ragtag crew of demon hunters, but I did. I sorely miss them, especially the comedic moments in the earlier episodes.

Music-wise, this drama boasts of some of the most memorable songs in a C-drama to date, at least for me. I find the choice of songs very refreshing. I don't hear this kind of music in many C-dramas. My only complaint is the music plays a little too loudly during dialogue-heavy scenes. Whoever edited the sound must've been deaf. Like dude, we can't hear them talk! Turn it down a notch, will you?! It must've driven Mandarin-speakers crazy.

The overall production value of this drama is top notch. I think they used a led screen for the backgrounds which actually looks better on screen and most likely helped a lot with the acting too. The visual effects are some of the best I've seen in a C-drama. The costumes and makeup are so on point as well. None of it looks cheap. If I didn't know better, I'd say this was an S+ level drama.

As a whole, this is an entertaining drama that wowed me with its stunning visuals, elicited emotions I never thought I'd feel watching an idol drama such as this, and left me wondering why I became so emotionally attached to characters that don't exist despite the flaws in the writing. That's why I'm giving it an 8 and that's a generous rating coming from me.

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The Most Daring Costume BL Drama China Has To Offer

Needless to say, I really really really liked Word of Honor, and it's probably the best BL drama (including the Japanese and Thai series) I've seen thus far. Among the C-dramas I've seen, it definitely has one of the highest rewatchability percentages because I actually wanted to rewatch it the moment I finished it! I loved it so much that I felt compelled to read the book version written by the popular danmei author, Priest. But despite my obvious bias, I cannot ignore the fact that it is not a perfect series.

The positives:
This series has the best male leads in any BL drama I've seen, period! They are utterly perfect! Some would most likely disagree, but for me, their onscreen chemistry is so palpable I can taste it! Hahahaha. Don't get me wrong, I do not ship the actors, I don't do that sort of thing, but their portrayals of Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing are undeniably spot on. I feel that they really understood what they needed to do to bring these characters to life and just had a blast doing it. I was so shocked to see so much touchy-feely scenes and the sexual innuendos in the dialogues are so blatantly obvious that even if you were as pure as Mama Mary herself, you wouldn't be able to brush them aside and just say, “Oh, they must be really close.” But for someone like me whose brain is practically living in the gutter, I almost choked on my own saliva from laughing so hard and giggling like a maniac. I'm surprised they were able to escape the proverbial axe of China's censorship board. I am still wondering how they were able to make it work. But BL stuff aside, I found these two characters incredibly interesting. Both have questionable morals and tragic pasts, and they go through redemption arcs. I love that most of the characters in this series are gray and they could go either way. I was sometimes confused whether to despise or sympathize with particular characters because of it.

Zhang Zhehan as Zhou Zishu is captivatingly gorgeous. I have to admit, there were times when I would just stare at him and not understand what was going on. Hahahaha. But he brings a certain depth to the character that I didn't expect. You'd think he's just another pretty face, but the subtlety of his micro-expressions effectively convey the self-loathing, guilt, sadness, and remorse of Zhou Zishu. As the founder and leader of a massive private army of assassins and spies working for an ambitious Prince, he projects a cold and ruthless front. But the weight of that responsibility and the guilt of working for a megalomaniac bears down on him, so he chooses the most brutal of means to buy his own freedom. He starts out as a more stoic character but slowly becomes more playful and even cheeky as the series goes on, especially when he meets Wen Kexing and Cheng Ling.

Wen Kexing is played by Gong Jun, who is also frustratingly attractive I kept screaming at him to stop being so cute. Hahahaha! Wen Kexing is the leader of a notorious group of criminals who are so terrible and repulsive that society no longer sees them as humans but ghosts or devils. He, too, has a painful past that drove him into the deepest pits of hell and made him obsessed with revenge. Gong Jun plays him to a tee, animatedly displaying Wen Kexing's flamboyance and flirtiness, but also showing his more sinister, volatile, and melancholic side. And his interactions with Zhehan's Zhou Zishu are some of the most touching and humorous moments in the series.

Apart from the main actors, I would also like to mention, Zhou Ye, and her character, Gu Xiang. I gotta hand it to her for making me initially annoyed at her silliness, but eventually loving her character that I cried because of her and her suffering.

As for the plot, I suppose I could sum it up to a power struggle between warmongers and ambitious politicians all racing to find a vault that is supposely filled with all the ancient martial arts secrets known to man. Knowledge is power, after all. But it's actually more than that. In fact, it appealed to me more than some of the C-dramas I've seen because it reminded me so much of the kung fu films I saw as a kid. It just has that same vibe to it.

The fight choreography is one of the best I've seen in any wuxia film or series. It's so poetically beautiful that I almost forgot how bad the CGI could be sometimes and that some of the backdrops didn't quite suit the scenes. But for a wuxia drama that only had half of the budget of The Untamed, I'd say they did remarkably well with what they got.

The musical score is surprisingly good, too. I don't normally like musical scores in C-dramas as they don't usually stand out to me. But I actually liked the soundtrack almost as much as I liked the soundtrack of Mysterious Lotus Casebook.

The negatives:
First off, this drama was supposedly made with just 50 million RMB, which was considered cheap for an epic costume drama. So suffice to say, the production value of this drama is nothing to write home about. There are parts when the CGI is just plain awful and the sets are obviously reused again and again. Not to mention, the costumes and props look plasticky and inexpensive. I don't think it will hinder people from enjoying the drama, though. It certainly didn't take me out of it.

Second, the editing is a little clunky, inhibiting the smooth transition between scenes and affecting the pacing. But I guess it's because they had to cut down the number of episodes due to budget restraints and move the plot around to fit the planned scenes. I thought the last few episodes were rushed and would've benefitted from more episodes to flesh things out better.

And last, the fact that the supporting characters are mostly morally ambiguous, as perfectly imperfect as they are, they are unlikable to say the least. Aside from Ye Baiyi, I couldn't bring myself to really care about the others. Even though I found Qianqiao's misguided love for the wrong man heartbreaking, I can't say I cared about her enough to empathize with her. And that has something to do with the writing, I think. And probably with the acting as well.

Overall, this series led me down a rabbit hole for weeks on end. I couldn't make myself watch anything else and that doesn't happen to me very often. It was a very entertaining 36-episode ride!

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