There is something weirdly addictive about The Blood Of Youth. I usually hate “video game” wuxia with the flying sparkling kung fu, but the characters are compelling. Doesn’t hurt that Li Hong Yi (Xiao Se) is so pretty 🤭

One thing I like about The Blood Of Youth is that no matter how powerful Xiao Se, Wuxin and Wujie are, they still behave like young men who are impetuous and yes, childish! This makes for really funny moments between the trio, especially between Xiao Se and Wujie.

While most CDramas lose my interest after the 20th episode, not this one! The Blood Of Youth was tightly plotted, the characters so interesting.

Although the “magic” martial arts took some getting used to, this was a classic Wuxia tale. So, you have the themes of brotherhood, loyalty, chivalry and honour that the genre is known for.

The storytellers were brilliant, ramping up suspense in seemingly innocuous events to great heights. For one, who knew a banquet can be such a suspenseful and tense affair? And when the curtains finally parted and the truth of the banquet is finally revealed, you feel a whoosh of emotion at what it signifies. Now, that’s a fine piece of storytelling there.

When the show ended, I had a hangover because it ended “too soon” and I didn’t think I could watch anything this good in a long while. 😭

Fortunately, 2023 turned out to be a great year for wuxia dramas, with Mysterious Lotus Casebook, The Ingenious One and A Journey to Love following soon after. Now, with season 2 of Blood of Youth just announced, I hope to enjoy more of our gang in the future!

Note: This is a condensed review of my longer review on my blog: https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2024/01/01/the-blood-of-youth-review/