The Legend of Shen Li (2024)

Best Xianxia of some years now

This drama is so amazing I don't even know how to describe.
It's going to be in my heart right next to Ashes of Lovea and Lost you forever regarding the xianxias.

What's so good?
I love the cast, such good actors.
The pace of the story is great, sometimes very slow and beautiful, sometimes very fast and trilling.
The photography is amazing, the way the cameras capture every scene is beautiful.
The CGI it's one of the best I have seen.
The OST is so good, you are gonna remember the show only for it's music.
The story is very interesting, something new, keeps you wondering what is gonna happen next.

Of course, there are some things I wish could be better, like explore more Mofang and the King of Chimeis. But I will turn a blind eye on that.

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Definitely One of the Best XianXia Drama

I love everthing about this drama.
Even though i come here because of the fact that this drama is the comeback reunion drama for both ZLY & LGX after Princess Agent, this drama itself is perfect on its own and it has won me over completely for its plots, casts, and production quality. The Visual FX is also great enough for Xianxia dramas and the OSTs, even though not all are great, there are some that got me addicted and has kept me listening to it for days.

Overall it is 10/10 for me!
The casts and the plot/story that is most commendable, i found the casts are perfect for the story characters, and the story itself is rich in contents. It has both funny and serious sides, it gave us quite a number of questions and puzzles to keep us thinking and let the viewers guess what is coming next. It doesn't leave us hanging as they answer all the mysteries in the end and even gives us extra one episode to clearly show the extension of the leads' ending.

I'm glad i spend my time on a good XianXia drama and i don't regret buying VIP & Express package on WeTV to see all the episodes first and their exclusive BTS!

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Get ready to watch a feast that sits first in its own style.

This drama has 4 highlights. 1) The story is very colorful, emotional and fluent. There is no room for boring in any of the scenes. 2) The indoor, outdoor, supernatural platform and battle scenes of this fantasy story are very well captured on camera. The story is a very difficult story to translate to the stage due to the war and the locations. The decor, costumes and acting are stunning. 3) the actors were carefully selected, they are all very successful. Their powerful performances immerse you in a fantasy world as if it were a real world.
4) It is difficult to find another Chinese drama that can compete with the quality of this drama's music. The accompaniment of percussion instruments and vocals in the battle scenes is very impressive, reminiscent of the musical quality of Naruto. I find it on par with the soundtrack of the Dune-2 series this year.

The lead actors act with their facial expressions and gestures in most scenes. They almost dance with their acting. They are very natural and make you feel love, friendship and passion in the intimacy scenes that we are not used to in Chinese dramas. Very few drama couples have this kind of chemistry.

bravo bravo bravo

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Finally finished watching shen li.... The 2nd chance see Zhao Li Ying & Lin Gèng Xin in a drama together. First time they announced the couple I (We) already so excited about the drama, feel like the second season of the impossible Princess Agent. But this drama far far away from the Princess Agent, in term of plot / genre / etc, and nevertheless the pairing of Zhao Li Ying & Lin Gèng Xin still as perfect as I (we) hope for. Haha...

This drama open with Shen Li (SL) fight against her people for her freedom from unwanted marriage. Injured & escape to mortal realm she's transformed into her original form, Phoenix, and rescued by mortal named Xing Yun. Later, we found out that the mortal turn out to be the one and only remaining almighty True god, Xing Zhi (XZ). And the story about the forbidden love between the True god & other god begin....

Me all this time watch all the Xian Xia drama, never really understand why god can't falling in love or have any relationship with anyone, expecially if u one special god like XZ, or like Dong Hua in Eternal Love of Dream. But from this drama i think i can understand a little bit reasoning behind that rule. With special feeling for someone, comes special treatment, but unfortunately the god like XZ can't only treat someone special, he had to treat all the creation equal. One heavy burden to put on someone shoulder....

What i like:
+ The fiery chemistry between Zhao Li Ying & Lin Gèng Xin. Really one of the best paired in dramaland.
+ Unlike any other Xian Xia drama, where the almighty god will try to hide their feeling for someone special but silently protect them, XZ finally dare to openly protect SL.
+ The unpredictable plot twist about the main villain. Really shock when I found out who they set up to be the villain, or to be said the true identity of the villain.
+ The fiercely FL. SL is one of the FL that so brave & have the power to do so.
+ They give us a little preview of actually how XZ is so lonely & have heavy burden.

Overall this one of best Xian Xia ever... Never bored watching this from begin to the end. With interesting plot, fiery chemistry & good costume. All budget is place appropriately.. Haha...

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When the budget is budgeting

Xianxia isn't a low budget genre since it needs to use a lot of cgi and for that exact reason, i believe it needs time to cook during post production. Yes, i don't mind to wait.

Yu Feng Xing not only serving with it good cgi but i'm on my knees for their costume. Every style is on point and the last time i feel like this was for TTEOTM Mingye-Sangjiu arc with its dunhuang style.

Plot wise, this isn't your typical xianxia. Though the reason i love this genre is because the big ANGST sign, i actually enjoy it more since recent xianxia focus more on pain and forget to let us take a break in between the torture, so appreciate every comic relief scene and character. The chemistry between character is good and amidst the slow burn discourse, it's not that bad because i found it's not wasted. The slow building makes every character relatable and show enough charm instead of rushing the breaking point.

I wanna say this could be my number 1 xianxia this year yet it's only April. Tho it doesn't really matter since my pick from last year is TTEOTM lol. Hope you enjoy it as much as i am.

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Great acting with amazing CGI and OST

I will go straight to the review instead of writing poetic lines. I started watching Legends of Shen Li hoping it to be another cliched Xianxia drama. But it went beyond my expectation. The visual effects was a feast to the eyes. I will go one step ahead and say Legend of Shen Li should be the benchmark for other C-dramas. Chemistry was really "chemistrying". The OST made me think this tune could be my ringtone. You could feel the melody and it complimented the story very accurately.

The overall pace was good. There was nothing which felt unnecessary or has been added to drag the story. The switch from mortal to immortal and divine realm was also quite natural.

Should you watch Legend of Shen Li?
Yes, you must. If you are bored from the usual Xianxia, this drama will make you re-like the genre.

Here's what I liked:
-CGI is amazing. This is the kind of CGI I expect in every Xianxia drama.
-Chemistry hits off differently. The little moments like ShenLi stealing one glance of Xingzhi in the market was implemented very naturally.
-Apart from the two leads, other characters have been cast perfectly. I have read the novel and I can say confidently that this is how I imagined everyone to be.
-Comedy scenes are genuinely funny.
-Good character development. You can feel how Xingyun and Xingzhi are different.

What I didn't like:
-Cannot think of anything except for the sometimes stiff acting of the male lead.

One thing about this drama. You will be too immersed in the main leads' interaction. I actually forgot they were acting.

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The Gold standard for mythology inspired dramas

I couldn't hold myself back from writing this review. I started watching this drama as a FILLER while I waited for some kdrama. I don't care about the kdrama anymore because this xianxia has exceeded my expectations in every way.
1) Acting - if you have cringed at some highly marketed xianxia with actors selling eccentricism and loudness as "good acting", this drama is for you. Both the leads have made the characters extremely believable and have picked up the nuances so well. They are SEASONED actors ! By that, I simply mean, they know a lot more than screaming to show great pain, widening their eyes to show anger and staring into each other's eyes to show love. Its a treat to watch them. As for the side characters, many of them are exceptional actors while some are slightly weaker but serve their purpose (comical). IF FU RONG WANTS A LAWYER FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE...I am available!

2) Story - Its surpassed any mythology inspired chinese (and korean) dramas I have seen. Many dramas have used similar tropes but they failed to do justice to it like this drama does. They let the story breathe in the beginning and take time with character introduction of the FL but manage to not make it boring. The female lead is ferocious yet very level headed. As for the ML, his complex character is introduced a few episodes later and kept slightly simpler as we are focusing on the FL's journey in the beginning. This God needs to write a book called "HOW TO BECOME A GREAT GOD" and that is all I will say about him. The side characters also had interesting arcs but never overshadowed the main story. The politics between the realms (which is the boring part of xianxias in general) is surprisingly engaging here and serves as a perfect tool to move the story forward. The romance is THE SLOW BURN kind of romance but I wouldn't have preferred it in any other way.The writers did a great job.

3) Music : They have used elements of chinese folk music and that's my favorite. The flute music is quite beautiful as well. There's a perfect description of the flute music in the drama which I won't spoil for you. If the story is a bowl of ramen, the music is MSG.

4) SPECIAL EFFECTS - This is where I will give it a 5/10 but that's because I am comparing it to some movies and high budget shows. For a chinese wuxia, its pretty good. This would have reached a much larger global audience had the CGI been great.

overall, its a great drama and I highly recommend it. I wish to add a few more points but I shall have to wait for it to end which will be a bitter sweet experience regardless of the happy/sad ending.

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Overall Good, however not one of my Top Favourites.

Just finished the series! Overall, it's alright, with potential to appeal strongly to some viewers, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me, especially after 20 episodes in. The comedic elements, particularly with Furong and his sister, were a highlight for me. However, I struggled to connect with the main female and male leads, possibly due to the pacing, and the story being a bit drawn out. My emotional investment leaned more towards characters like Mofang and the backstory of the female lead's parents, as well as the development of some minor characters. While it didn't entirely captivate me, I'd still encourage anyone intrigued to give it a chance, as individual experiences with the show may vary.

Side note: Despite some scenes where the music randomly played, the overall impact of the music in this series evoked emotions and set the tone for various scenes adding depth to the storytelling - some parts got very emotional haha!

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A chicken parading as a phoenix

I was really looking forward to Shen Li as I have really enjoyed this author’s works and I’ve loved all of ZLY’s performances.

There were several touching moments in the beginning of the show - I was very moved by the story of the soldier and the wife - it was beautifully done and the actors who played the part did so phenomenally. Kudos to them. I enjoyed the idea of cluck cluck and the sickly man, and was moved when that arc came to an end. Shen Li revisited the place she had lived for a short time of her life, it was poignant and sad. One cannot return to the past as it stands on its own.

That being said, I have mixed feelings about this show overall.

I know it’s an unpopular opinion but this show became extremely slow and boring. Often the show felt as though it was catering to fans of Princess Agents who were left stranded with its lacklustre ending. Yes, the two leads have good chemistry but chemistry can’t make up for a paper thin plot that should have kept to 25 episodes or fewer. Most xianxias have a lot happening, even if they are common tropes and this one was excruciating slow with this draggy plot. The novel works because the FL’s narration and feelings carry it through.

Yet, not all literary techniques are well translated into film/the visual medium and this show is a good example of that. Shen Li’s voice overs were overused in the early part of the show and often they seemed to deny secondary characters agency.

As I finished the show I felt quite frustrated that secondary characters were not fully developed nor was enough time spent on them. For a 39 episode show secondary characters are paramount. The marriage arc went on forever and ever.

In the end i was left wondering- what happened to Shen Li’s father? Why didn’t she even think about him. It just happened. Mo Fang’s dying scene was quite sad- I pitied him, despite his faults, he did try to protect her. He was left there, without a glance from Shen Li or a final farewell. What an unfortunate character, which Shen Li herself observes.

What happened to Mo Fang’s father? What really was the point of the story? Why did Shen Li fall in love with Xingyun?

The acting was not the problem at all. I found Kenny Lin’s performance here to be among his best. The idea of the lonely ancient god was interesting and Kenny Lin expressed his loneliness well. His crying scene with Zhao Liying towards the end was very good. I really enjoyed the rest of the actors who did the best with whatever they had. Fu Rong Jun has the most character growth and he became one of my favourite characters. I enjoyed the actor’s performance. Jackie Li was great as usual but had limited screen time. I looked forward to seeing the siblings (and those were the parts I watched without skipping).

The music was good overall without the usual xianxia angst. I did not enjoy the xianxia angst when I watched my first xianxia but that’s what I appreciate these days.

Perhaps I had great expectations from the show but for me it was too slow, too thin with its plot. I think some Chinese shows should stick to shorter episodes. Quantity isn’t quality after all. A chicken should not pass for a phoenix. There's nothing wrong with being a chicken though- it has its place in the world.

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