What made me keep watching, honestly, was the main actors. They did a stunning job portraying the main characters, particularly the two leads. They had great chemistry, and every interaction was fun to watch.
There is enough drama and 'mystery' in the first half of the series that when the tone shifts it isn't too disorienting. In the end, however, I must admit that the second half of the series is certainly more interesting and better paced than the first half, which is a bit long-winded and drawn out.
The Good:
*Great acting
*Great chemistry between the main characters
*Beautiful costuming and a unique atmosphere - the concept of Asian steampunk isn't often explored and as such the unique visuals in this were a breath of fresh air. There is definitely a style to this drama and it is unique and in my opinion, much appreciated.
*The Plot - it is an interesting and unique concept, and I honestly was hooked for the latter half of the series. There was a lot of drama, a lot of suspense, and it was very interesting to follow.
The Bad:
*The Plot - I know, this is one of my good things, but hear me out. The plot is interesting in that it is unique. But it is also full of holes, loose ends, and story arcs and characters that go absolutely nowhere. Things that are important aren't properly explained( including the main conflict, the Shooting Star flower deity) and a lot of the characters end up with absolutely no development when it initially seemed like they would be explored more. Was it interesting? Yes. Was it good? No.
*The pacing. For the love of all that is good, the pacing was terrible. The beginning of the show just shoots off into the plot, then drags for a few episodes, another conflict is introduced, rinse wash and repeat for ten episodes or so. Around episode fifteen, things pick up and the pacing becomes more consistent, but the last episode just shoots itself in the foot. Ugh.
*The end song. Trust me guys, if you watch one episode you will know what I mean. This song... is ridiculous. It's almost funny at first before it quickly grown obnoxious when the tone of the series starts to shift. The song is so upbeat, it does not at all fit with the grand fantasy that Novoland is trying to develop into. 10/10 skip every time.
Conclusions: I would highly recommend this drama. If you are considering watching it: do. I was doubtful, and I was surprised. Maybe you will be too.
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This review may contain spoilers
It's just SOOOO DEPRESSING!!!
I watched this in 2016 when it first aired with my parents. We finished it in three days. Don't remember much about it other than the fact that i was balling my eyes out for the next two weeks every time i thought about it. It's so depressing though. The parents die in a huge fire, that guy that was friendzoned died of that weird flower disease, and that weird gear guy only has one hand left, etc. Super depressing. Great director though. I loved that shot of the butterfly landing on the mask even though it had me crying for months. Kudos to the wardrobe, hair-and-makeup, and set design departments. The dresses were all SOOOO pretty and sets as well.Was this review helpful to you?
Classic Wuxia with top acting from the ML
I enjoyed this grand epic of a tale and I was surprised and grateful for the extra episode giving me an alternate ending.2023 and I decided to watch this 2016 Wuxia, romance fantasy so even though the special effects are impressive, (the steam punk flying machines are a hoot), some can seem dated. There are tropes galore, however, perhaps less dated at the time. You can expect glamorous castles, bloody fight scenes, evil wicked queen, a species that some members able to grow impressive wings and fly, second ML syndrome and enemies to lovers.
Zhang Ruo Yun plays the ML Feng Tian Yi and he is standout in this standout, layered role and gets to act out various personnas with flair. He has a lot of presence bringing nuance to his acting utilising facial expression and body language.
The FL, Yi Fu Ling, played by Guan Xiao Tong, despite her extensive acting credentials, paled next to Xiao Tong.
There are lots of costume changes, I kept chuckling as I wondered whose wardrobe is the FL raiding.
The evil queen is suitably scary and is killed off along with her clever ex husband the mysterious creator of all the engineering marvels including the flying city.
Lots of action, magic, machines and fantasy to keep me interested.
Some plot holes and the usual lack of communication leading to misunderstandings (lazy writing) to be expected from Chinese Wuxia. Overall still good entertainment.
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Mas por favor, o final 2 é bem melhor kkkkkkkkk.
Preciso fazer uma menção especial ao Huan Zhen. Que personagem icônica a dele, vivia se metendo em cada cilada, em cada buraco, mas sempre dava um jeitinho maroto de resolver as coisas, no fim o maior gênio kkkkkk.
Assistam, é rápido tipo um anime, o prota é lindíssimo e não é sonso (na verdade ele é bem cruel e tirano muitas vezes, de início achei até que era o vilão kkkkkkk duvido que fui a única), e o par romântico preciso nem dizer nada, super fofos e com muita química.
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