Overall, it felt that the whole story was kind of stretched-out, some scenes were so empty and slow-paced, I even thought about skipping the drama. I had the impression that the producers struggled to find a clear storyline, the series was like a long debate what the story is about than actually something happening. Moreover, I think the production quality is rather inconsistent. For example, sometimes fighting scenes were top notch (e.g. Zhanfeng vs. Daowuxia), whereas other scenes looked like they wanted to do more than they were actually able to (e.g. the Chinese boxing scene between Zhanfeng and Liemingjing and especially the flying scenes).
Digging into the story, I don't really see the connection between Yinxue's story and the story around Liehuoshan. The only real connection is the character of Ruge. Ruge is some kind of a reincarnation of Yinxue's former love, but you hardly get any info about their past relationship. The circumstance that this reincarnation is exactly Anyeming's daughter who happens to grow up in Liehuoshan for protection seems to be rather random. Thus, I feel like these two storylines are somehow seperate and do not really go together in the drama. Another thing about the story which bothers me is the overly self-destructive and self-sacrificing attitude of Yinxue and Yuzihan. I think at some point it's not credible anymore and the characters become too predictable.
Getting to the characters, Ruge is the main girl who holds the whole story together. She is described as "lively and passionate", but I cannot really see this in the drama. To me, "lively" is not the same as being childishly overenthusiastic which I saw instead. In addition, I rather see the opposite of "passionate" - her expressions seem rather stiff and forced. The fire element doesn't suit her at all. Anyways, Ruge is supposed to undergo a change from a rather lighthearted girl to a strong woman, which I can see to some extent. Yet, it is not pronounced enough. She seems too dependent on Yinxue to actually get to that state of being strong on her own.
Yinxue is a character which I cannot understand at all. First, I cannot see how this character fits into the story except that he has the job of saving everyone (not without a purpose in his mind though). That he has no clear place in the story is supposed to make him mysterious, yet I have the impression that he is "just there" and rather annoying. Yinxue has his darker past behind him and is portrayed as a spiritually and culturally versed character. However, his behavior towards Ruge does not reflect that at all. Starting with Yinxue trying to make a move on her when she just dissolved her engagement with Zhanfeng, he is continuously nagging her to give in to his approaches. His behavior is often over the top - for example, him being pouty because Ruge treats him coldly in the context of Yuzihan almost dying which requires her full attention. Yinxue's rather selfish behavior is quite appalling. Especially him playfully asking for a kiss in exchange for men's lives - exactly, how much is a life worth?! Later, he makes her temporarily lose her memory through his powers, and by this almost got to marry her. Although the underlying reasoning is to protect her from painful memory and to help her recover, that undertaking leaves a rather unpleasant "aftertaste". But I'm even more shocked with Ruge's behavior, because no matter how he behaves, she either seems to be just ok with that or she endures everything obediently. Nothing from which Yinxue had suffered in the past justifies his behavior. In his equation, saving someone for the sake of Ruge means he deserves her love. But love cannot be "earned". Clearly, I cannot see anything sweet in that "love story". It even makes it worse that there is basically no chemistry between the actors at all - even the tacky ending cannot save this.
Yuzihan is probably the most likeable character in this drama. Despite everything he went through, he is not hateful and doesn't even want to become heir to the throne. In later episodes he gives up everything for Ruge and is not greedy for her love. Even a healthy body cannot corrupt him. Is he human at all? Still, his character has the most depth, and his expressions are on point. It's interesting to watch his character developing and see him making use of his cleverness.
Zhanfeng's character gives me the impression that there is something missing, like that the character is not really fleshed out. You can hardly understand why he believes the lie about the death of his parents "just like that". You can see him suffering, but you cannot emphatize with him. The lie about his parents is the basic foundation of the whole story, but it didn't seem to be treated with great care by the producers. Precisely, the way how he was tricked into believing this lie should have gotten more attention. What is missing is basically seeing the exact scene how he got tricked, him trying to make own investigations in which he learns about buried (fake) evidence and finding out other people's lies which slowly feeds into his distrust, something like that. Watching the series gave me the impression that he trusts other people too easily (by the way, how does Yilang know about this "top" secret?). What is even more annoying, is Zhanfeng saying nothing in so many scenes. Although this is intended, it clearly feels that the dialogue part is missing. Weirdly, when Liemingjing and even Ruge learn about Zhanfeng believing that lie, they do not try to talk with him about that. If you see a person close to you suffer that much, in Ruge's case they even dissolved their engagement because of that, why don't you address it? Why doesn't Liemingjing tell Zhanfeng the truth to protect Ruge together but instead just waits until everything is messed up (even if he didn't see the benefit or need to prepare him and work on a plan together, he should have done so at the latest when he learned about Zhanfeng's Anhegong martial art skills)? What if Anyeluo accidentially meets Ruge who looks exactly like her mother, then the whole "masterplan" would be in vain? Furthermore, I don't understand why Zhanfeng humiliates Ruge in the beginning, it feels that this behavior is not really necessary for the story, and it doesn't explain his later actions when he is actually trying to be nice to her. Nevertheless, with regard to the acting, Zhang Binbin's portrayal of emotions is the benchmark for any other actor in the drama.
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Story: Beware; some of the synopses around the internet are a bit off from what the drama is really about. The plot is developed pretty well (although there are a few holes, here and there). The plot is intricate, and at some points left me 2nd guessing what I would predict would happen (I like that because it means it doesn’t FOLLOW the basic C-Drama line). Anyways, just be prepared for plot twists.
Acting/Cast: I don’t speak Chinese, so I cannot comment on whether I think their speaking is on point. However, I feel most of the acting was genuine and sincere. I cried with some of the characters, and smiled at all the lovey dovey scenes. The kissing on this drama is pretttttty “MEH.” The drama was well cast and everyone seemed to have harmony. I like supporting roles and support love lines. I also liked how badass all the female characters were! Not all of them were weak women that needed “saving.” Even Feng Huang, no martial arts skills, was pretty badass and so strong of a character that Lei Jing Hong got his sh*t together! I also wanted to note that Dilraba and Vin Zhang's acting has gotten so much better than the King's Woman!
Music: Very catchy theme songs and especially the ending theme song. The ending song is sung by Dilraba. It sounds so nice to the ears, I would download it if I could.
Rewatch Value: I’d definitely add this to watch again list. I think it’s a pretty overall great drama. Cinematography is great, the landscape and scenes are beautiful. I liked the courtyards in Liehuo Manor. I.e. Maple had all the maple trees, Plum courtyard had all the plum blossoms, etc.
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I decided to watch this drama because I like the female lead's acting overall. I was skeptical when I saw Vic Chou as the lead because I thought that they had a big age gap and I had never seen him act so I didn't know if he could compete with Veng, who is extremely popular with viewers. Not only was he able to do this, but I think the character was written for him. I have not read the novel but was told that the novel has a different ending from the drama.
This drama is a story about revenge and justice. It is a romance, but the romance is not central and constant, like in Eternal Love, nor is it one sided like in Journey of Flower (I use those two as a baseline in my reviews a lot). But it's there. For many of the episodes romance plays second to whatever conflict our characters are seeking to understand and solve. Because for most of our characters, relationships have to be put on hold because they have a 'greater good' to do.
I don't want you to think that there is no romance in the show, there is, I just think that the way it is shown is not very direct--there is not a lot of intimacy between the characters, although the writers are very clear that he loves her and he shows through his actions.
Moving into the actual story:
I think the show has three strengths: it's dialogue, character development, and overall writing (though there are moments that leave much to be desired, like most dramas, it isn't perfect). Now why do I think this?
First, the overall plot is consistent, with only a few plot holes. The show builds up a conflict, it is seemingly resolved, only for another issue to immediately replace it and these in between episodes can seem a little slow but the pay off is good as you see everything come to fruition and the scenes unfold. Every character, including the antagonists, have traits that work to their advantage and disadvantage, and many antagonists are believable foils to the leads in a way that compliments the script. In CONTRAST, a drama which I think really failed to do this was The King's Woman, for comparison, but I think many people would disagree with me. I think that the number of names can be confusing as some people have multiple aliases, and I think that you need some patience for the show to reveal itself to you because we learn at the same pace as the viewer. Sometimes the writers do the thing where they make you think one thing, then via flashback we learn that it was all a set up and planned to be different--some people might not like this.
Dialogue is good, not mind blowing or anything, but good. I think the character with the best dialogue is the male lead, whose flirtatious sense of humor and teasing personality is really refreshing. He isn't obnoxious or annoying, he is just the right amount of coy. The dialogue stutters a bit when it almost is trapped by character consistency--the antagonist is VERY crazy, and always seems to say the same thing, in the same way, as does Ji, who is almost a cardboard cut out of honor. Characters with less screen time are made interesting when they do appear on screen unless their role is less as an important person but more representative of an idea; Xiao Feng had super boring dialogue but his entire character was sort of like a stand in for every innocent person who experienced injustice.
Character development is done well. Almost every character is different at the end of the series, they all learn something, and they all bring something to the show to balance it. The female lead cares for her friends, but it makes her reckless and impulsive. There are consequences to this. This is the kind of character development I mean.
I think, other than the reduced intimacy and focus on good v. evil, viewers may have problems with how the relationship between the two leads is framed. He is 100 percent devoted from day one, and it takes the entire series before this is fully explained, and she eventually falls in love with him but it takes time because at the start of the show she is trying to save her relationship with another man--played by an actor that many, many viewers are a fan of. Some people do not have patience for a female lead who doesn't immediately fall for a male lead who loves her. She isn't ungrateful towards him, but she has a reason for her actions, just like him. That's all I can say.
I am not going to divulge much of the plot because I don't want to spoil anything. I will reveal character names and bios without spoiling anything.
Main Characters
Ru Ge: The Daughter of the flame lord. Is caring, believes in justice, friendly, smart. Can also be reckless and impulsive and overly trusting. Grows a lot.
Yin Xue: Owner of the brothel Blossom House. Is very coy, flirtatious, and in love with Ru Ge, which baffles her because they have never met. Will do anything to keep her safe, possesses a lot of skills and is also known as the number one beauty.
Zhan Feng: Ru Ge's cousin and former fiancee. He is serious, a perfectionist, and grew up with her. Appears to be a bit prickly and is very ambitious. Although not official, it is widely believed he will be the next flame lord.
Anye Jue/Second Madame/Third Madame: The Second Madame of Thunderclap Set and Third Madame of Dark River Palace. Is very loyal to Anye Luo and is very capable.
Anye Luo: The primary antagonist. Believed to be dead, but has emerged from seclusion. His motives are not clear, but it appears to involve controlling the various pugilist sects from behind the scenes.
Anye Ming: Second Mistress of Dark River Palace, dead, and Zhan Feng's mother.
Zhan Tian: God brother to Flame Lord Li, father to Zhan Fang, dead, former leader of Flame Villa.
Master Lei: Heir to the Thunderclap Sect, a wanderer who speaks his mind, is sarcastic and something of a trouble maker; direct and impatient. Is looking for his half sister, Anye Jue's daughter who was placed at Flame Villa.
Wu Dao Xiang: She is the third mistress of Top Blade City, very headstrong and skilled in martial arts. She has been spoiled and raised by her two older brothers and has a crush on Yin Xue (not in annoying way)
Wu Xia: The leader of Top Blade City is confident, clever, and slightly flamboyant. Always has a fan and likes the ladies; he enjoys collecting beautiful women. Loves his family. Seeks revenge for his father's death by depression after he lost the title of head of the pugilist alliance.
Wu Hen: Second master of top blade city, is Wu Xia's right hand man and is more serious and stern. Cares about his family.
Ji: A disciple of Flame Lord, has hero worship of Zhan Feng, and is in love with Xun Yi. Is very loyal and just. Sometimes may seem simple minded.
Xun Yi: Ru Ge's personal maid and best friend.
Die Yi: Ru Ge's personal maid and close friend. She is in love with Zhongli.
Zhongli: Leader of the Azure Hall, Flame Villa's spy network, and is very serious and socially awkward. In love with Die Yi.
Yi Ling: Housekeeper of Flame Villa, personally serves Flame Lord and is his god son.
Xiao Feng: A young boy who is the heir and grandson of Thunderbreak Manor's leader.
Yin Ling: A beautiful courtesan who Zhan Feng is currently in a romantic relationship with; he abandoned Ru Ge for her.
Phoenix: A beautiful and extremely practical courtesan.
Yu/Senior/7th prince: Ru Ge is very close with him. He is in a wheel chair, cannot walk or hear but can read lips. He is also extremely smart, clever, and in charge of the imperial army. Is in love with Ru Ge but does not tell her.
3rd prince: Jealous of 3rd prince, wants the throne, and plots endlessly. Has a lot of authority in politics.
----These are the primary characters---
The main sects are:
Top Blade City
Flame Villa
Dark River Palace
Thunderclap
The Imperial Court/Crown
This is a story of good v evil. Of outing pretenders a.k.a. people who seem kind but are not, administering justice, and chasing after love.
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Upon finding out it’s based on a book, I went and read more about the book, and find out it was a tragedy, and Yin Xue has a rather sad ending, but the story is still so enticing, a man who knows will get nothing in return, whole heartedly sacrificing everything even his life for the one he loves. A story of unrequited love to the bitter end! For that, I would watch the show for Yin Xue, not for Vic not Zhang Bin Bin.
The Cons:
The first 5 episodes, there were draggy bits, like the dealing with the brothel girl in Pin Hua Lau. I still don’t get why we spent so much time on her for dialog like thank you, we will keep in touch, and don’t worry. The actress was pretty but I felt it added nothing to the storyline but to lengthen it and slow the pace. But as soon as it moves away from her, the story progresses at a nice even pace, not rushing and not slow. Enough for you to learn about the characters and the events surround these characters
There are a few holes/inconsistencies in the dialogs with the event that took place but it’s small enough that you can pass it with no problem. I only found 1 inconsistency (which is when RG said YX has changed her forgetful medicine, how can a bite to the ear change the medicine lol. Cure it? Sure. Change it? How lol)
The Pros:
The story: this is a story about a girl who at the start, her world revolves around her first love, and as the story progresses, her world revolves around the people she cares, her responsibility, her beliefs in what right and wrong, and how she can love and live on without her greatest love next to her. She doesn’t have strong power, her power is she is not deterred from her decisions. Once she has decided, she will go with it, sometimes she made mistakes but most of the time, she approached each decision and action with thoughtfulness, which show her maturity. Many found it odd to call her the flame’s daughter when she did not use much flame power. However they overlook the fact that out of all the characters, she was the only one that really put up a fight, her will power is burning even when it’s surpressed. And even in the last battle, she was determined to contribute when Yin Xue tried to not involve her. For this, I love the story, not the usual cliche that the main heroin must obtain the most powerful power in the world to take down the most evil villain in history :)
It is also the story of loves, many types of love presented in this drama, not just the undying, sacrifice for one another love between Yin Xue, Ru Ge, YU Zhi Han and Zhan Feng. But also the family bond, what would you do if your love one is evil? Can you easily hate or kill the person that evil in everyone’s eyes but treat you with nothing but love and care? And then there is the love story that one man endure because he just couldn’t stop loving that one person.
The story also has its main bigger plot line involve Jianghu, feel pretty much like Louis Cha’s setting, the story moves without the leads unlike other drama where you have this one main character that be a plot device, that drive the events between the leads.
The characters:
Because of the story, you get such refreshing character like Yin Xue. Unlike most, if not all cdrama out there, the main lead guy will be cold, and smart, and look like jerk to everyone. He would barely crack a smile but will charm the girl, most of the time, he treats her like dirt but hey she’s in love with him anyway because of the sweet things he does for her in secret. Yin Xue is whimsical, he’s funny, cheeky, loves to play joke on people, but not the cringe worthy kind. He’s wise but he’s kind, he sees other’s hate/dislike toward him as a fun matter. He understands the girl, let her makes mistake (after giving her advices not to), and sacrifice everything for his love one without asking for anything back. He protects not just her but the people she loves, and if being trapped in his memories to be with her, he will do just that.
Then the main lead girl, as explained in the story part. And then you have two second lead characters, Zhan Feng and YU Zhi Han, both shows their weakness and strength, and their redemption, but the drama has done so well to show these men love her, and not resulting in jealousy or scheming to get the girl. How to get a girl to love you? With a true decent heart. Be there for her, love her, do everything you can to help her, and if she loves you back, that’s great :) if not, you could only hope and do your best to help her get her desired happiness.
The relationships: I love the relationships between the main leads, the support cast couples, between the guys, between the child actor with everyone, between the girls. This is possibly the first drama where I love every single relationship represented within a drama. While many feel the strong chemistry between Ru Ge and Zhan Feng, and not so much between her and Yin Xue, I saw the first love and the love of their lifetime. Maybe I’m old, but based on my personal experience, that’s how it felt like. One could call the first love is the lightning, impressive but fast passing, while the love of a lifetime is like water, gentle but can not live without.
The acting:
I think everyone’s acting is great. Dilireba while in some scenes could improve, there are some she did very well, like her past life scene, you can see how much she loves Yin Xue. Zhang Bin Bin has gained positive in my eyes as I felt he was one note acting in TMOPB. But the most impressive acting is Vic, I saw a few dramas from him when he was first started, and as much as I love him, I’m not blind to how bad the acting is in those drama lol. Vic portrayed this role with so much layers, you can feel multiple emotions surge within him, and you feel for the character. I love Vic before, but after many years (over 10yrs of not watching him), this drama has made me love him even more.
The OST: I love every songs in this drama, the whole album, from the opening song to the instrumental tracks, is just beyond good. It gave the correct feel to scene, and the lyrics are appropriate to each character, their arc and their inner feeling.
The best part: the fighting scenes. Being a wuxia lover since I was young, started at 5, I grew up in love with Louis Cha’s series, and is quite sad as time goes on, the fight scenes got shorten, and cheapen by CGI. One kick and it’s done. The last drama that got me excited with the fight scenes was Legend of Qin, but it turns out to be far few and too short, and just doesn’t wet your appetite. This series, I didn’t expect much in term of fight scenes, but ep 10 fight scene blew me away. It has techniques, the atmosphere, the suspension, the styles, the right amount of CGI to make those move beautiful, and not detract it from realism. I love all of Yin Xue’s fight scenes as it uses the tai chi style, in water there is steel :) the sword dance and Bi’er fight are another highlight as they show more techniques, and swords have been my favourite weapon. Zhan Feng’s saber is a bit more brute force so I’m not in love with them, but it’s mainly because I’m into the delicate techniques and variety of techniques in sword than in saber. And the last fight scene, many felt it short, but I love how it demonstrate two people constantly use deadly blows and don’t protect themselves in order to use those attacks. And the CGI once again making that fight scene beautiful.
Ep 52: the ending of this drama is indeed unforgettable. My head was spinning because of happiness but because it throws at me so many things, I had to watch it twice to figure out what’s going on. But I’m glad I did and once I figure out, I appreciate it. To many, it’s long winded, and confusing, while not giving a deserving end to their beloved character as there is no mention of anyone else but the two mains. But to me, the story has given each character a deserving end, beautiful done, and in such a meaningful way, I have never seen a drama that does that to all its supporting couples. No couple was boring either, how crazy is this!
Conclusion: this is to date, my most favourite wuxia series in 10 years+, I put this drama next to classic as the condor hero and the return of the condor hero, because it brings that hero feeling, that epic love story, the intriguing wuxia backdrop, a refreshing story, a refreshing character, the hero and heroin you can root for and felt in love with. Might not be as deep and as good nor as complicated as Louis Cha’s novel, but it’s being up there in term of drama adaptation from a novel. I know this drama has mythical elements, so compare it to Louis Cha’s master piece is unfair, but it’s the closest to true wuxia we get as of now that shine in my book, (minus classic from Gu Long as well, they are called classic for good reasons :) )
Rewatch value: 3 weeks after the drama ended, and I still find myself rewatching the series. And while waiting for new episodes to come out, I would rewatch a lot of the scenes between Yin Xue and Ruge or the fight scenes. The spell this drama put on me is unfathomable.
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STORY:
The story itself was a fairly basic one (with a few twists here and there). The young and innocent daughter of a powerful sect for various reasons has to take up the responsibility that goes with her birth right. There are people who think she's incapable or think they would be better. There are those who side with her and want to help her succeed. There's the Big Bad who is the root cause of most/all of the problems that the characters go through. As fairly basic as the story was, that wasn't really my problem with the drama. Maybe it was because I didn't super binge watch it (mostly because I couldn't get invested in it enough to watch it endlessly and partially because it wasn't fully subbed when I started watching), but I found myself just coasting through watching it half the time - not really paying attention to what was going on because I wasn't that interested.
A lot of it also was probably that I didn't necessarily feel like the main leads had great chemistry together (and I love both Dilraba and Vic) so I didn't get invested in the drama because I didn't particularly care for the main romance.Nothing in the drama was particularly mind blowing or exciting. There were a few "Oh wow" moments, which thankfully they had or it'd be even less interesting, but overall I just really didn't care for this drama all that much.
ACTING:
Dilraba Dilmurat - though she's actually a favorite of mine, I'm starting to really agree that she's really only good at playing that cute, young, innocent girl character. This drama was focused on Lie Ru Ge growing up and taking over the reins of Lie Huo sect, but her character never really seemed to change for me. There was never that moment that I was like "oh snap, here's Ru Ge." Especially for her being so heavily associated with fire, her personality definitely never really moved past that young, naive girl for me.
Vic Zhou - probably one of the highlights of the drama (and being one of his returns to acting) but even so, I had mixed feelings about his character at the beginning (though I'm not sure if it was an acting choice or if it was because of how his character was written, While his playful personality was a good contrast to Zhang Bin Bin's cold personality, it just felt like a weird choice for a character who was supposed to be part of the immortal sect (and who had previously been a part of the Dark River sect). Might have just been me though.
Zhang Bin Bin - I always think Zhang Bin Bin does a good job at playing the character he's given. That being said, the actual character of Zhan Feng was definitely pretty one note the whole drama. He was just the quiet, cold "hero" type.
Overall:
I really just had very "meh" feelings about this drama. The story wasn't exciting enough to keep me intrigued and the chemistry between the actors wasn't intense enough for me to really invest myself into the drama. I wouldn't call it a bad drama, but it's a very unmemorable one for me.
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Story line: Nothing surprising or intriguing. I'd say it was rather boring. I won't spoil it, but the plot seemed interesting at first, but the plot just started slowing down and nothing was actually happening each episode.
Acting/Characters: I'd say everyone's acting was pretty decent, with Dilraba's being the weakest (I hope she continues growing as an actor though!). However, their characters were written in a way that didn't give them much to work with. For example, I think Zhang Bin Bin is a promising actor, but he was limited to the same, one-dimensional character during the whole drama. I was expecting the director to let him finally say/reveal something that would break my heart, but he really was like a stagnant river the whole drama (like, he was GOOD at the role he was given, but that role sucked!).
Idk. There was so much potential. Again, this is another example of a drama that could have really won the crowd over, if only it was a good drama in the first place.
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I was all about this drama, until dude kept evaporating and stuff.
Then it became a quest......with myself.
Having watched more than 30+ episodes, or given 30+ hours my life away, I was determined to see this through. I kinda regret it.
This drama obviously was banking on Dilraba and Bin Bin's chemistry from King's Woman but didn't use it. You'll see many familiar faces from other dramas that this pair have been included as cast.
As Le Suitor Horrible, Bing plays the most worthless and shallowly written character, it's beyond words. He causes all the trouble with a pout for 20 or so episodes then, when people start getting killed, as planned, he tries to humor us with death-inducing guilt.
Loved the hair though, truly it's a good look for him. I think this was another mind-spin the production played on viewers to confuse the image of a better written character he played in the same wig.
There were minimal flames thrown by the tittle character, be prepared to be disappointed here. RuGe lights a couple candles and a campfire, big whoop, all celebrate. And doesn't even have a major smackdown with the Big Bad or learn anything of real substance. She matures bu, meh, by then you won't care.
Because this is when the drama decides to insult the viewers intelligence with the 'ultimate plan', that they ruin by telling us that they are performing said plan. Because hell, why not take the fun out of the last 7 episodes by revealing the ruse to the viewer...constantly.
The actors did well with what was given and our lead guy does an excellent job of expression acting. Reminds me of another Eternal Love character where the amusement showed in his face and not the delivery the lines.
Horrible mention: Our wack af villian that somehow conned a legion of kick ass women to listen to him and follow his suicide mission demands. Was it because he was the only male? I don't get why these chicks had him as a leader or how he kept his position among this more than capable crew.
And what's with spinning chick? Like if you have a job to twirl back and forth like that, when does she go to the bathroom?
There's a birth secret that is the worst kept secret for the viewers.
Like duh, people of the different sects like wearing certain colors.
It gave an 8 rating while it aired. I hunted newly posted episodes like it was crack, but, after the last episode I wanted to give it a 3.
After a week I split the difference and rounded up for crack factor, so 6 it is.
Watch this, be entertained, then forget it. Blech.
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I'm 99% sure whomever wrote this fetid pile of garbage is an abuser, because the story literally is about a very abusive man who is over 100 years old - maybe 130 idk - who wants to bang an 18 y/o. He keeps touching her, trying to kiss her, & keeps telling other people they're married. She never consents (until she gives up in the end) and keeps avoiding him, yet he continually keeps trying to touch/kiss/force himself on her. Then there is the part she loses her memories & he tells her they are married.
What's worse is that he knew her father (before she was born !!!) and told him to give his unborn daughter to him when she turns 18. This is predatory behavior. It is sick and twisted.
Not to mention that the rest of the story (there is really not much of a plot line either) is a hot mess & there is so much unnecessary junk that I fast forwarded past a lot of it without losing a damn thing, & still know what was happening.
There's literally nothing of worth in this story - the characters don't grow, there's nothing but man forces himself on woman (actually girl - 18 y/o's are kids) This isn't love. This is garbage. This is what an abusive man looks like.
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I really enjoyed this drama telling the tale of a woman and the three important men in her life. There are very mixed reactions to this drama so I will be upfront; this isn't a pure romance drama like the excellent 10 Mile Peach Orchard or the flawed but very romantic The General and I. So if you are in it for romance romance romance, this might not be for you. Also, Bin Bin isn't the lead.... Yes, let that sink in for a moment. Truthfully, 50% of the complaints are about this situation. I watched them together in The King's Woman and that is a romance centric drama and they have chemistry in spades. But it is what it is and truthfuly I ended up fast forwarding through almost every scene the leads weren't in in TKS.First the Cons:
1. Not so much about the drama but the synopsis. It's horrible wherever you see it. Someone on the page wrote a new better one if you want to take a look. This is unfortunate because the drama throws you right into the story and we are there figuring things out on our own. It took me three episodes to adjust; however, this isn't necessarily a negative to me. I actually kind of liked just figuring things out and checking out MDL if I needed some insight. I do miss Dramafever's episode pages because there is always someone who has read the book and this really has helped me with other dramas from Cheese in the Trap to 10 Mile Peach Orchard.
2. The drama sagged a bit in the middle. I do want to disagree with some who thought it was all filler. It wasn't. It was getting all the characters in place for the second half so because there is quite a cast of characters, this took a # of episodes. Basically stuff happened in these episodes, but the romance definitely wasn't front and center, and most viewers realistically are there for the romance.
3. I can't get into details because of spoiler territory and someone who read the book might have insight but it has to do with the birth secret (that's not a spoiler, we know going in), and someone looking like someone else. I'll leave it there.
Now to the Pros:
1. I just really liked the story. I liked that every character - Every Single One - is fully fleshed out. The characters aren't cookie cutter. Their motivations aren't as simple as good/evil. Rather there are shades of gray that seem more reality based in a non-reality type story. I liked this a lot. There is not some higher purpose to this drama; it's just a story about these peoples lives over a few years time. I like that the three men are more nuanced than we might believe; not a cookie cutter arrogant jerk in the bunch (not even Bin Bin).
2. Acting: No problems here. I've heard some had issues with Dilraba. I'm fine with her though I don't love love love her. There was no performance that hindered my enjoyment of this drama. I want to do a shout out to Vic Chou for taking on such a whimsical character the likes I've never seen before in an Asian drama. It took a bit to wrap my head around it but it ended up really working for me.
3. The best action scenes/choreography that I've seen in a Chinese drama...ever. Dilraba with the whip. Even if you choose not to watch. Check out some of her scenes (not the bloopers) on You Tube. All the actors had their chance to shine. Awesome.
4. Production Value: It is from the same team as 10 Mile Peach Orchard. Sets were amazing, costumes on point though whoever designed Vic Chou's hairstyle could have perhaps come up with something else. $$ was spent on this and it shows.
5. Writing: Okay this should probably be the first thing since it is the most imporant, for me anyway. Again, you will be thrown in not knowing what is going on. I just went in and figured things out when the audience did and I actually found it refreshing and just went with it but could be frustrating for new drama watchers. The first half of the drama is learning the lay of the land in all these relationships, the middle episodes get characters in place for culmination of drama which is well paced imo. It is my understanding that the writer of the novel didn't even know how she was going to end her book. I'm just going to say it given what I have learned about the book, I actually think the screenwriter improved on the original work.
6. Side Characters: I read somewhere that someone judged dramas on how the writer treats the non-lead characters. Let's face it, many times they are filler. Every character in this drama has a story thread and we know where they are all in the end. Some wanted more of some favorite characters, but you know the situation they are all in and how they are dealing with it but the focus is where I want it.
So as you can tell, I liked it quite a bit and it left me satisfied. Some complaints that others had that I didn't or just didn't think were a big deal: Where's the smexy? Okay, I get it but - again - not as romance centric in the sense of this girl is 100% ending up with this guy (because, hey, the writer of the book took a while to figure it out and then the screen writer switched things up.) Therefore, this drama is romantic but not sexy and, realistically, she's got a broken heart to start off with at episode 1. So the smexy is just not gonna happen here. Some indicated a lack of chemistry with everyone but Bin Bin, but I actually think a writer could have written a romance with each of the three guys and made it work. Some just found it blah.
One last thought about why this worked for me is that some of the same type characters we see in these dramas didn't pop up or, if they did, it was limited: the pyscho obsessed woman comes to mind. Nope not so much here. As much as I love 10 Mile Peach Orchard, 70% of the leads love story was moved forward because of one character. Not here. This drama has some similar character types but it's limited and not as narrowly portrayed (Exp: crown prince fighting for throne type stuff.)
So this is a 9 out of 10 for me. Maybe I'm in a generous mood because I just watched the last episode but here's the deal: I maybe fast forwarded through 30 minutes of 52 episodes at about 40 to 45 minutes each. I don't think I've ever skipped less than that because generally there is a storyline I don't care about. So if you jump in and you are not feeling it by 15ish , this might not be for you and my apologies. The point off is for the question/inconsistency I had but can't get into, and I do think things could have been explained along the way here and there a tad bit better....and okay, I'll admit it, a little more smexy would have been nice.
General Warning: Beginning and ending credit/songs show a mountain a spoilers so beware.
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other than other historical drama that i watch, this story really goes well with the plot of the story and its ended well. most of the other drama that i watch i can't finished it because of it is slow and its delaying the story.
but for this drama the actors really express their character really well, and the plot really interesting and the way they deliver the story really makes me felt worth it to watch.
please anticipate it and surely its really worthwhile to watch
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Well it a really good drama if you don't constantly compare it to Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms or King's Woman. It's a really good drama if you go in turning the useless Zhan Bin Bin fangirl mode. Because personally I think that this drama mostly gets a bad rep simply all of Zhan Bin Bin fans. This drama is about more than the romance. As someone here puts it, it's a story of growth. So if you truly want to enjoy this drama go in thinking for yourself. Don't let anyone sway you into one ship or another. And mostly don't compare and insult the all cast hard work.
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