Even gods and immortals have growing pains

Based upon the novel “Hidden God” (which I never read), this is a sequel to Ancient Love Poetry (with different names for the drama, which is a little confusing). There is nothing particularly groundbreaking about this Xianxia drama, but I found it to be a warm, heartfelt and timeless story of the joys and pains of growing up - learning to love, learning to sacrifice and learning to treasure what you have.

To be honest, I was a little apprehensive about starting this drama initially. I’ve watched some Xianxia in the past but not as many in the past couple of years. The beginning episodes of this one reminded me of some of the earlier Harry Potter films - lackluster CGI, very young characters and a seemingly simplistic story. However, the strong performances from the cast drew me in, and by the midway point of the drama, you realize there is much more to this tale. While the story centers on Yuanqi and Fengyin’s love story, there are also many other moving story lines involving friendship and kinship. Interwoven are some themes about breaking down the barriers that divide us, cherishing all life, and not using one’s power or position to bully the weak.

This one could have used more post-production time to smooth out the visual effects and sound mix. More importantly, the script could have used another look over to flesh out the deeper thematic elements. However, I found this an engaging, wholesome watch during my winter holidays. There is something ultimately uplifting in this drama’s storytelling despite the many years of suffering experienced by the characters.

Lastly, this is my first time watching Wang Anyu as Gujin/Yuanqi, and his non-pretentious, boyish charm really fits the character well. He and Zhao Lusi make an endearing on-screen couple that brings you both joy and tears. If only there was more of them at the end - maybe another drama? Until then, this is a great one to binge, re-watch and for me sits well with my all-time favorite Xianxia dramas such as Eternal Love (Peach Blossoms), Ashes of Love, Love and Destiny, Love and Redemption and yes, Ancient Love Poetry.

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A disappointment

Disappointment is the first word that comes to mind when reflecting on watching this drama. For fans of the original novel, this is not the faithful adaptation you were hoping for. At best, this drama is loosely inspired by the novel. The first half of the drama is watchable when the story is centered on Amai, our fearless female lead, as she seeks revenge for her dead family at the hands of her onetime adopted older brother, Chen Qi. She manages to join the army, and her struggles and triumphs throughout those arcs of the story and the bonds she forges with her sworn brother, Tang Shaoyi, and her army buddies are fun and heartwarming to watch. Her entanglements with the charismatic enemy general Chang Yuqing are also highlights of the show.

It is in the second half of the show that things really do fall apart. The story shifts focus to the male lead, Shang Yizhi (who is really Qi Huan, the son of the former crown prince), and having no solid character arc to lean upon, the story moves from one ridiculous political plot to another until the story goes up in flames at the very end. This is the show's greatest weakness: the writing of Yizhi's character. He begins as a "playboy" silly son of a marquis and becomes emperor almost by accident, but he has no real personality, drive or meat to his character other than the shell we are presented with. One simply does not care about what happens to him because everyone around him is far more interesting and key to moving the story along. He is simply along for the ride.

It is in the final few episodes that I really lost my patience with the ML. He betrays Amai firstly in marrying someone else and then betrays the Zhenbei army in the name of securing peace. At least in the end, Amai freed herself from him and was able to live her own life.

So proceed with caution in watching given the high risk of disappointment by the end, consider skipping most of the second half, or find another drama with better constructed characters and balance of story lines to fill your time. I found the music loud and grating most of the time, so there was not even that to soothe my angry soul by episode 36. It is my consideration of the generally great acting of the cast and the stronger first half that I offer a very general score of 7.5.

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Good vs evil in Heyang

Within this story is a potentially really great one if the drama had dared to push the boundaries of its storytelling a bit more. Set against the "evil" city of Heyang, where bad deeds go unpunished, our righteous male lead Pan Yue seeks to find his long-lost beloved Yang Caiwei and to right the wrongs of the past. Along the way, we meet a multitude of characters including the charismatic if headstrong Zhuo Lanjiang and Caiwei's plucky friend Bai Xiaosheng -- and solve some murder mysteries.

It turns out that with each case solved, we are closer to solving the ultimate mystery -- who is the mastermind behind the deaths of Caiwei's parents and the dark deeds in Heyang? That, unfortunately, is never fully fleshed out. Our villains' motivations are presented only in broad strokes, making the ultimate confrontation a bit of a letdown both thematically and dramatically.

Which is not to say the drama is terrible -- far from it. Some of the stories within the main tale are quite moving such as the case of the Gu family and that of the twins and the academy. They show quite effectively the potential darkness within people and the struggle to overcome it without resorting to too much exposition, which is unfortunately present in other cases and parts of the show. If the drama had explored this theme than just at the surface level - the complexities of humankind and our capacity to do both great good and evil - it would have made for a very compelling drama.

As it is, this drama is worth the watch for the interesting cases (which actually are nicely interwoven with the overarching plot and our characters' arcs), a well-paced romance story, and some great performances from both main and guest/supporting cast alike. Liu Xueyi as Pan Yue and Li Geyang as Zhuo Lanjiang were standouts to me.

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Don't take this one too seriously, and you're in for a fun ride

This is an unexpectedly entertaining costume/period drama with some fantastical elements. While not an original concept (the author entering her own novel), the story has solid characters that develop logically throughout the story and a well-placed plot with villain(s) that keep things moving.

I really enjoyed Song Yiren's performance here. She strikes the right balance of comedy and drama, which is needed is such a story as this. Ding Ze Ren as the ML is a relatively new actor, and he does generally well here, although he does have a way to go in the more angsty scenes.

January 2024 was disappointing to me as far as Chinese dramas (period/costume in particular), but this one was a nice little gem.

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Wasted potential

I have not read the source material, but from what I can tell, the drama has been so watered down/altered that it really cannot be considered a faithful adaptation. If you're hoping for a sophisticated, nuanced revenge drama, be prepared to be disappointed. There are some nice moments of drama interspersed throughout, and I did not mind some of the more comedic parts, but the drama as a whole seems disjointed in tone and lacking in a strong backbone of story and character for me to give it more than a 7. Not the worst I have seen, but definitely far from a masterpiece.

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A mixed bag

Filmed several years ago, this drama bears an air of nostalgia of past harem/palace dramas, especially in this first 1/3. Luo Qinglian unexpectedly finds herself forced in a position to become a servant-concubine of the third son of Prince An, and her story of surviving the treacherous life in He Lianxin's household thus begins.

Unfortunately, her story never really soars as those of other strong female leads in other past palace/harem dramas such as Story of Yanxi Palace or The Sword and the Brocade. The drama tries to involve too much story - brothers fighting for the title of Prince, Qinglian's former lover Lv Beiyi's story, and the 11th hour secret oath our ML's father made to the Emperor to rescue him are just some of the other story lines. However, due to so much being edited out, the story is choppy and does not flow together well. It may have been better to end the drama around episode 30 when our ML achieves the title of Prince and focus on building the characters' relationships better.

What I am left with are some very nice moments of dramatic performances from a seasoned cast but an overall disappointing story structure, making it difficult to give this any more than a 7.5. It is perhaps higher than it should be, but I guess I do miss how dramas were shot in the past - a lot less crazy camera work and more focus on lighting and allowing the performances to breathe and speak for themselves. My favorite parts were the quieter scenes when the actors just are speaking/performing to each other.

If palace/harem dramas are your thing, you may want to check this out casually, but there are likely far better ones out there more worth your time.

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After scheming her way to becoming Empress, Jiang Xuening is forced to take her own life after a coup staged by the equally scheming Xie Wei and her former childhood friend Yan Lin upends the state of Qian. She awakens to find herself back in time before she entered the palace and is determined to change her fate and the fate of others around her. Little does she know that the seemingly treacherous Xie Wei has a painful past and is much more than he seems.

While the setup is nothing new, the drama manages what I feel is a rarity these days in Chinese drama land - sustaining my rapt attention for the full 38 episodes. The script wisely stays focused on the story and characters - balancing the political storylines with the slow burn romance that is allowed to develop organically, without anyone acting out of character just to create a sense of forced drama or romance. The supporting characters are given time to develop as well and actually add to the overall story. They support our male and female lead in their journey of finding their true selves and each other.

What prevents me from giving this a 10 is the often heavy-handedness of the direction - blinding lighting, distracting camerawork and odd framing of shots give an overall unpolished look. There is a tendency to make things a bit over the top, but these are small quibbles and a matter of taste ultimately. The cast overall do a solid job - I am most impressed with Wang Xing Yue. Despite his young age, he is able to hold his own in a very stoic role.

This is a great one to binge and re-watch. It's not meant to be an artsy, profound expose on life, death, fate vs self determination, etc. It's just great fun to watch.

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A few good men

This is a dark yet poignant tale of the frailty of human nature - the loss of innocence in the effort to survive in a world where justice is hard to come by.

The drama starts off seemingly like any straightforward murder-crime-mystery series. You are drawn into deciphering various clues and studying each character to determine who is the murderer. By the show's end, however, even though it pulls out a "surprise" reveal, the power in that moment is not so much the shock factor of who is who but more so the underlying sadness of seeing two friends end each other's lives. There is no mustache-twirling psychopath villain here. It's a hauntingly realistic tale of greed and deceit that explores the lengths to which someone will go to obtain what they want.

The entire ensemble cast give great performances - my favorites are Ning Li as Song Chen and Yu Yao as the young Lu Zhi. Great atmospheric music and realistic sets/props/costumes make the world of Du County come to life in all its dingy glory.

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This drama was difficult to watch at times because of the subject matter, but the story is handled with such care by the director and cast. In the end, I was quite moved and glad I was able to watch through the whole thing. Just as the English title suggests, at the end of the drama, the broken pieces of our female's lead's life and person are slowly starting to come back together.

Still, it isn't one I would likely re-watch because it is quite heavy overall, but the message it conveys is also quite healing, hopeful and worth contemplating. If you're a fan of Toby Lee or Tiffany Hsu, this is worth checking out for their great performances, as well as that of the supporting cast.

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At 70 episodes, this drama is probably longer than it needs to be, but it remains one of my favorite guilty pleasures from 2018. Sure, some of the palace/harem shenanigans get a bit wild, but it is deliciously fun to watch Wei Yingluo navigate each attack and climb the ranks. Wu Jinyan does a convincing job of portraying Wei Yingluo's growth as she matures from lowly palace maid to Consort. My favorite performance goes to Qin Lan as Empress Fuca Rongyin.

A detailed production (I especially love the costumes) and a satisfying if bittersweet ending help make this a worthy binge watch and re-watch.

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A drama that ages like fine wine

The first time I watched this drama, I was quite disappointed with the ending. How could someone as intelligent and brave as Feng Zhiwei just end her life like that? After all she went through, I thought it was a waste and a weird change of character. And for Ning Yi, after all his struggles, the ending felt like an empty goal achieved in becoming Emperor. But perhaps that is part of the story? Can an emperor be fated to have true love? Fast forward about 5 years and with all the things I have been through, watching this again I have a new understanding of this drama. If I look carefully, the seeds of Zhiwei's depression and ultimate decision to end things were sown throughout the drama.

It's hard to summarize this very long tale of 2 very multifaceted people fated to meet and fall in love but not to share a lifetime with each other. There's a lot of court/palace politics and drama that take a while to churn, but when things get going, they really come out in an exciting, satisfying fashion.

The production is beautiful - unmatched for me in recent years in C drama land. Great use of music - not overbearing. Some of the editing is uneven in parts, and the latter parts can be hard to watch for those wanting a happy ending. However, there is a tragic beauty in it as well that I can appreciate as I am getting older - although I would never want anyone in this day and age to suffer from depression as Zhiwei did.

Definitely worth the watch and re-watch. I haven't found a drama since quite like this one.

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Finding light after a long dark

The world of Dahuang can be a cruel and harsh place, as royal cousins Xiaoyao and Cang Xuan learn bitterly at a young age. Orphaned, lost, and tortured for many years, XY eventually hides herself in the small Qingshui Town working as the town healer of sorts. Also orphaned and forced to live as a hostage in a foreign kingdom, CX spends his early life fending off his murderous uncles. Fate brings him to Qingshui Town disguised as a winemaker. He and XY eventually reunite, but will they be together forever?

In that fateful town, XY meets and saves the gentle Tushan Jing, who she calls Ye Shiqi. He too has his own tale of betrayal and torture at the hands of his half-brother Hou. Nearby is the enigmatic and seemingly harsh Xiang Liu, caught in his own struggle with his past and devotion to his adoptive father. These figures are forever intertwined as they are thrust onto a high-stakes adventure of fighting for a better, kinder future while at all times fighting for their own survival.

I would have liked to see season 2 first before writing this review, but at this point it may be a while before it comes out. As it stands, however, season 1 has a clear story arc focusing on XY and CX's endeavors to win the latter the Xiyan throne, so as a standalone season, it mostly works. There are a lot of other characters and themes that will need S2 to round out their arcs fully, particularly for TSJ, who ends S1 in a bit of a miserable state. I hope to write more about TSJ after S2, as he is one of my favorites. His kindness and genuine love for XY are a bright light in this often dark tale of very complex people trying to make the best of an unkind world.

The cast bring the story to life, and the writing is satisfyingly solid throughout the whole drama. No useless fillers or characters in this tale. Music and production are memorable, with the rare bits here and there of questionable CGI. Bring on season 2!

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The power of goodwill

After the men of the Hua family are forced into exile and the women and children left to fend for themselves, Hua Zhi, the eldest daughter and our indomitable female lead, takes charge and seeks to bring the family back together against all odds. Her family and her story become entwined with that of Gu Yanxi, nephew to the emperor with his own share of family troubles, albeit of a very different nature being born into the royal bloodline.

There is a lot of story to cover in 40 episodes, and what we are left with in the drama is a bit uneven in pacing and tone. A lot of the first half of the story follows the Hua family's ups and downs in their endeavors to recover from the disaster forced upon them by the paranoid Emperor. Some of the most moving and heartbreaking moments for me occur in the quieter moments within the Hua family household as they learn to brave their hardships and share their triumphs with each other. The latter half features more of the palace/political story. If given enough time, this part of the story may have been able to develop its themes and antagonists better. Instead, things are taken care of far too neatly and swiftly before anything really resonates. Hai Yitian as the complicated Emperor of Daqing makes an impression, but with his arc in the story as a whole and his relationship with Yanxi not fully explored, it is a bit of a shame how it all ends for him.

All in all, this is a heartwarming story worth watching for some great performances from all the cast, including Zhang Jingyi as Hua Zhi and Hu Yitian as Yanxi. I wish they had more to do with their roles as far as range of emotions (we get a little bit towards the end), and I hope to see more of them in period/costume dramas in the future.

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