chaleeso
Now, it is a love story set in a fantasy world so drop any expectations of it being accurate. It’s meant to be a feel-good, light drama that shows you the different languages and expressions of love; that is, some may love purely, bravely and selflessly, others may be content to yearn secretly, while some may be obsessive, selfish and destructive. And this is weaved into the lore and the character progression.
I did read the manhwa - it’s very different from this drama so this one’s only a loose adaptation (the manhwa I think hasn’t progressed since early 2020). But for me, this series is better because the characters were fleshed out as compared to the comic.
I also think that the cast was well chosen. They fit their roles well and they were mostly able to portay the inner struggles for the characters. There are of course a lot of areas to improve on, but the actors eventually grows on you. Some of the things that left a good impression on me were Wu Qian Yin’s (Shi Xia) micro-expressions; Zhao Ying Bo (Hou Chi) swordplays, plus my goodness, he looks damn amazing in white; and Dai Yun Fan’s (Shi Dong) older brother antics. Comedic punch lines were also fresh and funny. However, there are still scenes where I felt the acting is somewhat mediocre. They aren’t exactly bad, but they aren’t spot on either.
Lastly, I love the musical score. Even if I don’t understand Mandarin, the feelings conveyed in the music were really good. I especially loved the end theme (Travel with me) - the melody is quite haunting, and the song expresses the profound sadness of not being able to be with your partner. Doesn’t mean that the drama will end terribly for the characters. In fact, I think it was a good compromise.
Yeah so overall, I’d rate this high and wouldn’t mind re-watching it for all its ups and downs. I’m pretty sure the actors’ acting will improve further and I hope to see WQY and ZYB together again in another series.
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