Reviews

Good season 2 that doesn't take itself too seriously

This is a sweet and enjoyable mini-show - and a second season that is just as good as the first season. The storyline based on amnesia and a lot of distrust and misunderstandings is interesting even if it is a bit cliché. Normally I skip shows with the amnesia-tag because I dislike that kind of stories. Since I watched season 1 and know that the show doesn’t take itself too seriously, I decided to watch it anyway. I’m glad I did because it is both fun and interesting without any fillers (one of the things I love most about these mini-shows). I did miss the second child we were “promised” at the end of season 1 but I can live with that, LOL.
So, if you want something that is fast, funny, romantic and a bit dramatic - without being too serious - this is definitely worth watching.

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Master of your own destiny

Yun Tianhe: (as told to him by his father Yun Tian Qing what was believed by his mother Su Yu) Life and death are one's choices to make. This choice cannot be buried by the earth or altered by heaven. This is the meaning of "My life depends on me, not heaven."

*****Introduction: (Qionghua Sect 19 years ago, narrated by YunTianqing)******
The demons were rampant and the people were suffering. Qionghua Sect, the head of the Kunxu eight sects, that has been short of manpower and material resources for three generations, finally made the Wangshu and Xihe swords, the Yin Yang double swords.

19 years ago, the 24th Grandmaster Immortal Tai Qing wanted to use both swords to trap the Huanming Demon Realm. The war was protracted. At the critical moment, Su Yu, the host of Wangshu sword, was bewitched and suddenly withdrew the sword, causing the Wangshu sword's pillar to collapse instantly. Xihe sword couldn't withstand it alonealone, and it's host Xuan Xiao suffered the backfire of the sword's red aura. Grandmaster Tai Qing died in the battle and Qionghua sect was greatly undermined.

I, Yun Tianqing, a disciple, defected with Su Yu. Since then, Wangshu sword's wereabouts has been unknown.
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******Review******
The drama Sword and Fairy 4 is adapted from a Role Playing Game 'The legend of sword and fairy-4". Hence the storyline followed the game with few variation. Each series of the game is based on a theme. The theme of this one is 'Pilgrimage' which I feel is quite appropriate because the four main playable characters in the game and their counterparts in the series are on a QUEST.

Yun Tianhe (Chen Zhe Yuan) is searching for his Parents' background who died while Tianhe was quite young, leaving him an orphan at a tender age. He resided and grew up in Qingluan Peak that was a safe haven for demons and humans to cohabit peacefully. Han Lingsha (Ju Jingyi) is trying to find a miracle for 'longevity' as she comes from a family of Tomb raiders that are cursed to die young. Liu Mengli (Mao Xiao Hui) a beautiful adopted daughter of Liu family is looking for her 'origin'. Murong Ziying (Mao Zi Jun) is seeking absolution from his guilt of feeling responsible for his younger sister's untimely death due to his perceived negligence.

These four characters seemingly having different temperament and purpose come together and form a strong bond of friendship. It seems the series is geared towards young adults hence the romance between the characters of Tianhe and Lingsha though quite prominent takes the back seat to the friendship and bond between the four of them. Like many viewers, I too felt that the series could have been better if Ziying and Mengli were not shown to have unrequited love for Lingsha and Tianhe respectively. If the writers did not want to pair Mengli and Ziying, in my opinion they could have just shown their characters' growth and progress without making them pine for people who were deeply in love with each other.

At the beginning of the story, Tianhe who is oblivious to the world outside his home is living a carefree life when Lingsha intrudes and changes the course of his life. 19 years ago, Tianhe's parents had left the Qionghua Sect with Wangshu sword which is one of the Yin -Yang sword forged by Qionghua. Tianhe along with Lingsha accidentally touches the Wangshu sword and activates it power. With that action all the people who are looking to either possess or destroy the sword chase Tianhe as it is presumed that he is the new host of Wangshu sword. Tianhe who wants to know more about his deceased parents agrees to accompany Lingsha to Qionghua Sect. Lingsha has been promised a magical immortality elixir to save her and her family members' life by her employer if she manages to deliver the Wangshu sword to the Qionghua Sect safely.

Along their journey, Tianhe and Lingsha meet Liu Mengli who is the adopted daughter of Liu family but was entrusted to them when she was an infant by Yun TianQing, Tianhe's father so she too joins the duo, wanting to get answers about her background from Qionghua Sect. Ziying who is already a respected member and a rising star of Qionghua Sect, meets these trio on their journey and while solving bizarre occurrences together, develops a soft spot for them and later takes on all three as his disciples.

Upon reaching Qionghua Sect Tianhe faces contempt and disgust as it was believed that his parents were traitors who were responsible for thousands of death of Qionghua Sect members. Tianhe refuses to believe that his parents who were benevolent and virtuous would betray other people. Mengli to her dismay learns the truth about her origin, she momentarily feels as if her world has tilted and fears losing her friends' support. Ziying who firmly believed in black and white leaves behind his prejudice to embrace the reality that the race of a person doesn't matter, what matters is their choices and disposition. Lingsha learns to live her life to the fullest, irrespective of its span.

Another aspect that the series emphasizes on is trying to find answers for oneself, not to unquestioningly believe other peoples' version of past events. There is a stark contrast between the older generation in this series who are shown to be obsessed, filled with resentment and ambition, willing to sacrifice lives to achieve their goals AND the younger generation that gives more importance to compassion, bonds of friendship and living in harmony with people who are different.

My favorite character from this series is hands down elder QingYang (Zhang Fan). He pretends to be a little senile, only interested in making medical soups. However he always knows how to diffuse a volatile situation, providing solution and guidance to the younger generation without imposing on their free will. In my opinion that is true leadership and power. It's ironic that people who really deserve to lead are oftentimes otherworldly and detached.

Throughout the series there was another elemental theme of sacrificing one's self and own happiness for greater good. Most of the love stories in this series had a bitter end. To change the destiny of others, someone has to sacrifice. (I personally think that the writers can do better than send the message of sacrifice everything for greater good)

Overall: A good watch, the series has created it's own universe with interesting situations, references and creations. (If only the writers had avoided the cliché pining and one-sided love, it would have been much better)

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If anyone is interested in reading more about this universe, information on the four characters and some of the fascinating objects/artifacts/ creations in the series, do check out the thread started by me in the discussion section. Other members of MDL have also generously contributed information and written interesting posts in the thread.

Use the link below to the discussion section of this drama to read "Introduction to the drama and some basic explanation" started by me.

https://mydramalist.com/discussions/chinese-paladin-4/122607-introduction-to-the-drama-and-some-basic-explanation-of-the-beginning-of-the-series

Also leaving a Clickable link to "Introduction to the drama and some basic explanation" started by me as a comment to this review.






 

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I'm at a loss for words - this is a beautiful story that ended up making me cry and I wasn't expecting to - but somewhere near the end tears just kept on coming out :'( *still sniffling* It really shows you how revenge is something someone should never start b/c it could go on forever if a person decides on it, forgiveness is the real key.
I love the painful story between the brothers - it really broke my heart - I felt for all the characters - the older brother, the younger brother and the Jongbeom (Dokgu from Inspiring Generation) and that other kid from school - people get hurt in the course of life and the steps they take after the hurt is what really counts - do they make bad choices or good ones - can they change?...
Re-watch Value: I will more than likely re-watch this at some point.
I definitely recommend people to watch this - it's very well done and very moving. It really pulls your emotions in right away - but prepare a tissue or two for the end.

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One of the best BLs i've watched in awhile.
Even though there are so many BL series coming out lately, i can't seem to like most of them because of the loose plots and acting.
But this is so good.
The story goes along well as the title suggests.
Both the actors portrayed their roles really well.
The story depicts the real life situation for a family.
How parents are obsessed about their sons and daughters to be normal.
How we struggle in life to pretend like we're normal to fit in the society.
But in the end, what's being normal anyway.
These are all well portrayed.
We should just decide for ourselves. It's our lives anyway.

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The Crown Prince who Cared Too Much

===my review contains spoiler on the ending===

I am reminded of Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre-Dame as I was watching this drama. Quite a few parallels-- right from the start, we sense an air of tragedy; both have physical tortures and punishments aplenty; both are melancholically beautiful. I remember having the most difficult time reading Notre-Dame, on one hand I love the prose and writing style, on the other hand, the story was so awfully tragic. That is the same experience with Royal Nirvana.

I'm not sure if the production team was trying to be ironic when they gave the English title "Royal Nirvana", because there is nothing nirvana about the story. Its Chinese title makes more sense-- 鹤唳华亭 is a poetic expression that means recollection of the past, a past that was very unpredictable and treacherous. Yet the treacheries and scheming in this story isn't as good as in Nirvana in Fire, The Rise of Phoenixes, etc. It is however outstanding in its detailed characterizations of the main leads and supporting characters. And watching the characters 'face off' in tensed moments are very well done in Royal Nirvana! The scenes between Crown Prince and Emperor, between Crown Prince and Wenxi, are full of tensions and emotions. Their feelings that were at times suppressed and hidden behind their words and actions, and at times expressed so boldly that left me in shock. The attraction of Royal Nirvana is not in its story, but in the storytelling: the cinematography, the dialogues and the acting.

I love the cinematography, the wide-angled view and 180° camera panning helped to pull me into the story. At times I felt as if I was there, an invisible soul standing at a corner watching the story unfolds. And the dialogues....Royal Nirvana has some of the best lines I've ever heard in a historical cdrama. The writer is very clever (and creative) in the use of simple words, arranging them in such a manner that made some of the lines so meaningful and unforgettable. The acting, hmmm. I know most viewers complain on Luo Jin's portrayal of the Crown Prince. For me however, I think he was right. This Crown Prince cared a lot, he cared too much for those that he loved and even those that he hated. He could never make a strong and firm stand for himself, and in the midst of trying to protect everyone, his path and objectives got very unclear. For such a character, it is not enough to portray him with sad eyes and a frown, he needed to cry. The whole cast put in a phenomenal performance, special mention on the Emperor, it is such a 'joy' when he is on screen. Although he is the most hated character, his acting is so naunced, it is an enjoyment to watch him. Lu Wenxi... oh my, every time her tiny frame showed up, I almost stop breathing because most of the tragedy and tortures were focused on her. When Crown Prince was with Wenxi, the onscreen chemistry was sizzling. I'm not sure if it was the director's artistic direction or the acting (maybe both), when these 2 were on screen together in the later parts, the undercurrent desires and sexual tensions could have melted my screen...

In case you have not watched this drama and is hesitating because the ML sounds like such a kill-joy, FL is very strong. Lu Wenxi-- an innocent lass who had merely wanted to follow her heart and be with the man that she loved, how she had to grow up and be brave in a short period of time. And how she exacted her revenge plan deserved standing ovation. It was such a checkmate move! She had not only thought through how each of the characters would react, she planned and made sure which ever move that they made, they would eventually end up where she wanted them to be. In comparison, ML spent most of the time in a reactive state, only reacting to the events that happened and not taking a pro-active lead. To some extent, his teacher and mentor had to take some responsibility for this. ML had went on the dark side early on in the story, he did an underhanded move to entrap his enemies. However his plan was not fail-safe, and when his teacher was sacrificed to protect him (and lectured him on integrity before he died), he vowed never to resort to underhanded means and never to put others in danger... which was really quite foolish, sigh.

So why am I rating this drama only 9? I am usually very generous and often give 9.5 and 10. That 1 missing point is because I'm really not convinced that this story had to be so tragic (this is also the reason why Hunchback of Notre-Dame is less well-known)... Due to censorship issues, a great chunk of about 10+ episodes were edited off at the end. Since it was edited off, couldn't they have given this a happy ending? Stop the story at the point when Wenxi had completed her revenge and Crown Prince made her his concubine. But it didn't and instead gave us a confusing ending, hinting that "more stuffs happened" but we couldn't show you. Maybe the director had planned for the Special and wanted to give an abstract ending so that viewers would still be interested to continue with the story in the Special. But such an ending was quite anti-climax and shallow, spoiling the emotionally rich and intense drama.

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Acceptance, tolerance and the best friend groups known to humankind.

I want to rate this series 12/10. It managed to show the best of BL whilst avoiding the worst.
I really don't understand the low rating and I don't understand accusations of stalking by Toh. He never approached Nuea.. never tried to make Nuea uncomfortable and never thought he owned Nuea. He was happy watching from a distance. Sure, he collected weird things as mementos BUT the series is based off a manga therefore some things will be exaggerated. People love manga for the weirdness, the exaggeration of details, well, that's why I do.
I will be watching this series again, to remind myself of what good relationships look like, what amazing friendships look like.

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If you're craving for a mature romance, this is for you!

This drama is not your typical Cdrama, with glittery and bubbly characters. The story is intense, the characters are mature, and the real-life events are so relatable.

Story:

I was kinda surprised to see a cdrama with a strong story. Most dramas focus on the relationship aspects and the career aspects of the dramas don't make much sense overall. I should add, that 50% of this drama is career-related but the rest is very much about the relationship between the leads. There are complications(not so many) , but there are no loopholes and the story goes on smoothly. Just like how it is in real life!

Cast:

First time seeing Elvis and Elvira. What a match! their chemistry is so natural and beautiful, that you can feel their interactions, insecurities, and how they fall in love. Their romance is not fiery or fluffy, it's just mature and how it should be for career-oriented individuals. Despite all this, we get to see a very romantic and passionate relationship. Their kiss scenes are just marvelous, Their gazes at each other are on another level.

Writing:

It's almost flawless IMO, yet there are side characters that are too many and there are so many stories going on with them that take a lot of screen time. There are no ambiguity about the leads and their character development. overall, a very decent production.

OST:

I must say i loved the ost. Matched every scene. The lyrics are in rhyme with the story and i can say it's one of the best i have heard in cdramas.

If you are in the mood for something romantic, yet a mature one with great chemistry and career-related subjects, this is for you!

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This show just keeps getting better and better 1000% 10/10 I love the friendship that everyone has with each other I feel like the love playlist writers like to do this thing where each season one couple get a chance to sort out all their misunderstandings while on the side another relationship is coming together it makes me feel good that I don't have to be sad for that one couple all the time.
Also, I'm soo happy for Ha Neul and Jimin ( sidenote: I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT WAS KIM SAERON she looked soooo pretty and mature here) they were my favourite couple of the season (all time is junmo and do young ;) ) they just looked so good together and with Jimin added he finally realised like Pu reum said they see like they would be better as BestFRIENDS than to be a couple and I felt that too, but also I feel like it's not the end for Pu reum because the last episode was kind of foreshadowing that she will find her mister right so I think there will be another season for Pu reum and maybe Minwoo as well.

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Wow wow wow what a great drama!! Definitely a simple story done in a unique way.,The writer really shines for the unique, creative aspects of each character. I think this drama will hold a special place in my heart haha. The writer has a way of creating a different atmosphere or mood different from other dramas., It’s a great quality of a class story teller. I loved that the story was character driven and the depths of each person was explored in a very distinct way. Everyone from the quirky landlady to the crazy boyfriend offered something different and exciting.
Although the whole cast did a great job, for me the one who was the MVP has to be Song ji won. I laughed out loud countless times thanks to her character and her antics. She is very relatable or we all have someone we know who can relate to her. This is a must watch drama if you enjoy slice of life dramas! P.S. It also has an amazing OST.

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First of all, I've finished this drama about two months ago, so I might not be able to vividly remember things. I was supposed to never write reviews again, but I got bored, so... here we go.

The story is amazingly simple. Yes, the plot just revolved around the problems kids and teachers are facing at school, but the way this drama portrayed this story really struck through the heart. Through the various characters in the drama, the viewers were given a reflection of the sometimes harsh, sometimes bright realities happening at school. The only thing I may not have liked about the story was how it mostly focused on reviving Nam-soon and Heung-soo's friendship. I did find their friendship wonderful, but I think there were other characters that could've been explored more (like Kang-joo). I commend the actors though for their believable acting (although most of them were rookies, I was surprised that they're not that bad at all).

In dramaland where almost everything that happens doesn't seem to really happen in everyday life, this drama proves to be different from the rest. It breathes reality.

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Disappointing. It’s visually stunning, music is great, but that’s it.

I’m disappointed. The story is not good. Or maybe I just expected so much from the glimpse I had from the music video and reviews here.

The music video of Park hyo shin’s ost is a way better story than the entire series. It’s unnecessarily long just to keep dragging the episodes to showcase the beautiful cinematography.

Story: Why so long? Is it to cater for the countless slow motions and CGI? Or is it to make it seem like a big shot kdrama? Most of the scenes are empty, the order of the series is a mess, maybe they were just trying to be more historically accurate but if then they couldve just made a movie. The war that I was expecting for the last episode actually happened in the first episode, and it was just a glimpse. The feeling of patriotism that I’ve been waiting for was concealed in a very short scenes, then the lovestory-filled ending came up, then the end.

Cast/Acting: I don’t buy the main leads. Why does it have to be Lee byung hun? He might as well became the father figure for the main female lead. I could see hyun bin as a more fitting cast for the character. Kim tae ri, okay so many better actress to portray this role, but I can forgive this. The rest of the main leads, perfect.

Music: One of the best soundtracks in kdramaworld. Thank you Park hyo shin and Baek ji young.

Rewatch: No, because it’s so long and empty, I might actually fall asleep. Actually I did fell asleep so many times while watching this, I just woke up one morning and the entire series has been streamed out. Lol!

Overall: Very disappointed. Unlike the claims of other fans about this drama as patriotic, historical etc. it actually focused on the lovestory of the main leads, the main leads as in the five main leads.
There are only three good things about this drama.
1. The cinematography
2. The music
3. The mourning scenes in ep 20.

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The title should rather be "Vagabomb" because this drama is bomb ! ?

It's one of my favorite dramas !
The script is well written and thoughtful, except for some small things. We see that it was written in advance and not during filming, unlike most other dramas. Everything is important, even the smallest things. Huge talent of the screenwriter !
They put a lot of suspense especially at the end of episodes, and many intense action scenes. I also really liked the realistic side. And the fact that all along, we doubt almost all the characters, gives an even more intense side to the plot
There are a lot of twists and unexpected things, this drama is really surprising

I loved the characters, especially the "bad ones". My favorite character is Lily (Park Ah In). I immediately loved her, I love her personality as well as her elegance, her charisma... And she's so sexy ? Which does not spoil anything. I'm FAN !
The role of Suzy (Go Hae Ri) radically changes her from her usual roles, it's much more adult and mature ! For those who don't like her, try to watch her in this drama, it really changes her.
I also really liked Hwang Bo Ra as Kong Hwa Sook. She's very touching and she's someone we can trust

One of the drama's only "inconsistency" is that Dal Geon seems invincible. He beats everyone, climbing everywhere... Yes, he's a stuntman, but not a superman. It's a bit exaggerated on this point, he never seems to be hurt or tired

I didn't find the OST extraordinary. But the song "Open Fire" by The VANE matches the drama very well, as well as "The God of War", "N.I.S", "Morocco Run", and "What Is Chicken House", that I really liked.

SPOILER
I am a fan of the "couple" of Kim Do Su (Choi Dae Chul) and Lily ! I love them, they are so cute and adorable. I really wished they had ended up dating ! Maybe in season 2 ?
END OF THE SPOILER

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One big mess

I am a fan of most of the actors cast in this, so I was very excited but this drama was a big disappointment

There some enjoyable moments here and there, but the plot is a mess adn honestly there are way too many things that didn't work here (ML is happy that the his wife is going to die soon, FL has memory problems but doesn't do anything about it, like never.... I would have hired someone to check on me every 10 minutes... anyway I'm getting angry again)

each episode keeps repeating the previous one. We see a lot of:
- They don't talk
- Oh they love eachother but don't show it
- they love each other but don't know it
- They seem to get closer
- Oh, no, they don't talk again
and REPEAT over and over again
Writer-nim run out of ideas and this series could have been halved!

What I hated the most was the villains arch. I couldn't understand why they did what they did! Why did they have to con that family? I hated that they were villains because they were poor. Being poor is not a good backstory for a villain. Poor people don't want to steal rich people's money and live in their big houses, they just want to be not poor anymore and not live in a basement.

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I'd use Naruto's shadow clone technique and do a standing ovation

I am not the type of person why cries over movies but dang I can't put to words how much this series has moved/affected me in many different ways. It was as if every dormant emotional hormones (serotonin, endorphins, dopamine, oxytocin, adrenaline, etc. ) I have were awakened. It penetrates deep into my hypothalamus and amygdala ? down to my heart ❤️? I love how the actors had brought me to empathize with their characters as if I was involved in every scene - everything was raw... and profound and...sensational and all other praises you could possibly think of. A big kudos to the director, screenwriters, and every crew members who turned this series into a masterpiece. It will take me forever to move on from this marvelous work of art. No exaggeration, this how I really feel.

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