Too much talking Not enough Action
I’ve had “Ever Night” on and off my PTW list for 2 years. I finally took the plunge because I was running out of good wuxia dramas to watch. As it turned out, what I thought I would like did not meet my expectations. What I thought I hated and delayed my decision to watch, turned out to be not that bad.Preconception but doesn’t mean they are true::
♦︎ "Ever Night” is a great wuxia drama with amazing fight scenes. A great story of our hero starting weak but becoming the strongest.
♦︎ The romance between Ning Que and Sang Sang is not my cup of tea, thus, it took me so long to watch this. I am a romance lover and if the romance doesn’t attract me, I might not want to watch.
What I Like❤️:
1. Sang Sang (FL) - This is a minor surprise as I usually do not like naive and innocent female leads. But Sang Sang turns out to be innocent yet smart and can take care of herself without being taken advantage of. She is so adorable! Ireine Song did a great job in showing Sang Sang’s innocence and adorableness without making feel like she’s another typical annoying female lead. I never would have thought Ireine was 25 years old (in 2018).
2. Ning Que (ML) - I have always liked an anti-hero. Usually in a wuxia cultivation drama, the male lead is weak but perfect, smart, outgoing and well-liked. Ning Que is different. He’s smart but calculating and keeps his cards close to his chest. He doesn’t care if you like him or not, and doesn’t often show interest in others. He’s not particularly cold, but also not particularly friendly.
3. Veteran actors - All the veteran actors in this drama shine the brightest. The younger generation really cannot hold a candle to them. I am particularly impressed with Chin Shih Chieh (Divine Talisman Master) and Ni Da Hong (Grand Priest of Light). Their scenes individually and also together during their battle are so well-acted.
4. OST - “Ever Night” has a very eclectic soundtrack. I was surprised to hear the fun “Take Your Life (取你的命)”. There’s also a good mix of songs that have a very historical/wuxia or romantic feel to them. My favorite song is probably the title song, “Changan (故长安)” by Jane Zhang (张靓颖) and “Let Me (任我)” by Reno Wang (王铮亮).
5. Production Quality - Although there aren’t too many fancy costumes, but I like what I see. Arthur Chen looks great in both black, white and navy blue. I also like the costumes of the Queen and Princess and their accessories. Crystal Yuan as the Book Addict looks beautiful and graceful. The sets and props do not look cheap or flimsy. Another thing I greatly appreciate is that actors use their own voice and there seems to be live recording. I think it’s quite rare for a historical drama in 2018 (though we see more in 2020’s).
What I have Mixed Feelings or Don’t Like 🤨
1. Romance - At first, I thought I might hate the idea of Ning Que and Sang Sang together. But they are so adorable in the first half of the drama that I want to see them as a couple. I looked forward to ep 47 when they had the big confrontation/heart-to-heart. Unfortunately, their chemistry went downhill after ep 47. Nothing romantic happened, they didn’t seem to have that many scenes together. Ning Que did not look like he was in love with Sang Sang, nor did he really act that differently. I think he looked like he was more in love with Mo Shan Shan during those shy scenes. I was sorely disappointed. I felt bad for Sang Sang. It didn’t help that Ning Que seemed to flirt with everyone.
2. Plot/Pacing - It took me about 10 episodes to get into the groove. But once we got to the arc of the Academy and the exam, it was fun for me again. I want to see more Academy shenanigans and actual learning. I really didn’t see much learning/studying/training in the Academy. Unfortunately, the last ⅓ of the drama was too slow.. There’s too much talking and not enough action. I typically enjoy someone like Ning Que learning and training to become the hero of the story. Unfortunately, the drama spends too much time on politics and the fight for the throne. In the end, politics didn’t really play a big part in Ning Que’s cultivation and revenge story. So much time was wasted on the princes. I would love to see more of the Academy instead of the royal family.
3. Action - I was hoping there will be plenty of action scenes throughout the drama for this wuxia/fighting fan. Unfortunately, there are barely any action scenes in the first half of the drama. I was expecting something during the battle between Light & Talisman, but the battle was just too poetic with fireworks and rainbows. Argh… I was so disappointed! Give me some good CGI fights if they are too old to do wire work. I have to wait till the last couple episodes to see a few good fights. I do appreciate the lack of standing around during fights or twirling/spinning. These hard-to-come-by fights are fun and exciting to watch. I was also hoping to see more of the disciples in action. They are interesting in theory but aside from the exam, and the last episode, we barely see their gifts in action. It’s just a lot of hanging out and chatting. These disciples just don’t make for exciting drama watching. If not all of them are the fighting type, at least have Disciple #1 and #2 do some fighting. I really had high expectations.
4. Prince Long Qin - I am not sure how I feel about this character. Is he a true villain? Not really. He just has a different belief system than others and is very stubborn about it. But, he also seems very cartoonish as a character. This character probably is the most difficult to play as Long Qin when first introduced and the Long Qin in the last episode are very different. I think Sun Zu Jun did a decent job.
5. Pizza Hut - I just cannot NOT talk about Pizza Hut. This has got to be the most ridiculous product placement in a historical drama. Once I saw pizzas and wings for the first time in episode 7,, I cannot unsee them in every other scene they show up. I can deal with the snacks but pizzas are just too much for me.
6. Ugly Wigs - What is up with the ugly wigs for all the male characters???
Other Random Observations:
1. Arthur Chen was so young in this drama (about 18 years old). His acting is decent but not quite up to par.
2. I can’t help but stare at Sun Zu Jun’s abs.. The 6-pack looks so toned but fake at the same time.
3. The height difference between Arthur Chen and Ireine Song is just too much to make the romance believable.
4. Love the bromance between Ning Que and Chen Pi Pi.
5. I want to see more of the history and romance between the King and Queen.
6. So surprised to see Leon Lai as the King. I can’t believe he’s changed so much and not the heartthrob that I remember.
Completed: 11/22/2022
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This review may contain spoilers
One all should watch
Before I begin i’ll part a spoiler warning where i’ll be mentioning them in regards to my review.This series is definitely up there in the ranks for me. It’s not just the storyline itself. I felt actors chosen for the particular roles fit really well. Along with a remarkable ost.
The ost itself matched perfectly in the scenes. It wasn’t the lyrics themselves but the melody. Each of the instrumental pieces fit as perfect as a puzzle. It was definitely very satisfying to watch.
Although there’s a lot of characters but that’s typical of all Chinese dramas. I did catch up pretty fast on who is whom etc.
It really takes a lot for me to not get distracted. Although pacing for some might have been slower. I felt that everything happening really captured my attention. The episodes went by super fast. I didn’t even realize how fast I was going through.
I did also enjoy the fighting in this. It didn’t feel like they used a lot of stunt doubles and cgi etc. It was actual fighting instead of showing the actors face then have all scenes with a double.
Specific character spoilers ahead
I really didn’t like Long Qing. Granted I guess the actor did a good job. In the beginning eh he was just there. But he really wasn’t a humble character let’s just say. He just keeps thinking he can do anything without effort because he’s the child of light. Every time he failed it got worse.
After super failing. He became this annoying pitiful character. It’s as if he didn’t even try when in turn he could have succeeded with some effort. He had a lot of opportunities to help himself. The only thing that turned him around was him thinking a miracle would happen. Just his whining gave me his headache. Then after turning into the complete opposite of who he was. I felt like the director purposely had him walk around shirtless like Tarzan. The episodes he was in towards the last arc were all him flaunting his body. It was really weird. It’s nice to look at someone with a nice body but it become awkward. Ugh.
Anyways I know season 2 has a diff ML and then random characters are diff. I dunno how I feel about it and almost don’t want to watch. But i’ll give it a go.
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i love this drama!
I was planning to drop this drama when i found out that it contains 60 episodes for I don't have patience in watching such a long drama because I wanted to know the finale after few watching. But then, the drama suprised me for having great patience in watching without skipping from episodes to next episodes. I was surprised that i was able to watch the 60 episodes from first up to the last episode with enjoyment.This is my first time to watch this young actor Chen Fei Yu, and i found him interesting, the longer I watch the sooner that i fell in love to his acting, I found him pretty good! Song Yi Ren is cute and her role as Sang sang fits her so well. Chen Fei Yu and Song Yi Ren has good chemistry together in this drama.
It was a pity that he left the serie for the second season because i like him more to be Ning Que than Dylan Wang. In fairness to Dylan Wang, I like him too... but it would be much enjoyable to watch if Chen Fei Yu would be the same actor to play in Ever Night season 2.
For me, I love this drama so much! I love the sound track especially the theme songs. I love the story! ... meaning to say... i rated this drama as number 1 from all the drama I watch so far....
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Have rewatched several times
This is one of the few dramas that I enjoy rewatching. I always like dramas about underdogs rising to the top, w/c helps me feel good/entertained during these trying times. I especially liked the relationship between the ML and Chen Pipi, and ML and his teacher (loved the old guy). I did not care for the ML and FL relationship, and felt a little "uneasy" about it, considering ML raised the FL since she was a baby. The height difference also does not help. The emperor was funny and charming as well.I like how they ended the drama, even though there's a season 2. I have watched Season 2 and sad to say, I did not like that as much as this one.
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Easily Top 5 on my Chinese Drama List
I don't need to explain too long here.Story line as per synopsis, with perfect amount of plot twist keep us engaged and entertained through the series.
The beauty of this series is from emotion between main leads looks real and believable.
So it is good characters and good acting!
CGI is great! Fighting scenes are great too. Not too mention the fighting choreography is very detail although with CGI effect here and there. The CGI and fighting choreography are balance and compliment each other. It is not like two people throw punch, then the CGI light got fighting, without the people body move an inch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Great fight scenes but weird romance
The fight scenes are great, story and plot is fine too. Even watching it 2 yrs later it still looks good.But theres just too many characters in this drama so its flipping and switching from characters to characters way too much. Thus theres alot of fast forwarding for me since theres some characters which i am not interested in and find that it just choke the story.
However theres great acting from some of its many characters.
The romance however between the male lead and the female lead just seems weird, afterall the male lead is supposed to be 18 yrs old, so that makes the female 11 to 13 yrs old. Even thou she is supposed to be 15 yrs old, but lets be realistic, if ning que is 3 yrs old when he found shang shang, thats just impossible for him to have raise her.
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More Like Never Night!
With a grandiose beginning narrating the back story of ever night, it fails to give justice to it. This show is undeniably a treat for the wuxia genre fans as it is packed with good sets, production, good and suitable music, well-choreographed fights, good wuxia based scenes and CGI and a good cast. Yet, it doesn't succeed in grabbing the attention of the mainstream audience, obviously because, with a whopping 60+ episodes, it has a very loose storyline and fails to utilize the finely created characters to the fullest potential. There were several speculations of several characters bringing some twist and turns to the plot but they never do, especially the princess character. The grandeur with which she was introduced she doesn't do much in this season. Maybe, more might come in next season. The main characters do undergo some decent character growth as opposed being a bit unlikeable at the start. The penultimate twist was a bit surprising, although not foreseen. It was quite frustrating to know that after spending so much time with this there was no ever night.This could have been aptly renamed as "Ever night: Chapter one The revenge" or something on those lines. Despite its flaws, it was enjoyable for a wuxia fan.
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This review may contain spoilers
Great Premise but Quite Boring
OVERALLIt took me yearsss and one drama recommendation for me to watch this drama. The whole drama had such a great premise, even if these aren't ideas that we have not seen before. The characters had a good back story, and the fight scene from the beginning hooked me. However, the drama got boring quite fast. There was so much drag time that I was able to let my mind wander and think about all of the things that went wrong. I don't believe I will be continuing the second season. Not because of the change in the male lead, but because this season was quite disappointing. I am quite interested to see Sang Sang's character reveal, but with the lack of character development in S1, I doubt S2 could do any better. I think after hearing so many good things about Ever Night, I expected more, and I didn't get it.
Positive Points:
-There were a handful of great fight scenes that were well directed and edited
-Good premise for plot and characters
-Good cinematography and CGI
Negative Points:
-Lacked character development
-Lacked plot development
-Felt dragged out with 60 episodes
STORY
So much could have been done to the story to improve it. The issue could have been that we were given so many side characters and so many side stories. We had to learn about the Haotian, Tang Empire, the Academy, Demonic Cult, Xiling Immortal Shrine, etc. The integration of that many groups, their beliefs, and their rules for this overarching theme of "eternal night" didn't feel quite convincing. It wasn't weaved together into a way where I felt like certain groups, scenes, or even characters were necessary to drive the plot forward, but I had to sit there and watch so many scenes of it. I questioned a lot of the characters/groups and their importance for the drama A LOT. I feel like when I question things like that, that lowers my watching experience.
ACTING/CAST/CHARACTERS
I commend the two leads and any rookie actors/actresses in this drama because they worked alongside so many veterans. Not only that, the acting in here didn't felt too forced and was quite natural. I appreciated many characters in here and how they're not invincible even though they reached certain stages of cultivation. They don't always leave unscathed and don't always come off as untouchable.
Ning Que had a great character story on why he felt the need to cultivate and get revenge. His character was a well-written anti-hero underdog that was easy to like and root for. While I liked his character story, I hated how he had little to no character development. This made Ning Que my biggest issue in the drama as it lacked the umpf! and satisfaction I craved for in a main character for this type of drama setting. I feel like this was due to that it was written for the drama to have multiple seasons. Despite that, it made no sense to me why a particular sequence of events went down the way it did for him. Second Brother and everyone saw no worth in Ning Que's ability to cultivate, yet he got into the Second Floor (this could be argued though). When he got to the Second Floor, he was never really taught cultivation, and that's where it threw me off. We see him waste his time running around with no improvement to his character. And these were a good chunk of episodes too. He only got his "real lesson" when the Sage punished him. There's more that I could rant on with his character, but I'll stop here.
MUSIC
The music was quite interesting, in terms of the soundtracks. I enjoyed it, even though it's not songs where I would add to my playlist. There was a mix of everything, and I think it matched the drama well and was well-edited into the scenes. I enjoyed the thought into the editing when adding natural sounds and layering them with music and other sounds (such as during fights).
RE-WATCH VALUE
I didn't love it, nor did I hate it. I just felt like it isn't worth sitting through if you're not a fan of the novel, actors/actresses, or the drama itself. It'll be hard to sit through again, especially since this is just season 1 and currently with season 3 up in the air.
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GREAT FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE HIGH FANTASY AND POLITICAL INTRIGUE WITH A BIT OF MAGIC
Okay so comparing it to this to GoT doesn't do it justice because it is SO MUCH BETTER. The sets, costume, locations are all top quality and you can see that everyone behind the scenes put 100% effort into all the details. If i could give the music a hundred million stars i would it was that good oml. As far as the acting goes I think everyone did a pretty good job convincing us that they are their character, but at times you can tell that some of the actors are a bit off, but for the most part everyone is good throughout. Also all the people aren't white so it's actually bearable.At first I had trouble keeping all the storylines straight but it wasn't too hard to understand, just a lot of different characters with a lot of different motivations. All of them added to the overall plot though so there wasn't too much filler which I am thankful for. I never read the novel so I'm not familiar with the source material but I still managed to keep up for the most part.
A lot of people took problem with the character of Sang Sang and the actresses portrayal of it but I think it was well done and made sense. She was actually one of the best actors in my opinion and her micro-expressions add such a charm to the character of Sang Sang. While watching it remember Ning Que is all that she has known and her only family and also that she is sick from her chilling disease and he is the one who takes care of her so it makes sense that she is extremely attached to him and he is to her as well..
ALSO IF ONE MORE PERSON SAYS HE IS LIKE HER DAD I AM GOING TO SCREAM. LIKE I GET THAT HE WAS THE ONE WHO FOUND HER AND THAT THEY HAVE BEEN TOGETHER ALL OF THEIR LIVES BUT THE WEI CITY GENERAL LITERALLY SAID THAT HE FOUND THEM AND TOOK THEM IN AND DOES ANYONE REALLY THINK A 5-8 YEAR OLD IS CAPABLE OF RAISING A BABY NO
It also has to be said that a lot of people body shame Sang Sang which is just not cool and plain mean like she looks like a cute young girl it's not like she lives a glamorous life plus she has so much more to offer so protect Sang Sang okay?
The show also does justice to female characters making them complex and giving them autonomy and not just serve as love interests or plot devices. Speaking of there is very little romance in the show which is the opposite of what I usually look for but all the character relationships were so well done I didn't even miss it.
ALSO ALL THE GUYS ARE SO HOT.I KNOW THAT'S SHALLOW BUT I CAN"T WRITE THIS REVIEW AND NOT MENTION IT I HAVE NEVER SEEN A DRAMA WITH THIS MANY GOOD LOOKING MEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. OBJECTIFICATION IS BAD STAY IN SCHOOL KIDS BUT DAMN EVERYONE IS SO HOT ITS UNREALISTIC CAN THE CASTING DIRECTOR FIND ME A BOYFRIEND
Anyway definitely give this drama a chance because it is hands down one of THE BEST DRAMAS out there and I can't wait to watch Season 2!
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The Cast
Great story, I love it. Only one thing, the cast for sang sang, Irene sang didn't right enough to play sang sang. To be real honest, She is not cute, not beautiful and not adorable at all. A better actress should make the drama even much better. I feel she is over reacted in playing sang sang, trying to be cute and innocence, and somehow annoying to me. I always skip or fast forward the scene her with Ning que when only the two of them, she just not the right one for Ning que, what a pity. Perhaps another cute beautiful actress may do it. Irene can play young sang sang and changing to a much better looking actress then. If there's gonna be Ever Night 3, I strongly suggest to changed the actress that play sang sang, or may be I have to skip or fast forward all the time....Was this review helpful to you?
