Disregard the Age Differences
Legend of Fei is a Wuxia drama that has its fair share of action and romance. Because this is an adapted drama on "Bandits" by Priest, the storyline evolves around Zhou Fei and her development/ swordsmanship (I have not read "Bandits", so I don't know if the drama and the novel are exactly the same). That being said, I loved how there is a strong female lead with martial skills exceeding that of the male lead; in which many Wuxia dramas do not have...it's a nice change. I also liked how the supporting characters had their own story and purpose in the drama. Without them, the storyline wouldn't have flowed as well as it did. Moving to what I disliked... the voice dub was just unfitting for some of the characters, especially for Zhou Fei. I know Zhou Fei is suppose to be a teenager, but her voice just didn't fit Zhou Fei's personality... if that makes sense. Also, 51 episodes is a lot and most Wuxia dramas have complicated storylines, so you'd really need to pay attention when watching and don't skip episodes. You'll miss a key understanding if you do. Overall, this is a well produced Wuxia drama, that I would definitely rewatch.To those that worry about the age gap between Zhao Liying and Wang Yibo, it really isn't noticeable unless you continuously point it out as you watch. The chemistry between the two have been on point from beginning to the end and that made the drama really enjoyable. At certain angles you can probably tell that Zhao Liying has aged, but her performance is still superb and she portrayed Zhou Fei flawlessly. Wang Yibo also performed exceptionally well, given that this is his second Wuxia drama (after The Untamed, a Xianxa drama). His character in Legend of Fei is so different from his character in The Untamed, that you really can't help but praise him.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Adventures of Zhou Fei and Friends
Non-spoiler positives:I think the reason why most of here are because of Zhao Li Ying and Wang Yi Bo so as fans of them, I'd say you'd have to watch. They are cute together.
It is generally a very light and family-friendly show. Characters are likeable/lovable. Show is fun to watch because there are funny banters, action sword-fights and general all feel-good vibes. Would I recommend this? Yes. I would not classify this as a blockbuster series, but if you have the extra time then I'd say watch this. This is essentially Legend of the Condor Heroes female lead version where female lead literally takes on the entire lead role with noob kungfu at the beginning but progresses better as she meets martial arts masters and comes across many kungfu manuals along the way. That's not the main story, though - as there is a big bad organisation out to steal some treasure that she is also after.
The supporting actors are also nice to watch. They really felt like a bunch of friends on an adventure together hence my review title, lol.
Anyway, the negatives so SPOILERS AHEAD:
I felt that the show fell flat starting from Xie Yun's bone-chilling arc. The pacing was rather off from this point on because trying to fit in so many characters and conspiracies in a 51-episode show was too much and all over the place. From this point up to about the late 40's, we had to slot in Yin Pei, Small Medicine Valley, Xie Yun's monk childhood, Yu Wenzhi and the occasional Anping Army which (facepalm) I still don't see what their role was in this show other than to take Lord Gantang away for 9/10th of the show.
Plot hole 1 - Anping Army, Yu Wenzhi, Zichen and the previous dynasty. Seriously, after 51 episodes I'm clueless as to who and what these people are/were trying to do and their relationships with each other. Yu Wenzhi literally appeared out of nowhere during the big 48 Fortress battle and just appears on and off as a big bad with an army. Literally no background here. Zichen - don't get me started with this guy. He had one job which was to bring Poison Woman to 48 Fortress and that's it.
Plot hole 2 - Demons in general. Shen Tianshu's motives were never really clear from the start. Even his dumping of Poison Woman was rather quick? It felt like they just create his motives along the way and there was no real build-up. He's just a bad guy who goes around killing people even when he tells them that he won't.
I mentioned above that this was a light-hearted show and that is personally a problem to me but I suppose I have myself to blame for not checking what the book was all about. I expected heavier and more serious undertones like Princess Agents but this had none of that. The deaths barely impacted me (only Duan Jiuniang's death did) and I felt nothing when the few characters like Fisherman, Old Madam Wang, Master Qi, Yin Pei, General Wen Yu died. Which brings me to my next point;
ZLY's performance - I watched the show because I have been a big fan. I love her acting and I love her previous works but I felt that her talent was diminished in this show. She didn't have many memorable lines and scenes. Only the few scenes where she cried over Xie Yun moved me a little (even so, nowhere near to the effect of her previous works). Most of her focus were on the sword moves which I give credit for as she did the stunts herself. .. though I wished they described her South Blade swordsmanship a little more because it's supposed to be something technical. Instead, all they did was show flashbacks of her grandfather.
WYB's performance - I liked him from The Untamed but I personally think he's not suited to play Xie Yun. Not that he's doomed to play a serious introvert for life, but I could see that he's still a little amateur-ish in the way he played Xie Yun. I can't really put a pin to it but it's probably a mixture of the "exasperated" eyes he makes and generally just .. stiff-ness.
ZLY + WYB chemistry - ok no complaints here. I think they're fine! Not the best on-screen chemistry in history, but they have a lot of sweet and aww moments. Too many to list so I won't. I don't think ZLY is too old for WYB in this show simply because she looks so young.
CG and editing - bad. notice how the same forest gets recycled over and over? But I suppose I won't blame them since their filming schedule got delayed due to the pandemic.
Supporting characters I think we could have done without - Bonehead, Li Yan and Poison Man. I mean they added comic relief to the show but I tend to fast forward every scene with them.
Couples - I must say Li Sheng + Chu Chu were very close to overtaking ZF + XY for me. If they had more screen time, they just might. :D I'm glad to see Li Sheng matured from a bratty, jealous cousin to a reliable and strategic leader. Luckily Chu Chu wasn't a damsel in distress either (though, I pity the fact they just forgot about her lil brother altogether)
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is worth your time?
yes it surely is worth your time. Not like other dramas it doesn't have cliche scenes. Even though at some scenes the plot might feel boring and you might want to skip some parts, you surely can, but mostly the entire plot and acting is fairly good! also Wang Yibo did an amazing job !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Was this review helpful to you?
Everyone lives for Zhou Fei and these heroes
Story about heroes and heroines, justice and injustice, victories and losses, sects, intrigues of Demons, who want to take control of everyone, but also about power of friendships, not giving up and fighting for others in good and in bad. About all of this, and also more, Legend of Fei is. Drama which took my breath away and I would recommend it to everyone who need to live story which has everything. Drama which was criticized a lot, but I found my another nostalgia in it.I need to be in mood for watching historical dramas. As well as for romance and dark thrillers, I always must to be prepared for that specific genre. So when I was, probably three weeks ago, searching for drama which I would have to give a try and someone reminded me that Legend of Fei was airing, my watcher’s view-finder automatically turned in this direction.
Let’s take it lightly. Legend of Fei is historical Chinese drama with strong heroine Zhou Fei in the leading position, there are many plots around this story which let you go to infinite maze which you can’t escape from. If you aren’t ready for big typhoon of information, in this case, you better avoid this drama. Almost every episode, we get to know new parts of story line and new unfamiliar characters. We can see it like pieces of puzzle which slowly fit into the complicated puzzle. As far as story, it’s an insane tangle. Fight scenes, speeches of main characters, which will stuck in your memory, dramatic moments when you will pray that everything will turn out well, only a few times, like a sweet dot in this tough story, romance appears here when we can watch our main characters how they are able to sacrifice for each other and fight against destiny (and how it will end, you can check out yourself, i am not spoiler box). Everything waits for you to discover it and enjoy it.
Story is thrilling from beggining to end. I had problem only with two episodes which I didn’t enjoy too much but I still don’t know why it was like that, maybe my brain stopped to understand this story line’s tangle (or maybe I just didn’t understand because of English, it’s not my national language so that's possible). But story line doesn’t lack tension, it has everything what it should have. One part actually looks very weird (I don’t want to spoiler), someone would think it is from another universe. Maybe it was only because of that moment, everything was absurd back then, but I still can’t be okay with it. I need to watch it again. Because of two episodes, which weren’t so enjoyable, and this absurdity I can’t get 10 points for story. But it’s only detail.
For characters… Zhou Fei is definitely great main heroin. Fearless, strong girl, she has own head, she can think and she doesn’t have problem to stand up for others. That’s my imagination of perfect female lead, I am living for her. Xie Yun is Zhou Fei’s associate, they are incredible duo. Xie Yun’s character is impressive to watch, he is funny, nice, but also intelligent and has a lot to offer in his mind. He gives an impression that he has deep thoughs and he carries so much in himself, that’s true. Definitely amazing character and Wang Yibo suited this very well! For romance between them I can say that’s exactly what I wanted and expected. It perfectly suits story line, it is nonchalant and casual, interactions between Zhou Fei and Xie Yun aren’t awkward, they don’t have problem to communicate with each other and solve things together, they aren’t afraid of touching, they fight for each other. It is just totally normal, light, nice, definitely good and sweet pot for this story. These two are just amazing!
At the beggining, I wasn’t satisfied with Li Sheng’s character but this man had so big character development that I needed to change my mind. Now I am amazed by his character so much. Chuchu was fantastic character too, I only need to add her intelligence sometimes, I still see that scene in forest. Yang Jin, Li Yan and Poisoner were amazing duo too, Yang Jin is just a great guy. I also really enjoyed scenes with Phoenix who I found very interesting.
Demons are typical sect which want to destroy everyone and be the first one in everything, nothing much to say about them, but because of them we have almost all plots here and that’s amazing!
If I should say something to actors/actresses, that’s a gold valley. Zanilia Zhao is absolutely brilliant, it was my first time watching her acting, it didn’t take long and I fell under her spell. Wang Yibo does excellent job as well, he captured Xie Yun’s character perfectly! And also others act so well, especially Zhang Xin Yu who played Yang Jin, that’s unforgettable!
OSTs are beautiful, especially Wu Hua, I think I am in love.
Also I want to say something to cheap-looking effects which is thing about which others have talked a lot. Yeah, it was visible in some scenes, editing sometimes looked weird, but otherwise I can’t say that it disturbed me that much, maybe I’m the only one. I know a lot of people dropped this drama because of this and that’s a pity, because story is worth it and I really hadn’t some big problem with it!
Legend of Fei amazed me, surprised me, it joined my favorites and I believe I will watch it again in the future. Honestly, I am in mood start watch it again right now, I know I will notice more details when I will watch it again.
So if you want a story which will catch you, you aren’t afraid of confusing plots and Wuxia is your favorite, go ahead and watch it, it’s amazing!
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I ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND THIS ONE
Just finished it, this is a solid 10 out if 10, I absolutely like every part of this drama from the plot to the characters to the pace of the story,everything was incredible.One of few dramas that are executed well regarding every aspects of the things that are involved.
I 100% see my self rewatching it in the future. if u are into a wuxia genre dramas, I absolutely recommend this!
There might be some minor inconveniences along the way but its better to ignore those since there is no such thing as a perfect work. It might not be tooo good to some people due to those however it's still decent even if i try to be picky.
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"Your destiny hangs at the tip of your blade and the tip of your blade must always point forward."
Watched this in June 2022! And I have to say that it's one of the best dramas I've ever watched! I absolutely adored the entirety of the cast! From the main leads to the antagonists every actor was amazing!About the female lead:
The female lead, Zhou Fei has grown to become one of my most favourite characters ever! Although in the beginning she seems a bit immature and she generally is quite stubborn I can't fathom how anyone would hate her. She's very kind-hearted, generous and just. She doesn't give up and is very hardworking. Although she becomes very skillful and super powerful, she still remains humble and kind! Honestly, I adored how knowledgeable she was in martial arts and how powerful and dedicated she was! Zhao Li Ying did a magnificent job in her performance!
About the male lead:
I really liked his playful attitude, his loyalty and his love to the fl. He seemed like a genuinely good and very friendly person. In todays terms I would call him the life of the party. He seems like a kind and funny person with whom I'd probably like to be friends with, if I could. Wang Yi Bo did an absolutely amazing job in his performance!
The chemistry of the main leads was praise-worthy! They seemed like a great match!
I PARTICULARLY enjoyed Hu Bing's performance as Li Zheng (Zhou Fei's grandfather). Whenever he was on screen I (and my mother) couldn't look away!
Also Geng Le was magnificent as Shen Tian Shu. I loved him in the Long Ballad and though I didn't love his character here, I absolutely loved his portrayal of the main antagonist. Some other performances I greatly enjoyed was that of Dong Xuan as Duan Jiu Niang, Zong Feng Yan as Zhou Yi Tang (Zhou Fei's father), Frankie Guo as
Mu Xiao Qiao (Phoenix Master) and Ruan Sheng as Wen Ji Yun Chen (North Blade). I can go on and on about how much I liked all of the actors but it'll take forever so I'll stop here.
All in all a great story with a great development and an amazing cast! I really recommend it and most probably will re-watch it in the future.
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This review may contain spoilers
One of the best Wuxia dramas
Story - 8.5Overall, the story was not bad, it may just seem quite overstuffed in the first quarter, but it gets more interesting after. The only thing which I really disliked is that ChuChu seemed to totally forget about her little brother lol.
Acting/Cast - 10
10/10 for acting, because everyone made such a great job!
Zhou Fei - Zhao Liying is surely a great actress, and I really enjoyed her chemistry with Wang Yibo, they made a really cute couple. Also, it was very satisfying to look how the character of A'Fei, quite naive and unexperienced at first, developed episode by episode!
Xie Yun - In my opinion, it was one of the best Yibo's projects, and he really shined so much here, portraying both funny and sometimes pensive sides of Xie Yun.
Li Sheng & Wu Chuchu - He was really annoying in the beginning, causing troubles and being jealous of Fei, but he is one of the characters who developed the most. He found his strong sides, intelligence and leadership, and eventually became one of my fav characters. Chuchu was also unexperienced and naive at first, she doesn't even have martial skills, but is really thoughtful.
Li Yan, Bumpkin Yang and Ying Hecong - our funny trio of troublemakers, who still managed to help a lot and survive till the end! LOF would definitely not be that funny without them. I especially loved Ying Hecong from his best line "Do you want me to gift you a snake? :D" to A'Fei when Xie was dying, lol. I also somehow wanted him to be with A'Yan, but that too are also a cute pair.
Music - 9.5
I usually never listen to opening songs, but I really enjoyed the one here. All OSTs were on point and lyrics were really good (Wuhua is my fav, it really sounded like the dialogue between YunFei which they never would tell out). One thing is that it would be great if there were some more songs, but it was not repetitive tho.
Rewatch Value - 9.0
Overall - 9.5
Overall, it was a great Wuxia drama and one of the best for me (I am not that impressive, it was just really good) and I will definitely rewatch it in the future.
Hope this review was helpful ( It's my first time writing one)
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All character in the series played an important role... i like how they form their friendship specially the scene when they went to that Cave... BUT the Female Cousin there is really annoying specially when she cries like 2 yrs old & she always upset that her face is almost folded often hahaha plus her voice, grrrr she really annoys me good there is forward button What I love is the Third Prince, he is really cute falling in love with Fei & proposing for marriage hahaha... so adorable... Also, they did not also clear about the little brother Chuchu...
Overall, it was good... when it ends i felt that i will miss them...
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This review may contain spoilers
At first, I watch this series just because I am a fan of both ML and FL. The first episodes not so interesting to me and I skip many scene that I found quite bored. However I still manage to continue the rest of the episodes and glad that I did it.At first, the story show the development in each characters life and how they learned to overcome the problem / situation that arise. After that, the story keep developing, the characters become more mature and love starts growing, then the story be more interesting to watch. Even the comedy part are hilarious.
I really love the chemistry between Wang Yibo and Zhao Liying despite huge years gap between them. The love between Xie Yun and Fei is really soft and unbreakable. They trust each other and never let anything to break them apart. The other two couples are cute too.
The main concern is that this drama have a happy ending!! I have watched too many historical drama that even though the story is great but the ending is horrible. LOF ending really really satisfied me as it show each characters happy moment and how they continue their life.
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Refreshing drama
If you have watched plenty of similar drama of this genre and looking for something new and refreshing , legend of Fei is a good choice. Story is not boring and there’s no lag. Cast are suitable and performed well. Overall it’s worth the time.If there is Something that I would like add is if there’s some more detail in depiction of how lead character improved her martial art it would’ve been nice.
The most important Plus point is there are no unnecessary love sequences and unwanted plots against the lead character
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This review may contain spoilers
Not what i was looking for...
Nothing wrong with this drama I just think it wasn't made for me.The start was promising and interesting but it went downhill pretty quickly. I don't know if it's maybe a miscast of just the show itself but it felt pretty childish. Like I was listening to captain hook or another Disney show. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Disney movies and shows, I just could not get into this one. During the few episodes I've watched I didn't find myself being nervous about the main characters, there wasn't any stake and I knew they would get themselves out of the situations.
One of the good points is that the show features really cool sword fighting scenes. I think it's one of the best fighting choreography that I've seen as of yet and I wish to see more in future shows.
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Must watch! Story of great character develoment
It has a very great start! Character development and variety of background of the main characters (fei, yun, mom, dad, grand dad, etc..) always raise very strong curiosity. Not to mention new characters that may or may not last lots of episodes (as I watched thru #12 yet, not sure how they will last) are each given their own short story, it is just like short stories that are developing within the grand plan of the legend to give backgrounds as well as to raise curiosity! This reminds me of how the legendary writers Gu Long, Liang Yushen, and Jin Yong present their stories. Zhao Liying usually plays her characters on Princess Agent, Rookie Agent, and Journey of Flower, is expected to be played very great as Zhou Fei, very similar character development, attitude and plays. She, as always, plays very consistent (or coz the writers wrote the character to play consistently). Xie Yun character is a little bit different that how Wang Yibo plays his character Lan Zhan in the Untamed, but I like it more in this series. Xie Yun character as of these 12 episodes is not played very consistent as Zhou Fei is , but well we'd see how this goes. This could also be part of the writer's plan...Was this review helpful to you?
