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This review may contain spoilers
Listening Snow Tower is an interesting story with a plethora of well-performed martial arts moves, giving vibes of Legend of Fuyao. Somehow it seems virtually impossible to go through the drama without mentally imprinting Wuji on Yi Qing and Fuyao on Jing Rong and this is where memory lane goes incredibly right to some viewers or incredibly wrong to others, puffed out from the strenuous exercise of going backwards and forwards between the dramas.For those that have watched and enjoyed Fuyao, Listening Snow Tower is a good drama to pick up to maintain momentum as it can postpone the sad drama withdrawal. Denial isn’t good but the dramas actually are.
For those that have watched but either dropped or immensely disliked Fuyao, then stay away. This is not nor will it be a favourite flavour of tea.
For those that have absolutely no idea who Fuyao is, Listening Snow Tower is a great drama to watch and then once finished, a binge on Fuyao is a good idea. Keep in mind though that Listening Snow Tower has a faster pace, not really suitable for those that enjoy slow-paced dramas with draggy unnecessary scenes.
This drama as the title so aptly explains in three short words is about Listening Snow Tower and one should really listen. The pugilistic world is a mess, with the out-of-favour and out-of-power Snow Tower due to a rift of internal struggles. Betrayal is never done by an enemy and the cliché is proven right once again as if, it actually mattered to the story’s development.
Yi Qing is the heir of Snow Tower that takes over from his deceased father. As a first task, rebuild and restore Snow Tower’s reputation to its former glory asap. The thing is Yi Qing is ill. He has been ill with an incurable disease since childhood which mind you is not a hindrance to his state-of-the-art marital arts skills and his strategic thinking. His illness does not control his life nor does it run it. Yi Qing loves Jing Rong, the orphan daughter of the Blood Demon who also returns his feelings.
Fuyao again. Like Wuiji protects Fuyao, helping her achieve her full potential, Yi Qing protects Jin Rong, helping her become stronger so that she can fight the Moon Sect bent on destroying Snow Tower alongside him.
Jin Rong is filled with guilt when she finds out that her life is fated to bring others misfortune. Fuyao all over again. Then there are the battles for power amidst the sects, nothing out of the ordinary or remotely original but well accomplished.
The performances do not have the star power of Fuyao however the leads and remaing of the characters are well-matched and performed. Nothing exceptional but nothing to be critical about either. Indeed the drama might all appear a bit bland but bland is better than having a salty meal.
Visually Listening Snow Tower is good, not going over the top with weird-looking bright-pallet coloured costumes which have dragged many a good drama down with its fruit salad look. There’s contrast, white, red, black and it works wonderfully for those who like a more manga/comic book look in a drama with a small number of colour variations.
Overall, is a good enjoyable fast-paced drama, a bit hard to stop watching, a bit hard not to binge on it once one gets into it. Rating: 9.5 out of 10.
Should one watch it? Definitely but forget about Fuyao if possible and enjoy the series for what is worth!
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This review may contain spoilers
The show was ONLY good/okay.
I enjoyed but didn't love love this show.The problem (for me) was the lack of chemistry between leads, the FL's acting & facial expressions were off especially during intense battle where she had kind of a half smile on her lips while attacking (not a cool smirk, btw, just a weird smile), which always seemed out of place, and also the writing of the FL's character... she was supposed to be a bad ass swordswoman/martial arts, second to only the ML in skills and yet she was ALWAYS getting her ass handed to her and having to be rescued.
Why SAY/ACT like she was supposed to be amazing after those 3 years only to let all the mediocre bad guys always win over her without the ML's help? Not. Cool.
Finally, I hated the character arch for several of the side characters. Too many went to the "dark side", got kill needlessly, or made decisions at the end that didn't make sense at all based on the story up to that point, but... I held out through 20 too many episodes to see the end.
The show was good/okay. The fight scenes were great. I don't regret giving the show a try, BUT I would never waste my time watching it a 2nd time. If you want a show with a similar feel, watch THE FLAME'S DAUGHTER (which I loved) & skip this one.
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THE GOOD
Dare I say this had one of the best set of supporting characters I have ever seen? They all were competent in their areas of expertise, but flawed in other departments, which made them more realistic and relatable. They had their own side stories that were simple enough not to overshadow the main plot, but engaging enough for me not to skip any scenes. The number of badass ladies this drama has is also amazing. I would be confident in saying this show was run by the girls.
The romance. I know a lot of people complain it was not this epic love story, but that's exactly what I loved about it. The romance felt natural and slow paced. The characters had so many important issues to deal with, the fact we didn't spend too much time on them being lovey dovey made sense. It made me appreciate the small moments between them more, as they all felt special.
The main characters and cast. Good stuff guys. I want to compliment Angela Yuen especially, seeing as it was her first main role in a drama. She made me hate Ming He so much, but also enjoy each and every scene with her. All the actors and actresses did a phenomenal job portraying their characters. Few Crystal Yuan scenes felt slightly off, but not to the point it made me annoyed or frustrated. Her performance was still quite solid.
The storytelling. Exactly my type. We had the main plot slowly unfold as we followed the main characters dealing with side plots. And these side plots were quite entertaining. With each story we were introduced to a new side character, that later on had an impact on the main plot. Nice! Not to mention the progression from revenge to justice leading to the well being of others that main characters wanted to achieve. The moral dilemmas they had to face and the choices they had to make were interesting to watch.
The fighting scenes and aesthetics. This show is simply beautiful. The fight in the rain between Yi Qing and Ah Jing was probably the most beautiful scene I have ever seen. The set design, camera angles, editing - it all contributed to this visual feast.
My boi Bi Luo.
THE BAD
The last episode felt... flat? Especially with how intense the few leading to it were. Quite anticlimactic. They were building up to something epic, but they did not deliver. It wasn't bad, not even that disappointing. I was just expecting something more.
Qing Lan reasoning in the last few episodes. Maybe I am dumb, but the lack of logic behind his actions was amazing. I think they have wasted a little bit of potential this character had.
Slight lack of consistency with the skill sets of few characters by the end of the show. For the sake of the plot progression, some characters that were known to be amazing fighters suddenly weren't that strong anymore. It wasn't that easily noticeable, but since I paid a lot of attention to them, it did make me sigh with a bit of frustration.
Too much poisoning, not enough death caused by it.
THE "SO BAD IT'S GOOD"
GLORIOUS UNDERWATER SCENES! The thing is, in all shows I hate bad CGI, but somehow in wuxia, I love it. The whole show is amazing and beautiful and set perfection, but then the underwater scenes and CGI used there was so bad I loved it. Had the same experience with The Untamed - the bad CGI was one of the reasons I loved the show so much.
Yi Qing's coughing... slowly... I started laughing about it and appreciated it more.
Overall, if you want a show that focuses heavily on romance, this is not for you. While the romance is ever present, it's not slammed into your face every second. For me it was a perfect combination of nicely done characters, interesting plot lines, great production value and pure entertainment.
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This review may contain spoilers
The drama Listening Snow Tower (2019) is a good Wuxia, Martial Arts, Fantasy show, but it really lacks on the romance department, especially from the leading couple, unless the viewer is looking for a couple that sustained a non-existent romantic relationship marred by the constant mistrust from the female lead towards her “lover” and protector. There are constant explanations from the supporting characters about the actions from the leading couple towards each other and constant afterthoughts and flashbacks. The story and action elements of this drama are solid, engaging, and very entertaining, but the writer plagued the story with unnecessary death of central characters. Wanting to portray the pugilistic theme as a breeder of cold, conning, and unwavering characters that keep backstabbing the Listening Snow Tower Master, the drama missed the opportunity to create a great love story, since he fell in love with the leading lady at first sight. The leading lady spent most of the drama being stubborn, undermining, and willfully misunderstanding the person that she was supposed to love. Not until the end, you get a short reprieve that allows the viewer to enjoy a nice ending. Overall, if the viewer is looking for a good action show and great supporting actors, this drama is quite entertaining. Enjoy it! Was this review helpful to you?
Stunning martial arts
The YouTube trailer for Snow Tower showed a lot of martial arts promise, and after seeing it, I decided to try Snow Tower out. One episode in, and I knew that I was going to watch Snow Tower from the very first episode down to the bitter end, 55 episodes later. That being said, I will review Snow Tower along these parameters: martial arts, storyline, plotting, characterization.Martial Arts
The martial art depicted in Snow Tower is extremely reminiscent of the martial arts scenes of the old wuxia martial arts dramas from the eighties to the mid to late nineties; hard, brutal, stunningly choreographed, and breathtakingly executed. From the female characters, to the male leads, it is easy to see what makes this series to stand out amongst its fans.
Snow Tower martial arts and fight scenes are lethal and fast, breathtaking and spin-tingling, its execution flawless, like incredibly fast ballet dancers moving their boneless, limber bodies to the beat of some unseen music.
Any lover of Wuxia dramas will surely be taken in by the martial arts scenes of Snow Tower, from the beginning of the storyline, down to its middle, before the scenes seemed to slightly peter off into a more “traditional leaning” drama style that focused on more acting and less skilful, perfectly choreographed fight scenes, before picking up dramatically towards the end, with stunning ferocity.
For its martial arts, Snow Tower is a must-see, for lovers of Wuxia.
Storyline & Plotting
Snow Tower is pretty much straightforward acting, with a very strong central core plot and with numerous sub-plots focusing on love, hate, treachery, power, betrayals and revenge. While Snow Tower maintained its fidelity to its central plotline, some of its sub-plots were weak and could have been dispensed with, without in any way affecting the central storyline of the blood feud between the two warring sects Moon Sect and Snow Tower.
Snow Tower moves slowly, almost languidly, seriously, from day to day and through year to year, to burn through the story of the central plotting that bound all these characters in the Wuxia drama to each other, each with their own agendas, both innocuous and sinister.
Snow Tower did however receive negative reviews from critics of the series, based off on the fact that the series deviated “entirely” from the central plot of the novel of the same name it was adapted from.
Characterization
Snow Tower boasts of two main characters: Xiao Yi Qing (Tower Master, Snow Tower) and Shu Jinrong (or, Lady Jing, Ming Er). To be honest Shu Jinrong was presented in a very weak light. For a character billed to be the main character, one who wields the Blood Rose sword of her father the Blood Demon and who is expected to burn blazes through the pugilistic world in the series, Shu Jinrong is weak. That is the best word for her: Weak. She is pig-headed, stubborn, does not see the big picture and how her actions can come with terrible (future) consequences, and she shows restraint when she should not.
Fans of Snow Tower have criticized the portrayal of Shu Jinrong in the tv series, which they have bemoaned to be a deviation of her strong nature and character in the novel of the same name.
Xiao Yi Qing—the Tower Master of Snow Tower—is portrayed as an ailing young man with some incurable jin disease which leaves his body weak. Fortunately, Yi Qing is armed with incredible martial arts skills. In spite of all the great martial artists that made their appearance in the pugilistic world in Snow Tower, it is an easy bet to say that Xiao Yi Qing is literally unmatched, a cold, lethal presence armed with a short dagger—a dagger matched only by the Blood Rose sword wielded by Shu Jinrong—which he uses to ruthlessly cut down any and all enemies that threaten him and the Snow Tower. . .by a thin, smooth line in the throat. Yeah, he’s that lethal and that effective. Like every man, he has his Archilles heel, three in fact: his mother, Elder Xue Wen, who has been trapped as a prisoner in the Moon Sect since he was a little boy; his health, which remains a serious throughout the entire series, and his love interest, Shu Jinrong. However, Tower Master Xiao Yi Qing is quite cold, ruthless, appears emotionless and unaffectionate, which makes other characters to questions his feelings and his humanity, above all else. Still, to give him credit, he is portrayed as fair.
Asides these two main characters Xiao Yi Qing and Shu Jinrong, there is a slew of other secondary characters that appear throughout the series, each with their own perks and perspective. Young Hero Gao Meng Fei comes off as very playful, a small ray of light in the bleak, blood-soaked drama of Snow Tower, but that playful nature is weathered by a ruthless ambition that is quite shocking. Chi Xiao Tai comes off as playful as well, though blinded by unrequited love and driven by hatred. Ming He is the most colourful secondary character of them all; beautiful, innocent-looking and quite beguiling, this angel-faced monster has so many aces up her sleeves, you can’t help but compare her to some devil.
All in all, a solid cast made Snow Tower a success.
Having worked through my thoughts on these characters, I must add that Snow Tower came in with a shocker: emotions. Watching Snow Tower will, at some point, get your emotions involved, such that you might even shed a tear or two, hope that a specific character is mercilessly knifed to death, and even drop your mouth in shock and horror at some of the betrayals and shifting alliances that play out in the course of Snow Tower.
Would I recommend It? Yes, I would, absolutely, though I must warn, Shu Jingrong is a weak, emotional presence that keeps upsetting plans through the series.
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This review may contain spoilers
I really was looking forward to this drama, coming into it. At the beginning, there were plenty of things to keep me interested. Somewhere at episode 35 or after, it just got messy and boring. I dont think they needed 56 episodes to tell this story. The female ML had no character development, as I had read in other reviews and comments about the drama. She didnt seem to be very useful. The MAIN leads couple chemistry wasnt there either. I could have still loved it, if the story remained good. But it didnt. It surely was not an Epic romance, which I love in dramas. Even though most complain over the junior sisters jealousy and actions, it wasnt overly obsessive and jealousy like I have seen in most dramas. I wish other character's would have had an happy ending but that didnt happen either. I did love the music. It was beautiful. The ending, well it was happy and I love happy endings. It made no sense, however. It was also rushed. I never understand why they make such long dramas and rush the ending. I was expecting an epic ending. But what I got was a boring one. You definitely can't see any chemistry when the male lead wakes up and they reunite. She slowly runs to him and they half heartedly hug for a few moments before it ends. Disappointing. Needless to say, I would never rewatch this. Hopefully another Romance Wuxia drama comes out to cure me from this disappointment. Was this review helpful to you?
Another badass heroine
I cannot wait to see it in viki. Even if I haven't finished it yet I can tell that this is not an ordinary wuxia drama with a lot of romance because you can see a lot of martial arts and fights and how the female lead isn't an ordinary woman who can need the help of a man. I think it looks a little like Princess Agents but I don't want to compare this two dramas. I definitely look forward to finish it.Update: I didn't know I would like this kind of drama but I was wrong. This drama was very good,interesting and misterious. Everything was pleasant,I mean their clothes,their acting and so on. I was kinda sad because many characters were dying,but glad that it had a happy ending.I loved almost everything,but I wanted to slap Xao Tai everytime I saw her. From my point of view, I think that although they loved her they should not have allowed her to believe that whatever she would do would be forgiven, and I'm sure Gao Meng Fei could find another way to show his love. Anyway,if I started about their way of showing their love I think I could say almost the same of Ming He. You could say that if she truly loved him she should have told him and let him decide whethever he would stay and go,and be happy for everything he would choose.For the main leads I think it would be better without those misunderstandings.
I think the ending was good,even if I think a little rushed but I'm not professional so I could be wrong bur in rest it was a good drama and everyone should see it and sorry if I made some mistakes,english isn't my first language.
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Not my cup of tea.
So far, the story is choppy and slow. The male lead, a good actor, is scripted to be lifeless and thus seems to have the whole cast on monotone. I hate it when the sense of logic is missing and that is so with the female lead. The introduction of characters are a bit hard to follow because they are dropped into the scene out of nowhere. I have a hard time keeping my interest and at some points fast forward some scene to close in on the final episode. I am hoping that it will pick up some momentum soon. Disappointing since I like the male lead actor. On the brighter note, the cinematography is good and the story's core is interesting. The story starts getting interesting around episode 34 as it moves pass the monotonous hump. Though more characters are introduced, their relationships gets tied together giving each of the previous characters more personality. At this point, you will get over the stupidity of the female lead. Flash backs are a waste of my time but in this case, some of these flash backs are helpful.FINAL REVIEW:
For starter, I am a fan of romantic comedy and this drama is melodramatic. The drama starts out interesting as anything wuxia drama does. Then it slows to monotone matching the male lead illness but brings down all the other characters to mundane. Then new characters starts dropping in out of nowhere and it made it hard to follow whose who. If you feel the same as I do and you can survive through to episode 34, the story starts to pick up but only for 10-15 episodes and then it starts to go down hill. It would have help if they had sprinkle some humor here and there to lightened up the melancholy. I hate it when the drama loses it's sense of logic and reasoning. I also hate it when they use back flashes to fill in and extend episodes. This drama has both of what I hate; although the back flashes doesn't get out of hand until the last 10 or so episodes. I was not satisfied with the 2nd female leads demise or how the 2nd lead male handled his invaded self. It was a mental and physical rape he suffered and that should have generated ravage rage but all that to stir up the audience just end with a slap on the hand. I endured the drama up to episode 53 and then started fast forwarding the rest of the episodes to get to the end just so I can have closure for the time spent on these 56 episodes. Definitely, not my cup of tea because it lacks a bit of humor to lightened up the melancholy.
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What I don’t like about this drama;
1.Poor chemistry between the two leads
It is really unsatisfying to see two actors with poor chemistry together, talking to each other with lifeless expressions.
2.No character development for female lead.
This kind of drama needs a bad ass female lead, weak in the beginning and then needs to get stronger with the storyline.Sadly,we ain’t able to see that, female lead was weak at the start, then dumber in the end.
3. Several irritating characters
It is common to see one or two irritating characters in these kinds of drama and I am okay with that.However, if those who were good in the beginning, became villains in the halfway of drama, thats really irritating.
4. Poor storyline
The plot can be much better. I am a fan of fantasy, historical dramas and some plot-holes are still acceptable.But this kind of plot which mainly focuses on fighting, fighting and fighting is unacceptable.
5.Nice cinematography but...
Action scenes are well directed but poorly executed storyline wastes this good cinematography.
6.Casts
The male lead is not bad.But female lead is not impressive in this one, don’t get me wrong.I am fan of Crystal Yuan in The mystic nine and ever night but this kind of strong female lead role doesn’t really suit her.
I were hoping so much for this drama and got bitterly disappointed in the end. Even Crystal Yuan can’t make me continue watching it.Sorry but I have to drop it.
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Strong and Lovable FL
Giving it a 9.5 for my girl Yuan Bingyan because she was brilliant in this. It wasn't perfect, but Shu Jingrong's story really touched my heart and made me feel for her. She was such a strong and lovable character who always did what she thought was right regardless of what everyone else thought, yet she had more compassion than anyone despite her own tragic life.The production was pretty nice with plenty of beautiful scenery and camera shots, lavish sets, pretty costumes, and just the way everything came together to create a unique and memorable mood and setting for the show. I don't really have much else to say besides the fact that I enjoyed this drama because of Yuan Bingyan and her character Shu Jingrong. Looking forward to seeing her in more main roles in the future ❤️
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This review may contain spoilers
I dropped this series after the first two episodes because it was simply boring, and because I was watching Princess Silver. I was thoroughly disappointed with PS hence I returned to this series and I am glad I did. This story gives equal screen time to its lead roles and supporting roles, enough of the wuxia, drama and romance. I find myself trying to watch 10 episodes and more daily.While I didn't like the FL too much because her acting resembles that in Hua Qian Gu, and the ML seems like Mark Chao, but they did an ok job after the first few episodes. There was a bit too much of conflicts between them (sigh romance), but they had good chemistry and strong characters. The story began with FL and ML meeting after FL's dad was killed by Hua Lian (High Priestess and Leader of Moon Sect). From their younger counterparts you can tell that their fates are going to be interlinked as the story progresses. FL went through a lot of sadness such as her shifu (Master) who died at the hands of Hua Lian, her Da Shixiong Qing Lan who supposedly died at the hands of the Moon Sect but was revived as the pawn/high priest of Moon Sect by Ming He (the daughter of Hua Lian). FL shows a good portrayal of a strong character who undertakes things in her stride though she can be headstrong at times.
ML did a good job, better than the FL, as most of the story was centered around him. Comparing him to the ML of Princess Silver, I was pleasantly surprised. Though ML acts like Mark Chao in Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, his character is developed through the various though progresses and his strong ability to fight for his people and for his love. He doesn't come across as overbearing and instead is genuinely concerned about the people around him while upholding fairness for all.
My favorite actors in this show has got to be that of Qing Lan, Ming He, Chi Xiao Tai, Gu Guang, Bi Luo and Zi Mo. Qing Lan was great in portraying to be a kind man, and also the evil High Priest of the Moon. QL had a kind heart which was shown through the ways he treated Ming He though she betrayed his trust and killed his Master back in the Sand Valley. Ming He was amazing as well in her portrayal of an innocent/somewhat kind girl but was also somewhat evil. She and QL were from different sides and her love for him was possessive and obsessive till the point whereby she killed the both of them. Chi Xiao Tai was basically the kind girl with the nature of a backstabber. She expects the world to revolve around her and expect the ML to love her though his heart is with the FL and she does many trickeries and collusion with the enemy for her twisted love. If you hate her, it means that the actress did an amazing job.
I like Gu Guang as he is a righteous man who dwells in the Moon Sect for his love and his loyalty towards the Sect. He plays the role of an evil man and righteous person well and is a quickthinker. I was so happy he ended up being the Sect Leader after Qing Lan and Ming He died. Bi Luo is a breath of fresh air in this Wuxia drama. A powerful man who harbors such dedication to a girl and who will search the world for her. Though he lost her because Xiao Tai killed his love, he later found peace and love with Hong Chen at the Snow Tower. Zi Mo is great as well as she shows a strong lady with quick thinking and is unafraid to fight her way through. I like her poise. Lastly, shoutout to Ren Fei Yang for being able to act like the rich, classy guy but is in fact slightly dumb and very loyal. Sometimes his expressions are too funny like a puppy, but he did an amazing job that I cried when he died.
My favorite romance has got to be that of Qing Lan and Ming He. Even though theirs was a twisted romance, it was revealed in the end that it was love at first sight for them. Romeo and Juliet much eh? Ming He tried many cruel ways to protect Qing Lan without realizing that it was hurting him and the both of them. If only both of them were not from opposing sects, they might not have ended up that way. I felt sad for them when they died together.
If you're into Wuxia drama, watch this, but you can skip the first few episodes they're honestly too slow to progress. I got a bit disappointed with the ending because it ended too fast, but I think I'm happy that I returned to this drama. Recommended!
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