Visually stunning drama
First thing you will notice about this drama is how stunningly beautiful it is! Every shot & angle of the camera is used to enhance the richness of each scene. This show definitely reminds me of the US show, "24" where an anti-terrorism group tries to stop a bomb from blowing up. Even the concept is the same, with events unfolding within 24 hours of the day. The first half of this drama is so thrilling with non-stop action. You're literally on the edge of your seat. Along the way we get to know more about our characters. They make good use of flashbacks interposed throughout each episode to help us better understand them & their motivations. Not every "good" guy is an angel and not every "bad" guy is evil. They all of varying reasons for their actions, which I appreciate. The little snippets at the end of each episode either enhance a character, an historical fact, or plot point, which I love. The side characters also have rich backstories. The acting in this drama is phenomenal especially from Lei Jia Yin (our beloved sleuth-hound captain) & Zhou Yi Wei (Long Bo, one of our antagonists, who I had a great sympathy for in the end). And the appearance from Djimon Hounsou, who played complex slave trader Ge Lao, was a lovely surprise. The political maneuvering is typical of most palace intrigue stories, but it's not often you have the emperor getting a lesson in humility after encountering"his people" who in the end don't even recognize him as their emperor. I also loved learning about the historical details of the Tang Dynasty. It's great that you can enjoy a drama but also learn something too! This is definitely a drama that you have to pay attention too, it's cerebral and complex in it's story telling but also has action and suspense. Great combination for a great watch, highly recommended!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I watched The Longest Day in Chang'an for Zhou Yi Wei after seeing The Rebel Princess, but I wound up really, really enjoying it. I would absolutely recommend it to someone. It's set up as a detective/investigation story, but the characters were the real draw. The story was really compelling and I thought that the relationship between Zhang Xiao Jing and Long Bo/Xiao Gui was so rich! On top of that, the production design was absolutely amazing throughout. The costumes! The sets! The lantern tower! 10/10.
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please watch it and recommend to as many people as you can!!! the longest day in chang'an should be on everyone's watch list!!!
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Cerebral, exciting, and easily one of the best Cdramas out there.
I don't think I can properly convey how incredible this series was.It was intense, cerebral, stunningly gorgeous in set and costume design, and viscerally moving.
The OST and strongly emotive ensemble acting catapulted every scene into an experience that made me feel physically there with them. I'm at a loss for words. This series introduced me to a few actors I'd seen but wasn't very familiar with, namely Jackson Yee, Zhou Yi Wei, Zhao Wei, and Lei Jia Yin. All incredible actors with high expectations to meet such masterfully crafted and painstakingly intricate costumes and set pieces. How heartbreaking would it have been to have such a visually beautiful series with flatlining actors? They all met their benchmarks and then some. I want to place extra praise on Zhou Yi Wei, whose charismatic and deeply complex character made me struggle with whether I wanted to root for him or condemn him, despite his crime being so wholeheartedly evil in its scheming. Jackson Yee is so young, yet I felt every emotion behind his nuanced portrayal as Chief Li Bi. I especially liked the last 15 episodes as he tried to hold onto every last thread, even as the world around him continued to unravel. His convictions were steadfast and admirable. I also like the historical backstory between him and the Crown Prince. It was very interesting (and pretty obvious) once you watched the show while aware of how "close" they were. Even the colors that are worn between them (red and green) had symbolic meaning.
I don't think I exhaled for the first 20 episodes. The action, strategy, and choreography between each chase within Chang'an were something I've never seen before. I literally had to stop my husband as he walked by to rewind the scene where Commander Zhang chased the Wolven Squad member riding on horseback with the watchtower's aid so he could watch *how fricken cool* that whole sequence went down. The codes, the foot messengers, the smoke bombs and smoke arrows, the watchtower drums - It was all *so* intimidating and *so* cool to watch unfold. I'm so impressed.
This was easily one of the best CDRAMAS I've ever watched. I watched from start to finish, without skipping through and with bated breath. I can't recommend it enough.
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great story snd logic that slowly tapers off into something uhhh ehhh
i think, as an overall piece, this show is great. more than anything introduced in the plot, this show is about how the tang dynasty both flourished and came to a decline. you can see then juxtaposition of these things weaved into every part of the show and i think that’s what it’s about. you see how much technology has improved in this era, how powerful the economy was, and how diverse the population of chang’an was, as well as the severe corruption within the government and the shortcomings too of the emperor. it almost feels like the an lushan rebellon was inevitable, when viewed through the lens of this drama. the production is impeccable, and the way it tries to encapsulate history so accurately is honestly amazing.story wise? its got good logic and suspense… up until it doesn’t. the big reveal towards the end was ridiculous and shoddy. sometimes good people on screen show up and just straight up die just to show you how evil humans are. this kind of thing happens all the time in this show, and its kind of annoying. a sliver of goodness appears only to be quashed out. like ok, we get it, you think humans are evil deep down etc… prepare your heart for that if you’re a bit weak, cuz that was the weakest part of the whole show for me! its a bit tough to do for a show that prides itself on so much logic but halfway through, you gotta just turn your brain off and take in the sight over everything else. women in this show are not great either, except maybe tan qi, who had one of the best story arcs i ever got to see in any drama with any leading woman. anyway, yep, its an amazing production with a weird story, but an incredible love of history that definitely adds more to its rewatch value.
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Because of the cinematography/action my hands wouldn't let me give this anything below an 8
This show is well-made, it is like a 48 hour movie, the quality of the scenes, the costumes, the lack of dubbing. Visually stunning. And the action sequences are amazing. However, this show lacks heart. You don't really get to know the characters, you are confused about who they are since their actions go back and forth. You're told one character is a prodigy, extremely smart, yet they never shows that; instead, you think that character is an idiot since that character just keeps getting kidnapped/tortured/kidnapped again/drinks tea that is obviously laced with something (if he does that, how is he smart??). We never really see that character use that supposedly amazing brain.I got frustrated watching this, waiting for it to be a masterpiece, but instead I just felt like it was so slow. The first 10 episodes were great, the buildup good, but then it dragged to no end. Endless dialogue with pointless characters saying the same things, an endless loop of chasing/captured/chasing/captured. Who knew someone can survive running at least 100,000 steps, get a finger cut off, drown, fight at least 500 people, and there's still a half day left for them to keep doing that? Like I said, I really wanted to like this show, I kept telling myself during the action sequences "wow this is so good" but then I wanted to poke my eyes out from boredom and frustration in between because the plot and script is so messy. This is not an action-packed story as advertised. This is a beautifully shot, let's talk then fight for like 10 minutes every couple episodes show with far too many flashbacks that make you wonder why they decided to put that important information so late in the show running as a flashback instead of in a neat sequence.
ALSO, SOMETHING THAT BOTHERED ME TO NO END is when something big happens to a character, when you don't know whether they are dead or alive, THEY DON'T SHOW HOW THEY ESCAPED THAT SITUATION. They just show in the next episode they're walking around like nothing happened with NO EXPLANATION how they survived/got there. We needed those connecting scenes rather than the boring-ass Right Chancellor talking his head off for 20 boring minutes every couple episodes.
Overall, it took me 3 months to finish this, it was draggy, and I kept waiting for it to get better, but it never did.
plot - 6/10
pacing - 6/10
cinematography: 10/10
costumes - 10/10
acting - 9/10
Major issues with the show: there are too many characters, too many flashbacks, and the pacing is all over the place. Some episodes are amazing/my eyes couldn't leave the screen. Others are a chore to get through. I ended up skipping a lot during the last 10 episodes because I just wanted to be done with this show.
**please know this is my personal opinion; you can love the show, just don't hate me for being disappointed in it**
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This review may contain spoilers
Extreme and Flawless Deceit with Unpredictable Twists, Turns and Tumbles ~!!
A Masterpiece covered by it's great scheme and some irritating and useless characters.Lemme start my review by praising how Patriotic and Genuinely compassionate Zhang Xiao Jing (Lei Jia Yin) is and despite his shortcomings he's able to pull it through without tainting himself against his own conscience. A well written character, 100% ~!!
Next is how utterly useless Li Bi (Jackson Yee) is and how his Ignorance and obliviousness always gives the people around him so much disadvantage. He's the greatest flaw of this entire story honestly. At the Finale, I was even glad that Xu Bin (Zhao Wei) was the one getting the spotlight. Such a dissapointing character.
The "MVP" of this drama would be Xu Bin (Zhao Wei) like damn, this man hid himself so well and was able to create those extravagant scheme without getting discovered. I don't find him relevant till the last 20+ episodes but he's surely the Most Well Played character in here.
Something I like about this drama is how they're able to squeeze the entire 48 episode into a 24 hours period of time without making it feel dragging and purposedly slow paced. They did great in putting up each pieces into the puzzle one by one.
Although the Ending is totally unclear when it comes to how they end the war of throwns. You can still get a quick glimps of how it actually went through just with them showing the littlest act needed. Nonetheless it was satisfying and absolutely deserving of high praises.
Story - 10, Story can be kinda confusing at first (that's how it usually is watching Period Dramas) but it'll eventually show you how the story goes and will keep you on your seat the entire time. As I mentioned above, the story has the most unexpected twist, turns and tumbles that will surely blow everyones mind. Satisfactory level is 100.
Acting/Cast - 10, This drama is fully-loaded with such great actors. Everyone has performed beyond expectation and was able to highlight their characters in each scenes. The characters made me feel so much and was able to sway me till the last moments and that is only possible because of it's performing actors.
Music - 10, Honestly, IDK. I tend to skip the ending credits because of the excitement to watch the following episodes but the insert songs specially the sorrow sounding ones do provide the color and mood to the scenes. Still a perfect 10 since it never bothers me.
Rewatch Value - 10, This is such a masterpiece that I would recommend to anybody who love such genres of drama. A Great and Must watch!!
Overall - 10, Despite my negative feedback towards some characters, It won't hide the fact that the story is well written, with high budget, A+ acting and satisfying production and overall display. So I would never take away it's well deserved acknowledgement and praises.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
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High quality production
Get past the first 5 episodes and you’ll be in for a ride. It starts off slow at first (like all C-dramas) but turns into an action-packed, suspenseful show.It’s hard to categorise this into a single genre. Military strategy? Check. Gang fights? Check. Mystery? Check. Romance? Half check.
Every character has a back story (which is how a 24-hour show can turn into 48 episodes). Sometimes the flashbacks can get a bit tiresome but they provide important details for the mysteries to unravel later on. Each character is unique and humanely human. You have the loyal soldier, the neglected prince, the ambitious prince, the ambitious scholar, the coward... etc.
I really appreciate the quality of this production. You can see almost nothing is done using green screen. All the stunts are proper. The main lead, Lei Jia Yin - watching him is like watching a Chinese James Bond. Very macho and heroic.
Definitely deserved all its award nominations.
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A powerful combination of cinematography, direction and story
This serial is absolutely worth watching, if only to appreciate its general aesthetics and the sheer amount of money the production house has poured into its various sets.Then, there is the direction work...wow...I imagine that it must be very difficult to direct/control all the persons involved in such large settings with so many people and to have such interesting shots and follow the movement of leads...
Then there is the work of editing...brilliant that they did not compromise with the visuals to fit into small tv screen compared to movie screens...
And finally, there are the various stories that intermingle with the main plot that humanise the characters rather than simply show a dichotomous relationship between protagonists versus antagonists. I know that many people think that it should be more focussed on the main plot, that these side stories distracted and stretched the serial, etc... but we need to understand that shorter serials mean less funds for high quality productions and also, they do not allow us to empathise with the characters. As viewers, we cannot simply be merely consuming such works of art and then, moving on...such types of serials deserve that we appreciate the high art that it portrays.
The only thing I am a bit dissatisfied with is that the serial makes us have high expectations of the Jing'Si and of Li Bi but it fell flat, of the great deflagration and it fell flat, of the Ant but same, it fell flat and finally of the instigator and his motivation...it fell flat. I also think that Li Bi is the most useless character in the serial...seriously.
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A Shallow Storyline with Excessive Dragging
A Shallow Storyline with Excessive DraggingI have watched Ma Boyong twice, first in Luoyang and then in Chang'an.
I've never quite understood why his movies receive such high ratings. For me, the storyline feels shallow and drawn out, lacking in interest. The plot is overly complicated yet predictable, with too much unnecessary dialogue and drama. Perhaps Ma Boyong would do better to focus on shorter stories that are more engaging, rather than investing time and resources in lengthy endeavors.
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The show's world was far more interesting than its actual plot
The world-building in this show is probably better than any other historical series I've ever seen. The depiction of the opulence of the Tang Dynasty was stunning in conjunction with the stark corruption of its elites and the plight of the lower classes. I was also really struck by the diversity in Chang'an. I generally find shows like this to be hard to watch for me because the difference in living conditions by social classes (at one point it's mentioned that a lot of poorer people just don't live to older age) deeply angers me.The plot for this show was good until it wasn't. It made sense and had interesting twists and turns until about 80% of the way through. I think this show would be better if it were only 40-42 episodes long, as the end had a lot of padding, requiring characters behaving in ways that made no sense for them. I accept that the writers were somewhat limited (and forced to move the plot in a direction I found unfulfilling) because of the desire not to completely alter history, but regardless, they definitely needed to come up with a more concise ending to this story. It took far too long to end.
I think the show could have made better use of its characters, or at least written the ML in a less repetitive way - we don't need to hear him repeat the same lines over and over. In such a vibrant city, I think there could have been a broader and more interesting story with more time given to other people. I liked the fact that there were so many characters in this show, but I think it would be even better if we had seen those characters more often from a different perspective than the ML.
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What's the rave about?
I am into the third episode and about to give up. It is produced in a very old Chinese style - with dim indoor lighting and rugged clothings. Realistic - yes, appealing - no. The audio recording was muffled and difficult to make out so I have to rely on the subtitles. All I see up to now was a lot of people running around, horse galloping, shouting and drum roll in an attempt to create an ambience of urgency and excitement. But the story is not developing fast enough and it is not keeping me interested.One of the earlier reviewers advised to watch until the tenth episode into the story but I do not think I have the patience. Also a reviewer did not declare there is a spoiler in her reviews which spoil it further for me. I do not understand why it was so highly rated on mydramalist.com. It is not my cup of tea.
Unlike 'The Untamed' which I did not like it much initially, but I got to like it very quickly by the second episode.
I am going to push on for a little while. If I change my opinion about it, I would come back to correct this review.
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