Quick review this gem
STORYThe story of this drama is amazing and I cannot stress out how hooked I was. The first few eps maybe not be appealing but TRUST ME, KEEP GOING. The story line is EXTREMELY UNPREDICTABLE.
ACTING AND CASTING
The main actor may not be attractive to many people but the story is all that matters and you will grow to love him. Everyone else did an amazing job at acting and I would not change a bit. I loveeeeee WU ZU SHU!
MUSIC
Sometimes I feel like there are random instrumental tracks that reminded me of Dora the Explorer. Although I didnt think that that track was suitable for the era of drama it doesn't make much of a difference.
REWATCH VALUE
I REWATCHED THIS DRAMA 20 TIMES ALREADY SO 1000000000/10
OVERLL
Overall this is my top favourite drama of all time. I feel bad for those who do not understand Chinese because you are missing out on the poems and language that cannot be translated into English subs.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Must Watch!
The plot is thick. what make it different from other drama? the detail in each episode for "twist" in later episode. in short, the twist is well prepared!the scene is funny! i.e. the scene where he is holding chicken leg, putting chicken leg in a box, "aprosidiac scene", and many other scene.
the Male Lead is smart and "shameless".
season 1 story is mostly about politic, i guess season 2 story focus on "fantasy" part of this story (about divine temple). like "Ever Night" in season 1 (politic and revenge) and season 2 (divination of ever night)
recommended!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
One of the best C-drama i have ever watched, there wasn't a single boring plotline & i did not fast forward any scenes. Excellent acting from all the cast including the supporting role. My favourite is definetely the Fan family , they are the only ones who truly care & support each other whereas the rest has a hidden agenda beneath. I also admired Fei jie & despite his sloppy appearance he is a true leader , seeing how united his team was from the investigation bureau even without his presence,( his team go all out to protect Fan Xian when he is in trouble). There is a right balance of comedy, drama & suspense at end of each episode. The only bummer was the cliffhanger ending! I had to wait another 2 years , that is a torture for the fans. If you pay close attention, you will be able to figure out who is the big boss /ultimate villain in the end, i managed to guess it Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Super brilliant drama
I know this drama had a high rating but i don't have any expectation. I don't usually watch political drama but this JoL is brilliant. I can't believe I'm finishing this drama. Super amazing plot and twist that make me crazy haha lol.I have watched other period cdrama but in this JoL I love how FX and the step mother can get along and support each other. And i like how the each character that has strength and power help FX.
FX brother so hilarious and FX sister i think she is strong and smart women too.
This drama has a unique story from the first episode. a story full of surprises, strategy and the unexpected. characters that will be remembered (at least, remembered with strong, clever and tactical characteristics).
I'm more shock with the ending, so Because of the curiosity I'm reading the last part of the novel. And now I know, how to breath in joy haha. I hope you enjoy this story too ^^
Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best drama!
I can say that Joy of life is one of the best drama that I've watched. Even though most of the actors & actress are not good looking, but their acting are awesome! Worth my timeGreat story line, very well paced with humors that are put nicely. Not a single time to be bored with the story! This series make me addicted and can't stop watching. And it also has an unpredictable ending
The only things that a bit annoying is the king attire, why is he dressed up not like a king at all? Maybe because of the story is not really from the historical Chinese era, that's why the king also dressed that way, and also the second prince, his shoes is like a beggar.. LOL
Anyway that's only minor downside compare to the overall great story line and acting skills of all the actors and actress. Can't wait for the season 2!
Was this review helpful to you?
GREAT STORY
GOOD ACTING
WELL WRITTEN
CAN'T WAIT FOR PART
The male lead is very good in this story than the novolan castle in the sky.
I had trouble following the story because it kept going back and forth.
It is more of a mysterious drama, detective type.
I have to re-watch again later when I have time trying to understand the story.
I think it was about his mother came from the future.
The ending is leaving me thinking what is next.
They shoudl make this story end not to have sequel.
Chinese producer is trying to be more like the West. But they are not good at tha.
Was this review helpful to you?
Best acting i have ever seen.
minus the time travelling part. this has to be one of my favorite dramas of all time. the strongest acting and chemistry i have ever seen. it was like every single person was born to play their part. even the child actor is amazing. there was literally 1 scene in the entire drama i can say the acting was not 100% perfect. the chemistry between all actors is spectacular.if you have not watch it. DONT, they might film season 2 sometimes in 2021, you will regret every moment after you finished it. took me several days just to cope with the fact this show finished.its that good, here we are 30 dramas after just so i can stop being sad. this is a drama that needs to be binged watched all 3 seasons and all your 1000 questions answered. hopefully the acting will be as strong season two with the same cast.
and for all your king haters. i love this characters. probably my favourite.
Was this review helpful to you?
Unexpectedly hilarious royal politics cdrama
Unexpectedly hilarious royal politics cdrama with a sassy, jovial, badass protagonist who aspired to just enjoy life, only to be embroiled in royal politics within and between two warring states (Qing and Qi) as he began to uncover the truth of who wanted him dead, and the truth of the death of his mom. The protagonist Fan Xian sizzles with the veteran co-stars (Qing Emperor, Chen Ping Ping, Wang Qi Nian and Teng Zi Jing) and with not the FL, but the equally badass Haitang Duo Duo.Joy of Life effortlessly stands out as an enjoyable transition series of the MDL top-ranked costume cdrama trilogy, with a good mix of political scheming seen in Nirvana in Fire and hilarious comedic antics from a sassy, badass, frivolous protagonist with a pure righteous heart, seen in The Untamed.
The sci-fic/time travel elements and cliffhanger ending dent an otherwise brilliant, credible and enjoyable Season 1. A peep at the baidu page on the JOL novel on how the story will continue, especially the Qi King, is kinda wildly absurd plot-wise for me. That said, I’m still eagerly looking forward to Season 2, especially if Xiao Zhan continues as Yan Bing Yun, to see the growth of both Yan Bing Yun’s character and Xiao Zhan’s performance, plus Xiao Zhan’s chemistry with Zhang Ruo Yun’s Fan Xian and the veteran co-stars.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Low expectation but ended up Jaw dropping
StoryBefore i watch this drama, i just finished watching Nirvana in Fire i think NIV is of the best drama that can pair with Game of Thrones in this genre. But after i watch Joy of Life, damn...i find another historical drama with intense political intrigue as good as NIV. The better thing in Joy of Life, there is not only one hella smart person, there are many ! (Fan Xian, Emperor of Qing, Chen Ping Ping, Shen Zong even the unexpected one - the 2nd Prince! ).
I love the ending how Yan Bing Yun choose to kill Fan Xian, it's going to be more intense later when someday he will find the truth about his real identity as Xiao En's grandson and he finds out that Fan Xian has known it for long time and choose to hide it considering this truth will ruin Yan's life.
Finally can't wait to see Fan Xian resurrected and i believe he will get more memories about his past life.
Cast : more than Excellent !
Honestly i dont know much about Zhang Ruo Yun but must admit it..the cast director did a great job to choose him as male lead. He has so many facial expressions and i love it. He can potray Fan Xian very well ! smart, manipulative, deliquent, loyal friend and easy to win people's heart.
Music : overall is good, only there is one part that sound likes Italian modern music which is not suit for historical drama.
Rewatch : Do it if you have spare times. But i prefer to move on to my wishlist drama that i haven't watched yet.
Was this review helpful to you?
Good concept & great implementation. A MUST WATCH
This series is so worth the time to watch. It is different from typical period story. Actors did excellently and portrayed their characters well. I only wish that they introduced the series with the story of the lead male mother. Interesting to see the development of the story explaining her but it seems lacking and minimized. Although her story seemed she was loved & admired by many men, it didn’t really highlight as to why.The blind martial arts mentor could be explored more. I love his character. I was wishing for more story on him.
I just realized Xiao zhang is in the cast and missed it in ep 38. I was so engrossed in the story, I glossed over his short appearance.
PLEASE PLEASE RELEASE SEASON 2 SOON!!!
I’m glad there’s a season 2 being prepared for this series.
Ending is now acceptable for me since there is a sequel coming.
7/16/23 - When is the second season coming??? I am anticipating this season 2.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The drama starts to pick up at around episode 12. The first 10 episodes were slow with Fan Xian and Waner trying to find each other and cancel their engagement until they found out that they were actually engaged to each other. Then, the story starts to pick up with never-ending political intrigue mixed with comedy and drama.Fan Xian was a complicated character. He comes off as goofy and happy-go-lucky. In reality, he was calculating, manipulative, loyal, and has a strong sense of justice. His goal was to build a better world but outsmarting and getting ahead of the powerhouse that is trying to kill him proved to be harder than he thought. The story did a great job at building up the intrigue and political drama in a very interesting and clever way without being draggy. However, the plot didn't quite explain Fan Xian's visions, where they came from, and his origins. At the beginning it was a rebirth backwards story. But it seemed to be more of a time travel story with Xian's mother traveling back in time bringing future technology, but the writers never truly explained it.
The romance needed work. The first 10 episodes were spent on ML and FL trying to find each other. After they finally figured out that they were actually engaged to each other, the romance fizzled out and FL gradually disappeared. Honestly, Fan Xian had a lot more chemistry with every other woman he interacted with than Waner. The fighting "dance" with the saintress made me question where the writers were going with this and why Fan Xian was even in love with Waner.
One of the best things about this drama was the goofy soundtrack with silly background music during fighting sequences.
Was this review helpful to you?
