Legend of awakening (or) The Failure of Plot Twists
I don’t normally watch the currently airing dramas but I gave Awakening a try since I have anticipated it for a very long time.There are a lot of good/ bad comments so I am going to give my opinion;1. Story- The story itself is not very bad, it has its twists and turns. But the execution of the storyline is very poor. It has a very promising start, very interesting till episode 20 or 30 but it suddenly went downhill. Some episodes contain no proper message and they are there just for the sake of dragging the story. I’d say there are too many cliché scenes as well, it was such a huge disappointment.
2. Acting & Chemistry- The casts are not bad but not very outstandingly impressive either. You can see many bad comments about Cheng Xiao , I’d say I like Cheng Xiao as an actress, the acting is not that mediocre but her character in the story is not very likeable.
The main problem is the lack of chemistry. Chemistry between (Lu Ping) Chen Feiyu and (Qin Sang) Cheng Xiao? No.
Chemistry between Xifan and Ling ZiYan? No
I couldn’t feel any emotional love between these two pairs. Su Tang and Mo Lin are not bad tho.
3.Who is the real villain?
It is where the twist failed. I can understand ,the director wanted to surprise us by telling us that the villain is not who we guessed before, but it failed. It failed to the point that I lost focus. One villain killed ML’s parents and another villain is gonna destroy the world, who should ML choose? Just suicide lol
4.Character-in- depth
Su Tang, portrayed as ML’s younger sister, lacks character background. We don’t know who she is or where she comes from, I thought the Director is going to surprise as by telling us that her parents are someone powerful? But, no.
5.Music
The songs are very good.
6. Overall
I fast forwarded a lot of scenes for the sake of completing it. It was a disappointment since it could have been done much better. I kinda regret that I wasted my whole month for this drama.
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A journey on the bonds which connect friend to friend, family to family and lover to lover.
The story has us witness each character, especially the male lead's, journey and growth through the impulses of youth, his connections with those he grows to hold dear, a heartwarming love story and the gradual discovery of the revelations of his painful past. The male lead lead has been unfairly sacrificed too many times for what others believe as justice. While he is unjustly treated, he does inherently have a deeply rooted sense of good within him. The production team took the sad, but necessary sacrifices needed in order to bring the characters to the end of their journey. While the ending may be unsatisfactory and heartbreaking to most, there were necessary sacrifices that were needed in order for the characters to grow as people and realise themselves and their responsibilities in life. I would say Chengxiao's acting got better as the story progressed and she really has cute chemistry with Arthur Chen. Arthur Chen had a great and emotional performance throughout and really brought to life his character through balancing his representation of a charming, and deviously smart youth and a person who has suffered many times at the hands of others to the point of battling to understand who he is. The OST was just beautiful, it really complimented each scene and wrenched at my heart many times. Whilst the production was low budget, the story line really is lovely and its subtle complexity connects you to the emotions of the characters and in the end you end up really invested in their journeys and wanting to follow it through to the very end. I really recommend it. Be prepared however, for many twists and turns, and while it is not a bad ending, it is also not an entirely a happy one.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This drama is definitely not as bad as people keep trying to say. IT is an average wuxia series, but clearly has more positives rather than the negatives..Story: definitely has potential. just like other wuxia series. it has surprise twists, hidden agendas etc.etc , the usual in these types of drama. BUT during the start it gives me a lighthearted high budget feeling in which i don't mostly feel in wuxia series given that im accustomed to watching this types of dramas. so i always expect something that can pull me over asap, but as the series continues on i finally know the reason why.. it's the EXECUTION and PACING, i can give a pass on the pacing part cuz i really dont mind bad pacing unless it IS REALLY BAD, but partner that with BAD Execution and it totally detracts me from its storytelling sometimes (even if im watching bore-fest series im not one who keeps pressing the fast forward button)
Acting: Arthur's acting is always a passable one for me..some might find him too stiff and has like that usual cocky/angry expression on him or whatever expression you call that but if you have watch some of his dramas you know what I mean. Cheng Xiao, ofc i did not expect anything out of the ordinary from her given that shes a newbie. but imo she did well compared to other characters that has the same vibe as her, these silent stoneface type Female Leads, I've seen some and imo she did better than the others. as for the other casts they did well, not a total cringe-fest..
Music: The music tracks are decent enough.. (some series i just skipped the opening tracks every time but those that have decent music scores, i sometimes just let them play while reading something..)
Visuals and Cinematography : visuals include CGI,costumes.drama set. CGI is decent enough, but given that the series doesnt utilize it that much, costumes, Im not really good at identifying sketchy costumes unless its really obvious so, if your like me then theres nothing much to complain about it, unless you have higher standard in terms of costumes. as for the sets, its the usual sets in these types of dramas, the usage and settings of these sets are quite decent though. Cinematography. you cant caught my eye on cinematography unless its really good, and on this drama i didnt remember any shots that made me say "wow thats a good shot" so...
Overall: An average wuxia drama that has some shortcomings but definitely is watchable unlike some are trying to say.. what it failed is to give that hardcore wuxia feel, cuz of its execution, it gives me that lighthearted feeling that low budget series sends off,
SPOILERS: although the ending is considered a happy ending it's also a bitter sweet one. and that made me feel unsatisfactory, why? cuz as ive stated above it gives that lighthearted feeling but, come the end a lot of characters started dying. and although the FLs death is honorable, but due to that lighthearted feeling it gives i expect them to at least end up together with their happy ending.. some series just gives that grim dark ending feeling and although the story foretells that, due to the bad execution, i didnt get the sense of dread it wanted me too feel. so QS dying was a letdown for me..
RewatchValue : the dramas iv'e watch like 99% no skipping, and i rarely watched any series again unless it made me feel truly invested in it or it has a 2nd season in which i liked the first one, this series didnt made me feel that so, personally i wont be re-watching it anytime soon.
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Story
So the story may not be the best of the best and some parts were a bit cliche, but overall the premise and development of the story was really interesting. There were lots of nice twist and turns that kept me engaged to the show and wanting to see more. I really liked the nice pacing of the story, I felt like it really gave time for the audience to digest the information and emotions embroiled in the show. There was also really good comedy that kept me entertained along the way. Overall, I’d say I’m really glad I watched and discovered the show!
Acting
Okay so I have seen so many negative reviews on the acting, particularly criticizing the female lead. But in my personal opinion (PERSONAL) I thought the acting was great! I feel like both lead conveyed the story excellently, and I really felt the emotions. The acting my not be top top notch, but I feel like the actors did an amazing job portraying the characters. I gave the acting 10/10 because I really felt in my opinion that it was really good. Many may not agree but this is just my take on the aspect of the show.
Music
The music was really nice and catchy, I don’t have a lot of opinion on music so I’ll just say that I enjoyed it!
Rewards Value
I’d probably rematch a few episodes of it, not all since it’s pretty long but there were pretty good episodes I’d love to watch again.
Overall
10/10 I recommend you try this show out. It may not be your cup of tea, but you should really give it a try if you live watching historical c-dramas filled with action, fantasy, and romance. HAPPY WATCHING!!!!
-cherrybomb ;)))
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This review may contain spoilers
I started the series with much excitements after seeing Arthur Chen's great performance in Ever Night. Yet, I ended up with complete disappointment and found myself dragging to complete the last 8 episodes. The story itself is fairly good but is somewhat predictable. Unfortunately, the series are full of gaps and deviations from the main story due to bad writing. Further, the acting of Arthur and the young crews are at best mediocre. Many complex scenes come across very dry and lack of emotion. To be fair, the first 20 episodes are decent to watch and do enticing us to keep going. The story then starts deviating to the many side stories that put the main characters all the way to the back. The series then becomes unclear who is really the main characters and story line. The series do come around in the last 2 episodes to have decent ending. Unless you are a big fan of Arthur Chen, I would not recommend investing the time in this series. Was this review helpful to you?
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Legend of Awakening Puts Bad Ideas in People's Heads
Legend of Awakening leaves a bad message for its viewers. Basically, this story tells people to forgive and love a blood enemy who murdered one’s parents, uncle, close friend, close friend’s father and clan, and so on. This show leaves a message to befriend and to love a murderer who specifically killed people who were close to someone, provided that the someone is not targeted by the murderer.Liu Song’s revenge is correct. Yan Qiuci, the Grandmaster of Wuji Manor, brought ruin to the Big Dipper Sect, as well as destroyed the peaceful life that Lu Ping should’ve had and that Liu Song desired. Also, the Shuo Nation is an unjust regime founded by rebels who fought against the Dan Nation for unjust reasons. However, these unjust people win and they can frolic at the expense of people like Liu Song, whose regime would’ve been the right one, and of Lu Ping, who can never have the chance to avenge his parents who birthed him and raised him when he was a baby. Just where is the justice in this world? What kind of message are the writers of this story trying to leave for the viewers? For the people? For society? Furthermore, Emperor Zhai Rong of the Shuo Nation, for some reason, keeps desiring Lu Ping, as an Awoken, to fight for Shuo against Liu Song and his Mountain and Sea Sect. Zhai Rong even makes Qin Sang, a warrior from a respectable military family, utilize romance to seduce Lu Ping into fighting for Shuo against Liu Song. At least Liu Song fights against the Shuo Nation using his intellect and talents as a sect leader, a martial artist, and an alchemist (Not to mention that Liu Song is far better-looking compared to that dwarf, Zhai Rong, whose stupid, prepubescent face honestly makes me feel as if “God is projectile vomiting right into my eyes… and it burns. It really burns” [Jason Statham, Hobbs & Shaw]).
As for Zhai Rong, he’s an emperor, a ruler of a whole nation, yet he doesn’t have an aura or a composure that commands respect and demands loyalty. Instead, he threatens people with death and other similar punishments to do his bidding, or he tricks and manipulates others to do his bidding, like how he threatens Ling Ziyan with killing Yan Xifan or Lu Ping if she doesn’t do what he orders, or cowering behind Qin Sang, a girl who is loved by Lu Ping, to protect his cowardly life from a man whose life he ruined since babyhood, the man being Lu Ping. Zhai Rong is a clown playing emperor who only knows how to hide under a skirt. This man has neither pride nor honor as an emperor. There was once a time that he ordered Ling Ziyan to take with her the Soaring Dragon Army to kill either Yan Xifan or Lu Ping if Xifan failed to bring Lu Ping back to Kaifeng City. This isn’t how a wise emperor would operate; a wise emperor would only order the deaths of Lu Ping or Yan Xifan should either of them openly display any rebellious behaviors or intentions. Nonetheless, this is the kind of foolish, untrustworthy ruler that Yan Xifan and Lu Ping would happily serve under? As for Ling Ziyan, that double-crosser is really someone whom Xifan wants to marry? Nonetheless, the writer makes it appear that these people are happy to die for Zhai Rong, who’s nothing but a villain, a coward, a tyrant, and an unjust ruler. Liu Song, on the other hand, utilized his own wit, intellect, and talents to take on the Shuo Nation, rather than deceiving and betraying people to their deaths to fight for him.
Why does Zhai Rong want so much to kill a guiltless fellow like Liu Song? Why did Yan Qiuci have to kill righteous people like Lu Ping’s parents, the Grandmaster and Grandmistress of the Big Dipper Sect? These questions beg more questions, like why did the House of Zhai rebel against the Dan Nation in the first place. Was Dan really such a corrupt, inefficient, and unjust country, or did House Zhai bear within its dark belly greater ambitions than what Dan could afford? Furthermore, why is it not okay to hate people like Yan Qiuci and Zhai Rong, who are villains by default, but it’s perfectly all right to hate Liu Song, whose villainy was born from the sins of other villains? The so-called heroes of this story don’t exactly practice what they preach about how people should let go of vengeance and not bear hatred in their hearts. For comparison, I look to the hit video game of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy franchise, Final Fantasy VII, specifically towards Sephiroth and the Shinra Company. The Shinra Company was an iron-handed, unjust regime that lorded over Midgar City with tyranny and fear in order to siphon the life energy of their home planet, the Lifestream, without resistance. Furthermore, in order to enforce their rule over the land, they created superhuman warriors called SOLDIERs, and Sephiroth was one such warrior; in fact, he was one of the best. Sephiroth was a 1st Class SOLDIER and a bona fide hero to both the Shinra Company and the common folk of Midgar. However, when he found out about the origins of his birth, from his father being the psychotic Professor Hojo to his own body being infused with body cells from an ancient alien demoness, Jenova, Sephiroth turned into a villain who was hellbent on not just Shinra’s destruction, but also on purging the entire planet of all life, ascending to godhood by absorbing all Lifestream energy into his body, and presumably setting sail for the void to conquer new planets using the combined powers of Jenova and the Lifestream. Sephiroth actually started off as a hero, but because of Shinra’s sins, Sephiroth turned mad and became a villain. Meanwhile, the Shinra Company remained as they started off as: Villains. In Legend of Awakening, Wuji Manor and the Shuo Nation turned Liu Song into a villain because of the sins they committed. Liu Song was the victim of Yan Qiuci and Zhai Rong, and he determined that he would become a new villain in order to strike down these two old villains. Liu Song is a villain who represents chaos, Yan Qiuci is a villain who represents vanity, and Zhai Rong is the biggest villain who represents tyranny. Why is it that the Shuo Nation and Wuji Manor are now heroic factions while Liu Song and his Mountain and Sea Sect is the one and only villainous faction whom nobody even attempts to empathize with?
The universe of Legend of Awakening was truly made according to the immature whims of the writers. Nothing, absolutely nothing, in that world, from the relationships to the politics to even the supernatural powers, operates according to things in reality, like how humanity operates, like how nature operates, like how even supernatural powers would most likely operate in reality. Apparently, friends and family being murdered in cold blood means nothing in this world. Apparently, because Wuji Manor and the Shuo Nation supposedly did a good job providing for the citizenry, that means that the friends and family of people they’d murdered before can now all get along and frolic together in paradisical bliss.
Also, as for the Six Pneumas… after watching so many other science fantasy shows, as well as wuxia and xianxia shows, I find that the powers featured in this show are truly written in a poor and sloppy manner. The Six Pneumas are all just ordinary abilities that any martial artist can attain after years of practice and chi-cultivation. Even the so-called “most mysterious Pneuma”, the Pneuma of Essence (精之魄 Jing zhi Po), is simply the art of hypnotism, a skill that mentalists and magicians use for magic acts. Additionally, the way that these powers function within the human body makes no sense. These Pneumas are extremely taxing on the human body, but in return, these Pneumas provide their users with magnificent, magical power that no mere mortal can defeat. However, these taxing, yet powerful, abilities can be so easily overcome by mundane, non-supernatural weapons. These Pneumas give great power to their users, yet they cannot be used to also provide great defense to their users? Are they supposed to be super-powerful or not super-powerful? Apparently, a maximum of five Pneumas can be activated, but only five since activating all six would be physically impossible. However, there do exist special people who can activate all six Pneumas, and these people are the Awoken. However, even the Awoken are actually not special: Even though Awoken can activate all six Pneumas, they’re doomed to die at an extremely early age due to the intense stress that their bodies suffer in order to wield all six Pneumas. Nonetheless, this fatal condition is nothing that can’t be cured with some acupuncture and herbs, with the use of medical devices and substances that have no supernatural properties whatsoever, despite the fact that the affliction which threatens an Awoken’s life is of supernatural origin.
Watching Legend of Awakening is an upsetting, sickening, and mind-raping experience, as the viewers are compelled to sit through a story that is created according to the immature whims of the writers. This became especially worse when Yan Qiuci and Liu Song each told their stories of what happened back then in the Big Dipper Sect: The writer’s conflict resolution for this story was undeniably terrible. To the writers of Legend of Awakening, refund the time I’ve wasted on watching this awful series of yours.
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Overall Legend of awakening is worth to watch.with young and fresh actor/actresses, plot of story that not so heavy and less cringey romantic scene, very good fighting scene plus a good music, im totally satisfied while watching it
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This review may contain spoilers
It was generally an okay idol/youth wuxia drama.Story:
The plot was a typical wuxia hero story - Luping and his journey to break the Spirit Lock, and friendship between the lead characters. The friendship between the two male leads as well as among Zhaifeng disciples was well done. There were also character development but there were inconsistencies as well. The pacing also had lots of problems.
The first 15 episodes were pretty good with a focus in younger generations, later the plot became a bit messy and boring with inconsistent pacing in the middle the last 4 episodes got better again.
As a wuxia fan, I also feel the fight scenes were a bit lacking; they didn't have that big impact and also not grand enough.
Acting/Cast:
Personally, I think CFY has improved a lot compared to his acting in EverNight. Chengxiao was a bit stiff but it didnt affect the story that much. The chemistry between the two was not that convincing but still okay for me.
Other casts also did a great job. I really like the two shifus from older generation as well.
Music:
Both the intro and outro songs are really nice. Especially, the intro song has that youthful feeling that really fits with this drama.
Rewatch value:
I probably won't rewatch it again since it doesn't really make me feel attached to the drama or the characters.
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Personally I like the drama very much. It's not boring and has some suspense there. Thanks
that people watch finish it before u judge or write a comment on it. Its very rude or unfair to the actor and actress when u judge the drama by watching it for only like few episodes.
Personally I like the drama very much. It's not boring and has some suspense there. Thanks
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This review may contain spoilers
The story and plot is good. The pacing is sometimes dragging and sometimes is fast-paced. The CG is not that cringy. However, I kinda regret the ending for Lu Ping and Qin Sang. The cast did a good job. At first they were kinda okay but as the series went on, their acting became better. Kudos to Cheng Xiao because I've learned that she did her own stunts. For a first time actress, she did okay.
Arthur Chen also did a good job and for a young actor, his performance in this series is okay.
The costume was meh. I didn't like the colors and design of the costume and it didn't highlight the visuals of the cast.
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With ups and down expectation!
This new TV series drama doesn't yet achieve the peak of my expectations. There are so many reasons why? But Cheng Xiao's beauty and fighting skills along with Arthur Chen's charisma will put this drama to the summit. Understandably, the series still rolling on the local TV and international online platforms. Thus, we cannot decide completely the full review of the storyline. Just keep on watching and relax with the drama's monumental saga.In addition, as a frequent fan and audience of the Chinese historical TV dramas, we cannot hide the predictable locations as being used as often within the studios. However, this is not a setback for every film production, the most important is the standard and quality of the cinematography being displayed. The Director of this TV series "Legend of Awakening" is also phenomenal, he manages carefully the keying effects of the locations which are super lovable to the eyes of the audiences.
In general, every episode that being unfolded has an excitement to see and wait.
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Romance? No, I think more like romanticizing a whole lot of deaths
I started watching this for the romance genre and because I like Xianxias / cultivation worlds.. What a beautiful mix. Well, this is not the series for you. This series is dark, more along the lines of "cruelty of life", with disjointed plot twists and it is definitely NOT a happy romance in any shape or form. I cannot emphasize how much this disappointed me as a romance genre tag.On the plus side there are different types of cultivation but nothing amazing that stands out. In the beginning, it was nice following the male lead, his sister and their development - especially with his shifu(s) and meeting their brothers. The shifu(s) and disciple interactions are a total highlight. Don't expect this to continue. though. After say the first 8 - 10 episodes, the series start going downhill. The romances are awkward. The relationships are messy. It was like they had pulled the actors into too many twists that the acting did not feel right.. at some point my family was chiming in about this series and acting being SO awkward.
If you like murdering characters left and right, you're in the right place. Death upon death of characters that has grabbed your hearts ensure. By the end, you wonder who may still be alive at the end to ride into the sunset in victory. Where's our happy ever romance - oh right, there's side couple(s) plot twist so the series will give you a few crumbs at the very very end to barely tick the box for the romance.
I ended up feeling like Lu Ping is a plot tool to drive the plot line and the series is more about his senior brother and other side characters that were around him and oh, their happy ever afters.. sorry Lu Ping, you'll have to live with just your memories.
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