Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain (2019)

This show is super fun and cartoonishly silly at least for the first half. While not all the jokes landed, I did laugh at parts. However, the story for the first half didn't really interest me and seemed just like a vehicle for more jokes. In the second half of the show the story picks up and becomes more plot focused however this came at the expense of the humor which is this shows strong point. This show does not work as a serious fantasy drama, while the actors try it just doesn't come together and feels forced. It was also a total tonal shift to just cut out also all the comedy and just be a straight up drama in the second half. I should have kept the same tone it had in the first half while the comedy wasn't amazing it would have made the overall show a more enjoyable experience.

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I’m putting all 10 stars for each category, because even though I haven’t finished it, I’m really enjoying it so far (thus why I put all 10’s).

Story: I’m really enjoying the story so far. I’ve watched the anime (didn’t know it was the same thing until a few episodes in????), but I like how they’re doing so far in the live action.
Cast: I personally think they chose the perfect cast - all the actors have great chemistry with one another (to the point where I had to go check if this was a BL - still surprises me what they’re able to get past censorship????). Besides that, I really like how the relationships are developing, and how it sprinkles in hints of the past that we need to try and figure out. I really like the main male lead, Xu Cai - I think he really plays his character well. I like the way his character is a genius and really thinks outside the box - makes it super interesting to figure out what he’s planning next. I really like the female lead too - she may seem like she’s one thing, but trust me, she’s not????

Music: I haven’t watched the entire show, so I haven’t heard all of the music, but so far it’s really good and fits the theme????

Rewatch value: I think I’d rewatch it, since I’m enjoying it so much right now, but it’d probably have to be in a few months when I don’t remember everything that happens.

Overall: I totally recommend it - but hey, if this isn’t your type of show, at least you can say you tried watching it...you’ll never discover if you like something by following others’ opinions - something I let dictate a lot of mine, unfortunately????

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How did I find this cdrama? Wt....?!

This is my 5th or 6th cdrama and although I do prefer other titles that come to my mind....for some reason I am still watching this. It is more humorous and bizarre than I expected...bordering on the subliminally unhinged, but in a good entertaining way. The acting is good enough to keep me coming back for the next episode.....but I am tempted to skip to the last few episodes.....?

Other reviews mentioned how they didn't always like the FL. It won't be fair for me to comment on the actress's looks or features playing the role, but the fact that I personally find the FL character (not actress) annoying and unscrupulous could mean she may have succeeded in conveying this to the audience. Bring in the ML, Xu Kai, and you have an annoying, unscrupulous ( yet cunning, very capable and witty) match made in Xianxia heaven. The 2 leads do compliment each other, and there are scenes where you start to see how dynamic and layered both characters are ( especially the FL who may be putting on this 'annoying' front to hide away the pain and trauma she feels from a previous love she lost in a past battle)

***Update****

I got to 20 something episodes, couldn't handle the weird humour, and there is even a scene where the ML casually asks the FL...who would she prefer to be 'violated by' - Prince Charming or the Evil demon? - and her response was going to be Prin....but then caught herself. I've learnt not to take many things in life too seriously, especially from media and entertainment....but 'joking about violation' is very bad taste ?

Again, the drama is not bad, but if are you looking for a more 'sophisticated' storyline with some serious elements, you can skip to the last episode, which is what I did ( I lost patience???) or skip the whole drama. But the choice is yours.

Oh yeah...there's a much weirder, random dance scene at the end.....like W......T..........FFFFFF!?!?!? ???

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Non il limone che volevo, ma almeno c’è un limone.

Carino, merita di essere visto. Diciamo che è come se si prendessero tanti stereotipi del genere e si mettessero tutti assieme nella stessa storia (e i protagonisti stessi scherzassero su questo fatto, infatti più volte il protagonista dice “se non io chi, sono per l’appunto il protagonista maschile”) quindi la storia in se ci sta. Molto piacevole (anche se dal mio punto di vista rallenta un pelino a metà per poi tornare a bomba nel finale (che ci piace perché aperto e quindi ben venga la prossima stagione), anche se ahimè ci sono limoni, ma non quelli che volevo. Allora sentite tutti, ho visto The Untamed la bellezza di tre volte (e pure Guardian) e erano tutti sguardi persi, conigli e prese al volo mentre esce sangue dalla bocca, che manco un’ emorragia interna, quindi ben vengano i limoni, solo che i due protagonisti maschili… diciamo che hanno un feeling molto simile ai miei amati WW e LW quindi mi aspettavo che la censura facesse il suo lavoro e restasse anche questa una serie piena di sguardi e basta. E invece no. Abbiamo il limone, non quello che vorremmo (certo, anche se se si leggono i tag si ha tutto spoilerato molto più di quanto non faccia questa recensione), però almeno abbiamo non uno, ma bensì due limoni.

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