Jiu Liu Overlord (2020)

I WOULD OF GAVE IT A 9 BUT...I WOULD GIVE IT A 8.5

I think first this drama is really good mostly because for me the actors are amazing I love them , aswell I'm abig fan of them.

Story-Honestly the story is really good for me, mostly because the FL and ML are from different status like she talks and acts different compared to him, aswell the trauma that the FL has makes it more interesting for me, because it is like why can't she hold a weapon which adds more suspense to the story, aswell for the ML he can't touch girl but when he touches the FL he doesn't feel dizzy which also makes it more interesting by asking why does this two have traumas and things like that, which this made me wanting towatch more.

acting-I'm loving the acting I'm a big fan of Bai lu(FL) since I wacthed her in legends,her acting is aswell amazing, mostly because this FL I love her she acts so manly which is really different compared to the other girls, she is clever, funny for me she is in the list of favourite FL, aswell the ML I'm pretty sure I saw him in lots of drama but msotly is support roles like in eternal love and I like how now he is the ML , ans shows his talent ,ASWELL the girl which works with the ML(Du xiao xian) I find her soo annoying, (character personlaity), But I think the actress does really good this role same for the other characters I think every actor is doing a realy good job.

PLOT-I think the plot is amazing and I like how the writerIs developing the story, and how the ML is the first one to fall in love with her ,I like how the plot is not draggy like compared to other drama ,Honeslt this drama has alot of mystery mostly because the ML is adopted and the FL parents died, so it is like they might have a secret whcih I reallly like.

Overall-Honestly this drama is still airing but I think you should watch it , for me I'm loving this , I love the FL and everyhting.I just hope it gets a happy ending and the story doesn't go down the hill

Edit: I WOULD OF GIVE IT A 9 BUT...
after watching all this drama, I felt quite disapointed mostly because
1.the romance started way too late , it could of started more earlier so then we could of enjoyed the cute scenes between them

2.the story of the FL, well the thing of her not being able to hold weapons was really good but the writers just forgets about this,and just doesn't talk about it anymore aswell for the ML, the writer forgot about him not being able to get close to girl(this two dieas just happens in ep 1 and then after they just forget about it)

3.for me the story of the ML wwas good(about him being the prince), like forme it was at the good time of the drama(like right in the middle), but for the FL it finally came in the last few ep whcih was like seirosuly!!!,I was expecting more

4.the 2ML I felt bad for him, aswell he turns evil he force her to kiss him which was like seriosuly, at some point it looked as if he was obsessed with the FL, and for the 2FL she was just annoying I'm happy that she ended like that.

overrall-this drama was good, but not well developed aswell the lead have great chemsitry (everyone acts good, but I wanted more develop in the 2couple), the ednign was good but in the middle of the drama it went really draggy,for me it felt like the writer didn't know what to do and just puted some ideas all together, honestly I' not going to lie I really enjoed it (even wit the draggy parts), it's a good drama to watch I recommend it, and In my opinion I think it's worth to watch,mostly because the ending is really satifsieng

SPOLIER!!!!












HAPPY ENDING!!!!

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Light-hearted Romantic Comedy

I love love love love this drama!!! The first half of the series was so hilarious, it often put me in stitches. Then it got a bit more serious in the second half. ****Spoiler**** It was a nice twist when it got revealed that he was the missing Prince. Then the story moved to be more palace like, compared to when it started (it was mostly about the silk business).

The chemistry of the main leads are amazing too. Bai Lu is so likable, she never failed at creating perfect chemistry with her onscreen partners. I actually watched this drama straight after I watched Love is Sweet (she's the FL there).

The ending song is so mesmerising. It matches so well with the ML! I'm so in love with him ?. I first saw Lai Yi as Die Feng in Eternal Love. I watched The Legend of Fuyao merely to watch his story arch (and fast forwarded the rest - the main leads there got stabbed to death every couple of episodes and managed to survive every single time, it was just too much for me LOL). Lai Yi is such an underrated actor. He has this elegant aura, yet he can play evil role so well too (as in The Flame's Daughter).

The second male and female leads are so good that your heart bleeds for them. It's their bad luck to be fated as second leads!

I often drop drama series after watching several episodes if the storyline got a bit silly/ridiculous/draggy, regardless how much I ship the main leads. But Overlord is definitely not one of them. It has been very enjoyable thoroughly.

A light-hearted romantic comedy drama worth watching. It's just the right amount of palace politics, right amount of total episodes (36), and excellent performance by all cast members!!

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Slow Burning Adorable Romance

This is a slow burning, tug and pull romance. More than half way through the drama, the main couple still have not officially started their romance though they have strong feelings and admirations for each other. There are multiple love triangles with the third parties becoming the antagonists (sort of). The two male leads are amazingly good looking and lovable, and the female lead is beautiful and badass.

The Story
This is the story of 2 people of different worlds meeting each other by chance and falling in love. She is from lowest of the low and he is an elite; they are like extreme ends of the world, opulence versus abject poverty. He’s attracted by her spontaneity and unpretentiousness; she is attracted by his good look and straight face that has a warm heart within. In the lower Jiu Liu, being poor, the people would eat anything and do anything to survive. And in the upper Jiu Liu, the rich lives in gluttony and opulence.

As the events unfold, their romance goes all the way to the palace. They encounter assassinations, imprisonment, tortures at the same time they resolve various conspiracies and mysteries, and eventually save the kingdom. Our OTP join hands together and cover each other’s back, and in the end, realizing their dreams and living a life they have always wanted.

There are some intense palace politics and conspiracies as official corruption is rampant. The supervillain is not revealed until the very last few episodes. However, the emphasis of this drama is on the dynamics of the main couple, which is really fun to watch.

The Characters and The Acting
Long Ao Yi (Bai Lu) is the kingpin of the Dragon Gang which has members and support from the lower class of Jiu Liu denizens of Silver City. She is magnanimous and takes care of everyone, making sure they live a decent life despite all odds against them. She is protective, tough, unfinessed and dresses in rags. Being poorly educated, she continually makes mistakes in the use of words and pronunciations, causing laughter and fun for the viewers. However, at the click of the fingers, she can transform into the most beautiful girl around, even overtaking the wealthiest best dressed women in town. With her beauty and unconventional demeanor, she immediately attracts the two most eligible men around. Bai Lu's character here reminds me of the Bai Lu in The Legends, a badass and stunningly beautiful, despite she doesn’t know how to fight in this story.

In contrast, Li Qing Liu (Lai Yi aka Leon Lai) is a very refined and sophisticated man. He is classy and prudish with a cold somber face. A silk tycoon and a fashion designer for the social elites, he runs one of the largest businesses in town. He is creative, intelligent and has a great business mind. However he’s prejudiced and looks down on Long Ao Yi and her ‘type’ initially until he comes to know her; he has thought money could buy anything and solve all problems until she proves him wrong. Lai Yi is naturally classy and he fits exactly into the image of Li Qing Liu.

Li Zhao (Fang Yilun aka Alen Fang) is a prince sent to investigate the salt trade black market. In his investigations, he also finds black markets for silk and peppercorn, and he discovers the corruption of many of the government officials. At the same time, he falls in love with Long Ao Yi who treats him no different from her other Dragon gang members. Time and time again, Li Zhao helps and saves Long Ao Yi. Fang Yilun’s portrayal is wonderful, making Li Zhao a very well-loved character.

The OST
I fall in love with one of the OSTs here: Heart City, though the other OST Seeing Dream is pretty good too. However, I have to point out that there is an instrumental tune that they have recycled from Luan Zang Gang of The Untamed, and for me, the repeated playing of this background music doesn’t go very well with the scenes and moments at all.

My verdict
Bai Lu's styling is beautiful especially when she's in elegant gowns. I love her badass demeanor, untamed and can be explosive at times. Lai Yi exudes that classy charisma right from the beginning, either as a rich merchant or as a prince. The overall CGI is not too bad. All the costumes are beautiful and props are proper. There are no obvious plot holes despite some minor lack of attention to details. The last few episodes are intense with the supervillain’s identity being revealed. The ending is what most viewers love with the characters we’ve come to love living the life they have always wanted, free and away from the palace despite the sacrifice of another lovable character.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable drama. Don’t miss it.

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I was excited to see another Bai Lu drama, but to me this drama didn't meet my expectation. Was hoping it would be a cute story but this drama just packed too much. I got a little lost watching it at the end. I felt this drama was kinda choppy in it's plot development...

Let me try to summarize it.... Male lead is from the Upper Jiu Liu ( aka upper class person) He has a clothing business.
Female lead is of the lower Jiu liu ( from the lower class) where she is the leader in the Dragon Bamboo sect. Two people from two classes come together to solve a case of missing gold thread from the male lead 's store/factory. ( Many episodes were about this case , which i didn't find particularly interesting). The female lead gets to stay at the store to unravel what has happen .Beside the Dragon bamboo clan there is a snake clan , who does evil and try to inflate the silkworm. They were also behind the missing golden thread. After the case is solve, the female lead is there in the shop as a designer, and help design different thing likes bras and pillows to sell to the public. In their shop there is the second female lead who has an evil father. The evil father basically tries to kill the male and female lead because they know of his evil and deceptive ways. He gets saved because , he actually has another identity, he's a crown prince. Just like that the story turns and he moves Chang An.

There is also a mystery behind the female lead's identity, but the big reveal was just kinda confusing and like wth ? it took way too long for her to solve the case/find out why someone killed her master. she goes into the royal palace and tries to find more , but she doesnt really find much information.

Also the female lead is suppose to be a leader of the dragon bamboo clan , but i didnt find that she had the characteristic traits that fit. I mean she is a little loud, rough , brave and can drink but she doesnt know martial arts , so she cant protect herself, while on the other hand the male lead who is from the upper class and is much more tamer knows martial arts and kicks butt!!!

The female and male lead pairing didnt work. I didnt feel like they had chemistry at all. Like it took so long for the female lead to figure out she liked the male lead. The male lead was a little too stone cold face lol, but he was cute when he smiled. I felt she had more chemstry with the second male lead. They didnt have enough screen time to build that relationship up, maybe one incident, but afterwards nothing so it was left to dry lol ( dont know if you know what i mean) So if you are looking for romance, this is not the drama for you !

I think they gave a little too much time in showing the relationship between the second male and female lead. I didnt like the fact that he turned evil, but at the end had such a wth ending.... ( dont wanna ruin it all) Also the evil father has an evil daughter.... Didn't like her either, a lu cha biao!! green tea b....

What i liked was the relationship between the female and male lead's servants. Their story was pretty cute!! They ended up falling for each other.

I mean this drama is bearable, watch at your own warning! hehe

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Hate the characters, like the actors

I can honestly say I did not like the plot. The majority of problems the main leads face, are caused/worsened by themselves.

There are too many plots holes designed to keep the plot going, and I hate the feeling of:
"- Wow, if they just told all this to the emperor in the beginning..." or "- they could have said no and explained it..." or "- they should not forget/forgive the people who do them dirty..." - it makes me feel like all the problems are just excuses.

The story moves on because of many misunderstandings and miscommunication, you can't even say the bad guys are smart, they are just luck the main leads are dumb/don't know how to communicate.

I did not feel the chemistry between the leads, and they are very childish... their relationship would suit better if they were the secondary couple or the other person on the love triangle.

This drama frustrated me to no ending and I did not like the characters at all.
Especially the male lead, he is so unlikable (I like the actor, he's great, despite the bad script), I disliked him so much, that I was rooting for the second male lead, and I rarely do that.

I love Bailu but the "heroine" in this drama is just a weak woman full of false bravado that accomplishes nothing, or very little things by sheer luck and no reason at all.

Just trust me, don't waste you time, 36 episodes of frustration is not good for the heart.

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Is It Really That Bad?

After watching all the 36 episodes, I can understand why Overlord has its fair share of negative reviews. I think it starts off well with a refreshing storyline but the screenwriters failed to carry that through to the end. So, from Episode 21 onwards, the plot moves back to the usual palace power plays and jealous third parties. Whether that could retain your interest would really depend on your appetite for evil schemes of palace officials, concubines, and love rivals.

Plot Lost Its Shine (Spoilers Alert!)
Personally, the second half of the drama is a letdown as it reverts back to being the usual fare. There is some surprise in the unmasking of the real mastermind behind all the bad deeds but apart from that, there is nothing inspiring in the later plot. Certain things are also not properly explained such as Qing Liu’s dizzy spells with the opposite sex and Ao Yi’s father’s death.

I think the revelation that Qing Liu is a prince is where the whole plot starts to lose its shine. The drama starts off with him being a merchant and to suddenly transform him into a prince just leads viewers down a predictable path of palace politics. Furthermore, with only half of the story left to be told, the palace power plays doesn’t have a strong plot development to give it more depth. Hence, viewers are given a superficial tale of the royal court affairs compared to dramas with a focus on palace intrigues.

The ending itself is acceptable but it doesn’t leave me with a truly satisfying feeling either. The way the bad guy is defeated feels like an anti-climax. The time jump towards the very end just seems like a lazy way to finish up the drama. It feels forced as they wrap things up for the required happy ending. Well, the good thing is, at least, there is no ambiguity whatsoever unlike the ending in Dance Of The Phoenix and Love Of Thousand Years.

Slow Burn Romance
Overlord is not a romance-heavy drama which means it could be really boring for those who want more skinship and romantic moments. By the time they are sure of their feelings for each other and express them, they already have to separate due to unforeseen circumstances. Well, the love is there and the viewers know it. But the couple also tends to bicker especially in the initial stages of the relationship. It takes a while for them to acknowledge their feelings for each other which is very different from dramas like General’s Lady whereby the love is recognized early.

I guess whether you would enjoy Qing Liu and Ao Yi’s love story would depend on your liking for slow burn type of romance with under the surface feelings. So, if you expect a more expressive male lead and an intense romance, Overlord is not the right drama to watch.

Can’t Feel The Chemistry
To be honest, I can’t feel the lover’s vibe between the two leads. Perhaps I’m spoilt after watching Bai Lu with Leo Luo in Love Is Sweet whereby their chemistry is off-the-charts. It is not that Bai Lu’s and Leon Lai’s acting is bad in Overlord as they do fit their roles well enough. Bai Lu gives Ao Yi a thuggish look with the right amount of swag as a gang leader. Leon Lai’s portrayal of Qing Liu is also right on the dot for me as a reserved and stoic man.

I think where the 2 leads fail in the romance department is that their chemistry remains stuck in the bickering stage and they couldn’t raise the bar as their relationship progresses. It has nothing to do with the lack of smooches although some viewers might think more skinship will give off better chemistry between the leads. It is not necessarily so as Allen Ren and Seven Tan pulled it off very well in Under The Power which is a 55-episode drama with hardly any kisses. In Overlord, something is just missing in the couple that I can’t feel the sizzles.

In fact, some viewers think Alen Fang should have been the male lead instead. But Alen Fang has such a warm and pretty boy look that makes him more suited to rom-coms like the role he played in The Love By Hypnotic. It will indeed be interesting to see how he will stack up if he is told to portray a cold and emotionless Qing Liu.

My Verdict – Is It Really That Bad?
Well, Overlord is not really unwatchable despite the weaknesses that I have highlighted above. Perhaps 36 episodes is too short for a historical drama that wants to feature a slow burn romance, palace politics, and investigations all rolled into one. The result is a drama that couldn’t make me feel totally invested in the story. But the positive side to it is it doesn’t get dragged out and that should please viewers who prefer a shorter drama. There are no complicated subplots here. While the royal court facet doesn’t have a strong story development, it should delight those who hate long drawn out evil schemes that tend to exist in palace dramas.

Watchable But Forgettable
Furthermore, the cast did a good job in portraying their roles. At the very least, you don’t have to cringe at their acting. Although I feel that the chemistry between the leads is lacking as a romantic couple, the upside is Overlord is not meant to be a heavy romance drama just like The Blooms At Ruyi Pavilion. In other words, a sizzling chemistry would be a bonus but the lack of it would not really take away much from the story that also focuses on the investigation and corruption aspects. This is very different from a modern rom-com like Perfect And Casual whereby the chemistry is what drives the drama.

For this Jiu Liu Overlord review, I wouldn’t say it is unwatchable but neither would you miss much if you skip it. If you are a diehard Bai Lu or Leon Lai fan, then go ahead and watch it. Their acting shouldn’t disappoint you. Also watch it if you like a gutsy and unconventional female character and an uncomplicated plot. Other than that, it is a forgettable drama that wouldn’t linger on your mind once you are done.

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A very Slow Start

So I was excited to watch mainly because of the ML, but to my disappointment, it started off really well, then all of sudden is kind of slowed down, I felt like the first 6 episodes were all over the place, and the whole backwards and forwards between the ML & FL and how they come together was really annoying, The story moves on because of many misunderstandings and miscommunication, you can't even say the bad guys are smart, they are just luck the main leads are dumb/don't know how to communicate.

I did not feel the chemistry between the leads, and they are very childish... their relationship would suit better if they were the secondary couple or the other person on the love triangle.

It took a very long time to actually finish this drama, cuz I honestly lost interest in it, but wanted to stick out just to see how it unfolds. This drama frustrated me to no ending and I did not like the characters at all. Especially the male lead, he is so unlikable (I like the actor, he's great, despite the bad script),

Just trust me, don't waste you time, 36 episodes of frustration is not good for the heart.

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I FINISHED IT BECAUSE OF LAI YI

For the first, I want to say I'm sorry if my review not pleased or offend the fans of any part artist, but I speak honestly from my little heart ...

I will write it briefly ... because in terms of the story of this drama actually didn't attracted my interest and it looks like the drama continues somewhat out of line with the main storyline though,but I continued until the end, the reason is only one because I have waited a long time for the laiyi drama as the main character, and finally I can watch it even though in terms of story This drama has many holes in the story. and honestly in this drama there are only a few characters that make me love including Liqingliu, Yanbin, second uncle (er ye) from lower jiuliu, and the mother of the king, because from the beginning of the story until episode 30 I felt very hard to accept FL characters, but I really relieved that the authors finally deigned to develop their character and romance for the last 6 episodes and they had a happy ending.

The acting of the all artists is good in this drama, especially LaiYi, he never doubted me for his acting skills, his good looks and very natural acting should be the reasons and important points for the directors to give more lead role projects to him.

Honestly I give my rated 10/10 when started watch this drama and slowly down and finally I just can give it 6/10 until the end.

I think this is the only short comment I can write for this drama. sorry if there is something that is not pleasing to your heart and thank you.

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The true hero is the loser in the love triangle

Amazingly good. This drama is underrated on Mydramalist. I watched a lot of dramas - this is the first that made me stayed until 3 am - I am usually quite disciplined in managing my screen hours. This drama appears to be an entertaining light-weight comedy during the early part of the series but gradually reveals heavy weight corrupt politicians and evil-masterminds, and the mood become sober.

What I commonly observed of dramas produced in China over the last decade are good looking cast with excellent acting skills, beautiful cinematography and lovely costumes - the 'technical' aspects. There are so many outstanding good-looking acting talents in China. Lovely theme songs are common among the better produced. Although there are a lot of good creative stories among Chinese dramas, realism is often lacking. Stories development still tends to be the weakest link with a lot of weak spots, influenced by strange old school martial art ideas like flying swordsman, energy transfer, strange cures etc. These are stuff that I accept and appreciate in fantasy dramas but not in realism dramas. And it is always convenient the hero always suddenly appears from nowhere to save the damsel in distress - there should be a reason the hero is there.

What I like about this drama is it does not have flying swordsman, energy transfer and quite realistic in its setting. The closing theme song is lovely. It has two gorgeously handsome male leads - Leon Lai (Yi) and Allen Fang (Yi Lun) - and pretty actresses. Hope to see Leon and Allen more often as leads. A triangle love story is a major part of the drama - with the true hero being the loser in the love story. The cinematography and costumes are good. What is obviously badly managed is the cut - there is an obvious disruption in the series which suggests some censorship had happened.

For a country with heavy censorship, the film industry has obviously depended on other creative factors to produce successful dramas, other than using sex to sell, and has done well. It is a renaissance in recent film-making Chinese history

It is worth watching and I may watch it again later.

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GOOD PLOT BUT SLOW PROGRESS

I watch this drama because of Bai Lu and first i really liked how it go with the love hate relationship they are so cute until ep19, i keep on waiting when will they get together and its just so slow and after ep20 i just skip all the unrelated scenes and waiting for the romantic scene, they get together so late in the drama and it just lasted around 5 episodes until the end, im disappointed because of the good plot but i give high review because of Bai Lu and other cast.. The cast acting was superb and top notch, i watch this drama because of the plot and its intrigued me for the first 20 episode in the drama and keep me wondering what will happen but as always i watch a drama for a romantic scene ㅠㅠ the amount of kisses in this drama is also disappointing, i think the writer kind of confused how to get this drama going after 20 episodes.. overall please watch this drama as it is so good ??????

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Good slow-burn romance with fun comedic moments plus an OTP with great visuals

Overall, this drama tried to pack a lot into the story, but the writing was not consistent enough to weave the plots together seamlessly. The show started strong for me, with its fresh take on the FL's background, where she was the leader of a righteous gang whose focus was on helping the common people. I was intrigued by the synopsis and looked forward to seeing the romance develop as the OTP learned to work together and overcome their class disparity. Unfortunately, the writer had to throw in the usual palace nonsense, including the "secret royalty" trope. It did all fit together in the end, but the story development was not that smooth. I don't know if it was due to bad editing, censorship, or weak writing that caused the pacing to be off.

Despite all that, I could not help but binge on this show. In fact, I even watched the last 6 episodes raw because I had to find out what happened in the end. Why? Because of Bai Lu and Leon Lai!

I was so drawn to the OTP's visuals and their story. I did not mind their slow-burn romance, and even though there were few passionate scenes, there was great chemistry between Bai Lu and Leon Lai. There was a certain dignity in how the ML and FL displayed their feelings for each other. Both characters were strong, intelligent, savvy, and well-respected in their own societies. Watching them come together and realize how well they complement each other was an enjoyable watch for me. Of course, there were angsty moments of misunderstanding and noble idiocy, but compared to other period C-dramas, the melodrama was not heavy.

Bai Lu may have reached 'girl crush' status for me. She has an on-screen presence that commands attention, an attractiveness, and acting talent that one would expect of a female lead. She has the natural arrogant face to portray Long Ao Yi perfectly, and one memorable scene for me was when she danced to counter the ridicule of the so-called high-society guests. Bai Lu used her body language and expressions very well in this role as she transitioned between an unruly gang leader to a palace concubine. One reason why I gave the show a high rating because of the strong FL character who was also relatable. I like that Long Ao Yi could always rise above it all, move on and focus on the big picture or main point. Yes, she had her moments of weakness or slip-ups and silly stubbornness that delayed the progress of her relationship with Liu Qing Liu. However, all that was what I would expect of the character who stayed true to herself the whole time.

The show made the right choice casting Leon Lai next to Bai Lu. His manly good looks and physique match Bai Lu's haughty beauty really well, and he has the charisma to play the aloof Liu Qing Liu. His icy expressions were not emotionless, and he was not stiff. This role may not have given Leon a wide acting range, but he did pretty well with his micro-expressions, especially when Qing Liu started falling for Ao Yi. Given that this is only his second lead role, I think he did a great job. I hope that he will be casted in more lead roles as he hones his skills further. Likewise with Alen Fang. I had watched him in "The Love by Hypnotic" and was impressed by him. His character Li Zhao did give me a little SLS, and I felt so bad for him who was so in love with Ao Yi until the very end.

The secondary couple, Xiao Qin and Ya Bin was cute and hilarious. The rest of the supporting cast did well too. The actions of the characters made sense and justifiable, including the villains'.

Great selection of OST! I like the songs picked to match the significant scenes between certain characters.

All in all, I would ask you to give this show a chance. 36 episodes are not that long compared to many other period dramas, and there are numerous parts that are good in Jiu Jiu Overlord. It provides a nice break for when you need some lightheartedness, and the good looking cast is a bonus. I already plan to re-watch the last 6 episodes when they are finally English subbed.

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Storyline in the beginning was refreshing; love triangle between the merchant, gang leader, and the Prince. There's also plot revolving the silkworm business.
But after 20 episode, after the missing prince story, it turns really draggy - it takes very long time for the leads to be together, annoying jealous side characters, palace politics. Also the plot holes; FL can't hold weapon & ML can't be close with woman, seems like after few episodes they forgot about this. Which makes me skipping a lot of scenes.

Other things that i liked :
- Bai Lu's portrayal as the gang leader
- sidekicks love story
- even with all those predictable twists, the ending for the main couple was good

The acting was great. The music was so-so. I don't really notice it.

Overall it's okay, but i won't recommend it.

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