Best xianxia drama in recent years
This drama has just proved that xianxia drama can be magical when it’s perfectly done.Seeing all the efforts behind the scenes, they have put so much effort to do it right from production to visual effects to soundtracks to the script to the acting part, there is really no flaw to point out.
What I particularly love about this drama- the romance is well done although it’s cliche, and most importantly, the chemistry between the casts can also be felt both onscreen and offscreen. The logic and small details and clues in the script is also really well done. Yu Shuxin and Dylan Wang have superb chemistry even off screen and they are really shippable . Not to mention the stellar visual effects, especially with DFQC’s scenes really elevated this character’s almightiness as it should be.
There are a lot lot more good points about this drama and it’s highly recommended to watch!!
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This review may contain spoilers
You will love it, but hate some basic aspects of it
Love between devil and fairyI know some are gonna hate me for saying this.
It’s not a review, just random thoughts:
- The intro and the outro are ethereally beautiful, telling the story in a symbolic way. Also, the scene where the 2 friends hang out inside a painting is mesmerizing.
- The CGI and special effect budget were like 3$ max and probably deducted from the costume budget!
- Rong Hao’s back story was very short and needed more details than that.
- Basically no one is evil, and no one is good too. Everyone has his ideology and noble purpose to fight for. Though a good conversation over a drink would've solved all their so-called hefty disagreements.
- Dylan and Xu Hai Qiao were the saving grace when it comes to acting. Can’t say the same about the others, they were below average, and FL was in a league of her own.
- The War Lord, and The Great Emperor of the Sea Salt left the battle and their people to save their love interest! Let’s talk about priorities here guys! (What a man does for love!!)
- The ruthless Demon who is fearful and magnificent, turns into cute little duckling runs after the FL quacking. ? A rule that has never changed in fantasy series.
- As usual the FL has to be annoyingly stupid and cute. But MAN! She took it to the next level, her acting as cute little fairy is terrible, her voice made my ears bled, I hate dubbing, but that actress needs it the most, i understand that she is some sort of a singer, but she is definitely not any sort of an actress. (Sorry to her fans, I tried to like her, but she kept getting worst episode by another, and standing next to Dylan made her acting looks worst comparing to him)
- The twin story was abrupt and forced.
- The Great Emperor/ King of the Immortals celestial heavenly whatever kingdom acts like a 3rd world government employee who needs a signature and seal on every paperwork and stating that the rules and regulations can never be broken all the time. Chill man!
- Love the costumes except for the weird shields of war which don’t seem to protect anything at all. Dylan’s costumes were the most lavish and beautifully embroidered, fits his character very well.
I guess that’s most of what I want to say.
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Almost the best Xianxia i've ever seen (apart from The Untamed)
This is going to be a long review. There is just so much to say about this excellent drama!As a longtime big fan of Dylan Wang this was a mandatory watch for me and I could not be happier. Where his acting in Xianxia and Wuxia could use some work before, he's bringing it in this one. Where he could not muster a lot of emotion in his expression before, he is even doing micro-expressions this time and it is a joy to watch him exploring his range. He is regal, cold, majestic when we first meet Dong Fang Qing Cang, and we discover his soft, giddy and happy side when he meets the love of his life. We see his jealousy, anger, uncertainty and deep sadness as the story progresses.
Esther Yu, the Female lead is equally impressive portraying both the child like and happy fairy Orchid (Xiao Lan Hua) and the Goddess Xi Yui, who is much more serious and has a very different demeanor than the fairy, mainly because she needs to act like she does not remember DFQC at all.
The other main roles, as Orchids initial love interest Changheng, Fairy Danyin, Rong Hao, Shangque and Jieli really give the story its cohesiveness and have their own interesting stories and tragedies. I would have liked to see more of the Black Dragon Shangque, but I am certainly not complaining about the visuals of this drama.
The story is told in a direct and dynamic way. Between following the storyline, watching the stunning visuals and admiring the actors, there is no getting bored with this drama. Although riddled with tropes, it never feels copied or easy. Not with the visit to the mortal world, or the body-swaps, or the dying for each other.
Apart from the stunningly beautiful cast, the backdrop of the different realms, with its colored skies, ice, lakes, forests and flowers are breathtaking. Every detail has been considered, everything looks heavenly, ethereal and divine as it should since these are heavenly realms after all. All realms have their own distinct aesthetic, even the mortal realm looks colorful and fantastic
The costumes in this drama are in a league of their own. They are perfection, especially those made for Dong Fang Qing Cang. They start off as mainly black, but gradually more color is added. Blues, Greens, Gold, Brown. All stunningly embroidered and fitted. I found myself distracted by them more than once.
Special attention also went into the soundtrack. Aside from the fantastic theme songs, the score and sounds throughout are perfect. Birds chirping, (cloud)whales singing, minimal music, the beautiful flute sounds of Rong Hao. The story is, although mostly a standard dramatic and partly tragic Xianxia, very well-paced and with hardly any plot holes, loose ends or rogue characters. It all fits neatly together, has a start, middle and finish. There's (of course) a lot of death and destruction, but also a lot of hope and actual sense made out of the messes made.
There was not a detail that was overlooked in this drama, everything was done with so much care and attention, it is almost unbelievable. I would like to believe this will set a new standard for the genre.
Well, was there anything I did not like? Why yes, yes there was. Dylan still needs kissing lessons....
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The storyline is overall well written, but I find the fast moving plot blurs out many details that could have been explored had they made this a few episodes longer. The plot also focused more on love story and the big picture instead of the small details. I find the last two episodes rushed with a lot of informations crammed together. When I thought I could savor one scene, they quickly jumped to another scene. Though ends are tied and everything falls in place, I wasn’t really satisfied with the superficial delivery of the story. Also, there are certains scenes that really were just pulled to save the characters at crucial times without sufficient in-depth story to explain why it happened. They had this parents love and protection thing from Harry Potter to help FL save ML, complete with them standing behind the FL. It was cringey no matter how I look at it. They also made the FL have power so easily after reviving without going in-depth to her situation, it’s using her Goddess status to her advantage. Also, I was expecting the ML to showcase his efforts during the last battle or shown us his new highest form of power, but not only he did not even went to fight, they killed him right after he gain his new power.
What draws me to this drama is the ML. His character developed significantly, from someone without feelings to someone who sacrifices everything for his loved one. Compared to him, the FL’s character went through only minor development, which is why I feel her sudden mature, responsible and austere character towards the end is forced upon her just because of her identity as the Goddess. Two thirds of the story she’s just like a spoiled pampered princess who has the ML protecting her from start to finish, and then all of a sudden she changed personality to a completely different person. Sorry, but I’m not feeling the genuity of the changes on her part no matter what grounds given. The FL’s character is like most xianxia FLs, naive and cute, but to me she’s not one that stands out, much less leave an impression. If the writers had gone in-depth to develop her character, I probably would have liked her better, but as of how it ended, she isn’t one that I would glorify.
The cast is good, all of them delivered their roles well. I have to give two thumbs up to Dylan Wang for his portrayal of DFQC. He really nailed it. The vibe he gave out in the drama as the lord demon is phenomenal. He set the bar high and made the character his, it would be hard to find another lord demon like him.
Wardrobe and music are good, made the drama even more enjoyable to watch.
Overall, it’s an entertaining drama if you enjoy fast paced love story. For me personally, I really enjoyed the first half of it, but I’m disappointed towards the end as it did not fulfill my expectations.
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Surprisingly AMAZING
A taste of a little bit of everything you want and still leaving you wanting more.CHEMISTRY BURNING LIKE HELLFIRE!
Romance ✔️
Comedy ✔️
Action ✔️
Fantasy ✔️
Drama ✔️
I had no expectations for this drama whatsoever but
all it took for me was to take one look on the 1st trailer that turned into why not try one episode,into okay maybe two, then three wouldn't hurt and the rest was history. I was hooked to the point of counting minutes excited to click the play button whenever a new episode comes out.
Yeah it was those freaking blue eyes in Episode 9 that sealed my faith to continue watching this drama.
To those who havent started watching yet BE READY TO FALL INLOVE with that devilishly charming Moon Supreme from start to finish.
If anybody has ever doubted Dylan Wangs acting skills then this is definitely the drama to watch, it showed versatility and a different range in his acting skills
This dude broke my heart in episode 35 and made me cry a river. DFQCs character is definately one to remember and will linger in memory for a long while
[Wei wuxian level from UNTAMED]
Although there were a few negative comments at the start about Esthers acting, I felt she was perfectly cast as Orchid the fairy, cute and charming at first but can also portray serious acting. I've seen a few of her dramas and here you can see how her range had improved, her best by far.
A SECOND LEAD YOU WOULDN'T DARE TO HATE
yup, Didn't hurt that SML is an eye candy to begin with.
The writers did a very good job in making a character shine in his own rights. You'll find yourself wanting a good love story for him (insert shoutout to all those waiting for Eternal Faith to come out where he will play Crimson Rain sought flower)
The CGI was great but the OST was just Superb that brings out the emotions in each scene that will immerse its viewers to a plasant journey of experiencing Love amids all conflict.
Everyone and I mean everyone I've watched this with agreed 100% on a few things.
1st -It should have been a tad bit longer including but not limited to poignant scenes between leads.
2nd - this deserves a part 2 (since spoiler alert, its a little bit open ended leaving the last scene for interpretation)
3rd but not the least - BEST CDRAMA by far for 2022
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This Is Your Sign to Watch This Masterpiece!
This is literally my first and only review, i'm sorry if i have poor vocab and descriptive words to serve this drama justice so bear with meThis was my first xianxia drama. I am not the biggest fan of historical dramas, I definitely prefer modern romance dramas, but I love dylan and esther so I decided to give this a chance, especially after I finished alchemy of souls which I absolutely loved.
I am so glad I decided to watch this show, honestly I binged LBFAD in three days. I was absolutely stunned by the everything. If you are hesistant to start bc you aren't the biggest fan this is your SIGN!!!!!!! Give this drama a try!!!
Esther and Dylan have improved their acting and perfectly executed so many different emotions for this drama. Their chemistry together is just through the roof
The OST is beautifully made and fits each scene wonderfully. It gave an extra emotional impact to each scene!
The side cast were very likeable and added to the show and all had very crucial parts to the main overlying story.
The CGI was definitely CGI lol but it was well crafted and I applaud the team for making it look modern.
The only personal thing of why I did not give this 10 stars was because
(spoiler ahead) episode 35 in which half the episode was focused on a certain character's arc that wasnt the main lead causing the finale to feel rushed and no room for emotional closure for the main leads!
overall this drama may be one of the best I have watched in 2022 and will be missed ?? i will forever remember this drama as the one that got me into historical cdramas!
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First C-drama to Keep me ADDICTED till the end!
let me tell you all that I made an account just to write this review and rate this show ^^I wasn't a fan of fantasy dramas (especially not Chinese fantasy "Xianxia") until I watched this one!!
it's my first Xianxia drama and the first C-drama to Keep me ADDICTED till the end!
Usually it's only k-dramas that make me obsessed
At first I hesitated when I saw Esther (Yu Shu Xin) because I don't prefer girls who act soo cute in a cringe way plus it was still ongoing but I decided to give it a chance (one episode)
from the first episode, I could tell they really worked hard (the costumes, hairstyle, CGI, and OST were perfect) and it catched my attention for real and kept me excited to see the rest!
and let me tell you now, that I can't imagine anyone other than Esther to be little orchid (XLH).. her acting skills are amazing, I was impressed?
XLH's character is so innocent and adorable
you'll get used to her and kinda like her, I promise?
as for Dylan (Wang He Di) I've only seen him in meteor garden and his acting has massively improved, no one would've suited the role of Dongfang Qingcang other than him as well.
I fell in love with his acting skills, expressions and was impressed thinking he changed his voice tone then got to know that he had a voice actor, "wang baoshun" (but they did a great job I couldn't tell that it was dubbed! ) plus that voice perfectly fits DFQC and made me fall for him ?
and I really liked the chemistry between the main lead it felt real and so natural ... and it wasn't rushed at all, I never get tired of seeing them I even watched their BTS, they became my fav couple ?
they deserve the best couple award for real ?
the whole cast was amazing actually they outdid themselves, so proud ??
I've enjoyed this drama and would definitely re-watch it
in brief:
the acting is superb, the chemistry between the main leads is lovely and so natural, each episode is so exciting; Not to mention the costumes, hairstyle, the scenery and the OSTs are all on Fleek ( I was amazed )
if you are looking for something with an actual story that'll make you experience different emotions - laugh, cry, excited and fangirl .. then this is the one for you ???
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Cotton Candy Costume in the Clouds... With Thunder
Come away with me.... and will kiss... Watch this drama and get swept away to a fluffy worlds high up in the sky gorgeous colors, flying whales and flowers as far as the eye can see.This is a drama that you start watching and without noticing you have seen 10 episodes and long for more. The plot has a lot of well known and well loved tropes and cliches, and can feel a bit rich a costume dram made light and highly accessible making it a dram that fits both new comers and people who have seen a lot of these, as far as I understand, me I am more of a newcomer but not a complete nube.
What I love about this is the pace, the visuals and the rare fact that no one annyd me to the extent of me wanting to skip scenes. Do not get me wrong there is one annoying character and a whole bunch that had my blood boiling. But the annoying character was manageable and got less annoying with time. The blood boiling types well they kept my blood boiling throat and in a good way.
The female lead is a naive one, but not to naive and though she may not always be my cup of morning dew at the end of the day she has some pretty powerful scenes, and delivers her character/s really well.
The male lead is just perfect, not in a ooh I want to date this guy but in a entertaining, cute, romantic at times, cold as an iceberg other times. Acting is spot on and the chemistry between the two makes not only fierworks but makes way for a lightning storm or ten...
The Second male lead and second female lead (if that is what she is) are also this rare commodity of lovable but not to lovable. They will not give us SLS but not make us want to throw them in to a pit either.
There is also a pretty good balance between suspense, fluff, intrigues and humour. I for one could not help but laugh every time the cold male lead smiled.
And then there is this whole body swap thing, that always has had some parts to it that have gotten on my nerves in other dramas, but did not in this one so an extra point for that too,
I am in no way saying this drama is perfect, but it is just so pretty, entertaining and definitely worth a watch. It is also a lot shorter than many other dramas of its kind and to be honest I would not have minded another episode or 20.
P.s. This is deffinetly a drama you will want to binge so make sue you have the time for it when you watch it.
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Just a Romance with no plot besides that
Initially I actually liked it, which was the cute, romantic comedy part that I generally don't like very much, and the part that I was supposed to like, which was tragic, I didn't like.The first "arc" in the protagonist's fairy kingdom was okay, typical cute story and their relationship was good and funny to see, but after that, in the "arc" of the protagonist's kingdom there was a drastic change in the atmosphere of the drama and especially in the relationship between them and that's when it became a turn-down for me and I started to get bored watching it, it cut off the initial flow and became something else... I didn't feel like it was something continuous but rather that the drama was really divided into " arcs" with different vibes.
The next "arc" was in the human world, at this point I was tired of watching this that I couldn't even appreciate, but it wasn't a bad "arc" but rather a slow one, it was where most of the relationships between the characters developed, but other than that I found the story itself completely stupid. The aspect that made me really dislike the drama was that the characters, being immortals who have lived thousands of years, fall in love easily and very quickly, the secondary character fell in love with Orchid in about 3 meetings..... and she in 1 or 2 for him, at the end of the drama she realized that what she felt for him wasn't love, but still she was OBSESSED with the guy at the beginning, their relationship is very superficial.
In the end, the drama revolved around romance and romance and more romance, and the plot beyond that?? There were practically none.
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dropped, rewatch and love it!
I started watching this show when it first came out and didn't like it after 1st episode. I didn't felt like the CGI, acting and all was the kind of xianxia I would enjoy. Anyway, i decided to give it a go again and surprisingly love it a lot! I personally think this show was Esther Yu and Dylan Wang's best work out of all their other shows.This show really grow on me the more I watch. First off, the storyline is very refreshing and new, although pretty predictable but i think the FLML will surprise you time to time! The development is great. I know a lot people might not like FL's character or her voice but trust me, it gets better. This show is considered fluffy and very straightforward to me - female lead doesn't throw useless tantrum or go on extreme hate mode after finding out "the truth", which i love. She trusts what she sees in the male lead even though he is a devil/ is evil in their world. Male lead although known as the "bad guy" is an absolute sweetie when in love. He is always there for the female lead and never allows her to get hurt. To me, their characters is one of the best I have seen in xianxia dramas. I like their relationship progression and even with the 2nd ML's involvement it was never toxic or anything. I also enjoyed 2nd ML's story/pov a lot and the show will really make u love both the male leads. The pace of this show have shown that with just 36 episodes is good enough for a xianxia drama with good development! I just wished that they could have ended with another 2/3 episodes so the ending wouldn't be so rushed :(
I am taking away 1 point from the ratings because the ending was too rushed. For people thinking if they should start watching, i highly recommend this!
BONUS: i realised there are a lot of goodlooking people in this show, it's a total eye candy! also, the soundtrack is very nice!!!
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A heart's curse that's one of a kind!
You can also watch my entire review here as a video format:https://youtu.be/tm-hfRxYq1o
But if you prefer to read go ahead:
This is a 36-episode top tier Xianxia drama which has turned the genre on its heels. To begin with, the story is a good one and they have executed the script to near perfection. It follows a naïve fairy who unwittingly wakes up the devil. The cute fairy and the domineering cold demon are tied by a heart’s curse and thus begins their journey of love which is a pleasure to watch.
It’s a fresh breath to the genre, because for once you have sensible main leads and a love triangle that does not get on your nerves. There are no fillers and the plot is water tight. Now it’s a typical Xianxia but what it makes it different lies in the execution. Every tiny detail is taken care of and that is a rarity. It’s a mixture of medieval art, modern thought and Chinese aesthetics.
The scriptwriter has written a compelling story with a coherent storyline. It manages to seamlessly combine comedy, romance and also angst in the latter part. Don’t be fooled by the hilarious opening, the last few episodes are tear jerkers. In 36 episodes, this drama is an intense rollercoaster ride, that will make you laugh, love, cry and adore each moment.
Wang Heidi and Esther Yu as Dongfang Qing Cang and Xiao Lang Hua sent sparks flying onscreen. They beautifully unfold a captivating love story that develops naturally and flows seamlessly captivating your heart strings. Their chemistry is electric and they make every moment count with comic, sweet and bitter moments that tears your heart apart. They are both natural and so comfortable with each other that makes the drama so real.
Esther Yu convincingly portrays the orchid fairy, a dynamic character that’s easy to hate because it can appear too fake or flamboyant when not conveyed well but she manages to pull it off effortlessly. She radiates different energy in different situations but still remembers the essence of her character, a warm and bubbly fairy. She also brings out her acting range when she body swaps and pulls off the serious and cold domineer. She has also used her own voice, which I personally find very fitting to the character.
Dylan Wang has greatly improved since Miss the Dragon. His acting is terrific, he showcases a variety of expressions that blend into his character. Despite being the heartless moon supreme, he displays brilliantly how his icy heart sea slowly melts. He gracefully transitions into someone with emotions and gradually makes more micro expressions and gestures to show how he’s starting to fall in love and feel emotions. Wang Heidi as the moon supreme is magnificent and he nails the character; his body and eye language are both great. Not to mention he is an eye candy in all those costumes.
Zhang Ling He as the SML is very lovable and he can seriously give you second male lead syndrome vibes. His performance as the Lord of War who wants to protect his love and can be a friend to his arch enemy is quite endearing. You will also fall in love with the SFL Danyin, a fairy who can love endlessly but can also gracefully give up. For once you don’t have the wicked woman who is obsessed and delusional in love to the point of madness.
Every character is there for a reason, they have their own personal motive, background story and their decisions contribute to the intensity and development of the plot. It’s a happy ending with all the loose ends tied up, except that the last 5 minutes could have been better, showing their return to Cangyan sea or how Dongfang can wield glazed fire but still better than most dramas.
The drama is visually appealing in terms of sequencing, graphics, and cinematography. It’s only a S production but they have used the money in the right places and it shows. The art team needs to be applauded. They have visually articulated a fantasy world where every detail is enchantingly portrayed. The costumes are gorgeous and, in each realm, they have really put in a lot of effort into visualizing how the characters need to look on screen. DongFang QingCang’s outfits are mostly black with a hint of gold, showing his sovereignty as the moon supreme. Xiao Lan Hua’s outfits are in bright pastel colors fitting for a fairy with bright and bubbly personality.
The CGI effects are top notch and rendered so well that it gave an ethereal and mind-blowing result. In each realm, the lighting, visual art, setting and color palette enhances the overall cinematic effect. The combat scenes with hell fire and Dylan Wang’s entry scenes are beautifully done. The scene where Rong Hao and Chang Heng enter a painting is just amazing. Again, well done camera work, really good angles and each shot is epic. The way they have designed the realms shows a lot of research work. It has been a while since there was such beautiful and mesmerizing graphics in a drama.
The drama also has a very beautiful soundtrack and background music score. The soundtracks are great and the lyrics are so meaningful. Almost all of the OST’s are good and the background music score for this drama is exceptional. Some of the BGM’s can make your hair stand up and is a masterpiece.
Usually, Xianxia’s are long but very few manage to leave a long-lasting mark despite that. This drama has set really high standards for a Xianxia. The last time a drama was this close to perfection was Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and long-time drama viewers would know that it was a classic. I would say this drama is no less in comparison. Overall, I would rate this drama a 9 which is something I rarely do because the plot, casting, setting, cinematography, CGI effects, color palette, OST’s and execution are almost flawless.
So do yourself a favor and watch the drama because it’s the best Xianxia that’s been out in recent years.
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One of the best love story!
This drama truly portray classic love story and all the feelings are mutual and it especially emphasis true love do exist which is done beautifully without any cliches and cringeness. That's why many of us feel so in love with DFQC and XLH due to their pure love. Two lonely soul finally become a soulmate and they way the speak/action are from heart which is seldom can be seen in the drama nowadays. We cry, we laugh and fell in love with DFQC and XLH over and over again. Many said XLH is childish and immature but once we lost her after she is reincarnated into Goddess Xi Yun everyone is sad together with DFQC and we want to old XLH that love DFQC with all her heart.They give us peak of comedy, romance, heart break and give us hope love conquer all feeling and makes this drama is truly a gold. Definitely this drama going to be one of the classic fantasy drama love story that should be recommended through generations.
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